Excerpt from The Chief Actors in the Puritan Revolution This volume was planned as a whole before the publication of any of its parts; and not one of the fragments, which, with the exception of a preliminary sketch on Laud in Fraser appeared in the Contemporary Review, is now republished without important alteration. A considerable proportion of the book is altogether new. My object has been to bring into distinct representation the chief moving forces in the Puritan Revolution. Selecting a certain number of actors in the drama of the period, I have endeavoured to put myself into their position, seeing with their eyes, and, in the exercise of at least dramatic sympathy, feeling as they felt. Should it occur to the reader that the views advanced in one place are not always consistent with those advanced in another, he will do well to ask whether the impression may not be due to the dramatic method which has been deliberately adopted. The judging faculty, however, proper to every writer who discusses historical questions, has not been completely suspended. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.