Audiobook · read by volunteers
History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 1, Chapter 02)
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859)
Read by Chip, Jim Mowatt, Kristin LeMoine, Aaron Hochwimmer, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023) · 10 chapters · 4 h 49
About the book
The second chapter of Macaulay's History of England carries the story from the Restoration of the Stuarts through the reign of Charles II. With the return of the king, the national mood sours against the Roundheads, the army and the Puritans, and the country turns toward pleasure, intrigue and reaction. Macaulay offers a pointed study of the character of Charles himself, the court that surrounded him and the king's hopes of French support for his ambitions at home. His portraits are sharp and sometimes merciless. Chip, Jim Mowatt, Kristin LeMoine and two other LibriVox volunteers share the ten parts of this recording, which lasts nearly five hours and offers a vivid picture of England in the later seventeenth century.
Introduction
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) was a politician and man of letters who became one of the most widely read historians of the nineteenth century. His History of England from the Accession of James II began to appear in 1848, and its combination of grand narrative, colourful detail and polished style captured a huge public. Until then history had rarely been a commercial success on this scale.
The second chapter deals with the period of the Restoration, that is, the return to the throne of the House of Stuart after the years of civil war and republic. Macaulay describes the swing of popular feeling and discusses the policies and personality of Charles II. As a Whig, he was unsympathetic to the king and his court, and his judgments should be read with that in mind. Historians today often take a more balanced view, but few can match the author's ability to make an era feel alive.
The recording has ten parts and lasts about four hours and forty-eight minutes. It is shared among several LibriVox volunteers, including Chip, Jim Mowatt and Kristin LeMoine. It follows directly from the first chapter, though it can also be enjoyed separately by those who are interested in the Restoration. For anyone who likes narrative history told with flair and prejudice in equal measure, it is excellent company. It is a vivid portrait of a nation changing its mood, and Macaulay's relish for the vices and virtues of his characters makes the chapter a pleasure to hear.
Public domain
Thomas Babington Macaulay died in 1859: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text