Audiobook · read by volunteers
History of England, from the Accession of James II - (Volume 2, Chapter 10)
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800–1859)
Read by CloudWalker, Ana Simão, Sibella Denton, Justin Brett, Rosalind Wills, Lucy Burgoyne (1950-2014), Andy Minter (1934-2017), Estragon, John Lieder, JemmaBlythe · 13 chapters · 3 h 58
About the book
James II is on the run. In this chapter of Macaulay’s History of England, the king’s attempt to flee the country ends in an embarrassing capture, and a second, successful departure, leaving behind a kingdom in confusion.
Events move fast. The hated Judge Jeffreys, once the most feared man in England, meets a grim fate, and Dutch troops arrive in London. James takes refuge in France, where he sets up a court in exile at Saint-Germain, and a new chapter begins in the story of the two countries.
Macaulay brings the scenes to life with detail and a good sense of drama. Thirteen parts, about four hours. A thrilling account of the moment when one reign ends and a very different order comes into being.
Introduction
Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) devoted much of his later life to his History of England from the Accession of James the Second, the first volumes of which came out in 1848. He was admired for his command of detail, his vivid portraits and his confident, balanced sentences. As a Whig, he viewed the revolution of 1688 as a triumph of liberty over arbitrary power, and he wrote with that conviction.
Chapter 10 of the second volume covers the end of James II’s reign. It begins with the king’s flight from England and continues with the downfall of Judge Jeffreys, whose harshness in the aftermath of the Monmouth rebellion had made him notorious. It describes the arrival of Dutch troops in London and James’s second escape, and then turns to the exiled court at Saint-Germain in France, where the Jacobite cause found its base. The chapter ends with the crowning of William and Mary.
This is the climactic part of Macaulay’s account of the revolution, and it has a pace that suits the spoken word. There are moments of near comedy as well as tension, since the confusion of the period produced strange incidents.
The recording consists of thirteen parts and lasts around four hours, read by LibriVox volunteers. It can be enjoyed independently of the other chapters, but it also forms a natural conclusion to the narrative of 1688. Listeners will find a clear and entertaining account of a major event, from a historian who made the past feel immediate.
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