- John Spelman
Sir John Spelman (1594-1643) was an English historian, and is known for his biography of
Alfred the Great . His father was Englishantiquary SirHenry Spelman , and his brother was Henry Spelman who was a translator and Captain for the Jamestown Colony inVirginia .Where his father was a leading expositor of the idea of an 'ancient constitution', John Spelman was a theorist of the Royalist cause. He was knighted by
Charles I of England in 1641 and served the king actively at the beginning of theFirst English Civil War .He had studied at the
University of Cambridge , and travelled in continental Europe. He edited from manuscripts in his father's library Psalterium Davidis latino-saxonicum vetus (1640), and wrote a Life of Alfred the Great which was translated into Latin and published in 1678.Works
*"Certain considerations upon the duties both of prince and people written by a gentleman of quality" (1642) [http://history.wisc.edu/sommerville/367/spelman.htm Excerpt]
*"Case of our affaires in law, religion, and other circumstances examined and presented to the conscience" (1643)
*"A Protestant's account of his orthodox holding in matters of religion, at the present indifference in the Church" (1642)
*"Aelfredi Magni, Anglorum regis invictissimi vita tribus libris comprehensa" (1678)
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