John Selden and the western political tradition

"Legal and political theorist, common lawyer and parliamentary leader, historian and polyglot, John Selden (1584-1654) was a formidable figure in Renaissance England, whose real importance and influence are now being recognized once again. John Selden and the Western Political Tradition highlights his important role in the development of such early modern political ideas as modern natural law and natural rights, national identity and tradition, the political integration of church and state, and the effect of Jewish ideas on Western political thought. Selden's political ideas are analysed in the context of his contemporaries Grotius, Hobbes and Filmer. The book demonstrates how these ideas informed and influenced more familiar works of later thinkers like Burke"--

"Selden's political ideas are analysed in comparison to those of his contemporaries Grotius, Hobbes and Filmer, and the book demonstrates how these ideas informed and influenced the more familiar works of later thinkers such as Burke"--

Cover; Half-title page; Title page; Copyright page; Dedication; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgments; Note on the Text; List of Abbreviations; 1 Introduction: "Glory of the English Nation" -- The Life, Works and Ideas of John Selden; 1.1 Introductory; 1.2 Selden's World; 1.3 Beginnings: 1584-1601; 1.4 Lawyer and Scholar: 1602-1619; 1.5 Parliamentarian: 1620-1629; 1.6 "Places Never Before Trodden by the Foot": 1630-1639; 1.7 "In a Troubled State": 1640-1648; 1.8 Final Years: 1649-1654; 1.9 Legacy; 2 Selden and the Early-Modern Crisis of Knowledge and Obligation.

2.1 The Crisis of Knowledge and Legitimacy2.2 The Crisis of Political Obligation; 2.3 The Crisis and English Political Ideas; 3 Selden and the Early-Modern Dispute about the Foundations of Political Order; 3.1 Interactions; 3.2 Grotius; 3.3 Hobbes; 3.4 Filmer; 3.5 Selden; Plates ; 3.6 Legacies of Obligation; 4 Law "Fitted to the Genius of the Nation": Selden's Theory of National Tradition in Law and Politics; 4.1 Continuity through Change; 4.2 The Role of Tradition; 4.3 The Universalist Menace; 4.4 Nation and State; 4.5 "What ish my Nation?" -- The Elements of National Identity.

4.6 "Mankinde in General, that is, All Nation…