Book excerpt: Focusing on the political, intellectual, and cultural context of Englandin the early modern period (14th century to 18th century), these timelystudies explore political theory and the English Revolution, the revisionist debates over the court and the country, and the role of Laudian policies in the years prior to the Civil War. The volume also explores aristocratic rule in 17th century England as compared to that of the Polish Commonwealth, the resonance of political events in literary culture, Hobbes's theory of passions, the role of the gentle apprentice in London, and the problem of religious dissent in the 17th century. Contributors include: PAUL SEAVER, PAOLO PASQUALUCCI, WILLIAM HUNT, GORDON SCHOCKET, LINDA PECK, EDWARD HUNDERT, JOHN GUY, ANTONIO D'ANDREA, WILLIAM DRAY, JOSEPH LEVINE, PETER LAKE, DWIGHT BRAUTIGAM and BONNELYN YOUNG KUNZE.