This book restores the rich tradition of the Sibyls to the position of prominence they once held in the culture and society of the English Renaissance. The sibyls - figures from classical antiquity - played important roles in literature, scholarship and art of the period, exerting a powerful authority due to their centuries-old connection to prophetic declamations of the coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. The identity of the sibyls, however, was not limited to this particular aspect of their fame, but contained a fluid multi-layering of meanings given their prominence in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, as well as the widespread dissemination of prophecies attributed the sibyls that circulated through the oral tradition. Sibylline prophecy of the Middle Ages served as another conduit through which sibylline authority, fame, and familiarity was transmitted and enhanced. Writers as disparate as John Foxe, John Dee, Thomas Churchyard, John Fletcher, Thomas Heywood, Jane Seager, John Lyly, An Collins, William Shakespeare, and many draw upon this shared sibylline tradition to produce particular and specific meanings in their writing. This book explores the many identities, the many faces, of the prophetic sibyls as they appear in the works of English Renaissance writers.

This book restores the rich tradition of the Sibyls to the position of prominence they once held in the culture and society of the English Renaissance. The sibyls - figures from classical antiquity - played important roles in literature, scholarship and art of the period, exerting a powerful authority due to their centuries-old connection to prophetic declamations of the coming of Christ and the Apocalypse. The identity of the sibyls, however, was not limited to this particular aspect of their fame, but contained a fluid multi-layering of meanings given their prominence in ancient Greek and Roman cultures, as well as the widespread dissemination of prophecies attributed the sibyls that circulated through the oral tradition. Sibylline prophecy of the Middle Ages served as another conduit through which sibylline authority, fame, and familiarity was transmitted and enhanced. Writers as disparate as John Foxe, John Dee, Thomas Churchyard, John Fletcher, Thomas Heywood, Jane Seager, John Lyly, An Collins, William Shakespeare, and many draw upon this shared sibylline tradition to produce particular and specific meanings in their writing. This book explores the many identities, the many faces, of the prophetic sibyls as they appear in the works of English Renaissance writers.

In her Great Books of Record Anne Clifford places herself within the dynamic history of the ancient Clifford family, providing an unbroken view into medieval and early modern life for nearly six centuries. In this annotated edition, we glimpse the lives of simple widows, traders, farmers, and labourers juxtaposed with the adventures of soldiers, lords and ladies, princes and princesses. Throughout, Anne Clifford asserts the centrality of women to the success of noble families, including the monarchy. Her Great Books draws upon medieval traditions and early modern scholarship and builds upon these through biographies of the Clifford lords and ladies, along with an extended biography of her mother Margaret Russell and her own autobiographical 'Life of Mee'. Those interested in the lives of medieval and early modern women, changes in culture, the effect of the political upon individuals, and the inspiring life of Anne Clifford will find this a rich and rewarding book. -- .

This edition of Anne Clifford's (1590-1676) diaries and memoirs is the first to include all of her autobiographical writing. Clifford was a prominent noble woman who writes about her experiences in the courts of Elizabeth, James and Charles I. She tells the story of her decades long battle to secure her inheritance of the Clifford lands of the north, which included taking on powerful men like James I. She describes the challenges she faced when she finally inherited the Clifford lands, torn by civil war, poverty and neglect. Her writings about her life reveal her joys and griefs, including the loss of children. Anne Clifford was vulnerable and determined, charitable and canny. Her diaries and memoirs provide a window into the life and thoughts of this indomitable woman. -- .

This edition of Anne Clifford's (1590-1676) diaries and memoirs is the first to include all of her autobiographical writing. Clifford was a prominent noble woman who writes about her experiences in the courts of Elizabeth, James and Charles I. She tells the story of her decades long battle to secure her inheritance of the Clifford lands of the north, which included taking on powerful men like James I. She describes the challenges she faced when she finally inherited the Clifford lands, torn by civil war, poverty and neglect. Her writings about her life reveal her joys and griefs, including the loss of children. Anne Clifford was vulnerable and determined, charitable and canny. Her diaries and memoirs provide a window into the life and thoughts of this indomitable woman. -- .