Poemata on affairs of state: political satire in Latin in later Stuart Britain, 1658–1714

Abstract

ABSTRACT Later Stuart Britain is well known as an age of political satire. Scholars have generally approached this as an English-language phenomenon, but there was also a significant strand of satiric verse written in Latin, Britain’s second literary language. This article examines the nature and significance of political satire in Latin in this period. Latin satire appeared in many forms and genres, including epigrammatic, lapidary, hexameter and rhyming verse. Like English-language satire, most Latin satire circulated in manuscript rather than print. Although it had elite authors and readers, some Latin satires reached a substantial audience, assisted by the prevalence of short poems and their circulation alongside English translations. As Latin was Europe’s main international language, satires also flowed across borders, especially with France and the Dutch republic. Latin satires took diverse political perspectives, including royalist and oppositional, Tory and Whig, Jacobite and Williamite, and appeared throughout the later Stuart period.