Ian Harris

This article alters the terms in which the early response to Reflections on the Revolution in France, the most important criticism of the revolution of 1789, can be understood. For over a century, commentators have thought in terms of pamphlets, and Burke has seemed isolated or eccentric. But Burke considered that his account of the English nation, a vital feature of his argument, had been 'authenticated by the verdict of his country' and 'recognized by the body of the people'. The grounds for this unexpected view are identified here by turning from literary to institutional ways of responding, and by connecting institutions with a doctrine of representation, one which was basic to the Glorious Revolution and to the post-1688 constitution but which has not been treated in relation to them. Representation did not always entail election, and representatives included the monarch and the peers. England itself was understood in terms of corporate bodies and their relations. These bodies included nation, state and universities. A highly favourable verdict on Reflections was returned by leading representatives of the people, and by the incorporated 'people' itself. The responses from the King and the Archbishop of Canterbury and from certain universities 'authenticated' Burke's account. Burke, with such validation, could manifest indifference to The Rights of Man and the rest. But his opponents, who thought differently about representation, could not register what had happened. In the terms that Burke amongst others understood the matter, Reflections was 'authenticated', and its author, far from being isolated, was central. A new understanding of the response to Reflections thus emerges from combining history of political thought and political history in the way developed here, one which draws upon uncatalogued manuscripts. With that understanding an extensive agenda emerges for further work in these histories and in political theory.

Works of William Godwin: Series II, Political and Philosophical Writings. General editor: Mark Philp. Volume editors: Pamela Clemit, Martin Fitzpatrick, Mark Philp. Researcher: Austin Gee. Consulting editor: William St Clair. Seven volumes. William Pickering. London, 1993. £395. ISBN: 1–85196–026–0 set.

Readers of Don Herzog's earlier volumes, Happy Slaves (1989) and Without Foundations (1985), will know that they should expect a bracing time when they open his books. They will not be disappointed. This is, without a doubt, a book buoyant in tone and in content. It marks a new departure in the author's manner of writing, displays a wide historical learning, and shows a striking lack of cant in its attitude toward political thought.

... p. cm. Papers presented during a series of seminars, held between 1984 and 1987 at the FolgerShakespeare Library in Washington, DC Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0 521 44377 6 (hardback) 1. Political science - Great Britain - History - Congresses. ...

John Locke (1632-1704) is a central figure in the history of thought, and in liberal doctrine especially. This is the first major study of his thought to bring a range of his wider views to bear upon his political theory. Every political theorist has a vision, a view about the basic ...