Royalist Reaction to Parliamentarian Dehumanisation
摘要
This Chapter presents a comparison to bellicose Puritan rhetoric by investigating in detail how the King’s ministers treated the enemy in their sermons and publications, and their reluctance to characterise Parliamentarians with dehumanising rhetoric. Instead, the King’s chaplains complained of Puritan propaganda and blamed it for atrocities that had taken place during the war. They recognised the effects of violent religious indoctrination and opposed the use of the Bible for such an un-Christian purpose. Royalist ministers’ attacks on the enemy were in the form of personal criticism and strict warnings. Correspondingly, they urged their own soldiers to refrain from cruelty and unnecessary violence rather than exhorted them to slay the rebels. Mercy was always offered to the enemy in exchange of repentance. The Royalist polemical strategy was to address the enemy and the public rather than only the King’s men. This contrast to the Puritan thunderous rhetoric presents an important contribution to our understanding of the religious aspects of the English Civil War.