William Lawrence's Newes from Geneva, or The Lewd Levite (1662): recovering a manuscript restoration play

William Lawrence (c. 1636-1697) was a lawyer, man of letters, translator, and estate owner. This article considers a manuscript play by Lawrence from 1662 called Newes from Geneva, Or The lewd Levite. A Comedy which is largely unknown to scholars of Restoration drama. I begin by outlining the biblio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Seventeenth century Vol. 37; no. 5; pp. 779 - 799
Main Author Streete, Adrian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Durham Routledge 03.09.2022
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
17th century
Comedies
comedy
Drama
Lawrence, William (c 1636-1697)
nonconformity
religion
Restoration
Restoration period
scripture
Theater
Theater history
Translators
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Summary:William Lawrence (c. 1636-1697) was a lawyer, man of letters, translator, and estate owner. This article considers a manuscript play by Lawrence from 1662 called Newes from Geneva, Or The lewd Levite. A Comedy which is largely unknown to scholars of Restoration drama. I begin by outlining the bibliographical and performance history of the author and the play. I then go on to consider the main and, particularly, the sub-plot in relation to the broader post-Restoration historical and literary context. By examining the depiction of the non-conformist minister Levi, and by recovering a set of contemporary sources for the sub-plot, I argue that Lawrence advances an accommodationist position towards non-conformity in the play.
ISSN:0268-117X
2050-4616
DOI:10.1080/0268117X.2022.2081596