Chap. XXII.] Political Journals. 89 



ker," her highness's printer, in 1.588. But public 

 prints of this kind, after the dispersion of the Spa^ 

 nish armada, seldom appeared. The first regu- 

 lar weekly newspaper published in this country 

 was by Nathaniel Butter, in August 1622, en- 

 titled '* The certaine Naves of this present Weeke.'* 

 Three years afterward another of a similar kind 

 was established. But during the civil wars, which 

 took place under the protectorate of Cromwell, 

 these channels of public intelligence became more 

 numerous than ever, and were diligently employ- 

 ed by both parties to disseminate their opinions 

 among the people. About that time appeared 

 the Mer cur ills Aulicus, the Mercurius llusticus, 

 the Meixuriiis Civicus, &c. And it is said, that 

 ^^ when any title grew popular, it was frequently 

 stolen by some antagonist, who, by this stra- 

 tagem, obtained access to those who would not 

 have received him, had he not worn the appear- 

 ance of a friend. These papers soon became a 

 public nuisance. Serving as receptacles of party 

 malice, they set the minds of men more at vari- 

 ance, inflamed their resentments into greater 

 fierceness, and gave a keener and more destructive 

 edge to civil discord. But the convulsions of those 

 unhappy days left few either the leisure, the tran- 

 quillity, or the inclination, to treasure up occa- 

 sional or curious compositions ; and so mugh were 

 t;hey neglected that a complete collection is now 

 no where to be found, ^V^^^ little is known respect- 

 ing them *." 



* Johnspn's Jjife of A.dd\so^, 



