The Supporter of Parliament

Abstract

Knowledge of Harrington’s life prior to the publication of The Commonwealth of Oceana in 1656 has generally been acknowledged to be limited. While not challenging that point, Chapter 2 argues that more evidence is available than has previously been recognized. It traces Harrington’s activities from the 1630s through to 1656, focusing in particular on the financial and administrative support that he offered to Parliament during the 1640s. This included providing money to help to establish peace between England and Scotland in 1641 and in support of the campaign in Ireland a year later, collecting money on Parliament’s behalf in Lincolnshire, and perhaps even putting himself forward as an MP for the Short Parliament in 1642.