Ben Jonson's Ridicule of the Early Newspapers--Fondness of the Old News-Writers for the Marvellous--The Smithfield Ghost--The Wonderful Whale--The Newbury Witch--Satirical Tracts and Caricatures at the Commencement of the Civil War--Religion Tossed in a Blanket--Caricatures of the Pope and the Bishops--Pluralists and Patentees--Taylor, the Water Poet--_Mercurius Aulicus_--Activity of the Pamphleteers--Welshmen Satirised--Satires on Prince Rupert--On the King and Queen--The Ladies' Parliament--Illustrated Tracts relating to Social and Political Subjects--Sir Kenelm Digby's Duel--The King entertained by the City of London, 1641--Executions in 1641--The Liquor Traffic and Sunday Closing in 1641--Abuses of the Ecclesiastical Courts--Ritualism and Nunneries in 1641--Truths enforced by Lieing--Stage Players and the Plague in 1641--Bartholomew Fair in 1641--Destruction of Charing Cross and Cheapside Cross--Strange Apparition--Method of enforcing their Views adopted by the Puritan Pamphleteers--Parodies of Roundhead Sermons--Matthew Hopkins the Witch-finder--The _Welsh Post_ of 1643--William Lilly the Astrologer--Three Suns seen in London on the King's Birthday. CHAPTER IV. 108 The Civil War--Flying Sheets of News--Disturbance at Kingston-on-Thames--Plot against London--Riotous Proceedings at York, and Conspiracy in Edinburgh--The House of Commons--The Royal Standard raised at Nottingham--Battle of Edgehill--Prince Rupert--The Lord Mayor of London--_Mercurius Civicus_--The _Scottish Dove_--The _Flying Post_--The _Kingdomes Weekly Post_--Cruelties of the Cavaliers--The 'Levellers'--The King's Escape from Oxford--Funeral of the Earl of Essex--The Great Seal Broken--Fairfax--Cromwell--Sea Fight in the Channel--The Prince of Wales's Squadron--Mutiny at Norwich--Siege of Colchester--Execution of Sir Charles Lucas--The King at Carisbrooke Castle--Execution of the King--Confession of Richard Brandon. CHAPTER V. 153 Decrease of Newspapers after the Civil War--_Mercurius Democritus_--The _Faithful Post_--The _Politique Post_--Broadsides for the People--The Hollow Tree at Hampstead--Prodigious Monster taken in Spain--The Restoration--Trial of the Regicides--Execution of the Regicides--Licenser of the Press appointed--Popular Taste for the Supernatural--Apparition in the Air in Holland--Revival of _Mercurius Civicus_--Murder of Archbishop Sharpe--The _Loyal Protestant_--Frost Fair on the Thames--Monmouth's Rebellion--The Bloody Assizes--Funeral of Queen Mary, Consort of William III.--Increase of Newspapers after the Revolution. CHAPTER VI 180