Prynne, William

Prynne, William, b. at Swanswick, near Bath, 1600; d. in London, Oct. 24, 1669. He was graduated at Oxford, and gained great notoriety by his Histriomastix; or, A Scourge for Stage Players, for which he was condemned by Archbishop Laud to pay a fine of three thousand pounds, to stand in the pillory, and to lose both his ears. He was again imprisoned for libel in 1637, but was released by the Long Parliament. He became member of Parliament for Newport in 1648, and was the solicitor in the trial of Laud (1644), and arranged the proceedings. He advocated the cause of Charles, and in 1650 was expelled from the House of Commons because of his active opposition to Cromwell. After the Restoration he was appointed Keeper of the Records of the Tower. His publications, chiefly on religion and politics, amount to nearly two hundred.