The political party formed in England during Dryden’s time to oppose the Whigs and the Exclusion Bill. In the “To the Reader” section, the poet refers to Tories as “anti-Brominghams,” which means those who are anti-Whig. It was a nickname that became popular for those who opposed the Exclusion Bill.
Tory / Anti-Bromingham Quotes in Absalom and Achitophel
The Absalom and Achitophel quotes below are all either spoken by Tory / Anti-Bromingham or refer to Tory / Anti-Bromingham. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
To the Reader
Quotes
’Tis not my intention to make an apology for my poem: some will think it needs no excuse, and others will receive none. The design, I am sure, is honest; but he who draws his pen for one party must expect to make enemies of the other. For wit and fool are consequents of Whig and Tory, and every man is a knave or an ass to the contrary side. There’s a treasury of merits in the fanatic church as well as in the papist; and a pennyworth to be had of saintship, honesty, and poetry for the lewd, the factious, and the blockheads; but the longest chapter in Deuteronomy has not curses enough for an anti- Bromingham.
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Tory / Anti-Bromingham Term Timeline in Absalom and Achitophel
The timeline below shows where the term Tory / Anti-Bromingham appears in Absalom and Achitophel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
To the Reader
...worth in dividing a nation. Still, there are not enough curses in Deuteronomy for an “anti-Bromingham.”
(full context)
