Martin Marprelate

The name used by the anonymous author or authors of the seven Marprelate tracts that circulated illegally in England in the years 1588-9. If it doesn't hurt to give background, I take Martin as a case study metaphor for  new Bolshevik factovi faux documented writing and propaganda. Not too great a mouthful. I got here because Dr. Malvin E. Moore wanted faculty to intern at NASA, which was working on updating black colleges along with Rockefeller etc. So the summer of '67 we sent in D.C. I was to codify and review all NASA contracts from whatever year to the present and was given a room full of boxes of which I knew nothing. I lasted many 3 days. It's like those dreams where you can't find the room? Since Ann had some other job somewhere and kept it up I on a lark went over to the Folger thinking to maybe.... You don't just walk in and get a chair I found, but did anyway and was welcomed after I told them Rhodes Dunlap was my major professor. I had a desk across from Th. Mish who shared 18th and etc. porn with me, and who dissed Sterge O'Dell's,A Chronological List of Prose Fiction, Printed in England and Other Countries, 1475–164.  I knew Roy Flannigan of the Milton newsletter, and bunches more from GeorgeTown, plus Norman Farmer with whom I has to run in back in Texas, after we all got fired and hit the road. Of course I didn't know that when I lunch, sitting on the soft cushion of the booth, I told Norman et. al. that I was a bouncing humanist and went up and down. What can you do to irrepressible spirits, except fire them in the future when you get to Texas. See Austin. So i read Eliz. grammars and Martin in sympathy with Bunyan. These are the only notes that remain.

 

s

 "I am not disposed to jest in this serious matter. I am called Martin Marprelate. There be many that greatly dislike my doings. I may have my wants I know; for I am a man. But my course I know to be ordinary and lawful. I saw the cause of Christ’s government, and of the Bishops’ anti-christian dealing to the be hidden. The most part of men could not be gotten to read anything written in the defense of the one, and against the other. I bethought me, therefore, of a way whereby men might be drawn to do both; perceiving the humors of men in these times (especially of those that are in any place) to be given to mirth. I took that course. I might lawfully do it. Aye for jesting is lawful by circumstances even in the greatest matters. The circumstances of time, place, and person urged me thereunto. I never professed the Word inn any jest. Other mirth I used as a covert, where in I would bring the truth into light. The Lord being the author both of mirth and gravity, is it not lawful in itself, for the truth to use either of these ways when the circumstances do make it lawful?" (etc. 238,9 Hay any worke)

 So we stayed that summer at 1800 R among the tranvesties up and down in the elevator with our dog friendly and spend evenings at DuponT circle, congo drums and CIA. There were clay courts down from the capital then on the mall and i beat a congressman in a set wearing only my socks. He was a bad loser. Summer of '67 was the last idyll.

"The Puritans are angry with me; I mean he Puritan preachers. And why? Because I am too open; because I jest. I jested because I dealt against a worshipful jester, Dr. Bridges, whose writings and sermons tend to no other end than to make men laugh. I did think that Martin should not have been blamed of the Puritans for telling the truth openly. For, may I not say that John of Canterbury is a petty pope, seeing he is so/ You must then bear with my ingramness, I am plain; I must needs call a spade a spade; an ope a pope. I speak not against him, as he is a Councillor; but as he is an Archbishop, and so Pope of Lambeth. What! will the Puritans seek to keep out the Pope of Rome, and maintain the Pope at Lambeth? Because you will do this, I will tell the Bishops how they shall deal with you. Let them say that the hottest of you hath made martin, and that the rest of you were consenting thereunto: and so go to our magistrates and say, ‘Lo, such and much of our Puritans, have, under the name of martin, written against you laws’: and so call you in, and put you to your oaths whether you made Martin or no. By this means Master Wigginton, or such as will refuse to take an oath against  the law of the land, will presently be found to have made Martin by the bishops, because he cannot be got to swear that he made him not: and here is a device to find a hold in the coat of some of your Puritans." (pp 118,119. Epitome)

"After this, I had a fling at these  Puritans, concerning whom my desire is that  wherein I am faulty the Puritans would set me down the particulars. It is odds I shall some way or other hear of it. For albeit there have been some jars of unkindness betwist us; yet I would have you know that I take the worst of you, in  regard of his calling, to be an honester man than the best lord bishop in Christendom. The report goeth that some of you have preached against me; and I beleeve it in part. Well, look to it; for I may happen to be even with you in this manner. I will not rest till I have learned what it is that you have said of me; and if I {AI} find it to be a just reproof, I will mend my fault, be as angry as ue will; if unjust trust unto it I will hold on my course, and there is one rap more than ye looked for. (413 Protestatyon

Marprelate's style

 It is easier for him to alter his course than for any one writer that I know of, because he hath chosen such a method as no man else besides hath done. Nay, his syllogisms, axioms, method, and all are of his own making; he will borrow none of these common school rules, no not so much as the common grammar, as it appeareth by that excellent point of poetry….

 

Propaganda Theory

 

            Each writer attempts to convince the reader that the other is wrong by explicitly creating a base image of the other while implying and image of himself that is both just and moderate considering the circumstances. The image of the other is a caricature; the image of the self a character. The dialectic does not therefore occur in th antagonism of doctrines but rather on the level of the positive and negative images; the winner is he who successfully denigrates the other. But this denigration must not be obvious, it must seem that honesty, truth, and charity inexorably compel even extreme vehemence, the rule being that a statement is as effective as it is subtle—even sub-conscious. So then, if A communicates that B is disagreeable, B’s doctrines become as odious as his identity, and vice versa. Such is the inevitable psychology and dialectic of propaganda; the party conflict becomes personal, the spokesmen become  microcosms of their parties, and the the thought is removed from the conflict. Thus in a consideration of propaganda, images are a superior concern to issues.

1.     Maintain faith in the King. The opposite of the anti-Vietnam war strategy, this would attribute all known evil in the world to the evil ministers of the King. The King, the President, if he knew would destroy the evil. Unfortunately he doesn’t know because his ministers lie to him, therefore the purpose is to appear to be informing him This way he can change without injury to himself.

2.     Maintain the truth of your own cause. Your extremity is irresistible because of the extreme provocation.l Plead that you are ready to forgive should the evil be remedied. Say that all of yourself wants to support the status quo. AT NO TIME IMPLY ANARCHY.

3.Language: the nature of most effective language is that it must use, turn and play upon as much existing jargon as possible. The Black sub-dialect is rich in this respect: slurred s, tense change and ghetto hyperbole are well suited for use. The FOE is a soft tooth cheese eater. Also use the Cassius Clay doggerel.

3.     Comedy: ejaculation, parenthesis, and marginal notes to indicate a plurality of voices will jazz up the article to let the reader himself abuse the FOE. Sock it to ‘em, Gaas is comic relief as well as a change for the reader to throw something. Parenthetical statements and marginal notes are the same thing, but in a different form.

4.     How to destroy the FOE:

5.     A. Provoke a reply, This is absolutely necessary for life. LBJ shut his mouth in 1964 and Goldwater couldn’t make him debate. With any luch at all your opponent will give more away in his reply that he will get.

6.     B. Feign familiarity with the FOE. Mention his wife, past, lives, hates, work. Act as if you know his plans. Suggest his future course of action. Mimic his speech.

7.     C.Abuse him. Attack his person prolifically. Invective with adequate distortion. False footnotes. False testimony mixed 40-60 with truth. Use syllogisms.

8.     D. keep him guessing. Have a coup. Biography of Robert Williams. A local race war. Print false stories. Suggest possible authors when the heat gets heavy, tau him.

9.     6. Make yourself heroic. Us the latent idealism of men.