1639 to 1643

Society

1639. The Whole Book of Psalms Faithfully Translated Into English Metre (The Bay Psalm Book) published by English-American printer Stephen Day, 47, the first book to be printed and bound in New England.

1640. France enjoys power and prosperity under Cardinal Richelieu, but the mass of Frenchmen live on the edge of starvation.

1649. The first English stagecoach lines begin as roads and coaching houses are built to accommodate coaches and travelers.

1640. England's Puritan movement spreads to her lower classes.

Literature

Cinna. Corneille. French. 1640. Play. Augustus must choose between justice or mercy for the plotters against him. He decides on mercy.

El Alcalde de Zalamea. Calderon. Spanish. 1640. Play. Captain violates the host's daughter and refuses to marry her. Does not believe that he has to answer to commoners for his conduct. Her father has him committed to prison where he is strangled. King agrees that justice has been done and makes her father permanent mayor of the town. Protest against the capricious, despotic feudal nobility.

Horace. Corneille. French. 1640. Play. Horace kills Curiace, his sister's betrothed. She swears revenge. He kills her, too. Horace is pardoned. Horace represents Rome. Curiace represents Alba. Purpose of the combat was to decide a war between the cities.

Society

1641. Russia's Michael Romanov forbids sale and use of tobacco.

Literature

Bay Psalm Book. Richard Mather, et al. American. 1641. Poetry. Translation of the biblical psalms. First bound book printed in the English colonies.

Polyeucte. Corneille. French. 1641. Play. Armenia in the early Christian era. Newly baptized Christian reviles pagans and is imprisoned. His martyrdom subsequently stimulates conversions of his wife Pauline and his father-in-law, Felix.

The Body of Liberties. Nathaniel Ward, et al. American. 1641. Nonfiction. Combined the common law of England and the Mosaic law. Recognized fundamental human rights.

Society

1642. Civil war begins in England as Charles I sends his Cavaliers against the Puritan parliament.

1642. Cardinal Richelieu dies, December 4, at age 57.

1642. Montreal is founded.

1642. New England has some 16,000 colonists whose transatlantic passage averaged 3 months' time.

1643. France's Louis XIII dies. His son of 4 will reign until 1715 as Louis XIV, initially under the aegis of Cardinal Mazarin.

1643. France's nobility will rise against Cardinal Mazarin in the next 5 years in a final attempt to oppose the court by armed resistance and substitute rule of law for royal whim.