Introduction

“Neptune to the Common-wealth of England” (1652): the “Republican Britannia” and the continuity of interests

“…Nedham pushing out the boat on Selden's claims to sovereignty of the seas: 'Equipped with Neptune's ode and the triumphalist allegory of a demonstrably English Britannia, Nedham's authoritative translation elevates Selden's riposte to Grotius to the level of a national epic' 66. Sobecki's richly detailed reading ofNedham's cover image makes Norbrook's use of it for Writing the English Republic (1999) appear anomalous: Its iconography makes it the companion piece to Neptune's ode: Britannia is shown holding an English shield, and under her feet piles up the loot of her conquests, marked by the flags of subdued Scotland, Ireland, and Wales […] Next to each other on the ground, the crowns and sceptres of Scotland and Ireland (territories which were occupied by the Protectorate at the time) make her an empress.…”