Published in 1968: While giving a lucid account of the functions and difficulties of the office of Principal Secretary, the author shows clearly how the retention of this position was a characteristic example of the English habit of clinging to old forms in political matters long after these forms have ceased to bear any relationship to reality. Originally a clerk in the King's private household and writer of his letters, by the end of the seventeenth century the position had become a political office, second only in importance to that of Lord High Treasurer.

Mark A. Thomson

1. Scotland, Ireland, and The Colonies 2. Army and Navy 3. Foreign Affairs 4. Domestic Affiars 5. The Secretaries' Office and Emoluments, Secret Service, and Gazette 6. Conclusion