This second of three volumes of essays by Christopher Hill, a widely recognized historian of seventeenth-century England, contains much previously unpublished work. The material spans writings from thirty years of Hill's remarkable career, and all the material has been specially revised.

Volume II focuses on religious beliefs and practices and shows how the deep-rooted theological struggles of the seventeenth century finally led to the collapse of the united church. Emphasizing the significance of radical and heretical movements in English religious history, Hill offers a new appraisal of the role of religious conflict as a shaping force of the English Revolution. The author considers traditions from the Lollards to the Levellers and includes full and detailed studies of Gerald Winstanley, radical antinomianism and the origins of Muggletonianism.