Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Notes on Conventions and on Currency xi
5. Persons and Plots xii
6. Introduction 1
7. Chapter 1: Debates on National Security 27
8. Chapter 2: A Trusted Government? 68
9. Chapter 3: “A Tool with so Devilish an Edge”: Government Officials and Political Informers in the 1690s 104
10. Chapter 4: Identity, Honor, and Gender in the Narratives of Informers 140
11. Chapter 5: Credit and Credibility in the Worlds of Richard Kingston 188
12. Chapter 6: Loyalty and Credibility in the Lancashire “Sham Plot” 217
13. Chapter 7: Representation, Politics, and Law in the Assassination Plot 248
14. Notes 281
15. Manuscript Collections Consulted 331
16. Index 335