The Character of a Trimmer and Other Writings

George Savile, Marquess of Halifax, Brian R. Clack (University of San Diego), William Gibson (Oxford Brookes University)

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English

Oxford University Press
01 September 2025

Literature, Poetry & Criticism; Prose: non-fiction; Literary studies: general; Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers; Social & political philosophy

Series: Oxford World's Classics

To know when to let things alone is a high pitch of good sense.

George Savile, Marquess of Halifax was among the greatest statesmen of late seventeenth-century England and was a central figure in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. His pursuit of moderation during a time of fierce political controversy earned him the nickname The Trimmer. Halifax took this intended insult as a badge of honour, arguing that all good things trim between extremes and exist healthily between varieties of excess. His pamphlets, published anonymously during his lifetime, make the case for moderate and pragmatic action rooted in caution and compromise. They stand as an abiding critique of extremism and political tribalism. Halifaxs works on the nature of politics rest upon a practical and extensive experience of government. His detached and often jaded view of life lends a markedly distinctive quality to his thoughts on government, political parties, morality, marriage, and the human condition in general.

This edition presents Halifaxs published works, including his political testament The Character of a Trimmer, a remarkable sketch of the character of King Charles II, and various sets of Thoughts and Reflections. An introductory essay sets Halifaxs work within the context of his time and emphasizes the continuing relevance of his thought.

By: George Savile Marquess of Halifax
Edited by: Brian R. Clack (University of San Diego), William Gibson (Oxford Brookes University)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 196mm, Width: 130mm, Spine: 15mm
Weight: 204g
ISBN: 9780198879527
ISBN 10: 0198879520
Series: Oxford World's Classics
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 01 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of the Marquis of Halifax The Character of a Trimmer A Character of King Charles II The Lady's New Year's Gift: Or, Advice to a Daughter A Letter to a Dissenter The Anatomy of an Equivalent Maxims of the Great Almansor A Rough Draft of a New Model at Sea Some Cautions Offered The Government of the World Political Thoughts and Reflections Moral Thoughts and Reflections Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections Selections from the Miscellanys and Miscellaneous Maxims Appendix: Notable Historical Judgments on Halifax Explanatory Notes

Brian R. Clack is Professor of Philosophy at the University of San Diego. He is the author of two books on the philosophy of Wittgenstein — Wittgenstein, Frazer and Religion (1999) and An Introduction to Wittgenstein's Philosophy of Religion (1999) — and of Love, Drugs, Art, Religion: The Pains and Consolations of Existence (2014), and co-author of The Philosophy of Religion: A Critical Introduction (third edition, 2019). He has edited Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France for the Broadview Editions series (2022). William Gibson is Professor Emeritus at Oxford Brookes University. He has written widely on religion and politics in the period 1660-1800, including James II and the Trial of the Seven Bishops (2009) and Samuel Wesley and the Crisis of Tory Piety, 1685-1720 (2021). He is editor of the Journal of Religious History, Literature and Culture and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.