Let's get smashing

In between vague attempts at some work I am reading Diane Purkiss's The English Civil War. It's the sort of history I enjoy: old-fashioned in that it has a strong narrative, with lots of people in it; modern insofar as people from all levels of society are included. Also it's well written.

It surprises me, though, just how consistently I am on the side of the Roundheads. In 1066 and All That the Roundheads are right but repulsive, while the Cavaliers are wrong but wromantic. But even their wromance just seems pathetic now, with their Quixotic ideas of honour and dash, and that idiot Charles I at their head. And Henrietta Maria with her embarrassing ballets and masques, like the worst excesses of undergraduate thesps. Still, when it comes to descriptions of loutish yeomen smashing statues and glass windows, mostly recent ones put up because of Laud's directions (bizarre old Laud, with his homoerotic dreams and his amazing manuscript collection) but occasionally actual medieval art, you'd have thought that would upset me. I am a medievalist. I work on medieval artefacts. But I'm still cheering them on.

The really offensive thing is the altar rails. People objected to these because they put up a barrier between people and the place where the communion bread and wine were consecrated. A space where only priests were allowed; a removal of faith from the people. Of course they should have torn them down. The proponents of them said they were necessary to stop dogs eating the consecrated wafers. Now I can see that that's not ideal, but then again the particular view of the sacrament that sees preventing that as more important than the symbolism of free access can be very offensive. It's as if to say, by our incantations we have brought down God and trapped him in a piece of bread; now we must defend him! I still find this a tad offensive today, though it's not a deal-breaker, as it were, for me to worship with people. It's not in the creed.

Anyway I've always seen the Reformation and the Civil War protests against Laudian/Arminian views as the triumph of truth over beauty, of reality over the symbol. If they hadn't won in the 1530s, and in the 1640s, and again in 1688, we would be a poorer country for it, even if we had more medieval art.