This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1660.
Events
*
January 11
Events Pre-1600
* 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
* 630 – Conquest of Mecca: Muhammad and his ...
–
Samuel Pepys starts his diary, still using the Old Style date of 1 January.
*February/March –
John Rhodes reopens the old
Cockpit Theatre in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, forms a company of young actors and begins to stage plays. His production of ''
Pericles
Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...
'' will be the first
Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
an performance of the
Restoration era;
Thomas Betterton makes his stage debut in the title rôle.
*May – The
English Restoration
The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...
brings a host of Royalist exiles back to England,
Richard Baxter among them, and many
panegyrics are produced to commemorate the event.
*June – A warrant is issued for the arrest of the anti-monarchist
John Milton, who is forced into hiding, whilst his writings are burned.
*
August 21
Events Pre-1600
* 959 – Eraclus becomes the 25th bishop of Liège.
*1140 – Song dynasty general Yue Fei defeats an army led by Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin dynasty general Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song War ...
– The newly restored King
Charles II of England
Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.
Charles II was the eldest su ...
issues a royal grant for two theatre companies: a
King's Company under his own patronage, led by
Thomas Killigrew, and a
Duke's Company under the patronage of his brother, the
Duke of York and future King
James II, led by Sir
William Davenant. On November 8, the King's Company moves from the old
Red Bull Theatre to the new
Vere St. Theatre, and in the same month the Duke's Company begins performing at the
Salisbury Court Theatre.
*
September 5 –
Roger Boyle receives the title of
Earl of Orrery.
*
October 14 –
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal (19June 162319August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer.
Pascal was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. His earliest ...
's ''Lettres Provinciales'' is burned as a heretical work on the orders of King
Louis XIV of France
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
.
*October –
John Milton is arrested and imprisoned.
*December –
John Milton is released from prison, two weeks after his brother Christopher is appointed a judge.
*
December 8 – The first English actress to appear on the professional stage in England in a non-singing rôle, as
Desdemona in ''
Othello'', is variously considered to be
Margaret Hughes,
Anne Marshall or
Katherine Corey.
*''unknown dates''
**The Royalist poet
Robert Herrick returns to his parish in Devon after the English Restoration.
**The ''
Klencke Atlas'' is commissioned by Dutch merchants as a gift to King Charles II of England; at tall it is one of the world's largest books.
**Danish writer
Birgitte Thott is given permission by King
Frederick III of Denmark
Frederick III (; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bishop) of the ...
to receive an annual grant from the
Soro Academy to pursue her studies, expand her library, and research into language.
New books
Prose
*
Sarah Blackborow – ''The Just and Equall Ballance Discovered''
*
Francisco Manuel de Melo – ''Epanáphoras de varia historia portuguesa''
*
John Dryden – ''
Astraea Redux''
*
Richard Flecknoe – ''Heroick Portraits''
*
George Mackenzie – ''Aretina'' (the first
Scottish novel)
*
John Milton – ''
The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth''
*
Thomas Plowden, S.J. (translated) – ''The Learned Man Defended and Reform'd'' (
Daniello Bartoli's ''
L'huomo di lettere'')
*
Madeleine de Scudéry – ''Clélie''
*
Jeremy Taylor – ''Ductor Dubitantium, or the Rule of Conscience''
*
Thieleman J. van Braght – ''
De Martelaersspiegel''
Drama
*Anonymous (misattributed to
James Shirley) – ''
Andromana'' (published)
**''Cromwell's Conspiracy''
**(misattributed to
Beaumont and Fletcher) – ''
The Faithful Friends'' (registered)
*Thomas Ford – ''Love's Labyrinth, or the Royal Shepherdess'' (published)
*
William Lower – ''The Amorous Fantasm'' (adapted from
Philippe Quinault's ''Le Fantôme Amoreux'')
*
John Tatham
**''London's Glory'' (staged at the Guildhall)
**''The Rump'' (published)
*
Pedro Calderón de la Barca – ''Celos aun del aire matan''
*
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...
– ''
Sganarelle, ou Le Cocu imaginaire''
Poetry
*
Rachel Jevon – ''Exultationis Carmen''
*
Robert Wild – ''Iter Boreale. Attempting Something upon the Successful and Matchless March of the Lord General George Monk from Scotland to London''
Births
*January –
Hippolyte Hélyot, French church historian (died
1716)
*
February 12
Events Pre-1600
* 1096 – Pope Urban II confirms the foundation of the abbey of La Roë under Robert of Arbrissel as a community of canons regular.
* 1404 – The Italian professor Galeazzo di Santa Sofia performed the first post- ...
–
Thomas Southerne, Irish dramatist (died
1749)
*
March 28
Events Pre-1600
* AD 37 – Roman emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, bestowed on him by the Senate.
* 193 – After assassinating the Roman Emperor Pertinax, his Praetorian Guards auction off the throne to Did ...
–
Arnold Houbraken, Dutch writer and painter (died
1719)
*May or earlier –
Anne Killigrew, English poet and painter (died
1685)
*''Unknown date'' –
Edward Lhuyd, Welsh naturalist and antiquary (died
1709)
*''probable''
**
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; 1660 – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, merchant and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its number of translati ...
, English novelist and travel writer (died
1731)
**
Liu Zhi (劉智), Chinese Muslim scholar (died c. 1739)
Deaths
*
April 30 –
Petrus Scriverius, Dutch scholar and writer (born
1576)
*
August 31
Events Pre-1600
* 1056 – After a sudden illness a few days previously, Byzantine Empress Theodora dies childless, thus ending the Macedonian dynasty.
* 1057 – Abdication of Byzantine Emperor Michael VI Bringas after just one ye ...
–
Johann Freinsheim, German critic (born
1608)
*
October 6 –
Paul Scarron, French dramatist and novelist (born c. 1610)
*
December 31 –
Thomas Powell, Welsh writer and cleric (born c. 1608)
*''Unknown date'' – Sir
Thomas Urquhart, Scottish writer and translator (born
1611)
References
{{Year in literature article categories