At Folger, England Emerges From the Myths of Time

The providence motif, the conviction that England was particularly blessed to escape so many near-disasters, connected internal political threats, external military challenges and the religious question in one grand narrative of blessed Britishness. In one engraving, from 1696, William III is directly protected from an assassination attempt by the eye of God, beaming down on him. The title of the image: "Triumphs of Providence Over Hell, France & Rome."

It is curious, and even refreshing, to see such thorough self-confidence in the face of threats. Our own response, to real attacks, foiled ones and perhaps imaginary ones as well, has been far more nervous. Some American religious leaders with substantial fundamentalist followings have descried not the benevolent eye of God but His vengeance in events such as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and have used external threats to enliven internal animosities and bigotry.

But English self-confidence was not unshakable. England suffered two serious blows in the back-to-back Great Plague and Great Fire, and her religious leaders were happy to connect the dots for the faithful. Various sermons and tracts published immediately after the fire attempted to define the religious causes for two such terrible misfortunes.

The curators struggle with the perennial problem of exhibitions based on documents: how to give their themes visual presentation. But there are a few dusty tomes and other documents that are worth the pilgrimage for their rarity or curiosity value. There are etchings of London, before and after the Great Fire, by Wenceslaus Hollar; a copy of Holinshed's "Chronicles" (which provided Shakespeare with reams of material); and a 1571 copy of the Gospels in Anglo-Saxon (evidence of attempts to give English Protestantism a deeper, more extensive native history).

"History in the Making" is the stuff of books, or even libraries, not small exhibitions. But they have narrowed their focus, successfully, to about 14 central motifs. Familiarity with them will leave the visitor with a solid grounding in the politics of an age that includes not just Shakespeare but also Elizabeth, Marlowe, Milton and the religious fanatics who founded the colonies that eventually became our nascent empire.

History in the Making: How Early Modern Britain Imagined Its Past is on view at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE, Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., through May 17. Admission is free.