Prymne, WILLIAM, born in 1600 at Swainswick near Bath, from Bath grammar-school passed in 1616 to Oriel College, Oxford, and took his B.A. in 1621. He entered Lincoln's Inn, and in due time was called to the bar, but was early drawn into the vortex of ecclesiastical controversy, and during 1627-30 published The Unloveliness of Love-locks, Healths Sickness (against drinking of healths), and three other Puritan and anti-Arminian diatribes. In 1633 appeared his Histro-Mastix: the Players Scourge, in whose index, on page 1104, occur the words 'Women players notorious —'. Six weeks after its publication Henrietta Maria herself took part in a pastoral, so here was a reflection on the queen's own virtue; and on 17th February 1634 Prymne was sentenced by the Star-chamber to a fine of £5000, degradation from the bar, expulsion from Oxford and Lincoln's Inn, the loss of both ears in the pillory, and the shock to his vanity as an author of seeing his book burned in public by the hangman. He was, moreover, condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and immured in the Tower accordingly. Three years later the pertinacious offender found means to publish from his prison two more pamphlets, in which he fiercely assailed the hierarchy, and was unsparing in his personal abuse of Laud. For this he was once more prosecuted; a fresh fine of £5000 was imposed on him; he was a second time pilloried, losing such stumps of ears as the hangman before had spared; and was branded on both cheeks with S. L. ('seditious libeller'—rather 'stigmata Laudis' by Prymne's interpretation). He was removed successively to Lancaster, Carnarvon, and Mont Orneil in Jersey, and remained a close prisoner till in 1640—the Long Parliament then sitting—he was released by a warrant of the House of Commons, and a tumultuous expression of popular sympathy celebrated his restoration to liberty. He acted as Land's bitter prosecutor, leaving no stone unturned against his old enemy (1644); and in 1647 became recorder of Bath, in 1648 member for Newport in Cornwall. But opposing the Independents and Charles I.'s execution, he was one of those of whom Cromwell 'purged' the House of Commons, and was even imprisoned (1650-52) in Dunster, Taunton, and Pendennis castles. On Cromwell's death he returned to his place in parliament, bestirring himself in the royalist interest; and after the Restoration Charles II. proposed to 'keep busy Mr Prymne quiet by letting him write against the Catholics, and pore over the records of the Tower,' of which records accordingly Prymne was appointed keeper. This did keep him fairly quiet until his death, which took place at Lincoln's Inn on 24th October
1669. 'Voluminous Prynne' Wood calls him; and the continuous stream of writings on the perilous topics of the day, which was always bringing him into trouble, represents but a fraction of his literary activity. He was a great compiler of constitutional history, his most valuable works in this field being the Calendar of Parliamentary Writs and his Records, both of which contain much that is useful and important.
See vol. iii. of Howell's State Trials; Documents relating to Prynne, edited by S. R. Gardiner (Camden Society, 1877); and other works cited at CHARLES I. and LAUD.