ABSTRACT
The seventeenth century provided fertile ground for the nurturing of conspiracy theories, far beyond the obvious fear of an international Catholic campaign against Protestantism: the Popish plot. This chapter advances the reader's understanding of the way in which the Puritan plot was understood by the government of Charles I. The aim is to demonstrate that there was more to Laud's fear of the Puritans than merely the ideas which they espoused. To the extent that the threat came from Puritan thought, efforts to undermine Puritanism required attacking the vehicles by which such ideas spread. Laud's fear of mere combination is evident, however, in more than just his treatment of those directly involved in writing and publishing Puritan tracts. Laud was clearly disturbed by the reaction to the 1637 trial and punishment of Burton, Bastwick, and Prynne, and the 1638 trial of Lilburne. There exists evidence regarding Laud's treatment of his enemies which is of even greater significance.
