31 July 1703: Daniel Defoe pilloried for seditious libel

On this day in 1703, journalist, novelist and English spy Daniel Defoe was sentenced to three days in the pillory for writing a satirical pamphlet.

Illustration of Daniel DeFoe in the Pillory ©
(Image credit: © Bettmann Archive/ Getty Images)

In 1702, Daniel Defoe a born and bred dissenter, wrote a satirical pamphlet called The Shortest Way with the Dissenters advocating death for papists and nonconformists. Unfortunately for Defoe, a lot of people took it seriously.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.