Richard Topcliffe (1531–1604) was the most infamous torturer of Elizabethan England. He was also a professional reader. Historians of the book are interested in how repressive regimes read the books of their enemies. This essay identifies a number of books that contain Topcliffe's marginalia and have not previously been studied by scholars. It argues that Topcliffe's reading was forensic in nature, and was utilized directly by the Elizabethan regime in its campaign against Catholicism. This investigation reveals the connection between racking and reading, and demonstrates the ways in which Topcliffe's reading legitimated state-authorized violence.

中文翻译：

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理查德·托普克里夫和伊丽莎白时代天主教地下的图书文化

理查德·托普克里夫（Richard Topcliffe，1531-1604 年）是伊丽莎白时代英格兰最臭名昭著的酷刑者。他也是一个专业的读者。这本书的历史学家对专制政权如何阅读敌人的书籍感兴趣。这篇文章确定了一些包含托普克利夫边缘化的书籍，这些书籍以前没有被学者研究过。它认为托普克利夫的阅读本质上是法医的，并被伊丽莎白时代的政权直接用于反对天主教的运动。这项调查揭示了折磨和阅读之间的联系，并展示了托普克里夫的阅读使国家授权的暴力合法化的方式。