Why did Robert Harley help secure Daniel Defoe’s release from Newgate Prison?

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Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe, engraving by M. Van der Gucht, after a portrait by J. Taverner, first half of the 18th century.

Robert Harley secured Daniel Defoe’s release from Newgate Prison in exchange for Defoe’s services as a pamphleteer and intelligence agent.1

Following his imprisonment for seditious libel in 1703, Defoe faced the collapse of his business and deep concern for his family's welfare. He appealed to Harley, who eventually negotiated his freedom on the condition that Defoe would work for him. Defoe subsequently served Harley with great zeal, traveling to gather information and writing reports and political pamphlets to support the government.1