Bishop Burnet's History of His Own Time. London: Volume One Printed for Thomas Ward; Volume Two Printed for the Editor, by Joseph Downing and Henry Woodfall. 1724 & 1734.
FIRST EDITION OF BURNET'S FAMOUS CLASSIC AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HISTORICAL WORKS ON 17TH CENTURY ENGLAND, WITH BURNET BEING CALLED "A PIONEER IN THE SCIENTIFIC TREATMENT OF HISTORY" [Kunitz & Haycraft, 70]
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A fantastic example of the first edition of Burnet's History of His Own Time which went through a significant number of subsequent editions which continue to this day. A lavishly produced set in folio format printed over a ten year timespan.
Though the work was severely criticised by Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson, with the Earl of Aylesbury calling Burnet a "lying knave" and his description of him "false as all hell", Burnet's history retains a great reputation, with Burnet being called "one of the most veracious chronicles in the [English] language" (Allibone, 297). The same source suggests that Burnet's account of the revolution of 1688 and the accession of William and Mary "was perhaps greater than that of any other person", which is high praise indeed given the competition there includes David Hume.
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Provenance:
Armorial bookplate of Francis Drake with the motto "Aquila Non Capit Muscas" (the eagle does not catch flies). This bookplate has no relation to Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) as there are no descendants from him or from his close family, according to the Drake Exploration Society. However, there were many Francis Drakes around the time that this book was published; there was Francis Drake the Fourth Baronet of Buckland Abbey (1694-1740), his son Francis Henry Drake the Fifth Baronet (1723-1794), and his other son Francis William Drake the officer of the Royal Navy (1724-1788/1789). There was also another Francis Drake (1696-1771) who was an antiquary and a surgeon.
The bookplate of Charles Francis Wyatt, M.A. at Broughton Rectory Oxon. (Oxfordshire), with the motto "Contemptis Loris" (despising the reins).
Ownership inscriptions reading "Eliza Anne Mackworth Nov'r 1792" and "J.W. Williams July 1914."
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Size: 235 x 361 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[frontis, title, advertisement, 12pp., 836pp., (1)]; [(2), title, 20pp., 765pp., (2)].
Full brown calf bindings, rebacked, with black tooled labels in compartments to the spines between raised bands and with gilt volume number in compartments, retaining original boards. Bindings rubbed and scuffed. Spines a lighter shade of brown but showing well on the shelf. All boards attached with reinforced joints and hinges from the rebacking, though the front hinge of volume one starting. Shelf and edge wear. Corners turned-in with wear. Spotted page edges dulled, top edges darkened as often. Two bookplates attached to front pastedown in both volumes. Text blocks very clean with light edge toning and very sporadic foxing and marks. Small edge tear to the frontispiece, not affecting the illustration. Ownership inscription to the head of the title page in both volumes, two inscriptions in volume one and one in volume two. Tear repair to the title page and advertisement in volume one. Marginalia to pp.345 in volume one, three small lines of neat text, approx. 34 x 11 mm, as well as a very small star just above the word "woman" to indicate which part the marginalia is referring to. Small tear to the white space of one of the Subscribers Names leaves in volume two. Very minor wormholing to outer margin, not affecting text, to a few leaves at the rear in volume two. Occasional minor creasing to leaves.
[OCLC 1114777201; OCLC 1114801852; ESTC T144688; ESTC T144689; MMSID 9930779973804341; MMSID 9930672633804341].
