CLAUDE FAUCHET - FRENCH BISHOP who STORMED THE BASTILLE and EULOGIZED BENJAMIN FRANKLIN - HANDWRITTEN, SIGNED, WORRIED LETTER dated 1783 - HE was GUILLOTINED on HALLOWEEN in 1793

SIGNED, HANDWRITTEN LETTER from the French Bishop CLAUDE FAUCHET to a M. CHEVIN, Fils. Dated May 15, 1783. In French.

Single page letter written on a single fold sheet of laid, watermarked paper, with an address leaf and wax seal on the backside. The letter measures 8.5x12 inches (20x31.5 cm). A typed translation is provided on a sheet of paper that has browned and is a bit brittle with age (1940s?).

The letter is written to a close friend, M. Chevin, fils. It is warm and intimate. Fauchet tells that his life is beset with "thorns" and "grief", likely troubles related to the bubbling 1789 French Revolution. Though a Revolutionist himself, Fauchet was tried and guillotined by the Revolutionists in 1993. The letter begins:

"I am very touched, my dear friend, by the part you take in my trouble and for all the evidences of affection you have shown me...for some time my life has been beset with thorns and every day brings me new grief. If the consolations of friendship did not sweeten the bitterness which pours into my heart, I would consider it a great blessing to withdraw from this world and to live only with God and my conscience."

Condition: Age toning, several original folds, tear where the letter was opened not affecting text. Overall this 1783 letter remains in GOOD condition, the writing is bright and clear, the wax seal shines, the paper's watermark is visible.

RARE FRENCH REVOLUTION ERA DOCUMENT by a BISHOP who STORMED THE BASTILLE WITH the REVOLUTIONISTS and was THEN GUILLOTINED BY THEM.

About CLAUDE FAUCHET (from Wikipedia):

******Claude Fauchet (22 September 1744 - 31 October 1793) was a French bishop.

He was born at Dornes, Nièvre. He was a curate of the church of St Roch, Paris, when he was engaged as tutor to the children of the marquis of Choiseul, brother of Louis XVs minister, an appointment which proved to be the first step to fortune. He was successively grand vicar to the archbishop of Bourges, preacher to the king, and abbot of Montfort-Le Carre.

HE WAS ONE OF THE LEADERS OF THE ATTACK ON THE BASTILLE, and on 5 August 1789 he delivered an eloquent discourse by way of funeral sermon for the citizens slain on 14 July, taking as his text the words of St Paul, 'Ye have been called to liberty".

He blessed the tricolor flag for the National Guard and in September was elected to the Commune. In 1790 he wrote France's Eulogy to Benjamin Franklin (Eloge Civique De Benjamin Franklin). He retired from the Commune in October 1790. During the next winter he organized within the Palais Royal the Social Club of the Society of the Friends of Truth, presiding over crowded meetings under the self assumed title of procureur général de la vérité. Nevertheless, events were marching faster than his opinions, and the last occasion on which he carried his public with him was in a sermon preached at Notre Dame on 4 February 1791.

In July 1793 he was imprisoned on the charge of supporting the federalist movement at Caen. He was brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal on 30 October, and was guillotined on the following day, October 31 (Halloween!!!)."******

REGULA EMBLEMATICA SANCTI BENEDICTI. Opus Posthumum Admodum Reverendi Patris BONIFACII GALLNER [Bonifaz Gallner], Monachi Benedictini in Coenobio Mellicensi - Nunc Primum Bibliotheca ejusdem coenobii luci publicae datum A.R.S. MDCCLXXXIII.

VINDOBONAE (Vienna): Carl Wilhelm Holle Bibliopola Universitatis, MDCCLXXXIII (1783). Latin text.

Large Format Hardcovers, cloth covered boards with leather covered spine and corners (front cover present but detached), 4to. 9.5x14 inches (23.5x35.5 cm). Pagination: [18] Introductory pages, A1-Aaa3 (187 pages) EMBLEMATICA PLATES, [2] Index.

ILLUSTRATED with 187 ENGRAVED PLATES of ESOTERIC CATHOLIC OCCULT EMBLEMATICA. Each engraved plate and its accompanying Latin text is printed on its own leaf (i.e. blank backsides).

Condition: The front cover is present but detached (i.e. laid on loosely), the rear cover is almost detached and just holding on with its two upper binding cords; the spine covering is worn, scraped, faded and chipped, the boards are worn and chipped primarily at the corner and spine margin leather. Internally complete, the front free endpaper is chipped along the edges and corners and separating from the spine at the top five inches, the blank prelim page is also chipped along the edges; the first three introductory pages and the rear two index pages seem to have been printed on lesser paper and have toned / browned, but are still solid and completely legible, the 187 EMBLEMATICA ENGRAVED PLATES are all lovely, some light yellowing at the margins, some waviness at the bottom (likely from the plate printing process), a few with some toning, and a spot or two here and there; overall the plates are striking and gorgeous, and each suitable for framing imho. A complete copy with wonderfully esoteric plates that is more than suitable for rebinding / rebacking.

This 1783 edition is very scarce.

Beskrivelse over den kongelige danske Residentsestad Kiøbenhavn og de kongelige Slotte paa Landet. Oversat efter det tredie tydske Oplag, forøget og forbedret. (Description of the Royal Danish

City of Copenhagen and the Royal Castles in the Country. A printing of the Third Edition, enlarged and improved.) By E. C. HAUBER. Published by Rothes Forlag, København / Copenhagen, 1783. TEXT in DANISH. The book which first was published in 1770 gives a detailed description of the Danish capital before the great fire of 1795 and the destructive British attacks of 1807. Hardcovers, leather spine and corners with paper covered boards, spine has five raised bands, gilt lining, and a leather label titled in gilt, 4x6.75 inches (10x17 cm). Pagination: [8], 232 pages. Includes a FOLD OPEN MAP of COPENHAGEN at the front. CONDITION: The covers are worn through at the edges and corners, rubbed, and scraped; 1/4 inch of the spine leather is tearing away at the top, the spine title leather has a corner chip; nonetheless the covers are doing their job and are attractive in a Harry Potter Hogwarts Library way. Internally, there is a small number written on the top margin of the front free endpaper; the fold open map has edge wear to its left edge, not affecting the image; there is light foxing throughout, lacks its rear free endpaper and rear pastedown. Overall a solid, nice copy, complete with its folding map.

RABBINIC RESPONSA by MENACHEM AZARIAH DA FANO, in HEBREW with some ARAMAIC. DYHERNFURTH (now Brzeg Dolny, Poland) : 1788. Possibly the copy of ISAC BADHAB JERUSALEM, a noted Book Collector and Printer. There are 2 rubber ink stamps on the title page, both in Hebrew, one with a line of English that reads "JSAC BADHAB JERUSALEM". Hardcovers, marbled paper covered boards and sheepskin covered spine, black embossed lettering on spine, 6" x 7.5", 170 pages (85 numbered pages with only every other page being numbered). Engraved Printer's device on the title page and a lovely engraved hunting woodcut at the end. Condition: The covers are rubbed, worn and scraped, leather corners missing, corners worn through; paper label on spine, nonetheless these early covers remain in one solid piece; internally, the front inner hinge is completely split, fully exposing the inner spine of the signatures; the rear inner hinge is hanging on, but a strong tug would pull the covers from the inner text block; the title page has two ink stamps as noted above, and a word or two that has been inked out, there may be blank prelims that are missing, text complete from the title page through the last page, the inner pages are evenly toned with age but remain clean, clear and fully legible; some pages have edge wear and corner creases but remain solid and well bound with their sewn binding. SCARCE 1788 Dyhernfurth imprint of Rabbinic Responsa by Da Fano. You can read about MENAHEM AZARIAH DA FANO and about RABBINIC RESPONSA on Wikipedia and elsewhere on the Internet.

VITA e COMMERCIO LETTERARIO di GALILEO GALILEI Nobile e Patrizio Fiorentino Mattematico e Filosofo Sopraordinario de' Gran Duchi di Toscana COSIMO E FERDINANDO II. Scritta da GIO. BATISTA CLEMENTE DE NELLI...

TWO VOLUME SET - Complete in These Two Volumes (Four Parts, in Two Volumes). TEXT IN ITALIAN.

Losanna (LAUSANNE) : 1793. Publisher unstated.

FIRST EDITION. Contains the FIRST BIBLIOGRAPHY of the works of GALILEO.

I collated these two volumes page-by-page with copies from the Rare Book Rooms of Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and Cambridge University.

Two Hardcover Books, blue cloth covered boards, 7.5x10 inches.

Pagination:

VOLUME I: Frontispiece, xvi Introductory pages, 471 Text pages (actually 467 pages because pagination skips to page 429 after page 424 - as normal - text flows correctly - collates correctly with rare copies at Harvard and Cambridge), + one blank.

VOLUME II: [2], 471-961 pages.

The two volumes are ILLUSTRATED with TEN (of TWELVE) plates, namely: 2 engraved frontispiece portraits of Galileo (one in each Volume), 7 (of 9) engraved plates, and 1 large folding genealogical chart / plate. Four of the original nine plates were fold-open, but 2 of those 4 (plates IX and X) are now lacking (being the 2 of 12 plates that are missing).

Condition:

The covers are soiled and worn, the blue cloth covering is rubbed, splotchy, split at the spine folds, worn through at the corners, and chipped away at the spine ends, nonetheless the covers are present and still bound well to the inner pages; there is a splattering of dark blue spots to the bottom page edges of Volume I and to the top page edges of Volume II (page edges of the closed books).

Volume I has some old shorelining / water staining to the margins of various pages here and there throughout - nothing too significant except in the margins of a few pages where the margin soiling is heavy; overall the pages are in remarkably bright condition.

Volume II has shorelining / water staining to the upper margin area of the frontispiece and title page; is missing the leaf that would be pages v/vi - consisting of a "Part Three" title page and its blank verso (i.e. no text is missing); there is shorelining / light water staining and soiling to the top blank margin of a number of pages here and there throughout, not affecting text; leaf consisting of pages 521/522 has a stiff crease that appears to be a binder's error (text is complete); there are wormholes / small worm lines to the bottom blank margin of the latter pages, not affecting text; the upper corner area of pages 951-960 is soiled and foxed; page 961 (the last page - the verso is blank) has its upper portion torn away, including approximately 3 lines of 2 column.

The plates are all bright and clear, some with mild margin soiling and/or margin shorelining. The fold-open genealogical chart has some splitting at the folds and tearing near the gutter, but is overall solid, bright and clear.

A SOLID SET of these TWO VOLUMES with 10 of 12 plates and only the faults as described above. The covers are worn, but internally both volumes are still tight, bright and clear. A very presentable set.

RARE and IMPORTANT 1793 First Edition Books on GALILEO.

From an 1861 Sotheby auction catalog - the "Catalogue of the Mathematical, Historical and Miscellaneous Portion of the Celebrated Library of M. Guglielmo Libri":

******Nelli. VITA e COMMERCIO LETTERARIO di GALILEO GALILEI... Scritta da GIO. BATISTA CLEMENTE DE NELLI... Losanna, 1793.

A most valuable contribution to scientific biography, giving full particulars of Galileo's friends and opponents, and containing extracts of numerous unpublished letters of Galileo and his friends which Nelli was prevented by death from publishing in extenso, and which were only partially published in the last edition of Galileo's works.******

THE HISTORY OF AMERICA in TWO BOOKS. Containing, (I) A General HISTORY OF AMERICA. (II) A Concise HISTORY OF THE LATE REVOLUTION. Extracted from The American Edition of The Encyclopaedia. (Attributed to Jedidiah MORSE.) The TWO BOOKS are published in this ONE VOLUME, as issued.

PHILADELPHIA: Thomas Dobson, at the Stone House, South Second-Street, 1795. Second Edition (the first edition was published in 1790, also by Thomas Dobson, Philadelphia).

Hardcovers, full leather covered boards and spine, leather spine label with gilt titling, 4x7 inches, viii + 356 pages.

Contains the called for TWO FOLDING MAPS: (1) A General Map of North America, 7x8.25 inches, and (2) South America, 7x8.25 inches. The maps are numbered Plate XIV and XV, as they were numbered in the Encyclopedia. Both maps have the name "Scot" printed at the lower right. Robert Scot was a noted Philadelphia engraver who engraved a number of important maps and was an engraver for the U.S. Mint.

GOOD Condition: The covers are rubbed, worn at the edges and spine ends, and the front cover hinge is split at the top 4 inches but holding. Internally, the pages are lightly age toned, there is just some light foxing here and there throughout, more substantial on the first and last few pages, otherwise the pages are tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked.. The two folding maps have white cloth reinforcement to their folds on their blank backsides, have a few edge chips and fold edge closed tears, stiffness at the folds, and some areas of foxing and age toning, but overall are well preserved, bright, and clear. One of the nicer copies of the book that I have seen.

Book References: Evans 29111. Sabin 50937. Map Reference: Wheat & Brun 701, 51 (Maps and Charts Published in America before 1800).

Rare 1795 edition with BOTH MAPS as called for.

About JEDIDIAH MORSE, the acknowledge author (from Wikipedia):

******Jedidiah Morse, 1761 d.1826. was a geographer whose textbooks became a staple for students in the United States. He was the father of the telegraphy pioneer and painter Samuel Morse. His textbooks and maps earned him the sobriquet Father of American Geography.******

About ROBERT SCOT, the maps engraver (from Wikipedia):

******Robert Scot, b.1745 d.1823, was a Scottish-American engraver who served as Chief Engraver of the United States Mint from 1793 until his death in 1823. Scot designed the popular and rare Flowing Hair dollar coinage along with the Liberty Cap half cent.

In 1781 Scot began engraving for Robert Morris, then Superintendent of the Office of Finance of the United States. The paper money that Scot engraved for Morris helped to finance the Siege of Yorktown, the decisive battle of the American Revolution. Shortly after that battle, Major Sebastian Bauman commissioned Robert Scot to engrave a map that illustrated the American victory,

In 1790 Thomas Dobson began to publish an American Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Robert Scot engraved the largest number of engravings for Dobson's Encyclopedia, including some important maps. The quality of his engravings helped to rapidly expand the publication of illustrated books within the United States.******

VIAGGI DALLA CHINA ALLA COSTA NORD-OVEST D'AMERICA FATTI NEGLI ANNI 1788 e 1789 - DAL CAPITANO G. MEARES.

(TRAVELS FROM CHINA TO THE NORTHWEST COAST OF AMERICA MADE IN THE YEARS 1788 and 1789 - BY CAPTAIN G. MEARES.)

Prima Traduzione Italiana. (First Italian Edition.)

Published by Giovacchino Pagani, Firenze (Florence), MDCCXCVI (1796). First Italian, one of two editions published in the same year (the other was published in Naples).

Originally published in England in 1790, then France in 1794. This First Italian Edition had the ENGRAVINGS REDONE by a FLORENTINE ARTIST, and the engraved plates were made a part of the volumes. SCARCE with the GORGEOUS FLORENTINE PLATES.

This auction is for THREE of FOUR VOLUMES - Volumes II, III and IV. LACKING VOLUME I.

Original Wrappers, paper title labels on spines, 5x7.5 inches. TEXT in ITALIAN.

Pagination:

Volume II : XV + 212 pages. ILLUSTRATED WITH 7 PLATES, including 1 that folds-open. The plates are each printed on their own unnumbered leaf.

Volume III : X + 238 pages. ILLUSTRATED WITH 1 FOLD-OPEN PLATE.

Volume IV : [4] + VIII + 276 pages. ILLUSTRATED WITH 9 PLATES, including 2 that fold-open.

THE PAGES AND PLATES HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY COLLATED. THESE BOOKS ARE COMPLETE, ALL PLATES ARE PRESENT AND IN THEIR PROPER ORDER. THERE ARE 17 PLATES IN TOTAL IN THESE THREE VOLUMES.

There is a 1.5x3.5 inch label pasted onto the inside front cover of Volume II that reads: "MEARES, JOHN. Viaggi dalla China... Firenzi, 1796. Vols. 2-4 only. Lacks Vol. 1. 1st ed. In Italian. Orig. wraps."

Condition: The original wrappers on these three volumes are mostly chipped off at the spine, exposing the signatures beneath, have chips and tears at the edges, a few holes, creases, smudges, general aging and wear, etc; the front wrapper and front free endpaper of Volume IV are disbound (i.e. present but laid-on loosely); the front wrapper of Volume IV also has its top margin and bottom front corners torn away (i.e. it is missing large pieces). Internally, there are corner creases, some corner tears, some spotting here and there, a few pages with light edge stains, a bit of foxing here and there, some page toning, splits between some signatures (always still holding well with the sewn binding); but overall the inner pages are incredibly well-kept, still complete, tight, bright, clean and unmarked. THE PLATES ARE GORGEOUS.

A WONDERFUL SET OF 3 (of 4) VOLUMES of this SCARCE WORK, COMPLETE and in ORIGINAL WRAPPERS.

HANDWRITTEN WILL of RICHARD DODD, RECTOR of COWLEY, MIDDLESEX COUNTY. DATED MAY 13, 1798. Single-Fold Sheet to make four pages, handwritten on the front page and on the two inner pages. Written on laid-paper with the WATERMARK "ALLEE 1796". The writing is bright and clear, though the calligraphy is somewhat difficult. There are numerous folds from where the will had been folded into a small size, there is some edge wear including a few small closed edge tears. Still a solid, clean, manuscript Will. Here is my transcription of the manuscript Will (pardon my errors): "I Richard Dodd Rector of Cowley in the County of Middlesex revoking all other wills, do make this my last will and Testament.

Imprimo:

I appoint my dear wife Eliz. Dodd & the Revd. Philip S. Dodd my second son the joint executors & the administrators of this my said will desiring & ordering that they will within

in one twelve month of my decease or before of they think proper buy & transfer & place two thousand pounds ________ in the name &

for the use of my son William Dodd & likewise that they buy & place the same sum in the same stock in the name of & for the use of my daughter Frances Margaret Dodd. That they assign and make over

to them likewise these shares.

In the Middlesex _______________ that_______________ / _______________ / names of William / _______________, Dodd _______________. The rest & residue of my property, be it of whatever kind I leave to my dear wife desiring that she will

leave it to her children.

Elizabeth Philip & Charles such shares & proportions as she shall think right & proper (trusting she will not whilst living or at her death leave any improper partiality of

she regards the memory of a Dear affectionate husband who look unwearied pains to save her of them from the distrust she in early life experienced from.

The inability of a most excellent Father and afford him any _______________

I sign this on the thirteenth of May in the Year of our Lord

one thousand seven hundred and ninety eight. - Rich Dodd."

LA MONARCHIA. POEMETTO SICILIANO DI ANTONINO SCADUTI, E GENNA. In Circostanza del Passaggio In SICILIA della Maestà di FERDINANDO III. colla sua Reale Famiglia.

PALERMO [Sicily], Per Adorno, 1799. Text in Corsican, Preface in Italian.

Early (contemporary?) handmade plain paper covers, sewn bound, 5.5x9 inches (14x22 cm), inner pages of varying widths as issued, [7], 3-34 pages, vignette on title page. COLLATED page by page with a copy in the National Library of Naples.

GOOD condition: The covers have some corner creases, light chipping, and the spine covering has some peeling, otherwise these handmade paper covers, though plain, are quite lovely in their texture and look. Internally, there is an early previous owner's name, place and date (1828) at the bottom of the title page, some browning to the margins of some pages, a smudge here and there, overall the paper is beautiful and the printing is bold and clear throughout.

SCARCE ORIGINAL 1799 SICILIAN IMPRINT.

THE SPIRIT OF MASONRY in MORAL and ELUCIDATORY LECTURES. By William Hutchinson, Master of the Barnstable Lodge of Concord.

NEW-YORK : Printed by Isaac Collins, no. 189, Pearl-Street, for COTTOM & STEWART, Booksellers and Stationers, ALEXANDRIA [Virginia], 1800.

Lacks its front and rear covers but the leather spine is present, 4.5x6.75 inches. Pagination: [4] blank leaves, vi, [2], 174, 22 pages, [4] blank leaves.

Condition: Lacks covers as noted above, the blank prelims and endpapers are toned, chipped and creased with numerous previous owner's signatures (especially Peter Brady who bought the book in 1900 and wants everyone to know that it's His Book), otherwise generally sound, the text block is well bound to leather spine, the pages have some toning and foxing, there is light shorelining to the first and last few pages, and there is an edge chip here and there, etc., overall the text pages remain tight, clean and unmarked.

The earlier London edition of this book can be found, but the ORIGINAL 1800 AMERICAN PRINTING has become almost impossible to find.

REMARKS ON THE CASSANDRA OF LYCOPHRON, A MONODY. by the Rev. H. Meen, B.D. (Reverend Henry Meen, Rector of Saint Nicholas Cole Abbey and Saint Nicholas Olave, City of London). LONDON: Printed by Bunney & Gold, Shoe-Lane, Fleet Street, and sold by Messrs. Rivingtons, et al., 1800. Text in English with Greek excerpts from The Cassandra. Lacking covers, half-title page is disbound (i.e. laid on loosely),the rest of the pages (title page through the blank rear endpaper) still held together by the sewn binding, 5x8". Pagination: [4}, 45 pp. This was an attempt to show the importance of The Cassandra and to rescue it from falling into obscurity. An early and interesting Historical and Literary study. Condition: Lacking covers as noted above; the disbound title page and the blank rear endpaper are toned; there is foxing throughout, heaviest on about half the pages, light on the other half, text is always clear and legible beneath any foxing.

JOURNALS OF CONGRESS: Containing Their Proceedings from November 1, 1784, to November 4, 1785. VOLUME X.

Published by FOLWELL'S PRESS "Under Authority of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives", Philadelphia, 1801. FIRST EDITION - LIMITED to 400 COPIES.

From the Authorization Page (the page following the Title-Page): "RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, by authorized and directed, to subscribe, on such terms as they may deem eligible, for the use of the Senate and House of Representatives, for four hundred Copies of the Journals of Congress, which are proposed to be published by RICHARD FOLWELL. // Jonathan Dayton, Speaker of the House of Representatives. // James Ross, President of the Senate pro tempore // Approved, March 2nd, 1799: // John Adams, President of the United States."

The Journals include many important resolutions, including: A resolution to ABOLISH SLAVERY IN WESTERN COUNTRY (i.e. Western States yet to be established in the United States owned Western Territories). Senators from seven Northern States voted Ay, Senators from Maryland voted mixed but there was a tie-breaker third vote so the state voted Ay, and Senators from four Southern States voted NO. So the 1784 resolution ABOLISHING SLAVERY in any Western States to be formed out of U.S. Western Territory was PASSED.

Hardcover Book, contemporary plain gray card covered boards with cloth covered spine, deckled page edges, 5.5x8.75 inches, 256 pages plus a 14 page Index at the rear. In a hand-made clamshell box, with cloth covered boards and a leather spine label titled in gilt.

Condition: The plain card covers have some soiling, scattered stains, and signs of handling and wear, but are still doing their job well. Internally, the pages are toned and there is some foxing throughout, the latter pages have light shorelining to their upper margin area (printing is always fully legible); there is an old (circa 1870) Lombard University library bookplate on the front pastedown (Lombard University was founded in 1853, changed its name to Lombard College circa 1890, and finally shuttered in 1930); the front and rear inner hinges are cracked but holding well, the front free-endpaper is separating at its top 2 inches; there is edge wear including small closed edge tears and chips, folded corners, and a couple folded pages here and there; one page has a small whole; there is a previous owner's signature and date on the front free-endpaper (?? / Dec 9th, 1828), the number 178 written on the title page (copy 178?), and an early previous owner's signature at the top of the first page of text (B. Stephenson?). A complete and original copy..

The professionally made clamshell box has a small coffee stain to its top edge, otherwise solid and lovely.

A RARE 1801 First Edition of one of the original 400 copies authorized by Congress and printed by Folwell's Press, in a handsome clamshell case.

STORIA ARCANA Della Vita Di FRA PAOLO SARPI, Servita, by Monsignor Giusto Fontanini, Arcivescovo D'Ancira. In Partibus e Documenti Relativi. A BIOGRAPHY of PAOLO SARPI, an Important seventeenth century Venetian historian, scientist, canon lawyer, statesman, writer of works highly critical of the Catholic Church, and fervent proponent of the Separation of Church and State. You can read much about his life and influence on Wikipedia, excerpts of which are at the end of this listing. VENEZIA (Venice, Italy), Per Pietro Zerletti, 1803. First Edition. Hardcovers, calf leather covered boards, five raised spine bands, leather spine label titled in gilt, 5x8 inches, xvi, 488 pages. GOOD condition: There is a 3/4 inch chip to the leather covering at the top of the spine, the cover corner tips are worn, there is a scrape to the rear cover, overall the leather covers remain quite lovely. Internally, there is offsetting from the leather covers to the margins of the endpapers, light toning to the first few pages, some margin lines and marks in pencil here and there, overall the pages are nice, tight, bright, clean and clear. A solid, very presentable copy. About PAOLO SARPI (excerpted from Wikipedia): ******Paolo Sarpi, b. 1552 d. 1623, was an Italian historian, prelate, scientist, canon lawyer, and statesman active on behalf of the Venetian Republic during the period of its successful defiance of the papal interdict (1605 to 1607) and its war (1615 to 1617) with Austria over the Uskok pirates. His writings, HIGHLY CRITICAL of the CATHOLIC CHURCH and its Scholastic Tradition, inspired both Hobbes and Edward Gibbon in their own historical debunkings of priestcraft. As a defender of the liberties of Republican Venice and PROPONENT of the SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE, Sarpi attained fame as a hero of Republicanism and Free Thought. His last words, "Esto perpetua" ("may she live forever" i.e. the Republic of Venice), were recalled by John Adams in 1820 in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, when Adams wrote "I wish as devoutly as Father Paul for the preservation of our vast American empire and our free institutions" (i.e. as devoutly as Fra Paoloa Sarpi had wished for the preservation of Venice and its free institutions.) Sarpi was also an experimental scientist, a proponent of the Copernican system, a friend and patron of Galileo Galilei, and a keen follower of the latest research on anatomy, astronomy, and ballistics at the University of Padua. His extensive network of correspondents included Francis Bacon and William Harvey. Sarpi believed that government institutions should rescind their censorship of Avvisi, the often anti Venitian newsletters which started to be common in his time. Instead of censorship Sarpi advised the Venetian government to publish their own newsletters to combat those of outsiders and agitators. Acting himself in that spirit, Sarpi published several pamphlets in defense of Venice's rights over the Adriatic. As such, Sarpi could be considered as an early advocate of the Freedom of the Press, though the concept did not yet exist in his lifetime.******

THE GARLAND OF FLOWERS; Composed of CUPID AND PSYCHE, from The GOLDEN ASS OF APULEIUS. Anonymous. and Of ODES, CHIEFLY FROM THE NORSE TONGUE. BY T. J. MATHIAS, ESQ. I. Riley & Co., NEW YORK, 1806. First edition. Recent Hardcover Binding, green cloth covered boards with green cloth tape covered spine, entire book bound within including the front and rear blank endpapers; 5" x 8", 82 pages. First American edition of HUDSON GURNEY'S translation of CUPID AND PSYCHE. MATHIAS'S translation of The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS appears to be published here for the first time. Condition: FOXING throughout, some corner creases and page edge wear, one page has a closed horizontal tear across iits entire surface, nonetheless, complete and tightly bound, with text that is fully legible throughout. A solid copy of this important work printed in America in 1806.

Georgii Buchanani Scoti, POETARUM SUI SECULI FACILE PRINCIPIS, Paraphrasis Psalmorum Davidis Poetica. Ad Optimam Editionem Thomae Ruddimani, A.M. Summo Studio Recognita et Castigata. Praemissa Est Accuratior Quam Antehac Carminum Explicatio. EDINBURGH : Excudebat C. Stewart, Academiae Typographus, Apud Mondell, Doig & Stevenson, 1807. Small Format Hardcover Book, leather covered boards that are DETACHED but present, 3.5x5.5 inches, xiv + 234 pages, plus 2 pages of Publisher's ads at the rear. In LATIN. The book is a POETIC LATIN REPHRASING / PARAPHRASING of the PSALMS by the great SCOTTISH Latin Scholar and Poet GEORGE BUCHANAN. ASSOCIATION COPY. The book has two interesting associations: (1) There is a signature on the title page of (?) BRAZER DAVIS. The question mark is because I cannot make out the first word, perhaps it is a first name or a military rank? There is a lot of historical information about a John Brazer Davis, also known as Colonel John Brazer Davis, an early American military man who is even mentioned several times in the memoirs of John Adams. Is this him? I do not know because, though Brazer Davis is written neatly and clearly, the word or title preceding Brazer Davis does not look like John or like Colonel, nor does it look like anything that I can figure out. (2) The book was deaccessioned from the Tufts College Library, and there is a printed signed note laid in that states the book was a gift of REV. CONVERS FRANCIS of CAMBRIDGE and was donated by him in 1861. The slip has his signature. Looking into both Convers Francis and John Brazer Davis one finds that they are often mentioned as being in the same fraternities and organizations at the same time, which is interesting. I HAVE PROVIDED IMAGES of the SIGNATURE THAT IS ON THE TITLE PAGE and of the laid in DONATION SLIP so that you can determine for yourself if the associations hold water or not. You can find information about both John Brazer Davis and Rev. Convers Francis on the Internet. CONDITION: Disbound Covers, as noted above; there are some library markings, including withdrawn stamps, here and there; there are relevant handwritten pencil notes in the margins and among the text, most are light and hard to read; there is offsetting to the margins of the first and last few pages; the first few pages have some water staining to the bottom margin; overall the inner pages are complete, remain nicely bound together, and have printing that is bright and clear. A very suitable copy for rebinding, should you desire to do so. About the author GEORGE BUCHANAN (from Wikipedia): ****** George Buchanan, b. 1506 d. 1582, was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." His ideology of resistance to royal usurpation gained widespread acceptance during the Scottish Reformation. Brown says the ease with which King James VII was deposed in 1689 shows the power of Buchanan's ideas. For mastery of the Latin language, Buchanan has seldom been surpassed by any modern writer. His style is not rigidly modelled on that of any classical author, but has a freshness and elasticity of its own. Hugh Trevor-Roper called him "by universal consent, the greatest Latin writer, whether in prose or in verse, in sixteenth century Europe". He wrote Latin as if it were his mother tongue. Buchanan also had a rich vein of poetical feeling, and much originality of thought. His translations of the Psalms and of the Greek plays are more than mere versions; his two tragedies, Baptistes and Jephthes, enjoyed a European reputation for academic excellence. His Pompae verses were written for performance at the court entertainments of Mary, including the Offering of the Rustic Gods sung during a masque devised by Bastian Pagez for the baptism of King James.******

A TREATISE ON THE STATUTE OF FRAUDS, as it Regards Declarations in Trust, Contracts, Surrenders, Conveyances, and the Execution and Proof of Wills and Codicils. To Which is Prefixed a Systematic Dissertation upon the Admissibility of Parol and Extrinsic Evidence, to Explain and Controul Written Instruments. By William Roberts.

NEW YORK: I. Riley and Co.; and for sale by Brisban and Brannan, City-Hotel, 1807.

Hardcovers, leather covered boards, 5.5x9 inches, xxxviii + 539 pages.

Only FAIR condition: Front cover and front endpaper detached (present but loose), rear cover only tenuously attached; the leather covered boards are rubbed and scraped; the spine covering was tightly reglued. Internally, the endpapers have some foxing, toning, and offsetting from the leather covers; the loose front endpaper is chipped and creased along its edges; there is an early previous owner's signature on the title page; all the pages have old water staining / shorelining most noticeably in the upper gutter margin area but some spreads to other areas as well, it varies in intensity and amount but the text is always legible; there is foxing on some pages, some pages have edge wear and edge chips, the binding is split at a few places but holding with the sewn binding; despite its flaws this is a bright, clean, clear and unmarked copy, with text that is legible throughout.

A complete copy of this 1807 edition of FRAUD STATUES, scarce as is and worthy of rebinding.