•  Brunet, V, 115; De Backer-Sommervogel, VII, 532; Englisch, Der erotischen literatur, 145; Palau 294482. Contemporary alum-tawed pigskin, tooled in blind, spine with inked title; binding darkened and scuffed, with clasps now lacking and with leather torn over head and foot of spine (lacking at foot, with underlying vellum showing). Title-page with inked ownership inscriptions dated 1715, later institutional stamp in lower margin, and faint shadows of pencilled notations; front pastedown and one text page also with institutional stamps. Small spots of worming to lower margins of a number of leaves. Pages age-toned, with some instances of marginalia and underlining in early inked hands and occasionally in pencil (a handful of leaves in part III extensively annotated within text); a few spots of foxing, and one leaf with paper flaws partially obscuring a few letters. A big, solid volume.

Uncommon.  Searches of OCLC, RLIN, and NUC Pre-1956 locate only five U.S. holdings of this item.

•  Contemporary vellum, spine with early inked title; volume widely sprung, vellum slightly dustsoiled, spine title faded. One leaf with short tear from outer margin, with loss of one or two letters; one leaf with tear from lower margin, extending into text without loss; one leaf with lower outer corner torn away, with loss of five letters. Pages slightly age-toned, with ink blotch to reverse of title-page, otherwise clean.

Provenance: Charles Spencer, Third Earl of Sunderland, lot 8432 in the Sunderland Library sale (1882).

•  On Saumaise, see: New Catholic Encyclopedia, XII, 988–89. On Petau, see: New Catholic Encyclopedia, XI, 199–200. Vellum over paste boards. Ex-library with paper labels on spine and pressure-stamps, yet a copy notably clean, bright, and even crisp; perhaps a half-dozen leaves sometime exposed to a small spill(?) lightly marking lower outer corner-tips. All edges speckled red.

A Roman edition also appeared in 1694, the year of the work’s first appearance; the present edition is more uncommon: We trace only one U.S. library copy of it.

•  DeBacker-Sommervogel, VII, 1079. Boards covered in music-printed paper from an 18th-century antiphonal, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label. Title-page and one other stamped by a now-defunct institution. Light spotting throughout, more pronounced to first and last few leaves; some corners dog-eared.

Provenance:  On the recto of the second front fly-leaf is a presentation inscription: "For my honnord & best frind, Master John Bulteel." The most likely John Bulteel is the one who was created M.A. at Oxford in 1661, and later served as secretary to Edward, Earl of Clarendon.

•  Wing S2589; ESTC R6168; Clancy, English Catholic Books, 1641–1700, 897. On Sergeant, see: The Dictionary of National Biography, LI, 251–53. On Bramhall, see: DNB, VI, 203–206. On Hammond, see: DNB, XXIV, 242–46. Contemporary mottled calf, with remnants of modest double gilt rules on covers; rubbed and joints open but sewing holding. Browning from turn-ins on fly-leaves.

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

Provenance:  Howard Osgood's signature on title-page.

•  Goldsmiths'-Kress 2558; Wing (2nd ed.) S3801B.   Contemporary speckled calf, spine gilt extra with gilt-stamped leather title-label, board edges stamped with gilt roll; corners and spine extremities worn, front joint cracked and back joint starting, sewing holding. Front pastedown with small French bookseller's ticket and early inked numeral. Title-page with small early inked owner's name and with institutional pressure stamp, reverse with pencilled numerals. Pages clean. (19511)

•  ESTC S103687; STC (rev.), 22734. ESTC S106857; STC (rev.) 22676. ESTC S104574; STC (rev.) 22747. ESTC S125529; STC (rev.) 22783. On Smith, see: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.   Later half black sheep in imitation of morocco with red marbled paper–covered boards; moderately rubbed. Ex-library: spine with faded traces of call number and label, front pastedown with institutional bookplate, rubber-stamp on bottom edges of closed book. Pp. 593–757 partially and very neatly paginated in red pen as in continuation of the first portion of the volume; some inked letter corrections as above. Pages age-toned, with intermittent moderate to dark spotting; final portion of volume with a few leaves waterstained. Shouldernotes occasionally shaved and page edges with occasional short tears. First two leaves with outer edges ragged; several with lower margins or outer corners repaired, in one case with loss of about ten words. On the whole, a volume that shows its age but is not giving in to it.  (24098)

The contents include “Primvm ac generale examen iis omnibvs, qvi in Societatem Iesv admitti petent, proponendum”; “Constitvtiones cum declarationibus”; “Formvla votorvm simplicivm, quae professi emittunt post professionem, iuxta constitutiones; extracta ex prima Congregatione generali, & recognita à tertia”; “Index in examen, & constitutiones”; each of those sections starts with a decorative capital. An extensive index is provided.

Much attention was paid overall to the attractive typography of this work, which was printed at the Jesuits' Roman college. A four-element woodcut architectural title-page border, woodcut initials and tailpieces, and carefully laid-out columns of roman and italic text adorn the volume. The text of the Constitutiones is printed in roman type and the “declarationibus” that supplements them is printed in italic, sometimes surrounding the text, other times in a column to the right or left.

Scarce: Only three U.S. institutions report holdings.

•  DeBacker-Sommervogel, V, 78; Graesse, II, 255.   Recent calf, covers ruled in blind in period style: blind rules above and below each band extending onto the covers forming a V with a trefoil at the end of each V; each band with fine gilt rule. Title-page with inked Jesuit ownership inscription dated 1625. Light foxing throughout; waterstaining to lower and outer portions of some early leaves. All edges stained red. A handsome production in a good copy.  (23547)

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Palau 87353 (for Granada printing). Removed from a nonce volume. Title-page with shadow of pencilled numeral and faintly inked earlier numeral in upper margin. Pages creased but clean, with tiny hole along fold of last leaf.

For 17TH-CENTURY BOOKS,  click here.
For EUROPEAN LAW,  click here.
For CLOTHING & FASHION,  click here.
For more of WOMEN's interest,  click here.
Or for BOOKS IN SPANISH,  click here.

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Not in Palau. Removed from a nonce volume. Title-page with shadow of pencilled numeral and faintly inked earlier numeral in upper margin. Pages creased but clean.

For more INQUISITION material,  click here.
For more CATHOLICA,  click here.
For more (GENERAL) RELIGION,  click here.

An epitome of the “antiquarian” both in form and content, this is a marvelous compendium of royal history and lore.

First published in 1667 , this work is here in the second of numerous editions. It includes accounts by members of their scientific work: The two plates illustrate meteorological instruments and the principles of artillery recoil.

•  ESTC T131282. On the Royal Society, see: Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., XXIII, 791–93. On Sprat, see: The Dictionary of National Biography, LIII, 419–24. Recent quarter red morocco over marbled paper. Beading on spine bands and gilt quatrefoils in compartments; gilt-lettered title, author, and date. A foliate gilt roll at edge of leather on covers. Leaves sometime exposed to moisture and cockled, with shallow chipping and light to moderate soiling. Perforation-stamp on title-page, and rubber-stamps, including one on title-page, of a now-defunct library. All edges speckled red.

•  Wing (2nd ed.) S5565a; ESTC R17405.   Later blue paper wrappers, front wrapper with hand-inked title; wrappers faded, extremities worn, front wrapper with inked shelving number. Title-page with pencilled annotation.  (24468)