Lot 30
  • 30

Milton, John

Estimate
1,500 - 2,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Milton, John
  • Four editions of "Pro Populo Anglicano Defensio", and an English translation:
i) Pro Populo Anglicano Defensio. William Dugard, 1651, 4to (182 x 142mm.), FIRST EDITION,  third issue (with the errata on A2), title with engraved Commonwealth arms within ornamental square form, engraved head-pieces and capitals, nineteenth-century panelled calf gilt, red morocco label on spine, marbled endpapers, speckled edges, some spotting, occasionally heavy; ii) Pro Populo Anglicano defensio. William Dugard  1650 [actually Utrecht: Theodorus ab Ackerdijk & Ghisbertus a Zigli, 1651], first 12mo and first Utrecht edition, second issue with "0" imperfect in imprint as in other copies; [bound with:] Pro se defensio contra Alexandrandrum Morum. The Hague: Adrian Vlacque, 1655, unauthorised 12mo edition, these two bound together in contemporary mottled calf gilt, slightly browned, some wear to binding; iii) Pro Populo Anglicano defensio. William Dugard, 1650 [actually Utrecht: Theodorus ab Ackerdijk & Ghisbertus a Zigli, 1651], another copy of the first 12mo and first Utrecht edition, second issue as before, eighteenth-century red crushed morocco gilt, all edges gilt; iv) Pro Populo Anglicano defensio. William Dugard, 1651 [?actually Amsterdam, Elzivir, 1651], probably the first Elzevir edition, without index, eighteenth-century marbled boards, lacking backstrip, endpaper loose; v) A Defence of the People of England... In Answer to Salmasius's Defence of the King. [? Amsterdam], 1692), 8vo, translated by Joseph Washington, with the blank leaf A1 but without the final leaf bearing "An advertisement to the reader", new endpapers, modern antique-style calf decorated in blind (5)

Literature

i) Madan 1; Wing M2166; Shawcross 100; Coleridge 44c
ii) and iii) Coleridge 47b; Madan 1c
iv) Wing M2168C; Coleridge 50; Madan 7
v) Coleridge 55a; Wing M2104

Condition

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where app
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

First edition, together with three further editions and an English translation, of Milton's successful response to Defensio Regia, Claude de Saumaise's 1649 attack on the Commonwealth. Mark Pattison, one of the previous owners of the first edition here, was Rector of Lincoln and edited an edition of Milton's sonnets (1883) as well as a life of Milton for the English Men of Letters series.