London, 1608

❧ Londini: [Printed by Richard Field] Excudebat Iohannes Norton, Serennisimae Regiae Maiestati in Latinis, Graecis, & Hebraicis Typographus, 1608. In Latin. 141 × 98 mm (5.5 × 3.75 in.). 8vo. [8], 330 pp. Woodcut arms of James I on title page verso. Woodcut initials, head‑, and tail-pieces. Gilt stamped initials at head of spine: ​“B.P.” Gilt coat of arms of Theodore of Sulzbach, Duke of Bavaria (1742–1799) on both covers. Previous owner’s autograph on first blank leaf: ​“E. Gordon Duff, Edinburgh 1915.” With Duff’s annotation on front pastedown: ​“With the arms of Charles Philip Theodore de Saltzbach, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria – 1799.” Printer attribution from Short title catalogue. Very Good. Bound in full leather (ca. 18th century) with gilt tooled ornaments on spine, and red leather title label. The final blank leaf is missing. Some edge wear and rubbing to covers; back cover has some pockmarks.

First edition of a laudatory volume on the reign of James I, who united the kingdoms of Scotland and England when he ascended to the throne in 1603. There is yet some mystery around the authorship of this work, but Thomas Rosa is sometimes identified as Thomas Ross, a Scottish priest who left Scotland to seek admission to Oxford University. Unfortunately, he succeeded only in being admitted to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as a ​“libeller” for a text he wrote denouncing Scottish people in England. This act led to his arrest and extradition to Edinburgh, where the courts sentenced him to be decapitated and beheaded.

The present work opens with a history of ancient kingdoms and monarchs, interspersed with many classical references. Following this are a series of biographies of peers who were somehow associated with King James I, including Ludovic Stewart, John Erskine, George Home, Thomas Erskine, Philip Herbert, and William Parker (1575–1622) who helped uncovered the Gunpowder Plot. Another section praising the reign of James I follows, and the work concludes with a brief section on Anne of Denmark and Queen Elizabeth.

From the library of Karl Theodore of Salzbuch, Elector of Bavaria. Theodore was a strong supporter of the arts, and it was under his patronage that the Mannheim school flourished as a center of musical innovation. Theodore also commissioned work from Mozart and founded the court library, which was moved to Munich in 1778 where he accumulated many books and libraries. This volume has the Elector’s coat of arms gilt stamped on both covers. This copy was also once owned by the bibliographer, librarian, and incunabulist, E. Gordon Duff. Duff was the librarian of Enriqueta Rylands and produced the first catalog of the Rylands Library at the University of Manchester.

English short title catalogue S116168.