The Charge of Sir Francis Bacon Knight, his Majesties Attourney generall, touching duells…
by BACON, Francis
- Used
- Hardcover
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Printed [by George Eld] for Robert Wilson, and are to be sold [by Robert Wilson and W. Bladen] at Graies Inne Gate, 1614. Small 4to. Bound in light brown morocco, gilt text and 5 raised bands to spine, all edges gilt, inner boards decorated in gilt; pp.[vi, blank], 61, with some blank filler leaves added by the binder; first and last leaves (both blank) cut away as usual, some light toning of the original paper stock (to be expected), a little external scuffing to edges, with an unnamed armorial bookplate to front paste down endpaper, and the bookplate of the Fox Pointe collection to front free endpaper. This well known and influential work records Bacon's case against duels. His scathing essay on the practice condemns it as a wasteful and dishonourable way of resolving disputes, moreover one which endangers both secular and religious authority (aka, if people start taking the law into their own hands to perform ad hoc executions, it no longer really has any meaning - also, think of the mess). This text is an important and rare part of the tapestry in James I's anti-duelling campaign in the 1610s, fuelled by a series of high profile combats between important politicians and figures of note in the summer and autumn of 1613. Of the surviving texts we possess relating to the Jacobean anti-duelling campaign, Francis Bacon's "The charge touching duells" was published not only as a chastisement against duelling, but as a rebuke to the very idea of disputes of honor that fuelled duelling in the first place. Whilst contemporaries such as Henry Howard, the earl of Northampton sought to find other ways to resolve insults of honor, Bacon was of a mind that to entertain those claims as serious just encouraged everyone to ever increasing acts of violence, and that everyone should just grow up and stop shooting each other because someone called them a pigeon-liver.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Henry Sotheran Ltd. (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 2109373
- Title
- The Charge of Sir Francis Bacon Knight, his Majesties Attourney generall, touching duells…
- Author
- BACON, Francis
- Book Condition
- Used
- Binding
- Hardcover
Terms of Sale
Henry Sotheran Ltd.
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Henry Sotheran Ltd.
Biblio member since 2018
London, London
About Henry Sotheran Ltd.
Founded in York in 1761 and established in London on 1815, Henry Sotheran Limited has a long and distinguished history.For over 250 years we have been offering unsurpassed opportunities to collectors. Throughout our history we have prided ourselves on the quality and condition of our books and our friendly service.Our premises just off Piccadilly in the heart of London's West End are spacious and elegantly appointed and we welcome regular clients and passers-by alike to wander in and browse in a relaxing and convivial atmosphere.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Leaves
- Very generally, "leaves" refers to the pages of a book, as in the common phrase, "loose-leaf pages." A leaf is a single sheet...
- Raised Band(s)
- Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...