[Rarebooks] fa: [Re. DANIEL DEFOE] - THE HISTORY OF THE MITRE AND PURSE 1714 - PARTS I & II

[Ardwight Chamberlain]

Listed now, auction ending Monday, November 4. More details and images can be found at the URL below or by searching under the seller name arch_in_la.

http://tinyurl.com/l4zttbk

Thanks again,
Ardwight Chamberlain
L.A.




The History of the Mitre and Purse, in which the First and Second Parts of the Secret History of the White Staff are fully considered, and the Hypocrisy and Villanies of the Staff himself are laid open and Detected. [BOUND WITH:] The History of the Mitre and Purse Continued, wherein the Villanies of the Staff are further detected, and the Conduct of the late Ministers, that would not join with him in betraying their Queen and Country, is more amply set forth in the Discovery of several private Transactions not yet made Publick. Part II. London: Printed for J. Morphew near Stationers-Hall, 1714. Two works bound in one. FIRST EDITIONS. Small 8vo in later, but not recent, pale blue wraps; 72 pp.; 32, 17-24 pp. (pagination erratic, but text is continuous and complete). The second title-page with the price revised in ms. by an early hand, from one shilling to six pence. ESTC T36501; T36504.

Variously attributed to William Pittis or Francis Atterbury, this is one of several vituperative Whig attacks on Daniel Defoe's notorious Secret History of the White Staff, a defense of the Tory administration of his former patron, Robert Harley, the Earl of Oxford. It was at first widely assumed that the Secret History had been written by Oxford himself, but the author of the present pamphlet, hitting on the truth, detects the hand of a "Mercenary that has been hired to raise a Dust in order to blind People's Eyes from seeing clearly into the White Staff's true Character." The "Mitre", "Purse", and "White Staff" mentioned in the title are, respectively, Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester; Simon Harcourt, Viscount Harcourt, Lord Chancellor; and Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford.

Light toning to the leaves, some corners a trifle bumped, a few small spots, otherwise quite clean and crisp, firmly bound. Very good copies of two related works that are not often found bound together.