Richard Smith — Florum Historiae Ecclesiasticae Gentis Anglorum Libri Septem Ex Quibus Dulcissimum Mel Catholicae Religionis

Parisiis, Federicum Leonard, 1654. First edition. Leather. The first edition of this Latin work regarding the ecclesiastical history of England. Written in the seventeenth century, this is a very scarce work by the once Vicar Apostolic of England, Richard Smith. Smith was a Roman Catholic, and was ordained in Rome as a priest in 1592. He held the position of Apostolic Vicar for England, Wales and Scotland from 1625. Following a warrant for his arrest he resigned his post and fled to Paris, where this work was published. A well-preserved copy of this work, which has been rebacked with the original boards preserved. In Latin. With only a few copies held on Copac, mostly at institutional and Cathedral libraries. The York Minster copy of this work states that there is a half-title. Ours does not have a half-title. Library plate to the front pastedown, depicting a Bishop holding a head, possibly Denis. Prior owner's bookplate to the recto of front endpaper, Joseph Gillow. Gillow was an English Roman Catholic Antiquary. He wrote several biographies of Catholics and was referenced by Thomas Bridgett in 'The Catholic Who's Who and Yearbook' of 1908 which is then referenced in the ODNB as 'The Plutarch of the English Catholics&apos. He frequently contributed to the Catholic Record Society. This work is a piece of Ecclesiastical history regarding England, from a Roman Catholic standpoint. In a full calf binding. Rebacked, with the original boards preserved. Externally, sound, with loss to the boards at the extremities. Prior owner's bookplate to the front pastedown and another prior owner's bookplate to the recto of front endpaper. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are generally bright. The odd spots to pages. Good . Ill.: None. Good .