1646 Mercurius Rusticus or the Countries Complaint of the Barbarous Out-Rages Committed by the Sectaries of this Late Flourishing Kingdom

Description

First Edition, Leather Binding, Original Source

Internally, a bright copy of this work.

Printed without an author attribution, although this work is known to have been written by Bruno Ryves. Following the publication of this newsbook George Wither started a parliamentary counter work under the same title. 

'Mercurius Rusticus' has a second title page with the imprint 'Oxford printed in the yeare, 1646' although pagination and register are continuous. Following this is 'Querela Cantabrigiensis' which is attributed to John Barwick, although sometimes attributed to Bruno Ryves. There is also an addendum to this latter work after page 28 to the second part of 'Mercurius Rusticus'. Following this there are indexes to part I, to the 'Querela' and 'Mercurius Belgicus' with separate dated title pages. The ESTC notes that quired 3B-D of 'Mercurius Belgicus' are reissued from 'England's Illiads in a nut shell' by Sir George Wharton. 

Parts I and II of 'Mercurius Rusticus' were originally issued at Oxford as 21 separate newsbooks between 20 May 1643 and 16 March 1664. This is the first edition in book form. 

ESTC reference no: R203457. 

Collated, bound without the additional engraved title page listed in the ESTC. 

Former owner's inscription to the recto of front endpaper in pencil 'Bought at the sale of Revd J B Medleys Books, Bath, June 1807.' 

Contemporary owner's inscription providing a 'life of the author' to the rear endpapers. A nineteenth century owner has finished the inscription which they note is copied from the damaged final leaf of the work they discarded during the rebind.