The History Of England, As Well Ecclesiastical as Civil. By Mr. De Rapin Thoyras. Vol. I. Containing I. The Preface, with a brief Account of the Author's Life, and a Dissertation concerning the Origin and Nature of the English Constitution. II. A short Introduction concerning the Manners, Customs, Government and Religion of the antient Britons, with the Origin of the Picts and Scots, and the Time of their Settlement in Britain. III. The History of England from the Invasion of the Romans, to the End of the Reign of Edward the Martyr, in four books. Done into English from the French, with large and useful Notes mark'd with an *, by N. Tindal, A.M. Vicar of Great Waltham in Essex. (-XV ...)
Dissertation On The Origin Of The Government Of England
Imprint
London,: Printed for James and John Knapton, at the Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard., 1726. (-1731.)
Physical Description
15 vols.; 198 mm. (Quarto.)
General Note
Vol. I: [xii], xxix, 30-434, [18] p., frontis. (port.), [10] pl. (9 fold.). - Vol. II:[viii], 472, [12] p., frontis. (port.), [6] pl. (3 fold.). - Vol. III: [2], 531, [21] p., frontis. (port.), [3] pl. - Vol. IV: [iv], 484, [24] p., frontis. (port.), [6] pl. (3 fold.). - Vol. V: [ii], 478, [28] p., frontis. (port.), [2] pl. - Vol. VI: [iv], 502, [26] p., frontis. (port.), [2] pl. - Vol. VII: [ii], 706, [22] p., frontis. (port.). Page 706 is misnumbered as 500. - Vol. VIII: [ii], 511, [47] p., frontis. (port.), [2] pl. - Vol. IX: [ii], 612, [34] p., frontis. (port.), [2] pl. (1 fold.). - Vol. X: [viii], 575, [17] p., frontis. (port.). - Vol. XI: [ii], 569, [19] p. - Vol. XII: [iv], 587, [37] p. - Vol. XIII: xxiv, 473, [47] p., frontis. (port.). - Vol. XIV: [ii], 468, [36] p. - Vol. XV:[ii], 287, [1], 444, [26] p., frontis. (port.). Throughout the publication none of the plates is numbered, but each has engraved on it the number of the page of text which it is to face.
Contents
Vol. I: [Frontis., t.p., dedic.] - The Preface - [Pl. [1] (map)] - The Introduction - [Text, Books I-IV, with pl.] - Directions concerning the Genealogical Tables; Additions to Page 290 - The Index. - Vol. II: [Frontis., t.p., dedic.] - The Preface - [Text, Book V, with pl.] - [Text, 'A Dissertation On The Government, Laws, Customs, Manners, and Language, of the Anglo-Saxons'] - [Text, Book VI, with pl.] - The Index - Errata in Vol. II. - [Fold. map]. - Vol. III: [Frontis., t.p.] - [Text, Books VII-VIII, with pl.] - The Index - Errata to Vol. III. - Vol. IV: [Frontis., t.p., dedic.] - [Text, Book IX, with pl.] - The Index; Errata in Vol. IV. - Vol. V: [Frontis., t.p.] - [Text, Books XI, XII, with pl.] - The Index. - Vol. VI: [Frontis., t.p., dedic.] - [Text, Books XIII, XIV, with pl.] - Additional Notes and Amendments communicated by the Reverend W. S. whilst the Translator was abroad. Vol. IV. - The Index. - Vol. VII: [Frontis., t.p.] - [Text, Book XV] - The Index - Books Printed for James and John Knapton, at the Crown in St. Paul's Church Yard. - Vol. VIII: [Frontis., t.p.] - [Text, Books XVI, XVII, with pl.] - The Index; Errata. in Vol. VIII. - Vol. IX:[Frontis., t.p.] - [Text, Books XVII (cont'd.), XVIII, with pl.] - The Index; Errata in Vol. IX. - Vol. X: [Frontis., t.p.] - The Preface - Errata - [Text, Book XIX] - The Index. - Vol. XI: [T.p.] - Considerations On The Authors Who have Writ the History of the Reign of Charles I - [Text, Book XX] - The Index; Errata in Vol. XI. - Vol. XII: [T.p.] - Advertisement To The Reader - [Text, Book XXI] - The Index; Errata in Vol. XII. - Vol. XIII: [Frontis., t.p.] - A Letter To Mr. ---- Containing some Particulars of the Life of Mr. De Rapin Thoyras - [Text, Books XXII, XXIII] - The Index. - Vol. XIV: [T.p.] - [Text, Book XXIII] - A Dissertation On the Origin Of The Government Of England ... - The Index. - Vol. XV: [Frontis., t.p.] - [Text, Book XXIV] - A Short Summary Of The History of England - An Index, shewing in what Volume of this History each King's Reign is contained - The Index.
Responsibility Note
The thirty portraits of British monarchs and one portrait of Rapin are signed as engraved by (G.) Vertue. Three of these name the source-artist, viz. the frontispieces of Vols. X ('A. Vandyke'), XII ('P. Lely') and XV ('Kneller'). The other plates (four maps and ten tables) are unsigned.
Some of the decorative headpieces are signed 'FH'.
In Volume I the translation is dedicated to Thomas Lord Howard, Baron of Effingham. In Volumes II and IV the translation is dedicated by the translator, Nicholas Tindal, to Sir Charles Wager. In Volume VI the translation is dedicated by the translator, Nicholas Tindal 'To The Gentlemen Of The English Factory at Lisbon'.
References
ESTC, T144219 [Dublin imprint].
H. Trevor-Roper, 'A Huguenot historian: Paul Rapin', in Huguenots in Britain and their French background, 1550-1800, ed. I. Scouloudi (1987), p.3-19
M.G. Sullivan, Historiography and visual culture in Britain, 1660-1783 [Ph.D. thesis, Univy. Leeds] (1998).
Summary Note
The title pages carry the following publication-dates: vols. I, II, 1726; vols. III, IV, 1727; vols. V-IX, 1729; vols. X-XII, 1730; vols. XIII-XV, 1731. The plates carry no dates, apart from the frontispiece of Volume IX, which is dated 1729.
In Volumes II-VI, VIII, IX, the title page includes the words 'Illustrated with the Heads of the Kings, &c. Curiously Engrav'd on Copper-Plates' (or similar) - and in Volumes III-VI, VIII, IX the addition of 'by Mr. Vertue'. Some parts have their own title pages: in Vol. II. 'A Dissertation On The Government ... of the Anglo-Saxons' (1726), 'The History Of England ... Vol. II. Part II.' (1726); in Vol. XIV, 'A Dissertation On The Origin Of The Government Of England. And on the Rise, Progress, Views, Strength, Interests, and Characters of the Two Parties of the Whigs and Tories' (1731).
The plates consist of thirty portraits of British monarchs, one portrait of Rapin, three maps of Britain (in Vols. I, II), a map of France (Vol. IV), and ten chronologic or genealogical tables (in Volumes I, III, IV, IX).
Provenance
Recorded in RAA Library, Catalogue, 1802.
Binding Note
18th-century sprinkled calf, gilt-decorated spines, red morocco spine-labels lettered 'Rapin's Hist. Of England', spines lettered 'Vol. I.(-XV.)'. Each volume has been further covered with white paper resembling vellum, lettered 'Rapin's History 1 (-15)'.