Discours de la vie abominable, ruses, trahisons, meurtres, impostures, empoisonnements, paillardises, Atheismes, & autres tres iniques conversations, desquelles a use et use journellement le my Lorde de Lecestre Machiaveliste, contre l'honneur de Dieu, la Majeste de la Royne d'Angleterre sa Princesse, & toute la Republique Chrestienne

Imprint: 1585
Edition: 1st French Edition
Binding:
Inscription:

Text is in French. Modern brown full leather binding. Raised bands. Gilt lettering on red spine label. Small gilt decorations on spine. 4" x 6." 154 pages, complete. One black-and-white frontispiece, complete. Frontispiece shows vengeance being set upon Robert Dudley for his purported misdeeds. Former owner's signature in black ink on the title page. Occasional annotations in the margins written in black ink. Pages have trimming with a few loss of words. Pages are very clean except for age toning and occasional light stains. Covers virtually pristine and intact. Binding is tight. A Near Fine copy. The following is a note immediately after the title about the translation from English to French: "Traduit d'Anglois en Francais & mis en forme de Dialogue auquel le Legiste, le Gentilhome, & l'Escelier sont introduits pour la plus facile declaration du present discours." First published in 1584 anonymously as The Copie of a Leter wryten by a Master of Arts of Cambridge, and now commonly known as Leicester's Commonwealth, this book was written and published expressly to criticize, attack, and damage the character of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester (1531-1588) and to support the succession of Mary, Queen of Scots (Mary Stuart). Dudley was a statesman and the favorite of Queen Elizabeth I. The two had been childhood friends. Dudley was the target of this book for many reasons, one of them being his support for Puritans. Elizabeth was similarly sympathetic toward Protestants and her overall religious and political policies were opposed by many Catholics. While there is still debate on who authored the book, it is widely considered by historians to be propaganda that was penned by a Catholic exile or a group of Catholic exiles in Paris, France. Leicester's Commonwealth begins as a discussion between a Cambridge scholar, lawyer, and gentleman about religious tolerance and that Catholics should enjoy equal rights and treatment. The story then jumps suddenly to the accusations levied against Dudley that paint a picture of debauchery and a slew of sordid iniquities, all of which were purportedly committed by him. Elizabeth vehemently criticized Leicester's Commonwealth as libel and said the accusations brought against Dudley were false. She tried to censor the book and punish those who handed out or owned a copy. However, the book still found its way into circulation and even hand-copied versions of the book were printed. This book significantly impacted and damaged Dudley's reputation in the following centuries, but beginning in the 1950s, a change in historical discourse prompted a reexamination of Dudley's character.. Book. Book Condition: Near Fine. Binding: Hardcover

Stock number: 022974.

Bookseller's details and sales conditions: Barry Cassidy Rare Books