THE HISTORIE OF THE COUNCEL OF TRENT, 1620 FIRST ENGLISH EDITION W/ INSCRIPTIONS
This remarkable first edition English translation of Paolo Sarpi's Historia del concilio tridentino is an incredibly rare work of Christian history. Nathanael Brent translated this treatise for King James I, which was printed by His Royal Printers, Robert Barker and John Bill in 1620. The large 13 1/2 x 9 x 3 inch tome contains 8 books detailing the acts of the Roman Catholic Church in the 40+ years following the Council of Trent, a series of sessions over 18 years in the 1500s in which the practices and doctrines of the Church were debated and reconfirmed in an attempt to condemn and stymie the Reformation movement. Paolo, also known as Father Paul the Venetian, criticized the Roman government and church continued to abuse their power following the sessions. There are multiple inscriptions and notes by an unknown scholar, many in defense of "Father Paul", giving this book additional historical and academic value.
This substantial volume is in worn but workable condition, and most of the interior pages are supple and clean. The leather cover is worn through in places with beautiful patina characteristic of a book of such age. It also features a book plate from Francis Philip Nash, a Harvard-trained professor of Hobart College in Geneva, New York. Professor Nash is quoted in his self-named book from 1911 as knowledgeable in theology and church history as any bishop. His book plate reads "Ever as I grow old, I learn and learn" in Greek, and he was extremely well-respected.
