Contemplations Moral and Divine, By a Person of Great Learning and.. by Hale, Sir Matthew - 1677

1677. London: William Godbid For William Shrowsbury 1677. London: William Godbid For William Shrowsbury 1677. Devotional Writings of Sir Matthew Hale [Hale, Sir Matthew (1609-1676)]. Contemplations Moral and Divine. By a Person of Great Learning and Judgment. Imprimatur. Ex Aedibus Lambethanis, Martii 13. 1675/6. Antonius Saunders, Reverendissimo Dno, Domino Gilberto Archi-Episc. Cant. A Sacris Domesticis. London: Printed by William Godbid, For William Shrowsbury, 1677. [xvi], 528 pp. Octavo (6-3/4" x 4"). Later period-style calf, blind fillets to boards, raised bands, blind ornaments and lettering piece to spine, edges rouged, marbled endpapers. A few minor scratches and nicks to boards, moderate rubbing to extremities, spine ends bumped, hinges cracked. Moderate toning to text, occasional faint dampstaining to upper corners of text block, light foxing to a few leaves, title page has brief early annotation (identifying Hale as author) in miniscule hand. $500. * Second edition. One of the great English jurists of the seventeenth century, Hale was chief baron of the Exchequer from 1660 to 1666, when he became chief justice of the King's Bench. The Contemplations, a collection of spiritual essays and poems, indicate the depth of his religiosity. This is especially evident in such pieces as "Of the Consideration of Our Latter End," "Of the Knowledge of Christ Crucified," "The Victory of Faith Over the World," "The Great Audit" and "Poems Upon Christmas Day." This book is complete in itself and bibliographically distinct. In 1677 Godbid published a companion volume, also bibliographically distinct, titled Contemplations Moral and Divine. The Second Part. English Short-Title Catalogue R14876.