Lot 2973: SELDEN, JOHN.

HISTORY OF TITHES --TILLESLEY, RICHARD (1582-1624).
ANIMADVERSIONS UPON M. SELDENS HISTORY OF TITHES, AND HIS REVIEW THEREOF: BEFORE WHICH... IS PREMISED A CATALOGUE OF SEVENTY TWO AUTHORS, BEFORE THE YEERE 1215. MAINTAINING THE IUS DIVINUM OF TYTHES, [ETC.]. LONDON: J. BILL, 1619 , [44], 236PP., FIRST LEAF WITH ORNAMENT ON RECTO, BINDING: CONTEMPORARY LIMP VELLUM, LACKING TIES FORMAT???????

Montague, Richard (bap. 1575-1641), Bishop of Norwich. Diatribae upon the first part of the late History of Tithes. London: F. Kyngston for M. Lownes, 1621, 4to (190 x 145mm.), [12], 579, [1], first leaf blank, errata on final page, binding: contemporary limp vellum, remains of leather ties, becoming loose

together 2 volumes

PROVENANCE

Tillesley: Francis Thompson, 1690. On the verso of the first leaf is a library number 337 and on the title-page is a note: 'a duplicate' [with pressmark]

LITERATURE

STC 24073 & 18037

NOTE

Selden had shown with his usual wealth of learning that tithes were an historical development and not established jure divino. Both Tillesley and Montague, the latter a considerable scholar who had edited one of the books published at Sir Henry Savile's Greek press at Eton, and joined the lists against Baronius, were firm believers, as good clergymen, that tithes were theirs by divine right. Tillesley, who pays some attention to the legal evidence, quotes only in Latin, whereas the Etonian bishop's work is heavily larded with Greek.