Pettus, Sir John (1613-1690) - VOLATILES FROM THE HISTORY OF ADAM AND EVE: Containing Many unquestioned Truths, and allowable Notions of several Natures.

London, T. Bassett 1st edition 1674 . Small quarto 19th cent. half morocco with cloth sides, spine directly gilt lettered (edges rather worn, cloth bit marked but neat & tight), nicely marbled end-papers. Title leaf +[6]pp +72, 75-87, [1], 88-89, 89-188 +[2]pp index, text continuous in spite of jumping pagination, lacks final blank leaf but otherwise collated complete. Gathering F has pages bound in wrong order and partially over-printed, making text hard to read. Patent Office Library light blue stamps with royal coat of arms (7 mostly to prelims/at end + on back of title where also Sion College Library stamp with cancel), some light browning, pages else crisp and clean. *Pettus was a royalist and Fellow of the Royal Society who lived at Cheston Hall in Suffolk. In dedicating this Story of Adam and Eve to his friend and neighbour Leister Devereux, he explains that he borrowed his extravagant way of writing from Montagne: "for I have observ'd in the Countrey, that when I forsook the path, which would have guided me to the place I design'd, and cross'd the Pastures, sometimes I started Hares, sometimes sprang Partridges, or observ'd some curious Plants; which pleasures I had never injoy'd if I had confin'd my self to the path, yet I kept my Eye on it, and .. inrich't my thoughts, with the Contemplations of what happen'd by my digressions". After publication of this book in 1674 he rendered valuable service in the Dutch war, but having lost more than £20,000 in the royal cause, was several times imprisoned for debt (DNB, WING P1912, ESTC R7891).

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