WHEELER, John.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

A Treatise of Commerce, First edition, with a 10-line presentation inscription, given by the author to Leonard Halliday, Lord Mayor of London, and owned by Charles Montagu (1661-1715), a chief founder of the Bank of England. Wheeler's tract is "the earliest important example of corporate publicity" (Hotchkiss, p. vii).His neat inscription, on the initial blank, reads: "To the right worshipfull, grave, and, prudent Senator, and one of the Fathers, of the farre renomnpned [i. e. renowned] Fellowshippe, of Merchant Adventurers of England Mr, Leonard Hallidaie Esquire and Alderman, of the cittye of London. John Wheeler, once and still his servant sendeth this, his simple woork with heartye wishes of, all happiness and longe lyfe to hym and hys., Middelbroughe 28 Decembris anno 160[1]". This inscription is trimmed at the outer margin by the binder.Leonard Halliday (c.1550-1612), a pre-eminent London merchant, was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1605. As mayor, he managed the Gunpowder Plot's fallout and hosted Christian IV of Denmark during his lively state visit in 1606.Halliday was a founder of the East India Company and Master of the Merchant Taylors Company, which regulated tailoring in the City. John Wheeler (d. 1617) served as secretary of the Society of Merchant Adventurers, which controlled international trade in English cloth. Here, Wheeler defends the society against charges that it had monopolized the wool trade - charges which carried the threat of state-imposed free m

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