SANDYS, Edwin

by Edwin Sandys

£2,250 · Offered by Sokol Books

Second complete edition of Sir Edwin Sandys (1561-1629) seminal work on the state of Christianity in Europe. The result of a three-year tour around the continent, undertaken with Sandys companion George Cranmer in 1593, the Europae Speculum professes to examine the condition of the Reformed Churches of mainland Europe, possibly with a view to suggesting some form of re-unification; in fact, Sandys never reaches the topic in this work, but dedicates nearly three quarters of the book to detailed description and analysis of Roman Catholicism, enumerating their beliefs, practices, government, and the means used to increase power, frequently finding merit in their customs and ideas while disapproving of the way in which these were put into practice , Mary Ellen Henley, "Sir Edwin Sandy s Europae Speculum: a critical edition". Sandys writes that the French Catholics were most ripe for a reunification with Protestantism; he believed that Italy would first have to abandon its predilection for popery and that Spain was a lost cause. Europae Speculum is a fascinating work from a number of aspects. It is a highly sceptical, pragmatic work, apportioning praise and blame to aspects of Protestantism and Catholicism with equity and judiciousness before finally championing Hooker s via media indeed so finely poised is Europae Speculum that it appears to have been seen as a justification for both sides of the religious divide at different times. The pirated editions of 1605 were rapidly banne

• Binding: Hardcover

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