Annales of England.

£1,750 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

first edition in English The first edition in English of Francis Godwin's Rerum Anglicarum, a history of the reigns of the middle Tudors, Henry VIII, Edward VI, and Queen Mary. It documents the principal events of the chaotic years leading up to England's split with Rome, through the King's divorce, the execution of Anne Boleyn — noted for her 'excellent quicke wit, and being a ready speaker' — the brief reign of Edward VI, the downfall of Lady Jane Grey, Wyatt's Rebellion, the Marian Martyrs, up to Elizabeth's succession and the restoration of Protestant religion. Godwin (1562-1633) enjoyed rapid preferment in the Church, rising to become Bishop of Llandaff at the age of 39, and later Bishop of Hereford, but it is for his activities as a historian and association with the antiquarian William Camden, a lifelong friend and godfather to his son Thomas, that he's principally remembered today. Inspired by the first part of Camden's Annales, which covered the reign of Elizaebth I, the Rerum Anglicarum addresses the preceding decades of the sixteenth century. Gowin drew upon both contemporary foreign accounts by the likes of Guicciardini and Joahnnes Sleidan, as well as English sources such as John Stow's chronicles and the yet-unpublished life of Cardinal Wolsey by George Cavendish, as well as unspecified 'publique records'. This translation was produced by Godwin's son, Morgan, with some additions. A handsome copy in contemporary sprinkled calf with an interesting manuscript book

• Binding: Hardcover

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