THE LIFE OF EDWARD LORD HERBERT OF CHERBURY. WRITTEN BY HIMSELF
London, England: Printed for J. Dodsley, in Pall-Mall, 1770. Hardcover. Quarto, 9 3/4" x 7 3/4." Original hardcover boards covered in blue paper, rebacked in white paper. Mild soiling to front board. Corners bumped. Rubbing to extremities. Untrimmed edges. Recent white endpapers. pp. plate, [10], 173. No half-title. Fabulous foldout frontispiece reclining portrait of Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury. Pages lightly tanned. Clean copy. (ESTC T143437). Very Good. Item #81762
Edward Herbert,(1583-1648), First Baron Herbert of Cherbury and of Castle Island was an English diplomat, courtier, philosopher, traveler, soldier, and historian. In the present work, he recounts his life "in a somewhat tongue-in-cheek fashion" along with discourses on dueling, education, herbal remedies, and religion (ODNB). Herbert studied at Oxford and spent a great deal of time at Queen Elizabeth's Court. The Queen allegedly remarked upon seeing how handsome he was, 'It is a pitty he was married soe Young!" (Life, 37). In his writings, he styled himself as a Lothario whose behavior with women often embroiled him in duels. While he self-fashioned himself as the quintessential Renaissance courtier, he also wrote on more serious topics of religion and philosophy. Descartes and Locke studied his most well-known work, the metaphysical treatise De Veritate, or On Truth. Many of his writings, including the present memoir, remained unpublished during Herbert's lifetime. In 1770, the politician and man of letters Horace Walpole edited Herbert's manuscript for publication. This highly entertaining work sheds light on the life (and loves) of a traveling diplomat and courtier during the Elizabethan and Jacobean period. (ODNB) (Wikipedia).
Price: $350.00