The gathers together a collection of letters, treatises and historical accounts published during the English Civil War, with the purported spiritual autobiography of Charles I, the Eikon Basilike. The autobiography first appeared within days of the King's execution in January, 1649. The present title is a first edition of the collected works, published with royal approval after the Restoration. The presentation of Charles I as martyr was a common trope in monarchist writings during the years of the Commonwealth and after the Restoration, and was employed similarly in Robert Brown's Subjects Sorrow published in 1649. Falconer Madan, in his 1950 A New Bibliography of the Eikon Basilike of King Charles the First suggests that many of the writings included in this work were actually authored by John Gauden, who also included some authentic writings of the martyred monarch. Gauden (d. 1662) was a royalist cleric who served as Bishop of Exeter and, later, Worcester. References: Wing C2075; ESTC R9377.

Folio, [11], 458 pages, [10], pp. 3- 733, [5]. In Very Good minus condition. Re-backed, and bound in full contemporary calf, tooled spine with gilt lettering. Boards have moderate plus wear to front and back covers, moderate wear to corners and bottom edge, and light shelf wear to leather on spine (especially head of spine). Text block has moderate plus age-toning to edges, and light plus age-toning to front free end paper and frontispiece engravings. The bookplate of Ernest Benzon appears on the front pastedown, and signature of a former owner reading “Derby” appears on the address leaf. Title pages are red-ruled. Includes two double-page plates, an engraved title-page, and another full page engraving. Text complete per ESTC entry. RW Consignment.