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170 WILLIAMS, John. The Rise, Progress and Present State of the Northern Governments. London: T. Becket, 1777 A HANDSOME COPY First edition of a lengthy survey of the northern countries of Europe. The author acknowledges the assistance he received from various heads of state and dignitaries, not only through conversation, but from access to their libraries and public records. “Williams, deriding Voltaire for describing a country he had never visited, seems to have been in Russia in 1770. He refers to his interviews in St Petersburg and Moscow, consulting manuscripts (in German) in the Kremlin, and travelling ‘1700 versts in the Russian dominions to form some idea of the character of the mass of the people in this state’” (Cross). 2 volumes, quarto (265 × 203 mm). Contemporary mottled calf, spines elaborately decorated in gilt, red morocco spine labels, yellow edges. Engraved armorial bookplates of John Wilkinson to front pastedowns, stencilled 19th-century ownership stamp of James Bannantyne to free endpapers, joints starting to crack but still very firm, corners and extremities worn, some surface scrapes and wear to covers, occasional spotting and the odd stain; still a very good, handsome copy. ¶ Cross, In the Land of the Romanovs , D22; not in Goldsmiths’ or Kress. £2,750 [132188] 171 WISHART, William. The Principles of Liberty of Conscience Stated and Defended. Edinburgh: printed by Tho. and Wal. Ruddimans, 1739 First edition. Writing under the odd pseudonym Gwitmarpscheldon, William Wishart (1691–1753), a liberal Church of Scotland Minister, provides a defence of religious toleration and liberty of conscience.
Wishart argues that toleration is in the spirit of Christian ethics, that freedom of conscience is an inalienable right which cannot be given up to a civil power, that free thought is a duty and to follow another is an afront to God, and that to use force to compel religious beliefs creates hypocrisy and reinforces the contrarian beliefs. ESTC locates copies in nine institutions. Octavo (180 × 111 mm). Recent boards, printed paper label to front cover, edges sprinkled red. Binding fine, a few blemishes and creases to pages. A very good copy. ¶ ESTC T103652. £575 [117451] 172 WOLLSTONECRAFT, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Men; [bound with:] MACAULAY, Catherine. Observations on the Reflections of the Right Hon. Edmund Burke, on the Revolution in France; [and:] (ANON.) Thoughts on Government: occasioned by Mr. Burke’s Reflections, &c. in a Letter to a Friend. London: for J. Johnson; for C. Dilly; for G. Kearsley, 1790
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