Ascham, Roger (1515-1568).

Apologia doctissimi viri Rogerii Aschami, Angli, pro caena Dominica. contra missam & eisu pr[a]estigias: in Academia olim Cantabrigiensi exercitationis gratia inchoata. Cui accesserunt themata quaedam theologica, debita disputandi ratione in Collegio D. loan. pronunciata. Expositiones item antiqu[a]e, in espistolas Diui Pauli ad Titum & Philemonem, ex diuersis sanctorum Patrum Gr[a]ece scrptis commentarijs ab Oecumenio collect[a]e, & a R.A. Latine vers[a]e.

Excusam Londini: Pro Francisco Coldocko, 1577. First edition. Small 8vo (14 cm.). (12), 296 pp. Title framed within a wide ornamental border. Colophon: "Londini, Ex typographia Henrici Middletoni, 1577." Written in 1547 but unpublished during Ascham's life, this anti-clerical work, an attack of the mass and the priesthood, appeared a decade after his death and is now recognized as an important contribution to the development of Protestantism during the reformation. With the 1903 printed book label of Frederick Duleep Singh (1968-1926), son of the last Maharajah of the Sikh empire, on the front pastedown. STC 825. ESTC S100257. A relatively uncommon Ascham title (OCLC locates 16 copies, six in the United States: Huntington, Yale, Newberry, Illinois, Harvard, Texas-Austin). Scarce in trade (two copies sold at auction in the past 40 years (1976-2017). In most copies, the imprint date has been altered to "1578" by hand; in this copy, a previous owner has returned the "7" in ink. Lacks the first and eighth leaves in the preliminaries (both blanks); with contemporary and near contemporary ink annotations, underlining, and markings throughout in several hands, a good copy. 19th-century polished calf (rubbed, spine ends and corners bumped, front board detached), all edges red. (9861). Item #63096

Price: $1,500.00