Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A34164
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A Complete collection of books and pamphlets begun in the year 1640. by the special command of King Charles I. of ever blessed memory, and continued to the happy restauration of the government and the coronation of King Charles II
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Thomason, George, d. 1666.
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1685
(1685)
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Wing C5637; ESTC R41897
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1,262
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1
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Begun in the Year 1640. by the Special Command of King CHARLES I. of Blessed Memory and continued to the happy Restauration of the Government and the Coronation of King CHARLES II. THere hath been very much Mony disbursed and great Pains taken and many Hazards run in making an exact Collection of all the Pamphlets that were publish'd from the Beginning of that Long and Rebel-Parliament which began Novemb. 1640. till His late Majesties Happy Restauration and Coronation consisting of near Thirty Thousand several Sorts and by all Parties They may be of very great Use to any Gentleman concerned in Publick Affairs both for this Present and After-Ages there being not the like in the World neither is it possible to make such a Collection The Collection contains above Two Thousand bound Volumes all of them uniformly bound as if they were done at one Time and all exactly Marked and Numbred The Method that has been observed is Time and such punctual Care was taken that the very Day is written upon most of them when they came out The Catalogue of them fairly written is in Twelve Volumes in Folio and though the Number of them be so great when the Books are set in their Order according to the Mark set upon each of them the smallest Piece though but one Sheet of Paper being shewn in the Catalogue may be found in a moment which Method is of singular use to the Reader In the whole are contain'd near one Hundred several MS. Pieces that were never printed all or most of them on the King's behalf which no man durst then venture to publish without endangering his Ruine But the Peruser now may by them be let into the Knowledge of many Occurences in those Times which have pass'd hitherto unobserv'd This Collection was so privately carried on that it was never known that there was such a Design in hand the Collector designing them only for His Majesties Use that then was His Majesty having occasion for a Pamphlet could no where compass the Sight of it but from him which His Majesty having perused was very well pleas'd with the Design and commanded a Person of Honour to restore it with his own Hands and withal express'd His desire of having the Collection continued This was the great Encouragement to the Undertaker who had otherwise desisted prosecuting so difficult and chargeable a Work which lay a heavy Burden upon himself and his Servants for above Twenty Years To prevent the Discovery of them when the Army was Northwards he pack'd them up in several Trunks and by one or two in a Week sent them to a trusty Friend in Surry who safely preserv'd them and when the Army was Westward and fearing their Return that way they were sent to London again but the Collector durst not keep them but sent them into Essex and so according as they lay near Danger still by timely removing them at a great Charge secur'd them but continu'd perfecting the Work And for a farther Security to them there was a Bargain pretended to be made with the University of Oxford and a Receipt of a Thousand Pounds given and acknowledg'd to be in part for them that if the Usurper had found them out the University should claim them who had greater Power to struggle for them than a private Man All these Shifts have been made and Difficulties encounter'd to keep the Collection from being embezel'd and destroy'd which with the great Charges of collecting and binding them cost the Undertaker so much that he refused Four Thousand Pounds for them in his Life time supposing that Sum not sufficient to re-imburse him