Ancient funeral monuments within the vnited monarchie of Great Britaine, Ireland

and the islands adiacent, with the dissolued monasteries therein contained : their founders, and what eminent Persons have been in the same interred. As also the death and buriall of certaine of the bloud royall; the nobilitie and gentrie of these kingdomes entombed in forraine nations. A worke reuiuing the dead memory of the royall progenie, the nobilitie, gentrie, and communaltie, of these his Maiesties dominions. Intermixed and illustrated with variety of historicall obseruations, annotations, and briefe notes, extracted out of approued authors... Whereunto is prefixed a discourse of funerall monuments...

London: printed by Thomas Harper, and are to be sold by Laurence Sadler at the signe of the Golden Lion in little Britaine, 1631.

First Edition. Small folio. pp [xvi], 871. Folios 543/4 and 549/50 appear after folios 267/8 and 273/4 as well as in their correct place later. Bound without the 14p index. One original endpaper at the front; fine engraved frontispiece of Iohannis Weever, by Thomas Cecil, with the legend "Lancashire gave him breath, And Cambridge educations, His studies are of Death. Of Heaven his meditation". Engraved emblematic titlepage, also by Cecil, depicting figures of Life (Jesus Christ) and Death (a skeletal figure holding a skull) either side of an arch within which sits the book title. Eight further woodcuts in the text. Folio 679/80 neatly repaired at margin. Mild toning to text block, still a remarkably clean and well preserved copy. 18th century polished calf sides, later spine with raised bands and burgundy morocco label. Upper hinge tender. Extremities well rubbed especially at the corners. New endpapers. Small book label of Peter Scupham of Norfolk, with his scrupulous notes on the book added in pencil to the pastedown. From these, we learn the book was bought from F. Norman of Hampstead, who had it rebound but not made up from two copies. NSTC 25223. "In the early seventeenth century Weever travelled abroad. he visited Leige, Paris, Parma, and Rome, studying literature and archaeology... finally he settled in a large house built by Sir Thomas Chaloner in Clerkenwell Close, and turned his attention exclusively to antiquities. He made antiquarian tours through England, and he designed to make archaeological exploration in Scotland if life were spared him... His chief labours saw the light in a folio volume extending to nearly nine hundred pages... A curious emblematic frontispiece was engraved by Thomas Cecil, as well as a portrait of the author... Weever dedicated his work to Charles I. In an epistle to the reader he acknowledges the encouragement and assistance he received from his "deare deceased friend" Augustine Vincent, and from the antiquary Sir Robert Cotton... he also mentions among his helpers Sir Henry Spelman, John Selden, and Sir Simonds D'Ewes".(DONB v.xx; p.1060/61).