Catholic Miracles, illustrated with seven designs, including a characteristic portrait of Prince Hohenlohe, by George Cruikshank. To which is added, a Reply to Cobbett's Defence of Catholicism, and his libel on the Reformation.
London: Knight & Lacey, 1825. First edition. Hardcover. Slim octavo. [vi] + 102pp. Superb half-leather binding by Riviere and sons: deep brown morocco over marbled papered boards, elaborately tooled spine with raised bands, gilt rule borders to leather panels. Marbled endpapers. Top-edge-gilt. An amusing anti-Catholic tract that was published in the midst of the Catholic Emancipation debate of 1825. It is composed largely of parodies of miracles stories from the thirteenth century collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine the "Golden Legend", and a lengthy "Reply to Cobbett's Defence of Catholicism." The parodies, which have titles such as "The Holy Infant that Prayed as Soon as he was Born, and Sucked but once on Feast Days," "The Two Saints, who After Being Decapitated, Took up their Heads and Walked Together from the Place of Execution," "Diana, the Devil, and the Oil that Burnt Against Nature," etc. were intended to underline the Church's promotion of miracle stories at the very time that it sought to limit access to Scripture, and to make the point that while seeking to extend its own power and influence, the Catholic Church hierarchy was keeping it followers in a state of superstitious ignorance. Bound by the renowned binders Riviere with their stamp "Riviere & Son" (indicating that the binding was probably executed after 1880) in the upper margin of the verso of the front fee endpaper. Extremely scarce: only three copies can be traced as having appeared on the market in the last century. From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, with his ex-libris seal blind-stamped on the first front blank. Contemporary armorial bookplate of Freemason and bibliophile Walter George Crombie on front pastedown First four pages (all blanks) and last two blanks quite foxed, a touch of pale foxing to frontis and title-page, else a solid clean VG+ copy. Item #47453
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