An Apologie for the Royal Party (1659); and A Panegyric to Charles the Second (1661)Evelyn, John
History
An Apologie for the Royal Party (1659); and A Panegyric to Charles the Second (1661)
Evelyn, John
Charles II, King of England, 1630-1685 -- Early works to 1800; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1649-1660 -- Pamphlets
October 12 or 13 when Morley, pistol in hand, refused to allow him at the
head of his troops to pass through the Palace Yard.
Evelyn also wrote on the title-page of this copy of his pamphlet "three
tymes printed". In fact there were four printings, all described in the
writer's _John Evelyn, a Study in Bibliophily & a Bibliography of his
Writings_, New York, The Grolier Club, 1937, the one here reproduced being
the fourth and final form. Nevertheless all four issues are now extremely
scarce, the first printing being known in three copies (one in the United
States), the second in seven (two in the United States), the third in one,
and the fourth in one. This apparently unique relic of Evelyn's bold
gesture on behalf of his King is in the writer's possession and is still
as issued, edges untrimmed and with its eight leaves stitched in a
contemporary paper wrapper. It has been reprinted only in Evelyn's
_Miscellaneous Writings_, 1825, pp. 169-192.
* * * * *
When Charles II actually returned to England in 1660 Evelyn's feelings
were deeply stirred. He had played some part in the restoration of the
monarchy, and, with his literary instinct, naturally felt impelled to be
among those who wished to present the King with an address on the day of
his Coronation. This took place on April 23, 1661, and on the following
day Evelyn recorded in his Diary: "I presented his Ma^tie with his
Panegyric in the Private Chamber, which he was pleas'd to accept most
graciously: I gave copies to the Lord Chancellor and most of the noblemen
who came to me for it."[2] Evelyn's _Panegyric_ was thus distributed
privately and no doubt in small number, so that it is today extremely
uncommon, being known only in five copies, not more than one of which is
in the United States of America. Evelyn possessed a copy in 1687 according
to his library catalogue compiled in that year, and a copy (not
necessarily the same one) is now among his books in the library of Christ
Church, Oxford, but it seems to have been unknown in 1825 and was not
included in the _Miscellaneous Writings_. William Upcott, the editor, in
fact erroneously identified the _Panegyric_ with the anonymous piece in
folio: "A Poem upon his Majesties Coronation ... Being S^t Georges day ...
London, Printed for Gabriel Bedel and Thomas Collins ... 1661". This
mistake was not put right until a copy of the true _Panegyric_ with
Evelyn's name on the title-page was acquired for the British Museum in
1927 from the Britwell Court Library. The copy here reproduced is in the
writer's collection, and has a few corrections in Evelyn's hand: (a)
_XXXIII. of April_, on title-page corrected to _XXIII_; (b) p.6. l.18
_Family_ altered to _Firmament_; (c) p.8. l.16 from bottom _suffer_
altered to _surfeit_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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