The Criterion: Or Rules by Which The True Miracles Recorded in the New Testament Are Distinguished From the Spurious Miracles of Pagans and Papists.

Pagination: [2], 416p. Modern antique speckled calf, floral gilt decorative spine, gilt title on label, new endpapers, original blanks present. With original thin bookmark ribbon bound in, at p 178-79, leaving faint ghosting at very inner margin, no affect. Some minor foxing throughout at outer margins, overall still a near fine copy. At time of description we locate no other copies for sale and no auction records via Rare Book Hub. John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury (1721-1807), Scottish scholar, author, and bishop. Vicar of High Ercall, Shropshire in 1750; Canon of Windsor in 1762; Bishop of Carlisle in 1787; and Bishop of Salisbury in 1791. Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. ?He was meanwhile becoming known as an acute and vigorous writer. In 1750 he exposed the forgeries on the strength of which William Lauder had charges Milton with plagiarism. His pamphlet is called ?Milton vindictaed from the Charge of Plagiarism? (1751). in 1752 Douglas attacked [David] Humes argument upon miracles in a book called the ?Criterion? It was in form a letter addressed to an anonymous correspondent, afterwards known to be Adam Smith. The original part of Douglas book is an attempt to prove that modern miracles, such as those ascribed to Xavier, the Jansenist miracles, and the cures by royal touch in England, were not supported by evidence comparable to that which supports the narratives in the gospels. Douglas was afterwards in friendly communication with his antagonist in regards to some points in Humes history (Burton, Hume, ii.78, 87)? [-DNB].?Besides his Criterion on Miracles, of which he published a new edition just before his death (our 1807 copy), the bishop wrote several tracts, and was the editor of Cook?s Voyages, to which he prefixed an admirable introduction? [Cooper Biographical Dict. 1890, I:506]. ?A New Edition? Second [revised] edition.…