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Folio, pp. [ii], v, [ix], 78; old paper adhesion to the inner margin of the title page (which is detached); else a good copy; disbound. First edition, and a fine paper copy, watermarked with a fleur-de-lys on a shield; copies on ordinary paper have no watermark. A poem in praise of the wonders of the sky, the earth, and the sea. Part IV deals with the oceans, and the following passage, on the creatures found there, is typical: Not more in Number, nor more curious made. Graze the green Plain, or cross the open Glade, Beasts, Fowls, and Insects, than the scaly Breed Range in the Seas, and crop the oozy Weed; In these as clear convincing Proof of thee, Thy Wisdom, Pow'r, and Providence we see; From hence as strong Incitements feel to raise Our Thoughts to Heav'n, and celebrate thy Praise; Each diff'rent Sort, from the minutest Scale Up to the Vastness of the Whale, As far as Man can trace them, bears thy Name In the Contrivance of their Make and Frame. There appears to have been a following for this sort of poetry, as the six-page list of subscribers contains about 500 names; it may be significant, however, that only a small number of these names reappear in the even longer list accompanying Cooke's Immortality Reveal'd, published six years later. Provenance. At the top of the title-page is the name of 'The Revd Mr. Adamson of Worfield', who was a subscriber; this may well be in the author's hand. Daniel Adamson (born 1682-3) came up to Oxford in 1699 and had been vicar of Worfield, Shropshire, since 1707. The price after his name, 5s., was presumably the standard price for a fine paper copy. Foxon C426. Foxon and ESTC record a total of ten copies, four of them in the UK (BL, Birmingham, Bodleian and Kiddermister) and six in North America (Alberta, Berkeley, Clark, Illinois, Texas and Princeton). Only the Oxford and Birmingham copies are on fine paper like this one. Seller Inventory # 23268
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