Former Ages Never Heard of, and After Ages will Admire. Or, A Brief Review of the most Materiall Parliamentary Transactions, Beginning, November 3. 1640.

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John Vicars, Thomas Jenner,

Former Ages Never Heard of, and After Ages will Admire. Or, A Brief Review of the most Materiall Parliamentary Transactions, Beginning, November 3. 1640.

London: Printed by M. S. for Tho: Jenner, at the South-Entrance of the Royall Exchange, 1656.

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The scarce record of Parliamentary Affairs during the Commonwealth, both Civil and Military, illustrated with 14 in-text copper engravings.

The volume(s) measure about 19 cm. by 14.2 cm. by 1.2 cm.

Each leaf measures about 180 mm. by 136 mm.

The full title reads:

Former Ages Never Heard of, and After Ages will Admire. Or, A Brief Review of the most Materiall Parliamentary Transactions, Beginning, November 3. 1640. Wherein The Remarkeable Passages both of their Civil and Martiall Affaires are continued unto this present Year. Published as a breviary, leading all along successively, as they fell out in their severall years: so that if any man will be informed of any remarkeable Passage, he may turne to the year, and so see in some measure, in what Month thereof it was accomplished. For information of such as are altogether ignorant of the rise and progresse of these Times. A work worthy to be kept in Record, and communicated to Posterity. London: Printed by M[ary]. S[immons]. for Tho: Jenner, at the South-Entrance of the Royall Exchange, 1656.

The volume is paginated as follows: [2], 61, [1] p.

The volume collates as follows: A – H4

Second Edition of this expanded title.

With 14 copper plate in-text engravings

First published in 1652 under the title: “A Brief Review of the Most Material Parliamentary Proceedings”. It was republished in 1654 under the title “Former Ages Never Heard of” and expanded to include the dissolving of Parliament on April 20, 1653 by Oliver Cromwell.  “Former ages” was reprinted in 1656 (our copy) and again in 1660. All copies are scarce to rare.

Attributed to John Vicars, but probably Thomas Jenner, who may be responsible for it after Vicars’ death.

Some of the plates had been used as early as 1642 in Vicar’s and Jenner’s, ‘All the memorable & wonder-strikinge, Parlamentary mercies effected & afforded unto this our English nation, within this space of lesse then 2 yeares past a°. 1641. & 1642’, and then re-used, with additions, up to the 1656 Edition.

There were two variants for the 1656 edition.

Variant 1) (Our Copy) title page is misimposed on leaf A1v and pagination is correct. Note: Binder has reversed the order of leaf one, so it is no longer misimposed.

Variant 2) title page is misimposed on leaf A1v and mistakes in pagination: e.g. pp. 7, 10-11 misnumbered 9, 8, 13, respectively.

ESTC: R34723 Wing V306

Bound in new quarter calf with marbled boards. The spine in five blind stamped compartments, with four raised bands. A hand stamped red lettering piece in the second compartment from the top, stamped “Parl Tran” short for Parliamentary Transactions. Attractive Binding.

Printed on cheaper paper, the leaves with foxing and some stains. Pg. 37 / 38 with paper flaw affecting some letters. Title page re-imposed by the binder.

All pages photographed. Please see the slideshow in order to gain a better appreciation of its condition and content.

John Vicars (1582, London – 12 April 1652, Christ’s Hospital, Greyfriars, London) was an English contemporary biographer, poet and polemicist of the English Civil War. His best-known work is English Worthies or England’s Worthies, whose full title is England’s Worthies under whom all the Civil and Bloudy Warres since Anno 1642 to Anno 1647 are related.

Descended from a Cumberland family, he was educated at Christ’s Hospital and Queen’s College, Oxford (though it is unknown if he graduated from the latter). He then left Oxford to return to Christ’s Hospital as its Usher, a post he then held until his death. During the War itself he favoured Presbyterianism and opposed the Independents. He survived the war and died in 1652.

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