530d Camden, William. (1551-1623) Remaines Concerning Brittaine: But especially England, and the Inhabitants thereof: Their Languages, Names, Syrnames, Allusions, Anagrammes, Armories, Moneys, Empresses, Apparell, Artillerie, Wise Speeches, Prouerbes, Poesies, Epitaphs. The fourth Impression, reuiewed, corrected, and increased.

London: Printed by A.I. for Symon Waterson, and are to be sold at his Shop, at the signe of the Crowne
in Pauls Church-yard, 1629

$1,300

Quarto in eight’s, 7.2 x 5.5 in. Fourth edition. A-Y8. This copy is a little dirty at the start, righting itself quickly into respectable, typical condition for seventeenth century books. Its contents are clean, the dirty title page mounted. The seventeenth century boards have been rebacked, yielding a useable copy of a useful book.
The following quote, although applied to just one of prolific Camden’s many works of British antiquary, can be more widely applied in theory to all of his works. “Old-fashioned in design alone, the [Rerum Anglicarum] is a genuine piece of modern history, in which events are set in a proper perspective, and a wise proportion is kept of great and small. Its faults are the faults inherent in the chronicle: no sure plan of selection, a rigid division into years, an interspersion of the text with documents. Its virtues are its own: clearness of expression, catholicity of interest, a proud consciousness of the great events, whereof Camden was at once the partaker and the historian.” (Cambridge History of English and American Literature)

The Remains was considered by Camden just that, the rubble of a greater work. Their value and currency are still fresh and abounding with enticing nuggets of fact and history that are still little-known and surprising. Added to this is Camden’s reliability and renown as a historian and investigator famed for travelling far and wide to view original sources in libraries all over Britain. The work on Christian and sur-names is invaluable, and fascinating reading for anyone interested in this subject. And who if any can fail to be amused by Camden’s collection of his proverbs? A little pot, soone hot. A scald horse is good enough for a scabd Squire. Change of women makes bald knaves. The rowling stone never gathereth mosse. When the wine is in the wit is out. And finally: After cheese comes nothing.

STC 4524