1680 The Ladies Charity School-House Roll of Highgate

Description

First Edition, Scarce

The first and only edition of this work, which is typically found bound for presentation to the benefactors. This work was written to solicit funds for the Ladies Charity house, which was founded by Blake in the 1650s.

The second part of this work 'Silver Drops, or Serious Things', (starting on page 79) is a treatise by Blake on Charity. Collated, Lacking A2 and D2 in addition to the four plates. The final leaf of the work asks 'It is humbly desired, that what you or any of you, most noble Ladies, Gentlewomen, or others, are pleased to bestow or give towards this good and great design, that you would be pleased to take a receipt on the backside of Time, or Charity, sealed with three seales, namely, the Treasurers, Housekeepers, and Registers, and it shall be fairly recorded, and hung up in the School-house to be read of all from Time to Time, to the world's end we hope'. This is some explanation as to why this copy is lacking the plates. With the final blank. With the signatures: A3-8, B-C8, D1, D3-D8, E-S8, T4. This work is undated as it was printed without a title page. Dated using the ESTC which notes a conjectural date of 1670 cited by Wing. However, a later work 'For the promoting and advancing the great designed hospital and work-house' (ESTC R506776, 1692) refers to this work on page 3 as 'written some twelve years since'. A very scarce, and charming work on charity.