The secret history of Whitehall. From the restoration of Charles II. Down to the abdication of the late K. James. Writ at the request of a noble Lord, and conveyed to him in letters, by ________ late Secretary-Interpreter to the Marquess of Louvois, who by that means had the perusal of all the private minutes between England and France for many years. The whole consisting of secret memoirs, which have hitherto lain conceal'd, as not being discoverable by any other hand. Published from the original papers
London: R. Baldwin, 1697. First edition, small 8vo, pp. [14], 80, 80, 80, 64, 80, 110; contemporary paneled calf with tasteful modern rebacking and red morocco label on spine, extremities worn and boards a little splayed, but overall good and sound. Jones (fl. 1676-1720), a captain in the English Royal Regiment of Dragoons, spent much of his time on the continent, where he became fluent in modern languages and was appointed to serve the Marquis of Louvois. Jones published many works in his lifetime, but The Secret History is chief among them. It "consists of a series of letters purporting to have been written by Jones to an English peer between January 1676 and February 1689, and professes to divulge the secret diplomatic transactions that had passed between the English and French courts during the previous twenty years. Little reliance can, however, be placed on these pretensions" (DNB). Wing J934. Item #26432
Price: $600.00
