1st edition. 1625 Moses and Aaron, Civil and Ecclesiastical Rites, Thomas Godwin

Scarce-to-market 1625 first edition of this influential work, Moses and Aaron, that went through (at least) twelve editions (Dictionary of National Biography, Godwin) in the 17th century. Godwin's text explored the historical concept of Judaism, Godwin arguing that only through this context could the Bible be truly understood. Godwin's stance was accepted and many schools adopted this work as a text-book.

Godwin was an English headmaster and scholar, educated at Oxford, and the first fellow of Pembroke College. His treatise on Roman antiquities is also highly regarded.

In Moses and Aaron, Godwin divides his work into six sections: Persons, Places, Times and Feasts, Idolatry, Consistories (systems of judgement) and Miscellaneous Rites.

At the time of listing, one other copy is on the market, offered for $4,400 (Meir Turner, New York).

Annotations -

There is an interesting poem, handwritten, at page 170. I found this poem, and the writing on the facing page, to be passages in Thomas Fuller's 1650 A Pisgah-sight of Palestine (poem on 126, facing page notes on page 123). The poem is ancient Roman and reads:

"Time out of minde a fig-tree stock I grew, an useless block before the workmen knew benches, or Gods to make me (smal the ods) resolv'd at last of me to make his Gods."

But Fuller's notes, from his book, written in manuscript follow the poem (which is written in both Latin and English).

Bibliographic Details -

This work was entered into the Stationers register on the 08 January 1625: "John Havilond Mistris Griffin See fol. 405. Featly master Lownes Moses and A[a]ron Thomas. Godwin batchelor in Divinitie / vjd"


Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) number 3011853, 13 copies recorded in the world's libraries, with examples at the Bodleian, Houghton (Harvard), Sterling Memorial (Yale), Folger Shakespeare Library, among others.

English Short Title Catalogue number S103106.

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 19 x 14.5 x 2.5 cm. Gatherings of four (quarto). Leather spine with marbled paper covering boards. Spine blind fillet tooled into 6 compartments: one compartment with the title and author in gilt on red morocco and the year in gilt at base of spine.

Pages – viii, 1-332, [4 – names cited]

Collation – A-Z4, Aa-Vv4 Collates complete.

Condition -

See pictures. Spine with some sunning. Binding with some edge and corner wear. Title page heavily toned and with moisture mark and some foxing. Text block toned throughout, with occasional thumbing, dog-eared corner, etc. Mid-page moisture mark through gathering E. Top corner damage to first 20 leaves. Occasional lengthy marginal annotations, in an old hand. Occasional moisture mark at gutter. Bottom edge of T3 deckled or chipped. Y1 with fore-edge margin tear. While the margins are wide, a few of the marginal annotations are trimmed. Candle ember spot at bottom margin of Kk4. Nn1 bottom corner torn away (margin only). Last five gatherings with moisture mark from top edge. Last leaf dark with toning.