Matrimonial Ceremonies Display d: Wherein are exhibited the various Customs, odd Pranks, whimsical Tricks and surprizing Practices of near One Hundred different Kingdoms and People in the World, now us d in the Celebration and Consummation of Matrimony. Collected from the Papers of an Old Rich Bawdy Batchelor, with great Variety of Remarks by him, Serious and Humourous. To which is prefix d The Comical Adventures of Sir Harry Fitzgerald, who had seven Wives; with the Character of each: A genuine Story. Also an Epigram on Matrimony, in Latin and English, and an Alphabetical Index. Publish d for the Information and Entertainment of the Ladies and pretty Girls of Great Britain, not forgetting those of Dublin and Tipperary.

[DE GAYA, LOUIS].

Edité par London: Printed for W. Reeve, at Shakespear s-Head, near Serjeant s-Inn, Fleet-Street, 1748.

A propos de cet article

115, [5]pp., 8vo. Title printed in red and black. A fine copy in gilt-ruled sprinkled calf antique, spine fully gilt, by Philip Dusel. "Fifth Edition, Improv d," previous editions were also published in 1748. Louis de Gaya s French text, from which the present work is loosely drawn, was published in 1679 (see Wing, Short-Title Catalogue 1641-1700, G401) but without the extensive footnotes or "The Comical Adventures of Sir Harry Fitzgerald." The footnotes are usually facetious, often referring back to England. As to Sir Harry s adventures, they begin with marriage to an old rich widow, whom he encourages to drink herself to death, whereupon he vows never to leap "into the same Gulph a second time." But almost at once he sees "one of the most charming young Creatures in the Universe," marries her, and discovers "this demure, mealy-mouth d Baggage, who I expected would have been a second patient Grisel, prov d the most termagant, ill-condition d Fury, that ever rebell d. . . . She talk d me deaf all Day, the same Persecution she continu d to me all Night. Nay, so impertinent was she of her Tongue, that she d scold even when the Rites of Love were performing. . . ." All editions of this racy 1748 version are rare. This one is not in ESTC, although OCLC locates a single copy, at San Diego State University.

N° de réf. du vendeur 13595

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Matrimonial Ceremonies Display d: Wherein are exhibited the various Customs, odd Pranks, whimsical Tricks and surprizing Practices of near One Hundred different Kingdoms and People in the World, now us d in the Celebration and Consummation of Matrimony. Collected from the Papers of an Old Rich Bawdy Batchelor, with great Variety of Remarks by him, Serious and Humourous. To which is prefix d The Comical Adventures of Sir Harry Fitzgerald, who had seven Wives; with the Character of each: A ...
• Éditeur: London: Printed for W. Reeve, at Shakespear s-Head, near Serjeant s-Inn, Fleet-Street, 1748.
• Reliure: Couverture rigide