Thomas More | The Confutacyon of Tyndales answere, both parts, 1532

Thomas More

Two works in one volume:

i) The co[n]futacyon of Tyndales answere. London: William Rastell, 1532. 

ii) The second parte of the co[n]futacion of Tyndals answere. London: William Rastell, 1533.

Folio (255 x 185mm), titles within a woodcut border [McKerrow and Ferguson 20], black letter and italic, the first part with the errata leaf, the second part with blank y6r containing a faint partial impression of conjugate leaf y1r, some contemporary marginalia including indignant responses to More's arguments, contemporary calf with gilt stamped centrepiece, rebacked, hinges weak, the second part lacking final leaf (2G4), dampstaining

A SET OF BOTH PARTS OF MORE'S COMPREHENSIVE REFUTATION OF TYNDALE'S REFORMIST THEOLOGY, in which Tyndale's text is printed in italic with More's responses in blackletter. More here attacks Tyndale's narrow focus on scripture as well as his scriptural translations, and defends the authority of the Catholic Church as the bearer and interpreter of Christian doctrine. The work was written against a rapidly changing religious landscape in England. More had resigned from government in May 1532 in an act of defiance against Henry VIII's claim to be supreme head of the church in England, but the authorities had yet to countenance the doctrinal breaches with Catholicism that would soon follow and this work was much less of a challenge to royal authority that other works of religious controversy by More written just months later (see lot 44).

Both parts of the Confutation are rare at auction, but the Second Part is especially uncommon: only one copy is recorded on Rare Book Hub since the 1970s.

LITERATURE:

i) ESTC S114986

ii) ESTC S104273