Francis, Lord Bacon: Or, The Case of Private and National Corruption..
A Prolific Pamphleteer Attacks the South Sea Company An Englishman. [Gordon, Thomas (d.1750)]. Francis, Lord Bacon: Or, The Case of Private and National Corruption, And Bribery, Impartially Consider'd. Addressed to all South-Sea Directors, Members of Parliament, Members of State, And Church-Dignitaries. London: Printed for J. Roberts, 1721. xvi, 62, [2] pp. With a final advertisement leaf. Octavo (7-3/4" x 4-1/2"). Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in later three-quarter sheep over marbled boards, gilt title to spine, institutional name blind-stamped along joints. Rubbing and light wear to boards and extremities, fragments of paper labels to front board and spine, corners bumped and somewhat worn, front hinge cracked after title page, rear hinge starting at foot, faint offsetting to endleaves, tear to front free endpaper. Light toning to interior, occasional light soiling, punched and ink library stamps to title page (which has a small penciled shelfmark to its verso) and a few other leaves not affecting legibility. $150. * Fifth edition of seven from the same year. Gordon was a classical scholar and prolific Whig pamphleteer. Here, he relitigates the accusations of corruption and subsequent public reckoning that ended Bacon's career as a commentary on the widespread fraud carried out by the directors of the South Sea Company, which led to the ruination of its investors. Typically of Gordon, the work is rife with classical references and Roman precedents. Goldsmiths'-Kress Library of Economic Literature 5994. English Short-Title Catalogue T99352.
Price: $150.00
Book number 73563