Apthorp, East Letters on the prevalence of Christianity, before its civil establishment London 1778
Apthorp, East. Letters on the prevalence of Christianity, before its civil establishment: with observations on a late history of the decline of the Roman Empire. London: printed for J. Robson, 1778. (2), (v)-xxv(1), 352, *353-*362, 353-391(1) pp. 8vo, original pale blue boards, drab paper backstrip (spine discolored and a trifle rubbed). First edition. A study of historiography, with a particular emphasis on the early history of Christianity, and intended in large measure as a refutation of controversial chapters in Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which had begun publication in 1776. East Apthorp was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1733, the son of a successful merchant. At the age of 18 he was sent to England to complete his formal education at Jesus College, Cambridge, and in 1753 he won the prestigious chancellor's medal for achievement in classical studies. Apthorp returned to Boston in January, 1759, upon the death of his father, and was almost immediately invited by several prosperous businessmen in Cambridge to serve as minister under the auspices of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; here he built for himself a lavish parsonage (Apthorp House), which is still standing, and forms part of Adams House at Harvard University. The young Anglican was soon viewed with suspicion by members of the dissenting clergy, and he became involved in a controversy with Jonathan Mayhew, the outspoken and popular minister of the Congregationalist West Church in Boston. In the end Apthorp's enthusiasm for theological confrontation waned, and he returned to England, where he was almost immediately appointed vicar of Croydon; the last fifty-two years of his life were spent in the pursuit of scholarship and domestic happiness. The "letters" in this book are addressed to Apthorp's friend William Backhouse D.D., Archdeacon of Canterbury. This copy bears an inscription on the front flyleaf, "From the Revd. Dr. Backhouse," beneath which the recipient, Humphrey Senhouse, has added his name. A fine fresh copy in original condition of one of the less common responses to Gibbon. "It is to Gibbon's credit that he took Apthorp's criticism good-naturedly, remarking that he respected Apthorp's learning, piety, and candour." -- Oxford DNB. Norton, p. 234; CBEL II, 1724.
£750
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