Anon. [LANGBAINE, Snr, Gerard; SCOT, John], The Foundation of the Universitie of Cambridge (Thomas Jenner [printed by 'M.S.'], London), 1651

4to: pp. 17.

An important contribution to early-modern historiography. As the author points out here in a prefatory note, prior accounts had dated the origins of the University to a time “many yeares before the Incarnation of our Saviour Christ”. Other more conservative antiquarians had given the title of ‘founder’ to “Cassivilanus Prince of the Troynobantes”, or to “Arthur King of Great Britaine”, or even “Sigebert King of the East Angles […] about the years 630 and 636”.

Though not explicitly disavowing these theories, the present pamphlet offers a more sober account, beginning with the founding of St Peter’s College, here dated to 1280. (In fact Peterhouse was founded by Hugo de Balsham, Bishop of Ely, in 1284, postdating the establishment of the University itself by only 75 or so years.)

The authorship of this edition is typically attributed to Gerald Langbaine Snr, but in fact the text is largely taken from John Scot’s manuscript account, compiled in the 1610s, widely circulated through subsequent decades and published in broadsheet form in a number of editions. This is the first edition we have been able to locate printed in pamphlet form.

Fair to good condition: early marbled paper wraps worn and chipped; paper lightly browned, more so to the last few pages; early manuscript notes to a number of pages (some corrections and two more substantial annotations); evidence of prior stab-stitching; wear to the page edges and a small area of damage to the final page, by fragile paper-stock, perhaps in combination with some over-zealous annotation (see images).