TRACY, RICHARD. A bryef [and] short declaracyon made, wherbye euery chrysten man maye knowe, what is a sacrament : Of what partes a sacramente consysteth and is made, for what intent sacramentes...

TRACY, RICHARD. A bryef [and] short declaracyon made, wherbye euery chrysten man maye knowe, what is a sacrament : Of what partes a sacramente consysteth and is made, for what intent sacramentes were instituted, and what is the pryncypall effect of sacramentes, [and] finally of the abuse of the sacrament of chrystes body and bloud. London: 1548. pp. 32. Small 8vo. Modern full crushed morocco all edges gilt. A fine copy. Richard Tracy was the son of William Tracy, a Justice of the Peace in the reigns Henvy VII and Henry VIII, who adopted Luther's religious views, and whose will expressed his belief in justification by faith, and made no bequests to the clergy. The will was deemed heretical, and William's remains were exhumed and burned at the stake, but the will itself became a sort of sacred text to the Reformers. Richard spent several years struggling over his father's will, and adopted many of William's religious views, his works (With Those of Tyndale and Frith) being classed as 'dangerous' in 1535. By 1546 all his books were ordered to be burned. Treacy published this present work in November 1548 during the discussion in convocation and Parliament which preceded the issue of Edward VI's first Book of Common Prayer, thanks to the 'free year' of 1549/ 9, when Somerset the Protector virtually abandoned Government censorship of the press. William Herbert's copy with his manuscript monogram 'WH. p. 570' at foot of title. Herbert (1718 - 1795) had accumulated a huge library of 16th century books which he used when republishing Ames' Typographical Antiquities 1785 - 90, and to which 'p. 570' refers. This is the Bute copy which was sold at auction in 1995. STC 24162. Signed at end: Rychard Tracey Publication date from colophon. Maltese cross before ''A bryef'' on titlepage. ESTC, S118530 Provenance: The estate of Tony Sweeney

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