SPRIGGE, Joshua. ANGLIA REDIVIVA; OR, ENGLANDS RECOVERY. Being the History of the Motions, Actions, and Successes of the Army under the Immediate Conduct of His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, Kt. Captain-General Of all the Parliament's Forces IN ENGLAND. Compiled for the Publique good by Joshua Sprigge, M.A. Printed by R.W. for John Partridge, and are to be sold at the Parot in Pauls Church-yard, and the Cock in Ludgate-streete. 1647. London. 1st edition. Tall 4to. original boards present, bound in contemporary sheep. Recent professional re-casing in new leather spine, with repairs to corners and new morocco spine label. New endpapers. Preliminary pages creased and very chipped at margins. Some age toning, and occasional spotting, or soiling, but contents otherwise tight and unmarked..

Joshua Sprigge (1618-1684), divine, was educated at Oxford University. He became rector of the Church of St. Pancras before the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, at which time he became a retainer (and, allegedly, chaplain) of Sir Thomas Fairfax (1612-1671) the commanding general of the "New Model Army" . After the war, he became a Fellow of All Saints College, Oxford, and appears to have opposed the execution of King Charles I. Fairfax matriculated from Cambridge in 1626 and was admitted to Gray's Inn (London) in 1628. He was knighted in 1640, and became a general for the parliamentary army in 1642, becoming commander-in-chief in 1645 when, in accordance with the direction of the new parliament, he undertook a complete reorganization of the army, replacing privilege as a means of obtaining rank, with merit and ability. He defeated King Charles 1 at one of the most important battles in British History - the Battle of Naseby, June 14, 1645 (where, it is said, he captured a royalist battle standard with his own hand). In 1649, he was one of the King's judges, although he, like Sprigge, opposed the regicide. He was an accomplished author, who bequeathed 28 manuscripts to the Bodleian.

Pagination: [full page engraved armorial crest of Fare Fac (Fairfax)], [large folding engraving of Fairfax mounted showing placement of Parliamentary troops on battlefield] (Note: the engraving of the portrait of Fairfax is attributed to William Marshall), [title page], [blank], [ii-iv "Epistle Dedicatory"], [blank], [vi-viii "An Apologie"], [blank] [x-xiv "To All True English-Men"], [blank], [xvi-xix "The State of the Kingdome, when His Excellencie Sir Tho. Fairfax marched forth, May. 1645. Exhibited in Two Tables."], [blank], [errata page], pp. 1-335 (Note: pp. 172-175 omitted in pagination without loss of text), [i-iv Table of Contents]. Note: Between pp. 334/335 is a large folding "Table of the Motion and Action of the Army under the Command of His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax, from April 15, 1645. To August 19, 1646."

The folding portrait of Fairfax has a four inch (10 cm.) closed tear near the bottom which, at some time in the not recent past, was inexpertly repaired with backing paper. Below the closed tear the gutter edge is quite wrinkled and chipped. There are a few small spots of foxing. and some age-toning to the top edge (margin).

At the end of this volume, before the Table of Contents, is "A List of the Names of the Officers in chiefe of Foot and Horse, the Train of Artilery, and other Officers, under the command of His Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax; as Colonels, Lieutenant-Colonels, Majors and Captains, &c." as well as "A Journal of every dayes March of the Army under the command of his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairfax; with the names of the Townes and Villages where the Head Quarters have been; the distance in miles, and how many nights the Quarters continued in each Towne or Village."

The large folding Tables of the Actions of the Army has several small closed tears (now repaired with archival-quality tape), and is creased, but is otherwise in quite good condition.

WorldCat shows thirteen copies worldwide in institutional holdings. An extraordinarily scarce and historically important publication.

Price:  $5,000.00.