[CLAUDE (Jean)] - Lot 415

[CLAUDE (Jean)] The Defense of the Reformation against the book entitled Préjugez légitimes contre les Calvinistes. Quévilly, Lucas, 1673. In-4: 4f., 378pp. 2f. Some leaves slightly browned. Contemporary brown calf, spine ribbed and ornamented, headbands faded, one bit cracked at head, gilt roulette on edges, red speckled edges. Rare first edition of this work printed on Protestant presses in Quévilly. Lucas published works of piety and controversy in favor of the Protestant cause and for the use of Protestants. In response to Pierre Nicole's "Préjugez légitimes" against the Calvinists, the author, one of the most famous pastors of the Reformed Church, strove to demonstrate the necessity of the Reformation and the legitimacy of separation from Rome. Banned, the work and its reprints were condemned, prosecuted, seized and pilloried from 1678 to 1700. Provenances: several handwritten and printed bookplates, including Ld. Marcel and monogrammed bookplate LS, Estienne Annet ? (manuscript)...