Discours sur l'Histoire Universelle, à Monseigneur le Dauphin ; Pour expliquer la suite de la Religion et les changements des Empires. 2-vol. set (Complete)
Lyon: Tournachon-Molin, 1805. Hardcover. 12mo. [4], 404, [4], 371, [1]pp. Original 3/4 calf over marbled paper covered boards with title label laid on spines. Bossuet's "Discours sur l'Histoire Universelle" is a stunning work detailing the fall of many empires. But then the "Discours" was composed under a single preoccupation. To Bossuet the establishment of Christianity was the one point of real importance in the whole history of the world. He totally ignores the history of Islam and Asia; on Greece and Rome he only touched insofar as they formed part of the Praeparatio Evangelica. And yet his "Discours" is far more than a theological pamphlet. While Pascal might refer the rise and fall of empires to Providence or chance, Bossuet held fast to his principle that God works through secondary causes. It is His will that every great change should have its roots in the ages that went before it. Bossuet, accordingly, made a heroic attempt to grapple with origins and causes, and in this way his book deserves its place as one of the very first of philosophic histories. Some age wear on binding with heavy rubbing and minor abrasion on calf. Previous owner's ex-libris on inside of each front cover. Very minor foxing and age-toning throughout. Text in French. Binding in overall fair to good-, interior in good+ to very good condition. g. Item #29276
Price: $125.00