Two Dissertations : I. On the Graecian mythology. II. An examination of Sir Isaac Newton's objections to the chronology of the Olympiads
London: J. Nichols, 1782. First edition. Hardcover. Quarto (10 1/4 x 6"). [4], xxii, [2], 231, [1]pp. Uncut. Modern grey linen with gilt-lettered leather title laid on spine.
"Two Dissertations" was edited by Thomas Tyrwhitt for the benefit of Musgrave's family, and published two years after the author's death.
Samuel Musgrave (1732-1780) was an English classical scholar and physician. "After he published a highly controversial pamphlet in the form of an address to the people of Devon, accusing certain members of the British government of having been bribed by the French government to conclude the Treaty of Paris (1763), and declaring that Chevalier Charles d'Eon de Beaumont, the French minister plenipotentiary to England, had in his possession documents which would prove the truth of his assertion, everything went wrong.
Eon de Beaumont denied all knowledge of any such transaction and of Musgrave himself, and the House of Commons in 1770 decided that the charge was unsubstantiated. The discredited Musgrave was obliged to earn a meagre living in London by writing until his death, in reduced circumstances" (Wikipedia).
This work is preceded with an extensive list of subscribers, including Sir Joseph Banks, Edward Gibbon, David Hartley, Joshua Reynolds, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, etc..
Binding and interior in overall very good condition. vg. Item #42700
Price: $350.00