A Rational Catechism: or, An instructive Conference between a Father and Son

Book Description

London: Printed, and sold, by Andrew Sowle, at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane, 1687. [xvi], 143, [1]pp., sm. 8vo. With pp. 133-143 containing the poem “Advice to a Son” printed vertically and with wide margins. An excellent copy in the original blind-tooled sheep; expertly rebacked and restored preserving most of the original spine. First edition of a significant distillation of the principles of toleration, published in the early and comparatively halcyon days of James II’s rule. William Popple was Andrew Marvell’s nephew, educated under his guidance. Popple became a successful merchant in Hull and in known to have been in Bordeaux in 1676. At some point he must have met John Locke, whose Letter on Toleration Popple translated from the Latin and published in 1689. In 1696 Popple became secretary to the Board of Trade, upon which Locke sat as one of the commissioners.The dedication to the present book is to the author’s “dearest daughters” from whom Popple and his son have been separated, perhaps for as long as ten years as it is dated “B. July the 1st 1686.” Popple protests that although “I have made use of your brother’s name, and have thereby given him a peculiar title to the thing. . . I am desirous that it may be a common memorial of me unto all of you, when I shall be no more, I therefore make it yours also by this dedication: And for the same reason, I have likewise added unto it a copy of that advice which I formerly gave him, in such verse as my unpractised Muse then dictated.” These verses are charming:  These Truths are pregnant. Fil thy Store; Then Til, then Sow thy Ground. Blow thine own Spark; And sit not sleeping in the Dark. . . . Wing P2966; ESTC locates eight copies in North America.

Not sure what some of these terms mean? Look it up in our glossary.