A letter from a gentleman of quality in the countrey, to his friend … being an argument relating to the point of succession of the crown …

[London]: n.p., 1679. FIRST EDITION. Woodcut headpiece and initial. Disbound; some discoloration on the title page. Preserved in a cloth clamshell box. First edition. Written in the form of a letter addressed “To my Honoured Friend A.B.” and signed “Your Faithful and Humble Servant, E.F.”, the author was a supporter of Charles II and the monarchy. The pamphlet was issued during a moment of political and religious strife in England following restoration. Charles’s brother, James II, who was next in line to the throne was a Catholic. This angered the Protestants in Parliament who attempted to pass the Exclusion Bill of 1679 that would specifically prevent James II from taking the throne. E.F. opposes the legislation, writing in favor of Charles II and James II by stating that “the Parliament of England cannot by the Laws of England exclude the next Heir of the Blood from the Succession to the Crown” based on numerous historical precedents. A member of the House of Commons only identified as G.H. issued a scathing response entitled The power of Parliaments later that same year (Wing, H34).