D. Fr. Manoel do Cenaculo Villas-Boas, por graça de Deos, e da Santa Séde Apostolica Arcebispo Metropolitano de Évora, do Concelho do Principe Regente meu Senhor. A todo o clero da Nossa Igreja saude, e benção. [Begins:] De todas as emprezas mais importantes do episcopado, he facilmente das primeiras o corpo da doutrina ….

N.p., n.pr., n.d. [Lisbon: Impressão Regia, 1808?].. FIRST and ONLY EDITION. 8°, early decorated "Dutch paper" wrappers (minor wear), text block edges sprinkled red. Caption title. In very good to fine condition. Small rectangular paper ticket, white with blue borders and serrated edges, with number "3.600" in old ink manuscript tipped on to front wrapper on top of another, similar paper ticket. 88 pp. *** FIRST and ONLY EDITION of these pastoral instructions.The author (1724-1814) was an important figure in Portuguese literature and literary criticism during the Enlightenment. Son of a Lisbon blacksmith, he became a Franciscan at age 16, and studied and taught at Coimbra. He later served as Provincial of the Franciscan Order in Portugal (elected 1768), as Confessor for Principe D. José (appointed 1769), and first Bishop of Beja (appointed 1770). He was head of the Meza Censoria, and also of the Junta de Providência Litteraria, the committee appointed by Pombal to reform the universities. When the Marquês de Pombal fell from power in 1777, Villas Boas retired from public affairs. In 1802 he was elected Archbishop of Évora, and while there suffered many indignities during the French invasion.*** Innocêncio V, 393. See also Bell, Portuguese Literature, p. 285; Saraiva & Lopes, História da literatura portuguesa (1976), pp. 618, 620; Francisco António Lourenço Vaz, ed., D. Manuel do Cenáculo: Instruções pastorais, Projectos de bibliotecas, e Diário (Porto: Porto Editora, 2009). Not located in Porbase. Not located in Jisc. Not located in KVK (51 databases searched). Not located in NUC.