The Vanity of Dogmatizing: Or Confidence in Opinions Manifested in a Discourse of the Shortness and Uncertainty of Our Knowledge, and Its Causes, with Some Reflexions on Peripateticism; and an Apology for Philosophy

London: Henry Eversden, 1661. First Edition . Full Calf. Very Good +. 15.2 Cm High. (32), 250, (6). Page 220 Mis-Numbered 200. Attractively Bound In Full Calf, Four Bands, Morocco Spine Label, Gilt Rules And Blindstamped Embellishments In Compartments, Gilt Rules And Blindstamped Embellishments On Covers, Watered Endpapers And Edges, Newer Free Endpapers, Complete But Without The Half-Title. Faded Ink Initials "Eb" On Title Pages With A Few Additional Mark P/7G And 10. Bookplate Of A University, Note At Rear Indicating Accession In 1923, Morocco Book Label "Ex-Libris Moncure Biddle" Overlapping The Earlier University Bookplate, Pencil Signature Dated 1952, Clipping Of Notice Of The Sale Of The Moncure Biddle Library In 1952, And Pencil Note At Rear Noting Purchase Of Book At Auction In 1952. Long Scholarly Note On Front Endpaper, In Full: "This Is An Extremely Rare, And At The Same Time Curious Work, For Which I Searched With Much Assiduity, Before I Was Lucky Enough To Meet With It- It Is Not Mentioned In Sowndes, And Hallam, In His "Introduction To The Literature Of Europe, Vol. 3, P. 356-7, 2Nd Ed. Says 'A Remarkable Work, But So Scarce As To Be Hardly Known At All Except By Name, Was Published By Glanvil In 1661, With The Title Of, The Vanity Of Dogmatizing". There Is A Good Account Of Glanvill And His Works In The "Biographia Brittanica" Sub Nomine, Where There Is An Analysis Of This Little Volume, And Particularly Noticing The Strange Story At Pa. 195 Adding That In Process Of Time He Came To Think And Write In A Very Different Manner." This Note Is Not Signed. The Reference Is To The Account On Pp 195-198 Of An Oxford Dropout Who Joined Up With Gypsies, And Became Quite Competent In Their Trades; This Incident, Which Formed The Basis For Matthew Arnold's The Scholar Gypsy, Was Left Out Of The Second And Later Editions. This First Edition Has Other Sections Also Which Were Not Later Reprinted In The Much Changed Second And Later Editions. Still Quite Scarce; One Recent Sale In 1988. Title Page Aged To An Even Tan, A Few Very Faint Foxing Areas In Text. Ink Change Of Principiate [P.27] To Principle, A Few Pencil X's In Text.