This book is a collection of religious and political newsbooks, pamphlets and broadsides published in Oxford and Cambridge around 1646-8. There are two similar versions of this compiled work. This, being the earlier version, lacks an eight page addition to the text and also includes a broadside, A generall bill of mortalitie, of the clergy of London, by the clergyman and scholar Matthew Griffith on p. 252-260. Aside from the broadside, the book is composed of four main parts. The first two, both entitled Mercurius rusticus, were issued by Bruno Ryves, a courtier and prominent supporter of Charles I and later Dean of Windsor, as 21 separate works between May 1643 and March 1644. The final two parts, Querela Cantabrigiensis and Micro-chronicon are separate works attributed to John Barwick, later Dean of St Paul's and Ryves and were also probably issued separately.
The entire volume has an additional titlepage with the title, Mercurius rusticus: The countrys complaint recounting the sad events of this unparraleld warr.