John Bale was a Protestant polemicist who wrote several books during the English Reformation. He was an ally of Thomas Cromwell and received Cromwell’s protection following his denunciation of Roman Catholic practices and the monastic system. This book, first published while Bale was in exile following Cromwell’s execution by Henry VIII in 1535, contains a collection of accounts of alleged corruption in the monasteries. Bale returned to England in 1551, following the accession of Edward VI, and this edition was dedicated to the king.

Binding information

Bound in brown calf with blind-tooled panel design on both boards and four raised bands on spine; binding strengthened by leaves taken from a medieval manuscript fragment and an edition of the works of Theodoret of Cyrus, printed in Basel in 1549.