Horrid Conspiracy Against the King Charles II – Thomas Sprat – 1686 | Rye House Plot

A true account and declaration of the horrid conspiracy against the late King was an account of the plot to execute the king of England. King Charles I of England was executed following the English Civil War, part of a conspiracy that led to the English throne being vacated in favor of the Council of State. The trial of King Charles resulted in numerous reports describing the events of the arrest, trial, and ultimate execution of the king. One such document was Thomas Sprat’s first-hand account of the plot.

Sprat was involved in what has become known as the most controversial conspiracy of the 17th-century, the Rye House Plot – a plan to assassinate King Charles II and his brother James II. This book includes two works, and the two were intended to be published together. According to Lowndes,

“This [work] is always considered a discreditable production, and the author himself completely destroyed all its pretensions to authenticity; for in letters which he wrote after the Revolution, he admits that James II altered the papers in divers passages, and then caused them to be printed.”

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A True Account and Declaration of the Horrid Conspiracy Against the Late King; bound with: Copies of the Informations and Original Papers Relating to the Proof of the Horrid Conspiracy Against the Late King
• Author(s): Thomas Sprat
• Illustrator(s):
• Contributor(s):
• Publisher: Printed by Thomas Newcomb, In the Savoy [London]
• Edition: Third Edition. 1686.
• Format: (12mo), single volume
• Binding: Full leather
• Size:  7.25 in x 5 in (18.4 cm x 12.7 cm)
• Collation: [6], 221, [1]; 207 pp
• Illustrations:
• Contents Include:
  • A True Account and Declaration of the Horrid Conspiracy Against the Late King
  • Copies of the Informations and Original Papers Relating to the Proof of the Horrid Conspiracy Against the Late King
• Provenance: bookplate – North Library
• Reference(s): Lowndes 2483; ESTC R 218802, R 492938; Wing S 5065a; Wing S 5029a

Condition:

Bound in full leather with tight and secure binding. Light rubbing to corners and hinges, overall in good condition.

Why Collect This?

• Restoration political text tied to the Rye House Plot
• Authorship connected to disputed Stuart propaganda

Item Number: # 29255