293 - TEMPLE, Sir William. Letters of Sir William Temple.

TEMPLE, Sir William. Letters of Sir William Temple. The Hague, Engelbrecht Boucquet & Meyndert Uytwerf, 1700. In-12, full vellum with overcover, smooth spine adorned with a title label in brown morocco, mottled edges (contemporary binding). 8 unnumbered folios and 320 pages, title printed in black and red, initials, a headband, and tailpieces. Vellum slightly soiled, small tear at the joint of the front cover, stitches somewhat fragile, pages browned. French edition, published in Holland the year following the death of Sir William Temple. A seasoned English diplomat, statesman, and patron of Jonathan Swift, Sir William Temple (1628–1699) was the principal architect of the Triple Alliance of 1668 (uniting England, Holland, and Sweden), intended to curb the expansionist ambitions of Louis XIV in the Spanish Netherlands during the War of Devolution. This correspondence with the Earl of Arlington and Sir John Trevor provides a behind-the-scenes look at secret European negotiations, the role of Johan de Witt (“Mr. de Wit”), naval trade conflicts, the Peace of Makassar, and the policies of the East India Company. Label from the “Libreria Cecchi” (Florence) on the inside front cover. A fine copy in a contemporary binding.