The History of Great-Britain, from the first Inhabitants thereof, 'till the Death of Cadwalader, ...; and of the Kings of Scotland to Eugene V. and also a short Account of the Kings, Dukes, and Earls of Bretagne...in which are several Pieces of Taliessin, an antient British Poet, and a Defence of the Antiquity of the Scottish Nation ... to this is added The Breviary of Britayne, written in latin by Humphrey Lhuyd ... and Englished by Thomas Twyne..

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Lewis's early history of Great Britain along with Lhuyd's Breviary of Britayne Near Fine, 1729, First & only edition, small elephant folio, in quarter calf (by Delrue) over cloth, some blind tooling. Spine, raised bands, gilt titles to red morocco labels, some blind tooling. Internally, rubricated title, [6], [1], 2-71, [1], 251 pp, [1]. [16], [6], [1], 2-8, 13-32, 35-52 pp (odd pagination but complete), [2] Welsh woordes (sic), [32] table, 13 large headers & numerous initial letters, mark to upper board, new endpapers, evidence of removed bookplate to fpd. The Breviary of Britayne has a separate title page dated 1573, the original date of publication, watermarked with horse within circle, text block edges sprinkled red, occasional contemporary ink marginal note. Possibly limited to only 200 copies?, ink name to tp (Arthur Blayney 1796/7 - of Gregynog?), evidence of bookplate removal to fpd. (390*238 mm). (ESTC T113293. Allibone 1091. Brunet 1038. Libri Walliae 3280). Lewis, whose complete history was first published in 1729, over a century after its author's death, by the antiquary Hugh Thomas, perhaps using the text still extant in Harleian MS 4872 in the British Library. Like earlier Welsh historians, for instance Humphrey Llwyd (whose Breviary of Britayne is appended to the 1729 edition of Lewis's book), Lewis was reluctant to part with the much-criticized legends of ancient British kings, from Brutus the Trojan to King Arthur, as recorded by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Text block in near fine condition