CARLETON, George. Tithes Examined and proved to be due to the Clergie by a diuine right... London: Printed by Humfrey Lownes, for Clement Knight, 1611. The second Edition revised by the Author. Small Quarto, [iv], 40 leaves [80pp]
This rare and intellectually sharp Jacobean-era treatise is a fierce Early 17th-century defense of the Church of England's financial and legal rights. Written by the highly distinguished English prelate and theologian George Carleton (1559–1628)—who would later serve as Bishop of Llandaff, Bishop of Chichester, and King James I's hand-picked representative at the historic Synod of Dort (1618)—the work argues a heavily litigated theological stance: that tithes are owed to the Christian ministry by unalterable, divine mandate rather than mere civil policy.
First published in 1606, this rare1611 Second Edition was "revised by the Author" during a time when radical Puritan movements and legal skeptics, were actively challenging the structural and economic privileges of the established church. Carleton applies strict logic and historical precedent to prove that tithing dates back before the Mosaic Law (anchoring his proof on Abraham and Melchizedek), successfully weaponizing scholarship to protect church architecture against secular encroachment.
Printed by Humfrey Lownes near St. Paul's Churchyard, this text is a showcase of early modern English religious debates. Defining the economic boundaries of the church was directly intertwined with defending the authority of the Crown itself.
Provenance
Ex Libris Rev. Thomas Eric Arthur Mead: Affixed to the front pastedown is a striking, custom ecclesiastical Ex Libris bookplate belonging to the Reverend Thomas Eric Arthur Mead, a 20th-century Scottish clergyman and fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The beautifully styled bookplate features dual medieval iconography depicting St. Thomas of Canterbury (Thomas Becket) and St. Eric of Sweden, elegantly rooting the ownership of this volume in the personal library of a dedicated modern student of early church history and historic liturgy.
Condition Report
• Binding: Hardcover bound in a later, sturdy full brown buckram/cloth binding with clean, simple modern geometry. The spine is nicely titled in gilt: TITHES — CARLETON 1611.
• Spine: Spine text is perfectly bright and crisp. Structural condition is completely sound with no splitting or cloth loss, offering durable protection for the ancient sheets inside.
• Interior: Complete text block. The title page exhibits the minor repairs, typical of heavily studied 17th-century "survivor" leaflets. The interior leaves of hand-pressed rag paper retain their rich typography, featuring large ornate woodcut headpieces, elaborate decorative initial letters openings, and classic typographic flourishes. Very clean margins with occasional, minor age-toning and historic handling smudges that leave the text block completely legible.
