TRYAL OF WITCHES AT THE ASSIZES, held at Bury St. Edmonds for the county of Suffolk; on the tenth day of March, 1664. Before Sir Matthew Hale Kt. then Lord Chief Baron of His Majesties Court of Exchequer. Taken by a person then attending the court. de BROWNE, Sir Thomas? Sir Matthew Hale.: - 1682

London, printed for William Shrewsbery at the Bible in Duck-Lane, 1682.. FIRST EDITION 1662. Slim 8vo, approximately 180 x 105 mm, 7 x 4 inches, pages: [4], 1-60, last page blank, rebound in 1977 by Bernard Middleton (according to a pencil note to last pastedown) in full modern panelled calf, gilt lettered title label between raised bands to spine, blind decoration to covers. Small narrow repair to head and tail of title page, a lttle dusty and pale browning to edges of title page, tiny ink spot to edges of first 4 leaves, 8 pages have some pale patchy brown stains (see attached image), occasional pale spotting, 1 closed tear running into text neatly repaired and hardly visible, no loss of text, a few other small marginal closed tears neatly repaired, hardly visible, pale age-browning to most margins, some small light creases to a few pages at rear, pale ink name of Amy Duny to 2 lower margins, a slim neat repair to top of blank verso of final page with 2 small ink splashes and slight scribble, endpapers age-browned, bookplate to first pastedown of Kenneth Garth Huston. A good copy. "The publication A Tryal of Witches, related to the 1662 Bury St Edmunds witch trial, was used by the magistrates at Salem when looking for a precedent in allowing spectral evidence. Since the jurist Sir Matthew Hale had permitted this evidence, supported by the eminent philosopher, physician and author Thomas Browne, to be used in the Bury St Edmunds witch trial and the accusations against two Lowestoft women, the colonial magistrates also accepted its validity and their trials proceeded". See: Geoffrey Keynes, A Bibliography of Sir Thomas Browne, pages, 197-99, No. 287 with images of title page; ESTC R37899. MORE IMAGES ATTACHED TO THIS LISTING, ALL ZOOMABLE, FURTHER IMAGES ON REQUEST. POSTAGE AT COST.