"History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century", by J.H. Merle D'Aubigne, D.D., President of the Theological Seminary, Geneva, and Member of the Societe Evangelique, from the Third French Edition, complete two volumes in one; published by Blackie and Son, London, mdcccxlvi [1846]; illustrated with frontispiece portrait of Martin Luther, additional engraved title page.

Hard cover, marbled boards, leather spine and corners [wear: see scan]; 4.3/4" x 7.1/4"; marbled endpapers and page edges, inscriptions on the front endpaper, few small surface damages inside back cover, name on the title pages [see picture]; 341 + 212 pages, very good condition.

The first portion of d'Aubigne's Histoire de la Reformation - History of the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century - which was devoted to the earlier period of the movement in Germany, i.e., Martin Luther's time, at once earned a foremost place among modern French ecclestical historians, and was translated into most European languages. The second portion, The History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, dealing with reform in the French reformer's sphere, exhaustively treats the subject with the same scholarship as the earlier works. It is part of the subject d'Aubigne was most competent to discuss, and was nearly completed at the time of his death. Such was the scope d'Aubigne's scholarship and his level of dedication, states church historian John Carrick, that d'Aubigne "visited the major libraries of Central and Western Europe in order to read original documents in Latin, French, German, Dutch, and English."

Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigne (1794-1872) was a Swiss Protestant minister and historian of the Reformation.

D'Aubigne was born at in Geneva.. The life Jean-Henri's parents chose for him was in commerce; but in college at the Academie de Geneve, he instead decided on Christian ministry. He was profoundly influenced by Robert Haldane, the Scottish missionary and preacher who visited Geneva.

When d'Aubigne went abroad to further his education in 1817, Germany was about to celebrate the tercentenary of the Reformation; and thus early he conceived the ambition to write the history of that great epoch. Studying at Berlin University for eight months 1817-1818, d'Aubigne received inspiration from teachers as diverse as J.A.W. Neander and W.M.L. de Wette.

In 1818, d'Aubigne took the post of pastor of the French Protestant church at Hamburg, where he served for five years. In 1823 he was called to become pastor of the Franco-German Brussels Protestant Church and preacher to the court of King William I of the Netherlands of the House of Orange-Nassau.

The Evangelical Society had been founded with the idea of promoting evangelical Christianity in Geneva and elsewhere, but a need arose for a theological seminary to train pastors. On his return to Switzerland, d'Aubigne was invited to become professor of church history in such a seminary, and he also continued to labor in the cause of evangelical Protestantism. He frequently visited England, was made a D.C.L. v Oxford University, and received civic honors from the city of Edinburgh.

Provenance:

From the library of William L. Ingle, his signature is on the title, half title page and on the front endpaper dated "1878".

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