Books

2 Volumes. 8vo. pp. 8 p.l., 477; 1 p.l., xxx, 432, [24]index. woodcut ornaments & initials. later calf, rebacked (rubbed, front cover of Vol. I loose). armorial bookplate of George Goddard Knowles. Sixth Edition of Vol. I; Second Edition of Vol. II. Mandeville s most famous and controversial work, in which he advanced the view that virtue derives from the practice of selfish instincts, and that the public prosperity is dependent upon private vices. His original intention was probably to satirize the political state of England in 1705, when the Tories were accusing Marlborough and the ministry of advocating the French war for personal reasons. The ironical nature of his commentary on the hypocrisies of artificial society was overlooked by his contemporaries, and the Fable was widely attacked and condemned, notably by Bishop Berkeley, Francis Hutcheson, and Archibald Campbell. NCBEL II 1096. cfKress 4024. cfRothschild I 1371.