Deaths knell, or the sicke mans passing-bell : summoning all sicke consciences to prepare themselues for the comming of the great day of doome, lest mercies gate be shut against them. Fit for all those that desire to arriue at the heauenly Ierusalem. Whereunto are added prayers fit for housholders. Written by W. Perkins.

Deaths knell

The tenth edition.

London : Printed [by T. Cotes?] for Iohn Wright and are to be sold at his shop without Newgate at the signe of the Bible, 1629.

[24] p. ; (8vo)

Printer suggested by STC.
Includes: Prayers for priuate households at all times.
Signatures: A⁸ B⁴.
This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.

Pollard, A.W. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.) (STC), 19684.1
English short title catalogue (ESTC), S94671

Great Britain -- England -- London.

STC 19684.1 (folio)

Purchase made possible by The Richard J. Kuhta Fund for Library Acquisitions. Purchase made possible by The Elizabeth L. Eisenstein Acquisitions Fund. From dealer's description: "The Unique Stevens Cox Fragment of Deaths Knell: or, The Sicke Mans Passing-Bell. “The tenth Edition.” London: Thomas and Richard Cotes for Margery Trundle, 1629. 8vo. STC 19684.1. $4,500. A unique fragment of a popular guide to death, repentance, and salvation, bristling with hair- raising descriptions of Christ’s final judgment, the horrors of hell, and the urgency of settling one’s conscience. The author is identified as W[illiam] Perkins (d. 1602), the celebrated Puritan Divine, but the work was more likely written by an anonymous hack with a flair for terrifying readers into following the straight and narrow. This edition was printed by Thomas and Richard Cotes, heirs to Isaac Jaggard’s printing material, thus establishing a connection with the distinguished firm that issued the First Folio. Copies were to be sold by Margaret (Margery) Trundle, widow of John Trundle (d. 1626), who continued to ply her husband’s trade until the spring of 1629, when she herself experienced what the author of Deaths Knell so vividly describes. With a “list” that included ballads and similar popular material, Margery is arguably one of the most colorful tradeswomen of her day. She and her husband were immortalized in a contemporary sales ballad that concludes “Heer’s no sussex serpent to fright you here in my bundle / nor was it ever printed for the widow Trundle.” (The “Sussex serpent” is an allusion to John Trundle’s preposterous 1614 publication about a dragon sighting in Horsham. Clearly, the Widow Trundle followed in John’s footsteps by purveying cheap fodder for a lowbrow readership.) The ephemeral character of Margery’s output and her death in 1629 explain why her books and broadsides are so rare: STC records the survival of only seven items printed for her, including the present fragment. Three other editions of Deaths Knell are known: STC 19684 (“The ninth Edition.”), 19684.2 (“The eleventh Edition.”), and 19684.7 (“The sixteenth Edition”). All copies are unique, and all are at the Folger. The present fragment (STC 19684.1)—“The tenth Edition”—is also unique and is the only item printed for Margery Trundle that is not in an institutional collection. The Folger’s acquisition of this piece would bring together in a single place the complete publishing history of a popular pamphlet printed by the successors to the First Folio press and sold by a notorious female bookseller. The fragment has never been reproduced (to my knowledge) and has only recently emerged from private hands. It is almost certainly the last Widow Trundle item that will ever appear on the market. Measuring 105x325mm, the octavo fragment has obviously been rescued from a binding, with holes and staining consistent with its reuse (see images below). It comprises approximately half of sheet A, with parts of sigs. A1, 2, 7, and 8. The upper portion has been cropped, affecting the title itself, although the date and imprint are present and legible. One side has also been trimmed, resulting in the loss of about half of sig. A2 at the outer edge. The item has been carefully stitched into a plastic support, though the threads do not appear to pierce the paper. The fragment would benefit from conservation.." Ordered from Gwara, Joseph J. D9300, 2019-04-01, email quote.

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