Historia Politica. Illorum Imperiorum Regnorum

et Rerum-Publicarum, quae Hodie per Orbem Terrarum Florent. Manuscript, (135) p., written in a very neat and legible hand, on paper w. foolscap watermark, probably final quarter 17th century (latest one found dates 1661), cont. marbled boards, each cover w. two drawings of var. flowers in gouache. A few lvs loose lvs, spine bare, showing the quires.

A very intriguing manuscript, of which we could not trace a printed version, and in an unusual binding. The Landesarchiv Sachsen-Anhalt preserves a manuscript w. exactly the same title (but the word Regnorum misspelled as Regnorm), catalogued as H 82, Nr. 1207. The text is compiled using various sources, and divided in main parts "Imperia", "Regna" and "Respublica" that are subdivided in chapters and Roman numbered paragraphs). For example: "De Imperio Romano-Germanico", "De Imperio Turcico" (12 p., XVI paragraphs), "De Imperio Russico seu Moscovitico", "De Regni Hispaniae" (incl. a paragraph "Clavis Americae est portus Havana" and others on America), "De Regno Gallia", "De Regno Brittanniae", "De Regno Polonia", De Republica Helvetica" and "De Respublica Belgica" ("Respublica Belgia constat ex VII Confederatus provinciis", and mentioning the V.O.C. frequently). The final 7 pages form an appendix consisting of "Catalogus praecipuorum Auctorum Historico-Politicorum" and "Catalogus praecipuorum ministrorum status".