[A noble Venetian]
A new Voyage to the Island of Fools, translated from the Italian (London: J. Morphew, 1713).

A| NEW VOYAGE| TO THE| ISLAND of FOOLS,| Representing the| Policy, Government,| AND| PRESENT STATE| OF THE| STULTITIANS.| [rule]| By a Noble Venetian.| [rule]| Inscrib'd to the Right Honourable,| The Lord FERDINANDO.| [rule]| Translated from the Italian.| [rule]| "Multáque conquesti Terris allabimur illis,| "Quas procul hinc cernis; procul hinc tibi (cerne)| videnda est| &"INSULA, visa mihi. Ovid. Met. l. 14.| [rule]| LONDON,| Printed for John Morphew near Stationer's-Hall, 1713.

Description

titlepage/ [2] pp. preface p.1-62/ 4°.

Shelf-marks

{O: Don.e.85} {E:} {NA:ICN: Case.Y.1565.N42} {NA:MH: EC7/A100/713n}

Bibliographical Reference

ESTC: n010218.

Author

The first editions claims to be written by "By a noble Venetian", the second by "the Author of The Black-Bird's Song" which does not make it easier to identify the author - titles connected are in that case:

• The Black-Bird's Tale. A poem (London [E. Powell], 1710): {L: 11641.de.65}, with the "Second edition corrected and enlarged by the same author" (London: E. Powell, [1710.]). {L: 164.k.34}
• The Tale of the Robin-Red-Breast, a poem by the author of The Black-bird's Tale (London, 1710). {L: 11601.dd.17.(7.)}
• The Picture of a Church Militant. An original, after the modern manner [...] By the author of The Blackbird's Tale (London, 1711).
• The Blackbird's Song (London: J. More, 1715). {L: 164.n.5}
• Robin-Red-Breast's Answer to the Black-bird's Song (London, 1715). {L: 11631.bb.75}

History of Publication

	a	A new Voyage to the Island of Fools [...]. By a noble Venetian. [...] Translated from the Italian (London: J. Morphew, 1713).
	b	[...] by the Author of The Black-Bird's Song. The second edition (London: J. Read/ R. Burleigh, 1715).

Remarks

Series of letters (dated 1712 and 1713) describing a trip through the island's capital (which resembles, of course, London strikingly). Numerous objects of satire: Gentlemen of the best reputation mix with petty criminals in the gambling houses; superficial political debates (for instance about the war, which has been supported out of political reasons yet without any greater profit being made); the atmosphere of debates in London's coffee houses with lively sketches (e.g.) from the Grecian Coffee-House. Circulating pamphlets included - p.59-62: "Elegy upon the Death of the most Renown'd General of War" (Marlborough). The author of the letters is a tourist, his companions are Tories.

o.s.