Author: [BERNARD (Richard)]:
Title: The Isle of Man Or, The Legall Proceeding in Man-shire against Sinne. Wherein, by way of a continued Allegorie, the chiefe Malefactors disturbing both Church and Common-Wealth, are detected and attached; with their Arraignment, and Judicialll triall, accoring to the Lawes of England. The spirtituall use thereof, with an Apologie for the manner of handling, most necessary to be first read, for direction in the rights of the Allegory thorowout, is added in the end. Bt R. B, Rector of Batcomb. Somers. The fourth Edition much enlarged.
Description: London, Printed for Edw. Blackmore at the great South doore of Pauls 1627 12mo, 137 x 83 mms., pp. [26], 303 [304 - 333 Contents, 3334 blank], contemporary vellum (soiled), but with text block completely detached from spine. On the verso of the vellum front cover is the contemporary ownership of "John Hayes/ John Hayes/ his Book/ god give/ him grace/ [?shown to all]." The Church of England clergyman Richard Bernard, (bap. 1568, d. 1642) published a large number of books, but The Isle of Man was by far his most popular work. Richard L. Greaves in his Oxford DNB article that the work "reached its sixteenth edition in 1683. Some commentators have suggested that this allegory of the trial of sin and its confederates influenced John Bunyan, particularly his trial scene in The Holy War; both men felt it necessary to defend their use of allegory, partly by reference to Jesus's employment of parables. Earlier in 1627 Bernard had published A Guide to Grand-Jury Men, a handbook on witchcraft that condemned all witches, whether 'good' or evil, as being in league with the devil and deserving of execution. Yet he cautioned Christians not to attribute their afflictions, including strange diseases, to witches. He included remedies against witchcraft as well as guidelines for magistrates to examine and convict witches. While at Worksop he even claimed to have exorcized a demon." This four edition has been substantially revised from previous editions. The allegorical features in the text are said to have inflluenced John Bunyan. The Isle of Man was first published in 1726, and early editions are uncommon. This fourth edition locates copies in BL, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, and Bodleian in these islands; Boston Public, Folger, Harvard, Huntington, and Union Theological Seminary in North America.

Keywords: allegory sin


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