Folio. 69 printed pages (numbered 1-12, 383-415, 291-3, 297-8, 467-72, & 339-49 extracted from larger works) . Title pages for all six statutes. Royal armorial woodcut to titles. Headpieces of three lines of ornamental printer's devices. Elaborate, floral, woodcut, ornamental initial devices. Some uniform toning.. 18 x 27 cm. Disbound, with remains of original stitching. Complete original printed acts, removed from the annual volume for the year. Imprint date is given as 1694 for the first statute and the regnal year is given as 'quinto and sexto'; the rest of the statutes are dated 1696 and 1698 and have regnal years 'septimo & octavo', and 'nono & decimo' under William iii alone.
These proclamations are some of a series appearing during the war with France in anattempt to pay for the very high military costs. The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarchy), the Dutch Republic, England, Spain, Savoy and Portugal. It was fought in Europe and the surrounding seas, in North America, and in India. It is sometimes considered the first global war. The conflict encompassed the Williamite war in Ireland and Jacoobite risings in Scotland, where William iii and Jamesii struggled for control of England and Ireland, and a campaign in colonial North America between French and English settlers and their respective Native American allies. Parliament and the nation had to provide money, men and ships, and William had found it expedient to explain his intentions ... but this did not mean that Parliament or even ministers assisted in the formulation of policy. William III regarded the war as an opportunity to reduce the power of France and protect the Dutch Republic, while providing conditions that would encourage trade and commerce. Note the archaic use of English Blackletter (sometimes black letter), also known as Gothic script, at that time considered to be more readily legible (especially by the less literate classes of society), and therefore remained in use throughout the 17th century and into the 18th for documents intended for widespread dissemination, such as proclamations and Acts of Parliament, and for literature aimed at the common people, such as ballads, chivalric romances, and jokebooks. These 330 year-old import and export, carrying duties on goods such as vellum, parchment and paper, salt-petre, iron, copper and 'Mundick' metal, all French goods, coal and 'culm', related imprints are in very good condition.