Richard Baxter, Reliquiae Baxterianae

Alison Searle (University of Leeds)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.04: English Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century, 1625-1688.
Vol. editors: Jennifer Brady (Rhodes College), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Neil Forsyth (Université de Lausanne), Claire Preston (Queen Mary, University of London), J A Roe (University of York), Virginia Mason Vaughan (Clark University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1696

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Autobiography (any)

Resources

Matthew Sylvester, the editor of Richard Baxter's autobiography, records:

I neither craved nor expected such a Trust and Legacy as his Manuscripts...My Heart akes exceedingly at every remembrance of my incumbent Trust...I am deeply sensible of my inability for such Work; even to discouragement, and no small Consternation of Spirit. I want not apprehensions of the Pardon which I shall need from God, and Candour from Men (“Preface”, Reliquiae Baxterianae).

Sylvester has been criticised for his editorial weaknesses. The posthumous version of Baxter's autobiography (1696) for which he was responsible, is an amorphous mass of heterogeneous material. It is divided into three parts, including further additions and a compendious set of appendices. The narrative is relatively coherent, though it becomes episodic and fragmentary towards the end. It is frequently interrupted by the inclusion...

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1080 words

Citation: Searle, Alison . "Reliquiae Baxterianae". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 October 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2421, accessed 09 June 2026.]

Richard Baxter, Reliquiae Baxterianae

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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