★ Ecce homo! Critical remarks on the infamous publications of John Parkins, of Little Gonery, near Grantham; better known as Doctor Parkins; who impiously and blasphemously styles himself the Grand Ambassador of Heaven!!! Particularly on his Cabinet of wealth, Celestial warrior, and Book of miracles in which he pretends to command the angels of Heaven, to avert the evils of human life, to work miracles, to cast out devils, to destroy witches, to foretell future events, &c. &c.: being an attempt to expose the falsehood of his pretensions, and to prove that the only design of his writings is to beguile the weak and ignorant, and to promote the sale of (what he calls) his holy consecrated lamens, founded on the absurd principles of astrology: interspersed with anecdotes. […] Having recours to Astrologers, Fortune-tellers, &c. to get intelligence of Lost or Stolen Gods, or to know the Future Events of our own lives or those of others, is higly Criminal in the sight of God. Those who have recourse to such persons, renounce to their Baptism, and, in effect, renounce the Providence as well as the Word of God. Dr. Adam Clarke. Grantham, Printed for, and published by, the author, and may be had of all booksellers [1819].
In 8° (19 cm), pp. x 71 [1]. Titolo in cornice. La data di stampa è tratta da pagina iv, in calce alla Letter to The Grand Ambassador of Heaven! (Near Grantham 4th August 1819). Pagina viii è bianca ed è seguita dall’indice.
E’ una contestazione riga per riga all’opera di John Parkins The universal fortune - teller (vedi la scheda n. 5855). L’anonimo nella Preface afferma che quel che scrive è per amore di verità e non per malicious hostility nei confronti di Parker. Tuttavia, la violenza espressiva usata dall’autore fa sospettare che tra i due ci sia stato un incontro/scontro personale, comprovato anche dalla ferma e dichiarata volontà dell’anonimo di rimanere tale (espressa anch’essa nella Preface).
Esemplari (non esaustivamente): Cambridge University; British Library; Glasgow University; Wellcome Library; Bodleian Library, Oxford.
Bibliografia: Gardner 907 (sub Parkins).