The Anatomy of Simon Magus, Or, the Sin of Simony Laid Open

An anonymous English treatise published in London in 1700, printed by W. Bowyer for Charles Brome. Structured in chapters, it examines the nature of simony — the buying and selling of spiritual goods and church offices — and its manifestations in the patronage system of the Church of England. Drawing on scripture and patristic sources (Chrysostom, Cyprian, Gregory), the work argues that simoniacal corruption destroys the whole fabric of the Church, and concludes with practical exhortations to bishops to enforce ecclesiastical censures against buyers and sellers of sacred offices. The text ends with Finis on page 212; pages 213–219 are a bookseller's catalogue.