of which I possess the manuscript.] Let us add that this edition, of which a beautiful copy is marked at 400 paoli (£8. 8s.) in one of the last catalogues of Molini, a bookseller at Florence, has been announced by many bibliographers as dated the 25th of June, 1478; which appears to us to be incorrect. The catalogue of the Duke di Cassano Serra mentions an edition in 4to. of this book, with wood-cuts also, no place or date, but it appears to have been printed at Venice, about 1480. Brunet, Manuel, t. i. p. 22. As Brunet has not quoted the whole of these sonnets, it may not be improper in me to supply the deficiency, and may serve to amuse the reader. " Sapi ch'io son Esopo o tu lettore; "Che in latino e uulghar con mia gran pace "Le cose: che a fanciulli et a ignoranti "Vano per man: soglion perder sua forma: : Asepous fueram deformis! non satis istud! See Bibl. Spencer, t. r. P. 229-239. MEDIOL. 4to. Sine anno, sed circa 1480. Gr. et Lat. Accursii. First edition of the Greek. This edition, which is very rare, appears to have been printed at Milan, about 1480. The volume is divided into three parts: the first part commences on the reverse of the first leaf by a Latin epistle, addressed by Bonus Accursius to J. Fr. Turriano. We then find the life of Esop, in Greek, by Planudes, from the 2nd leaf to the 32nd, the fables of Esop, in Greek, from the 33rd to the 70th leaf: the whole is printed without paging-figures, catch-words, or signatures, each page containing 25 lines: the second part comprises the signatures A-G, and consists of 59 leaves, which include the life and 100 fables of Æsop, translated into Latin by Rinutius Thessalus; the third part, consisting of 38 leaves, under the signatures A-E, contain a second epistle to Accursius, in Latin, followed by a selection of fables in Greek and Latin, in two columns. A copy sold at Dr. Askew's sale for £6. 6s.; at the Duke de la Vallière's for £5.; and at the Pinelli sale for £14. Brunet, Manuel, t. i. p. 19.-1 collated the Bodleian copy of that edition which is supposed to be the ' editio princeps' of the Greek text. It is a small 4to. with the margin well preserved, without paging or catch words; it has not that Latin address to John Franciscus Turrianus which Mr. Dibdin says occupied the first leaf of that copy which he inspected; but commences with the life of Esop, in Greek, by Planudes, having the following title in capitals at the top of the page: ΑΙΣΩΠΟΥ BIOC ΤΟΥ ΜΥΘΟΠΟΙΩ. ΜΑ ΞΙΜΩ ΤΩ ΠΛΑΝΟΥΔΗ ΕΥΓΓΡΑΦΕΙΣ, which occupies 31 leaves; the fables, 147 in number, with a short moral annexed to each, commence simply thus, in capitals, ΑΙΣΩΠΟΥ ΜΥΘΟΙ. ΑΕΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΛΩΠΗΞ. on the recto of the 32nd leaf; the fables occupy 37 leaves, and the recto of the 38th, and concludes, in capitals, with these words: ΤΕΛΟΣ ΤΩΝ ΤΟΥ ΑΙΣΩΠΟΥ ΜΥΘΩΝ. The reverse is blank; such are the contents of the volume.For further information, see Freytag, Adpar. Litterar. v. iii. p. 785-798.; Fabricius, cura Harlesii, v. i. p. 639.; Saxius's Hist. Typog. Lit. Mediol. p. 162.; Maittaire, Annal. Typogr. (1719.) p. 262. (1733.) p. 765.; Panzer, v. ii. p. 96.; Cat. de la Vallière, No. 3823.; Pinelli, p. 3. No. 7473.; Bibl. Spencer, v. i.; and Beloe's Anecdotes, v. i. p. 150.; v. iii. p. 179. A fine copy, at Mr. Daly's sale, sold for £10. 10s.; Maittaire's copy sold for less than 24d. GOUDE. fol. 1482. E Græco Latina, Embellished with engravings. There is a copy of this edition in the Bodleian. NEAP. fol. 1485. Lat. et Ital. All the editions of the fables of Æsop which we have mentioned are rare, and much sought after by the curious; but this, printed at Naples in 1485, is that upon which they set the greatest value, and which is the most difficult to be procured. It has the advantage of being adorned with curious wood-cuts, and of being filled with singular allegories, which relate to the court of Rome; which it is said the author intended to describe by means of these allegories. We shall remark, that different bibliographers are not agreed with respect to the date of the year in which this edition was published; some say in 1485, others in 1495; but as I have not yet seen a copy, I am not able to determine this subject, nor to settle, for certain, a date which may be considered as the true one. We will leave the decision to the first opportunity which shall present itself. De Bure, No. 3570. A very rare and beautiful edition, adorned with wood-cuts, tolerably executed; it consists of 166 leaves, of which the first commences with an epistle, in Italian, from Francesco del Tuppo, addressed allo Illust. Honorato de Aragonia; and the last contains a table of the fables, with the register of the quires. A copy sold at the Pinelli sale for £12.; at the Crevenna sale, bound in red morocco, for £16. 10s.; at Brienne-Laire's, for £25. There is an edition of the same work, that is to say, of the life and fables of Æsop, in Latin and Italian, with the tropology, allegory, &c. printed at Aquila, in 1493, in folio, which is even more rare than the Neapolitan edition. The volume has the signatures A—Y iiii.; it commences with a wood-cut, which answers the purpose of a frontispiece, and has this inscription: "Virtus omnia vincit;" on the second leaf is the epistle of Francesco del Tuppo to Honorato Aragonia; next we find the life and fables of Æsop, interspersed with engravings executed in the same manner as those of the preceding editions, which are more remarkable for the beauty of the borders, than the composition of the subjects. On the reverse of the last leaf but one is a subscription, of which the following is an extract: "Francisci del Tuppo "in vitam Esopi fabulatoris .... traductio materna sermone "fidelissima et in ejus fabulas allegorie cum exemplis antiquis modernisque finiunt feliciter: impresse Aquile per magis"trum Eusanium de Stella . . . . cum Joanne Picardo de Ha"mell ac Loisio de Masson Francigna cum sociis suis 66 MCCCCLXXXXIII. die ultima mensis maii." The last leaf contains on the recto the table of 66 fables, on the reverse, the register of the quires. Brunet, Manuel, t. i. p. 22. One of the most esteemed and rare editions of this fabulist, adorned with numerous wood-cuts, which are very curious, and upon the whole executed with a great deal of taste. MEDIOL. 4to. 1489. Latinè. Phil. de Lavagnia. A very rare edition. £6. 6s. ULM. fol. Sine anno. (VITA ET FABULE.) Cum Avieni, Adelphonsus, et Poggii Facetiis. Germ. et Latinè. Printed by John Leiners. Embellished with wood-cuts, which Freytag, Adpar. Litterar. v. i. p. 71, finds fault with as to the execution: "Figuræ -ligno haud satis eleganter sunt incisæ:" and again, with the book itself, in the following words: Innumerabilibus præ "terea ista collectio fabularum obscenitatibus et inconditis "narrationibus referta est, quæ sæculi istius genium satis su"perque produnt." Very rare and valuable. Consult Panzer, Not. Hist. Litt. t. i. p. 98, 99. and his Annal. Literat. Germ. p. 47. VENET. 4to. 1491. Lat. et Ital. A scarce book, adorned with wood-cuts. 4to. Without printer's name, date, or place. Latinis versibus. "This volume is so exceedingly rare, that "I am not able to refer the reader to any bibliographical work "for a description of it. It has neither numerals, signatures, "nor catch-words; so that the period of its execution is con"jectural." Bibl. Spencer, v. ì. p. 243. I myself having never been able to procure a sight of this edition, cannot pretend to assign any date whatever to it; I have therefore introduced it after the Venetian edition of 1491. DEVENTER. 4to. 1494. Latino carmine: cum Interpretat. Printed by Jacob de Breda. See Cat. de la Vallière, v. ii. p. 551. and Bibl. Spencer, v. i. p. 243. Adorned with wood cuts. fol. Without date, place, or printer's name. Latino carmine; cum fabulis Rimicii et Avieni, &c. Embellished with numerous engravings, on wood, which are executed with some degree of spirit. It is excessively rare. Bibl. Spencer, t. i. REGII. 4to. 1497. Gr. et Lat. Boni Accursii. See This edition, which is very rare, consists of 38 leaves, signatures A-E; it commences by a Latin epistle, addressed by Bonus Accursius to J. Fr. Turriano. A copy was sold at the Crevenna sale for £2. 5s. Another ancient edition, in 4to. Gr. and Latin, with a life of Æsop by Rinutius, without any indication of printer, place, or date, is marked £1. 15s. in Laire's Index Libr. t. i. p. 76. Brunet, Manuel, t. i. p. 19. А сору sold at Dr. Mead's sale for £1. 11s. 6d. Consult Maittaire, t. i. p. 636, 765.; and Bibl. Askev. No. 663. A very rare edition." Beloe's Anecdotes, v. iii. p. 104. which see. Maittaire's copy of this edition sold for 6d.; Dr. Askew's for £1. 12s. 6d. 66 REGII. 4to. Absque anni et loci ind. Sumptibus Bartholomæi Pelusii Justinopolitani, Gabrielis Brasichettensis, Joannis Bissali, et Benedicti Mangii Carpensium. This edition, which is rare, is without date or place; but by means of a privilege granted by the Senate of Venice, dated 1498, and which is annexed, we may conjecture that it was printed in that year. De Bure, No. 3571. A very rare edition; it commences with an epistle, in Latin, by Gabr. Bracius, which occupies the first leaf; it sold at the Pinelli sale, with the first edition of Euripides, for £40. 10s.; Brienne— Laire's, (with the epistles of Phalaris and others, having at the end a privilege, dated 1498) for £8. 8s. Brunet, Manuel, t. i. p. 19. There is a copy of this edition in the library of the king of France. See Maittaire, Annal. Typogr. t. i. p. 755. LONDINI. 4to. 1503. Latinè. Versione Metrica, cum Comment. per Wynandum de Worde. A rare book. LOVAN. 4to. 1503. Græce. Cum Interpretatione Aldi. VENET. fol. 1505. Gr. et Lat. Aldi. BELLÆ, &c.) (GABRIÆ FA A rare edition, and in great request among the curious. The execution is magnificent, and it is considered as one of the most beautiful books the Aldus's ever published. De Bure, No. 3572. A beautiful edition, in great request, and of which copies in a good state of preservation are seldom met with; the volume ought to contain 150 leaves, and one may easily collate it, by means of the register which is found at the end. At the Duke de la Vallière's sale, a copy, in blue morocco, sold for £4. 4s.; at the Pinelli, for £4.; at David's, in brown calf, £4. 10s.; Rover's, £4.; Firman Didot's, in blue morocco, £5. 5s. Brunet, Manuel, t. i. p. 19. There is a copy of this edition in the Bodleian Library. "This is one of the most "beautiful, and one of the most rare of all the Aldine books. "The mode in which the Latin and Greek are printed, which "is like that of the Lascaris, and of the Carmina of Greg. "Nazianzen, had occasioned some confusion among biblio graphers; so that the Greek and Latin are sometimes found "separately bound up as two distinct editions. This copy of "Maittaire's produced twenty shillings." Beloe's Anecdotes, v. v. p. 438-439. See Harles, Fabr. B. G. t. i. p. 664.; Bibl. Harleiana, t. iii. p. 89.; and Renouard, Annales, t. i. p. 82-84, where the reader will find a copious detail of this edition. £7. 10s. |