Bibliographical notes on the English translation of Polydore Vergil's work, 'De inventoribus rerum' / communicated to the Society of Antiquaries by John Ferguson.

  • John Ferguson
Date:
1888
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Bibliographical notes on the English translation of Polydore Vergil's work, 'De inventoribus rerum' / communicated to the Society of Antiquaries by John Ferguson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    17/38 (page 15)
    It is also curious that the longer and more interesting letter should have appeared, so far as I know, only in the 1521 and 1528—29 editions, hut the other letter over and over again.® 27. The first of the translations was into Trench, and the translator was “ Guillaume michel Diet de tours.” It was printed for Pierre le Brodeur, March 28, 1521, and it forms a small folio of lxiii. [2] leaves, printed in long lines with a peculiar Gothic letter and a few woodcuts. There is a fine copy of this very rare edition in the British Museum. It contains only the first three books. In 1544 it was reprinted at Paris for Jehan Longis and Yincent Sertenas, without the additional five books. It forms a small octavo of [4] cxxxiii. leaves, in Roman character. There is a copy in the Museum. Several other editions appeared, but I have not met with them. The German translation was executed by Marcus Tatius Alpinus and was first printed in 1587 by Heinrich Steyner, or Stayner, at Augsburg, in folio, with 131 (?) woodcuts. The copy in the Museum is of the second edition, and was printed by Stayner in 1544. It is a translation of the eight books. It is in folio and contains [10] clxxi. leaves and 125 (?) woodcuts in the text, which are very interesting and valuable as pictures of the time. These are the only illustrated editions of Yergil’s work with which I am acquainted. Besides this there was also published a translation of the parts relating to the Mass: Zwey Gapitel Polydori Virgilij vom Name vnd Stifftern der Mess, ausgangen zu eine anfang widder des Sydonij predigten ... by Matthias Placius Illyricus. The two chapters are the eleventh and tenth of Yergil’s fifth book. The tract contains other things by Luther, Erasmus, &c., and forms a small 4to of twenty- two leaves, printed at Magdeburg by Christian Rodinger in 1550. 28. There are two Italian translations. The earliest which I have seen was printed at Yenice by Gabriel Gioli (sic) in 1543; it was executed by Pietro Lauro, and the book is an unattractive octavo. This, according to Ellis, was reprinted by Giolito in 1545, of which date there is a copy in the Bodleian. It was printed again by Giolito in 1550, but without Lauro’s name. The second translation was executed by Francesco Baldelli. In his prefatory letter Baldelli tells how the Florentine printers, the Giunti, always energetic in a The second shorter letter appeared for the first time to my knowledge in the edition of 1525, prefixed to the fourth book (§ 23). Thereafter it occurs in the Basel editions: 1532, 1544, 1546, 1563; Rome, 1576, 1585; Stoer’s edition, 1604; Zetzner’s, Argent., 1606; Cologne, 1626; Leyden, 1644; Amsterdam, 1671 ; in the German translation, Augsburg, 1544; in the Italian translations, 1543, 1550, 1587, 1680. In the editions of 1606, 1644, 1671, the date at the end of the letter is erroneously printed 1518 for 1517.