Sales catalogue 479: Maggs Bros

Date:
1926
Reference:
WA/HMM/CM/Sal/13/45
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sales catalogue 479: Maggs Bros. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    68/928 page 44
    From THE NauticaL Liprary oF ANDRE THEVET. Portuguese Manuscript with two coloured drawings of the compass. 170 pp. Small 4to. Very charming contemporary French binding by Eve in dark olive morocco, the entire surface covered in delicate gilt tooling, in a design of scrolled and dotted fleurons joined by curved olive branches, open oval medallions on sides, trails of gilt olive leaves tooled on back, g. e. (Ltsbon), circa 1540. | (SEE ILLUSTRATIONS, PLATES Nos. XLVI., XLVII., AND XLVIII.). £775 The volume is of particular interest, thrice bearing the inscription: ‘‘ A. Thevet, 1567.” The anonymous manuscript is in Portuguese, and contains detailed in- structions by some pilot, for the voyage from Lisbon to India, via Brazil and the Cape of Good Hope; the return voyage to Lisbon; route from the Strait of Mecca to India; information on the storms to be encountered off the Indian coast; sound- ings off the Cape of Good Hope; Mozambique; the Atlantic Islands, &c. The manuscript does not describe any particular voyage, but appears to summarise the | observations and experiences of a skilled navigator who had made the voyages many times and was able to give valuable advice as to the most suitable seasons for travelling, and the safest geographical course. There is a table, giving the daily declination of the sun for a period of four years; and two coloured drawings showing the points and degrees of the compass. André Thevet, who owned this book, was a French traveller, who was born at Angouléme in 1502, and died in Paris in 1590. As a Franciscan Friar, he was a profeund scholar and reader; and, wishing to augment his knowledge by travel, he obtained permission to visit Italy, where he met Cardinal de Lorraine, who gave him the necessary money for a voyage to the East. He embarked at Venice in 1549, and on reaching Constantinople, made the acquaintance of Peter Gillius, with whom he explored Asia Minor, and whom he assisted on his archeological expedi- tions. He proceeded to Rhodes, Athens, and Palestine, returning to France in 1554 with a relation of his fascinating travels, which was very well received. The following year, he embarked with Villegagnon for Rio de Janeiro, but was deprived of the pleasure of seeing the country on arrival, owing to illhealth, which compelled him to return to his native country; but, nevertheless, did not prevent him from making a description of Brazil.
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