Beschreibung:

MARTIALIS, Marcus Valerius (ca.40-ca.104). Epigrammata . Edited by Georgius Merula (1430/1-1494). [Venice:] Vindelinus de Spira, [ca. 1472]. Royal half-sheet 4° (268 x 171mm). Collation: [1-5 10 6 10 (8+1) 7-9 10 ] (1/1r blank, 1/1v C.Caecilius Plinius (the younger, ca.61-ca.112) Epistola to Cornelius Priscus, 1/2r books 1-7); 10-18 10 (books 8-12, 18/9r-10r Merula, Epistola ad Angelum Adrianum , 18/10v verse colophon by Raphael Zovenzonius, 1431-ca.1485). 181 leaves. 32 lines. Type 1:110R 2 . 6- to 8-line initial spaces, most with guide-letters, those in books 1-7 filled with red initials, yellow capital strokes; initials in books 8-14 in gold on blue and green ground with white stipple (a few rubbed), paragraph marks alternating in red and blue, faded drawing of a bird on f.17v. (First blank page and fo.90v lightly soiled, wormholes in fos. 1-50, 76-90, 170-181 filled, very light brown spots in some leaves, last leaf hinged.) Gold-tooled scarlet morocco over pasteboard, panelled sides with roll-tools and corner ornaments, spine tooled in compartments with tan morocco lettering pieces, gilt roll-tooled turn-ins, marbled endpapers, gilt edges, bound by Charles Lewis for Botfield for #2.3.6. Provenance : some early marginal annotations (washed), possibly of Baptista Gui[-]nus, whose inscription has been partly washed from first initial space ( Baptista Gui[-]nus possidet ); Reina collection at Milan (Paris sale, Silvestre, 1843, but not listed there); note signed C.Z. in Italian laid in, commenting on completeness of this copy; Botfield, acquired from Payne & Foss for #21.0.0 (P. & F. Acquisitions, p.61). THIRD EDITION. This is the first edition edited by Giorgio Merula. Curt Bühler noted in copies in the Morgan library that Merula's letter to Angelus Adrianus exists in two states, evidently the result of Merula insisting on correcting printer's errors with the type-pages already in the press. This seems to have occurred in each case after a sizeable number of sheets had been worked off. The Botfield copy has the uncorrected version. Interestingly, from this accident can be traced Botfield's use of his own collection. He included Merula's letter in his Praefationes et epistolae editionibus principibus auctorum veterum praepositae , and quoted it in the state found in this copy. Bühler also identified the recipient of the letter as Angelo Probi, Neapolitan ambassador to Venice from about 1464 to his death in 1474. (C. Bühler, "Some early editions of Martial," Humanisme actif: mélanges...offerts à Julien Cain , Paris 1968, II, 199-204.) The twelve books of epigrams are joined by the Spectacula , which commemorated the opening of the Colosseum by Titus in 80 A.D., and the Xenia and Apophreta , which are usually treated as books 13 and 14. Martial turned from myth to observing Roman life, both high and low, and so these epigrams, whose pointed brevity Martial exploited for sharp satire, also offer detailed insight into contemporary society. The Xenia , for instance, comprises mottoes for gifts sent at Saturnalia and, relating mostly to food and drink, augments the long catalogue of Roman indulgences. H *10809; BMC V, 164 (IB. 19580-81); Goff M-297; Pellechet 7689; IGI 6217; CIBN M-160; Flodr, Martialis 1; Botfield 150-53