1662 Rare Latin Vellum Book - Comedies of Terence. Publius Terentius Afer
Author: Publius Terentius Afer (Terence). Edited by Cornelius Schrevelius, with the commentary of Aelius Donatus and selected notes by Guyet and other scholars.
Title: Publii Terentii Comoediae Sex, Post Optimas Editiones Emendatae. Accedunt Aelii Donati Commentarius Integer, Cum Selectis Guieti & Variorum Notis...
Language: Text and scholarly commentary in Latin.
Publisher: Lugduni Batavorum [Leiden], Apud Franciscum Hackium, 1662.
Size: 8" x 5".
Pages: 864 pages, followed by an extensive unpaginated index.
Binding: Very good original 17th-century full vellum binding over boards, decorated with ruled borders, ornamental corner tools and central devices to both covers, with ruled compartments and small ornaments to the spine. The original laced construction remains clearly visible along the joints. Expected age toning, soiling, staining and rubbing to the vellum, with the old spine lettering largely faded, and some wear to the extremities, as shown. A remarkably attractive and well-preserved period binding for a book of this age. Protected in a removable mylar cover.
Content: Very good content (firm and generally clean, with expected age toning, scattered foxing and occasional staining, particularly to some preliminary and final leaves, as shown). Old ownership inscriptions and annotations to the front blank.
Illustrations: Complete with the fine engraved allegorical frontispiece/title by Petrus Philippus, incorporating the title and publication information. Decorative woodcut initials, ornaments and devices throughout.
The book: A handsome 1662 Leiden edition of the six surviving comedies of Terence, presented in the substantial scholarly recension of Cornelius Schrevelius. In addition to Terence's Latin text, the volume incorporates the extensive ancient commentary of Aelius Donatus, together with selected annotations by François Guyet and other classical scholars, and concludes with a comprehensive index of words and phrases.
The six comedies of Terence, Andria, Hecyra, Heauton Timorumenos, Eunuchus, Phormio, and Adelphoe, were among the most continuously studied works of Latin literature from the Renaissance through the early modern period. This scholarly Hackius edition is an impressive example of seventeenth-century classical publishing, particularly desirable here in its original decorated vellum binding.
The author: Publius Terentius Afer, commonly known as Terence (c. 195/185–c. 159 BC), was one of the great comic playwrights of ancient Rome. Born in North Africa and brought to Rome, he produced six comedies, all of which survive. Admired for the elegance and purity of his Latin, subtle characterization and sophisticated adaptations of Greek New Comedy, Terence became a fundamental school author throughout medieval and Renaissance Europe. His influence extended far beyond classical scholarship, shaping European comedy and dramatists for centuries.
The editor: Cornelius Schrevelius (1608–1664) was a Dutch classical scholar, physician and educator noted for his editions of Greek and Roman authors. His carefully annotated classical texts were widely used in the seventeenth century and helped establish the scholarly reputation of Dutch academic printing during its golden age.