One of the most popular and beautiful emblem books, issued simultaneously in different tri-lingual versions (Latin-Dutch-French, Latin-English-Italian, Latin-French-Italian, Latin-Spanish-Italian), but this version with English verses is the scarcest. The English translation is by Richard Rowlands Verstegan, a Catholic writer and spy who lived in Antwerp from 1587. Verstegan published one of the most famous pieces of propaganda for the French Catholic League, the Theatrum Crudelitatum Haereticorum Nostri Temporis (1587), a work that was highly influenced by the emblem book genre.
Dedicated, as the First Folio edition of Shakespeare’s plays (1623) was to be fifteen years later, “To the moste honorable, and woorthie brothers” William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke and Philip, Earl of Montgomery: “… Vouchsafe my Lordes to bee honored from these forreyn partes by a stranger, who to serve your honors in the best partes he hath, will make himself no stranger. …”.
With preliminary verses by Hugo Grotius, Daniel Heinsius, and Max. Vrientius in Latin, Richard Verstegan (“R. V.”) in English, and Petro Benedetti in Italian.
Provenance: 1: Henry Huth (1815-78) or his son Alfred Henry Huth (1850-1910), with leather label to upper pastedown; sale, Sotheby, 10/7/1919, lot 7639 to Maggs. 2: Arthur & Charlotte Vershbow, with their bookplate to ffep (acquired from Chiswick Bookshop, 1968), sale, Christie, New York, III, 20/6/2013, lot 732.
With an auction description of Veen’s work bound in.
Occasional pages with small wormholes, slightly affect text or image, scattered foxing and browning, some pages heavily so. Title page with early paper repair, pp. 237 with small tear along gutter, not affecting text.
STC 24627a.8 (British Library, Bodley, Cambridge, Glasgow University, Senate House Library; Folger [x 5; 2 defective], Harvard, Huntington, University of Illinois, Williams College. STC 24627a.9 (Folger only) is a variant without the imprint date. Landwehr 827. Praz, p. 524.
