An attractive, unsophisticated copy of the works of Christian poet Prudentius (348-c.413), with a large, sixteenth-century donation exlibris. This volume of Prudentius’ poetry is edited by professor of Greek at Basel, and printer Petri’s son-in-law, Marcus Hopper (d.1564) with his dedication to Johann Rudolf von Erlach; with the commentary of jurists Johannes Sichardt and Jakob Spiegel, and Erasmus.
The exlibris attached to the front pastedown, dated 1588, explains that the present volume was one of over a thousand books (more precisely ‘mille & tribus’) and mathematical instruments bequeathed to the monastery of the Holy Cross in Augsburg by their owner, Wolfgang Andreas Rem von Kötz (1511-1588), the provost of the cathedral church there. This was one of two gifts bequeathed by Rem on his death, the other being of 160 books on law and jurisprudence to the Dombibliothek (the books in this gift had their own similar but separate bookplate noting Rem’s donation). The exlibris here is the larger of two variant bookplates printed in letterpress for the books donated to the monastery; the other, smaller label does not mention mathematical instruments, as this one does. These donation labels are the only identifying features of books from Rem’s library; though it was extensive, his books were not unified by distinguishing, uniform bindings or other marks of ownership. Rem’s arms at the foot of the label, with an ox at the centre, can be seen carved on a memorial for him in the Augsburger Dom.
Prior to his role as provost at Augsburg, Rem had a distinguished legal career – in both canon and civil law – holding successive advisory roles on the imperial councils of two Emperors, Ferdinand II and Charles V at the Diet of Regensburg and the Diet of Worms in 1531 and 1545 respectively. Prior to this role and after his studies of Greek and Latin at Augsburg, he matriculated at six universities between 1523 and 1546, both in the Imperial territories and in France and Italy. After studies in Augsburg and Ingolstadt, Rem von Kötz matriculated at Padua, “where his studies were interrupted due to the Milanese War of 1526. In the following years he studied law in Tübingen under Georg Symler, in Toulouse under Peter Fönix, and in Bourges under Andreas Alciati; he was awarded a doctorate in utriusque iure in 1530. Esteemed for his legal knowledge, he rose through the ranks of the clergy in the diocese of Augsburg”; along with his roles at the imperial diets, he was “sent to the courts of the Bavarian dukes and other princes, and entrusted with both the leadership of the diocesan synod, and correspondence with the papacy due to the classical and rhetorical quality of his Latin. In 1545 he was sent to the Council of Trent. Rem was respected among humanists; Erasmus counted him and his father as friends; Viglius van Zwichem was also a friend“ (Vogt; our translation).
Provenance: Wolfgang Andreas Rem von Kötz (1511–1588), provost of the Cathedral Church at Augsburg (donation exlibris to front pastedown). Light dampstaining to first three or so quires, otherwise an excellent copy in very good condition.
VD16 P5131. Adams P2185; BMSTC German, p.717. Refs: Information about Rem is scarce; among the fuller accounts is W. Vogt, ‘Rem, Wolfgang Andreas’ in Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie XXVIII (1889), p.190 [open access]; see also ‘Provenienzen von Inkunabeln der BSB’, [open access]; entry for ‘Wolfgang Andreas Rem II’ on Repertorium Academicum Germanicum [open access].
