HORATIUS. Quintus Horatius Flaccus. Accedunt nunc Danielis Heinsii De Satyra Horatiana libri duo, in quibus totum poëtae institutum & genius expenditur. Cum ejusdem in omnia poëtae animadversionibus, longe auctioribus.
Leiden (Lugd. Batav.), Ex Officina Elzeviriana, 1629.
12mo. 3 volumes in 1: (XXXII),239,(1 blank); 250,(4 blank); 296 (recte 286) p. Modern calf 13.5 cm
The best and most complete Horace edition of Heinsius (
Ref: Willems 314: 'cette édition d'Horace est jolie, et les exemplaires bien conservés se vendent assez cher'; Schweiger 2,403: 'Beste Ausgabe von Heinsius. Sehr sauber, in vollständigen Exx. höchst selten'; cf. Dibdin 2,97/98; Berghman 2069: 'Édition jolie et recherchée'; Rahir 285; Copinger 2396; Graesse 3,353; Ebert 10179) (
Details: Modern calf, back with 4 raised bands; with engraved main title, and 2 separate titles, the first bearing the date 1628, the second 1629, both bearing identical woodcut printer's marks. The marks depict an old man who stands in the shade of a vine-entwined elmtree, thus symbolising the symbiotic relationship between scholar and publisher. The motto is
Non solus (not alone). Our copy matches the copy of Willems, except that the last blank leaf is lacking) (
Condition: 2 small annotations in red ink, probably feltpen, on 2 pages) (
Note: The works of the Roman poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus, 65-8 B.C., have enjoyed a continuous presence in European culture. His memorable phrases made him the most quoted ancient author. Till well into the 20th century he stood central in school curricula. Earlier, in the Middle Ages, he was next to Vergil the most important school author. Horace is transmitted in around 300 medieval manuscripts. The Renaissance saw the beginning of a flood of editions. 'For Neo-latin poetry until modern times, and for all the vernacular literature of Europe from the 16th through the 18th centuries, Horace provided the dominant model both for private lyrics celebrating wine and love and for public lyrics celebrating affairs of state'. Young poets used Horace to learn the trade. 'Horace's elegant rationalism and moral wisdom, and also his disabused and tolerant tone, made his poems favorite reading during the Enlightenment'. (The Classical Tradition, Cambr. Mass., 2010, p. 454/60)
§ The famous Dutch scholar and poet Daniel Heinsius, 1580-1655, was born in Ghent. He studied in Leyden and became there the favourite pupil of the genius J.J. Scaliger, whom he succeeded as professor of Greek after Scaliger's death in 1609. Sandys calls Heinsius' work on Greek authors, such as Hesiod and Aristotle better than his work on Latin authors. 'Nevertheless, his criticisms were highly praised by his contemporaries and by his immediate successors'. (Sandys, History of Classical scholarship, p. 314) Heinsius published his first edition of Horace, with his notes, in Leiden in 1612. It became a standard, and was influencial in Holland, France and Britain. This 3 volume set of 1629 is most sought after, because of the clear typography of the Elzevier brothers, Heinsius useful
animadversiones and his masterpiece
de satira Horatiana libri duo)(
Collation: *-2*8, A-P8 (leaf P8 verso blank); A-P8, Q8 (leaves Q6, Q7 & Q8 blank); a-r8, s8 (minus the blank leaf s8)) (Photographs on request)
Book number: 120469 Euro 250.00
Keywords: (Oude Druk), Altertumswissenschaft, Altphilologie, Antike, Antiquity, Daniel Heinsius, De Satyra Horatiana libri duo, Horatius, Horaz, Latin literature, classical philology, römische Literatur