SCALIGER,J.C. Iulii Caesaris Scaligeri viri clarissimi Poemata in duas partes divisa. Pleraque omnia in publicum iam primum prodeunt; reliqua vero quam ante emendatius edita sunt. Sophoclis Aiax Lorarius, stylo Tragico a Josepho Scaligero Iulii F. translatus. Eiusdem epigrammata quaedam, tum Graeca tum Latina, cum quibusdam e Graeco versis. N.pl. (Geneva), (Jacob Stoer for Gaspard de Hus), 1574. 8vo. 3 parts in 1: (VI),663,(1 blank); 337,(1 corrigenda),(2 blank); 70,(1 errata),(1 blank) p. Calf. 17.5 cm (Ref: GLN-2523; USTC 450676; cf. Smitskamp's 'The Scaliger collection' no. 146; Brunet 5,179; Graesse 6/289; Ebert 20452) (Details: Back gilt and with 5 raised bands. Marbled endpapers. First title-page removed. Edges dyed red. § Printed in italics. The title-pages of the 2nd and 3rd part have been preserved. Part 1 contains: Apiculae, p. 1; Nemesis, p. 59; Teretismata, Satyra, p. 76; Nova Epigrammata, p. 113; Farrago, p. 150; Thaumantia, p. 224; Arae Fracastoreae, p. 256; Nymphae indigenae, p. 272; Adamantij Catulli tumulus, p. 391; Heroes, p. 307; Archilochus, p. 339; Hipponax, p. 385; Sidera, p. 458; Lacrymae, p. 526; Aenigmata, p. 546; Urbes, p. 582; Logogriphi, p. 614; Manes Catulliani, p. 634. Part 2 contains: Ata, p. 3; Hymni, p. 79; Epidorpidum libri octo, p. 98; De Regnorum eversionibus, p. 324; Part 3 contains a Latin translation (only) of the Ajax of Sophocles by the son of Julius Caesar, Josephus Justus Scaliger, and concludes with 20 pages epigrammata composed by junior. § On the verso of the first flyleaf has been pasted an engraved portrait of Scaliger, printed between 1750 and 1775 by the Parisian printer Daumont. The legend reads 'Iule Cesar Scaliger Critique, Poète, Médecin, Philosophe, né à Ripa dans le Verronois en Italie mort à Agen en france l'an 1558 agé de 75 ans'. The portrait is cut from an larger engraving. (See for this complete engraving: bibliotheques.mnhn.fr , then search for PO 3505) (Condition: Lacking the first title-page. Binding somewhat scuffed. Corners bumped. Joint of the lower board split for ca. 3,5 cm. Paper yellowing. The first leaf is browning and shows some small inkstains. Occasionally some old ink underlinings or marks. Tear in page 311/12) (Note: The greatest contribution of the classical scholar of Italian origin Julius Caesar Scaliger (Giulio Bordone della Scala), 1484-1558, to the history of classical scholarship is of course his brilliant son Joseph Justus Scaliger. In 1524 Julius Caesar Scaliger moved to France where he became physician to bishop Antonio della Rovere of Agen, and where his son Joseph Justus was born in 1540, the same year in which his 'De causis linguae latinae libri tredecim' was published. This book is among his most important philological works. The work is, according to Sandys, an acute and judicious work on the leading principles of the Latin language. § Scaliger published collections of his Neo-Latin poetry in 1533 and 1546. He considered the mastery of Latin composition not as a pastime, but as the scholar's most valuable skill. In 1574 his son Josephus Justus produced a new edition of his father's collected poetry during his stay at Geneva, where he took refuge because of the French wars of religion and St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572). Here he delivered public lectures and tutored students, and met fellow humanists, Beza, Henricus Stephanus et alii, all interested in or writing Neo-Latin poetry. § To the edition of his father's poetry the son added a work of himself, the translation of Sophocles' Ajax. This translation was first published in 1573 in Paris with a Greek text and the translation on the facing page. The appropriate medium for the translation of the Ajax was in Scaliger's eyes archaic Latin. 'He used as many arcane or distinctively pre-classical words as possible (...). He dressed ordinary words in primitive spellings (...). And, like the archaic poets, he freely coined new compound words'. (Grafton, A., Joseph Scaliger, a study in the history of scholarship', volume 1, Oxford 1983, p. 114/115) After the Ajax Scaliger jr. added 20 pages with epigrammata, Greek and Latin, also of his own. § (Collation: *4 (minus leaf *1, the title-page), a-z8, A-S8, T4 (leaf T4 verso blank); Aa-Xx8, Yy2 (leaf Yy2 blank), AA-DD8, EE4 (leaf EE4 verso blank))
Book number: 159156 Euro 500.00

Keywords: (Rare Books), Aias, Ajax, Dichtung, Latin translation only, Neolatin poetry, Neulatein, Neulateinische Dichtkunst, Poesie, Scaliger, Sophocles, Swiss imprints, poetry