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Important 16th-century Lyon edition, from the library of Joachim Gomez de la Cortina

AUSONIUS, Decimus Magnus.
Opera, tertiae ferè partis complemento auctiora, & diligentiore quàm hactenus, censura recognita. Cum indice rerum memorabilium.

Woodcut portrait of author in medallion on title, woodcut round vignette on verso of last text leaf.

Woodcut portrait of author in medallion on title, woodcut round vignette on verso of last text leaf.

Woodcut portrait of author in medallion on title, woodcut round vignette on verso of last text leaf.

Woodcut portrait of author in medallion on title, woodcut round vignette on verso of last text leaf.

Woodcut portrait of author in medallion on title, woodcut round vignette on verso of last text leaf.



Lyon, Jean de Tournes, 1558. 8vo. 19th-century purple morocco, spine ribbed and gilt, triple gilt fillet borders and central gilt oval coat-of-arms on sides with text 'J. Gomez De La Cortina et amicorum. Fallitur hora legendo', gilt inner sides, marbled endpapers, g.e. Woodcut portrait of author in medallion on title, woodcut round vignette on verso of last text leaf. (16), 290, 12, (2 blank) pp.

Important edition of the Collected works by the classical rhetorician Decimus Magnus Ausonius, edited by Robert Constantin (1530-1605; according to Cartier), and Guillaume de la Barge who edited the new additions (pp. 211-290).
Ausonius (ca. 310-395) was born near Bordeaux. Ausonius was given a strict upbringing by his aunt and grandmother and he received an excellent education, especially in grammar and rhetoric. Having completed his studies, he trained for some time as an advocate, but he preferred teaching. In 334, he established a school of rhetoric in Bordeaux, which was very popular. His most famous pupil was St. Paulinus of Nola, who later became Bishop of Nola.
After thirty years of this work, he was summoned by Valentinian to the imperial court to teach Gratian, the heir-apparent. The prince greatly respected his tutor, and after his accession bestowed on him the highest titles and honours that any Roman (besides from the royal family) could attain, culminating in the consulate in 379. Ausonius also took part in a military campaign against the Alamanni, in 375, and then later he received the Suebian slave girl Bissula as his part of the booty; he later addressed a poem to her.
After the murder of Gratian in 383, Ausonius retired to his estates near Burdigala (now Bordeaux) in Gaul. These supposedly included the land now owned by Château Ausone, which takes its name from him. He appears to have been a late and perhaps not very enthusiastic convert to Christianity. He died about 395.
Ausonius' works treat a variety of subjects, and were written in a wide variety of forms, in which Ausonius was a master, a.o. in epigrams, epitaphs, ecloques, idylles, letters, proverbs,  etc. His book here is printed in several different types, including Greek.

Provenance:
(1) L. (?) Hesselin, who entered his signature on the title and undoubtedly wrote the extensive and interesting marginal annotations.
(2) From the library of Joachim Gomez de la Cortina, Marqués de Morante (1808-1868), a celebrated bibliophile, rector at the Madrid university and senator of Spain. Cortina himself composed the catalogue of his library (Catalogus librorum Doctoris D. Joach. Gomez de la Cortina, March. De Morante, qui in aedibus suis exstant. Madrid, Eusebium Aguado, 1854) containing 16.148 titles (over 100,000 vols.), with a record of the original cost of each item, and bibliographical, critical and extensive biographical notices (both original and translations). Only 500 copies were printed, mainly for presentation. A supplementary volume, covering the purchases made during 1862-68 (ca. 5000 lots) was issued in 1870, after the collector's death.
Cortina's library was sold at auction in Paris by Delbergue-Cormont from 21 February to 2 March 1872. The auction catalogue by Fr. Ansenjo Barbieri with an introduction by Paul Lacroix, Catalogue illustré de la bibliothèque de feu M. Le Marquis de Morante ancien recteur de l'Université de Madrid, Sénateur du Royaume d'Espagne, was published in Paris in 1872 at Bachelin-Deflorenne.

Very fine copy with contemporary ownership's entry of 'L(?). Hesselin' on title and numerous contemporary ms. annotations in a tiny handwriting and underlining throughout, to all probability by the same Hesselin; with small gilt red morocco armorial bookplate of J. Gomez de la Cortina pasted on inside of front cover.- (Spine sl. discoloured).
Adams A-2280; Machiels A-1096; STC French p. 36; Ind. Aur. 110.902; A. Cartier, Bibl. des éd. des De Tourne, 390; Blogie II, col. 122; C.M. Ternes, 'Bibliographie object. et subject.', in: Bull. des antiquités luxembourgeoises, 14 (1983), nr. 16; not in Baudrier.

Related Subjects: 16th Century  Bindings  Greek & Latin  Provenance 

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