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Extremely rare issue of this 'Mirror for princes and sovereigns'

GUEVARA, Anthonio de.
Den vorstelijcken lust-hof ende morgen-wecker, in welcken de koninghen, vorsten, heeren ende allerly potentaten, zoo wel ooc die van adel, officieren ende ampt-mannen treffelijc onderricht zijn: mitsgaders ooc de vrouwen van state ende jongvrouwen, met tzamen alle menschen, haer daer in door veel schoone leeringen vermaken ende verlustighen konnen. In drye deelen begrepen. ... Nu uyt den Hoogh-duytsche inde Neder-duytsche sprake grondelijc ende trouwelijc over-ghezet: door D.W.C.

Half title with half-page engraved plate of a lion with sword in the 'Garden of Holland'; full page engraved portrait of Prince Maurits Orange- Nassau opposite his engraved coat-of-arms).

Half title with half-page engraved plate of a lion with sword in the 'Garden of Holland'; full page engraved portrait of Prince Maurits Orange- Nassau opposite his engraved coat-of-arms).

Half title with half-page engraved plate of a lion with sword in the 'Garden of Holland'; full page engraved portrait of Prince Maurits Orange- Nassau opposite his engraved coat-of-arms).

Half title with half-page engraved plate of a lion with sword in the 'Garden of Holland'; full page engraved portrait of Prince Maurits Orange- Nassau opposite his engraved coat-of-arms).



Rotterdam, Jan van Waesberghe, 1618. (=Schiedam & Rotterdam, Jan Wolffertsz Vleys 3 parts in 1 vol. 4to. Contemporary overlapping vellum. Half title with half-page engraved plate of a lion with sword in the 'Garden of Holland'; full page engraved portrait of Prince Maurits Orange- Nassau opposite his engraved coat-of-arms). (5), 94, (2); (1), 97, (2); (1), 113, (2) lvs.

Extremely rare re-issue (1618) of the first edition of the Dutch translation by "D.W.C" of 1617, of this important manual ('Mirror') for sovereigns and princes by Antonio de Guevara (ca. 1480-1545). In fact it IS the first edition as there is a slip of paper pasted over the imprints on the titles of all the three parts: "By Jan van Waesberghe, aende Merct, / inde Fame. Anno 1618". Underneath this slip of paper is readable: (part 1) Schiedam, for Jan Wolffertsz (Vleyser), 1617; (part 2) Rotterdam, Matthijs Bastiaesz., 1617; (part 3) Schiedam, Jan Wolffertsz. (Vleyser), 1617 (there is also an issue with: Rotterdam, Matthijs Bastiaesz., 1617). Palau mentions only one copy with our 1618-imprint in the University Library, Utrecht, which is, however, not traceble anymore.

Antonio de Guevara was a Spanish chronicler and moralist. Born in the province of Álava, he passed some of his youth at the court of Isabella of Castile. In 1528 he entered the Franciscan order, and afterwards accompanied Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, during his journeys to Italy and other parts of Europe. He held successively the offices of court preacher, and court historiographer. This is his earliest work, originally entitled Reloj de principes, published at Valladolid in 1529. It is a didactic novel, designed, after the manner of Xenophon's Cyropaedia, to delineate in a somewhat ideal way, for the benefit of modern sovereigns, the life and character of an ancient prince, Marcus Aurelius, distinguished for wisdom and virtue. It was often reprinted in Spanish; and before the close of the century had also been translated into Latin, Italian, French and English. This Dutch translation followed in 1617.
It is difficult now to account for the extraordinary popularity of the work. It gave rise to a great literary controversy, the author having tried to claim it as historically accurate. Other works of Guevara are the Decada de los Césares (Valladolid, 1539), or "Lives of the Ten Roman Emperors", in imitation of the manner of Plutarch and Suetonius; and the Epistolas familiares (Valladolid, 1539-1545), sometimes called "The Golden Letters," often printed in Spain, and translated into all the principal languages of Europe. Guevara's influence upon the Spanish prose of the 16th century has been considerable.

Very good copy with armorial book-plate of Ignatius Dominicus, Comes de Chorinski and ex-libris of Dr J.A. van Praag.
Palau 110204, cf. 110203; not in Muller-De Vries-Scheepers, nor in Waller; NCC: 4 copies of the 1617 edition.

Related Subjects: 16th Century  17th Century  House of Orange  Literary History  Spanish 

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