First Lyon edition of a collection of amorous and lightly erotic poems in Latin by the French poet Jean Bonnefons (1554-1614). The poems are love songs to an imaginary mistress, or pancharis (Greek for "all gracious"), in the tradition of the Book of kisses by Jean the Second (1511-1536). The work became so popular, that poet Gilles Durand (1554-1605) published his Imitations (1587), which are love poems in French based on Bonnefons', in the same year. As the Imitations did not have the name of the author on the title page, the work was initially attributed to Bonnefons and therefore often bound together with Pancharis, as is the case in the present copy.
The Pancharis and the Imitations were first published in 1587. The present edition is the first printed in Lyon by Thomas Soubron, but the 6th edition overall. It is finely printed in a small Italic type, and nicely adorned with ornamental woodcut initials and vignettes, including a charming woodcut headpiece of people swimming. Soubron was active at Lyons from 1592 until 1622. He started his career with publishing the poetry by Pierre de Ronsard in 1592, and Remy Belleau in 1593, and printed a second edition of the present work in 1618.
The binding is rubbed and scratched, the gold tooling has faded, the edges and corners of the boards are scuffed, the front board is torn in half, but the two parts are still held together by the pastedown. The work is slightly browned throughout, with small stains on some of the leaves, both works lacking the final blanks. Otherwise in good condition. Ad 1: Pettegree & Walsby 58764; USTC 146345 (7 copies); Ad 2: Pettegree & Walsby 6419; USTC 13376 (9 copies); not in Baudrier; STC French p. 75 (both parts listed separate); Tchemerzine.