PRESENTED TO JOSEPH BRERETON BY THE CHETHAM LIBRARIAN
Georgii buchanani scoti Poetae eximii Franciscanus & fratres, Quibus accessere varia eiusdem & aliorum Poemata aquorum & titulos & nomina NVI. indicabit pagina. Eiusdem Psalmos seorsim non fine accessione excudit.
Basileae Rauracorum [i.e. Basle].
Thomas Guarinus Nervius, [1568].
First edition.
8vo.
[16], 319, 176, 143pp. Finely bound in eighteenth-century, gilt-tooled, blue-ruled vellum, likely English Marbled endpapers. A little marked and faded, else a handsome copy with very occasional annotations in an early hand to the first section of this work. Joseph Brereton's copy, with the later bookplate of Rev. John Stirton. In addition to adding several bibliographical details, including that 'the learned Mattaire' in 'his Annales Typograph. Vol 3. p.224.' includes extracts from this 'curious & scarce Book', Brereton has noted that it was 'A Present rom my good friend Mr. Thyer: the late Learned Librarian of Manchester', and composed a witty contrast of the nationalities of authors.
A choice copy, with significant and decidedly English provenance, of the first edition of a compilation of Neo-Latin works of Scottish humanist historian, poet and administrator George Buchanan (1506- 1582), including his satires on monasticism Franciscanus and Fratres fraterrimi, the biblical tragedy Jephthes, translations of Euripides' Medea and Alcestis, which also includes several works by contemporary French poets Jean Dorat, Michel de l'Hopital and Adrien Turnebe, and features Greek and Hebrew type in addition to the predominately Latin text.
Joseph Brereton (1721-1787) began collecting fifteenth- and sixteenth- century books whilst still an undergraduate at Queen's College Cambridge, to which he often made significant manuscript notes. By the end of his life as a Cheshire clergyman, and apparently sometime agent for the Dysart family, for whom he also acted as Chaplain, he had acquired works by Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde to his library, amongst a plethora of other early printers.
In this copy, presented to him by Robert Thyer (1709-1781), literary editor and Chetham's Librarian between 1732 and 1763, Brereton has listed in his characteristic hand six Italian authors, contrasting them with the three French poets and '1 Scot', Buchanan, whose works are contained herein, and contrasted them in verse as follows:
'Here 1 Scot, 3 French 6 Italians run 3 equal 6, but 9 are beat by 1'
and
'3 French, with 6 Italian Poets shine 1 single Scot eclipseth all the nine'.
Joseph Brereton (1721-1787) began collecting fifteenth- and sixteenth- century books whilst still an undergraduate at Queen's College Cambridge, to which he often made significant manuscript notes. By the end of his life as a Cheshire clergyman, and apparently sometime agent for the Dysart family, for whom he also acted as Chaplain, he had acquired works by Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde to his library, amongst a plethora of other early printers.
In this copy, presented to him by Robert Thyer (1709-1781), literary editor and Chetham's Librarian between 1732 and 1763, Brereton has listed in his characteristic hand six Italian authors, contrasting them with the three French poets and '1 Scot', Buchanan, whose works are contained herein, and contrasted them in verse as follows:
'Here 1 Scot, 3 French 6 Italians run 3 equal 6, but 9 are beat by 1'
and
'3 French, with 6 Italian Poets shine 1 single Scot eclipseth all the nine'.
Adams B3051. Book Collector, Autumn 1992 'Joseph Brereton, Portrait of a Bibliophile', pp.321-330.
£ 2,500.00
Antiquates Ref: 29226
