Author: [Martial] Martialis, Marcus Valerius: (Farnaby, Thomas, ed.:)

Title: Epigrammata.

Publication: Amsterdami [Amsterdam]: Ex officina Janssonio-Waesbergiana, 1670.

Description: 12mo., pp.456. Engraved title page. A little toned towards head edge, clean. Contemporary vellum, 'Martialis' inked to spine in an old hand, along with quite a large '3159', also in an old hand, to lower board, fore-edges slightly overlapped, edges sprinkled blue. A bit grubby with a few ink blots, pastedowns lifted revealing binder's waste beneath, very good overall. Illegible ownership inscription to lifted rear pastedown verso.

Thomas Farnaby (1574/5?1647) was a celebrated schoolteacher and grammarian. 'The success of his establishment allowed Farnaby to devote himself to a long-held obsession: the systemization of the grammatical principles of classical Latin and Greek in print. Commencing with the satires of Juvenal and Persius (1612), he annotated many of the classical authors?Seneca, Martial, Lucan, Ovid, Virgil, and Terence?in a manner intended to render their works intelligible to schoolboys [...] He also corresponded with the Dutch intellectuals Gerardus Johannes Vossius and Daniel Heinsius, both of whom acknowledged their own debts to his learning.' (ODNB) His edition of Martial first appeared in London in 1615.

Bibliography: Schweiger 598.

Reference Number: [55135]

Price: £175

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