Virorum illustrium, seu Historiae sacrae libri IX (Famous Men, or Nine Books on Sacred History)
Leipzig: [Ernst Vögelin], [1564]. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. Collation: A-V8 (= 160 leaves). [16], 275 (pp. 125, 224, 225 misnumbered 325, 124, 125 respectively), [1, blank], [26, index], [1, errata], [1, blank]pp. With 3 indices. Woodcut printer’s device at title. Contemporary roll tooled pigskin (soiled). Small worm-hole at top margin early leaves. Text lightly toned with occasional smudges. A good or better copy on crisp paper.
One of two undated editions of this popular elementary text, assigned to 1564 on the basis of the dedication to Augustus of Saxony, dated IIII. Non. Febr. Anno à Christo nato M.D.LXIIII. Neither publisher nor street address appears at the title of either edition. Each contains 387 entries; the main text of the present edition comprises 275 pages (vs. 256 pages in the other ) and includes a table of contents facing the first page of the main text; following the dedication/preface is a brief note on Sulpicius Severus (c. 363 - c. 425) upon whose Chronicle of Sacred History, the present digest is based -- neither of which appear in the 256-page edition. Georg Fabricius (baptised Goldschmied; 1516-1571) of Chemnitz in Saxony, was a German philologist, poet, historian and archaeologist. He is best known for his Roma, Antiquitatis Monumenta (1550), the fruit of his long years of research and travel in Italy; and the Poetarum Veterum (1564), a thesaurus of early Christian hymns and poetry.
Contents: Liber I. Libertatis Ecclesiae invictae; II. Ecclesiae per miseriam propagatae; III. Ecclesiae a ducibus gubernatae; IV. Regii Ecclesiae imperii; V. Regni Israelitici seu Samaritani; VI. Regni Iudaici seu Hierosolymitani; VII. Ecclesiae exulis atque restitutae; VIII. Ecclesia a regibus Asiaticis vexatae; IX. Gentium Ecclesiae adversantium.
Provenance and annotations: Contempory gift dedication at front pastedown “Balthazar Sommer Georg-Seldensis selanus donavit hoc libello R. D. Martinum Eberhardum in symbolum perpetuum Anno. LXXI [1571]. iii Nonas Novembriis.” Early entry at title; occasional annotations in two old hands. Good+. Item #49180
References: Adams F-99; VD16 F393; cf. VD16 F392 (main text 256pp.).
Price: $950.00