Essayes… [translated by] John Florio.
Essayes written in French by Michael Lord of Montaigne, Knight of the Order of S. Michael, gentleman of the French Kings chamber: Done into English, according to the last French edition, by John Florio.
London: Melch. Bradwood for Edward Blount and William Barret, 1613.
Folio, [xii], 630 pp. (A-3I6, 3K3, missing final blank leaf 3K4); leaf A6 (pp.7/8) with portrait on verso bound as frontispiece; three parts published as one volume, individual title-pages with woodcut decorations to second and third parts; old half calf and marbled boards.
The second edition of Florio's great translation of Montaigne
Second edition in English of Montaigne's masterpiece in the important translation by John Florio, one of the great prose works of the Elizabethan period, used by Shakespeare as a source for several late works, most importantly The Tempest. First published in French in 1580, Montaigne's Essays first appeared in English, in Florio's translation, in 1603. William Hole's portrait, bound as frontispiece here, celebrates the translator rather than the author of the Essays, showing Florio as a handsome neatly bearded courtier.
Second edition in English of Montaigne's masterpiece in the important translation by John Florio, one of the great prose works of the Elizabethan period, used by Shakespeare as a source for several late works, most importantly The Tempest. First published in French in 1580, Montaigne's Essays first appeared in English, in Florio's translation, in 1603. William Hole's portrait, bound as frontispiece here, celebrates the translator rather than the author of the Essays, showing Florio as a handsome neatly bearded courtier.
"Montaigne devised the essay form in which to express his personal convictions and private meditations, a form in which he can hardly be said to have been anticipated… He finds a place in the present canon, however, chiefly for his consummate representation of the enlightened skepticism of the 16th century, to which Bacon, Descartes and Newton were to provide the answers in the next" (Printing and the Mind of Man).
The second edition contains the preliminary sonnet "Concerning the honor of bookes" which was at one time attributed to Shakespeare, though is more likely to have been by Samuel Daniel, who signs the poem before it in honour of Florio, "Sam. Daniel". Oddly, early ink annotations on this page claim "There are Six manuscripts and two Old Copys have it Sappy instead of Sam; which makes a great alteration in the Text" and "Sappy Daniel One of the greatest Poets in those Days: he writes in the Pindarick Stile: he read Homer in 5 days & translated Horace into Verse in 15 and became perfect Master of all ye Greek & Latin Classicks in 25. A Beautiful Progress".
Provenance: Early signatures on the title-page of Betty Gregson (Yorkshire, ?-1763, married Henry Chaytor in 1760) and Matthew Chaytor; later (there seems to have been a family connection) Sir Henry Heathcote (Admiral, 1777-1851, with his armorial bookplate as baronet).
Printing and the Mind of Man, 95; Grolier, Langland to Wither 102; Lowndes, 1588; Pforzheimer, 378; ESTC S111840; STC, 18042.
Condition Report: Edges of the title-page ragged and 1/4 inch of lower margin made good with blank paper, the following three leaves with some marginal wear, well clear of text; portrait leaf (normally at end of prelims) placed here as frontispiece and slightly worn at outer margin; spine of the binding rubbed but good.
Price (AUD): $8,500.00
US$5,896.12 Other currencies