Κωμῳδίαι ἐννέα. Comoediae novem — Paris 1528

Κωμῳδίαι ἐννέα. Comoediae novem. — Paris, Pierre Vidoue, for Gilles de Gourmont, 1528.

4to (194 x 140 mm). (292) leaves. Upper right corner of first fly-leaf restored. A copy with ample margins: aaa₃, ccc₃, AAA3_&4, III₃ showing deckle edges. Contemporary blindstamped pigskin over wooden boards.

Provenance: Joh. Jacobi Zur Linden…, 17th century ink inscription at head of title; Joseph von Laßberg (1770-1855) and bibliographical note to front free endpaper. Laßberg’s library, 11.000 printed books, 263 manuscripts,  was sold to the Fürstlich Fürstenbergische Hofbibliothek in Donaueschingen; shelf mark at foot of spine and inner pastedown of the Hofbibliothek Donaueschingen; exlibris Livio Ambrogio on pastedown.

Each of the nine parts with Geofroy Tory’s illustrated title-page; 4 parts with Gilles des Gourmont’s device at the end. Mortimer, French 16th Century Books no. 38: „… elaborate Gourmont title-page, on which the publisher’s armorial devices assume an importance equal to …“. See A. Bernard, Geofroy Tory, 256f., 347, passim, and Silvestre 83 and 826.

The colophon reads: Ἐτυπώθη ἐν λευκετία παῤῥησίων, ἀναλώμασιν ἐγιδίου γορμοντίου [Gilles de Gourmont, the publisher] διὰ παραινέσεως καὶ ἐπιμελείας ἰωάνου χραδάμου [Jean Chéradame, the editor], πόνῳ δε καὶ δεξιόθητι πέτρου οὐιδουαίου [Pierre Vidoue, the printer] … αφκη, dated in different months of the year. It seems that printing started in winter 1527. There a separate dedicatees to each of the comedies. The signatures show, like the dating of course, the chronology of printing of the individually purchasable parts: a, aa, aaa, A, AA, AAA, Aa, Aaa, AaA.

Plutus: a-g⁴: (28) ff. Colophon on recto, device on verso of g₄. Dated: μαιμακτηρίων ιθ = 19. Nov. Dedicatee: Ιωάννης Κληρικός/John Clerk (1482-1541), English bishop, served under Cardinal Wolsey

Nebulae: aa-gg⁴ h⁶: (34) ff. Dedicatee: Τωμὰς Οὐιντήρος/Thomas Wynter, illegitimate son of Wolsey

Ranae: aaa-iii⁴: (36) ff. Colophon on iii₃ verso, device on verso of iiii₄. ποσειδώνιων ιε = 15. Dez. Dedicatee: Πέτρος Δανησίος/Pierre Danés (1497-1574), first professor of Greek at the Collège Royal

Equites: A-H⁴: (32) ff. Colophon on recto, device on verso of H₄. ποσειδώνιων κζ = 27. Dez. Dedicatee: Ιωάννης Βιολλείος/Jean Biollay

Acharnes: AA-GG⁴: (28) ff. Colophon on GG₄ verso. ποσειδώνιων λ = 30. Dez. Dedicatee: Ιωά-ννης  Ταρτάοσος/Jean Tartassus

Vespae: AAA-III⁴: (36) ff. Colophon on III₃ verso, III₄ blank. γαμηλιών κθ = 29. Jan. Dedicatee: Ἀνθονίος Λαπιθέος/Antoine Lapithe, French humanist, brother of Stephanus L.

Aves: Aa-Ai⁴ KK⁴: (40) ff. Dedicatee: Νικόλεος Βηράλδος/Nicolaus Berauld (1473-1550), French humanist, editor of Politianus, Philelphus, Theophylactus and more, held lectures in Paris on Cicero, Aristotle, Quintilian etc.

Pax: Aaa-Fff⁴ Ggg⁶: (30) ff. Colophon on Ggg₆ verso. ἐλαφηβολιών κθ = 29. März. Dedicatee: Ιοωάννης Ρουηλλίος/Jean Ruell (1474-1537), French physisican, botanist, author of De natura stirpium, collector of manuscripts and books.

Concionantes: AaA-GgG⁴: (28) ff. Colophon on GgG₃ verso, device on GgG₄ verso. ἐλαφηβολιών λ = 30. März. Dedicatee: Γουιλλέλμος Κουίνος/?Guillaume Cuin?