Bibliomania; or Book-Madness: A Bibliographical RomanceDibdin, Thomas Frognall
History
Bibliomania; or Book-Madness: A Bibliographical Romance
Dibdin, Thomas Frognall
Bibliography; Bibliomania; Book collecting; Books -- Prices
(vol. vi., 25), he makes a bitter complaint "de Comite
quodam." For the particulars, see the last mentioned
authority, p. 363, 4. In the year 1519, Godenus, to whom
Erasmus had bequeathed a silver bowl, put forth a facetious
catalogue of his works, in hexameter and pentameter verses;
which was printed at Louvain by Martin, without date, in
4to.; and was soon succeeded by two more ample and
methodical ones by the same person in 1537, 4to.; printed by
Froben and Episcopius. See Marchand's _Dict. Bibliogr. et
Histor._, vol. i., p. 98, 99. The bibliomaniac may not
object to be informed that Froben, shortly after the death
of his revered Erasmus, put forth this first edition of the
entire works of the latter, in nine folio volumes; and that
accurate and magnificent as is Le Clerc's edition of the
same (may I venture to hint at the rarity of LARGE PAPER
copies of it?), "it takes no notice of the _Index
Expurgatorius_ of the early edition of Froben, which has
shown a noble art of curtailing this, as well as other
authors." See _Knight's Life of Erasmus_, p. 353. The
mention of Froben and Erasmus, thus going down to
immortality together, induces me to inform the curious
reader that my friend Mr. Edwards is possessed of a chaste
and elegant painting, by Fuseli, of this distinguished
author and printer--the portraits being executed after the
most authentic representations. Erasmus is in the act of
calmly correcting the press, while Froben is urging with
vehemence some emendations which he conceives to be of
consequence, but to which his master seems to pay no
attention! And now having presented the reader (p. 221,
ante) with the _supposed_ study of Colet, nothing remains
but to urge him to enter in imagination, with myself, into
the _real_ study of Erasmus; of which we are presented with
the exterior in the following view--taken from Dr. Knight's
_Life of Erasmus_; p. 124.
[Illustration]
I shall conclude this ERASMIANA (if the reader will premit
[Transcriber's Note: permit] me so to entitle it) with a
wood-cut exhibition of a different kind: it being perhaps
the earliest portrait of Erasmus published in this country.
It is taken from a work entitled, "_The Maner and Forme of
Confesion_," printed by Byddell [Transcriber's Note:
Byddel], in 8vo., without date; and is placed immediately
under an address from Erasmus, to Moline, Bishop of Condome;
dated 1524; in which the former complains bitterly of "the
pain and grief of the reins of his back." The print is taken
from a tracing of the original, made by me, from a neat copy
of Byddel's edition, in the collection of Roger Wilbraham,
Esq. I am free to confess that it falls a hundred degrees
short of Albert Durer's fine print of him, executed A.D.
1526.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account