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GENUINELY RARE, ORIGINAL 1629 EDITION OF: “QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS.” This important 17th century treatise was written by Quintus Horatius Flaccus and printed by Elzevir [also Elzevier] at Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The legendary Elzevir family of Dutch booksellers, publishers and printers are best known for their pocket-sized editions of the classics and important historical works.
The present treatise contains the highly esteemed edition of Horace’s collected works by the celebrated classical scholar Daniel Heinsius. Text is widely regarded as one the finest editions of Horace’s writings ever published. Daniel Heinsius’ proficiency in the classical languages was without equal during his time, and he received the praise of all the best contemporary European scholars. “Cette edition d”Horace est jolie, et les exemplairs bien conserves se vendent assez cher.” [Willems 314].
Daniel Heinsius (1580-1655) was one of the most famous scholars of the Dutch Renaissance. Born at Ghent, the troubles of the Spanish war drove Heinsius’ parents to settle first at Veere in Zeeland, then to England, next at Ryswick and lastly at Flushing. In 1596, being already remarkable for his attainments, he was sent to the University of Franeker to study law under Henricus Schotanus. In 1598 he settled at Leiden for the nearly sixty remaining years of his life. There he studied under Joseph Scaliger, and there he met Marnix de St Aldegonde, Janus Dousa, Paulus Merula, Hugo Grotius and others; he was soon taken into the society of these celebrated men as their equal.
His proficiency in the classical languages won the him the acclaim of all the best scholars of Europe, and offers were made to him, but in vain, to accept honorable positions outside Holland. He soon rose in dignity at the University of Leiden. In 1602 he started lecturing, in 1603 he was appointed professor of poetics, in 1605 professor of Greek, and at the death of Merula in 1607 he succeeded that illustrious scholar as the 4th librarian of Leiden University Library. As a classical scholar Heinsius edited many Latin and Greek classical as well as patristic authors, amongst others: Hesiod (1603), Theocritus, Bion and Moschus (1603), Aristotle’s “Ars poetica” (1610), Clement of Alexandria (1616) and Terentius (1618). He brought out the Epistles of Joseph Scaliger in 1627.
Especially influential was his treatise “De tragica constitutione” (‘How to make a tragedy’, 1611). It was a personal and easily accessible version of what Aristotle had written on tragedy in his “Poetics”. A revised edition appeared in 1643 with a slightly different title: “De constitutione tragoediae”. In 1609 he printed a first edition of his Latin orations. Ever more voluminous new editions appeared until the final edition of 1642 which comprised 35 orations. The collection ended with the ironical “Laus pediculi” (‘In praise of the louse’), which was translated in English by James Guitard in 1634.
Heinsius first drew attention to himself as a Latin poet with his Senecan tragedy “Auriacus, sive libertas saucia” (‘William of Orange, or Freedom Wounded’). In 1607-08 he wrote another tragedy, “Herodes infanticida” (‘The Massacre of the Innocents’), which was published only in 1632. He was, however, especially prolific in writing elegies, of which a large part was dedicated to his love for a girl called Rossa. A first collection appeared in 1603. Ever larger and revised collections of his “Poemata”, also containing other genres, saw the light regularly.
In 1601 he published, under the pseudonym of “Theocritus à Ganda” (‘Theocritus from Ghent’), “Quaeris quid sit Amor…?” (‘Do you ask what love is?’), the first emblem book in Dutch. It was re-edited in 1606-07 with the title “Emblemata amatoria” (‘Love emblems’). A second emblem book, “Spiegel vande doorluchtige vrouwen” ( ‘Mirror of illustrious women’), was published in 1606. Heinsius also experimented in Dutch poetry after classical models. His efforts were collected by his friend Petrus Scriverius and published as “Nederduytsche poemata” (‘Dutch poems’) in 1616. They were greatly admired by Martin Opitz, who, in translating the poetry of Heinsius, introduced the German public to the use of the rhyming alexandrine.
In 1617 he married Ermgard Rutgers, sister of Janus Rutgersius (alias of Mr. Johan Rutgers 1589-1625) one of Scaliger’s favorite pupils. At the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) Heinsius was secretary on behalf of the States-General. Afterwards he paid more attention to theology and worked on the text of the Greek New Testament for Elzeviers edition (1624, 1633). In these years he also wrote a large didactic poem, “De contemptu mortis” (‘On the contempt of death’, 1621), which has a Christian-Stoical content. His wife died in 1633, and Heinsius got into a conflict with Claudius Salmasius, who was appointed as his colleague in 1631. He became more and more lonely and embittered. He stopped lecturing in 1647. He died in 1655 and was buried in Leiden.
Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 BC-8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. Born in the small town of Venusia in the border region between Apulia and Lucania [Basilicata], Horace was the son of a freed slave, who owned a small farm in Venusia, and later moved to Rome to work as a “coactor” [a middleman between buyers and sellers at auctions, receiving one percent of the purchase price from each for his services]. The elder Horace was able to spend considerable money on his son’s education, accompanying him first to Rome for his primary education, and then sending him to Athens to study Greek and philosophy.
After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Horace joined the army, serving under the generalship of Brutus. He fought as a staff officer [tribunus militum] in the Battle of Philippi. Alluding to famous literary models, he later claimed that he saved himself by throwing away his shield and fleeing. When an amnesty was declared for those who had fought against the victorious Octavian [later Augustus], Horace returned to Italy, only to find his estate confiscated; his father likely having died by then. Horace claims that he was reduced to poverty. Nevertheless, he had the means to gain a profitable lifetime appointment as a scriba quaestorius, an official of the Treasury, which allowed him to practice his poetic art.
Horace was a member of a literary circle that included Virgil and Lucius Varius Rufus, who introduced him to Maecenas, friend and confidant of Augustus. Maecenas became his patron and close friend and presented Horace with an estate near Tibur in the Sabine Hills [contemporary Tivoli]. Horace died in Rome a few months after the death of Maecenas at age fifty-seven. Upon his death bed, having no heirs, Horace relinquished his farm to his friend, the emperor Augustus, for imperial needs and it stands today as a spot of pilgrimage for his admirers.
Horace is generally considered to stand alongside Virgil and Ovid as one of the greatest poets of the Augustan Age. Several of his poetry’s main themes, such as the “beatus ille” [an appraisal of simple life] and “carpe diem” [literally "pluck the day", more commonly rendered into English as "seize the day", but perhaps closer to "enjoy the day"] were recovered during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, influencing poets such as Petrarch and Dante. However, those themes were not truly retaken till the 16th century, when the Renaissance culture and its admiration of Roman and Greek antiquity was solidly established. In that sense, the influence of Horace can be traced in the works of poets such as Garcilaso de la Vega, Juan Boscán, Torquato Tasso, Pierre de Ronsard and especially in Fray Luis de León.
Fray Luis de León.wrote some of the most remarkable “Odes” dealing with the beatus ille precepts. Besides, several latter poets such as Shakespeare and Quevedo were heavily influenced by Horace’s poetry. Moreover, his work Ars Poetica remained as a canonical guide for composing poetry till the end of romanticism, and it was known and studied by most writers; even though its precepts were not always thoroughly followed, it held an unimpaired prestige when it came to deal with the form, wording and setting of any poem, play or prose work, and its influence can be traced well into the works of playwrights and writers such as Lope de Vega, Henry Fielding, Calderón de la Barca, Pierre Corneille, Samuel Johnson, Goethe, Voltaire or Diderot.
Apart from carpe diem, Horace is also known for having coined many other Latin phrases that remain in use today, whether in Latin or translation, including “Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori” ["It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country"], “Nunc est bibendum” ["Now we must drink"], and “aurea mediocritas” ["golden mean"]. Horace also forms the basis for the character Quintus Horatius Flaccus in the “Oxford Latin Course”, a Latin textbook for secondary students; the books loosely follow his life.
Condition: Rare book remains in good to very good condition [see images]. Volume handsomely bound in late 19th century russia gilt [leather] with paneled spine; light to moderate cover wear with spine chipping and front joint starting, endpapers and foredges marbled, finely engraved title page, scattered minor spotting, generally clean internally. All in all, this desirable treatise remains very presentable. Text in Latin. Volume numbers 785 pages (239+296+250) with additional preliminaries; and measures approx 5″ tall x 3′ wide x 1.25″ thick. Quite a find and a very worthy acquisition indeed.
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