BLESDIJK, NICOLAAS VAN.

HISTORIA, VITAE, DOCTRINAE, AC RERUM GESTARUM DAVIDIS GEORGII HAERESIARCHAE. CONSCRIPTA AB IPSIUS GENERO NICOLAO BLESDIKIO. NUNC PRIMUM PRODIT IN LUCEM EX MUSAEO IACOBI REVII. DAVENTRIAE (=DEVENTER), N.COST, 1642.

      Two works in one volume. 8vo. Contemporary vellum; overlapping boards; goldstamped title lable on spine; traces of ms. title on spine. Woodcut printer's device on title; woodcut endpiece on last page. (8), 189 pp. HORNIUS, Georgius. De originibus Americanis. Libri quatuor. (No place), Adrianus Vlacq, 1652. Two works in 1 volume. 8vo. Title in black and red; woodcut printer's device on title; some woodcut headpieces. (9), (11), 282 pp. Ad 1: Rare, first and one of the most famous works by Nicolaas Blesdijk (1520-?) son-in-law and dedicated follower of David Joris of Delft. Although this work was first published in 1642, parts of it had already been written in 1559 or 1560. This "Historia vitae" was part of a more extensive work about the history of the baptists. When the work is finally published almost a hundred years later, it served as an important source for the description of the life of David Joris and of his doctrine throughout the 17th and 19th century. Jacob Revius, the famous Dutch scholar and writer, found this manuscript and "just" edited it, without any adaptation of the text. By doing this he preserved an important document of being lost forever.Ad 2: First edition of work by Gregorius Horn (1627-1670), a very productive and well-known writer of the 17th century. Most of his works are of historical or geographical nature. Because of his extensive oeuvre he was often accused of writing without properly consulting other works about the same subjects. He was very famous and wanted for his knowledge and was asked for several chairs. By the and of his life he became more and more under the influence of supersticion and he was then an easy victim of proposters, who took all his money. Beautiful copy. Ad 1: Posthumus Meysjes, Jacobus Revius, zijn leven en werken. 1895, Lijst van de werken van J. Revius, XVIII and pp. 217-219; Zijlstra, Nicolaas Meyndertsz. van Blesdijk. Een bijdrage tot de geschiedenis van het Davidjorisme, 1983, pp.147-175.