Heliodorus Emesenus

Heliodorus His Aethiopian History…

      London; Felix Kyngston for William Barrett, 1622. 4to. pp [iv] 336 317-328. Roman letter; woodcut head and tail pieces and initials. Contemp. press mark and initials RLS to upper corner of t-p, contemp. ms ex libris of Roger L'Estrange to fly, partially struck through. Light age-yellowing, occasional rust spots, a good, clean copy in contemporary limp vellum, lacking ties, 2 early paper library labels to spine. 19th C armorial bookplate of the Earl of Macclesfield to front pastedown, Shirburn castle blind stamp to first few ll. Unsophisticated copy of the first translation into English of the oldest and best of all extant Greek novels, generally recognized as the first European novel. It was brought to light in modern times in a ms from the library of Matthias Corvinus, found at the sack of Buda (Ofen) in 1526, and printed at Basel in 1534. The title derives from the fact that the story, developed in 10 books, starts and ends in Ethiopia. In Charicleia, the daughter of the queen of Ethiopia, born white due to the effect of the sight of a marble statue upon the queen during her pregnancy, is raised by priests in Delphi, eventually becoming a priestess of Apollo herself. There she meets and falls in love with a noble Thessalian, Theagenes. The young lovers, of course, endure many trials and have many adventures. They flee Delphi with the help of Calasiris, an Egyptian priest, and are captured and separated by pirates. Once again reunited in Memphis, they wend their way south, arriving in Meroe, the capital of Ethiopia, as prisoners of the Ethiopian army, then at war with Persia. At the last moment, just before Charicleia is about to be sacrificed to the gods, she is recognized as the true princess of Ethiopia and the two lovers are happily married. The rapid succession of events, the variety of the characters, the fascinating descriptions of natural scenary in Ethiopia, Egypt and Greece, the simplicity and elegance of the style, all give the 'Aethiopica' great charm. Heliodorus was an exceptional master of plot...