Howell, James

Lexicon Tetraglotton, an English-French-Italian-Spanish Dictionary? With Another Volume of the Choicest Proverbs?

      printed by J.G. for Samuel Thomson, 1660-[59]. First edition, folio, engraved frontispiece after W. Faithorn, title printed in red and black, text primarily in triple column; entry words in English throughout; a pleasing copy in full contemporary calf, unrestored; gilt spine, red morocco label; with the half-title (also printed in red and black); some cracking of joints at the extremities, the whole a bit scuffed and rubbed, sections of the text significantly spotted, but generally a good, sound copy. In addition to the proverbs, the book contains prefatory poems on language, a 6-p. note "To the tru philologer, " and many separate sections at the back giving terminology in a number of specific jargons: i.e. anatomy, horsemanship, hunting and venery, military, nautical, architecture and "household stuff", among others. Howell (? 1594-1666) was an accomplished linguist and historiographer to Charles II (see DNB for a long description of his sometimes checkered career). Besides being one of the first Englishmen to earn a livelihood out of literature, he possessed a rare mastery of the modern languages, including his native Welsh. In addition to this polyglot, Howell issued a revised edition of Cotgrave's French-English Dictionary in 1650; A New English Grammar for Foreigners (1662); and a posthumously published French grammar (1673). Alston II, 110 (noting 2 other issues of the same year); Wing H3088.