AUGUSTINE, Saint: VIVES, Juan Luis

Io. Frobenius lectori S.D. En habes ... Aurelii Augustini, opus absolutissimum, de civitate Dei, magnis sudoribus emendatum ... per virum clarissimum & undequaque doctissimum Ioan. Lodovicum Vivem

      Basel: J. Froben. 1522. Contemporary blind tooled calf; rubbed but very sound (without clasps and minor chipping to head and tail of spine) Folio . FIRST EDITION of this important commentary of St. Augustine's "City of God" by Juan Luis Vives (1492-1540) who was the greatest Spanish humanist and educational theorist of the sixteenth century. Vives was commissioned for this work by his close friend Erasmus who highly praises his talents in his preface.#11;"Erasmus persuaded Vives to edit Augustine's De Civitate Dei for the projected Froben edition of the Father's works. Vives began the task in January 1521, sending his text and commentary to Basel in installments, the last in July 1522 ... Direct collaboration, however, placed a strain on the relationship of the two men, as Erasmus pressed Vives to complete the project quickly. In July 1522 Vives complained to Cranevelt of the harshness of Erasmus' letters and of his threats that Froben would publish an incomplete version of the work ... Vives suffered from insomnia, and in August 1522, shortly after sending the last books to Basel, fell seriously ill. De Civitate Dei was published in September, with an introductory letter by Erasmus, a eulogy of Erasmus by Vives, and the dedicatory epistle to Henry VIII" (Contemporaries of Erasmus, III, pp. 409-13). Vives had sought the patronage of Henry VIII of England through the offices of Thomas More. When that failed he dedicated the present work to Henry. This work also led to some friction between the two great humanists. "Early in 1525 Erasmus had complained to Vives that sales of the edition were poor, blaming this on the length of Vives' commentary and pointing out that he had advised brevity. In October 1527 he informed Vives that the Froben press wished to delay reprinting De civitatee Dei for the new collected works of Augustine because many copies of Vives' edition remained unsold. When Vives countered that he had heard from the bookseller Franz Birckmann that sales were going well, Erasmus harshly denied this claim, adding the cutting remark that Vives should write something useful ... The quarrel appeared to be patched up when Vives sent Eramus a conciliatory letter and the Froben press decided to reprint De Civitate Dei, ... Despite Erasmus' negative reaction, Vives' commentary was a valuable contribution to the elucidation of Augustinian thought and was republished frequently, in English and French translations as well as in Latin" (ibid.).#11;A monumental publication of the great Froben press which spared no effort to provide a magnificent example of his printing art and the handsome use of his stock of decorative woodcuts by Hans Holbein and Urs Graff.#11;The beautiful exlibris of Hector Pomer at one time was thought to be by Duerer (cf. Illustrated Bartsch, X, no. 163, 169) but was the work of Hans Sebald Beham (Pauli, Beham, 1352). The large woodcut (30 x 19.5 cm) displays the families coat of arms with St. Laurentius standing to one side with a palm branch in his left hand and a roasting grill in his right (symbol of his martyrdom); all within architectural borders. At the bottom is the family motto "Omnia munda munids" repeated in Hebrew and Greek. The woodcutter!s initials and date in bottom right corner ("R.A. 1525").#11;There are extensive neat annotations, presumably by Hector Pomer, in red ink including a purchase inscription on the last page below the printer's device which is dated 7 February 1524. A later owner, probably mid-16th century, has also added numerous annotations in a brown ink, some of which are quite fascinating. For example on page 485 where St. Augustine writes:#11;#11;"Auctuos est autem numerus gentium multo amplius quez linguarum. Nam & in Africa barbaras gentes in una lingua plurimas novimus, & homines quidem multiplicato genere huano, ad insulas inhabitantes navigio transire potuisse. quisd ambigat."#11;#11;Our reader writes -- "etiam in Americam? Negat Augustinus cap. 9 huius libri, Lactantium aliosq sequitus, qui negabant dati Antipodas."#11;#11;Provenance: Purchase inscription 7 February 1524 on last page; Pomer's bookplate; 19th century bookplate of the "Baptist Education Society of the State of New York."; Late 19th century blind pressure stamp of Colgate University (deaccessioned). [22] 787, [1] pp. Elaborate historiated woodcut title-border; four part woodcut border for first page of text with architectural sides and putti in various scholarly poses at top and bottom with the initials "H.H." (Hans Holbein); the third woodcut border on a1 is signed "VG" (Urs Graff) and features a central shield on which is printed "Io. Frob. typis excvdebat" and four lines in Greek, beautiful white on black architectural columns and putti. The final woodcut border depicting figures, from the classics and mythology, surrounding Froben's woodcut device. Woodcut historiated headpieces and woodcut initials throughout. A very wide margined copy. Purchase inscription at the bottom of the last page dated "1524". The work is annotated throughout in the same very neat hand all in red ink. There are also annotations in black somewhat later in the 16th century (see below). Some very minor handsoiling in the blank margins of a few leaves; minimal damp stain in the extreme outer edges of a few leaves. Fine copy with the superb full-page woodcut exlibris of Hector Pomer with woodcutter's initials "R.A." and dated "1525." !