CONTARINI, Gaspar.

[patricii Veneti] De Republica Venetorum. Libri quinque. Item synopsis reip. Venete, et alii de eadem discursus politici.

      Lugd. Batavorum [Leiden]: Ex Officina Elzeviriana 1628. 16mo, 431, (1) pp. Engraved title showing a bird’s eye view of Venice, marbled paste downs, armorial bookplate of Lord Sinclair. Contemporary calf, a.e.g., covers with double gilt rules, cornerpieces and a central rose, gilt phoenix to the foot of the spine with the motto Rinasce Piu Gloriosa (“It rises again more glorious”), spine slightly worn. A Venetian diplomat, Contarini was made a Cardinal in 1535 despite being of a decidedly secular bent. The second Elzevir edition. Willems 293. First published 1543.