DIONYSIUS PERIEGETES.

'The newly discovered lands in the West' ... one of the earliest mentions of America (1508) Situs orbis Di-/onysij Ruffo avi-/eno interprete.

      Vienna, Johann Winterberger, 1508.. 4to. Nineteenth century red morocco with triple gilt lines along the edges, spine gilt in compartments with the title lettered in gold in the second compartment, inner dentelles, gilt edges, marbled end-papers (bound by Emile Adusselle). Roman type. 28 lines to a page. 26 unnumbered leaves (collation: a6, b-f4).. Very rare first and only edition of the translation/adaptation in 1.393 Latin verses by Avienus of the original Greek 'Description of the inhabited earth' by Dionysius Periegetes, as edited by Johannes Cuspinianus. It is also the first separately published edition of Avienus's Latin translation. The editio princeps of Avienus's text was published in Venice on 25 October 1488 by Antonius de Strata Cremonensis, edited by Victor Pisanus, together with other texts by Avienus (the Situs orbis is on f. d3v - f. 6r; GW 3131; BMC V 294). After our edition which was edited by Cuspinianus, Avienus's text was published for the third time in November 1513 in Bologna by Benedictus Hectoris (edited by Antonius Modestus); a fourth edition was printed in Vienna in February 1515 by Johannes Singrenius and was edited by Vadianus.Dionysius Periegetes (literally, Dionysius of 'The Description', or 'the guide' to distinguish him from other authors of the same name) is the author of this description of the habitable world in 1,186 Greek hexameter verses, written in a terse and elegant style. Designed more as a geographical handbook for a reader of the Greek poets than as a systematic or scientific treatise on geography, De situ habitabilis orbis undertakes a verse account of the known world and its seas, countries, and islands. Only Book I survives, with an unsteady grasp of actual geography and some far-fetched etymologies. During the Renaissance, it became quite popular, no doubt because of the combined interest of humanists for newly published ancient texts and the growing interest in geography as some translators report of the discovery of new lands.In his dedicatory letter to Stanislaus, bishop of Olomicensis (Olmouc, or Olmütz in Moravia) (f. a1v), the editor od our text, Cuspinianus makes an allusion to the newly discovered lands in the West : "... Tamen plurima seculo nostro sunt & inventa loca prius ignota & a scriptoribus vetustissimus neglecta ... " (But more (lands) are discovered in our times which were unknown until now and not mentioned by the ancient writers). This is one of the earliest mentions of the recently discovered New World, and therefore an important Americanum. There is hardly anything known about Dionysius 's life and origins, but he is believed to have been from Alexandria and to have flourished around the time of Hadrian, though some put him as late as the end of the 3rd century. The work enjoyed a high degree of popularity in ancient times as a schoolbook. It was translated into Latin (1) by Antonio Beccharia (first edition: 1478; second edition: Paris 1501), (2) by the grammarian Priscian (first edition 1482; in reality translated by Fannius Rhemnius; second edition: Vienna 1512), by Rufus Festus Avienus (first edition 1488; second edition: our book from 1508), and by Simon Lemnius (Venice, Aldus, 1543), who in his dedicatory preface explicitly mentions both Amerigo Vespucci and Columbus and the discovery of America.The best editions in Greek are by Gottfried Bernhardy (1828) and Carl Müller (1861) in their Geographici Graeci minores . There are two old English translations: by Thomas Twyne (1572), and by J Free (1789, blank verse); and a translation into French (1597).The translator Avienus was a Latin writer of the 4th century. His full name 'Postumius Rufius Festus (qui et) Avien(i)us' is mentioned on an inscription from Bulla Regia, but 'Avienus' has become the usual form of reference. He was a native of Volsinii in Etruria, a highly educated man from the distinguished family of the Rufii Festi. He was probably twice appointed consul (if an inscription published by the 17th-century antiquaries Jacob Spon and Raffaello Fabretti really refers to him). He made also a somewhat inexact translation into Latin of Aratus's didactic poem Phaenomena .Avienus translated this popular Greek poem of Dionysius in Latin hexameters, briefly delimiting the habitable world from the perspective of Alexandria, written in an elegant style that was easy to memorize for Roman students . The editor Johannes Cusinianus (born Johan Spießhaymer or Speißheimer; 1473-1529) was an Austrian scientist, diplomat, and historian. Born in Spießheim, near Schweinfurt in Franconia, of which Cuspinianus is a Latinization, he studied in Leipzig and Würzburg. He went to Vienna in 1492 and became a professor of medicine at the University of that city. He became Rector of the university in 1500 and also served as Royal Superintendent until his death.A leading scholar, he was the author of De Caesaribus et Imperatoribus and was also given a poet's laurel wreath by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. He was part of an intellectual circle that included Joachim Vadianus and Stiborius. He rendered important service as the discoverer and editor of classical and medieval historical texts. The dedicatee Stanislaus Thurzo (1471-1540) was, apart from bishop of Olmous (now in the Czech Republic not far from Vienna), together with his brother Johann simultaneously a merchant, politician and patron of the arts. He can therefore be described as one of the moving forces behind the transmission of the Renaissance in East Central Europe. Our book was printed by the first printer working in Vienna known by name: Johannes Winterburger (+ 1519). Winterburger came to Vienna ca. 1492. Probably the Satirae A. Flacci Persij (1492) is the first book printed on his presses which worked mainly for the University. The humanists Konrad Celtis, Johann Vitez, as well as our Cuspinian, all working at Vienna at the time, admired his books and regularly contributed to them. Very good copy of this rare work, some pages with contemporary annotations in a Humanistic cursive hand.- (Copy is washed). VD16 , D.1986; Index Aurel . 154.257 (XII, p. 220); STC German books , p. 244; Sabin 20209; JCB , Appendix (1973), p. 3; Harrisse BAV 93; Langer 49; P. van de Woestijne, Descriptio orbis terrae (1961; critical ed. with Index omnium verborem)); idem, De vroegste uitgaven van Avienus' Descriptio orbis terrae (1488-1515) (1959; critical ed. using also the text of our ed.); Avienus, Carmina. Ed. A. Holder (1887), pp. 83-143; E. H. Bunbury, A history of ancient geography (Heidelberg 1905); Photost. copy reproduced from the original in the BM (1924) by the Massachusetts historical society: Americana series , 106; 10 copies printed).