GEORGIEWITZ, Bartholomeus.

Voiage de la saincte cite de Hierusalem. Jointe la description des citez, villes, ports, lieux, & autres passages. Ensemble les ceremonies des Turcs, avec l'estat de leur empereur, ordre de sa gendarmerie, finances, & succes de ses conquestes, &c. Pieça descrits par Bartelemi Georgiuitz Hongrois, pelerin dudit voiage, par un long temps esclave en Turquie. Le tout remis en lumiere par M. Lambert Darmont Liegeois.

      Liège, Leonard Streel for Lambert de la Coste, 1600. 2 books in 1 vol. 4to. Contemporary calf, spine ribbed and gilt, red title label, gilt fillet borders on covers, gilt inner dentelles, red sprinkled edges. With several woodcut borders and initials. (32), (32) lvs. Record of the pilgrimage from Paris to Jerusalem made by the Hungarian Bartholomeus Georgiewitz (early 16th century - 1560), together with a description of his experiences and findings in Turkey, where he was kept as a slave and prisoner for almost 20 years, with a separate title page and new series of quires: Discours de la maniere de vivre, et ceremonies des Turcs. Ensemble l'estat de la court du Grand Turc, l'ordre de sa gendarmerie, & de ses finances. Liège, Lambert de la Coste, 1600. When Georgiewitz was 14 or 15 years old, the Turks envaded his homeland and imprisoned him. In Turkey he was sold as a slave, and employed at different places. After a few years he managed to escape, but on his way home, near the sea of Marmara, he was caught again and severely punished. After 13 years of imprisonment he could escape again. This time, he fled to Palestina, from where he could savely return to Hungaria. Later in his life he travelled to Rome, where he died in 1560. The book consists in fact of two works: the first work, the record of his pilgrimage, is extremely rare. It minutely describes Georgiewitz' journey from Paris to Jerusalem, which he made after he returned to Europe, with all the places, monuments, and people he met on his way. This work is dedicated by the editor Lambert Darmont to Edmond Baron de Schwarzenberg, and begins with four poems to Darmont by I. Poly, Lambert Ruite, G. Wipart and Balduin Gof. The second work, the French translation of one of his more known books, describes the customs and traditions of the Turks in a quite negative way, due to his own experiences. First he describes the court of the 'Grand Turk', then the way of living of the Turks and finally their ceremonies. The work is concluded with a vocabulary of the most important Turkish words, frequently used phrases such as greetings, and small dialogues, and a poem by the editor Lambert Darmont to Georgiewitz. On the two last additional leaves there is the dedication by Darmont to Arnold de Bocholtz, prevost of Hildesheim and canon in Liège and Münster, dated March 7 1600, two landatory poems and a list of Turkish kings from 1051 till the beginning of the reign of Mahomet, the third son of Amurath in 1565. The original Latin edition was printed in 1544 at Antwerp; a Dutch translation appeared in the same year. Very nice copy with the bookplates of the famous Giannalisa Feltrinelli library.- (Flyleaves sl. browned). Göllner, Turcica II, 2445; Atkinson 407; De Theux, Bibliogr. Liègeoise, col. 35; Atabey 488 (other ed.); Blackmer coll. 130 (other ed.); one ex. in BNF, this edition not in NUC, Belgica Typ. or OCLC. [Attributes: Hard Cover]