‎LIBRI DE RE RUSTICA. ‎
‎Scriptores Rei Rusticae Veteres Latini. E recensione Jo. Matth. Gesneri cum ejusdem praef. et lexico rustico. Praemittitur notitia literaria. Studiis Societatis Bipontinae. Editio accurata. ‎

‎Zweibrücken (Biponti), Ex typographia Societatis, 1787 - 1788. ‎

Reference : 130154

‎8vo. 4 volumes: (II),CLVI,248; (II),566; (II),510; (II),369,(1 blank) p. Half vellum 22 cm (Ref: Not yet in VD18. Burkard p. 181/185; Schweiger 2,1307; Graesse 6/1,332; Ebert 20744) (Details: Nice set in 19th century half vellum. Backs gilt and with red morocco shields. Marbled boards. Engraved vignet on the first 3 titles) (Condition: Vellum slightly soiled. Some wear to the extremes. Some foxing. Joints of the first volume beginning to split. Very small hole in title of the 4th volume, the 'Lexicon Rusticum'. A bookplate on the front pastedowns) (Note: Vol. 1 contains Cato's 'De agri cultura' and Varro's 'De re rustica libri III'; vol. 2 Columella's 'De re rustica' and 'De arboribus'; vol. 3 Palladius' 'De re rustica libri XIV', Vegetius Renatus' 'De artis Mulomedicinae libri IV', 'Gargilii Martialis fragmentum', and 'Ausonii Popmae de instrumento fundi liber'; vol. 4 the 'Lexicon rusticum'. The Roman gentlemen-farmers and landowners Cato, Varro and Columella wrote about agriculture and were successful farmers too. Their aim was to bring Roman farming on a higher level. The conjunction of these three didactic texts can be found from the Middle Ages. They were jointly published for the first time in 1472 in Venice, and form the chief texts on agriculture and rural life in antiquity. The oldest of the trio is the Roman politician Marcus Porcius Cato, 234-149 B.C., the source of famous maxims for orators, like 'rem tene, verba sequentur'. 'He distinguished himself for fearless and ruthless attacks on those whose way of life did not agree with his own somewhat old-fashioned and puritanical morality'. (H.J. Rose, 'A Handbook of Latin Literature', London 1967, p. 91) In style and in character he was a typical farmer, shrewd, hardworking, frugal, honest, sincere, but limited. His 'De agri cultura', also known as 'De re rustica' is a kind of commonplace book. It gives us a view of the life of an oldfashioned landowner in that age, and offers information on Roman cult and rustic folklore'. The second work was written by possibly the greatest scholar Rome produced, Marcus Terentius Varro, 116-27 B.C. Of the mass of works he wrote only one is preserved to us completely, 'De re rustica libri III', and further more there are parts and fragments of some other works. He was a landowner on a large scale, who wrote 'De re rustica' in his eightieth year (annus octogesimus), he tells us in the beginning, 'ut sarcinas colligam ante quam profiscar e vita'. It is a philosophic dialogue in 3 books, in which he gives sound and practical advice for managing a farm (I), a stock-ranch (II), poultry, aviary and herb-garden (III). 'While giving interesting information on the state of agriculture at that time, it is withal a pleasantly discursive book, the work of a garrulously entertaining old scholar' (Idem, p. 222) Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella was a contemporary of Seneca. He wrote his 'De re rustica', consisting of 12 books, ca. 60-65 A.D. He was also a practical farmer on a large scale who was concerned over the decline of the agriculture in his days. 'Book 1 deals with general matters of buildings and labour, 2 with soils and crops, 3-5 with vines, olives and fruittrees, 6-7 with domestic animals, 8 with poultry and fishponds, 9 with game and bees, 10 (in verse) with gardening, 11 with the bailiff's duties and the farmer's calendar, 12 with the bailiff's wife's duties'. (OCD 2nd ed. p. 268) A separate book on arboriculture, part of a larger work, survives too. His style is straitforward and pleasant. The texts of this trio were edited by Piero Vettori, or Petrus Victorius, 1499-1585. With his edition of 1541 begins for the 'Scriptores de re rustica', according to the 18th century German scholar J.M. Gesner a new era, the 'Aetas Victoriana'. Gesner based his own edition of the 'Scriptores rei rusticae veteres latini' of Leipzig 1735 on the work of Vettori. He slightly revised Vettori's text with the help of some manuscripts and earlier edtions. This 'Scriptores rei rusticae veteres latini' edition of 1787 is a reissue of that edition of Leipzig 1735. The 'notitia literaria' is brought up to date, and added are a translation of the life of Cato by Plutarch, and the 'Varro-Vita' by M. Hanke of Leipzig 1669. Gesner adopted next to the triumvirate Cato, Varro and Columella in his 1735 edition the 'De re rustica' of the late antique agriculturalist with estates in Italy and Sardinia, Palladius) (Provenance: Modern bookplate: 'Ex libris Georges Raepsaet', a Belgian ancient historian and archaeologist) (Collation: 1: pi1, a-i8, k4, l2; A-P8, Q4. 2: pi1, a-2M8, 2N4 (minus blank leaf 2N4). 3: pi1,A-2H8, 2I8 (minus blank leaf 2I8). 4: A-2F8, 2G2 (minus blank leaf 2G2, leaf 2G1 verso blank)) (Photographs on request) (Heavy book, may require extra shipping costs) ‎