ESPOSITIONE DELL'XI ET XII CAP. DEL IIII LIB. D'ESDRA: sopra gli accidenti passati, presenti, & futuri della revolutione del grande & tremendo Imperio dell'Aquila: Quarta,& ultima Monarchia nel Mondo. . In Venetia . Matheo Boselli 1571

Woodcuts inc. small map of Constantinople (57) with repeats + printer's mark of bull riden by Roman soldier + 3 historiated large capitals (Penelope weaving, Sampson's hair being cut, maid chased by soldier. Quarto (21.5x15.5cm) neatly rebound in newer vellum ([4]+92+[12] leaves), titlepage remargined to top corner (no loss of text and only about 1cm loss to corner paper), lower corner with similar loss not repaired. Faint oval ownership stamp, corner loss to 1st few leaves nowhere near text, minor edge browning/foxing & some irregular page tanning becoming stronger towards end with last 4 leaves of index browned and with some marginal erosion, only last leaf has some loss to page numbers and a few initial letters, neatly repaired. *A curious work with much occult & apocalyptic content (see M. Reeves, The influence of prophecy in the later Middle Ages, Oxford Clarendon Press 1969, passim). The woodcuts show mythical beasts with multiple heads, bears eating kings, Babylonian whore riding a multiheaded beast etc with symbolic lettering & other cryptic messages. Brunet III, 1190 calls this "A unique work, rare and almost unknown. Following Esra and other Biblical prophets, the author warns of the coming invasion of the Turks into all the countries of Europe." Lovisino seeks to ridcule Islam, depicting a beast with the body of the Prophet. This first and probably only edition was published in the same year as the Ottoman defeat at Lepanto, which heralded a decline in successful Ottoman conquests in Europe (Referenced by Adams L1539). 1 volume.…