De Interpretandis Romanorum Litteris Opusculum, Rome, 1509

A Fundamental Guide to Roman Abbreviations Probus, Marcus Valerius [c.20/30-105CE]. Philiscus (Pseudonym). Bonardi, Giovanni [active 15th c.], Editor. Aurispa, Giovanni [1376-1459], Translator (of Philiscus). De Interpretandis Romanorum Litteris Opusculum. Phylisci; Cosolatoria Marco Ciccroni Colloquenti Prestita dum in Macedonia Exultaret per Ioannem Aurispame Graeco in Latinum Traducta. [Rome: Giacomo Mazzocchi, April 25, 1509]. [20] ff. Quarto (8-1/4" x 6"). Recent quarter vellum over early thick paste boards, pastedowns, one of which is loose, from later printer's waste dated 1593. Negligible light soiling and edgewear, a few faint early annotations (probably bleed-through from a sheet of paper) to front cover. Moderate toning, somewhat heavier in places, light foxing to a few leaves, page numbers added in recent faint pencil. $950. * Also known as Probus Grammaticus, Marcus Valerius Probus was a Roman grammarian and critic. De Interpretandis Romanarum is a fundamental guide to abbreviations used in Roman texts and inscriptions. First printed in the fifteenth century, it was an invaluable guide to humanist scholars. Three of its sections contain abbreviations relating to legal matters under the heading "Littere Singulares in Iure Civili de Legibus & Plebiscitis": "In Legibus Actionibus Hec," "On Editis Perpetuis" and "Lex ex Tabellis Divum de Refutaria. Sacra Lex." The final section is a consoling letter on the subject of exile from Philiscus to Cicero, who was then in exile in Macedonia. A rhetorical masterpiece, and thus an object for study, it was originally written in Greek. OCLC locates 5 copies of this imprint in North America (Harvard, UCLA, UNC-Chapel Hill, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University, St. Louis). Not in Adams. Censimento Nazionale delle Edizioni Italiane del XVI Secolo CNCE30277.…