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Folio (31 x 21.5 cm.), late nineteenth-century half morocco over marbled boards (some wear), marbled endleaves, spine gilt with raised bands in six compartments, gilt title in second from head, gilt year in fourth from head. Engraved title-page by P. Perret, dated 1619 (see below). Woodcut initials and vignettes. In very good condition. Oval stamp of José Maria Nepomuceno on verso of title-page. (4 ll., including the engraved title-page), 1176 [i.e., 1182] pp., (30 ll.). Quire X contains a total of 11 leaves; X5-7 are added between pp. 328 and 329; these three leaves are foliated 329*, 330*, and 331*; the text follows uninterrupted. *** FIRST EDITION of the voluminous first part of the history of Philip II's reign, to the year 1583. Wagner notes, "This book was much used by all later Spanish historians. Lib. 13 [sic; i.e., 12], Chapter XI treats of the discoveries of New Mexico and Juan de Oñate" (Spanish Southwest 25). After complaining about the work's orthography and other literary defects, Palau states that "Aparte estos defectos literarios, es libro de interés bibliográfico y difícil de hallar completo y en buen estado." Salvá also comments on the difficulty of obtaining complete copies in decent condition.A second part of Cabrera's work dealt with the stormy events in Aragon after the downfall of the king's minister, Antonio Perez. It was suggested that the text should be revised by Argensola, but Cabrera preferred to leave the second part unpublished. Two and a half centuries later, it appeared under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Works in Madrid, 1876, after being revised and augmented from manuscript data found in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.The elegantly engraved title page shows Philip II in full armor, with a plumed helmet; he aims his sword at a crowd of soldiers approaching from the left. Philip, whose fervent desire was to halt the flood of the Protestant Reformation, has beneath his elbow the words "Suma ratio pro Religione." To the right is an allegorical figure of Religion, with a halo, raising a Eucharistic chalice and holding a large cross. In the distance is a lovely little sketch of the Escorial, built to commemorate Philip's 1557 victory at the Battle of St. Quentin against the French under Henri II. In the lower section of the page is the dedication "Al Serenisimo Principe su nieto esclarecido Don Filipe de Austria." A laurel tree (victory) is entwined with a grapevine (the Eucharist) that bears the word "secura" and the royal arms of Philip III. To either side, lightning flashes from clouds.The page is signed "P. Perret fe., 1613." Pieter (or Pedro) Perret was born in Antwerp in 1555. Son of a playing-card maker, he trained with Marten de Vos and Gerard de Jode, then with Cornelis Cort in Rome. In the 1580s he became one of the earliest Flemish artists working for the Spanish court, and engraved the magnificent drawings of Juan de Herrera of the Escorial: Sumario y breve declaración de los diseños y estampas de la fábrica de San Lorenzo el Real del Escorial (Madrid, 1589). Philip II named him royal engraver in 1595 (ratified 1622). Perret produced title pages, portraits, and separate engravings for books in Spanish and Portuguese. Soares credits him with "desenho correctíssimo, originalidade na execução, e, sobretudo, uma firmeza e delicadeza de traço que lembram antes o trabalho da ponta sêca do que o do buril." After his death (ca. 1625, or possibly 1637), his son and pupil Pedro became a prominent engraver in his own right.Luis Cabrera de Cordova was born in Madrid in 1559. At age twenty five he became official scribe to the Duke of Osuna, then Viceroy of Naples. He helped organize an expedition for the purpose of defending the Knights of Malta against Venetian and Turkish pirates, and took part in one of the campaigns in Flanders. He came in closer touch with Philip II toward the end of the king's life, when employed to arrange documents in the State archives. After the king's deat.
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