Version A.
| Record ID | cp010128 |
| Voet reference number | 1049 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | c:lvd:15073982, c:lvd:1173454 |
| Author | Franciscus COSTERUS (DE COSTER) |
| Title page transcription | Cinquante ‖ MEDITATIONS ‖ DE TOVTE L'HISTOIRE ‖ DE LA PASSION DE ‖ NOSTRE SEIGNEVR, ‖ Par le R.P. FRANÇOIS COSTERVS, ‖ Docteur en Theologie de la Societé & ‖ Compagnie de IESVS: ‖ Mises en François, par GABRIEL ‖ CHAPPVIS Tourangeau. ‖ V. ‖ A ANVERS, ‖ De l‛Imprimerie de Christofle Plantin, ‖ Imprimeur du Roy. ‖ M.D. LXXXVII. |
| Collation | 8⁰ [127]: A-V⁸, X⁴; pages 1-324, [325-328] (Errors: 6-7 not numbered) |
| Fingerprint | 158708 - # b1 A2 des$ : # b2 X2 re$l^158708 - # b1 A2 es$ : # b2 X2 re$l |
| Number of sheets | 20.50 |
| Pages | [1]: Title [2]: Blank [3-6]: Au treshault…Henry IIIe…roy de France et de Polongne (Paris, 1 May 1587, signed by Gabriel Chappuys) [7]-26: Avant-propos a la Compagnie et Societé du tressainct Sacrament, au College d'Anchin en l'Université de Douay…(Antwerp, 27 January 1587, s. François Coster; italic type, words and marginals in roman type) 27-324: Text (parts and marginals in italic type) [325]: approbation (Antwerp, 2 September 1587, s. Silvester Pardo); Privilege (Brussels, 26 January 1587, s. I. de Witte) [326-327]: Privilege (Fontainebleau, 5 August 1582, s. de Neufville) [328]: Blank |
| Edition information | |
| Illustrations | 1) V. on title-page: copper engraving, 40 × 53, representing Christ on the Cross, with Mary, Maria-Magdalena and Joannes. V. in copy Museum Plantin-Moretus, R 55.33, variant of the one in no. 1048 (= Museum Plantin-Moretus, A 106) 2) 50 engravings by Pieter van der Borcht. See for more details no. 1048 |
| Copies | Museum Plantin-Moretus- R 55.35KU Leuven- Maurits Sabbe Library, PN00145;P279.313.0 COST CinqUNamur- R6A.0399 |
| Bibliographical references | Bib. catholica Neerlandica impressa, no. 3933 Bib. Belgica (1964–1970 éd.), I, page 882.Cockx-Indestege, E. Belgica typographica 5504 |
| Online bibliographical references | STCV c:stcv:7039212USTC 15469 |
| Note 1 | French translation by Gabriel Chappuis of De universa historia Dominicae Passionis meditationes quinquaginta. First edition. |
| Note 2 | The translator was paid, through the intermediary of Pierre Porret and Michel Sonnius at Paris, the sum of 69 florins Carolus guilders (Arch. 19, folio 201). |
| Note 3 | The 50 illustrations from Van der Borcht do not form an integral part of the edition, and are not found in all copies: see no. cp011443. |
| Note 4 | On this edition details are found in some of Plantin's letters to Costerus. On 24-28 May 1587 he tells the theologian that he had yet not been able to lay on his presses the 'Gallicae meditationes' because of financial difficulties (Corr., VIII-IX, no. 1257). On 19 June 1587 he affirms that, the 'Meditationes de B. Maria' being practically finished, the 'versio Gallica de Passione Domini' will follow (Ibidem, no. 1268). On 3 July 1587 he promises to send the following week many sheets (nonnulla folia) 'Gallicae versionis Meditationum de Passione Dni.' (Ibidem, no. 1276; cf. also letter of 16 July 1587: Ibidem, no. 1282). The publication must actually have been finished after 2 September 1587 (= date of the approbatio). |
| Note 5 | Very interesting is the remark in Plantin's letter of 27 August 1587 (Ibidem, no. 1296) that he has printed of the Meditationes de Passione only 500 copies in a somewhat larger format than usual (which indeed is the case: the copies are higher to the width when compared with similar editions in 8⁰ of the Plantin Press) 'because it is dedicated to the King of France' ('Nos siquidem ex Medit. de Passione quingenta tantum exemplaria impressimus augustiori paulo forma, eo quod Regi Galliae dicata sit versio'). This probably means that Plantin printed the work in a somewhat more monumental way to please the King of France, but that at the same time he brought only a limited edition on the market because he foresaw difficulties in selling a publication dedicated to a not very popular monarch. Another reference to the work in Plantin's letter of 17 October 1587 to Costerus (Ibidem, no. 1306) is as interesting (and as difficult to interpret). Having noted that he mails with the letter 3 bound copies of the 'Meditationum de Passione' 'cum imaginibus', one in Dutch, and two in French, the printer continues: 'et quoniam hic varii spargebantur rumores de Rege Franciae et quaedam exemplaria cum imaginibus addixeram nonnullis in aula, timens ne dedicatio versionis nauseam pareret, aliam nudam Inscriptionem libri paravi cujus unum exemplar interea mitto, rogans obnixe ut me certiorem facere velis utrum tibi placeat magis, sequar quod jusseris'. This means very likely that Plantin was not too happy with the rather elaborate title-page first conceived (the one described in the following no., with explicit reference to the King of France), and that he designed another one in which the dedication to the King is not indicated (the one described here). As most known copies have the title-page with the dedication to Henry III, it may be guessed that the whole or in any case the larger part of the edition finally did not receive the 'improved' version of the title-page. |
| Note 6 | A copy was mailed by Plantin to the influential Garnier, secretary of Philip II at Brussels, on 14 October 1587 (Corr., VIII-IX, no. 1305). |
| Note 7 | To a certain Morlet, who asked on behalf of the daughter of the mighty d'Assonleville a copy of the 'Meditations sur la passion avec figures', Plantin answers on 16 November 1587 (Corr., VIII-IX, no. 1314) that a very limited number of copies [with 'figures'] had been prepared but only for gifts and that none was available. Two days later, on 18 November 1587, the printer mailed to Morlet a copy he had borrowed back from a friend to whom he had presented it (Ibidem, no. 1319). |
| Note 8 | Listed in M 321 (title-page with the dedication to Henry III: 1587, f[euilles] 20½, [price:] stuivers 7. Lesdittes avec les 51 figures de cuivre imprimées appart pour les y ioindre) and Ms. 296, folio 12r (Meditations sur la passion de f. Costers, f[euilles] 20½, [price:] stuivers 7. Idem avec 51 figures de cuivre: 2 florins Carolus guilders stuivers 5). |
| Further reading |
Version B.
| Title page transcription | Cinquante ‖ MEDITATIONS ‖ DE TOVTE L'HISTOIRE ‖ DE LA PASSION DE ‖ NOSTRE SEIGNEVR, ‖ Par le R.P. FRANÇOIS COSTERVS ‖ Docteur en Theologie de la Societé & ‖ Compagnie de IESVS: ‖ ET MISES EN FRANÇOIS, ‖ De la traduction de GABRIEL CHAPPVIS ‖ Tourangeau, Annaliste& Translateur de la Maiesté ‖ treschrestienne, & tresreligieuse. ‖ Dediée au treschrestien, HENRY III. ‖ Roy de France & de Polongne. ‖ V. ‖ A ANVERS, ‖ De l'Imprimerie de Christofle Plantin, ‖ Imprimeur du Roy. 1587. |
| Collation | 8⁰ [127] |
| Fingerprint | |
| Number of sheets | |
| Pages | Same edition as preceding no., with only the title-page changed |
| Edition information | |
| Illustrations | 1) V. on title-page: copper engraving, 40 × 53, representing Christ on the Cross, with Mary, Maria-Magdalena, and Joannes 2) 50 engravings by Pieter van der Borcht. See preceding no. |
| Copies | Postel Abbey- DB III 25Ghent University LibraryUniversity Library Gotha |
| Bibliographical references | Ruelens-de Backer, page 298 (1587, no. 14) Backer-Sommervogel [S.J.], 2, columns 1520-1521 Bib. Belgica (1964–1970 éd.), I, page 882. |
| Online bibliographical references | |
| Note 1 | Same edition as the preceding one, but with the specific mention on the title-page that the work is dedicated to King Henry III of France (for more details see preceding no.). |
| Further reading |