| Record ID | cp010353 |
| Voet reference number | 1254 |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | |
| Author | Joannes GOROPIUS (GEERTSZONE or GERARTSEN VAN GORP) BECANUS |
| Title page transcription | IOAN. GOROPII BECANI ‖ ORIGINES ‖ ANTVVERPIANAE, ‖ SIVE ‖ CIMMERIORVM BECCESELANA ‖ NOVEM LIBROS COMPLEXA. [Enumeration of the 'books' on two columns; left column:] ATVATICA, I. ‖ GIGANTOMACHIA, II. ‖ NILOSCOPIVM, III. ‖ CRONIA, IV. ‖ INDOSCYTHICA, V. [Right column:] SAXSONICA, VI. ‖ GOTODANICA, VII. ‖ AMAZONICA, VIII. ‖ VENETICA, & ‖ HYPERBOREA, IX. ‖ TYPOGRAPHVS LECTORI S. ‖ Habes hîc, candide Lector, Gentium origines, longè aliter, quàm à quoquam ‖ hactenus scriptæ sunt, explicatas; & infinitos errores ex Historiæ scripto- ‖ ribus, tum vetustis, tum recentioribus sublatos: totam denique Histo- ‖ riam & Poësim ad Mosem, & Orpheum reuocatam. Vale, & fruere. ‖ ⊕ 20 ‖ ANTVERPIAE, ‖ Ex officina Christophori Plantini. ‖ CIϽ IϽ LXIX. |
| Collation | Folio [229]: a-c⁴, d⁶, A-Q⁴, R⁶, S-Z⁴, a-d⁴, e⁶, f-z⁴, Aa-Zz⁴, aA-zZ⁴, aa-zz⁴, AA-QQ⁴, RR⁶, SS-XX⁴; pages [1-36], 1-1058 (= for 1066), [1067-1100] (Errors: 44 for 54, 101 for 100, 127-[128-129]-129-130, 132: not numbered, 131-134 for 133-136, 137: not numbered, 135-136 for 138-139, 140: not numbered, 137 ff. for 141 ff., 167 for 176 [= 180], 226 [= 230]-[227-228-229-230-231]-452 [= for 232]-453-454-455-456-233-234-235-239-237…, 327-[328-329-330]-291-492-493-294-295-496-337-348-349-340-341-352-353-344-345…, 527-528-527-528-529-530-531-532-533-534-537-538…, 657-662-663-660-661-666-[667-668-669]-666-667…, 1058 for 1056. This means that the pagination is too low from 129 to 130 by one unit (= 131-132), from 131 to 134 by two units (= 133-136), from 135 to 136 by three units (= 138-139), from 167 to 226 by four units (= 141-230), from 237 to 1058 by eight units (= 245-1066) |
| Fingerprint | 156904 - # a1 a er : # a2 d3 lge - # b1 A b : # b2 2X2 $Pliniu^156904 - # a1 a r : # a2 d3 lge - # 1b1 A b : # 1b2 Z3 ex$c - # 2b1 a os : # 2b2 z2 m$si - # 3b1 Aa m : # 3b2 Zz3 d$ide - # 4b1 aA $h : # 4b2 zZ4 n$ne - # 5b1 aa l$c : # 5b2 zz3 rum$a - # 6b1 |
| Number of sheets | 142 |
| Pages | [1]: Title [2]: Blank [3-18]: Ad Philippum II. Hispaniarum et regem catholicum, Ioannis Goropii Becani praefatio [19-28]: Ad senatum populumq. Antwerpiensem, Ioannis Goropii Becani praefatio (italic type) [29-31]: Poem by Laevinius Torrentius (italic type) [32]: Greek poem by Gerartus Falkenburgius Noviomagus [33]: Ad Christoph. Plantinum, typographum (s. A. Grapheus; italic type) [34-35]: Argumenta librorum Originum I. Goropii Becani (italic type) [36]: Argumentum libri primi (italic type) 1-1058 (= for 1066): Text (parts in italic type and greek type, words in civilité type, marginals in italic type and roman type) 1058 (= for 1066): approbation (s. Sebastianus Baer Delphius, Antwerp) [1067-1068]: Blank [1069-1097]: Index (on two columns; italic type, words in civilité type) [1098]: Errata (roman type, italic type, and greek type) [1099]: Privilege (Brussels, Privy Council, 17 December 1567, signed by De Langhe) [1100]: Blank. Two variants (according to Frederickx, page 70), differing on pages 513-514 and pages 519-520: a sentence on page 513 has been amended, which led to the resetting of pages 513-514 and pages 519-520 |
| Edition information | |
| Copies | Museum Plantin-Moretus- A 1559: with occasional annotations by Goropius in view of a new edition- B 1021University Library Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamHeritage Library Hendrik Conscience AntwerpCity Archives AntwerpKBR Royal Library of BelgiumCambridgeGhent University LibraryBritish Library LondonPostel AbbeyUtrecht University Library |
| Bibliographical references | Ruelens-de Backer, pages 96-97 (1569, no. 29)Cockx-Indestege, E. Belgica typographica, 1317 Claude Sorgeloos, Labore et constantia. A collection of 510 editions issued by Christopher Plantin from 1555 till 1589. Introduction by Leon Voet. Brussels, 1990, nr. 236 |
| Online bibliographical references | STCV c:stcv:7093953USTC 401427 |
| Note 1 | Linguistic study in 9 'books'. The first book, Atuatica, is included in the introductory part. From the 2nd book on, each book has its own title-page (short title, e.g. GIGANTOMACHIA. ‖ LIBER SECVNDVS; Argumentum [summary of the book; italic type]; ANTVERPIÆ, ‖ CIϽ IϽ LXIX.) and a praefatio with dedicatory (in italic type). Description (pagination according to the numeration in the publication, which is often wrong: see Errors): I. Atuatica: 1-127; II. Gigantomachia: [129]-226 (Ad Ferdinandum Toletanum Albae ducem…praefatio: 129-[136]); III. Niloscopium: [229]-327 (Ad…Dom. Gomezium Suarez de Figueroa ducem Feriae, etc.…praefatio: [231]-456); IV. Cronia: [329]-446 (Ad Antonium Perenotum cardinalem Granvellanum…praefatio: 291-496); V. Indoscythia: [449]-557 (Ad…principem dominum, D. Gerardum a Groesbeeck, episcopum Leodiensem, ducem Bullonensem, comitem Lossensem, etc.…praefatio: 451-456); VI. Saxsonica: [561]-666 (DD. Gasparo Schetz, baroni in Wezemale, domino in Grobbendonck, Heist, etc.; Melchiori Schetz, domino Rumestae Schooten, etc.; Balthazari Schetz, domino in Hooboocquen, etc. Et Cunrado Schetz, fratribus. Et Iohanni Flemingo, domino in Wyneghem, D. Gaspari genero, Ioannes Goropius Becanus S.P.D.: 562-568); VI. Gotodanica: [669]-798 (Ad senatum populumque Gedanensem…praefatio: 666-672); VIII. Amazonica: [801]-918 (Ad Elizabetham reginam…praefatio: [803]-808); IX. Venetica et Hyperborea: [921]-1058 (Ad Ioan. Franciscum Commendonum cardinalem Venetum…praefatio: 923-926; Ad generosiss. DD. Georgium, Christophorum, Marcum, et Ioannem Fuccaros, dominos in Kirchberg, Weissenhorn, etc.…praefatio: 927-928). Detailed analysis of the content of this publication in Frederickx, pages 90-137. General presentation of the work with details about its printing, sale, etc.: Ibidem, pages 65-73. |
| Note 2 | Goropius, in a request to the Antwerp magistrate, proposed in 1563 to write a history of the city (Frederickx, page 65). He must have started soon afterwards. In a letter of 19 December 1566 to de Çayas, Plantin already speaks in very carefully chosen words about the eventual publication of a work of Becanus (Corr., I, no. 21, pages 59-60). The privilege, however, was only granted on 17 December 1567. The printing began immediately afterwards. The progress of the operation is mentioned in a number of letters from Plantin to Cardinal Granvelle. On 29 January 1568 the typographer announced that the printing had started, making it at the same time quite clear that the content of Goropius's treatise was far from being orthodox: 'J'ay aussi commencé à imprimer l'oeuvre du Signeur Johannes Goropius Becanus, traictant des antiquités ou origines de ces paiis ici et de plusieurs autres, en quoy il tasche à démonstrer maintes choses avoir esté mal entendues et traictées par divers historiographes, faute d'entendre l'énergie et étymologie ou vraye signification des noms des paiis, lieux et places dont ils ont voulu traicter, oeuvre qui, à mon advis, sera bien philosophicque, mais jugée paradoxique de la plus grande part de ceux qui n'entendront pas la propriété des mots de la langue vulgaire de ces païs ici' (Corr., I, no. 102). He was continuing the enterprise on 8 March 1568 ('Je poursuy aussi l'oeuvre de Becanus qui ne pourra à mon advis estre achevée devant 3 ou 4 mois…': Corr., I, no. 114) and 1 May 1568 ('…j'espère de l'achever…le livre de Becanus dedans six semaines': Corr., I, no. 123). On 23 March 1568 he mailed the first book of the Origines (Corr., III, no. 355). On 4 July 1568 Plantin could say that 'Le livre de Becanus est achevé, excepté les préfaces et tables' (Corr., I, no. 139). To get these parts Plantin was obliged to send one of his men to Liège, to the house of Goropius: 'Le 14 aoust 1568 à Nicolas Sterck (= one of Plantin's pressmen) pour avoir esté à Liege querir les préfaces du livre de Becanus, pour despens et prime: 5 florins Carolus guilders' (Arch. 36, folio 119). On 14 August 1568 the printer could announce to Granvelle that he has finally received the introductory parts and that he now hopes to have the whole printing finished within 12 or 15 days (Corr., I, no. 152; cf. also letter of 21 August 1568: Corr., II, no. 153). Similar information is to be found in letters by or addressed to Stephanus Winandus Pighius (cf. Frederickx, pages 67-68). |
| Note 3 | The Origines have the date of 1569 on their title-pages, but were thus actually finished in the second half of 1568. In December 1568 Plantin mailed copies to a number of personalities: to Granvelle (letters of 10 December 1568 and 31 December 1568: Corr., II, nos. 159 and 163), to de Çayas (13 December 1568, who is warned about the content: '…d'entre lesquels celuy de Originibus Antverpiae etc. V.S. trouvera, peut estre, [ainsi que prime face il a faict à plusieurs gens doctes et grands personnages de diverses contreés] d'argument et fondement fort estrange. Mais j'espère que, comme il en est aussi advenu à plusieurs personnages bien expérimentés et de bon jugement, qu'en la fin elle y trouvera de merveilleusement bonnes raisons et mieux fondées que de première entrée il n'a semblé. Car je voy par expérience qu'ainsi en est il prins à plusieurs': Corr., II, no. 123, page 25), and Joachim Hopperus (14 December 1568: Corr., II, no. 164). |
| Note 4 | The Origines did not become a best-seller. Frederickx, page 69, could only trace for the period 1569-1572 the sale of 80 copies (76 in 1569, 4 in 1570-72). The customers include Arias Montanus, Stephanus Winandus Pighius, Abraham Ortelius, Gerard Mercator, Alexander Grapheus, Ch. de Langhe, de Çayas and Theodorus Canterus; 6 copies were bought by the Council of Brabant on 10 October 1569. |
| Note 5 | In the dedicatory to G. Zurchius in the Hieroglyphica of Goropius's Opera omnia, dated 13 August 1580, Plantin affirms that in the last 3 years he has sold more copies of the Origines than in the previous 8 years and that he intends to reprint the work with the corrections made by the late Goropius (probably a reference to copy A 1559 in Museum Plantin-Moretus, which has annotations by Goropius). It may be doubted that Plantin should have had this intention. But others must have thought otherwise: in a letter from Livinus Torrentius to Plantin, 10 October 1583, the prelate claims to have heard that the Origines had been published again by Plantin and asks to mail him a copy ('sed et Becani origines quas denuo te edidisse audio, adiungi velim': Corr., VII, no. 1012, page 117). |
| Note 6 | Listed in M 296, folio 2r (Becani Jo. Goropii Origines Ant., fº, [price:] florins Carolus guilders 3) and folio 13v (twice quoted on the same page: Origines Antverpianae Jo. Goropii Becani in fº, Anno -, f[euilles] 141, [price:] folio 3, and Origines Jo. Gor. Becani, fº, [price:] flor. 3, 1569), and M 164, folio 4r. |
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