| Record ID | cp010426 |
| Voet reference number | 1539A |
| Museum Plantin-Moretus | |
| Author | Justus LIPSIUS (LIPS) |
| Title page transcription | Deux Liures ‖ DE LA CONSTANCE ‖ DE IVSTE LIPSIVS, ‖ Mis en François par Nuysement. ‖ ⊕ 40 ‖ A Leyde, En l'Imprimerie de Christophle Plantin. ‖ M.D.LXXXIIII. |
| Collation | 4º [161]: A-Z⁴, a-c⁴; pages 1-206, [207-208] (Errors: 102-103 for 202-203) |
| Fingerprint | |
| Number of sheets | |
| Pages | [1]: Title [2]: A luy mesme sonnet (italic type) 3-4: A monseigneur le duc d'Espernon, pair de France et collonel de l'Infanterie Françoise (s. De Nuisement) 5-198: Text (parts in italic type, marginals in roman type) 199: Christophle Plantin au lecteur (italic type) 200: Priere a dieu pour obtenir la constance espandue durant ma griefve & longue maladie l'an CIƆ.IƆ.LXXIX. de mon aage le XXXII. (italic type) 201: Aux nobles…seigneurs, bourguemaistres, senat et peuple d'Anvers…ie Iustus Lipsius dedie et consacre ce livre (italic type) 102 (= for 202)-206: Au lecteur du conseil et intention de cet escript (lines in italic type) [207]: Privilege (Fontainebleau, 5 August 1582, signed by de Neufville) [208]: Blank |
| Edition information | |
| Variants | A. Copies with dedicatory to d'Espernon (copy Leiden University Libraries) B. Copies with dedicatory to de Bellegarde (no copy known in the edition with Leiden title-page, but its existence very likely; anyway, a copy known in the edition with Antwerp title-page). |
| Copies | Leiden University Libraries |
| Bibliographical references | Bib. Belgica (1964–1970 éd.), III, pages 913-914 Not in Ruelens-de Backer |
| Online bibliographical references | |
| Note 1 | French translation of the first Latin edition. |
| Note 2 | The book was printed in the Officina Plantiniana in Leiden, but part of the edition received a title-page with Plantin's Antwerp imprint. |
| Note 3 | The translation was the work of Clovis or Louis Hesteau, sieur de Nuysement, 'secrétaire des chambres' of King Henry III, and of his brother, Francis, Duke of Anjou. De Nuysement accompanied the latter to the Netherlands, where he came in contact with Plantin. The translation, however, was done in Paris: on 4 January 1584 P. Porret wrote from the French capital to his 'brother' Plantin: 'Monsr. de Nuisement travaillie a la traduction du livre de constantia duquel vous aurés a present receu 8 chapitres' (Corr., VII, no. 1015). On 11 April 1584 the remaining chapters were sent, with the exception of the dedicatory and Lipsius's foreword (Corr., VII, no. 1018: 'Je vous envoye le reste de la Constance et par le premier vous envoyeray la dedicatoire avec quelque vers parlant de l'aulteur Lipsius et de l'exelence du livre'). However, as waiting for this missing parts would have postponed the publication, Plantin himself translated them in a hurry, as he explained in his own advice 'au lecteur'. Cf. M. Sabbe, 'Jan Moretus I als Nederlandsch letterkundige' in Uit het Plantijnsche huis, 1923, page 70. |
| Note 4 | Of the dedicatory two versions are known: one to Monsieur de Bellegarde, the other to the Duke d'Espernon. On 1 June 1584 Porret told Plantin that 'I'amy Nuisement' was in prison (for debts?), but probably would be set free very soon, and he continued 'Il a changé d'advis tochant sa traduction, car il la veult desdier a Monsr. le duc de Pernon l'un des mignons du roy que on souloit appeler La valette' (Corr., VII, no. 1021). Copies with the dedicatory to Bellegarde were already printed, but Plantin obliged the translator with printing the new dedicatory to d'Espernon (of which the text must have been sent to him soon after Porret's letter) and inserting it in a number of copies. On 30 September 1584 Porret could write to J. Moretus that, with the letters of 4 and 6 September mailed from Antwerp, he had received 2 copies of the Constantia, making in all 4 'que j'ay receu en tout qui sont fort bien venus a propos pour la traduction pour presenter a Monsr. Despernon lequel arriva en ceste ville le jour mesme. Sy lesdictz exemplaires heussent esté desdiés a Monsr. de Bellegarde comme estoyent les premiers il les heust presenté audict de Bellegarde mays puys que aultrement est venu il les fault laisser ausi a Monsr. Despernon' (Corr., VII, no. 1026). |
| Note 5 | On 22 February 1585, Porret advised Plantin that some twenty days ago he had given to the messenger of Utrecht the text of the translation corrected by de Nuysement in view of a (new) edition ('Je luy ay baillié la Constance corrigee par Nuisement pour l'imprimer comme il vous mande par une lectre qui est dedans le livre': Corr., VII, no. 1032). Porret, however, warned his old friend that French translations of Lipsius's works were in little demand in France. In fact, de Nuysement's translation had not been reprinted by Plantin (or by another typographer). In his letter of 11 April 1584 (Corr., VII, no. 1018), Porret had already expressed the same feelings about the eventual sale of a French translation and given some advice (which has not been headed by Plantin): 'Le françoys ne sera de si bone vente que le latin et ne suys pas d'advis d'en faire beaulcop en quarto, mays si vous en voliés imprimer un petit manuel et mettre d'un costé le latin et le françoys de l'aultre, je croy qu'il se vendroict bien pour les escolliers veu qu'il est traduict quasi ad verbum. Cecy pour advis'. |
| Note 6 | 'I. Lypsii de la Constance, in 4º' figures in the list of books printed by Plantin in Leiden, a copy of which he presented to the Leiden magistrate on 2 January 1585 - the copy now in Leiden University Libraries (cf. E. Hulshoff Pol, 'Boucken op 't secreet. Plantijndrukken op het raadhuis te Leiden' in Leids Jaarboekje, 1972, page 93. |
| Note 7 | Listed in M 296, folio 4r, M 164, folio 7v, and M 321 (f[euilles] 26; [price:] stuivers 7). |
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