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Commentaria in duodecim prophetas, 1583

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(1,307 words)

Record ID cp011041
Voet reference number 578
Museum Plantin-Moretus
Author ARIAS MONTANUS (MONTANO) Benedictus
Title page transcription BENEDICTI ‖ ARIAE MONTANI ‖ HISPALENSIS ‖ COMMENTARIA ‖ IN DVODECIM ‖ PROPHETAS: ‖ Nunc tandem ab ipso auctore recognita. ‖ ⊕ 38 ‖ ANTVERPIÆ; ‖ Ex officina Christophori Plantini. ‖ M.D.LXXXIII.
Collation Folio [200]: [*]⁴, A-Z⁸, a-z⁸, AA-II⁸ (FF preceded by a double page numbered *FFⁱ), KK⁴; pages [1-8], 1-888, [889-890] (Errors: 35 for 53, 121 for 127, 172 for 162, 189 and 190 for 198 and 199, 154 and 155 for 254 and 255, 377 for 383, 475 for 477, 600 and 601 for 510 and 511, 469 for 536, 483 for 583, 600 for 608, 992 for 682, 761-768 for 741-748, 773-776 for 753-756. 787-790 for 765-768, 817*-818*-817-818-819, 3 in 823 upside down, 6(?)28 for 828; N.B.: through the insertion of 817* and 818* in fact two more pages after 817 and in total 892 pages)
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Number of sheets
Pages [1]: Title [2]: Privilege (Brussels, Privy Council, 30 January 1569, and Council of Brabant, 15 February 1569, signed by De Langhe); approbation (s. Sebastianus Baer Delphius, Antwerp) [3-8]: Ad sanctissimam Matrem Ecclesiam Catholicam, illiusque pontificem summum, atque legitimos ministros omnes, Benedicti Ariae Montani Hispalensis epistola dedicatoria (Antwerp, 18 October 1570; italic type) 1-888: Text (each book has a carmen in italic type; page 195: Christophorus Plantinus pio lectori; parts in italic type, words in Hebrew, marginals in roman type and Hebrew) [889-890]: Blank
Edition information
Copies Museum Plantin-Moretus - A 963Staatsbibliothek zu BerlinKBR Royal Library of BelgiumCambridgeTrinity College, DublinRoyal Library of San Lorenzo de El EscorialGöttingen State and University LibraryMunicipal Library HannoverMunicipal Library LyonsBiblioteca Nacional de EspañaBayerische StaatsbibliothekBodleian LibrariesBibliothèque nationale de FranceBiblioteca Nazionale Centrale di RomaVatican Apolstolic LibraryMinster Library, York
Bibliographical references Ruelens-de Backer, page 253 (1583, no. 5) Morales, no. 46 Palau y Dulcet, 1, page 474 no. 16470
Online bibliographical references
Note 1 Reprint of the 1571-edition, with only small changes. The dates at the end of some of the chapters remained as in the 1571-publication.
Note 2 Plantin, on 11 February 1576, told Arias Montanus that he hoped to reprint soon the Commentaria in Prophetas of his friend (Correspondance de C. Plantin, V, no. 702). The political troubles did postpone the project. It was not taken up until three years later: on 4 February 1579, and again on 22 August 1579, Plantin expresses his willingness to print the work as soon as he should have received the corrections promised by the author (Correspondance de C. Plantin, VI, nos. 820 and 833). These corrections reached the printer in the first half of 1580: as he told his friend in a letter of 1 July 1580, he ordered to have these corrections transcribed in a copy of the 1571-edition, to be used by the compositors ('Emendationes in Prophetarum Commentaria illico jussi libro adscribi'). In the same letter Plantin thanks his friend for the 200 florins Carolus guilders to be paid on behalf of Arias by the banker Perez to help print the work (and for another 200 florins Carolus guilders constituting a gift) (Correspondance de C. Plantin., VI, no. 882). In a letter of October or November 1580, Plantin could finally tell Arias that the printing would start the following month (Correspondance de C. Plantin., VI, no. 892).
Note 3 The work was finished in 1582. On 3 September of that year a shipment of 5 bound copies to Arias was noted (Arch. 20, opening 122 left).
Note 4 The author had some remarks to make: in his letter of 22 September 1583 (Correspondance de C. Plantin, VII, no. 1011, page 107), he expresses his surprise that in Habakuk a passage on the 'justicia moralis' had not been changed as asked. Arias explains in detail why he was worried: he had written the original version as an attack against a specific Calvinist teaching. Some Spanish theologians, however, had misunderstood his words. Arias had been able to convince them and to be approved by the Inquisition, but not liking to disturb unduly the 'indoctiores' he had preferred to delete the passage or to replace it by another sentence (specified in the letter) (See also Rekers, Benito Arias Montano, page 162).
Note 5 The edition was printed during the Calvinist domination of Antwerp. Plantin, consequently, had been obliged to reproduce the approbatio and privilege of the 1571-edition. After the capitulation of the city (August 1585) Plantin had trouble with the Louvain professor, Henricus Gravius, about some of the works published during the Calvinist period, including the Commentaria. It is not very clear if the Louvain theologian contacted Plantin on his own initiative or was officially charged to examine the religious works printed in the past years. In any case, in a long and interesting letter of 13 April 1586 (Correspondance de C. Plantin, VII, no 1091), Plantin stresses the fact that Gravius's corrections and remarks will be sent immediately to the authors and when returned [by the authors] the incriminated passages will immediately be reprinted ('Rogo itaque ut quam primum fieri poterit ea emendantur quae in libris indicates ferri non debent. Ego siquidem illico illis acceptis emendationibus ad auctores mittam et ubi ad nos remiserint statim recudam ea loca'). One of the authors under attack was Arias Montanus: Plantin continues his letter with the remark that the Spanish theologian was most willing to accept 'admonitiones' and 'reprehensiones'. Gravius must particularly have been shocked by the Commentaria in duodecim prophetas, perhaps supposing that the work had been reprinted by Plantin without Arias's permission and without corrections having been made. Plantin found it, in any way, necessary to give details about the text used for the reprint and its revision by Arias: 'Ejus autem Commentarii in Prophetas exemplar manu ipsius non solum correctum sed omnia folia subsignata nobis dum hinc abiret relinquerat ad recudendum atque postea Roma primum semel scripto sunt nobis emendationes missae a Regio legato et iterum ab eodem D. Montano ex Hispaniis quae fere conveniebant omnes cum dicto exemplari correcto quod nobis reliquerat'. He invited his correspondent to verify the fact that substantial corrections had indeed been made by comparing pages 72 and 73 of the first edition with page 64 of the 2nd edition. He would send Gravius a copy of the 1583-edition, promising, when ordered, to defer the distribution until the Louvain professor had found time to take a decision. Gravius was quick to make up his mind: in his letter of 22 May 1586 to Arias Montanus, Plantin could already include the answer of the Louvain theologian (which, however, has not been preserved). The printer told his friend that he had also asked the Louvain professor to have both the Commentaria and the De optimo imperio examined by a censor, to note what had to be noted and to send the remarks to Plantin who would forward them to Arias Montanus (Correspondance de C. Plantin, VII, no. 1103; cf. also no. 1105, Plantin's letter to Gravius, also dated 22 May 1586). The Correspondance remains silent about the further tribulations of the Commentaria (and the De optimo imperio). Perhaps Gravius's remarks were not too numerous and too pertinent to oblige Plantin to reprint some pages of the Commentaria (and the De optimo imperio) or to insert a page with corrections. It is possible, however, that the insertion of the pages marked *817 and *818 has something to do with the intervention of the Louvain theologian.
Note 6 Listed in M 296, folio 11 verso ([Comm. in XII proph. minores] Anno 82, 4⁰, f[euilles] 112½, [price:] stuivers 35), and M 321 (under 1582).
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