BOOK, History of the Peloponnesian War, 1594.

Thucydides:

De bello Peloponnesiaco Iibri octo. Trans. Laurentii Vallae, ed. Aemilius Portus.

Frankfurt, heirs of Andreas Wechel, 1594. Folio. 36 x 23,5 cm. 16 + 632 pp. + 568 cols. + [48] pp. Woodcut printer’s device on title. DoubIe-column Greek and Latin text.

Contemp. vellum, yapp edges, rubbed, soiled and joints cracked, later label to spine, lower corners of covers repaired, ties missing; early owners’ names in ink to title, a few minor stains, marks and light foxing, some worming to outer margin towards rear of vol. not affecting text, annotated in pencil throughout. Ownership inscription of Thomas Curling, student of Clare College, Cambridge, who died in 1742.

De bello Peloponnesiaco (“The History of the Peloponnesian War”) is a historical account of the Peloponnesian War, fought 431-404 BC between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Athens). Thucydides was an Athenian historian who also happened to serve as an Athenian general during the war. His account of the conflict is widely considered to be a classic and regarded as one of the earliest scholarly works of history.

The History is divided into eight books. Portus’s Latin translation, based on that of Lorenzo Valla, became the standard translation into Latin and was adopted by John Hudson in his edition (Oxford 1696), by the Bipontine edition (Zweibrücken 1788-89), and by Carolus Duker in his edition (Amsterdam 1731). Included are scholia, the commentary of Franciscus Portus, the editor’s father, and an Index Latinus.

See description.