Symphorien CHAMPIER and Robert de BALSAT. La nef des princes et des batailles de noblesse avec aultres enseignemens utilz & profitables a toutes manieres de gens pour congnoistre a bienvivre & mourir dediques et envoyes a divers prelas ｸ seigneurs... In-folio, fir-green morocco, boards decorated in the Du Seuil style, 6-rib spine finely ornamented with small irons, interior lace, edges gilt on marble ( Bauzonnet-Trautz). Baudrier, XII-56 // Bechtel, 49/B-17 // Brunet, I-1769 // Fairfax Murray, 83 // USTC, 11002. 66f. (incorrectly numbered LXV) / a-l6 / 40 or 41 long lines sometimes on 2 columns, goth car / 159 x 240 mm. A rare first edition of one of Champier's most curious books, published in Lyon in 1502. Symphorien Champier, famous French physician and historian, was born in Saint-Symphorien-le-Loise in 1471 (1472?) and died around 1540. After completing his humanities in Paris, he studied Belles-Lettres and then medicine, receiving his doctorate at the age of twenty. He practiced his art in Lyon, producing a work in 1503, La Nef des dames vertueuses, which won him the admiration of his contemporaries, who flocked to see him. He married one of Bayard's cousins, Marguerite Du Terrail, and then, in 1509, followed Duke Antoine de Lorraine as physician on his way to join Louis XII in conquering Milan. He distinguished himself at the battle of Agnedel, followed his protector to Nancy, crossed the Alps again, and distinguished himself at the battle of Marignan, where he was created knight of Saint-Georges. Chevalier de Saint-Georges aux éperons d'or. Returning to France, he settled in Lyon, where he practiced medicine, wrote works of belles lettres, and took charge of the city's municipal affairs, creating the Collège de la Trinité and founding the Collège de Médecine. The names of the two authors are given in the title, and the work is often referred to Balsat, the first named in the title, but we have preferred to give authorship to Symphorien Champier, Balsat having written only the Nef des batailles, which occupies pages 54 to 63, and Champier was the author of the rest of the volume. La Nef des Princes is, according to Potier (in Catalogue J. Renard, no. 269), a sort of macedoine intermingled with French and Latin, in which one finds everything, moralities, jokes and a great deal of erudition... It includes, among others Testament de ung vieil prince, the Doctrinal des princes, La Fleur des princes, the Dyalogue de noblesse, the Declaracion du ciel et du monde et des merveilles de la terre, la Malice des femmes, le Doctrinal du père de famille, les Enseignemens utiles a tous les peres de famille, le Regime d'ung serviteur, etc. It is, as Bechtel writes, put end to end, all the knowledge necessary for the function of prince, but the work, as we can guess, goes far beyond this framework. The work is lavishly illustrated with woodcuts of various sizes and on the most diverse and curious subjects. A total of 42 woodcuts, 7 of which are repeated. Particularly noteworthy is the title with a nave on board featuring a king, a queen, a prince and another king holding a lyre (David?), and a curious representation of the world with the names of the countries placed on a large disk. Fairfax Murray and Potier, via the Ruble catalog entry (no. 83), point out that four metal engravings, known as interrasil or used by Numeister for two of his editions of the Méditations de Turrecremata, were used again here Méditations de Turrecremata, have been used again here (f. XIX, XXV, XXX marked XXXIII and LIII). A very fine copy, despite 2 minor scratches on the second cover and a stain on the title. Provenance: Baron Joseph de Ruble (bookplate, May 28-June 3, 1899, no. 83) and Fairfax Murray (label, no. 83).