244 - PLUTARCH. The Moral and Miscellaneous Works of Plutarch, translated from Greek into French, revised and corrected in this third edition in several passages by the translator.

PLUTARCH. The Moral and Miscellaneous Works of Plutarch, translated from Greek into French, revised and corrected in this third edition in several passages by the translator. An impressive Renaissance edition, in a contemporary binding, of Jacques Amyot’s famous translation. Paris, Michel de Vascosan, 1575. 2 volumes in 1 large folio volume, full marbled brown calfskin, ribbed spine highlighted with a gilt rule, panels adorned with Renaissance-inspired metalwork and fleurons, brown leather title label, double gilt fillet on the edges and caps, red edges. 6 unnumbered folios and 357 pp.; 1 unnumbered folio and 359–668 pp., 85 unnumbered folios (privileges and table of contents in three columns). Headband and initials. Binding rubbed, old label pasted to the front cover, upper hinge worn, slight foxing, a few stains and water stains on the margins, the top corners of the last 6 leaves of the table of contents are slightly gnawed. Third edition of the translation by Jacques Amyot (1513–1593). It brings together the seventy-eight ethical, political, and philosophical treatises comprising the *Moralia*, augmented by the translator’s revisions. Printed by Michel de Vascosan in two columns, the work features the clean, uncluttered layout characteristic of Renaissance printing presses. It opens with a dedicatory epistle to Charles IX. A major work in the history of French prose, this version served notably as a source for Montaigne in the writing of his Essays. The volume concludes with a detailed alphabetical index and the royal printing privilege granted jointly to Vascosan and his son-in-law, Frédéric Morel. Handwritten ex-libris “Combes cat. inscript.” on the title page. [Brunet, IV, 738] A sturdy copy in a contemporary binding.