Du Bartas His Deuine Weekes and Workes Translated by Joshua Syluester, Now fourthly corr: & augm

London: 1613: Printed by Humfrey Lownes, 1613.

Printed: 1613 1544-1590 Quarto in eight's, 7 x 5 inches Fourth collected edition, revised, with the Quadrains of Gui du Faur A-Z8, Aa-Zz8, Aaa-Qqq8, Rrr4

¶This edition features the handsome engraved allegorical title page by William Hole This copy is in very good condition internally It is still bound in its original English calfskin boards, with large gilt lozenges on front and back boards, it has been sympathetically rebacked, and the binding is in good condition.

¶ Saluste du Bartas's translations began to appear as verse pamphlets in the 1590's The first collected edition was printed in 1605, and was a work of enormous contemporary influence Shakespeare and Milton can be numbered among its readers, and indeed Milton's first English poems, two translations from the Psalms, are wholly in the style of Sylvester

"Saluste du Bartas was a Huguenot, and served under Henry IV of France He is known as an epic poet La Sepmaine; ou, Creation du monde (1578) was a hugely influential hexameral work, relating the creation of the world and the history of man It was translated into many languages, including English, and formed the basis for Milton's Paradise Lost It was followed quickly by La Seconde Sepmaine (1584) which Du Bartas did not manage to finish before falling fatally ill" (Wikipedia)

Of special interest is the dedicatory verse to Philip Sidney in the form of a pyramid with Sidney's armorial hedgehog at the head It is a shaped verse, and it is followed by several other shaped poems

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