Aelianus and Polybius, La milice des grecs et romains, Paris, [1615], contemporary vellum

AELIANUS TACTICUS AND POLYBIUS

La milice des grecs et romains traduite en francois du grec d’Aelian et de Polybe. Paris: Jerome Drouart, [1615]

folio (347 x 250mm.), engraved title-page, all bifolia mounted on guards, engraved illustrations (some double-page) by Jaspar de Isaac, quire V with replacement engraving pasted over, without blank leaves a2 and i2, contemporary vellum, lacking final errata leaf

FIRST FRENCH TRANSLATION OF AELIAN to be published, by Louis de Machault, together with the translation of Polybius by Louis Meigret (first published 1545).

Aelian's work (written in the second century AD) was used to complement Vegetius as he describes the battle formations of the Macedonian army, for which (like Vegetius) he drew on earlier military works now lost (including one by Polybius); also like Vegetius, he was not a military man himself. Diagrams to illustrate these formations appeared in his text from the beginning and the early printed editions (such as the 1552 Spinelli edition, lot 97) used typographical diagrams to represent the troops; the engravings in this edition contain numerous miniature horsemen and foot soldiers in various formations. Bingham's translation into English (lot 5) uses very similar engravings.

LITERATURE:

Cockle 88; USTC 6010405

PROVENANCE:

Edward Dalton, armorial bookplate (of Dunkirk House, Minchinhampton), sale, Hodgson's, 31 January 1934