QUAE PRAESENTI ENCHIRIDIO CONTINEANTUR…
Lucius Apuleius (ca. 124-170)
Florence: Philippi de Giunta, February, 1512
PA6207 M2 1512

“O holy and blessed dame, the perpetuall comfort of humane kind, who by thy bounty and grace nourishest all the world, and hearest a great affection to the adversities of the miserable, as a loving mother thou takest no rest, neither art thou idle at any time in giving thy benefits, and succoring all men, as well on land as sea; thou art she that puttest away all stormes and dangers from mans life by thy right hand, whereby likewise thou restrainest the fatall dispositions, appeasest the great tempests of fortune and keepest backe the course of the stars: the gods supernall doe honour thee: the gods infernall have thee in reverence: thou environest all the world, thou givest light to the Sunne, thou governest the world, thou treadest downe the power of hell: By thy meane the times returne, the Planets rejoyce, the Elements serve: at thy commandment the winds do blow, the clouds increase, the seeds prosper, and the fruits prevaile, the birds of the aire, the beasts of the hill, the serpents of the den, and the fishes of the sea, do tremble at thy majesty, but my spirit is not able to give thee sufficient praise, my patrimonie is unable to satisfie thy sacrifice, my voice hath no power to utter that which I thinke, no if I had a thousand mouths and so many tongues: Howbeit as a good religious person, and according to my estate, I will alwaies keepe thee in remembrance and close thee within my breast.”

This is the first edition of the Giunta printing of Apuleius, the second edition after the editio princips printed by Sweynheym and Pannartz. Apuleius studied Platonist philosophy at Athens and is best known for his bawdy picaresque novel, The Golden Ass, the only ancient Latin novel known to have survived in its entirety. This edition contains that novel, and several other works, including “Floridorum Libri Qutuor,” De Philosophia item Liber Unicus,” “Aesclepius,” (edited by Marsilio Ficino), “Orationes Duae pro se Ipso,” and “Cosmographia, Sive De Mundo.” This is one of the earliest editions to contain the Giunta printer’s mark, a lily. The Giunta was a Florentine family of printers and publishers who worked out of Venice and Florence until the middle of the 16th century. Filippo Giunta (1450-1517) established the press, working closely with several scholars to issue Greek and Latin classics. The press had branches in London, Lyons, Rome, and Salamanca. Filippo was succeeded by his son Bernard. University of Utah copy bound in contemporary stiff vellum with spine ruling and lettering in black, edges stained blue.