Emillio Probo de gli huomini illustri di Grecia. Tradotto per Remigio Fiorentino.

Printer's woodcut device at title and at end, numerous large historiated woodcut initials.

8vo (159 x 100mm). 72ff. 17th century vellum over stiff boards, title in manuscript on spine, yapp edges (wear to headcap).

Venice: Gabriel Giolito de' Ferrari,

Italian translation - and seemingly the only Giolito edition - of the lives of eminent Greek commanders by Roman biographer Cornelius Nepos, falsely attributed to Aemilius Probus. The translator was a Dominican who chose not to use his real name, Remigio Nannini, in the various secular works he wrote or translated, preferring to use Fiorentino Remigio.

The lives of the eminent Greeks here are all that survive of a much larger work by Nepos; 'Most of his writings, which included poems, moral examples from history, a chronological sketch of general history, a geographical work, Lives of Cato the Elder and Cicero, and other biographies, are lost. Extant is a portion of his 'De Viris Illustribus': (i) part of his parallel lives of Roman and non-Roman famous men, namely the portion containing lives of non-Roman generals (all Greeks except three) and a chapter on kings; and (ii) two lives from the class of historians. The lives are short popular biographies of various kinds, written in usually plain readable style, of value today because of Nepos's use of many good sources' (Loeb). 

Bibliographical inscription in neat nineteenth-century hand to front endpaper, traces of inscriptions at head and foot of title page - 'Kb', 'no.705'. 

Light foxing, particularly to leaves at front and rear, otherwise a good copy. 

Censimento, CNCE 27002 (5 copies).

Stock Code: 44793