12°. (Ref: (XX),617,(223 index) p. Half vellum 14.5 cm Interesting reading of a very passable stylist(Ref: Schweiger 2,493) (Details: Engraved frontispiece, it depicts a Roman historian who is dictating to a secretary; above them on a tapestry the scene of Europa on her bull. Title in red and black. Woodcut monogram on the title) (Condition: Binding scuffed, and worn at the extremes. Remnants of marbled paper, which was once pasted over the vellum strip, on the back. Paper on the boards worn. Paper label on the back. Small name on the title. Paper yellowing as usual with Weidmann books. In short: not a very elegant book, but internally quite decent) (Note: This is an epitome made by one Justinus, probably in the third century A.D., of the 'Historiae Philippicae' of the Augustan historian of Gaulish descent Pompeius Trogus, who got his nomen because his grandfather was given Roman citizenship by the Roman military leader Pompeius Magnus after his campaign against Sertorius in Spain. Important parts of Trogus' 'Historiae Philippicae', which numbered 44 books, only survive in this epitome of Justin, who boiled it down, it is estimated, to 1/10th or 1/6th. (Neue Pauly 10, p. 115) Trogus produced a universal history of the peoples outside Italy. He seems to have used no other sources than Greek historians, and his story runs from Ninus king of Assyria to the absorbtion of the other nations into the Roman empire, and the establishment of the 'Pax Augusta'. Books 7/12 describe the rise of Philip II and of Macedonia. Books 13/40 treat the Hellenistic kingdoms. 41/42 contain the history of Parthia, 43 of Italy, and 44 the history of Spain. Inserted are many historical and geographical excursus, for example on the history of Armenia or the Jewish wars. The leading concept of Trogus' history was the so-called 'translatio imperii', which conceived history as a linear succession of empires under a singular ruler or emperor. The narrative is elaborate, dramatic and moralizing. Trogus was, according to Rose, an very passable stylist, who arranged his second hand material intelligently, and showed 'some original views how to write history. (...) Even in this diminished condition (the epitome of Justin) the history is interesting reading, often containing facts not to be met with elsewhere, and one of our much too scanty sources for the history of the eastern Mediterranean and the adjacent countries'. (H.J. Rose, 'A Handbook of Latin literature', 'London 1967, p. 312/13) The epitome of Justin was widely read in the Middle Ages. § The epitome of Justin was a popular school book in the Netherlands and Germany. The style was passable, the historic content edifying. It was apparantly read in the lower classes by the younger pupils. Justin was a also a popular gift for excelling schoolboys. The Schola Latina of 's Hertogenbosch for instance awarded in the four years between 1665 and 1668 96 prize books of Latin authors. 38 (40 %) of them were of Roman historians, like Florus, Suetonius, Tacitus. Of these 38 prize copies 13, one third, were editions of Justin. All Justin editions were in octavo or duodecimo format, and offered to pupils of the lowest grades. (J. Spoelder, 'Prijsboeken op de Latijnse School', Amsterdam/Maarssen, 2000, p. 331/33) § This school edition of Justin was made in the manner made popular by the Dutch schoolmaster Johannes Min-Ellius, ca. 1625-1670. Minellius, or Min-ellius, produced several school editions of Latin authors, such as Vergil, Florus, Horace, Terentius and Ovid, with ample annotations in easy Latin. One seldom sees a school edition of Min-Ellius in good condition. Minellius was educated at the Erasmianum at Rotterdam, and was until his death a Praeceptor at the same school. At the end of the 17th and in the 18th century his editions were widely used, not only on Dutch grammar schools, but also on German, English and Danish schools. After that they were barred from the schools because they were too unscientific, and offered too much help. They were esteemed to be 'pontes asinorum'. Nevertheless they were succesful. The publisher Weidmann obviously wanted to exploit this success. The preface (leaf )(2), which is dated 1732 and signed by the 'Bibliopola', lists a second edition in 1709, a third in 1715, a fourth in 1725, and announces the fifth of 1732. This book is according to the title a revised and augmented edition of that fifth edition) (Collation: )(10, A-2M12) (Photographs on request)