(XVI including frontispiece),765,(187) p. Vellum. 21 cm 'Prize copy, with the prize' (Ref: STCN ppn 189887893; Schweiger 2,300/1; Dibdin 2,246; Moss 2,320; Ernesti/Fabricius I,107: 'Optima hodie et nitidissima est'; Graesse 2,271; Brunet 2,289; Spoelder p. 570, Gouda 4) (Details: 6 thongs laced through both joints. Back ruled gilt. Boards with double fillet gilt borders, and the gilt coat of arms of Gouda. Frontispiece, executed by J. Visscher, depicting Clio with a pen in her hand, receiving advice from Kronos, scythe at hand, Fama blows her trumpet. Title-page in red and black. Printer's mark on the title, depicting Athena, motto: 'Tuta sub Aegide Pallas'. Small engravings of portraits and objects in the text on 11 pages) (Condition: Vellum age-toned. All 4 decorative silk fastening ribbon at the outer edge of the boards worn away. Paper yellowing and occasionally browning) (Note: This is an edition with commentary of the only surviving complete work of the Roman historian Cornelius Nepos, ca. 100-24 B.C., 'De excellentibus ducibus exterrarum gentium'. He is the author of the first surviving ancient collection of biographies. 'De excellentibus etc.' contains the lives of 20 Greek generals, and the Carthaginians Hamilkar and Hannibal. Nepos corresponded with Cicero and was close with Cicero's friend Atticus. The collection served probably as a model for Plutarch's Vitae Parallelae. In his own days and in late antiquity Nepos was considered to be a source of importance. The churchfather Hieronymus, included him in his 'De viris illustribus' (392 A.D.) in his list of great authors and historians. Already in late antiquity this collection was ascribed to the grammarian Aemilius Probus, and the 'editio princeps' of 1471 bears his name. The simple style of writing of Nepos has made him a standard choice for schools. The biographies provided the pupils also models of behaviour. Schweiger mentions numerous editions. This edition is a socalled Variorum edition, an edition which contained everthing a student required. Such an edition offers the 'textus receptus' which is widely accepted, accompanied with the commentary and the annotations of specialists, taken from earlier useful, normative or renewing editions. Editions like these, 'cum notis Variorum', were useful, but never broke new ground. The production of this kind of editions was the specialty of Dutch scholars of the 17th and 18th century. The compilers seldom were great scholars, but often hard working schoolmasters. The Dutch schoolmaster who skillfully excerpted, compared and contrasted the material of brighter minds is Augstinus van Staveren, 1704-1772. He was rector of the schola latina at Leiden since 1750. He is known for this edition of Nepos, which saw several later editions, and his 'Auctores Mythographi Latini', which was published in 1742. The frontispiece, or rather the copper plate for this frontispiece and the text engravings which belong to this edition, have a long history. The same plates were used for almost 150 years by different publishing firms. The plates were first used for by Hackius edition of 1658 and then the reissue of 1675. The next users were the Blaeu brothers, in 1687, thereupon probably Mortier, in 1704 (not seen by us), then Janssonius van Waesberge in 1705, and then by Samuel Luchtmans, who seems the last owner, in 1728. Luchtmans used the plates in 1734 again for his new edition of Van Staveren, next for the second edition of 1773, and finally for the 'editio minor' of Van Staveren, which was published in 1793) (Provenance: This prize copy was given to Bartholomaeus de Moor van Immerzeel on the occasion of his promotion from the 4th to the 3rd grade for his progress and 'virtus'. It is dated December 1738, and is signed by 2 curators, and the Rector of the Gymnasium of Gouda Otto Arntzenius. Bartholomaeus was from 1767 mayor of Gouda. He was a friend of the Dutch female author Betje Wolff. He had a mansion in Alphen aan de Rijn, that had a neat, and well-chosen library, enriched by the finest editions of the best writers, in precious volumes. He was more interested in science and literature than his official offices. Mayor De Moor van Immerzeel was in regular correspondence with Pieter Burman Secundus, without doubt the most famous Dutch Neo-Latin poet of that time. He died in October 1779) (Collation: *- 2*8, A-3N8, 3O4) (Photographs on request)