Musaeus Grammaticus.

[Greek title.] Di Museo, il grammatico, Gli amorosi avvenimenti tra Ero, e Leandro, Tradotti dal Greco originale in latino, ed in versi Italiani da Francesco Mazzarella-Farao.

Napoli: Nella Stamperia di Pietro Perger, 1787. Rare edition of Musaeus Grammaticus’ poem, Hero and Leander. Engraved frontispiece, signed F. La Marra,” full-page engraving on k5v. Engraved title-page vignette, vignette engraving on f7r. Woodcut head- and tail-pieces and capital letters. Text in Greek and Italian. Covers worn at fore-edge, some brown spotting to front cover near fore-edge. Old bookplate on front free endpaper. Overall a very good copy. Contemporary stiff vellum, gilt stamped spine label, edges sprinkled blue. Octavo. 8], 83, [1], 69, [1,engraving]. 155, [3] pp. Item #15338

Musaeus’ work probably dates from the very early 6th century, as his style and metre are evidently modelled on those of Nonnus. The Aldine edition, which Dibdin thinks is the first, has the distinction of being the first book issued from the press of Aldus and the rarest of the Aldine classics. The present edition is not in Dibdin The translator, Francesco Mazzarella-Farao (1746-1821) also translated Vergil, Anacreon, Sappho, and others.

OCLC lists copies at Berkeley, Göttingen, and the Bibliothèque Nationale only.

Price: $1,250.00