An extremely rare Paris edition of one of only four rhetoric handbooks that has survived since antiquity. The progymnasmata, or rhetorical exercises, of Aphthonius of Antioch (2nd half of the 4th century CE) became by far the most popular of these four and was used in Europe by students of rhetoric until the 18th century. The present edition is very rare: it is not mentioned in any of the relevant reference works, has only been recorded in one library, and we have not been able to find another copy in sales records of the past hundred years.
The progymnasmata were written for students between the ages of twelve and fifteen, who were just beginning to learn rhetoric. The exercises in the book increase in difficulty. By the end, students should have enough knowledge and skill to be able to enter a formal rhetorical school. The work starts with fables. Students were encouraged to write their own, according to certain rules given in the text. It then continues with exercises for narratives, anecdotes, logical reasoning, praising, scolding, describing and argumentation.
Aphthonius' progymnasmata was originally written in ancient Greek. It was first translated into Latin by humanist Rodolphus Agricola (1443/44-1485) and again by humanist Giovanni Maria Cataneo (?-1529/30). The two translations are combined in the present work.
With two 17th-century ownership annotations on the front pastedown, and another two on the first flyleaf in the same two hands. The vellum is somewhat stained and scuffed around the edges, with some loss of material on the foot of the spine and on top of the sewing supports. Internally clean, with a barely visible water stain in the leaves of the index, and wormholes in the front pastedown and in the lower margin of leaves 150-194, without affecting the text. Otherwise in good condition. WorldCat 954855891 (1 copy); this edition not in Adams; BM, French; Brunet; USTC.