DU BARTAS, Guillaume de Salluste.
Wercken door Zacharias Heijns.
[Zwolle, Zacharias Heyns], [1621]-1628. 3 parts in 2 volumes. 4to. With 2 engraved title pages, the engraved publisher's device on the title page of part 2, the engraved portrait of Zacharias Heyns in the text of part 1 and 34 full-page engravings (incl. 1 large folding plate and 1 plate outside the collation) illustrating the days of the two weeks and the other texts by Du Bartas. Woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces. Both volumes bound in almost matching 17th-century vellum, both spines with manuscript title in black ink. Volume 1: part 1: [12], 1-168, 168-183, [1], 184-313, [1] pp.; part 2: [8], 634, [6] pp. Volume 2: part 3: [8], 150, [2], 231, [1] pp.
€ 8,500
Very rare complete and first set (in 4to) of the works of the famous French Huguenot courtier and Renaissance poet Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas (1544-1590), the celebrated author across 16th- and 17th-century Europe for his divine poetry which has been very influential for generations of European poets. Many times he was translated: thrice in Latin, in Spanish, English, German and also thrice in Dutch. Especially his two "Semaines" (Weeks) were popular both to Catholics and Protestants for their impartiality in religious questions and problems.
The first translation into Dutch by Theoderick van Liefvelt (1555-1624) was published in Brussels in 1609. By far the most important translation, represented in our copy, was made by Zacharias Heyns (ca. 1566-ca. 1638). A third translation appeared in 1622 and was made by Rutger Wessel baron van Boetzelaer (1566-1632).
The "Weeks" was Du Bartas masterpiece comprising two epic poems, the first of which expands on the Book of Genesis. The seven days of the first week were devoted to the "works" of each day: the first describes the creation of the world out of chaos, the second week concern the creation of the four elements, the third the creation of land, seas & vegetation, the fourth the sun, moon & stars, the fifth fish & birds and the sixth the land animals & human beings. On the seventh day God surveys the world and the poet meditates on the created world.
Following the success of his first week, Du Bartas embarked upon a sequel that would survey world history: his second week which he never completed.
With the owner's stamp of the Dutch archivist and bibliographer J.H.W. Unger (1861-1904) on the front pastedown of volume 1. From the library of the famous Dutch book collector Michiel Buisman J.Fzn. (1891-1986) with his signature in black ink on the first free endpaper of both volumes. On p. 32 [erroneously numbered "30"] of volume 2 a slip of paper with two extra lines of poetry is mounted below the final two lines. Apart from some occasional browning and soiling a good set of this extraordinary and complicated edition. A. Beekman, Influence de Du Bartas sur la litt. néerlandaise (1912); H. Meeus, Zach. Heyns. Een drucker die nooit drukte, in: De Gulden Passer, 73 (1995), pp. 123-124; NNBW, II, cols. 576-577; Paul J. Smith, Du Bartas in vertaling: imitatie, emulatie, plagiaat, in: De Zeventiende Eeuw, 21 (2005), pp. 198-209.
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