I know of only two copies of this edition, one belonging to M. Kühnholtz, the learned librarian of the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier, the other offered for sale at Claudin's bookshop in 1860. This last copy, in a state of perfect preservation, is still in its original binding, with S's barré, and small tortoises (tortues) in wreaths of olive. These are the allusive[400] arms of the Tourteron family near Attigny. There is also, on one of the fly-leaves at the front of the book, a large tortoise coloured from life, on a red ground, in a green olive wreath; and at the four corners a monogram of an I and two G's, the initials of the original owner's baptismal names. The volume afterwards belonged to J.-F. Corel du Clos, priest and canon, who wrote his name on the title-page and pasted his arms, engraved on copper, in an empty space at the foot of folio h 3 verso. Du Clos seems to have parted with it to the Cordeliers of Rheims, in whose library it remained doubtless until the Revolution.
IV. PREMIER VOLUME DES ANTIQUITÉS DE LA GAULE BELGIQUE, ROYAUME DE FRANCE, AUSTRASIE ET LORRAINE ... PAR M. RICHARD DE WASSEBOURG, ARCHIDIACRE DE L'ÉGLISE DE VERDUN ... ACHEVÉ D'IMPRIMER LE 13 NOVEMBRE 1549.
A large folio of more than 600 leaves, printed at Paris by François Girault. The privilege, in the name of Sertenas, bookseller, is dated October 1, 1549. It was issued evidently while the printing was in progress, for it is impossible that the volume was made in a month and a half.
On the first page is the fine frontispiece of the Dream of Poliphilus, above which is the mark of Jacques Kerver. There is but one way to explain this fact, and that is to assume that Kerver was the printer of the book. It may be that there are copies in his name. In that case he may have furnished the border, which was left in all the copies.
On the second leaf is the representation of the 'Ymage de nostre Dame de Verdun,' with the Lorraine cross. The Virgin, seated, has in her right hand a flower, and in the left the Child Jesus, holding in his left hand the globe surmounted by a cross. The Virgin's feet rest on a winged dragon. Below her is a man kneeling, with his coat-of-arms before him. Presumably it is the author of the book.
After folio cccli, which concludes the first volume, comes the second volume, the pagination of which follows on. The title-page of this volume, while it is set in the border of the Poliphilus, differs slightly from that of the first. It reads thus: 'Second volume des antiquités de la Gaule Belgique et de plusieurs principautez contenues en icelle, extraites soubs les vies des evesques de Verdun, par M. Richard de Wassebourg.... On les vend à Paris, en la gallerie du Palais, par Vincent Sertenas, libraire audit lieu. Et aussi, se vend en la cité de Verdun.' On the verso is the engraving described above. The Lorraine cross is under the dragon's tail.
