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QUINTILIANUS.

Such is the complete title of an edition of Quintilian's 'Institutes,' produced by Tory, in 1510, at the request of Jean Rousselet, of Lyon.[211]

This is a large octavo volume, printed in italic (without pagination), composed of 46 quarto sheets (signatures A to ZZv): there are several passages in Greek type of excellent appearance, but without accents. Undertaken at the request of Jean Rousselet, and printed at his expense, this book probably was not put on the market. In fact it bears no bookseller's nor any printer's name. We should not even know where it was printed, were it not for the fact that the dedication, dated the third of the Calends of March,[212] states that the manuscript was sent by Tory from Paris to Lyon. At the end of the volume we find these words only: 'Impressum fuit hoc opus anno Domini M. CCCCCX, septimo calend. Julii.' This date corresponds to June 25, 1510.

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LEONIS BAPTISTÆ ALBERTI FLORENTINI ... LIBRI DE RE ÆDIFICATORIA DECEM. (Mark of B. Rembolt.) Venundantur Parrhisiis, in Sole Aureo vici Sancti Jacobi, et in intersignio Trium Coronarum, e regione Divi Benedicti.

Quarto; 14 preliminary leaves and 174 of text (signatures A to Y). On the last page is the mark of Louis Hornken, 'aux Trois Couronnes.' On the second preliminary leaf is printed the following dedication:—

Geofroy Tory of Bourges to Philibert Babou and Jean Lallemand, the younger, most illustrious men, heartiest greeting.[213]

Everybody knows, most estimable of men, that our forefathers, contented with their own goodness, practised in the olden times a kind of architecture that had in it little art and little elegance. Satisfied with mediocrity, they built and inhabited houses and dwellings of no great cost or splendour. Matters have finally reached the point that now, men's intelligence having somewhat awakened, new buildings are everywhere being erected which have considerable celebrity. In fact, beginning with the time when the magnanimous King Charles VIII, who was the terror of all Italy, returned, victorious and crowned with glory, from Naples, architecture, certainly a beautiful art, began, not only in its Doric and Ionic forms, but also in its Italian form, to be practised with great elegance throughout this country of France. At Amiens, at Gaillon, at Tours, at Blois, at Paris, and in a hundred other well-known places, one may now see striking buildings, public and private, in the ancient style of architecture. One may now, I say, see many buildings of such beauty and so nicely carved that the French actually seem, and are generally considered, to surpass, not only the Italians, but also the Dorians and the Ionians, who were the teachers of the Italians. Notwithstanding the brilliancy of these performances and these artists, I have thought it best to offer gratefully, and carefully to add, a contribution of some worth. Leo Baptista Albertus, a writer on architecture who is trustworthy and familiar with his subject, was lying stored away in my house as if in his last sleep. It seemed to me that he thoroughly deserved to be printed in France just at this time, for the delight and benefit of other famous artists who are better than he. It seemed to me, I say, that he thoroughly deserved to be printed, and for this reason especially, that the ten books, of which the whole work consists, have been divided into chapters. These chapters were accurately and carefully arranged by Robertus Duræus Fortunatus,[214] a man of education and culture, who was the Head of his College of Plessis at Paris four years ago when I taught there, and they were generously given to me by him to be copied. I copied them, and I furthermore polished up the whole work and cleared it of all the errors possible; I wrote the gist of the text on the margin, and gave the work to the printer to be printed. Permit, I pray, most distinguished citizens of Bourges, that this excellent work come auspiciously into the hands of all good artists and students, and that it be handled and read under the protection of your names ever to be cherished by me. Farewell, you who are the support and the most distinguished glory of your country.[215]

Paris, near the College Coqueret, 18 August, 1512.

CIVIS.

At the end of the volume (penultimate page) we read:—