CHAPTER XV.
BOOK-PLATES OF SOME FAMOUS MEN.
It is singular that such an assertion, made so long ago, should have received so little attention. Could it have been verified, the plate would certainly be one of the most precious relics in the world, not only as a personal souvenir of the creator of Gargantua and Pantagruel, but as the very earliest known French ex-libris.
As Rabelais died in 1553 his book-plate would necessarily be at least twenty years earlier than that of Alboise of Autun, which is dated 1574, and probably even some years older than that.
But in the earlier edition of this treatise, I remarked that it was scarcely credible that such a treasure as this could exist without having become generally known to collectors of literary curios, who would, long ere now, have fully described the book-plate of François Rabelais.
This paragraph was noted by several French collectors, and more particularly by Doctor L. Bouland, President of the French Society, who at once put himself in communication with M. Georges d’Albenas.
His reply showed that this was only another instance of the confusion that arises from the French custom of styling the written inscription of an owner’s name in a book, an ex-libris. Technically the term may be correct, but it would be advisable in the interest of collectors to describe the one as the “owner’s autograph” to distinguish it from the engraved or printed ex-libris fastened on the inside of a book.
M. d’Albenas wrote thus: “L’Ex-libris de Rabelais dont il est question, en note, dans Les portraits de Rabelais, est ecrit de la main de l’illustre auteur de Gargantua, sur le titre d’un exemplaire de la première édition des ‘Œuvres de Platon,’ publiée par les soins réunis de Marc Manuce et d’Alde Manuce 1513.
M. le professeur Cavalier ayant légué sa riche bibliothèque et ses précieuses collections à Montpellier, sa ville natale, elles ont été réunies selon ses dispositions testamentaires dans une salle spéciale, portant son nom, par les soins de son ami et exécuteur testamentaire, votre serviteur.”
Here, then, is a facsimile of this famous inscription, partly in Latin, partly in Greek, which is said to signify “Belonging to François Rabelais, a zealous doctor, and to his Christian friends.”