Sm. 4to. 52 leaves only, should be 54. A-I
6, the last a blank (lacks 2 leaves in sig. H); gothic (bastard) letter, woodcut on the first leaf and below the colophon at
the end.
Old sheep (repaired). Initialled by Jefferson at sig. I. Contemporary MS. note on the first page. With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate.
Entered without price on Jefferson’s undated manuscript catalogue.
Jean de Meun, c. 1250-c. 1305, Parisian poet, chiefly famous as the author of the
Roman de la Rose
. The first edition of his translation of Boethius was printed in Lyons circa 1483.
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J. 90
Dissertations de Maxime de Tyr par Combes Dounous.
2. v.
8
vo.
1815 Catalogue, page 56. no. 76, as above.
MAXIMUS TYRIUS--COMBES-DOUNOUS,
Jean Jacques.
Dissertations de Maxime de Tyr, Philosophe Platonicien, traduites sur le texte
Grec, avec des Notes critiques, historiques et philosophiques, par J. J. Combes-Dounous, Membre de Corps-Législatif, et de quelques Sociétés Littéraires. Tome Premier [-Second].
A
Paris: chez
Bossange,
Masson et
Besson,
XI.-(1802).
B588 .A4 F3
First Edition of this Translation. 2 vol. 8vo. Vol. I, 163 leaves; vol. II, 172 leaves.
Bound for Jefferson in tree calf, gilt back, marbled end papers by Milligan. Initialled by Jefferson in both volumes.
For the President of the United States written by Combes-Dounous, the translator, on the half-title of both volumes (in vol. I the inscription cut into by the binder). With the Library of Congress 1815 bookplate.
The books were sent to Jefferson by Combes-Dounous, who wrote from Paris on March 14, 1807: “. . . Ami de la Philosophie, chef d’un gouvernement fondé sur les bases de cette Bienfaitrice de l’espèce-Humaine, vous daignerez
agréer avec bonté l’hommage que j’ai l’honneur de vous présenter de la traduction en français de Maxime-de-Tyr, ouvrage d’un
des Disciples de Platon, qui a le mieux entendu & le mieux développé la sublime doctrine de son Maître.”
On March 20, David Baillie Warden wrote to report that these two volumes, with others, had been dispatched. This letter was acknowledged by Jefferson on May 1, 1808. On April 29, he had written to Combes-Dounous from Washington: “
Your favor of Mar. 14. 07 was duly recieved with the copy you were so kind as to send me of your excellent translation of
Maximus of Tyre, for which I pray you to accept my thanks. peculiarly attached to the writings of the antients, and particularly
their philosophical works, yet having little time to yield to that indulgence, I am under peculiar obligations to those who
devote their time and science to the facilitating our understanding of those rich sources of delight. expecting ere long to
retire to that state of tranquility so much more analogous to my partialities and pursuits I shall owe you new thanks for
the pleasure I shall then have it in my power to derive from your very acceptable present.
”
Milligan’s bill for the binding, $2.00, is dated April 30[,] 1808, the day after the above letter was written.
On June 12, Warden wrote to Jefferson from Paris: “. . . the minister informs me that he has received from you a letter for M. Donous, from which I presume that the volumes
I forwarded, from that Gentleman, came to hand . . .”
Maximus Tyrius, 2nd century A.D., Greek Platonic rhetorician and philosopher.
Jean Jacques Combes-Dounous, 1758-1820, French politician and author.
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