Dual-Language Rule
AUGUSTINE, Saint.
Regula beatissimi patris Aurelii Augustini Hiponensis episcopi de communi vita clericorum cum expositione D. Ugonis de Sancto Victore; adiecta utrique vulgari interpretatione. Venice, Bernardino Fasani for the Canons Regular of the Lateran, April 1561.
4to, ff. 80 (several errors in foliation); woodcut of the Trinity to title-page, woodcut initial; title-page slightly loose with a few closed tears to inner margin, some oil-staining, especially at the beginning, occasional light foxing; in seventeenth-century calf, double gilt fillet border to covers, spine gilt with five raised bands, edges gilt, marbled endpapers; worn, some losses to spine, some wear to corners and edges and abrasions to covers, upper hinge split; typescript note pasted to front free endpaper (see below).
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Regula beatissimi patris Aurelii Augustini Hiponensis episcopi de communi vita clericorum cum expositione D. Ugonis de Sancto Victore; adiecta utrique vulgari interpretatione.
Very rare Venetian edition of the famous monastic Rule of St Augustine, with commentary attributed to Hugh of Saint Victor, in the original Latin with interspersed Italian translation.
The oldest monastic rule in the Western Church, written c. 400, the Rule of Saint Augustine was extremely influential and widely adopted from the twelfth century onwards. It comprises only eight chapters, on the purpose and basis of common life, prayer, moderation and self-denial, safeguarding chastity and fraternal correction, the care of community goods and treatment of the sick, asking pardon and forgiving offences, governance and obedience, and observance of the rule. The text of the rule is here accompanied by the twelfth-century commentary thereon long attributed to the eminent theologian Hugh of Saint Victor (c. 1096–1141), now believed to have been produced in the Victorine school rather than by Hugh himself. It was a medieval bestseller and was translated into numerous vernaculars: an Italian translation is found in several surviving manuscripts. According to the colophon, this edition was published by Bernardino Fasani at the expense of the Canons Regular of the Lateran.
Provenance: the typescript note by Herwich Raeymaekers explains that this volume belonged to his uncle Florent Prims (1882–1954), and that he gave it to Willem Lourdaux (1923–1988), Leuven professor of medieval history.
No copies traced in the US, and only one in the UK (BL).
EDIT16 CNCE 3420; USTC 811471.