Kings and Tyrants
HERODIAN; [Angelo POLIZIANO, translator; Thomas SPARK, editor].
Ηρωδιανου ιστοριων βιβλια η. Herodiani historiarum libri 8. Recogniti & Notis illustrati. Oxford, Sheldonian Theatre, for G. West and Anthony Peisley, 1704.
8vo, pp. [viii], 288; engraved device of the Sheldonian Theatre to title-page, text printed in Latin and Greek in parallel columns; some light foxing or browning, but a good copy; bound in early nineteenth-century navy calf, borders and lozenge-panels roll-tooled in gilt, spine gilt in compartments and lettered directly in gilt, gilt board edges, marbled pastedowns; later free endpapers, binding very slightly rubbed; small purple ink stamp of the letter K to rear flyleaf, pencil notes in French to head of rear flyleaf.
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Ηρωδιανου ιστοριων βιβλια η. Herodiani historiarum libri 8. Recogniti & Notis illustrati.
A finely bound copy of Herodian’s moralising history of Rome, from Marcus Aurelius to Gordian III.
Herodian of Antioch, a minor bureaucrat living in the first half of the third century, compiled a history covering the years 180–238 AD, including the beginnings of the Third Century Crisis during which the Empire came close to collapse. He had personal knowledge of some of the events as they took place during his own lifetime. He wrote in Greek, his native tongue, and carefully distinguished in his narrative between a βασιλεύς (‘king’, such as Marcus Aurelius) and τύραννος (‘tyrant’, such as Commodus and Caracalla).
This bilingual edition, with the Latin translation of Angelo Poliziano, follows the Oxford editions of 1678 and 1699 Oxford editions. It was edited by Thomas Spark (died 1692), of Christ Church, whose scholarship was not held in high regard (see ODNB).
ESTC T127172; cf. Madan, Oxford Books 3177 (1678 edition).