D. Junii Juvenalis et auli Persii Flacci Satyrae -(1664)

Lugdunum Batav (Lyon, France): Pieter et Cornelis Hackius, 1664. very good. 2nd unusual edition of the critical commentary of the Satires of Juvenal and Persia by the Dutch grammarian Corneille Schrevel
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Full title: D. Junii Juvenalis et auli Persii Flacci Satyrae - Cum veteris Scholiastae. Variorum. Commentariis. Accurante. Cornelio Schrevelio

-- Pieter et Cornelis Hackius, Lugdunum Batav (Lyon, France), 1664, In-8, [8] f., 604 p., [21] f. (index), brown sheepskin, decorated ribbed spine.

Average general condition: Rubbed binding, missing caps, split leather on the jaw, bumpedcorners,bottom and on the outside of the frontispiece title, small worm hole, institutional stamps on thefront endpaper, other minor defects.
Leatherbound hardcover, In all: very good
Second unusual edition (1st 1648) of the critical commentary of the Satires of Juvenal and Persia by the Dutch grammarian Corneille Schrevel (1615-1664). --
Schrevel was a renowned scholar of his time, known for his work on classical literature. His edition of Satires is distinguished by the richness of its critical apparatus and its erudite comments. Schrevel has in fact collected and compared numerous manuscript sources and previous editions, thus making it possible to offer a critical text that is more reliable than previous editions.

But the main interest of this edition lies in Schrevel's commentaries, which follow the variants and thus offer an in-depth analysis of the meaning and cultural references of the texts of Juvenal and Persia. The Dutch grammarian mobilizes vast erudition to illuminate the historical, mythological and literary allusions that punctuate these satires, thus allowing a better understanding of these complex works for erudite readers.

This first edition begins with a frontispiece title page, unsigned and attributed to Reinier Van Persyn (1614-1668), depicting demons, strange creatures and esoteric symbols.

This iconic richness is due to the fact that the two Latin poets integrate numerous references to the occult into the very fabric of their works. They thus call on mythological figures, fantastic creatures or magical practices to construct their metaphors and their satirical allegories.
For example, Juvenal evokes the Thessalian witches renowned for their evil powers, while Perse spins the metaphor of the poet as a soothsayer inspired by the Muses. These supernatural elements give their Satires a mysterious and disturbing dimension, reflecting the anxieties and superstitions of imperial Rome. Thus, far from being confined to social criticism alone, the Satires of Persia and Juvenal open up to an occult and fantastic universe which makes them works of great symbolic and literary richness.