Marrin's Bookshop

Synopsis

By m. marmontel, member of the french academy. to which are added fragments of moral philosophy, by the same author, in three essays, never before translated : i. of glory. ii. of the great. iii. of grandeur.

Item Description

12mo. 6.5 x 4.25 inches. 234 pp. Bound in contemporary vellum spine, with ink title, over marbled spine and leather corners. Age related wear to extremities, including edges and corners. Browning of pages and foxing throughout, with a few small margin tears; otherwise a very good copy. Early copperplate gift inscription at head of title. Decorated by headpiece vignettes. Translation of a French work of fiction based on the life of the great Byzantine general, Belisarius (c.505-565) under the Emperor Justinian. It provides an allegory of bad treatment by an ungrateful ruler and indicates the author's support for religious toleration, for which it was banned in France. First published as Belisaire in 1767 and in English translation in the same year. By Jean-Francois Marmontel (1723-99), historiographer, Encyclopediste, author of numerous opera libretti and member of the Academie francaise from 1763. (ESTC T90752).