Les diverses lecons de Pierre Messie, gentil-homme de Sevile – Pedro Mexia

Les diverses lecons de Pierre Messie, gentil-homme de Sevile. Mises de castillan en francois, par Claude Gruget parisien. Avec sept dialogues de l’autheur, dont les quatre derniers ont este de nouveau traduits en ceste quatriesme edition. Ensemble quatre tables, deux des chapitres, & les autres des principales matieres y traictees. Reveu de nouveau en ceste derniere edition. By Pero [Pedro] Mexia; Claude Gruget.

Authors / Contributors: Pero [Pedro] Mexia; Claude Gruget; Francois de Raconis; Jean Roger, imprimeur; Gervais Le Noir; Prieure de la Sainte-Trinite des Petits-Augustins; College Louis-le-Grand (1762-1793 / Paris)

In French language. Published by Rouen: Jean Roger, 1626. First Edition. Illustrated. Size 6 ¾ x 4 x 2 ¾ in. Complete with all 1032 pages; plus indexes, prefaces, and such. Tight and secure leather binding. Hinges sound. The vellum is moderately soiled, which gives it some character. Hand-lettered spine title. Text block is remarkably clean, though the title page is a few shades less than bright with some previous restorative craftsmanship employed. Overall, an altogether agreeable copy. Scarce.

Pedro Mejía (1497 – 1551), the book’s primary contributor, was a Spanish Renaissance writer, humanist and historian. His major work is “Silva de varia lección” (A Miscellany of Several Lessons) (1540), which became an early best seller across Europe. It is an encyclopedic miscellany or mixture of subjects of interest across the diverse repertoire of humanistic knowledge of the time.