The Satires of Persius; Translated into English Verses, Thomas Brewster — 1st Ed

The Satires of Persius, Translated into English Verses, Persius (Translated by Thomas Brewster) — First Collected Edition ("The Second Edition")

Publication: London, A. Millar, 1751

Formatting: 12mo, pp. [xxiv], 154, [2].

Condition Report: Very Good. Bound in a handsome contemporary full speckled calf, featuring a gilt-tooled border to the boards and a contrasting black morocco title label to the spine. The binding remains remarkably sound and structurally tight, displaying expected antiquarian shelf-wear, most notably rubbing to the extremities, corners, and slight chipping to the spine ends. Despite this, the gilt tooling retains a pleasing brightness and the original leather possesses a warm, unoxidized patina. Internally, the hinges are uncracked and robust, fully supporting the text block. The pages are notably crisp and clean for their age, exhibiting only faint, occasional spotting and mild age-toning to the margins, presenting a highly readable and tactilely satisfying example of mid-eighteenth-century bookcraft.

Catalogue Note: This 1751 publication represents the first collected edition of Thomas Brewster’s acclaimed English verse translations of Persius (ESTC T143345). While the title page explicitly states "The Second Edition," this denotes its secondary appearance in print; the translations originally debuted as a series of five distinct, slim quarto pamphlets issued between 1741 and 1742. This edition gathers those previously disparate satires into a single, cohesive volume for the first time.

Furthermore, this edition is notable for the inclusion of a prefatory 'Life of the Author', which was adapted from the biographical writings of Pierre Bayle. Bound in a highly original, unrestored contemporary state, this text stands as a scarce and textually significant artifact of eighteenth-century classical reception in Britain, highly desirable for collectors of Augustan-era literature.

An elegant and scarce mid-eighteenth-century compilation of the Roman poet Persius’s six satires, rendered into vibrant English verse by Thomas Brewster. Praised for its accessible and poetic translation of notoriously difficult classical texts, this volume tackles themes of literary taste, national morality, and the true nature of human folly. A remarkable addition for any collector of classical literature, antiquarian translations, or Roman history.