Sophocles to Plantin to Eton to the Blackstones
Sophoclis tragoedi VII. In quibus prter multa menda sublata, carminum omnium ratio hactenus obscurior, nunc apertior proditur: opera Gulielmi Canteri Vltraiectini`.
Antuerpiae: Ex officina Christophori Plantini, 1579 [t.p.]; 1580 [colophon].
Price: $2,000.00
About the item
Text in Greek. 431, [17] pp. Printer's device on title-page. 1 vols. 16mo. Sophocles to Plantin to Eton to the Blackstones. 18th-century tan polished calf, gilt spine, leather label (slightly chipped); head slightly rubbed, upper joint cracked but holding, some light waterstainining to lower margin of last few leaves. Early gift inscriptions of front endpapers (see below). Adams S1449; Voet, L. Plantin Press, no. 2224; Hoffman III. PP. 414-5.
Item #211274
One of the landmark 16th-century editions of the great Greek tragedian, published by press of Christopher Plantin in Antwerp, and edited with notes by the young Dutch scholar Willian Canter, whose earlier edition of Euripides "established a new era" (Samdys) in the printing of the Greek tragic poets. It was Canter, in his earlier edition of Euripides, who first established the arrangement of the choral odes in enumerated lines of Strophe and Antistrophe - a practice continued here and in his subsequent Aeschylus and which continues today. Canter's edition of Sophocles, with his corrections to the text of Turnebus presented in his Latin Notes (pp. 429-436), remained in use for 200 years (cf. Jebb in his Introduction to his edition of 1887)
This particular copy has a fascinating provenance, with historic associations from ETON. The flyleaf bears the ink inscription:
"Wm. Cole / E dono J. Foster, eruditissimi Scholae Etonensis Archididascali. 1772" [Given to W. COLE by JOHN FOSTER, learned Headmaster of Eton College. 1772."
On the facing endpaper, in later hand, is the ink inscription: "Henricus Lee / E Dono M. Cole, uxoris Gulielmio Cole, Prebendarii Westmensteriensii Cathedrae. 1812." [Given to HENRY LEE by MARY COLE, wife of WILLIAM COLE, Prebendary of Westmenster Cathedral. 1812."]
JOHN FOSTER (1731-1774), classical scholar, was Headmaster at Eton from 1765 to 1773. According to the DNB, "Foster was not successful in his administration of the school, 'his government was defective, his authority insufficient,'" Foster retired from Eton in July 0f 1773, "in hope of recruiting his health, which had been sadly shattered by his efforts to cope with the difficulties of his headship."
WILLIAM COLE (1753-1806), also a classical scholar with close ties to Eton. According to the DNB, "In 1766 he was admitted at Eton and in 1773 was made scholar of King's College, Cambridge ... .In 1777 he returned [from Cambridge to Eton as a master, but, having ruptured a blood-vessel while an undergraduate, found himself not strong enough for the post, and resigned it in 1780." Under the patronage of the Duke of Marlborough his career advanced and he was eventually appointed prebendary of Westminster by the Archbishop of Canterbury. "In 1795 he married MARY [BLACKSTONE], the second daughter of Sir William Blackstone, but left no issue ... " - DNB
MARY BLACKSTONE COLE (ca. 1773 - 2nd daughter of WILLIAM BLACKSTONE (1723-1780)
HENRY LEE (1765 - 1838) - husband of PHILIPPA BLACKSTONE (b. ca. 1775), 3rd daughter of WILLIAM BLACKSTONE.