Sancti Caecilii Cypriani Opera Recognita & Illustrata Per Joannem Oxoniensem Episcopum. Accedunt Annales Cyprianici, Sive Tredecim Annorum, Quibus S. Cyprianus Inter Christianos Versatus Est, Brevis Historia Chronologice Delineata Per Joannem Cestriensem. Oxonii E Theatro Sheldoniano Anno MDCLXXXII (1682).
The Works of Saint Cyprian, Recognised and Illustrated by John, Bishop of Oxford. Also Added are the Cyprian Annals, or Thirteen Years in Which St. Cyprian Lived Among Christians, Briefly Outlined in Chronological History by John of Chester. At Oxford, from the Sheldonian Theater in the Year 1682.
A MAGNIFICENT EDITION, EXCEPTIONALLY COMPLETE WITH THE ADDED DISSERTATIONS ON CYPRIAN BY HENRY DODWELL WHICH ARE ALMOST ALWAYS MISSING!
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"In 1682 appeared the magnificent large folio, the fruit of Fell's long study of the Father whose stand against Rome and special theory of the episcopate gave him a unique appeal to Anglicans... The folio comprised all the saint's writings, copiously annotated by Fell, and a new Life, Annales Cyprianici, which was compiled by the greatest English patristic scholar of the age, John Pearson... Fell's apparatus is impressive; his collations numerous, his notes copious. The composition of the text is creditable to an English press; the paper is excellent and the presswork admirable... The book represents the greatest of Fell's contributions to patristic scholarship and the exposition of the position of the Anglican Church." [Stanley Morison, John Fell, the University Press and the 'Fell' Types, pp.48-9.]
Dibdin calls this, in his characteristically reserved tone, "An excellent and splendid edition."
Almost all copies extant lack the added dissertation and the following indices. This example is exceptionally complete and thus incredibly scarce. As far as we could trace this is the only copy to come to the market complete with these parts.
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Cyprian of Carthage is often confused with Cyprian of Antioch, reputedly a magician before his conversion. A number of grimoires, such as Libellus Magicus, are thus mistakenly attributed to Cyprian of Carthage.
Cyprian (c.210 - 258 AD) was a bishop of Carthage and an early Christian writer of Berber descent, many of whose Latin works are extant. He is recognised as a saint in the Western and Eastern churches.
He was born around the beginning of the 3rd century in North Africa, perhaps at Carthage, where he received a classical education. Soon after converting to Christianity, he became a bishop in 249. A controversial figure during his lifetime, his strong pastoral skills, firm conduct during the Novatianist heresy and outbreak of the Plague of Cyprian (named after him due to his description of it), and eventual martyrdom at Carthage established his reputation and proved his sanctity in the eyes of the Church.
His skillful Latin rhetoric led to his being considered the pre-eminent Latin writer of Western Christianity until Jerome and Augustine.
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Provenance:
Bookplate from the Gaddesden Library with the previous location of Case H, Shelf 3. The bookplate bears the coat of arms and the motto "nescit vox missa reverti" (the sent word does not know how to return).
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Size: 250 x 388 mm (approx.)
Condition:
[(2), frontis, t.p., (i.e., S1), S2-4 (lectori S.), 18pp. (life of St. Cyprian), 6pp. (indexes), a1-2d2 (index), half title, pp.1-5 (preface), pp.6-72, pp.1-244, pp.1-126, pp.119-120, pp.129-240, pp1-40, pp.1-56, pp.59-110, pp.1-72, half title, 2pp., pp.1-118, pp.1-28 (appendix), pp.29-37, (3)]
Contemporary panelled full calf binding retaining tooled red morocco label with dating gilt to the foot of the spine. Boards finely blindstamped constituting the paneling, also, across the joints. Spine darkened but without loss to the brightness of the gilt or label. Some minor loss at the head of the backstrip, else, the spine with some minor rubbing, showing very attractively on the shelf. Joints rubbed with the leather from the board going across the top joints of the front board being slightly raised. Boards a little scuffed with some loss to the leather in placed. Shelf wear with minor losses at corners. Binding slightly bowed but secure and without shelf lean. Page edges with red dot design, top page edge dulled as typical. Without hinge reinforcement. Bookplate attached to front pastedown with a shelf reference in pencil to the blank verso at Gaddesden Park. Endpapers toned in the gutter as commensurate with the binding, else, generally exceptionally clean throughout.
Pencil inscriptions to the top right corner of the ffep. Pp.18 of the life of st. Cyprian mispaginated as pp.14. Occasional damp staining to bottom and tops of leaves, not affecting the legibility of any text. Red pencil marginalia, of brackets, of the Dissertationes Cyprianicae, not obscuring any text. Closed tear repair across pp.79 of Testimoniorum Lib III, lifting partially at the edge, obscuring small parts of the text, but legible, and fully obscuring the catchword.
[ESTC R018885; Wing D1809; Wing (2nd ed., 1994) C7711; MMSID 9928799473804341; OCLC 6430414, 1156421915; Dibdin I, 213].
