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The Symbolic Literature of the Renaissance

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*=contributor or source; (...)=translation of title or work; [...]=relevant pages or chapter

[These pages are under construction. Contributions are welcome and will be acknowledged.  For details see here]

Agricola, Johannes Book of German Proverbs 1528

Many editions, the largest of which had 750 proverbs.

Agnellini, Tim Proverbii Weigel 1688 *G I 42

Persian and Turkish proverbs trans. into Latin and Italian

Amstelredamus, Alardus Selectae Similitudines sive Collationes Paris: Girault, 1543

First Published in Cologne in 1539, written after the example of Erasmus's Adagia.

Anon Adagia ie Proverbiorum, paroemiarum et parabol. 1629 *G I 17

A collection of Proverbs and other forms from Erasmus, Junius, Canterus, Stephanus

Anon Adagia in Latin and English Aberdeen 1622

Anon Adagia Optimorum Utriusque Linguae Venice: Paulus Manutius, 1603

Anon Adagia sive Proverbia Graecorum Plantin 1612 *G I 17

Anon Adagialia sacra Novi Test. Schotto Plantin 1629 *G I 18

Anon Adagios Portuguezes Lisbon 1651 *G I 18

Apostolios, Michael Paroemiae Leiden: Elsevier, 1619

1st Latin and Greek edition. Byzantine proverbs

Brassicanus, Alexander Proverbiorum Symmicta 1529

Cato Collectio Distichorum Vulgaris c290 AD

(Moral Distichs). Printed copy, Augsberg: 2 Nov., 1475. First edition of the Disticha to contain Bergamo's extensive commentary.

Cotgravc, Randle A dictionarie of the French and English tongues 1611

In addition to translations, this dictionary contains many proverbs.

Decius, Baronius, Johannes Adagiorum Graecolatinoungaricorum Chiliades Bartfa: 1598

Drax, Thomas Bibliotheca Scholastica Instructissima; or a Treasure of Ancient Adages London: 1633

Duplessis Bibliographie paroemiolog.

Erasmus, Desiderius Adagia Paris: Philippi/Marnef, 15 June 1500

First edition. Another edition, Rome: Paulua Manutius, 1575.

------------------------------Adagiorum Opus

1st Aldine ed. 1508. Other editions, Lyons: Gryphius 1550, Lyons: Gryphius 1559, Froben 1559.

------------------------------Collectanea adagiorum veterum Strassburg: Schurer, 1510

------------------------------Adagiorum epitome Antwerp: Hillenius, 1545

------------------------------Adagiorum chiliades Lyon: Gryphe, 1559

Estienne, Henri Les Prémices ou les Proverbes Epigrammatisés 1594

-----------------------Comicorum Graecorum sententiae, id est gnomai Geneva: Estiene, 1569

This is perhaps the tiniest book produced by Henri Estienne (32mo)

Franck, Sebastian Sprichwörter Frankfurt: Egenolffs heirs, 1570

Gartner, Andreas Dicteria Proverbalia Frankfurt: C. Egenolff's heirs, 1598

The work is divided in three parts. Consisting of nearly 2000 proverbs in Latin and German, it was first published in 1566 and went through numerous editions in the sixteenth century. This edition is based on the enlarged version published in 1591.

Gilles, de Noyers, Jean Proverbs communs Paris: Pierre Ménier II, c1605

A collection of French proverbs with Latin translations. Over 1100 alphabetically arranged French proverbs.

Giraldi, Giglio Gregorio Philosophi Pythagorae symbolorum interpretatio 1551

Gruter, J. Florilegium ethico-politicum Frankfurt: Rhodius, 1610-1612

A large collection of Latin, Greek, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Spanish and English proverbs. Gruter was librarian of the Palatine library in Heidelberg and a neoLatin poet.   

Heywood Proverbs?  1546 

Lange, Joseph Adagia, sive Sententiae proverbiales Strasbourg: Rihelius, 1596

Lanniet, Jacques Receuil des plus illustres proverbes 1657 – 1663

A collection of illustrated proverbs 3+1 vols  4th Part contains proverbs based on the life of Till Eulenspiegel– very rare.

Junius, Hadrian Adagiorum centuria VIII Basel: Froben, 1558

Martialis, Marcus Valerius Epigrammata (with commentary by Domitius Calderinus) Venice: Printer of the 1480 Martial, 1480

First printed in 1474 by De Colonia and Manthen.

Mitelli, G.M. Proverbi figurati Bologna 1678

Frontispiece and 48 pl.

Oudin, Cesar Refranes o Proverbios Castellanos Paris: Billaine, 1624

Third French edition 288 pages. Oudin was also the first French translator of Don Quixote.
Second edition Paris: Orry, 1609
Another edition Paris: De La Coste, 1659

de Pisan, Christine Epistre Othea 1400

----------------------Moral Proverbs Composed in French by Cristyne de Pisan, Rivers, trans. Caxton, 1477

Ray, John A collection of English proverbs 1670

le Roux, Philibert Joseph Dictionnaire comique, satirique, critique, libre et proverbial Amsterdam: Le Cene, 1718

Schott, Andreas Adagia Antwerp: Plantina Moreti, 1612

Spalatinus, Georgius Man muss entweder ein konig oder aber ein narr geborn werden s.l. 1520

First German translation of the adage 1.3.1, Aut regem aut fatuum nasci oportere.

Taverner, Richard Proverbs or Adages Gathered out of the Chiliades of Erasmus London: 1539

Second edition, 1545, first English translation of the Adagia. Another edition, 1569.

Zenobius Epitomê tôn Tarrhaiou kai Didymou paroimiôn, Latin trans. by Gilbert Cousin Basilea: Henricus Petri, 1562