(Germanic Philology, Gothic & Old Germanic Languages, Dictio...

Hammer

£48

(Germanic Philology, Gothic & Old Germanic Languages, Dictionary Gothic & Latin, Runes.) Franciscus Junius (the younger) (1591-1677): 'Gothicum glossarium, quo pleraque Argentei codicis vocabula explicantur, atque ex linguis cognatis illustrantur praemittuntur ei Gothicum, Runicum, Anglo-Saxonicum, aliaque alphabeta', Dordrecht, Henricus & Joannes Essaei, 1664, 1st edition, engraved vignette printer's device on title page, engraved colophon p.415, appendix addendorum at end p.417-[431], lacks 2 leaves at end that precede final unnumbered leaf (i.e. p.427-430), leaves throughout loose but else complete, contemporary half calf boards, lacks backstrip. Franciscus Junius (1591–1677), also known as François du Jon, was a pioneer of Germanic philology. As a collector of ancient manuscripts, he published the first modern editions of a number of important texts. In addition, he wrote the first comprehensive overview of ancient writings on the visual arts, which became a cornerstone of classical art theories throughout Europe. Junius was born in Heidelberg, but was brought up at Leiden, Netherlands, as his father, also called Franciscus Junius, was appointed professor of Hebrew at Leiden University in 1592. He later lived in Dordrecht, studied theology at Leiden and Middelburg, after which he bacame a pastor near Rotterdam, then travelled to France. Following that he moved to England, where in 1620 he was employed by Thomas Howard, earl of Arundel, as a tutor to his son, and later as librarian. It was for Arundel, an avid collector of Greek and Roman art objects, that Junius wrote his De pictura veterum, published in 1637 in Latin, a theoretical discussion of classical art and one of the cornerstones of the Neoclassical movement. Junius remained resident in England for more than twenty years, but upon the revolt against Charles I in 1642, he joined the Earl and his wife to the Low Countries. Soon after his return in Holland, Junius became interested in the history of the Dutch language, an interest that quickly spread to the oldest phases of other Germanic languages. Junius was the owner of an important piece of Christian literature called the MS Junius 11 codex, also known as the "Cædmon manuscript", or "Junius" codex. Junius was a close acquaintance of John Milton. It has been suggested that similarities between Milton's Paradise Lost and parts of the "Genesis" material in MS Junius 11, are the result of Milton having consulted MS Junius 11 via Junius, though this hypothesis cannot be proven. Junius was the first person to substantially study the Codex Argenteus (or Gothic Bible). He first showed an interest in Gothic in 1654, and engaged in a study of the Codex Argenteus in 1654. Isaac Vossius entrusted the codex to Junius. Vossius had secured the codex from Queen Christina as part of a debt settlement. MS Junius 55 is a transcript Junius made of the full text of the original manuscript. Junius engaged Jan van Vliet in his study of Gothic. The earliest extant reference to the first foliation of the Nowell Codex (British Library MS Cotton Vitellius A.xv), which contains the poem Beowulf, was made sometime between 1628 and 1650 by Junius. A rare 1664 dated imprint copy of 'Gothicum Glossarium'. All other copies listed on JISC library hub and worldcat dated 1665 or later. 1664 was the intended year of publication for Gothicum Glossarium but it appears there had been many unforeseen delays before it was finally put on sale. It seems Jan Van Vliet (1622-1666), Junius' great friend and follower in the study of Germanic philology, was closely involved in the publication of the Gothicum Glossarium, not only as an interested and attentive spectator, but also, to some extent, actively. That he had access to the Gothicum Glossarium before it was actually published appears from his references to it in his studies. 'Origins of Old Germanic Studies in the Low Countries', Kees Dekker, 1999, p.100