Epicteti Manuale et Sententiae: Quibus Accedunt Tabula Cebetis, & Alia Affinis Argumenti, in Linguam Latinam Conversa A Marco Meibomio

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by Epictetus

Epicteti Manuale et Sententiae
EpictetusEpictetiManuale1711.jpg

Title page from Epicteti Manuale et Sententiae, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.

Author Epictetus
Editor {{{editor}}}
Translator {{{trans}}}
Published Trajecti Batavorum (Utrecht): Ex officina Guilielmi Broedelet
Date 1711
Edition {{{edition}}}
Language Greek and Latin on opposite pages
Volumes {{{set}}} volume set
Pages [20], 151 [1], 124, 152, [59]
Desc. 4to (21 cm.)
Location Shelf H-2
  [[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]

Epictetus(55–135) was an ancient Greek Stoic philosopher. Spending his early years as a slave in Rome, Epictetus developed a philosophy of acceptance of fate. He believed that many people were dissatisfied with the world because they attempted to dominate aspects of life they had no ability to control.[1] “The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, that you will be hindered. You will lament, you will be disturbed, and you will fault both gods and men.”[2] This text is written in both Latin and Greek and may have been used as a teaching device for young students of those languages.

Head-piece, first page of Greek text.

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Thomas Jefferson listed "Epicteti Manuel Gt. Lat. 4to." in his inventory of Wythe's Library, noting that he kept the volume himself. He later sold it to the Library of Congress but the copy no longer exists.[3] Brown's Bibliography[4] includes the 1711 edition as mentioned in Sowerby's Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson while George Wythe's Library[5] on LibraryThing indicates "precise edition unknown." The Wolf Law Library purchased the 1711 edition as suggested by Brown.

Owner's inscription, front free endpaper.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary full vellum. Previous owner's inscription, "Joh. Jac. Jenner, ... 1723," on front free endpaper.

Images of the library's copy of this book are available on Flickr. View the record for this book in William and Mary's online catalog.

See also

References

  1. "Epictetus-biography," The European Graduate School website, last modified October 22, 2013.
  2. "The Enchiridion," The Internet Classics Archive, 1994-2009.
  3. E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, (Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress, 1952-1959), 2:28 [no.1299].
  4. Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433
  5. LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe," accessed on June 28, 2013.

External Links

Read the record for this book in Google Books.