De Mirabilibus Pecci. Being the Wonders of the Peak in Derby-shire. Commonly Called The Devil’s Arse of Peak. In English and Latine. The Latine written by Thomas Hobbes of Malmsbury. The English by a Person of Quality.
London: Printed for William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-Bar 1678, 1588-1679. This copy is bound in later quarter calf. Hobbes: Wing H-2224; T.C. I. 296. Item #808G
In this edition the Latin poem is printed in a Roman type, and the English translation is in italic type. From 1608, Hobbes, at the age of 20, was appointed tutor to William, only two years his junior. In 1626, on the death of the first earl, Hobbes’s patron succeeded to the peerage, but died in June 1628. During this interval Hobbes wrote a Latin poem, giving an account of a short tour of the Peak in Derbyshire, made in company with the second earl. It was, it appears, a new year’s gift to his friend, who rewarded him with a gift of 5 pounds. The poem was first published in 1636. This version includes the original Latin and an English translation by ‘a Person of Quality.’ The Dukes of Devonshire owned Chatsworth House which features largely in the poem as one of the Wonders of the Peak.
Price: $2,050.00