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CERVANTES SAAVEDRA, Miguel de (1547--1616)
[Novelas ejemplares. Selections. English. 1742]
Instructive and entertaining novels; designed to promote virtue, good sense, and universal benevolence. Enriched with great variety of curious and uncommon incidents and events, exceeding pleasant and profitable. Translated from the original Spanish of the inimitable M. Cervantes, author of Don Quixot. By Thomas Shelton. With an account of the work, by a gentleman of the Middle-Temple.
London (Place), printed for J. Nourse,, [1742?].
[2], 144, 147--396, [2] p. ; 16.3 cm. (12º)

Probably translated by James Mabbe (ESTC). Pages 145--6 are omitted in the pagination, but the text and register are continuous. Each novel has a separate title-page describing the text as 'A New Edition, Revised and Compared with the Original by a Gentleman well Versed in the Spanish Language'. With a final 'Editor's Advertisement' leaf. The Middle Temple at this era "... was an institution characterised by its appetite for literature rather than for law"(Peter Ackroyd). Contents: 'A Story of Two Damsels'; 'The Lady Cornelia Bentivoglio'; 'The Generous Lover'; 'The Force of Blood'; 'A Story of the Spanish Lady'; 'The Jealous Husband'. ESTC t60532.

Copy Notes Inscriptions on front pastedown obscured by Soane bookplate. Inscribed in ink on first free-endpaper Amatory Tales [double underscore]/ from the original Spanish/ of Michael Cervantes/ Author of Don Quixot [double underscore]. Considerable annotations, deletions and insertions in ink passim. The words Loves Labyrinth inscribed in ink on the title-page of 'The Lady Cornelia Bentivoglio' and on the rear pastedown; the words Love and Gratitude on the title-page of 'The Generous Lover'; the words Rodolfo, or the rape of Leocadia on the title-page of 'The Force of Blood'; the words Winter Tales on the rear pastedown. Financial and other calculations inscribed in ink on both pastedowns and on pp. [68] and 134.

Binding C18th calf, gilt-ruled spine, without spine-label.

Reference Number 968

Additional Names Shelton, Thomas (fl.$1612); Mabbe, James (1572--1642?)


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