Ovid's Epistles Translated by Several Hands by Ovid [Dryden, John; Scrope, Sir Carr; Tate, Nahum; Flatman, Thomas; Rymer, Thomas; Otway, Thomas; Butler, Samuel; Settle, Elkanah; Behn, Aphra; and others: Translators] - 1680

London: Printed for Jacob Tonson at the Sign of the Judges Head in Chancery Lane, near Fleet Street, 1680. First edition. Hardcover. Very Good. A Very Good copy of the first edition, first printing in elegantly stamped boards with the buttressed spine also being decoratively stamped (spine restored and relaid with some loss to the original spine, front hinge neatly repaired, occasional marginal brackets added by a prior reader) [22], 1- 128, 139-234, 233-280 + Frontis --- the page numbers reflect errors, and the text is complete; a collection of Ovid's Epistles with a Preface by John Dryden, along with translations by Dryden, Sir Carr Scrope (a companion of King Charles II), Nahum Tate (who became England's Poet Laureate), Poet Thomas Flatman, Thomas Rymer (Historiographer Royal), Dramatist Thomas Otway, Poet and Satirist Samuel Butler, Poet and Playwright Elkanah Settle, Dramatist Aphra Behn, and others. [One of England's first professional literary writers, Dramatist Aphra Behn contributed a verse paraphrase of Ovid's "Oenone to Paris", and, as Behn was not expert in Latin, John Cooper's translation of the work was added to later editions of the book. Notably, however, in his Preface, Dryden stated "The reader will here find most of the translations, with some little latitude or variation form the authour's sence: that of Oenone to Paris, is in Mr. Cowley's way of imitation only. I was desir'd to say that the authour who is of the fair sex, understood not Latine. But if she does not, I am afraid she has given us occasion to be asham'd who do."] A notable and quite popular work, this miscellaney was thrice reprinted during the 17th Century and numerous times thereafter; copies of the work in the first edition, as is presented here, are quite scarce to the market. SCARCE.