Thrice-Greatest Hermes, Vol. I — G. R. S. Mead (1906)

The editio princeps was not a text but a Latin translation by Marsiglio Ficino (Marsilius Ficinus), published in quarto in 147 1.2 Both the name of the publisher and place of publication are lacking, but the British Museum catalogue inserts them in parenthesis as " G. de Lisa, Treviso," presumably on the authority of Harles. This translation consisted of the so-called " Pcemandres," in fourteen chapters, that is to say fourteen treatises, under the general title, Mercurii Trismegisti Liber de Potestaie et Sapientia Dei (or The Book of Mercury Trismegist coiwerning theJPower and Wisdom of God). The enormous popularity of this work is seen by the fact of the very numerous editions (for a book of that time) through which it ran. No less than twenty-two editions have appeared, the first eight of them in the short space of a quarter of a century.3

In 1548 there appeared an Italian translation of Ficinus' Latin version of the " Pcemandres " collection, entitled H Pimandro di Met -curio Trismegisto, done into Florentine by Tommaso Benci, printed at Florence in 12mo. A second edition was printed at Florence in 1549 in 8vo, with numerous improvements by Paitoni.

1 S. F. W. Hoffmann's Bibliographisches Lexicon der gesammten Litteratur der Griechen (2nd ed., Leipzig, 1839) simply copies Harles, while his appendix of " Erlauterungsschriften " is of no value.

2 K. (p. 320), as we have seen, gives the date as 1463, but I have found no trace of this edition.

8 The dates of these editions are as follows, though doubtless there were other editions of which we have lost record : 1471, '72, '81, '83, '91, '93, '94, '97 ; 1503, '05, '16, '22, '32, '49, '52, '54, '61, '70, '76, '77; 1611, '41. They were printed at Venice, Paris, Basle, Lyons, and London.

The first Greek text was printed at Paris, in 1554, by Adr. Turnebus ; it included the " Poemandres " and "The Definitions of Asclepius," to which the Latin version of Ficino was appended. The title is, Mercurii Trismegisti Pcemander seu de Potestate ac Sapientia Divina: Aesculapii Definitions ad Ammonem Regem\ the Greek was edited by P. Angelo da Barga (Angelus Vergecius).

In 1557 appeared the first French translation by
Gabriel du Preau, at Paris, with a lengthy title,
Deux Livres de Mercure Trismegiste Hermes tres ancien
Theologien, et excellant PhUozophe. L'un de la puissance
et sapience de Dieu. L'autre de la volonte de Dieu.
Auecq'un Dialogue de Loys Lazarel, poete Chrestien,
intitule" le Bassin d' Hermes.

This seems to be simply a translation of an edition of Ficinus" Latin version published at Paris by Henr. Stephanus in 1505, to which a certain worthy, Loys Lazarel, who further rejoiced in the agnomen of Septempedanus, appended a lucubration of his own of absolutely no value,1 for the title of Estienne's edition runs : Pimander Mercurii Liber de Sapientia et Potestate Dei. Asclepius, ejusdem Mercurii Liber de Voluntate Divina. Item Crater Hermetis a Lazarelo Septempedano.

In 1574 Franciscus Flussas Candalle reprinted at Bourdeaux, in 4to, Turnebus' Greek text, which he emended, with the help of the younger Scaliger and other Humanists, together with a Latin translation, under the title, Mercurii Trismegisti Pimander sive Pcsmander. This text is still of critical service to-day.

This he followed with a French translation, printed in 1579, also at Bourdeaux in folio, and bearing the title, Le Pimandre de Mercure Trismegiste de la Philo-

1 The writer has painfully perused it, for, more fortunate than the British Museum, he possesses a copy of this rare work.

sophie Chrestienne, Cognoissance du Verb Divin, et de I'JExcellence des (Euvres de Dieu. This we are assured is translated " de I'exemplaire Grec, avec collation de tres-amples commentaires," l all of which is followed by the full name and titles of Flussas, to wit, " FranQois Monsieur de Foix, de la famille de Candalle, Captal de Buchs, etc., Evesque d'Ayre, etc.," the whole being dedicated to " Marguerite de France, Eoine de Navarre."