Tertius libellus epistolarum [...] et aliorum quorundam virorum, Auctoritate, Virtute, Sapientia, Doctrinaq(u)e excellentium. Editus autore Ioachimo Camerario Paperg

8vo. (152) leaves (the last is a blank). A-T⁸. With the printer's device on the title-page and Camerarius' coat-of-arms on the verso. Contemporary blind-stamped pigskin over boards, spine with three raised bands. Contemporary entry of ownership dated 1581 by Christophorus Sella (Sessel), a Nuremberg theologian (fl. 2^nd half of the 16^th century). Due to sticking together of some leaves, the printed surface of the pages is not clearly readable; these pages have been added in photostate from another copy (A2r, A5v, A6r, L5v, L6r, M1v, M2r, M2v, M3r, M5v, M6r, M7v, M8r, N1v, N2r).

VD 16, C-410; F. Baron & M.H. Shaw, The Publications of Joachim Camerarius, in: “Joachim Camerarius (1500-1574). Essay on the History of Humanism During the Reformation”, F. Baron, ed., (München, 1978), p. 244, no. 118; C. Krause, Helius Eobanus Hessus. Sein Leben und seine Werke, (Gotha, 1879), II, p. 277.

FIRST EDITION of the third part of Eobanus' correspondence published by Joachim Camerarius (1500-1574). A first, rather negligent and disorderly collection of Eobanus' letters (Epistolarum familiarium libri XII) was published two years after his death by Johannes Draconites at Marburg in 1542. But it was Eobanus' lifelong friend and correspondent Camerarius, who published a first series of letters in Narratio de H. Eobano Hesso (Eobanus' biography) in 1553. This was followed by Libellus alter in 1557, the present Tertius libellus, and Libellus novus in 1568 (cf. C. Krause, op. cit, II, pp. 264-266).

Of the 169 letters contained in the volume only seven are by Eobanus, all the other are by former pupils and friends. The volume is furthermore interspersed with some of Eobanus' verses and numerous poetic compositions by his friends. The volume actually represents an act of reverence originated by Camerarius shown through letters of numerous contemporary scholars and noble men (cf. G. Huber-Rebenich. Officium amicitiae. Beobachtungen zu den Kriterien frühneuzeitlichen Briefsammlungen am Beispiel der von Joachim Camerarius herausgegebenen Hessus-Korrespondenz, in: “Menti amore legati. Lateinische Freundschaftsdichtung und Dichterfreundschaft in Mittelalter und Neuzeit”, Heidelberg, 2001, pp. 145-156).

“Seit seiner ersten Zeit in Erfurt hat Hessus bis zum Ende seines Lebens einen regen Briefwechsel mit Freunden, Gönnern und anderen einflussreichen Personen gepflegt, nicht zuletzt mit den Wittenberger Reformatoren. Die Korrespondenz enthält viel Persönliches aus seinem Umfeld. Gegenstand sind ebenso familiäre Angelegenheiten und Verabredungen mit Freunden, die Aufschluss über das gesellige Leben innerhalb des Humanistenzirkels geben, wie Beziehungen zu (potentiellen) Förderern und Dienstherren. Des weiteren tauschte man sich über literarische Fragen aus, über die Beschaffung von Büchern, eigene Arbeiten oder die Werke anderer - klassischer oder zeitgenössischer - Autoren. Jedoch nahm Hessus in seinen Briefen auch zu aktuellen politischen, religiösen und sozialen Fragen Stellung; seine Urteile sind freilich in der Regel eher emotional geprägt denn als kohärente programmatische Äusserungen zu verstehen. Insgesamt gibt sich Hessus in seinem Briefwechsel als gutmütige Persönlichkeit ohne scharfe Kanten zu erkennen. Ein aggressiver Tonfall wird allenfalls laut, wenn Hessus seine Dichtkunst nicht angemessen gewürdigt sieht, oder im Konflikt mit radikalen Gegnern der klassischen Bildung. Mit fortschreitendem Alter nimmt in den persönlichen Äusserungen die Klage über finanzielle Nöte und gesundheitliche Probleme immer mehr Raum ein. Mag Hessus Briefen auch die intellektuelle Tiefe und Kohärenz etwa der Korrespondenz eines Melanchthons abgehen, so stellen sie doch eine wertvolle zeithistorische Quelle dar und geben durch die oft sehr spontan wirkenden Äusserungen Einblick in das Alltagsleben einen humanistischen Dichters” (G. Huber-Rebenich & S. Lütkemeyer, Helius Eobanus Hessus, in: “Deutscher Humanismus 1480-1520. Verfasserlexikon”, F.J. Worstbrock, ed., Berlin & New York, 2008, I/4, pp. 1110).

[Dedication letter by Camerarius, Joachim to Crato, Johannes]. [Leipzig], August 17, [1560?] (l. A4r)

Camerarius, Joachim to Crispinus [Kraushaar], Leonardus. Leipzig, December 1, 1560 (l. A6r)

Crispinus [Kraushaar], Leonardus. Marburg, December 4, 1538 (l. B1r)

id. Marburg, December 19, 1538 (l. B2r)

id. Marburg, Dominica post Luciae [December ?], 1538 (l. B2v)

[Ungefug], Gerhard Eugenius. Marburg, October 6, 1537 (l. B3r)

Albert, Johannes. Marburg, October 6, 1537 (l. B4r)

Capella [Pfeil], Matthaeus. (l. B5r)

id. (l. B⁵v)

Crispinus [Kraushaar], Leonardus. Vicenhusio [sic], January 25, 1541 (l. B6v)

id. Vicenhusio [sic], October 19, 1535 (l. B7r)

Jonas, Justus to Kymeus, Johannes. Wittenberg, 1536 (l. B7v)

Lanius, Caspar to Sleidan, Johannes. September 9, 1555 (l. B8r)

[Fredrick the Wise of Saxony] to Mutianus Rufus, Conrad. Lochau, June 30, 1520 (l. C1v)

id. Lochau, July 8, 1523 (l. C2r)

id. Lochau, June 21, 1523 (l. C2v)

id. Kolditz, Easter, 1523 (l. C3r)

id. Lochau, January 2, 1525 (l. C3v)

Spalatin, Georg to Mutianus Rufus, Conrad. September 13, 1523 (l. C3v)

id. Worms, February 12, 1521 (l. C4v)

id. Frankfurt a.M., September 21, 1520 (l. C5r)

id. January 21, 1521 (l. C5v)

Camerarius, Joachim (l. C6v)

Mathesius, Johannes. [In the house of Anton Rhesus], July 9, 1536 (l. C7r)

Spalatin, Georg to Mutianus Rufus, Conrad. Eisenach, December 26, 1521 (l. D1r)

id. Lochau, May 7, 1519 (l. D2r)

id. Lochau, June 20, 1523 (l. D2v)

id. Colditz, the day before Easter [April 4], 1523 (l. D3r)

id. Allstedt, November 28, 1520 (l. D3v)

id. Lochau, fer. II. post Exaudi, 1523 (l. D4r)

Mutianus Rufus, Conrad to [Spalatin, Georg?]. December 25, 1512 (l. D4v)

id. (l. D5v)

id. (l. D6r)

Mutianus Rufus, Conrad to Dominus Rector Academicus. Gotha (l. D7r)

Mutianus Rufus, Conrad to Camerarius, Joachim. Gotha, 1524 (l. D7v)

Melanchton, Philipp to Crispinus [Kraushaar], Leonardus. August 1, 1538 (l. D8r)

id. March 9, n.y. (l. D8v).

id. March 8, 1543 (l. E1r)

Camerarius, Joachim to Crispinus, Leonardus. March 10, n.y. (l. E1v)

id. Leipzig, May 3, n.y. (l. E2r)

Cripinus, Leonardus to Camerarius, Joachim. Homburg, December 27, 1558 (l. E2r)

[Krafft], Adam to Crispinus, Leonardus. Marburg, 1546 (l. E3r)

id. (l. E4r)

id. Marburg, January 5, 1546 (l. E4r)

id. Marburg, August 5, 1547 (l. E4v)

id. Marburg, July 28, 1551 (l. E5r)

[Krafft], Adam to Camerarius, Joachim. (l. E6v)

id. Marburg, Pentecost [June 1], 1544 (l. E7r)

Spalatin, Georg to Camerarius, Joachim. Altenburg, November 22, 1541 (l. E7v)

Reuchlin, Johannes to Melanchthon, Philipp. Stuttgart, July 24, 1518 (l. E8r)

Crotus Rubeanus to [Eberbach, Peter] Dux Petreius. July 1, 1521 (l. F1r)

Crotus Rubeanus to Joachim Camerarius. Königsberg, March 9, 1526 (l. F2r)

id. Fischhausen, June 13, 1527 (l. F3v)

[Krafft], Adam to Camerarius, Joachim. Marburg, 1541 (l. F5v)

id. Marburg, May 1, 1536 (l. F6v)

id. Butzbach, 1536 (l. F6v)

id. Smalkalden, March 11, 1537 (l. F7r)

id. Marburg (l. F7v)

Spalatin, Georg to Camerarius, Joachim. Nürnberg, June 15, 1532 (l. F7v)

id. [Nürnberg?], Ascension, 1539 (l. F8r)

id. [Nürnberg?], January 1, 1541 (l. G1r)

id. [Nürnberg?], III. Post Laetare [Sunday], 1542 (l. G2r)

id. [Nürnberg?], December 9, 1543 (l. G3r)

id. [Nürnberg?], March 5, 1544 (l. G3v)

Helt, Georg to Joachim Camerarius. March 15, 1542 (l. G4r)

id. Dessau, January 3, 1543 (l. G4v)

id. Dessau, June 5, 1543 (l. G5r)

[Georges III of Anhalt] to Melanchthon, Philipp. Dessau, June 24, 1543 (l. G5v)

[Georges III of Anhalt] to Camerarius, Joachim. Meersburg, Feria secunda post Quasimodogeniti [White Sunday], 1545 (l. G7v)

id. Merseburg, December 23, 1545 (l. G8r)

id. Merseburg, January 8, 1546 (l. H1r)

id. Merseburg, January 27, 1546 (l. H1v)

id. Merseburg, February 17, 1547 (l. H2r)

id. Merseburg, April 15, 1547 (l. H2v)

id. June 10, 1547 (l. H3r)

id. June 28, 1549 (l. H3v)

id. Warmsdorf, December 13, 1551 (l. H4v)

id. Warmsdorf, February 12, [1552?] (l. H5r)

id. Meerseburg, December 25, 1552 (l. H5v)

Bedrotus, Jacob to Camerarius, Joachim. Strasbourg, September 14, 1536 (l. H6v)

id. Strasbourg, December 18, [1536?] (l. H7r)

id. Strasbourg, January 14, [1537?] (l. H8r)

id. Strasbourg, February 4, [1537?](l. H8v)

id. Strasbourg, December 6, [1537?] (l. I1v)

id. Strasbourg, March 31, [1538?] (l. I2v)

id. [Strasbourg], May 28, [1538?] (l. I3v)

id. Strasbourg, November 5, [1538?] (l. I4v)

id. Strasbourg, January 13, 1539 (l, I5r)

id. Strasbourg, July 3, [1539?] (l. I6v)

id. Strasbourg, August 1, [1539?] (l. I7v)

id. Strasbourg, April 29, [1539?] (l. I8r)

id. Strasbourg, June 15, [1539?] (l. K1v)

id. Strasbourg, July 12, [1539?] (l. K2v)

id. [Strasbourg?], October 1, [1539?] (l. K3r)

id. Strasbourg, September 29, 1540, (l. K3v)

id. [Strasbourg?], July 6, [1540?] (l. K4r)

id. Strasbourg, September 22, [1540?] (l. K5r)

id. [Strasbourg?], March 16, [1541?] (l. K6r)

id. [Strasbourg?], August 13, [1541?] (l. K7r)

id. [Strasbourg?], September 9, [1541?] (l. K7v)

Niger, Antonius to Camerarius, Joachim. Padova, August 3, [1536?] (l. K8v)

id. Padova, August 20, [1536?] (l. L1r)

Grynaeus, Simon to Joachim Camerarius. Speyer, March 26, 1531 (l. L2r)

id. Basel, July 10, 1534 (l. L2v)

id. Tübingen, May 31, 1535 (l. L3r)

id. Basel (l. L4r)

id. (l. L4v)

id. Basel, January 6, n.y. (l. L5r)

id. (l. L6r)

id. Basel, July, n.y. (l. L7r)

id. Basel (l. L7v)

id. [Basel?], April 5, n.y. (l. L8v)

id. [Basel?], December 3, n.y. (l. M1r)

id. Basel (l. M1v)

Gerbel, Nicolaus to Camerarius, Joachim. March 31, 1530 (l. M2r)

id. October 13, 1531 (l. M2v)

id. Strasbourg, September 4, 1532 (l. M3r)

id. Strasbourg, February 5, 1535 (l. M4r)

id. Strasbourg, May 15, 1536 (l. M5r)

id. Strasbourg, August 1, 1537 (l. M5v)

id. October 23, 1537 (l. M6r)

id. Strasbourg, March 19, 1538 (l. M6v)

id. Strasbourg, March 10, 1539 (l. M7r)

id. Strasbourg, April 9, 1539 (l. M8r)

id. Strasbourg, April 30, 1540 (l. M8v)

id. Strasbourg, July 1, 1540 (l. N1r)

id. Strasbourg, February 15, 1542 (l. N2r)

id. Strasbourg, July 15, 1542 (l. N3r)

id. Strasbourg, August 30, [1542?] (l. N3v)

id. Strasbourg, November 23, 1545 (l. N4r)

Metzler, Johannes to Camararius, Joachim. Breslau, October 25, 1526 (l. N4v)

Hutten, Moritz von to Camerarius, Joachim. Eichstätt, November 28, 1528 (l. N5r)

id. Eichstätt, July 1, 1535 (l. N5v)

Volland, Caspar to Camerarius, Joachim. (l. O1v)

Volmar, Melchior to Camerarius, Joachim. Tübingen, June 8, 1558 (l. O3v)

[Krafft], Adam to Camerarius, Joachim. August 29, 1555 (l. O4v)

Volland, Caspar to Camerarius, Joachim. (l. O4v)

Lotichius, Petrus to Camerarius, Joachim. Wittenberg, November 24, 1549 (l. O5r)

id. Paris, July 7, 1551 (l. O5v)

Lotichius, Christian to Camerarius, Joachim. December 24, 1555 (poem, l. O6r)

Phrygius, Paulus to Camerarius, Joachim. Tübingen, January 26, 1547 (l. O7v)

Geräander, Paulus to Camerarius, Joachim. Salzburg, January 6, 1550 (l. O8r)

Trozendorf, Valentin to Camerarius, Joachim. Liegnitz, April 20, n.y. (l. P1r)

Sittard, Cornelius to Camararius, Joachim. Nürnberg, September 26, 1550 (l. P1v)

Camerarius, Joachim to Sittard, Cornelius. October 5, 1550 (l. P3r)

Camerarius, Joachim to Irenäus, Matthias. Nürnberg, January 23, 1547 (l. Q2r)

Melanchton, Philipp to Itenäus, Matthias. July 4, n.y. (l. Q3r)

Camerarius, Joachim to Crato, Johannes. December 22, 1560 (l. R1r)

Metzler, Johannes to Melanchton, Philipp. Breslau, December 23, 1521 (l. R1v)

id. Breslau, April 2, 1527 (l. R2r)

Metzler, Joahnnes to Crotus Rubeanus. Breslau, August 20, 1527 (l. R2v)

id. (l. R4v)

id. Breslau, January 7, 1528 (l.R5r)

Metzler, Johannes to N.N. Breslau, May 15, 1529 (l. R5v)

Metzler, Johannes to Pflugk, Julius. Breslau, July 26, 1530 (l. R6v)

Hessus, Johannes to Camerarius, Joachim. Breslau, April 12, 1542 (l. R7r)

id. Breslau, September 20, 1544 (l. R8r)

Megabachus (Meckbach), Johannes to Joachim Camerarius. Torgau, Jubilate, 1552 (l. R8v)

Amantius, Bartolomaeus to Camerarius, Joachim. Greifswald, December 12, 1542 (l. S1r)

Cracovius, Georgius to Camerarius, Joachim. Speyer, November 15, 1560 (l. S2v)

id. to Cracovius, Georgius. Leipzig, December 9, [1560?] (l. S3r)

id. to Crato, Johannes. December 27, 1560 (l. S5r)

id. to Fuchs, Jacob. November 17, 1527 (l. S8r)

id. to Rullus, Johannes. August 20, [1527?] (l. T1v)

id. to Urban, Heinrich. [1527?] (l. T2r)

id. to Stibarus, Daniel. August 1, 1527 (l. T3r)

id. to Sturz, Georg. April 28, 1527 (l. T4r)

id. to [George III, Prince of Anhalt?]. (l.T5r)

id. to Grynaeus, Simon. (l. T6r)

Eobanus Koch (Coccius) was born at Halgehausen, near Frankenberg (Hassia), the son of a peasant in the service of the Cistercian abbey of Haina, north of Marburg. He adopted his first name Helius on account of being born on a Sunday. He was educated at first by Abbot Dietmar of Haina and subsequently by Johann Mebes in the Latin school of Gmünden, which he attended until 1502. After further schooling at Frankenberg under Jakob Horle, he registered at the University of Erfurt, where he was introduced to Latin poetry by Maternus Pistoris. The humanist Crotus Rubeanus took an affectionate interest in him from the time of his arrival.

A feud in 1505 between the artisans of Erfurt and the students offered Eobanus the opportunity of publishing his first work, De pugna studentium erphordiensium (1506). After graduating in September 1506, he was appointed headmaster of the school of St. Severus in Erfurt. In 1508 he published De amantium infoelicitate and a year later his Bucolicon and was recognized at once by Mutianus Rufus and Ulrich von Hutten to be unrivalled among the Latin poets of Germany.

In autumn of 1509 Eobanus entered the service of a former pupil, Job von Dobeneck, who had since become bishop of Pomesiana in East Prussia and resided in the latter's residence at Riesenburg. In 1514 were published at Leipzig his Sylvae, a collection of local, historical and military poems, idylls, epigrams and occasional pieces he wrote in the preceding years in Prussia. In the same year appeared his best work of poetry, a most original volume with the title Heroides in imitation of Ovid, consisting of letters from holy women, from the Virgin Mary down to Kunigunde, wife of Emperor Henry II.

After his return to Erfurt in July 1514, he was soon the center of a circles of humanists. Jointly with Mutianus, Crotus, and Johannes Petrejus he spoke in support of Reuchlin. He sympathized with the patriotic goals of Ulrich von Hutten, and enthusiastically adopted Erasmus' program of learning and religious reform. He also lent a hand in the composition of the famous Epistolae obscurorum virorum (1515). With his appointment as professor of poetry in July 1518, he came to occupy a secure and influential position in the university. When Luther passed through Erfurt in April 1521, Eobanus greeted him with a speech on behalf of the university and later also composed poetry in praise and support of Luther. His faithful adherence to the Lutheran movement did not, however, prevent the continuation of his sincere friendship and correspondence with Erasmus.

In 1523 Eobanus took up the study of medicine, hoping to alleviate his increasing financial hardship. Although he did not gain a medical degree, his efforts produced a very successful and widely read didactic poem on dietetics, Bonae valetudinis conservandae praecepta (1524). Through the influence of Joachim Camerarius and Melanchthon, he obtained a post at Nuremberg in 1526. Together with Camerarius he taught until 1533 at the Gymnasium of St. Aegidius which had recently be founded by Melanchthon. But, finding a regular life distasteful, he again went back to Erfurt in 1533. He found the intellectual climate there deteriorated to such a degree, that he was glad to accept a position at the University of Marburg. Here he was elected rector in 1538 and completed his verse paraphrase of the Psalms, which was highly praised by Luther and reprinted more than fifty times. He also produced the only Latin version of the Iliad ever to be published (1540). When he died at Marburg in October 1540, Eobanus was considered the foremost Latin poet of his age (cf. I. Grässer Eberbach, Helius Eobanus Hessus: der Poet des Erfurter Humanistenkreises, Erfurt, 1993, passim).

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