[Incunabula and early 16th cent. books]. Hier beghint...

[Incunabula and early 16th cent. books]. Hier beghint een schone hystorie vanden wijsen Philosooph Sydrack. Antw., Michiel Hillen van Hoochstraten, August 9th 1522, (57 [of 60]) lvs., large woodcut ill. on title showing King Boctus and Sydrack, later calf, folio.[*]

- Lacks leaves C4, D1 and K2; title formerly dam. mainly in outer margin but repaired and reattached; leaf N3 dam. in lower part w. loss of a sm. portion of text; partly waterstained and trifle wormholed; bookplate on upper pastedown. Rebacked.

= The present work contains a Dutch translation of the Middle French 13th century dialogue between Babylonian king Boctus and the philosopher Sydrac. The King asks Sydrac 421 questions covering subjects like philosophy, religion, morality, medicine, astrology, the virtues of plants and minerals, etc. which he all answers. The copy in the Royal Library of the Netherlands lacks the same leaves; this is probably due to censorship for the questions on these leaves concern sexuality and other "obscenities". Interestingly, leaf N3 is still present in our copy on which King Boctus asks the question if ten-year-old children are sexually mature. Nijhoff/ Kronenberg 1097. SEE ILLUSTRATION PLATE CII.