First and only edition of the Latin translation from the Greek by Raffaele Maffei Bishop of Volaterra (1451-1522), a noted humanist and encyclopaedist, of the story of the Persian wars and the wars against the Vandals in North Africa, under the reign of the Roman Emperor Justinianus, written by Procopius (ca. 494-after 562). The original Greek text was first published by Höschelius at Augsburg as late as 1607; an English version by Holcroft followed in 1653.
With this edition the text of the De bello Persico appears for the first time in print; a Latin translation of the De bello Vandilico by Leonardo Bruni had already been printed in 1470. De bello Vandilico contains accounts of the early 6th century Byzantine military campaigns against the Persian kings Kavadh and Chosroes Anushirvan, and against the Vandals in North Africa.
The colophon is unusual in referring to the editor, Andrea Nucio (= Andreas Muzio), by name. The lengthy privilege by Pope Julius II is in favour of Giacomo Mazzocchi, a learned Roman bookseller, printer, and noted antiquarian, who is first mentioned here.
Procopius of Caesarea (ca. 490- ca. 562) was born in the latter years of the fifth century at Caesarea in Palestine. He originated from the land-owning provincial upper class and became a civil servant. As early as 527 CE, before the emperor Justin's death, Procopius became counsellor, assessor, and secretary to Belisarius, whose fortunes and campaigns he followed for the next twelve or fifteen years. Small wonder he became very knowledgeable of military affairs through this service. He has long been respected as a historian of the emperor Justinian's wars, and in fact he is reckoned the greatest of the later Greek historians. Procopius was finally raised to the dignity of an illustrius, and died not earlier than 562 CE.
Procopius presents us with an eyewitness's description of Belisarius's wars, in eight books. Of these, the two first deal with the Persian War. The two books that deal with the Vandalic war relate how Belisarius defeated the last Vandal king in North Africa and retakes this old Roman province. Another three books deal with the Gothic wars, they tell a similar tale of Belisarius' competent generalship in the retaking of Italy from the Ostrogoths. Book VIII concludes with a general survey of events down to 554 CE. Procopius wrote in the Greek used by most educated people and writers of the late Roman Empire.
Procopius also wrote a book about the buildings erected by Justinian in the city of Constantinople, his De Aedificiis; in fact he attributed most buildings in the eastern Empire to Justinian! The writing is filled with heroic sounding statements, lofty proclamations, and an incredible amount of flattering language in descriptions of those in power. An account written in this style was known as a panegyric.
His second book, though, is in quite a different style. This is the Anecdota, which is characterized as 'a satirical attack on Justinian', but which is most commonly known by the title of Arcana Histora (the Secret History). It is a supplement to the other history, carrying the narrative down to the year 558-9, where it breaks off. Into it, as into the pages of a private journal, Procopius pours his detestation of Justinian and Theodora; even Belisarius and his wife are not spared. The Anecdota was not published until the seventeenth century due to its contents.
His writings are the primary source of information for the rule of the emperor Justinian, and constitute the authoritative text for the period. In military terms, Procopios is valued for his clear descriptions of operations, for his objective grasp of the decisive facts, and for the accurate detail he is able to provide as an eye witness, also, for instance, for a detailed account of the outbreak of bubonic plague in Constantinople as is given in his book De bello persico.
Procopius belongs to the school of late antique secular historians who continued the traditions of the Second Sophistic; they wrote in Attic Greek, their models were Herodotus and especially Thucydides, and their subject matter was secular history.
Some occasional minor foxing. Otherwise a very fine copy. Börm, Prokop und die Perser (Stuttgart 2007); Cameron, Procopius and the Sixth Century (Berkeley 1985); Isaac 12013; Jähns 143-6; STC Italian p.541; USTC 851420.