The Annales of Cornelius Tacitus.

first edition in English of the Annals and Germania

The first edition in English of Tacitus' Annals and Germania.

Translated out of the original Latin by Richard Grenewey and bound with, as issued, Sir Henry Savile's (1549-1622) English-language edition of the Histories and Life of Agricola, as well as his historiographical essay The End of Nero and Beginning of Galba.

Together, the Annals and Histories cover the period from AD 14 to 96, charting the reign of the Julio-Claudians from Tiberius to the year of the Four Emperors, and the rise and fall of the Flavian dynasty under Vespasian and his sons Titus and Domitian. Tacitus' two lesser works, De origine et situ Germanorum and De vita et moribus Iulii Agricolae contain, respectively, early descriptions of the Germanic tribes and Britons, their customs, nature of government, and the geography of the regions, as well as the military exploits of Tacitus' father-in-law Gnaeus Julius Agricola (40-93), who was Governor of Britain from c. AD 77-85.

Little is known of Grenewey outside of the present work. It seems likely that he was a close contemporary of Savile, who was tutor in Greek to Elizabeth I, and who had published his translation of the Histories and Agricola, the first in English, in 1591.

Both men were connected to the circle of Robert Deveroux, the second Earl of Essex, to whom the present work is dedicated. 'Given Essex's own known interest in Tacitus and in history more generally, it is possible that Grenewey was simply retained by Savile, perhaps at Essex's instigation, to provide English versions of the two Tacitean works Savile himself had not translated in order to make up a complete edition. Savile himself was by 1596 already busy as provost of Eton College, while simultaneously serving as warden of Merton; intellectually, he was by then engaged on an edition of medieval chronicles and had left Tacitus behind' (ODNB).

5 works in 1 vol., issued together; first edition in English of 'The Annales and Germanie', second edition of 'The Histories and Life of Agricola'; folio (27.5 x 19 cm); printed in Roman type, full-page engraving of Roman encampment to recto of T2 (trimmed with slight loss to design at fore-edge), lacking initial blank f., pen inscription to title-page obscured, ownership inscription in pen to front free endpaper verso, pencil notes to front pastedown, textblock trimmed close at fore-edge with occasional minor loss to printed marginalia, lower corner of S4 (in 'The Life of Agricola') torn with loss to text, some browning and spotting; 19th-century half vellum, marbled paper boards, contrasting black morocco lettering-pieces to spine, edges stained red, vellum a little soiled, very good; [6], 271, [1]; [6], 12, 227, [1]pp.

ESTC S117604 & S117603; STC 23644.