A father's advice to his son. An exceptional copy in contemporary black morocco, in the style of the Queens' binders, of the L'Estrange (1616-1704) English translation of De Officiis.

This is Cicero's most important contribution to moral philosophy, variously rendered in English as On Duties or Obligations. The text is written in the form of a letter to his son Marcus, who was studying philosophy in Athens under the Platonist Antiochus. Influenced by the teachings of the Stoic philosopher Panaetius, the work aims to help guide us towards a compromise between honourable conduct and actions which bring us private advantage. In doing so, Cicero makes his notable appeal to natural law: 'For if we come once to entertain an Opinion that One man for his Own advantage may Assault, or make a Prey of Another; there follows necessarily an Absolute dissolution of Human Society, and a Violation of the most Certain and powerfull Dictate of Nature' (p.187).

The text, written between October and November 44 BC, also contains a famous denunciation of Julius Caesar, assassinated in March that year, along these grounds: 'His very Appetite being so Vitious, that he took pleasure in the Evil it self, without any other Inducement' (p.171). De Officiis has remained popular ever since — it was the third book to be printed after the Gutenberg Bible and Ars Minor, and was long regarded as essential reading in humanist circles, and a mainstay of English public school education in the seventeenth century.

Fourth edition; 12mo (16 x 10 cm); text in English, engraved additional title, ownership inscription in pen, partially erased, and faint library stamp to title, ownership inscription in pen to front free endpaper verso, armorial bookplate to front pastedown, blank paper inserted after A5, E9, H8 and M3 (i.e. following the prelims and each book), small paper flaw to top-margin of F8 not affecting text, small tear to margin L6 repaired in tape, otherwise internally clean; contemporary black morocco, elaborately gilt tooled panels with an 'all-over' design of drawer-handles, 4-petalled flowers, and tulips, gilt spine in 6 compartments, all edges gilt, spine ends and corners restored, areas of gilt touched-up; [10], 260, [18]pp.

ESTC R23710; Wing C4312.