The essayes, or, Morall, politike and millitarie discourses of Lo: Michaell de Montaigne, Knight of the noble Order of St. Michaell, and one of the gentlemen in ordinary of the French king, Henry the third his chamber
Subtitle: the first booke
By: first written by him in French and now done into English by him that hath inviolably vowed his labors to the aeternitie of their honors, whose names he hath severally inscribed on these his consecrated altares ... / Iohn Florio
Contributors: Florio, John, 1553?-1625, translator; Simmes, Valentine, active 1585-1622, printer; Blount, Edward, active 1588-1632, bookseller; James I, King of England, 1566-1625, attributed name, former owner; Gordon, Robert, 1580-1656, former owner; Hemenway, Augustus, former owner; Collier, John Payne, 1789-1883, autographer; Matthews, Alfred, binder
Publisher: By Val. Sims for Edward Blount dwelling in Paules churchyard
Published: 1603
Place of publication: Printed at London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 664
Other titles: Morall, politike and millitarie discourses of Lo: Michaell de Montaigne
Work titles: Essais
Notes: A translation of: Essais.

Title page continues onto the verso of the sheet.

Imprint from title page verso.

In three books, each with separate dated title page; register is continuous.

With two final errata leaves.

Signatures: Áı ℗œ℗ø B-Q́œ Ŕþ S-2Ṕœ 2Q-2Ŕþ 2S-3Íœ 3Ḱþ [3L]℗ø.

Preliminaries include quire ℗œ℗ø following A8. ℗œ1 bears a poem to John Florio; ℗œ2 bears errors and omissions; these 2 leaves are frequently lacking.

Pollard, A.W. Short-title catalogue of books printed in England, Scotland, & Ireland and of English books printed abroad, 1475-1640 (2nd ed.), entry 18041

Carl H. Pforzheimer Library, entry 378

English short title catalogue, entry S111839

Boston Public Library (Rare Books Department copy) bound by Alfred Matthews in red morocco triple-panelled in gilt. The spine is tooled in gilt and all text block edges are gilt. The volume is housed in a purple morocco box. The BPL gift bookplate of Augustus Hemenway is present on the front pastedown. Laid onto the front flyleaf are six lines of verse in what appears to be a 17th century hand, but which are now ascribed to the hand of John Payne Collier, the Shakespearian critic and forger of documents who formerly owned the volume. Present on the title page is what appears to be the autograph of James I, King of England, as well as the autograph of Robert Gordon (1580-1656). This volume was item 1588 in the Gordon sale of March 25, 1816. Gathering ℗œ is wanting. Consult More Books/BPL Bulletin, Jan-March 1926, p.15 for a description of the provenance of this volume vis-a-vis Collier's forgeries.