Vegetius, Flavius Renatus (et al.). De re militari libri quatuor.

€ 9,500.00

Important edition of this standard work on the Roman military institutions, organization, and science, including a discussion of naval warfare. Writing under Emperor Theodosius the Great around 400 AD, Vegetius aimed to counter what he perceived as a progressive decay of the Roman military strength. His discussion of ancient military practices and weaponry was used as a guide to siegecraft into the 19th century. It is the only ancient manual of its kind to survive intact, and the first book on the art of war.

This is the fifth impression of the excellent edition prepared by the great humanist scholar Guillaume Budé, first published by Wechel in 1532. The present issue includes the preliminary matter and the intriguing full-page woodcuts, which were sometimes omitted. The illustrations, close copies of those in Steiner's 1529 Augsburg edition, show military machinery and siege apparatus for storming castles. The woodcuts on the verso of the title-page show a military conference outside an army tent and a soldier loading a cannon. The work even boasts fantastical images and machines designed to be used underwater.