A Short Relation of the river Nile,

£3,000 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

one of the earliest western accounts of the Nile One of the earliest records of travels in Ethiopia, translated from Lobo's Itinerario by Sir Peter Wyche (1628-1699). Wyche, as well as being an accomplished diplomat, was also a scholar and member of the Royal Society. The work was translated at the request of the members of the Royal Society. Jeronimo Lobo (1596-1678), a Portuguese Jesuit priest, took part in the mission to Ethiopia, residing there for 9 years. Lobo travelled to Lake Tana, and was only the second European to see the source of the Blue Nile. He describes the 'sea-horses and crocodiles, both bred in the Nile, and infesting the passages', the course of the river itself, and the seasonal inundation of the Egyptian flood plain. The work is also notable for his extraordinary description of 'the famous unicorne'. The Portuguese originally imagined that in the King of Ethiopia they had found the mythical Prester John, however Lobo is quick to dispel this fable. He goes on to describe the Red Sea, and also provides an extensive discourse on the different varieties of palm trees. First edition in English. Small 8vo [8], 105 pp., with initial imprimatur leaf (small holes repaired, tear at inner margin repaired), lacks final blank, title slightly defective at lower outer corner not affecting text, F8 with small repair to lower margin, contemporary calf-backed marbled boards, joints just cracked but firm, light edge wear, a very good copy. Wing L2733.

• Binding: Hardcover

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