Title page

Decorative initial from Opera Graece

Chrysostom, St. John

Opera Graece (edited by Sir Henry Savile) Eton, John Norton, 1610-1613. 8 volumes. Volume 1, 1086 pp., vol. 2, 93lpp., vol. 3, 894 pp., vol. 4, 943pp., vol. 5, 998 pp., vol. 6, 1008 pp., vol. 7, 949 pp., vol. 8, 1436 pp. Folio, leather.

Hand-lettered inscriptions: I. Bertie on covers verso of all volumes. C. Wallace on all title-pages. Cranmoore Wallace 1845 on fly-leaves of vols. 1 and 4. Ex don _____ _____ Coland on fly-leaf, vol. 1.Also Domi Artemis (?) Capoll. Also F. Comish. Also Ex dono _____ _____ 1712. Also many of the sermons of St. Chrysostom were taken down in the short hand by the Notaries v. Bingham 1.313.6. ((1.420)). Also, _____ School.

Description

An English scholar, Henry Savile (1549-1622) was educated at Brasenose and Merton, Oxford. Through Essex, Burghley and Lady Russell, he became provost of Eton in 1596. Because of his friendship with the rehabilitated Essex, James I dubbed him Knight in 1604. One of the scholars picked to produce the Authorized Version of the Bible, and he worked on the Evangelists, Acts and Revelations. Unable to obtain Royal French type for the Chrysostom, he produced instead a fount from Holland. Of his own purse, he spent 8,000 pounds. It was the first learned work of great scale published in England, but few buyers presented themselves. Savile assisted Bodley in the founding of the Bodleian Library. He was the most learned Englishman in the profane languages of his time. (DNB)

Melchisidec Bradwood supervised the printing of the work, although John Norton was the nominative printer. One of John Day’s apprentices, Bradwood, was freed by Day’s widow and he thence began his own shop in London at Eliot’s Court, Old Bailey. Engaged by Savile for the Production of the Chrysostom, he seems to have taken presses, initials, ornaments, supplementary types and workers to Eton. Bradwood remained at Eton until his death in 1618 and printed other Greek works. (AP)

Listings: Burnet, Ebert 4190, STC 14629.