A.—­GERMAN EDITIONS.

1.—­1.  Nuremberg ... 1477.

The first translation of Marco Polo’s Book was printed in German, at
Nuremberg, in 1477.

Collation:  58 ff. folio without pagination and without signatures.

Verso f. 1:  Frontispiece:  Portrait of Marco Polo with this inscription round the border:  [Top] Das ist der edel Ritter.  Marcho polo von [right] Venedig der grost landtfarer der vns beschreibt die grossen wunder der welt [Foot] die er selber gesehenn hat.  Von dem auffgang [left] pis zu dem nydergag der sunne. der gleyche vor nicht meer gehort seyn. [See p. 555.]

Recto f. 2, begins: 

Hie hebt sich an das puch des edeln Ritters vn landtfarers || Marcho polo.  In dem er schreibt die grossen wunderlichen || ding dieser welt.  Sunderlichen von den grossen kunigen vnd || keysern die da herschen in den selbigen landen | vnd von irem || volck vnd seiner gewonheit da selbs.

Verso f. 58:  Hie endet sich das puch des edeln Ritters und landtfarerz
|| Marcho polo | das do sagt vo mangerley wunder der landt || vn lewt | vn
wie er die selbigen gesehen vn durch faren hat || von de auffgang pisz zu
dem nydergang der sune Seliglich.

Disz hat gedruckt Fricz Creiszner zu Nurmberg Nach cristi || gepurdt
Tausent vierhundert vn im siben vn sibenczigte iar.

[Illustration:  Frontispiece of the first German Edition.]

The copy which I have examined is in the Grenville Library, No. 6787.  (Vide Bib.  Grenvilliana, Part II. p. 305.) When Marsden edited his Marco Polo, Grenville did not possess this edition.  The only known copy was in the Vienna Imperial Library, but was without the portrait.  Grenville had made a transcript spoken of by Marsden, pp. lxx.-lxxi., which we describe infra.  “When Mr. Marsden,” says Grenville in a MS. note at the beginning of this fine volume, “published his translation of this work, the only known copy of this first German Edition was in the Imperial Library at Vienna, and I had a literal transcript made from it:  Since that time a second copy was found and sold by Payne and Foss to Lord Spencer:  and now I have purchased from Leipsick a third [the present] beautiful copy.  I know of no fourth copy.  The copy at Vienna wants the portrait.”

Vide Bib.  Spenceriana, vol. vi. p. 176.

Other copies are to be found at the Imperial Library, Vienna, the Royal Library, Berlin, the Germanisches Museum, Nuremberg; a sixth copy was in the Crawford Collection (London, June, 1887, 1359) with the portrait, and was purchased by B. Quaritch. [See H.  Cordier, Cent. of Marco Polo, p. 41.]

—­The copy we just spoke of has No.  LII. in the Grenville collection, British Museum; it is a folio of 114 pages numbered with a pencil; bound with the arms of the Rt.  Honble.  Thos.  Grenville.  Page 114, the exactness of this copy is thus certified:  “Apographum collatum cum prototypo, quod in Bibliotheca Palatina Vindobonensi adservatur.  Illo quidem, qui descripsit, recitante ex prototypo, me vero hoc apographum inspectante.  Respondet pagina paginae, versui versus & syllaba syllabae.  Vindobonae die 29.  Augusti 1817.  B. Kopitar, Biblioth.  Palatinae Vindobon. scriptor.”