REFUGE (Eustatius) OF (sic, read DE). Treaty of... Lot 39

REFUGE [(Eustatius) OF (sic, read DE)]. Treaty of the Court or Court Instructions. Latest edition. Paris, Claude Barbin, 1658, petit in-12, [4]-380 p., full vellum at the time. From the library of Nordkirschen. Refuge (1564-1617) is Counsellor at the Parliament (1592), Ambassador in Holland (1614) and Moralist. Traicté de la cour, or instruction of the courtiers (1616). A popular work on the art of the courtier, the "Traicté de la Cour, ou Instruction des courtisans" was first published anonymously in Holland in 1616. It consists of two books, the first of which is traditional and general in nature. Eustatius of Refuge is best known for the second book of the Treaty, which is an instruction manual for success at court. It is an early example of a comprehensive work on how a courtier should behave, and gives advice that is still applied and considered generally relevant today. It defines the behaviour to be followed at each stage of a career, and specifies how to respond to many special circumstances. Book Two of the Treaty was still a popular work a century after its publication, with more than thirty editions in French, English, Italian, German and Latin.