Le Premier Alcibiade

12mo of (15)ff., (1) blank f., 233 pp. (misnumbered 231), (2) pp. Full contemporary vellum, calligraphic title on the spine. Contemporary binding.

150 x 82 mm.

Plato.[Le Fèvre, Tanneguy]. Plato's First Alcibiades translated into French by Mr. Le Fèvre.
Paris, Thomas Jolly, 1666.

Rare first edition of Le Fèvre's translation of Plato's First Alcibiades.
This is the dialogue in which Socrates' famous precept: "Know thyself!" appears for the first time.
Nicéron, III, 123; Catalogue Lamoignon, 1273; Graesse, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, V, 323; E. Haag, VI, 499; Le Journal des savants, February 15, 1666, p.50.

Father of the future Mme Dacier, Tanneguy Lefèvre (1615-1672) was “one of the most skilled humanists of his century.” He converted to Protestantism despite the religious turmoil of the period. A humanist passionate about Antiquity, he practiced free criticism of texts.
Drawing on his intimate knowledge of Greek, Le Fèvre was passionate about non-conformist Greek authors and translated Plato while expressing his admiration for Socrates, whose tolerance he praised.

In the Age of Louis XIV, Voltaire writes about Le Fèvre: “Calvinist, professor at Saumur who despised those of his sect and lived among them, more a philosopher than a Huguenot...”

The Platonic school has always regarded the First Alcibiades as one of Plato’s best works and as the introduction to all the others.

“The Alcibiades being the starting point of all philosophy, it is no doubt for this reason, says Proclus, that Iamblichus puts it at the head of the ten dialogues in which the whole philosophy of Plato is concentrated. The aim of the Alcibiades is self-knowledge. The true aim of the Alcibiades is human nature” (V. Cousin, Nouveaux fragments philosophiques, pp.264-306).

Plato, “the greatest philosopher of Antiquity and no doubt also of all time” (Dictionary of Authors), wishes in the Alcibiades to highlight the value of Socrates’ teaching and to explain the true meaning of the oracle of Delphi “Know thyself”.
In this dialogue, so highly praised by Joseph de Maistre and which contains everything later developed in Plato’s other dialogues, Socrates strives to show that his young interlocutor is not yet ready to enter politics, since one must first know oneself before justly commanding others.

“It is not necessary to speak of the beauty of this dialogue. It is enough to say that the original is by Plato. The learned will find at the end of this book scholarly notes in which Mr. Le Fèvre has restored several passages that Marsilio Ficino & Serranus had misunderstood.” (Journal des savants, 1666, pp. 90-91)

Precious and rare copy preserved in its contemporary vellum binding.