Iosepho de Iusticis - An et Quando Libri ... - 1598

WRITE WITHOUT BEING CONDEMNED TO THE BLAZE: THE SUBTLE ART

This work, printed in Venice in 1598 by Damiano Zenaro, represents a rare example of late Renaissance political and legal tractate dedicated to King Philip II of Habsburg. The author, Iosepho de Iusticis, a patrician of Aquila, addresses the question of the conditions under which books may or may not be considered subversive or forbidden, placing himself in the heated debate of the Counter-Reformation and ecclesiastical censorship. The dedication to the powerful Spanish monarch, then ruler of vast European and colonial territories, reveals the political intent to bind juridical and moral knowledge to the authority of the Catholic sovereign. The work presents itself as a significant document of the tension between intellectual freedom and control of knowledge typical of the late sixteenth century.

MARKET VALUE
Italian legal-political pamphlets of the late XVI century are very rare on the antiquarian market. Similar copies appear only sporadically and can reach values between 1,000 and 2,000 euros, with higher sums for well-preserved copies, complete and in first binding.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Contemporary binding in stiff cardboard. Title page printed in red and black, with a large typographic mark engraved at center. Some signs of use and light foxing. Pp. (2); 40nn; 338.

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
An et quando libri in conditione positi vocentur, tractatus ad potentissimum ac invictiss regem Don Philippum II, Austriacum.
Venetiis, ex officina Damiani Zenari, 1598.
Iosepho de Iusticis.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
The text belongs to the legal-political literature of the Counter-Reformation and addresses questions of censorship and legitimacy of intellectual sources. The dedication to Filippo II, universal Catholic monarch and central figure of European politics, places the work in a context of loyalty and homage to the Spanish monarchy. The reflection on books and legal counsels recalls the problem of ecclesiastical control over knowledge and the role of jurists in the Catholic Restoration era. Printed in Venice, a nerve center of the book trade, the text highlights the role of Italian typography in disseminating writings tied to the great religious and political debates of the time.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
Iosepho de Iusticis, Patrizio Aquilano, was a jurist and man of letters in the second half of the sixteenth century. Although biographical data are scarce, his activity sits within the tradition of the bar and humanistic jurisprudence. His name remains linked mainly to this treatise, a significant example of the tension between law, politics, and faith.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Printed by Damiano Zenaro in Venice in 1598, the pamphlet likely had limited circulation, intended for an educated audience of jurists, theologians, and government officials. Zenaro’s typography stood out for producing erudite and specialized texts. Given its occasional and highly circumscribed nature, the work is today extremely rare and absent in many European libraries.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
EDIT16, entry (to be verified for 1598 date)
U. Baldini, La censura libraria nella Controriforma, Firenze, 1994
J. H. Elliott, Imperial Spain 1469–1716, London, 1963
S. Cavallo, La tipografia veneziana nel tardo Cinquecento, Venezia, 2001
ICC (Italian Collective Catalogue), voce Iosepho de Iusticis, An et quando libri…, 1598