Les fables d'Esope, comedie

Statement of third edition. The colophon bears the date 1702; indeed, the play was not performed until 1701, and the first publication, posthumous, only took place in 1702. There were in fact three different printings in 1702, one at the address of Damien Beugnié, another at that of the Widow of Clément Gasse, and the last at Nicolas Gosselin's.
Contemporary full brown sheep binding. Decorated spine with raised bands. Red morocco title label. Tail headcap worn. Overall rubbing. Corners bumped.
Besides the dedication which explains the author's project, the work contains a preface in which the playwright attacks the objections against his play. Boursault died in 1701, before printing. Like most of the author's comedies which were called episodic comedies (in the absence of a general plot), this one was written in verse. Certain passages that could cast a shadow on Louis XIV were censored and rewritten. Boursault often achieved great success with his plays, by virtue of a natural and satirical comic style and numerous well-turned verses, and he is an essential figure of the theater of the period, but his work did not survive time, perhaps due to its dramaturgical weakness.