Opus Merlini Cocaii poetae Mantuani Macaronicorum

New edition, after the first collected edition published in Venice in 1564. Illustrated with 27 woodcut title vignettes. It contains Zanitolla, the 25 books of Baldus, the Moscheide (on the battle of flies against ants), epistolarum.

Contemporary full limp vellum binding. Smooth spine. Later title label. One hole at tail. Title page and p.7 restored in margin with antique paper. Three wormholes, from title page to p.70.

The macaronic genre created by the author himself is a burlesque and fantastical poetry written not in Latin, but in low Latin, a slang Latin mixing the dialect of Mantua and Italian. The author's pseudonym means Merlin the cook, and the macaronicorum is a dish of macaroni. This defrocked monk tells us the story of Baldus and his nomadic adventures. The episode of the giant Fracasse and the rogue Cingar probably served as a source of inspiration for François Rabelais, who was notably inspired by the life of the monk Folengo and his burlesque style, practicing excessive enumeration and generalized mockery. Folengo died in 1544. Folengo's works form one of the most original creations of Italian Renaissance literature.