David Fabricius of Esens: 1589

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Title in Latin:

Frisiae Orientalis,
post omnium editiones locupletissima
et exactissima de scriptio,
auctore
Davide Fabricio Esensi,
sic patriam exornante,
anno MDLXXXIX

(A map) of East Frisia,
beyond all editions the richest
and most precise in notation,
by the author
David Fabricius of Esens,
thus embellishing (his) fatherland,
in the year 1589

Title in Frisian/Dutch/German:

Nie und warhaftige beschrivinge
des ostfreslandes

New and improved description
of Ostfriesland

Legend in Latin:

Cum privilegio illustris
et generosi comitis D. Edzardi z
Frisiae Orientalis domini
1589
prostant Embdae apud Johannes ab Oldersur bibliopol---.

With the privilege of the illustrious
and generous friend D(avid? or Master?) Edzardus (z?)
master of East Frisia
1589
for sale in Emden at the bookstore of Johannes of Oldersur

This is a somewhat shaky translation.

Note the extra symbol over the Z after the name“Edzardi.” The extra symbol indicates letters that have been abbreviated out of the word (in the same way today you’ll see Rx for “Recipe,” the old word for a prescription, or viz. for “vide licet”). If I can find a reliable source that says what this particular shorthand marking meant, I’ll come back and fix the translation.

Some of the letters are also blurred. And my grasp of medieval Latin is not perfect. I have guessed here the best I can.

Dedication in Latin:

Illustri et generoso Do & Do
Edzardo z Frisiae Orientalis
Principi ac patriae patri domino
vero suo clementistimo autor
dedicabat

To the illustrious and generous Master (?)
Edzardus (z?), East Frisia’s
Prince and father of his country, a master
in truth himself the most indulgent, the author
has dedicated (this map)

Again, this is a rough translation, but you get the idea. Some of the Latin here seems less than perfect to a classicist’s ears, but it probably follows standard medieval rules and usage. On the other hand, the author himself is inconsistent. Notice that here he spells author “autor”; in the title inscription he used “auctor.”

And again, note the abbreviations. Here you see Do & Do; I have no idea what they mean (but note the use of a line over the last letter to indicate what’s been left out). And again the Z after Edzardus’ name—perhaps this is a simple 2, to indicate lineage, as we do with Henry VIII or Elizabeth II? More research is needed. Who ruled Ostfriesland in 1589?

Map facsimile accompanied Heft 8 of Nordseeküste, 1963, a publication of the Küstenmuseum Juist in Juist, Germany.

Fabricius Intro . . . Fabricius Titles & Notes . . . More Fabricius Details

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