Rare edition of one of the most important practical guides for the salvation of the souls of ordinary Christians, both in life and in death. It contains three short devotional tracts by Jean Gerson (1363-1429), the renowned Chancellor of the University of Paris, treating respectively the Ten Commandments, confession, and the art of dying well.
The present work was issued under the patronage of Erardus de Marcha (Erard de la Marck, 1472-1535), Prince-Bishop of Liège from 1505 until his death in 1538. De la Marck also served as Bishop of Chartres (1507-1525) and Archbishop of Valencia (from 1520 until his death). Several works intended for clerical use were printed under his auspices and bear his coat of arms. This work includes a fine woodcut on the title page, attributed to the anonymous Master Van Doesborch. The composition depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child on the left, while to the right kneel a priest and a standing bishop. Between them, the faint head of a reclining beggar may be seen, with the coat of arms of De la Marck appearing in the background.
In total, sixteen Latin works were dedicated to De la Marck in his dual capacity as Prince and Bishop. Authors publishing under his protection naturally regarded him as their patron, a fact clearly expressed in their dedicatory prefaces. The common thread uniting these works is religion, not theology in the scholastic sense, but practical devotion addressed to the clergy and parish faithful. Although many of these publications arose in the context of the early sixteenth-century anti-Lutheran controversy, others extended into literature, history, geography, and even music.
The vellum is slightly soiled. The leaves have been reinforced at the gutter, a very small hole in the outer margin of the title page. Otherwise in very good condition. Delen II, 26; Halkin, Le mécénat, pp.20-21; Nijhoff & Kronenberg 992; USTC 441788 (2 copies); WorldCat 1415167165 (1 copy).