Tasso, Torquato; John Joshua, Earl of Carysfort, K.P. (Trans.) — Jerusalem Delivered (Volume I only)

Huntingdon, England Printed by A. P. Wood pp. 268. 12mo. Our copy is in the original printer's boards, with the front board now detached, and with portions of the spine absent leaving only a fragment of the original printed label. 'Jerusalem Delivered' is an epic poem by the Italian poet Tasso (1544-1595). It was first published in 1581 and tells a largely fictional version of the First Crusade in which Catholic knights, led by Godfrey of Bouillon, battle Muslims in an attempt to take control of Jerusalem. The poem is composed of eight-line stanzas grouped into 20 cantos of varying length. John Joshua Proby (1751-1828), who translated this poem into English, was a British judge, diplomat Whig politician and poet. This edition was published in two volumes. Our offering is volume I only, containing the first ten cantos. A seldom-seen translation, not in Lowndes or ESTC; the more ubiquitous translations being by Hoole, Fairfax, Hunt and Wiffen.