The Lausiac History and the Religious History

On the thirtieth of August, one thousand five hundred and fifty-five, the Reverend Father in God Lord Jean du Tillet, Bishop of Saint-Brieuc, has permitted Martin le Jeune, Bookseller and Printer, following the King’s privilege, the printing and sale of a book titled, THE LAUSIAC HISTORY, so called, by PALLADIUS, disciple of the blessed Evagrius; and the THEOPHILES original: "ΘεοΦιλῆς" (Theophilēs), meaning "God-loving.", that is, the RELIGIOUS HISTORY by THEODORET, Bishop of Cyrrhus. Both of which contain the rules of life, the deeds, and the miracles of the holy men of their time. original: "PALLADII diui Euagrij discipuli Lausiaca quae dicitur historia, & THEODORETI Episcopi Cyri ΘεοΦιλῆς, id est religiosa historia. Quorum vterque continet instituta, res gestas, & miracula piorum virorum sui temporis." With a prohibition to all others from attempting to infringe or contravene it, under the penalties contained in the letters patent of the said Lord Referring to the King of France.. Given at Paris on the nineteenth day of January, one thousand five hundred and fifty-two. Ratified in Parliament on the third day of March, in the same year.

The text begins with a decorative woodcut initial 'L' featuring ornate foliage and vine patterns within a square frame. Below the text, there is a prominent ghosted image of a printer's mark showing an anchor with a dolphin entwined around it, flanked by the letters 'A' and 'L' (associated with the printer Martin le Jeune, who used this mark to signal his affiliation with the Aldine publishing tradition). Two faint circular institutional stamps from a library are visible in the lower half of the page.