The Novel
http://pierre-marteau.com/novels.html
THE| AMOURS| OF| Clitophon and Leucippe.| ILUSTRATED| In Six Novels.| VIZ.| I. The Force of Love described.| II. The Disappointed Bride.| III. The Distressed Lovers.| IV. Virtue its own Reward.| V. The Lascivious Widow,| VI. The Happy Consummation.| [rule]| Written in Greek,| By Achilles Tatius.| Now first rendered into English.| [rule]| -- Veterum repetamus Amores.| [rule]| LONDON:| Printed for T. Bickerton, at the| Crown in Pater Noster Row, 1720.| Price 1 s. 6 d.
first page in verso: advertisement for Le Noble, Zulima (Price 1 s. 6 d.) and Sarah Butler, Irish Tales (Price 1 s. 6 d.)/ titlepage/ p.[1]-112/ 12°.
{O: Douce.CC.137}.
RP: reel 2511, no. 17.
A. Esdaile (1912), p.1. - ESTC: n015807.
Preceding translations published in 1577 and 1638, cf. A. Esdaile (1912).
No introduction. The titel's announcement of "Six Novels" is misleading - there are no headlines inside offering these "novels". The heroes are young urban Phoenician, patricians. Clitophon relates the story of his love towards Leucippe - full of standard motifs: An intrigue sets the action into motion - two servants are used to plot against the couple, which escapes only to be ship-wrecked. Robbers catch and seperate them, they have believe that the other one is dead before they find each other again only to be seperated once again. Clitophon onece more supposes Leucippe dead, and gets tempted to marry a beautiful rich widow before it turns out, that Leucippe is still alife and in the hands of the widow's husband - who is also not as dead as we supposed. Clitophon is nearly executed as Leucippe's murderer, the story ends, however, happily with Leucippe's father arriving and dicovering the initial intrigue. The frame with which the book began is not reached again at the end, the story taken out of a bigger context.
o.s.