Anon.? LES TRAITS DE L'HISTOIRE UNIVERSELLE, SACRÉE ET PROFANE. D'APRÈS LES PLUS GRANDS PEINTRES ET LES MEILLEURS ÉCRIVAINS. DEDIES A MONSEIGNEUR LE DUC DE BOURGOGNE. Ouvrage destiné principalement à l'éducation de la jeunesse, et propre encore à l'instruction ou à l'amusement des personnes de tout âge et de tout sexe. Par le Sieur LE MAIRE. Graveur. L'HISTOIRE POËTIQUE. TOME I. 3eme Edition (Paris, 1761) - TOME II (Paris, 1762)
This rare text illustrating "poetical history" represents the histoire profane sequel (peculiarly billed as a troisième édition) to l'Abbé Aubert's Traits de l'histoire universelle, a work starting with four volumes of histoire sacrée which were also illustrated by Le Maire, also published in 1760-1762; Le Bas published a further edition of Aubert as well as our volumes* in 1771. Our volumes consist of an unascribed bilingual text to accompany plates (mainly Le Maire's) illustrating the Metamorphoses along with short interspersed series of scenes drawn from Homer and Virgil and a gallery of Muses by way of conclusion, with captions derived from Ausonius; the plates owe much to Goltzius, Diepenbeeck, and Le Temple des Muses, and anticipate some of Le Mire-Basan's Métamorphoses gravées (Paris, 1770).
Frontispiece: Egyptian Origin of Fable   Title-page of Tome I
[I.]
Chaos   Creation of Man by Prometheus   Prometheus on Caucasus   Pandora   Golden Age   Silver Age   Bronze Age   Iron Age   The Giants   The Giants Thunderstruck   The Giant Enceladus   Jupiter with Lycaon   The Council of the Gods   Neptune and the River Assembly   The Flood   The Waves Calmed by Neptune   Deucalion and Pyrrha Consult Themis   Deucalion and Pyrrha   Python Killed by Apollo   Daphne Changed into a Laurel   Jupiter and Io   Argus Put to Sleep by Mercury   Argus Beheaded by Mercury   Syrinx into Reeds   Clymene Showing Phaethon his Father
[II.]
Phaethon's Request   Phaethon's Ride   Phaethon's Fall   Phaethon's Sisters into Poplars   Jupiter and Callisto   Callisto Changed into a Bear**   Callisto and Arcas Changed into Stars   Juno Asks the Ocean and Thetis to Exclude Callisto and her Son   Coronis Changed into a Crow   Coronis the Daughter of Phlegyas   Coronis Slain by Apollo   Ocyrrhoe Receiving the Infant Aesculapius   Ocyrrhoe Changed into a Mare   Battus Changed into a Touchstone   Erichthonius Climbing out of a Basket   Mercury Smitten with Herse   Athena and Envy   Mercury and Herse   Jupiter Changed into a Bull   The Rape of Europa
[III.]
Cadmus Consulting the Oracle**   Cadmus' Comrades Devoured by a Serpent   Cadmus Battles the Serpent   Cadmus Sows the Serpent's Teeth   Diana Seen Bathing by Actaeon   Actaeon Torn Apart by his Hounds   Juno as an Old Woman and Semele   Jupiter and Semele   The Nursery of Bacchus   Tiresias Changed to a Woman, Then Man   Echo and Narcissus   Narcissus in Love with Himself   Narcissus Changed into a Flower
[IV.]
Triumph of Bacchus   Pyramus and Thisbe**   Clytie Changed into a Sunflower   Hermaphroditus and Salmacis**   Juno Drives Athamas and Ino Insane   Cadmus and Hermione into Serpents   Jupiter in a Shower of Gold   Story of Medusa   Atlas Changed into a Mountain   Andromeda Rescued by Perseus
[V.]
Phineus Turned to Stone   Pyreneus Dies Chasing the Muses**   Pluto Lovestruck by Cupid   The Rape of Proserpina   Ascalaphus Changed into a Screech-Owl   The Sirens   Alpheus and Arethusa   Lyncus Changed into a Lynx
[VI.]
Neptune and Ceres**   Jupiter Changed into a Satyr   Arachne Changed into a Spider   Bereaved Niobe Turned to Stone**   Lycian Rustics Changed into Frogs   Apollo Defeats Marsyas at Music   Marsyas Flayed Alive by Apollo   Philomela Violated by Tereus   Philomela and Procne Feed his Son to Tereus   Orithyia's Abduction by Boreas
[VII.]
Zethes and Calais   The Harpies Repulsed   The Golden Fleece   Medea Rejuvenates Aeson   Medea Kills her own Offspring   Minos Campaigns against Athens   Ants Changed into Men   Cephalus Ravished by Aurora   Procris Gives Cephalus a Dog and A Javelin   Procris Dies by Cephalus' Javelin
[VIII.]
Scylla Betrays Megara to Minos**   Theseus and the Labyrinth**   Theseus and the Minotaur   Bacchus Weds Ariadne   Ariadne's Crown Changed into Stars   Daedalus Wings his Son Icarus   Icarus' Fall   Oeneus Slights Diana   Meleager and Atalanta   The Death of Meleager   Theseus and the River Achelous   Philemon and Baucis   Erysichthon Afflicted by Hunger
Title-page of Tome II
[IX.]
Jupiter and Alcmena   Birth of Hercules   Hercules in the Cradle   Hercules Trained in Archery by Eurytus   Hercules Consulting the Delphic Oracle   Hercules and the Nemean Lion   Hercules Kills Boreas' Children   Hercules Kills The Lernaean Hydra   Hercules Fetters Cerberus   Hercules' Fight with the Amazons   Hercules Kills Diomedes and his Partner   Hercules Rescues Hesione   Hercules Strangles Antaeus   Hercules Bears the Heavens for Atlas   Hercules Wrestles Achelous for Deianira   Hercules Fights Achelous as a Bull   Achelous' Horn Retrieved by the Nymphs   Nessus Ferries Deianira on the River Evenus   Deianira Receives Nessus' Shirt   Hercules on the Pyre   Apotheosis of Hercules
[X.]
  The Wonders of Orpheus' Lyre   Death of Orpheus' Wife Eurydice   Orpheus Leading his Wife out of Hell Loses Her a Second Time   Death of Orpheus   Ganymede Abducted by Jupiter  Pygmalion's Statue Brought to Life by Venus
[XI.]
Proteus Bound by Aristaeus   Ceyx and Alcyone's Conjugal Love Rewarded   Glaucus Made a Sea-God by a Herb   Bellerophon Kills the Chimaera   Arion Saved by a Dolphin   Tithonus Changed to a Grasshopper by Aurora   Leander and Hero   Arion Builds Thebes' Citadel with the Sound of his Lyre   The Fates   Charon the Underworld's Boatman   The Underworld's Three Judges Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus   The Furies   The Punishment of Tantalus   The Punishment of Ixion in the Underworld   The Punishment of Sisyphus   Salmoneus Punished in the Underworld   The Danaides   The Elysian Fields   Troy Built by Apollo and Neptune
[XII.]
Leda and the Swan   Birth of Castor and Pollux   The Inventions of Castor and Pollux   Pollux Shares his Immortality with his Brother Cadmus   Helen Abducted by Theseus   Loves of Paris and Oenone   The Judgment of Paris   The Abduction of Helen   Prophecies of Cassandra   The Infant Achilles Plunged into the Styx   Achilles' Education   Achilles in Woman's Disguise Recognized by Ulysses   Sacrifice of Iphigeneia   The Wrath of Achilles   The Death of Patroclus   Separation of Hector and Andromache   Hector Tied to Achilles' Chariot   Priam at Achilles' Feet Begging for Hector's Body
[XIII.]
Achilles Wounded by Paris   The Death of Achilles   Sacrifice of Polyxena   The Falsehood of Sinon   Laocoon's Death   Exit from the Wooden Horse   The Palladium Taken by Ulysses and Diomedes   The Rape of Cassandra by Ajax   Cassandra Taken Away as Agamemnon's Captive   The Death of Agamemnon   The Death of Clytemnestra   Orestes Beset by the Furies   Venus and Anchises   Aeneas Rescues his Father from the Burning of Troy
[XIV.]
Aeneas Recounts his Adventures to Dido   The Death of Dido   The Combat of Aeneas and Turnus   Ajax Oileus Blasted by Pallas   Ajax Driven Insane   Idomeneus' Vow   Idomeneus Driven from his Kingdom   Ulysses' Ruse Exposed   After Killing Rhesus Ulysses and Diomedes Take his Horses   Ulysses and Polyphemus   Ulysses and Circe   Ulysses' Encounter with Nausicaa   Penelope's Web   Penelope's Suitors Slain by Ulysses   The Death of Ulysses   Venus Wounded by Diomedes   Diomedes' Mates Turned to Birds   Laodamia and the Statue of Protesilaus   Byblis and Caunus   Cyparissus   The Judgment of Midas   Caenis and Neptune   Polyphemus and Galatea   Vertumnus and Pomona   Picus and Canens
[XV.]
Hippolytus Revived by Aesculapius   Numa and the Nymph Egeria   Urania   Clio   Calliope   Melpomene   Thalia   Polyhymnia   Euterpe   Terpsichore   Erato

   * For the title-page of the first volume from 1771, click here; see links marked ** above for the points where Le Bas supplies new, better plates for Le Maire's.

More Remarks on "Poetical History" // Variation Thematics // Scene-Specific Notes-Links