De Gulden Passer. Jaargang 54

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Brief notes on some 16th century Antwerp printers with special reference to Jean Steelsius and his Hispanic bibliography
by Pedro R. León
(Scarborough College, University of Toronto)

The present study, begun as a result of my research into the work of one of the most important chroniclers of the Indies, Pedro de Cieza de León, is nothing more than a brief compendium of information available in various sources. I hope it will be of some use in understanding the great importance of Antwerp in the history of Hispanic letters¹.

Cieza de León published the first part of his Crónica del Perú in Seville in 1553 in the press of Martín de Montesdoca. The following year, the same work was published by three different printers: Jean Bellerus, Martin Nutius and Jean Steelsius, with a fourth printer, Jean de Laet also involved in these publications. Several questions are raised by this triple printing, some of which are of interest to the study of Cieza de León, and one which leads us into the subject of these notes. Was Cieza de León a literary figure important enough to merit three editions in the same year? did he have enough money to pay for these editions? was his work published due to royal influence? was this multiple printing a common practice? and finally, who were these Antwerp printers, and why are they specially important to Hispanic letters?

1 Research for these notes was carried out with the help of a Canada Council Leave Fellowship.

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Cieza de León was not a very well known or important writer in his time. In fact, the historian M. Jiménez de la Espada has often complained about the neglect to which he has been subjected up to very recent times². On his return to Spain from America in 1550-51, and after spending seventeen years as a conquistador, he landed in a virtually new and unknown country. Cieza tells us that he came back penniless and that he had to borrow three ‘escudos’ from a Diego Mexía on his homeward voyage³. This poverty was, however, of short duration because soon after his arrival he married the daughter of a well-to-do merchant and received 3500 ducats as a dowry⁴. Cieza's testamentary dispositions indicate that he was reasonably well off and therefore able to pay for his own printing. He presumably decided that three different editions from well known Flemish printers would definitely help his literary aspirations⁵. However, we have no information concerning his Antwerp connections, save one brief reference to ‘lo que viniere de Flandes’ (what might come from Flanders)⁶.

Cieza de León published his Crónica del Perú in 1553 and 1554 with ‘privilegio real’. This meant in some cases the exemption of taxes, and in general the protection of a work for a specific period of time⁷. All the Antwerp editions were published with royal privilege. It is perhaps logical to assume that this royal patronage prompted the triple printing. Jiménez de la Espada has affirmed that Cieza de León presented the manuscript of his work to Philip II

2 Marcos Jiménez de la Espada, Prologue to Segunda Parte de la Crónica del Perú de Cieza de León. (Madrid: Hernández, 1880), X.

3 Miguel Maticorena Estrada, ‘Cieza de León en Sevilla y su muerte en 1554,’ Anuario de Estudios Americanos, XII (1957), 667.

4 The dowry that Cieza received was a very generous one. At that time a pilot in the navy of the Indies received from four to ten ducats per month, and a ship of about 200 tons in weight, completely equipped and armed according to the regulations of the time was valued at six hundred ducats in 1550. From Ramón Carande, Carlos V y sus banqueros (Madrid, Sociedad de Estudios y Publicaciones, 1965), 402-3.

5 Pedro Bohigas, in his El libro español (Barcelona, Gili, 1962), tells us that the decadence of gothic typography in Spain is already evident in the works printed by Montesdoca, Cieza's first printer. Our chronicler probably knew of the superiority of Flemish printers in the mid 1500's.

6 Maticorena Estrada, ‘Cieza de León,’ p. 671.

7 Bohigas, El libro, p. 149.

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in Toledo in 1552⁸. Regardless of how impressed the king might have been with our chronicler's work, it is still quite remarkable that three printers of the reputation of Steelsius, Nutius and Bellerus should have brought out the same work and in the same year. Even the popular Libro áureo of Antonio de Guevara, for the publication of which Martin Nutius had requested special privilege from the king, did not appear in multiple printings in the same year and in the same place!⁹

The mystery about this unlikely ‘best seller’ is compounded by the fact that no reference is made to it in any of the lists of shipments of books drawn up by Bellerus and Steelsius, and extant in the Plantin Moretus Museum. (Please see note 12.)

But who were these Antwerp printers connected with the publication of Cieza's work? Let us now consider them briefly.

Printing in Antwerp is chiefly associated with the great Christopher Plantin¹⁰. By the beginning of the sixteenth century, Antwerp had become the centre of printing in the Low Countries after Bruges and Louvain¹¹. From this time until the sack of Antwerp in 1576 by the Spanish soldiers garrisoned there, Antwerp printers issued a very large quantity of important works in Spanish,

8 Jiménez de la Espada believes that Cieza must have presented his Primera Parte to the King in Toledo around 1552. In Prologue, p. 105, note a.

9 The Libro áureo de Marco Aurelio was published twenty three times from 1528 to 1555. Even though it was printed four times in 1529 and 1532, these printings were done in four different cities: 1529, Saragoza, Antwerp, Paris and Valladolid; 1532, Barcelona, Sevilla, Salamanca and Venece. From R. Foulché-Delbosc, ‘Bibliographie espagnole de Fray Antonio de Guevara.’ Revue Hispanique, XXXIII, 1915, 301-384.

10 Douglas McMurtrie, in The Book, the Story of Printing and Book (London, Oxford University Press, 1967), does not mention any of Plantin's famous contemporaries such as Martin Nutius and Jean Bellerus. - J.F. Peeters Fontainas, in his article about Nutius, refers to the neglect to which Plantin's contemporaries have been subjected: ‘L'Auréole dont l'histoire a entouré à juste titre le nom de Christophe Plantin, a relégué dans l'ombre quelques imprimeurs anversois, ses contemporains, que méritent de sortir de l'oubli.’ In ‘L'Officine Espagnole de Martin Nutius,’ De Gulden Passer, XXXV, 1957, 11 - J.B. Vincent, ‘Essai sur l'histoire de l'imprimerie en Belgique depuis le xve jusqu'à la fin du xv⁹⁹⁹e siècle,’ Bulletin du Bibliophile Belge, XV, 1859, 153-175, mentions M. Nutius, J. Steelsius, J. Bellerus and J. de Laet.

11 See A.J.J. Delen, Christophe Plantin, Imprimeur de l'Humanisme (Bruxelles, 1944).

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and of matters of Hispanic interest in Latin and other languages. Plantin, who in 1570 had become the Royal Printer to Philip II of Spain, published under his patronage the famous Polyglot Bible which took more than five years to print and more than seven to be allowed to circulate. Although the bulk of printing for the Spanish Crown was liturgical books used in all the territories controlled by Spain, the Antwerp printers published numerous non-religious works including some of the masterpieces of Spanish literature¹². But in addition to Plantin there were Bellerus, Laet, Nutius and Steelsius, lesser known but equally important. Jean Beelaert, or Bellere, Bellerus (Bellero in Spanish), was born in Liège in 1516¹³. In 1553 he acquired the rights of burger of Antwerp and began to print in 1554. He was admitted as a ‘franc-maitre’ (Goovaerts), or Librarian (van Havre), of the Guild of St. Luke in 1559. In 1554 he lived in the Cammerstraat under the sign ‘Au saumon’ (Salmon). Later in the same year he moved to a house in the same street under the sign ‘Au faucon’ (Falcon), and in 1564 he established himself under the sign ‘A l'Aigle d'or’ (Golden Eagle). In 1555 Bellerus helped Plantin to publish the first known volume of that great printer. The volume was L'institution d'une fille de noble

12 The following documents from the Plantin Moretus Museum contain information about the trade between the Antwerp printers and Spain: Fr. No. 23 (Comptes avec des librairies espagnols par l'entremise de B. Arias Montano). Fr. No. 272 (Succursale de Seville, 1616. - Esp. No. 485 (Envois de livres en Espagne 1593-1597). - 1593-1597). - Esp. No. 500 (Envois de livres aux Hieronymites, 1696-1746). - Esp. No. 523 (Commerce de livres avec l'Espagne, 1606-1767). - Latin. No. 206 (Index Librorum, 1500-1600). - The following documents have specific information about Spanish literary works:
Latin No. 206, includes references to Pero Mexía's Historia Imperial, Boscán's Obras, and Montemayor's Diana. - Fr. No. 34 (Libre de vente, 1556-1559), information about the sales of El Lazarillo de Tormes. - Fr. No. 38 (Librairies et autres, 1555-1562), references to ‘Histoires des Indes’, perhaps Cieza's work. Esp. No. 364 (Comptes d'Espagne, 1644-1665). - Esp. No. 500 (Envois de livres aux Hieronymites, 1696-1746). - Esp. No. 532 (Commerce de livres avec l'Espagne, 1606-1767). - In addition, the following were studied: Div. Lang. No. 698 (Imprimerie, 1558-1640). - Div. Lang. No. 703 (Affairs d'argent, 1542-1795). - Div. Lang. No. 716 (Lettres de change, 16e-17e siècle. - Div. Lang. No. 722 Varia librairie et imprimerie, 1560-1669). - Div. Lang. No. 735 (Varia, 1524-1863).

13 E. Roobaert-A. Moerman, ‘Libraires et Imprimeurs à Anvers du xv⁹e Siècle. Notes et documents. I. Jean de Laet, Imprimeur de la Ville d'Anvers 1549-1566,’ De Gulden Passer XXXIX, 1961, no. 1, p. 189.

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maison, a translation from the Tuscan. According to Goovaerts, Bellerus was at that time the premier printer of Antwerp. His work is outstanding for the beauty and precision of the typographical characters and for the quality of the paper.

With Pierre Phalese, another important printer of the time, Bellerus printed a number of musical scores by composers such as Palestrina, Laso, Mons and others¹⁴. Jean Bellerus and his descendants, including his wife Elisabeth Commers and his sons used five typographical marks showing variations of a design with a ship on the sea and Fortune and Mercury as passengers or pilots. Bellerus’ divisa is ‘Indies arte ac fortuna’¹⁵. A number of Spanish texts were published by the Bellerus family, including Los siete libros de la Diana de George de Monte Mayor, printed by Pierre Bellerus, Jean's brother, in 1575.

Jean de Laet (Lacio in Spanish) was born in Stabroek, a village near Antwerp, in 1525. He married Elisabeth Saen in 1544 and in the same year he became a burger of Antwerp. In 1553 he was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke under the name of Jan van Stabroek. From 1553 to 1562 he lived in the Cammerstraat under various signs: ‘Au Saumon’ (Salmon), ‘Au Moulin’ (Windmill), and ‘Au Navet’ (Turnip). In 1566 he moved to the ‘rempart du Lombard’ and established himself under the sign used in his typographical marks: ‘Au Semeur’ (Sower)¹⁶. Like many others in his trade, Laet's printing consisted in part of bills and notices for the city's government. According to E. Roobaerts-A. Moerman, the nature of Laet's work in the years of his employment by the city did not vary greatly. However, the artistic execution of seemingly every day work is what sets his printing apart from that of his contemporaries, and what evidently caused him to be named ‘Stadsdrucker’ or city printer of Antwerp, an honour which Plantin also received. In 1550 the city of Antwerp commissioned a lottery advertisement. Jean de Laet printed 13,000 copies

14 See A. Goovaerts, Histoire et bibliographie de la typographie musicale dans les Pays-Bas (Anvers, 1880).

15 One of the marks has the divisa in Greek characters.

16 G. van Havre, Marques typographiques des imprimeurs et libraires anversois (Anvers, 1883) 2 vols., p. 249-253.

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of these advertisements in various languages. He was involved not only in the printing end of these advertisements but also in choosing the paper, securing the artist or artists to do the illustrations and hiring the translators¹⁷. It appears that Jean de Laet acquired a good reputation on account of his printing of these advertisements, and it was evidently well deserved. The illustrations, for which there were often prize winning competitions, were sometimes hand coloured after they had been printed. A favourite engraving was a panorama of the city of Antwerp.

Jean de Laet's printing of lottery advertisements is only a very small part of his total output. He was also a printer of musical scores¹⁸, of classical texts, and of Spanish books in collaboration with Martin Nutius and Jean Steelsius. His interest in things Spanish included relations with a number of Spanish printers¹⁹. J.B. Vincent cites his printing of the Psalms in Flemish verse and of the first edition of the book of Dioscorides by Laguna²⁰. Jean de Laet used five typographical marks. All these marks are variations of the design showing a sower throwing seed on the tilled ground. The divisa Spas alit Agricolas appears in every case.

Relatively, a good deal more has been written about Martin Nutius (Nucio in Spanish), also known by the names of Marten Nuyts Vermeeren, Martin Nuyts van Meer, Martín de Mera and Martinus Meranus. This great printer has been the object of studies by Joseph Nuyts in 1858, Max Rooses in 1901, and more recently, J.F. Peeters-Fontainas²¹.

17 E. Roobaert-A. Moerman mention the painter Adrien Proovost who designed a view of Antwerp, which was later made into a woodcut by Sylvere van Parijs. Since the lottery advertisements were distributed in France, Italy, Germany and Spain, it is presumed that a number of translators were employed. Reference is made to Jean Ghovaerts and Bruynincx et van Hencxthoven, ‘tous deux compétents en matière de loteries.’ Art. cit. 191-2.

18 A. Goovaerts, Histoire et bibliographie...

19 E.J. Roobaerts-A. Moerman, art. cit, p. 200.

20 J.B. Vincent, ‘Essai sur l'histoire...’, p. 165.

21 J. Nuyts, Essai sur l'imprimerie des Nutius. 2e ed. (Bruxelles, 1858. M. Rooses Biographie Nationale, publiée par l'Academie Royale... de Belgique (Bruxelles, 1901) Tome XVI, p. 11 et suiv. (Quoted by J.F. Peeters-Fontainas, in ‘L'officine espagnole...’); J.F. Peeters-Fontainas, ‘L'officine espagnole de Martin Nutius à Anvers,’ De Gulden Passer, XXXV, 1957, 1-104.

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Martin Nutius was born in Meere, a village near Hoogstraeten, in 1515. He was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke in 1540 and became a burger of Antwerp in 1544. He began to print in 1540 under the sign ‘A Saint Jacques, à coté de la Tuile d'Or, à la plaine du Poids de Fer’; (at the side of the Golden Tile, in the Square of the Iron Weights). In his Spanish printings he used an abbreviated address: ‘En la plaça del Peso del Hierro²².’ He remained there until 1544, when, married and with a family, he moved to another address ‘Sub intersigno vulpis’²³. Towards the end of 1544 he moved to yet another address ‘A la Lycorne d'Or’ (The Golden Unicorn), where he remained until 1558. His Spanish printings have sometimes a more precise address: ‘En el Unicornio, cerca donde estan los carros de Malines.’ Peeters-Fontainas thinks that it is probable that Nutius kept for some time his ateliers at the Peso del Hierro while he lived at the sign of the Unicorn. An edition of La Celestina of 1545 has the old address, while an edition of El Cortesano dated 1544 was issued at the sign of the Unicorn²⁴. In 1555, Martin moved to his fourth address: ‘Aux deux cigognes’ (The two storks), used in most of his typographical marks, and which, according to Peeters-Fontainas, remained associated with book printing and Spanish printing well into the 18th century²⁵.

Martin Nutius used eight marks, and his descendants three. One of these marks represents the Unicorn and the remaining ten are

22 The information about Nutius is taken from van Havre and Peeters-Fontainas. This last bibliophile gives us an idea of the quarter where the printers and booksellers congregated, and where Nutius had his establishment: ‘A cette époque les libraires et imprimeurs étaient groupés aux alentours de la rue dite “Cammerstraat”, rue des Brasseurs, appellation aujourd'hui erronément traduite par Rue des Peignes. Cette rue partait du coeur de la vieille ville, depuis la rue Reynders vers la porte de Malines.’ Art. cit., p. 15.

23 This address is cited by Peeters-Fontainas but not by van Havre.

24 J.F. Peeters-Fontainas, ‘L'officine...’ p. 16.

25 ‘L'immeuble dénommé ‘les deux cigognes’ restera longtemps voué au commerce du livre: Après Martin Nutius, sa Veuve et ses descendants y continueront leur activité jusq'en 1639, puis l'imprimeur moins connu Francois Le Chien, ou Canisius, y tient boutique de 1648 à 1653, pour faire place enfin aux presses de la famille Verdussen de 1686 à 1753. Ces derniers continueront la tradition des éditions espagnoles à Anvers, et reprendront les marques des deux cigognes, que nous retrouverons aux titres des Don Quijote de 1697 et 1719. ‘J.F. Peeters-Fontainas, ‘L'officine...’, p. 16.

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variations of a design showing two storks, the male feeding the female a fish or an eel. A mark of 1551 in the edition of Josepho's De Bello Judaico shows both the storks and two unicorns. In most marks there is the divisa ‘Pietas homini tutissima virtus’.

Peeters-Fontainas has described more than one hundred titles in Martin Nutius' bibliography. Of these titles, the most important perhaps is the Cancionero de Romances. A. Rodríguez Moñino, in his edition of this work conjectures that Nutius, aware of the popularity of ballads and songs among the nomadic Spanish inhabitants of the Low Countries (government functionaries, merchants, soldiers, etc.), shrewdly decided to publish a small volume of romances which he must have acquired in ‘pliegos sueltos’ in one of his trips to Spain. This volume of about 550 pages is the cornerstone of the Spanish Romancero²⁶. In addition, Nutius published La Celestina, El Lazarillo de Tormes the works of Juan de Mena, Boscán and Garcilaso, Antonio de Guevara and Cristóbal de Castillejo, López de Gómara, Zárate and Pedro de Cieza de León, to name but a few. It is difficult to imagine a more important name in the history of Spanish letters²⁷.

Little is known about Jean Steelsius or Joannes Steelsmanus, (Stelsio in Spanish), the fourth printer we shall consider. C.J. Nuyts, in the introduction to his bibliography of Steelsius laments

26 Cancionero de romances (Recopilación de M. Nucio, Anvers, 1550). Edición, estudio, bibliografía e índices por A. Rodríguez Moñino. (Madrid, Castalia, 1967) Colección de romanceros de los siglos de oro, 1)

27 J.F. Peeters-Fontainas connects the work of Nutius to that of at least one Spanish translator, Martín Cordero de Valencia, and underlines his contribution to the quality of the Spanish texts published by Nutius and other printers in Antwerp. The ‘Memoirs’ of Martín Cordero de Valencia are important and extremely interesting ‘noticias’ about his stay in Flanders. The quality of Flemish life and the extent of the Spanish presence in Antwerp and Louvain can be gathered from his perceptive and highly entertaining observations. J.F. Peeters-Fontainas, ‘Extrait des Mémoires de Jean Martin Cordero de Valence, sa vie d'étudiant à Louvain, ses traductions espagnoles, ses éditions aux Pays-Bas,’ De Gulden Passer, 1953, 59-87. About J.M. Cordero see also J.A. Pellicer, Ensayo de una biblioteca de traductores españoles (Madrid, 1778), 112-13. As a final footnote on Nutius we should add that in 1549 Charles V and Philip II travelled to Antwerp. Concerning this visit, Peeters-Fontainas says: ‘Il est certain que notre libraire espagnole a reçu à cette occasion la visite de grands personages qui encouragèrent notre imprimeur à multiplier ses éditions espagnoles.’ ‘L'officine...’, p. 17.

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the lack of information available about him²⁸. Vincent mentions him as ‘libraire célèbre que eut l'honneur d'éditer un livre qui fut, diton, traduit du francais en espagnol par l'empereur Charles Quint...’²⁹ According to van Havre, Steelsius was born in Brusthem, a village in the province of Limbourg. There is no reference to the date of his birth. In 1535 he married Marguerite Hillen van Hoochstraeten. After her death in 1540, Steelsius married again. In 1559 he was admitted to the Guild of St. Luke as a librarian, and died in 1562.

In 1533 our printer lived in the Cammerstraat, ‘A la maison de Delft’ (At the House of Delft), and later, in 1537, he moved to another address in the same street, ‘A l'Escu de Bourgoigne’, (At the Shield of Burgundy).

Steelsius, his widow and descendants used seven typographical marks, all variations of a design showing two large birds on either side of a sceptre-like column. A globe with the signs of the zodiac which appears in most of the marks, and a flock of birds in flight are also part of the design. The divisa in every one of the marks is ‘Concordia res parvae crescunt’.

Steelsius published a considerable number of books in Spanish, and in Latin and Flemish concerning Spain. This bibliography is very important even if it is not comparable in extent and quality with that of Martin Nutius. In this connection, it is worth speculating whether Nutius acquired his interest in things Spanish while he was Steelsius' assistant.

The books relating to Spain published by Steelsius can be grouped as follows: 1. Spanish translations of classical texts; 2. historical³⁰

28 C.J. Nuyts, ‘Histoire des Livres, Jean Steelsius, libraire anversois, (1533-1575),’ Bulletin du Bibliophile Belge, XIV-XV (1858-9).

29 J.B. Vincent, ‘Essai sur l'histoire...’, p. 163.

30 P. Verheyden in ‘Uit het huis van Steelsius’, Tijdschrift voor boek & Bibliotheekwezen, VIII, 1910, 126-29, describes six wooden tablets from Steelsius' house in Antwerp, which include carved reliefs showing printers in various stages of their craft, shields and emblems of Steelsius' family and inscriptions relative to Jean, his first and second wives, and his children by both marriages. P. Verheyden also gives us some hitherto unknown information about some of Steelsius' relatives, particularly that his wife's uncle was Peter Cornelis van Estborn, doctor of theology, Provincial or Predikheeren in the Netherlands, and inquisitor and censor of books. (Translation of P. Verheyden's article by W.W. Sawyer.)

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accounts in various languages dealing primarily with Charles V; 3. literary works, and dictionaries in Latin by Antonio de Nebrija and 4. miscellaneous works on religious and philosophical subjects.

In the first group we find, among others, Apuleius' Historia del asno de oro (1951), Cicero's Libro de los oficios, de la amicitia y de la senectud (1545), Homer's De la Ulysea (1550 and 1556), and a number of Seneca's works including his Proverbios y sentencias (1552)³¹.

31 Steelsius and other printers of Antwerp worked with a number of translators some of whom, like Martin Cordero de Valencia, were part of the large Spanish colony in the city, and others who after an initial contact with the Antwerp printers seemingly returned to Spain. Some of the translators who worked with Steelsius were Diego López de Cortegana, Gonzalo Pérez, Juan de Járava, Fernando de Acuña, Pedro Hurtado de la Vera, Francisco de Támara and Fernán Núnez de Guzmán. Diego López de Cortegana's translation of Apuleius' Asno de oro is, according to Menéndez Pelayo ‘un modelo de gracia y frescura.’ (Los orígenes de la novela, IV, 260). The Antwerp edition was the third printed in the 16th century. Since the Asno de oro had been condemned by the Inquisition, it is interesting to find it unexpurgated among the few classics published by Steelsius. Pellicer tells us that the Royal Council of Castile, not wanting to deprive the public of such an entertaining book, had it cleansed of its ‘impurities’, and published it in Alcalá de Henares in 1584. The censor had, however, gone too far in his task and disfigured the work, altering both content and style. (Ensayo de traductores españoles, 49). López de Cortegana was Archdeacon of Seville. Evidently considering that his ecclesiastical dignity would suffer by his association with Apuleius' work, he ‘masked’ his identity by means of a series of Latin verses. (Pellicer, Ensayo, 47-9). According to Menéndez Pelayo, López de Cortegana was an Erasmist who probably translated Aesop's Fables, Erasmus' Colloquies and perhaps other anonymous works published by Cromberger in Seville. M. Bataillon considers López de Cortegana as one of the most brilliant minds of the time, and cites his contribution to the diffusion of classical authors such as Cicero and Seneca. (Erasme et l'Espagne, 53-4).
Gonzalo Pérez' translation of Homer's Odyssey is, according to Menéndez Pelayo, ‘estimable para su tiempo por la fidelidad pero muy tosca y desaliñada en la versificación.’ (Orígenes de la novela, II, 164). The Odyssey was frequently used as a literary model by writers of historical novels, and Pérez' translation was used by Jerónimo de Arbolanchas for his work Las Hávidas. Gonzalo Pérez is an interesting secondary figure in the history of Spain. After studying Latin and Greek at the Colegio de Oviedo in Salamanca, he began an ecclesiastical career which he soon abandoned for that of secretary to Charles V. With the king and Philip II, Pérez went to Flanders and England. It is possible that his contact with Steelsius was made at that time. After the death of Charles V, Philip II blocked the appointment of Perez to a high ecclesiastical position. Gonzalo's unhappiness is evident in letters he wrote to Cardinal Granvela and to Margarita of Austria. He complains of the king's ungratefulness after his 37 years of service to the crown. Gonzalo's son Antonio, succeeded him as secretary to the king. In a ‘noticia’, he gives a detailed account of the library of his father, which contained a large number of ‘libros antiquísimos, latinos y griegos’, and which on account of its quality was requested by Philip II for the Royal Library in El Escorial. (Colección de Documentos Inéditos para la Historia de España, XIII, p. 531-49).
Another notable Spaniard associated with Steelsius is Francisco de Támara, professor of humanities in Cádiz, who translated Cicero's works. Menéndez Pelayo considers Támara's translations as deserving singular praise both for the fidelity with which he interprets Cicero's text, and for the purity and simplicity of his prose. In addition, Támara translated the Aphotegms of Erasmus. (Antwerp, Nutius, 1553), and a ‘collection of chronicles of the world, (Antwerp, Nutius, 1553). He is also the author of Suma de erudición de grammática en lengua castellana (Antwerp, Nutius, 1550), of which Menéndez Pelayo says ‘es libro de peregrina rareza’ (Biblioteca de Traductores Españoles, IV, 275).
Finally we should mention Fernando de Acuña, of noble Portuguese ancestry, who distinguished himself as an outstanding soldier in Charles V's army. The emperor had translated into Spanish prose the book of Olivier de la Marche Le Chevalier délivéré, and asked Acuña to put it in verse. Acuña is, according to Menéndez Pelayo, an elegant poet who shines particularly in what he calls ‘poesie de societé’, He also translated parts of Ovid's Metamorphosis, and of Boiardo's Orlando inamorato.
Nicolas Antonio, in his Bibliotheca Hispana Nova, and Pellicer mention Pedro Hurtado de la Vera, Antonio Rodriguez Dávalos, Fernán Núñez de Guzmán and Juan de Járava who also translated works published by Jean Steelsius.

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The second group of books dealing mainly with Charles V, include works on the genealogy of the emperor, on his expedition to Africa and on his belic efforts. Most of these books are in Latin.

The third group contains various dictionaries by Nebrija, in Latin, and some of the most popular literary works of the time such as Antonio de Guevara's Libro áureo de Marco Aurelio, Juan de Mena's Las trescientas, the works of Juan Boscán and some of Garcilaso de la Vega, and the Diana enamorada by Gaspar Gil Polo. Included are also the famous Historia de México of Francisco López de Gómara and Pedro de Cieza de León's Crónica del Perú.

The printing of books in Spanish and in other languages about Spain by the Steelsius family totals 38 titles from 1533 to 1575, out of 283 titles. It is a considerable amount of effort evoted to things Hispanic. If to Steelsius' contribution we add those of other Antwerp printers, we realize the exceedingly important part they played in the diffusion of Spanish letters. It is true that Spain's rule in Antwerp must have exerted a great deal of influence on the decisions of its inhabitants. We also know from Peeters-Fontainas

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that Martin Nutius was probably visited by the king Charles V and his son Philip II. Their wishes or commands probably determined the printing of certain volumes. The reading tastes of the large Spanish colony in the city certainly seem to have prompted Martin Nutius to print the Cancionero de romances in a ‘pocket book’ edition. But whether shrewd commercial sense, political pressure or humanistic interest made Steelsius, Nutius, Bellerus, Laet, Plantin and others commit so much time to the printing of Hispanic texts, their names should be part of the intellectual baggage of every Hispanist.

Appendix

The following is a list of the books published by Jean Steelsius and his descendants from 1533 to 1575, relating to Hispanic matters. This list has been extracted from a bibliography of Steelsius published by C.J. Nuyts in the Bulletin du Bibliophile Belge, XIV-XV, 1858. The titles are listed chronologically.

1.	Caroli V Caesaris genealogia. Antverpia pud Steelsium, 1536, in 8^o.
2.	La triumphante entrée de Lempereur nostre sire Charles le cincquiesme tousjours auguste, faicte en sa tres-noble cité de Rome, avec ses significations des epitaphes triumphantz et figures auctentiques, etc., Anvers, Steelsius, 1536. In 4^o.
3.	Historiarum veteris instrumenti Icones ad viuum expressae, una cum breui, sed quoad fieri potuit, dilucida earundem expositione. Antverpiae, apud I. Steelsium. M.D.XL. In 4^o. Imagenes de las historias del Viejo Testamento al viuo exprimidas y representadas juntamēte con una breue declaracione dellas quanto puede ser.
4.	Libro avreo de Marco Aurelio, emperador, y eloquentissimo orador, nueuamente corregido, M.D.XL. Vendese en Enueres por Iuan Steelsio, en el Escudo de Borgona. In 8^o.
5.	D. Caroli V. Imperatoris expedition in African ad Argieram: Per Nicolavm Villagagnonem equitem Rhodium Gallum. Ad D.G. Bellaium Langaeum Subalpinarum gentium prorogem et primi ordinis equitem apud christianissimum Francorum regem. Antverpiae, ex officina Ioannis Steelsii, anno a Christo nato, 1542, mense Aprili. In 8^o.
6.	Ivstino clarissimo abreviador de la hostoria general del famoso y excellente historiador Trogo Pompeyo. En la qual se contienen todas

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	las cosas notables y muy dignas de memoria que hasta sus tiempos han succedido en todo el mundo. Traduzido en lengua castellana. En Anvers, en casa de Iuan Steelsio, a.o de 1542. In 8^o.
7.	Libros de Marco Tvlio Ciceron, en qve tracta de los Officios, de la Amicicia y de la Senectud, con la Economica de Xenophon, traducidos del Latin en Romance Castellano, por Francisco Phamara [Tamara] catedratico de Cadiz. Añadieronse agora nueuamente los Paradoxos y el Sueño de Scipion, traduzidos por Iuan Iaraua. En Anvers, en casa de Iuan Steelsio. (Without date, probably 1545). In 8^o.
8.	Dicionarivm AElij Antonij Nebrissensis iam denvo innvmeris dictionibvs locvpletatvm. Cvi prater omnes aeditiones, avtoris eiusdem accessit Medicu Dictionarum hastenus nondum typis cuulgatum, a Ludovico Nunio philosopho, ac doctore medico peritissimo, a mendorum colluuie, qua scatebat, defaecatum: cuius dictiones reliquis intertextas, praefixu hoc signum indicabit. Dictionarium vero propriorum nominum tum prodit auctius et locupletius, vt pene aliud factum videatur. In quo multa locorum nomina Hispan. seu vulgari nomenclatura illustrata, caq; scorsum in dictionarium locorum hispanicolatinum redacta sunt: vt inde omnibus historiarum studiosis non minus voluptatis quam vtilitatis accedere possit. Antverpiae, In aedibus Iohannis Steelsij, Anno a Chsisto (sic) nato, M.D.XLV. Mense Iunio. Cvm Privilegio Imperiali. In-4^o.
9.	Dicionarivm oppidorvm, civitatym, montium, flvviorvm, fontivm, lucvvm, promontiorum, portuum, sinuum et insularum in ordinem Alphabeti redactum, et ab Antonio Nebrissensi collectum. Cvi accessere nomina propria virorym, mvliervm, sectarum, idolorum, syderum, ventorum, et reliquorum, vt sunt stagna, paludes, etc., quibus vt lectori statim manifesta essent hoc signum.. praefiximus. In nominibvs avtem oppidorvm, fluuiorum, populorum et aliorum, recentem uulgarem nomenclaturam quae nobis haberi potuit adiecimus. Antverpiae. In aedibus Ionnis Steelsij, Anno a Christo nato M.D.XLV.
10.	Libro de los officios, de la amicitia y de la senectud de Ciceron, con la economia de Xexophon, traduzidos en romance castellano por Juan Jarava. Anvers, Juan Stelsio, 1549. In-16.
11.	Libro de vidas y dichos graciosos, agudos y sententiosos, de muchos notables varones griegos y romanos, ansi reyes y capitanes, como philosophos y oradores antiguos; añadiose la tabla de Cebetes, philosopho: por Iuan Iarava. En Anvers, Iuan Stelsio, 1549. In-8^o.
12.	Clarissimi viri D. Lvdovici ab Avila et Zvniga, militiae Alcantarensis praefecti, Commentariorum de bello germanico, a Carolo V Caesare maximo libri duo, à Gulielmo Malinaeo Brugensi latine redditi, et iconibus ad historium accommodis illustrati. Antuerpiae, in redibus Ioan. Steelsij, M.D.L. Cum priuilegio. In-8^o.
13.	Commentario de Luis de Avila y Çuniga... de la guerra de Alamaña, hecha de Carlos V, en el ano 1546 y 1547. Anvers, Iuan Steelsio, 1550. In-8^o.

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14.	De la Ulysea de Homero XIII Libros traduzidos de griego en romance castellano, por Gonçalo Perez. Anvers, I. Steelsio, 1550. In-8^o.
15.	Historia de Lucio Apuleyo, del asno de oro, repartida en onze libros, y traduzida en romance castellano. En Anvers, en casa de Iuan Steelsio, M.D.LI. Con priuilegio imperial. In-8^o.
16.	Libros de Lucio Anneo Seneca, en qve tracta I. De la vida bienauenturada. II. De las siete artes liberales. III. De los preceptos y doctrinas. IIII De la prouidencia de Dios. V. De la misma prouidencia de Dios, traduzidos en castellano, por mandato del muy alto principe, el rey don Iuan de Castilla, de Leon el segundo. En Anvers, en casa de Iuan Steelsio, M.D.LI. Con pruiilegio imperial. In-8^o.
17.	Proverbios y sentencias de Seneca y de don Ynigo Lopez de Mendoça, marquez de Santillana, glosados por Pedro Diaz de Toledo. Anvers, Steelsio, 1552. In-8^o.
18.	Las trecientas, glossadas por Fernan Nuñez, etc. Anvers, Iuan Steelsio, 1552. Pet. in-8^o, de 580 pages.
19.	Francisci Taraphae Barcinon, de origine ac rebus gestis Regum Hispaniae liber, multarum rerum cognitione refertus. Antverpiae, in aedibus Ioannis Steelsii, M.D.LIII. Cum privilegio caesareo. In-8^o.
20.	Dictionarium propriorum nominum; additae sunt ad caleem vulgares locorum appellationes, alphabetica serie vice versa digestae (auct. AElio Antonio Nebrissensi). Antverpiae, Ioannes Steelsius, 1553. In-4^o.
21.	El cavallero determinado traduzido de lengua francesca en castellana por don Hernando de Acuña. Anvers en casa de Iuan Steelsio, 1553. In-4^o.
22.	Dichos y echos notables del sabio rey D. Alonso de Aragon y de Naples, traduzidos del latin de Eneas Silvio, por Ant. Rodriguez Davalos. En Amberes, Steelsio, 1554. In-8^o.
23.	Chronica del Peru, que tracta la descripcion de sus Provincias, las fundaciones de sus ciudades, los ritos y las costumbres de los Indios, etc., por Pedro de Cieza de Leon, con estampas. Anvers, Steelsio, 1554. In-8^o.
24.	Las obras de Iuan Boscan y algunas de Garcilasso de la Vega, repartidas en quatro libros. Anvers, Iuan Steelsio, 1554. In-12.
25.	Historia de Mexico, con el descvbrimiento de la nueva España, conquistada por el muy illustre y valeroso principe don Fernando Cortes, marques del Valle, escrita por Francisco Lopez de Gomara clerigo. Añadiose de la nuevo (sic) descripcion y traça de todas las Indias, con vna tabla alphabetica de las materias y hazañas memorables en ella contenidas. En Anvers, en casa de Iuan Steelsio, 1554 Con priuilegio. In-8^o.
26.	El cavallero determinado traduzido de lengua francesca en castellana por don Hermando de Acuna. En Anvers, Iuan Steelsio, 1555. In-8^o.

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27.	Alphonsi a Castro Zamorensis, Ordinis Minorum Regularis Obseruantiae, Prouinciae Sancti Iacobi, aduersus omnes Haereses, Libri XIIII. Opvs hoc nvnc postremo ab avgore recognitum est, et tam multis ab eo locis supra omnes priores aeditiones auctum atq. locupletatu est, vt merito nouum opus censeri possit, prout auctor ipse in epistola nuncupatoria aperte demonstrat; quae addita sunt, pagina septima per breuem epistolam reperics. Antverpiae, in aedibus Ioannis Steelsij, anno M.D.LVI. Cum gracia et priuilegio. In-fol.
28.	Alphonsi a Castro Zamorensis, ordinis minorum regularis obseruantiae, Prouinciae Sancti Iacobi, aduersus omnes Haereses, Libri XIIII. Opvs hoc nvnc postremo ab avtore recognitvm est, et tam multis ab eo locis supra omnes priores aeditiones auctum atque locupletatu est, vt merito nouum opus censeri possit, prout Auctor ipse in Epistola Nuncupatoria aperte demonstrat, quae addita sunt, pagina septima per breuem epistolam reperies. Antverpiae, in aedibus Ioannis Steelsij. Anno M.D.LVI. Cum gratia et privilegio. In-fol.
29.	La Ulixea de Homero, traduzida en lengua castellana, por el Secretario Gonçalo Perez. Anvers, Iuan Steelsio, 1556. In-8^o.
30.	Historia de las cosas de Etiopia en la qval se eventa muy copiosamente, el estado y potecia del Emperador della (que es el que muchos an pensado ser el Preste Ivan), con otras infinitas particularidades, assi de la religion de aquella gente, como de sus cerimonias; segun que de todo ello fue testigo de vista Francisco Aluarez, capellan del Rey Don Manuel de Portugal. Agora nucuamente traduzido de Portugues en Castellano, por el padre fray Thomas de Padilla. En Anvers. En casa de Iuan Steelsio, M.D.LVII. Con gracia y privilegio. In-8^o.
31.	Historia del capitan D. Hernando de Avalos, marques de Pescara, recopilada por el maestro Valles. En Amberes, I. Steelsio, 1558. In-8^o.
32.	Dictionarium latino-hispanicum et vice versa. AElio A. Nebrissensi interprete. Antverpiae, Ioannes Steelsius, 1560. In-4^o.
33.	Dis historie ende het leuen vanden Aldermachtichsten ende victorieusten Roomschen Keyser, Kaerle de vijfde van dien name: Inden welcken niet alleen beschreuen en zyn de hooghe ende seer vrome feyten vanden seluen prince, maer oock de principaelste saken die ouer alle de werest binnen synen tyt gheschiet zyn. Eestmael in Italiaensche sprake beschreuen, door Alonso de Ulloa, nv nieuwelijck in nederlantsche duytsche sprake ouergheset. Thantwerpen, in den Schilt van Bourgoignien, in de Cammerstrate, by we weduwe en de erfghenamen van Jan Stelsium, M.D.LXX. Met coninelijek privilegie. In-fol.
34.	Comedia en prosa, intitulada: Doleria del sueño del mundo, por Pedro Hurtado de la Vera. En Anvers, los herederos de Iuan Stelsio, 1572. In-12.
35.	Historia lastimera del principe Erasto, hijo del emperador Diocletiano, en la qual se contienen muchos exemplos notables, y discursos no

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	menos recreativos, que provechosos y necessarios, traduzida de italiano en espagnol, por Pedro Hurtado de la Vera. En Anvers, herederos de Iuan Steelsio, 1575. In-12.
36.	Libro aureo de la vida y cartas de Marco Aurelio emperador y eloquentissimo orador. Añadiose de nuevo la table de todas las sentencias y buenos dichos, que en el se contienen. Anvers, biuda y heredes de Iuan Stelsio, 1574. In-12.
37.	Exemplario contra los Engaños.... con la vida y Fabulas de Isopo. En Anveres, en casa de Iuan Steelsio. In-8^o.
38.	Primera parte de Diana enamorada; cinco libros que prasequien los siete de la Diana de Jorge Monte Mayor: por Gasp. Gil Polo. En Anveres, Gil Stelsio, 1574. In-12.