O paraiso perdido. Epopea de ….

Lisbon, Typ. de J.M.R. e Castro, 1840.. First Edition of this translation. 2 volumes in 1. 8°, presentation binding from the translator to the dedicatee, Dom Fernando II, King of Portugal, of dark blue calf, back richly gilt in romantic style, covers with four concentric ruled gilt borders, other gilt tooling at corners, top, bottom and sides, "A SUA MAJESTADE // O REI" lettered in gilt at center of front cover, "o traductor" lettered in gilt at lower right hand corner of inner compartment, stamped (by binder?) in tiny gilt letters "c. delangle" at foot of spine (some wear to corners, slight rubbing at head of spine), decorated endleaves, inner dentelles gilt, all edges gilt. Some foxing to first portrait; the binding in fine condition; overall in very fine condition. The dedication copy, in a presentation binding from the translator, António José de Lima Leitão, to the dedicatee, Dom Fernando II, King of Portugal. Armorial bookplate of Miguel [Braga Leite] de Faria (see Avelar Duarte, Ex-libris portugueses heráldicos 1150). Lithographic portrait of Milton, (4 leaves), xv, (1), 249 pp.; lithographic portrait of Lima Leitão, (2 leaves), [251]-534 pp., (1 leaf with list of subscribers). *** FIRST EDITION of the third translation into Portuguese of Milton's Paradise Lost, usually judged a more successful effort than the previous attempts. A translation by P. José Amaro da Silva was published in Lisbon, 1789 (Gonçalves Rodrigues I, 1749) and another by Francisco Bento Maria Targini in Paris, 1823 (Gonçalves Rodrigues I, 3830). The edition without the translator's name on the title page, Lisbon, 1830 (Gonçalves Rodrigues I, 4166) is presumably one of those two. Lima Leitão's translation appeared again in Lisbon in 1884, 1885, and the 1890s, and in São Paulo, 1952.The translator of this version, Lima Leitão (1787-1856), was born in Lagos (Algarve). He became a physician and served with both the French and Portuguese armies before moving to Brazil. In 1816 he was sent from Rio de Janeiro to Mozambique, where he acted as physico-mór; from there he traveled in 1819 to India, to serve as Intendente de Agricultura. Lima Leitão also taught medicine in Lisbon, and served twice in the Cortes. He published numerous works on medicine and politics, and several of poetry, both his own, as well as translations of Horace, Virgil, and Racine.The lithographic portraits of Milton and Lima Leitão are signed, respectively, "Sendim lith., Lisboa 183_[final digit illegible]" and "Sendim fecit, Lisboa 1836." The artist was most likely Maurício José do Carmo Sendim (Belém, 1786-Lisbon, 1870), a painter and popular tutor of drawing and painting in the 1820s to 1850s. He taught at the Casa Pia from 1834-1836 and 1841-1865. During this period he also did numerous lithographs. Sendim produced excellent portraits of António Feliciano de Castilho, Alexandre Herculano, and members of the royal family. He wrote Estudantes de desnho and Exposição breve da criação e progresso da Aula de Desenho e Pintura estabelecida na Nacional e Real Casa Pia de Lisboa, desde o seu principio até ao presente, Lisbon, 1836.Provenance: D. Fernando II of Portugal (1816-1885), a prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg, married D. Maria II in 1836. He acquired the title of king after D. Maria gave birth to a son in 1837, and lost the title when D. Maria died in 1853. Until 1855 he served as regent for his son, D. Pedro V.*** Innocêncio I, 171 (giving an incomplete collation). Gonçalves Rodrigues, A Tradução em Portugal II, 5421: calling for xvi, 534 pp. Ameal 1538 (the present copy). Porbase locates only two copies, both at Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal. Jisc adds Cambridge University. KVK (51 databases searched) locates only the copies cited by Porbase.