Rutger Velpius (around 1540–1614/15) was a 16th- and 17th-century printer and bookseller. He was the first printer in the city of

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. ...

, and later became printer to the court in Brussels. His career coincided closely with the first decades of the Dutch Revolt

Life

Leuven

Velpius became a bookseller in

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. Th ...

in 1564, and in 1565 was licensed as a "sworn bookseller" to the University of Leuven. Around 1567 he married Catherine Waen, daughter of the Scottish expatriate bookseller John Waen. In 1570 Velpius was examined and certified as a printer, his certification specifying that he knew Latin, French and Flemish, and a little bit of Greek. For his work in Leuven he used two printer's marks: a large one with a crenellated tower, an angel of vengeance above it and the figures of Justice and Peace embracing before the gates, with the motto ''Justitia et pax osculate sunt. Psal. 84.'' (Justice and peace have kissed); and a smaller one showing Justice and Peace kissing with the motto ''Justitia et pax''. In 1578 he was licensed to print the government's decrees.

Mons

In 1580 he relocated to Mons, becoming the first printer to work in the city. The local government equipped a printing workshop at the city's expense. To demonstrate his skill to the city magistrates, Velpius printed Libert Houthem's ''Kakogeitnia seu mala vicina, libellus, vicinos malos velut catalogo recensens'' (1580). The first work certainly printed in Mons is ''Le Renart decouvert'' (1580), an anonymous satire on William of Orange written by Jean Richardot. Although a native speaker of Dutch, during this period of his life Velpius printed almost exclusively in French. In 1966 facsimiles of ''Kakogeitnia'' and ''Le Renart decouvert'' were printed in Mons as a single volume with the title ''Les premiers livres imprimés à Mons'', and with introductions by Christiane Pierard and Pierre Ruelle.

Brussels

In 1585 Velpius relocated again, to Brussels, in the wake of

Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Alexander Farnese ( it, Alessandro Farnese, es, Alejandro Farnesio; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and condottiero and later a general of the Spanish army, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 15 ...

, by whom he was appointed printer to the court. He established his business in a bookshop called "Den gulden Arend" (The Golden Eagle), opposite the Coudenberg palace. Here he designed a new printer's mark, a two-headed eagle charged with a crucifix, and the motto ''Sub umbra alarum tuarum protege nos'' (Protect us in the shadow of your wings). In 1586 he obtained citizenship of the city of Brussels. Besides decrees and other official pieces he also published a great many occasional pieces and books in several languages. The

Royal Library of Belgium The Royal Library of Belgium (french: Bibliothèque royale de Belgique, nl, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, abbreviated ''KBR'' and sometimes nicknamed in French or in Dutch) is the national library of Belgium. The library has a history t ...

catalogues 170 works published by Velpius between 1585 and 1600. In 1588 and 1589 he printed or reprinted a number of news reports from France. In Brussels his output also reflected the interests of courtiers, with a number of Spanish books, particularly on military and religious themes, as well as news pamphlets about Habsburg military victories in the Low Countries and in Hungary. In 1607 Velpius printed in Spanish ''Don Quixote'', correcting many errors of the first and second edition printed in Madrid in 1605. Unfortunately, these corrections were not included in the third and successive editions elsewhere. In 1594 his daughter, Catherine, married Hubert Anthoon, and from 1598 Velpius brought his son-in-law into the business, leaving it for him to run after his death in 1614 or 1615. In 1617, Anthoon published the Second Part of ''Don Quixote'' (first edition in Madrid in 1615); he also published many other novels and plays in Spanish.Under the name Huberto Antonio.

Select list of publications

Decrees and news pamphlets

* (Leuven, 1565) – news of the failure of the

Great Siege of Malta The Great Siege of Malta (Maltese: ''L-Assedju l-Kbir'') occurred in 1565 when the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer the island of Malta, then held by the Knights Hospitaller. The siege lasted nearly four months, from 18 May to 13 Septembe ...

* , 15 May 1587 (Brussels, 1587) – an edict on military justice
Available on Google Books
* (Brussels, 1596) – an account of the taking of Calais * (Brussels, 1598) – an account of the journey to Italy of

Albert VII, Archduke of Austria Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albe ...

and

Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain Margaret of Austria (25 December 1584 – 3 October 1611) was Queen of Spain and Portugal by her marriage to King Philip III & II. Life Margaret was the daughter of Archduke Charles II of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria and thus the paternal ...

Available on Google Books
* (Brussels, 1600) – a report of the

Battle of Nieuwpoort The Battle of Nieuwpoort, was fought on 2 July 1600 during the Eighty Years War and the Anglo-Spanish war in the dunes near Nieuwpoort. The Anglo-Dutch companies met the Spanish veterans head on which, although their left flank nearly broke, we ...

Available on Google Books
* (Brussels, 1609) – publication of the ratification of the

Twelve Years' Truce The Twelve Years' Truce was a ceasefire during the Eighty Years' War between Spain and the Dutch Republic, agreed in Antwerp on 9 April 1609 and ended on 9 April 1621. While European powers like France began treating the Republic as a sovereign ...

Available on Google Books
* , 27 February 1610 (Brussels, 1610) – an edict against duelling
Available on Google Books

Other works

* (Leuven, 1566) * Claude de Sainctes, (Leuven, 1567
Available on Google Books
* ''Epistolae Japanicae, de multorum gentilium in variis insulis ad Christi fidem per societatis nominis Jesu theologos conversione'' (Leuven, 1569
Available on Google Books
* ( Jean Richardot), ''Le Renart decouvert'' (Mons, 1580). * Jean Bosquet, ''Fleurs morales et sentences perceptives'' (Mons, 1581) *

Sancho de Londoño Sancho de Londoño (1515?–1569) was a Spanish soldier and military writer. Works * ''Discurso sobre la forma de reducir la disciplina a mejor y antiguo estado'' (Brussels, 1589) * ''Libro del arte militar'' (Valencia Valencia ( va, Valèn ...

, ''Discurso sobre la forma de reducir la disciplina militar a mejor y antiguo estado'' (Brussels, 1587) *

Francisco de Valdés Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name '' Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed " Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father o ...

, ''Espeio, y deceplina militar'' (Brussels, 1589) *

Pedro Cornejo Pedro is a masculine given name. Pedro is the Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician name for '' Peter''. Its French equivalent is Pierre while its English and Germanic form is Peter. The counterpart patronymic surname of the name Pedro, meani ...

, ''Compendio y breve relation de la liga y confederacion francesa'' (Brussels, 1591) *

Bernardino de Escalante Bernardino de Escalante (ca. 1537– after 1605) was a Spanish soldier, priest, geographer and a prolific writer. He is best known as the author of the second book on China that was published in Europe, and the first author of such a book to o ...

, ''Dialogos del arte militar'' (Brussels, 1595) * Bernardino de Mendoza, ''Theoricque et practique de guerre'' (Brussels, 1597) *

Henri Hornkens Henricus Hornkens, sometimes cited as Henri or Heinrich (died 1612) was a 16th-century priest and lexicographer. Life Hornkens served Philip II of Spain and Philip III of Spain as a court chaplain. In 1598 he accompanied the Infanta Isabella Clar ...

, ''Recueil de Dictionaires Francoys, Espaignolz et Latins'' (Brussels, 1599) – a combined French-Spanish-Latin dictionar
Available on Google Books
* Jacques Blaseus, ''Sermon funèbre faict par le rév. évesque de Νamur, messire Jacques Blaseus, aux funérailles du trèscatholique, très-hault et trèspuissant Prince et Monarque Philippe 2, Roy des Espaignes, etc., célébrez en Brusselles, en l'Église de Ste Goedele'' (Brussels, 1599) *

Francesco Petrarca Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

, ''Le Petrarque en rime francoise'', trans.

Philippe de Maldeghem Philippe de Maldeghem (died 1611) was a Renaissance courtier, mayor of the Brugse Vrije and a translator of Petrarch. Life Philippe's father was Josse van Maldeghem, lord of Leyschot and Oetsel, chamberlain to the duke of Bavaria, and mayor of the ...

(Brussels, 1600) * Mateo Luján de Sayavedra, ''Segunda parte de la vida del picaro Guzman de Alfarache'' (Brussels, 1604
Available on Google Books
* Melchior de Santa Cruz, (Brussels, 1605
Available on Google Books
* Philip Numan, (Brussels, 1605) * Joan Pallet, ''Dictionaire tres-ample de la langue françoise et espagnole'' (Brussels, 1606) *

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best know ...

, ''El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha'', First Part (Brussels, 1607

*

Justus Lipsius Justus Lipsius (Joest Lips or Joost Lips; 18 October 1547 – 23 March 1606) was a Flemish Catholic philologist, philosopher, and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible w ...

, ''Die Heylighe Maghet van Halle'', translated by Philip Numan (Brussels, 1607
Available on Google Books
* César Oudin, (Brussels, 1610
Available on Google Books
*

Andres de Soto Andres de Soto or Andreas a Soto (1552/3–1625) was a Franciscan preacher and spiritual writer, confessor to the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia. Life Andres de Soto was born in Sahagún, Spain, in 1552 or 1553. He entered the Recollect Francisc ...

, , translated by Philip Numan (Brussels, 1613
Available on Google Books
**Dutch version ''Twee t'samensprekingen behandelende de leeringe ende materie vanden mirakelen'' (Brussels, 1614
Available on Google Books

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Velpius, Rutger Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Businesspeople from Leuven 16th-century printers 17th-century printers Book publishers (people) of the Spanish Netherlands Year of birth uncertain