Spelen van sinne vol schoone moralisacien wtleggingen ende bediedenissen op alle loeflijcke consten [...]. Ghespeelt met octroy der Con. Ma. binnen der stadt van Antwerpen op dLant-Juweel by die veerthien cameren van Retorijcken die hen daer ghepresenteert hebben den derden dach Augusti int Jaer ons Heeren M.D.LXI. Op die Questie. Wat den mensch aldermeest tot conste verwect. [...] met diuersse schoone Figueren.

4to: [312] ff. (incl. final blank) [bound with:] Spelen van sinne waer inne alle oirboirlijcke ende eerlijcke handwercken ghepresen ende verhaelt worden [...] Ghespeelt [...] op Thaech-spel naer Dlandt-Juweel/ by die vier Cameren van Rhetorijcke die hen daer ghepresenteert hebben den vierentwintichsten dach Augusti int Jaer ons Heeren 1561. Op de Questie: Welck handtwerck, oirboirlijcste is van doene, en eerlijckste, nochtans seer cleyn gheacht? Ibidem. 1562, [66] ff. (unobtrusive marginal dampstaining and soiling, blank bottom corner of Ggg4 torn off).

Mod. blind-ruled calf "à l’antique" (sl. rubbed), covers with gilt corner pieces, gilt spine with 5 raised bands. Very good wide-margined copy with a number of bottom edges uncut.

The Antwerp "Landjuweel" (theatre festival) of August 1561 brought together the Brabant Chambers of Rhetoric (Antwerp, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Bergen op Zoom, Diest, Zoutleeuw, Vilvoorde, Brussels, Mechelen, Lier, Herentals and Leuven) in a festival competition, organised by the Antwerp "Violieren" (under Willem van Haecht) with the help of Melchior Schets, Frans Floris, Cornelis Floris, a.o. The official publication includes the texts of the plays, illustrations of the Chambers’ blazons and of the "antique" theatre decoration. The "Haechspel" was a smaller after-competition, won by the "Jennetten-bloemken" from Lier. Many of the plays put on stage the (veiled) religious controversies that a few years later were to end Antwerp’s Golden Age. Illustrations: 1. Woodcut marks on title and at the end, 31 woodcuts in text (blazons and theatre decoration), 2 large woodcuts outside collation (1 folding; tear in fold). 2. Woodcut mark on title and at the end, 5 woodcut ill. (blazons & rebus), woodcut ornaments. Printed in gothic type, with some texts in roman and civilité.
The printing of the book has always been ascribed to Silvius himself, but in 1995 Paul Valkema Blouw proved that a large part of the volume was printed by Plantin and the rest by G. Coppens van Diest - see "Geheime activiteiten van Plantin, 1555-1583" in De Gulden Passer (1995) pp. 5-18, esp. pp. 13-16.
Ref. BB V:191/195:S-224 (a-b). - BT 4400. - Carter/Vervliet (Civilité types) 56-57. - STC Dutch (BL) 11. - Not in Adams, Voet (Plantin Press).
Prov. Old ownership entries on front flyleaf (i.a. "Joan. Bap[tis]ta Vander Straeten") and on last p. ("peter de hertoch" [16th c.?]).