[Joachim DU BELLAY]. La Deffence, et illustration de la Langue Francoyse. By I.D.B.A. In-8, burgundy morocco, triple fillet, nicely decorated 2-nerved spine, inner lace, gilt edges (Godillot). Brunet, I-749 // Cioranescu, 8298 // Tchemerzine-Scheler, III-38 // USTC, 40665. (48f., last blank) / a-f8 / 99 x 161 mm. Extremely rare first edition of one of the founding texts of the French language. Born into a noble family in Liré, Anjou, in 1522, Joachim Du Bellay devoted himself from adolescence to the study of classical literature. With his wealth of knowledge, he went to the courts of François I and Henri II, where he indulged in gallantry like his fellow poets. Nicknamed the French Ovid, he was a member of the Pléiade along with Ronsard and Baïf. He followed his uncle Cardinal Du Bellay to Rome, where he spent three years, before returning to France and being appointed canon and archdeacon of Notre-Dame de Paris. In delicate health, he died some time later, in 1560, at the age of thirty-eight. His Deffense et illustration de la langue francoyse is a work of remarkable style and subject matter. In it, he argues that the French language can rise to the level of the Greek and Latin languages. To develop the original powers of the national language, Du Bellay gave a whole series of tips on how to enrich the lexicon and syntax, create new genres and regulate versification (En français dans le texte, no. 49). The first edition is very rare. A note by Jean Bourdel indicates five or six known copies, one of which is in the BnF, the others in Mouravit, Fugger and Tannery. This note is erroneous, since there are at least nine copies in public libraries, including three in France. This in no way detracts from the rarity of this edition, which is very difficult to find. This copy passed through the hands of Lucien Scheler who noted in pencil on one endpaper: Collationné L.S. Réglé. A very fine copy, perfectly drawn up by Godillot.