Full title: Spiegel van den Ouden ende Nieuwen Rijdt, bestaende uyt Spreeck-woorden ende Sin-Spreucken, ontleent van de voorige ende jegenwoordige Eeuwe, verlustigt door menigte van Sinne-Beelden met Gedichten en Prenten daer op passende. Dienstigh tot bericht van alle gedeelten des levens; beginnende van de Kintsheyt, ende eyndigende met het eynde alles vleesch. Size: 22 × 17 cm. Collation: (16), 168, 56, 104, 24, 160, 16 pp. Condition: rebound in a beautiful half-parchment binding with marbled boards. Renewed endpapers. Somewhat tight in the binding and cut too short. Spots / damage, minor text loss, some restorations, paper of various qualities. Everything is as you would expect from a book of almost 400 years old. Some parts of the engraved title page are coloured in. 3 emblems are doubled. Otherwise a good copy with clear prints. ¶ First edition of this Cats publication. The book consists of the 3 parts of ‘De Spiegel van den ouden ende Nieuwen Tijdt’. Richly illustrated with more than 120 (!) engraved emblems depicting the discussed and explained proverbs and sayings. The engravings are by Matham, after Van de Venne. This is possibly Cats’ most important book, but certainly the most enjoyable because of the explanations of the sayings that provide an amazing picture of the morals in the 17th-century, adorned with the beautiful illustrations after Adriaen van der Venne. Impressive.