ARISTENETE. Letters of Aristenete to which the Selected Letters of Alciphron have been added. Translated from Greek. London: at the expense of the Company, 1739. - In-12, speckled tan calf, "Favart" gilt on front cover, ornate ribbed spine, speckled edges (period binding). First edition of this anonymous French translation which, contrary to what some bibliographies indicate, is not by Alain René Lesage, who did indeed give a first translation in 1695, revised in 1740. These letters, known as the Aristenète letters, are fictitious love letters actually composed between the end of the 5th century and the beginning of the 6th. In his preface, the translator says: "These are friends who write to each other about the gallant happenings that have befallen them, or to persons of their acquaintance, who practice making the pourtrait of their mistresses, or describing the sweets they have tasted between their arms." These correspondences are followed here by a selection of equally fictitious letters by the Greek rhetor Alciphron. An interesting copy from the library of the famous playwright Charles-Simon Favart (1710-1792), with his name in gilt block letters on the front cover. Missing spine, corners slightly dulled, some signs of wear.