Statutes of the order of Christ DEFINIÇOES | E ESTATVTOS | DOS CAVALLEIROS | & Freires da Ordem de N. S. | Iesu Christo, com a historia | da origem, & princi-| pio della.- Em Lisboa: Por Pedro Craesbeeck, 1628.- [8], 274 (aliás 272), [14] p. : 4 gravuras; 26 cm.- E. Original edition, illustrated with four engravings in red representing the emblems of the various habits. It should be noted that the order of Christ was established by Papal Bull of Pope John XXII (1319) at the request of King D. Dinis I of Portugal, and came to inherit all the estates of the order of the Temple, and is thus considered an order exclusively Portuguese. It came to have great influence at the time of the discoveries, especially under the wise administration of Prince Henry the Navigator. In addition to the statutes, the Edition includes several bulls concerning the history of the order. The copy is complete but presents some confusion in the way books were organized and bound: [1] f. with face (blank back); [4] engravings in red; [1] f. with licenses (blank back); [2] folios with the titles index (signatures ¶ 1 and ¶ 3, by mistake, instead of ¶ 2); text of p. 1 to p. 274 (with paging and foliation errors; Folio Z3 bound after Folio Z1 and before Folio Z2); [7] final alphabetic index folios (Folio ¶ 5 bound after Folio ¶ 3 and before Folio ¶ 4). Slight trimming and slight acidity; small stains of paint along the bottom cut of the first seven leaves; small central bookworm hole on the first 11 leaves. Moreover, a very clean and solid copy. Ex-libris of Victor d 'Avila Perez (not included on the auction catalogue). Entire calf binding of the time, keeping the original guards. Inocêncio, II, p. 132. Samodães, 1016. Arouca, D5.