Langage. For in these dayes enery man that is in ony reputacyon in his contre. wyll vtter his comynycacyon and maters in suche maners & termes, that fewe men shall vnderstonde theym, And som honest and grete clerkes haue ben wyth me and desired me to wryte the moste curyous termes that I coude fynde, And thus bytwene playn rude, & curyous I stande abashed. but in my Judgemente the comyn termes that be dayli vsed ben lyghter to be vnderstonde than the olde and ancyent englyshe, And for as moche as this present booke is not for a rude oplondyshe man to laboure therein, ne rede it, but onely for a clerke & a noble gentylman that feleth and vnderstondeth in faytes of armes in loue & in noble chyualrye, Therefore in a meane betwene bothe I haue reduced & translated this sayd booke in to our englyshe not ouer rude ne curyous but in suche termes as shall be vnderstanden by goddys grace accordynge to my copye. And yf ony man wyll enter mete in redyng of hit and fyndeth suche termes that he can not vnderstande late him goo rede and lerne Vyrgyll, or the pystles of Ouyde, and ther he shall see and vnderstonde lyghtly all, Yf he haue a good redar & enformer, For this booke is not for euery rude and vnconnynge man to see, but to clerkys & very gentylmen that understande gentylnes and scyence. Thenne I praye alle theym that shall rede in this lytyl treatys to holde me for excused for the translatynge of hit. For I knowleche my selfe ignorant of connynge to enpryse on me so hie and noble a werke, But I praye Mayster John Skelton late created poete laureate in the vnyuersite of Oxenforde to ouersee and correcte this sayd booke. And t'addresse and expowne where as shall be founde faulte to theym that shall requyre it. For hym I knowe for suffycyent to expowne and englyshe euery dyffyculte that is therein, For he hath late translated the epystlys of Tulle, and the boke of Dyodorus Syculus. and diuerse others werkes oute of latyn in to englyshe not in rude and olde langage but in polyshed and ornate termes craftely, as he that hath redde Vyrgyle, Ouyde, Tullye, and all the other noble poetes and oratours, to me unknown: And also he hath redde the ix muses and vnderstande theyr musicalle scyences. and to whom of theym each scyence is appropred. I suppose he hath dronken of Elycon's well. Then I praye hym & suche other to correcte adde or mynyshe where as he or they shall fynde faulte, For I haue but folowed my copye in frenshe as nygh as me is possyble, and yf ony worde be sayd therein well, I am glad, and yf otherwyse I submytte my sayd boke to theyr correctyon, Whiche boke I presente unto the hye born my tocomynge naturall & souerayn lord Arthur by the grace of God Prynce of Walys, Duke of Cornewayll & Erle of Chester first bygoten Son and heyer vnto our most dradde naturall & souerayn lorde & most crysten kynge, Henry the vij. by the grace of God kynge of Englonde and of Fraunce & lord of Irelonde, byseeching his noble grace to receyve it in thanke of me his moste humble subget & seruant, And I shall praye vnto almyghty God for his prosperous encreasyng in vertue, wysedom, and humanyte that he may be egal wyth the most renômed of alle his noble progenytours. And so to lyue in this present lyf, that after this transitorye lyfe he and we alle may come to everlastynge lyf in heuen. Amen. AT THE END OF THE Book. Here fynysheth the boke of Eneydos, compyled by Vyrgyle, whiche hathe be translated out of latyne in to frenshe, and out of frenshe reduced in to Englyshe by me Wyllm. Caxton, the xxij daye of Juyn. the yere of our lorde. M iiij C lxxxx. The fythe yere of the Regne of kyng Henry the seuenth. ENEIDEM totam, Amice Lector, innumerabilibus pæne mendis scaturientem, ad pristinum sensum revocabimus. In singulis ferè versibus spuriæ occurrunt lectiones, in omnibus quos unquam vidi codicibus aut vulgatis aut ineditis, ad opprobrium usque Criticorum, in hunc diem existentes. Interea adverte oculos, & his paucis fruere. At si quæ sint in hisce castigationibus de quibus non fatis liquet, syllabarum quantitates, πрoλeyóμeva nostra Libro ipsi præfigenda, ut consulas, moneo. I. SPECIMEN LIBRI PRIMI, VERS. 1. ARMA Virumque cano, Trojæ qui primus ab oris Italiam, fato profugus, Lavinaque venit Litora multum ille & terris jactatus & alto, Vi superum Arma Virumque cano, Trojæ qui primus ab Aris Italiam, flatu profugus, Latinaque venit Litora: multum ille & terris vexatus, & alto, Vi superum Ab aris, nempe Hercæi Jovis, vide lib. 2, vers. 512, 550.- Flatu, ventorum Æoli, ut sequitur.-Latina certè littora cum Æneas aderat, Lavina non nisi postea ab ipso nominata, Lib. 12, vers. 193-Jactatus, terris non convenit. II. VERS. 52. -Et quisquis Numen Junonis adoret ? -Et quisquis Nomen Junonis adoret ? Longè melius, quam ut antea, Numen. III. VERS. 86. -Venti velut agmine facto Qua data porta ruunt -Venti velut aggere fracto Qua data porta ruunt Sie corrige, meo periculo. Aio Virgilium aliter non scripsisse, quod planè confirmatur ex sequentibus -Ast illum ter fluctus ibidem Torquet VI. VERS. 122. Apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto Arma virùm Armi hominum; Ridicule anteà Arma virum, quæ ex ferro conflata, quomodo possunt natare? VII. VERS. 151. Atque rotis summas leviter perlabitur undas. Atque rotis spumas leviter perlabiter udas. Summas, & leriter perlabi, pleonasmus est: Mirifice altera lectio Neptuni agilitatem & celeritatem exprimit; simili modo Noster de Camilla, Æn. 11. ―intactæ segetis per summa volaret, &c., hyperbolicè. VIII. VERS. 154. Jamque faces & saxa volant, furor arma ministrat. Jam fæces & saxa volant, fugiuntque Ministri: Uti solent, instanti periculo —Fœces, facibus longe præstant, quid enim nisi fæces jactarent vulgus sordidum? IX. VERS. 170. Fronte sub adversa scopulis pendentibus antrum. Fronte sub adversa populis prandentibus antrum. Sic malim, longe potiùs quam scopulis pendentibus: Nuga! Nonne vides versu sequenti dulces aquas ad potandum & sedilia ad discumbendum dari? In quorum usum ? prandentium. X. VERS. 188. -Tres littore cervos Prospicit errantes: hos tota armenta sequuntur -Tres littore corros Aspicit errantes: hos agmina tota sequuntur A tergo-Cervi, lectio vulgata, absurditas notissima: hæc animalia in Africa non inveniri, quis nescit? At motus & ambulandi ritus Corvorum, quis non agnovit hoc loco? Litore, locus ubi errant Corvi, uti Noster alibi, Et sola secum sicca spacatur arena. Omen præclarissimum, immo et agminibus Militum frequentèr observatum, ut patet ex Historicis. XI. VERS. 748. Arcturum pluviasque Hyades, geminosque Triones. Error gravissimus. Corrige,-septemque Triones. ! XII. VERS. 631. Quare agite O juvenes, tectis succedite nostris. Quare agite O Juvenes, lectis succedite nostris. Lectis potius dicebat Dido, polita magis oratione, & quæ unica voce et Torum & Mensum exprimebat: Hanc lectionem probe confirmat appellatio O Juvenes! Duplicem hunc sensum alibi etiam Maro lepidè innuit, En. 4, v. 19. Huic uni forsan potui succùmbere culpæ : Anna fatebor enim, Corrige, Huic uni [Viro scil.] potui succumbere ; Culpas Anna? fatebor enim, &c. Vox succumbere quam eleganter ambigua ! LIBER SECUNDUS. VERS. 1. CONTICUERE omnes, intentique ora tenebant, Concubuere omnes, intentèque ora tenebant ; Concubuere, quia toro Eneam vidimus accumbentem: quin & altera ratio, scil. Conticuere & ora tenebant, tautologicè dictum. In manuscripto perquam rarissimo in Patris Museo, legitur, ore gemebant ; sed magis ingeniose quam verè. Satur Æneas, quippe qui jam-jam a prandio surrexit: Pater nihil ad rem attinet. VERS. 3. Infandum Regina jubes renovare dolorem. Sie haud dubito veterrimis codicibus scriptum fuisse : hoc satis constat ex peran tica illa Britannorum Cantilena vocata Chevy-Chace, cujus autor hunc locum sibi ascivit in hæc verba, The child may rue that is unborn. VERS. 4. Trojanas ut opes, & lamentabile regnum. Trojanas ut Oves & lamentabile regnum Diruerint-Mallem oves potius quam opes, quoniam in antiquissimis illis temporibus oves & armenta divitiæ regnum fuere. Vel fortasse Oves Paridis innuit, quas super Idam nuperrime pascebat, & jam in vindictam pro Helenæ raptu, a Menelao, Ajace, aliisque ducibus, meritò occisas. VERS. 5. Eruerint Danai, Quæque ipse miserrima vidi, Et quorum pars magna fui. -Quæque ipse miserrimus audi, Et quorum pars magna fui Omnia tam audita quam visa recta distinctione enarrare hic Æneas profitetur: Multa quorum nox ea fatalis sola conscia fuit, Vir probus & pius tanquam visa reserre non potuit. Et jam nox humida cœlo Precipitat, suadentque cadentia sydera somnos. Et jam nox lumina cœlo Præcipitat, suadentque latentia sydera somnos. Lectio, humida, vespertinum rorem solum innuere videtur: magis mi arridet Lumina, quæ latentia postquam præcipitantur, Aurora adventum annunciant. Sed si tantus amor casus cognoscere nostros, Sed si tantus amor curas cognoscere noctis, Cura Noctis (scilicet noctis excidii Trojani) magis compendiosè (vel ut dixit ipse breviter) totam belli catastrophem denotat, quam diffusa illa & indeterminata lectio, casus nostros. Ter audire gratum fuisse Didoni, patet ex libro |