III.

Mter dyuerse Werkes, made translated and achieued, hauyng noo werke in hande I sittyng in my studye where as laye many dyuerse paunflettes and bookys. happened that to my hande cam a lytyl booke in frenshe .. whiche late was translated oute of latyn by some noble clerke of fraunce whiche booke is named Eneydos (made in latyn by that noble poete & grete clerke Vyrgyle) whiche booke I sawe over and redde therein. How after the generall destruccyon of the grete Troye, Eneas departe dberynge his oide fader anchises upon his sholdres, his lytyl son yolas on his hande. his wyfe wyth moche other people followynge, and how he shipped and departed wyth alle thystorye of his aduentures that he had er he cam to the atchieuement of his conquest of ytalye as all a longe shall be shewed in this present boke. In whiche booke I had grete playsyr. by cause of the fayr and honest termes & wordes in frenshe Whyche I neuer sawe to fore lyke. ne none so playsaunt ne so weI ordred. whiche booke as me semed sholde be moche requysyte to noble men to see as weI for the eloquence as the historyes. How weI that many hondred yerys passed \vas the sayd booke of Eneydos wyth other workes made and lerned dayly in scolis specyally in ytalye and other places, whiche historye the sayd Vyrgyle made in metre, And whan I had aduysed me in this sayd booke. I delybered and concluded to translate it in to englyshe. And forthwyth toke a penne and ynke and wrote a leef or tweyne, whyche I ouersawe agayn to corecte it, And whan I sawe the fayr & straunge termes therein, I doubted that it sholde not please some gentylmen whiche late blamed me sayeng that in my translacyons I had ouer curyous termes whiche coude not be vnderstande of comyn peple, and desired me to vse oide and homely termes in my translacyons. and fayn wolde I satysfye euery man, and so to doo toke an olde boke and redde therein, and certaynly the englyshe was so rude and brood that I coude not wele vnderstande it. And also my lorde Abbot of Westmynster ded do shewe to me late certayn euydences wryton in olde englyshe. for to reduce it in to our englyshe now vsid, And certaynly it was wryton in suche wyse that it was more Iyke to dutche than englyshe. I coude

1 <In Mist's Journal, March 16, 1728, Theobald had cited Caxton to clear up a passage in Troilus and Cressida, v v 14: 'The dreadfull Sagittary Appauls our numbers.' Pope had assumed that the Sagittary was Teucer; but Theobald (with the help of Caxton) was able to show that it was 'a mervayllouse beste'; in fact, a Centaur. The mistake probably rankled, and Pope took refuge once again in ridicule; but the joke at Caxton's expense amounts to no more than laughing at a man because his clothes are old-fashioned.)

not reduce ne brynge it to be vnderstonden, And certaynly our langage now vsed varyeth ferre from that whiche was vsed and spoken whan I was borne, For we englyshe men, ben borne vnder the domynacyon of the monee whiche is neuer stedfaste, but euer wauerynge, wexynge one season, and waneth & dyscreaseth another season, And that comyn englyshe that is spoken in one shyre varyeth from another. In so moche that in my dayes happened that certayn marchants were in a ship in Tamyse for to haue sayled ouer the see into Zelande, and for lacke of wynde thei taryed atte forlond. and wente to lande for to refreshe them And one of theym named Sheffelde a mercer cam in to an hows and axed for mete, and specyally he axyd after eggys. And the goode wyf answerde. that she coude speke no frenshe. And the merchant was angry. for he also coude speke no frenshe. but wolde haue hadde egges, and she vnderstode hym not, And thenne at laste another sayd that he wolde haue eyren, then the good wyf sayd that she vnderstod hym weI, Loo what sholde a man in thyse dayes now wryte. egges or eyren, certaynly it is harde to playse every man, by cause of dyuersite & change of langage. For in these dayes euery 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 oide and ancyent englyshe, And for as moche as this present booke is not for a rude vplondyshe man to laboure therein, ne rede it, but onely for a clerke & a noble gentylman that felcth 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 hym goo rede and Ierne 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 aIle 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 polysshed 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 eche scyence is appropred. I suppose he hath dronken of Elycons well. Then I praye hym & suche other to correcte adde or mynysshe where as he or they shall fynde faulte, For I haue but folowed my copye in frenche 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 vnto the hye born my tocolnynge naturall & souerayn lord Arthur by the grace of God Prynce of Walys, Duke of Cornewayll. & ErIe 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, ,A.nd I shall praye vnto almyghty God for his prosperous encreasyng in vertue, wysedom, and humanyte that he may be ega! wyth the most renamed of alle his noble progenytours. And so to lyue in this present lyf, that after this transitorye lyfe he and we aIle may come to everlastynge lyf in heuen, Amen: