A

XXXI

The Four Sonnes of Aymon

[1489]
[PROLOGUE] 1

S the Philosopher in
the fyr[s]t2 booke of hys
methafysyque sayth yt
euery man naturally
desireth to know and

to con newe thynges:

ar

ry reduced in lykewyse into our En lishe tongue: he late sent to me a bool in Frenche conteynyng thactes faytes of warre doone and made gaynst ye great Emperour and Kin of Fraunce Charlemayne by ye .iii sonnes of Aymon, other wyse name in Frenche, Les quatre fylz Aymon whyche booke accordyng to hys re quest I haue endeuorde me to accom plyshe and to reduce it into our eng lyshe, to my great coste and charges as in the translatinge as in enprynting of the same, hopyng y not doub tyng but that hys good grace shall rewarde me in suche wise that I shal haue cause to pray for his good and prosperus welfare, And besechynge his said noble good grace to pardon me of ye rude and this simple worke For accordyng to the coppy whyche he sent to me I haue folowed as nigh as I can, and where as any defaute shall be founde I submyt me to the correction of them that vnderstande the cronyclehystory bese[c]hyng3 them to correcte it J amende there as they shall fynde faute. And I shall praye almighty God for them that so doo to rewarde them in suche wyse that after this shorte and transytorye lyfe 1 This prologue is not extant in Caxton's own print, but appears in Copland's edition of the work, printed 1554: there is little doubt, however, that it was originally written by Caxton. 2 text: fyrit 3 text: besethyng

And therfore haue the Clerkes ៗ peo ple of great vnderstandynge desyred and coueite to lerned sciences and to know vertues of thinges. Some by Phylosophy, other by Poetrye, and other by Historyes and cronyckes of thynges passed. And vpon these three they haue greatly laboured in suche yt thanked be God, by theyr good dylygence and laboures: they haue had greate knowledge by innumerable volumes of bookes, whiche haue be made and compyled by great studye Jpayne vnto thys day. And bycause that aboue all thinges the princes ៗ lordes of hie estate and entendement desyre to see thystoryes of the ryght noble and hye vertues of the prodecessours whiche ben digne, and worthy of remembraunce of perpetuall recommendacion. Therfore late at ye request and commaundement of the ryght noble and vertus Erle John Erle of Oxeforde my good synguler and especial lorde I reduced J tran

out of Frenche into our ma1 and Englyshe tongue the of one of his predecessoures naRobert Erle of Oxeforde tofore in diuerse many great myrawhiche God shewed for him as his lyfe as after his death, as shewed all alonge in hys sayde - And also that my sayd Lorde th to haue other Hystories of -yme passed of vertues chyualEnd of 1st column.

we all may come to euerlastyng lyfe in heuen. Amen.

Thus endeth the prologue.

XXXII

Eneydos

[1490]
[PROLOGUE]

er dyuerse werkes made / translated and achieued / ha sig. A j
g noo werke in hande. I sittyng in my studye where as
many dyuerse paunflettis and bookys. happened that
my hande cam a lytyl booke in frenshe. whiche late was
slated oute of latyn by some noble clerke of fraunce whi
booke is named Eneydos / made in latyn by that noble

Jgrete clerke vyrgyle / whiche booke I sawe ouer and e therin. How after the generall destruccyon of the gre Croye. Eneas departed berynge his olde fader anchises - his sholdres / his lityl son yolus on his honde. his wy yth moche other people folowynge / and how he shypped departed wyth alle thystorye of his aduentures that he er he cam to the achievement of his conquest of ytalye 1 a longe shall be shewed in this present boke. In whibooke I had grete playsyr. by cause of the fayr and hone rmes ៗ wordes in frenshe / Whyche I neuer sawe to fo-ke. ne none so playsaunt ne so wel ordred. whiche boosme semed sholde be moche requysyte to noble men to see wel for the eloquence as the historyes / How wel that honderd yerys passed was the sayd booke of eneydos

Sig A j.

verso.

a

lee

an

wyth other werkes made and lerned dayly in scolis sp
ly in ytalye J other places / whiche historye the sayd vy
made in metre / And whan I had aduysed me in this say
ke. I delybered and concluded to translate it in to engly
And forthwyth toke a penne J ynke and wrote
tweyne / whyche I ouersawe agayn to correcte it / And w
I sawe the fayr J straunge termes therin / I doubted tha
sholde not please some gentylmen whiche late blamed
sayeng yt in my translacyons I had ouer curyous ter
whiche coude not be understande of comyn peple / and desi
me to vse olde and homely termes in my translacyons.
fayn wolde I satysfye euery man / and so to doo toke an o
boke and redde therin / and certaynly the englysshe was so
de and brood that I coude not wele vnderstande it. And al
my lorde abbot of westmynster ded do shewe to me late cert
yn euydences wryton in olde englysshe for to reduce it in :
our englysshe now vsid / And certaynly it was wreton i
suche wyse that it was more lyke to dutche than englyssh
I coude not reduce ne brynge it to be understonden / And cer
taynly our langage now vsed varyeth ferre from that. wh
che was vsed and spoken whan I was borne / For we en-
glysshe men / ben borne vnder the domynacyon of the mone.
whiche is neuer stedfaste / but euer wauerynge / wexynge o-
ne season / and waneth J dyscreaseth another season / And
that comyn englysshe that is spoken in one shyre varyeth
from a nother. In so moche that in my dayes happened that
certayn marchauntes were in a shippe 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 good wyf answerde. that she coude speke no fren-
she. And the marchaunt was angry. for he also coude speke
no frenshe. but wold haue hadde egges / and she vnderstode
hym not / And thenne at laste a nother sayd that he wolde
haue eyren / then the good wyf sayd that she vnderstod hym
wel / Loo what sholde a man in thyse dayes now wryte. eg-
ges or eyren / certaynly it is harde to playse euery man / by
cause of dyuersite ៗ chaunge of langage. For in these dayes
euery man that is in ony reputacyon in his countre. wyll vt

:

recto.

his commynycacyon and maters in suche maners Jter/ that fewe men shall understonde theym / And som ho- || and grete clerkes haue ben wyth me and desired me to Sig. A ij. Le the moste curyous termes that I coude fynde / And bytwene playn rude / J curyous I stande abasshed. but my Iudgemente / the comyn termes that be dayli vsed ben ter to be vnderstonde than the olde and auncyent englys/ And for as moche as this present booke is not for a ru plondyssh man to laboure therin / ne rede it / but onely a clerke Ja noble gentylman that feleth and vnderston in faytes of armes in loue Jin noble chyualrye / Therin a meane bytwene bothe I haue reduced translated sayd booke in to our englysshe not ouer rude ne curyoout in suche termes as shall be understanden by goddys e accordynge to my copye. And yf ony man wyll enter - in redyng of hit and fyndeth suche termes that he can vnderstande late hym goo rede and lerne vyrgyll / or the les of ouyde / and ther he shall see and vnderstonde lyght 11 / Yf he haue a good redar J enformer / For this booke -t for e[u]ery 1 rude [and] 2 vnconnynge man to see / but to ys and very gentylmen that vnderstande gentylnes Scyence | Thenne I praye alle theym that shall rede his lytyl treatys to holde me for excused for the translae of hit. For I knowleche my selfe ignorant of conce to enpryse on me so hie and noble a werke / But I

mayster Iohn Skelton late created poete laureate The vnyuersite of oxenforde to ouersee and correcte this booke. And taddresse and expowne where as shalle Dunde faulte to theym that shall requyre it. For hym I ve for suffycyent to expowne and englysshe euery dyfte that is therin / For he hath late translated the epyst of Tulle / and the boke of dyodorus syculus. and di- other werkes oute of latyn in to englysshe not in rude || olde langage. but in polysshed and ornate termes craf- Sign. A ij. as he that hath redde vyrgyle / ouyde. tullye. and all the - noble poetes and oratours / to me vnknowen: And he hath redde the ix. muses and vnderstande theyr muLe scyences. and to whom of theym eche scyence is apred. I suppose he hath dronken of Elycons well.

Then

verso.

SO

Wa

SO

I praye hymy suche other to correcte adde or mynysshe w re as he or they shall fynde faulte / For I haue but folow my copye in frenshe as nygh as me is possyble / And yf o worde be sayd therin well / I am glad. and yf otherwyse submytte my sayd boke to theyr correctyon / Whiche boke presente vnto the hye born. my tocomynge naturell rayn lord Arthur by the grace of god Prynce of Duc of Cornewayll. J Erle of Chester fyrst bygoten and heyer vnto our most dradde naturall J souerayn lorde most crysten kynge / Henry the vij. by the grace of god k ge of Englonde and of Fraunce J lord of Jrelonde / bys ching his noble grace to receyue it in thanke of moste humble subget ។ seruaunt / And I shall praye vnt almyghty god for his prosperous encreasyng in vertue / W sedom / and humanyte that he may be egal wyth the most re nommed 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 euerlastynge lyf in heuen / Amen:

[Colophon]

me

HERE fynyssheth the boke [o] f1 Eneydos / compyled by Vyr gyle / whiche hathe be translated oute of latyne in to frenshe/ And oute of frenshe reduced in to Englysshe by me Wylliam Caxton / the xxij. daye of Juyn. the yere of our lorde .M.iiij Clxxxx. The fythe yere of the Regne of kynge Henry the seuenth

h