Recto, leaf 2. h I The Recuyell of the Historyes of Troye [1475] [PROLOGUE] 1 name Ere begynneth the volume intituled and and drawen out of dyuerce bookes of latyn i to frensshe by the ryght venerable persone and wo shipfull man. Raoul le ffeure. preest and chapelay vnto the ryght noble gloryous and myghty prynce in his tyme Phelip duc of Bourgoyne of Braband et In the yere of the Incarnacion of our lord god a thou sand foure honderd sixty and foure / and translated and drawen out of frenshe in to englisshe by Willyam Caxton mercer of ye cyte of London / at the comaundement of the right hye myghty and vertuouse Pryncesse hys redoubtyd lady. Margarete by the grace of god. Duchesse of Bourgoyne of Lotryk of Braband etc / Whiche sayd translacion and werke was begonne in Brugis in the Countre of Flaundres the fyrst day of marche the yere of the Incarnacion of our said lord god a thousand foure honderd sixty and eyghte / And ended and fynysshid in the holy cyte of Colen the .xix. day of septembre the yere of our sayd lord god a thousand foure honderd sixty and enleuen etc. And on that other side of this leef foloweth the prologe. 1 This prologue is printed in red. I Le Recueil des Histoires de Troyes 1 [1476] [PROLOGUE] Cy commence le volume Intitule le recueil des histoires f. 1, recto. de troyes Compose par venerable homme raoul le feure prestre chappellain de mon tresredonte seigneur Monseigneur le Duc Phelippe de bourgoingne En lan de grace. mil..cccc..lxiiii.:. Q uant le regarde et congnois les oppini Coloured graces duc de bourgoingne / de lothrique / de brabant et de lem bourch / Conte of flandres. dartois et de bourgoingne / Palatin de haynau de hollande de zeelande et de namur/ Marquis du saint empire Seigneur de frise de salins et de malines / Certes Ie treuue assez a pensser. Car des histoires dont. vueil recueil faire Tout le monde parle p hures translatez du latin en françois moins beaucop que le nen traitteray / Et aucuns en ya qui sahurtent seulement aleurs particuliers hures Pourquoy Ie craing escripre plus que leurs hures ne font mencion / Mais quant le considere et poise le tres crenieu command de Icellm tres redoubte prince qui est cause de ceste œuure nō pour corriger les hures Ia so lempnellement traslatez Aincois pour augmenter le me rendray obaissant Et au moins mal que le pourray feray trois hures qui ims en vng prendront pour nom le recueil des troyennes histoires / 1 By Raoul le Fèvre. This volume issued from the CaxtonMansion press, but may have been the work of Mansion only. verso, leaf 2. Whan I remembre that euery man is bounde by the comandement J counceyll of the wys man to eschewe slouthe and ydlenes why a che is moder and nourysshar of vyces an ought to put my self vnto vertuous ocupacion and be synesse / Than I hauynge no grete charge of ocupacion folowynge the sayd counceyll / toke frenche booke and redde therin many strange and meruayllous historyes where in I had grete pleasyr and delyte / as well for the nouelte of the same as for the fayr langage of frenshe. whyche was in prose SO well and compendiously sette and wreton / whiche me thought I vnder stood the sentence and substance of euery mater / And for so moche as this booke was newe and late maad and drawen in to frenshe / And neuer had seen hit in oure englissh tonge/ I thought in my self hit shold be a good besynes to translate hyt in to oure englissh/ to thende that hyt myght be had as well in the royame of Englond as in other landes / and also for to passe therwyth the tyme. and thus concluded in my self to begynne this sayd werke / And forthwith toke penne and ynke and began boldly to renne forth as blynde bayard in thýs presente werke whyche is named the recuyell of the troian historyes And afterward whan I remembryd my self of my symplenes and vnperfightnes that I had in bothe langages/that is to wete in frenshe ។ in englissh for in france was I neuer / and was born J lerned myn englissh in kente in the weeld where I doubte not is spoken as brode and rude englissh as is in ony place of eng-lond haue contynued by the space of .xxx. yere for the most parte in the contres of Braband. flandres holand || recto, leaf 3. and zeland and thus whan alle thyse thynges cam to fore me aftyr that y had made and wreten a fyue or six quayers y fyll in dispayr of thys werke and purposid nomore to haue contynuyd therin and tho quayers leyd a part and in two yere aftyr laboured nomore in thys werke And was fully in wyll to haue lefte hyt. tyll on a tyme hit fortuned that the ryght hyghe excellent and ryght vertuous prynces my ryght redoughted lady mylady Margarete by the * grace of god suster vnto ye kynge of Englond and of france. my souerayn lord Duchesse of Bourgoine of lotryk. of brabant. of lymburgh. and of luxenburgh Countes of fflandres of artoys J of bourgoine Pala tynee of heynawd of holand of zeland and of namur Marquesse of ye holy empire, lady of ffryse of Salius and of mechlyn sente for me to speke wyth her good grace of dyuerce maters, among ye whyche y lete her hyenes haue knowleche of ye forsayd begynnyng of thys werke which anone comanded me to shewe the sayd .v. or .vi. quayers to her sayd grace and wh an she had seen hem. anone she fonde a defaute in myn englissh whiche sche comanded me to amende and mo re ouer comanded me straytli to contynue and make an ende of the resydue than not translated. whos dre defull comandement y durste in no wyse disobey becau se y am a seruant vnto her sayde grace and resseiue of her yerly ffee and other many goode and great benefetes and also hope many moo to ressey [u]el of her hyenes but forthwyth wente and labouryde in the sayde translacion aftyr my symple and pour connyng also nigh as y can folouyng myn auctor mekeli beseching || the bounteuous hynenes of my said lady that of her be- verso, leaf 3. nyuolence liste to accepte J take in gree this symple J rude werke here folowyng. and yf ther be ony thyng wreton or sayd to her playsir. I shall thynke my labour well employed and where as ther is defawte. yt she arette hyt to ye symplenes of my connyng whiche is ful small in this behalue and requyre J praye alle them that shall rede this sayd werke to correcte hyt to hold me excusid of the rude J symple translacion And thus y ende my prologe Ere foloweth ye plogue of that worshipful man Raoul le feure whiche was Auctor of this present book in the ffrensh tonge. 1 text: resseyne |