Chapter III: Part I: Editiones Principes, Etc (1)

(1) [CELEBRATED TRIALS: 1825]

Celebrated Trials, / and / Remarkable Cases / of / Criminal Jurisprudence, / from / The Earliest Records / to / The Year 1825. / [_Thirteen-line quotation from Burke_] / In Six Volumes. / Vol. I. [_Vol. II_, _&c._] / London: / Printed for Knight and Lacey, / Paternoster-Row. / 1825. / Price 3 pounds 12_s._ in Boards.

Collation:--Demy octavo.

Vol. I. Pp. xiii + v + 550, with nine engraved Plates.

Vol. II. ,, vi + 574, with seven engraved Plates.

[P. 574 is misnumbered 140.]

Vol. III. ,, vi + 572, with three engraved Plates.

Vol. IV. ,, vi + 600, with five engraved Plates.

Vol. V. ,, vi + 684, with five engraved Plates.

Vol. VI. ,, viii + 576 + an _Index_ of 8 pages, together with six engraved Plates.

Issued in drab paper boards, with white paper back-labels. The leaves measure 8.625 x 5 inches.

It is evident that no fewer than five different printing houses were employed simultaneously in the production of this work.

The preliminary matter of all six volumes was printed together, and the reverse of each title-page carries at foot the following imprint: "_London_: / _Shackell and Arrowsmith_, _Johnson's-Court_, _Fleet-Street_."

The same firm also worked the whole of the Second Volume, and their imprint is repeated at the foot of p. 574 [misnumbered 140].

Vol. I bears, at the foot of p. 550, the following imprint: "_Printed by W. Lewis_, 21, _Finch-Lane_, _Cornhill_."

Vol. III bears, at the foot of p. 572, the following imprint: "_J. and C. Adlard_, _Printers_, / _Bartholomew Close_."

Vols. IV and VI bear, at the foot of pages 600 and 576 respectively, the following imprint: "_D. Sidney & Co._, _Printers_ / _Northumberland-street_, _Strand_."

Vol. V bears, at the foot of p. 684, the following imprint: "_Whiting and Branston_, / _Beaufort House_, _Strand_."

Both Dr. Knapp and Mr. Clement Shorter have recorded full particulars of the genesis of the _Celebrated Trials_. Mr. Shorter devotes a considerable portion of Chapter xi of _George Borrow and his Circle_ to the subject, and furnishes an analysis of the contents of each of the six volumes. _Celebrated Trials_ is, of course, the _Newgate Lives and Trials_ of _Lavengro_, in which book Borrow contrived to make a considerable amount of entertaining narrative out of his early struggles and failures.

There is a Copy of the First Edition of _Celebrated Trials_ in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is 518.g.6.

(2) [FAUSTUS: 1825]

Faustus: / His / Life, Death, / and / Descent into Hell. / Translated from the German. / _Speed thee_, _speed thee_, / _Liberty lead thee_, / _Many this night shall harken and heed thee_. / _Far abroad_, / _Demi-god_, / _Who shall appal thee_! / _Javal_, _or devil_, _or what else we call thee_. / Hymn to the Devil. / London: / W. Simpkin and R. Marshall. / 1825.

[Picture: Title page of Fautus, 1825]

Collation:--Foolscap octavo, pp. xii + 251; consisting of: Half-title (with imprint "_Printed by_ / _J. and C. Adlard_, _Bartholomew Close_" at the foot of the reverse) pp. i-ii; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. iii-iv; Preface (headed _The Translator to the Public_) pp. v-viii; Table of _Contents_ pp. ix-xii; and Text pp. 1-251. The reverse of p. 251 is occupied by Advertisements of Horace Welby's _Signs before Death_, and John Timbs's _Picturesque Promenade round Dorking_. The headline is _Faustus_ throughout, upon both sides of the page. At the foot of the reverse of p. 251 the imprint is repeated thus, "_J. and C. Adlard_, _Bartholomew Close_." The signatures are A (6 leaves), B to Q (15 sheets, each 8 leaves), plus R (6 leaves).

Issued (in _April_, 1825) in bright claret-coloured linen boards, with white paper back-label. The leaves measure 6.75 x 4.25 inches. The published price was 7_s._ 6_d._

The volume has as _Frontispiece_ a coloured plate, engraved upon copper, representing the supper of the sheep-headed Magistrates, described on pp. 64-66. The incident selected for illustration is the moment when the wine 'issued in blue flames from the flasks,' and 'the whole assembly sat like so many ridiculous characters in a mad masquerade.' This illustration was not new to Borrow's book. It had appeared both in the German original, and in the French translation of 1798. In the original work the persons so bitterly satirized were the individuals composing the Corporation of Frankfort.

In 1840 'remainder' copies of the First Edition of _Faustus_ were issued with a new title-page, pasted upon a stub, carrying at foot the following publishers' imprint, "_London_: / _Simpkin_, _Marshall & Co._ / 1840." They were made up in bright claret-coloured linen boards, uniform with the original issue, with a white paper back-label. The published price was again 7_s._ 6_d._

_Faustus_ was translated by Borrow from the German of Friedrich Maximilian von Klinger. Mr. Shorter suggests, with much reason, that Borrow did not make his translation from the original German edition of 1791, but from a French translation published in Amsterdam in 1798.

The reception accorded to _Faustus_ was the reverse of favourable. _The Literary Gazette_ said (_July_ 16_th_, 1825):--

"This is another work to which no respectable publisher ought to have
allowed his name to be put. The political allusion and metaphysics,
which may have made it popular among a low class in Germany, do not
sufficiently season its lewd scenes and coarse descriptions for
British palates. We have occasionally publications for the
fireside,--these are only fit for the fire."

Borrow's translation of Klinger's novel was reprinted in 1864, without any acknowledgment of the name of the translator. Only a few stray words in the text were altered. But five passages were deleted from the Preface, which, not being otherwise modified or supplemented, gave--as was no doubt the intention of the publishers--the work the appearance of a new translation specially prepared. This unhallowed edition bears the following title-page:

_Faustus_: / _His_ / _Life_, _Death_, _and Doom_. / _A Romance in Prose_. / _Translated from the German_. / [Quotation as in the original edition, followed by a Printer's ornament.] / _London_: / _W. Kent and Co._, _Paternoster Row_. / 1864.--Crown 8vo, pp. viii + 302.

"There is no reason to suppose," remarks Mr. Shorter (_George Borrow and his Circle_, p. 104) "that the individual, whoever he may have been, who prepared the 1864 edition of _Faustus_ for the Press, had ever seen either the German original or the French translation of Klinger's book."

There is a copy of the First Edition of _Faustus_ in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is N.351.

[Picture: Title page of Romantic Ballads]

(3) [ROMANTIC BALLADS: 1826]

Romantic Ballads, / Translated from the Danish; / and / Miscellaneous Pieces; / By / George Borrow. / _Through gloomy paths unknown_-- / _Paths which untrodden be_, / _From rock to rock I roam_ / _Along the dashing sea_. / Bowring. / Norwich: / Printed and Published by S. Wilkin, Upper Haymarket. / 1826.

Collation:--Demy octavo, pp. xii + 187; consisting of: Half-title (with imprint "_Norwich_: / _Printed by S. Wilkin_, _Upper Haymarket_" upon the centre of the reverse) pp. i-ii; Title-page, as above (with blank reverse) pp. iii-iv; Table of _Contents_ (with blank reverse) pp. v-vi; _Preface_ pp. vii-viii; Prefatory Poem _From Allan Cunningham to George Borrow_ pp. ix-xi, p. xii is blank; Text of the _Ballads_ pp. 1-184; and List of Subscribers pp. 185-187. The reverse of p. 187 is blank. There are head-lines throughout, each page being headed with the title of the Ballad occupying it. The imprint is repeated at the foot of p. 184. The signatures are a (a half-sheet of 4 leaves), b (a quarter-sheet of 2 leaves), B to M (eleven sheets, each 8 leaves), and N (a half-sheet of 4 leaves), followed by an unsigned quarter-sheet of 2 leaves carrying the List of Subscribers. {12} Sigs. G 5 and H 2 (pp. 89-90 and 99-100) are cancel-leaves, mounted on stubs, in every copy I have met with.

Issued (in _May_ 1826) in dark greenish-grey paper boards, with white paper back-label, lettered "_Romantic_ / _Ballads_ / _From the_ / _Danish By_ / _G. Borrow_ / _Price_ 10/6 _net_." The leaves measure 9 x 5.5 inches.

The volume of _Romantic Ballads_ was printed at Norwich during the early months of 1826. The edition consisted of Five Hundred Copies, but only Two Hundred of these were furnished with the Title-page transcribed above. These were duly distributed to the subscribers. The remaining Three Hundred copies were forwarded to London, where they were supplied with the two successive title-pages described below, and published in the ordinary manner.

"_I had an idea that_, _provided I could persuade any spirited
publisher to give these translations to the world_, _I should acquire
both considerable fame and profit_;_ not perhaps a world-embracing
fame such as Byron's_, _but a fame not to be sneered at_, _which
would last me a considerable time_, _and would keep my heart from
breaking_;--_profit_, _not equal to that which Scott had made by his
wondrous novels_, _but which would prevent me from starving_, _and
enable me to achieve some other literary enterprise_. _I read and
re-read my ballads_, _and the more I read them the more I was
convinced that the public_, _in the event of their being published_,
_would freely purchase_, _and hail them with merited
applause_"--["George Borrow and his Circle," 1913, p. 102.]

Allan Cunningham's appreciation of the manner in which Borrow had succeeded in his effort to introduce the Danish Ballads to English readers is well expressed in the following letter:

27, _Lower Belgrave Place_,
_London_.
16_th_ _May_, 1826.

_My dear Sir_,

_I like your Danish Ballads much_, _and though Oehlenslaeger seems a
capital poet_, _I love the old rhymes best_. _There is more truth
and simplicity in them_;_ and certainly we have nothing in our
language to compare with them_. . . . '_Sir John_' _is a capital
fellow_, _and reminds one of Burns'_ '_Findlay_.' '_Sir Middel_' _is
very natural and affecting_, _and exceedingly well rendered_,--_so
is_ '_The Spectre of Hydebee_.' _In this you have kept up the true
tone of the Northern Ballad_. '_Svend Vonved_' _is wild and
poetical_, _and it is my favourite_. _You must not think me
insensible to the merits of the incomparable_ '_Skimming_.' _I think
I hear his neigh_, _and see him crush the ribs of the Jute_. _Get
out of bed_, _therefore_, _George Borrow_, _and be sick or sleepy no
longer_. _A fellow who can give us such exquisite Danish Ballads has
no right to repose_. . . .

_I remain_,
_Your very faithful friend_,
_Allan Cunningham_.

_Contents_.

PAGE.

Introductory Verses. By Allan Cunningham. [_Sing_, ix _sing_, _my friend_; _breathe life again_]

The Death-Raven. [_The silken sail_, _which caught the 1 summer breeze_]

I give herewith a reduced facsimile of the first page of the original Manuscript of this Ballad. No other MS. of it is known to be extant.

Fridleif and Helga. [_The woods were in leaf_, _and 21 they cast a sweet shade_]

Sir Middel. [_So tightly was Swanelil lacing her vest_] 28

Previously printed (under the title _Skion Middel_, the first line reading, "_The maiden was lacing so tightly her vest_,") in _The Monthly Magazine_, _November_ 1823, p. 308. Apart from the opening line, the text of the two versions (with the exception of a few trifling verbal changes) is identical.

Another, but widely different, version of this Ballad is printed in _Child Maidelvold and Other Ballads_, 1913, pp. 5-10. In this latter version the name of the heroine is Sidselil in place of Swanelil, and that of the hero is Child Maidelvold in place of Sir Middel.

Elvir-Shades. [_A sultry eve pursu'd a sultry day_] 32

Considerable differences are to be observed between the text of the Manuscript of _Elvir-Shades_ and that of the printed version. For example, as printed the second stanza reads:

_I spurr'd my courser_, _and more swiftly rode_,
_In moody silence_, _through the forests green_,
_Where doves and linnets had their lone abode_.

In the Manuscript it reads:

_Immers'd in pleasing pensiveness I rode_
_Down vistas dim_, _and glades of forest green_,
_Where doves and nightingales had their abode_.

The Heddybee-Spectre. [_I clomb in haste my dappled 37 steed_]

In 1829 Borrow discarded his original (1826) version of _The Heddybee-Spectre_, and made an entirely new translation. This was written in couplets, with a refrain repeated after each. In 1854 the latter version was revised, and represents the final text. It commences thus:

_At evening fall I chanced to ride_,
_My courser to a tree I tied_.
_So wide thereof the story goes_.

_Against a stump my head I laid_,
_And then to slumber I essay'd_
_So wide thereof the story goes_.

From the Manuscript of 1854 the ballad was printed (under the amended title _The Heddeby Spectre_) in _Signelil_, _A Tale from the Cornish_, _and Other Ballads_, 1913, pp. 22-24. Borrow afterwards described the present early version as 'a paraphrase.'

Sir John. [_Sir Lave to the island stray'd_] 40

There is extant a Manuscript of _Sir John_ which apparently belongs to an earlier date than 1826. The text differs considerably from that of the _Romantic Ballads_. I give a few stanzas of each.

1826.

_The servants led her then to bed_,
_But could not loose her girdle red_!
"_I can_, _perhaps_," _said John_.

_He shut the door with all his might_;
_He lock'd it fast_, _and quench'd the light_:
"_I shall sleep here_," _said John_.

_A servant to Sir Lave hied_:--
"_Sir John is sleeping with the bride_:"
"_Aye_, _that I am_," _said John_.

_Sir Lave to the chamber flew_:
"_Arise_, _and straight the door undo_!"
"_A likely thing_!" _said John_.

_He struck with shield_, _he struck with spear_--
"_Come out_, _thou Dog_, _and fight me here_!"
"_Another time_," _said John_.

_Early MS._

_They carried the bride to the bridal bed_,
_But to loose her girdle ne'er entered their head_--
"_Be that my care_," _said John_.

_Sir John locked the door as fast as he might_:
"_I wish Sir Lave a very good night_,
_I shall sleep here_," _said John_.

_A messenger to Sir Lave hied_:
"_Sir John is sleeping with thy young bride_!"
"_Aye_, _that I am_!" _said John_.

_On the door Sir Lave struck with his glove_:
"_Arise_, _Sir John_, _let me in to my love_!"
"_Stand out_, _you dog_!" _said John_.

_He struck on the door with shield and spear_:
"_Come out_, _Sir John_, _and fight me here_!"
"_See if I do_!" _said John_.

May Asda. [_May Asda is gone to the merry green wood_] 44

Aager and Eliza. [_Have ye heard of bold Sir Aager_] 47

Saint Oluf. [_St. Oluf was a mighty king_] 53

_Of Saint Oluf_ there are three MSS. extant, the first written in 1826, the second in 1829, and the third in 1854. In the two later MSS. the title given to the Ballad is _Saint Oluf and the Trolds_. As the latest MS. affords the final text of the Poem, I give a few of the variants between it and the printed version of 1826

1826.

_St. Oluf built a lofty ship_,
_With sails of silk so fair_;
"_To Hornelummer I must go_,
_And see what's passing there_."

"_O do not go_," _the seamen said_,
"_To yonder fatal ground_,
_Where savage Jutts_, _and wicked elves_,
_And demon sprites_, _abound_."

_St. Oluf climb'd the vessel's side_;
_His courage nought could tame_!
"_Heave up_, _heave up the anchor straight_;
_Let's go in Jesu's name_.

"_The cross shall be my faulchion now_--
_The book of God my shield_;
_And_, _arm'd with them_, _I hope and trust_
_To make the demons yield_!"

_And swift_, _as eagle cleaves the sky_,
_The gallant vessel flew_,
_Direct for Hornelummer's rock_,
_Through ocean's wavy blue_.

'_Twas early in the morning tide_
_When she cast anchor there_;
_And_, _lo_! _the Jutt stood on the cliff_,
_To breathe the morning air_:

_His eyes were like the burning beal_--
_His mouth was all awry_;
_The truth I tell_, _and say he stood_
_Full twenty cubits high_.

* * * * *

"_Be still_, _be still_, _thou noisy guest_--
_Be still for evermore_;
_Become a rock and beetle there_,
_Above the billows hoar_."

_Up started then_, _from out the hill_,
_The demon's hoary wife_;
_She curs'd the king a thousand times_,
_And brandish'd high her knife_.

_Sore wonder'd then the little elves_,
_Who sat within the hill_,
_To see their mother_, _all at once_,
_Stand likewise stiff and still_.

1854.

_Saint Oluf caused a ship be built_,
_At Marsirand so fair_;
_To Hornelummer he'll away_,
_And see what's passing there_.

_Then answer made the steersman old_,
_Beside the helm who stood_:
"_At Hornelummer swarm the Trolas_,
_It is no haven good_."

_The king replied in gallant guise_,
_And sprang upon the prow_:
"_Upon the Ox {23} the cable cast_,
_In Jesu's name let go_!"

_The Ox he pants_, _the Ox he snorts_,
_And bravely cuts the swell_--
_To Hornelummer in they sail_
_The ugly Trolds to quell_.

_The Jutt was standing on the cliff_,
_Which raises high its brow_;
_And thence he saw Saint Oluf_, _and_
_The Ox beneath him go_.

_His eyes were like a burning beal_,
_His mouth was all awry_,
_The nails which feve'd his fingers' ends_
_Stuck out so wondrously_.

"_Now hold thy peace_, _thou foulest fiend_,
_And changed be to stone_;
_Do thou stand there_ '_till day of doom_,
_And injury do to none_."

_Then out came running from the hill_
_The carline old and grey_;
_She cursed the King a thousand times_,
_And bade him sail away_.

_Then wondered much the little Trolds_,
_Who sat within the hill_,
_To see their mother all at once_
_Stand likewise stiff and still_.

The entire ballad should be compared with _King Oluf the Saint_, printed in _Queen Berngerd_, _The Bard and the Dreams_, _and Other Ballads_, 1913, pp 23-29.

The Heroes of Dovrefeld. [_On Dovrefeld_, _in Norway_] 58

Another version of _The Heroes of Dovrefeld_, written in 1854, is extant in manuscript. Unlike that of 1826, which was in four line stanzas, this later version is arranged in couplets, with a refrain repeated after each. It commences as follows:

_On Dovrefeld in Norroway_
_Free from care the warriors lay_.
_Who knows like us to rhyme and rune_?

_Twelve bold warriors there were seen_,
_Brothers of Ingeborg the Queen_.
_Who knows like us to rhyme and rune_?

_The first the rushing storm could turn_,
_The second could still the running burn_.
_Who knows like us to rhyme and rune_?

Svend Vonved. [_Svend Vonved sits in his lonely bower_] 61

In a Manuscript of 1830 the name employed is _Swayne Vonved_. There is no 1854 Manuscript of this Ballad.

The Tournament. [_Six score there were_, _six score and 82 ten_]

_The Tournament_ was one of the Ballads entirely rewritten by Borrow in 1854 for inclusion in the then projected _Koempe Viser_. The text of the later version differed greatly from that of 1826, as the following extracts will show:

1826.

_Six score there were_, _six score and ten_,
_From Hald that rode that day_;
_And when they came to Brattingsborg_
_They pitch'd their pavilion gay_.

_King Nilaus stood on the turrets top_,
_Had all around in sight_:
"_Why hold those heroes their lives so cheap_,
_That it lists them here to fight_?

"_Now_, _hear me_, _Sivard Snaresvend_;
_Far hast thou rov'd_, _and wide_,
_Those warriors' weapons thou shalt prove_,
_To their tent thou must straightway ride_."

* * * * *

_There shine upon the eighteenth shield_
_A man_, _and a fierce wild boar_,
_Are borne by the Count of Lidebierg_;
_His blows fall heavy and sore_.

_There shines upon the twentieth shield_,
_Among branches_, _a rose_, _so gay_;
_Wherever Sir Nordman comes in war_,
_He bears bright honour away_.

_There shines on the one-and-twentieth shield_
_A vase_, _and of copper_ '_tis made_;
_That's borne by Mogan Sir Olgerson_:
_He wins broad lands with his blade_.

_And now comes forth the next good shield_,
_With a sun dispelling the mirk_;
_And that by Asbiorn Milde is borne_;
_He sets the knights' backs at work_.

_Now comes the four-and-twentieth shield_,
_And a bright sword there you see_;
_And that by Humble Sir Jerfing is borne_;
_Full worthy of that is he_.

* * * * *

_Sir Humble struck his hand on the board_;
_No longer he lists to play_:
_I tell you_, _forsooth_, _that the rosy hue_
_From his cheek fast faded away_.

"_Now_, _hear me_, _Vidrik Verlandson_;
_Thou art so free a man_;
_Do lend me Skimming_, _thy horse_, _this day_;
_I'll pledge for him what I can_."

* * * * *

_In came Humble_, _with boot and spur_,
_He cast on the table his sword_:
"_Sivard stands in the green wood bound_,
_He speaks not a single word_.

"_O_, _I have been to the wild forest_,
_And have seiz'd the warrior stark_;
_Sivard there was taken by me_,
_And tied to the oak's rough bark_."

* * * * *

_The queen she sat in the high_, _high loft_,
_And thence look'd far and wide_:
"_O there comes Sward Snaresvend_,
_With a stately oak at his side_."

_Then loud laugh'd fair Queen Gloriant_,
_As she looked on Sivard full_:
"_Thou wert_, _no doubt_, _in great_, _great need_,
_When thou such flowers didst pull_."

1854.

_There were seven and seven times twenty_
_Away from Hald that went_;
_And when they came to Brattingsborg_
_There pitch'd they up their tent_.

_King Nilaus stood on the turret's top_,
_Had all around in sight_:
"_If yonder host comes here to joust_
_They hold their lives but light_.

"_Now_, _hear me_, _Sivard Snarenswayne_,
_One thing I crave of thee_;
_To meet them go_, _for I would know_
_Their arms_, _and who they be_."

* * * * *

_There shine upon the eighteenth shield_
_A Giant and a Sow_;
_Who deals worse blows amidst his foes_,
_Count Lideberg_, _than thou_?

_Wherever Sir Nordman comes in war_
_He winneth fame in field_;
_Yon blooming rose and verdant boughs_
_Adorn the twentieth shield_.

_A copper kettle_, _fairly wrought_,
_Upon the next you see_;
'_Tis borne by one who realms has won_,
_Sir Mogan good_, _by thee_!

_Forth comes the two-and-twentieth shield_,
_A sun mid mist and smoke_;
_Of wrestler line full many a spine_
_Has Asborn Milday broke_.

_A glittering faulchion shines upon_
_The four-and-twentieth shield_;
_And that doth bear Sir Jerfing's heir_,
_He's worthy it to wield_.

* * * * *

_Young Humble struck his hand on the board_,
_No longer he lists to play_;
_I tell to you that the rosy hue_
_From his cheek fast fled away_.

"_Now hear me_, _Vidrik Verlandson_,
_Thou art a man so free_;
_Lend me thy horse to ride this course_,
_Grey Skimming lend to me_."

* * * * *

_In came Humble_, _with boot and spur_,
_On the table cast his sword_:
"_'Neath the green-wood bough stands Sivard now_,
_He speaketh not a word_.

"_O_, _I have been to the forest wild_,
_And have seiz'd the warrior good_:
_These hands did chain the Snarenswayne_
_To the oak's bark in the wood_."

* * * * *

_The Queen she sat in the chamber high_,
_And thence look'd far and wide_:
"_Across the plain comes the Snarenswayne_,
_With an oak-tree at his side_."

_Then loud laughed fair Queen Ellinore_,
_As she looked on Sivard full_:
"_Thou wast_, _I guess_, _in sore distress_
_When thou such flowers didst pull_!"

A reduced facsimile of the first page of the Manuscript of the 1854 version of _The Tournament_ will be found herewith, facing page 28.

Vidrik Verlandson. [_King Diderik sits in the halls of 98 Bern_]

_Vidrik Verlandson_ was another of the Ballads entirely re-written by Borrow in 1854 for the proposed _Koempe Viser_. The text of the later version differed extremely from that of 1826, as the following examples will shew:

1826.

"_A handsome smith my father was_,
_And Verland hight was he_:
_Bodild they call'd my mother fair_;
_Queen over countries three_:

"_Skimming I call my noble steed_,
_Begot from the wild sea-mare_:
_Blank do I call my haughty helm_,
_Because it glitters so fair_:

"_Skrepping I call my good thick shield_;
_Steel shafts have furrow'd it o'er_:
_Mimmering have I nam'd my sword_;
'_Tis hardened in heroes' gore_:

"_And I am Vidrik Verlandson_:
_For clothes bright iron I wear_:
_Stand'st thou not up on thy long_, _long legs_,
_I'll pin thee down to thy lair_:

"_Do thou stand up on thy long_, _long legs_,
_Nor look so dogged and grim_;
_The King holds out before the wood_;
_Thou shall yield thy treasure to him_."

"_All_, _all the gold that I possess_,
_I will keep with great renown_;
_I'll yield it at no little horse-boy's word_,
_To the best king wearing a crown_."

"_So young and little as here I seem_,
_Thou shalt find me prompt in a fray_;
_I'll hew the head from thy shoulders off_,
_And thy much gold bear away_."

* * * * *

_It was Langben the lofty Jutt_,
_He wav'd his steel mace round_;
_He sent a blow after Vidrik_;
_But the mace struck deep in the ground_.

_It was Langben the lofty Jutt_,
_Who had thought his foeman to slay_,
_But the blow fell short of Vidrik_;
_For the good horse bore him away_.

_It was Langben the lofty Jutt_,
_That shouted in wild despair_:
"_Now lies my mace in the hillock fast_,
_As though_ '_twere hammered in there_!"

* * * * *

"_Accursed be thou_, _young Vidrik_!
_And accursed thy piercing steel_!
_Thou hast given me_, _see_, _a wound in my breast_,
_Whence rise the pains I feel_."

* * * * *

"_Now hear_, _now hear_, _thou warrior youth_,
_Thou canst wheel thy courser about_;
_But in every feat of manly strength_
_I could beat thee out and out_."

1854.

"_My father was a smith by trade_,
_And Verland Smith he hight_;
_Bodild they call'd my mother dear_,
_A monarch's daughter bright_.

"_Blank do I call my helm_, _thereon_
_Full many a sword has snapped_;
_Skrepping I call my shield_, _thereon_
_Full many a shaft has rapped_.

"_Skimming I call my steed_, _begot_
_From the wild mare of the wood_;
_Mimmering have I named my sword_,
'_Tis hardened in heroes' blood_.

"_And I am Viderik Verlandson_,
_Bright steel for clothes I wear_;
_Stand up on thy long legs_, _or I_
_Will pin thee to thy lair_!

"_Stand up on thy long legs_, _nor look_
_So dogged and so grim_;
_The King doth hold before the wood_,
_Thy treasure yield to him_!"

"_Whatever gold I here possess_
_I'll keep_, _like a Kemp of worth_;
_I'll yield it at no horseboy's word_
_To any King on earth_!"

"_So young and little as I seem_
_I'm active in a fray_;
_I'll hew thy head_, _thou lubbard_, _off_,
_And bear thy gold away_!"

* * * * *

_It was Langben the Giant waved_
_His steely mace around_;
_He sent a blow at Vidrik_, _but_
_The mace struck deep in the ground_.

_It was Langben_, _the lofty Jutt_,
_Had thought his foe to slay_;
_But the blow fell short_, _for the speedy horse_
_His master bore away_.

_It was Langben_, _the lofty Jutt_,
_He bellow'd to the heaven_:
"_My mace is tight within the height_,
_As though by a hammer driven_!"

* * * * *

_Accurs'd be thou_, _young Vidrik_!
_Accursed be thy steel_!
_Thou'st given me a mighty wound_,
_And mighty pain I feel_.

* * * * *

"_Now hear_, _now hear_, _thou warrior youth_,
_Thou well canst wheel thy steed_;
_But I could beat thee out and out_
_In every manly deed_."

In _Romantic Ballads_, and also in the Manuscript of 1854, this Ballad is entitled _Vidrik Verlandson_. In the Manuscript of 1829 it is entitled _Vidrik Verlandson's Conflict with the Giant Langben_. The text of this Manuscript is intermediate between that of the other two versions.

A reduced facsimile of the first page of the Manuscript of the 1854 version of _Vidrik Verlandson_ is given herewith, facing p. 35.

Elvir Hill. [_I rested my head upon Elvir Hill's side_, 111 _and my eyes were beginning to slumber_]

In the Manuscript of 1829 this Ballad is entitled _Elfin Hill_, and the text differs considerably from that printed in 1826. I give the opening stanzas of each version.

1826.

_I rested my head upon Elvir Hill's side_, _and my
eyes were beginning to slumber_;
_That moment there rose up before me two maids_,
_whose charms would take ages to number_.

_One patted my face_, _and the other exclaim'd_,
_while loading my cheek with her kisses_,
"_Rise_, _rise_, _for to dance with you here we have
sped from the undermost caves and abysses_.

"_Rise_, _fair-haired swain_, _and refuse not to
dance_;_ and I and my sister will sing thee_
_The loveliest ditties that ever were heard_, _and
the prettiest presents will bring thee_."

_Then both of them sang so delightful a song_, _that
the boisterous river before us_
_Stood suddenly quiet and placid_, _as though_
'_twere afraid to disturb the sweet chorus_.

1829.

_I rested my head upon Elfin Hill_, _on mine eyes
was slumber descending_;
_That moment there rose up before me two maids_,
_with me to discourse intending_.

_The one kissed me on my cheek so white_, _the other
she whispered mine ear in_:
"_Arise_, _arise_, _thou beautiful swain_! _for thou
our dance must share in_.

"_Wake up_, _wake up_, _thou beautiful swain_! _rise
and dance_ '_mongst the verdant grasses_;
_And to sing thee the sweetest of their songs I'll
bid my elfin lasses_."

_To sing a song then one began_, _in voice so sweet
and mellow_,
_The boisterous stream was still'd thereby_, _that
before was wont to bellow_.

Waldemar's Chase. [_Late at eve they were toiling on 115 Harribee bank_]

Previously printed in _The Monthly Magazine_, _August_ 1824, p. 21.

The Merman. [_Do thou_, _dear mother_, _contrive 117 amain_]

A later, and greatly improved, version of this Ballad was included, under the title _The Treacherous Merman_, in _The Serpent Knight and Other Ballads_, 1913, pp. 15-17. An early draft of this later version bears the title _Marsk Stig's Daughter_.

The Deceived Merman. [_Fair Agnes alone on the 120 sea-shore stood_]

Previously printed in _The Monthly Magazine_, _March_ 1825, pp. 143-144.

Cantata. [_This is Denmark's holyday_] 127

The Hail-Storm. [_When from our ships we bounded_] 136

_The Hail Storm_ was reprinted in _Targum_, 1835, pp. 42-43, and again in _Young Swaigder or The Force of Runes and Other Ballads_, 1913, pp. 14-15. In each instance very considerable variations were introduced into the text.

The Elder-Witch. [_Though tall the oak_, _and firm its 139 stem_]

Ode. From the Gaelic. [_Oh restless_, _to night_, _are 142 my slumbers_]

Bear Song. [_The squirrel that's sporting_] 144

Previously printed, with some trifling differences in the text, in _The Monthly Magazine_, _December_, 1824, p. 432.

National Song. [_King Christian stood beside the mast_] 146

Previously printed (under the title "_Sea Song_; _from the Danish of Evald_") in _The Monthly Magazine_, _December_, 1823, p. 437.

The Old Oak. [_Here have I stood_, _the pride of the 149 park_]

Lines to Six-Foot Three. [_A lad_, _who twenty tongues 151 can talk_]

Nature's Temperaments:

1. Sadness. [_Lo_, _a pallid fleecy vapour_] 155

2. Glee. [_Roseate colours on heaven's high arch_] 156

3. Madness. [_What darkens_, _what darkens_?--'_tis 158 heaven's high roof_]

In a revised Manuscript of uncertain date, but _c_ 1860-70, this poem is entitled _Hecla and Etna_, the first line reading:

"_What darkens_? _It is the wide arch of the sky_."

The Violet-Gatherer. [_Pale the moon her light was 159 shedding_]

Ode to a Mountain-Torrent. [_How lovely art thou in thy 164 tresses of foam_]

Previously printed in _The Monthly Magazine_, _October_, 1823, p. 244.

In _The Monthly Magazine_ the eighth stanza reads:

_O pause for a time_,--_for a short moment stay_;
_Still art thou streaming_,--_my words are in
vain_;
_Oft-changing winds_, _with tyrannical sway_,
_Lord there below on the time-serving main_!

In Romantic Ballads it reads:

_Abandon_, _abandon_, _thy headlong career_--
_But downward thou rushest_--_my words are in
vain_,
_Bethink thee that oft-changing winds domineer_
_On the billowy breast of the time-serving main_.

Runic Verses. [_O the force of Runic verses_] 167

Thoughts on Death. [_Perhaps_ '_tis folly_, _but still 169 I feel_]

Previously printed (under the tentative title _Death_, and with some small textual variations) in _The Monthly Magazine_, _October_, 1823, p. 245.

Birds of Passage. [_So hot shines the sun upon Nile's 171 yellow stream_]

The Broken Harp. [_O thou_, _who_, '_mid the forest 173 trees_]

Scenes. [_Observe ye not yon high cliff's brow_] 175

The Suicide's Grave. [_The evening shadows fall upon 182 the grave_]

NOTE.--Each poem to which no reference is attached, appeared for the first time in this volume.

There is at present no copy of the First Issue of the First Edition of _Romantic Ballads_, with the original Title-page, in the Library of the British Museum.

[Picture: Manuscript of the Death Raven]

[Picture: Manuscript of Sir John]

[Picture: Manuscript of Saint Oluf and the Trolds]

[Picture: Manuscript of Svend Vonved--1830]

[Picture: Manuscript of The Tournament, 1854]

[Picture: Manuscript of Vidrik Verlandson--1854]

[Picture: Manuscript of Elvir Hill]

[Picture: Manuscript of Marsk Stig's Daughter]

Second Issue: 1826

Romantic Ballads, / Translated from the Danish; / and / Miscellaneous Pieces; / By / George Borrow. / _Through gloomy paths unknown_--/ _Paths which untrodden be_, / _From rock to rock I roam_ / _Along the dashing sea_. / Bowring. / London: / John Taylor, Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, / 1826.

Collation:--Demy octavo, pp. xii + 187. The details of the collation follow those of the First Issue described above in every particular, save that, naturally, the volume lacks the two concluding leaves carrying the List of Subscribers.

Issued in drab paper boards, with white paper back-label. The published price was Seven Shillings.

"_Taylor will undertake to publish the remaining copies_. _His
advice is to make the price seven shillings_, _and to print a new
title-page_, _and then he will be able to sell some for you I advise
the same_," _etc._--[Allan Cunningham to George Borrow.]

There is a copy of the Second Issue of the First Edition of _Romantic Ballads_ in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is 11565. cc. 8.

_Third Issue_: 1826

Romantic Ballads, / Translated from the Danish; / and / Miscellaneous Pieces; / By / George Borrow. / _Through gloomy paths unknown_--/ _Paths which untrodden be_, / _From rock to rock I roam_ / _Along the dashing sea_. / Bowring. / London: / Published by Wightman and Cramp, / 24 Paternoster Row. / 1826.

Collation:--Demy octavo, pp. xii + 187. The details of the collation follow those of the Second Issue described above in every particular.

Issued in drab paper boards, with white paper back-label. The price was again Seven Shillings.

In 1913 a type-facsimile reprint of the Original Edition of _Romantic Ballads_ was published by Messrs. Jarrold and Sons of Norwich. Three hundred Copies were printed.

(4) [TARGUM: 1835]

Targum. / Or / Metrical Translations / From Thirty Languages / and / Dialects. / By / George Borrow. / "_The raven has ascended to the nest of the nightingale_." / Persian Poem. / St. Petersburg. / Printed by Schulz and Beneze. / 1835.

Collation:--Demy octavo, printed in half-sheets, pp. viii + 106; consisting of: Title-page, as above (with a Russian quotation upon the centre of the reverse) pp. i-ii; _Preface_ pp. iii-v; Table of _Contents_ pp. vi-viii, with a single _Erratum_ at the foot of p. viii; and Text of the _Translations_ pp. 1-106. There are no head-lines, the pages being numbered centrally in Arabic numerals. Beyond that upon the foot of the title-page, there is no imprint. The signatures are given in large Arabic numerals, each pair of half-sheets dividing one number between them; thus the first half-sheet is signed 1, the second 1*, the third 2, the fourth 2*, &c. The Register is therefore 1 to 7 (thirteen half-sheets, each 4 leaves), followed by a single unsigned leaf (pp. 105-106), the whole preceded by an unsigned half-sheet carrying the Title-page, Preface, and Table of Contents. The book was issued without any half-title.

Issued in plain paper wrappers of a bright green colour, lined with white, and without either lettering or label. The leaves measure 8 11/16 x 5.5 inches.

Borrow was happy in the title he selected for his book. _Targum_, as Mr. Gosse has pointed out, is a Chaldee word meaning an interpretation. The word is said to be the root of 'dragoman.'

_Targum_ was written by Borrow during his two years' residence at St. Petersburg (August, 1833, to August, 1835), and was published in June of the latter year. One hundred copies only were printed. As might naturally be expected the book has now become of very considerable rarity, but a small proportion of the original hundred copies being traceable to-day.

A reduced facsimile of the Title-page is given herewith.

"Just before completing this great work, the _Manchu New Testament_,
Mr. Borrow published a small volume in the English language, entitled
_Targum_, _or Metrical Translations from Thirty Languages and
Dialects_. The exquisite delicacy with which he has caught and
rendered the beauties of his well-chosen originals, is a proof of his
learning and genius. The work is a pearl in literature, and, like
pearls, it derives value from its scarcity, for the whole edition was
limited to about a hundred copies."--[_John P. Hasfeld_, _in The
Athenaeum_, _March_ 5_th_, 1836.]

"Some days ago I was at Kirtof's bookshop on the Gaternaya Ulitza. I
wanted to buy a _Bible in Spain_ to send to Simbirsk (on the Volga),
where they torment me for it every post-day. The stock was all sold
out in a few days after its arrival last autumn. The bookseller
asked me if I knew a book by Borrow called _Targum_, which was
understood to have been written by him and printed at St. Petersburg,
but he had never been able to light upon it; and the surprising thing
was that the trade abroad and even in England did him the honour to
order it. I consoled him by saying that he could hardly hope to see
a copy in his shop or to get a peep at it. 'I have a copy,'
continued I, 'but if you will offer me a thousand roubles for the
bare reading of it I cannot do you the favour.' The man opened his
eyes in astonishment. 'It must be a wonderful book,' said he. 'Yes,
in that you are right, my good friend,' I replied."--[_John P.
Hasfeld_.]

"After he became famous the Russian Government was desirous of
procuring a copy of this rare book, _Targum_, for the Imperial
Library, and sent an Envoy to England for the purpose. But the Envoy
was refused what he sought, and told that as the book was not worth
notice when the author's name was obscure and they had the
opportunity of obtaining it themselves, they should not have it
now."--[_A. Egmont Hake_, _in The Athenaeum_, _August_ 13_th_, 1881.]

_Contents_.

PAGE

Ode to God. [_Reign'd the Universe's Master ere were 1 earthly things begun_]

Borrow reprinted this _Ode_ in _The Bible in Spain_, 1843, Vol. iii, p. 333.

Prayer. [_O Thou who dost know what the heart fain would 2 hide_]

Death. [_Grim Death in his shroud swatheth mortals each 3 hour_]

Stanzas. On a Fountain. [_In the fount fell my tears_, 4 _like rain_]

Stanzas. The Pursued. [_How wretched roams the weary 4 wight_]

Odes. From the Persian:

1. [_Boy_, _hand my friends the cup_, '_tis time of 5 roses now_]

2. [_If shedding lovers' blood thou deem'st a matter 5 slight_]

3. [_O thou_, _whose equal mind knows no vexation_] 6

Stanzas. From the Turkish of Fezouli. [_O Fezouli_, 7 _the hour is near_]

Description of Paradise. [_Eight Gennets there be_, _as 8 some relate_]

O Lord! I nothing crave but Thee. [_O Thou_, _from whom 11 all love doth flow_]

Mystical Poem. Relating to the worship of the Great 13 Foutsa or Buddh. [_Should I Foutsa's force and glory_]

Moral Metaphors:

1. [_From out the South the genial breezes sigh_] 19

2. [_Survey_, _survey Gi Shoi's murmuring flood_!] 20

The Mountain-Chase. [_Autumn has fled and winter left 21 our bounds_]

The Glory of the Cossacks. [_Quiet Don_!] 24

The Black Shawl. [_On the shawl_, _the black shawl with 27 distraction I gaze_]

Song. From the Russian of Pushkin. [_Hoary man_, 29 _hateful man_!]

The Cossack. An ancient Ballad. [_O'er the field the 30 snow is flying_]

The Three Sons of Budrys. [_With his three mighty sons_, 32 _tall as Ledwin's were once_]

The Banning of the Pest. [_Hie away_, _thou horrid 35 monster_!]

Woinomoinen. [_Then the ancient Woinomoinen_] 37

The Words of Beowulf, Son of Egtheof. [_Every one 39 beneath the heaven_]

The Lay of Biarke. [_The day in East is glowing_] 40

The title of this Ballad as it appears in the original MS. is _The Biarkemal_.

The Hail-storm. [_For victory as we bounded_] 42

Previously printed (but with very considerable variations in the text, the first line reading "_When from our ships we bounded_") in _Romantic Ballads_, 1826, pp. 136-138. A final version of the Ballad, written about 1854, was printed in _Young Swaigder or The Force of Runes and Other Ballads_, 1913, pp. 14-15.

The King and Crown. [_The King who well crown'd does 44 govern the land_]

Ode To a Mountain Torrent. [_O stripling immortal thou 45 forth dost career_]

Previously printed (but with an entirely different text, the first line reading "_How lovely art thou in thy tresses of foam_") in _The Monthly Magazine_, Vol. lvi., 1823, p. 244.

Also printed in _Romantic Ballads_, 1826, pp. 164-166.

The first stanza of the _Ode_ as printed in _Targum_ does not figure in the version given in _Romantic Ballads_, whilst the third stanza of the _Romantic Ballads_ version is not to be found in _Targum_.

Chloe. [_O we have a sister on earthly dominions_!] 47

Previously printed in _The Monthly Magazine_, Vol. lvi, 1823, p. 437.

National Song. From the Danish of Evald. [_King 49 Christian stood beside the mast_]

Previously printed (under the title _Sea Song_; _from the Danish of Evald_) in _The Monthly Magazine_, _December_, 1823, p. 437.

Also printed in _Romantic Ballads_, 1826, pp. 146-148; and again in _The Foreign Quarterly Review_, Vol. vi, _June_, 1830, p. 70.

The four versions of this _Song_, as printed in _The Monthly Magazine_, in _Romantic Ballads_, in _The Foreign Quarterly Review_, and in _Targum_, are utterly different, the opening line being the only one which has approximately the same reading in all.

Sir Sinclair. [_Sir Sinclair sail'd from the Scottish 51 ground_]

Previously printed in _The Foreign Quarterly Review_, Vol. vi, _June_, 1830, p. 73.

Hvidfeld. [_Our native land has ever teem'd_] 56

Birting. A Fragment. [_It was late at evening tide_] 59

This "Fragment" consists of fifteen stanzas from the Ballad _The Giant of Berne and Orm Ungerswayne_, which was printed complete, for Private Circulation, in 1913. [_See post_, No. 40.]

Ingeborg's Lamentation. [_Autumn winds howl_] 62

The Delights of Finn Mac Coul. [_Finn Mac Coul_ '_mongst 65 his joys did number_]

Carolan's Lament. [_The arts of Greece_, _Rome and of 67 Eirin's fair earth_]

To Icolmcill. [_On Icolmcill may blessings pour_] 68

The Dying Bard. [_O for to hear the hunter's tread_] 70

In the original Manuscript of this Poem the title reads _The Wish of the Bard_; the text also differs considerably from that which appears in _Targum_.

The Prophecy of Taliesin. [_Within my mind_] 73

The History of Taliesin. [_The head Bard's place I 74 hold_]

The original Manuscript of _The History of Taliesin_ possesses many points of interest. In the first place, in addition to sundry variations of text, it enables us to fill up the words in the last line of stanza 3, and the fourth line of stanza 7, which in the pages of _Targum_ are replaced by asterisks. The full lines read:

_Where died the Almighty's Son_,

and

_Have seen the Trinity_.

In the second place the Manuscript contains a stanza, following upon the first, which does not occur in the printed text. This stanza reads as follows:

_I with my Lord and God_
_On the highest places trod_,
_When Lucifer down fell_
_With his army into hell_.
_I know each little star_
_Which twinkles near and far_;
_And I know the Milky Way_
_Where I tarried many a day_.

A reduced facsimile of the third page of this Manuscript will be found herewith, facing page 54.

Epigram. On a Miser who had built a Stately Mansion. 77 [_Of every pleasure is thy mansion void_]

The Invitation. [_Parry_, _of all my friends the best_] 78

The Rising of Achilles. [_Straightway Achilles arose_, 82 _the belov'd of Jove_, _round his shoulders_]

The Meeting of Odysses and Achilles. [_Tow'rds me came 85 the Shade of Peleidean Achilles_]

Hymn To Thetis and Neoptolemus. [_Of Thetis I sing with 90 her locks of gold-shine_]

The Grave of Demos. [_Thus old Demos spoke_, _as sinking 91 sought the sun the western wave_]

The Sorceries of Canidia. [_Father of Gods_, _who rul'st 92 the sky_]

The French Cavalier. [_The French cavalier shall have my 97 praise_]

Address To Sleep. [_Sweet death of sense_, _oblivion of 98 ill_]

The Moormen's March From Granada. [_Reduan_, _I but 101 lately heard_]

The Forsaken. [_Up I rose_, _O mother_, _early_] 103

Stanzas. From the Portuguese. [_A fool is he who in the 104 lap_]

My Eighteenth Year. [_Where is my eighteenth year_? _far 105 back_]

Song. From the Rommany. [_The strength of the ox_] 106

Another version of this _Song_, bearing the title "_Our Heart is heavy_, _Brother_," is printed in _Marsk Stig's Daughters and other Songs and Ballads_, 1913, pp. 17-18.

NOTE.--Each poem to which no reference is attached, appeared for the first time in this volume.

In 1892 _Targum_ was reprinted, together with _The Talisman_, by Messrs. Jarrold & Sons, of Norwich, in an edition of 250 copies.

There is a copy of the First Edition of _Targum_ in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is C.57.i.6.

[Picture: Title page of Targum, 1835]

[Picture: Manuscript of The Miarkemal]

[Picture: Manuscript of The History of Taliesin]

(5) [THE TALISMAN: 1835]

The / Talisman. / From the Russian / of / Alexander Pushkin. / With other Pieces. / St. Petersburg. / Printed by Schulz and Beneze, / 1835.

Collation:--Royal octavo, pp. 14; consisting of: Title-page, as above (with a Russian quotation upon the centre of the reverse) pp. 1-2; and Text of _The Talisman_ and other Poems pp. 3-14. There are no head-lines, the pages being numbered centrally in Arabic numerals. Beyond that upon the title-page there is no imprint. There are also no signatures, the pamphlet being composed of a single sheet, folded to form sixteen pages. The last leaf is a blank. The book was issued without any half-title.

Issued stitched, and without wrappers. The leaves measure 9.75 x 6.25 inches.

One Hundred Copies only were printed.

A reduced facsimile of the Title-page of _The Talisman_ is given herewith. It will be observed that the heavy letterpress upon the reverse of the title shows through the paper, and is reproduced in the photograph.

_Contents_.

PAGE

The Talisman. [_Where fierce the surge with awful 3 bellow_]

The Mermaid. [_Close by a lake_, _begirt with forest_] 5

Ancient Russian Songs:

1. [_The windel-straw nor grass so shook and trembled_] 8

2. [_O rustle not_, _ye verdant oaken branches_!] 9

3. [_O thou field of my delight so fair and verdant_!] 9

Ancient Ballad. [_From the wood a sound is gliding_] 11

The Renegade. [_Now pay ye the heed that is fitting_] 13

NOTE.--The whole of the poems printed in _The Talisman_ appeared there for the first time.

In 1892 Messrs. Jarrold & Sons published page for page reprints of _Targum_ and _The Talisman_. They were issued together in one volume, bound in light drab-coloured paper boards, with white paper back-label, and were accompanied by the following collective title-page:

_Targum_: / _or_, / _Metrical Translations from Thirty Languages_ / _and Dialects_. / _And_ / _The Talisman_, / _from the Russian of Alexander Pushkin_. / _With Other Pieces_. / _By_ / _George Borrow_. / _Author of_ "_The Bible in Spain_" _&c._ / _London_: / _Jarrold & Sons_, 3, _Paternoster Buildings_.

In 1912 a small 'remainder' of _The Talisman_ came to light. The 'find' consisted of about Five Copies, which were sold in the first instance for an equal number of Pence. The buyer appears to have resold them at progressive prices, commencing at Four Pounds and concluding at Ten Guineas.

There is a copy of the First Edition of _The Talisman_ in the Library of the British Museum. The Press-mark is C.57.e.33.

[Picture: Title page of The Talisman, 1835]

(6) [THE GOSPEL OF ST. LUKE: 1837]

Embeo / e Majaro Lucas. / Brotoboro / randado andre la chipe griega, acana / chibado andre o Romano, o chipe es / Zincales de Sese. / El Evangelio segun S. Lucas, / traducido al Romani, / o dialecto de los Gitanos de Espana. / 1837.

Collation:--Foolscap octavo, pp. 177, consisting of: Title-page, as above (with Borrow's Colophon upon the reverse, followed by a quotation from the _Epistle to the Romans_, Chap. XV. v. XXIV.) pp. 1-2; and Text of the Gospel pp. 3-177. The reverse of p. 177 is blank. There are no head-lines, the pages being numbered centrally in Arabic numerals. There is no printer's imprint. The signatures are A to L (11 sheets, each 8 leaves), plus L repeated (two leaves, the second a blank). The book was issued without any half-title.

I have never seen a copy of the First Edition of Borrow's translation into the dialect of the Spanish Gypsies of the Gospel of St. Luke in the original binding. No doubt the book (which was printed in Madrid) was put up in paper wrappers, with untrimmed edges, in accordance with the usual Continental custom.

Most of the copies now extant are either in a modern binding, or in contemporary brown calf, with marbled edges and endpapers. The latter are doubtless the copies sent home by Borrow, and bound in leather for that purpose. The leaves of these measure 6 x 4 inches.

As will be seen from the following extracts, it is probable that the First Edition consisted of 250 copies, and that 50 of these were forwarded to London:

"In response to Borrow's letter of February 27th, the Committee
resolved 'to authorise Mr. Borrow to print 250 copies of the Gospel
of St. Luke, without the Vocabulary, in the Rummanee dialect, and to
engage the services of a competent person to translate the Gospel of
St. Luke by way of trial in the dialect of the Spanish
Basque.'"--[_Letters of George Borrow to the British and Foreign
Bible Society_, 1911, pp. 205-206.]

"A small impression of the Gospel of St. Luke, in the Rommany, or
Gitano, or Gipsy language, has been printed at Madrid, under the
superintendence of this same gentleman, who himself made the
translation for the benefit of the interesting, singular, degraded
race of people whose name it bears, and who are very numerous in some
parts of Spain. He has likewise taken charge of the printing of the
Gospel of St. Luke, in the Cantabrian, or Spanish Basque language, a
translation of which had fallen into his hands."--[_Thirty-Fourth
Annual Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society_, 1838, p.
xliii.]

"All the Testaments were stopped at the custom house, they were
contained in two large chests. . . . The chests, therefore, with the
hundred Gospels in Gitano and Basque [probably 50 copies of each] for
the Library of the Bible Society are at present at San Lucar in the
custom house, from which I expect to receive to-morrow the receipt
which the authorities here demand."--[_Borrow's letter to the Rev. A.
Brandram_, _Seville_, _May_ 2_nd_, 1839.]

A Second Edition of the Gospel was printed in London in 1871. The collation is Duodecimo, pp. 117. This was followed by a Third Edition, London, 1872, the collation of which is also Duodecimo, pp. 117. Both bear the same imprint: "_London_: / _Printed by William Clowes and Sons_, _Stamford Street_, / _and Charing Cross_."

For these London Editions the text was considerably revised.

The Gospel of St. Luke in the Basque dialect, referred to in the above paragraphs, is a small octavo volume bearing the following title-page:

_Evangelioa_ / _San Lucasen Guissan_ / _El Evangelio segun S. Lucas_. / _Traducido al vascuence_. / _Madrid_: / _Imprenta de la Campania Tipografica_ / 1838.

The translation was the work of a Basque physician named Oteiza, and Borrow did little more than see it through the press. The book has, therefore, no claim to rank as a Borrow _princeps_.

The measure of success which attended his efforts to reproduce the Gospel of St. Luke in these two dialects is best told in Borrow's own words: