place; but as this introduction would be very incomplete without some few details upon this point, we will at once proceed to furnish them. § XVII. The first edition of Reynke de Vos, was printed at Lubeck in 1498, in quarto, with woodcuts. Of this edition but one copy is known, and that is in the library at Wolfenbuttel. It next appeared at Rostock, in 1522, in 4to. with wood-cuts, printed for L. Dietz, and under the editorship of Nicolaus Baumann, and with the preface, in which the real, or pretended author declares himself as "Ich Hinrèk van Alckmer." This same L. Dietz printed four other editions in 4to., viz. in 1539, 1543, 1549, and 1553, under the title "Reynke de Voss de olde nyge gedrucket mit sidlickem vorstande und schonen figuren, erluchtet unde vorbetert." An edition in 4to., under a similar title, was published at Francfort am Mayn, by Cyriac Jacobs, in 1550, and during that and the following century, numerous other editions appeared from time to time. The next edition, in point of importance, if not with reference to its date, was that published by Hackmann-Reineke de Vos, met dem Koker. Verlegt van Frytag, Boeckhandler in Wulffenbuttel, 1711, 4to., and which was, till of late years, one of the rarest books belonging to this class. Hackmann, who was professor at Helmstadt, in an academical exercise, dated 1st November, 1709, contended that Baumann was not the author of Reinike, but Heinrich van Alkman; adducing in confirmation of this opinion, the Lubeck edition of 1498, which he regarded as the first, and of which no one had previously heard. In 1711 he reprinted the poem from the Lubeck edition, taking such care not to mention where the copy of it was to be found, that it was not ascertained until 1753, when Gottsched discovered it in the library at Wolfenbuttel. To his edition Hackmann has prefixed a 'Vorrede an den aprichtigen Nedersachsischen Leser,' and the Latin academical dissertation before referred to.* Since Hackmann's edition-the only ones deserving of notice are those which have appeared under the editorship of Bredow,† Scheller, and Hoffmann von Fallersleben-the last, which is accompanied by an excellent glossary, and valuable notes, being by far the best and most useful. It is from Hoffman's edition that the specimen of the Low German Reineke, which follows this introduction, has been derived.‡ § XVIII. But it is time to refer to the numerous translations of this version, to which we have already alluded as contributing so greatly to the wide-spread * This dissertation contains numerous particulars respecting the history of the Reynardine romances generally; and I have a curious analysis of it by my late learned friend Mr. Douce, to whom I lent my copy of Hackmann's edition. Hackmann tells us, among other things, that Luther, to whom he gives a Greek appellation (Megalander) was extravagantly fond of Æsop's fables, which were never out of his hand. † Reineke de Vos, mit einer Verklarung der olde sassischen worde, Eutin, 8vo. 1798. For the titles of the editions of Scheller and Hoffmann, see notes, p. lxv. Appendix, No. IV. popularity of Reynard's history. And first of the translation of it into High German. This appeared in 1545, under the title of "Reiniken Fuchs, Das Ander Teyl des buchs Schimpff und Ernst, welches mit weniger Kurtzweiliger, den Centum Novella, Esopus, Eulenspiegel, Alte Weisen, Weise Meyster, und alle andere Kurtzweilige bucher, aber zu lernen weissheit und verstand, weit nutzlicher und besserer, wie aus der Vorrede zu vernemen ist. Gedruckt zu Frank fort am Mayn bey Cyriaco Jacobi zum Bart.” 1545, fol. The translator of this High German version says, in his preface, that he has not announced his name, because he did not undertake the task for the sake of renown, but for the benefit of himself and others. But Schopper, in the dedication of his Latin translation to the Emperor Maximilian II, tells us his name was Beuther. "Quos puto Saxonico Beutherus more loquentes And we learn from Floegel and Grimm that he was no other than Michael Beuther, the friend and pupil of Luther and Melancthon, and who filled the post of Professor of History at Strasburgh, where he died in 1587. Of this translation, of which a specimen will be found at the end of this introduction,* no less than ten editions are known to have appeared before the year 1617, although it is spoken of by Grimm as a work of very inferior execution. Another translation into the same language appeared * See Appendix, No. V. at Rostock, in 1650, in 8vo. under the title, Reinike Fuchs &ca auff dass neue mit allerhand jetziger zeit ublichen reim-arten ausgezieret, mit etzlichen hundert versen bereichert, mit unterscheidlichen sitten und lelhsatzen verbessert. A second edition appeared in 1662, and a third in the following year. It was from this version that the prose history was compiled, which under the title, Der listige Reinike Fuchs, das ist ein sehr nutzliches lust-und sinn-reiches Buchlein, has been for so many years one of the favorite chap-books of the German people. In 1752, appeared Gottsched's translation-the title of which we have already given (see note, p. lxiv), and in 1794 Goethe's noble versification of it, in twelve songs, and in stately hexameters, which Mr. Carlyle has characteristically described as being, "for poetical use infinitely the best; like some copy of an ancient bedimmed, half-obliterated wood-cut, but new done on steel, on India paper, and with all manner of graceful and appropriate appendages."* Other translations into the High German have since appeared, of which it will here suffice to mention that of D. W. Soltau, first published at Berlin, in 1803, and secondly at Brunswick, in 1823. The same author, some years since, gave to the world a translation of Reynard into English doggrel verse. In 1554, there appeared a Danish translation, under * Goethe's poem was afterwards translated into Danish by the illustrious Oehlenschlager, whose version was published at Copenhagen in 1806. f the title En Raffuebog som kaldes paa tyske Reinike Foss, nu nylige fordanskit aff Hermann Weigere. This edition, which is in 4to., was published at Lubeck; a second appeared at Copenhagen in 1656; and a third, revised and amended, at the same place, in 8vo., in -1747. From the Danish, it was translated into Swedish rhyme, and published at Stockholm, in 8vo., in 1621, under the title Reyncke Foss, thet ar en skön och nyttigh dicht. This was followed by a prose version entitled Reinick Fuchs eller michel râf 3 uplagan. Stockholm, 1775, in 8vo. It is also said to have been translated into Icelandic, but it does not appear that any version of it in that language has ever been printed. § XIX. We now come to the Latin version by Hartmann Schopper, whose literary history fully entitles him to a page in the next edition of the Calamities of Authors. Schopper was born at Neumarkt, in the Upper Palatinate, in the year 1542; he appears to have devoted himself to study, and, in 1565, commenced a translation of Reinike into Latin verse, at the suggestion of Sigismund Feyerabend, the bookseller of Frankfort. His task was interrupted by his being compelled to enter the army, and then cast into prison at Freiburg. From Freiburg he appears to have ascended the Danube to Vienna, having first assigned to another the task of finishing his translation. His military career would seem to have terminated at Vienna, where he was attacked by a violent fever, and |