PREFACE.

IT is a singular fact in the history of English Literature, that the first book printed in the English language was a "History of Troy," drawn mainly from the Æneid of Virgil, written first in French by Raoul le Feure, the Chaplain of Philip, Duke of Burgundy, and, at the command of the Duke, translated from the French, and printed as his first book, by William Caxton, the introducer of printing into England. Respecting this somewhat celebrated "first book," Caxton, in its title, says: "Whiche sayd translacion and werke was begonne in Brugis in the contree of Flaunders, the fyrst day of Marche, the yeare of the Incarnacion of our said Lord, a thousand four hondred sixty and eight, and ended and fynyshed in the holy cyte of Colen the xix day of Septembre, the yeare of our sayd Lord God, a thousand four hondred and enleven” (1471). The reason for such command to print it, is stated in the Biographia Britannica to be, "possibly to gratify the disposition there was at the time, in the English or British nation, to derive their original from Brutus and his Trojans." Subsequently Caxton issued "The Boke of Enydos; compyled by Vyrgyle; which hath be translated oute of Latine into Frenche, and oute of Frenche, reduced into Englyeshe, by me, William Caxton, the 22d day of Juyn, the yere of our Lord 1490." This, though of inferior literary merit, was, however, well received, as being the first recognized translation into English of any part of the Æneid. "The Hystory, Siege, and Dystruccyon of Troye," written by the monk, John Lydgate, about the year 1430, but not printed until 1513, hardly

deserves mention in this connection, for it was in no sense a translation of the Æneid; although its fine descriptions of rural scenery, and vivid portrayals of combats, as well as noble sentiments, made it popular at the time, though variously estimated by critics.

But the honor of the first poetical version, in English, of the Æneid at all worthy the name must be accorded to Gawin Douglas, bishop of Dunkeld, Scotland, issued in 1553. This was, as it professed to be, a fairly close, and certainly spirited, rendering of the original, of the entire Æneid not only, but of the so-called 13th Book, added by Maphæus Vegius; but, while regarded as English, it is in the broad Scotch dialect, scarcely intelligible now to those familiar only with modern English. Its literary excellence was evinced by its winning its way to popularity at once, and retaining it during that and the succeeding century, notwithstanding its dialectic peculiarities, and the appearance of other and vernacular versions.

The second noteworthy attempt at a metrical version in English of any part of the Æneid was in 1557, by Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, who translated the 2d and 4th Books into blank verse, a meter invented by himself, but which has since taken such high rank in English versification. This was a work of much literary ability; but unfortunately his public duties prevented him from carrying it to completion. It is still by many highly prized for its closeness to the original, being a line by line translation, and for its vigorous and pure English diction.

The next poetic version in English was that by Thomas Phaer, of the first seven Books, issued the following year, 1558, in an entirely different, though analogous, meter, which speedily became popular, and was adopted by George Chapman in his celebrated translation of Homer's Iliad issued in 1596. Encouraged by the favorable reception of his work, Phaer applied himself to its completion; but he was able to carry it only as far as to "the first third of the 10th Book," when death interrupted his labors. It was, however, subsequently taken up and completed, in the same style and meter, by Thomas Twyne, M. D., including the Vegian addition, now no longer admitted as worthy a place by the side of