Page 49 - History of Portuguese in the Gulf_Neat

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INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION. xcni
Persia (pp. 377-3^4) ; after which come eight unnumbered
“ Voyages de Tcxcira [sic], ov l’Histoire dcs Rois de Perse
pages containing tables of the Reyes qvc scnnorcaron la
traduite d’Espagnol en Francois. A Paris, Chez
Persia hast a la entrada cn cl la dc los Arabes segun Mirkond'
Claude Barbin, au Palais, sur le second Perton dc la Sainte
"1 hen comes the Relacion dc los Reyes de Harniuz (pp.
Chapellc. M. DC. LXXXI. Avcc Privilege du Roy." This
1 “45)» followed by the Relacion del Caniino qvc hizc dende
French version is in two volumes, and gives the whole of
la India hasta Italia (pp. 47-115)/ on the verso of the last
Teixeira’s work, with the many digressions omitted, and
folio of which is printed the Licence to print. Sixteen
otherwise abbreviated. The translator, as we learn from
unnumbered pages containing the table of contents
the dedication to the Due de Montauzier, was Charles
conclude the volume.2
Cotolendi,1 who begins his preface by the statement that
That Teixeira’s book met with a favourable reception
“Texeira [sic] est un Autheur si fameux, & si souvent cite,
from the reading public there is no reason to doubt ; and qu’il est connu de tout le monde,” and expresses his con­
later writers on the East, especially on Persia, would
fidence in our author’s judgment. As to his own transla­
naturally quote his work as an authority.3 Not, however,
tion, Cotolendi remarks: “ Je Pay faite le mieux que j’ay
until long after his death did a translation of Teixeira’s
pu, sans pourtant trop de scrupule.” M. H. Audiffret,
book into another tongue appear.4 This was a small octavo
writing in the Biographic Universelle (tom. xli, p. 207),
(or duodecimo) volume with the following title-page:_
describes Cotolendi’s version2 as “ une assez mauvaise
traduction,” and adds : “ Cette version contient beaucoup
1 Pages 50 and 51, 54 and 55, 58 and 59, and 62 and 63, are mis­ plus de fautes que le texte.” With this criticism we may
printed as 36 and 37, 40 and 41, 44 and 45, and 48 and 49 : while
pages 200 to 215 are misprinted 100 to 115 (p. 207 having a double leave it.
error as 197). The only other translation of Teixeira’s complete work
1 The printer's errors in which are not more numerous than one is that in English by Captain John Stevens, the Spanish
might expect in a book of this kind.
scholar and translator.3 Stevens did not, however, publish
3 I may mention W. Schickard, who in his Tarich, etc. (Tubing.,
1628), praises Teixeira and draws largely from his work ; and J. de Laet, a translation of the whole book at one time; but at first
who, in his Persia, etc. (Lugd. Bat., 1633), transfers freely from our only our author’s account of his two journeys in 1600-1601
author, and also (on pp. 296-330) gives a summary of Teixeira’s
itinerary from Honnuz to Aleppo. According to Tide (Mdmoirc and 1603-1605. This appeared in A Nezv Collection of
Bibliographique sur les Journaux dcs Navigatcurs NJerlandais, p. 255, Voyages and Travels, published in London in monthly
//.), the account of Persia and Hormuz appended by Commelin to
Hendrick Hagenaer’s voyages (Begin ende Voortgang, etc., 1645, parts (small quarto), from December, 1708, to some time in
vol. ii) was compiled principally from Teixeira’s work. Edmund 1710 (the whole reissued in two volumes, with new general
Castell, the Biblical and Oriental scholar, appears to have utilised
Teixeira’s book in the compilation of his Dictionarium Persico-
Laiinum, published in 1669 (see Browne’s Catalogue of Persian
Manuscripts in Cambridge University Library, p. 249). 1 Regarding whom see Nouv. Biog. GSn., tom. xii, p. 114, where
the title of this translation is given in a curiously incorrect form.
4 In tom. ii of the Uniycrsus Tcrrannn Orbis of Alph. Lasor a
Varea (Raphael Savonarola) there is the following entry : “ Pedro de 2 The date of which is, by a misprint, given as 1621.
Vcixeira [jiV], Relationes . . . &c. Amberes. 1610. in 8. & Italic^. * For a notice of his literary works (of his life even less is known
Antu. 1610. in 8.” Pinelo (Bibl. Or., tom. i, 269) notes this reference than of that of Pedro Teixeira), see Dictionary of National Biography,
to an Italian translation of Teixeira’s work, published at Antwerp in vol. v, p. 231. In the second edition of his Spanish-English Dictionary
the same year as the original ; but I can find no record of it elsewhere, (1726), Stevens occasionally quotes Teixeira as his authority for the
and suspect an error. use of a word.

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