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xciv INTRODUCTION. INTRODUCTION. xcv
title-page, in 1711).1 This translation of Teixeira’s Viage all Cities occasionally mention’d, as Schiras, Samarkand,
should apparently have had a separate title-page ; but this Bokara, &c. Manners and Customs of those People,
is wanting in all the copies I know of.2 The first page Persian Worshippers of Fire ; Plants, Beasts, Product, and
(signature B) has the following heading : “ The Travels of Trade. With many instructive and pleasant Digressions,
Peter Teixeira from India to Italy by Land.” The trans being remarkable Stories or Passages, occasionally occur
lation occupies pp. 1-81 ;3 and then come six unnumbered ring, as Strange Burials ; Burning of the Dead ; Liquors
pages containing the Contents and Index, Stevens’s of several Countries ; Hunting ; Fishing ; Practice of Phy-
version is a fairly correct one, though here and there he has sick ; famous Physicians in the East; Actions of Tamerlan,
misunderstood or misinterpreted the original.4 He has &c. To which is Added, An Abridgment of the Lives of
occasionally interpolated in parentheses a remark calling the Kings of Harmuz, or Ormuz. The Persian History
attention to a change of circumstances since Teixeira written in Arabick by Mirkond, a Famous Eastern
wrote ; and of weights, measures, and coins he generally Author; that of Ormuz, by Torunxa, King of that Island,
adds the English values. both of them Translated into Spanish, by Antony [sic /]
Stevens’s translation of the rest of Teixeira’s work Teixeira, who liv’d several Years in Persia and India ; and
appeared a few years later, in the form of an octavo now render’d into English. By Captain John Stevens.1
volume with an engraved frontispiece by Jan Lamsvclt5 London : Printed for Jonas Brown at the Black Swan
(representing, apparently, scenes in Persian history), and without Temple-Bar. MDCCXV.” < After this come the
the following lengthy title-page:6—'‘The History of Per Preface2 and Contents (occupying fourteen unnumbered
sia. Containing, The Lives and Memorable Actions of its pages) ; followed by the History of Persia, occupying
Kings from the first Erecting of that Monarchy to this pp. 1-344 (with pp. 305-306 duplicated), and Stevens’s
Time ; an exact Description of all its Dominions ; a Supplement (bringing the history of Persia down to the
curious Account of India, China, Tartary, Kcrmon, Arabia, beginning of the eighteenth century3), covering pp. 345-
Nixabur, and the Islands of Ceylon and Timor; as also of 360. Teixeira’s Brief Account of the Provinces of Persia
is given on pp. 361-368, and his chronological table
1 This edition has a dedicatory letter to the Hon. Edm. Paley, by of the sovereigns of Persia on pp. 369-375 ; whilst his
Stevens, by whom, evidently, all the translations were made. The
Dictionary of National Biography {u. s.) says that the work was History of Hormuz occupies the rest of the volume
“republished in 1719 but I cannot trace such an edition.
5 It is possible that one was never printed. Some of the voyages
in this collection have title-pages, others none.
1 Apparently these words ought to have read “render’d into English
3 Which should be 89, the pages following 80 having been wrongly by Captain John Stevens but the printer, by inserting a full stop
numbered 73, etc. The page-headings are also very carelessly after “ English,” and putting the next four words in large type in a
printed, “Teixeira” appearing in many places as “Teizcira” and line by themselves, with the translator’s name in capitals, has led to
“ Tiexiera.”
this book’s being generally (and unwarrantably) referred to as
4 Mr. Sinclair gives some instances in his footnotes. “ Stevens’s History of Persia.”
6 Regarding whom see A. J. van der Aa’s Biographisch JVoordcn- 2 Reprinted below. It is curious that in it Stevens makes no
boek tier Nedcrlanden^ deel ii, pp. 94-95. reference to the fact of his having previously translated and published
c Which, it will be seen, is rather misleading in its summary of the Teixeira’s Viage.
contents of the volume. I do not know whether the translator or the Regarding this Supplement, see Stevens’s statement in his Preface
publisher is responsible for it. quoted infra.
