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INTRODUCTION. xcvii
xevi INTRODUCTION.
deserves our gratitude; for, though not the first,1 his was by
(pp. 376-416). That there are not a few errors in Stevens’s
far the fullest version, and it is the only one now generally
translation cannot be denied (though some are due to mis
available. That it has received the commendation of a
prints1), but his language has often a racincss that goes far
scholar like Sir Henry Yule2 is sufficient proof of its
to compensate for occasional inaccuracies.2 In the second
book of the History of Persia Stevens has, by combining value.3
(iii) His narratives of his journeys in 1600-1601 and
two or more of Teixeira’s shorter chapters, reduced the
1604-1605 prove Teixeira to have been a careful observer ;
number of chapters from fifty-nine to forty-eight. As in
and the second especially contains information of real
his translation of Teixeira’s Viagc, so in this book Stevens
has introduced in brackets occasional comments, while in interest and value.4
some places he has unwarrantably fathered on Teixeira
statements of his own. 1 Barros appears to have had access to a translation of part, at
least, of Tiirdn Shdh’s Chronicle, for in his Decada Segunda (which
As regards the contents of Teixeira’s book, these may was printed in 1553) he says, when dealing with the history of Hormuz
be classed under four heads :— (in Liv. 11, cap. ii): “The beginning of this kingdom of Ormuz (as is
recounted in the Chronicles thereof which were interpreted for us from
(i) His translation (summarized) of Mir Khwdnd’s the Persian) was after this manner” (then follows a summary account,
the main details of which will be found recorded in footnotes to
history of Persia, though doubtless containing many in Appendix A, infra). The first translation bearing Turdn Shah’s name,
however, appeared seventeen years later. It is also in Portuguese, :
accuracies, was, I believe, the first into a European lan
and forms an appendix (of eleven pages) to Fray Gaspar da Cruz’s
guage, and Teixeira deserves every credit for his attempt Tractado ... da Chijia (Evora, 1569-70). It bears the following
title :—“ Relagam da Cronica dos Reyes Dormuz, c da funda^am da
to give scholars in Europe the benefit of his researches in mesmo
cidade Dormuz, tirada de hua Cronica q copos hfi Rey do
this branch of knowledge. Reyno, chamado Pachaturunxa, scripto em Arabigo [sic], c sumaria-
mente traduzida em ling-oajem Portugues por hum religioso da ordem
(ii) But it is for his (also summarized) translation of the
de sam Domingos, q na ilha dormuz fundou hua casa de sua ordem.”
now lost Sh&hnama of Turdn Shdh that Teixeira chiefly The “Dominican monk” was, apparently, Gaspar da Cruz himself.
Teixeira does not appear to have known of his translation : at any
rate, he does not refer to it. An English translation of this summary
I of Gaspar da Cruz’s was found among Hakluyt’s papers by Purchas,
who printed it (omitting portions) in his Pilgrimes, Pt. II, pp. 17S5-87.
1 To this last class may perhaps be referred (p. 92) semanum for
sesamum (as a translation of gegelin= jinyli). There are also many A complete translation is given in Appendix D, infra.
misprints in proper names, one of the worst being (p. 180) Phya for 3 See his Book of Scr Marco Polo, second edition, pp. 124-126, and
Pegu. In some cases Stevens gets over a difficulty by omitting a Encyclopedia Britannica, ninth edition, vol. xvii, pp. S56-85S (art.
word or even a whole passage ; for instance (p. 129), the word meru “Ormus”), where, by a curious error, Yule speaks of “the fesuil
= a kind of deer. In one case (p. 93), he boldly invents the word Teixeira.”
lake to translate laquequa ( = bloodstone), while later on (p. 156) his y See also the appreciative remarks of Chr. F. Seybold in Festgruss
courage fails him, and he omits the word altogether. In chap, xxii of an Rudolf von Roth (Stuttgart, 1S93), P- 31 {Relaciones de Pedro
the first book, Teixeira cites a number of Arabic words naturalised in Teixeira, t6io). On the other hand, the eminent French scholar,
Portuguese. To each of these Stevens appends a translation ; and Ch. Schefer, in his Introduction to the Estat de la Perse en 1660 of
tamara he explains as “aTamarind” (it really means a date). Other Raphael du Mans (Paris, 1890), says (p. Ixii)“ L’abregc de la
errors are pointed out in footnotes further on. Chronique de Touran Chah, fait par Teixeira, nc nous offre qu’un
r^cit confus et mal dispose. II jettc peu de lumieres sur les evene-
1 The copy of Stevens’s translation belonging to King George III ments qui se sont produits dans le golfe Persique jusqu’a la conquctc
(now in the British Museum Library) has some curious marginal d’Ormuz par Albuquerque.”
notes and comments (by the royal owner?). For instance, on p. 2S6, 4 I cannot endorse the too-sweeping judgment of M. Ch. Schefer, !
where a certain wazir is described as a “pickthank” (the original who writes (/z.j.) : “ Le Voyage dc Teixeira ne presentc aucun
Spanish is enbustero), the marginal comment is “A droll style for
history.” interet, et les noms orientaux qui figurent dans cet ouvrage sont, pour
h
I
