I HAVE edited, and illustrated "The Voiage and Travayle of Syr John
Maundeville, Knight," for two reasons. First, that a popular edition
has not been published for many years--so much so, that many otherwise
well educated people hardly know his name; or, if they do, have never
read his book of Marvels. Secondly, a good edition has not yet been
published. Putting aside the chap-books of the eighteenth century,
which could only cram a small portion of his book into their little
duodecimos, the only English versions of this century are the reprint
by Halliwell, in 1839, of the _reprint_ in 1725-1727, of the early
fifteenth century MS. (Cotton, Tit. c. 16), which he again reprinted
in 1866,[1] the edition in "Bohn's Classical Library" ("Early Travels
in Palestine"), 1848; and "The English Explorers," which forms part
of Nimmo's "National Library," 1875. There was also a small edition
published in Cassell's "National Library" in 1886 in modern English.
Halliwell's reprint of the Cotton MS. is open to objection, because
the language of the MS. is specially rude, and can only be understood
by professed antiquaries, no footnotes explanatory of the text being
given, only a glossary at the end of the book. Also, Mr. Halliwell has
taken his illustrations from various sources, not confining himself to
English woodcuts--the Cotton MS. having no illustrations. If, however,
the language in Halliwell's edition is too archaic, Bohn and Nimmo
err in the opposite direction. Without illustrations, and clothed in
modern English, they are bald in the extreme; whilst the editors of
both have not been over careful to closely copy the text.
Seeing these difficulties, and dearly loving Sir John, in spite of his
romancing, I cast about for a book which should fulfil the conditions
of an edition I should like for my own reading; which should have the
spice of the old language, without being unreadable, like the Cotton
MS., and which contained the original quaint illustrations. This
I have found in a reprint of Pynson's unique edition (now in the
Grenville Library, British Museum), from which it varies very
slightly, except in the modernizing of the language, which is rather
an advantage; and which, by means of the copious footnotes I have
made, will, I hope, be easily read by anybody.
This edition, too, was particularly rich in woodcuts, which I have
faithfully facsimiled; and, in the Appendix, I have reproduced a few
from other editions, showing the different treatment of some subjects.
In the Appendix, also, I have given a list of all the editions of Sir
John Mandeville's Travels now in the British Museum. A glance at this
will show how popular his book was, in all civilized countries, and
in all ages, since its first publication.[2] I have thought that an
edition should be produced which could be read by all, and therefore
have given explanations of words and facts, perfectly familiar to
advanced students, by means of which they will not be inconvenienced,
and the general reader much benefited.
Perhaps the Illustrations in one or two of the early foreign editions
are quainter, but I wanted, and have got, a thoroughly representative
_English_ Edition, which gives Sir John's adventures, with their
concomitant "Travellers' Tales," without the apocryphal stories which
were introduced into some of the MSS. and foreign editions.
Of East, the printer of the exemplar I have chosen, very little is
known; and, curiously, he is ignored in Herbert and Dibdin's edition
of _Ames' Typographical Antiquities_. According to Ames, he was made
free of the Stationers' Company 3rd December, 1565, and he gives his
first known printed book as 1569, or a year later than the book I have
copied. East, according to the same authority, was granted a patent
for ruled paper for music, and worked both for Bird and Tallis.
The date of his death does not seem to be known, but his widow, or
daughter, printed a book of Bird's music in 1610.