Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 38.djvu/450

Rh quam festivus de optimo reip. statu deque nova Insula Utopia.’ After a rough chart of the island, a fanciful Utopian alphabet, and a Utopian ‘hexastichon,’ appear commendatory letters or poems, by Peter Giles, John Paludanus, Busleyden, Cornelius Graphæus, and Gerardus Noviomagus. The book at once became popular. ‘A burgomaster at Antwerp,’ wrote Erasmus (ii. 963), ‘is so pleased with it that he knows it all by heart,’ and Ulrich von Hutten applied to Erasmus in 1519 for an account of the author. William Budæus described its merits in a letter to Lupset, who caused a second edition to be printed in Paris at the press of Gilles de Gourmont in March 1517. A third and corrected edition—by far the finest of the early issues—appeared with illustrations by Holbein, under Erasmus's auspices, at Froben's press at Basle in 1518, some copies giving the month as March and others as December. The title ran: ‘De Optimo Reipublicæ Statu, deque nova insula Utopia, libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quàm festivus, clarissimi disertissimique viri Thomæ Mori inclytæ civitatis Londinensis civis et vicecomitis;’ with it the Latin epigrams of More and Erasmus were bound up, preceded by ‘Erasmi Querela Pacis undique gentium et alia opuscula.’ Other reissues of the Latin original are dated Vienna, 1519, 4to; Basle, 1520, 4to, with Holbein's border round the title; Louvain, 1548 (Brit. Mus.); Basle, 1563, with Nucerinus's account of More's and Fisher's death; Wittenberg, 1591, 8vo; Frankfort, 1601, 12mo; Cologne, 1629, 12mo; Hanover. 1613, 12mo; Amsterdam, 1629 and 1631, 12mo; Oxford, 1663, 12mo; Glasgow, 1750, 12mo (by Foulis). The ‘Utopia’ was translated into French before it appeared in English. The first French translation, by Jehan Leblond, was issued at Paris by L'Angelier in 1550, and this, corrected by Barthélemy Anneau, reappeared at Lyons (by J. Sangram) in 1559. It has been rendered into French in later years : by Samuel Sorbière (Amsterdam, J. Blaew, 1643); by N. P. Guendeville (Amsterdam, F. L'Honoré, 1715?); and by M. T. Rousseau, Paris, 1780, 2nd edit. 1789).

The ‘Utopia’ has been thrice translated into English. The earliest version, that by Raphe Robinson [q. v.], appeared in 1551. The title ran : ‘A fruteful and pleasaunt Worke of the beste State of a publyque Weale, and of the newe yle called Utopia; written in Latine by Syr Thomas More, knyght, and translated into Englyshe by Ralph Robynson, Citizen and Goldsmythe of London, at the procurement, and earnest request of George Tadlowe, Citezein and Haberdassher of the same Citie. Imprinted at London by Abraham Vele, dwelling in Paul's Churcheyarde at the Sygne of the Lambe. Anno 1551,’ 8vo, bl. l. (Brit. Mus.) After the dedication to William Cecil is More's epistle to Peter Giles, which is wanting in later impressions. Robinson's version was reissued in 1556 (Brit. Mus.); 1597 (ib.); 1624 (ib., dedicated to Cresacre More); 1639 (ib.); 1808 (elaborately edited by T. F. Dibdin); in 1869 in Professor Arber's ‘Reprints;’ in 1878, edited by R. Roberts of Boston, Lincolnshire; in 1880 in the Pitt Press Series, ed. Lumby; in 1886 in Cassell's National Library, ed. Morley; and in 1893 at the Kelmscott Press, edited by Mr. William Morris.

The second translator, Gilbert Burnet, published his version in 1684, and reissues are dated Dublin, 1737; Glasgow, 1743; Oxford, 1751 (edited by Thomas Williamson); Oxford, 1753 (edited by ‘a gentleman of Oxford’); London, 1758 (in Warner's ‘Memoirs of More’); London, 1795, in ‘Political Classics,’ vol. iii., with Rousseau's ‘Social Compact;’ London, 1838, in ‘The Masterpieces of Prose Literature,’ vol. iv. (edited by J. A. St. John); London, 1849; London, 1850 (in John Minter Morgan's Phœnix Library). The third translator, Arthur Cayley, published his rendering in his ‘Memoirs of More,’ London, 1808 (2 vols.), ii. 1-145. The ‘History of Richard III’ and More's Latin poems are here also reprinted.

A German translation appeared at Basle in 1524 and at Leipzig in 1753 and 1846. An Italian version, by A. F. Doni, was issued at Venice in 1548; a Dutch version at Antwerp in 1553 and 1562; and a Spanish version at Madrid in 1790.

I. .—Two poetic tracts in English were published by More in his lifetime, viz. ‘A mery jest how a sergeant would learne to playe the frere,’ London, by Julian Notary (reissued in the ‘Workes,’ 1557, and commemorated in Laneham's ‘Account of Captain Coxe's Library’ in 1575); and ‘The Boke of the fayre Gentylwoman that no man shoulde put his truste or confydence in: that is to say, Lady Fortune.’ London, 8vo, n. d., by Robert Wyer (unique copy at Lambeth). A few verses are in French; extracts only appear in More's English works, 1557; the whole is reprinted in Huth's ‘Fugitive Tracts,’ 1875, 1st ser.

In 1510 More published his ‘Life of John Picus, Earl of Mirandula, a great Lord of Italy, an excellent, cunning man in all sciences, and virtuous of living, with divers Epistles and other works of the said John Picus,’ printed by Wynkyn de Worde in 1510 in a small black letter 4to (Brit. Mus.) It was 