Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/29

 incidentally came upon the first volume of this work. I determined at once to translate this, rather than write a new book, and began the work with but the first volume in hand. I had written the introductory chapter, and was half through with the first volume, when the other two were received.

The printing and casting of the plates proceeded simultaneously with the progress of the translation, which may therefore be a little less perfect than if it had been first completed and then revised in the light gained from a survey of the whole field.

I have endeavored to maintain a just medium between that freedom which would obliterate all traces of the genius and style of an original author and that reproduction of the idioms of a foreign language which justly offends an English taste. I may, however, have erred in thinking that the reader would prefer to have a few glimpses of the Author himself rather than have him quite concealed in the mask of his translation. Willing as I am that the reader should regard himself as reading Prof. Gindely’s book, not mine, I may have followed him too closely. But I prefer this error to the opposite.

My treatment of the annoying subject of proper names demands an explanation. Such is the present variety of usage, that one might without offence pursue almost any system which should be consistent with itself. The system upon which I have acted is to choose at will between permissible forms. Sometimes I could give a reason for my choice, and again I could give none. The French “Cologne” is too well established to give way to the German “Koeln.” Moreover, the former answers so well to the old Latin “Colonia,” that for this reason alone I would not abandon it. It is otherwise with the