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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
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96 INTRODUCTION
is a retranslation into Latin from some version (Marsden thinks
the printed Portuguese one) of Pipino. It introduces many
minor modifications, omitting specific statements of numbers and
values, generalizing the names and descriptions of specific animals,
exhibiting frequent sciolism and self-sufficiency in modifying
statements which the Editor disbelieved.* It is therefore
utterly worthless as a Text, and it is curious that Andreas Müller,
who in the 17th century devoted himself to the careful editing of
Polo, should have made so unfortunate a choice as to reproduce
this fifth-hand Translation. I may add that the French editions
published in the middle of the 16th century are translations from
Grynæus. Hence they complete this curious and vicious circle
of translation : French —Italian—Pipino's Latin Portuguese ?
Gryn Bus's Latin French !
6o. IV. We now come to a Type of Text which deviates
largely from any of those hitherto spoken of, and the history
Fourth ; and true character of which are involved in a cloud of
Ramusio's
Italian. difficulty. We mean that Italian version prepared
for the press by G. B. Ramusio, with most interesting, though,
as we have seen, not always accurate preliminary dissertations,
and published at Venice two years áfter his death, in the second
volume of the Navigationi e Viaggi +
The peculiarities of this version are very remarkable.
Ramusio seems to imply that he used as one basis at least the
Latin of Pipino ; and many circumstances, such as the division
into Books, the absence of the terminal historical chapters and of
* See Bianconi, 1st Mem. 29 segq.
t C. Dickens somewhere narrates the history of the equivalents for a sovereign as changed and rechanged at every frontier on a continental tour. The final equivalent received at Dover on his return was some 12 or 13 shillings ; a fair parallel to the comparative value of the first and last copies in the circle of translation.
$ The Ramusios were a family of note in literature for several generations. Paolo, the father of Gian Battista, carne originally from Rimini to Venice in 1458, and had a great repute as a jurist, besides being a littérateur of some eminence, as was also his younger brother Girolamo. G. B. Ramusio was born at Treviso in 1485, and early entered the public service. In 1533 he became one of the Secretaries of the Council of X. He was especially devoted to geographical studies, and had a school for such studies in his house. He retired eventually from public duties, and lived at his Villa Ramusia, near Padua. He died in the latter city, loth July, 1557, but was buried at Venice in the Church of S. Maria dell' Orto. There was a portrait of him by Paul Veronese in the Hall of the Great Council, but it perished in the fire of 1577 ; and that which is now seen in the Sala dello Scudo is, like the companion portrait of Marco Polo, imaginary. Paolo Ramusio, his son, was the author of the well-known IIistory of the Capture of Constantinople. (Cicogna, II. 310 scgq.)
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