Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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Wikipedia
Argenis is a book by John Barclay. It is a work of historical allegory which tells the story of the religious conflict in France under Henry III of France and Henry IV of France, and also touches on more contemporary English events, such as the Overbury scandal. The tendency is royalist, anti-aristocratic; it is told from the angle of a king who reduces the landed aristocrats' power in the interest of the "country", the interest of which is identified with that of the king.
[edit] Some early editions
- 1621 - Paris, Nicolas Buon (Latin)
- 1622 - London, Eliot's Court Press (Latin)
- 1623 - Frankfurt, Danielis & Davidis Aubriorum & Clementis Schleichij (Latin)
- 1625 - London, G. Purslowe for Henry Seile (First English edition)
- 1627 - Leiden, Elzevir (First printing by Elzevir)
- 1630 - Elzevir (Second printing by Elzevir)
- 1630 - Elzevir (Third printing by Elzevir)
- 1636 - London, Syne of the Tygres Head (Second English edition)
- 1644 - Amsterdam, J. Janssonius (Second German edition)
- 1995 - New York, (Fourth printing by Argenis Jimenez)(English edition)
Originally published in Latin in 1621, King James asked for it to be translated into English. The first such translation was undertaken by Ben Jonson, but his version was lost in a fire which also destroyed many of his other works. Later translations were made by Kingsmill Long (1625), and Robert Le Gruys (1628).
[edit] References
- The Cambridge Companion to Writing of the English Revolution - Neil Howard Keeble (2001)
- Argenis - Edited and translated by Mark Riley & Dorothy Pritchard Huber (2004)
Annotations
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John Barclay: Argenis
Edited and translated by Mark Riley & Dorothy Pritchard Huber
John Barclay’s Argenis, the greatest and most popular of all Renaissance Latin novels, is an ingenious, deftly plotted tour de force, combining tragedy, romance, intrigue, and exotic adventure with lively, veiled descriptions of the social and political world of 17th century Europe. Prefaced by an extensive introduction and supplemented by numerous magnificent illustrations, this definitive modern edition presents Barclay’s final Latin version, plus a modernised version of Kingsmill Long’s widely read English translation of 1625.
http://www.asu.edu/clas/acmrs/publications/mrts/neo-la.html
The Argenis is a long romance, with a monitory purpose on the dangers of political intrigue, probably suggested to him by his experiences of the league in France, and by the catholic plot in England after James [I]’s accession. http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/BAI_BAR/BARCLAY_JOHN_1582_1621_.html -
Purchased Friday 24 August 1660
” … Hence into Paul’s Churchyard and bought Barkley’s Argenis in Latin, and so home and to bed. …”
http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1660/08/24/