text & literature
The Mirror of Minds or John Barclay’s Icon Animorum Translated by Thomas May (1631). Edited by Mark Riley
The portrait of John Barclay which first appeared in Argenis, Editio secunda, Parisiis, Sumptibus Nicolaj Buon, 1622. The distich by H. Grotius says: ‘Scottish by race, French by birth, this is the man / Who taught Rome to speak in the Roman tongue.’ Photo courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, California.
Original Latin text with English translation on facing pages In this essay from 1614 the Neo-Latin poet, translator, and commentator John Barclay describes the manners and mores of his European contem poraries. He derives the sources of an individual’s peculiarities of beha vior and temperament from the ‘genius’ – the individual character created by each person’s upbringing, time of life, and profession. Barclay likewise describes each nation’s genius, its national character, and provides some of the geographical and historical background from which he claims this genius arose. The essay is a valuable study, not only for the illustration it offers of a pre-Romantic view of Europe, but for a glimpse into the con tinuities that mark European civilization. The introduction describes the Classical and Renaissance background to Barclay’s work, with a detailed biography of the author. The Latin text reproduces Barclay’s first edition, with the necessary corrections. The English translation (1631) is that of Thomas May, a skillful translator of Vergil, Lucan, and other classical authors, as well as a playwright in the manner of Ben Jonson. The book features illustrations of selected pages from early editions of the text, and includes contemporary portraits of Barclay and May.
New series
mark riley is Emeritus Professor of Classics at California State University, Sacramento. He has edited John Barclay’s Argenis, as well as several other Neo-Latin texts.
About the series Bibliotheca Latinitatis Novae The series Bibliotheca Latinitatis Novae, previously pubished by Van Gorcum, offers Latin literature from the later Renaissance and the Early Modern period. By combining each critical Latin text with an English translation, an historical introduction, and notes, Bibliotheca Latinitatis Novae makes texts accessible to specialists and general readers alike. Editorial Board Jan Waszink (editor in chief) (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Corinna Vermeulen, Yasmin Haskell (The University of Western Australia), David Money (Wolfson College Cambridge), Christoph Pieper (Universiteit Leiden) and Wouter Kool (production editor) Submissions or questions can be sent by e-mail to publish@lup.be n
Advisory board Fokke Akkerman (Groningen University), Ann Moss (Durham University), Maurizio Campanelli (La Sapienza, Rome), Andreas Kinneging (Universiteit Leiden), Karl Enenkel (Westfälische WilhelmsUniversität Muenster), Marianne Pade (Aarhus Universitet), Philip Ford (Cambridge University), Chris Heesakkers (Universiteit Leiden), Dirk Sacré (University of Leuven)
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This series is available on standing order. To sign up for a subscription or for more information, please contact info@lup.be.
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€ 75,00 / £65.00 isbn 978 90 5867 945 1 April 2013 Hardback, 16 x 24 cm ca. 350 p. Illustrated English, Latin Bibliotheca Latinitatis Novae
