And now there remained but one more document to be examined—namely, the ancient black-letter transcription into mediæval Latin of the uncial inscription on the sherd. As will be seen, this translation was executed and subscribed in the year 1495, by a certain “learned man,” Edmundus de Prato (Edmund Pratt) by name, licentiate in Canon Law, of Exeter College, Oxford, who had actually been a pupil of Grocyn, the first scholar who taught Greek in England.[4] No doubt, on the fame of this new learning reaching his ears, the Vincey of the day, perhaps that same John de Vincey who years before had saved the relic from destruction and made the black-letter entry on the sherd in 1445, hurried off to Oxford to see if perchance it might avail to dissolve the secret of the mysterious inscription. Nor was he disappointed, for the learned Edmundus was equal to the task. Indeed his rendering is so excellent an example of mediæval learning and latinity that, even at the risk of sating the learned reader with too many antiquities, I have made up my mind to give it in fac-simile, together with an expanded version for the benefit of those who find the contractions troublesome. The translation has several peculiarities on which this is not the place to dwell, but I would in passing call the attention of scholars to the passage “duxerunt autem nos ad reginam advenaslasaniscoronantium,” which strikes me as a delightful rendering of the original, “ἤγαγον δὲ ὡς βασίλειαν τὴν τῶν ξένους χύτραις στεφανούντων.” 

  [4] Grocyn, the instructor of Erasmus, studied Greek under Chalcondylas the Byzantine at Florence, and first lectured in the Hall of Exeter College, Oxford, in 1491.—Editor. 

 mediæval Black-Letter Latin Translation of the Uncial Inscription on the Sherd of Amenartas 

 Amenartas e gen. reg. Egyptii uxor Callicratis ſacerdot̅ Iſidis qua̅ dei fove̅t demonia atte̅du̅t filiol’ ſuo Tiſiſtheni ia̅ moribu̅da ita ma̅dat: Effugi quo̅da̅ ex Egypto regna̅te Nectanebo cu̅ patre tuo, p̃pter mei amore̅ pejerato. Fugie̅tes aute̅ v’ſus Notu̅ trans mare et xxiiij me̅ſes p’r litora Libye v’ſus Orie̅te̅ errant̃ ubi eſt petra queda̅ m̃gna ſculpta inſtar Ethiop̃ capit̃, deinde dies iiij ab oſt̃ flum̃ m̃gni eiecti p’tim ſubmerſi ſumus p’tim morbo mortui ſum̃: in fine aute̅ a fer̃ ho̅i̅bs portabamur p̃r palud̃ et vada. ubi aviu̅ m’titudo celu̅ obu̅brat dies x. donec advenim̃ ad cavu̅ que̅da̅ monte̅, ubi olim m̃gna urbs erat, caverne quoq̃ im̅e̅ſe: duxeru̅t aute̅ nos ad regina̅ Advenaſlaſaniſcorona̅tiu̅ que magic̃ utebat̃ et peritia omniu̅ rer̃ et ſalte̅ pulcrit̃ et vigore i̅ſe̅eſcibil’ erat. Hec m̃gno patr̃ tui amore p̃culſa p’mu̅ q’de̅ ei 

 Prev. P 31/241 next