1 into the worlde brought not furth his like: in comparison of whome Vespuce maye be thought to haue sene nothing. Moreouer, wheras we be wont more effectually and pitthely to declare and expresse thinges that we haue sene, then whiche we haue but onelye hearde, there was besides that in this man a certen peculiar grace, and singular dexteritie to discriue and set furth a matter withall. Yet the selfe same thinges as ofte as I beholde and consider them drawen and painted oute with master Mores pensille, I am therwith so moued, so delited, so inflamed, and so rapt, that sometime me think I am presently conuersaunt, euen in the ylande of Vtopia. And I promise you, I can skante beleue that Raphael himselfe by al that fiue yeres space that he was in Vtopia abiding, saw there somuch, as here in master Mores description is to be sene and perceaued. Whiche description with so manye wonders and miraculous thinges is replenished, that I stande in great doubt wherat first and chieflie to muse or marueile: whether at the excellencie of his perfect and suer memorie, which could welniegh worde by woorde rehearse so manye thinges once onely heard: or elles at his singular prudence, who so well and wittyly marked and bare away al the originall causes and fountaynes (to the vulgare people commenly most vnknowen) wherof both yssueth and springeth the mortall confusion and vtter decaye of a commen wealth, and also the auauncement and wealthy state of the same may riese and growe: or elles at the efficacie and superior, et qualem octingentis hisce annis nusquam arbitror natum ; ad quem collatus Vespucius nihil uidisse putetur. Iam praeterea quod uisa quam audita narramus efficatius, aderat 15 homini peculiaris quaedam ad explicandas res dexteritas. | Attamen eadem haec quoties Mori penicillo depicta contemplor, sic afficior, ut mihi uidear nonnunquam in ipsa uersari Vtopia. Et hercle crediderim Raphaelem ipsum minus in ea insula uidisse per omne quinquennium quod illic egit, quam in Mori descriptione uidere liceat. Tantum hic occurrit undique miraculorum, ut ambigam quid primum aut potissimum admirer: felicissimae memoriae fidem, quae tot res auditas duntaxat pene ad uerbum reddere potuerit; an prudentiam, qui uulgo ignotissimos fontes, unde omnia reipublicae uel oriuntur mala, uel oriri possent mala, sic animaduertit; an orationis uim ac g pitthe of his woordes, which in so, fine a latin stile, with suche force of eloquence hath couched together and comprised so many and diuers matters, speciallie beinge a man continuallie encombred with so manye busye and troublesome cares, both publique and priuate, as he is. Howbeit all these thinges cause you litle to maruell (righte honourable Buslid) for that you are familiarly and throughly acquainted with the notable, yea almost diuine witte of the man. But nowe to procede to other matters, I suerly know nothing nedeful or requisite to be adioyned vnto his writinges. Onely a meter of .iiij. verses written in the Vtopian tongue, whiche after master Mores departure Hythloday by chaunce shewed me, that haue I caused to be added thereto, with the Alphabete of the same nation, and haue also garnished the margent of the boke with certen notes. For, as touchinge the situation of the ylande, that is to saye, in what parte of the worlde Vtopia standeth, the ignoraunce and lacke whereof not a litle troubleth and greueth master More, in dede Raphael left not that vnspoken of. Howbeit with verie fewe wordes he lightly touched it, incidentlye by the way passing it ouer, as meanyng of likelihod to kepe and reserue that to an other place. And the same, I wot not how, by a certen euell and vnluckie chaunce escaped vs bothe. For when Raphael was speaking therof, one of master Mores seruauntes came to him, and whispered in his facultatem, qua tanta sermonis latini puritate, tantis dicendi neruis, tot res complexus est, praesertim unus in tot publica simul et domestica negocia distractus. Verum haec omnia tu minus admiraris, doctissime Buslidi, qui familiari etiam consuetudine penitus habes cognitum homine maius ac prope diuinum hominis ingenium. In caeteris igitur nihil est, quod illius scriptis queam adiicere. Tantum tetrastichum uernacula Vtopiensium lingua scriptum, quod a Mori discessu forte mihi ostendit Hythlodaeus, apponendum curaui, praefixo eiusdem gentis alphabeto, tum adiectis ad margines aliquot annotatiunculis. Nam quod de insulae situ laborat Morus, ne id quidem omnino tacuit Raphael, quanquam paucis admodum ac uelut obiter attigit, uelut hoc alii seruans loco. Atque id sane nescio quomodo casus quidam malus utrique nostrum inuidit. Siquidem, cum ea loqueretur Raphael, adierat Morum e famulis quispiam, | qui 16 eare. Wherefore I beyng then of purpose more earnestly addict to heare, one of the company, by reason of cold taken, I thinke, a shippeborde, coughed out so loude, that he toke from my hearinge certen of his wordes'. But I wil neuer stynte, nor rest, vntil I haue gotte the full and exacte knowledge hereof: insomuche that I will be hable perfectly to instructe you, not onely in the longitude or true meridian of the ylande, but also in the iust latitude therof, that is to say, in the subleuation or height of the pole in that region, if our frende Hythloday be in safetie, and aliue. For we heare very vncerten newes of him. Some reporte, that he died in his iorney homewarde. Some agayne affirme, that he retorned into his countrey; but partly, for that he coulde not away with the fashions of his countrey folk, and partly for that his minde and affection was altogether set and fixed vpon Vtopia, they say that he hathe taken his voyage thetherwarde agayne. Now as touching this, that the name of this yland is nowhere founde amonge the olde and auncient cosmographers, this doubte Hythloday himselfe verie well dissolued. For why, it is possible enoughe (quod he) that the name, whiche it had in olde time, was afterwarde chaunged, or elles that they neuer had knowledge of this iland: forasmuch as now in our time illi nescio quid diceret in aurem ; ac mihi quidem tanto attentius auscultanti comitum quispiam clarius, ob frigus opinor nauigatione collectum, tussiens, dicentis uoces aliquot intercepit. Verum non conquiescam donec hanc quoque partem ad plenum cognouero; adeo ut non solum situm insulae, sed ipsam etiam poli sublationem sim tibi ad unguem redditurus, si modo incolumis est noster Hythlodaeus; nam uarius de homine rumor adfertur: alii affirmant periisse in itinere; rursum alii reuersum in patriam; sed partim suorum mores non ferentem, partim Vtopiae desyderio sollicitatum, eo remigrasse. Nam quod huius insulae nomen nusquam apud Cosmographos reperiatur, pulchre dissoluit Hythlodaeus ipse. Si quidem fieri potuit, inquit, ut nomen quo ueteres sint usi postea sit commutatum, aut etiam illos haec fugerit insula; quando et hodie complures 1 For this artistic touch, reminding us of More's own hand, see the Introduction, p. xliii. diuers landes be found, which to the olde Geographers were vnknowen. Howbeit, what nedeth it in this behalfe to fortifie the matter with argumentes, seynge master More is author hereof sufficient? But whereas he doubteth of the edition or imprinting of the booke, in deede herein I both commende, and also knowledge the mannes modestie. Howbeit vnto me it semeth a worke most vnworthie to be long suppressed, and most worthy to go abrod into the handes of men, yea, and vnder the title of youre name to be publyshed to the worlde: either because the singular endowmentes and qualities of master More be to no man better knowen then to you, or els bicause no man is more fitte and meete then you, with good counselles to further and auaunce the commen wealth, wherin you haue many yeares already continued and trauailed with great glory and commendation, bothe of wisedome and knowledge, and also of integritie and vprightnes. Thus o liberall supporter of good learninge, and floure of this oure time, I byd you moste hartely well to fare. At oriuntur terrae, priscis illis Geographis intactae. Quanquam quorsum attinet hic argumentis astruere fidem, cum Morus ille sit author? Caeterum quod is ambigit de aeditione, equidem laudo et agnosco uiri modestiam. At uisum mihi est opus modis omnibus indignum quod diu premeretur, et cum primis dignum quod exeat in manus hominum; idque tuo potissimum nomine commendatum orbi: ue! quod Mori dotes tibi praecipue sint perspectae, uel quod nemo magis idoneus qui rectis consiliis iuuet rem publicam, in qua iam annis compluribus summa cum laude uersaris tum prudentiae tum integritatis. Bene uale, studiorum Maecenas, et huius saeculi decus. Antuerpiae, An. M.D.XVI. Cal. Nouembr. I I Thomas More to Peter Giles' sendeth gretynge. Am almoste ashamed, right welbeloued Peter Giles, to sende vnto you this boke of the vtopian commen wealth, welnigh after a yeares space, which I am suer you loked for within a moneth and a half. And no marueil. For you knewe welenough, that I was already disbourdened of all the labour and study belonging to the inuention in this work, and that I had no nede at all to trouble my braynes about the disposition or conueyaunce of the matter; and therfore had herin nothing els to do, but only to rehearse those thinges, which you THOMAS MORUS PETRO AEGIDIO S.D. Vdet me prope modum, charissime Petre Aegidi, libellum hunc, de Vtopiana re publica, post annum ferme ad te mittere, quem te non dubito intra sesquimensem expectasse. quippe 18 quum scires mihi demptum in hoc opere inuenilendi laborem, neque de dispositione quicquam fuisse cogitandum, cui tantum erant ea 1 Petrus Gillius, or Aegidius, was born at Antwerp about 1486. His father Nicholas was quaestor urbis.' His studies were directed by Erasmus, with whom, as well as with More and Conrad Goclenius, he lived on terms of B cordial friendship. The Epithalamium in Erasmus's Colloquies was composed for his marriage. In 1510 he was made Town Clerk (Stadtschreiber) of Antwerp. He died November 11, 1533. Some Latin poems of his are preserved |