Source Texts: Dedication Letter to William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, in the Citie of God (1609)

The Source Texts series is designed to provide context to quotes in various essays I expect to publish in my various venues. Some may be back-fitted in. I expect the texts to provide more depth to a wide range of information on these topics — primarily literary, historical, cultural anthropological.

A dedication letter such as this can stand alone as a curiosity, as well, giving one more example of how such letters were written. As for the work to which the present letter is attached, — St. Augustine's City of God — it is less important for our purposes than the names of the parties involved, associated dates, etc. These will prove to be of considerable importance to studies on Shakespeare, Thorpe and his associates, William Herbert, the mysterious translator “John Healey, alias Vavasour,” and others.

I have somewhat modernized the orthography.

AUGUSTINE, OF

THE CITIE OF GOD:

WITH THE LEARNED

COMMENTS

OF

lo. Lod. VIVES.

Englished by J. H.

Printed by GEORGE ELD .

1610.

Mr. Petherick cites an entry for this work in the Stationers' Register entry “by Thomas Thorpe, January 18, 1609.”¹ The scholarly consensus is that Thorpe was the “Th. Th.” of the following dedication letter to William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke. That same year, of course, saw Thorpe publish Shake-speares Sonnets, dedicating it to “Mr. W.H.”

TO THE HONORABLEST

PATRON OF MUSES AND

GOOD MINDES, LORD

WILLIAM Earle of Penbroke,

Knight of the Honourable

Order,&c.

RIght gracious and gracefull Lord, your late imaginary, but now actuall Travailer, then to most- conceited Viraginia, now to almost-concealed Virginia; then a light, but not lewde, now a sage and allowed translator; then of a scarce knowne novice, now a famous Father; then of a devised Country scarse on earth, now of a desired Citie sure in heaven; then of Utopia, now of Eutopia; not as by testament,but as a testimonie of gratitude, observance, and hearts-honour to your Honor, bequeathed at hence-parting (thereby scarse perfecting) this his translation at the imprinting to your Lordships protecting. He, that against detraction beyond expectation, then found your sweete patronage in a matter of fmall moment, without distrust or disturbance in this worke of more worth, more weight, as he approoved his more abilitie, so would not but expect your Honours more acceptance.

Though these be Church-men, and this a Church-matter, he unapt, or unworthy to holde trafique with either yet heere Saint Augustine, and his Commenter Vives, most favour of the secular: and the one accordingly to Marcellinus, the other to our King Henry, directed their dedications; and as translators are onely tyed, to have, and give, true understanding: so are they freer then the authors to sute them-selves a Patrone . Which as to Scipio, the staffe and stay, the type and top of that Cornelian stemme, in quam, ut plura genera in unam arborem, videtur insita multorum illuminata sapientia, your poore Pacuvius, Terence, or Ennius, (or what you list, so he be yours) thought most convenient to consecrate. Wherefore his legacie laide at your Honours feete, is rather here delivered to your Honours humbly thrise-kissed hands by his poore delegate.

Your Lordships true-devoted,

Th. Th.

1 Petherick, Edward A. Gentleman's Magazine, VOL. CCLXXXI (1896). “Mundus Aliter et Idem” 66-87@78.

Also from the Library of Babel:

• The American Garden.  January 16, 2019.  “By 1890, the Ladies' Home Journal was the most popular advertising venue in the country. There, between ads for cook books, children's clothing, stave-less corsets, indoor water-closets, refrigerators and pianos, and popular female columnists who advised the housewife about them all, were a profusion of ads for seeds.”
• Blank Verse Now and Then.  January 1, 2019.  “Surrey was as erratic as most young noblemen during early English history, and far more brilliant, and was imprisoned several times for temper and intemperance. In the end, he became rather impatient for the gouty, porcine, syphilis-riddled Henry VIII to die, and for the Howard faction to rule as regents to the young, fragile, son conceived of the syphilitic, Edward.” 
• The Elegy and the Internet.  July 1, 2005.  ‘Drummond, we may remember, was the William Drummond, of Hawthornden, who Ben Jonson visited during a trip to Scotland, in 1619. The Scot took the time to jot a memorandum of Jonson's conversation, in which we learn inter alia that "he cursed Petrarch for redacting Verses to Sonnets, which he said were like the Tirrant's bed, wher some who were too short were racked, others too long cut short,"7 and "That Shakspear wanted Arte."’

• Be sure to check out the Browser's Guide to the Library of Babel.

Also from Virtual Grub Street:

• Shakespeare CSI: Sir Thomas More, Hand-D. April 22, 2023. “What a glory to have an actual hand-written manuscript from the greatest English writer of all time!”

• A Thousand Years of English Terms.  June 2, 2019.  ‘One person did not say to another, “Meet you at three o’clock”.    There was no clock to be o’.  But the church bell rang the hour of Nones and you arranged to meet “upon the Nones bell”.’