Fortunatus
The
first complete translation of the
editio princeps (1509) into English.
Fortunatus
meets the Goddess Fortuna in a wood in Brittany and is given a choice
of wisdom, riches, strength, health, beauty and long life. The repercussions
of his choice are felt most strongly after his death, and the ending
is tragic. This is the central episode of an intriguing tale, composed
by an author with a talent for creating
a character with a few strokes. The work can be read and enjoyed, for
the adventures that Fortunatus and then his elder son Andolosia experience
in Flanders, London, Brittany, Ireland, Constantinople, Alexandria,
Spain, Paris, and Cyprus; it can also be studied
as a document of socio-historical relevance,
as early modern travel literature, or as a text of penetrating
psychological depth.
During
the Renaissance it was translated into many languages, including an
English version by ‘T.C.’ around 1610-15 and perhaps an earlier
translation, prior to 1577. All of these versions were based on
the Frankfurt group of Fortunatus texts, a revised, simplified
and inferior edition of the Augsburg original. To my knowledge,
there is no other complete translation of the
editio princeps. The source text used for my translation
was Hans-Gert Roloff’s Reclam 1981 edition.
Fortunatus (with the original illustrations)