The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)Veer, Gerrit de
History
The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)
Veer, Gerrit de
Barentsz, Willem, approximately 1550-1597; Northeast Passage
Gedruckt zu Nürnberg, durch Christoff Lochner, In verlegung Levini
Hulsii, anno 1598.
It was re-issued in the year 1602, as the “Dritter Theil” of Hulsius’s
celebrated collection of voyages. This is, however, merely a duplicate
of the edition of 1598, excepting the first sheet, which has been
reprinted, apparently with the view of affording Hulsius an opportunity
of alluding, on the fourth page of his Preface, to the publication of
the beautiful book (“schones Buch”) of Linschoten the year before. The
dedication is dated Nuremberg, 6th February.
A “secunda editio,” considerably abridged, appeared from the same press
in the same year (1602), with the dedication dated Frankfort, 1st
August: the text of this extends only to one hundred and twenty-one
pages, and the address to the reader and colophon are omitted. In his
dedication, Hulsius informs us, as a reason for this rapidity of
republication, that upwards of 1,500 copies of the former edition had
already been disposed of, and that the demand for the work was still
very great.
A third and fourth edition, yet further abridged, and similarly forming
the “Dritter Theil” of Hulsius’s collection, appeared respectively in
the years 1612 and 1660.
Copies of all these editions are in the Grenville Library in the
British Museum.
This work of Hulsius enjoys a degree of credit among bibliographers, to
which intrinsically it would hardly seem to be entitled. On the
title-page, and also in the publisher’s dedication, it professes to be
a translation from the Dutch of Gerrit de Veer. But it is neither this,
nor is it a true and genuine abridgement. On the contrary, copious
omissions are made throughout, while at the same time passages are
frequently introduced, which are not to be found in the original. It
would be an almost endless task, and one quite out of place here, to
attempt a collation of the two works. Still it is expedient that a
specimen should be adduced of the liberties which Hulsius has taken
with his author; and for this purpose the commencement of his narrative
of the second expedition (pages 16–18) shall be given verbatim.
Im Jar nach unserer Erlösung 1595, sein von den Unirten Ständen in
Holl und Seeland, &c., und dem Duchleuchtigen Hochgebornen Fürsten
und Herren, Herren Mauritz, Grafen zu Nassaw, &c., siben Schiff
vorhabens, damit den Weg durch Waygats, und das Fretum Nassoviæ,
nach Cathay und China zufinden, zugerüstet worden: zwey zu
Amsterdam, zwey in Seeland, zwey zu Enckhausen, und einss zu
Roterdam. Deren sechs mit allerley Kauffmanns Wahren, unnd mit Geld
beladen gewest, das sibende aber, war ein Pinasse, welche befehl
hatte, wann die andern sechs Schiffe, umb den Capo oder
Promontorium Tabin (so dass eusserste Eck der Tartarey gegen
Mitternacht ist) gefahren weren, dass er als dann also bald wider
nach Holland um̄wenden und von den andern Schiffen zeittung bringen
solte.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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