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A Greek Traveller In Tudor England1
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 January 2009
Extract
In 1545, nearly two years before the death of Henry VIII, there came to England Nicander Nucius of Corfu. He stayed some months, and later wrote an account of his visit in classical Greek.
There must be many like myself who are indebted to Mr. Stanley Casson's last published work, Greece and Britain, for their first acquaintance with Nicander. Unfortunately his chapter on Nicander is all too brief. Moreover, there is only one English edition of the Greek text, and this was published by the Camden Society over a hundred years ago.2 A more accessible edition is called for, as I hope this paper will show.
Nicander came to England with his patron Gerard, whom the Emperor Charles V had dispatched as an emissary to Henry. We know little about Nicander himself, but there are hints that he had recently left his home owing to some personal tragedy. Corfu was then a part of the Venetian Republic and it was to Venice that he made his way, there to meet Gerard, who was travelling to the court of Sultan Suleiman. Nicander accompanied him to Constantinople. His knowledge of local conditions would make him a useful travelling-companion, and it is probable that he also proved helpful as a diplomatic assistant. At any rate, he remained a member of Gerard's suite and followed him faithfully on the long journey through Germany and Belgium which finally brought them both to Calais. Here they received a travel-permit (ἐυλóσιμον), and after a false start crossed to Dover.
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References
Page 76 note 2 The Second Book of the Travels of Nicander Nucius of Corcyra, edited by the Rev. J. A. Cramer, D.D., Camden Society, 1841. This edition contains an introduction, text, translation, and some notes, the text being transcribed from a Bodleian MS. of which the last few pages are missing. This once belonged to Archbishop Laud. A complete MS. of all three books of the Travels is said to be preserved at Milan. The first and third books record Nicander's travels on the Continent.
Page 76 note 3 The object of the embassy is not stated. Charles V had concluded a separate peace with France in the autumn of 1544, and since then his relations with Henry had deteriorated. ‘While our king was thus in war with France and Scotland, he and the emperor were not in very good terms; ships being arrested on either side.’ (Lord Herbert of Cherbury's Life and Reign of Henry VIII.) Gerard's negotiations were possibly concerned with these and similar incidents.
Page 77 note 1 Mr. Casson is too kind when he describes Nicander's style as ‘fluent and classical, but not affected’ (the italics are added).
Page 78 note 1 The page numbers quoted here and elsewhere are those of the Camden Society's edition.
Page 78 note 2 Italian Relation of England, translated by Sneyd, Charlotte Augusta, Camden Society, 1847, p. 8.Google Scholar
Page 78 note 3 Nicander was clearly not very proficient in the reading of Latin. He misunderstands Caesar and tells us that Kent is the name given to the whole of the south coast of Britain.
Page 78 note 4 Ceylon (Taprobane): Strabo, Ptolemy. Thule (apparently identified with Scandinavia): Procopius, vi. xv. 4.
Page 78 note 5 Typically Greek behaviour!
Page 78 note 6 I have given my own rendering of passages quoted in the course of the paper.
Page 79 note 1 Cf. Pindar, Nem. iv. 69.
Page 79 note 2 πpóς τò ἁβρολíαιτοʋ, a phrase lifted from Thucydides, i. 6.
Page 80 note 1 Malmsey wine got its name from the small port of Monemvasia in the Peloponnese, but the name came to be applied to all sweet wine from the south.
Page 80 note 2 Compare Strabo, 4.5.2,… πε
ιἀς κ⍺ì κατἀρυμος, πολλἀὲ καІ γεώλоφα
Page 80 note 3 See Herodotus, iv. 29 and 129.
Page 80 note 4 The only English term which occurs in the text.
Page 80 note 5 Nicander's participation in this campaign throws some light on the chronology of his visit. The journey from Venice to Constantinople and back and from Venice to the Low Countries must have occupied the winter and spring of 1545. The negotiations with Henry, protracted as they were, no doubt took up a considerable part of the summer. When they were completed Gerard departed, leaving Nicander free to visit Scotland in the autumn. He then returned to London and appears to have stayed in England until the spring of 1546 (see p. 95). Thus his visit must have lasted in all about 9 months.
Page 81 note 1 In 1541.
Page 81 note 2 Certain other unsavoury details may have been borrowed from Strabo (4.5.4). He does not, however, repeat the accusation of cannibalism, which, according to Strabo, the Irish consider it a point of honour to practise on their parents.
Page 81 note 3 Strabo (4.4.2) also uses this strange expression, but of the Gauls.