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A Comparison of The Tempest, Florio's 1603 translation of Michel D' Montaigne's "On Cannibals"; Montaigne's 1580 Original in French; and Montaigne's source, Peter Martyr's De Orbe Novo (1511)
By Roger Stritmatter and Lynne Kositksy
It is frequently asserted that, in addition to the 1609 Bermuda pamphlets, Shakespeare drew from the English translation of the French philsopher and essayist Michel De Montaigne, prepared in the mid to late-1590's by John Florio and first published in 1603. These tables illustrate two pertinent conclusions with respect to this claim:
1) Although there is no doubt that Shakespeare is indebted to Montaigne, Montaigne himself has borrowed the argument of his essay from Peter Martir's 1511 De Orbe Novo. For comparative purposes we reprint the text of of Eden's 1555 first English transation of Martir's early work.
2) Even more significantly, the table reveals that it is quite impossible to claim "from sign" that Shakespeare's influence was the 1603 English translation and not Montaigne's original French. Both Florio and Shakespeare follow very closely the French original in the phrases they share in common. If anything, it would appear that Shakespeare consulted the original French, for in the one case where the French presents a particular difficulty -- "nul partage" -- Florio translates with the Latinate "no partitions" while Shakespeare returns to the vernacular "bourn."
The Tempest (2.1.146-68) Montaigne: Florio's translation, f.p. 1603
Gonz. And were I king on't, what would I do?...
I' the commonwealth I would by contraries
Execute all things; for no kind of traffic
Would I admit; no name of magistrate;
Letters should not be known; riches, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none;
No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil;
No occupation; all men idle, all:
And women too, but innocent and pure;
No sovereignty,--...
All things in common nature should produce
Without sweat or endeavour; treason, felony,
Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine,
Would I not have; but nature should bring forth,
Of it own kind, all foison, all abundance,
To feed my innocent people...
I would with such perfection govern, sir,
To excel the golden age.
I am sorie Lycurgus and Plato had it not: for me seemeth that what in those nations we see by experience, doth not only exceed all the pictures wherewith licentious Poesie hath proudly imbellished the golden age, and all her quaint inventions to faine a happy condition of man, but also the conception and desire of Philosophy. They could not imagine a genuitie so pure and simple as we see it by experience; nor ever beleeve our societie might be maintained with so little art and humane combination.
It is a nation, would I answer Plato, that hath no kind of Trafficke, no knowledge of Letters, no intelligence of numbers, no name of magistrate, nor of politike superiorities; no use of service, of riches, or of povertie; no contracts, no sucessions, no partitions, no occupation but idle; no respect of kindred, but common, no apparell but naturall, no manuring of lands, no use of wine, corne, or mettle. The very words that import lying, falsehood, treason, dissimulation, covetousness, envie, detraction, and pardon were never heard of amongst them.
Montaigne: Florio's translation, f.p. 1603 Montaigne's Original French, f.p. 1580
It is a nation, would I answer Plato, that hath no kind of Trafficke, no knowledge of Letters, no intelligence of numbers, no name of magistrate, nor of politike superiorities; no use of service, of riches, or of povertie; no contracts, no sucessions, no partitions, no occupation but idle; no respect of kindred, but common, no apparell but naturall, no manuring of lands, no use of wine, corne, or mettle. The very words that import lying, falsehood, treason, dissimulation, covetousness, envie, detraction, and pardon were never heard of amongst them.
C'est une Nation, diray-je a Platon, en laquelle il n'y a aucune esperance de trafiq, nulle cognoissance de Lettres, nulle science de nombres, nul nom de Maistrat, ny de superioritie politique, nul usage de service, de richesse, ou de pauvrete, nuls contracts, nulles succesions, nuls partages, nulles occupations qu' oysives, nul respecte de parente que commun, nul vestements, nulle agriculture, nul metal, nul usage de vine ou de bled. The paroles mesmes, qui signifient le mensonge, la trahison, la dissimulation, l'avarice, l'envie, la detraction, le pardon, inouyes.
Eden's 1555 translation of Peter Martyr's 1511, De Orbe Novo:
Montaigne: Florio's translation, f.p. 1603
Surely if they had received owre religion, I wold thinke their life moste happeye of all men, if they might therwith enioye their aunciente libertie. A fewe things contente them, having no delite in such superfluities, for the which in other places men take infinite paynes and commit manie unlawfull actes, and tet are never satisfied, wheras many have to muche, and none inowgh. But amonge these simple sowles, a fewe clothes serve the naked: weights and measures are not needefull to such as can not skull of crafte and deceyte and have not the use of pestiferous money, the seede of innumerable myschefes. So that if we shall not be ashamed to confesse the truthe, they seeme to lyve in that golden worlde of the which owlde writers speake so much: wherin men lyved simplye and innocentlye without inforcement of lawes, without quarelling Judges and libelles, content onlely to satisifie nature, without further vexation for knowledge of things to come. Yet these naked people also are tormented with ambition for the desire they have to enlarge their dominions: by reason whereof they kepe warre & destroy one an other: from the which plage I suppose the golden world was not free.(folio 8)
For it is certeyne, that amonge them, the lande is as common as the sonne and wter: And that Myne and Thyne (the seedes of all myscheefe) have no place with them. They are contente with soo lyttle, that in soo large a countrey, they have rather superfluitie then scarsenes. So that (as wee have sayde before) they seeme to lyve in the goulden worlde, without toyle, lyvinge in open gardens, not intrenched with dykes, dyvyded with hedges, or defended with waules. They deale trewly one with another, without lawes, without bookes, and without judges (17v).
I am sorie Lycurgus and Plato had it not: for me seemeth that what in those nations we see by experience, doth not only exceed all the pictures wherewith licentious Poesie hath proudly imbellished the golden age, and all her quaint inventions to faine a happy condition of man, but also the conception and desire of Philosophy. They could not imagine a genuitie so pure and simple as we see it by experience; nor ever beleeve our societie might be maintained with so little art and humane combination.
It is a nation, would I answer Plato, that hath no kind of Trafficke, no knowledge of Letters, no intelligence of numbers, no name of magistrate, nor of politike superiorities; no use of service, of riches, or of povertie; no contracts, no sucessions, no partitions, no occupation but idle; no respect of kindred, but common, no apparell but naturall, no manuring of lands, no use of wine, corne, or mettle. The very words that import lying, falsehood, treason, dissimulation, covetousness, envie, detraction, and pardon were never heard of amongst them.
The Tempest Montaigne 1580 French Gonz. And were I king on't, what would I do?...
I' the commonwealth I would by contraries
Execute all things; for no kind of traffic
Would I admit; no name of magistrate;
Letters should not be known; riches, poverty,
And use of service, none; contract, succession,
Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none;
No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil;
No occupation; all men idle, all:
And women too, but innocent and pure;
No sovereignty,--...
All things in common nature should produce
Without sweat or endeavour; treason, felony,
Sword, pike, knife, gun, or need of any engine,
Would I not have; but nature should bring forth,
Of it own kind, all foison, all abundance,
To feed my innocent people...
I would with such perfection govern, sir,
To excel the golden age.
Il me desplaist que Lycurgus et Platon ne l'ayent euë : car il me semble que ce que nous voyons par experience en ces nations là, surpasse non seulement toutes les peintures dequoy la poësie a embelly l'aage doré, et toutes ses inventions à feindre une heureuse condition d'hommes : mais encore la conception et le desir mesme de la philosophie. Ils n'ont peu imaginer une naifveté si pure et simple, comme nous la voyons par experience : ny n'ont peu croire que nostre societé se peust maintenir avec si peu d'artifice, et de soudeure humaine.
C'est une Nation, diray-je a Platon, en laquelle il n'y a aucune esperance de trafiq, nulle cognoissance de Lettres, nulle science de nombres, nul nom de Magistrat, ny de superioritie politique, nul usage de service, de richesse, ou de pauvrete, nuls contracts, nulles succesions, nuls partages, nulles occupations qu' oysives, nul respecte de parente que commun, nul vestements, nulle agriculture, nul metal, nul usage de vine ou de bled. The paroles mesmes, qui signifient le mensonge, la trahison, la dissimulation, l'avarice, l'envie, la detraction, le pardon, inouyes.