By Julie Candler Hayes

This corpus of seventeenth and eighteenth-century French translators’ prefaces and related documents (treatises on translation, on language, on pedagogy, etc.) stems from the research for my book, Translation, Subjectivity, and Culture in France and England, 1600-1800 (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2009). In making these materials available online, my initial thought was to provide longer excerpts from texts that are cited briefly, and often in English translation, in the book. I hope that these texts may prove useful to other scholars of the history of translation as well. Many texts are given in their entirety; others, while abridged, are still far more complete than in any of the anthologies of historical translators prefaces currently available. The initial corpus of this anthology corresponds to primary sources cited in Translation, Subjectivity, and Culture that do not exist in modern editions. The reader will thus find excerpts from the collective translation, Huit oraisons de Ciceron, edited by Nicolas Perrot d'Ablancourt (1638), but none of d'Ablancour's prefaces, which are readily accessible in a modern critical edition by Roger Zuber. (See a list of documents available in modern editions or online.) Over time, I hope to enlarge the scope of this online anthology with other documents that never found their way into the book.

Caveats: these documents are research notes that were not originally intended for publication as such. I have endeavored to correct obvious errors, but make no claim to offer flawless texts. In case it may be useful to others, I have left the call number for each volume with the indication of the library in which I consulted it: the Bibliothèque de France (abbreviated either BN or BNF), the Mills Memorial Library at McMaster University, the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, the Huntington Library, the Alderman Library at the University of Virginia (UVA). In early texts, I have modernized "i" as "j" and "v" as "u"; I have not replicated the "long s." In other respects, I have followed original spelling and punctuation. (In at least one instance, my word processor balked at a common seventeenth-century typographical phenomenon, the abbreviation of the nasal vowel "en" by "e" with a tilde--so the reader will occasionally come across "e~". I have also retained the original pagination style of the volume consulted .

The documents here are arranged by the year in which they were originally published and by the author's last name. Some of the texts cited are from later editions, so the edition will not always match the year of first publication. Translators' prefaces are listed under the name of the translator. In order to search for translations of a given writer, such as Virgil, use the Search/ Advanced Search feature to search under keyword = Virgil. Keyword = women will produce all documents by women translators. For translations, the language of the source text is also a keyword, so keyword = English will bring up all translations from English.

I welcome comments, suggestions, and corrections at .

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Translation and Related Documents from 1616

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Dedication, Le Valeureux Dom Quixote de la Manche (vol. 1), César Oudin

Translation and Related Documents from 1618

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Dedication, L'Histoire de l'ingénieux et redoutable chevalier, Dom Quixote de la Manche (vol. 2), François de Rosset

Translation and Related Documents from 1630

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Dedication and Preface to Des Causes de la corruption de l'éloquence, Louis Giry and Antoine Godeau

Translation and Related Documents from 1634

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Preface to Gulistan ou l'Empire des Roses, André Du Ryer

Translation and Related Documents from 1638

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Huit oraisons de Ciceron, Nicolas Perrot d' Ablancourt

Translation and Related Documents from 1647

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Preface to L'Alcoran de Mahomet, André Du Ryer

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Preface to Poème de Saint Prosper contre les ingrats, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to Les Fables de Phedre, affranchy d'Auguste, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1649

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Preface to Les Confessions de St. Augustin, Robert Arnauld d'Andilly

Translation and Related Documents from 1658

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Discours contre la traduction, Guillaume Colletet

Translation and Related Documents from 1659

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Preface to Le Quinte Curce de Vaugelas, Pierre Du Ryer and Claude Favre de Vaugelas

Translation and Related Documents from 1660

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De la traduction, ou Regles pour apprendre à traduire la langue latine en langue françoise, Gaspard de Tende, sieur de l'Estang

Translation and Related Documents from 1665

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Preface to De la cité de Dieu, Louis Giry

Translation and Related Documents from 1666

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"Au Lecteur" from Bucoliques de Virgile, Thomas Guyot

Translation and Related Documents from 1667

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Preface to Le Nouveau Testament (La Bible de Mons), Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1668

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Preface to Traduction de l'Enéide de Virgile, Jean de Segrais

Translation and Related Documents from 1669

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"Advis au Lecteur" from Fleurs morales et épigrammatiques, Thomas Guyot

Translation and Related Documents from 1671

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La Parnasse réformée, Gabriel Gueret

Translation and Related Documents from 1672

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Preface to Les Proverbes de Salomon, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to La Vérité de la religion chrétienne [Pianezza], Père Dominique Bouhours

Translation and Related Documents from 1673

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Preface to Isaïe, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1678

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Preface to Histoire de l'admirable Don Quixotte de la Manche, François Filleau de Saint Martin

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Histoire critique du vieux testament (excerpts), Richard Simon

Translation and Related Documents from 1679

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Preface to Lettres de S. Jerôme, Jean Petit, abbé général de l’ordre de Citeaux

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Preface to Les Douze petits prophètes, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1681

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Les Poésies d'Anacréon et de Sapho, Anne Le Fèvre Dacier and Antoine de la Fosse

Translation and Related Documents from 1682

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Preface to L'Exode et le Levitique, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to La Genèse (BNF copy), Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to La Genèse (UCLA copy), Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1684

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"Quelques réflexions sur nos traducteurs", Charles de Marquetel de Saint-Denis, seigneur de Saint-Evremond

Translation and Related Documents from 1685

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Sentimens de quelques théologiens de Hollande, Jean Le Clerc

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Preface to Les Nombres, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to Le Deuteronome, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1688

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Preface to Tobie, Judith & Esther, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to Job, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1690

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Preface to Jérémie, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1691

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Preface to Harangues de Demosthene, Jacques de Tourreil

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Preface to Daniel et Machabées, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1692

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Preface to Ezechiel, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1693

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Preface to Cantique des cantiques, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

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Preface to Les Paralipomenes, Esdras & Nehemias, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1694

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"Si la torture est une bonne voye, pour découvrir la vérité," from Essais de jurisprudence, Jacques de Tourreil

Translation and Related Documents from 1695

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Preface, Poëme contenant la tradition de l’Eglise sur le tres-saint Eucharistie, Isaac-Louis Le Maistre de Sacy

Translation and Related Documents from 1701

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"Préface historique" [to Demosthenes], Jacques de Tourreil

Translation and Related Documents from 1711

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Preface to L'Iliade d'Homere, Anne Le Fèvre Dacier

Translation and Related Documents from 1714

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Lettre à Monsieur de *** sur l'Iliade de M. de la Motte, Abbé Jean-François de Pons

Translation and Related Documents from 1715

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Lettre à Madame Dacier, Thémiseul de Saint-Hyacinthe

Translation and Related Documents from 1716

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Preface to L'Odyssée d'Homere, Anne Le Fèvre Dacier

Translation and Related Documents from 1721

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"Préface sur les deux harangues" [of Demosthenes and Aeschines], Jacques de Tourreil

Translation and Related Documents from 1722

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Jugemens des savans sur les principaux ouvrages des auteurs, Adrien Baillet

Translation and Related Documents from 1726

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De la manière d'enseigner et d'étudier les belles-lettres (excerpts), Charles Rollin

Translation and Related Documents from 1727

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Preface to Les Voyages de Gulliver, Abbé Pierre François Guyot Desfontaines

Translation and Related Documents from 1730

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Preface to Le Théâtre des Grecs, Père Pierre Brumoy

Translation and Related Documents from 1736

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Preface to Philippiques de Démosthene et Catalinaires de Ciceron, Pierre-Joseph Thoulier, abbé d' Olivet

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Preface to Pope, Essai sur l'homme, Etienne de Silhouette

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Preface to Pope, Essai sur la critique, Etienne de Silhouette

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Preface to Pope, Essai sur la critique, Etienne de Silhouette

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Preface to Productions d'esprit [Works of Jonathan Swift], Justus Van Effen

Translation and Related Documents from 1737

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Preface to Les Principes de la morale et du goût [Pope], Jean-François du Bellay, abbé du Resnel

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Preface to Poeme de Petrone sur la guerre civile entre Cesar et Pompée, Jean Bouhier

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Réflexions préliminaires sur le goût des traductions, Etienne de Silhouette

Translation and Related Documents from 1738

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Oeuvres, Abbé Jean-Francois de Pons

Translation and Related Documents from 1742

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Preface to Les Amours d'Enée et de Didon, poëme traduit de Virgile, Jean Bouhier

Translation and Related Documents from 1743

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Preface to Les Avantures de Joseph Andrews, Abbé Pierre François Guyot Desfontaines

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Preface to Richardson, Pamela, ou la vertu récompensée, Antoine François, abbé Prévost

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Preface to Les Oeuvres de Virgile, Abbé Pierre François Guyot Desfontaines

Translation and Related Documents from 1745

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"Discours du théâtre anglois"' from Le Théâtre anglois, Pierre Antoine de La Place

Translation and Related Documents from 1747

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Cours de belles-lettres, Charles Batteux

Translation and Related Documents from 1748

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Preface to Le Paradis terrestre, poeme imité de Milton, Marie-Anne Le Page Du Boccage

Translation and Related Documents from 1750

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Preface to Tom Jones, ou L'Enfant trouvé, Pierre Antoine de La Place

Translation and Related Documents from 1751

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Preface to Lettres angloises, ou Histoire de Miss Clarisse Harlove, Antoine François, abbé Prévost

Translation and Related Documents from 1754

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Preface to Fables de Monsieur Gay, Marie-Françoise Abeille de Keralio

Translation and Related Documents from 1755

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Nouvelles lettres angloises ou Histoire du chevalier Grandisson, Antoine François, abbé Prévost

Translation and Related Documents from 1756

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Preface to Halifax, Avis d'un Père à sa Fille, Marie-Geneviève-Charlotte Thiroux d'Arconville

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Preface to Les Freres, ou Histoire de Miss Osmond [Smythies], Philippe-Florent de Puisieux and Madeleine de Puisieux

Translation and Related Documents from 1757

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L'Esprit de l'abbé Desfontaines, Abbé Pierre François Guyot Desfontaines

Translation and Related Documents from 1763

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Preface to Fielding, Amélie, Marie-Jeanne Riccoboni

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Preface to Hume, Histoire de la maison de Tudor, Octavie Belot

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Observations sur l'art de traduire, Jean le Rond d' Alembert

Translation and Related Documents from 1764

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Preface to Harangues d'Eschine et de Démosthene, Abbé Claude François Xavier Millot

Translation and Related Documents from 1766

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Preface to Beccaria, Traité des délits et des peines, Abbé André Morellet

Translation and Related Documents from 1768

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Traduction de la premiere nuit de Young, précédée de quelques reflexions sur le caractere & les poésies de cet auteur, Claude de Thyard, comte de Bissi

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Discours sur les langues, Abbé François Arnaud

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Discours moraux, Pierre Le Tourneur

Translation and Related Documents from 1769

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"Discours préliminaire" to Les Nuits d'Young, Pierre Le Tourneur

Translation and Related Documents from 1770

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Preface to Les Douze Césars, Jean-François de La Harpe

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Preface to Les Georgiques de Virgile, Abbé Jacques Delille

Translation and Related Documents from 1771

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Preface to Essai de traduction littérale et énergique [Pope], Maximilien-Henri, marquis de Saint-Simon

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Preface to Hervey, Méditations sur les tombeaux, Marie-Geneviève-Charlotte Thiroux d'Arconville

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Preface to Méditations d'Hervey, Pierre Le Tourneur

Translation and Related Documents from 1772

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Nouvelles observations critiques sur différens sujets de littérature, Jean-Marie Clément

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Preface to Essai sur Pindare, Jean-François de Vauvilliers

Translation and Related Documents from 1776

Preface to Traité des Bienfaits, de Seneque, Jean-Baptiste-Joseph-René Dureau de la Malle

Translation and Related Documents from 1777

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Preface to Ossian, fils de Fingal, Pierre Le Tourneur

Translation and Related Documents from 1783

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Preface to L'Essai sur l'homme de Pope, Jean Louis Pierre, marquis de Fontanes

Translation and Related Documents from 1785

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Preface to Clarisse Harlowe, Pierre Le Tourneur

Translation and Related Documents from 1798

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Preface to Cervantes, Don Quichotte de la Manche, Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian

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Preface to La Chapelle d'Ayton, ou Emma Courtney, Pauline Guizot

Translation and Related Documents from 2008

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Translators’ Prefaces and Related Works in Modern Critical, Reprint, or Online Editions, Julie Hayes