17th century manuscript - author's comment on writing in the heat of battle

[Kangaroo1200]

Dear all,
In a follow up to my previous post about a 17th century manuscript, I have another description by the author which I'd like translated if possible. I understand the general context which is essentially that he is stating that he is writing in the heat of battle/war, in a tent and under a hail of bullets and hence it is not like the calm of a study room. But I would be grateful if a kind soul could attempt a literal translation please. I've had to transcribe this from a difficult-to-read manuscript so if any readings are incorrect please let me know and I can check them and remedy the error.
Many thanks indeed!

Quod si in eo parum concinna videantur omnia, scias ea non domi, in musaeolo, sed belli sub tentorijs, ubi rauca tuba solenne suum tararantara insonat, ubi tympana bellum perstrepentia negotiosum calamum infestant, ubi saeua tormentorum bellicorum to tonitrua horrendum immugiunt, ubi fatalis plumbeorum globulorum grando chartam circumuolat & cum affectu scribendi, vitam prope excutiunt, esse fusa, Dabantur quandoque quietiora tempora, quando pro facultate & otio longiore & concinniore serie minutatim calamo complectar omnia enucleatius, quae vel ipse oeulis inspexi vel aliorum fide digna narratione accepi.

 

[cinefactus]

solenne solemne?
oeulis oculis
Perhaps you could show us what you have?

 

[Kangaroo1200]

hello,

i have checked it and it is solenne and the other word is oculis.
Please let me know if there are other words need checking.

 

[cinefactus]

What translation do you have so far?

 

[Laurentius]

Can you post the manuscript?

 

[Kangaroo1200]

Hello Laurentius,
sorry I've taken a while to revert on this as I have been travelling. The manuscript actually is available - unbeknownst to me - in a 19th century printed version on google book and can be found here: https://books.google.ie/books?id=bzQBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=aliorum fide digna narratione accepi&f=false

The passage that I am interested in begins on the second last sentence on page xix and goes into the next page on xx.
I see that this printed version is probably easier than the manuscript version that I have which is an old hard copy version.

Does the link above help you better?

thanks!

 

[cinefactus]

@Kangaroo1200 If you are looking for a paid translation service, some members will be happy to do it for you.

If you would like to discuss these excerpts and get some help with translation, you need to show us what you have so far. It doesn't have to be polished, or even correct, we just need to know so we can help you with the bits you are having trouble with.

 

[Laurentius]

Hello Laurentius,
sorry I've taken a while to revert on this as I have been travelling. The manuscript actually is available - unbeknownst to me - in a 19th century printed version on google book and can be found here: https://books.google.ie/books?id=bzQBAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=aliorum fide digna narratione accepi&f=false

The passage that I am interested in begins on the second last sentence on page xix and goes into the next page on xx.
I see that this printed version is probably easier than the manuscript version that I have which is an old hard copy version.

Does the link above help you better?

thanks!

I just thought some sentenced were perhaps a bit weird and wanted to be sure by reading the original. Wpuld it be possible to post a picture of the manuscript?

 

[Kangaroo1200]

I just thought some sentenced were perhaps a bit weird and wanted to be sure by reading the original. Wpuld it be possible to post a picture of the manuscript?

Hi Laurentius,

As requested, please see a photo of the passage. As it runs over two pages, I am posting it in separate images. Grateful for your view on a translation...

 

[Kangaroo1200]

Hello, just wondering if there are any further views on this? thanks

 

[Kangaroo1200]

solenne solemne?
oeulis oculis
Perhaps you could show us what you have?

So far this is what I have done myself. I got a bit stuck, I must admit!

Quod si in eo parum concinna videantur omnia, scias ea non domi in musaeolo, sed belli sub tentorijs, ubi rauca tuba solenne suum tararantara insonat, ubi tympana bellum perstrepentia negotiosum calamum infestant, ubi saeua tormentorum bellicorum tonitrua horrendum immugiunt, ubi fatalis plumbeorum globulorum grando chartam circumuolat & cum affectu scribendi, vitam prope excutiunt, esse fusa, Dabuntur quandoque quietiora tempora, quando pro facultate & otio longiore & concinniore serie minutatim calamo complectar omnia enucleatius, quae vel ipse oculis inspexi vel aliorum fide digna narratione accepi..

[But if everything might appear little awkward, you should know that it [was composed] not at home in the chamber of study, but beneath the war tents where the clangour of the loud trumpet sounds and the loud roll of the battle-drum surround my busy pen and the terrible thunders of artillery resound and the deadly hail of lead balls fly around the writing ??? ..... ]

 

[Laurentius]

Hi Laurentius,

As requested, please see a photo of the passage. As it runs over two pages, I am posting it in separate images. Grateful for your view on a translation...

Don't you have an handwritten document or something? That's what manuscript usually means. I want to check the actual text because some parts seem weird to me (that esse fusa) and you said you had difficulty reading it, so there may have been a mistranscription.

But well, I can try.

For if in that not everything seems polished, know that it has not been written at home in a study, but in war under tents, where the hoarse trumpet plays its solemn sound, where the drums resounding throughout war bother the busy pen, where the furious thunders of war machines roar horrendously, where a fatal hailstorm of lead globules flies around the paper and, together with the mood for writing, they also nearly shake off life itself, (esse fusa??).
More peaceful times will be given, when by virtue of opportunity, more leisure and a better suited course of action I will one by one emcompass everything more plainly with my pen, that I either witnessed with my own eyes or heard from trustworthy accounts of others.

 

[Kangaroo1200]

Don't you have an handwritten document or something? That's what manuscript usually means. I want to check the actual text because some parts seem weird to me (that esse fusa) and you said you had difficulty reading it, so there may have been a mistranscription.

But well, I can try.

For if in that not everything seems polished, know that it has not been written at home in a study, but in war under tents, where the hoarse trumpet plays its solemn sound, where the drums resounding throughout war bother the busy pen, where the furious thunders of war machines roar horrendously, where a fatal hailstorm of lead globules flies around the paper and, together with the mood for writing, they also nearly shake off life itself, (esse fusa??).
More peaceful times will be given, when by virtue of opportunity, more leisure and a better suited course of action I will one by one emcompass everything more plainly with my pen, that I either witnessed with my own eyes or heard from trustworthy accounts of others.

Hi Laurentius,
sorry that's my mistake. I don't have handwritten manuscript as such - it's an old, badly printed version that I have, in an old book. But I checked it and it is esse fusa.
thank you very much for your translation - I think it captures the meaning very well. Just a few questions. Surely plumbeorum globulorum means 'lead balls' and in this context it is the flying about of musket balls. I translated 'war machines' as 'artillery' - do you not concur with this translation? Also why do you translate it as ''hoarse trumpet''? Is hoarse correct here?
Once again, huge thank you for taking the time to help me with this passage!

 

[cinefactus]

Looks like I forgot to press the send button a few days ago:
if everything in this
esse fusa goes with scias—let you know that these are all poured out
where the trumpet customarily sounds its harsh sound
disturbs my busy pen
savage thunders of the military siege engines bellow
and nearly cast out life along with the disposition of writing

 

[cinefactus]

How about lead shot?
Tormentum originally refers to something like a ballista, where the arms are powered by twisting a rope. I made a toy one once—it was only about 10cm tall, but it was scarily powerful.
rauca means something like harsh or hoarse

solenne is a mistake

 

[Kangaroo1200]

How about lead shot?
Tormentum originally refers to something like a ballista, where the arms are powered by twisting a rope. I made a toy one once—it was only about 10cm tall, but it was scarily powerful.
rauca means something like harsh or hoarse

solenne is a mistake

many thanks !! Yes, I like the phrase: 'military siege engines bellow'.... so I might go with that. And I think 'lead shot' is a good phrase to use as well.
I have read about the ballista - I can imagine that even a toy of it is powerful! thanks

 

[cinefactus]

I have read about the ballista - I can imagine that even a toy of it is powerful! thanks

It would shoot a marble on a flat trajectory the length of my flat and leave a dent in the wardrobe at the far end.

 

[Laurentius]

Yeah Cinefactus is right, it definitely goes with scias! Sorry I was fooled by the distance and did not link them, and my brain somehow made up a " has been written" that doesn't exist. Another doubt I had was with serie, but I think perhaps my translation may work.

Hi Laurentius,
sorry that's my mistake. I don't have handwritten manuscript as such - it's an old, badly printed version that I have, in an old book. But I checked it and it is esse fusa.
thank you very much for your translation - I think it captures the meaning very well. Just a few questions. Surely plumbeorum globulorum means 'lead balls' and in this context it is the flying about of musket balls. I translated 'war machines' as 'artillery' - do you not concur with this translation? Also why do you translate it as ''hoarse trumpet''? Is hoarse correct here?
Once again, huge thank you for taking the time to help me with this passage!

I think artillery may work as well, I just wanted to keep it as close as possible to the original without interpreting too much.
Hoarse idk, I found it on the dictionary so it seemed ok. I am not an expert of trumpets. I also didn't know how to render the onimatopeia the author uses so I just decided to write "sound".

 

[Kangaroo1200]

Yeah Cinefactus is right, it definitely goes with scias! Sorry I was fooled by the distance and did not link them, and my brain somehow made up a " has been written" that doesn't exist. Another doubt I had was with serie, but I think perhaps my translation may work.

I think artillery may work as well, I just wanted to keep it as close as possible to the original without interpreting too much.
Hoarse idk, I found it on the dictionary so it seemed ok. I am not an expert of trumpets. I also didn't know how to render the onimatopeia the author uses so I just decided to write "sound".

many thanks for those clarifications Laurentius!! much appreciated.

 

[Kangaroo1200]

Hi both,
from the same manuscript I have tried to translate the following. I don't understand fully the reference to goat wool (lana caprina) but I suppose it means that the story is long and complicated and like a piece of wool - or something to that effect. I am not so sure about the last sentence where is refers to the vocalization of the name. Grateful for any views on my translation here:

Quod ad cognomen nostrum attinet, quoniam etiam de hoc, tanquam de lana caprina longam texis disputationem, Majores nostri, & agnati omnes semper se scripserunt, Corevv, aut Carve, quae tamen pronunciantur fere ut Cary, nam e in fine apud Anglos & Gallos raro effertur, & non est consonans sed vocalis, & subtiliter pronunciatur, (sicut apud Gallos,) fere ut i.

[Concerning our surname, in the manner of a long weaved discussion like goat’s wool [..?].. our ancestors and relatives have always written ‘Corevv’ or ‘Carve’ which, however, is usually pronounced as ‘Cary’, for the ‘e’ at the end in English and French is rarely pronounced and it is not a vocalized as a consonant but is pronounced subtly – as in French – almost like ‘i’]