The Metamorphosis of Ajax

110 Pages·2015·0.76 MB·English

A New Discourse of a Stale Subject,
Called
The Metamorphosis of Ajax
By
Sir John Harington
Published by the Ex-classics Project, 2015
http://www.exclassics.com
Public Domain
TheMetamorphosis ofAjax
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................3
BIBLIOGRAPHICALANDEDITORIALNOTE........................................................4
TITLEPAGEOFORIGINALEDITION.....................................................................5
ADVERTISEMENT......................................................................................................6
NOTES TOTHEADVERTISEMENT.........................................................................9
DEDICATION.............................................................................................................10
A LETTER WRITTEN BYAGENTLEMAN OFGOODWORTH,TOTHE
AUTHOR OFTHIS BOOK.........................................................................................11
NOTES TOA LETTER WRITTEN BYAGENTLEMAN.......................................12
THEANSWER TOTHE LETTER.............................................................................13
NOTES TOTHEANSWER TOTHE LETTER.........................................................16
EPIGRAMS RELATINGTOTHEAJAXBYSIR JOHNHARINGTON................17
EPIGRAPH..................................................................................................................19
THEPROLOGUE.......................................................................................................20
NOTES TOTHEPROLOGUE...................................................................................25
ASHORTADVERTISEMENTOFTHEAUTHOR TOTHEREADER.................27
THEFIRSTSECTION................................................................................................28
NOTES TOTHE FIRSTSECTION............................................................................39
THESECONDSECTION...........................................................................................41
NOTES TOTHESECONDSECTION.......................................................................57
THETHIRDSECTION...............................................................................................60
NOTES TOTHETHIRDSECTION..........................................................................70
ANANATOMYOF THEMETAMORPHO-SED AJAX..........................................72
NOTES TOTHEANATOMY....................................................................................78
THEFIRSTAPOLOGY..............................................................................................79
NOTES TOTHE FIRSTAPOLOGY..........................................................................82
THETRIALOFMISACMOS.....................................................................................84
NOTES TOTHESECONDAPOLOGY..................................................................103
GLOSSARYTOTHEMETAMORPHOSIS OFAJAX...........................................107
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SirJohnHarington
INTRODUCTION
Longbefore Thomas Crapper,therewas JohnHarington.Bornin1560and
dyingin1612,hewas acourtier(and godson)toQueenElizabeth IofEngland.
Thoughheheldvarious minoroffices, he was principallyaliteraryman,poet,
translatorandinventorof theflush toilet.His works includedthefirst English
translationofAriosto's OrlandoFurioso,whichheproducedas apunishment,ordered
byQueenElizabeth,for havingshown atranslationofsomenaughtyparts ofit toher
ladies-in-waiting.Hewas intermittentlyinandout offavourwiththequeen,in,
becauseofhis wit,learningandpoetical talents; out,becauseofhis cheekiness and
scurrility.Onhis returnfrom afailed expeditiontoquell rebels in Ireland, hefaced
thefull forceofher anger: "'Gohome,'shesaid. Ididnot staytobiddentwice; ifall
the Irish rebels hadbeen at myheels, Ishouldnot havehadbetterspeed,for Ididnow
fleefrom onewhom Ibothlovedandfearedtoo." Hewas soon backinfavouragain,
andsurvivedthedownfall andexecutionofhis patron,theEarl ofEssex,tobecomea
sardonicobserverofthe drunkenness and ribaldryofthecourt ofElizabeth's
successor,James I&VI. His account oftheintrigues androisteringwas publishedin
1769as NugaeAntiquae("Ancient trifles")andis well worthreading.
ANew Discourseof aStaleSubject,calledTheMetamorphosis of Ajax(1596)
is abookimpossibletoclassify. It starts withalongprologuejustifyingits subject,
withmanyexamples from Biblical andclassical sources relatingto excretionandthe
disposal ofsewage,beforedescribinghis invention–thefirst flush toilet.Hehad
installedoneinhis ownhouse,andpersuadedsomeofhis friends todothesame.
Therethen follows his "Apology",amockdescriptionofhis trial forhavingwritten
onso unworthyasubject,whichends, ofcourse, withhis triumphant acquittal.
Thebookwas widelycirculatedinmanuscript beforebeingfinallyprinted.
Somecritics haveinterpretedit allegoricallyas an attackonthefaults ofthetimes,
whichshouldbeflushed away.Certainlyit is full ofdirect and codedreferences tothe
politics andgreat menof theday,andthis contributedtoits great popularityat the
time,but also toits subsequent obscuritywhenthesewerenolongertopical. It is also
full,however,ofjokes andscatological puns (therearetwointhetitle) as well as
obscurelearning,thewholepresentedin adroll anddeadpanmanner,still entertaining
todaytothosewithatasteforRabelaisianhumour.
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TheMetamorphosis ofAjax
BIBLIOGRAPHICALAND EDITORIALNOTE
This editionofTheMetamorphosis of Ajaxis taken from alimitededitionbyCharles
Whittingham,1814.This includedHarington's ownnotes inthemargins; identified
hereby"Sidenote."Othernotes havebeenprovidedbytheEx-Classics Project.The
spellinghas beenmodernisedandobsoletewords standardisedusingtheprimary
spellingusedbytheOED.
Latinhas beentranslated, as follows:
 Quotations from theVulgateBiblehavebeentakenfrom theAuthorised (King
James)version.
 Others havebeentakenfrom publicdomainsources ifavailable; thetranslator
has beencreditedineach case.
 Uncreditedtranslations arebytheEx-Classics Project.
TheGlossaryis thework oftheEx-Classics project
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SirJohnHarington
TITLE PAGE OFORIGINALEDITION
A
NEWDISCOURSE
OFA
STALE SUBJECT;
CALLEDTHE
METAMORPHOSIS OFAJAX.
WRITTENBYMISACMOS,
TO HIS FRIENDAND COUSINPH1LOSTILPNOS.
{Illustration1–Publisher's device}
AT LONDON:
PrintedbyRichard Field, dwellinginthe BlackFriars.
1596.
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TheMetamorphosis ofAjax
ADVERTISEMENT.
THEtracts which constitutethefollowingvolume,areperhaps the first
specimens oftheRabelaisiansatireourlanguagehas toboast.Theyarerepletewith
that kindofhumourwhichdistinguishes thewritings ofthe French Lucian, and
partakeoftheir grossness.
Theextremerarityoftheseoncepopulartrifles, renders it doubtful whether
Swift orSternewereacquaintedwiththem; yet therearepassages inthewritings of
boththeseeccentricwriters, so stronglyresemblant tosomeparts ofthepresent
volume,as almost toinduceasuspicionthat theyhadseenthem: this resemblance,
however,mayhave arisenfrom thecircumstance oftheirbeing,likeourauthor,
imitators ofRabelais and theotherearlyFrenchwriters offacetiae.
OftheMetamorphosis of Ajax,theavowedpurport is thedescriptionofa
species ofwatercloset whichSirJohnHaringtonhadinventedand erected at Kelston,
his seat near Bath; but he has contrivedtomakeit thevehicleofmuchdiverting
matter,evincinghis extensivereading: hehas alsointerspersednumerous satiric
touches andallusions tocotemporarypersons and events; manyofwhich arenow
necessarilyobscure, and whichwerenodoubt one ofthecauses ofits great popularity
at thetimeofpublication.
Elizabeth,howevershe might bediverted withthehumourofthis whimsical
performance, affectedto bemuchdispleased, and forbadeits authorthecourt in
consequence: likemost satiricwritings it procured thewritermanyenemies; andit is
supposedthat heowedhis goodfortuneinescapingaStarchambersuit tothefavour
ofthequeen<1>,whois saidtohaveconceivedmuchdisquiet onbeingtoldhehad
aimedashaft at Leicester.
TheMetamorphosis ofAjax,forwhichalicense was refused,appears tohave
beentwice reprinted withinafewmonths; thefirst editionbears inthetitlethename
ofRichard Field,whoalsoprintedthefirst andsecondeditions oftheauthor's
translationofAriosto.This first editionappears to havebeenpublishedprevious to
thethirdofAugust 1596.Thebookwas inasubsequent impressionput forthwithout
thenameoftheprinter; andthis edition,accordingtoacopycollatedonthe present
occasion,must have appearedinorbeforethemonthofSeptemberinthesame year,
havingat thebottom ofthetitle,Printed1596.Athirdedition,evidentlyanattempt at
anexact facsimileofthe latter,but differinginseveral minuteparticulars, sufficient to
demonstratethat thepress hadbeenentirelyreset,is inpossessionoftheeditor.
TheAnatomyappears to havebeenpublishedat thesametime,orveryshortly
after; inOctober1596,a formerpossessorofthecopyabovereferredto,appears to
haveacquiredthis part of theworkbygift: it shouldberemarked,however, that the
signatures arecontinued throughthis part,which appears tohavebeenreprintedwith
theMetamorphosis. The twoeditions havebeen compared,but thevariations are
chieflytypographical; indeed,theyamount toverylittlemore,except theoccasional
occurrenceofamarginal noteinonecopy,whichis not tobefoundintheother.
TheApologyit is probablesoon followed; andhereanewsignature,A a,
commences: of'this part twoeditions havealso beencollated; oneof which has some
marginal references whicharewantingintheother.
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SirJohnHarington
Acurious presentationcopyofthebookfrom Sir J.Harington,tohis friend
Thomas Markham,was formerlyinthecollection ofMr.Reed,andis now enshrined
inthenoblelibraryat Hodnet.Somemarginal notes inthehandwritingof SirJohn,
andaMS.dedicationwhichenrichthis copy,are nowgiven from an accurate
transcript furnishedbya friend.TheMS.notes occurintheMetamorphosis, andare
heremarkedbybeingin Italics.
Neitherofthe editions havefollowedtheorthographyoftheauthor,as appears
bycomparison withthe MS.papers remaining,writtenbyhim; andtheydifferso
materiallyinthis respect, that it shouldseem theprinters ofthat periodusedthe
licenceof adoptingtheir ownmode,without referencetothe author's MS.The
incongruityofthesame wordspelt several ways withinashort passage,marks the
thenunsettledstateoforthography; thedifficultyofreducingit towhat might be
presumedtohavebeenthat ofthewriter, amidthe discordanceoftheprintedcopies,
inducedtheeditortomodernizeit,except insuchinstances wherethepreservationof
theoldspellingseemedtoafford anelucidationof thetext,as inthecaseof afew
double-entendres dependinguponsimilarityofsound; but in,noinstancehas a
genuineoldwordbeensuppliedbyits modernsubstitute.
Theextraordinaryrarityofcopies ofthe followingtracts, mayinsomedegree
beaccountedforbytheir popularnature.Theadmirers ofthis species ofcomposition
will not bedispleasedtobebrought acquaintedwithabook,ofwhichveryfew
completecopies arenow knowntoexist,andwhichcertainlyhas somethingmore
thanmereraritytoboast; foralthoughits authoreverywheremanifests his propensity
topunning, yet it shouldbeconsideredthat it was themost popularspecies ofwit in
his time,andit will beacknowledgedthat thereis afundof genuinehumourinthe
followingvolume,perhaps not exceededinanyproductionofthemorerecent
imitators ofRabelais.
In renewingthesefacetious trifles, it was at first theintentionoftheeditorto
haveannexedafewillustrations whichhadoccurredtohim intheperusal, andabrief
biographical sketchoftheauthor; this part ofhis planis at present suspended; forthe
bulkofthevolume,andthesmall numberofcopies printed,will renderit sufficiently
expensivewithout theseadditions, whichmight beheldsupererogatorybymany
purchasers ofthebook. Ifhoweverasufficient numbertodefraytheexpenses ofthe
impression,shouldintimateawish forthecompletionofhis plan,hewill still be
proudtolaybeforethem thematerials hehas collected,inasmall supplement.
ThefollowingCopyof aLetter fromSir J.Harington toLadyDowager Russell,
concerninghis "Metamorphosis of Ajax,"fromtheBurghleyPapers inLord
Lansdown's MS.Library,Vol.lxxxii.No.88,may not unaptlybeheresubjoined.
Right honourable &myspecial good Lady,havingwrittennot longsincethis
fantastical treatise,&puttingit totheprint undera covert name. Thefirst twoleaves
ofit,(whereinis almost nothingbut all scurrile & toyingmatter) was showedmy
LordTreasurer,bymyill hapas Icount it,ifhis goodness &honourabledisposition
donot thebetterinterpret it; whichmakes menow thus boldtoentreat your honourto
sendhis Lordshipthe rest ofit which Ihavebeforenowforthemost part ofit,read
unto you,humblypraying you,todeliver yourfavourablecensureofit,at least so far
that it is pleasant andharmless.
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TheMetamorphosis ofAjax
Andforthedeviseitself,IknowmyLordwouldnot leaveit,ifit were at
Tiballs for1000l.andtodohis Lordshipservice, Iwill ridethither,andinstruct his
workmentodoit forless thanathousandpence.
Andthat Imayconfess truly&franklyto you(mybest Lady,that have even
from mychildhoodever so speciallyfavouredme) Iwas the willingertowritesucha
toyas this, because Ihad lainmethought almost buriedinthecountrythese threeor
four years, and Ithought this wouldgivesomeoccasiontohavemethought ofand
talkedof.Not as hethat burnedthetempleof Dianatomakehim famous; not as
Absolonthat burnedJoab's corn,tomakehim cometospeechwithhim: But ratheras
Sophocles tosavehimselffrom awrit ofdotage,showedtheworkhewas presentlyin
handwith. Iobservethis, that inall commonwealths, thegown andtheswordruleall;
andthat thepenis above thesword,theythat wear plumes abovetheirhelmets do
therein(thoughtheyknowit not)confess accordingtothesayingCaedant arma
togae.<2>)Myeducation hathbeensuch, and Itrust mylimbs andspirit bothare
such,as neithershall be defectivetotheserviceofmyprince &country,whetherit be
withwritingorweapon; onlymydesireis myservicemaybe accepted,and Idoubt
not,but it shall beacceptable; tothewhichhis Lordship's goodconceit of me, Icount
wouldbea goodstep,andtothat goodconceit yourhonour's commendation I
persuademewouldbea goodmeans. So Ihumblytakemyleavethis xiijthofAugust.
(1596)
Yourhonour's most bound
JohnHarington.
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SirJohnHarington
NOTES TO THEADVERTISEMENT
1. Inthe first bookofHarington's epigrams, hehas oneaddressed"ToMasterCooke,
thequeen's attorney,"that was incitedtocall Misacmos intotheStar-chamber,but
refusedit; saying,hethat couldgive another avenuhadasure ward forhimself.
Epig.xlv.Book 1.
Thosethatofdaintyfaremakedearprovision,
IfsomebadCooksmaritwithdressingevil,
Arewonttosayinjest,butjustderision,
ThemeatfromGod,theCookscamefromthedevil:
Butifthisdish,thoughdraffinapparition,
Weremadethussauc'd,aservicenotuncivil,
Sayyethattasteandnotdigestthebook,
Thedevilgowiththemeat,GodwiththeCook.
Several other epigrams relatingtohis Metamorphosis ofAjax,alludingto
Elizabeth's displeasure, &c.will befoundinthesamecollection,someof which I
havesubjoinedat theend ofthis advertisement.
2.Caedant armatogae] "Let arms yieldtothetoga"i.e.let militarypower yieldto
civil.
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TheMetamorphosis ofAjax
DEDICATION
TotheRight worshipful THOMAS MARKHAM Esquirethis bed[edicate]d. I
will not saymuchto you inthebeginningofmybookbecause Ihavesaid perhaps
morethanenoughof you intheend.
Iprayyoutakeit well for Idoubt not but somewill takeit ill,but iftheydo it
will bebecausetheydoill understandit; yourinterest is muchintheworkbecauseit
is most inthewriter.so IendtheiijdofAugust 1596
BytheAuthor.
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