REGINA ET LEGATUS

ELIZABETH I LETS FLY AT THE POLISH AMBASSADOR

`She is only a woman, only mistress of half an island, and yet she makes herself feared by Spain, by France, by the Empire, by all.' - Pope Sixtus V

This ex tempore rebuke was delivered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1597 to the Polish ambassador, who, when received in open court, had not stuck to diplomatic pleasantries but launched straight into a denunciation of the English policy of intercepting Polish ships that were trading with Spain, with which England was then at war. The episode demonstrates her thorough command of the language but the fact that contemporaries were so impressed by it also shows that rulers at this time, though certainly possessing some knowledge of Latin, were not expected to be fully fluent. The Latin text has been taken from Janet Green, `Queen Elizabeth I's Latin Reply to the Polish Ambassador', The Sixteenth Century Journal, vol.31, no.4, pages 987-1006. It must be remembered, of course, that we are dependent on the memory of one of Elizabeth's listeners and that there are probably some variations from what the queen actually said. For an account of Elizabeth's early education, and her exceptional talent as a linguist, see Jackson and Kaylor's essay here. The 2019 discovery of a translation of Tacitus with corrections in the queen's own hand is described in a BBC report.

The recording which can be downloaded from the foot of the page was made by Hillary Yip, a Classics student at Durham University, using the standard Restored Pronunciation, which corresponds approximately to the one used by educated speaker's in Cicero's day. Elizabeth's own pronunciation will have differed from that but cannot now be reconstructed. For a discussion of the fluctuating English pronunciation of Latin in the Early Modern period, see Appendix B (pp.102-110) in W. Sydney Allen, Vox Latina (Cambridge, 1978), which can be downloaded here.

Eh, quam dēcepta fuī, expectāvī lēgātiōnem, tū vērō querelam mihi addūxistī. Per literās accēpī
Oh how deceived I-have-been I-expected embassy you indeed complaint to-me have-brought through letters I-ascertained
tē esse lēgātum, vērō Heraldum; nunquam in vītā meā audīvī tālem ōrātiōnem. Mīror sānē, mīror
you to-be ambassador in-fact Herald never        in   life     my have-I-heard such    speech   I-am-amazed indeed amazed
tantam, et tam īnsolentem in pūblicō audāciam, neque possum crēdere sī rēx tuus adesset quod ipse
(at)so-great and so insolent in public audacity and-not I-am-able to-believe if king your were-present that himself
tālia verba prōtulisset,   quī vērō tāle aliquid tibi fortasse in mandātīs commīsit (quod quidem
such words would-have-said (if)he indeed such something to-you perhaps in instructions authorised which indeed
valdē dubitō) eō tribuendum, quod cum rēx sit iuvenis, et nōn tam iūre sanguinis, quam iūre
stronly I-doubt   to-fact-to-be-attributed that since king is young-man and not so by-right-of-blood as by-right
ēlectiōnis, et noviter ēlēctus, nōn tam perfectē intellegat ratiōnem tractandī huiusmodī nēgōtia cum
of-election and newly elected   not so   perfectly he-understands method of-treating of-this-kind   business with   other
aliīs prīncipibus,quam vel maiōrēs illīus nōbīscum observāvērunt, vel fortasse observābunt aliī quī
princes            as        either ancestors his with-us             observed or    perhaps    will-observe others who
posthāc eius locum tenēbunt.
hereafter   his place will-hold

Quod ad tē attinet, tū mihi vidēris multōs librōs lēgisse, librōs tamen prīncipum nōn attigisse,
As-far-as to you attains you to-me seem many books to-have-read books however of-princes not to-have-touched
sed prōrsus ignōrāre quid inter rēgēs convēnerit.      Iam quod iūris nātūrae et gentium mentiōnem
but actually not-to-know what among kings has-been-convention now as of-law of-nature and of-nations mention
facis, scītō esse iūris nātūrae gentiumque ut cum bellum inter rēgēs intercēdat, liceat    alterī
you-make know to-be of-law of-nature and-of-nations that when war between kings occurs       it-is-permitted to-one
alterīus bellica subsidia, undicumque allāta intercipere, et nē in damnum suum convertantur
other’s      military   resources from-wherever brought to-intercept and lest into     loss     their-own   they-be-converted
praecāvēre; hoc, inquam, esse iūris nātūrae et gentium.
to-take-precaution this I-say     to-be of-law of-nature and of-nations

Quod novam affīnitātem cum domō Austriācā commemorēs, quam tantī iam fierī velīs,
Because   new    connection with     house of-Austria   you-mention which so-important now to-become you-would-like
nōn tē fugiat,               ex eādem domō nōn dēfuisse,         quī     rēgī tuō Polōniae rēgnum praeripere
not you let-it-escape from same house not to-have-lacked one-who from-king your of-Poland kingship to-snatch-away
voluisset.
would-have-liked

Dē cēterīs quae nōn sunt huius locī   et temporis, cum plūra sint et singulātim cōnsīderanda, illud
about other-things which not are of-this place and time since more are and   individually to-be-considered for-that
expectābis quod ex quibusdam meīs cōnsiliāriīs huius reī dēsignandīs intellege. Intereā vērō
you-will-wait which [shall come] from certain(of) my advisors for-this-matte to-be-appointed understand meanwhile indeed
valeās et quiēscās.
farewell and hold-your-peace