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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 December 2020
Lord Berners's translation of Diego de San Pedro's Cárcel de Amor presents a number of problems to scholars of English and Romance languages. This sentimental romance, which appeared in Spanish in 1492, was soon turned into Italian and French. The English version, The Castell of love, made by Lord Berners a few years before his death in 1533, does not appear to have been published much before the middle of the sixteenth century. Only four copies of the book in English, representing three editions, are known to exist. The British Museum possesses copies of two editions; a third edition is in the Huntington Library at San Gabriel, California. There is some disagreement over which of the English editions is the earliest, though it cannot be established with certainty that they were not preceded by some impression of which no copy is known today. A question of greater importance is whether or not Lord Berners actually translated the story, as is claimed on the title-page, from Spanish, or if he even translated a part of it from that language. If it can be determined that the claim made for a Spanish original is true, in whole or in part, this book deserves to be recognized as the first published translation from Spanish into English. The influence of the sentimental romances, such as The Castell of love, upon English fiction and wit in the sixteenth century is a subject which remains to be adequately treated.
1 The castell of / loue, translated out of Spa = / nishe in to Englyshe, by Johan / Bowrchier knyght, lorde Ber = / nis, at the instaunce of the lady / Elizabeth Carew, late wyfe to / syr Nicholas Carew knyght. / The whiche boke treateth / of the loue betwene / Leriano and / Laureola / dough ter to the kyng of / Masedonia. ¶Cum priuilegio ad impri= / mendum solum.
Colophon. ¶Prynted at London in Pauls / churcheyarde, by Johan / Turke, at the sygne / of the byble.
The Castell of love, translated out of Spanyshe into Englysshe, by John Bourchier, knyght, lorde Bernes. 15(—).
Colophon. Imprynted by me Robert wyer For Richarde Kele.
2 Black Letter 8° Printed by I. King. Assigned tentatively to 1560 by the Short-title Catalogue.
3 “For the affeccyant desyre and obligacyon that I ame bownde in, towardes your ryghte vertuous and good lady as well for the goodnes that it hath pleased you to shewe me …”
“And also bycause the matter is very pleasante for yonge ladyes and gentle women. Therfore I haue enterprysed to translate the same out of Spanyshe in to Englyshe, not adorned with so fresshe eloquence, that it shulde meryte to be presented to your goodnesse. For or I fyrste entred in to this rude laboure I was brought into greate doubtfulness, and founde my selfe in dyuers ymagynacyons. For seynge the quycke intellygence of your spyrit, I feared: and agayne the remembraunce of your vertue and prudence, gaue me audacyte. In the one I found feare, and in the other suertie and hardynesse. Finally I dyd chose the moste unuaylable, for myne owne shame, and most utilitie in any reprehencion or rebuke for the moche boldenesse, in that I haue not taken suche respyte as I oughte to haue done. yet in consyderacyon of your gentlenesse, myne affecyō is alwayes in truste to skape blameles. I haue taken this entrepryce on me, more be desyre to haue blame thereby, then to atteyne by my prayse or laude. wherfore ryghte vertuous lady, maye it please you of your goodnes to accept this lytle presente treatyse, and to receyue this my good wyll, or ye condempne the faulte. And also to haue the more affeccyon to the presenter, then to the valewer of the thynge presented requyrynge you to holde and repute me alwayes as one of the nomber of them, that alwayes shal be redy to do your pleasure. And for the surplus, I desyre the creatour of the first cause long to indure and to encrease your happy prosperite. Amen.”
“Rememorant en quante seruitute & obligatiō estoye enuers toy tres vertueuse et tres-prudente Dame lye / tenu & obstrainct por les graces et biensfaictz quil ta pleu moctroyer. …”
“Et voyant que Dassez belles matieres traictoit mesmes pour ieunes dames lay entreprins, mettre et translater dudit ytalien en nostre vernacule et familiere langue francoise et le te Dedier / ce que iay faict / non pas de si ornee eloquence comme a ton excellence meritasi estre presente / car mes espritz sont trop indecens & mattes. Pour laquelle chose premier que en ce labour cultiuer me de terminasse en grande Dubiosite et diuersite Dymaginations me trouuay Car voyant la sublimite et intelligence. De ton esperit le craignoye / et premeditant la prudēce & vertu mêhardissoye et prenoye vigueur tresgrāde. En lung trouuoye la timeur & en lautre seurete et hardyesse. En fin ie esleuz le plus dōmageable pour ma vergongne & le plus utile pour mon deuoir. Et se pour ceste cause ie tumboye en reprehension doultrecuydāce ou autre vitupere pour nauoir ey tāt de respect et consideration a ta haultesse comme il estoit Decent. Mon affection consideree suis seur Den eschapper pourtant que lentreprinse ay faicte plus par desir de te faire congnoistre la seruitude et obeyssance que te porte que la voulente Dacquerir fame et louenge / parquoy ie te supplie tres-vertueuse dame que auecques sincere et iucond courage vueilles le petit present accepter en iugeant la mienne voulente premier que le deffault condamner. Et aussi ayant plus De regard a laffection et desire De celluy qui presente que a la valeur de la chose presentee. Te supplie De rechief que ou nombre de tres treshumbles seruiteurs me vueilles tousiours tenir inscript. Et ie prie pour le surplus le plasmateur de la cause premiere longuemēt te cōseruer heureuse et prospere.
Aunque me falta sofrimiento para callar, no me fallesce conoscimiento para ver quanto me estaria meior preciarme de lo callase que arepentirme de lo que dixiese; …“
“Sin dubda, 
, considerado esto y otras cosas que en lo que escriuo se pueden hallar, yo estaua determinado de cesar ya en el metro y en la prosa, por librar mi rudeza de juyzios, y mi espíritu de trabaios. Y paresce quanto más pienso hazerlo, que se me ofrecen más cosas para no poder conplirlo, Suplico á vuestra merced antes que condene mi falta, juzque mi voluntad, porque reciba el pago no segund mi razon, mas segund mi deseo.” (end)
4 After ye warres done and finyshyd in my countrey, beynge in my poore mansion, in a mornyng whan the sonne illuminyd the earthe, in a shadowyde darke valey, in the mountayne called Serua de Maren', in the coūtrey of Masedonia as I walkyd in a strayte way shadowyd wt fayer trees Sodenly I mette with a knight fyers and furious, whose presence was ferfull to regarde. Coueryde all in here lyke a sauage creature. In his lyfte hande he bare a bryght schilde of stele, & in his ryght hand a shynynge ymage entaillid in a clere stone, of such plesure & bewtie, that ye clerenes troublyd the syghte of myne eyen, out of the whiche there issuyde dyuers Rayes of fier enbransing & enflaming ye body of a man. The which the sayd knight forceably ledde behynd hym, who with dolorous playntes and sorowfull passions sayde: By reason of my hope, I suffre all this, and when he aprochyd, and that I was nere hym, he sayd with mortali anguysh frende, for the loue of god I pray the folow me and ayde me in this my great besynes.
Depuis la guerre faicte & finee de lan passe venāt tenir mon yuer et me reposer en mon poure repaire passant ung matin 
ia le soleil 
a esclairer & illuminer la terre par ung val umbreux et obscur qui est en la montaigne nōmee la surre de morienne situee ou pays de Macedoine veis saillir & venir en mon encōtre par ung estroict & boys de chesnes ou mon chemin sadressoit ung cheualier non moins fereux et farouche de presence comme espouentable de veue / couvert tout de poil en maniere de sauuage / en sa main senestre portoit ung escu dacier moult fort / et en la dextre ung ymage de femme entaillee en une pierre moult clere / laquelle estoit de tant extreme beaulte quelle me troubloit de veue / & delle sailloiēt diuers rayons De feu qui tenoit embrase se corps dung homme que ledit cheualier forsiblemēt derriere luy menoit / lequel auec douloureux plaingz et appassionnez gemissemens continuellement Disoit En ma foy si souffreray tout. Et quant vint a marcher & que fuz endroit de luy me Dist auec mortelle angoisse. Uiateur pour Dieu ie te prie que me fuyues et me aydes a tant grant besoing.
Despues de hecha la guerra del año pasado, viniendo á tener el inuierno á mi probre reposo, pasando una 
, quando ya el sol queria esclarecer la tierra, por vnos valles hondos y escuros, que se hazen en la Sierra Morena, vi salir á mi encuentro por entre unos robredales do mi camino se hazia, un cauallero assi feroz de presencia como espantoso de vista, cubierto todo de cabello á manera de saluaie. Leuaua en la mano ysquierda vn escudo de azero muy fuerte y en la derecha una ymagen femenil, entallada en vna piedra muy clara, la qual era de tan estrema hermosura, que me turbaua la vista; salian della diuersos rayos de fuego que leuaua encendido el cuerpo de vn onbre quel cauallero forciblemente leuaua tra si. El qual con un lastimado gemido de rato en rato dezia: en mi fe se sufre todo.
Y como empareió comigo, dixome con mortal anguistia: caminante, por Dios te pido que me sigas y me ayudes en tan grand cuyta.