Translation queries: Ipatyevskaya letopis, 1184

[Ralph Cleminson]

Here we are:
Исторія Россійская съ самыхъ древнѣйшихъ временъ, неусыпными трудами черезъ
тритцать лѣтъ собранная и описанная Покойнымъ Тайнымъ Совѣтникомъ и Астраханскимъ
Губернаторомъ, Васильемъ Никитичемъ Татищевымъ.  (What a wonderful
title!)  Книга третія. Напечатана при Императорскомъ Московскомъ Университетѣ
1774 года.

On p.259 we read:
6693, 1185. Безбожный и свирѣпый Кончакъ Князь Половецкїй собравъ войско
великое, пошелъ на предѣлы Рускїе, хотя всѣ грады поплѣнить и разорить, имѣя
съ собою мужа умѣющаго стрѣлять огнемъ, и зажигать грады, у коего были самострѣльные
туги такъ великїе, что едва 8 человѣкъ могли натягивать, и укрѣпленъ былъ
на возу великомъ.  Симъ онъ могъ бросать каменья въ середину града, въ подъемъ
человѣку, и для метанїя огня имѣлъ особый малѣйшїй, но вельми хитро
сдѣланный.

>From this we conclude:
(a) that we are indeed dealing with "Татищевские известия" and should
exercise appropriate caution (unless anyone can produce an earlier
source);
(b) that Tatiščev (or his editors or printers -- the book was published
long after his death, and he can't be held responsible for everything in
it) was responsible for the "туги" (but would someone like to look it up
in Sreznevskij, just in case?), for the misread numeral, and for the
switch from plural to singular in mid-sentence;
(c) that whoever produced the text that gave rise to the original query
was even less scrupulous in his treatment of his sources than Tatiščev.

The original can be read at:
http://imwerden.de/cat/modules.php?name=books&pa=showbook&pid=2294

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------