Uniomachia

Composed in 1833 to satirise a political schism early in the Union’s history, ‘Uniomachia’ or ‘Battle at the Union’ is one of our collection’s most fascinating but recondite treasures. A 130-line mock-epic poem composed in macaronic pseudo-Homeric Greek, with Latin translation and an accompanying Latin pseudo-critical apparatus, the barrier of the poem’s philological sophistication conceals a wealth of humour and historical interest.

The Library Team have published two digital editions of Uniomachia on Taylor Editions, which hosts digital texts and images from the collections of the Taylor Institution Library and other libraries around the world, including those by members of the University of Oxford’s digital scholarship community.

Click this button to view a digitisation of Uniomachia‘s fourth and most complete edition, featuring facsimile, critical transcription, modern English translation of the full text, and commentary notes, by Gareth Smith.

Click this button to view a digitisation of the contemporary translation of Uniomachia in the style of Alexander Pope, featuring facsimile and diplomatic transcription, by Dr Laura Johnson.