Krzysztof Fordoński University of Warsaw Translation – Imitation – Forgery. George Hils and His “Translations” of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski. The classical ideal of approaching source text in the Renaissance was expressed in three Latin words – translatio, imitatio, aemulatio. A poet was expected to start with translating, if he could do so he would imitate, and, ultimately, emulate (in the sense of outdoing) the original. Sometimes, however, translators diverged from so defined a path, pushing the boundaries of imitation so far that instead of moving further to emulate an admired author they committed forgeries, altering both the contents and form of the original in a way quite contrary to the author’s original intentions. An example of such behaviour is The Odes of Casimire, an edition of translations of Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski’s Latin lyrics with facing originals which appeared in London in 1646, published by Humphrey Moseley. 1 The little volume seems at first glance an exemplary case of literary translation. The translator presents himself with utmost modesty, stressing his subservient position: I ingenuously acknowledge that I am not worthy to blow a coal of that divine fire, which spreads such glorious flames through every Ode (Sarbiewski 1646: unnumbered page). Furthermore, the reader is offered an opportunity to control the quality of translations by comparing them immediately with the originals, an opportunity extremely rare in 17 th and 18 th century England. 1 Full text of the volume is available in a 1953 reprint (Augustan Reprint Society Publication Number 44) and included in Fordoński -- Urbański 2010: 35-74.