se grace blysse thankyng and praysyng unto our Lorde
God Omnipotent be gyuen, by whoos ayde and helpe this
translacon was endyd at Berkeleye the syxte daye of Feuerer
the yere of our Lorde MCCCLXXXXVIII the yere of y{e} reyne
of Kynge Rycharde the seconde after the Conqueste of
Englonde XXII. The yere of my lordes aege, syre Thomas,
Lorde of Berkeleye that made me to make this Translac[=o]n
XLVII."

Salimbene shows that the book was known in Italy in 1283, and there
are two MS. copies in the Bibliotheque Nationale of Paris, of which
the earliest is dated 1297. Before Trevisa made his English
translation, it had been translated into French by Jehan Corbichon, in
1372, for Charles V. of France.

The book was first printed at Basle about 1470, and the esteem in
which it was held may be judged from the fact that it went through at
least fourteen editions before 1500, and besides the English and
French translations it was also translated into Spanish and Dutch. The
English translation was first printed by Caxton's famous apprentice,
Wynken de Worde.[41] The translator in a naive little introductory
poem says that, just as he had looked as a child to God to help him in
his games, so now he prays Him to help him in this book.

"C[?]Rosse was made all of red .
In the begynning of my boke .
That is called, god me sped .
In the fyrste lesson that j toke .
Thenne I learned a and b .
And other letters by her names .
But alway God spede me .
Thought me nedefull in all games .
Yf I played in felde, other medes .
Stylle other wyth noyse .
I prayed help in all my dedes .
Of him that deyed upon the croys .
Now dyuerse playes in his name .
I shall lette passe forth and far .
And aventure to play so long game .
Also I shall spare .
Wodes, medes and feldes .
Place that I have played inne .
And in his name that all th[=i]g weldes .
This game j shall begynne. .
And praye helpe conseyle and rede .
To me that he wolde sende .
And this game rule and lede .
And brynge it to a good ende. ."

And in the preface Trevisa addresses his readers thus: "Merveyle not,
ye witty and eloquent reders, that I th[=y]ne of wytte and voyde of
cunning have translatid this boke from latin to our vulgayre language
as a thynge profitable to me and peradventure to many other, whych
understonde not latyn nor have not the knowledge