1 Not only innumerable words, but the ancient forms of the Roman letters, prove the origin of the language to have been Grecian. From the fame fource it derived progreffive improvements. The earlieft Latin poets, Pacuvius, Ennius, and Plautus, modelled their works upon the Grecian plan, as is particularly evident from their frequent ufe of compound words. As foon as the art of public speaking began to be cultivated in Rome, the Greek language, which contained fome of the richeft treasures of eloquence, became a favourite object of purfuit. The attention which was paid to the productions of Greece by the Romans when advancing towards refinement, fufficiently marks the high eftimation, in which their literature was held. Cato, the Cenfor, at a late period of life learned the elements of that language; and Pompey, when Conful, as a mark of diftinguished refpect to a Greek philofopher, ordered his fafces to be lowered to Pofidonius the fophift, whom he vifited in his fchool at Rhodes. Greece was to Rome, what Egypt had been in more remote times to Greece, the fruitful parent of her literature and arts. The Latin yields the fuperiority to the Greek language, not only with regard to melody of found, but compafs of expreffion. It has no dual num a Græcis adjuvari fentiebat, ut interdum negaret, poetas eos qui fe totos ad Græcorum imitationem contuliffent, nominatim Propertium et Horatium, Græce imperitis valde placere poffe." Prolegom. ad Etymologicum I nep. p. 6. ber, ber, and has only one tenfe to denote the paft perfect; but the Greek can exprefs this equally by the preterperfect, and the aorift. The Latin has not a paft participle active: whereas in Greek there are two, namely, the participle of the aorift, and the preterperfect. It wants likewife a prefent participle paffive, which reduces writers to great inconvenience, and occafions much aukwardness and uncertainty of expreffion. It is deficient in a middle voice, and an optative mood, marked by a peculiar termination, to diftinguish it from the Lubjunctive. The Romans did not, in imitation of the Greeks, introduce the article into their language. This is one of its striking defects. The importance of the article in fixing the meaning of a word to a precife idea will appear from the following, or any fimilar inftance. Suppofe in Latin the words Filius Regis to occur in any author: Do they mean a fon of a King, the fon of a King, or the fon of the King? each of which expreffions conveys a very different idea. The exact fenfe of Filius Regis muft intirely depend upon the context; as the expreffion is in itfelf vague and indefinite, and indefinite. The modern languages of Europe have the advantage over the Latin in this part of speech, however inferior they may be in other refpects. In the different inflections and terminations of words, as well as in the delicate and pleafing denominations of objects by diminutives, Greek and 1 Latin Latin bear a strong refemblance to each other. The Latin poffeffes compound words, but in a degree that will hardly admit of comparifon with the Greek. It is equally happy in denoting by particular verbs the frequent repetition or commencement of actions; and it is more accurate in its power of expreffing certain modifications of time by gerunds and fupines. With respect to compofition, the productions of the Latin claffics are ranked next in order of ex cellence to thofe of the Greek. The polished writers of Rome, difdaining to follow the plain and inartificial manner of their older authors, imitated the varied paufes and harmonious flow of Grecian periods. In one kind of arrangement, the Romans were inferior to their great mafters, as they frequently clofed their fentences with verbs. This practice fometimes runs through feveral fentences together, with no fmall degree of tirefome uniformity; as is evident from many paffages in the hiftory of Livy, the Orations of Cicero, and the Commentaries of Cæfar. In defence however of this cuftom it may be remarked, that as the action expreffed by the verb is frequently the most emphatic idea, it might be thought moft confiftent with the genius of their compofition, to place it at the clofe of the period, for the purpose of more effectually keeping up the attention of the hearer or reader. From confidering the beauties of compofition fo confpicuous confpicuous in the works of the claffics, we must be fenfible of the unfavourable light, in which they appear when viewed through the medium of Translations. They are expofed to the vanity, the negligence, or the ignorance of the tranflator: and are liable to be injured by his faftidioufnefs, or his want of tafte. The fenfe of an original work may be debased by fervile fidelity of version, or enervated by unreftrained freedom of expreffion; it may be compreffed into an abridgment, or dilated into a commentary. Sometimes a tranflator flatters himself he can improve upon his original, as is attempted in the following inftance. Virgil defcribes Venus after her appearance to Eneas as vifiting Paphos: - Ubi templum illi, centumque Sabao Thure calent aræ, fertifque recentibus halant. For which a French Tranflator fubftitutes these lines: Dans ce Temple ou toujours quelque amant irrité, Because he thinks this defcription is more characteristic of the Temple of Venus than that given by Virgil, which he fays will apply equally well to the Temples of other Deities. Had he understood, the spirit of the paffage, and known that blood was never shed upon the altar of the Paphian goddefs, and that its peculiar ornaments were garlands of flowers, flowers, he might have spared himself the pains of endeavouring to improve upon Virgil. The Tranflation of Virgil by Dryden is in fome inftances carelessly executed, yet it is the careleffness of a Man who entered fully into the fpirit of his original, and could convey it in the most expreffive language, whenever he chofe. He faw "that clofenefs beft preferved an Author's fenfe, and that freedom beft exhibited his fpirit, he therefore will deferve the higheft praife, who can give a reprefentation at once faithful and pleafing, who can convey the fame thoughts with the fame graces, and who, when he tranflates, changes nothing but the language "." As a proof of the excellence of this remark, take the following defcription of the rapid march of a Roman army: Non fecus ac patriis acer Romanus in armis Ante expectatum pofitis ftat in agmine caftris P. Which Dryden has thus rendered Thus, under heavy arms, the youth of Rome And pitch their fudden camp before the foe. To judge how well this is executed, compare it with a recent tranflation. Johnson's Idler, No. 69. Georg. 3. 1. 346. Not |