who can conftrue it, will be apt to traft to the chance of their not being called on; or to their. flight knowledge for an efcape, if they are called on. If we allow the whole of the argument, we must revert to our firft distinction, that the construction of the words is not greatly connected with their meaning. In our examination of tranflations, we fometimes trace the author in a lexicon, and find, that he catches very often the firft word, while the context frequently renders a farther enquiry neceffary, and must often oblige the tranflator to trace the word to its radix, and fometimes to its metaphorical meaning. This method, which practice and experience only renders eafy, the fcholar, who has trusted to literal translations, will find difficult, and he will often think it unneceffary. But we have one fact in point: in Greek authors, a Latin tranflation is generally added, and to it boys may have recourfe without interruption. But we know not of a fingle good Grecian, who did not difregard his tranflation, and truft only to his lexicon. So mechanical is the plan of learning from the interpretation, that we once knew a boy, who had been two years in a Greek clafs, turn by accident over two leaves of the tranflation (it was in Farnaby, and the tranflation was at the end) and regularly conftrued his leffon from the interpretation of a different part of the book. But we must now proceed to the execution; and we shall here tranfcribe Mr. Madan's views, that he may not be condemned on ftatutes whofe authority he does not allow. The first object of a tranflator, he says, is to point out what the author has faid; and this is only done by a literal tranflation. All tranflators (he adds) fhould transfer to themselves the directions which our Shakefpcare gives to actors, at least, if they mean to affift the ftudent, by helping him to the construction, that he may understand the language of the author.-As the actor is not "to o'erfiep the modefly of nature"-fo a tranflator is not to o'erftep the fimplicity of his text-As an actor is "not to fpeak more than is fet down for him"-fo a tranflator is not to exercife his own fancy, and let it loofe into phrases and expreffions, which are totally foreign from thofe of the author. He should, therefore, facrifice vanity to usefulnefs, and forego the praife of clegant writing, for the utility of faithful tranflation.' The next thing to be confidered, after knowing what the author fays, is how he fays it; this can only be learnt. from the original itself, to which I refer the reader, by printing the Latin, line for line, oppofite to the English, and, as the lines are numbered, the eye will readily pals from the one to C 4 the the other. The information which has been received from the translation, will readily affist in the grammatical construction. The third particular, without which the reader would fall very fhort of understanding the author, is, to know what he means; to explain this is the intention of the notes, for many of which, I gratefully acknowledge myf.lf chiefly indebted to various learned commentators, but who, having written in Latin, are almost out of the reach of thofe for whom this work is principally intended.' This information was very neceffary; for, without pretending to extraordinary facility in reading Latin, we were often obliged to act againft our own rules, and conftrue Mr. Madan's English by the help of the Latin. The style of Juvenal is often eager, impetuous and harsh. He is too much in earneft to be delicate in his choice of words and of images; the tranflator, therefore, who would not offend, must be fometimes cautious, and he who would give the full force of the fatyrift, muft frequently look beyond the common correfpond. ing word. Mr. Madan's caution is commendable, but his choice of correfponding words is not always happy. Juvenal's words burn; Mr. Madan's freeze: Juvenal gives a sentence in a forcible expreffion; Mr. Madan lofes the idea, that he may not be greatly incorrect in the word. We met very early with inftances of thefe different errors. 'Cum tener uxorem ducat spado: Mævia Tufcum When a delicate eunuch can marry a wife: Mævia * can ftick A Tufcan boar, and hold hunting-fpears with a naked breast †; When one can vie with all the patricians in riches, The name of fome woman, who had the impudence to fight in the Circus with a Tufcan boar The Tuican boars were reckoned the fierceft. In imitation of an Amazon. Under the name of Mævia, the poet probably means to reprove all the ladies at Rome, who expofed themselves in the purfuit of mafculine exercifes, which were fo fhamefully contrary to all female delicacy. The nobles of Rome. They were the defcendents of such as were created fenators in the time of Romulus. Of these there were, originally, only one hundred-afterwards, more were added to them. Who Who clipping , my beard troublesome to me a youth founded +. Crifpinus, his fhoulder recalling the Tyrian cloaks **, It is difficult not to write fatire.' The claffical reader will perceive many errors in the trans lation of these lines; but we did not feled them to give a bad impreffion of the author's work, for fo many errors do not again occur, in nearly one half of the volume. Hold hunting fpears with a naked breast' is a very aukward expreffion, and nudâ mammâ is evidently the ablative abfolute befides, the force of the defcription implies, that the affumes the province of a man, while the neglects the delicacy of a woman. The next line but one is perhaps not lefs unpleasant to the ear than incorrect. Nothing is faid about troublesome' in the text, or the first coming under the barber's hand, as in the note. : Under whofe razor, my ftrong beard in my youth refounded.' Tondenti gravior is a phrafe applied to the ftrength of the beard, acquired by frequent cutting; and juvenis implies not * The person here meant, is fuppofed to be Licinius the freedman and barber of Auguftus, or perhaps Cinnamus. Alluding to the found of clipping the beard with feiffars. Q. D. who with his fciffars clipped my beard, when I was a young man, and first came under the barber's hands. . One of the lowest of the Egyptians who had come as flaves to Rome. § A city of Egypt, addicted to all manner of effeminacy and debau chery-famous for a temple of Serapis, a god of the Egyptians. This city was built by Menelaus, in the memory of his pilot, Canopus, who died there, and was afterwards canonized. He, from a flave, had been made master of the horse to Nero. Revocante-The Romans used to fasten their cloaks round the neck with a loop, but in hot weather, perhaps, ufually went with them loose. As Juvenal is now fpeaking of the fummer feafon (as appears by the next line) he defcribes the fhoulder as recalling, or endeavouring to hoift up, and replace the cloak, which, from not being faftened by a hop to the neck, was often flipping away, and fliding downwards from the foulders. ** Dyed with Tyrian purple, which was very expensive. By this he marks the extravagance and luxury of these upstarts. The Romans were arrived at such a height of luxury, that they had rings for the winter, and others for the fummer, which they wore accord. ing to the season. Ventilo fignifies-to wave any thing to and fro in the air. Crifpinus is defcribed as wearing a fummer-ring, and cooling it, hy, perhaps, taking it off, and by waving it to and fre in the air with his hand-which motion might likewise contribute to the flipping back of the cloak. a youth, a youth, but a man in the younger and more robust period of his life. Veina is the meanest and most contemptible slave, and the force of the paffage implies that this flave had the longest and most cumbersome cloak as well as a moft enormous ring. The weight of the cloak, in Juvenal, drags it from his fhoulders, and the fingers fweat with the fize of the ring, which he oftentatiously difplays. The following epigram of Martial, we fufpect, refers to the fize of Crifpinus' cloak. Nefcit, cui dederit tyriam Crifpinus abollam Quifquis habes, humeris fua munera redde precamur: The next paffage which we have marked is a very difficult one; and if Mr. Madan has failed, there can be no disgrace, fince fo few have fucceeded. OMNE IN PRÆCIPITI VITIUM STETIT: utere velis, ALL VICE IS AT THE HEIGHT *. Use fails †. • Whence Is there genius equal to the matter? Whence that fimplicity § Of former (writers), of writing whatever they might like, with In præcipiti ftetit- hath flood-hath been for fome time at its highest pitch-at its fummit-fo that our pofterity can carry it no higher. Vice is at ftand, and at the highest flow. DRYDEN. On tip toe. AINSW. + A metaphor taken from failors, who, when they have a fair wind, fpread open their fails as much as they can. The poet here infinuates, that there is now a fair opportunity for fatire to display all its powers. Here he is fuppofed to be interrupted by fome friend, who starts an objection, on his invocation to Satire to spread all its fails, and ufe all its powers against the vices of the times. Where fhall we find genius equal to the matter?-equal to range fo wide a field-equal to the defcription, and due correction, of fo much vice? That fimple and undisguised freedom of reproof, which former writers exercifed. Alluding, perhaps, to Lucilius, Horace, and other writers of former times. A burning A burning mind *, of which I dare not tell the name †. What fignifies it, whether Mutius might forgive what they faio, or not I? Set down Tigellinus §, and you will fhine in that torch In which standing they burn, who with fixed throat smokes **; And you draw out a wide furrow in the midst of sand ††·' A more natural interpretation of Omne in præcipiti vitium ftetit'-is, Every vice may increafe, and fink the vicious perfon lower, for every vice stands on (or hath stood on) a Inflamed with zeal, and burning with fatiric rage against the vices and abuses of their times. If It is hardly fafe now to name, or mention, the liberty of the old writers; it is fo funk and gone, that the very naming it is dangerous. Titus Mutius Albutius-a very great and powerful man. He was fatirized by Lucilius, and this, moft severely, by name. Lucilius feared no bad confequences of this, in thofe days of liberty. § Expofe him as an object of fatire-fatirize this creature and infamous favourite of Nero's, and most terrible will be the confequence. This cruel punishment seems to have been proper to incendiaries, in which light the poet humourously supposes the fatirizers of the emperor's favourites, and other great men, to be looked upon at that time. After Nero had burnt Rome, to fatisfy his criofity with the profpect, he contrived to lay the odium on the Christians, and charged them with fetting the city on fire. He caufed them to be wrapped round with garments, which were bedaubed with pitch, and other combustible matters, and fet on fire at night, by way of torches to enlighten the streets-and thus they miferably perished. Ju an erect posture. Fastened by the neck to a stake. After all the danger, which a fatirift runs of his life, for attacking Tigellinus, or any other minion of the emperor's-all his labour will be in vain; there is no hope of doing any good. It would be like ploughing in the barren fand, which would yield nothing to reward your pains. ⚫ Commentators have given various explanations of this line, which is very difficult, and almost unintelligible, where the copies read deducet, as if relating to the fumant in the preceding line; but this cannot well be, that the plural fhould be expreffed by the third perfon fingular. They talk of the fufferers making a trench in the fand, by running round the poft, to avoid the flames-but how can this be, when the perfon has the combuftibles faftened round him, and must be in the midst of fire, go where he may?-Besides, this idea does not agree with fixo gutture, which implies being faftened, or fixed, fo as not to be able to ftir. Inftead of deducet, or deducit, I fhould think deducis the right read. ing, as others have thought before me. This agrees, in number and perfon, with lucebis, l. 155, and gives us an eafy and natural folution of the obfervation; viz. that, after all the danger incurred, by fatirizing the emperor's favourites, no good was to be expected; they were too bad to be reformed. The Greeks had a proverbial faying, much like what I contend for here, to exprefs labouring in vain-viz. 'Apex μslęsic-A: enam metiris, you measure the fand-i. e. of the sea. Juvenal expreffes the fame thought, Sat. vii. 48-9, as I would fuppofe him to do in this line: Nos tamen hoc agimus, tenuique in pulvere fulcos |