the freedom of Habitudes and Conversation with the best Company of both Sexes; and, in fhort, without wearing off the ruft, which he contracted, while he was laying in a Stock of Learning. Thus difficult it is to understand the Purity of English, and critically to difcern not only good Writers from bad, and a proper Style from a corrupt, but also to diftinguifh that, which is pure in a good Author, from that which is vicious and corrupt in him. And for want of all these requifites, or the greatest part of them, moft of our ingenious young Men take up fome cry'd-up English Poet for their Model, adore him, and imitate him, as they think, without knowing wherein he is defective, where he is boyifh and trifling, wherein either_his Thoughts are improper to his Subject, or his Expreffions unworthy of his Thoughts, or the turn of both is unharmonious. Thus it appears neceffary, that a Man fhou'd be a nice Critick in his Mother Tongue, before he attempts to tranflate a foreign Language. Neither is it fufficient, that he be able to judge of Words and Style; but he must be a Mafter of them too: He muft perfectly understand his Author's Tongue, and abfolutely command his own. So that to be a thorough Tranflator, he must be a thorough Poet. Neither is it enough to give his Author's Senfe, in good English, in poetical Expreffions, and in mufical Numbers: For, though all these are exceeding difficult to perform, there yet remains an harder Task; and 'tis a Secret of which few Tranflators have fufficiently thought. I have already hinted a word or two concerning it; that is, the maintaining the Character of an Author, which diftinguishes him from all others, and makes him appear that individual Poet, whom you wou'd interpret. For Example, not only the Thoughts,

but

*

but the Style and Verfification, of Virgil and Ovid are very different. Yet I fee, even in our best Poets, who have tranflated fome parts of them, that they have confounded their several Talents; and, by endeavouring only at the sweetness and harmony of Numbers, have made them both fo much alike, that, if I did not know the Originals, I fhou'd never be able to judge, by the Copies, which was Virgil, and which was Ovid. It was objected against a late noble Painter, that he drew many graceful Pictures, but few of them were like. And this happen'd to him, because he always ftudied himself more than those who fate to him. In fuch Tranflators I can easily distinguish the Hand which perform'd the Work, but I cannot diftinguifh their Poet from another. Suppose two Authors are equally fweet, yet there is a great diftinction to be made in Sweetness; as in that of Sugar, and that of Honey. I can make the difference more plain, by giving you (if it be worth knowing) my own Method of proceeding, in my Tranflations out of four several Poets; Virgil, Theocritus, Lucretius, and Horace. In each of these, before I undertook them, I confider'd the Genius and diftinguishing Character of my Author. I look'd on Virgil as a fuccinct, grave and majestick Writer; one who weigh'd, not only every Thought, but every Word and Syllable: Who was still aiming to crowd his Senfe into as narrow a Compafs as poffibly he cou'd; for which reafon he is so very figurative, that he requires (I may almoft fay) a Grammar apart to conftrue him. His Verfe is every where founding the very Thing in your Ears, whofe Sense it bears: Yet the Num

*Sir P, Lely.

B 4

bers

bers are perpetually varied, to increase the delight of the Reader; fo that the fame Sounds are never repeated twice together. On the contrary, Ovid and Claudian, though they write in Styles differing from each other, yet have each of them but one fort of Mufick in their Verfes. All the Verfification and little variety of Claudian is included within the Compafs of four or five Lines, and then he begins again in the fame tenour; perpetually clofing his Senfe at the end of a Verfe, and that Verfe commonly which they call Golden, or two Subftantives. and two Adjectives, with a Verb betwixt them to keep the peace. Ovid, with all his sweetness, has as little variety of Numbers and Sound as he: He is always, as it were, upon the hand-gallop, and his Verse runs upon Carpet Ground. He avoids, like the other, all Synalapha's, or cutting off one Vowel when it comes before another, in the following Word. But to return to Virgil, tho' he is fmooth where Smoothness is requir'd, yet he is fo far from affecting it, that he feems rather to difdain it; frequently makes ufe of Synalapha's, and concludes his Senfe in the middle of his Verfe. He is every where above Conceits of Epigrammatick Wit, and grofs Hyperboles: He maintains Majesty in the midft of Plainnefs; he fhines, but glares not; and is ftately without Ambition, which is the Vice of Lucan. I drew my Definition of Poetical Wit from my particular Confideration of him: For Propriety of Thoughts and Words are only to be found in him; and, where they are proper, they will be delightful. Pleafure follows of Neceffity, as the Effect does the Cause; and therefore is not to be put into the Definition. This exact Propriety of Virgil I particularly regarded, as a great part of his Character; but muft confefs, to my Shame, that I have

not

not been able to tranflate any part of him fo well, as to make him appear wholly like himself. For where the Original is clofe, no Verfion can reach it in the fame Compaís. Hannibal Caro's, in the Italian, is the nearest, the moft Poetical, and the moft Sonorous of any Tranflation of the Eneid: yet, though he takes the advantage of blank Verfe, he commonly allows two Lines for one of Virgil, and does not always hit his Senfe. Talo tells us, in his Letters, that Sperone Speroni, a great Italian Wit, who was his Contemporary, obferv'd of Virgil and Tully; that the Latin Orator endeavour'd to imitate the Copioufnefs of Homer, the Greek Poet; and that the Latin Poet made it his Business to reach the Concifenefs of Demofthenes, the Greek Orator. Virgil therefore, being fo very fparing of his Words, and leaving fo much to be imagin'd by. the Reader, can never be tranflated, as he ought, in any modern Tongue. To make him Copious is to alter his Character; and to tranflate him Line for Line is impoffible, because the Latin is naturally a more fuccinct Language, than either the Italian, Spanish, French, or even than the English, which, by reafon of its Monofyllables, is far the moft compendious of them. Virgil is much the clofeft of any Roman Poet, and the Latin Hexameter has more Feet than the English Heroick.

Befides all this, an Author has the choice of his own Thoughts and Words, which a Tranflator has not; he is confin'd by the Sense of the Inventor to thofe Expreffions, which are the nearest to it: So that Virgil, ftudying Brevity, and having the command of his own Language, could bring thofe Words into a narrow compafs, which a Tranflator cannot render without Circumlocutions. In fhort, they, who have call'd him the Torture

of Grammarians, might also have call'd him the Plague of Tranflators; for he seems to have ftudy'd not to be tranflated. I own, that, endeavouring to turn his Nifus and Euryalus as clofe as I was able, I have perform'd that Episode too literally; that, giving more fcope to Mezentius and Laufus, that Verfion, which has more of the Majefty of Virgil, has lefs of his Conciseness; and all that I can promife for my felf, is only that I have done both better than Ogilby, and perhaps as well as Caro. By confidering him fo carefully as I did before my attempt, I have made fome faint refemblance of him; and, had I taken more time, might poffibly have fucceeded better; but never fo well as to have fatisfy'd my felf.

He, who excels all other Poets in his own Language, were it poffible to do him right, must appear above them in our Tongue, which, as my Lord Rofcommon juftly obferves, approaches neareft to the Roman in its Majefty: Nearest indeed, but with a vaft Interval betwixt them. There is an inimitable Grace in Virgil's Words, and in them principally confifts that Beauty, which gives fo inexpreffible a Pleafure to him, who beft understands their Force. This Diction of his (I muft once again fay) is never to be copied; and, fince it cannot, he will appear but lame in the beft Tranflation. The turns of his Verfe, his Breakings, his Propriety, his Numbers, and his Gravity, I have as far imitated, as the Poverty of our Language, and the hastinefs of my Performance, wou'd allow. I may feem fometimes to have varied from his Senfe; but I think the greatest Variations may be fairly deduced from him; and where I leave his Commentators, it may be I understand him better: At least I writ without confulting them in many places.