circumftances; but though it were true, that he who is attached to all the remains of antiquity, might be reasonably offended to find any part omitted by the authority of an Index expurgatorius; yet furely be cannot with juftice object to the removal of whatever tends to injure young perfons, from books which are put into their hands by those instructors, who ought to be no lefs folicitous in the promotion of moral than of mental improvement. The connection will sometimes be interrupted by fuch omiffions; but it is better that it should be entirely loft, than preferved to the detriment of a rifing generation.

When the paffages which are difapproved are removed, I cannot help thinking that Juvenal is a very proper author for the higher claffes of claffical Schools. He introduces young men to the knowledge of the world. The manners of Rome, at the time at which Juvenal wrote, were, in many respects, fimilar to the manners of London and Paris at this hour, and a fenfible inftructor, while he reads Juvenal to his pupils, will naturally be led to apply many passages to the glaring vices and follies of his own age. But I will not enter on the subject of Juvenal's merit, or the utility of reading him, having already touched on that topic, and the point being for the most part fully acknowledged,

And now let the Editor be permitted to repeat, that he does not fride bimfelf on this edition, or flatter himself that he has done any thing extraordinary, from which he can justly claim any other praise than that of a good intention. His aim was no higher than to publish a valuable school-book, in fuch a manner as that it might be univerfally adopted, not only without injury to morals, but with the probability of moral improvement. And if he has done this, every candid reader will confider, that though no oftentation of critical accuracy or erudition is displayed, he has accomplished all that he undertock; and that, humble as his tafk has been, he has effected a purpose which may be more generally useful to learners than the most profound difquifitions of verbal criticism. He is confcious that the work will poffefs no value with the Bentleys

Bentleys of the age. He entertains the bigbeft refpe&t for Bentley, that ornament of English literature, and for a Gravius, a Gronovius, a Burman, and a Markland, but confiders their labours as better calculated for the learned than for the learner, for the adept, than for the novice. Let the pupil begin his acquaintaince with the claffics by using editions like this, and complete it in thofe of fuch fcholars as have united to profound learning the most penetrating sagacity. Could any thing tend to give a school boy a disguft for learning more, than to direct his attention to the difputes of critics on the jubje&t of a particle? At his age, if not at all ages, it is far better to attend to the meaning and spirit of an author as he is generally understood, than to look with microfcopic eye on the minutia of the text, or the variantes Lectiones. There is certainly nothing which can render the most entertaining of all authors dull and tedious, but the reading them, in the animated age of youth, with the fang froid of a mere verbal critic.

If any are difpofed to afk, with a difpofition to cenfure, what manufcripts have been collated, what new meanings elucidated; I hope it will be deemed a fufficient anjwer to Jay, that a work is not culpable in which all was produced that was intended and profeffed. The editor of this book never had the leaft intention to furnish an edition for the amufement of verbal critics; but merely a book for boys at School, and fuch an one as he was led to conclude, from many obfervations, would be generally acceptable.

They, certainly, who delight in nothing but researches into the fate of the text and in verbal controverfy, will not find themselves pleafed or gratified with this edition; but let it be remembered, that fuch ftudies are of little value in a fchool, and that the commentary, which gives the most received fenfe, is the most defirable to the learner.

It was not any part of my defign to enter into verbal * cri

*When minutiae of this kind are too much dwelt upon in fchools, we may apply-Turpe eft difficiles habere nugas et fultus litor eft ineptiarum.

ticism,

ticifm, or to affect novelty of interpretation. If this edition had been intended for oftentation more than for use, it would have been eafy to have fwelled the volume; for the comments are voluminous. Some editors feem to have confidered every word in the antient writers as an ænigma, requiring to be expounded by a note. It was my firft wish to have exhibited the edition without any notes; but upon confulting experience, it was found that fuch an edition would not be eafily admitted into fchools. And it must be owned, that there are difficulties from allufions to antient customs, antient geography, and antient hiftory, which cannot be removed by the Scholar, without recurring, more frequently than is often compatible with the time allotted to learning a leffon, to his dictionary and archeologia. There are alfo fome difficulties which thefe books would not enable him to furmount: notes are therefore fubjoined, but I have already expressed a wish that the scholar would not inSpect them, except when he finds himself involved in a diffi culty infurmountable by his own powers.

If I might take the liberty, I would recommend to the mafters or preceptors themselves a more copious comment; this book being only defigned for their scholars. The editions of Henninius, Lubin, Schrevelius, or that in Ufum Delphini, may be ufed by them with the greatest advantage, in affifting their oral explanation".

In this edition affiftance is certainly given to learners ; bat, at the fame time, care is taken that their own exertions fhould not be precluded, and that they should have an opportunity of improving their natural fagacity, by exercising it in the discovery of the author's fenfe. Boys are fent to fcbool, not so much to read any one particular author, as to learn how to read any author, and to improve their abilities.

When the elegant poets of antiquity who have unfortunately fullied their beauties by indelicacy of fentiment and expreffion, are placed in the hands of boys or young men without defalca

tion, we may say with Cicero: Videsne poetæ quid mali afferant ? ... Ita funt dulces, ut non legantur modo, fed etiam edifcantur. Sic ad malam domefticam Difciplinam, vitamque umbratilem et delicatam, cum accefferunt etiam poetæ, nervos virtutes elidunt. Recte igitur a Platone educuntur ex eâ civitate, quam finxit ille, cum mores optimos, et optimum Reipublicæ Statum quæreret. At vero nos, docti fcilicet a Græcia, hæc a pueritiâ legimus et didicimus. Hanc ERUDITIONEM LIBERALEM et doctrinam putamus.

He indeed

I find a Preface, which was intended only as a preliminary advertisement gradually increafing to an undue extent. I will therefore add but little. I think it fair however to avert the anger of thofe, who, though they profefs to study the Litera humaniores, have often difplayed an acrimony in literary diSputes, utterly inconfiftent with the gentleness of humanity. If an edition of a claffic difpleases them, they ufually treat the editor with contumelious reproaches, and fuch bitterness of wrath, as an atrocious crime against the community can scarcely defer-ve. I will beg leave to quote the words of a very eminent, but neglected verbal critic, Jeremiah Markland. He faw, and reprobated, the abufive language with which editors and verbal critics had ufually treated each other. is fpeaking in defence of verbal criticifm; but his fentiments are applicable to all who in the elegant difquifition of polite learning, exhibit a vehemence and irritability which would difgrace the vulgar, the ΑΜΟΥΣΟΙ ΚΑΙ ΑΜΥΗΤΟΙ. humaniter me gerere, dum literas humaniores colere præ me fero! Laudem mihi ex aliorum vituperio quærere! quod fi literarum politiorum et eruditiones hic fic fructus, libenter male dicere et quod placet, acriter elatrare, libros pofthac fibi fuas res habere jubebo; mitem et benevolam ignorantiam prælaturus petulanti ifti omnium Rerum Scientiæ, mihi ipfi et aliis in moleftiam tantum ceffuræ. To those who are inclined to confider only the state of the text with the angry temper of a Bentley, or a Warburton, let me fay with Markland, Orx

"In

ΥΜΙΝ ΕΠΟΝΟΥΝ.

Sed

Sed manum de tabulâ. I will not weary the reader with apologies. If the book be useful, it will ultimately want no apology; and if it be not, no apology can render it acceptable. I think it may be useful, or I should not offer it; but at the fame time, I prefume not to arrogate the leaft merit in the fu perintendance of it. I have performed little more than, what Mr. Pope denominated, the dull duty of an editor. Even that duty fhould have been better performed, had it been my lot to enjoy the happiness of literary leifure. In a life full of action and folicitude, the labour of collation, correction, and tranfcription, requires a greater portion of time, than can be beftowed, confiftently with health, and the perpetual recurrence of profeffional employment. If there had been in England any edition in ufe, already cleared of the offensive passages, I fbould not have obtruded mine, nor undertaken a task for which I had little time, and, I confefs, no peculiar inclination. But, under every difadvantage, I was defirous of introducing into fchools a valuable claffic in fuch a manner, as that the good to be derived from it might not be overbalanced by the evil. In this inftance, as it ought in all, the improvement of merals has been my object, rather than the advancement of letters. I own, and am not ashamed to own, that on the prefent occafion at leaft, I have renounced all pretenfions to fame, and have been contented with being bumbly useful. I haften bowever to conclude, and only add, with a fentiment of regret, FECI QUOD POTUI NON UT VOLUI.

DECII