THE

SATIRES

OF

AULUS PERSIUS FLACCUS,

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH VERSE.

BY

WILLIAM GIFFORD, ESQ.

WITH

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS,

AND

THE LATIN TEXT.

LONDON:

JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.

ΤΟ

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

ROBERT EARL GROSVENOR,

VISCOUNT BELGRAVE, BARON GROSVENOR,

&c. &c.

LORD LIEUTENANT OF THE COUNTY OF FLINT,

THIS

TRANSLATION OF PERSIUS

IS INSCRIBED,

AS

A GRATEFUL AND AFFECTIONATE TESTIMONY

OF

RESPECT FOR THE

LONG AND UNINTERRUPTED KINDNESS WITH WHICH

HE HAS HONOURED THE TRANSLATOR,

AND OF

THE SINCEREST ADMIRATION

OF

HIS TALENTS AND VIRTUES.

Oct. 1st, 1817.

५

INTRODUCTION.

ILL health having driven me for two or three successive seasons to the Isle of Wight, I amused myself, in that sequestered spot, with a pocket Persius; and, when the progress of recovery admitted of severer application, with turning favourite passages of him, into English verse. In this, I had no farther end than beguiling the sense of pain, and wearing away a few hours innocently and happily. By degrees the work grew on my hands; and I had nearly gone through the whole, before I was conscious to myself of the bulk of my labours.

At that time I entertained no thoughts of printing what was thus produced; although the republication of Juvenal presented an opportunity of subjoining it to that work: I continued however to fill up and correct the translation, at leisure; and now, when a third edition of Juvenal is about to appear, I have determined (with the approbation of my friends) to submit it to the publick.

It cannot, I think, be affirmed, that a new translation of Persius is much wanted: we are already possessed of several; of various degrees of merit, indeed, but all exhibiting strong claims on the pub