WORK S O F HORA CE, Tranflated Literally into ENGLISH PROSE; For the USE of those who are defirous of ac- BY C. SMART, A. M. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR J. DICKSON, EXCHANGE AND JAMES DUNCAN, GLASGOW, PREFAC E. TH HE following verfion being the work of a man who has made poetry, per haps, too much the bufinefs of his life, fome acount of his motives for undertaking it may feem neceffary. In the first place, then, there was reafon to believe that a thing of this kind, properly executed, would be very useful to those who were defirous of acquiring or recovering a competent knowledge of the Latin tongue. Secondly, the extraordinary fuccefs which attempts of this kind have met with, though by men who manifeftly did not understand the author, any otherwise than through a French medium; and tho' printed in large volumes, and fold at a proportionable price; gave fufficient reafon for the tranflator to hope, that his labour would not be in vain; I say labour, for genius, if he had any pretenfions to it, could not have been exert ed in the work before us. THE purchaser will herein find, that cheapness and convenience have been confulted for his fervice. THOUGH THOUGH every line is conftrued almost verbatim, yet abfolute baldness has been, as much as poffible, avoided." THE learned reader need not be informed that this version was not intended for him; though fome of the moft eminent of that character have condefcended to examine the manufcript, and given it the fanction of their approbation. WITH regard to the Latin text, the best editions have been diligently confulted; and it is prefumed the judicious will find in the following fheets fome emendations and improvements, which have efcaped former editors. What errors there may be, either of the prefs or otherwise, will be found, perhaps, of fuch a nature, and fo feldom to occur, that they may be rather of fervice, by giving the young ftudent fome opportunities of thewing his fagacity in the difcovery of them. I SHALL take leave of my reader in the words of an old poet, which are applicable enough to this undertaking: Dumos inter et afpera Aggreffis Aggreffis labor arduus Par eft judicii mora TERENT. MAURUS. N. B. This work will be particularly useful to fuch Foreign Gentlemen as are already acquainted with the Latin, and are defirous of being masters of the English tongue. d Lectoribus eruditis, præfertim iis, qui in ludis literariis operam navant. NO OLUMUS fanè cum Fabio Horatium in quibufdam, interpretari, ideoque locos omnes parùm caftos honestâ (uti fperamus) fraude ad verecundiam quodammodo revocavimus. Tantum enim abeft ut juvenes ab afterifcis (quibus editiones in ufum Delphini scatent) quo minùs quædam legant, impediantur, ut potiùs exinde dirigatur, imò invitetur eorum curva in pravum curiofitas. |
