crescences, spring up from old Hebrew roots mythologically cultivated. To be let into this new method of improving barren sense, we are to understand that in the ancient oriental tongues, the few primitive words must bear many different significations; and the numerous derivatives be infinitely equivocal. Hence any thing may be made of Greek proper names, by turning them to oriental sounds, so as to suit every system, past, present, and to come. To render this familiar to the reader, by example, M. Pluche's system is, that the Gentile gods came from agriculture: all he wants, then, is to pick out (consonant to the Greek proper names) Hebrew words which signify a plow, tillage, or ear of corn; and so his business is done. Another comes, let it be Fourmont, and he brings news that the Greek gods were Moses or Abraham, and the same ductile sounds produce from the same primitive words, a chief, a leader, or a true believer, and then, to use his words, Nier qu'il s'agisse ici du seul Abraham, c'est etre aveugle d'esprit et d'un aveuglement irremediable. A third and fourth appear upon the scene, suppose them Le Clerc and Bonier; who, prompted by the learned Bochart, say that the Greek gods were only Phenician voyagers; and then, from the same ready sources flow navigation, ships, and negociators; and when any one is at a loss in this game of crambo, which can never happen but by being duller than ordinary, the kindred dialects of the Chaldee and Arabick lie always ready to make up deficiencies. To give an instance of all this in the case of poor distressed Osiris, whom hostile criticks have driven from his family and friends, and reduced to a mere vagabond upon earth, M. Pluche derives his name from Ochosierets, domaine de la terre; M. Fourmont from Hoscheiri, habitant de Seir, the dwelling of Esau, who is his Osiris. And Vossius from Schicher, or Sior, one of the Scripture names for the Nile. I have heard of an old humourist, and great dealer in etymologies, who boasted that he not only knew whence words came, but whither they were going. And indeed, on any system-maker's telling me his scheme, I will undertake to shew, whither all his old words are going; for in strict propriety of speech, they cannot be said to be coming from, but going to, some old Hebrew root. There are certain follies, of which this seems to be in the number, whose ridicule strikes so strongly, that it is felt even by those who are most subject to commit them. Who that has read M. Huet's Demonstratio Evangelica, would have expected to 25 1810.] REMARKS ON ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, &c. see him satirize with so much spirit the very nonsense with which his own learned book abounds? Le veritable usage de laconnoisance des langues etant perdu, l'abus y a succede. On s'en est servi pour etymologiser: on veut trouver dans l'Hebreu et ses dialectes la source de tous les mots, et de toutes les langues, pour barbares et etranges qu'elles puissent etre. Se presente-t-il un nom de quelque roi d'Ecosse, ou de Norvege; on se met aut champs avec ses conjectures; on en va chercher l'origine dans la Palestine. A-t-on de la peine a l'y rencontrer? On passe en Babylone. Ne s'y trouve-t-il point; l'Arabie n'est pas loin et en besoin on pousseroit jusqu' en Ethiopie, plutot que de se trouver court d'etymologies; et l'on bat tant de pays, qu'il est impossible enfin qu'on ne trouve un mot qui ait quelque convenance de lettres et de son avec celui, dont on cherche l'origine. Par cet art on trouve dans l'Hebreu ou ses dialectes, l'origine des noms du roi Artur et de tous les Chevaliers de la table ronde; de Charlemagne et des douze pairs de France; et meme en besoin, de tous les Incas de Perou. Par cet art, un Allemand, que j'ai connu prouvoit que Priam avoit ete le meme qu'Abraham : et Aeneas le meme que Jonas. Lettre au Bochart. Div. Leg. b. 4. sec. 4. FOR THE ANTHOLOGY. REMARKS ON ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE ROMAN POETS. No. 9. THE difficulty of presenting Lucretius to the English reader in such a dress as to be tolerably engaging, must be manifest from the nature of the subjects, which the poet selected for his work. Having already given a brief analysis of Lucretius de Rerum Natura, I proceed to make some observations on the English versions of the poem. After The first who had the boldness to attempt an entire translation of that author into English verse, was Creech. accomplishing, in his own way, an undertaking apparently desperate, he received those poetical addresses of exaggerated praise, which were in his time the common lot of such as proved patient drudges in this species of labour. But his ver * The first edition was printed in 1682. sion is for the most part a dull and lifeless performance; seldom rising above mediocrity, and generally falling below it. He does indeed preserve a likeness of Lucretius; but it is a clumsy statue or an aukward daubing. Too much, however, should not be expected from such a crabbed subject as Lucretius has chosen. Filled with the jargon of atomical absurdities, and obscure or absurd speculations, his poem defies the power of the English muse, and mocks the exercise of any intellect. What idea is conveyed to the reader by such a jumble of rhymes as the following? Nisi erit minimum parvissima quaeque &c. Suppose no least, then seeds refined, L. I. 609. Too small for sense, nay, scarce perceived by mind, No end, no bound, but infinite the train; And thus the greatest and the smallest frame CREECH. This is a fair specimen of the greater part of the first book of Creech's Lucretius; and the reader who peruses it through, deserves the same kind of praise, though not the same degree, as the labourer, who works faithfully at the machine, of whose mechanism he is wholly ignorant. It should be added, that this example is above the usual standard of the author's metrical abilities. In those parts of the poem that consist entirely of the gross, and obscure, and dogmatical philosophy of Lucretius, he often makes verses, which conform to no laws of English prosody. The following detached lines, selected without diligent search, would hardly be suspected of having their rhyming fellows. And can with safety trust her infant buds to the mild air. But their contexture or their motion disagrees. But if men would live up to reason's rules. They came, and brought with them additional flame. Such rhymes as the following, were probably intended to relieve the reader amidst the dry speculations, by interspersing occasional amusement. Next let's examine, with a curious eye, By copious Greece termed homoeomery. In the commencement of the second book of Lucretius, where it would be inexcusable to translate badly, a few lines are rendered in a tolerable manner: Suave mari magno turbantibus aequora ventis, E terra magnum alterius spectare laborem ; Non quia vexari quemquam est jucunda voluptas, Per campos instructa, tuâ sine parte pericli; L. II. 1. &c. 'Tis pleasant, when the seas are rough, to stand And view another's danger,-safe at land; Not 'cause he's troubled, but 'tis sweet to see Those cares and fears, from which ourselves are free. 'Tis also pleasant to behold from far How troops engage, secure ourselves from war; But above all 'tis pleasantest to get The top of high philosophy, and sit On the calm peaceful flourishing head of it.. Even in these few lines the translator has discovered his imbecility; and this too, when aiming to soar to the summit of philosophy. He was certainly giddy with the prospect, and never reached the intended height. Safer by far would he have been, if, with his accustomed servility, he had followed his master, and had not attempted to soar with such feeble wings. * Dryden was happier than Creech in rendering these excellent lines of Lucretius. "Tis pleasant safely to behold from shore VOL. VIII. The rolling ship, and hear the tempest roar; Not that another's pain is our delight, But pains unfelt produce the pleasing sight, 'Tis pleasant also to behold from far, The moving legions mingled in the war; But much more sweet thy lab'ring steps to guide } But it is seldom his good fortune, in three successive couplets, to avoid a flat, unmeaning, or prosaick line. In the fourth book Creech rises above the ordinary level of his verse; and yet the very first line is a silly, disgusting interpolation. I feel, I rising feel poetick heats. In the description of the senses he has several passages about as luminous as those of his author, though in versification considerably inferiour to the mellifluous lines of Darwin upon similar subjects. The following lines partly exhibit the doctrine of images, adverted to in my last number. Principio hoc dico, rerum simulacra vagari. &c. L. IV. 728. First then thin images fill all the air, At the close of the book, which treats of the nature of love, the translation before us evinces, that this part of Lucretius, to be decently interpreted, requires all the delicacy and art of a Gifford. It would be gratifying to give credit to Creech for a happy paraphrase of the following lines, if the first couplet did not resemble Cowley, so much more than Lucretius, as to render it at least doubtful, to which of them he is indebted. Pars etiam glebarum ad diluviem revocatur L. V. 256. And gentle rivers too, with wanton play, CREECH. |