exerted to gratify it.

A Reynolds may give

grace and dignity to fifty infipid faces in the courfe of a year; tho'a Poet would find it difficult in his dedications, to furnish half the number with virtues, as imaginary as the graces, in the countenance of the former, But to return,

This review of the unmerited treatment of the illuftrious, feems calculated to damp the ardor of thofe, who even now are panting for fame and glory. Far be it from me to attempt to check one generous emotion, to ftifle one fpark of rifing ambition. Upon those who have a taste for true glory, and strength of mind fufficient to encounter the dangers incident to the purfuit of it, this confideration will have no influence; they will know what they have to encounter, and defpife the efforts of that envy, over which their final triumph is certain. It is better furely that they should be forewarned of the perils of their undertakings, and not be elated with the hopes of an immediate fuccefs, in the pursuit of which they will meet certain disappointment; and in the defpair of which disappointment, they may relinquish their hopes at the moment they have furmounted the difficulties they had to ftruggle with. Let

them

them remember, that perfecution, tho' it has often been the lot, is not the neceffary confequence of merit. It is the boat of England, that he has not only raised the monument to Wolfe or Chatham when dead, but also acknowledged and rewarded their virtues when living. Α

I cannot commit this paper to the Public, without taking notice of an opinion, which has lately been diffeminated by fome people, viz. That the MICROCOSM, previous to its publication, is subjected to the criticism of my fuperiors, or, (in their own words) "looked over by Ushers." This idea is wrong in two points; first, as being miferably unclaffical in phraze, and fecondly, as being extremely false in information.

Slaves cannot live in England; Ireland enjoys an immunity from toads; in a fimiliar degree is the climate and conftitution of Eton, utterly unadapted to the exiftence of “ Ushers." —And however flat ́tering it might be to Gregory Griffin, that his works fhould be confidered as the compofitions of riper years; he cannot but think this opinion an unworthy compliment to the genius, and abilities of thofe, to whom they are, in part, afcribed.

I think it therefore my duty, by this declaration, to "to take all my imperfections on my own head;" and to affure the public, that little as the merit may be of these compofitions, they are not “ufbered” into the world by thofe, who are degraded by the fuppofition; the Affitant directors of Eton Education.

B

No. XXVIII.

OF THE

1

MICROCOSM.

A

MONDAY, May 28, 1787.

Verbum verbo expreffum.-TERENCE.

Tranflated word for word.

MONG the feveral fields which lie open to my fellow-citizens, for the exercife

and display of their respective abilities, there is none which feems fo generally difregarded as the tranflation of the clafficks: whether from its being confidered as a mechanical labour, fubstituted as a relief from the perpetual exercise of the fancy; or from a contempt of excelling in a branch

branch of learning which carries with it no mark of diftinction.

I shall therefore make it my endeavour to point out a few of the peculiar advantages, which a ftrict attention to its niceties may be of, in giving the last polish to a claffical education. If confidered on a general fcale, it is undoubtedly the medium through which ancient literature gains a general introduction to modern tafte; and as the mere interpretation of an author's words, without conveying his fpirit, nay, as far as a fimilarity of idiom will allow, his peculiarities of stile, tends only to convey to the mind of the reader a difguft for claffical writings, by an infipid copy of an expreffive original; it is no eafy task to introduce Patroclus chining a poker, or Achates lighting a fire, with that majefty which should attend a hero even in the menial offices of cook and fcullion.

The compofition of latin verfe has always been the characteristic of Eton; and though it has frequently been attacked as too fuperficial an accomplishment, to be held up as the first object, it is certain, that without it, the elegances of the language

language are never to be attained; and the very pronunciation is often erroneous from ignorance of accent and quantity. The Archieves of our ftate are filled with the first efforts of expanding genius; and fo profufely bountiful is this poetic mania, that there is not a cubic foot in father Thames, but is fo ornamented with Naids, as to force fome of them up the neighbouring ditches, for the accommodation of the majority: nor a tree in our campus martius, but has at least its brace of Dryads, though there is not a fingle oak among them. Nay, the learned compiler of the Mufæ Etonenfes, has in his preface, purely for the amusement of paffers by, crammed more poets of all forts and fizes, into a bench, which a dozen ftarveling fonneteers might fill with ease, than any nine Mufes in the world could take care of at

once.

A ftudy of this kind, as requiring more genius than judgment, more fancy than application, may be justly supposed more congenial to the pursuits of youth. It is not therefore with an idea of fupporting the one against the other, that I have undertaken this defence of Tranflation; but to prove, that while it is an amusement not unworthy

of