4 
-_ 
A 
1868.] 
venly Witnesses, I. John, v. 7.. This was 
his first regular avowed publication, and 
received, as it deserved, the hearty praise 
of Mr. Gibbon: for the author of the 
“ Decline and Fall of the Roman Em- 
pire” was doubtless rejciced to behold 
one of the most imperative of his anta- 
gonists thus humbled in the dust, “ by 
the most acute and accurate piece of cri- 
ticism which has appeared since the days 
of Bentley. The author's strictures (adds 
he) are founded in argument, enriched 
with learning, and enlivened with wit; 
and his adversary neither deserves nor 
finds any quarter at his hands.” 
In 1793, he disdaimed not the humble, 
but useful office of corrector of the press 
toa most beautiful edition of Heyne’s 
Virgil. Prefixed to this will be found a 
short Preface, in which the modest pro- 
fessor disclaims any other merit than a 
few Conjectural criticisms by Jearned 
men, together with addenda to the In- 
dex. This work was printed in London, 
Mr. Porson was in possession of a copy 
of Pauw’s edition of /Eschylus, corrected 
throughout by himself. Having lent this 
to a gentleman, a surreptitious impres- 
sion somehow most unaccountably found 
its way to the press. In 1795, a very 
beaatiful small edition of the seven tra- 
gedies was published by the Foullis, of 
Glasgow: and Schultz, having afterwards 
rinted another in Germany, added Mr. 
orson’s “ new readings,” to which he at 
the same time prefixed a. short mtrodac- 
tion, replete with respect, and acknow- 
ledgment. ; 
In 1797, appeared the Hecuha of Pu- 
ripides, in one volume, 8vo. with many 
emendations from manuscripts, to which 
were subjoined notes, and a- learned 
vindication. This work was inteuded, 
in part, to try the temper of the times, 
and prepare the public mind for the ap- 
pearance of the other plays of the same 
author; two more, accompanied in the 
same manner as before, accordingly made 
their appearance in succession ; and sooh 
after the publication of the first of these, 
the late Mr, Gilbert Walcfield issued 
from the press, his “ Diatribe Extempo- 
ralis,” in which emendations are pointed 
out, and certain canons of criticism ob- 
jected to, as not founded in propriety.* 
| > w Dine omnes see ene cee cee eee oeerene ame 
* This controversy was not attended with 
the usual asperity of Polemics, for the learned 
Wakefield ends his ‘ Diatribe” with the fol- 
lowing classical apostrophe:— 
«* Vade, age et ingentem factis fer ad thera 
Trojam,” 
Montury Mac., No. 17% 
¥ 
Memoirs of Professor Porson. 
351 
He also published a new edition of the 
Hecuba, according to his own notion of 
the text.* 
It now only remains to add some re» 
marks relative to the manuscript copy of 
the Lexicon of the celebrated Photius, 
who became patriarch of Constantinople, 
in 857, and died after his deposition, and 
dui*»g his confinement in a monastery, 
in the year 891, This valuable MS. ap- 
pertains to Trinity College, Cambridge, 
and was carefully transcribed for the press 
from the original, which had become near- 
ly obliterated. After the incessant toil 
of ten long months, all the professor's la» 
bours were frustrated, by a fire that oc- 
curred at the country-house of his. bro- 
ther-in-law, Mr. Perry, at Merton, Sur- 
rey, in the flames of which the copy was 
consumed, Fortunately, he himself was 
absent, and having, from a point of ho- 
nour, always carried the original along 
with him, it escaped destruction. 
It is no small proof of his patience and 
his industry, that on this occasion he sat 
down once more to the desk, and with- 
out a murmur, as we have been told, 
made a new transcript, equally beautiful 
as the former: we believe it was a com- 
plete fuc-simile, and is now ready for the 
press. Onthis, ason many former océa- | 
sions, the lessons. of Jr. Summers, the 
village-schoolmaster, proved serviceable, 
as has been already hinted; for through 
his interposition, Mr, P. was enabled ear= 
ly in lite to write a most beautiful text, 
by means of which he could produce at 
will.an-adinirable imitation of the origi+ 
nal author. 
The time had now arrived when the 
professor was destined to bid adieu to a 
world, ia which his merits perhaps had 
never been either sufficiently noticed or 
rewarded, but in which, nevertheless, he 
had a great number of friends, and a 
multitude of admirers. It has already 
been noticed, that the professor natrowly 
escaped from # consumption at an early 
iy of life. In the spring of 1797, 
lis wife, for whom he entertained agrear 
regard, sunk under that disease, and he 
himself, after that epoch, was incessantly 
afflicted with a spasmodic asthma, which 
deprived the world of his labours during 
a period of nearly adozen years. Amidst 
the crisis of this afflicting disorder, he 
was not only unable to go to bed, but ac- 
* ‘he professor has lett an Orestes, com- 
pleted for the press. 
+ In the same fire were irretrievably last, 
a play of 4Eschylu’s, ready for the press, and 
several ovhers in great forwardness, 
Yy tuaily 
