A new Method of teaching Latin to Youth. 3()3 



should learn, should be from the classics themselves, and being 

 in a foreign language are not easily understood ; tliis facility 

 should be granted in our own native tongue, and then they will 

 be read over and over again by the diligent youth, and he will 

 not be too lonj: impeded in the comprehension of his author. 

 The notes in our Virgil are therefore selected from all the several 

 commentators, and given in Enj^lish, and many additional ones 

 are added. They are numerous, or otherwise Vugil would not 

 be clearly understood. As tlie Greeks were themselves the pre- 

 cursors of the Romans in ail that was excellent, and the hitler 

 did not think it a plngiarisn) to transfuse anv brilliant idea from 

 these masters in science ; but, on the contrary, thought they ap- 

 proached nearer to perfection, the more they iiliimed their torch 

 from the divine fire of these godlike men : and like a great 

 painter, who shows he is a disciple of some old master ; so Virgil 

 does not translate the Idyllia or Pastorals of Theocritus ; but 

 catches at his spirit and fire, and here and there dashes it; the 

 very words of that divine poet; and shows he was not ashamed 

 to acknowledge the cradle in which his muse was nursed. 



To understand the skill of Virgil, therefore, in this particular, 

 it became necessary, that those Greek Pastorals which have any re- 

 ference to Virgil, should be either previously read in the original, 

 or in a translation. Unfortunately the custom has prevailed, al- 

 though the Scriptures are in Greek, to teach the Latin first ; and 

 this, I suppose, arose from the absurd practice, now getting gra- 

 dually abolished, of all our Lexicons being in the Latin tongue. 

 It behoved us, therefore, to give translations of such of the Idyls 

 of Theocritus as have anv reference to those of Virgil, which are 

 made as introductory matter to several of tlie Pastorals of Virgil, 

 and which show to youth, how far it is allowable fitr a great mind 

 to copy from a precursor. After this knowledge, as our ftr^t 

 |)oets have transfused into their pastorals many of the leading 

 incidents and expressions of Virgil, to feel the obligations the 

 moderns owe to the ancients, as well as for recreation and plea- 

 sure, select modern poetry V adder], which cannot fail to expand 

 the germ of genius, and make it blossom and l)ear Irnit in due 

 season. As youth is the period most adapted for impressions, 

 (for, as Locke says, " the mind is a rasa tabula, ow which yon may 

 write cither CJod or Devil,") a Moral is also added after each 

 Eclogue, which appeared to arise out of the sul»jcct; and thus 

 youth aie put into possession of not onh a Laliu book, but also 

 an Englis/i baatt, which seem naturally to connect ibomsclvcs to- 

 gether ; and which oi^viates the objection often made, that the 

 student is a mere book- worm, only conversant witli large dusty 

 folios; for by this method lie is early iniliated into the beauties 

 of our greatest English poets. To render this work yet more 

 Z z 2 scrvicjaldo! 



