1818.] Lord Woodhouselee. 417 



in this respect, I cannot say until I have perused your Disserta- 

 tions. They appear to contain a rich mine of philological and 

 critical learning ; and I am confident that if my book comes to a 

 second edition, I may be able to profit much by your remarks. 

 In that case I shall most cordially, and with the highest plea- 

 sure, acknowledge my obligations." 



To those that are acquainted with the character of Dr. Camp- 

 bell, it will be unnecessary to add that he received Mr. Tytler's 

 explanation with the most candid and polite liberality. " The 

 letter which you favoured me with (says he) made me both 

 ashamed and vexed that I shoidd have been so rash as to express 

 myself to Mr. Creech in a manner which could give a moment's 

 uneasiness to a man of merit, especially one whom I consider 

 myself as having the honour to calf a friend. When I wrote that 

 letter, I neither knew nor suspected who the author of the Essay 

 was. Had I known what I now know, the name of the author 

 alone would have convinced me that the coincidence was merely 

 accidental. Your arguments are good, but I was sorry you had 

 recourse to them ; sensible as I am that if your declaration had 

 not been sufficient to satisfy me, I did not deserve to be satis- 

 fied. Mathematical demonstration, were you to attempt it, 

 would not give me stronger conviction than I already have, that 

 what you say is the truth. But to have done with the disagree- 

 able part of this mistake (he concludes), I cannot avoid mention- 

 ing one circumstance in this incident, which to me is always 

 extremely agreeable, the evidence which it gives of a concur- 

 rence in sentiment upon critical subjects with persons of distin- 

 guished ingenuity and erudition. Such a discovery makes a 

 man more confident in the justness of his own sentiments. 1 

 have only to add, that your illustrations of the general doc- 

 trines, and your examples from the ancients, please me ex- 

 ceedingly." 



The opinion of Dr. Campbell was very soon justified by the 

 voice of the literary world ; and I believe that there is no work 

 of literary criticism which this country has produced that so 

 soon attained celebrity in England as the Essay on Translation. 

 The different reviewers of the day contended with each other in 

 the earliness of their notice, and in the liberality of their praise. 

 The most celebrated scholars of England, Dr. Markham, Arch- 

 bishop of York, Dr. Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury, Dr. Percy, 

 Bishop of Dromore, Dr. Vincent, of Westminster, and Dr. 

 Watson, of Winchester schools, wrote to the author in terms of 

 high approbation. " Were I not afraid (says Mr. Murphy, the 

 well-known translator of Tacitus, in a letter to the author) of 

 being thought a dealer in compliment, I should say that 1 

 esteem it the best performance I have ever seen on the subject. 

 Ingenious hints and cursory remarks are to be found in many 

 authors, ancient and modern ; but they remained scattered, ana 



Vol. XII. N° VI. 2 D 



