xiv 



MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR. 



conversant with the true principles of translation, which 

 had been so fully and learnedly laid down and treated in 

 a work of Lord Monboddo on that subject. These prin- 

 ciples he states and defends in his prehminary essays ; and 

 there is no question that we have presented to us, in his 

 own admirable translation of Sallust, not only the true 

 meaning, but the spirit of the author, conveyed with equal 

 fidehty of version and eloquence of language. This work 

 has always been distinguished for correctness of render- 

 ing, elegance of diction, combined with clearness and 

 nervousness of style. By the publication of this work, 

 which appeared in 1806, Sir Henry at once attained a 

 liigh place as an accomplshed scholar and author in the 

 literary world. 



While employed on this work, Sir Henry usually spent 

 the winter in Edinburgh, where he mixed with the lite- 

 rary society for which the Scottish metropolis was then 

 distinguished. He there became acquainted with most of 

 the learned and scientific persons of the day, among whom 

 may be mentioned the Honourable Henry Erskine,Dr Gre- 

 gory, Professor Robison, Mr Alison, Lord Woodhouselee, 

 and the well-known author of " The Man of Feeling,'' 

 Henry Mackenzie, to whose father Sir Henry's mother 

 had been married after the death of her first husband, 

 which event occmTcd in 1772, during Sir Henry's resi- 

 dence in Germany. After the completion of the prelimi- 

 nary essays and notes to his translation of Sallust, Sir 

 Henry transmitted the MS., previous to pubhcation, to 

 Lord Woodhouselee, on the truth and justice of whose 

 opinion of the work he could implicitly rely. The follow- 

 ing extracts from a letter of Lord Woodhouselee, on 

 retm-ning the MS., as containing the opinion of that 

 accompHshed scholar, will not, we trust, be considered out 

 of place : — 



