. ae . 
322 
grace of kingly fway, are a moft un- 
dignitied and indeed pitiful reprefentation 
_ of the noble original. Grace is not em- 
ployed by fuch, as know how to imitate 
the ancients, to fubjects of grandeur and 
fublimity,but to thofe of elegance and beauty. . 
e never hear of the graces fimply of 
_Fapiter and Mars, but of Venus and the 
Nymphs. Belides, no difcretive particle—or 
—has place here: one of a colleive import . 
was required. ‘This grofs impropriety is 
moft obvious and unqueftionable. ‘Lhe 
pofition too of » is altogether clumfy and 
anadmiflible. We can make no indulg- 
ences for fuch faults in fhort and needlefs 
exercifes : 
——— poterat duci quia cena fine iftis. 
Only obferve, how an artift of the leaft 
dexterity might have remedied thefe de- 
fects ; 
: A agmets evyevewy, BaorrnioGs a Keers wencse 
But the ‘profeffor and his encomiaft are 
no artifts in the Greek language.—Laftly, 
svyevewy for the abftract evyeverag is mean, 
and barely tolerable. But the tranflator, 
in the plenitude of his!learning, doubt- 
lefs fuppofed, that euyevieeg would not be 
allowable even in poetry! 
In the fecond line the infertion of the 
article in the fecond claufe, after its omif- 
fion in the firft, is the mere botch of a 
man, who knew not how to complete the 
feet of his verfe without fuch a wretched 
incongruity. I fay nothing of the power 
and purport of the tranflator’s language, 
which refembles the original juft as ade- 
_ quately as a farthing candle reprefents the 
fia: Dut requeft our learned admirer of 
- the profeffor to point out that paflage of 
the ancients, which will juftify an ac- 
_€eptation of the pointed phrafe ta dwex 
AQpodiras ina fenfe demanded by this place. 
Homer, Anacreon, Pindar (fee alfo Vire. 
#En. iv. 33.) employ the words, but in 
a lefs delicate meaning, than Gray re- 
quires: and, if we undertake to compofe 
in dead languages, we muit not prefume 
to. transfer their properties to our.own 
dioms. ; : 
In the third line, I fhould be glad to 
know, whether we are to underftand the 
conftru€tion to be nybey ese eucep, OF act 
avOev: if the former way, I doubt. the 
legitimacy of the-phrafe; if the latter, 
the variation of conftru€tion is clumfy and 
offenfive, In either cafe, the claufe. is. 
unpardonebly ambiguous. 
In the fourth line, how the elegant 
figure of the original is profaned and 
murdered by moft facrilegious butchery ! 
s¢ The paths of glory lead butto the grave :” 
Greek Verfion of Gray’s Elegy...On Matrimony. i. 
a verfe, for elegance and fimplicity not 
to be exceeded. At any rate, we could 
have excufed the falfe quantity, the fhort- 
ening of o beforethe confonant ~. But let 
that pafs. What is Adyc? I know no 
fuch word. Ass, with the ¢ cither at 
the fide, or fubfcribed, would have been 
intelligible: but perhaps our recondite 
gentleman has fome great authorities in 
{tore for fuch puzzling. fingularities. 
Upon the whole, it is fcarcely poffible 
for any verfion-to be more defpicabie than 
he ftanza before us: and theie few re- 
marks will ferve to prove what a mere 
fmatterer and fecond-hand quotation- 
dealer we have -in this faid author of 
“¢ The. Purfuits of Literature: and it 
will be curious to fee, whether this affaf- 
fin of reputation, who is execrated by all 
parties, will violate his nature, and devi- 
ate into modefty, by omitting, or defend- 
ing, his edcomium on this traniflation of 
the Elegy in a future edition of h:s work. 
But he probably has not learning enough 
to know, when he is confuted and ex-~" 
pofed: nor indeed is conviétion to be 
expected froim fo hardened a flancerer, or 
modefty from fuch f{@lf-fuiiciency and 
impudence. “ . 
Hackney, 
GILBERT WAKEFIELD. 
April 27; 1798. ii 

To.the Editor of the Menthly Magazine, 
Haw URS 
\ HEN public follies attraét the at- 
tention of our fuperiors, I do 
not fay that deliberation thereby acquires 
a fafhion ; but certain it is, that we little 
people take example, and fitting in fo- 
lemn, yet humble council, prefume to 
give our opinion and advice. And fee- 
ing that the prefent ftate of matrimony 
hath lately been taken inio very high 
confideration, and very fevere remarks 
made thereon, although no remedy hath 
yet been propofed, except fome fmall ad- 
ditions to the under garments of certain 
public dancers; I have beltowed a con- 
‘fiderablé portion of time and attention on ~ 
the fubject, and having flattered myfelf 
(an office which no man elfe chufes to 
take upon him), that I have found-out 
both the caufe and the remedy, of matri- 
menial infidelity, I now fend you the re- 
fult of my labours, trafting that you will 
not object to the early infertion of a fub- 
ject, which, as my Lord Bacon obferveth, 
<<’ Cometh home to all’men’s bofoms and 
bufine‘s.”’ . : 
And firf, fir, permit me to obferve, _ 
hiftorically, that the ftate and cgndition 
of women goud marriage, has undergone 
~ many |” 
