| 1800.] 
from feeking to become acquainted with 
the original. é, ' 
In introducing the fubjest, I have before 
obferved, that the Italian language is not 
like the French or°German, which, when 
once acquired, are daily increafing in va- 
lue, by works of ftill greater value daily 
appearing: it is, to’ elegant literature, 
nearly a dead language, of which the ex- 
ifting treafures are eafily appreciated, and 
nothing of future increafe is left to hope. 
To undertake the labour of acquiring fuch 
a language, we fhould be perfuaded that 
the few works which conftitute its value, 
can boaft fuch beauties as will never cloy ; 
and of which the reiterated enjoyment will 
fatisty defire, and fupprefs the love of no- 
velty. That Taflo’s Epic or Metafta- 
fio’s Dramatic Beauties are net of this de- 
{cription, requires little proof ;—they are 
of that common kind, that refults from re- 
gularity of features, anda blooming face ; 
—but have little of that noble originality 
of expreffion, with which exalted genius 
ftamps her offspring, which nothing but 
genius of equal fublimity canimitate ; and 
which, to be conceived, muft be feen as it 
came frefh from the hand of its creator.— 
Such are not the traits of Taffo, or Me- 
taftafio ;—the hand of no very extraordi- 
nary mafter might transfer them to Britith 
Canvas, with little lofs of luitre. Be- 
tween the original and copy, the difference 
of value would be very {mall ; while the 
price at which the former is to be ob- 
_tained, is extravagantly high. 
Dee. 12, 1799. G. T. 
ee 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
N anfwer to your correfpondent, vol. 
_ Vil. p.847, [believe that examples fimi- 
lar to that which he means to produce, are 
not uncommon in the Latin claffics: I fay 
means to produce, as in the prefent inftance 
he appears to have miftaken the conftruc- 
tion. Not having an opportunity of re- 
ferring immediately to authors, I fhallad- 
duce only oné pafiage which occurs to me, 
from the 4th Eclogue of Virgil: 
Non me carminibus vincet, ec Thracius 
Orpheus, 
Nec Linus. 
It is impoflible to tranflate this lite- 
rally; though we ourfelves fometimes 
_ ufea fimilar phrafeology. ‘I fhall not be 
furpafled, neither by the Thracian Orphe- 
us, nor by Linus,’’—with what accuracy 
I thall leave others to determine, 
Anfwer to Latin Negatives—Oberon. 
- tion fome kind of preface. 
25 
To return to the paflage of your cor- 
refpondent,——the negatives are confined to 
complete fentences, with which alone they 
are connected: for inftance, the context 
may be thus regularly {upplied ; Nihil ifte 
fecit, nec aulus ef facere, nec potuit fa- 
cere.” Notwithftandine what has been 
faid, any deviation from the regular rules 
of fyntax in the prefent inftance may be 
eafily accounted for ; the language of paf- 
fion, either in extreme grief, or extreme joy, 
is for the moft part abrupt and uncon- , 
nected. Nifus fees his beloved friend at 
the point of being murdered, in confequence 
of what he himfelf had done ; frantic with 
rage and anguifh, he rufhes from his con- 
cealment, and paflionately exclaims, 
¢¢ Me, me! Adfum qui feci: in me convertité 
ferrum, 
*¢ O Rutuli! mea fraus omnis: nihil ifte, 
nec autus, 
‘¢. Nec potuit.”” 
The whole of this Epifodeabounds with 
fuch numerous) beauties, as perhaps to 
claim a decided preference even over that 
of Orpheus and Eurydice in the ath 
Georgic. | ; | 
I fhall take up your time no longer than 
to obferve, that a negative is frequently 
found in a pofitive fentence, as in the fol= 
lowing line : 
‘* Abde domo, mec turpi ignofce fenecte.” 
; Virg. Georg. iii. 1. g¢. 
where the negative conjunction zec muft be | 
refolved, and the paflage will ftand thus : 
*6 Abde domo, et non turpi ignofce fenectz.” 
It is almoft fuperfluous to remark, that 
non turpi for bonefiz is by no means an un- 
ufual mode of conftruétion. 
Lam, Sir, your well-wifher, 8c. 
Der. 125 57992"). 
‘ — ae 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
NQUESTIONABLY the moft va- 
( luable prefent to our national hite- 
rature from ‘the German, is Wicland’s 
Oberon ; and our obligations to Mr. 
Sotheby are very great. But I wifh he 
had condefcended to annex to his Tranfla- 
We naturally 
feek for information concerning what has 
much delighted us ; and the Fazry-Epic is 
not anexhaufted fubjeét. Shaketpeare has 
brought us acquainted with the quarrel 
between Oberon and Titania; but at pre- 
fent, I believe, the legend of Sir Huon ig 
not familiar to Englith readers. I find, 
however, 
