WORK S OF HORACE, Tranflated Literally into ENGLISH PROSE; For the USE of those who are defirous of By C. SMART, A. M. OF PEMBROKE-COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE. IN TWO VOLUME S. VQ L. I. EDINBURGH: Printed for J. DICKSON, and C. ELLIOT. MPCC LXXXIII. PREFAC E. THE HE following verfion being the work of a man who has made poetry, perhaps, too much the business of his life, fome account of his motives for undertaking it may feem neceffary. In the first place, then, there was reafon to believe that a thing of this kind, properly executed, would be very ufeful to those who were defirous of acquiring or recovering a competent knowledge of the Latin tongue. Secondly, the extraordinary fuccefs which attempts of this kind have met with, though by men who manifestly did not understand the author, any otherwife than through a French medium; and tho' printed in large volumes, and fold at a proportionable price; gave fufficient reason for the tranflator to hope, that his labour would not be in vain; I fay labour, for genius, if he had any pretenfions to it, could not have been exerted in the work before us. THE purchafer will herein find, that cheapness and convenience have been confulted for his fervice. THOUGH every line is construed almost verbatim, yet abfolute baldness has been, as much as poffible, avoided. THE learned reader need not be informed that this verfion was not intended for him; though fome of the most eminent of that character have condefcended to examine the manufcript, and given it the fanction of their approbation. WITH regard to the Latin text, the best editions have been diligently confulted; and it is prefumed the judicious will find in the following fheets fome emendations and improvements, which have escaped former editors. What errors there may be, either of the prefs or otherwise, will be found, perhaps, of fuch a nature, and fo feldom to occur, that they may be rather of service, by giving the young student fome opportunities of fhewing his fagacity in the difcovery of them. I SHALL take leave of my reader in the words of an old poet, which are applicable enough to this undertaking: Dumos inter et afpera Aggreflis Aggreffis labor arduus TERENT. MAURUS. N. B. This work will be particularly useful to fuch Fo reign Gentlemen as are already acquainted with the Latin, and are defirous of being masters of the English tongue. Ledoribus eruditis, præfertim iis, qui in ludis literariis operam navant. NOLUMUS fanè cum Fabio Horatium in quibufdam interpretari, ideoque locos omnes parum caftos honeftâ (uti fperamus) fraude ad verecundiam quodammodo revocavimus. Tantum enim abeft ut juvenes ab afterifcis (quibus editiones in ufum Delphini fcatent) quo minùs. quædam legant, impediantur, ut potiùs exinde dirigatur, imô invitetur eorum curva in pravum curiofitas. r |