of a heart untinctured by all malignity to the perfons o mankind, and claiming to himfelf an unreferved avowal of his own sentiments on every subject of intellectual difcuffion, without which he should cease to be himself. His late occupation, in the revifal of Pope's Homer, has led him to a more particular obfervation of the imperfection of rhyme even in our correcteft poets; and he thinks himself able to affert, without any violation of truth, that he here presents (and especially in the translation of Juvenal, very lately executed, with what celerity he is afraid to mention) the most unexceptionable specimens of poetry, with respect to the purity of it's rhymes, in the English language, to the best of his knowledge and obfervation. One precaution he must fubjoin in juftice to himself. The resemblances, that may be found to the translations of former artists, are wholly accidental; as the following pieces were faithfully executed without any obligation, of which he is confcious, to their labours. Some apparent fingularities in the formations of the verbs will not escape the notice, and, perhaps, the cenfure of the reader: but the tranflator believes them ftrictly analogical, and fuch as will be uniformly adopted, when our language has attained that stability of construction and accuracy of grammatical inflexion, fo lamentably wanting to the compofitions of our countrymen. Hackney, Feb. 22, 1795. . Dî faciles: nocitura toga, nocitura petuntur Militia: torrens dicendi copia multis Et fua mortifera eft facundia: viribus ille. Confifus periit, admirandisque lacertis. Sed plures nimia congefta pecunia cura Strangulat, & cuncta exfuperans patrimonia cenfus, Quanto delphinis balena Britannica major. Temporibus diris igitur, juffuque Neronis, Longinum, & magnos Senecæ prædivitis hortos. Claufit, & egregias Lateranorum obfidet ædes Tota cohors: rarus venit in cœnacula miles. Pauca licet portes argenti vafcula puri, Nocte iter ingreffus, gladium contumque timebis, Et motæ ad lunam trepidabis arundinis umbram : Cantabit vacuus coram latrone viator. How few, thro' this wide fcene of erring care, Dark and illufive, o'er the face of things! Man's varying vows now War, now Peace employs: is Each passion teems with death; but luft of gain If but one filver vafe thy carriage load, When Night's black mantle shrouds the lonely road, 20 25 30 35 Nor fees th' affafsin-dagger at his throat. †The Satyrift alludes particularly to Demofthenes and Cicero; on whose examples he defcants exprefsly below. Referring to Milo of Croton in Italy; whofe ftory may be found i Paufarias, Pliny, Ovid, and all the fabulifts of claffical antiquity. Prima fere vota, & cunctis notiffima templis, Divitiæ ut crefcant, ut opes ut maxima toto Noftra fit arca foro: fed nulla aconita bibuntur Fictilibus; tunc illa time, cum pocula fumes Jamne igitur laudas, quod de fapientibus alter Ex humeris aulæa togæ, magnæque coronæ |