The Flying Fish, p. 17, may certainly, with greater propri ety, be compared to a Herring than a Sprat, as to fize, notwithflanding the author's obfervation; perhaps thofe he faw were young, or half-grown. The infect fpoken of at p. 305, is the Pulex Penetrans of Linnæus; but it has never been defcribed with fufficient accuracy to afcertain its real genus. The tranflation is entitled to particular praife; it is neat, perfpicuous, and often rifes to elegance; and the volume, altogether, is an acceptable addition to our flock of voyages and travels. ART. IV. The Satires of Perfius, tranflated by William Drummond, Efq. M. P. I 2mo. 55. Wright, Piccadilly. 1797. THE HE tranflation of Perfius by Dr. Brewfter, though lefs generally known than it deferves to be, has always obtained great and uniform applaufe from the best judges. We have perhaps fcarcely any verfion of an ancient poet, which unites in a higher degree the two great requilites of fpirit and fidelity. As that tranflation is not mentioned by Mr. Drummond in his preface, he perhaps was not aware that he had fo respectable a rival to encounter; and cannot, therefore, with juftice be expofed to any imputation of prefumption. The fentiments of Mr. Drummond, refpecting his author, appear to us impartial and juft. He admits the imperfections of his flyle, his obfcurity and want of polish; but contends, that he poffeffed energy, acutenefs, and spirit; and though he allows him to be inferior both to Horace and Juvenal, infifts that he has many paffages, particularly in the fifth fatire, worthy of a great poet. This preface abounds in juft remarks, expreffed in elegant language; but when the author endeavours to exempt fatire from the general law of unity of defign, we cannot quite affent to his pofitions. Satire, it is true, was originally a mixt compofition, and embraced a variety of fubjects, without much arrangement or connexion. But if we were to argue from its origin, inftead of the univerfal rule of jult compofition, we might contend alfo for the propriety of introducing a variety of * A comparifon between the Verfions of Dryden and Brewster, fhowing wherein the latter has furpaffed his illuftrious predeceffor, in fidelity, elegance, or any other effential point, would form an interefting piece of criticifm. metres, metres, and even blending verfe with profe, on the authority of Ennius, its reputed inventor. The love of order is inherent in a well-regulated mind; and, though it may have been occafionally difregarded by eminent writers, we have but to compare thofe fatires of Horace, or other eminent writers, in which there is an unity of subject, and a just arrangement of fentiments, to thofe in which little attention has been paid to either, to be convinced how far the one mode of writing is preferable to the other. Neither Juvenal nor Perfius are, in this refpect, fo liable to cenfure as Horace, with all his merits. Neither do we entirely agree with Mr. Drummond, in the principles on which he profeffes to have tranflated his author. He feems not only to deem it proper (as certainly it is) to polifh the ftyle, and foften the colouring of the original, and to omit exceptionable phrafes and defcriptions, but, if we rightly understand him, to add whole paffages. Were this allowable, no tranflation could be trufted by an English reader. But, on this topic, we fhall perhaps have occafion to fay more hereafter. In comparing the merits of the three Roman fatirifts, Mr. Drummond gives the palm to Horace, in opposition to Dryden, who prefers Juvenal. The decifion, in this cafe, will ufually depend upon the turn of mind and taste of the critic, and cannot perhaps be brought to the test of any fixed principle in compofition. The reader who is most attracted by an easy familiar ftyle, by gay and courtly raillery, and good humour, enlivened by occafional ftrokes of fly and indirect fatire, will, certainly feel a partiality for Horace; while he whofe ear is more readily caught by harmony of numbers, and whofe mind is more adapted to the impreffion of vehement, though fometimes declamatory eloquence, will be fafcinated by the wonderful powers of Juvenal. It has been well obferved, that the ftyle of each of these poets was suited to the period in which he lived. The feverity of Juvenal would have been ill applied to the follies and leffer vices of the Auguftan age; and the light ridicule employed by Horace, would have proved a very inadequate weapon against the enormous crimes that marked the reign of Domitian. This confideration affords an answer to Mr. D.'s objection, that the ftyle of Juvenal is too generally, and even invariably fevere. Perhaps no other ftyle was adapted to the manners which he reprefented, or the times of which he wrote. We fall, however, in justice to Mr. D. who has expreffed his ideas on this fubject with peculiar felicity and rafte, infert his comparative illustration of the merits of these poets. "In comparing the three great fatirifts of antiquity, I am inclined to give the first place to Horace, the fecond to Juvenal, and the third to Perfius. Horace is the most agreeable and the most inftructive writer; Juvenal the moft fplendid declaimer; and Perfius the most inflexible moralift. The firft is like a skilful gladiator, who vanquishes without deftroying his antagonist; the fecond exerts gigantic ftrength in the conteft; and the third enters the lifts with all the ardour of a youthful combatant. If the ftyle of Horace be chafter, if his Latinity be purer, if his manner be gayer, and more agreeable than either of the two fatirifts who follow him, he does not write finer verses than Juvenal, nor has he more noble thoughts than Perfius. The poetry of the firft refembles a beautitul river, which glides along through pleafant fcenes, funny fields, and fmiling valleys; that of the fecond is like the majestic ftream, whofe waters, in flowing by the largest city in Europe, are polluted with no fmall portion of its filth and ordure: that of the third may be compared to a deep and angry torrent, which loves to roll its fullen waves under the dark fhadow of the mountain, or amidst the silent gloom of the foreft." P. xvii. We now come to the poetical part of the performance: which may be confidered, in general, rather as a paraphrafe of Perfius, than a tranflation. This method of rendering an author must be confeffed to be not only allowable, but neceffary, whenever the brevity or obfcurity of the original would otherwise throw an invincible cloud over the tranflation; and for this reafon Perfius muft ever be fo tranflated, and, in moft parts, Juvenal, unlefs it was defirable to produce a collection of enigmas. Yet even in fuch cafes, the tranflator fhould be careful not too far to dilute the fenfe (as Dr. Johnson fays)" by additional infufion," by which the fpirit and point of the original is frequently loft. Of this fault, a paraphraftic tranflator is perpetually in danger; and it cannot therefore be matter of furprife, that Mr. Drummond has not always avoided it. There are, indeed, paffages in all the Roman fatirifts, objectionable on the score of indecency. Thefe, no doubt, fhould either be wholly omitted. or greatly altered by a tranflator; but we cannot think it juftifiable to fubftitute (as Mr. D. has done in one remarkable inftance) other paffages, of which, not a trace is to be found in the original. In a few paffages (fome of which we shall notice) the fenfe of Perfius feems to have been misapprehended, and (what, perhaps, may be objected to every tranflation) in fome others it is feebly expressed. Yet from the general merit of the work, these are only small abatements, and it would be injuftice not to declare that we have perused Mr. Drummond's tranflation with great pleafure. He appears, in general, to understand the expreffions of his author, and conveys his meaning in very harmonious lines, and lan guage highly elegant. We fhall felect a few paffages, as fpe cimens, cimens, occafionally comparing them with the translation by Brew fter, that the reader may judge for himself. The firft fpecimen we fhall give, is from the lively paffage in Sat. I, (beginning at line 15) in which the author describes a conceited poet, reciting his verses to a fashionable audience. This paffage, Mr. D. tranflates thus : See, at the desk, the pale declaimer ftand, The voice accords with the luxurious mien, Though the clofe of this paffage wants the energy of the original (quibus et dicas, cute perditus, ohe) yet it is, upon the whole, poetical and eloquent. In tranflating the above passage, the language of Dr. Brewster is rather too ftrong, but his close is admirably fpirited: "At whofe glutting praife even thou would't cry, Forbear, Forbear! or elfe I burft, I die." The next paffage we fhall felect, is that fine moral reflection in Sat. II, beginning at verfe 35 (Magne parens divum) of which we will give both tranflations. BREWSTER. O Jove, when cruel crimes of deepest dye, . I go, I go, I go, alas! beyond recall, Down, down the beadlong fleep of vice I fall There muft it lurk, there gall his wretched life, DRUMMOND. Great fire of Gods! let not thy thunder fall And confcience wound with all her thousand ftings; And teach them, dying, what they might have been. Whom, doom'd to death, the brazen bull contains? Not even confiding in his weeping wife? In tranflating this paffage, Mr. D. has not properly expreffed the fenfe of Virtutem videant, intabefcantque relicta; and he feems to have mistaken the meaning of the exclamation Imus, imus præcipites; which cannot be faid of "climbing to grandeur," but certainly means to exprefs a rapid decleifion from virtue*. Whatever licence may be allowed to tranflation, it can never be permitted to reverfe the fenfe of the original. "More bleft" is alfo very improper, when the queftion is, on the contrary, which was the more curfed. The laft fpecimen we fhall give of the rival tranflations, is from the affectionate addrefs to Cornutus (the poet's friend and tutor) in the celebrated fifth Satire, beginning at verse 21 of the original. BREWSTER. To thee, Cornutus, thee alone, I write. Fain would the Mufe lay open to thy teft Each latent thought, each winding of my breaft; * Dryden has it :. Down' down he goes; and from his darling friend Then |