fuch as he would probably have written.

For, after all, a Tranflator is to make his Author appear as charming as poffibly he can, provided he maintains his Character, and makes him not unlike himself. Tranflation is

a kind of Drawing after the Life; where every one will acknowledge there is a double fort of likeness, a good one and a bad. 'Tis one thing to draw the Out-lines true, the Fea tures like, the Proportions exact, the Colouring it felf perhaps tolerable; and another thing to make all thefe graceful, by the pofture, the fhadowings, and chiefly by the Spirit which animates the whole. I cannot without fome indignation, look on an ill Copy of an excellent Original: Much lefs can I behold with patience Virgil, Homer, and fome others, whofe beauties I have been endeavouring all my Life to imitate, fo abus'd, as I may fay, to their Faces, by a botching Interpreter. What English Readers, unacquainted with Greek or Latin, will believe me

or any other man, when we commend thofe Authors, and confefs we derive all that is pardonable in us from their Fountains, if they take those to be the fame Poets, whom our Ogleby's have Tranflated? But I dare aflure them, that a good Poet is no more like himself, in a dull Tranflation, than his Carcass would be to his living Body. There are many who understand Greek and Latin, and yet are ignorant of their Mother Tongue. The proprieties and delicacies of the English are known to few; 'tis impoffible even for a good Wit, to underfland and practise them without the help of a liberal Education, long Reading, and digefting of thofe few good Authors we have amongst us, the knowledge of Men and Manners, the freedom of habitudes and converfation with the best company of both Sexes; and, in fhort, without wearing off the ruft which he contracted, while he was laying in a ftock of Learning. Thus difficult it is to understand the purity of English,

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and critically to difcern not only good Writers from bad, and a proper ftile from a corrupt, but alfo to diftinguith that which is pure in a good Author, from that which is vicious and corrupt in him. And for want of all these requifites, or the greatest part of them, moft of our ingenious young Men take up fome cry'd-up English Poet for their Model, adore him, and imitate him, as they think, without knowing wherein he is defective, where he is Boyish and trifling, wherein either his Thoughts are improper to his Subject, or his Expreffions unworthy of his Thoughts, or the turn of both is unharmonious. Thus it appears neceffary that a Man fhou'd be a nice Critick in his Mother Tongue, before he attempts to Tranflate a foreign Language. Neither is it fufficient that he be able to Judge of Words and Stile; but he muft be a Mafter of them too: He muft perfectly understand his Author's Tongue, and abfolutely command his own: So that to be a thorough

Tranflator, he must be a thorough Poet. Neither is it enough to give his Author's Senfe, in good English, in Poetical expreffions, and in Mufi-, cal numbers: For, though all these. are exceeding difficult to perform, there yet remains an harder task; and 'tis a Secret of which few Tranf lators have fufficiently thought. I have already hinted a word or two concerning it; that is, the maintaining the Character of an Author, which diftinguishes him from all others, and makes him appear that individual Poet whom you wou'd interpret. For Example, not only the Thoughts, but the Stile and Verfification of Virgil and Ovid, are very different: Yet I fee, even in our best Poets, who have Tranflated fome parts of them, that they have confounded their feveral Talents; and by endeavouring only at the fweetnefs and harmony of Numbers, have made them both fo much alike, that if I did not know the Originals, I fhou'd never be able to Judge by the Copies, which was Virgil, and

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which was Ovid. It was objected againfta late noble Painter, that he drew many graceful Pictures, but few of them were like. And this happen'd to him, because he always ftudied himself more than thofe who fate to him. In fuch Translators I can easily diftinguish the Hand which perform'd the Work, but I cannot diftinguish their Poet from another. Suppofe two Authors are equally fweet, yet there is a great diftinction to be made in fweetness, as in that of Sugar, and that of Honey. I can make the difference more plain, by giving you, (if it be worth knowing) my own method of proceeding, in my Tranflations out of four several Poets; Virgil, Theocritus, Lucretius and Horace. In each of thefe, before I undertook them, I confider'd the Genius and diftinguishing Character of my Author. I look'd on Virgil, as a fuccinct and grave Majeftick Writer; one who weigh'd not only every Thought, but every Word and Syllable. Who was ftill aiming to crowd

* Sir P. Lely.