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construction or the interpretation, which has so long disfigured our school Virgil, and other Latin poets. This interpretation, and translations into English of similar demerit, have often been the miserable crutches by which boys have limped their weary way through the Eneid, wholly unsuspicious that they were in company with one of the greatest poets of ancient or modern times. Teachers, also, have frequently erred by putting Virgil into the hands of boys of too tender years, or of young men too little advanced in the knowledge of Latin. Deprived of these facilities, as we trust they soon will be, and will gladly consent to be, they will find that Virgil is not among the first authors to be studied by their pupils; and that, in order to be read with pleasure and advantage, a copious vocabulary, and considerable skill in the construction of the Latin language, are requisite. But to return to the interpretation, which fills the margin of the editions of Virgil in common use; we are happy to add the remarks of Mr Gould on this subject, which, from his experience and observation as an instructer, are entitled to particular respect.

'If any one cause has operated more than every other to prevent young men from acquiring a free and easy manner of reading the Latin poets, it unquestionably is the habit of using an order of construction, or an interpretation. The use of these pernicious helps not only prevents those who rely on them from ever acquiring the power of reading with ease and pleasure without them, but it is utterly subversive of one of the principal objects of studying the language, that mental discipline which is acquired by the practice of critical and exact analysis. This salutary influence, the use of an order or of an interpretation effectually

counteracts.

The student will hardly take the pains of disentangling an intricate sentence, when the work is done to his hand; nor will the test of grammatical construction or of prosody be applied, when a glance at the interpretation will remove all doubts. The habit of thus referring to the judgment of others soon becomes settled; while that of analysing is never formed, nor the discipline of mind acquired, which it is suited to effect. Besides this, the habit of using these unnecessary aids prevents that feeling of self reliance, which successful efforts alone can secure.

To this cause we must attribute the fact, that so few among our educated men read the Latin poets with ease or pleasure. But if the habit of reading independently of foreign assistance be once formed, the want of such assistance is not felt. It is found by experience, that boys, who have been taught in this way, read Horace and Juvenal as readily as they do Cicero and Tacitus; and even with more confidence; since in poetry they are furnish

ed by prosody with an unerring test for resolving many doubts, while in prose they have no such aid.

These are not new views. Books furnished with these auxiliaries are going out of use in the best schools in foreign countries. Thirty years ago the learned and practical Vicesimus Knox expressed his disapprobation of them.' Preface, p. 3.

Immediately following the text is a Metrical Key, containing a selection of the verses most difficult to be scanned, and a solution of them. The solution extends through the whole of the Eclogues, Georgics, and Æneid, in the order in which the verses occur. The editor has followed the authority of Dr Carey, well known by his learned labors in Latin prosody. The value of prosody has been generally much underrated by instructers in our schools and academies, and they have, for the most part, contented themselves with a very superficial knowledge of the subject, and consequently with a very imperfect mode of teaching it. This key, in which the various peculiarities of the author are particularly explained, will convince them that every thing is not at once plain and obvious, even in hexameter verse; and that certain things which are peculiar, and which have commonly been referred to arbitrary authority, are founded in rules that can be made perfectly intelligible.

Concerning the Notes in this edition, the following account is given in the Preface.

'In preparing the Notes, free use has been made of all the materials within the editor's reach. In all cases, where it could consistently be done, the authority has been given, except where the notes of Mr Valpy's edition have been adopted. These, as his own remarks are frequently blended with other authorities, have not been particularly designated. The notes of the learned I. H Voss were first made English for that edition, to which notes this is likewise indebted. The notes are explanatory of the text, and not designed to supersede the use of the Classical Dictionary; which should never be out of the student's reach. In the vast variety of materials presented, it has been found difficult to be sufficiently concise. For it is easy to say much upon Virgil, but difficult to say a little to the point. Boys will not voluntarily read long notes, even in their vernacular tongue; much less in a foreign language. But, when embarrassed, they will seek relief from notes, if they are short.' Preface, p. 4.

The notes are various in their kind; and not among the least frequent or useful are those of a philological character. The editor will not be accused of superfluity or prolixness in this part of his work; and his reasons for brevity are such as every person of similar experience will accept without hesitation. In the philological notes, when other authors are cited for the sake of criticism, or interpretation of the text of Virgil, the place in which the phrase or passage is found is commonly referred to. Numerous mistakes of reference, with corruptions and disfigurements of the cited passages, were found in Valpy's notes, which have been corrected for Mr Gould's edition, by the unusually faithful examination of the gentleman before mentioned, as corrector of the press.

A series of Questions are annexed, arising as well from the notes as from the text, which will assist the teacher in ascertaining how far the pupil has studied the author understandingly, and made faithful use of the notes, and also of his Classical Dictionary. But apart from the use to be made of these questions by the instructer, we have no doubt that they will of themselves attract the attention of many intelligent and inquisitive pupils, and thus quicken their recollection of the whole subject matter of the several poems, as well as of the criticism of particular passages.

Lastly we cannot forbear to say one word of the Index, which has been adapted by a rigorous revision of words and phrases, to the particular text to which it refers. We had begun to fear that indices, which have been so much neglected by modern scholars, were getting to be considered a kind of lore too antiquated and cumbrous for the present age. But we recollect too well the assistance we have derived from the indexes to our classics in comparing words and phrases, and in recovering a partially remembered passage, to withhold our thanks for the labor which has been bestowed upon the index of the present edition of Virgil.

It is not long since we were dependent mainly on our parent country for books in the learned languages, to be used in our schools and colleges; and the few that were reprinted here were generally so inaccurate, as to be wholly undeserving of confidence. But the time has come when we must rely on our own presses to supply the demand for such books. We cannot afford the expense of importing them; and if we could, there have been such improvements in printing, and there are so many scholars among us qualified for the literary execution of them, that no reason remains why we should not depend upon our own means of preparing and furnishing suitable books. But to this end it is all important that some competent scholar should be so connected with the printing establishment whence the books proceed, as to have a well known responsibility, and the opportunity of establishing his reputation by industry and experience. And what more suitable establishment for this purpose can be named, than the printing press of our oldest and best endowed University; the first erected press in the United States, and having subsidiary to it the amplest library of those books of reference, which are indispensable to the right discharge of an editor's duty.

The experiment has already commenced, and three other

works have preceded the one now before us, which have passed through the hands of the corrector of the press, and for whose accuracy he is responsible; namely, Gould's edition of Adam's Latin Grammar, the Four Gospels, and Collectanea Græca Minora. As far as we can speak from our knowledge, or from the testimony of others, we are free to declare our full belief that these several books mentioned are as nearly perfect in regard to typographical correctness, as any reasonable man can expect. Of these books, Mr Gould's edition of Adam's Latin Grammar was noticed in the fiftieth Number of our Journal. The Four Gospels, the only part of the Greek Testament, now required for admission into Harvard University, is furnished with a Greek and English Lexicon, prepared by a distinguished scholar in the vicinity of Cambridge. In the sixth edition of the Collectanea Græca Minora, the notes, and the definitions in the Lexicon, are translated into English. So many errors had crept into the text of this work, that no small obligation is conferred on our schools by this edition, which needs only to be known in order to supersede the use of all others.

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