government of passion, m that he would be capable of killing him though a suppliant," and unarmed. Achilles is to him as a wild beast, from whom he I could not be safe unless he could converse with him from the top of an oak, or the summit of a rock. "I will not take off my armour then," says he, "for he would kill me though unarmed, for there is no possibility of conversing with him from an oak or a rock (that is, in perfect safety) as a young man and maiden converse with each other," (that is, amicably and without fear.) If this conjecture be well founded, the difficulty vanishes at once: do is translated according to its usual meaning, from; the sense is clear, and there is no need of having recourse to the far-fetched explanation of Eustathius, which even darkens obscurity itself. The oak and rock are ideas almost unconnected with the youth and maiden, and should be separated by a comma at least, if not by a parenthesis. Still, however, the grammatical construction must be deemed harsh and the transition m Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis acer, Hor. de Art. Poet. f. 121, &c. η Ου δε λι μ' αιδεσεται κ ενεει δε με γυμνον εονία For the ancients esteemed the character of a suppliant as sacred. See the conduct of the same Achilles to Priam, in the twentyfourth book. too sudden; and this explanation is offered rather as an endeavour to clear up this obscure passage, than as proceeding from a complete conviction, that it has succeeded in giving the true sense of the author. • Additional Observations by the Editor. The Editor has inserted with much pleasure the ingenious criticism, contained in his learned correspondent's communication. But he knows the accomplished writer's liberal mind too well, to fear that he shall displease him by frankly owning, that on the present occasion he differs very strongly from him. There appears to the Editor no difficulty in the simple and obvious construction of the passage. He conceives that it is perfectly in the spirit and letter of the Greek and Latin poetry to describe youths and maids as breathing out the tender tale from oaks and rocks." He thinks, therefore, • There is no note upon this passage by Stephens; but in the Greek MS. notes, by Aloysius, to the Florentine Homer in 15:8, appended to Didymus's edition, is the following supposition. "That the heart of Achilles seemed so hard that he must have been produced from an oak or a rock." According "It is that Homer means, to make Hector say, not possible now to converse with the same gentleness and carelessness, as a maiden and youth do, whose soft love-tales issue from an oak, and a rock." Cowper seems to have understood it in the same way: "It is no time from oak or hollow rock With him to parley, as a nymph and swain, That this is one of the most usual senses of aro may be exemplified by innumerable passages. Thus Theocritus, in his first Idyllium, V. 7, 8. Αδιον, ω ποιμαν, το τεον μελος, η το κατάχες to this the passage may be thus rendered: "There is no possibility of conversing with him, who must have sprung from an oak or a rock, as a young man and maiden converse with each other." This is certainly a happy and ingenious conjecture; and it is much strengthened by part of the upbraiding speech of Patroclus to Achilles, B. xvi. 1. 34 and 35, to which possibly the poet meant to allude. Ουδε Θετις μήτηρ γλαυκη δε δε λικε θαλασσα, And so Virgil, Lib. iv. 1. 365, &c. Duris genuit te cautibus horrens Caucasus, Hyrcanæque admorunt ubera tigres. Again. in the twenty-sixth Idyllium, V. 10. Πενθευς δ' αλιβατω πετρας απο πάντ' ἐθεωρει. "While insects from the threshold preach." With regard to rocks being the scenes of lovetales, the following from the same poet, Idyllium II. v. 17, 18, is decisive. καθεζόμενος δ' επι πέτρας Ύψηλας, ες ποντον όρων, αείδε τοιαυτα. And in Virgil the rock occurs among images the most delightful and soothing in rural scenery. "Hinc tibi, quæ semper vicino ab limite sepes, Nov. 2, 1807. N° XVIII. On the ancient English Families. I CONCEIVE I shall give some variety to my pages, by inserting here a paper, which was lain by me for some years, and which was originally intended to be carried to a much greater length. The minds of men seem to be recovering from the confusion and poison with which the shallow and vulgar doctrines of equality preached by Tom Paine and his half-witted but base followers, had overset them. It is found that from the unalterable nature of things, distinctions will exist. To modify them, therefore, in a manner most agreeable to the passions and experience of mankind, is a point of the highest wisdom, because it is essentially conducive to the peace and happiness of society. In the beautifully-mixed constitution of this. country, where the principle of privileged ranks forms an essential part, yet under such limitations, as in general to correct all the abuses to which it may be liable, the study of its practical operations |