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SILVARUM

LIBER.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

ON

THE GREEK VERSES.

WHEN it is considered, how frequently the life of MILTON has been written, and how numerous the annotations have been, on different parts of his works, it seems strange, that his Greek verses, which, indeed, are but few, should have passed almost wholly without notice. They have neither been mentioned, as proofs of learning, by his admirers, nor exposed to the ordeal of criticism, by his enemies. Both parties seem to have shrunk from the subject.

To investigate the motives for this silence is not necessary, and the search might possibly prove fruitless. The present observations attempt to supply the deficiency of former Commentators, whose stores of critical knowledge have been lavished, ¿λų Dvλakı, merely on the English poetry of Milton.

It will, perhaps, be asserted, that the following remarks are frequently too minute. Yet it seems the duty of a commentator on the Greek productions of a modern, to point out, in general, the sources from which each expression flowed, and to defend by collected authorities, what to some readers may appear incontrovertibly right, as well as to animadvert on passages, of which the errours will be discovered by those only, who have devoted a large portion of their time and attention to the study of the ancients. Critical strictures on such works should be written to direct the judgement of the less learned, and not merely to confirm the opinions of profound scholars.

In these Remarks, the reader will find some objections started, which are to be considered as relating rather to points of taste,

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than of authority.-In passages of which the propriety or impropriety could be decided by appeals to the Ancients, reference has generally been made to Euripides, in preference to all other Writers. It is well known, that he was much studied by Milton, and he is properly termed his favourite poet by Mr. Warton, in his Note on Comus, ver. 297.

Those, who have long and justly entertained an high idea of Milton's Greek erudition, on perusing these notes, will probably feel disappointed; and may ascribe to spleen and temerity, what, it is hoped, merits at least a milder title.-To Milton's claim of extensive, and, indeed, wonderful learning, who shall refuse their suffrage? It requires not our commendation, and may defy our censure.—If Dr. Johnson, however, observes of some Latin Verse of Milton, that it is not secure against a stern grammarian, what would he have said, if he had bestowed his time, in examining part of this Greek poetry, with the same exactness of taste, and with equal accuracy of criticism.

If Milton had lived in the present age, the necessity of these remarks would, in all probability, have been superseded. His native powers of mind, and his studious researches, would have been assisted by the learned labours of Bentley, Hemsterhusius, Valckenaer, Toup, and Ruhnkenius, under whose auspices Greek criticism has flourished', in this [the last] century, with a degree of vigour wholly unknown in any period, since the revival of letters.

I.

PSALM CXIV.

This Greek version, as Dr. Joseph Warton has justly observed, is superiour to that of Duport. It has more vigour, but is not wholly free from inaccuracies.

In verse 4. the preposition ev might have been omitted, as in Homer, Od. H. 59.-Γιγαντεσσιν βασιλευεν.

Ver. 5. eppwnoe, and v. 12. ɛppwnoas, should have been in the middle voice.

a Life of Milton. Works, vol. ii. p. 92,
b[This criticism was first printed in 1791.]

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