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accuracy, from the best editions, and with minute attention to the printing. We have discovered no blunder; and the punctuation, moreover, is made with some reference to the sense, which, in many common editions, is so far from being the case, that, if the stops were regarded, there would, frequently, be no making any thing of many passages. When we come to the next part of M. Planche's execution, however, our praises must stop. We had to notice, in our last Number, that the French plume themselves, not a little, upon the science of Book-making; and here we have it upon the most improved recipe. Three-fourths of the first volume are consumed, before we get to the work. We have Treatises on Oratory(of which the world was full already)-Oratory in general, Oratory in particular,-Greek Oratory,-Latin Oratory,-(of course) French Oratory, and how to acquire it, Moyens d'acquérir la veritable Eloquence; - Portrait des Atheniens, Portrait des Romains,-(we don't stop to inquire wherefore)-Tableau précis de toute la Grece;-Treatises on Laws,-Treatises on Customs, Treatises on War-and God knows what not,-each, in itself, too small to give the slightest useful information, but capable, by their countless number, of filling up 369 mortal pages. Then we have again, Reflections on Translation in general, and Translation in particular, Reflexions sur la Traduction en general,' and Reflexions sur la Traduction des Orateurs.' Upon the general subject, he has fallen, unwittingly, we must presume, into much the same course of remark as we adopted in our Review of a Translation of Cicero, Vol. 22. Some of the difficulties, which we there enumerated, are adverted to, not so much to show an apprehension of them, as a confident expectation of mastering them. His acquaintance with the Greek he does not put his readers to the trouble of finding out. He has, it seems also, an enthusiastic admiration of his author, and some opinion of himself.-But the French!-the language of modern Athens!-Upon this he places no small reliance.Always is it equal to his purpose ;-never has it failed him.— Aussi je declare, que si je ne pas rendu toutes les beautés de mes originaux, il faut l'imputer à l'incapacité du Tradacteur, et non à la pauvreté de la langue.'-Then we learn that it is soft, vigorous, precise, harmonious, douce, forte, precise, harmonieuse,' (Pref. p. 27.); and again that it possesses clearness, neatness, a lively turn of expression, force, delicacy, simplicity, nobleness, softness, precision, harmony, and imitative harmony; and moreover (what was reserved for the discovery of M. Planche) an astonishing resemblance to the Greek!-En lisant, et, surtout, en traduisant j'ai aperçu moi-même, entre

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l'un et l'autre, une ressemblance qui m'a etonné.' (p. 106)—And well it might!

Now, after noticing the sanguine expectations, not to say the confident tone of M. Planche, we will not assert that he has entirely failed in his undertaking, or that he is not master of his orator's language. But we must observe, that if the French approve of Demosthenes in the dress of M. Planche, they are satisfied with something very different from Demosthenes himself; and that there are, either from inadvertence, or because his own language did not support him, (a supposition, we have seen, most zealously rejected by M. Planche), appearances which would justify a suspicion that he is not quite at home in his author. He tells us himself, that he gives a preference to his later exertions: And, accordingly, we took up the 9th Philippic, with a view to a more minute examination; and we have noted down no less than 20 passages, in which there is either a suppression of some part of the sentence, an interpolation of something foreign, or (what is worst of all) an absolute mistake and perversion of the meaning.-An instance of the latter, which occurs early in the oration, and in which he seems strikingly to have altered the sense, we cannot pass over. Demosthenes is observing that if their affairs had been in their then situation, and the Athenians had done their duty throughout, the case would have been hopeless. The chance of amendment consisted in their having done literally nothing. Then comes the sentence, which is quite in his manner. Νῦν δὲ τῆς μὲν ῥαθυμίας τῆς ὑμετέρας και τῆς ἀμελέιας κεκο ράτηκε Φίλλιππος, τῆς πόλεως δ' ἐ κεκράτηκεν·—ἐδ ἥττηθε υμείς, αλλ' εδε xexivnde. (p. 148). Which is thus translated.

'Jusqu'à present, Philippe n' a triomphé que de votre paresse et de votre negligence; il n' a triomphé de la republique. Vous n'avez pas été vaincus, puisque vous n'avez pas même reculé d'un seul pas.

The first part is right enough; but the conclusion utterly perverts the meaning. Their never having given way one step, obviously implies, that they had been at least keeping up a good fight with Philip; whereas advantages are admitted, from their inattention, throughout and in the beginning of the sentence itself. The sense is manifestly this. As it is, Philip has conquered your Indolence and Negligence, but the Country he has not conquered :- You have not been beaten ;-far enough from it; you have never been in motion.' That is, so far from having been beaten,—they had never got to action,-they had never stirred a finger! In the same Öration, and the very first sentence, the word wgosive, a strong expression of the Athenian negligence, and throwing away their fortune, is omitted altogether, as is sharpnov in the

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same sentence, though it has some meaning, p. 144. In p. 147, Αἰδὲ τοιᾶναι πολλαι is sunk into labus, and συνήθεις not touched, In the same page, τρυφῶν και κολακέυεσθαι is mistranslated heureux dans vos Assemblées.' In p. 167, drogęúyμsle, separated, cut off-trenched off from each other, is feebly and imperfectly given by a long periphrasis. In 171, ariyorras, hold back,' is not translated at all, and ἄνω και καλω πεποιήκε τὰ τῶν Ελλήνων πράγματα, (same page) turned the affairs of the Greeks upside down, -topsyturvy is too coarse for the modern Attic, we presumé, and passed by accordingly.-But we must have done; and can only take another instance, which M. Planche himself has selected as a specimen (and we surely must suppose it to be a favourable one) of his being able to give the form and spirit of the original. He gives the passage, and a remarkable one it is, in his Preface; and remarks, very properly, upon the failure of Laharpe, who renders it in such a manner that he might as well have said, generally, Here the orator said something about going as Ambassador to Thebes.' It runs thus~

· Οὐκ εἶπον μὲν ταῦτα, οὐκ ἔραψα δὲ· ἐδὲ ἔγραψα μὲν, εκ επρέσβευσαδὲ· ἐδὲ επρέσβευσα μὲν, ἐκ ἔπεισα δὲ Θηβαίας· ἀλλ ̓ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς, διὰ πάντων, ἄχρι της τελευτῆς διεξῆλθον, και ἔδωκ' ερί αυτόν ὑμῖν ἁπλῶς, ἐἰς τὰς περιεστηκοίας τῇ πόλει κινδύνες. * *

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M. Planche translates thus. 'Je ne me contentai pas de proposer mon avis sans rediger le decret, ni de rediger le decret sans me charger de l'ambassade, ni de me charger de l'ambassade sans persuader les Thebans; mais depuis le commencement jusqu'à la conclusion de cette affaire, je fis tout ce qui pouvait en assurer le succès, et je me livrai sans reserve à tous les perils dont la republique était environnée.' And we have no difficulty in admitting, that this is well;-si sic omnia ! The beginning is given with great fidelity and spirit, though mon avis' is hardly a translation of TaTa; but, as if weary of well-doing, he flags at the end.-dia wala is wholly omitted, and the essential and descriptive word dio is let down to je fis tout ce qui pouvait en assurer le succès; and lastly, (though this is of less importance), Demosthenes does not say he gave himself up to the perils, &c., but to his country-vui. We attempt the passage as follows,-but, it must be remembered, in homely English,-which, of course, cannot vie with the modern Attic in force, clearness, nobleness, harmony,' and so forth.

Nor did I propose these measures, and not reduce them into the form of a Decree ;-nor did I reduce them into the form of a Decree, and not go as Ambassador; nor did I go as Ambassador, and not

* Pref. p. 2.

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