Aesop's fables : as romanized by Phaedrus : with a literal interlinear translation, accompanied by illustrative notes on the plan recommended by Mr. Locke

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viii

intended as a purely elementary Work, Mould Memto claim some adaptation to the capacity of parties Who are naturalty confined to the elementa oflearning - We mean, to the ability of the youibra novice in classical literature. For this purpose itis expedient stat the subject be os such a natureas to attraci and fix the attention os the school-boy ; and we have therelare omitted those sabies, hose purpori is not brought home to simple apprehension by the medium os semiliar or sensibie objecta. Some fabies have also been excluded, asinvolving a morat inserence leas practicatly usesulor important: and some sere have likeWise been omitted, Whose morat, though valvabie, had Menclearly illustraled by a preceding story of similartendency. - Lastly: We have passed over in thetexi those additamenis to each labie, which go todemonstrate the application os the story, common lydistinguished by the titie of the morat.' miswill seem to ali a very serious omission; but weliops it is not indesensibie, Without questioning the delicacy os dictating any application os afabie, Whose sorm Was first assumed in order todisguise offensive truths, - it may be satisfactoryto state, that the morat applications whicli Phaedrus has prefixed or subjοined are not only less attractive in matter to the young learner, but areosten so obscure in sorm, that their sense could scarcely be comprehended by any one not persectly

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aequa inted with Roman phraseolom. Besides thia reason sor omission, the tedious samenessos the introductory lines, Which are repealedalmost Mord for Word, seems to justisy the course me have adopted.' We have, horiever, taliencare to give the substance of this appendage, ina simple English sentence prefixed in each sabie, and in some DK instances have ventured, sor th

salie os perspicuity, slightly fo vary the expression of the text. Μuch practical advantage may bederived hom the reading os a very simple lable; and on this ground we would ad vise the youthsul

student to recollect illustrations of these atories frona observation or stom history, according to tho

rational end proposed by Phaedrus himself

Quod prudenti vitam consilio monet.

A delati os omissions is at best an ungratesul oblation; but We would sain hope sor absolutionat the hands of an impartial consessor. Everyline, that Phaedrus ever Wrote, must be valvable

To ove one instance out os many, the sollo ing application os the lablo of tho fh p and the stag,'' oven in page I6, is expressed in these technical te S Fraudator, nomen quum locat sponsu improbo, Non rem expedire, sed mala videre expetit.' Ge prolato lines in .hich .e here allude, commonly containan achno i gement of the author SomeWhat thus expressed aesopus nobis hoc exemplum prodidit, &c.

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in the scholar; but our elementary volume is notintended sor the scholar. And although even here,ua in more Qvanoed parta os our aeries, Me shallduly appreciate his criticiam, Me must beg to MalloWed is preserve consistency of method. in preserence in ali other considerations. This much being premised of the negative ch racteriatica os the work, it remains that we givesome account of iis positive pretensions.

With respect to the English translation, the strat impression Will probably be generat, that the diction is inelegant. This We readily allow, and proceed sorinWith injustification. We havo endeavoured, in thesepages, to avoid ali attempt at supporting one langvage by the sacrifice of another, and have considered that an elementary Work, prosessing inteach the Latia language, should be Dee stom any ahackles whicli ita subsequent relation to the

theresere been our objeci, in thia volume, in exhibit the character os the ancient Latin, Mithout regard to the idiom of more modern sorma os

Language, though subject to some tyrannovalaws in the school of the grammarian, oblatas, by the judgment of the philosopher, an unqualified immunity hom ali arbitrary and irrational impositions. On this ground Re mirat subruit tha

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PREFACE.

prosesa io represent.

It is easy to translate his Latin at onco literalty and intelligibly; and this is probably the reason

why certain Well-meaning peopte evince so Stronga partiality for Writings of this age and massiuntesa, perchance, they choose them in the inuo-oenco os ignorance. But it ia by no meana easylo translate a pure classis author, at the fame time, olosely and elegantly. Τhe different idioms ofanolent and modern languages, which sometimeacan scarcely be reconciled by any compromise, require the nicest discrimination in the assignment

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xii PREFACE.d id declaration, that they are persectly sincere in their consession: but we are reatly surprised, stat they should sancy the plan which they have su stituita mould render the Latin any more intelligibie. We must beg in differ in opinion stomitiis sWeeping enunciation, exactly in the sameratio that a particular exception differs stom a universat proposition. We do not deny that thereare certain idioma in any one language, Whichcould not be salthlalty represeoted in another: but e must think that this assumed impossibility Vis too acanty a clois in disguise the incapacity os

the translator, throughout the whole mis-repreSentation of his author. With regard to the clogenessos our version, me submit it to the scholar, Without

any qualification, as being quite a s literat as thea resaid verbalim translation, Which is consessedio be unintelligibie; and We submit it to the can- dour of the generat reader to decide, whether thereis one sabie or period whicli is not comprehensibie. When we speak of literat translation, we do notreser to that scholastic. ingenuity, which would ender every Latin Word by some quaint Englisti term, containing an equat and similar quantity otorthodox letters. We mean that we give the true impori os each original Latin Mord, by an English equivalent in sorce; and without distorting the forins os the Latin, Me give the sense, the whole sense, and nothing but the sense, Which is com

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On another occasion we shali submit a more langthened dissertation on the question os close translation; as Me observe stat some strange notions are vulgarly entertained respecting the extent os the restrictions it imposes. Τhe limits of this preface acareely allo auch a diversion; We muSt, theresere, for the present, postulate oneadmission, to Which we trust we could demonstratea lair claim, - that in a literat version of the classica, it is not necessary that the fame Latin

to eVery one acquainted With ome Word more thanis found in his mothe longue, that the terma indifferent langu ages, whicli correspond in one propersense, do not alWaya bear precisely the fame extent of translation in another sense remotelyanalogous. Τhus, in reading any Latin author, Me constantly find that his language requires adaptation to our own idiom; and that the fame word which in a sormer sentence, appeared to befully represented by one particular Englisti, ad- miis, in the nexi, a latitude of signification whichthat English could never comprehend. Perhapsno Latin author exempli fies thia remaia more olearir tan Phaedrus: who on this account is one

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os the most dissiculi Roman classica sor an En iis translation. The purely classical sense in Whicthis phraseoloo must be underato , frequently offera violenco in the prejudice of those Who, hom cogni2ing a close analogy among many modem langues, expect that ali languages must satinsvllyresemble one another in sorm, like the fame objectobserved with prisms os a different colour. Besides this refinement of expression, Phaedrusia osten sussiciently untractable hom the comotaeneas os his stylo: indein he appears to have been censured on this score, by some of his co temporaries ; unlega he meana to record a compliment pald in himself, by subjoining these Worda toone of his longer stories

Haec exsecutus sum propterea pluribus, Brevitata nimia quoniam quosdam offendimus.

We have, ho ever, taken care in obviare theso dissiculties with a vie. to the specific purpose of this Pari os our Series. The design of this Et mentary Ρari, is to give the Founger learner a familiar acquaintance With the generat meaning os Latin worda and their inflections, Mithout supposing the previous knoWledge os grammatical di

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Iinear Translation; and is comprised in the mero technical association of the meaning os single Latinand Englisti Words. We have theresere ende Voured, as far as possibie, to appropriote one Enytish to one Latin term to be modified hereaster according to espectat combinations; though we donot achnowledge the essentiat importance of thia uniformity in every literat translation.

This confinement must, of course, Occasion apparent aWkWataneas of expression in some pa sages. But We have not regarded such appear ance in the present version: on the contrary, We have ventured to sacrifice ali neatneas of expre Sion in our o n language, sor the preservation ofa Rissimi reflection of the original Latin, and wetruat me need not apologise to the classical inuristior adopting such a course; is it is indeed more interesting to the intelligent traveller, in comparethe scenery of a foretgn clime Mith that os his own countiγ, than to have the fame vie perpetuallybelare his eyes, though the neW road may be lem

in like manner been accommodated to the information of our hospes in literarum regione. Μinute and critical discussion has been, as far as possibie, avoided in this elementary volume: and without

d welling on minor distinctions os grammar, it hasbeen our chies object to potnt out tho te ing and

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PREFACE.

xvi essentiat characteristica of the Latin language. To enlarge on the remote capabilities of such a subject-matter, besore clearly developing iis generat nature and properties, appears as ad verae to the philosophy os learning, as it Would be ou trageous to the rulea os art to stiade and colour the firs,sketched figure of a picture, besore one hals of thegroup Was distinctly designed. on this principieali observations on nice potnis os etymology and construction have in great measure been omitted in this publication; and our remarks have been confined to the elucidation os those Latin idiomsos speech, Whicli are least consormabie to the genius of tho Englisti language. Is, hoWever, Keshould soruatimes have been led into an allusionleas obvious to the generat reader, let it not be astumbling-bloch, to retard his progress; let him skip V over it at once, and return to it hereaster :it will ono day bo a atepping-atone to scholar-Αhi P. Τhis notice extends equalty to the later paris ofour Series - here indeed it may more frequentlybs applicabie than in this introductory volume: But even in this place, such an intimation does not

sent elementary Work is in great measure intendedfor that class of readers, Who are enti rely una

quainted Mith the rudiments of classic literature;

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volume.

But besides the tiro and the sol eigner, there is stili a third clasa of readers, by no means the least

tion. Τhere ars many Who have long been sum liar with ancient literature, Without ever havingknown the extent os ita utility and beauty Whohave had the opportunities of a regular education, and have been regularly defrauded of that pariboular introduction to the society of the classics, whicli is necessary to ensure a fuli e oyment M