that is spoken of Paraphrasis before. This was Sulpicius's exercise; and he, gathering up thereby a poetical kind of talk, is justly named of Cicero * grandis et tragicus orator: which, I think, is spoken, not for his praise, but for other men's warning, to eschew the like fault. Yet, nevertheless, if our schoolmaster, for his own instruction, be desirous to see a perfect example hereof, I will recite one, which I think no man is so bold will say that he can amend it; and that is Chryses the priest's oration to the Greeks, in the beginning of Homer's Ilias, turned excellently into prose by Socrates himself, and that advisedly and purposely for other to follow. And therefore he calleth this exercise in the same place Miunois, that is, Imitatio; which is most true: but in this book, for teaching sake, I will name it Metaphrasis, retaining the word that all teachers in this case do use.

HOMERUS I. Ilíad. (12—42).

Ὁ γὰρ ἦλθε θοὰς ἐπὶ νῆας ̓Αχαιών,

Vox

"Fuit enim Sulpicius vel maxime omnium, quos quidem audiverim, grandis, et, ut ita dicam, tragicus orator. quum magna, tum suavis et splendida : gestus et motus corporis ita venustus, ut tamen ad forum, non ad scenam institutus videretur. Incitata et volubilis, nec ea redundans tamen nec circumfluens oratio." Cic. de claris Orat. p. 181.

From this character here given by Tully, Sulpicius seems to be called grandis et tragicus, rather from his theatrical management of himself in his delivery, than from his style and method of expression.

† Οὐκοῦν τό γε ὁμοιοῦν ἑαυτὸν ἄλλῳ, ἢ κατὰ φωνὴν, ἢ κατὰ σχῆμα, μιμεῖσθαί ἐστιν ἐκεῖνον ᾧ ἄν τις ὁμοιοῖ; Τί μήν ; Ἐν δὴ τῷ τοιούτῳ (ὡς ἔοικεν) οὗτός τε καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι ποιηταὶ διὰ μιμήσεως τὴν διήγησιν ποιοῦνται. Πάνυ μὲν οὖν. Εἰ δέ γε μηδαμοῦ ἐαυτὸν ἀποκρύπτοιτο ὁ ποιητὴς, πᾶσα ἂν αὐτῷ ἄνευ μιμήσεως ἡ ποιήσίς τε καὶ ἡ διήγησις γεγονυῖα εἴη. Plato de Rep. lib. 3.

III.

13

ἐσέβοντο καὶ συνῄνουν· ὁ δὲ ̓Αγαμέμνων ἠγρίαινεν, ἐντελλόμενος νῦν τ ̓ ἀπιέναι, καὶ αὖθις μὴ ἐλθεῖν, μὴ αὐτῷ τό, τε σκῆπτρον, καὶ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ στέμματα οὐκ ἐπαρκέσοι· πρὶν δὲ λυθῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν θυγατέρα, ἐν "Αργει ἔφη γηράσειν μετὰ οὗ. ἀπιέναι δὲ ἐκέλευε, καὶ μὴ ἐρεθίζειν, ἵνα σῶς οἴκαδε ἔλθοι. Ὁ δὲ πρεσβύτης ἀκούσας, ἔδεισέ τε καὶ ἀπῄει σιγῇ· ἀποχωρήσας δ ̓ ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου· πολλὰ τῷ ̓Απόλλωνι εὔχετο, τάς τε ἐπωνυμίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνακαλῶν, καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκων καὶ ἀπαιτῶν, εἴτι πώποτε ἢ ἐν ναῶν οἰκοδομήσεσιν, ἢ ἐν ἱερῶν θυσιαῖς κεχαρισμένον δωρήσαιτο, ὧν δὴ χάριν κατεύχετο τίσαι τοὺς ̓Αχαιοὺς τὰ ἃ δάκρυα τοῖς ἐκείνου βέλεσι.

To compare * Homer and Plato together, two wonders of nature and art for wit and eloquence, is most pleasant and profitable for a man of ripe judgment. Plato's turning of Homer in this place doth not ride aloft in poetical terms, but goeth low and soft on foot, as prose and pedestris oratio should do. If Sulpicius had had + Plato's consideration in right using this

* Plato himself, (if we may believe Longinus,) as well as the rest of the Grecian writers, owes not a little to Homer, their common master; though he was so ungrateful as to forbid him his Republic.

Οὐ γὰρ μόνος Ηρόδοτος Ομηρικώτατος ἐγένετο. Στησίχορος ἔτι πρότερον, ὅ, τε ̓Αρχίλοχος. Πάντων δὲ τούτων μάλιστα ὁ Πλάτων ἀπὸ τοῦ Ομηρικοῦ ἐκείνου νάματος εἰς αὑτὸν μυρίας ὅσας παρατροπὰς ἀποχετευσάμενος. Sect. 13.

+ Although in this instance, and mostly elsewhere, Plato flows along in a soft and gentle stream, χεύματί τινι ἀψοφητὶ ῥέων, as Longinus speaks ; yet he has his sublimities too, and bold flights; and some passages there are to be found in his writings, not entirely clear of the same censure, which is by Tully cast upon Sulpicius. And this perhaps might be occasioned likewise by his passionate affection for the Muses and study of poetry in his youthful days. Who can read this sentence, and not be offended, which Longinus cites out of his ninth book de Republica ? Καὶ ἕνεκα τῆς τούτων πλεονεξίας

exercise, he had not deserved the name of tragicus orator; who should rather have studied to express vim Demosthenis, than furorem poeta, how good soever he was whom he did follow.

And therefore would I have our schoolmaster weigh well together Homer and Plato, and mark diligently these four points; what is kept, what is added, what is left out, what is changed either in choice of words or form of sentences. Which four points be the right tools, to handle like a workman this kind of work; as our scholar shall better understand, when he hath been a good while in the university: to which time and place I chiefly remit this kind of exercise.

And because I ever thought examples to be the best kind of teaching, I will recite a golden sentence out of that poet, which is next unto Homer, not only in time, but also in worthiness; which hath been a pattern for many worthy wits to follow by this kind of Metaphrasis. But I will content myself with four workmen, two in Greek and two in Latin, such as in both the tongues wiser and worthier cannot be looked for. Surely no stone set in gold by most cunning workmen, is indeed, if right account be made, more worthy the looking on, than this golden sentence, diversly wrought upon by such four excellent masters.

Hesiodus, "Εργ. καὶ 'Ημέρ. ά [293-297.] 1. Οὗτος μὲν πανάριστος, ὃς αὐτὸς πάντα νοήσει

Φρασσάμενος, τά κ ̓ ἔπειτα καὶ ἐς τέλος ᾖσιν ἀμείνω.

λακτίζοντες, καὶ κυρίττοντες ἀλλήλους σιδηροῖς κέρασι, καὶ ὁπλαῖς, ἀποκτιννύουσι δι ̓ ἀπληστίαν. For such harsh and metaphorical expressions as these, and for his poetical and figurative schemes (σχήμασί τε ποιητικοῖς ἐσχάτην προσβάλλovoi ȧndíav), Plato is somewhat severely handled by Dionysius, in his letter to Cn. Pompey.

Mitoph.

2. Εσθλὸς δ ̓ αὖ κἀκεῖνος, ὅς εὖ εἰπόντι πίθηται. 3. Ος δέ κε μήτ' αὐτὸς νοέῃ, μήτ' ἄλλου ἀκούων

Ἐν θυμῷ βάλληται, ὅ δ ̓ αὖτ ̓ ἀχρήϊος ἀνήρ. Thus rudely turned into base English: 1. That man in wisdom passeth all,

1.

To know the best who hath a head:
2. And meetly wise eke counted shall,

Who yields himself to wise men's read.
3. Who hath no wit, nor none will hear,
Among all fools the bell may bear.
Sophocles in Antigone. [720-723.]

Φήμ ̓ ἔγωγε, πρεσβεύειν πολὺ

Φύναι τὸν ἄνδρα πάντ ̓ ἐπιστήμης πλέω.

2. Εἰ δ ̓ οὖν, (φιλεῖ γὰρ τοῦτο μὴ τάυτῃ ῥέπειν)

Καὶ τῶν λεγόντων εὖ, καλὸν τὸ μανθάνειν.

Mark the wisdom of Sophocles in leaving out the last sentence, because it was not comely * for the son to use it to his father.

D. Basileus in his Exhortation to Youth. [§ 1.]

Μέμνησθε + τοῦ Ἡσιόδου, ὡς φησί· *Αριστον μὲν εἶναι τὸν παρ' ἑαυτῶν τὰ δέοντα ξυνορῶντα, ἐσθλὸν δὲ κἀκεῖνον, τὸν τοῖς παρ' ἑτέρων ὑποδειχθεῖσιν ἑπόμενον· τὸν δὲ πρὸς οὐδέτερον ἐπιτήδειον, ἀχρεῖον εἶναι πρὸς ἅπαντα.

M. Cicero pro A. Cluentio [c. 31, § 84.]

Sapientissimum esse dicunt eum, cui quod opus sit, ipsi veniat in mentem: proxime accedere illum, qui alterius bene inventis obtemperet. In stultitia contra est. Minus enim

* Hæmon speaks to his father Creon.

+ This is taken from the beginning of St. Basil's Discourse to the young students, directing them how to read the Grecian writers with advantage. Εἰ μὲν οὖν προθύμως δέχοισθε τὰ λεγόμενα, τῆς δευτέρας τῶν ἐπαινουμένων ἔσεσθε παρ' Ησιόδῳ τάξεως. Εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδὲν ἂν εἴποιμι δυσχερές· αὐτοὶ δὲ μέμνησθε τῶν ἐπῶν δηλονότι, ἐν οἷς ἐκεῖνος φησί· Αριστον, &c.