Claudii, ac Neronis res, florentibus ipfis, ob

metum falsæ : poftquam occiderant, recentibus odiis compofitæ funt. Inde confilium

mibi pauca de Augufto, et extrema tradere: mox Tiberii principatum, et cetera, fine ira et ftudio, quorum caufas procul habeo. Thus tranflated by D'Alembert: "Des auteurs "illuftres ont fait connoitre la gloire et "les malheurs de l'ancienne république ; "l'hiftoire même d'Auguste a été écrite

par de grands génies, jufqu'aux tems

66 ou la neceffité de flatter les condamna

au filence. La crainte ménagea tant "qu'ils vécurent, Tibere, Caius, Claude,

et Néron ; des qu'ils ne furent plus, la "haine toute récente les déchira. J'é"crirai donc en peu de mots la fin du regne d'Augufte, puis celui de Tibere,

et

les fuivans; fans fiel et fans baffef

"fe: mon caractere m'en éloigne, et les "6 tems

tems m'en difpenfent." In the last part of this paffage, the translator has given two different meanings to the fame claufe, fine ira et ftudio, quorum caufas procul habeo, to which the author certainly meant to annex only one meaning; and that, as I think, a different one from either of thofe expreffed by the translator. To be clearly understood, I must give my own verfion of the whole paffage. "The history of the ancient republic of "Rome, both in its profperous and in "its adverse days, has been recorded by "eminent authors: Even the reign of "Auguftus has been happily delineated, "down to thofe times when the prevail"ing fpirit of adulation put to filence

every ingenuous writer. The annals

"of Tiberius, of Caligula, of Claudius, "and of Nero, written while they were cc alive,

E 2

as,

❝ alive, were falfified from terror; as "were those hiftories composed after "their death, from hatred to their re"cent memories. For this reafon, I "have refolved to attempt a fhort deli"neation of the latter part of the reign "of Auguftus; and afterwards that of "Tiberius, and of the fucceeding prin❝ces; conscious of perfect impartiality, from the remoteness of the events, "I have no motive, either of odium or * adulation." In the laft claufe of this fentence, I believe I have given the true version of fine ira et ftudio, quorum caufas procul babeo: But if this be the true meaning of the author, M. D'Alembert has given two different meanings to the fame fentence, and neither of them the true one: "fans fiel et fans baffeffe: mon ca"ractere m'en éloigne, et les tems m'en difpenfent,"

difpenfent." According to the French tranflator, the historian pays a compliment first to his own character, and 2dly, to the character of the times; both of which he makes the pledges of his impartiality: but it is perfectly clear that Tacitus neither meant the one compliment nor the other; but intended fimply to fay, that the remoteness of the events which he proposed to record, precluded every motive either of unfavourable judice or of adulation.

pre

CHAP.

CHAP. III.

Whether it is allowable for a Tranflator to add to or retrench the ideas of the original.-Examples of the use and abuse of this liberty.

F it is neceffary that a tranflator should

give a complete tranfcript of the ideas of the original work, it becomes a queftion, whether it is allowable in any cafe to add to the ideas of the original what may appear to give greater force or illustration;