The National Register.
London, England, 1812-05-10 00:00:00

TILT, NATIONAL BFCISTFR.

exhibitions amuse, interest, and instruct. To return to the Caledonian
TENIEAS :

No. 3.-4 Game Keeper, painted in 1811.—This small performance
has already received the just tribute of public praise, to which it is
entitled, at the Exhibition at Somerset House, where it was exposed
last year, with N 0.15. The Wardrobe ransaked.—The first is a portrait,
the second a scene from nature. The Game Keeper is painted with an
astonishing deal of pathos ; his eyes are particularly fine as to expression,
his features are the mirror of his mind, and you easily guess that he
reckons within himself the coveys which he has missed, and meditates
upon future exploits. The pheasant's plumage would do honour to the
hand of GERARD Dow ; and all the implements are finished in an ex-
quisite manner. In the other picture, the humour of the scene is
really pleasing, and the handling exhibits a freedom of strokes perhap
not to he equalled by any other of the w6rks of the same artist. It has
the mellowness of GREVZ E, with the elegance of VAN HARP.
No. 4.—Blindman's Buff (unfinished.)—This is a comic drama, com-
posed of several ludicrous scenes, and conformable to the unity of
place and action. The subject is familiar; and all the groups contri-
bute, though detached from the principal one, to the general effect;
the scene is appropriate, and, although the piece has not received the
finishing touches and animating strokes from the hand of the master,
yet, not unlike a beautiful woman, who, though in her dishabille or
half-dressed, is always sure to please, this performance gathers every
day before itself a crowd of smiling and admiring spectators. When
completed, it will be one of the best coloured pictures of the Artist,
and we heard it whispered in the room, that it will be honoured with
a place:in the valuable collection of the PRINCE REGENT.

M„• The abundance of other important matters, have compelled us
to po.tpone, till next Sunday, our observations upon the Exutat nos
01 THE ROYAL ACADEMY at Somerset House.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE.

A NEW TRANSLATION OF OVID'S METAMORPHOSES.

BY THOMAS ORGER.

Genies, like its Divine author, is considered a creative power, acting
however on created materials, but giving them a new existence, by the
skilfulness of its arrangement. Originality has therefore always been
deemed one of its chief characteristics. This opinion is widely spread.
It is entertained, not only, by the contemporaries and admirers of men
of genius, but by themselves, and too often influences their conduct.
Unwilling to resign what they conceive to be their birth-right and
mental charter, they exert all their abilities on subjects of their own
and generally disdain the humbler, though useful employment of tran-
scribing the thoughts and beauties of elevated minds from the legends
of antiquity. To this disposition on their part, encouraged by the gene-
ral opinion of mankind, may be attributed the dearth of excellent tran-
slations from all deserving ancient poets. Pope has indeed clothed the
sublimity of Homer in English melody. Rowe has displayed the strength
and softened the turgidity of Lucan in his version, and Dryden has
j ably and sometimes beautifully rendered the expressive elegance of
IVirgil's poeti y. But-with the exception of this great triumvirate, we
find but few other super-eminent names on the fist of British transla-
tors. Indeed it is the same in every country, and Delille excepted,
France cannot point out any of her first-rate authors, whose powers
were displayed on that branch of literature. This, however, may hate
been an act of policy on their part: as they plunder largely both from
the ancients and moderns they may have abstained from translating
through fear of proving their own betrayers.
Not perhaps quite exempt from the prejudice which we have de-
scribed, we opened Mr. Orger's new translation of Ovid, in the exPec"
tation of finding it the production of a mind of the second or third class ;
that had judgment enough to feel its own weakness and not attempt at
originality, and wisely tuok the crutch of imitation to assist its progress
up the Parnassian hill. We soon found, however, that we were nus-
tak,m. The elegance of the language, and the fidelity with which, not
the words or particular phrase alone, but the intention and spirit of the
author are rendered, convinced us that the abilities of the trDnsla.tor
were not of a second:try nature. Translation is not, as it is generally
II supposed, the mere work of knowledge and of judgment. In order to be
well executed, it requires a power of invention, which, it is true, 15 nut

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