The Sun.
London, England, 1818-05-28 00:00:00

LITERAR Y REVIEW.

ir he SATIRES of DECIMUS -JUNIUS JUVENALIS, and of
AULUS PERSIUS ELACCUS.—Translated into English
Verse, by Witt.tAm GirroaD, Esq. With Notes and Il-
lustrations.—Printed for G. and W. Nicol) Cadell and
Davies, and R. H. Svans.

The Translation of JuvENAL has been some
time- before ti,e. Public. IVe shall therefore say
noth'rng,,of that whirl! has already-received the
high' degree of approbation to which its merits so
eminently entitle it. Of the appended Iransla-
tint; it might be 'enough to remark,_that it is wor'-
thy of its as•ociate, and that PERSIUS now, AV
in JUVENAL belOfe, Mr. GIFFORD, by a deep medi-
tation of. his Author, seems to have infused the
very soul of that Author into himself; it might-
he enough to say, that readers in general will
find each Satire a beautiful Poem in itself ; anti'
that classical readers, in particular, will have the
additional delight of tracing that happy coinci-
dence between the original and its tr,inslation—
the .difficulty of effecting which in the pres-ent
case, they, and they only, will be able to estimate.
Nit (pitting generalities, which, however much
they. may imFose upon shallow minds, seldom
lead to, any detenduate conclusion, we shall
Dow proceed to a nt,re particular investigation of
its merits : first, however, expressing our regret,
that the many other claims upon our space will
not pet mit us to enlarge so much upon its heart-
ties as our very high sense of -them would other-
wise prompt us to do.

The Translation is prefaced by an introdubtory
Essay, in-which the Author, after taking a liberal
-view of all the preceding- Translations, and ex-
plaining his motives for adding another to the
number, proceeds to tell
_us all that is known Of
the lite and.education,of Peßsrus, .and by an in-
genius comparison • 4 Ins biographical facts with
the sentiments and hints conveyed in the Satires,
he confirms his biography, and throws much light
upon pas'sages which had before been, considered
as obscure. It is generally the custom to pass
-over prefaces and introductions; let "sis caution
the reader against this in the present instance ;
as he Kill find his relish of the Poems materially
heightened by this interesting preparative.
The proldgue; which is a sprightly, though not
very consistent prelude to the Smit es, is translated.
with all the s,.irit of the original. The first Sa-
tire will be read with great interest, as it exhibits
a literal tianslation of that which Mr. GIFFORD
bad before so successfully imitated. The Baviad
has long hern considered as the finest Satire in
the English language ; its merits 'indeed were
known by its effects, as it gave instantaneous
death-blow to the mawkish. bombast of the Della
Cruscari school. Yet of the translation of this
flist,Satire we cannot say more, and we ought
vot,to say less, than. that it slreug Mr. GIFFoaD
is equally great both as a literal and imitative
translator. The second Satire, *lnch arraigns the
folly and impiety of addressing to the Gods prayers
which are not even fit for the ears of man, and
of considering pure and immortal beings as under
the influence of" passions Ike our own, is trans-
lated with great closeness and- spirit. We 'sub-
join the final lines which tl:ncribe a Heathen's
opinion of what would he the most acceptable
sacrifice to hi; God,- and we do it the more
because, though there rnay he touch for a
Christian to add, theme is little or nothing for lihn
to blame :

• No—let me bring the Immortals., what the race
Of great SlessaLq, now deprav'd and base,
On their huge charger, cannot ;—bring a mind,
Where legal and where moral sense are join'd
With the pure essence ; holy thoughts that dwell
In the Soul's most retired and sacred cell; •
A bosom dyed in honor's noblest grain,
Deep dyed ;—with these lei me approach the fans,
And Heaven will hear the humble prayer I make,
Though, all my offering be a barley cake.

, The third Satire attempts to excite a horror of
the vices'and follies of the rich, by a terrible
picture.of :heir consequences, contrasted with the
beneficial effects of an adherence to the practice
and precepts of philosophy. As a fair specimen
of the translation of this Satire, we shall give his
lines on the horrors of remorse :

Dread Sire of Gods! Wben bust's envenoned stings

Stir the tierce natures of tyrannic Kings;
When storms of rage within their boimns
And call, in thunder, for thy just control,
0 then relax the bolt, suspend the blow,
And thus, and thus alone, thy vengeance show,
• In-all her charms, set virtue in their'eye,

And let them see their loss, despair, andHdie,
Say could the wretch severer tortnrea feel,
Clus'd in the brazen bull I could the bright steel,
That while the board with regal pump was spread,
Gleam'd o'sr the guest suspended by a thread, -
Worse pangs inflict, than he endures, who cries,
(As on'the rack of conscious guilt he lies
In mental agony) " alas ! I fait,

Down, down the unfathont'd steep, without recall !"
And withers at the heart,-and dares not show

busoni wife the secret of his woe!

The fourth Satire, which many of our noble
and gentle politicians mi ht read to great advan-
tage, it is hoped, would diminish their overween-
ing confidence in their own knowledge of the art
of government, and their too great relish of
rabble applanse. We give them Mr. GIFFORD'S
Closing Imes, which each may apply to himself :
Then, wretch, in vain the voice of praise ypu,hear,
And drink the vulgar shout with greedy ear.

Hence with your spurious daims! rejudge your cause,
And fling the rabble bach•their vile applause

To your own breast in quest of worth repair,

And blush to find how poor a stock is there!

The fifth Satire is occupied in the expression of
the Poet's gratitude to his. Preceptor., CORNUTUS,
followed by an exposition of the. stoical maxim,
w
that no man can be called free who is Tinder the
dominion of his pasSions, illustrated in the cases
of avarice,. luxury, love, ambition, and soper-
stition. We could . wish to have given all the
very beautiful address to CORNUTUS, had it
come within the proper limits ; rather, however,
Chau mutilate it by quoting it in part, we shall

take in preference tie struggles of an inainoratoi,
anxious, but unable, to -tear himself froth his

mistress:

" Yes, I am fixed; to Love a long adieu!_,
- Nay, stnile.not, Darts, you will find it true."
So, while his nails, gtiawn to the quick, yet bled,
The sage CrtmnesranTus, deep musing, said—
" Shall f my virtuous ancestry defame,
ConsuMe my fortune, and disgrace my name,
While, at a harlot's wanton threshold laid,
Darkling, I whine my drunlien serenade !"

'fis nobly spolienl. let a hin, he hronght
To the twin powers that this deliverance wrought.

" But—if I quit her, will she not complain ?
Will she not grieve?, good awns-think again."

Fond trifler ! you will find her " grief " too late,
When the red slipper rattles round your pate,
Vindictive of the mad attempt to foil
Her potent spell, and all-involving toil.
Disniiss'd, you storm and hi-aster: hark ! she call!,
And, at the word, your boasted manhood
Mark, DAVUS; of her own accord she sues
Mark, she iiivites me! can I now refuse ?

• Upon the -sixth Satire Mr. GIFFORD seems to
have dwelt con amore; at least we Can fancy it
displays x higher polish than any of the -preeeding
five : slight. coincidences.- act powerfully upon the.
PERSIL/ s, when he- Wrote that Satire,' was
inhaling the sea breezes at the port of Luna for
his health's GIFFoiID; when lie trans-
lated it, had retired to the isle of Wight for the
same purpose ;. and it-is not improbable, that to
this circumstance we may owe the translation of
PERSIUS—if so, provided Mr. GIFFORD be now
well; we could almost rejoice that he was +once
ill. Having thus taken vs rapid glance at the
whole translation, we shall oily add, that if it
have a fault, it is, in_our opinion, that of diffusive-
ness. It never fails to convey the-foll meaning of
the Author, but perhaps in some cases it might
have done it in. fewer words. It is rare that ideas
are introduced 'which are not to be found in the
original—and-when they are, they always add to.
the beauty of the passage: I'ERSIUs is often oh-
mic!, Mr. GIFFORD is always-.-clear ; and hence
:slime caustic critic may.' take it into.his head to
say that Mr. GIFFO-RD has not given good like-
ness of Peasufs,—if any one should so say, we beg
leave to, teMind him of what Mr.-AnDISON said
of Milton's Paradise Lost, when its title to class
with heroic Poems was disputed, " if it be nit
an heroic Poem," said he, " at least it is a Divine
one—so we would say of Mr. GIFFORD'S Traw la-
" If it be not PEnstus himself, it is Peasttis
Improved." .

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

COURT OF CHANCERY, MAY 27. ,

OPERA HOUSE.-.WATERS AND TAYLOR.

'This was a- Bill of Excep'tons taken by Mr.
Taylor to various parts df the Master's Report.—
The first exception related to a claim of. Mr.
Harris. the Patentee of Covent Garden Theatre,
for 5000/., or an annuity et 2501. in considera-
tion of his baying vested with the trustees of the
Opera House a certain patent, called Killegrew's
Dormant Patent, whereby those trustees were se-
cored against any loss or danger which they might
incur in the event of a rival Theatre or Opera
House being opened under the authority of the
said patent; It was; by Mr. Taylor, objected to
that claim,• that the conditions of the agreement
het %veen Mr. Harris and the trustees for the Opera
House, had never been duly.executed on the part
tl►e: lot mer—the full right and, property in
Killegrew's patent in fact not belonging to Mr.
Harris, who owned only a certain liortion of the
property, namely, 46 sixtieths, while the remain-
ing_l4'sixtieths belonged to Mr. Martindale, in
tight of his wife, the daughter of Mr. Powell,
formerly one of the proprietors of Covent Garden
Theatre., deceased. It was argued on the other
side, that though the performance of the contract
by Mr. Harris had not been in strict conformity
.to legal forms, it was virtually and substantially
fulfilled, and no complaint or apprehension to the
contrary had ever since, till now, been expressed
by Mr. Taylor, who had been himself a party to
the agreement by which the patent of Killegre%v
had been transferred- by Mr. Harris to the Drury_
Lane Company conjointly with the trustees of the
Opera House.

The VICE-CHANCELLOR observed, that the Re-
port of the Master was very unsatisfactory in re-
latiOn to the facts that had been disclosed, for no.-
thing'could be more clear than that the terms of
the contract had not been legally fulfilled by Mr.
H., and the silence or acquiescence of Mr. Taylor
did by no means alter or unsettle that fact. He
should, therefore, refer that point to the Master
for re-consideration, with liberty for the pro-
duction of any fresh evideneer hat might be neces-
sary. The second exception related to an annuity
of two hundred pounds, with which the Opera►
House estate had been charged' in behalf of Ito•
bert Bray O'Reilly, 'Esq. a claimant, who was
said to have died in Pai.is, and which annuity had
long been enjoyed by Honoria O'Reilly, the ad-
wini&tratigig sister of the late annuitant, though
strong doubts were said to exist as to the time of
Mr. O'Reilly's death, which had no.anthentie ve-
rification, but rested only on tire vague testimony
or statement, not op) -oath, of two persons in
France, who said no more, or could say no more,
than that a person named O'Reilly, and from Ire-
land, had died there at the time mentioned, and
at the place described.

The VIOE-CHANCELLOR was of opinion, that
though the
_testimony as to the death of Mr.
O'Reilly was not conformable to the legal forms
in this country, yet if it was sanctioned by the
Government of the country in which _it took place,
it was admissible presumptive evidence; and, in-
deed, it Was not verplissimilar to the parochial
practice in this country. His Honour directed
that the exception should go to the Alaster, who
would institute an inquiry as to what the consi-
deration was that had been paid by Mr. Waters ;‘,
and.further, that Mr. Waters should be examined
on the occasion.

The third exception related to an implied ob-
ligation nti the pint of Mr. Taylor, to make,good
ati engagement -velticb had been entered into by
(he late Mr. (look!, ,to pay a considerable sum of

'nu.. QUEEN. -
The followitq iitilletiq.was.issned this morning
respecting Her MAJESTY'S Health :
, " Ruce'n's Palace, May 29, 181£3,
" The QUEEN continues better._

" FRANCIS NIILNIAN,
" HENRY HALFORD."

We received this, morning the Paris Papers of
Monday last. They contain long detail's of the
ceremonies of the soleinnity of the e Dieu on the
preceding day.,—The following are Extracts-:
" Pains, • MAY 25.—We learn front Boorges,
and also from Clermont, that the proceedings of
the Missionaries have had the happiest effects.
" The departure of the Duchess d'Angouleme
for Vichy is fixed for the Ist of June.
" Vistcria,, MAY I4.—The Count tie Wrbna,
who has arrived here fiom Rio Janeiro, was not
only completely plundered ,by the Pirates, but
escapefl with his life withn:ncli difficulty, he

• -
having been tiit-eatetied to be pit to death
with all the Crew. All the dispatches were thrico,
into the sea, and- all -the valuable st°oot
amongst which Were presents to a great 6nc
for the Imperial Comit. - the
c‘ HANIBURGO, :IX—Letters -,froul btt
4 en
.No 4 state, that -ti k
appointed the Count rle Sandell Viceroy thlot
way, ia the room of Field Marshal the Colin
Aioerner, who has requested to be recalled' of
LAUSANI4E, MAY 19.—1 n, consequeneeto
the falling of a considerable 1)46" :f
tie
vast 6lacitr of thedroz, the to'ur'se of
.1
river Dratice has been completely Pbstll,ll•co
and the water has formed a lake which "-101,
14th ltist. was 7,200 feet ift length, 360 l" 6rea-(iof
and 180 in depth. This lake is daily l'lcre,Besec:
magnittute, and it threatens all the a(ll3b-e,
country with destruction. Pi ecantion—s
adopted in drdet-, as far as possible, to 011%

impending calaniity.
19" u eV°
" FRANKFORT, MAY 18.—The reigning' liesi
of Saxe Ildill)nrghatisen (sister of the P''t,erg
of Comberland) Pi incess by birth of 111ecljelii.0
Strelitz, died at. Ilildburghausen, 00 the

inst., aged 48.
" BERLIN, MAY G.—The Count de W'l.- o 014
Austrian Lieutenant Field Marshal, los ? r
rset
for Vienna, after having- had several co"'e.re„'ll,•'
t+
with the Prince de Hardenberg, and also'''ibi-:ste
King. His Mission related to the Milital -oer
blishrnent of tbe Germanic Confederation, rfsto
ing which the Courts of Vienna and Ber" ‘c°'.
vote in unison at the Diet." •

, .
ri;;l7
Let the factious Croakers and frothy Pe') Oi
against c-overnment read the account of "11:t e
v Ih
said last night i;t the Houseof Conun if
ol's
CHANCELLOR cf. the EXCIIII.QUEF, tol4 (Mir
_they are not dead to shame-, 'cease tr)
-complaints akainst as provident an t10;11.':1;1.1.
Lion, altogether, as this Country ever"lw°e'stei
The Honourable Gentleman not ,0111 Y reelts'
the gratifying assurance which we tneilci'l'-p diits/
ter day, as to the non-intention to-raise a I)°°°, :10
year, thougit -in case of contingencies, be
not pledge himself, but added,.that the ge' ;of
was now in so prosperous a state that it vnosl!l'
proving every week to the amount of 10°'°° their
Let the Elective body look to this, anti give
support to those who have, suppottea

uptight; and prudent Adt»inistration.

COf..IRT OF KING's BENCH, MAY g3'
JUDGM E NT.
,
ARTHUR THISTLE W OOD was this CP; r
pforjoidgment, in consequence of havi'L' Occt
gel
challenge to Lord SIDIMOUTFI,Of Ile ,rtY
ton rid guilty. The Court sentenced him t° 61,3
Months' Imprisonment in florshant Gaol' tj,ol7e,'
Securities for his good behaviour for otlierl
liriniselt in three hundred pound 3, and V+.°

in one Hundred each.
--npeii.--_ t kiltollo
TIM PRINCE REGENT'd COURT.---"VeS-ei 1)('-1(1
PRINCE REGENT held a Court at Coltt:;1:ets.;01

f •

%which was attended by the Cabinet Min" boP`l.tl
Great Officers of State • the Recorder d,
was introduced to n►ake aRe mrt In,' c+►P
ill'
cOnvicts. The Regent then helid a Prryti-`151;,,,
atter which Captain M. Maxwell, It '.ttrtece.,
traduced, upon lii return from India,
,A't►ce
ed the honour• of Knighthood. The erit:cos,sei,:i
gave audiences to the Landgtave of Ile's' ,1
the Dukes of Clarence and 'ltl",(we';
count Sidmout h.—Just er the Coot I)`;'' -I
o°,
the Doke and Duchess of Cambridge
visit to the Regent ; they
were most r'h,
received by his it,,ydi Higligess • the 111, 1101
Duchess continued thei► visit about ltslf 3 3

I glee,
DR. jRNNRR.—Ir i$ with no `'`` to
t, '1
pleasure, a pleasure in which evet;friell'illeg,
inanity must participate, we int„t„, Or '0 •
that the Dr. .11.ENNb.a, who was‘derendgit,r,' 11011
law ease stated in our Paper of 110""'`,' very
rtkt he Dr. JENNER who, by his diSC-etor
VACCINATION, has been so great a beoel,4
mankind in the present and all foture eile:baPt
Ch; istiou tiatne of the litter is Edward' td

mat distinction of the other is Henry, „t
_ r
'Duchess of CUllniftLAND reCeiC"R;(lO
The;
from yesterday fro the rttl'S'c 0135
the
01 CAZIIE.EIIiGE,,;jIe LAll(lgruce of
CASSEL, and several of the NobtlitY• fief
MARIZIAG'E IN LIFE: h
vester(43; by l',
;loon w:ere married by s lieelice%4 woe'
r,ishop of LONDON, at the spacial
trel:
of LANSDOO. NE's 11011SsV il)
Count LII/CI, to AIiSS fr;VIAntA (311:1'•Asp's".
ships fourth daughter.; Tia, Bride so)! sr.if"
away by the Marquis of A NGLESSA, "5 Pitild
Irk Royal lli-gliness the Dike of Cti„l4rl 'l;j'
The Bride. Maids wet•t': Lady JANE. 1- A -
il o liss M. SHERIDAN. Atnng t"
ersooßges present at the Cet< moils/ `ce
,1
;()
Earl of Lauderdale, the Earl titW est" }i.l' 111.1
the Earl of kVinchelsea, the C001i1e,59; .11
bane, Miss Finch, and Mr and 191.6,
happy couple, after par o takin 'with il'e;
of an collation,elegant - set off on 3 "
fOffishire. •
Pay M lIARVEST COMENCED.--"Vir; :110.4411/16
landlord of the II:dt-Nloon Inn,' al
Cult, on 1 bursday last, a itie,illow of Si%
,crop which is estimated to be froul,a?este 'l
halt to t‘Ao tons per acre ; ;mil sliotrl"'•,l,Alel'-',ll
titer bold fine a few j• , •It 1, ye
( aye, be ow at.
rick of bay of extraoptioar) .ittality.jo"
at 1144 early period, •

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