The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-10-21
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.

NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS
TIE Panegyrieus Of Isoeraies, with notes by Z.
C. FELrox, M. App. xvii-l2i; l2 mo-
TAs Agamemnsn Of Aeseihyias, with notes by
the sams-pp. 9-l99; ~ mo.
We are indebted to Prof. FELTON,, through our
esteemed friend Prof. Mills Of Wabash Univer- |
sity, for copies Of the above editions. They are
printed with the usual accuracy and elegance Of
the Cambridge University press; and are Provi-
ed with suitable introductions, containing an ac-
count of the life aad genius of the writer's and
an ample and excellent body OF notes; the
former consisting Of 62. and the latter Of ~
pages.
The Panegyiic is interesting, not only as
specimen Of tho elegant, ornate and highly pol
ished in style, but contains, from the nature OF
the subject, pretty full review Of Greek his
tory, with the comments Of the renowned
author, one of the purest patriots as well as
most elegant writer's that ever lived. The text
followed is that of J. III Bierni, in the Bibliothe-
ca Graeca, the latest and best. The Agamem-
non is well known as one of the subimest pro-
ductons Of the father Of tragedy. The open
ing scene is one Of the most striking in the an
cient or modern drama. The text is that Of
Klausen, the latest editor, whose edition also be-
longs to the admirable series Of the Bibliotheca
Graeca. The difficulties Of Aescihylus are not
few, partly arising from the corrupt state of
the Text, and partly from the obscurity which is
so near akin to sublimi,y in poetry; and some
Of them still bid defiance to all the wonderful
resources Of modern Greek scholarship. The
story Of the Oxford student who was immed-
ately pronounced an excellent Greek scholar.
because he declared that certain chorus of
Aescihylus, which had been assigned him to in
terpret, had no meaning, is a case in point
The student will find none Of these passages
quietly shirked, or slurred over by u Latin ver-
| sion, which reminds one Of Mr.. Sneer's excla-
mation-"I think the interpreter is the harder
| to be understood of the two" All the resources
Of learning labor and genius are fairly brought
to bear upon them, all the learned notes Of But
lerus, Wallanerus, Stanleius, ETC., are rendered
out Of Grabbed Latin and polysyllabc Hoch-
Deutsche into clear, concise and elegant English,
to the unspeakable relief Of the ingenuus pusr,
1 duu WHEN . Ndiut udc u icoSt dtc Bicat
consolation Of knowing he is wise as his
betters. A contemplation Of the difference be-
tween these notes and the Serbonian bog of Dr.
Buffers eight enormous volumes for example,
brings forcibly to our minds the immortal lines
on the Highland roads, which, mutatis mutand-
is. may be very appropriately addressed to the
students Of this edition Of the Agamemnon:
"FIad you seen these roads before they were made,
You would hold up both hands and bless General Wade
| But the Professor is not only learned and
acute scholar, and ingenious expound-r of du-
bious meanings, but genial and accomplished
scholar, man of fine genius and the most Gull
tivated taste. Hence his notes have an aesthet-
ical value of no small importance. Thus, pas
sage of Isocrates is beautifully illustrated by a
parallel, one from Milton, another by splen-
did quotation from Cicero, the magnificent de-
scrption of the lighting Of the signal fires in
| from Walter Scott and Milman, and, if We re-
member rightly, some of his most edifying
comments on the clouds of Aristophanes are
drawn from Mr.. Wackford Squeers and the
unique economy Of Dotheboys Hall. Such
notes are of great value to the class Of students
who make use Of these and such books, for they
exercise the taste and imagination, and convert
the study Of the classics from a heartess drudg-
cry to delight.
The claims Of this work, which he calls "the
great masterpiece of the Grecian Shakespeare
are well stated in the following quotation from
the introducton:-"The Agamemnon is doubt
less one of the greatest of those Attic TRACE
dies of stateliest and most regal argument,
from which the genius of Milton drew some OF
its best inspirations. Its sublimity and pathOs
its solemn and lofty morality, the sense Of JUS
tce, and the reverence for divine things, express
sed in language of overlooking grandeur
throughout the lyrical passages, remind US Of
the poetry of the Hebrew prophets. The mas
terly and terrible conception of the character
Of Clytemnestra, its consistent development
not only in the general outlines, but down to
the minutest particulars, deserves the most
careful study and critical analysis"