New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-24

OF the translator, a UNITY IN WHICH E"VF'"'
ciriiis0tioa is met and recognised.
In describing the Society of the Jesiits In the
eighteenth century, VI. Cousin speaks OF 1t as tie
last champion Of the middle age tla derliero
m;l;ce du moyen agel. which the translator, mislsd
by the igurative use of the word miIice renders
the " last military order Of the middle age. Inc
same Use of the term milice" occurs IN the nnth
| Lecture. which the translator lodges by circum-
locutory phrase. Milice, every tyro IN French
| L,oxs or ourht to know means militia, but VINO
beside this translator ever used the word for "ml-
itary order"l OF the same Society Cousin says
"Only powerless phantom of it can any more
return. which would disappear at the first decided
sign of the new cylisation," I'll en peut plus reve-
mir qu' un fant6mc impuissant qui dlsparaitfai' d"
premier sgne un peu severe de la civilsation hou-
yelle Both sense and grammar are lost IN 'he
translation "There can no longer return o"'y
noweriess phantom of it, which disappears at the
first somewhat severe sign of the new cIvIlisation.
The translator stumbles into another grannati-
ca1 error before he has advanced three pages.
&C. The interest in, as well the alteration OF
beauty of form, belong to Paganisln."
Amore hopeless blunder still meets the indulgent
eve of the critic few lines below. NJ. Cousin,
discussing the decline of Art in the eighteenth
century, remarks that " Boucher and Wander Wen
prostitute it to the scenes of the boudoir and
the honest Greuze confines himself to genre paint
ing" Qh0nnete Greuze retranche dams la
peinture du genre.") This is translated, with
what dim presage of meaning we cannot divine,
4" the honest Greuze cuts himself loose from the
reigniag mode! :!
These beauties are all displayed in single lee
ture Opening the second volume, we need not
go far In the ninth Lecture, with which it COM
mences, the translator says, speaking of Charlie
magne, "he did not hesitate to ask The Groom which
was already on his head by pontifcal authority"
What sense this is intended to convey, is beyond
our comprehension. The original is clear, Ma
pas nestle redemander la couronne qui etait dela
sur ga tete, arautorte pontifcale." The idea is
evidently that Charlemagne, wishing to bring the
ecclesiastical order to the support of his throne,
did not hesitate to demand of the pontifcal au-
| thorty new grant of the crown which was al
| ready on his head"
"Abelard is sort of beautiful classical spirit is
the translation of the phrase une sorte de bel
| esprit cassique," which means that in an age OF
pedantry and grossness Abelard was IA classical
genius, reproduction, it were, of the refine
ment and elegance Of antiquity.
Saint Thomas Aqunas is said to have greatly
encouraged the translation of the Arabic and
Greek philosophers, and Europe is infinitely IN
| debted to him for all the fraasiations which ne
made Cousin says nothing of the kind. He does
not speak of him as translator at all. But in
consistency with Che first clause of the sentence,
| ILL 10 tbo of Tn IN mr.
the TRANSACTIONS which he caused to be made.
| most essential difference on point of literary his
tory.
| Another bunder few lines below in regard to
the angelic Doctor. st. Thomas Aquinas is repre-
sented by Cousin as being faithful to the philoso-
phic spirit "If he submitted reason to the rule of
faitL, he merer Eiied to recognize the extent and
| legitimate authority of our faculties" ii ne
meconnat amais letendue ct rautorite legitme de
| nos faculties" This the translator turns into
non sequtur, as follows, lie neper misuader-
! stood the extent and legitimate authority of our
| faculties"
| The mind of Duns Scotus ola healthy and
powerful cast" "esprit dune trempe saline ct
forte" which the translator renders, of fine
and durable temper" which phrase, if it has any
genius of this celebrated Doctor
Raymond Luly invented Il kind of dalectic
machine in which all generic ideas (toutes les
idees de genre) were distributed" The translator
turns this technical expression into "aN similar
ideas" though he luckily discovers it's meaning
in the next few pages where it repeatedly recurs'
| giving il the correct translation
In the eleventh Lecture we have several no.
| tceable features but we have room only for one
or two.
| In considering Bacon and Descartes, says
| Cousin, Eve must recognize their unity,-for
they mast hare fear lis doivent en- avoir une)
unity, since they are the founders OF philosophy
| which is one in its spirit" The imperative
doirent is neglected by the translator who thus
loses sight of nice distinction, which in writer
| like Cousin, can never be done with mpunity.
"ln all their works, they Bacon and Descartes)
breathed forth tho feeling of the spirit of their
times, of which they recognize themselves and
conduct themselves as the interpreters, (dont lis
sc reconnaissent ct portent les nterpretcs.)
This is entirely changed in the translation, rhich
they recognise and interpret'
| Dcscartes made the certainty of the existence
| of the world to rest upon the dirine reraciy,"
(a veracite divne) whichis quite another idea from
{" diriae truth !" as generalizcd by the translatsr.
with Spnoza, God the Being in Himself the
Eternal, the Infinite, DESTROYS too completely the
finite, the relative, &C.. (Deu, retre en- sol, ret-
ernel L mfni, &c" which the translator perverts
into God being in itseifthe eternal, the infinite
&c. Again Cousin says, Far from being an
atheist, of which he has been accused, Spnoza has
TO so great degree the sentiment of God, that he
loses the sentiment Of man." "Spinoza telie
| raeaf ie sentiment dc Dieu," &c. But says the