New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-03
FREE ACADEMY EXAMIN1TION.

The semi annual examination of the Fres Academy
commenced on Monday. The character and perfection
Of the culture which is required at this institution may
be guessed from the following translaons executed BY
the four senior students who lead the merit roll These
traDslaons will show their familiarity with the Greek,
their facility in English composition the use which
they make of their Igc, the terseness of expression
which is deyved from training in the higher mathe
matcs and will give some idea of their general faml-
iary with the history which has been their study for
the year past The examination in writing comprised
the translation of fy-seven lines from Thucydides of
which we give more than threequarters, and answers
to five questions on Greek history. Two bours and a
half was the time allowed for preparing the exercises.
TRANsLATIoNs FROM THUCYDIDEs.
Byho Bea StudeRtm the Ac0demy.-T especially
makes evident to me the weakness OF former times;
for before the Trojan War Greece appears to have
done nothing in common nor, as it seems to me, up to
to this time had all the Same name but in the times
before HELEN the Son OF ucaloD, this name did not
exist at all, but among the several tribes, espec
ally the Pela.9ian they took the name from them
selves, And the Sons OF HELEN becoming powerful in
PhtiOtis, and men iDvsig them for aid into their
cities they called Hellenes rather account of
their inter course with one another, nor was this
fname) able to prevail among all for a long time
Homer especially Proves this for though born long
time after the Trojan war; nowhere has he called them
by this name, nor any OF them, except those with
Achilles from Phthotis, who were the original
Hclenes, but in his poems ne calls them Danai Ar
gives and Achaians.-Book |, Chap. 3, Sect. l-3.
BIZ the Second Best StudCHt.-And the reason was
! OF so much the want of the want of riches
For through the want Of sustensnce, they led their
army smaller and such they hoped would subSist
from the country itself while waging war, when hav
ing they prevailed in battle; and this ls evident,
for they would not have built the forfcaon for the
camp and they appear not to have used all their force
there but TO have turned to the tiage Of the Cher
sOnnese and to piracy through want Of sustenance
| Through which the Trojans the rather they being
scattered held out by force these ten years, being
| equal TO those from time to time left behind
| By The Ihird-BeSt StudcnL-But if they had come
TO the Expedition having food enough for subsistence
anu without the necessity of cultvating the earth
anu ioraSlng and had carried the without in
terruphon quickly conquering in battle they would
nave taken II but they not united; but con-
tehueu part Delng present from time to time. Ii
they had sat down to the siege in less time and with
| less dinlcuIty they would have taken Troy But on
this weak and this the greatest of tbo.e heor
appears IN fact TO have been less than it is reported
by fame and than the report even now made cnrrepi
| by the poets concerning it.-Chap ii.
| BIZ he F0urth-Best Student IN the cio,s.-Such T
find TO have been the ancient affairs being difficult 10
be believed from want of certain proof For men re-
ceiye the accounts of those things done before them
| annie the mass Of the Athenians think that Hip.
| narchus being tyrant was slain by Armodus and
hrtogetop and they do not know that Iippias being
ibe elder ruled over the OF Pesisratus, aud that
| Uipparchus and Thessalus were his brothers. Ar
| modus and Aristogeiton expecting something that
dny and that very time, Information being given "a
Uippas by some of their accompllees a6stalned from
attacking him as being forewarned and wishing to g
1 into danger having done something meeting ltiP
| parChus iorning the Panahan(k game casicd Dee