The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-09-18
Putarch Came From Boeota ''the Brooklyn of Greece

anecdotes introduced after Plutarch 3
own charming fashion.
The twentieth century can likewise
boast its Plutarch-a new version pro-
duced by a scholar of the first rank,
Professor Bernadotte Perrin. formerly
OF Yale. In his introduction Professor
Perrin pays Clough's edition the
tribute of calling it probably the best
extant English version of all the
Lives" This compliment will no
longer be applicable to Clough when
Professor PERKINS, own translation has
been completed. Many of Clough's
renderings sound cramped and stilted
when compared with Professor Per-
rims, which are characterized by the
facility In sentence structure and the
felicity in choice of words that
work of this kind demands. Aside
from one slip noted In the life of
Alcibiades (vol. ", p. 25)-"but he"
for "but him'-this new translator
seems unassailable in his accomplish
ment of a difficult task. He does not
hesitate to split up Plutarch's long.
awkward sentences, thus gaining
clearness and reliability, although
never sacrificing accuracy. Professor
PERKINS, is the art that conceals art
No one reading his fluent rhythmic
periods would dream that Plutarchs
own style was cumbersome and un-
wieldy.
| Only in its introduction is Professor
PERKINS, work less excellent than
| Coughs, and this is probably due not
to any shortcoming on his own part
but to the general policy governing
the making of the Loeb Classical Ii
| brary, which is mainly characterized
by Introductory remarks OF unsatisfac-
tory brevity. To one point in the
introduction exception may be def
nitely taken. This is the assigning
of the Dryden version of 1853 TO
| Queen Anne's time" when as mat
ter of fact this monarch's reign did not
begin until almost twenty years later.
The notes. though concise like the
| Introduction, are very valuable In
addition to some textual and epexegeti-
cal remarks. they consist for the most
part of cross references to Plutarch
and Of citations Of parallel passages
In other authorities, such as Thucy-
dides. Aristotle, Pausanias. Livy. Taci-
tus, and Suetonius.
1t is to be hoped that the final vol
ume will contain a general index with
references to specific sections, to sup
plement the partial dictionary Of
proper names found in each volume.
The entire work is TO consist of
eleven volumes (although volumes IT..
III, and Nv say ten). Ten OF these
have already been issued, the first IN
1914 and the tenth a few days ago. In
these the biographies are arranged
according to the chronological Sc
qucnce OF the Greek lives. while for
convenience Of reference a list OF the
lives in the traditional order is APP
pended lin all save the first volume).
The convenience OF the Loeb ar
rangement. with the original on one
side and the translation on the other.
is too familiar and too unquestioned
to need comment here. Probably this
excellent enterprise has done more
| than any other to poptilarize the
often lamentably neglected classics
that serve as basis for our own lit
erature and civilization Plutarch Is
not known and loved In this century
as he has been In preceding centuries
and as he ought to he. Let MS hope
that Professor PERKINS, admirable in
| depreciation Of him may serve to
bring this kindly. wise old portrait
painter once more into his own. and
may enable us to appreciate the spirit
which prompted the sixth century
epigram Of Agathias thus rendered by
! Dryden:
Chaeronean Plutarch 10 thy deathless
praise
Does martial Rome this grateful statue
raise.
Because both Greece and she thy fame
have shared
tTheir heroes written and their lives
compared)
But thou myself couldst never write thy
own
Their lives have parallels. but thine nas
none.
Il. ADELAIDE HAHN.