bloudie blade in hand, made way where he went, untill with a number that followed him apace to beare him companie, he recovered the gate. Icilius and Numitorius tooke up the bloudleffe corps, and held it aloft to the people, blaming and curfing the wickedneffe of Appius a pitying the unhappie and unfortunate beautie of the damfell: and bewailing the hard exigent and extremitie of the father. The Matrones followed after and cried: Is this the condition and fortune allotted mimo parents for getting and bearing children? Is this the hire and guerdon of chaftitie and virginitie: with other like fpeeches, which in fuch a cafe women in their griefe of mind ufe to utter: whofe forrow as it is more heavie, proceeding from weake and tender hearts, fo it yeeldeth and affordeth more pitifull and lamentable words, as they make their plaints and dolorous mones. But the men, and Icilius above the reft, had no other talk but of the Tribunes authoritie, and the appeale unto the bodie of the people, how they were taken away from them, and of other publike indignities, and common dif. Contentments.” P. 119.

ANONYMOUS TRANSLATOR. 1686.

"Then the Decemvir, having his mind abandoned to luft, faid he could prove, not only by Icilius's railing, and Virginius's violence. whereof the Roman people were his witnefs, but by certain evidence alfo, that there were cabals in the city all night long for railing of fedition. For which reafon he, who knew their defign, came thither attended with men in arms; not to hurt any man, that was quiet, but by his authority to restrain fuch as difturbed the peace of the city; therefore it had been better for them to have been quiet. Go, Lictor! faid he, put by the croud, and make way for the mafter to feize his flave. Affoon as he had fo faid (with a thundring voice, and full of rage) the multitude removed of their own accord, and the deferted maid food there as a prey to injuftice. Then Virginius feeing he had no manner of affiftance by him, faid, I befeech you Appius! first to pardon a father's grief, if I have faid any thing too fevere againft thee: and then, fuffer the nurse, here in the prefence of the maid, to inquire what the matter really is; to the end, that if I am falfly calted her father, I may go hence the better fatisfied. Having obtained leave, he led his daughter and the nurfe near to the temple of Cloacina, by the fhops which are now called the new ones, and then fnatching a knife from a butcher, cryed out, Thus daughter! (fince I can do it no other way) do I vindicate thy liberty: and with that he ftabbed her; looking back toward the Tribunal, and saying, Appius, with this blood I deftine thee to death. Thereupon a great uproar being made at the fight of fuch an horrid act, Appius was moved, and commanded Virginius to be laid hold on; but he with his fword made way whereever he went, till he, and the multitude alfo that followed him, came to the camp. In the mean time Icilius and Numitorious taking up the dead body, fhewed it to the people, deploring Appius's injuftice, the girl's unhappy beauty, and the neceffity of her father's doing what he did whilt the matrons that followed cryed out, was that the confequence of getting children? was that the reward of chastity? With other expoftulations, which in fuch a cafe female forrow, the more it

drouns

drouns their weak reafon, with the greater aggravation fuggefts. But the men, and especially Icilius, were wholly taken up, in exclaiming, that the Tribune's power, and the Appeal to the People were taken away befides other publick abuses." P. 86.

THE TRANSLATION CALLED HAYES'S.

"The decemvir with his mind wholly bent upon gratifying his luft, faid, that he not only gueffed from the invectives which Icilius had thrown out against him the day before, and the infolence of Virginius, whereof the Roman people had been witneffes, but had got certain information, that cabals had been formed in the city all night long, in order to raife a fedition. That, therefore, well apprized of the intended riot, he had brought foldiers along with him: not that he would hurt any quiet perfon, but that, by virtue of his office, he might awe thofe who difturbed the tranquillity of the ftate. Therefore, they had better make no further disturbance. Go lictor,' fays he, ⚫ put afide the crowd, and make way for the mafter to lay hold of his flave.' Having, all in a rage, made this magifterial fpeech, the crowd of their own accord withdrew, and left the virgin, standing alone, a prey to her ravifher. Upon this, Virginius fecing nobody gave any affiftance, faid, I befeech you in the first place, Appius, to impute it to a father's grief, if I have unguardedly thrown out any bitter invectives against you: in the next place, to give me leave to interrogate the nurse, in prefence of the virgin, concerning this matter; that if I am falfely called her father, I may go hence better fatisfied in my mind." Leave being granted him, he led his daughter and her nurse afide, to the booths near the temple of Venus Cloacina, which are now called the new booths; and there, fnatching a knife from a butcher, faid, ⚫ O daughter, by this only method in my power, I fet thee free.' With that, he flabbed her through the heart; and turning to the tribunal, called out, By this blood, Appius, I devote thee and thy head to the infernal Gods.' The decemvir, alarmed by the clamor raifed on this horrible deed, commanded Virginius to be feized; but he, whereever he came, opened himfelf a way with the knife; till, guarded by the crowd which followed, he reached the gates. Icilius and Numitorious took up the dead body, and expofed it to the view of the people, curfing the wickednefs of Appius, and lamenting the fatal beauty of the young woman, and the cruel neceffity her father was under of killing her. The matrons following after, cried out, was it for this, that children were begot? was this the reward of chastity?' And, as the tenderness of women's hearts makes them more fenfibly affected with grief, they faid every thing which the excefs of paffion fuggefts to their minds on fuch doleful occafions. The inen, but efpecially Icilius, exclaimed against the abolishing of the tribunician power, taking away the appeal to the people, and the villainies publicly committed." Vol. i, p. 298.

MR. BAKER'S TRANSLATION.

"The decemvir, whofe mind was warped by his ungovernable luft, declared, that not only from the abufive language of Icilius yefterday, and the violence of Virginius, of which the whole Roman people were witneffes, but alfo from certain proofs, he learned that, had

during the whole night, cabals had been held, for the purpose of ftirring up fedition. Wherefore, being aware of the difputes likely

with a

to enfue, he had come down with a band of men in art of qui

defign of injuring any perfon who fhould demean himself, but of qui erly punishing, in a manner fuited to the majesty of government, fuch as fhould prefume to disturb the tranquillity of the state. It will, therefore (faid he) be your better way to remain quiet. Go, lictor, remove the crowd, and make way for the owner to feize his flave.' When, bursting with paffion, he had thundered out these words, the multitude of themfelves voluntarily feparated, and the maiden stood forfaken, a prey to injuftice. Virginius then, feeing no prospect of affiftance from any quarter, faid, Appius, I entreat you, first, to make allowance for a father's grief, if I have made use of too harsh expreffions towards you; and next, to allow me here, in the prefence of the maiden, to inquire of her nurfe the truth of this affair; that, if I have been falfely called her father, I may depart hence with the more refignation.' Permiffion being granted, he drew the maiden and her nurfe afide, to the fheds near the temple of Cloacina, now called the new fheds, and there, fnatching a knife from a butcher, plunged it into his daughter's breaft, with thefe words: In this manner, my child, the only one in my power, do I fecure your liberty.' Then looking back on Appius, With this blood, Appius, faid he, I devote thee and thine head to perdition.' Appius, alarmed by the cry raised at such a horrid deed, ordered Virginius to be feized. But he, clearing a paffage with the weapon wherever he went, and protected alfo by a multitude of young men who escorted him, made his way to the gate. Icilius and Numitorius raifed up the lifeless body, and expofed it to the view of the people, deploring the villainy of Appius, the fatal beauty of the maiden, and the neceffity which had urged the father. The matrons who followed joined their exclamations: Were these the confequences of rearing children? were these the rewards of chastity? with other mournful reflections, fuch as are fuggefted by grief to women, and which, from the greater fenfibility of their tender minds, are always the moft affecting. The difcourfe of the men, and particularly of Icilius, turned entirely on their being deprived of the protection of tribunes, and appeals to the people, and on the indignities thrown upon the public." Vol. i, p. 295.

Of thefe different translations, we have little fcruple in affirming, that the third is on the whole the neatest, the most exact, and the beft. Mr. Baker is, nevertheless, entitled to confiderable refpect; but he has greater claims for fidelity, than for elegance or tafte. The fpecimen which we have here given, is not altogether correct, and is frequently too diffufive. In the first line,

animo alienato ad libidinem," has a force, and, at the fame time, a fimplicity, which "warped by his ungovernable luft," does not reach. Farther on, "convicium," is better rendered by the tranflator of the third publication," invective," than by Mr. Baker, abufive language." Again," haud infcium

ejus

ejus dimicationes," is feebly rendered by Mr. Baker, a dif putes likely to enfue." In what follows, there muft, we prefume, be a mistake of the prefs; " but of quietly punishing, in a manner fuited to the majesty of government;" befides the error of quietly punishing, Mr. B. feems to have mistaken the meaning of "pro majeftate imperii," which means the dignity of the Decemvir's particular office. The quietly should be fubjoined to "demean himself," which otherwise can only be equivalent to the phrafe we have fometimes heard, from incorrect fpeakers, of to "behave himself," for " to behave well." Not to enter into many more particulars, we fhall only add, that, in the fpeech of Virginius, on holding up the bloody dagger to Appius, Mr. Baker does not seem to be aware of the energetic meaning of the word "confecro." The paffage is, "Te, Appi, tuumque caput fanguine hoc confecro," which Mr. Baker renders, "With this blood, Appius, I devote thee and thine head to perdition." "To perdition,' is not the meaning, it fhould have been, " to the infernal gods." It alludes to the particular ceremony of devoting a perfon; in ufe among the Romans. The form of a voluntary devotement, may be feen in the eighth book of Livy. The title-page to this tranflation promifes notes and illustrations; but there are very few indeed, and few as they are, cannot be deemed of much importance. The tranflator fays, in his preface, that he had intended a much more copious commentary, but found his labour rendered fuperfluous, by Dr. Adam's Roman Antiquities, to which he frequently refers; but furely his plan was changed before he printed his title-page, and he fhould not there have promifed illuftrations which he had fuppreffed. A preface, containing a life and character of Livy, introduces the first volume, which alfo is more fatisfactory, from its information to readers of tranflations, than for its accuracy, or for its elegance in point of ftyle. At p. 6, we meet with this awkward fentence; they ferve to fhew us the greatnefs of our loss, the greatest literary lofs, perhaps, owing to the ravages of time." Again, in the next page," Livy had employed forty-five books in the hiftory of fix centuries; but it took him above double that number," &c. &c. It took him, is a grofs vulgarifm. The following paffage wants perfpicuity: With difficulty can a Venetian and Neapolitan converfe together; that is, the people." We repeat however our opinion, that this tranflation is refpectable; though a revifion and correction of that by which it was immediately preceded, would, on the whole, have been a more judicious undertaking, than that of forming one entirely new; for which, in fact, there was not any occafion.

ART.

ART. V. The Art of prolonging Life, by Chriftopher William Hufeland, M. D. Public Lecturer on Medicine at Jena; tranflated from the German. In Two Volumes. 8vo. Vol. I, Ios. 6d. Bell, Oxford-Street. 274 pp. Vol. II, 331 pp.

1797

THIS author commences his enquiry by examining the dif ferent fpecies of organized beings, with a view of deter-. mining upon what peculiar ftructure of parts the power of protracting life, or producing longevity, depends. This he thinks he has difcovered to confift in a lefs degree of perfection in the organization of the body; a power of regenerating or renewing certain parts, as fnakes, lizards, &c. renew their fkins, birds their feathers and beaks. He fuppofes also, that warm clothing contributes to longevity.

"The more intenfive," he fays, p. 112, the life of a being is, and the lefs its internal confumption; that is to fay, the more imperfect the life of a being is, it will be fo much the more lafting. On the other hand, the tenderer, finer, and more complex the organization, and the more perfect the life is, it will be of fo much the lefs duration. All cold-blooded animals have, in general, a ftronger and longer life than the warm-blooded; or, what amounts to the fame thing, thofe which do not breathe, have in this an advantage over And for what reafon ? Breathing is the fource thofe which breathe. of internal heat, and accelerates confumption. The business of refpiration increases the perfection of a being, but it increases alfo its confumption. A certain covering of the body," he fays, "feems, in a particular manner, to have a great influence on the duration of life. Thus birds, which undoubtedly have the best and most durable covering, live exceedingly long; as do alfo the elephant, the rhinoceros, and the crocodile, which have ftrong skins."

inBut there are many exceptions to thefe rules; fo many, deed, as to give reafon to doubt whether the whole theory may not be founded on error. There is great difference in the duration of life allotted to animals, that feem to agree in poffelfing equal portions of thofe properties, on which this author fuppofes longevity to depend. Animals of a quiet and fluggith difpofition, in whom confumption fhould be proportionably finall, are not longer lived than others that are more quick and lively. The theep and the ox, although lefs active and better clothed, are not fo long-lived as the ftag and the horse. Neither can we difcever, on any of the principles here laid dawn, why the life of the elephant fhould be protracted to fixty, or, as fome writers fay, to an hundred years, while the ox rarely attains his twentieth year. The lion lives to a great

L

BRIT. CRIT, VOL. XI, FEB. 1797.