fects of the republican system of Greece and Rome, for which he had adopted a strong partiality, natural to an enthusiastic admirer of the orators and poets of those celebrated nations; and to examine their jurifprudence by a standard of comparison, which impreffed his mind with a decided reverence for the inftitutions of his own country. He was not, however, regardless of the deviations in practice from the theoretical perfection of the conftitution in the contefted election, of which he was an unwilling fpectator.

From Althorp he removed, in the spring of 1768, to Wimbledon, where he received a propofal from Mr. Sutton, then UnderSecretary to the Duke of Grafton, the account of which I fhall relate nearly in his own words*.

The King of Denmark, then upon a visit to this country, had brought with him an eastern manuscript, containing the life of Na

* Introduction to the History of the Life of Nadir Shah. Works, vol. xii. p. 311.

dir Shah, which he was defirous of having tranflated in England. The Secretary of

State with whom the Danish minister had converfed upon the subject, fent the volume to Mr. Jones, requesting him to give a literal tranflation of it in the French language; but he wholly declined the task, alleging for his excufe, the dryness of the subject, the difficulty of the style, and chiefly his want both of leisure and ability, to enter upon an undertaking fo fruitless and laborious. He mentioned, however, a gentleman, with whom he was not then acquainted, but who had diftinguished himself by the translation of a Perfian hiftory, and fome popular tales from the Perfic, as capable of gratifying the wishes of his Danish Majefty. Major Dow, the writer alluded to, excufed himself on account of his numerous engagements, and the application to Mr. Jones was renewed. It was hinted, that his compliance would be of no small advantage to him, at his entrance into life; that it would procure him fome mark of distinction, which would be pleafing

to him; and, above all, that it would be a reflection upon this country, if the king should be obliged to carry the manuscript into France. Incited by these motives, and principally the laft, unwilling to be thought churlish or morofe, and eager for reputation, he undertook the work, and fent a specimen of it to his Danish Majesty, who returned his approbation of the style and method, but defired that the whole translation might be perfectly literal, and the oriental images accurately preserved. The task would have been far easier to him, if he had been directed to finish it in Latin; for the acquifition of a French style was infinitely more tedious, and it was neceffary to have every chapter corrected, by a native of France, before it could be offered to the difcerning eye of the public, fince in every language there are certain peculiarities of idiom, and nice fhades of meaning, which a foreigner can never attain to perfection. The work, however arduous and unpleafant, was completed in a year, not without repeated hints from the Secretary's

office, that it was expected with great impatience by the Court of Denmark.

The

translation was not, however, published until 1770. Forty copies upon large paper were sent to Copenhagen; one of them bound with uncommon elegance, for the king himfelf; and the others, as presents to his courtiers.

Such were the circumftances which induced him, (as he modeftly obferved,) against his inclinations, to defcribe the life of a conqueror; and to appear in public as an author, before a maturity of judgment had made him see the danger of the step. If, (to quote his own words) he had reflected on the little folid glory which a man reaps from acquiring a name in literature, on the jealoufy and envy which attend fuch an acquifition, on the diftant reserve which a writer is fure to meet with from the generality of mankind, and on the obstruction which a contemplative habit gives to our hopes of being distinguished in active life; if all, or any of these reflections had occurred to him, he would not

have been tempted by any confideration to enter upon fo invidious and thankless a career: but, as Tully fays, he would have confidered, before he embarked, the nature and extent of his voyage; now, fince the fails are Spread, the veel must take its courfe.

What marks of distinction he received, or what fruits he reaped from his labours, he thought it would ill become him to mention at the head of a work, in which he profeffed to be the hiftorian of others, and not of himfelf: but, to repel the false affertions which appeared in an advertisement on this subject in the public papers, containing a moft unjust reflection on the King of Denmark, he confidered it a duty impofed upon him, by the laws of juftice and gratitude, to print, at the beginning of his tranflation, the honourable teftimony of regard which his Majefty Chriftian VII. fent publicly to London, a few months after the receipt of the work, together with the letter of thanks which he returned for so signal a token of his favour *.

* See Works, vol. xi. Preface.