Printed, for the Proprietors, at the Anti-Jacobin Prefs, No. 3, Southampton-Street, Strand, AND PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-JACOBIN OFFICE, NO. 3, SOUTHAMPTON-STREET, STRAND, The Georgics of Virgil. Translated by William Sotheby, Efq. F.R.S. and A. S. S. London, Wright. 1800.* IRGIL, in his Georgics, has difplayed, in a fupreme degree, VIRGIL With those powers in which he most excelled; we mean tafte, judgment, and the graces of ftyle. Having made choice of a fubject which demanded every embellishment that could be given to raife it above its natural level, and to please, he put forth all his ftrength anguftis addere rebus honorem," and has fucceeded in giving to the world a poem which, in its kind, will ever ftand unrivalled. what art does he blend the preceptive part with his beautiful epifodes! How admirably conceal what is mean by the fplendour of his diction! Viewing his pictures of inanimate nature, inftead of feeling languor and fatiety, he roufes, delights, and furprizes us, by giving life and motion to the whole. His plants and trees fpeak to us; his bees, while they charm, inftruct us; and, in his hands, the dull clod becomes a fource of entertainment. Were this the place, much more might be faid on the fubject; but we have faid enough to convince our readers that the tranflation of fuch a poem must be a truly arduous task. To give dignity in our own language to a subject where terms must be employed which are confidered as mean, is a work of no fmall difficulty. This difficulty has not deterred Mr. Sotheby * Accidents infeparable from the nature of our publication have prevented us from fooner noticing this work. B NO. LI. VOL. XIII. he |