Never was victory more decisive, never was the liberation of an oppressed people more instantaneous and complete. Throughout Germany the Roman garrisons were assailed and cut off; and within a few days after Varus had fallen the German soil was freed from the foot of an invader. now ordered the troops to be countermarch- dreadful day. The traces of a feeble ated, in the hope of reaching the nearest Ro- tempt at forming a ditch and mound attestman garrison on the Lippe. But retreat now ed in after years the spot where the last of was as impracticable as advance; and the the Romans passed their night of suffering falling back of the Romans only augmented and despair. But on the morrow this remthe courage of their assailants, and caused nant also, worn out with hunger, wounds, fiercer and more frequent charges on the and toil, was charged by the victorious flanks of the disheartened army. The Germans, and either massacred on the spot, Roman officer who commanded the cavalry, or offered up in fearful rites at the altars of Numonius Vala, rode off with his squadrons the terrible deities of the old mythology of in the vain hope of escaping by thus aban- the North. doning his comrades. Unable to keep together, or force their way across the woods and swamps, the horsemen were overpowered in detail and slaughtered to the last man. The Roman infantry still held together and resisted, but more through the instinct of discipline and bravery than from any hope of success or escape. Varus, The Germans did not pursue their victory after being severely wounded in a charge of beyond their own territory. But that victhe Germans against his part of the column, tory secured at once and for ever the indecommitted suicide to avoid falling into the pendence of the Teutonic race. Rome hands of those whom he had so exasperated sent, indeed, her legions again into Gerby his oppression. One of the lieutenant- many, to parade a temporary superiority; generals of the army fell fighting; the other but all hopes of permanent conquests were surrendered to the enemy. But mercy to abandoned by Augustus and his successors. a fallen foe had never been a Roman virtue, The blow which Arminius had struck, never and those among their ranks who now laid was forgotten. Roman fear disguised itself down their arms in hope of quarter, drank under the specious title of moderation: and deep of the cup of suffering which Rome the Rhine became the acknowledged bounhad held to the lips of many a brave but dary of the two nations, until the fifth cenunfortunate enemy. The infuriated Ger- tury of our era, when the Germans became mans slaughtered their oppressors with de- again the assailants, and carved with their liberate ferocity; and those prisoners who conquering swords the provinces of Imperial were not hewn to pieces on the spot, were Rome into the kingdoms of modern Euonly preserved to perish by a more cruel rope. death in cold blood. Blackhouse toll-bar, near Peterhead, on the 21st in end. His name is favorably known to the Scottish tion of his poetic genius, to lament his untimely public as the author of a volume entitled "The Cotter's Sunday, and other Poems," a favorable opinion of which has been passed by some of the leading Scottish and English newspapers. The bulk of the Roman army fought stea- DEATH OF A SCOTTISH BARD.-It is with a deep dily and stubbornly, frequently repelling feeling of regret that we find ourselves called upon the masses of the assailants; but gradually to announce the demise of Peter Still, the deaf bard losing the compactness of their array, and of Buchan. This melancholy event took place at becoming weaker and weaker beneath the stant. Mr. Still was in his 35th year, and has left incessant shower of darts and reiterated as- a widow and six children, besides a large circle saults of the vigorous and unincumbered of devoted friends, attached to him by love of his Germans, at last, in a series of desperate gentle and winning manners, as well as by admiraattacks, the column was pierced through and through, two of the eagles captured, and the Roman host, which on the yester morn had marched forth in such pride and might, now broken up into confused fragments, either fell fighting beneath the overpowering numbers of the enemy, or perished Place the engravings for a few seconds over iodine in the swamps and woods in unavailing vapor. Dip a slip of white paper in a weak solution of starch, and when dry, in a weak solution efforts at flight. Few, very few, ever saw of the oil of vitriol. When dry, lay the slip upon again the left bank of the Rhine. One the engraving, and place them for a few minutes body of brave veterans, arraying themselves under a press. The engraving will thus be reproin a ring on a little mound, beat off every has the property of fixing on the black parts or ink duced in all its delicacy and finish. The iodine charge of the Germans, and prolonged their of the engraving, and not on the white. This imhonorable resistance to the close of that portant discovery is yet in its infancy.-The Builder. TO TRANSFER ENGRAVINGS TO WHITE PAPER.- From the Edinburgh Review. THE GENIUS OF PLATO. 1. The Apology of Socrates; the Crito, and Part of the Phædo. With Notes from Stallbaum, and Schleiermacher's Introductions. 12mo. London, 1840. 2. A Life of Socrates. By Dr. G. WIGGERS. Translated from the German. With Notes. 12mo. London, 1840. 3. A Biographical History of Philosophy. By G. H. LEWES. Series I. Ancient Philosophy. 2 vols. 12mo. London. 4. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Edited by WM. SMITH, LL.D., Editor of the 'Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.' Art. Plato. 5. Initia Philosophie Platonica. P. Van HEUSDE. 8vo. Traj. 1827. MANY of our readers doubtless recollect | him justice; and that little has never been Warburton's criticism on Mallet, that he published in a form likely to command any had written the life of Bacon, and had for- considerable number of purchasers. But gotten that he was a philosopher.' We what has been done, and what may, we almost fear lest some of them should deem conceive, be successfully attempted, will be us chargeable with a similar blunder, in more appropriately stated after we have professedly treating of Plato, and saying so made a few preliminary observations. little of his peculiar system of metaphysics. We are not without hope, however, if they will give us their patient attention, that they or an English Cousin. But, waiting pawill acquit us on this point, and feel disposed to admit that in the particular phases in which we propose to regard him, there is enough, and more than enough, to occupy the limited space of a single article. The scholarship of our age ought to be able to raise up an English Schleiermacher tiently the discharge in full of a demand, which we may be thought to have almost waived by our long indifference, we would thankfully accept of payment in moderate instalments. For some of the mere abstruse Though we have placed certain works at writings of this great author are not very the head of our lucubrations, and shall refer intelligible in the Greek, and are scarcely to them from time to time as we proceed, translatable at all into English; others we need not remind our readers that it is which are intelligible have long ceased to long since reviewers supposed it to be neces- have any interest, except as connected with sary that they should have some book to the history of opinions and the development review. The present article even a little of philosophical systems; and, however imtranscends the ordinary license in that re-portant to the student in metaphysics or the spect; for it is written, not so much to cri- historian of philosophy, will always be more ticize any works that have appeared, as to readily and profitably consulted by such point out one or two desiderata in our lite-men in the original than they can be in any rature; and in the hope that it may haply translation, however excellent. stimulate some competent scholar and enterprising publisher to supply them. It is not any one book which has produced the article; it is the hope that the article may produce a book. But after making large deductions on this ground, there remains no inconsiderable portion which, whether we consider the value of the contents or the rare graces of the style, ought to make all nations, preSo far as we can recollect, there is no tending to a literature, as anxious to possess great genius of antiquity at all approaching them in the vernacular, and in a dress not Plato, either in the importance or in the wholly unworthy of the original, as any splendour of his productions, to whom, upon other of the masterpieces of classical antithe whole, so little justice has been done by quity. To all this part of the writings of English translators. While many of the Plato may be applied those proud words greatest writers of antiquity have been re- which Thucydides employs in relation to peatedly translated with various merit, his own history. They are "the heritage of indeed, but in most cases more than respect-all posterity." ably, a comparatively small portion of Even considered simply as unique speciPlato's writings has occupied the attention mens of a very peculiar and transcendent of any English scholar at all qualified to do species of literary genius, there are parts of his writings which deserve all the skill and remainder in a form in which no reader of taste which the most accomplished trans- Plato could by possibility recognise the mulator could possibly lavish on them. Plato tilated original. But a few words more of is one of the very few prodigally gifted men this by-and-by. As to translations of partithe products of whose genius are as remark- cular dialogues, it may be said that of the able for their form as for their matter; cha- Immortal Trilogy' which immediately reracterized not only by great depth and great lates to the last scenes of the life of Socrates subtlety, but enriched and adorned with the -the Apology, the Crito, and the Phædon, most various and even contrasted species of creditable translations have appeared in literary beauty; as resplendent with the recent times; but they have had but a very graces of taste, wit, and imagination, as they limited circulation. And beautiful as these are distinguished by the traces of a profound, dialogues are, they are far, very far, from acute, and highly speculative mind. If exhibiting the phases of Plato's intellectual those lines of Milton (himself an ardent character in all their variety and richness. student of Plato) in which he pronounces "Divine philosophy, Not harsh and rugged as dull fools suppose, Of some other of the dialogues, and those among the most interesting, a translation, characterized by considerable fidelity and elegance, appeared from the pen of the unfortunate Floyer Sydenham, about a century be ever true, they are surely so in relation ago." But the work was brought out in an to philosophy as it is found in the pages of expensive form, and has never, so far as we the Master of the Academy.' In this point are aware, been republished. Even these, of view, indeed, Plato stands alone in the however, leave untouched several of Plato's annals of philosophy. Many of his Dialogues greatest pieces, and such as are most duraare the only examples the world possesses bly valuable, whether regarded in a philoof almost perfect success in one of the most sophical or literary point of view. We difficult of all conceivable kinds of composi- allude more particularly to the Theatetus, tion, and deserve, were it only for this rea- the Gorgias, and the Protagoras. Besides, son, to be presented to our countrymen with these translations are far from being distinevery advantage which our language can guished throughout by equal merit, and in supply. They offer one among many proofs many places fall short of that idiomatic of that inventive genius of ancient Greece, grace, which a version of such an author, in which at once discovered and carried to order to do him justice, imperatively reperfection nearly every species of composi- quires. A translator of Plato ought to be tion, and which seemed to leave succeeding not merely competently skilled in Greek, ages only models for imitation. In this point but, still rarer qualification!—to be a great of view alone, some of the writings of Plato master of English. may be commended to the study of all time: and to leave them untranslated or ill-trans- notice, because most accessible from its lated is to defraud the unlearned of much cheapness, is a version from the French of enjoyment, and the great author of part of M. Dacier's 'Select Dialogues ;' that is, it is that homage to which he has as rightful a a translation of a translation, in which the claim as either Homer or Demosthenes. beauties of Plato are strained off by a double While France and Germany can boast, process. It was executed more than a hunthat in each of these countries, one of their dred and twenty years ago, and is marked greatest scholars, in point of capacity, eru- by innumerable negligences, inaccuracies, dition, and philosophical acumen, has devot- and vulgarisms. It has, notwithstanding, ed himself to the translation of the entire been repeatedly reprinted, and only lately works of Plato,-Victor Cousin in the one, we saw it advertised with professed correcand Schleiermacher in the other, Britain tions from Sydenham and Taylor on the title has nothing of the kind to show. The page. From Sydenham, indeed, corrections German translation, indeed, was left incom- might have been supplied in abundance, but plete, but so far as it goes it is allowed to be unfortunately Sydenham never translated any admirable. The only translation we possess of the entire works of Plato, is that published by the notorious Thomas Taylor; in which, while incorporating the labors of previous translators, he has managed to mar them by his professed emendations, and to give the But the book which has attracted most This translation comprised the Io, Greater and Lesser Hippias, Banquet (with the exception of the Speech of Alcibiades), Rivals, Meno, First and Second Alcibiades, and Philebus. Of two of these (the Io and Banquet), many of our readers must have seen an elegant version among the posthumous works of Shelley. in this collection except the brief dialogues within the limits of a couple of pages. In entitled the first and second Alcibiades; and the eloquent description which Socrates from a collation of many passages of these gives of the contrasted characters of the dialogues as given in this edition, we can true philosopher, and the keen, sharp, but bear witness that the traces of any emenda- contracted 'little soul' formed by early and tions or alterations from Sydenham, are incessant practice in legal chicaneries, he slight indeed. remarks, that those who from their youth But as to Taylor-whose bulky five vol- up have been versed in the law courts, stand umes are one continued slander on Plato's a chance of appearing, in comparison with good name, both as a man of genius and those who have been educated in philosoa philosopher-the correcting of any other phy and in like liberal pursuits, much as translation from such a source, can remind slaves compared with the free-born.' Plaus only of certain economical methods we to here uses the word zuhirdovμeroi, the root may sometimes see adopted among the poor, of which literally means 'to roll round, and of mending a broken window by a stuffing in a secondary sense was sometimes emof straw. Whatever else the straw may ployed much like the Latin versor, to 'be do, it at least does the very contrary of what busied about: Mr. Taylor gives the fola window ought to do: it effectually shuts out the light. It were as easy to correct a translation of the Bible by the light of the Koran of Mahomet, as to correct a translation of Plato by that of Taylor. lowing exquisite translation:--Those who from their youth have been rolled like cylinders in courts of justice,' &c.; a version not much more scholarlike or graceful than if some one, wishing to translate out of EngTaylor was certainly in many respects a lish such a phrase as those who write a remarkable man, but in nothing more so good round hand,' should express himself in than in the whimsical delusion by which he terms which literally translated back again supposed himself capable of translating Pla- should be, those whose handwriting is like to; except, perhaps, in his equal delusion unto spheres.' Mr. Taylor is so delighted that he was commissioned to do the same with the image which his rendering of the cruel office by Aristotle. We are not quite word presents, that he has repeated it in sure, indeed, that the former was not the both the Sophistes and Politicus. Our other more gigantic error of the two. In trans- instance is equally ludicrous; Socrates havlating Aristotle, he could but totally demol- ing commented with severity on certain ish the philosopher; there were few graces opinions of the deceased Protagoras, Theoof manner to destroy in rendering Plato, dorus, who had been a friend of his, says, he showed how possible it is for a translator We are running my associate hard, Socraat once to obscure the sense and annihilate tes.' Socrates replies, in his ironical way, the elegance of even the greatest genius; But then, my friend, it is not clear whether and suffering all the ethereal qualities to we are not missing the truth while so doing. evaporate, to reduce the rich and perfumed It is indeed probable that, being older, he leaves which he had consigned to so re- was also wiser than we are; and if he morseless a distillation, to a fœtid and could just now raise his head above ground miserable caput mortuum. His splendid as far as the shoulders, he would very proquarto title-page, promising us the entire bably reprove us both :-me for uttering Works of Plato,' is but like the brilliant much nonsense, and you for assenting to it, plate on a coffin lid; it is after all only the and then vanish below again.' Taylor says; corpse of Plato which lies within; and If, suddenly leaping forth, he should seize that too in a very advanced stage of decom- me by the shoulders it is probable that position. he would prove me delirious in many things,' &c. 6 In an early volume* of this journal, will be found some strange specimens of Taylor's| Such blunders, and they are of perpetual blunders and inelegances, especially in the occurrence, alternately move a reader actranslation of the Protagoras. The critic quainted with the original to mirth and inremarks that he could have adduced equal dignation; while those who know Plato in enormities from that of the Theatetus. no other form, must certainly think him the Though he has not cited them, we can fully most unintelligible and inelegant of writers.* substantiate his assertion. From a multitude of others which we had noted, we will amuse the reader with two, both occurring * Ed. Review, Vol. xiv. * The words εὐφήμι ὦ ἄνθρωπε, which in Eng lish would be tantamount to 'hush! my friend,' or 'good words, I beseech you!' Mr. Taylor perpetually translates by 'predict better things, O Mere English readers are entitled to the means of knowing something more of Plato than they can learn from Taylor; and one of our chief objects on this occasion has been to help forward so desirable an end, by showing what are the most prominent features of universal interest in his writings, and what especially the chief characteristics of his literary genius. Taylor, who must have been by nature of rious, are a source of delight; and with an eccentrically constructed mind, further them words, which, in the language of muddled himself with deep draughts of the Hobbes, are the counters of wise men and philosophy of the Alexandrian school of com- the money of fools, pass from hand to hand, mentators, some of whom have done by or rather from mouth to mouth, as a trustPlato what so many of their brethren did by worthy symbol of value. the Scriptures; and by the extravagances of a mystical and allegorical system of interpretation, have succeeded at times in making the greatest of Greek philosophers almost as nonsensical as themselves. Under grandiloquent nothings, they too often imagined they were giving utterance to oracles of super-human wisdom. Taylor was just the man to be easily intoxicated with their heady liquor, and forthwith mistook his in- For the learned, indeed, varicus profound tellectual drunkenness for veritable inspira- questions as to the philosophical system of tion. The wildest vagaries of this allegori- Plato, will always have their just attraction. cal school he hesitates not to follow, not What that system precisely was, especially only with obsequiousness but with rapture. in its abstruser doctrines; what was the Hundreds of pages has he written or trans- progress of its development in Plato's own lated in the shape of notes and commentary, on whose fatuous face not a gleam of intelligence is seen to play, and to which it is impossible to imagine that he could have himself attached any definite meaning what ever. Difficult as it may seem at first sight to believe, the history of philosophy and everyday observation compel us to admit that there is a class of persons who imagine that whatever is obscure is profound; and who love the notion and reputation of depth so much that they prefer a muddy stream, however shallow, to a clear one, however deep. To such minds, mere sounds, if they seem to convey something grand or myste man !' matters!' It is droll to hear Taylor saying that he had adopted Sydenham's translation and notes, as far as that writer's want of a more profound knowedge of Plato's philosophy would permit; and equally droll to hear him blaming Spens' translation of the Republic for its Scotticisms and inelegances! His knowledge of Greek, even as a language, was not sufficient to protect him from the indignity of occasionally making his translation from the Latin: while, upon his boasting that he knew not a word of any modern language except his mother tongue, our former critic generously of fered, if it would add to his glory to be reckoned ignorant of that too, to bear testimony that his knowledge of it was abundantly scanty. mind; how far it was a consistent fabric, or a pile of heterogeneous materials and varying orders of architecture; whether any such harmonious system can now be elicited from his writings, and how far, and in what respects he is inconsistent with himself; what was the one design which so many critics affirm he had in view in the entire series of, at least, his principal productions, and what their mutual coherence and succession, regarded in that light; and again, what was the historical order* of their composition, and which of the works attributed to him are spurious, and which authentic ;-these questions, and others like them, will probably form an everlasting source of vuxTouazia to the learned; and, in truth, they have been eagerly discussed, especially by our German neighbors, with abundance of erudition and ingenuity; sometimes, too, with a degree of passion, and sometimes with a tone of confidence, which oddly contrast with the shadowy nature of the interests at stake, and the uncertainty and perplexity of the points in debate. But a large portion of the writings of Plato possess an interest wholly independent of the decision of any or of all such questions, and will continue to charm every intelligent reader, in whatever way these problems may be decided. * A curious example of the precariousness of the reasoning on such subjects may be seen in a note of Stallbaum on the Phædrus sp. 257. B.s, in which, by a single remark, he at once neutralizes some of the refined arguments of Van Heusde and Schleiermacher, adduced to prove true, though the theory most probably is on other grounds that the Phædrus was an early composition of Plato. Gray adopts the supposition that it was his first Dialogue. |