PREFACE.

F a man fhould undertake to tranflate Pindar word for word, it would be thought that one mad-man had tranflated another; as may appear, when he that understands not the original, reads the verbal traduction of him into Latin profe, than which nothing seems more raving. And fure, rhyme, without the addition of wit, and the spirit of poetry (quod nequeo monftrare & fentio tantum) would but make it ten times more distracted than it is in profe. We must consider in Pindar the great difference of time betwixt his age and ours, which changes, as in pictures, at least the colours

of poetry; the no lefs difference betwixt the religions and customs of our countries; and a thousand particularities of places, perfons, and manners, which do but confufedly appear to our eyes at fo great a distance. And lastly (which were enough alone for my purpose) we must confider that our ears are ftrangers to the mufick of his numbers, which fometimes (especially in fongs and odes) almost without any thing else, makes an excellent poet; for though the grammarians and criticks have laboured to reduce his verfes into regular feet and measures (as they have alfo those of the Greek and Latin comedies) yet in effect they are little better than profe to our ears. And I would gladly know what applause our beft pieces of English poefy could expect from a Frenchman or Italian, if converted faithfully, and word for word, into French or Italian profe. And when we have confidered all this, we must needs confefs, that after all these loffes fuftained by Pindar, all we can add to him by our wit or invention (not deferting ftill his fubject) is not like to make him a richer man than he was in his own country. This is in fome measure to be applied to all tranflations; and the not observing of it, is the cause that all which ever I yet faw, are fo much inferior to their originals. The like happens too in pictures, from the fame root of exact imitation; which, being a vile and unworthy kind of fervitude, is incapable of producing any thing good or noble. I have feen originals, both in painting and poefy, much more beautiful than their natural ob

jects;

jects; but I never faw a copy better than the original : which indeed cannot be otherwife; for, men refolving in no cafe to shoot beyond the mark, it is a thousand to one if they shoot not fhort of it. It does not at all trouble me that the grammarians perhaps will not fuffer this libertine way of rendering foreign authors to be called Tranflation; for I am not fo much enamoured of the name Tranflator, as not to wish rather to be something better, though it want yet a name. I fpeak not fo much all this, in defence of my manner of tranflating, or imitating (or what other title they please) the two enfuing Odes of Pindar; for that would not deferve half these words; as by this occafion to rectify the opinion of divers men upon this matter. The Pfalms of David (which I believe to have been in their original, to the Hebrews of his time, though not to our Hebrews of Buxtorfius's making, the most exalted pieces of poefy) are a great example of what I have faid; all the tranflators of which (even Mr. Sands himself; for in defpite of popular error, I will be bold not to except him) for this very reason, that they have not fought to fupply the loft excellencies of another language with new ones in their own, are so far from doing honour, or at least justice, to that divine poet, that methinks they revile him worfe than Shimei. And Buchanan himself (though much the best of them all, and indeed a great perfon) comes in my opinion no lefs short of David, than his country does of Judea. Upon this ground I have, in these two Odes of Pindar, taken, left out, and added, what I please; nor make it

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fo much my aim to let the reader know precisely what he spoke, as what was his way and manner of speaking; which has not been yet (that I know of) introduced into English, though it be the noblest and highest kind of writing in verfe; and which might, perhaps, be put into the lift of Pancirolus, among the loft inventions of antiquity. This effay is but to try how it will look in an English habit : for which experiment, I have chofen one of his Olympic, and another of his Nemean Odes; which are as followeth.

THE

THE SECOND OLYMPIC ODE OF PINDAR.

Written in praise of Theron, prince of Agrigentum (a famous city in Sicily, built by his ancestors) who, in the feventy-seventh Olympic, won the chariot-prize. He is commended from the nobility of his race (whose story is often toucht on); from his great riches (an ordinary common-place in Pindar); from his hofpitality, munificence, and other virtues. The Ode (according to the conftant custom of the Poet) confifts more in digreffions, than in the main fubject: and the Reader must not be choqued to hear him speak fo often of his own Mufe; for that is a liberty which this kind of poetry can hardly live without.

UEEN of all harmonious things,
Dancing words, and fpeaking ftrings!

What God, what Hero, wilt thou fing?
What happy man to equal glories bring?
Begin, begin thy noble choice,

And let the hills around reflect the image of thy voice..
Pifa does to Jove belong;

Jove and Pifa claim thy fong.

The fair firft-fruits of war, th' Olympic games,

Alcides offer'd-up to Jove ;

Alcides too thy ftrings may move;

But, oh! what man to join with these can worthy prove!