THE MONTHLY REVIEW, For APRIL, 1781. ART. I. The Principal Orations of Cicero tranflated, with Notes 4to. HE harmonious arrangement of words in profaic compo TH sition, was an art to which the ancients paid much atten tion. In the writings of Cicero, Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, and Quintilian, we meet with a minute detail of observations and rules refpecting profaic numbers, from which it appears, that the fubject was pursued into all the refinement of which it was capable. Such was the excefs of accuracy with which this kind of harmony was ftudied in the time of Quintilian, and fuch the delicacy of taste in this fpecies of oratorical embellishment to which many writers had then attained, that (as we are informed by this judicious critic) there were grammarians who had reduced profe works into Lyric or other measures, and eloquence was every day enfeebled by the injudicious attempts of orators to foften down their periods to notes more fuitable to dancing than speaking. It will admit of debate, whether it was at all neceffary to have recourse to the artificial methods made use of by the ancients, in order to produce the harmony of numbers in compofition. The ancients appear to have been fenfible, that nature is capable of doing much towards producing the melody proper to profaic writing, without the affiftance of rules. Cicero himfelf, who every where lays fo much stress upon this art, acknowledges, that the ear is naturally capable of diftinguishing, with great exactness, the different degrees of melody in the structure of periods. Aures, vel animus aurium nuntio, naturalem quandam in fe continet vocum omnium menfionem. Itaque et longiora et breVOL. LXIV. viora R viora judicat, et perfecta ac moderata semper expectat. And Quintilian fpeaks more fully to the fame purpose *. It is alfo exceedingly doubtful, whether the eloquence of the ancients derived any confiderable degree of its efficacy from this fource. If it be confidered, what a great variety and extent of attainments they required in order to form the perfect orator, and what a compafs of knowledge, ftrength of genius, and command of language the more eminent among the orators of antiquity difplayed; it will perhaps appear, that harmony of diction contributed but in a very inconfiderable degree towards producing those wonderful effects which have been afcribed to eloquence. The prefent Tranflator of Cicero's Orations is, however, of a different opinion. He maintains, with exceeding labour, that harmony of period is the leading principle of oratory,' and that the greater part of Cicero's fuccefs, as an orator, was due [owing] to the well turned fentence, and the harmonizing [harmonious] period.' What (fays he) fupported and crowned him with fuccefs, when defending a bad caufe, but a delufion of the imagination, a fascination of the judgment of his audience, by falfe, but fweet impreffions upon the car? By what means did he prevail upon Cæfar, a man of the moft confummate penetration, to abfolve Ligarius, to pardon and restore Marcellus, in both cafes evidently to Cæfar's difadvantage, and in oppofition to his own [dele own] judgment and predetermination? What influence prevailed there, but the fweetly-flowing period, the beauteous fimile, the balmy panegyric, all conveyed in founds that over-powered reafon, rendered judgment torpid, and made the most exalted understanding the dupe of the ear?' In the particular cafe here referred to, can it be fuppofed, that a man of Cæfar's exalted underftanding, who was withal acquainted with the fecrets of oratory, and practifed in its arts, could be liable to thofe fudden and violent impreffions which eloquence produces on the minds of the vulgar? Cæfar was not a man who acted under the inftantaneous impulse of paffion. With that deep penetration, and cool felf-poffeffion, by which he was fo eminently diftinguifhed, it is much more probable, that he was wrought upon by fome fecret motive of policy, than that the breath even of Cicero's eloquence could, in an inftant, change his opinion, and turn him from his purpose. With refpect to the general queftion, it is obvious to afk, were there no accomplishments, no powers, in this eminent orator, to which he was at least as much indebted for his fuccels, as to the mufical flow of his periods? Had his extenfive knowledge of mankind, his accurate acquaintance with * Vide Lib. ix. cap. 4. the the laws and political interefts of his country, his skill in the bufinefs of the fenate and the forum, his penetrating judgment, lively fancy, and ready invention, the ardour of his feelings, and the bold and animated expreffion of his pronunciation and action, had all thefe only an inferior fhare in the powerful operation of his eloquence? With this extraordinary combination of talents, muft his fuccefs be principally afcribed to melodious founds, and well-turned periods? This paradoxical pofition, however, our Tranflator maintains with much warmth of declamation; and he even attempts to establish the opinion univerfally, by giving an hiftorical detail of the powerful effects of harmonious compofition. In this detail, speaking of the primitive Fathers of the Church, he fays, The faculty which most aided their cause, and evidently their fupe rior talent, was elocution. Harmonious language, and a deluding utterance, were the properties that rendered their fuccefs fo great, their profelytes fo numerous, and procured them that rank in literature, which fucceeding ages have confirmed. Such, we may fafely affert, have been the excellent effects of an harmonious elocution, in the propagation of the Chriftian religion!' On this paffage we cannot help remarking, by the way, how greatly the caufe in which thefe Chriftian Fathers were engaged is indebted to our Author, for afcribing its fuccefs to harmonious language and a deluding utterance. Proceeding in the narrative, he fays, How many inftances from the Roman history, and our own, might also be produced to demonftrate, that flowing periods, and an harmonious utterance, are the leading properties which deluded that people into repeated acts of evident injuftice!'What! does our own history afford inftances to prove, that flowing periods deluded the Roman people?-But let us not fcrutinize the Author's meaning too rigoroufly: melody is of more confequence than fenfe; and the period would have flowed le's harmoniously, if the claufe and our own had been omitted. Having at length clofed the hiftorical detail, and thus adduced what he calls cogent and immediate proofs, that the great and almoft fole influence of oratory results from harmonious diction, Captain Rutherford places the principal merit of his tranflation in a fedulous imitation of this quality in his Author; and flatters himself that the unremitting attention to this indifpenfably requifite property in a tranflation, will excufe defects which may arise in other particulars of the work.' In another part of this elaborate Preface, having afferted that harmony of period, being the leading principle of oratory, is the first thing to be confidered in rendering the orations of Cicero into another language, he fays: R 2 • If If then the leading operation, the immediate attack of oratory is to be principally directed to the ear; if Cicero directed this battery more strongly than any other orator against that deceitful friend, that deluding organ; can his tranflator hefitate a moment in what manner he should proceed? His mode of attack is thereby delineated and arranged; let him ufe, the fame engine, give it the fame line of direction, and he must be egregioufly deficient in the common properties of the underftanding, if he fhould fail. Hunting for points, commas, and colons; attempting to fettle inexplicable difficulties, and folve irreconcileable abfurdities, the refult of original inattention, or, perhaps, the errors of transcript and the typographer; wafting days and months to difcover, whether a verb fhould be in the fubjunctive or indicative mood, the prefent or definite, the pretér or pluperfect tenfe; are purfuits, not only unworthy of Cicero's coadjutor, they difgrace genius, and in nowife affift the cause of literature.' After so profufe an expence of harmonious periods, to prove that harmonious periods conftitute the chief merit of orations, whether original or tranflated, can we hesitate to conclude that the only effential qualification in a tranflator of Cicero is a musical ear; and confequently, that there is a greater probability of finding perfons qualified to do juftice to thefe admired remains of antiquity at the opera-house, or in the musical band of a regiment, than in the cloifters of a college? The reafon why every attempt to transplant them into the English language hath hitherto been fo unsuccessful, is now fufficiently clear. It is because the translators have so far mistaken the nature of their undertaking, as to fuppofe it neceffary, that they should examine with critical accuracy the grammatical conftruction, and investigate with minute attention the true meaning of every paffage they tranflated:-it is because they have been fo weak as to imagine, that deep reflection and folid judgment were qualities cffential to a good tranflator, and always the more neceffary, the greater depth of penetration, fire of genius, or command of language, the original writer had difcovered in his work. It was referved for Captain Rutherford to discover, that the difficulty of translation is inversely as the merit of the original; and to inform the world, that the unfuccessfulness of former tranflators of Cicero's Orations has arifen from their employing erudition, induftry, and judgment, on a subject which required nothing more than ftrong feelings and a mufical ear. But, left our reprefentation fhould give the Readers of the prefent Article an imperfect idea of this extraordinary difcovery, we fhall lay it before them in his own words: The great original, indeed, provides such a fund of sense, spirit, and language, that nothing feems to be required but a mere transfufion of thofe properties. Reflection or judgment is fcarcely neceffary, to a fuccefsful reftitution of the original. Strong feelings, and a juft fufceptibility, are the true, the only requifites. We mult there fore fore lament, that profound erudition, laborious refearches, and ingenious minds, fhould have explored the orations of Cicero, with inadequate fuccefs. • Why then fhould others of lefs eminence, perhaps unknown in the circle of literature, hope to fucceed, where great and acknowledged talents have engaged without acquiring proportionate reputation Reasons have been already affigned, that partly anfwer this queftion. To thofe might be added, that oratory is an art, like mufic, or verfification, incommunicable but to difpofitions particularly gifted, or predifpofed by nature to receive it. Confummate knowledge, general talents, however great and extenfive, unaided by this particular predifpofition, can no more receive juft impreffions of the oratorial art, than an uninformed ear difcover the peculiar graces of a complicated and elaborate mufical fugue. Oratory, indeed, cannot be more properly claffed, than with the mufical at. They are twin fifters. The object and pursuit of both, in many refpects, are alfo fimilar. To please the imagination, and thereby convey to the mind fuch propenfities and difpofitions as the artift has conceived, is congenial to both; the intermediate agent is the ear; the inftrument of conveyance the fame in both, delufive founds.' After all our Author's declamation in praife of musical periods (however fatisfactory it may appear to the tuneful fools," with whom fmooth and rough is right and wrong'), those who have formed their tafte on the principles of good fenfe and found criticism, will require, in a tranflator of Cicero, other qualities, besides that particular predifpofition, which would enable him to captivate the ear with fweetly-flowing periods; and will not accept of the most mellifluous current of soft and foothing founds, instead of a just and full representation of the meaning and spirit of the original. How far this tranflation is diftinguifhed by the property which the Writer holds in fuch high eftimation, and what ufe he has condefcended to make of those other qualities which he has fo injudiciously treated with contempt, will be beft feen from a quotation or two. At the clofe of the third Oration against Catiline, Cicero, Speaking of the fervices he had rendered to the State, fays, Quibus pro tantis rebus, Quirites, nullum ego à vobis præmium virtutis, nullum infigne honoris, nullum monumentum laudis poftulo, præterquam hujus diei memoriam fempiternam. In animis ego veftris omnes triumphos meos, omnia ornamenta honoris, monumenta gloriæ, laudis infignia, condi & collocari volo; nihil me mutum poteft delectare, nihil tacitum, nihil denique hujufmodi, quod etiam minus digni affequi poffint. Memoria veftra, Quirites, noltræ res alentur, fermonibus crefcent, literarum monumentis inveterafcent & corroborabuntur: eandemque diem intellige, quam fpero æternam fore, & ad falutem urbis, & ad memoriam confulatûs mei propagatam: unoque tempore in hac republica duos cives exftitiffe, quorum alter fines veftri imperii, non terræ, fed cœli regionibus terminaret; alter ejusdem imperii domicilium fedemque fervaret, R 3 Sed 1 |