is, alas! but too common in that country. We here find feveral inftances of the patient's falling a victim to the indiscriminate ufe of the lancet, in nervous and putrid diforders; particularly in a malignant and putrid fore throat, which was ep Jenic at St. Maarten's dyk; in which the diagnofis was fo evident, and the ill effects of venefection fo apparent in the firft patient, that we cannot but be aftonifhed at the phyfician and furgeon, who could perfift in bleeding the two next patients, with refpect to whom the confequences were equally fatal. ART. XXXV. Poefie di Offian Figlio de Fingal, &c. The Poems of Offian, Son of Fingal, an ancient Celtic Bard, lately discovered, and tranflated into English Profe by James Macpherson, and from that turned into Italian Verfe by the Abbé Melchior Cefarotti, with various Annotations by the two Tranflators. 3 Vols. 12mo. Nice. WHILE many of the literati in England were difputing about the authenticity of the poems ufually afcribed to Offian the fon of Fingal, and racking their invention to discover arguments by which their antiquity might be denied, and by hypercritical niceties concerning the drets in which they were offered to the Public, were endeavouring to fhew that they poffeffed a much smaller fhare of poetical merit than the vulgar Public, as they affected to call the bulk of the people, were willing to allow them, our neighbours on the continent, without entering into fuch nice diftinctions, received them as poetical morfels of ineftimable value; fo that they were quickly tranflated into the German and Italian languages, and were received by the Public with little lefs ardour than if thefe tranflations had been themfelves original poems of the higheft merit. The work we now review is the third edition of this tranflation, and was published as early as the year 1780, though it has by an accident that too frequently occurs with regard to foreign books, escaped our notice till this time. The Italian tranflator, a man of tafte and good talents, as appears by his notes, confiders the authenticity of these poems as fo indifputable, that he never deigns to offer an argument in proof of it, but fuppofes it undeniable. And without becoming the profeffed panegyrift of his Author, like Pope, Dacier, and others, he takes frequent occafion to point out peculiar beauties as he goes along, which will give much pleafure to the admirers of the Celtic bard. Nor is this praife indifcriminate, for he embraces every opportunity of pointing out the blemishes he obferves, though he thinks that the firit far overbalance the laft. He does not run a profeffed parallel between Homer and Offian; but he takes frequent occafion in his notes to compare them, and he often gives the palm to the latter. Our fpirited critic critic feems to be aware of the offence that this may give to certain claffes of caders, and endeavours to obviate their objections by the following remarks in his preface, which we give in his own words, as a fpecimen of that freedom of thought and boldnefs of expreffion that general characterife his obfervations. M' è noto che le mie offervazioni non andarono molto a grado di quella claffe d'uomini che vorrebbe ftabilire un' idolatria letteraria, e ch' effi affettarono di crederle prodotte da quella difpozioni di fpirito, da cui mi glorio d' effere maggiormente lontano. Siccome non v'è nulla di piu commune quanto l'alterar i colori delle cose, e attribuir a quelli che diffentano da noi quelle opinioni che poffono mettergli in odiofità preffo il maggior numero, cofi credo neceffario di Tpiegar con precifione e candore i miéi fentimenti a quelli, da cui folo puo effer prezzo dell' opera il farfi entendere. Quefti non fono nè i malevoli che non fi difarmano a verun patto, nè quei pesanti eruditi, a cui una ftupida ammirazione tien luogo di gufto, e l'autorita di ragione: fono i giovani chiamati dalla natura allo ftudio delle lettere, ma che non hanno ancor formato abastanza il loro giudizio, sono i ragionatori che fondarono le loro opinioni, qualunque fieno, non fulla prevenzione, ma fu i principi; fono finalmente anche certe perfone affenate, moderate, e candide, ma che non fembrano conofcere abastanza in che differiscano tra loro una liberta nobile e una condannabile temerita. A tutti quefti io dichiaro, ch'io non ho mai prete fo di levare ad OMERO la jiufta reputazione che gli e dovuta, come a primo pittor delle memorie antiche; come ad inventos fra noi, e padre della poefia epica; come finalmente a quello il di cui genio diverfamente modificato infpirò pofcia tutti quelli che fi diftinfero in quefta gloriofa carriera; ch'io non ho mai niegato ch' egli non fia un poeta grande ed ammirabile per molti capi; ch'egli non abbia regolarità di condotta, richezza d'expreffione, varieta di caratteri, armonia imitativa di numero, pieghevolezza di ftile, grandiffima naturalezza animata fpeffo da molta fublimità. Ma ho niegato ciò non pertante, e niego tuttora, ch'egli perciò debba rifguardarfi come il Pontefice della poefia; ch' egli folo abbia il privelegio dell' infallibilita, e debba effere adorato piutofto che guidicato; che le fue virtù fiano incommenfurabilmente fuperiori a quelle degli altri; ch' egli debba in ogni fua parte confiderarfi come modello; che o non fi trovino deffetti, nelle fue opere o quefte non fieno che picciole macchie che fi eccliffano nella fua luce, che finalmente egli fia tante maravigliofo, e perfetto quanto avrebbe potuto enerlo in mezzo alle fue circonftanze.- Dall' altro canto, í conofco tutto ciò che puo ragionevolmente apporfi al mio originale; conofco che mancano ad OSSIAN quafi tutti quei pregi che nafcono dalla fquizitezza dell' arte, e dalia perfezione della focietà, ch' egli ha ipello dell' uniforme, del cupo, del' faticante, dell' dell'inefatto, e talora anche dello ftrano e dell' ímprobabile: ma foftengo che i fuoi difetti fono affai più scarfi di quel che poteva afpettarfi dalla fua età, e che fono fuperati di gran lunga da molte fue proprie, fingolari, e forprendenti virtù; ch' egli ha non folo tutte quelle che poteva dare il fuo feculo, fpinte ad un grado eminente, ma che egli, folo fra gli antichi, ne poffiede inoltre alcune altre che potrebbero far onore ai poeti dei sceoli piu raffinaté. Dati i coftumi, le opinioni, le circonftanze dei tempi, trarne il miglior ufo poffibile per dilettare, ifruire, e muovere con un linguaggio armonico e pittorefco: ecco il problemo che un poeta fi accinge a fciogliere colla fua opera; ed io ofai credere, forfe a torto, ma non gia temerariamente, che Offian per piu d'un capo l'abbia fciolto più felicimente d'Omero. Del reftò non befogna mai sbagliare il punto di vifta fotto cui dee reguardarfi un poeta, ne collocarle in una claffe non fua. Non dee ricercarsí da Offian la elegante aggiuftezza di Virgilio, ne la nobile, e conveniente elevatezza del Taffo, ne la vifte fuperiorí, l'interesse generale, la poefia della ragione ornato di tutti gl' incanti dello ftile che risplendono nel grande autor dell' Enriade. Offian e il genio della natura felvaggia i fuoí poemi fomigliano ai bofchi facri degli antiche fuoi Celti: Spirano orrore, ma vifi fente ad ogni paffo la divintà che vi abita.' The reader will no doubt fmile at the exaggerated compliments paid to Taffo and Voltaire in this fhort extract; but allowance must be made for the national partiality of an Italian critic for Taffo: and the reader will recollect that this paffage was written during the period of Voltaire's deification, when men of letters on the continent feemed to vie with each other who should draw the longest bow in compliment to him. This is the only apology we can make for a writer whofe thoughts are, in other refpects, manly, and in general juft. Taffo has without dispute painted one character in the most delicate and bewitching ftyle, and coloured it with the fresheft tint of nature; but unless it were for the character of Armida alone, we should not have known that ever the foul of Taffo had been able to penetrate into the mysterious mazes of the human heart. From the above extract, and the general ftrain of all his criticifms, it appears that the Abbé Cefarotti criticifes Macpherson's tranflation of the poems of Offian as if they were the original works of the Celtic bard himself, and it is to this tranflation only that his criticifms can apply. But who is now to learn that a poem ftript of its original drefs is loft; loft, as an object of tafte, and only preferved as to the facts and fentiments it contains Without attempting to tranflate Milton's Paradife Loft into another language, let any one try to turn it into English profe, or English rhyme, and he will then perceive the force of our obfervation. All thofe beautiful inflexions of Style, ftyle, thofe happy expreffions which convey an irrefiftible and indefinable charm, would there be loft; and though the bafis of the thought fhould ftill be retained, yet, instead of dwelling upon each favourite paffage with enthufiaftic rapture, the man of tafte would then wonder why he fhould have been fo much delighted. This must be the cafe with every poem tranflated into another language; but if we give credit to the English translator, the works of Offian must have suffered more than any other poem of the epic ftrain that ever has been published, because in the original they admit a variety of numbers that never has been admitted into any other poem of the epic kind. Shall then Ofan, thus ftript of his moft glorious attire, be ftill able to stand a comparison with the first poets in every age in their higheft perfection? Shall the British eagle,' in the emphatic language of his tranflator, which the flame of night met in the desert, and spoil'd of half his wings,' fhall he even in this enfeebled state be judged worthy to be compared with others in their highest ftate of perfection? What then would be the refult of the trial, had he too been brought forward with equal advantage? But to drop the figure-If Offian is to be compared with Homer, Virgil, Taffo, or Voltaire, let not the profe tranflation of his works be compared with thefe feveral poems in the original; let it be compared with any tranflation of thefe that has been made. This juftice requires, if we wifh to draw a parallel at all: but this our tranflator does not attempt. He ventures boldly to compare the tranflation with the original works. How poor is Taflo in his beft tranflation, when compared with the English Oman; and what a comparatively uninterefting character is even Armida when drawn in the coarie daubings of those who could not comprehend the meaning of the exquifitely delicate touches of their great mafter? And lives there a man who would dare to put in competition with the Henriade any tranflation of it that ever was attempted? The Italian tranflation, which may be faid to be but the shadow of a fhade, must be ftill farther removed from the original work than the English Offian;-but it has been received with high applaufe. In one refpect the readers of that work have an advantage over the readers of the English Offian, the Italian tranflator having prefixed a general account of the Celtic mythology; the underitanding of which renders many paffages clear, which were obfcure to English readers who never had thought on that fubject. What a confufed and unintelligible mass would the Iliad of Homer, and the Æneid of Virgil appear to a reader who never had heard the leaft account of the Grecian mythology? Cefarotti has endeavoured to imitate Offian by varying the meature of his verfes, having introduced feveral lyric pieces where Mr. Macpherfon had indicated that it was fo in the original: but our tranflator, though in the general narrative he is nervous, perfpicuous, concife, and more happily renders the original he copied than we could have expected, yet in his lyric pieces we do not think he has equally fucceeded. In thefe we neither find that enchanting felicity of expreffion in varied rhymes which fo peculiarly delight every clafs of readers in the lyric pieces of Metaftafio, nor that fedate majefty, and harmonious flow of unrhyming cadences, which fo happily characterize the Paftor Fido of Guarini. Cefarotti's talents feem to be better adapted to the majeftic movements of heroic verfe than to the lighter elegancies of lyric compofition. As a fpecimen of the execution of this work we shall felect a few paffages; chiefly fuch as have been taken notice of for fome peculiar excellencies, as thefe will be more readily recollected by English readers without obliging them to turn to the book itfelf. The following addrefs of Cuchullin is toward the end of the first book of Fingal : Dolce è la voce tua, Carill, e dolce DEн, tocca l'arpa e fammi uder le lodi Dell' ofcura Dunfgaglia; ah tocca l'arpa, A ricovrarti, e alle paffate gioje Volgi il penfier; che a me tornar non lice, Che troppe Del buon Sorglan, l'amabile Bragella Dal bianco fin, dalle corvine chiome.' This paffage is in general as well rendered as a poetical tran lation readily admits of: and Cefarotti has been more than ufually happy in the fimile towards the beginning, ella fomiglia, &c.' But perhaps the moft natural, if not beautiful paffage of the * Dunfcaich, nome del palagio di Cucullino. whole |