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all along explained, and the humour very often carried to a greater height. A translator, who does not thus consider the different genius of the two languages in which he is concerned, with such parallel turns of thoughts and expression as correspond with one another in both of them, may value himself upon being a faithful interpreter; but in works of wit and humour will never do justice to his author, or credit to himself.

As this is every where a judicious and a reasonable liberty, I see no chapter in Theophrastus where it has been so much indulged, and in which it was so absolutely necessary, as in the character of a Sloven. I find the translator himself, though he has taken pains to qualify it, is still apprehensive that there may be something too gross in the description. The reader will see with how much delicacy he has touched upon every particular, and cast into shades every thing that was shocking in so nauseous a figure.

CHAP. XIX.

A Sloven.

"Slovenliness is such a neglect of a man's person as makes him offensive to other people. The sloven comes into company with a dirty pair of hands, and a set of long nails at the end of them, and tells you, for an excuse, that his father and grandfather used to do so before him. However, that he may outgo his forefathers, his fingers are covered with warts of his own raising. He is as hairy as a goat, and takes care to let you see it. His teeth and breath are perfectly well suited to one another. He lays about him at table after a very extraordinary manner, and takes in a meal at a mouthful; which he seldom disposes of without offending the company. In drinking he gene

rally makes more haste than good speed. When he goes into the bath, you may easily find him out by the scent of his oil, and distinguish him when he is dressed by the spots in his coat. He does not stand upon decency in conversation, but will talk smut, though a priest and his mother be in the room. He commits a blunder in the most solemn offices of devotion, and afterwards falls a laughing at it. At a concert of music he breaks in upon the performance, hums over the tune to himself, or if he thinks it long, asks the musicians, whether they will never have done? He always spits at random, and if he is at an entertainment, it is ten to one but it is upon the servant who stands behind him."

The foregoing translation brings to my remembrance that excellent observation of my Lord Roscommon's,

None yet have been with admiration read,

But who (beside their learning) were well-bred.

LORD ROSCOMMON's Essay on translated Verse.

If, after this, the reader can endure the filthy representation of the same figure exposed in its worst light, he may see how it looks in the former English version, which was published some years since, and is done from the French of Bruyere.

7

Nastiness or Slovenliness.

"Slovenliness is a lazy and beastly negligence of a man's own person, whereby he becomes so sordid, as to be offensive to those about him. You will see him come into company when he is covered all over with a leprosy and scurf, and with very long nails, and says, those distempers were hereditary, that his father and grandfather had them before him. He has

ulcers in his thighs, and biles upon his hands, which he takes no care to have cured, but lets them run on till they are gone beyond remedy. His arm-pits are all hairy, and most part of his body like a wild beast. His teeth are black and rotten, which makes his breath stink so that you cannot endure him to come nigh you; he will also snuff up his nose and spit it out as he eats, and uses to speak with his mouth crammed full, and lets his victuals come out at both corners. He belches in the cup as he is drinking, and uses nasty, stinking oil in the bath. He will intrude into the best company in sordid, ragged clothes. If he goes with his mother to the soothsayer's, he cannot then refrain from wicked and profane expressions. When he is making his oblations at the temple, he will let the dish drop out of his hand, and fall a laughing, as if he had done some brave exploit. At the finest concert of music he cannot forbear clapping his hands, and making a rude noise : will pretend to sing along with them, and fall a railing at them to leave off. Sitting at table, he spits upon the servants who waited there."

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I cannot close this paper without observing, that if gentlemen of leisure and genius would take the same pains upon some other Greek or Roman author, that has been bestowed upon this, we should no longer be abused by our booksellers, who set their hackneywriters at work for so much a sheet. The world would soon be convinced, that there is a great deal of difference between putting an author into English and translating him.

INDEX

TO VOL. III.

A.

ADDRESS, a non-resisting one, 328. Of the Quakers to
King James the Second, 331.

Afterwise, who they are, 286.

Alcibiades, his character, 314. Speech to the Athenians,
315.

Alexander the Great's false notion of glory, 273.

Allegiance to be broke by other methods besides rebellion,
38.

Ambassador, what his business is, according to Sir Henry
Wotton, 95.

Ander, St. British trade there, 230.

Anne, Queen, how celebrated by the Examiner, 308, 313.
Anti-climax, an instance of that figure, 313.

Arbitrary power exemplified, 60

75.

Interwoven with popery,

Aristotle's nomination of a successor in his school, 320.
Association, female, 49. Subscriptions to it, 68. The rib-
bons, 70.

Authors, when their arguments lose their weight, 7.
How they are usually treated, 219. To what compared
by Mr. Congreve, 221.

B.

Bacon, Sir Francis, his observations on peaceable times,
147. His legacy to foreign nations and posterity, 200.
Balance, a precarious one, a criticism upon it, 312.

Barrier, Dutch, some thoughts on it, 322, 324.

Biographers, Grub-street, what they are, 199.

Biron, Marshal de, his execution, 175.

Birth-day of King George I. celebrated by the Freeholder,
250,

Black Prince, his character, 267.

Boadicea, her example proposed to the British widows, 49
Bouhours, his character, 160.

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Breeding, good, commended by Lord Roscommon, 343.
British constitution, how far preferable to any among the
Greeks and Romans, 277.

C.

Caroline, Queen, her character when Princess of Wales,
drawn by the Freeholder, 114.

Cartel settled for the British ladies during their party con-
tentions, 126.

Catalans, remarks on the treatment of that people, 176.
Cato, the censor, distinguished from Cato of Utica, 309.
Cause, a bad one, the greatest sign of it, 40.

Censor of Great-Britain compared with the censor of Rome,
309.

Chariot of Government, a criticism on that phrase, 312.
Charles I. his troubles, to whom partly owing, 251.

Chastity, suspected, the trial of it among the Jews, 99.
Cheshire prophecy, how much relied on by the disaffected,

.132.

Chevreau's character of the Germans, of Bouhours, of the
Duchess of Hanover, and the late Princess Sophia, 159.
China-ware, a lecture upon it, and the inconveniences of wo-
men's passion for it, 335.

Christianity, its preference to any other system of religion,
275.

Christiana, queen of Sweden, her resignation of the crown,

239.

Church, the ridiculous notion of its danger, 43, 187, 207.
A reflection on such as engross that name, 153 Ill con-
sequences of the cry of its danger with regard to religion,

207.

Cicero, whether most admired as an author or as a consul,
223.

Citizens, the danger of their turning politicians, 285.

Clelia, a Roman spinster, her story recommended to the
British virgins, 48.

Condé, prince of, his raillery upon the fickleness of the Eng
lish politics, 135.

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