and Mr. J. Allan, of Blewit's Buildings, Fetter-lane, has now been honoured with the gold medal for his Improvements in a Mathematical Dividing Engine. It is impossible, without the plate and annexed references, to convey to the reader an idea of these improvements: but Mr. A.'s mode of racking the teeth is noticed, in the certificates, as an important discovery, productive of a high degree of accuracy in dividing circles of a small radius. In Vol. xxix. Mr. Allan offers a communication describing a Reflecting Circle, in which the Screens can be readily shifted in taking Altitudes. This instrument will be of great service to mariners; it is La Borda's circle improved. With a thedolite affixed, it will be useful also to surveyors. Mr. Bryan Donkin, of Fort Place, Bermondsey, has presented an Instrument, called a Tachometer, for ascertaining the Velocities of Machinery. The nature of this contrivance, and its mode of operation, cannot be briefly detailed: but its object is to indicate the velocity of machines; so that, by attaching this tachometer to any machine, it detects every deviation from the most advantageous movement. Sadlers, harness-makers, and others, will know how to appreciate their obligation to Mr. Lewis Aubrey, of Fort Place, Bermondsey, for his Implements for equalizing the Width and Thickness of Leather Straps: but a description of them would not be very amusing to our readers at large. It may be remarked also of the next communication, that it can only interest those who are in the particular line of business to which it refers: we shall therefore leave them to thank Mr. Charles Williams, of No. 3. Cane Place, Gravel-lane, Southwark, for a Method of boring the conical Parts of Brass Cocks. [To be continued.] By ART. III. A New Translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses. Thomas Orger. With the Original Latin Text. To be published quarterly, and completed in Fifteen Numbers. Nos, II.-VIII. 8vo. 1s. 6d. each. Sherwood and Co. powers THE HE translator of Ovid has no sinecure. He must not only avoid the guilt and the suspicion of plagiarism, but, to insure any success, he must command the most varied of versification, have every poetical synonym in the English language at his ready disposal, and, above all, must be proof against the temptation which overcame Rowe in his Version of Lucan, that of amplifying an author who is already too. diffuse. We have given some general sketch of Mr. Orger's character as a translator in our brief review of his first Number, (M. R. (M.R. Vol. lxvi. p. 433.) and in continuing to accompany him on his classical journey, we entertain hopes that he will im prove on acquaintance. The second book of the Metamorphoses commences with the well-known description of the Palace, Chariot, and Horses of the Sun. We shall present our readers with the passage, as newly rendered by Mr. Orger: but we shall neither contrast it. with a quotation of the original, nor with extracts from the older translators. The Latin and the English are in the hands of almost every scholar. The gorgeous palace of the God of light Were starr'd with jewels and emboss'd with gold; These lines do not flow inharmoniously, but they betray several faults, according to our judgment. For example Gorgeous palace,' line 1. If the palace of the Sun was shining' and 'majestically bright,' where was the necessity for calling it gorgeous ?'-Sea-gods flounder'd,' line 12.—'Huge Egeon, giant of the storm,' line 14., is gratuitous bombast; and much more in the manner of the inflated nonsense which occasionally disfigured that most promising of poems "The Pleasures of Hope," than in the playful and perspicuous style of Ovid. Parts the rude billows, and a whale bestrides, line 16., may may be quoted as a capital instance of the ύστερον πρότερον while scaly triumph,' line 15., must be recorded as "a fine indistinct expression." Not wholly different,' &c., 21. and 22. is a very tolerable couplet: but "qualem decet esse sororum"* is not adequately translated by their features their affinity proclaim.'" Cætera numina ruris" are ill represented by Demigods.' (Line 25.) Indeed it seems clear that Pan, Sylvanus, the Satyrs, Fauns, &c. &c., were the beings intended. The dexter portals,' line 27., sound aukwardly. Why not right-hand?' Whenever we can substitute an expression less latinized for one that is more so, are we not obeying the dictates of good taste in the composition of English verse or prose? The description of the days, months, and years, and especially of the seasons, is well translated; • There blooming roses infant Spring adorn, There Summer glows array'd in wreaths of corn; although "nuda astas" should have been "array'd" in nothing.. These are the passages which induce us to augur favourably of the continuation of Mr. Orger's, labours: but let him not be misled by the facility of translation, which we think he possesses; let him not be satisfied with giving the first shadow of his author's meaning which occurs to his imagination; let him not be tired with touching and retouching his picture of Ovid, till the resemblance has all the exactness of a miniature with all the spirit of a portrait. Excellent as many of the versions of detached passages in the Metamorphoses certainly are, the whole has never been properly clothed in an English dress; and the translator, who should perform this service for his countrymen, would undoubtedly merit and meet with very general approbation. To proceed with our critical advice, which we shall offer at large, in the real hope that it will claim the writer's attention. The opposition between "dissuadere" and "negare," lines 52. and 53. of the original, is lost in the translation; and this omission is peculiarly faulty, because antithesis is the pervading characteristic of Ovid's manner. We advance to line 199. of the translation without any striking offence, and with much easy and natural poetry: but Phaeton's farewell acknowlegements to his father, when mounted on the Chariot, Surely a more beautiful simile was never formed, than the applieation of this couplet to the different modes of Christian worship. See the Preface to Hall's Sermon on Infidelity. (Invito grates agit inde parenti,) appear to us vulgarly rendered by Thanking Phoebus with exulting nod, not to mention the amplification. Dismay'd, he knows not where to bend his course,' (L. 220.) is prosaic and inaccurate; although the pun in the original is still worse: "Nec scit quà sit iter." Thou too, Bootes,' &c. essay'd to fly,' (Lines 227, 228.) is not to be overlooked; and the first of the two following lines (269, 270.) concludes most execrably : The clouds are lost in smoke, earth's summits nigh We should have noticed, as we passed, line 202., Fleet Pyröeis, and Eous breathing fire,' which would be a verse if the copulative conjunction were left out; for we trust, from even the partial correctness of his quantities, that Mr. Orger does not pronounce Eous as syllable. Ismaros (line 315.) is printed by mistake for Ismenos. We now turn with pleasure to the only welcome part of criticism, and select the speech of the Earth from this story of Phaeton; in which we think our readers will agree with us that the translation is elegant and poetical. If for my crimes I now am doom'd to die, And give a death where once thou gav'st a birth. Choak my spent breath, and scorch my face and eyes: If If him and me thou spurn'st, and careless grown, Jove's gilded courts shall perish in the blaze. Save what remains, while aught remains to save, We could point out some blemishes in this passage; such as the jingle of vowels in the first couplet, and some other peccadilloes but we forbear. Line 364., • And give a death where once thou gavʼst a birth,' is so truly Ovidian, that we were surprized to find that it did not belong to Ovid. It is, however, one of those happy transgressions which extort indulgence. We give Mr. Orger (be it observed) full credit for the originality of his best thoughts, and do not pursue him to Dryden or Addison, to Garth or Sewell, or to any of his predecessors; and we trust that we shall not have reason to repent this confidence, on any future references. The best passage in the remainder of the second book is the visit of Minerva to the cave of Envy. It is indeed very hap pily translated; and we shall extract it for the edification if not for the amusement of our readers: Thro' low brow'd rocks descends the heav'nly maid, ; Deep in a cave the sad retreat she finds, |