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of a youth and maiden with each other
into the unmeaning chat promiscuously
heard in a company of youths and maid
ens; or, as Hobbes rather coarfely calls
them, of boys and wenches? I appeal
to Mrs. P, or rather to the lovely
Betsey, whether the talk of youths and
maidens in an evening walk be exactly
the tame thing 2, whether it be quite lo
interefting or speak fo feelingly to the
heart as a tete-a-tete under the oak, or
at the hill, with her favoured C— N.
Our immortal Milton feems to have un-
derstood these things better:

Such pleasure she referv'd, i
Adam relating, the fole auditreís.
Her husband the relater the preferred-
Before the Angel, and of him to ask
Chose rather He, the knew, would în-
⚫termix

Grateful digreffions; and folve high dif
pute
With conjugal careffes. From his lip
Not words alone pleas'd her.

,Par. Loft.. B. viii.

After what has been faid, I fcarcely know whether what I have further to offer will be thought to deferve much at tention. I will, however, venture one remark, which I think important. When ever a peculiar mode of compofition is adopted by the original author, evidently with defign, the tranflator is, inmy judge ment, indifpenfably bound to retain the fame form. Now, in the paffage, which we have been confidering, you will ob ferve a very striking peculiarity in the ructure of the period; which was cer tainly intended by the Poet; and, as will be felt by every reader of tafte, adds much to the effect of the piece, Πως έχει ζεμεναι άτε παρθένος ήίθεός τε τ ΠΑΡΘΕΝΟΣ ΗΙΘΕΟΣ Τ' ΟΑΡΙΖΕΤΟΝ

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fame time, the whole of the converfation to the chofen pair prefented in fo intes retting a fituation to our notice. All this I feem to read in Homer, and an difappointed at not finding the fame in Pope.

That this peculiar ftructure of the period was not accidental, but purpofely fo framed by the Poet, is evident from his having employed it on other occafions. Take one example with Pope's verfion, on which I will beg leave to make a few obfervations.

Τεδ' εγω αντίος ειμί, και και πυξί χειρι

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You will smile at my affected impor tance, when I undertake, with all the psrade of a fcholastic dogmatift, to explain inul be aware how much certain Critics what every reader understands. Yet you of great name are indebted to this practice for the reputation, which they affume, of fuperior fagacity. You will therefore indulge my humour, if I in order to maintain the dignity Critic, take upon myfelf to analyze this curious mode of compofition in form; to define its feparate parts; to clucidate

When the speaker had once caught the idea of a youth and maiden converfing with each other, all the tender fentiments affociated with the circumftance were naturally awakened in his mind. He dwells, therefore, with fondnefs on the pleating emotions which fuch fentiments hever fail to excite in a feeling breast s till he is led by the train of his reflexions to imagine the endearing things they might lay to each other. This the Poet feems to have expreffed very happily by The form on which the period is conan artful combination of the ideas, which ftructed, is called by the old Grammarians he refumes; with the addition only of a Ezzivis dil, itRIAPTERA: OTR) TS ingle word, to mark the mutual internos KWAY ITIGY, WA, PEXI (CONTAIN change of tenderness; confining, at the It carries with it, they tell us, great

the
method in which they are combined
and to trace the whole process through
its feveral gradations. Attend and learn
what you already know.
know...

beauty,

beauty, and even a strong expreffion of earneftness and pathos. Ex κάλλες κατά τις τεχνικές κανταύθα παρα τροφή. Το δε πλέον, αγωνιώντος και τέτο ήθες ενδεικτικων. It is conducted in the following order:

The ideas at the conclufion of the preceding line, which on thefe occafions are always ftriking and impreffive, are again taken up, and repeated in the fame terms at the beginning of the next; with the acceffion of fome new circumftance, which gives them additional force; while the artful junction of the fubfequent ideas with thofe, which are resumed, adds uncommon spirit and efficacy to the whole. After reading this elaborate and very in genious comment, you will, I truft, have no fcruple in allowing that fo peculiar a form of compofition, fo comprehenfive in its meaning, and fo admirably contrived to convey that meaning in the moft pleafing and affecting manner, fhould not have been swithheld from the English

reader.

BL expect that you will give me the greater credit for the masterly elucidation, given above, of the Poet's management, when you find it has been fo little attended to, or fo little understood, by other learned Commentators, that they have adduced, as imitations of this beautiful paffage, various quotations from Virgil, wherein you will discover no trait of that artful ftructure, which I have thus fcientifically, and now for the first time, explained. Vid. Macrob. Barnes, &c.

It was not indeed probable that fo ftriking a beauty thould efcape the elegant eye of Virgil. His fublime genius caught it, no doubt, at first glance; and his wonderful judgement led him to copy it with scrupulous exactness, through all its parts and delicate combinations, in a poem, where he was apparently moft ftudious of grace and ornament.

Live Daphning; tuum tollemus ad astra ; Daphnin ad altre feremus; amavit nos quoque Daphnis.

Ec, v. 51.

"

You might perhaps berather forprized, were not fuch things common with learned Commentators, that amongst fo many diffimilar paffages, offered as in ftances of imitation, this, which is fo faithful a copy of the original, fhould never have been noticed.

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berfome a verbiage? Here are no lefs than four lines to convey the contents of two. The last of the four, a mere repel tition of what had been faid before in the

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firft, and again with far greater force in' the third, preft into the fervice here for couplet, and to furnish the rhyme." Is no other purpose than to complete the then repetition reprehenfible in Pope, which fcarcely a moment ago was fo highly applauded in Homer? Allow me asked, by another. Does the repetition to answer this queftion, if it should be by Pope bear any refemblance to that, of which his mafter had given him the model? The repetition, as it is here managed, is peculiarly unfortunates It creates, you will obferve, a neceffity of fearching for fupplementary epithets," very improperly applied in this place to been faid, in the fublimity of poetic dic hands and heart; which had already! tion, to refemble fire and feel. You deur of the thought is weakened and cannot but have felt how much the gran-. let down by thefe injudicious and unauthorized additions. Where an epithet adds nothing of ftrength or ornament to the fubject, it is at beft but an unmeaning and fuperfluous appendage. What is worle, thofe applied here are in direct oppofition to the purpose, which the fpeaker had in view. The heart of Achilles might be vengeful, and his hands dreadful; but the ideas of vengewhich Hector at this time withed to exance and terror were by no means those, cite. He meant to encourage, not to difpirit his men; and the great purport of his fpeech throughout is to remove the dread, which the appearance of Achilles had railed; to counteract the opinion of his formidable powers and to obviate the effect of thofe alarming threats, which In conformity to he had thrown out. this defign, Hector declares at last, with the intrepidity of a Hero, though his "hands be like fire, and his heart like *fteel, he is not dreadful to me, I will "encounter him notwithstanding.de

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Cowper, with the form of compofition has judiciously retained the fame brevitý of expreffion; and thus approaches nearer to the spirit and energy of his author; will encounter him, tho' his hands v fire Though his hands fire, and his heart ham, mer'd steel,

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were

Is a Tranflator under the abfolute ne- 8 Your ear is, I know, pifended by ceffity of clogging his verle with fo cum ruggedness of the lait verfe and this These en la Eli di daw suitus à ça gy manos pdɔmobni 4726636

difgafting diffonance, it is faid, will ges nerally attend too fervile an adherence to the text. Yet in the prefent inftance it might eafily have been avoided by a flight tranfpofition of the words. Cowper might think perhaps this harthnefs in the measure more suitable to the agitation of the fpeaker's mind, though Homer's verfe, which fhould have been his pat: tern, is fufficiently fmooth and flowing. I am not quite fatisfied myfelf with the epithet bammer'd, applied to fteel. It appears little correspondent to the Greek term AIOONI, under which is conti nued the idea before started in the word IITPI. Would not both the fenfe and

lows:

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A youth and maiden, at the hill or grove,
Greet in fweet intercourfe of mutual love.
I make no obfervation on the perform

harmony be preferved unimpaired as fol- ance; but leave it, not however without fome degree of confidence, to the confi deration of the fair judges whom I have chofen.

I will encounter him, tho' his hands were fire;

His hands were fire, and burning steel his heart.

On looking over what I have written, it occurs to me, that I may not have fo fair a hearing at the tribunal, to which I have appealed, unless the two paffages called into question be confronted with

.

SIR,

Adieu.

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To the EDITOR of the EUROPEAN MAGAZINE molta gis

AS a Sequel to the Account of the Journey of the TESHOO LAMA printed in your Magazine Vol. XXVI. p. 249, I fend you a Tranflation of the EMPEROR of CHINA's Letter to the DALAI LAMA, on the Death of TESHOO LAMAG and am, Your's, &c. RAIN Si de las C Dord film

1

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EXTRACT of a LETTER written by M. AMIOT, a MISSIONARY Memoires concernant les Chinois, t. ix. p. 446 to 454. Paris. 4tq.97783

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MENTIONED to you in one of my Letters the Journey which the Pantchau Lama had undertaken, in order to Compliment his Imperial Majetty, upon

Pe-king, 17th Aug. 1781.

the occafion of his attaining his feventieth year. The Pan-tchan Lama arrived in very good health, after a journey of es, traordinary length. The Emperor, apwide pearing

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This Letter was dated Pe-king, 13th Aug. 1780; in it M. Amiot (p. 6) Gaye, *Our Emperor is actually in Tartary, where he expects the Pan-tchan-Lama, who is donũng tạ Gebol for the ceremony of the Quan-cheon, and for other ceremonies, which are to be performed in forne Miaos (or Temples) newly built. This Pan-tchan-Lama is the fecond perfer of Tiberb, and of all the Lama Hierarchy. It is he who prefides at the meditations of the Talai Lama, viz. The Grand Lama, and who carries his orders into execution. He is the first of his Council, and the channel by which flow all the favours which the living Fo confers on thofe of his fect,

the

To do him the more honour, or rather the better to cement the fubmiffion of all t -Tartars, under pretence of doing honour to the fecond Chief of their religion, in receiving him in all his Imperitate, the Emperor ordered all the Morgue Chiefs of Hordes, and their vaffals, to meet on at Gebel before the 13th of the 8th Moon, to afft the Pan-rekan Cama in all the ceremonies intended to be performed on occafion of the Onan-been. By this

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pearing to have foreseen that the air of
Piking would be fatal to him, wished for
this realon to receive him in Tartary, at
his palace of Gebot. He did in fact
there receive him, in all his magnificence,
asa Tartar Emperory but the Pan-tchan,
whether from a defire to fatisfy his own
curiofity, or to gratify the Lamas, who
reide in great numbers at Peking and
its neighbourhood, afked permiffion of
his Majesty to proceed to the capital of
the Empire.
He arrived, was there
feized with the fmall-pox, and died.
Upon the occafion of his death the Em-
peror wrote to the Grand Lama a letter,
which I think pot unworthy of your at-
tention. I had the original in my hands,
and fecretly made a tranflation of it for
my own ule. It is as follows!

LETTER FROM THE EMPEROR KIEN LONG TO THE TALAI-LAMA. PLACED By Heaven at the head of ten thousand kingdoms, my utmost endeavours are employed to govern them well. I neglect no means to procure peace and happiness to all that have life. I endeavour alfo to make learning and religion flourish. Lama, I am periuaded that you enter into my views, and that your intentions accord with mine I

am not ignorant that you do all that de pends on you to omit nothing your res ligion prefcribes, and to follow exactly all the laws. You are pun&ualat prayer and you bestow the attention that praying well requires. It is principally by this that you become the most firm support of the religion of Fo. I rejoice in it from my heart, and give you with pleas fure the praises that are your due. 21st

By the favour of Heaven I enjoy health. I with, Lama, that you enjoy the fame bleffing, and that you may long continue to offer up your fervent prayers.

The year before laft the Pan-chan Erténi let out from Techache Houmbou in order to pray here, upon the occation of my feventieth birth-day, to which I am drawing nigh. He performed his jour ney in good health. As foon as I was acquainted of his departure, and that he informed me he was to pafs the winter at Koum-boum, I fent the Lieutenant General Ouan-fou, and another Grandee named Pao-tai, to meet him, and ordered them to convey to him a fou-schon of pearls that I had myself worn, a saddle and all the accoutrements of a riding horfe, feme utenfils of filver and other trifles. They found him at Koun-boum, treated himn in my name with a feast of ceremony, and delivered thefe prefents.

political froke, the Emperor at once fecures the execution of his orders, devotes the disobedient to the vengeance of the Lantas, and procures for himself more glory than ever in their, moft brilliant days had the Gengiskans, the Tamerlans, and the Kobilais, who like him have given laws to the Tartars.

obtain the detail of what paffes arrough any of the Grandees, in the Emperor's suite, I-can or if the Emperor himfelf makes a Narrative of it in fome public writing andreffed to his Bannieres, I will make it an article in my letter next year, but I carefully avoid mentioning what is only founded on popular accounts.

The Emperor announced in the 44th year of his reign his intention of going to Gébul, to celebrate, on the 8th Moon, the ceremony of his Ouan-chen, which he meant to keep only, rasta common birth day; but he thought if he remained at Pe-king, his Courtiers would reaze himitoy keep it, contrary to his determination, with unufual pomp, it being his yoth year for which reafon being refolved to pay no attention to their folicitations, he determined to go to Tartary.

"Befides (fays he) Erteni, who is at prefent the Pan-tchan Lama of the Setfang, has aked leave to come to me to falute me and pay his devoirs. In granting him leave, I have promised that he shall find me in person at Géboly where I fhall receive him with all the bonours due to his rank. non gifs net

2. Some may perhaps fay, or at least think, that fince I permit the Lamas to celebrate my Quan,chem, I ought much rather to permit my fubjects, and that therefore they are entired to make just representations on that head. They cannot judge what are my motives-in permitting to the Lamas what is refused to my own fubjects, and it is not proper for me to explain them; they ought to be perfuaded that I have excellent reafons to a as I'dole, et The Emperor having erjoined them to abstain from any extraordinary cerelonies, then, adds, 1 When I reach my Beth year, all my Yubjects, or whatever rank may give ine Løvery demonßration of affeétion and joy which they judge proper."

The fourth is a firing of beadsoform tof different schfamosas of coral, pearls, ¿Elafs, Tweet (cented wood which, the Lamasd and Mandarins Carry as marks of"diffinction

The

The last year the Pan-tchan Erteni hay ing left Koum-boum on his route to me, I fent to him a fecond time the Grandees of my prefence, Our-tou-kfoun and Tarjou, accompanied by Ra-kou, a Lama of the rank of Hou-tou-ktou*. To thefe three deputies I committed one of my travelling chairs, one of my camp-tents, the fmall flags, and other tokens of difting tion proper to create respect, with which he was to be complimented on my behalf. They met him at the town of Hou-bou, and prefented to him what they were com miflioned with, after having given him as before a feaft of ceremony t.

When I learned that he was no more. than a few days journey from the frontiers, I difpatched to meet him the fixth Ague, who is now the eldest of my tons, and caufed him to be accompanied by the Hou-touk-iou then-kio. They met him at the Man (or Temple) of Taiban, There they faluted him on my part, gave him a fealt of ceremony, and prefented to him in my name a fou-tchon of pearls, more valuable than thofe first fent, a cap enriched with pearls, a led horie with faddle and accoutrements, fome utenfils of filver, and other trifles.

After his departure from the Miao, the Pan-tchan Erteni repaired to Tolou nor, where he waited fome time in order to receive all I defigned to fend him. I deputed for the purpofe of faluting him thofe of the Princes of the Blood who have the titles of Counts 1, and Guards of my perfon. They were accompanied by Feng-chen and Tebi-loun, officers of rank, and by the Lamas Avouang, Paichour, and Ranuchap. They prefented to him in my name a cap of ceremony, ornamented with pearls and many utenfils of gold and filver §..

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On the twenty-firft of the Seventh Moon the Pun teban Erteni arrived at, Gibol, where I then was, and gave me a feaft of ceremony, to which the Lamas of his fuite from Loumbou and Pontala were admitted. I gave in return a folemn

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entertainment, but apart, to all the Lawne of Gebol, to the Lamas of Teba faks, of the Eleuths, of the Ko-ko,nors, of the Tour goutbs, and of the Tour-beibs.

During this festival the Mongout. Princes, the Beks, the Tadji, and othert Nobility of the different hordes, as well as the Deputies, or Amballadors from the Coreans, the Mabometans, and others who were, then affembled at Gébal did homage to me, by performing the cere monies of refpect used on uch occa

fions.

Delighted with a reception fo honour. able and fo uncommon, the, Panyithan Erténi expreffed marks of fatisfaction that charmed all these rangers in their turn. He took this occafion to request that I would, permit him to accompany me to Peking, to which I consented. The fecond day of the ninth month was that on which he made his entry into this capital of my vaft dominions. All the Lamas, many thoufand in number, came forth to meet him, proftrated themselves in his prefence, and fulfilled with respect to him the other duties which their cush toms prefcribes. After all these cerr monies were finished, he was conducted to Yuen-ming-yuen and I affigned for his habitation that part of my palace which is named the Golden Apartment) I gave directions that every thing worthy of curiouty in the environs should be fhewn to him. He accordingly went to Hiang-chan, to Quan-cheou-chan, and! other places deferving notice. He vis fited the Miaos (or Temples) of thes different places, and was everywhere. received with distinguished honours. He officiated in perfon at the dedication of the Imperial Miao, that I had efected at Ouen-cheou-chan, and which was a jufts then completed the best

On the third day of the tenth Moon gave him a grand entertainment in the garden of Yueng-ming-yuen; and during the entertainment I caused to be brought in prefence of all the Court, the various

Hou-tou-ou are with the Lamas what Bishops are with us.

Before it was ftyled un feftin de ceremonic," in this place felin enquete, t The word Kong the Miffionaries ufually render by that of Comte P. Amiot makes fe of Comte in this inftance.

Meubles.

The term cap of ceremony is employed to avoid that of mitre, to which the cap wom by the Lamas has much refemblance; and the word utenfils to denote certain ornaments made ure of when they officiate with folemnity. A precife knowledge of the obfervances of thric Prients of Fo, or their habiliments when they officiate, & would furnish us with sufficient light to conduct us to the fource from whence they have derived their ceremonial.n P Amiot. It is the general opinion of the Miffionaries, that the ceremonies, were intrari duced into Tiber by the N fivien Christians. – Trazhat--and a battuta egib

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