tuating and precarious for a time, and from occasional caprice, Dr. Johnson and the upper circles will vary in their distinctions between a tart and a pie,-between riding in a coach and riding on horseback: it is not among them, therefore, that we are to look for the local habitation of our language: its core and essence is to be found in that large and stable part of the populace, who too often, as it will appear, are called the vulgar and illiterate. To begin then :-When I hear some old housekeeper, in the full ness of her heart, wishing the son of her employer "well to do," I recognize immediately, in the sentiment and literal construction of the phrase, the continually-recurring expression of the first of orators," Texσou." When some confounded apothecary, after drenching me with drugs, tells me I shall be easier soon, I call to mind the gawv oop of Euripides in his tragedy of Ion; and when the attendant nurse, who witnesses my agonies, tells me, 1 should have gone through pain if I had been afflicted with the gout like herself, I cannot but remember the δι' οδύναι αν εβας, of the same, or his rival dramatist. The term "jacky," the name by which gin is familiarized among the lower classes, is evidently a corruption of the word Jacchus: Cybele from her connection with Triptolemus, the inventor of barley, is admirably charac terised by the title of the Becrecynthia mater: and the poets in their epithets of Bacchus, who was the liquor-merchant of hea ven, have not forgotten the terms celeber (sel-e-beer) rime, cele (sel-e) brandy. The use of two substantiyes, instead of an ad jective and substantive, is a very common practice among the Greek writers; and many a scholar, who would read without any dissatisfaction the vegis amg of that emphatic language, would feet a perfect revolution in his frame at hearing the "insolence man” of his own native Slipslops. The natural parabolic projection, which we every day exhibit, is described exactly in Greek as in English by the term To vdwg (vid. the metonymy by which Ju piter is said to rain, Aristophanis Vespæ, line 260.); and the creative power, by which we effect this particular secretion, is I believe, peculiar to the two languages. It is probable, that the infant swearers in our streets are not aware, that their inceptive path"by goles," is an indirect mode of swearing by that potent divinity Hercules. I cannot say that I was aware of it myself, till I read the very entertaining travels of Mr. Semple. It would not be imagined, that classical phraseology had crept much into the navy; yet when we see the word hands used for a ship's crew, and recollect the expression xiga Tangwa of Sophocles in his Philoctetes; and when we hear sailors talk of a ship riding at anchor, and recollect that the Greek word as signifies both a ship and a horse, it is impossible not to be struck with the coincidence. The favourite expression, so much used on board ship, of “my lads,” is very classical. Virgil even puts it into the mouth of Augustus :— Pascite, ut ante, boves, pueri, submittite tauros. And again, when Anchises would dissuade the shades of Cæsar and Pompey from indulging in those passions which must ultimately tend to the destruction of their country, he addresses them with this friendly appellative— Ne pueri, ne tanta animis assuescite bella. The reader's impatience, if he is a punster, will probably suggest another example :— Claudite jam rivos, pueri, sat prater. I have found a find, the most vulgar of all ́exprsssions in English, becomes an elegance in Greek, when used by Herodotus in that highly argumentative and eloquent speech, which Artabanus addresses to Xerxes on the subject of his intended expedition into Greece. It must almost reconcile us to the language of the Stock Exchange, when we read in the Memorabilia of the elegant Xenophon that he did not make money of those who were desirous of receiving instruction' from him, (de τις εαυτε επιθυμεντας επράττετο Xenarα); and many persons, no doubt, who heard of the flood of tears in which it is said the Petronius of his day indulged upon hearing of the levity with which the gods and goddesses of the Pantheon had been treated, drew a classical parallel between him and the satirist Lucian, δακρύων τις οφθαλμός υποπλεως—literally crying his eyes full, as he records of himself upon being condemned to the trade of making gods and goddesses. When the Misses Fellmonger and the Misses Drysalter, of the city, talk of taking the pleasure of a walk to Highgate, it is clear that they must have the λαβων τεςψιν χαςμοναν of the Greek dramatist in their eye and when the same description of ladies exclaim, What a charming thing of jewels! What pretty things of necklaces! it is evident they are indulging in a Grecism, as the following passage in Aristophanes will demonstrate, though I leave it to men of warmer complexion than myself to translate the passage: Uς δη καλον το χρημα των τίτλιων εχεις. Lysistrata, 52. Though I have hitherto derived my examples chiefly from the lower classes of society, it is far from any wish of mine to insinuate, that the upper orders of life are deficient in exhibiting a taste for classical customs or phraseology. I was much surprised, a few days back, at hearing a lady of rank by an elegant metonymy call the lowest of our extremities foot-fingers; but looking into a commentator upon Aristophanes, I found the word daruho translated translated digiti pedum, which solved the mystery presently. I should conceive Mr. Perceval's propensity for the "good things" of the world, must be partly ascribed to ideas excited by the corresponding bona negotia in Latin, and ayaða in Greek. Lord Grenville's passion for Greek, may probably be in some measure derived from the delicacy with which that language, in exact con. formity to the English, calls a very prominent part of the body, 66 Οε σεατ.” Υπο την έδραν αυτην υπηλθε γαργαλος, says an author whom I have quoted before. My Lord Chatham, I am convineed, must be fond of the classics to distraction, by the very exact manner in which, during his memorable expedition to Walcheren, he exemplified a passage in Herodotus, πολλές τε και αγαθός απο Baλwv, literally throwing away many brave men. Our present ministers too (who by the bye call themselves "men in office," merely because it appears from a passage in the Philoctetes of Sophocles, that the higher powers, in ancient days, were spoken of by the title of rus EV TEÂ, i. e. the men in office),—the ministers, I say, have evinced a minuteness of deference for classical authority, which is not easily to be paralleled. I allude to their conduct towards Ireland, or Erin. The name of Erin, as every scholar knows, is derived to Ireland from the Greek word Egivvus; t because, as the author of the Orphic Argonauts assures us, the avenging fury of Absyrtus here made his appearance, and pursued the ship Argo all the way home. Now can any thing evince a more decided taste for the classics, than the conduct which ministers have hitherto pursued towards that unfortunate country, and by which they seem resolved that the avenging fury shall be again obliged to resume his old habitation and name. All my fear is, that this same Fury may be inclined to change his quarters, and visit those, who by a different course of conduct might have pared his nails, and kept him quiet at home. I could not forbear this tribute of applause to Mr. Perceval and his colleagues; as in all other respects, whatever you, Mr. Reflector, may think to the contrary, their conduct has been merely that of true Englishmen, anxiously attentive to the interests of their country."To seduce others, and be corrupt yourself," says Tacitus, "is called life;"-corrumpere et corrumpi sæculum vocatur: would not any one swear that a late ducal establishment, the pernicious effects of which are still felt, had been formed upon this model ; and when Virgil talks of infelix victus, or sorry food, does not every person see the standard by which a classical and learned Law Officer would regulate the economy of his table, if he could Y 3 * Μαθεσιν αυδώ κ' ε μαθεσιν σιγων Eschylus. ever + The very learned Mr. Faber, who sees the word Noah in every name be meets with, would of course derive this from 78 71, Noah's Ark. ever be prevailed upon to give a dinner? It is really curious to observe the exact conformity which prevails in many of our little habits and customs with those formerly practised by the ancients. I am aware how easily the human mind is warped by a favourite hypothesis; and therefore it is probable that some of the resem blances which I may produce, exist only in my own fancy: as Lord Erskine's imagination identifies every thing with the Trial by Jury, and as Sir Francis Burdett thinks it is expected that he should make a speech whenever the word Corruption is used. But let me ask, is there no association of ideas between a cityfeast and this line in Virgil? Implentur vereris Bacchi pinguisque ferinæ. Can any person doubt, that the custom with cooks of throwing flour upon meat when roasting, is either a tradition handed down from very remote ages, or derived from an attentive perusal of Homer, who certainly in his Odyssey alludes to the practice: Οπτήσας δ' αμα παντα φερων παρεθηκε Οδεσηι, Which Mr. Pope very properly translates— Then on the floor display'd, The ready meal before Ulysses laid, In the punishments which Virgil allots to the guilty souls in Tartarus, are there not evident allusions to English customs and feelings? What is the dantem salmonea pœnas, as I heard a gentleman of high attainments observe, but an open allusion to our practice of crimping salmon, cod, and other fish? Why is Theseus described as such a very sedentary person; or who would have thought of mentioning perpetual sitting as one of the in. fernal punishments, but a person, who witnessing the restless and anquiet habits of an Englishman, would from thence be led to imagine that a privation of locomotion might constitute the severest of punishments. That Virgil beheld it in this light is evident from this that after describing this gentleman's sedentary habits,-sedet æternumque sedebit; he immediately adds, as if struck with compassion at his pitiable situation, infelix Theseus. I am persuaded, that if a due consideration had been made for this inhe rent tendency in us to follow the practices of the ancients, a man of respectable family, whose name need not be mentioned, would have been exposed to less obloquy for undertaking to superintend the masticating and bibulous operations of a low pugilist: let any person peruse the Odes of Pindar, and see in what light the alipta or trainer was held formerly, and he will no longer be surprised surprised that an officer should abandon his professional pursuits for so high and honourable an employment as that of regulating the secretions of a boxer. It must gratify every true scholar to hear, that the science of boxing is extended every day. In what estimation this art was held by the Greeks is evident from the pathetic complaints which Antilochus makes in Homer's Iliad, that his father Nestor (who was undoubtedly a man of fashion in his day, and even one of the old school) could no longer indulge in the amusements of boxing and foot-racing; and from the glee with which the old gentleman recounts his former achievements in those arts. I have alluded to Nestor's rank in society, because I know many people affect to be indignant, that boxing and foot. races form the principal amusements of many of our present men of fashion. I have already hinted at the perverted view, under which objects are apt to appear to a person who is forming a system: it is with deference, therefore, that I suggest the following new translation of a passage in that exquisite poem of Musæus, the Loves of Hero and Leander. The passage which I allude to is that in which the young lady tells her lover, Παρθενικης επι λέκτρον αμηχανον εσιν ικεσθαι. Which is commonly rendered, that it is a difficult matter to ascend the bed of a virgin. Now this we know is not so very true in point of fact, as to warrant Hero in making so broad and general an assertion; besides, after the lengths she had gone and the lengths which she appeared disposed to go with the young gen tleman, the expression does not seem applicable to the existing state of things as they then stood between the two parties. A modern fashion with regard to the furniture of a bed-chamber led me to think that a more true translation of the passage might be given in the following manner;-Anxo is a compound of the privitive, and nxa a ladder. The expression, therefore, meant nothing less than an assignation; and gave Leander to understand, that it was easy to reach a young lady's bed without a ladder, contrasting the couch of an unmarried person with that of a wedded woman, which in general it is very difficult to ascend without that convenience. I candidly confess, that I have not a Musæus at hand to see whether the context bears me out in this fdea; and therefore, as I said before, I leave it at the reader's mercy. If I have not already said enough to prove, that from the very close resemblance which our language bears to that of the two learned nations of antiquity, we might very reasonably be justified in claiming for ourselves at least as early an origin as themselves, I will submit two more facts to the reader's consi deration, and then beg of him to say, whether there would be any extravagance in asserting that we have a claim' to the title of $4 higher |