ferings, as in the 13 Verfe, I will enter thy Houfe with whole burnt Offerings; fo here agnale gnoloth, I will offer burnt Offerings, which were appointed of five Kind of Creatures only, Oxen, Sheep, Goats, Turtles and Pidgeons; the first three behoved to be Male, as in Levit. Chap. I. 3 and 10 Verfes*. Jofephi Antiq. 3. 10. Αξξενα ὁλοκαυλ και wana. If Dr Johnston had understood the Hebrew Language fo well as is pretended, he would never have tranflated this Verfe in the Manner he has done. Agna, a fhe Lamb offered for a Holocauft, is a thing never heard of t. For amongst the Jews it is a common Saying, en gnoloth nekeḥa, nullum eft Holocauftum fæmellum. PSALM ci. 5. Him that hath a high Look and a proud Heart, will I not fuffer, rechab lebab, tumentem Animo, elatum Animo, fwell'd with Pride. So the Phrafe is ufed Prov. xxvii. 25. he that is of a proud Heart firreth up Strife, Heb. rachab nephesh, tumens Animo; this Part of the Verfe the Doctor has tranflated Nec mihi vel Socius vel Pars cenfebitur Aula fwell'd with popular Applaufe; which is but a low Verfion of the Hebrew Words, elatus Oculis & tumens Corde, which Buchanan has tranBlated in the Senfe of the Pfalmift, with all the Beauty, Force and Elegance of the Original. Nec mea Menfa Dapibus fructur Buchanan's Verfion always expreffes the true Senfe and Force of the Ab premor adverfis, te folo Vindice nitor, The Original runs, but I am afflicted and poor, O God! haften to me. i. e. to my Support, my Helper and my Deliverer art thou, Jehovah, make no Delay. Sunt mea Vires & Opes pufilla; Sed Tu me, Deus, adjuva: These Inftances, with a great many others that might be adduced, may fuffice to fhew the Truth of what I afferted; and I believe every fair and unprejudiced Perfon, who will take the Trouble to compare Buchanan's and Dr Johnston's Verfions with the Original, and with one another, will allow Buchanan's to be far fuperior for its ExpreffiveRefs of the Force, Beauty and true Senfe of the Hebrew Text; nor T do Rhelandi Antiquit. Hebræorum. p. 342. † Bocharti Hierezaicon. do I thereby intend to throw any Reflections upon Dr Johnfton's Ver fion, but only to do Juftice to Buchanan's Merit, and the Caufe of Truth; for Buchanan has not only had great Skill in the Original himself, but taken great Pains in confulting the best Commentators on many difficult Paffages, and for moft Part chofen that Sense which was most agreeable to the Nature and Idiom of the original Language, the Scope of the Pfalmift, and the Opinion of the beft Divines; and tho' I have a very great Regard for Dr Johnfton's Verfion, for its Simplicity, Eafinefs and Concifenefs, yet in many Places he overlooks the greatest Beauties of the Original, and falls fhort of the Force, true Meaning and Elegance of the Hebrew Text: And therefore, without any Injuftice to him, I'll venture to affert, that Buchanan's Verfion of the Pfalms, for Purity, Juftness, Force and Beauty is as complete and good an One as has ever yet been, or, perhaps, ever will be, in the Latin Tongue. The following Piece, which is a Tranflation made by Queen ELIZABETH and in her own Hand-writing, baving been communicated to us as a great Curiofity, we fhew'd it fome Virtuoft acquainted with Manufcripts, who make no doubt of its being genuine, and very much admire the Beauty and Strength of the Style, confidering the Time it was written in: Wherefore we not only refolved to print the whole Treatife, but to give the Publick an engraved Specimen of her Hand-writing, by a lineal Transcript of the last Page: And we have also added a Print of her Majesty. The M. S. confifts of 80 Pages in 4to, in the first of which the Title runs thus. A fhort treatise or dialogue abowt the difference between the lyffe of the Prynce and priuat perfon don out of Xenophon in Greeke into english. A A DIALOGUE out of XENOPHON in GREEK, BETWEEN HIERO a King yet fom tyme a priuat Perfon, AND SIMONIDES a Poet, As touching the LIFFE of the PRINCE and priuat man. IMONIDES the Poet reforted on a tyme to King Hiero, and being both at leafure, Simonides difpofed to find fom talke, made thys rouing queftion or request unto hym: might it please your hyghness (most excellent Prynce) to inftruct and lausfy me in that, wherein it behooueth you to know more than I. And what is that, Simonides, faid Hiero, wherein I should be better feene than you, a man of fuch wyfedom and learning. I have known, quoth he, as well when you were a priuate perfon as alfo now a king therefore it ftands very well with reason that you should rather then I be able to decypher the difference between a pryncly, and priuate lyffe as touching greyffe or pleasure which men find in them, standing fo experienced in them both. Nay then (faid the King) if you wyll needes thrust uppon me the decyding hereof in myne own name, without calling other warrant : can you (living ftyll privately) first remembre me of fuch things as are incident to your state and condition? For fo (I think) beft I shall fuffyce to fet downe, both how much much, and wherin your lyffe and myne do difagree. Whereunto Symonides made thys anfwere: Trewly, Hiero, as far as I can fymply gather, I have found thys most generall with vs priuate men, that we commonly encrease in delight or refolue into forow by reafon of our eyes, with fights and things we fee, of our eares with noyfes, and that we heare; of our noftrells with fauours fuch as we fmell; of our mouthes with meattes and drinks, whereof we taste. And as for the fuggeftion of our instinct to loueward, it is by reafon of other parts, known fufficiently to all men in them felves. Now hotte and cold, hard and fofte, light and heavy thyngs, all thefe, me thynks, we difcern, with our whole body and thereof, as in effect they be, take greyffe or delectation. But with good and euyll fomtyme wee feem in mynd well pleased, and difquyetted again fomtyme; now and than in both, as well body as mynd. Morouer, Í haue fenfibly perceyued that fleepe is very sweete and pleasant vnto vs: but how it is fo, or when, or why it fhould be fo, verely I am all to feeke. and no maruay!! neyther, fyth those thyngs which chance vnto vs waking we difcern more playnly, then which do happen in our fleepe. Here at the King brake of hys filence, and thus gan fpeake: Trust me, Simonides, I know not how in the world a Prynce fhould be affected otherwyfe, then you haue allready named; fo that as yet I fee no difference at all between them. Yes by your leave, fayd Simonides, they differ in thys, that as the king of the good thyngs before rehearfed receyueth more pleasure and delight than other; fo of the euyll is he not trauaylled fo extremely with forow and anguyfh as the reft. It is nothyng fo, Simonides, feyd Hiero: but in all aforefayd, affure yourfelf that kings are lefs delighted, and diftreffed far more deeply than other men. Me thynks you feeme to leade me into a strang conftruction touching your condition, quoth Simonides, for were it fo in deed, as you in words pretend; how then cometh it to pafs, that fo many be defierous of fole rule and gouernment, yea and fuch as feeme allready for their hugh mafs of wealth to haue the world at wyll? How is it that not any in particular, but all in generall efteeme Kings as happieft men alive? Surely, fayd Hiero, because standing inexperienced in both trauaylls, they take uppon them to judge of the one, according to their imperfect fancyes. But I will do my deuoyr to draw you out of fufpence hereof; that you fhall fee and fay they are euyll acquainted with the nature of a Prynce hys lyffe, who difpofe the fame alltogether vndre pleafure and I wyll begynn with the benefytte of our fight; for thence (to my remembrance) you defcended to the rest. And first examining and wayeng with myself what thyngs are to be feen (albeit my opinion runn directly against myne own con condition) I find that kings are in woorfe cafe for fuch, then priuate men. In diuers places there be diuers and fondry fhews fett foorth woorthy the looking on. now to every of thefe do priuate perfons go as well into what cytties they will to view the fame, as alfo to triumphs, and common affemblies, where men make juft accompt to fee fom woorthy fpectacle and goodly fight. But Kings of all others haue leaft commodious interest in thefe. for neyther is it wyfedom for them thyther to repayre where the people prefent fhall be able to encounter them: neyther is theyr ftate at home fo firme and fure, that making ouer vnto others theyr full authoritye, they may in the meane feafon trauayle themfélues abroad: vnlefs wyllfully and wyllingly they wyll incurr the hazarding of theyr crown, and altogether diffur wyth themfelues of power or faculty to put the reuenge of injuries in execution. But it may be you wyll choak me here, and fay that fights and goodly fhews com home to Prynces, tho they ftyrr not out of doares to fee them. there com in deede Simonides, but very few notwithstanding, of fo many, and those yet fo dearely bought, that whofo fetteth foorth in our prefence a matter never fo fymple, wyll for fo lyttle tyme, so base a thyng, fo highly looke to go rewarded, as the like agayn he fhall not be, while he lyueth, with the benefytts of the commonalty. But, that you be not fo well for feeing, fayd Simonides, yet are you in bettre state for hearing well, then wee. For you want no prayfe no commendation then wich what I pray doth more tyckle or delight the eares. all that are about you, rayfe you with prayfes euen to the hygheft heauens, whatfomeuer you fay or do, and which is woont to inrage and replenish the mynd with fury, to fyre the ftomack with fretting and fuming figthes, you neuer haue rebuke or reprochefull woord of any give me one, that dare difprayfe or difplease a King to hys face. What pleasure think you (faid Hiero) can it be to vs, to haue giuen vs no disdaynfull language, when it is euident and playn, that fuch as fay leaft commonly thynk woorft, and imagyn moft? what do they delight vs with their prayfes and good reports, which are fufpected for flattery to do, that they do? Whereunto Simonides thus made anfwer in good fouth, Hiero, I yeild and graunt you thys, that the commendation which proceedeth from the fubftantial fort, from men of greatest countenaunce, and fuch as we haue leaft to do with, are beft welcom and accepted beft. Neuer the lefs, fo far can I not confent with your fayengs as not to referue a liberty to contend afresh with you: and befydes, I dare auouch, you yourself fee, that no man wyll euer beleiue but in nouritures you participate with much more pleasure and delitefom joy then I am not ignoraunt in deede (quoth Hiero) how the common fort do throw many nice errours on vs, after theyr we. vn |