The quotation is, however, in Latin, and though Mr. Peabody
has transferred many quotations from the "Aeneid" (through Dr. Carlyle)
to his own notes, they are often so printed as not to impress one
with a strong sense of his familiarity with the Latin language. We
give one instance for the sake of illustration. On page 40 appear
the following lines:--
Terribili squarlore Charon eni plurina mento
Canities inculta jucet; staut lumina flaurina
Nor is he happier in his quotations from Italian, or in his other
displays of learning. Having occasion to quote one of Dante's most
familiar lines, he gives it in this way:--
Lasciatte ogni speranzi, voi ch'entrate.
Anacreon is with him "Anachreon"; Vallombrosa is "Vallambroso";
Aristotelian is "Aristotleian." Five times (all the instances in
which the name occurs) the Ghibelline appears as the "Ghiberlines";
and Montaperti is transformed into "Montapesti."
Nor is J.C. Peabody's poetic capacity superior to his honesty or his
learning; witness such lines as these:--
"My parents natives of Lombardy were."
"They'll come to blood and then the savage party."
"Like as at Palo near the Quarnaro."
"I am not Aeneas; I am not Paul."
We have exhibited sufficiently the merits of what its author
declares to be "perhaps a better translation" than any other.
Pages:
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342