Thus we well left, he better reft, In heaven to take his place, We may obtain like grace. Mine own John Whitney, again farewell, Awhile thus part in twain; Whom pain doth part in earth, in heaven In this place, or [ere] I proceed further, I will now declare by whose authority I am led, and by what reason I am moved to think, that this way of double translation out of one tongue into another, is either only, or at least chiefly to be exercised, especially of youth, for the ready and sure obtaining of any tongue. There be six ways appointed by the best learned men, for the learning of tongues and increase of eloquence; as, 1. Translatio linguarum. 2. Paraphrasis. 3. Metaphrasis. 4. Epitome. 5. Imitatio. 6. Declamatio. All these be used and commended, but in order and for respects, as person, ability, place, and time shall require. The five last be fitter for the master than the scholar, for men than for children, for the universities rather than for grammar schools. Yet nevertheless, which is fittest in mine opinion for our school, and which is either wholly to be refused, or partly to be used for our purpose, I will by good authority, and some reason I trust, particularly of every one, and largely enough of them all, declare orderly unto you. TRANSLATIO LINGUARUM. Translation is easy in the beginning for the scholar, and bringeth also much learning and great judgment to the master. It is most common and most commendable of all other exercises for youth: most common; for all your constructions in grammar schools be nothing else but translations; but because they be not double translations, (as I do require,) they bring forth but simple and single commodity; and because also they lack the daily use of writing, which is the only thing that breedeth deep root, both in the wit for good understanding, and in the memory for sure keeping of all that is learned: most commendable also, and that by the judgment of all authors, which entreat of these exercises. Tully in the person of Lucius Crassus, (whom he maketh his example of eloquence and true judgment in learning,) doth not only praise specially, and choose this way of translation for a young man, but doth also * discommend and refuse his own former wont in exercising Paraphrasin, et Metaphrasin. Paraphrasis is, to take some eloquent oration, or some notable common place in Latin, and express it with other words: Metaphrasis is, to take some notable place out of a good poet, and turn the same sense into metre, or into other words in prose. * These are Crassus's reasons against this sort of exercise: "Sed post animadverti, hoc esse in hoc vitii, quod ea verba, quæ maxime cujusque rei propria, quæque essent ornatissima atque optima, occupasset aut Ennius, si ad ejus versus me exercerem, aut Gracchus, si ejus orationem mihi forte proposuissem: ita, si iisdem verbis uterer, nihil prodesse; si aliis, etiam obesse, quum minus idoneis uti consuescerem. De Orat. lib. 1, p. 92 [c. 34, § 145]. Crassus, or rather Tully, doth mislike both these ways; because the author, either orator or poet, had chosen out before the fittest words and aptest composition for that matter; and so he, in seeking other, was driven to use the worse. * Quintilian also preferreth translation before all other exercises; yet, having a lust to dissent from Tully, (as he doth in very many places, if a man read his Rhetorick over advisedly; and that rather of an envious mind, than of any just cause,) doth greatly commend Paraphrasis, † crossing spitefully Tully's judgment in refusing the same: and so do Ramus and Tallæus even at this day in France too. But such singularity in dissenting from the best men's judgments, in liking only their own opinions, is much misliked of all them that join with learning discretion and wisdom. For he that can neither like Aristotle in logic and philosophy, nor Tully in rhetoric and eloquence, will from these steps, likely enough, presume by like pride, to mount higher, to the misliking of greater matters; that is, either in religion to have a dissentious head, or in the commonwealth to have a * Quintilian does not seem heartily to recommend this way of translating out of Greek into Latin; but rather gives us the opinion and judgment of the old orators about it, adding, that it was much practised by Crassus, Cicero, and Messala. His words are, "Vertere Græca in Latinum veteres nostri oratores optimum judicabant.” +"Sed et illa ex Latinis conversio, multum et ipsa contulerit. Ideoque ab illis dissentio, qui vertere orationes Latinas vetant, quia optimis occupatis, quicquid aliter dixerimus, necesse sit esse deterius. Nam neque semper est desperandum, aliquid illis, quæ dicta sunt, melius posse reperiri; neque adeo jejunam ac pauperem natura eloquentiam fecit, ut una de re bene dici nisi semel non possit." De Institut. Orat. lib. 10. factious heart as I knew one, a student in Cambridge, who for a singularity began first to dissent in the schools from Aristotle, and soon after became a perverse Arian against Christ and all true religion; and studied diligently Origen, Basilius, and St. Hierom, only to glean out of their works the pernicious heresies of Celsus, Eunomius, and Helvidius, whereby the church of Christ was so poisoned withal. But to leave these high points of divinity: Surely in this quiet and harmless controversy, for the liking or misliking of Paraphrasis for a young scholar; even as far as Tully goeth beyond Quintilian, Ramus, and Tallæus, in perfect eloquence, even so much, by mine opinion, come they behind Tully for true judgment in teaching the same. Plinius Secundus, a wise senator of great experience, excellently learned himself, a liberal patron of learned men, and the purest writer, in mine opinion, of all his age, (I except not Suetonius, his two schoolmasters Quintilian and Tacitus, nor yet his most excellent learned uncle, the elder Plinius,) doth express in an epistle to his friend Fuscus, many good ways for order in study; but he beginneth with translation, and preferreth it to all the rest. And because *his words be notable, I will recite them. * There is so great a difference in this citation out of Pliny from the principal copies, that I am satisfied that Mr. Ascham (as I have observed before) trusted to his memory only, without ever looking into his author. This will appear plain enough to any one that shall compare this passage, as it stands here, with Pliny's text, which I shall give the reader out of Boxhornius's edition, printed by Elzevir. “Utile imprimis, et multi præcipiunt, vel ex Græco in Latinum, vel ex Latino vertere in Græcum: quo genere exercitationis proprietas splendorque verborum, copia figurarum, III. 12 “Utile in primis, ut multi præcipiunt, ex Græco in Latinum, et ex Latino vertere in Græcum: quo genere exercitationis, proprietas splendorque verborum, apta structura sententiarum, figurarum copia, et explicandi vis colligitur. Præterea imitatione optimorum, facultas similia inveniendi paratur: et quæ legentem fefellissent, transferentem fugere non possunt. Intelligentia ex hoc, et judicium acquiritur." You perceive how Pliny teacheth, that by this exercise of double translating is learned easily, sensibly, by little and little, not only all the hard congruities of grammar, the choice of aptest words, the right framing of words and sentences, comeliness of figures and forms fit for every matter and proper for every tongue; but that which is greater also, in marking daily and following diligently thus the steps of the best authors, like invention of arguments, like order in disposition, like utterance in elocution is easily gathered up; whereby your scholar shall be brought not only to like eloquence, but also to all true understanding and right judgment both for writing and speaking. And where Dionysius Halicarnassæus hath written two vis explicandi, præterea imitatione optimorum similia inveniendi facultas paratur: simul quæ legentem fefellissent, transferentem fugere non possunt. Intelligentia ex hoc, et judicium acquiritur." Now lest any should wonder at this strange inaccuracy (for so it seems to be) in a person of Mr. Ascham's learning and judgment; I shall transcribe what Casaubon, in his notes on Theocritus, has remarked on the like occasion. "Veterum grammaticorum mos est in proferendis auctorum locis, id unicum, cujus gratia eos laudant, spectare, neglecta interim sententia. Ex eo est, quod multa sæpe apud eos aliter scripta inveniuntur, quam in ipsis auctoribus habentur." |