A Copious Latin Grammar

It has been necessary to make many alterations of the original, to accommodate it to the difference between the German and English languages. But these are not the only changes. The Author's style is exceedingly heavy; and from a strange supposition that a work of this kind could be put into the hands of beginners, he often enters into superfluous and tiresome repetitions: as, therefore, this is not a work of imagination or taste, the style has been freely re-modelled, and all those parts which seemed useless have been suppressed; the translation, though still long, has been thus reduced by as many as a hundred pages. For the same reason the Author's Prefaces have been omitted, as they merely contain remarks upon the necessity of clearly explaining the principles and terms of Grammar, and its object and extent, which are repeated in the body of the work. The Index has also been retrenched of all those particulars which could as well be learnt from the table of Contents.

To make this Grammar as complete and useful as possible, the Translator has inserted some valuable Lists from the Port-Royal Grammar and | Seyer on the Latin Verb: and to supply some defects in the remarks on Prosody, he has added Bentley's important Inquiries on the Metres of

Terence and Horace. For these additions no apology can be necessary.

But he is also responsible for Notes and Additions, in which he has endeavoured to remove some defects in the theory of grammar, and its peculiar application to the Latin language. He here particularly refers to the remarks on pronunciation and on the order of construing; and to an account of the Verb, which he believes is the most complete attempt, hitherto made, to define the parts of the verb, and explain their use, and the fullest account and comparison of the English, Latin and Greek verb, extant in any similar work.

He is sensible that he has here laid himself open to the charge of novelty, both of divisions and terms; but conscious that his reverence for received opinions would induce him to retain whatever is sanctioned by usage, unless manifestly wrong and capable of improvement, he feels persuaded that candid and competent judges will think this part of his labour neither rash nor unimportant.

To execute the Translation, and conduct it

through the press, has occupied the intervals of a laborious profession for the last two years he is aware that in a task so uninviting and tedious, many errors must have escaped his correction ; he trusts that they will not be found material, and he confidently leaves them to the candour and indulgence of the reader.

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