VERSIONE ANGLICA, ENGLISH TRANSLATION, AS LITERAL AS POSSIBLE, NOTES AND AN INDEX. BY JOHN CLARK E, SECOND AMERICAN EDITION. PRINTED AT WORCESTER, BY ISAIAH THOMAS, JUN. Sold at his PRINTINGOFFICE, Wholesale and Retail, and by THOMAS & PREFACE. Lam THE title page has already informed the reader that the followamuel Manu ing tranflation of Eutropius is a literal one, in which, if he knows any thing of the Latin tongue, he will not look for polite, elegant language, fince that is altogether impoffible in this way of tranfltion, was I otherwife never fo capable of it. The manner of expreffion in the two languages differs as widely, as perhaps, it is poffible the phrafe of two languages thould do; and therefore all a man can do in the cafe, is to guard againft downright impropriety and abfolute barbarity, which how well I have done, the realer muft judge. The different genius of the language has obliged me, here and there, to take a little liberty; but it is fo fmall, that the tranflation anfwers the defign, as fully and effectually as if it was ftrictly literal. I have bkewife found it neceflary, fometimes, fr clearing the fenfe, or mending my English, to infert words, which have none to answer them in the original: Thefe, to prevent the difficulty they might otherwife occafion to young boys, are all along put in a different charter. The usefulness of fuch fort of tranflations of the cafier claffics is fo exceedingly evident, that no one, who will but give himself the trouble of confidering the matter little, can fail, I fhould think, of feeing it. I fhall not, therefore, fo far diftruft the reader's understanding, as to add any thing to what has already been faid upon the subject of the great usefulness and neceflity of thefe tranflations. I have tranflated this author as highly proper to be read in our fchools, upon a double account. First, as he is one of the eafielt au hors in the Latin tongue; and fecondly, as he gives us a pretty good compend or abridgment of the Roman story, down from the building of the city, to the death of Jovian, hat is for the term of about 1100 years. And as the hiftory of Greece and Rome is abfolutely necellary for a scholar, becaufe of the frequent hints and allufions thereto in the most valuable performances of the learned, both ancient and modern, I fee not how our schools can well be without this author. We have no where elfe fo much of the Roman hiftory in fofhort a compafs; without a good acquaintance with which, Virgil, Horace and Juvenal, can never be tolerably understood. Notes that explain the paffages, where the Roman flory is touched upon, will never do the bufinefs effectually, but be quickly forgot, unless the reader has a good general plan or view of the Roman hiftory in his head before hand. Thofe mafters would do well to confider of this, that hurry poor children on to the reading of thofe fublime and difficult authors, without the leaft preparation of that kind; the infallible confequence of which wife method of proceeding is, that the boys never understand them as they should do. Though it requires no great penetration, I think, to fee the reafonableness of what I have advanced; yet I have known this piece of folly carried to fuch a height, that the poor boys have been strictly forbid the ufe of any notes whatfoever upon Juvenal's fatyrs (the very nature and design of which kind of poetry oftentimes neceffarily involves it in obfcurity) though they had not read fo much as a line in any one claffic author of the Roman hiftory. The perfon guilty of this ftrange overlight was a man of fome note in the world, and pretended therein, as I remember, to follow the example of Dr. BUSBY. But if the Doctor thought notes upon that author ufelefs to his fcholars, he fure took care before he entered them, to bring them pretty well acquainted with the hiftory and antiquities of Rome, together with the heathen mythology: Or elfe, may venture to fay, he never had a fcholar in his life, that could any where make out twenty lines together, without his help: If he could, I am fure he must have been a conjuror. Good dictionaries, inde d, might give them fome relief; but thefe would not go far, nor do the bufinefs half fo effectually as a previous acquaintance with the antiquities, hiftory and mythology. Nay, even with all that apparatus for the reading of Juvenal, good notes are abfolutely neceflary for the perfect, easy, expeditions underlanding of that difficult author. It is the business of the masler to make all things as easy as poffible, and not to frighten youth from books and study, by putting unnecellary difficulties upon them. The not attending duly to this grand principle of education, but rather affecting a quite contrary conduct, and forcing them, by the terror of the lafh, to hammer out their business in a poor bungling manner by themselves, has been the ccafion that many, who have run through our schools, and whole bufinefs in the world requires they thould be fcholars, have but a very forry pittance learning to fupport that character. It is my intention here, and in my other performances of this kind, to remedy, as much as lies in me, this crying, this intolerable grievance; and if I can be fo happy in the execution of this my defign,as to give fatisfaction to the learned and judicious I have my end, the very utmost of my ambition, and thall think my felf amply rewarded in their favor and approbation for all my pains. This is now the fecond claffic author I have publifhed with this view. I call him a claffic author; for though he lived in times when the Latin tongue was very much upon the decline, yet he has fo well imitated the ftyle of the purer ages,excepting fome few paffages, that he has, by the learned, been allowed a place in that number. All I have further to fay, is to advertife the reader that the account of EUTROPIUS, by Gerard Voffius is not literally tranflated, becaufe not inferted here for the reading of boys in the fchool, by way of leffon, GERARD VOSSIUSZ Latem ACCOUNT of EUTROPIUS Utropius, an Italian 1826 Account of Entropine EUTROPIUS, fo- Jophift, as Suidas calls phifta Italus, ut eum vocat Suidas, cum alia, quædam eodem tefte, tum Breviarium fcripfit rerum Romanorum ab urbe condita ufque ad Flavi. um Valentem Auguftum cui & opus fuum dicavit. Militâffe fe ait fub Juliano, atque expeditioni ejus in Perfas interfuiffe: Quo & pertinent verba Georgii Codini in felectis de originibus Conftantinopolitanis, ubi fic fcribit, Eurgoni ὁ σοφίζες, Lau dat vero eum teftem in rebus Conftantini Magni, quæ oculis fuis vidiffe eum ait. 24 him, writ, as the fame author informs us, befides other things, a brief hiftory of the Romans, from the building of the city, to the time of the Emperor Flavius Valens, to whom he alfo dedicated his work. He fays he ferved in the wars under Julian, and went along with him in his expedition against the Perfians: As appears likewife from the words of George Codi nus, in his felect obferva. tions relating to the antiquities of Conftantinople, wherein he thus writes, Eutropius the fophift, who' was with Julian the Apoftate in Perfia. quotes him for the tranfactions of Conftantine the' Great, which he fays he had feen with his own eyes. He' Atque |