The Aeneid of Virgil | Page 4

the town laid out,
Begins to speak, then stops, she
knows not why.
Now, as day wanes, the feast of yesterday
She
gives again, again with fevered lips
Begs for the tale of Troy and all
its woes,
And hangs upon his lips, who tells the tale.
Then, when
the guests are gone and in her turn
The wan moon pales her light, and
waning stars
Persuade to sleep, she in her empty halls
Mourns all
alone, and throws herself along
The couch where he had lain: though
he be gone
Far from her side, she hears and sees him still.'
Of the merits of the present translation the reader will judge for himself;
but it may perhaps be said of the usual objections urged against the
Spenserian stanza--that it is cumbrous and monotonous, and presents
difficulties of construction--that the two former criticisms will be just
or the reverse, according to the skill of the writer, while it is quite
possible that the last is really an advantage, for the intricate machinery
imposes a restraint on careless or hasty composition. And finally we
must turn a deaf ear, even to so high an authority as Matthew Arnold,
when he says that it is not suited to the grand manner. When he said
this he cannot have remembered either the lament of Florimell in the
_Faerie Queene_ or the conclusion of _Childe Harold_.
J. P. MAINE.

Edward Fairfax Taylor, whose translation of the _Aeneid_ is now
published, was descended from the Taylors of Norwich, a family well
known for their culture and intellectual gifts. He was the only son of
John Edward Taylor, himself an accomplished German and Italian
scholar, and the first translator of the _Pentamerone_ into English, who
lived at Weybridge near his aunt, Mrs. Sarah Austin. Brought up
among books, young Taylor early showed an intense love for classical
literature, and soon after going to Marlborough he began the present
translation as a boy of sixteen. His admiration for Spenser led him to
adopt the Spenserian stanza, and in the preface to his translation of the
first two books he gives detailed reasons for considering it peculiarly
well adapted for the _Aeneid_. He was a favourite pupil of the late Dr.
Bradley, Dean of Westminster, at that time headmaster of Marlborough,
and who much wished that he should follow in the footsteps of 'that
brilliant band of Marlborough men,' as they have been called, who at
that time, year after year, gained the Balliol scholarship. But
circumstances made him decide otherwise, and in 1865 he passed the
necessary examination for a clerkship in the House of Lords. The long
vacations gave him time to continue this labour of love, and in the
intervals of much other literary work, and in spite of ill health, he
completed the translation of the twelve books of the _Aeneid_. He
looked forward to re-editing it and bringing it out when he should have
retired from his work in the House of Lords, but this day never came,
and he died from heart disease in January 1902. His was a singularly
charming disposition, and he was beloved by all who knew him; while
the courage and patience with which he bore ever-increasing suffering,
and the stoicism he showed in fulfilling his duties in the House of
Lords, have left a deep impression on all his friends.
L. M.
The _Edisso Princeps_, of Virgil is that printed at Rome by Sweynham
and Pannartz. It was not dated, but it is almost certain that it was
printed before the Venice folio edition of V. de Spira, which was issued
in 1470. The best modern critical editions of the text are those of
Ribbeck (4 vols. 1895) and F. A. Hirtzel (_Scriptorum Classicorum
Bibliotheca Oxoniensis_, 1900). Of the editions containing explanatory

notes, that of Conington and Nettleship, revised by Haverfield, is the
standard English commentary. That of A. Sidgwick (2 vols. Cambridge)
is more elementary, but will be found valuable. Those of Kennedy
(London, 1879) and of Papillon and Haigh (Oxford, 2 vols. 1890-91)
may also be referred to.
Virgil was first introduced to English readers by William Caxton in
1490. But his _Eneydos_ was based, not on the _Aeneid_ itself, but on
a French paraphrase, the _liure des eneydes_, printed at Lyons in 1483.
The best modern prose translations are those of Mackail (London, 1885)
and Conington (London, 1870).
The following is a list of the more important verse translations of the
_Aeneid_ which have appeared. The name of the translator, and the
date at which his translation appeared, are given:--Gawin Douglas,
1553 (see Introduction, p. xi); Henry, Earl of Surrey, 1557 (Books II.
and IV. only); J. Dryden, 1697; C. R. Kennedy, 1861; J. Conington,
1866; W. Morris, 1876; W. J. Thornhill, 1886; Sir Charles Bowen,
1887 (Books I.-VI. only); J. Rhoades, 1893 (Books I.-VI. only); Sir