OF THE
NATURE OF THINGS,

In Six Books,
Translated into English VERSE;
By THO: CREECH, A. M. late Fellow of

Wadham College in OXFOR D.

In Two Volume S.
Explaind and Illustrated with Notes and

ANIMADVERSIONS;
Being a compleat System of the Epicurean Philosophy.

MINERVA LONDINENSIS.

LONDON:
Printed by J. MATTHEW s for G. SA WBRIDGE, at the

Three Golden Flower de Luces in Little Britain ; and sold by
7. Churchill and w. Taylor in Pater-Nofter-Row; F. Wyat, and
R. Knaplock in St. Paul's Church Yard; R. Parker, G. Straban,
and F. Phillips near the Royal Exchange; B. Tooke and R. Goslin
in Fleetstreet; 7. Brown without Temple Bar; F. Tonfon in the
Strand; W. Lewis in Covent:Garden ; F. Harding in St. Mar.
tin's Lane ; and F. Graves, next Door to White's Chocolate
House, St. James's. MDCCXIV.

2

HE Poems of the Antients, transated into modern Languages, are justly compar’d to Flowers, of the Growth of warmer Regions, transplanted thence in to our colder Climates : They often die in the Raising; but, if with Difficulty

they are brought to bear, the Flowers they produce, wanting the indulgent Warmth of their native Sun, degenerate from their antient Stock ; they impair in Liveliness of Colour, and lose their Fragrancy of Smell, or retain at best but a faint odour. Verse in like manner, when tranplanted from the Language of one Countrey into that of another, participates of all the Defects of the Air and Soil : and when antient Wit comes to be taught and confin'd in modern Numbers, the noble Spirit, for want of the Warmth with which the Original was written, evaporates in Tranfusing, and often becomes little better than a dead and senseless Image. Hence we see, that, tho? Com

' posing be indeed the nobler Part of Poetry, yet to translate well is scarce a leß difficult Task. The Materials, Igrant, are found to the Translator's Hands; but then his Fansy is

; bound

up, and confin'd; for be must build according to bis Model : and tho' bis Invention toil the leß, his Judgment must labour the more ; otherwise he will never copy bis Original, nor do Justice to his Authour,

I will DO

B