pare the illuftrious exploits of great men to those of brutes, this always brightens the fubject by comparisons drawn from things above it. We bave a great character given it with respect to the fable in Gaddius de fcrip. non ecclef. It appears, fays he, nearer perz fection than the Iliad or Odyfes, and excels both in judgment, wit, and exquifite texture, fince it is a poem perfect in its own kind. Nor does Crufius fpeak lefs to its honour, with respect to the moral, when he cries out in an apoftrophe to the reader; "Whoever you are, "mind not the names of thefe little animals, but look "into the things they mean; call them men, call them "kings or counsellors, or human polity itself, you have "here doctrines of every fort." And indeed, when I hear the frog talk concerning the mouse's family, I learn equality fhould be obferved in making friendships; when I hear the moufe answer the frog, I remember, that a fimilitude of manners should be regarded in them; when I fee their councils affembling, I think of the buftles of human prudence; and when I fee the battle grow warm and glorious, our firuggles for honour and empire appear before me.

This piece had many imitations of it in antiquity, as the fight of the Cats, the Cranes, the Starlings, the Spiders, &c. That of the Cats is in the Bodleian library, but I was not fo lucky as to find it. I have taken the liberty to divide my tranflation into books, though it be otherways in the original, according as the fable allowed proper refting-places, by varying its fcene, or nature of action: this I did, after the ex

ample

ample of Ariftarchus and Zenodotus in the Iliad. I then thought of carrying the grammarians example further, and placing arguments at the head of each, which I framed as follows, in imitation of the short antient Greek infcriptions to the Iliad.

BOOK I.

In Alpha the ground
Of the quarrel is found.

BOOK II.

In Beta, we
The council fee.

BOOK III.

Dire Gamma relates

The work of the Fates.

But as I am averfe from all information which leffens our furprize, I only mention these for a handle to quarrel with the custom of long arguments before a poem. It may be necessary in books of controverfy or abftrufe learning, to write an epitome before each part; but it is not kind to foreftal us in a work of fancy, and make our attention remifs by a previous account of the end of it.

The next thing which employed my thoughts was the heroes names. It might perhaps take off fomewhat from the majesty of the poem, had I caft away fuch noble founds as, Phyfignathus, Lycopinax, and O

Cram

Crambophagus, to fubftitute Bluff-cheek, Lick dish, and Cabbage eater, in their places. It is for this reafon I have retained them untranflated: however, I place them in English before the poem, and fometimes give a short character extracted out of their names; as in Polyphonus, Pternophagus, &c. that the reader may not want fome light of their honour in the original.

But what gave me a greater difficulty was, to know how I fhould follow the poet, when he inferted pieces of lines from his Iliad, and ftruck out a sprightliness by their new application. To fupply this in my tranflation I have added one or two of HOMER's particularities; ́and used two or three allufions to fome of our English poets who most refemble him, to keep fome image of this Spirit of the original with an equivalent beauty. To ufe more might make my performance feem a cento rather than a tranflation, to thofe who knew not the neceffity I lay under.

I am not ignorant, after all my care, how the world receives the best compofitions of this nature. A man need only go to a painter's, and apply what he hears faid of a picture to a tranflation, to find how he shall be ufed upon his own, or his author's account. There one Spectator tells you, a piece is extremely fine, but he fets no value on what is not like the face it was drawn for ; while a fecond informs you, fuch another is extremely like, but he cares not for a piece of deformity, though its likeness be never so exact.

Yet notwithanding all which happens to the beft, when I translate, I have a defire to be reckoned a

mongst

mongst them; and I shall obtain this, if the world will be fo good-natured as to believe writers that give their own characters: upon which prefumption, I anfwer to all objections before-hand, as follows:

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When I am literal, I regard my auther's words; when I am not, I tranflate in spirit. If I am low, I choose the narrative ftile; if high, the fubject required it. When I am enervate, I give an inftance of antient fimplicity; when affected, I fhew a point of modern delicacy. As for beauties, there never can be one found in me which was not really intended; and for any faults, they proceeded from too unbounded fancy, or too nice judgment, but by no means from any defect in either of those faculties.