little acquaintance in the language, as not to be able to distinguish whether a word, in a certain period, signifies a race, a service of dishes, or a mode of conduct. In a piece intitled Guillaume de Vadè, and attributed to Mr. de Voltaire, there is a blunder of the same kind. Polonius orders his daughter not to confide in the promises of Hamlet, who being heir to the crown, cannot have liberty of choice in marriage, like a private person. He must not, says the old statesman, carve for himself, as vulgar persons do. The French author translates it, "he must not cut his own victuals;" and runs on about morsels, as if Hamlet's dinner, not his marriage, had been the subject of debate. The translator knew not that the word carve is often used metaphorically in our language, for a person's framing or fashioning his lot or portion. We say, the lover feeds on hope, the warrior thirsts for glory: would it be fair to translate, that the lover eats a morsel of hope, and the warrior desires to drink a draught of glory? If such translations are allowed, the works of the most córrect au

thor may be rendered ridiculous. It is apparent, that Mr. de Voltaire depended entirely on the assistance of a dictionary, to enable him to give the most faithful translation that can be, and the only faithful one, in the French language, of any author, ancient or modern.

It is necessary to present to those readers, who do not understand French, the miserable mistakes and galimatias of this dictionary work. Brutus, in his soliloquy, meditating on what Cassius had been urging concerning Cæsar, thus expresses his apprehension, that imperial power may change the conduct of

the man.

BRUTUS.

"Tis a common proof,
That lowliness is young ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his face;
But when he once attains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend. So Cæsar may.

Thus Mr. Voltaire translates it:

BRUTUS.

BRUTUS.

-On sait assez quelle est l'ambition.

L'échelle des grandeurs à ses yeux se présente ;
Elle y monte en cachant son front aux spectateurs ;
Et quand elle est haut, alors elle se montre;
Alors jusques au ciel élévant ses regards,
D'un coup d'œil méprisant sa vanité dédaigne
Les premiers échelons qui firent sa grandeur.
C'est ce que peut César.

"One knows what ambition is: the ladder of grandeurs presents itself to her; in going up she hides her face from the spectators; when she is at the top, then she shews herself; then raising her view to the heavens, with a scornful look her vanity disdains the steps of the ladder that made her greatness. This it is that Cæsar may do."

In the original, lowliness is young ambition's ladder: the man who by feigned humility and courtesy, has attained the power to which he aspired, turns his back on those humble means by which he ascended to it; the metaphor agreeing both to the man, who has gained the top of the ladder, or to him O 2 who

who has risen to the summit of power. In the translation, ambition ascends by steps of grandeurs, hiding her face from the spectators; when she is at the top, with a look or glance of her eye her vanity disdains the first steps she took; which steps, observe, were grandeurs; so the allegory is vanity and ambition disdaining grandeur; and the image presented is a woman climbing up a ladder, which is not a very common object, but more so than vanity's disdaining grandeurs.

I am sorry the translator had not a better English dictionary, for on that, not on his own knowledge of our tongue, it is plain he depended. In another instance it misleads him. After Portia had importuned Brutus to communicate to her the secret cause of his perturbation, he says to her;

BRUTUS.

Portia, go in a while,

And, by-and-by, thy bosom shall partake

The secrets of my heart,

All my engagements I will construe to thee,

All

All the charactery of my sad brows.

Leave me with haste.

The dictionary was consulted for the word construe; and thus, according to the usual form, one may suppose it to have stood: To construe, to interpret. This not serving the purpose, to interpret was next sought; there he finds, to interpret or to explain; again, with indefatigable industry, excited by a desire to excel all translators and translations, he has recourse to the article to explain; under this head he finds, to unfold or clear up; so away goes the translator to clear up

the countenance of Brutus:

Va, mes sourcils froncés prennent un air plus doux.

“Go;" says he ; " my frowning brow shall take a softer air."

There are so many gross blunders in this work, that it would be tedious to point them out; but it is to be hoped, they will deter other beaux esprits from attempting to hurt works of genius, by the masked battery of

an