PREFACE. THE favourable reception which was given to our translation of the "History" of Tacitus encouraged us to undertake the work which we now present to our readers. We have sought, as before, to make our version such as may satisfy scholars who demand a faithful rendering of the original, and English readers who are offended by the baldness and frigidity which commonly disfigure translations. Our task has been made unusually difficult by the style of our author, which is even beyond his wont harsh and obscure, and by the frequently corrupt state of the text, offering as it does sometimes a variety of meanings equally unacceptable, and sometimes none at all. To critics who accuse us of wanting original genius we have no defence to offer. We will only say that they must exercise considerable patience if they are to wait till great writers undertake a work which brings neither fame nor profit. The practical hints and suggestions which have been given us from various quarters we have endeavoured to turn to good account. The classical student will, we trust, appreciate our efforts to express the meaning of our author, though he may often dissent from our opinions. And we hope that the general reader will find an attraction in our subject. Englishmen may well feel an interest in an important passage of the history of our island and in the description of the primitive life of a kindred people, even when these are presented in the uninviting form of a translation. |
