CURRENT LITERATURE.
Exercises in Translation from English Poetry into Greek and Latin Verse. By Henry Hayman, B.D., Head Master of the Cheltenham
School. (David Nutt.)—If we were to hazard a conjecture as to the composition of this volume from the preface by which it is introduced, we should say that the author had devoted too much time to the study of the principles of verse-making and too little to the study of details. The opening remarks show so mach reflection and critical discernment as to make the book valuable for their sake only, but the verses which illustrate them are far from being free from exception. We observe a general licence in composition, above all, a prodigality in the use of elision, especially in elegiacs—a process which in that kind of verse should be allowed only with the most sparing hand. Hence, though the collection is clearly the work of an accomplished scholar, and is generally marked by a thoroughly workmanlike style, it cannot be used as a guide for beginners except with certain cautions and restrictions upon its acceptance as an authority. The Greek verses are better than the Latin, and the'hexameters than the elegiacs and lyrics. Among the more commendable specimens is the translation from Dryden's version of Chaucer's "Knight's Tale," page 119.
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