[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—Surely Mr. C. R.
Haines and " Olim Harroviensis" somewhat underestimate the capacities for terse and pregnant expression of their mother-tongue, and are too easily con- vinced of its inferiority in this respect to Latin. Take, for example, the palmary instance of Latin " lapidary " style contributed by your correspondent to the Spectator of June 3rd. This, almost literally translated in English, goes into fewer words, and forms a passage of equally sonorous prose. I transcribe the epitaph for comparison of the original and the translation:— - Panels notus Famous
paneloribus ignotus but little known hie Jacet here lies Democritus Junior, Democritus Junior,
cut TIMID dedit et mortem dead yet immortalised of melancolia." melancholia.
[Total, 14 words. [Total, 13 words.
If in the process the supersubtle word-play of the first two lines has disappeared, that need not be accounted a deteriora- tion. But if verbal conceits are in demand, the English tongue can supply them in abundance, and this very sentence can, by a little rearrangement of its parts, be turned into a passable couplet. Thus— Here lies Democritus Junior Famous, though little read, Immortalised and dead
of
Melancholia.
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