THE CONSOLATIONS OF THE CLASSICS.
[To. THE Einroa OP TES " SPECTATOR."' Silt, —May I,. provisionally, submit a reply to Dr. Beattie Crozier? (1) Generally—that learned gentleman misses the whole of his opponents' point. Thackerary once asked a man: " Do you like the theatre ? " " I go to the play sometimes," was the answer. " Bah ! " said " W. M. T.," " you don't even understand what I mean." The Doctor seems to forget that the object of book- learning is wisdom, not knowledge; of the schoolmaster, the manu- facture of men; and of the classics as a method of education, discipline. (2) Specifically—certainly the immortal series " Bentley . . . Jowett " were better in every way for their Greek baths : as for " their own tongue " (not my italics), there is express authority for it : see Sir Hugo Malinger in Middlemarch. Trans- lations are like the farmer's claret : you " cannot get forr'arder on " them; if you have tasted " the real thing," you long for it all
the more. Traduttori traditori.—I am, Sir, &e., H. C.
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