BY ARCHIBALD ALISON, LL.B., F.R.S.. PREBENDARY OF SARUM, &C. WITH CORRECTIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS BY ABRAHAM MILLS, A.M., PROFESSOR OF RHETORIC AND BELLES LETTRES NEW YORK: HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE. BHE? 434 40 N75 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-four, by HARPER & BROTHERS, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of New York HE PRE FAC Е. In offering to the public an improved edition of Dr. Alison's beautiful "Essays on the Nature and Principles of Taste," it affords me peculiar pleasure here to acknowledge the gratification which the flattering reception of my recent editions of Burke's "Inquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful," and Blair's "Lectures on Rhetoric and Belles Lettres," afforded me; and while, in the present case, I may have attempted still farther improvements than were ventured upon in either of the former, the importance of having such standard works, both in style and expression, as nearly perfect as possible, is, I conceive, a sufficient apology for what I have undertaken to do. Previous editions of these essays, notwithstanding the intrinsic importance of the subject, and the peculiar delicacy and beauty which every where pervade the author's thoughts, contain many inaccuracies that greatly interrupt the pleasure which the student of este would otherwise enjoy while studying the work. To remove these inconveniences, without in any instance interfering with the author's own opinions, either expressed or implied, has been the principal object in view in the present undertaking: and to what extent I have succeeded towards effecting that object, the literary public will be best able to judge. In addition to the corrections on the text, I have introduced translations to the various illustrations drawn 1605-1 by the author from the ancient classics, the advantage of which must be evident to every one who is at all familiar with the business of instruction; for, though the student may have learned those languages, still obstacles are perpetually thrown in his way, if, while studying, he, or his teacher for him, is under the necessity of rendering into his native tongue thoughts and beauties presented in a foreign dress. It may also be remarked, that in the higher order of schools for the education of young ladies, belles lettres are, at present, studied to a very great extent; and as in such schools the ancient classics receive little or no attention, it must be apparent that for them these translations are indispensable, for without translations much of the most interesting part of the work would remain in entire obscurity. I would by no means, however, be understood to undervalue, in these remarks, the ancient classics, for with them are closely connected many of our earliest and most endearing associations; and it is, doubtless, to the familiarity acquired with them during scholastic studies, that the preference which they so generally receive from authors, in matters of taste, is to be attributed. In the translations introduced, I have, in every instance where appropriate ones could be found, selected them from poets whose authority as translators is acknowledged; and in each case, the name of the translator is appended; in the original translations I have uniformly studied accuracy rather than ele.gance. To facilitate the general use of the work, I have appended questions to each successive page, which literally embrace the whole contents of the author; and as these questions are, in their form, entirely conversa tional, no objection to their use can be reasonably entertained. Should other teachers, however, prefer to use the work without these questions, he will not find them to interfere, in any degree, with his design; but in my own experience as an instructer, I have found questions thus constructed of very great advantage, as they materially aid in fixing the language, and, through the language, the thoughts of the author upon the youthful mind. With these brief remarks the merits of the present edition of these valuable essays are cheerfully submitted to the decision of a public judgment; and should the motive which induced me to undertake the revision and preparation of so important a work for publication, and to render it more acceptable to the generality of students than it has hitherto been, be but fairly appreciated, I shall feel myself abundantly compensated for my labour. A. MILLS. New-York, Sept., 1830. |