ve done the part of an ill Subject in
helping France to ingratiate herself with Persia when England might have
had the start! I suppose it probable _Ferukh Khan_ himself had never
read or perhaps heard of Omar. I think I told you in my last that I had
desired De Tassy to say nothing about you in any Paper he should write;
since I cannot have you answerable for any blunders I may have made in my
Copy, nor may you care to be named with Omar at all. I hope the
Frenchman will attend to my desire; and I dare say he will, as he will
then have all credit to himself. He says he can't make out the metre of
the _rubayat_ at all--never could--though 'I am enough skilful in
scanning the Persian verses as you have seen' (Qy?) 'in my Prosody of the
languages of Musulman Countries, etc.' So much for De Tassy. No; but
something more yet: and better, for he tells me his Print of the Mantic
is finisht, 'in proofs,' and will be out in about a Month: and he will
send me one. Now, my dear Cowell, can't I send one to you? Yes, we must
manage that somehow.

Well, I have not turned over Johnson's Dictionary for the last month,
having got hold of AEschylus. I think I want to turn his Trilogy into
what shall be readable English Verse; a thing I have always thought of,
but was frightened at the Chorus. So I am now; I can't think them so
fine as People talk of: they are terribly maimed; and all such Lyrics
require a better Poet than I am to set forth in English. But the better
Poets won't do it; and I cannot find one readable translation. I shall
(if I make one) make a very free one; not for Scholars, but for those who
are ignorant of Greek, and who (so far as I have seen) have never been
induced to learn it by any Translations yet made of these Plays. I think
I shall become a bore, of the Bowring order, by all this Translation: but
it amuses me without any labour, and I really think I have the faculty of
making some things readable which others have hitherto left unreadable.
But don't be alarmed with the anticipation of another sudden volume of
Translations; for I only sketch out the matter, then put it away; and
coming on it one day with fresh eyes trim it up with some natural impulse
that I think gives a natural air to all. So I have put away the Mantic.
When I die, what a farrago of such things will be found! Enough of such
matter. . . .

Friday, June 5! What an interval since the last sentence! And why?
Because I have been m