The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Fourth Book of Virgil's Aeneid and the
Ninth Book of Voltaire's Henriad, by Virgil and Voltaire

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Title: The Fourth Book of Virgil's Aeneid and the Ninth Book of Voltaire's Henriad

Author: Virgil and Voltaire

Translator: Anonymous

Release Date: December 20, 2006 [EBook #20144]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE FOURTH BOOK
of
VIRGIL'S AENEID,
and
THE NINTH BOOK
of
VOLTAIRE'S HENRIAD.

Translated into English verse with a view of comparison
between the Latin, French, and English poetry.

By the Translator of the HENRIAD.

PARIS:
PRINTED BY CH. CRAPELET.

1804.

TO
MONSIEUR DELILLE.

SIR,

After reading with infinite pleasure your masterly translations of
Virgil, I have been led into a train of reflection on the mechanism of
words, and on the manners, the ideas, and pursuits of Nations in as much
as they frequently give rise to the difference of character which we
remark in their language. Few literary discussions would I think be more
curious than an impartial comparative enquiry of this kind.

Not only have the easy elegance and courtly air of your verses displayed
the French tongue in these respects worthy of your original; but have
inclined me to think that they have raised it near the highest pitch of
perfection of which it is at present capable, in the translation of a
Latin poet. After two brillant ages of literature the French language
did not, till you appeared, possess one translation of the great
masterpieces of antiquity, which mig