As he has shown in his preface to the second edition of his Hecuba. The German critic, Hermann, however, whom he makes to say, in his notes on the Medea, “We Germans understand quantity better than the English,” accuses him of being more dictatorial than explanatory in his metrical decisions. Upon this the professor fired the following epigram at the German:—
Νηΐ δες ἐσντὲ μετρων ὦ Τεύτονες, οὐχ ὁ μὲν, ὃς δ’ ὄυ,
Πάντες πλὴν Ἔρμαννος, ὁ δ’ Ἔρμαννος σφόδρα τέυτων.
The Germans in Greek,
Are sadly to seek;
Not five in five score,
But ninety-five more;
All, save only Hermann,
And Hermann’s a German.
PORSON AND WAKEFIELD
Had but little regard for each other, and when the latter published his Hecuba, Porson said—
“What’s Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba,
That he should publish her?”
At another time, being teased for his opinion of a modern Latin poem, his reply was,—“There is a great deal in it from Horace, and a great deal from Virgil: but nothing Horatian and nothing Virgilian.”
Dr. Parr once asked the professor, “what he thought of the origin of evil?” “I see no good in it,” was his answer.
The same pugnacious divine told him one day, that “with all his learning, he did not think him well versed in metaphysics.” “Sir,” said Porson, “I suppose you mean your metaphysics.”