This kinde of exercise is all one with Paraphrasis, saue it is out of verse, either into prose, or into some other kinde of meter: or els, out of prose into verse, which was // Plato in Socrates exercise and pastime ( as Plato reporteth) // Phædone. when he was in prison, to translate æsopes Fabules into verse. Quintilian doth greatlie praise also this exercise: but bicause Tullie doth disalow it in yong men, by myne opinion, it were not well to vse it in Grammer Scholes, euen
254 The second booke teachyng
for the selfe same causes, that be recited against Paraphrasis.
And therfore, for the vse, or misuse of it, the same is to be
thought, that is spoken of Paraphrasis before. This was
Sulpitius exercise: and he gathering vp therby, a Poeticall kinde
of talke, is iustlie named of Cicero, grandis et Tragicus Orator:
which I think is spoken, not for his praise, but for other mens
warning, to exchew the like faulte. Yet neuertheles, if our
Scholemaster for his owne instruction, is desirous, to see a
perfite example hereof, I will recite one, which I thinke, no
man is so bold, will say, that he can amend it: & that is
Hom. 1. Il. // Chrises the Priestes Oration to the Grekes, in
the
Pla. 3. Rep. // beginnyng of Homers Ilias, turned excellentlie
into prose by Socrates him selfe, and that aduised-
lie and purposelie for other to folow: and therfore he calleth
this exercise, in the same place, mimesis, that is, Imitatio, which
is most trew: but, in this booke, for teachyng sake, I will name
it Metaphrasis, reteinyng the word, that all teachers, in this
case, do vse.
Homerus. I. Iliad.
o gar elthe thoas epi neas Achaion, lysomenos te thygatra, pheron t apereisi apoina, stemmat echon en chersin ekebolou Apollonos, chryseo ana skeptro kai elisseto pantas Achaious, Atreida de malista duo, kosmetore laon. Atreidai te, kai alloi euknemides Achaioi, ymin men theoi doien, Olympia domat echontes, ekpersai Priamoio polin eu d oikad ikesthai paida d emoi lysai te philen, ta t apoina dechesthai, azomenoi Dios uion ekebolon Apollona. enth alloi men pantes epeuphemesan Achaioi aideisthai th ierea, kai aglaa dechthai apoina all ouk Atreide Agamemnoni endane thymo, alla kakos aphiei, krateron d epi mython etellen. me se, geron, koilesin ego para neusi kicheio, e nyn dethynont, e ysteron autis ionta, me ny toi ou chraisme skeptron, kai stemma theoio ten d ego ou lyso, prin min kai geras epeisin, emetero eni oiko, en Argei telothi patres
the ready way to the Latin tong. 255
iston epoichomenen, kai emon lechos antioosan. all ithi, me m erethize saoteros os ke neeai. os ephat eddeisen d o geron, kai epeitheto mytho be d akeon para thina polyphloisboio thalasses, polla d epeit apaneuthe kion erath o geraios Apolloni anakti, ton eukomos teke Leto. klythi meu, argyrotox, os Chrysen amphibebekas, killan te zatheen, Tenedoio te iphi anasseis, smintheu, ei pote toi Charient epi neon erepsa, e ei de pote toi kata piona meri ekea tauron, ed aigon, tode moi kreenon eeldor tiseian Danaoi ema dakrua soisi belessin.
Socrates in 3. de Rep. saith thus,
Phraso gar aneu metrou, ou gar eimi poietikos.
elthen o Chryses tes te thygatros lytra pheron, kai iketes ton Achaion, malista de ton basileon: kai eucheto, ekeinois men tous theous dounai elontas ten Troian, autous de sothenai, ten de thygatera oi auto lysai, dexamenous apoina, kai ton theon aidesthentas. Toiauta de eipontos autou, oi men alloi esebonto kai synenoun, o de Agamemnon egriainen, entel- lomenos nyn te apienai, kai authis me elthein, me auto to te skeptron, kai ta tou theou stemmata ouk eparkesoi. prin de lythenai autou thygatera, en Argei ephe gerasein meta ou. apienai de ekeleue, kai me erethizein, ina sos oikade elthoi. o de presbytes akousas edeise te kai apeei sige, apocho- resas d ek tou stratopedou polla to Apolloni eucheto, tas te eponymias tou theou anakalon kai ypomimneskon kai apaiton, ei ti popote e en naon oikodomesesin, e en ieron thysiais kecharismenon doresaito. on de charin kateucheto tisai tous Achaious ta a dakrua tois ekeinon belesin.