ScnooL-Booas.—The Protagoras of Plato. Edited by B. D. Turner. (Percival
and Co.)-1 new edition of what is perhaps the most charming of Plato's dialogues cannot but be welcome if it is well done, and we may safely say that Mr. Turner has done his work well. He has paid particular attention to expounding the subject-matter, and to tracing the relation of the doctrines considered in this dialogue to those set forth in others. The student who has already gained some general knowledge of the Socratic and Platonic philosophy will be greatly helped by both commentary and introduction in the difficult task of following the threads of thought that run through the Protagoras. The question, " What is the object of the Dialogue ? " is discussed in the introduction, and Mr. Turner arrives at the conclusion, that besides bringing out the falseness of the Sophistic methods and the value of dialectic, it is intended to enforce a positive do,:trine,—namely, the Socratic tenet that virtue is knowledge. There is also an interesting study of the development of Plato's views concerning TD 4136 and Tb Irrithiv. Various opinions that have been held by Platonic scholars on disputed points are given, and references to their works; so that the student is provided with materials for forming opinions of his own. Besides illustration and exposition of the subject-matter, there is a sufficient amount of scholarly comment on points of language and grammar. Amongst others, the note on titonep by si (311 n), and that on &s 84 (326 A), struck us as particularly good. Sometimes from a desire for brevity, Mr. Turner has omitted what we might reasonably ex- pect to be told. If Prometheus means a "fire-drill," is there no connection between Prometheus and Epimetheus ? "Corruption to a meaning" is common enough; but the explanation should, we think, have been given. The bookie furnished with excellent indices.— Iliad, xxiii. Edited by G. H. Edwards. (Pitt Press Series.)— Mr. Edwards keeps up to the high standard of his work on previous books. The notes are full of quotations from the best and most recent authorities, Dr. Leaf's edition of the Iliad in particular furnishing many explanations. The commentary is necessarily brief, but, so far as this restriction permits, the work of exposition and illustration has been satisfactorily as well as carefully executed. The introductory matter on Homeric forms is repeated from the edition of Book xxii., as are also the appendices, with one or two alterations, and with examples from Book xxiii. substituted. References are given throughout the notes to the introduction and appendices, and on other points to Monro's " Homeric Grammar" and Goodwin's " Moods and Tenses." The remarks on the distinction between 4,9th and der& (65, 66), on Ti; (618), on Blowou Jim (431), icsolopow (603), and on the theory that the talent represents the " ox-unit " (269, 751), may be mentioned as good notes on difficult and interesting points. Helpful explanations are given of the diffi- cult passage concerning Antilochus's manoeuvre (420 ff.), though some of the details of his behaviour still remain puzzling. Mr. Edwards gives Dr. Leaf's interpretation of the simile of the etheee (760-63), and the notes, with the help of the picture of an upright loom in Smith's " Dictionary of Antiquities," make the passage quite clear.—Thaoydides, vii. Edited by the Rev. H. A. Holden. (Same publishers.)—Dr. Holden begins his volume with an excellent introduction on Sicily, bringing down the history to the time at which the seventh book of Thucydides takes it up, the arrival of the Spartan Gylippus just soon enough to prevent the meditated capitalation. In the matter of text, he is on the whole conservative, though he mentions with interest, if not with approval, the very radical criticism in which Dr. Rutherfurd has followed the leading of the illustrious Cobet. The notes are as thorough as Dr. Holden always makes his commentary, and printed with a difference of type which emphasises the more important portion. The three indices, " of matter," " of grammar " (a specially useful addition), and " lexical," contribute greatly to the value of the volume. A brief "Appendix on the Text," a bibliography, and critical notes complete the work.— Comparative Grammar of Greek- and Latin. By Victor Henry. Translated by it, T. Elliott. (Swan Sonnenechein and Co.)- Professor Henry's book was already known and appreciated in England, and we are glad to see it translated into our own lan- guage. The translator has here and there made additions of his own (enclosed in square brackets) which should increase the use- fulness of the book to English students. They generally append terms more usual among our philologists than are those employed by Professor Henry,—e.g., " ablaut " for " vowel-gradation " (p. 47). English parallels are also sometimes given,—e.g., "a" and " an " illustrate what is meant by a syntactical doublet (p. 35). The book—an elementary summary of the results reached by modern scholarship in the study of Greek and Latin philology —supplies a distinct want, and supplies it well. Professor Henry, in his conclusion, lays stress on the necessity that " every grammarian should arm himself with a scientific and precise method," and that " a clear, exact, and fruitful idea of the evolution of language should take the place, in the minds of our students, of the imaginary entities and etymological fancies of former times." His book should tend to bring about this desirable consummation. It begins at the beginning,—a great advantage in such a subject as philology. The production of the various sounds used in speaking is briefly explained, and the sounds are classified. Then follows a study of the history of sounds, and the representation of them in Greek and Latin, including the phenomena of " Vowel-Grada- tion" (ablaut). This first part is " Phonology." Next follows " Etymol-gy," including derivation and composition; and lastly, " Morphology," under which heading the forms of declension and the person-endings of verbs are studied. Throughout the work, the lucidity of style and clearness of method are admirable,—an excellence espe.tially to be commended when the subject is one so difficult to make clear. The sections on derivation, primary and secondary, and composition, with the index of terminations, are a peculiarly valuable feature. In the treatment of vowel-gradation. we think it would have been better to recognise more fully four grades, or two sub-divisions of the weak grade ; the necessity for distinguishing between the " normal " grade, and what we may call the upper half of the weak grade (ablaut is especially felt in the case of roots which have a sonant co-efficient. Professor Henry does not deal quite satisfactorily with this class. He con- siders the case of roots with diphthongs (p. 48), but passes over such roots as " derk" (dismount) in his view of vowel-gradation : /30.2teiw, too, has to be explained by the ever-useful theory of analogy (p. 109), instead of being regular (for Brie). But, as a role, Professor Henry gives satisfactory explanations, as far as is possible in a science as yet so incomplete,—see, e.g.: " Use of the Augment " (p. 259), and the section on verbal stems as the first terms in compounds (p. 177). Mr. Elliott adds illustrations of long nasal sonants and long liquid sonants (pp. 57-58) Greek Syntax and Note-Book. By Theo. B. Rowe, M.A. (Percival.) —This volume contains the result of much study. It is not so much a treatise on grammar, though, of course, it has a certain orderly arrangement, as a transcript of the knowledge which the author, in a long course of practical work in the teaching (which means very effective learning also) of Greek, has acquired. " The best syntax for a student," writes Mr. Rowe in his brief prefatory note, "is that which he makes for himself. This book," he goes on, "aims at offering a plan." It is interleaved. Any one who will follow it diligently, and supplement it intelligently with examples gathered in the course of his own work, will not have much more to learn.—Greek Primer, Colloquial and Constructive. By J. Stuart Blackie. (Macmillan and Co.)—" The method of teaching by rules and grammar," writes Professor Blackie in his preface, "can no longer be tolerated." It certainly has produced very small results in the capacity of reading the learned languages, and none at all in the capacity of talking them, the latter art not having been so much as attempted. Pro: fessor Blackie, who has done excellent service to educa- tion by his protests against conventional methods (we are not quite sure that we should like to trust him with the " Portfolio " of Education), thinks that we shall do more good if we teach the languages by conversation, and let the syntax be evolved out of it. It may be so, though the colloquial mode of learning modern languages is not an established success. Any- how, it is a contention which can only be proved or disproved by actual experiment. We can but say that such an experiment would be worth making.—Cicero in his Letters. Edited, with Notes, by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell. (Macmillan.)—" My pur- pose," writes Professor- Tyrrell, "is to present to my readers what will show Cicero in the character of a private gentleman, and throw light on his every-day life, his home amusements, and his domestic worries." " I have also made," he says a little later, " room for characteristic letters of every kind," specimens of Cicero's vanity, of his weakness, and of his humour. Some of the letters thus introduced will be new to most English readers— that is, they have never been annotated before—and an average scholar cannot make much of a letter without a commentator's
help. Professor Tyrrell does not, however, entirely confine himself to the private side of Cicero's life. The first section of his intro- duction treats of " Cicero as a Public Man." Therein he takes up the cudgels manfully against Mommsen, commanding thereby, we may say, our hearty sympathy. Apart from this, the introduction all through is excellent, full of good matter. Here is a characteristic passage :—
"In his romantic love for his daughter and his indifference to his wife, the character of Cicero presents a trait familiar to modern French life. Again, we have a view very characteristic of the modern Frenchman in the lightness with which he assigns to Terentia religion as her department, while his own business is with men (` neque Di quos to castissime colnisti, neque homines quibus ego eemper servivi '). Another thorough French feature in his disposition is his hatred for provincial life. ' I cannot ex- press to you how I am consumed with longing for the town, how intolerably insipid is this provincial life.' A letter to Crelins, in the passage beginning, Urbem, urbem, mi Rufe, tole, et in ista luce vivi,' breathes the very spirit of the salon and the boulevard."
For "thoroughly French," perhaps we ought to read -` thoroughly Parisian." Of Professor Tyrrell's annotation, we must leave our readers to judge for themselves. We do not doubt that they will find it racy, original, and suggestive.—From Messrs. Percival and Co. we have received two editions of books of Cxsar de Bello Gallico,—Book i., edited by E. H. Couchman, B.A., and Book v., edited by M. J. F. Brackenbury, M.A. Both are constructed on the same plan. The notes are concise and to the point,—some- times, it may be, too concise for the pupil to be able thoroughly to appreciate them, but anyhow suggesting to the teacher the difficulties he must explain. There is a vocabulary, and exercises for retranslation into Latin are added.—In the series of "Elementary Classics" (Macmillan and Co.), we have Virgil: 2Eneid, viii., edited, with Vocabulary, by Arthur Calvert, M.A. Virgil will be read, we suppose, to the end of time, or at least as long as Latin is read, as an "elementary " book, eminently unsuitable as he is. But the necessary annotation is no easy matter to supply. Mr. Calvert, no doubt compelled by limits of space, leaves much to the teacher. In 657, for instance, we have (in the account of the Gauls scaling the Capitoline Hill) arcem tenebant left without any note. Does the verb mean "were grasping," arx being the actual ridge ; or is it the true imperfect, " were on the point of gaining" ? A little lower down, protecti corpora might with advantage have had a note. Bantam iura is not, in our judg- ment, satisfactorily rendered by Dryden's "dispensing laws;" surely " justice " would be better.
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