A History of Greece

be chiefly, if not solely, interesting to readers of the other description, and he has therefore dwelt on the earlier part of the history at greater length than would have been proper in a merely popular narrative. Perhaps he may venture to add, that it is the part which seemed to him to have been most neglected by preceding English writers, and to deserve more attention than it had commonly received among us. It was written before the first (the last published) volume of Mr. Clinton's Fasti had appeared.

Another consequence resulting from the nature of his plan, is, that he has found it necessary to subjoin a greater number of notes and references than may seem to accord with the unpretending form of the work. He regrets the room which they occupy, and would have been glad to have thought himself at liberty to omit them. But he believes he may safely appeal to the experience of every one conversant with these matters, to attest, that they have not been needlessly multiplied. Wherever it could be done without presuming too much on the reader's knowledge, he has contented himself with generally pointing out the sources from which he has drawn, and has only introduced a particular reference, where either his conclusions might be thought questionable, or the precise passage which he had in his mind was likely to escape notice, or was peculiarly interesting and instructive. If however he should be thought not to have observed the right mean in this respect, or sometimes to have addressed himself to too narrow a circle, or even to have amused himself instead of his readers, he con

soles himself by the prospect, that in the progress of his work, as its subject becomes more generally familiar and attractive, he shall have less and less need of indulgence on this head.

There is another point, on which, though of little importance, he wishes to guard against a misunderstanding to which he may have exposed himself. Some readers may remark that the system of orthography which he here follows is widely different from the one adopted in another work to which his name is annexed, and it may be inferred that he thinks that which he now uses the best. To prevent such an imputation, he desires it should be known that he looks upon the established system, if an accidental custom may be so called, as a mass of anomalies, the growth of ignorance and chance, equally repugnant to good taste and to common sense. But he is aware that the public-perhaps to show foreigners that we do not live under the despotism of an academy-clings to these anomalies with a tenacity proportioned to their absurdity, and is jealous of all encroachment on ground consecrated by prescription to the free play of blind caprice. He has not thought himself at liberty in a work like the present to irritate these prejudices by innovations, however rational and conformable to good and ancient, though neglected, usage, and has therefore complied as closely as may be with the fashion of the day.

But with respect to one very numerous class of words he has not had the benefit of this guidance, nor is he able to plead the like excuse where he has done amiss. As to the mode of writing Greek names in English, there is no established rule or

usage of sufficient authority to direct him in all cases, and he has therefore here been left to follow his own discretion. Some readers perhaps will

think that he has abused this liberty, and will complain that he has not observed a strict uniformity. His own taste would have inclined him to prefer the English to the Latin forms of Greek names and words in every instance. But as the contrary praetice is the more general, and most persons seem to think that the other ought to be confined to terms which have become familiar and naturalised in our language, he has not ventured to apply his principle with rigid consistency, where the reader's eye would perhaps have been hurt by it, but has suffered anomaly to reign in this as in the other department of orthography. He would not fear much severity of censure, if those only should condemn him who have tried the experiment themselves, or can point out the example of any writer who has given universal satisfaction in this respect. The only great liberty he has taken is that of writing the real names of the Greek deities, instead of substituting those of the Italian mythology by which they have hitherto been supplanted, though even here he could now defend his boldness by some respectable precedents.

Trinity College, June 12. 1835.