Электронная книга: Richard Porson «Tracts and miscellaneous criticism of the late Richard Porson, Esq.»
Полный вариант заголовка: «Tracts and miscellaneous criticism of the late Richard Porson, Esq. / collected and arranged by the Rev. Thomas Kidd». Издательство: "Библиотечный фонд" (1815)
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Richard Porson
Richard Porson (
Early life
He was born at
Education
When Porson was eleven, the
Porson did not care for Eton, but he was popular there; and two dramas he wrote for performance in the Long Chamber were remembered many years later. His marvellous memory was noticed; but he seems to have disappointed the expectations of his friends, as his composition was weak, and he fell behind several of his inferiors through small gaps in his knowledge. He went to Eton too late to have any chance of succeeding to a scholarship at
Early published work
Having secured his independence, he turned his thoughts to publication. His first appearance in print was in a short notice of Schlitz's "Aeschylus" in "Maty. Review", written in 1783. This review contains several other essays by his hand; especially may be mentioned the review of RF Brunck's "Aristophanes" (containing an able summary of the poet's chief excellencies and defects), Weston's "Hermesianax", and Huntingford's "Apology for the Monostrophics". But it was to the tragedians, and especially to Aeschylus, that his mind was then chiefly directed. He began a correspondence with
As the Cambridge press was proposing to re-edit Thomas Stanley's "Aeschylus", the editorship was offered to Porson; but he declined to undertake it on the conditions laid down, namely, of reprinting Stanley's corrupt text and incorporating all the variorum notes. He was especially anxious that the Medicean manuscript at
In 1786, a new edition of Hutchinson's "Anabasis" of
The following year Porson wrote his "Notae breves ad Tonpii emendationes in Suidam", though this treatise did not appear till 1790 in the new edition of Toup's book published at Oxford. These first made Porson's name known as a scholar of the first rank, and carried his fame beyond England. The letters he received from Christian G. Heyne and G Hermann preserved in the library of Trinity College, and written before his Euripides was published, afford proof of this. In his notes he points out the errors of Toup and others; at the same time he speaks of Toup's book as "opus illud aureum," and states that his writing the notes at all is due to the admiration he had for it. They contain some brilliant emendations of various authors; but the necessity of having Toup's own notes with them has prevented their ever being reprinted in a separate form.
During 1787 he wrote three letters on Hawkins's "Life of Johnson" for the "Gentleman's Magazine", which have been reprinted by
Reception
Gibbon's verdict on the book, that it was "the most acute and accurate piece of criticism since the days of Bentley," may be considered as somewhat partial, as it was in defence of him that Porson had entered the field against Travis. But in the masterly sketch of Gibbon's work and style in the preface Porson does not write in a merely flattering tone. It is to be wished that on such a subject the tone of levity had been modified. But Porson says in his preface that he could treat the subject in no other manner, if he treated it at all: "To peruse such a mass of falsehood and sophistry and to write remarks upon it, without sometimes giving way to laughter and sometimes to indignation, was, to me at least, impossible." Travis has no mercy shown him, but he certainly deserved none. One is equally struck with the thorough grasp Porson displays of his subject, the amount of his miscellaneous learning, and the humour that pervades the whole. But it was then the unpopular side: the publisher is said to have lost money by the book; and one of his early friends, Mrs Turner of Norwich, cut down a legacy she had left Porson to £30 on being told that he had written what was described to her as a book against Christianity.
During the years that followed Porson continued to contribute to the leading reviews, writing in the "Monthly Review" the articles on Robertson's "Parian Chronicle", Edwards's "Plutarch", and R Payne Knight's "Essay on the Greek Alphabet". He gave assistance to William Beloe in one or two articles in the British Critick, and probably wrote also in the "
Loss of fellowship
In 1792 his fellowship was no longer tenable by a layman; and, rather than undertake duties for which he felt himself unfit, and which involved subscription to the "Articles" (though he had no difficulty as to signing a statement as to his conformity with the liturgy of the
After the loss of his fellowship he continued chiefly to reside in
Later work
The authors on which his time was chiefly spent were the tragedians,
Soon after this, in 1797, appeared the first instalment of what was intended to be a complete edition of
In the preface he pointed out the correct method of writing several words previously incorrectly written, and gave some specimens of his powers on the subject of Greek metres. The notes are very short, almost entirely critical; but so great a range of learning, combined with such felicity of emendation whenever a corrupt passage was encountered, is displayed that there was never any doubt as to the quarter whence the new edition had proceeded. He avoided the office of interpreter in his notes, which may well be wondered at on recollecting how admirably he did translate when he condescended to that branch of an editor's duties.
Reception
His work, however, did not escape attack; Gilbert Wakefield had already published a "Tragoediarum delectus"; and, conceiving himself to be slighted, as there was no mention of his labours in the new "Hecuba", he wrote a "diatribe extemporalis" against it, a tract which for bad taste, bad Latin and bad criticism it would not be easy to match.
The metrical laws promulgated are laid down clearly, illustrated with an ample number of examples, and those that militate against them brought together and corrected, so that what had been beyond the reach of the ablest scholars of preceding times is made clear to the tyro. The laws of the iambic metre are fully explained, and the theory of the pause stated and proved, which had been only alluded to in the first edition. A third edition of the "Hecuba" appeared in 1808, and he left corrected copies of the other plays, of which new editions appeared soon after his death; but these four plays were all that was accomplished of the projected edition of the poet. Porson lived six years after the second edition of the Hecuba was published, but his natural indolence and procrastination led him to put off the work. He found time, however, to execute his collation of the Harleian manuscript of the "
Later life and death
In 1806, when the
Among his most intimate friends was Perry, the editor of the "Morning Chronicle"; and this friendship was cemented by his marriage with Perry's sister, Mrs Lunan, in November 1796. The marriage was a happy one for the short time it lasted, as Porson became more attentive to times and seasons, and would have been weaned from his habits of drinking; but she sank in a decline a few months after her marriage (
For some months before his death he had appeared to be failing: his memory was not what it had been, and he had some symptoms of intermittent fever; but on
Legacy
In learning Porson was superior to
A few words are called for on his general character. No one ever more loved truth for its own sake; few have sacrificed more rather than violate their consciences, and this at a time when a high standard in this respect was not common. In spite of his failings, few have had warmer friends; no one more willingly communicated his knowledge and gave help to others; scarcely a book appeared in his time or for some years after his death on the subjects to which he devoted his life without acknowledging assistance from him. And, if it be remembered that his life was a continued struggle against poverty and slight and ill-health, rather than complain that he did little, we should wonder how he accomplished so much.
His library was divided into two parts, one of which was sold by auction; the other, containing the transcript of the "Gale Photius", his books with his notes, and some letters from foreign scholars, was bought by Trinity College for 1000 guineas. His notebooks were found to contain, in the words of Bishop Blomfield, "a rich treasure of criticism in every branch of classical literature—everything carefully and correctly written and sometimes rewritten—quite fit to meet the public eye, without any diminution or addition." They have been carefully rearranged, and illustrate among other things his extraordinary penmanship and power of minute and accurate writing. Much remains unpublished. J. H. Monk, his successor as Greek professor, and C. J. Blomfield (both afterwards bishops) edited the "Adversaria", consisting of the notes on Athenaeus and the Greek poets, and his prelection on Euripides; PP Dobree, afterwards Greek professor, the notes on Aristophanes and the lexicon of Photius. Besides these, from other sources, Professor T Gaisford edited his notes on Pausanias and Suidas, and Mr Kidd collected his scattered reviews. And, when Bishop Burgess attacked his literary character on the score of his Letters to Travis, Professor Turton (afterwards Bishop of Ely) came forward with a vindication.
The dates of Porson's published works are as follows:
*"Notae in Xenophontis anabasin" (1786);
*"Appendix to Toup" (1790);
*"Letters to Travis" (1790);
*"Aeschylus" (1795, 1806);
*"Euripides" (1797–1802);
*collation of the Harleian manuscript of the "Odyssey" (1801);
*"Adversaria" (Monk and Blomfield, 1812);
*"Tracts and Criticisms" (Kidd, 1815);
*"Aristophanica" (Dobree, 1820);
*"Notae in Pausaniam" (Gaisford, 1820);
*"Photii lexicon" (Dobree, 1822);
*"Notae in Suidam" (Gaisford, 1834);
*"Correspondence" (
Dr. Turton's vindication appeared in 1827.
Источник: Richard Porson
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Richard Porson | Tracts and miscellaneous criticism of the late Richard Porson, Esq. | Полный вариант заголовка: «Tracts and miscellaneous criticism of the late Richard Porson, Esq. / collected and arranged by the Rev. Thomas Kidd» — Библиотечный фонд, электронная книга Подробнее... | 1815 | электронная книга |
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