On the Sublime

If characters do not display properly, you may have an incompatible browser or unavailable fonts. First, make sure that the browser’s “character set” or “file encoding” is set to Unicode (UTF-8). You may also need to change your browser’s default font. A few typographical errors have been corrected. They have been marked in the text with mouse-hover popups . Transliterations of Greek text are given similarly ὥς . LONGINUS ON THE SUBLIME TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH BY H. L. HAVELL, B.A. FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ANDREW LANG London MACMILLAN AND CO. AND NEW YORK 1890 All rights reserved TO S.H. BUTCHER, Esq. , LL.D. PROFESSOR OF GREEK IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH FORMERLY FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE AND OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD THIS ATTEMPT TO PRESENT THE GREAT THOUGHTS OF LONGINUS IN AN ENGLISH FORM IS DEDICATED IN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE KIND SUPPORT BUT FOR WHICH IT MIGHT NEVER HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT AND OF THE BENEFITS OF THAT INSTRUCTION TO WHICH IT LARGELY OWES WHATEVER OF SCHOLARLY QUALITY IT MAY POSSESS TRANSLATOR’S PREFACE The text which has been followed in the present Translation is that of Jahn (Bonn, 1867), revised by Vahlen, and republished in 1884. In several instances it has been found necessary to diverge from Vahlen’s readings, such divergencies being duly pointed out in the Notes. One word as to the aim and scope of the present Translation. My object throughout has been to make Longinus speak in English, to preserve, as far as lay in my power, the noble fire and lofty tone of the original. How to effect this, without being betrayed into a loose paraphrase, was an exceedingly difficult problem. The style of Longinus is in a high degree original, occasionally running into strange eccentricities of language; and no one who has not made the attempt can realise the difficulty of giving anything like an adequate version of the more elaborate passages. These considerations I submit to those to whom I may seem at first sight to have handled my text too freely. My best thanks are due to Dr. Butcher, Professor of Greek in the University of Edinburgh, who from first to last has shown a lively interest in the present undertaking which I can never sufficiently acknowledge. He has read the Translation throughout, and acting on his suggestions I have been able in numerous instances to…