ΤΟ THE RIGHT HONOURABLE HENRY, EARL GREY, K.G., &c., &c. THIS VOLUME IS INSCRIBED WITH RESPECT BY THE TRANSLATOR. Page 23, v. 103.- For "The Holy One of Heaven-the earth Read "The dread Lord of heaven and earth- Page 54, v. 2.-For "turret's" read-" tower's." Page 58, v. 98. — For "Restored my safety, and hast led Read--" Restored my failing strength and brought Me forth from " Page 59, v. 112. For "I could not hear the words, &c. Read "I could not hear his parley; but he stood They all ran back pell-mell within the walls." Page 68, v. 6.—For “longing wish" read—“ deep desires.” PREFACE. THE first three Cantos of the following Translation are— with the exception of a very few lines, in which weak rhymes have been discarded-executed in the 'terza rima.' In translating the lists of names in the fourth Canto, I found that it would be impossible to preserve this metre without deviating from the original to an extent which it seemed to me would involve a greater evil than the sacrifice of the rhyme. I was thus led to inquire whether the maintenance of an unbroken series of final rhymes was really as indispensable as I had previously supposed. The fact that the most richly harmonious specimens of English poetry are to be found-as I think will generally be admitted -not in any of our rhyming poets, but in the blank verse of Milton, would seem to indicate that rhyme is of secondary importance in poetical composition. The musical effect of verse, whether rhymed or unrhymed, is, in fact, produced by the harmonious disposition of all its con |