part19-第6章

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be　accomplished　within　my　term；　without　their　liberal　and　prompt

support。　　A　severe　illness　the　last　year；　and　another　from　which　I　am

just　emerged；　admonish　me　that　repetitions　may　be　expected；　against

which　a　declining　frame　cannot　long　bear　up。　　I　am　anxious；

therefore；　to　get　our　University　so　far　advanced　as　may　encourage　the

public　to　persevere　to　its　final　accomplishment。　　That　secured；　I

shall　sing　my　_nunc　demittas_。　　I　hope　your　labors　will　be　long

continued　in　the　spirit　in　which　they　have　always　been　exercised；　in

maintenance　of　those　principles　on　which　I　verily　believe　the　future

happiness　of　our　country　essentially　depends。　　I　salute　you　with

affectionate　and　great　respect。







　　　　　　　　GREEK　PRONUNCIATION




　　　　　　　　_To　Nathaniel　F。　Moore_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　September　22；　1819_

　

　　　　　　　　I　thank　you；　Sir　for　the　remarks　on　the　pronunciation　of　the

Greek　language　which　you　have　been　so　kind　as　to　send　me。　　I　have

read　them　with　pleasure；　as　I　had　the　pamphlet　of　Mr。　Pickering　on

the　same　subject。　　This　question　has　occupied　long　and　learned

inquiry；　and　cannot；　as　I　apprehend；　be　ever　positively　decided。

Very　early　in　my　classical　days；　I　took　up　the　idea　that　the　ancient

Greek　language　having　been　changed　by　degrees　into　the　modern；　and

the　present　race　of　that　people　having　received　it　by　tradition；　they

had　of　course　better　pretensions　to　the　ancient　pronunciation　also；

than　any　foreign　nation　could　have。　　When　at　Paris；　I　became

acquainted　with　some　learned　Greeks；　from　whom　I　took　pains　to　learn

the　modern　pronunciation。　　But　I　could　not　receive　it　as　genuine　_in

toto_。　　I　could　not　believe　that　the　ancient　Greeks　had　provided　six

different　notations　for　the　simple　sound　of　｛i｝；　iota；　and　left　the

five　other　sounds　which　we　give　to　_n；　v；　｛i…i｝；　｛oi｝；　｛yi｝；_　without

any　characters　of　notation　at　all。　　I　could　not　acknowledge　the　｛y｝；

upsillon；　as　an　equivalent　to　our　｛n｝；　as　in　｛Achilleys｝；　which　they

pronounce　Achillevs；　nor　the　｛g｝；　gamma；　to　our　_y_；　as　in　｛alge｝；

which　they　pronounce　alye。　　I　concluded；　therefore；　that　as

experience　proves　to　us　that　the　pronunciation　of　all　languages

changes；　in　their　descent　through　time；　that　of　the　Greek　must　have

done　so　also　in　some　degree；　and　the　more　probably；　as　the　body　of

the　words　themselves　had　substantially　changed；　and　I　presumed　that

the　instances　above　mentioned　might　be　classed　with　the　degeneracies

of　time；　a　presumption　strengthened　by　their　remarkable　cacophony。

As　to　all　the　other　letters；　I　have　supposed　we　might　yield　to　their

traditionary　claim　of　a　more　orthodox　pronunciation。　　Indeed；　they

sound　most　of　them　as　we　do；　and；　where　they　differ；　as　in　the　｛e；　d；

ch；｝　their　sounds　do　not　revolt　us；　nor　impair　the　beauty　of　the

language。




　　　　　　　　If　we　adhere　to　the　Erasmian　pronunciation；　we　must　go　to　Italy

for　it；　as　we　must　do　for　the　most　probably　correct　pronunciation　of

the　language　of　the　Romans；　because　rejecting　the　modern；　we　must

argue　that　the　ancient　pronunciation　was　probably　brought　from

Greece；　with　the　language　itself；　and；　as　Italy　was　the　country　to

which　it　was　brought；　and　from　which　it　emanated　to　other　nations；　we

must　presume　it　better　preserved　there　than　with　the　nations　copying

from　them；　who　would　be　apt　to　affect　its　pronunciation　with　some　of

their　own　national　peculiarities。　　And　in　fact；　we　find　that　no　two

nations　pronounce　it　alike；　although　all　pretend　to　the　Erasmian

pronunciation。　　But　the　whole　subject　is　conjectural；　and　allows

therefore　full　and　lawful　scope　to　the　vagaries　of　the　human　mind。　　I

am　glad；　however；　to　see　the　question　stirred　here；　because　it　may

excite　among　our　young　countrymen　a　spirit　of　inquiry　and　criticism；

and　lead　them　to　more　attention　to　this　most　beautiful　of　all

languages。　　And　wishing　that　the　salutary　example　you　have　set　may

have　this　good　effect；　I　salute　you　with　great　respect　and

consideration。







　　　　　　　　〃I　TOO　AM　AN　EPICUREAN〃




　　　　　　　　_To　William　Short；　with　a　Syllabus_

　　　　　　　　_Monticello；　October　31；　1819_




　　　　　　　　DEAR　SIR；　　Your　favor　of　the　21st　is　received。　　My　late

illness；　in　which　you　are　so　kind　as　to　feel　an　interest；　was

produced　by　a　spasmodic　stricture　of　the　ilium；　which　came　upon　me　on

the　7th　inst。　　The　crisis　was　short；　passed　over　favorably　on　the

fourth　day；　and　I　should　soon　have　been　well　but　that　a　dose　of

calomel　and　jalap；　in　which　were　only　eight　or　nine　grains　of　the

former；　brought　on　a　salivation。　　Of　this；　however；　nothing　now

remains　but　a　little　soreness　of　the　mouth。　　I　have　been　able　to　get

on　horseback　for　three　or　four　days　past。




　　　　　　　　As　you　say　of　yourself；　I　too　am　an　Epicurian。　　I　consider　the

genuine　（not　the　imputed）　doctrines　of　Epicurus　as　containing

everything　rational　in　moral　philosophy　which　Greece　and　Rome　have

left　us。　　Epictetus　indeed；　has　given　us　what　was　good　of　the　stoics；

all　beyond；　of　their　dogmas；　being　hypocrisy　and　grimace。　　Their

great　crime　was　in　their　calumnies　of　Epicurus　and　misrepresentations

of　his　doctrines；　in　which　we　lament　to　see　the　candid　character　of

Cicero　engaging　as　an　accomplice。　　Diffuse；　vapid；　rhetorical；　but

enchanting。　　His　prototype　Plato；　eloquent　as　himself；　dealing　out

mysticisms　incomprehensible　to　the　human　mind；　has　been　deified　by

certain　sects　usurping　the　name　of　Christians；　because；　in　his　foggy

conceptions；　they　found　a　basis　of　impenetrable　darkness　whereon　to

rear　fabrications　as　delirious；　of　their　own　invention。　　These　they

fathered　blasphemously　on　him　whom　they　claimed　as　their　founder；　but

who　would　disclaim　them　with　the　indignation　which　their　caricatures

of　his　religion　so　justly　excite。　　Of　Socrates　we　have　nothing

genuine　but　in　the　Memorabilia　of　Xenophon；　for　Plato　makes　him　one

of　his　Collocutors　merely　to　cover　his　own　whimsies　under　the　mantle

of　his　name；　a　liberty　of　which　we　are　told　Socrates　himself

complained。　　Seneca　is　indeed　a　fine　moralist；　disfiguring　his　work

at　times　with　some　Stoicisms；　and　affecting　too　much　of　antithesis

and　point；　yet　giving　us　on　the　whole　a　great　deal　of　sound　and

practical　morality。　　But　the　greatest　of　all　the　reformers　of　the

depraved　religion　of　his　own　country；　was　Jesus　of　Nazareth。

Abstracting　what　is　really　his　from　the　rubbish　in　which　it　is

buried；　easily　distinguished　by　its　lustre　from　the　dross　of　his

biographers；　and　as　separable　from　that　as　the　diamond　from　the

dunghill；　we　have　the　outlines　of　a　system　of　the　most　sublime

morality　which　has　ever　fallen　from　the　lips　of　man；　outlines　which

it　is　lamentable　he　did　not　live　to　fill　up。　　Epictetus　and　Epicurus

give　laws　for　governing　ourselves；　Jesus　a　supplement　of　the　duties

and　charities　we　owe　to　others。　　The　establishment　of　the　innocent

and　genuine　character　of　this　benevolent　moralist；　and　the　rescuing

it　from　the　imputation　of　imposture；　which　has　resulted　from

artificial　systems；　（*）　invented　by　ultra…Christian　sects；

unauthorized　by　a　single　word　ever　uttered　by　him；　is　a　most

desirable　object；　and　one　to　which　Priestley　has　successfully　devoted

his　labors　and　learning。　　It　would　in　time；　it　is　to　be　hoped；　effect

a　quiet　euthanasia　of　the　heresies　of　bigotry　and　fanaticism　which

have　so　long　triumphed　over　human　reason；　and　so　generally　and　deeply

afflicted　mankind；　but　this　work　is　to　be　begun　by　winnowing　the

grain　from　the　chaff　of　the　historians　of　his　life。　　I　have　sometimes

thought　of　translating　Epictetus　（for　he　has　never　been　tolerable

translated　into　English）　by　adding　the　genuine　doctrines　of　Epicurus

from　the　Syntagma　of　Gassendi；　and　an　abstract　from　the　Evangelists

of　whatever　has　the　stamp　of　the　eloquence　and　fine　imagination　of

Jesus。　　The　last　I　attempted　too　hastily　some　twelve　or　fifteen　years

ago。　　It　was　the　work　of　two　or　three　nights　only；　at　Washington；

after　getting　through　the　evening　task　of　reading　the　letters　and

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