Docno: ADMS-03-02-02-0001-0003-0002
Author: Adams, John Quincy
Date: 1786-05-02
Our Tutor, gave us this morning, a most extraordinary, construction of a passage in
Homer. Abbot 1st. was beginning to construe, the 181st. line of the 6th Book.
πρόσθε λέων, ο̈πισθεν δὲ δράκων, μέσση δέ χίμαιρα1
He said, a Lion, before, but the Dr. corrected him, by saying it meant superior to
a Lion; Abbot immediately took the hint, and made it, superior to a Lion, inferior
to a Dragon, and equal to a wild boar. I confess I should never have had an Idea,
of giving such a Translation of this passage, though it always appeared to me a plain,
easy one. I was pretty confident too, that comparative adjectives, governed a genitive;
but now it is plain that it is no matter what case, a word is in and with this manner,
it is much easier to read the ancient authors; because, you may render, any Latin
or Greek word, by any English one you chuse.