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NEW METHOD
OF LEARNING WITH FACILITY THE
GREEK
TONGUE,
Containing Rulesfor the
Declensions, Quantity.
1
Conjugations, Accents,
\
Resolution verbs, Dialects, and
of
\
Syntax, Poetic Licence.
\
Digestedin the clearestandconcisest Order,
With a variety ofsolid Remarks, necessary for the attaining
a complete Knowledge ofthis Language, and for under-
standing the Greek Writers. JlJ>^^\-
'^ « -TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF THE
^MESSIEURS PORT-ROYAL,
DE
^
By T. NUGENT, LL.D.
A NEW EDITION,
CAREFULLY REVISED AND CORRECTED,
LONDONt
PRINTED FOR F. WINGRAVE, & J. COLLINGWOOD, ST.RANB.
1817.
^h
PiintedbyT.C.Hansard,Peterbro'Court,Fleet-street,London.
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;
THE
TRANSLATOR'S
P R E F A C E
X O illustrate the grammatical art, was the favourite employ-
ment ofmany of the greatest men of ancient and modern times
but none deserves a higher commendation than the author of the
following performance. This was the learned Claude Lancelot,
member of the celebrated society of Port-Royal, in the neigh-
bourhood of Paris. He was born in that capital in 1613, and edu-
cated from the age of twelve in the seminary of St. Nicholas
du Chardonnier, where he entered himself in the year 1627.
After he had finished his studies, he retired to Port-Royal, and
was employed in the education of youth. This province he exe-
cuted with the utmost diligence, and made such improvements in
the art of teaching, as to draw up those excellent methods of
learning the Latin, Greek, Italian, anil Spanish tongues, gene-
rally called The Port Royal Grammars, He is likewise said to
have written the Jardin des racines GrecqiieSf and, last of all, The
General and Rational Grammar,
But of all our author's performances, the present work is ge-
nerally reckoned to deserve the preference. The order and per-
spicuity that shine through the whole, and the profound knowledge
of the principles and analysis of the Greek language, are not to
be equalled in any other writer. He had made an excellent use of
the grammarians that went before him; and by his method he far
outstripped them all; This consists in drawing up his instruo
tions in vulgar idiom, as more easy than Latin to young beginners;
in distinguishing necessary rules from others, by way of text and
annotations; in retrenching superfluities, by reducing the ten de-
clensions of former grammarians to three, and the thirteen conju-
gations to two; in disposing the tenses in such a manner as to
render it easier to ascend to the theme of the verb; in subjoining
the dialects in their proper places in comprehending the resolu-
;
tion of verbs within afew rules; in rectifying and methodizing the
rules of syntax, and observing similar constructions between the
A 2 Latin
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
iv
tatin and the Greek; and lastly, in treating the subject in a ra-
tional and critical manner, so asnottoproceedmerelyontheground
ofauthority, but to appeal likewise to the reason and judgment of
the scholar.
It is now about a dozen years since I undertook to translate
this work, at the desire ofseveral members ofour two learned Uni-
versities. The many editions of the original abroad, and the
several extracts and abridgments of it in most parts of Europci
were an encouragement to the undertaking. The success has an-
sv/ered, and I mayjustly say, exceeded my expectation when I
;
consider that the translation was printed at a time when I was in
Germany, and incapable of superintending the press. It is
true, a person known in the literary world, was employed for
that purpose; but either through want of being acquainted
with my hand-writing, or through disuse of Greek literature, or
through some other cause which I cannot divine, he suffered
the work to go abroad, too incorrect, I must own, for the use it
was intended to serve. However, as the public have been so in-
dulgent as to accept it with all its faults, I must return them my
thanks; and I hope I have made some amends, by theextraordi-
nary care bestowed upon this second edition ; the whole copy has
been carefully revised and compared with the original the several
;
errors have been corrected, and many passages altered and re-
touched, especially the preface, which may be said to be a new
translation. The quotations from the classics have been also com-
pared and corrected in a multitude of places. A strict adherence
to the original has been observed throughout; except the render-
ing the rules into metre: for this not being an elementary intro-
duction, but a complete system, if so I may express myself, of the
Greek language, such puerile versification has been judged im-
proper.
With the revisal of this work I finish my translations of all the
grammatical pieces of Messieurs de Port Royal;* a task, I own,
of more labour than reputation : yet if my labour has been of
service to our British youth; and if in this toilsome province, I
may be also said to have deserved well of this most useful art, my
ambition is satisfied.
* These are all printed forWingraveand CoJlingwood intheStrand.
