lyseekthemeaningofeachwordandline,conjecturingalargersensethancommonusepermitsoutofwhatwisdomandvalorandgenerositywehave.Themoderncheapandfertilepress,withallitstranslations,hasdonelittletobringusnearertotheheroicwritersofantiquity.Theyseemassolitary,andtheletterinwhichtheyareprintedasrareandcurious,asever.Itisworththeexpenseofyouthfuldaysandcostlyhours,ifyoulearnonlysomewordsofanancientlanguage,whichareraisedoutofthetrivialnessofthestreet,tobeperpetualsuggestionsandprovocations.ItisnotinvainthatthefarmerremembersandrepeatsthefewLatinwordswhichhehasheard.Mensometimesspeakasifthestudyoftheclassicswouldatlengthmakewayformoremodernandpracticalstudiesbuttheadventurousstudentwillalwaysstudyclassics,inwhateverlanguagetheymaybewrittenandhoweverancienttheymaybe.Forwhataretheclassicsbutthenoblestrecordedthoughtsofman?Theyaretheonlyoracleswhicharenotdecayed,andtherearesuchanswerstothemostmoderninquiryinthemasDelphiandDodonanevergave.WemightaswellomittostudyNaturebecausesheisold.Toreadwell,thatis,toreadtruebooksinatruespirit,isanobleexercise,andonethatwilltaskthereadermorethananyexercisewhichthecustomsofthedayesteem.Itrequiresatrainingsuchastheathletesunderwent,thesteadyintentionalmostofthewholelifetothisobject.Booksmustbereadasdeliberatelyandreservedlyastheywerewritten.Itisnotenougheventobeabletospeakthelanguageofthatnationbywhichtheyarewritten,forthereisamemorableintervalbetweenthespokenandthewrittenlanguage,thelanguageheardandthelanguageread.Theoneiscommonlytransitory,asound,atongue,adialectmerely,almostbrutish,andwelearnitunconsciously,likethebrutes,ofourmothers.Theotheristhematurityandexperienceofthatifthatisourmothertongue,thisisourfathertongue,areservedandselectexpression,toosignificanttobeheardbytheear,whichwemustbebornagaininordertospeak.ThecrowdsofmenwhomerelyspoketheGreekandLatintonguesinthemiddleageswerenotentitledbytheaccidentofbirthtoreadtheworksofgeniuswritteninthoselanguag