John Ogilby

"These Heaven decrees, and ever-fixed Fate. But say, blest prophet, and the truth relate; I see my mother's shade, who not her son Will speak to, nor so much as look upon: Silent she sits by sacred blood: ah, how May she, poor shadow! her dear offspring know?"

"He is too blest that his own Happiness knows, And Mortals to themselves are greatest Foes."

"He that loves Gold, starves more, the more he's fed."

"Robber of Man, who now shall give thee ayd?"

"Great Expectations oft to nothing come."

"True Valour best is without Witness shown."

"Mercy makes Princes Gods."

"Small Help may bring great Aid."

"This cruel Prince that made his Will a Law."

"They that have Power to do, may, when they will, Pick Quarrels, and, pretending Justice, kill."

"Who Weapons put into a Mad-Man's Hands, May be the first the Error understands."

"None can Protect themselves with their own Shade. None for themselves are born."

"People that under Tyrant Scepters live, Should each to other kind Assistance give."

"No Beast is half so False as Man."

"Fortune assists the Bold, the Valiant Man Oft Conqueror proves, because he thinks he can."

"Thus at Home happy, oft fond Youth complain, And Peace and Plenty with soft Beds disdain. But when in Forrein War Death seals his Eys, His Birth-place he remembers e'r he Dies."

"Rich Cloaths, nor Cost, nor Education can Change Nature, nor transform and Ape into a Man."

"Those that can Help, to Hurt may find a way."

"One good Art's better than a thousand bad."

"Lost Reputation hard is to be found."

"Of Pride in thy Prosperity beware, Vicissitudes of Fortune Constant are."

"Loud Threatnings make men stubborn, but kind Words Pierce gentle Breasts sooner than sharpest Swords."

"Though Strong, Resist not a too Potent Foe; Madmen against a violent Torrent row. Thou mayst hereafter serve the Common-weal; Then yield till Time shall later Acts repeal."

"He had such an excellent inventive and prudentiall witt, and master of so good addresse, that when he was undon he could not only shift handsomely (which is a great mastery), but he would make such rationall proposalls that would be embraced by rich and great men, that in a short time he could gaine a good estate again, and never failed in any thing he ever undertooke but allwayes went through with profits and honour."

"Ogilby, the favourite of Pope's schoolboy days, and the banker on whom he not unfrequently drew for rhymes while composing his own translation, though a faithful interpreter of the Greek, ranks as an epic poet below Sir Richard Blackmore."

"John Ogilby, the well-known translator of Homer, was originally a dancing-master. He had apprenticed himself to that profession on finding himself reduced to depend upon his own resources, by the imprisonment of his father for debt in the King's Bench. Having succeeded in this pursuit, he was very soon able to release his father, which he did, very much to his credit, with the first money he procured. An accident, however, put an end to his dancing, and he was left again without any permanent means of subsistence. In these circumstances, the first thing he did was to open a small theatre in Dublin; but just when he had fairly established it, and had reason to hope that it would succeed, the rebellion of 1641 broke out, and not only swept away all his little property, but repeatedly put even his life in jeopardy. He at last found his way back to London, in a state of complete destitution: but, although he had never received any regular education, he had before this made a few attempts at verse-making, and in his extremity he bethought him of turning his talent in this way, which certainly was not great, to some account. He immediately commenced his studies, which he was enabled to pursue chiefly, it is said, through the liberal assistance of some members of the university of Cambridge; and although then considerably above forty years of age, he made such progress in Latin that he was soon considered in a condition to undertake a poetical translation of Virgil. This work was published in the year 1650. In a very few years a second edition of it was brought out with great pomp of typography and embellishments. Such was its success that the industrious and enterprising translator actually proceeded, although now in his fifty-fourth year, to commence the study of Greek, in order that he might match his version of the Æneid by others of the Iliad and the Odyssey. In due time both appeared; and Ogilby, who had in the meanwhile established himself a second time in Dublin in the management of a new theatre, was in the enjoyment of greater prosperity than ever, when, having unfortunately disposed of his Irish property, and returned to take up his residence in London, just before the great fire of 1666, he was left by that dreadful event once more entirely destitute. With unconquerable courage and perseverance, however, he set to work afresh with his translations and other literary enterprises; and was again so successful as to be eventually enabled to rebuild his house, which had been burned down, and to establish a printing-press; in the employment of which he took every opportunity of indulging that taste for splendid typography to which his first works had owed so much of their success. He was now also appointed cosmographer and geographic printer to Charles II.; and at last, at the age of seventy-six, terminated a life remarkable for its vicissitudes, and not uninstructive as an evidence both of the respectable proficiency in literature which may be acquired by those who begin their education late in life, and also of what may be done by a stout heart and indefatigable activity in repairing the worst injuries of fortune. Ogilby was no great poet, although his translations were very popular when they first appeared; but his Homer, we ought to mention, had the honour of being one of the first books that kindled the young imagination of Pope, who, however, in the preface to his own translation of the Iliad, describes the poetry of his predecessor and early favourite as "too mean for criticism.""

"It is a curious co-incidence of circumstances, that Pope was initiated in poetry at eight years of age by the perusal of Ogilby's Homer. A friend having presented Dr. Beattie, in the latter part of his life, with a copy of Ogilby's Virgil, made him very happy, in thus recalling to his imagination all the ideas with which his favourite author had at first inspired him, even through the medium of a translation."

"But why without Annotations? Because I had no hope to do it better than it is already done by Mr. Ogilby."

"Hobbes's] poetry, as well as Ogilby's, is too mean for criticism."

"Here swells the shelf with Ogilby the great."

"Ogilby's translation of Homer was one of the first large poems that ever Mr. Pope read; and he still spoke of the pleasure it then gave him with a sort of rapture, only on reflecting on it."

"[Alexander Pope] treads in the steps of Ogilby; below criticism, perhaps, but not imitation."

"John Ogilby was one, who from a late Initiation into Literature, made such a Progress therein, as might well stile him to be the Prodigy of his time, sending into the world so many large and learned Volumes, as well in Verse as in Prose, as will make posterity much indebted to his Memory."