My business has been to give, in the following pages, a literal translation of the six books of Lucretius.

This task I have carefully performed; and it will, I trust, be no presumption to say, that he who wishes to know what is in Lucretius, without perusing the original, will learn it from this volume with greater certainty than from any other previously offered to the English reader.

The text immediately followed is that of Forbiger, which may, indeed, be rather called Wakefield's, for the one varies but little from the other. But I have not dismissed a single page of the translation without consulting the texts of Lambinus, Creech, and Havercamp, which are substantially the same, and, in many instances, far more satisfactory than Forbiger's.

Concerning all disputed or obscure passages, I have diligently examined the commentators, especially Lambinus, who is almost instar omnium, Creech., and Wakefield; and have added explanatory notes, respecting either the subject matter, or the translation of particular words or phrases.

The words which it has been found necessary to supply are distinguished by Italics.

Where a participle and a verb, having a similar signification, come together in construction, they have occasionally been rendered as two verbs. Thus sparsus disjicitur would be translated is scattered and dispersed.

The particle jam is sometimes omitted, and where a succession of copulative conjunctions occurs, which Lucretius uses superabundantly, one has occasionally been left out in the translation, or been rendered by while, as well as, or in some similar way, for the sake of variety. Any other deviations from the structure of the text, which in the least concern the student, are pointed out in the notes.

Tu and tuus, in the addresses of the poet to Memmius or the general reader, are sometimes translated by thou and thine, and sometimes by you and your. Where Lucretius seemed to be particularly earnest, I have adopted the former mode, and in other cases the latter.