Choose an author as you would a friend
Wentworth Dillon, Earl of Roscommon (c.1633 -1685) was an Irish poet and translator. This particular quote comes from his Essay on Translated Verse.
Examine how your Humour is inclin'd,
And which the Ruling Paƒƒion of your Mind;
Then, ƒeek a Poet who your way do's bend,
and chuƒe an Author as you chuƒe a Friend.
For those whose medieval English might be a bit rusty, ƒ is a variation on the letter s known as long s. The rules of use were complicated but in general it was used at the beginning or middle of a word, but not at the end.
Long s was used in countries whose languages derived from Latin up until the late 18th century. Britain and the USA were among the last to abandon it - The London Times switched in September 1803, and Acts of Congress in the USA stopped being published with a long s from 1804.
The long s lives on in calculus where it is used as the integral symbol--and, occasionally, in churches that still use the King James Bible--adding a certain frisson to some readings, as illustrated in the 1994 episode of the British comedy, The Vicar of Dibley.
This quote & biography originally ran in an issue of BookBrowse's membership magazine. Full Membership Features & Benefits.
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