| RefNo | HSF/1/1/7 |
| Previous numbers | 600/31/44 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Letter from W [William] Whewell, Trin[ity] Lodge, [Cambridge], to [Sir John Frederick William] Herschel |
| Creator | Whewell; William (1794-1866); British mathematician |
| Date | 8 April 1862 |
| Description | He was very glad to see Herschel's first 'Iliad' in print and to have the prefaratory remarks. Whewell agrees with Herschel's notions in general and he has been saying nearly the same things again and again. He notes the perceptions of the English public on hexameters and discusses long and short syllables in the verse, and other technical issues. He has always told Herschel any objections he had to some of his lines and wished that Herschel had numbered them so that Whewell could refer to them more easily, as this would allow a comparison with the Greek. It would be worthwhile to do that. In looking at Herschel's translation with the italics which he proposes to insert, he is struck by the large proportion of them. Whewell gives line commentaries, including on the use of the name Briareus. He likes Herschel's footnotes and hopes he will go on with it. Whewell refers Herschel to the article on [Joseph Henry] Dart's translation which he had sent, including on its flaws, relating an anecdote of a racehorse belonging to Lord Palmerston named Ilione. The second book of 'The Iliad' will be a difficult job, because of its proper names, and he asks if Herschel has the courage to undertaken it. |
| Extent | 4p. |
| Format | Manuscript |
| PhysicalDescription | Ink on paper |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA6578 | Whewell; William (1794 - 1866); college head and writer on the history and philosophy of science | 1794 - 1866 |