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Herodotus was one of the Greek historians; he is, perhaps, best remembered for his account of the "sacred prostitution" which, he claims, was practiced in Babylon.
From the Preface of the translator:
"It will be sufficient to inform the student in what respect the present translation professes to differ from those which have preceeded it. Five, have, at intervals, made their appearance.
The first was that by Beloe, which, though flowing and easy in style, was rather a translation from an indifferent French version than from the original Greek.
The second, by Littlebury, was a poor rendering from a bad Latin version.
The third was a revision of Littlebury's translation, bearing the appearance of having been made by one, who, though he understood his author, contented himself with merely removing Littlebury's grosser faults, without attempting to correct him uniformly and throughout.
The fourth and most elegant version, was that by Mr. Isaac Taylor; which, however, has met with less notice than its merit deserves, probaly owing to the circumstance, that the usually received division by chapters has been departed from, whereby the faculty of reference has been much diminished, and also because, in too many instances, the translator has sacrificed the meaning of his author to purity of thought or elegance of diction.
The last English version was that by Laurent, in making which the translator laboured under the twofold disadvantage of being an inaccurate Greek scholar, and a far worse English one.
Nor can the present translator hope to be free from some defect, equal perhaps in extent to those which he has pointed out in his predecessors. His object, however, has been to keep as closely to the sense of his author as the idioms of the two languages would allow. He has adopted thorughout the readings of Baehr, and, except in some few instances, which are pointed out in the notes, his interpretation also."
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