e new spheres of
ideas, with the result that spheres of ideas arise where none were
before. Thus he not only learns words, he gains ideas too.

This is nowhere so much the case as in learning ancient languages, for
the differences they present in their mode of expression as compared
with modern languages is greater than can be found amongst modern
languages as compared with one another. This is shown by the fact that
in translating into Latin, recourse must be had to quite other turns
of phrase than are used in the original. The thought that is to be
translated has to be melted down and recast; in other words, it must
be analyzed and then recomposed. It is just this process which makes
the study of the ancient languages contribute so much to the education
of the mind.

It follows from this that a man's thought varies according to the
language in which he speaks. His ideas undergo a fresh modification,
a different shading, as it were, in the study of every new language.
Hence an acquaintance with many languages is not only of much indirect
advantage, but it is also a direct means of mental culture, in that it
corrects and matures ideas by giving prominence to their many-sided
nature and their different varieties of meaning, as also that it
increases dexterity of thought; for in the process of learning many
languages, ideas become more and more independent of words. The
ancient languages effect this to a greater degree than the modern, in
virtue of the difference to which I have alluded.

From what I have said, it is obvious that to imitate the style of the
ancients in their own language, which is so very much superior to ours
in point of grammatical perfection, is the best way of preparing for a
skillful and finished expression of thought in the mother-tongue. Nay,
if a man wants to be a great writer, he must not omit to do this: just
as, in the case of sculpture or painting, the student must educate
himself by copying the great masterpieces of the past, before
proceeding to original work. It is only by learning to write Latin
that a man comes to treat diction as an art. The material in this art
is language, which must therefore be handled with the greatest care
and delicacy.

The result of such study is that a writer will pay keen attention to
the meaning and value of words, their order and connection, their
grammatical forms. He will learn how to weigh them with precision, and
so become an expert in the use of tha