1827.] I 409 ] 



MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE, DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN. 



Classical Manual, or a Mythological, 

 Historical, and Geographical Commen- 

 tary on Pope's Homer and Dryden's 

 Virgil; 1827. Though full of conflicting 

 statements and positive blunders, Lem- 

 priere's Classical Dictionary has got full 

 possession of the schools, and must keep 

 it, till something equally copious, and 

 really superior in accuracy and composi- 

 tion, shall supersede it. When we first 

 took up ihe volume before us, we had a 

 vague hope of meeting with something 

 calculated to expel for ever a book that 

 had affronted us almost every time we cast 

 an eye upon it. In this we were disap- 

 pointed. This Classical Manual, indeed, 

 makes no explicit pretension to occupy so 

 large a space ; but a very full and careful 

 index at the end, with not less than 10,000 

 names, is pointed out in the preface as sup. 

 plying whatever convenience might have 

 been derived if the work had assumed the 

 form and plan ofaClassical Dictionary. And 

 unquestionably some such view influenced 

 the writer in the construction of several 

 of the articles, which go infinitely beyond 

 the necessities of the object for which they 

 were professedly compiled to say nothing 

 of an additional thirty or forty pages of 

 divinities, for which no crevice or corner 

 could be found in the body of the com- 

 mentary. 



The professed object of the book is to 

 illustrate Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and 

 Virgil's JUneid, or rather Pope and Dry- 

 den's translations but the long lists of 

 appellatives for the Dii Majores 400 at 

 least for Jupiter, and 200 a piece for 

 Apollo, Minerva, and Diana, are surely 

 not demanded for the illustration of Ho", 

 mer and Virgil, much less for Pope and 

 Dryden's travesties translations we 

 mean sed semper hie crramus. There 

 are multitudes of mythological points also 

 to which Homer and Virgil make no allu- 

 sions, and descriptions of other matters, 

 with which they have as little to do ; but 

 which would be all extremely useful, wel- 

 come, and appropriate in a Classical Dic- 

 tionary. 



We are taking a carping tone, without 

 however at all meaning to find fault with 

 the intrinsic execution of the work, which 

 is unexceptionable, and more than unex- 

 ceptionableit is positively good. The' 

 volume contains whatever the illustration' 

 of Homer and Virgil requires, and a great 

 deal more; but it does not contain wh:it' 

 would be requisite for the competent il- 

 lustration of other poets, which, though 

 not equally popular, are yet frequently 

 read. So much valuable labour has been 

 spent upon what is more than imperative 

 for the immediate purpose, that we regret 



MM. New Series. VOL. IV. No. 22. 



a little more was not taken to make it 

 more extensively and generally useful 

 and particularly to qualify it for super- 

 seding the ill-written, though it must be 

 allowed, not unuseful, and at present even 

 indispensable book, to which we before 

 alluded, and of which we can scarcely 

 speak with temper. 



Books again of this kind, which are 

 adapted to the explanation of particular 

 writers, are not calculated for schools, 

 which must have something more compre- 

 hensive and embracing. Unluckily, most 

 parents grudge the expense of books, and 

 imagine the master or mistress is thinking 

 of nothing but gain ; and here is a book 

 to illustrate Homer and Virgil, as expen- 

 sive as Lempriere, which is amply sufh% 

 cient for all the authors that are ever 

 glanced at schools. We heartily wish the 

 very competent compiler would throw the 

 materials into the requisite form. All that 

 is still wanted, will consist chiefly of his- 

 torical characters, which the specimens in 

 the present work prove would be sketched 

 with force and vivacity. Such a per- 

 formance would well repay all the labour. 

 The demand for such a book is immense ; 

 for even Lempriere has run through at 

 least twenty editions. 



Particular instances of imitation on the 

 part of Virgil are here and there pointed 

 out 5 and something more mig'ht be done 

 to mark the changes in. mythology be- 

 tween the days of Homer and Virgil. The 

 mythology of Hades, for instance, became 

 very different. Of Charon and his boat 

 Homer knew nothing. Virgil is nothing 

 but an imitator a close one of Homer as 

 to the management of his narrative, and 

 the complexion of his tale , but closer still 

 probably of some whose works are lost ; 

 for he is no more to be considered as the 

 inventor of those parts where he differs 

 from Homer, than Homer is himself to be 

 deemed the originator of his deities. He 

 has nothing of the inventor about him. 

 Even for much of his language, and the 

 very cadence of his verse, he is indebted 

 to Lucretius. 



So far as Virgil and Homer are con- 

 cerned, the commentary is very complete. 

 There will be no occasion for reference to 

 any body's antiquities, Greek or Roman. 

 More learning, perhaps, is occasionally 

 shewn than can be useful. Triton, ac- 

 cording to somebody's supposition, it is 

 stated, is derivable from Tirit-on, tower 

 of the sun, which surely is only calcu- 

 lated to make confusion worse confound- 

 ed ; for no allusion whatever, either in Ho- 

 mer or Virgil, nor any where else, of which 

 we have a recollection, is there of any 

 connexion of the marine Triton with the 

 3 G 



