Ancient. Epic Poein, 113 



Upon the whole, I see no sufficient reason 

 to conclude, that any one preconceived moral, 

 as the ground-work of his poem, which was to 

 be illustrated by the whole and to which his 

 allegorical creation was to conform, had pos- 

 session of Homer's mind. The history, as 

 Homer received it, must suggest many moral 

 reflections to him, just as in the conduct of the 

 poem the same moral reflections will present 

 themselves to the mind of the reader; but I 

 can see no unity of moral pervading the whole 

 poem and giving law to the whole conduct 

 of it. 



The case* may be diflerent with respect to 

 Virgil. He followed Aristotle, longo quidem 

 intcrvallo, as Homer much preceded him. — 

 Aristotle thought he saw an unity of moral in 

 the plan of Homer's poem, and he considered 

 it as one of the three necessary unities, which 

 must enter into the composition of every heroic, 

 or epic poem. Virgil, therefore, had a sup- 

 posed precedent and law presented to him, 

 and, influenced thereby, he might design one 

 leading moral as the prominent lesson of his 

 poem. It is supposed, that piety to the gods 

 and resignation to the divine will are this pre- 

 dominant moral. Piety and resignation to the 

 gods are certainly a principal trait in the cha- 

 racter of his hero iEncas. He designed his* 



