554 



The Epopcea of Homer, — Xo. I, 



[Jan. 1 , 



Inck^pcJi'Jrut of the prin<-ipal and fu- 

 lioiiiiiiiiit; porroiu»gpb introduced iiilo the 

 poem, epic wiittis huvc in ircntial made 

 ute of fuperiiiitural bciiiss or asjciits, for 

 tlic cmbcllillimcut of tJieu fubjcotb. This 

 has btcii called the machinery nf tlic 

 epic, and fceins to he tiie niilf diliicult 

 p:»rt of it. Bat fonie have qiicltioned 

 ■Hhetlicril he fit all ciTeutial to the cou- 

 ftitiuiou of the Epo|)(i.a; and the I'har- 

 iii'.-.i lias been cited to prove, that it niav 

 he compoled without tlic iiitervcnlioii of 

 thcfc luarvellons incidents. It uiil be a 

 part of (inr plan hereafter, uhcii wei;;i\o 

 aji accoyn:of tiuit fpirited and beaulil'ul, 

 but unequal compoiPtion, to contider how 

 far it combines tliole qualities which con- 

 fiitnte the epic. In s^entrai, whcuevcr 

 u fuhject is fiifceptible (jt" thefe licfitions 

 on»anicuts, tlicy ought to be admitted; 

 lliough ill the ul'c of this fupernatural 

 inachiaciy the poet fiiould be temperate 

 and prudent. In a inodcru fuhject, the 

 intervention of invtholojr cal deities would 

 he abfurd. It is the great defect of the 

 llenriude, th;il, tlie action biun>; f(j re- 

 cent, the uiachiiiery which the poet cm- 

 ploys diveds it of that air of probability 

 vhich, according to Ariftotle, every epic 

 jiocm lliould prefent ; and renders it ob- 

 ieured under a cloud of incredible I'lc- 

 lions and unreal pcrfonaa;cs. For this 

 very rcafon, probably, I.ueiui, wIkjIc de- 

 fect it t'<jiialiy is that he fclecied a lubjrct 

 too near the times in whieli he lived, ab- 

 fiaincd from ufmg them, liut wherever 

 the fuhject is ib remote from modern 

 manners as to admit of intermediate 

 i»2,enl>, liie mind is aiimlcd and gratified 

 with tliis mixture of the marvellous with 

 tlie probable. Nothing can be jnore 

 beautiful than the incident in the /Kncid, 

 of the niyrile bleirhng at the tomb of 

 I'olydorus; and no manof taiie can con- 

 demn, or uitli it obliterated. What 

 vould become of tlie Iliad and the 0<lyf- 

 fey, if all the beautiful defcriptions and 

 allegories with which the rtligion of aii- 

 i ient Cireece furnidied Ilomcr, were to 

 be coufidered as not forminii a part of his 

 poem, as unueccllluy in their general 

 com'lruclion ? That the ancient (yiteui 

 of my;h<)lojiy was a jumble of tiic moll 

 inconfitient and difcordrmt materials, Jt 

 were vain to deny ; but it pre!"t iited htu- 

 ^tioiis and portraits, \\hk:h lu the hands 

 of a poet were futceptibie of the mod 

 glowing colours, and could iiot fail of 

 plealii.g the imagination. 



h is doubtlefs unfortunate for the rao- 

 dlr. u £pic, that its fulyycti will not admit 



of thi'fe mylhological aids, «nd that it \% 

 compelled to h;ue recourfe to fubllitutes 

 wliich cannot be fo cafdy tolerated ; I 

 mean allegorical pcrl'onifietitionsof Fame, 

 Love, Fear, Knvy, Difcord, and other 

 pafhonsof the human iiiiiid, which may 

 be occalionally allowed in defcriptions, 

 but ihould never be permitted to bear aiiy 

 Iharc in the adliow of the ])0em. Tliey 

 are Inch evident and declared ficiioo:^, 

 that lancy cannot embody nor attribute 

 to tUeni an exillence. }3y being min- 

 gled with human actors, tlicy create iu- 

 fullcrable confulion, and dcilroy all the 

 coiitiiicncy of the poem. How then are 

 thefe fn|)eriuitural beings to be I'upplied 

 in an epic, where the fuhject is of too 

 recent a date to admit'of them? — Bv 

 correct delineations of the virtues and 

 the palfions, not allcgorically ami liguia- 

 tively conlidercd, but I'uch as they exill 

 in nature, and as they arc reprefeuted 

 in trai«edy. 



'Fhu Itylc of the Epoprra fliould be fi 

 mixture of flignity, Itrength, and (ire. 

 The tirft elfential requilite in poetry of 

 this defcri]ttion is majefty, and the art of 

 appropriately defcribing great ideas and 

 elevated fentiments. This ftyle naturallr 

 has its inf.oxioiis, and tlicfe the jtoet nuiil 

 know how to fiipply, to prevent mono- 

 tony. He inufi liudy to be occalionally 

 fublime, pathetic, and bold. But in all 

 thefe various tranfiiions, tlic dignitv of 

 tlic epic mull always be kcjit in view and 

 )iroperly fiipported. Its very onianients 

 fh;)uld be challe and ferioiis. In this, as 

 we Ihall hereafter fee, conlids tlie i)riii- 

 ripal merit of \irgil. Another elfenliai 

 retpiii'ite i.~, that a proper degree of fpirit 

 be uniformly prefened; that nothing 

 fiat and feeble be fulfered to impair the 

 iiuerell of the poem. The action may 

 not always be rapid ; it may be ;etai-dcd 

 by (Irfciiptions and by eiiifodcs, but it 

 fliould iiever langullh by unnecelVary or 

 tedious details. W the liyle be not al- 

 ways brilliant, it ihould at Icall be ani- 

 mated. It is iJiis tine and animated co- 

 lourinc which forms the great chara<!-terif- 

 ticsof Homer; it is here that he is with- 

 wnta rival; it is here that he is inimita- 

 ble. It is this vivida rix, this foul of 

 poetry, which lias obtained him fo many 

 enthuliallic admirers, that he is conii- 

 deivfl as the inexhaullibie fount from 

 which every fucceeding poet has drank. 

 A quo ceu fonlc perenni 



Vatui'.i pieriis ora rijantur squis. 



Tiie intrigue, or, to ufe a nobler ex prof- 

 lion, tlie conduct of the epic, Jjas been 

 hithcrtq^ 



