1807.3 Memoir of the late Duke of Brimsrciclc. 



555 



hitherto more negletted than any otiier 

 part ot'it. Ill tragedy it lias experienced 

 u greater de-rree ot' pcrtectiuii. Tlic 

 tTirth is, we luive ventured to deviate 

 from, and have Ibmetiuics excelled, So- 

 phocles and Euripides. But, with more 

 .•cautious relerve, we flill follow the foot- 

 <teps of Homer. It would he eiidlefs to 

 point out how cloicly he has been imi- 

 tated in the modem J'2po[)cf.a, in the 

 management of his fuhjeCt, his rharar- 

 ters and macliinery, his \ cry ima^iis and 

 fentimeuts. It is from this previous 

 determination to copy liim, even in 

 Ills faults, that the conduct of an epic 

 poem has as yet been im[)erfect. W we 

 examine the plan of the Iliad, we difco- 

 Vier that it has two diftiufct inteieils: the 

 <liviiion anion"; the Ciods, and that among 

 the chiefs. The aii;:,er of Achilles pro- 

 duces tliat feries of difalicrs !uid cala- 

 mities, which conftitute the action ; hut 

 that anger, fatal as it appears to be, is 

 only maiiifefted by the ahfence of the 

 Jiei'o. After being led to ijrefuuic from 



the propofition, that Achilles is the her* 

 of the poem, we are furpriied to find 

 that he foon difappcars, and the fuppoled 

 coui'equences of his wrath are neither 

 under his immediate direction, nor sruid- 

 ed by his counfels. The crief :uid fond- 

 nefs of Andromache infpire, indeed, :« 

 momentary interelt ; but tin' rell of the 

 poem is abforhcd iu defcriplioiis of bat- 

 tles and alVaulls, calculated (uily to llrik« 

 the imaL'ination. The plans of the Ody!- 

 fey and the JCneid difplay greater vari- 

 ety, but are eiiually defecti* c. It is ev- 

 deiit that the epic writers have not ful- 

 tilled the idea of Arilbitle, who atiirras 

 that tlie Kpoprea is iiothinir more than 

 tragedy put ia uciion, compofed of a 

 iminberof intermediate fcenes, of whicA 

 the intervals iiuift !)e fupplied by defcrip- 

 ti<..us (ind cpifodes.~ 



* The next paper of this feries will coiifiil 

 of an attempt to reconcile the difcordant bio- 

 graphies of Homer. 



MEMOIRS OF EMINENT PERSONS. 



MEMOIR of his SEUFNE HIGIIXESS the 

 I.ATF. UUKi; 0/" liRUNSWrCK-Ll'NE- 

 BUKG, 1 ir.LD-MARSlIAt.T,, and COM- 

 MAXDKR JX CHIEF of the AllMY of 

 FRtSSIA, and KMGIIT of thc MOsT 

 XOBLE ORDER of the GARTER. 



*' Ludit in hiimanis potentia rebus, 

 Et certam praefens vix habet hora tit'em." 

 Ovid. 



ARRFEUKXCE to tlie fingular 

 times in which we live can aliiiie 

 refolvc the plienowna that at once lac- 

 round and aftoniili us. Every thing ex- 

 hibits the appearance of novelty, for the 

 cdablilhed order of focietv has been fud- 

 tlenly inverted, a new race of men has 

 fpruug up, and a new and more terrible 

 fvlk'in of war been practifod uith fuccei's. 

 In line, the fuind of the coii'juerur has 

 made as many real changes in human 

 alfairs, and that too airiKjIl with the iame 

 I'jpidity as the wand of the necromancer 

 «vcr elfe(:i/-d jji the regions of romance, 

 fo that both hifiorv and gcO'jraphv, iu 

 refpt'Ct to thi . portion of the globe, are 

 io he (iudied anew. 



During the aire of Chtu-les V. and 

 Francis I, the feudal fyfiem began to 

 cM'umhle under its own weight, and I'.u- 

 rope alfuined u new and more fiabk' 

 4pi*earance. 



A kind of public rule, arifing out of 

 public policy, apjjeared to have been 

 iiiftitutcd by ixeueral confcnt; and a* 

 the bounds of the various fovereignties 

 wcr« pretty accurately afcertained, and 

 their rights and duties phdiily and dif- 

 tinctly marked, this, the inolL civiliwd 

 quarter of the world, began to be con- 

 lideitd as one immeiife commonwealth, 

 governed bv a moral I'enfe, and regulai- 

 cd by what ( tiom its genei-ality; was de- 

 nominated the law of nations. 



Nearly two centuries and a half elapf- 

 e(\, hetbre auv grofs in\aliou of this 

 happy condition of political eqtudity 

 took V place; and free Ihites as well as 

 Hates enilavcd, limited monarchs as well 

 as defpots, cither polleifed or alfetted <i 

 I'fcvereiice for [lublic political iuftire. 

 The lint great inroad made into the 

 happy and tran(]uil htnation in which 

 Europe IihH fo long remaiiifd, proceeded 

 from the unprincipled imation and divi- 

 lion of I'oland, by the unexpected union 

 of tlu-ee great rival powers*. Tl:is was 

 fuch a grofs and liianifell violation of 

 the moral feufe, ;is .•applied to nations, 

 that the mind of every honoft man, of 

 courfe, revolted agfiinft it. The oriein»d 

 wrong was followed up by new a>ii:rcf- 



» Aufrir,, rrudi.^, and Ruiria. 



•1 fion?, 



