Qj6 HOME R. 
paffionate veneration for their original country. They 
encouraged letters, and ere6ted the greateft library in the 
world. A number of learned men were appointed to re- 
vife the writings of Homer. The firft of thele was Zeno- 
dotus, librarian to the firft Ptolemy; and, as a poet and 
grammarian, well qualified for the undertaking. Bnt, 
according to Suidas, Ariltarchus, tho* preceptor of Ptolemy 
Euergetes, not being fatisfied with this copy, nor with 
that of his difciple Ariitophanes, determined to begin 
another. He reftored fome verfes to their former reading, 
rejected others, which he marked with obelilks as fpurious, 
and proceeded with fuch induftrious accuracy, that, not- 
withftanding there 'were fome who wrote againil him, 
polterity has generally acquiefced in it. So highly efteemed 
was this copy, that the name of Ariltarchus was applied 
to every candid and judicious critic ; while that of Zoilus, 
who about the fame time wrote many envious and ill-na¬ 
tured criticifms on Homer, has been treated with merited 
contempt. It was not only in Egypt, but, lays Suidas, 
Syria and other parts of Alia became.familiar with the 
name and poems of Homer; which at length, according 
to iElian, extended even to Perfia and India. 
“ But thefe poems, (fays a recent author,)To long and 
fo highly valued and efteemed, buffered a material depre¬ 
ciation on the appearance of Chriftianity. The idolatry 
which had infefted the globe, was now to be dellroyed ; 
and the fyftem of mythology, of which Homer appeared 
to be the father, was equally to be abolilhed. Not only 
was his fame in a great degree impaired, but he was con- 
fidered by the rigid fathers of the Chriftian church, as 
the man by whom the world had been betrayed into folly 
and.error. He is accufed by Juftin Martyr, of having Wil¬ 
fully luperinduced his own fables on the infpired writings 
of Mofes. The rebellion of the giants was thought to be 
taken from the prelumptuous ereftion of the tower of 
Babel, and the calling of Ate, or it rife, out of heaven, 
was compared with the fall of Lucifer. His fineft beau¬ 
ties were coniidered only the more pernicious, as favour¬ 
ing thole errors which had fo long milled the minds of 
men, and derogatory to that purer faith, which it was in¬ 
tended to eftablifh. Thus the reading of Homer was dif- 
couraged or forbidden, and himfelf reprobated as the great 
mailer of hereby and fable. It has been remarked that 
St. Aullin, in applying the exprelfion dulcijjime vanus, to 
Homer, parted with regret from the perulal of an author 
who had probably been the delight of his younger days, 
and that, though his zeal urged him to reprobate the 
heathen writers, his underftanding was not blind to the 
ffuperio'r beauties of the poem he condemned. But when 
every religious difpute had ceafed, and the nations of the 
earth bowed with lubmiffion and reverence to the lupe- 
rior efficacy of the Chriftian faith; after many ages of 
darknefs, when literature feemed extinguilhed, and faience 
lay dormant, the name and poems of Homer again revived. 
The effeft of his fables and fictions on the fentiments of 
mankind was no longer dreaded. His mythology .came 
to be confidered as only a beautiful machinery by which 
any poet might he allowed to enliven the obfaurity, or 
obviate the Iteriiity, of his fubjeft. They were no longer 
viewed in a religious light; but were valued for their 
principles and maxims of civil government and life, which 
might be applied to every age. And, notwithllanding 
the mild cenfure of Plato, the extravagant abufe of Sca- 
liger, and the impotent attacks of more- recent critics', 
they.appear to have re-affumed their dignity in the world, 
and fixed themfelves on a bafis which it is not in the 
power of time to injure or remove.” 
In enumerating the editions of Homer, we fhall only 
mention thofe which include the Iliad and the Odyffey, 
as being the only productions of that immortal poet that 
are admitted to be genuine ; and thofe editions only which 
are confidered the bed. The firft in propriety is the Iiias 
& Odyffea, Gr. fob Editio Princeps, 1488, in the Britilh 
Mufeum.—Another copy, with the Greek Scholia, 4to. 
B'afil; x 535» 1543, 1551*—Iiias & Odyffea, Gr. and Lut. 
with the Scholia, 2 vols. 4to. Amfl. 1656 ; a very beautiful 
and correCt edition.—Iiias & Odyfiea, by Barnes, 2 vols. 
4to. Cantab. 1711. Dr. Barnes Ibent his whole fortune 
on this publication, which maintains its diflinClion, not 
merely from its magnitude and the erudition of the edi¬ 
tor, but from the complete Greek Scholia lubjoined to 
the text.—Homeri Opera, Qxon. Gr. Iiias, 8vo. 1714; 
Odyffea, 1705. This is one of the moft* concCl editions 
of Homer,—Homeri Opera, Gr. and Lat. cum nova ver- 
fione & notis Sam. Clarke, London, 2 vols. 4to. 1729-1740. 
If this edition had the Scholia, it would be preferable to 
that of Barnes.—Iiias &c Odyffea, Gr. 2 vols. fob Giaf- 
gow, 1758. One of the mod fpiendid editions, as well as 
the moll correCt. Mr! Lunn, of Soho-fquare, has a fuperb' 
copy of this edition, with defigns by Flaxman, and mag¬ 
nificently bound by Staggemeier.-—Iiias & Odyfiea, Oxon, 
1780, j vols. large 8vo. with the Hymns and Index com¬ 
plete, alio fome of the more valuable Scholia: a beauti¬ 
fully printed book.—Iliad and Odyffey, with notes, by 
Wakefield, 11 vols. London, 1796.—Homeri Opera, cura 
F. A. Wolfii, Hal. Sax. 1794-1805, with the excellent Pro¬ 
legomena.-—-Homeri Cannina, cura C. G. Heyne, Lipf. 8 
vols. 1802. 
As to the particular merits of Homer and his works, 
and the beauties and defeCts of the machinery whereon 
he has confliucte'd the Iliad, much difference of opinion 
prevails. Confiderable cenfure has been induced, by the 
unnatural mixture of gods with men; and becaufe the 
objeCt of the poem is to immortalize an event inglorious 
in its origin, and to inflame the human mind with thofe 
lofty ideas of battles and warfare, which are often deftruc- 
tive of the peace of fociety. 
Inanfwer to thefe objeSions, La Harpe, in his “ Lec¬ 
tures at the Lyceum,” contends, “ That it is the bufinefs 
of a poet to elevate vulgar minds above the groveling 
ideas of men, by every analogy to the refinement and vir¬ 
tues of fupernatural beings ; and to thofe who are not 
contented with the gods of Homer, we may fay : What 
would you have had him do ? could he frame a mythology 
different from that of his country, and delineate other 
manners than thofe which he knew to fubfifl ? It is in- 
difputable that, in thofe heroic times, mufcular force was 
the chief qualification of combatants; who being covered 
with brafs and iron, he who could eafily fupport the 
ftrongelt and moft weighty armour, give the moll vigor¬ 
ous blow, and pierce the cuirafs and buckler of his anta- 
gonifl with the greatell force, was a formidable being, a 
hero. This quality, once acknowleged, fettled his pre- 
ten fions and his rank; and thus we may account for our 
frequently finding one-very brave warrior in the Iliad, 
confeffing that another is his fuperior, and retreating from 
his prefence. In Homer, AEneas is not alhamed to fay to 
Achilles: “ I know very well that thou art more valiant 
than I am;’’—which means no more than, I know that 
that thou art the ltrongell. It it true that he adds: “ yet, 
if fome god proteCl me, I lhall vanquilh thee and this 
is the moll general principle throughout the Iliad; every 
thing proceeds from the gods —llrength, wifdom, and fuc- 
cefs. Achilles fays to Patroclus: “ Avoid attacking Hec¬ 
tor ; he has always near him fome guardian god who pro¬ 
tects him.” There is not one hero in the- Iliad, Achilles 
excepted, who does not retreat before another. Thole 
who are the molt brave (Diomede and Ajax) are diftin- 
guifned by retiring fighting ; and it is obfervable, for the 
honour of the poet, that, notwithftanding this divine af- 
filtance, which feems to confound all degrees of heroilm, 
he preferves a grandeur of character in all his perlonages, 
fuitable to the reprefentation which he gives of them.” 
The Rev. Dr. Blair, F.R.S. and Profeffor of Rhetoric 
and Belles Lettres in the univerfity of Edinburgh, thus 
celebrates the immortal bard : 
“ Homer claims, on every account, our firft mention, 
as the father not only of epic poetry, but, in fome mea- 
fure, of poetry in general. Whoever fits down to read 
Homer, mull confider that he is going to read the moft 
ancient 
