H O M 
258 H O M 
tage, and by contrail excite a ftro'nger Impreffion of the 
meannefs, zndgrofnef, and wortklejfnejfoi Homer’s fu per na¬ 
tural machinery, was my direft view in this companion. 
Of Homer’s philosophical judgment, Mr. Knight, in his 
Inquiry into the Principles ot Tafte, Ipeaks as follows : 
“ The author of the Iliad has defcribed with aftonifhing 
accuracy every thing, in which error or inaccuracy might 
be detefted, either by experience or demonftration. 1 he 
ftrufture of the human body ; the effects of wounds ; the 
Symptoms of death ; the actions and manners of wild 
beafts ; the relative Situations of cities and countries; and 
the influence of winds and tempefts upon the waters of the 
Sea, are all defcribed with a precifion, which, not only no 
other poet, but Scarcely any technical writer upon the re- 
fpeftive fubjefts of anatomy, hunting, geography, and na¬ 
vigation, has ever attained. The hyperboles are all in the 
actions of his gods and heroes ; in which, exaggeration 
could not be detected ; but in every object and every cir- 
cumftance, which it was poffible for his audience practi¬ 
cally to know, the molt Scrupulous exaftnefs, in every 
minute particular, is religioufly obierved. There are near 
twenty descriptions of the various effefts op wind upon 
water; all different, and all without one fiftitious or ex¬ 
aggerated circumltance ; no JluElus ad fidcra tollit, or vno 
confurgit ad atliera. fundo, which even Virgil, the molt mo- 
deft of his imitators, has not avoided; but the common 
occurrences of nature, raifed into Sublimity by being Se¬ 
lected with tafte, and expreifed with energy.” 
With rel’pect to the tomb of Homer, which has been 
celebrated for So many ages in the the ifland of los, or 
Nios, M. Heyne, of Gottingen, from a recent examination 
on the Spot, has Satisfactorily fhown, that this monument 
reprefents the life of Achilles. On one of its four tides, 
that hero appears receiving the inftruftions of the Cen¬ 
taur Chiron in archery ; on another, he is teaching the 
daughters of Lycomedes to play on the lyre ; on the third, 
he is discovered by the art of Ulyffes ; and the fourth 
fide, exhibiting the light of two Centaurs with a lion and 
a lionefs, may be confidered as an emblem of the battles 
defcribed in the Iliad. M. Heyne relates v from poets and 
mythologifls, the various events in the life ot Achilles 
reprefented on this monument; which he compares with 
the very few remains of antiquity that relate to the fame 
SubjeCrs. It is not improbable that the inhabitants of Ios 
ereCted it, in order to maintain their pretenfions to the 
poffeffion of the aflies of Homer; thinking the life of 
Achilles was a fubjeCl very proper to be represented on 
the tomb of his encomiaft. 
HO'MER, a military townfliip of the American States, 
in Onondaga county. New York, Situate on the head wa¬ 
ters of the north-weft branch oFChenengo river. 
HOME'RIC, or Homerical, adj. Belonging to Ho¬ 
mer, defcribed by Homer. 
HO'MERITE, one of a certain race of Arabian kings. 
HOMFELD, a town of Germany, in We.ftphalia, and 
county of Lippe : nine miles eaft of Lemgow. 
HO'MESOKEN, f. An old law term, the_ privilege 
which a man has in his own houfe, the Security a man 
enjoys in his own houfe which ought not to be invaded ; 
the crime of affaulting a man in his own dwelling. 
HO'MESPUN, adj. Spun or wrought at home; not 
made by regular manufacturers : 
Inftead of homefpun coifs were Seen 
Good pinners edg’d with cclberteen. Swift. 
Not made in foreign countries.—He appeared in a Suit of 
Englifh broad-cloth. Very plain but rich: every thing.he 
wore was fubftantial, honeft, homefpun, ware. Addifon. — 
Plain ; coarfe ; rude ; homely ; inelegant.—We Say, in 
our homefpun Englifh proverb, He killed two birds with 
one ltone. Dry den. 
Our homefpun authors mu ft, foiffake th e field, 
And Shskefjfea'ie to tH|pVp|t.|caria!tti yield, ■ Addifon. 
HO'MESPUN, f. A coarfe, inelegant, rude, untaught* 
ruftic, man. Not in vfe. 
What hempen homefpuns have we Swaggering here, 
So near the cradle of the fairy queen ? Shakefpeare. 
IIO'MESTALL, f. {home and fall.'] An inclofed yard 
to fodder cattle in near a houfe ; 
Through ev’ry homcfalloxvd through ev’ry yard 
(His midnight walks) panting, forlorn he flies. Somerville,. 
HO'MESTEAD, f. [ham, and yeebe, Sax.] The place 
of refidence; the houfe : 
Both houfe and homefread into feas are borne, 
And rocks are from their own foundations torn. Dryden. 
HO'MI, a town of China, of the fecond rank, in the 
province of Yun-nan : 1203 miles fouth-lbuth-weft of Pe¬ 
king. Lat. 23.4+. N. Ion. 120. 48. E. Ferro. 
IIOMICI'DAL, adj. [from homicide.] Murderous; 
bloody: 
The troop, forth Bluing from the dark recefs. 
With homicidal rage, the king opprefs. Pope. 
HOM'ICIDE,/! [ homicide , Fr. komicidium,L,d.t.] Murder ; 
manquelling.'—Homicide, by the law of England, is of 
three kinds; juftifiable, excuiable, and felonious. The firft 
has no fliare of guilt at all; the fecond very little ; but the 
third is the higheft crime againft the law of nature that a 
man is capable of committing. 4 Blackf. Comm. c. 14. 
1. Justifiable Homicide may be owing to fome un¬ 
avoidable neceflity, without any will, intention, or defire,, 
and without any inadvertence or negligence, in the party 
killing, and therefore without any thadow of blame.—Ho- 
.micide is juftifiable where an officer, in the execution of 
his office, either in.a civil or criminal cafe, kills a perfon 
that affaults and refills him. 1 Hal. P. C. 494. Alfo where 
an officer, or any private perfon, attempts to take a man 
charged with felony, and is refilled ; and, in the endeavour 
to take him, kills him. Likewife a riot, or rebellious af— 
fembly, the officers endeavouring to difperfe the mob are 
juftifiable in killing them, both at common-law, and by 
the riot-aft, ftat. 1 Geo. I. c. 5. And in cafe a ftranger 
interpofes to part the combatants in an affray, giving no¬ 
tice to them of that intention, and they afiault him ; if in 
the ftruggle he Ihould chance to kill, this would be jufti¬ 
fiable homicide ; for it is every man’s duty to interpole 
for the prefervation of the public peace, and for the pre¬ 
vention of mifehief. Fof. 272. Where the priloners in a 
gaol, or going to gaol, affault the gaoler or officer, and he 
in his defence kills any of them, it is juftifiable, for the 
fake of preventing an efcape. 1 Hal. P. C. 496. If tref- 
pafiers in forefts, parks, chafes, or warrens, will not. lur- 
render tliemfelves to the keepers, they may be flain, by 
virtue of the ftat. 21 Edw. I. ft. 2. de malefaEloribus in par - 
as-, and 3 and 4 Will, and Mary, c. 10. If a perfon hav¬ 
ing aftually committed felony will not fuffer himfelf to 
be taken, but Hand on his own defence, or fly, fo that he 
cannot poffibly be apprehended alive by thofe who purfue, 
whether private perfons or public officers, with or without 
a warrant from a magiltrate, he may be lawfully ftain by 
them. So if even an innocent perfon be indifted of a fe¬ 
lony, where no felony was committed, yet, if he will not 
fuffer himfelf to be arrefted by an officer who has a war¬ 
rant, he may be lawfully killed ; for there is a charge 
againft him on record, to which he is bound at his peril 
to anfwer. 1 Hawk. P. C. c. 28. Where a lheriff, &c. at¬ 
tempting to make a lawful arreft in a civil aftion, or to 
retake one who has been arrefted and made his elcape, is 
refilled by the party,, and unavoidably kills him in the af¬ 
fray, it is juftifiable homicide. 1 Rol. Rep. 189, And infucli 
cafe the officer is not bound to give back, but may Hand 
his ground and attack the party. 1 Hawk. P. C.c. 28. But 
no private perfon of liis own authority can arr.ell a man 
for a civil matter, as he may for felony, See.. Neither can 
the lheriff himfelf lawfully .kill thofe who barely fly from 
the execution of any civil procels. x Hawk, c. 28. ‘ And 
4 iix. 
