1800. ] 
feet. Iwas about to fixathird on the 
firing, when the beaft defcried me. He 
rolled his long tail about bis hams, and pre- 
pared for the fight. His neck fwelled with 
rage; histawny hair briftled ; and, draw- 
ing up bis flanks, his back became hent like 
a bow.’ The poet, then, by a fingular 
and very expreffive fimile, defcribes the 
manner in which the lion fprung upon his 
foe. ‘* As when a chariot-maker bends 
the fplit-bough of a wild fig- tree, warmed 
in the fire, in order to form the circumfe- 
rence of a wheel, which, efcaping his 
hands, leaps to-a diftance; fo the dread- 
ful lion made along fpring to feize me. 
I held out with one arm my arrows and 
the double mantle from my fhoulders ; and 
with the other I raifed my club, and ftruck 
him on the head with fuch force, that I 
broke the wild olive in two. He fell on 
the ground before he reached me, and, 
nodding his head, fcarcely fupported him- 
felf on his trembling legs; for darknefs 
covered his eyes from the fhock. With- 
out giving him time to recover, I ftruck 
him again on the back of his ftrong neck ; 
and, feizine him from behind, I throttled 
him with my hands, while, fitting on his 
hinder parts, I preffed down his legs with 
my heels, and ‘queezed his fides with my 
thighs. 
fore-feet, and ceafed to breathe.”’ 
I have tranflated this piece at length, 
‘becaufe it affords an admirable example 
of the truth and accuracy, with which the 
ancient poets painted natural objeéts ; and - gS). f 
- to diftribute one circumftance into two, 
in which they have been very inadequately 
imitated by their fucceffors, whether Ro- 
man or modern, who have generally con- 
tented themfelves with copying inftead of 
obferving, and have aimed at novelty ra- 
ther by exaggeration and extravagance, 
than by the addition of really new facts. 
The circumftance of the lion’s arching his 
back, before he makes his deadly fpring, 
is what I do not recollect to have: met 
with elfewhere, either in profe or verfe ; 
yet, I doubt not of its accuracy, fince it is 
an action belonging to the feline tribe in 
general. It is alfo obfervable, that, in the 
true fimplicity of ancient manners, no 
falfe colours of romantic valour are laid 
wpon the hero, who fcruples not to take 
every advantage againft his enemy that 
the cafe will admit, and pratifes buth- 
fighting with miffile weapons, till the ani- 
mal compels him to come to clofe quar- 
ters. It would be a curious fubjeé& to 
difcufs, whether fuch natural manners are 
better adapted for poetry than the artificial 
elevation of the chivalrous ages, aS we 
find it difplayed in fuch writers as Ariofto, 
Taio, and Spenfer. Certainly, they who 
Hercules and the Nema@an Lion. 
At length, he ftretched out his 
34-7 
prefer Homer toall other poets, muft take 
the affirmative fide cf this queftion, as 
Blackwell, and feveral other critics have. 
done. It appears to me at prefent, that 
<¢ much may be faid on both fides,” but 
I mutt content myfelf with having merely 
fiated the topic as a matter for inquiry. 
Stoke Newingion, Your's; &c: 
April 3, 1800. PstNe 
P. S. It hasbeen fuggefted to me, that in 
the preceding defcription, the return of the 
lion to his den towards evening 1s not con-. 
formable to the circumftance ufually attri- 
buted to this animal of his preying by night; 
Bat, it is probable, that in a diftri€t fo much 
alarmed by his depredations as that of Ne- 
mza then was, no domeftic animals would 
be left abroad in the night time on which he 
could prey ; and that his fuccefs muft depend 
upon furprifing a herd or flock, while grazing 
inthe day, of which fcene Homer has more 
than once drawn the picture. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ! 
PERCEIVE that I have not quite 
done juttice to the conjecture of Ho- 
mer, propofed in your laft. I. fhould 
have added as areference Il. XIII. 825— 
$28—The paflages produced from Horace 
by Mr. Singleton, do net authorize the 
remark by which they are preceeded. 
Domitosquve in the firft inftance fhould 
probably be domitoswe; as for the re- 
maining eft and gue they‘are pertectly pro- 
per,. 2s it was the poet’s intention merely 
or to combine ideas previoufly related to 
each other. Vid. Virg. Aina, IX. 1338. 
Iam Sir, Your’s 
April 4, 1800. E. CoGAn. 
? [aa 
To the Editor of the Monibly Magazine. 
SIR, 
O the number of the books, men- 
tioned in your laft, of which your 
correfpondent wifhes to fee Englith tran- 
flations, permit me to dd Plutarch’s 
excellent: treatife ‘on the Difference be- 
tween a Friend and a Flatterer,’’ of which 
T conceive that a really good tranflation, 
with proper 2lufirations, would be a very 
ufeful prefent to the public. _ 
I am, Sir, Your humble Servant, 
- 1 Say Ss 
; —E & 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine 
SIR, 
{ EW corporal maladies have received 
lefs attention from phyficians than 
the tooth-ache, perhaps for the fame rea- 
fon that the Parifian” barber was unwil- 
Yynz ling 
