1307} 
cuftoms of. different nations: this he 
judged would be of confiderable ufe in 
the defign he had already formed, of mak 
ing poetry the great bunnefs of his life. 
Buta defluxion in his eyes, which after- 
wards oceafioned total blindnefs, com- 
selled him to remain for fome time in 
Sthaca, where ke is faid to have collected 
thofe itiories of Ulyfles, which became 
the ground-work of the Odyfley. He 
then returned to Smyrna ; where, falling 
in poverty and neglect, he relieved his 
neceliities by beggig, and reciting his 
verfes, At Cuma, im confequence of 
fome fuccefs in this employment, he was 
Sacouraged to addre(3 the government for 
@ maintepance; but was antwered, that 
i they made ita cuttom of taking all the 
‘Opnpos'y OF blind ftrollers, under their 
procection, their city would in a little 
time be filled with {uch ufelefs creatures. 
Yo this circumftance the unfortunate 
bard awed his naine. Irritated at his 
difappointment, he departed for Phocea ; 
and on leaving Cuma, prayed the Gods 
that there. might never arife among hia 
countrymen a poct to celebrate fo un- 
grateful a people. At Phocia he applied 
more intenfely to poetry, and obtained 
the prote¢tion of Theftorides, who pro- 
mifed him fubfiftence upon condition that 
he thould be permitted to tranfcribe his 
poems, But in protecting the poet, he 
had no other view than to obtain from 
him as taany of his pieces as he could ; 
and when he had colleéted a fufficient 
number, he departed for Chios, and 
there opened a fchool, where he recited 
the verfes.of Homer Ws his own, and 
obtained tfinitely greater emolument 
and fame than the origimal author -him- 
felt, Homer was fometime after inform- 
ed of the firatagem, and refolved to fail 
humielf for Chios to detect the impoftere, 
But he rémamed fometime at Boliffus, 
-where he compofed fome of his lighter 
pieces, particularly the Batrachomyoma- 
vhia. At Chios he met with unufual 
fuccefs ; and after defeating the iniqui- 
tous project of Thetftorides, he himfelf 
maintained a flourifhing {chool. Having 
tow attained fome degree of. eafe in his 
eircumftances, he married, and continu- 
ed at Chios tor fome years, It was then 
that he is fuppofed to have written his 
greater poems,; and his fame, no longer 
hatha to Tonia, quickly fpread into 
Greece. Having. complimented the city 
of Athens in fome of his verfes, he re- 
ceived an invitation to vifit it, which he 
accepted ; and pafied a winter at Samos, 
4n his way thither. In tie fpring he pre- 
Age and Country of Homer, 
45 
pared again for Athens ; but landing at 
Jos, he was taken ill, died, and was bus 
ried on the fea-{hore.* 
. Such is the account we have of He- 
mer, as fuppofed to have been tranfinite 
ted to us by Herodotus. But this ig 
attributing to him a ftrange anachronif{m,, 
of which he could fcarcely have heey 
guilty: by placing Homer 622 years be- 
fore the expedition of Xerxes; whereag 
he himfelf,; who was alive at the time of 
that expedition, tells us, in his hiftory, 
that Homer lived only 400 years before 
him, This fingular inconfiftency has been 
noticed by modern writers; but has not 
ferved to convince them of the impofiibi- 
lity of ever afcertaining the age in which 
he lived, nor prevented them from advan- 
cing the moft fingular paradoxes in fup- 
port of their opinions. In general, they 
jteem to take their rife from an error 
common te both ancient and modern cri- 
tics, ef aforibing to Homer a much ear- 
lier period than that in which he really 
exited, What has chiefly led them into 
a belief’ of this high antiquity of the poet, 
has been the timp!e, rough, and often 
fuvage manners of his heroes; anda 
grouudle{s fuppofition, that he has des 
icribed the cuftoms prevalent in his own 
age. dthas been fugeeited, that the firit 
interefling ftories he had heard whena 
* [tis obferved, however, by. ri phils 
fopher Proclus, in his Life of Hofmer, that 
thofe who affert the poet to have been blind, 
appear to be themielves injured in their in- 
tellectual part; for Homer faw more than 
any mortal that ever exifted. He adds, that 
it feems Homer died when he was an eld 
man; fince the knowledge of things, which 
he poffeiied in fo tranfcendant a degree, evinces 
the longevity of its pofleffor. In oppofitiva 
alfo tothofe who fancy Homer to have ‘been 
poor, Proclus obferves that he muft have 
been very rich 3 and that ‘this is evident from 
the long journeys which he underteok both 
by land and fea, which are attended with 
vreat expence, and efpecially at thole times, 
when fea-voyages were dangerous, ‘and the 
intercourfe of mankind with each other was 
by no means eafy. : 
Should it however be inguired, how the 
report of Homer being blind became fo uni- 
verfal, if he was not fo in reality, Prochs 
elfewhere intornis us that, confurmably tothe 
tragical mode of writing adopted in thoie 
times in which Homer lived, he was faid tm 
“be blind becaufe he withdrew himfelf from 
fenfible objeéts, and folely direéted his ate 
. . » 4 » 
tention to fuch as are intelleétual and divine. 
For, according to this philefepher, the poems 
of Homer are replete with the highett in- 
tellectual knowledge. 
boy 
