Vpon this brim, the eglantine, and rofe, So did their garland-tops the brooke oerfpred. Their leaues that differed both in fhape and fhowe, Prided, the running maine as it had beene, &ci. Philips, Milton's nephew, in a work which I think difcovers, many touches of Milton's hand, calls Marlowe, "A fecond "Shakespeare, not only because he rofe like him from an actor "to be a maker of plays, though inferiour both in fame and "merit, but also, because in his begun poem of Hero and "Leander, he seems to have a refemblance of that CLEAR UN"SOPHISTICATED wit, which is natural to that incomparable " poet Criticisms of this kind were not common, after the national taste had been juft corrupted by the false and capricious refinements of the court of Charles the second. Ten books of Homer's ILIAD were translated from a metrical French verfion into English by A. H. or Arthur Hall efquire, of Grantham, and a member of parliament', and printed at London by Ralph Newberie, in 1581". This translation has no other merit than that of being the first appearance of a part of the Iliad in an English drefs. I do not find that he used any h Canopy. Shakespeare means a rich bed-canopy in SEC. P. HENR. iv. Acriii. Sc. i. Under the canopies of coftly ftate. 1 See ENGLAND'S PARNASSUS, Lond. 1600. 12mo. fol. 465. THEATR. POETAR, MOD. P. P. 9.24. edit. 1680. See a process against Hall, in 1580, for writing a pamphlet printed by Binneman, related by Ames, p. 325. In quarto. Bl. Lett. Novemb. 25, 1580, H. Binneman is licenced to print "tenne bookes of the Iliades of Homer." REGISTR. STATION. B. fol. 175. a. known known French verfion. He fometimes confulted the Latin interpretation, where his French copy failed. It is done in the Alexandrine of Sternhold. In the Dedication to fir Thomas Cecil, he compliments the diftinguished tranflators of his agé, Phaier, Golding, Jafper Heywood, and Googe; together with the worthy workes of lord Buckhurst," and the pretie pythie "Conceits of M. George Gafcoygne." He adds, that he began this work about 1563, under the advice and encouragement of, "Mr. Robert Askame ", a familiar acquaintance of Homer." But a complete and regular verfion of Homer was reserved for George Chapman. He began with printing the Shield of Achilles, in 1596. This was followed by feven books of the ILIAD the fame year. Fifteen books were printed in 1600 o. At length appeared without date, an entire tranflation of the ILIAD under the following title, "The ILIADS OF HOMER Prince of Poets. "Neuer before in any language truely translated. With a com"ment uppon fome of his chief places: Done according to "the Greeke by George Chapman. At London, printed for "Nathaniell Butter." It is dedicated in English heroics to Prince Henry. This circumftance proves that the book was printed at least after the year 1603, in which James the first acceded to the throne. Then follows an anagram on the name of his gracious Mecenas prince Henry, and a fonnet to the fol empreffe of beautie queen Anne. In a metrical addrefs to the reader he remarks, but with little truth, that the English language, abounding in confonant monofyllables, is eminently adapted ninth, and tenth. And that he believed his version of the twelve laft to be the best. Butter's edit. ut infr. fol. 14. Meres, who wrote in 1598, mentions" Chapman's in"choate Homer." fol. 285. p. 2. Ubi fupr. It is an engraved title-page by Wil liam Hole, with figures of Achilles and Hector, &c. In folio. I fuppofe, by an entry in the register of the Stationers, in 1611, April 8. REGISTR. C. fol. 207. a. VOL. III. 3 K to to rhythmical poetry. The doctrine that an allegorical sense was hid under the narratives of epic poetry had not yet ceased; and he here promises a poem on the myfteries he had newly difcovered in Homer. In the Preface, he declares that the last twelve books were tranflated in fifteen weeks: yet with the advice of his learned and valued friends, Mafter Robert Hews", and Mafter Harriots. It is certain that the whole performance betrays the negligence of hafte. He pays his acknowledgements to his "most ancient, learned, and right noble friend, Master Richard Stapilton, the first most desertfull mouer in the frame of our "Homer." He endeavours to obviate a popular objection, perhaps not totally groundless, that he confulted the profe Latin version more than the Greek original. He says, fenfibly enough, "it is the part of euery knowing and iudicious interpreter, not "to follow the number and order of words, but the materiall things themfelues, and fentences to weigh diligently; and to "clothe and adorne them with words, and fuch a ftile and "forme of oration, as are most apt for the language into which they are conuerted." The danger lies, in too lavish an application of this fort of cloathing, that it may not disguise what it should only adorn. I do not say that this is Chapman's fault: but he has by no means reprefented the dignity or the fimplicity Homer. He is fometimes paraphraftic and redundant, but more frequently retrenches or impoverishes what he could not feel and exprefs. In the mean time, he labours with the inconvenience of an aukward, inharmonious, and unheroic measure, imposed by custom, but disgustful to modern ears. Yet he is not always without ftrength or fpirit. He has enriched our language with many compound epithets, fo much in the manner "This Robert Hues, or Hufius, was a fcholar, a good geographer and mathematician, and published a tract in Latin ́on the Globes, Lond. 1593. 8vo. With other pieces in that way. There was also a Robert Hughes who wrote a Dictionary of the English and Perfic. See Wood, ATH. OXON. i. 571. HIST. ANTIQUIT. UNIV. W w Already mentioned as the publisher of a poetical mifcellany in 1593. Supr. p. 401. "The fpirituall poems or hymnes "of R. S." are entered to J. Busbie, O&. 17, 1595. REGISTR. STATION. C. fol. 3. b. of 我 of Homer, such as the filver-footed Thetis, the filver-throned Juno, the triple-feathered helme, the high-walled Thebes, the faire-haired boy, the filver-flowing floods, the bugely-peopled towns, the Grecians navy-bound, the ftrong-winged lance, and many more which might be collected. Dryden reports, that Waller never could read Chapman's Homer without a degree of tranfport. Pope is of opinion, that Chapman covers his defects by "a daring fiery fpirit that animates his tranflation, which is "fomething like what one might imagine Homer himself to "have writ before he arrived to years of difcretion." But his fire is too frequently darkened, by that fort of fuftian which now disfigured the diction of our tragedy. He thus tranflates the comparison of Diomed to the autumnal star, at the beginning of the fifth book. The lines are in his best manner. From his bright helme and shield did burne, a most unwearied fire, Like rich Autumnus' golden lampe, whose brightnesse men admire Paft all the other hoft of ftarres, when with his chearefull face Fresh-wafht in loftie ocean waues, he doth the skie enchase *. The fublime imagery of Neptune's proceffion to affift the Grecians, is thus rendered. The woods, and all the great hils neare, trembled beneath the weight Of his immortall mouing feet: three steps he only tooke, - Fol. 63. y Having wings on their feet. 3 K 2 Himfelfe Himselfe he clothed. The golden fcourge, most elegantly done 2, He tooke, and mounted to his seate, and then the god begun To drive his chariot through the waues. From whirlpools euery way The whales exulted under him, and knewe their king: the fea My copy once belonged to Pope; in which he has noted many of Chapman's abfolute interpolations, extending fometimes to the length of a paragraph of twelve lines. A diligent obferver will easily discern, that Pope was no careless reader of his rude predeceffor. Pope complains that Chapman took advantage of an unmeasureable length of line. But in reality Pope's lines are longer than Chapman's. If Chapman affected the reputation of rendering line for line, the fpecious expedient of chufing a protracted measure which concatenated two lines together, undoubtedly favoured his ufual propensity to periphrafis. Chapman's commentary is only incidental, contains but a fmall degree of critical excurfion, and is for the most part a pedantic compilation from Spondanus. He has the boldness severely to cenfure Scaliger's impertinence. It is remarkable that he has taken no illustrations from Euftathius, except through the citations of other commentators. But of Euftathius there was no Latin interpretation. This volume is closed with fixteen Sonnets by the author, addreffed to the chief nobility. It was now a common practice, by these unpoetical and empty panegyrics, to attempt to conciliate the attention, and fecure the protection, of the great, Wrought. Finished. a For Horfes. Fol. 169, feq. To the Duke of Lenox, the lord Chancellor, Lord Salisbury lord treasurer, earl of Suffolk, earl of Northampton, earl of Arundel, earl of Pembroke, earl of Montgomery, lord Lifle, countefs of Montgomery, lady Wroth, countefs of Bedford, earl of Southampton, earl of Suffex, lord Walden, and fir Thomas Howard. Lady Mary Wroth, here mentioned, wife of fir Robert Wroth, was much courted by the wits of this age. She wrote a romance called URANIA, in imitation of fir Philip Sydney's ARCADIA. See Jonfon's EPIGR. 103. 105. without |