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antiquity, threatning him in a dream; and in the morning he found a part of his works gnawed by mice, which, fays Ælian, are of all beafts the most prophetic infomuch that they know when to leave a house, even before its fall is fufpected. Envy, which has no relaxation, ftill hurried him forward ; for it is certainly true, that a man has not firmer refolution from reafon, to ftand by a good principle, than obftinacy from perverted nature, to adhere to a bad one.

In the morning as he walked the street, he obferved in fome places infcriptions concerning HoMER, which informed him where he lived, where he had taught school, and feveral other particularities which the Smyrneans glory to have recorded of him; all which awakened and irritated the paffions of ZoILUS. But his temper was quite overthrown, by the venerable appearance which he faw, upon entring the Homereum; which is a building compofed of a library, porch, and temple erected to HOMER. Here a phrenzy seized him which knew no bounds; he raved violently against the poet, and all his admirers; he trampled on his works, he fpurned about his commentators, he tore down his buts from the niches, threw the medals that were caft of him out of the windows, and paffing from one place to another, beat the aged priests, and broke down the altar. The cries which were occafioned by this means brought in many upon him; who obferved with horror how the moft facred ho

nours

nours of their city were prophaned by the frantic impiety of a stranger; and immediately dragged him to punishment before their magistrates, who were then fitting. He was no fooner there, but known for ZOILUS by fome in court, a name a long time moft hateful to Smyrna; which, as it valued itself upon the birth of HOMER, fo bore more impatiently, than other places, the abuses offered him. This made them eager to propitiate his fhade, and claim to themselves a second merit by the death of ZOILUS; wherefore they sentenced him to fuffer by. fire, as the due reward of his defecrations; and ordered that their city should be purified by a lustration, for having entertained so impious a gueft. In pursuance to this fentence, he was led away, withhis compofitions borne before him by the public executioner: then was he fastened to the ftake, prophefying all the while how many should arife to revenge his quarrel: particularly, that when Greek fhould be no more a language, there shall be a nation which will both tranflate HOMER into profe, and contract him in verfe. At laft, his compofitions were lighted to set the pile on fire, and he expired fighing for the lofs of them, more than for the pain he fuffered: And perhaps too, because he might foresee in his prophetic rapture, that there fhould arise a poet in another nation, able to do HOMER justice, and make him known amongst his. people to future ages.

Thus

Thus died this noted critic, of whom we may obferve from the course of the history, that as feveral cities contended for the honour of the birth of HoMER, fo feveral have contended for the honour of the death of ZOILUS.. With him likewise perished his great work on the Iliad, and the Odyffee; concerning: which we obferve also, that, as the known worth of HOMER's poetry makes him survive himself with glory; fo the bare memory of ZOILUS' criticifm makes him furvive himself with infamy. These are deservedly the confequences of that ill-nature which made him fond of detraction; that envy, which made him choose fo excellent a character for its object; and those partial methods of injuftice with which he treated the object he had chosen.

Yet how many commence critics after him, upon the fame unhappy principles ? how many labour to destroy the monuments of the dead, and fummon up the great from their graves to answer for trifles before them? how many, by mifreprefentations, both hinder the world from favouring men of genius, and difcourage them in themselves; like boughs of a baneful and barren nature, that shoot a-cross a fruit-tree; at once to screen the fun from it, and hinder it by their droppings from producing any thing of value? But if these, who thus follow ZOILUS, meet not the fame severities of fate, because they come short of his indefatigableness, or their object is not fo univerfally the concern of mankind; they fhall nevertheless meet a propor

tion of it in the inward trouble they give themfelves, and the outward contempt others fling upon them a punishment which every one has hitherto felt, who has really deferved to be called a ZOILUS; and which will always be the natural reward of fuch mens actions, as long as ZoILUS is the proper name of Envy.

THE

RE M

THE

ARKS

I

O F

ZO O ILU U S.

Ingenium magni livor detractat amici,
Quifquis & ex illo, Zoile, nomen habes.

MUST do my reader the juftice, before I enter upon thefe notes of ZOILUS, to inform him, that I have not in any author met this work afcribed to him by its title, which has made me not mention it in the LIFE. But thus much in general appears, that he wrote feveral things befides his cenfure on the Iliad, which, as it gives ground for this opinion, encourages me to offer an account of the treatise.

Being acquainted with a grave gentleman who fearches after editions, purchases manufcripts, and collects copies, I applied to him for fome editions of this poem, which he readily obliged me with. But, added he, taking down a paper, I doubt I fhall difcourage you from your tranflation, when I fhow this

work,

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