shown the pernicious effects of difcord among confederated princes.

The praise of high invention has in every age been juftly given to Homer. His incidents, fpeeches, characters, divine and human; his battles, his little history pieces of the perfons flain, discover a boundless invention. Nor is his judgment lefs worthy of praife. His ftory is conducted with great art. He rifes upon us gradu ally. His heroes are introduced with exquifite skill to our acquaintance. The diftrefs thickens, as the poem advances; every thing ferves to aggrandize Achilles, and to make him the capital figure.

In characters Homer is without a rival. He abounds in dialogue and converfation, and this produces a fpirited exhibition of his perfonages. This dramatic method however, though more natural, expreffive, and animated, is lefs grave and majeftic, than narrative. Some of Homer's fpeeches are unfeafonable, and others trifling. With the Greek vivacity he has alfo fome of the Greek loquacity.

In no character perhaps does he difplay greater art, than in that of Helen. Notwithstanding her frailty and crimes, he contrives to make her an interefting ob ject. The admiration, with which the old generals behold her, when fhe is coming toward them; her veiling herself and fhedding tears in the prefence of Priam, her grief at the fight of Menelaus, her upbraiding of

Paris for his cowardice, and her returning fondness for him, are exquifite ftrokes, and worthy of a great maf

ter.

Homer has been accused of making Achilles too brutal a character; and critics feem to have adopted this cenfure from two lines of Horace ;

Impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer,

Jura negat fibi nata; nihil non arrogat armis.

It appears that Horace went beyond the truth. Achilles is paffionate; but he is not a contemner of law. He has reafon on his fide; for, though he discovers too much heat, it must be allowed, that he had been notorioufly wronged. Befide bravery and contempt of death he has the qualities of openness and fincerity. He loves his fubjects, and respects the gods. He is warm in his friendships; and throughout he is highfpirited, gallant, and honorable.

Homer's gods make a great figure; but his machinery was not his own invention. He followed the traditions of his country. But, though his machinery is often lofty and magnificent; yet his gods are often deficient in dignity. They have all the human paffions; they drink, and feaft, and are vulnerable, like men. While, however, he at times degrades his divinities, he knows how to make them appear with most awful majesty. Jupiter for the moft part is introduced with great dignity; and feveral of the most fublime concep

tions in the Iliad are founded on the appearances of Neptune, Minerva, and Apollo.

The ftyle of Homer is eafy, natural, and highly animated. Of all the great poets he is the most fimple in his style, and resembles most the style of the poetical parts of the Old Teftament. Pope's translation of him affords no idea of his manner. His verfification how

ever is allowed to be uncommonly melodious; and to carry beyond that of any poet refemblance of found to fenfe.

In narration Homer is always concife and defcriptive. He paints his objects in a manner to our fight. His battles are fingularly admirable. We fee them in all their hurry, terror, and confufion. In fimilies no poet abounds fo much. His comparisons however, taken in general, are not his greatest beauties; they come upon us in too quick fucceffion; and often disturb his narration or defcription. His lions, bulls, eagles, and herds of fheep, recur too frequently.

The criticism of Longinus upon the Odyffey is not without foundation; that in this poem Homer may be likened to the fitting fun, whofe grandeur remains without the heat of his meridian beams. It wants the vigor and fublimity of the Iliad; yet poffeffes fo many beauties, as to be juftly entitled to high praife. It is a very amufing poem, and has much greater variety, than the Iliad. It contains many interefting ftories,

Inftead of

and pleasing pictures of antient manners. the ferocity, which pervades the Iliad, it presents us most amiable images of humanity and hofpitality. It entertains us with many a wonderful adventure, and many a landscape of nature; and inftructs us by a rich vein of morality and virtue, running through every part of the poem.

There are fome defects however in the Odyffey. Many of its scenes fall below the majefty of an epic poem. The last twelve books are in many places languid and tedious; and perhaps the poet is not happy in the difcovery of Ulyffes to Penelope. She is too cautious and diftruftful; and we meet not that joyous furprise, expected on fuch an occafion.

THE ENEID OF VIRGIL.

THE diftinguishing excellencies of the Æneid are

elegance and tenderness. Virgil is lefs animated and lefs fublime, than Homer; but he has fewer negligencies, greater variety, and more dignity. The Æneid. has all the correctnefs and improvements of the Arg if We meet no contention of heroes about a female flave; no violent fcolding, nor abufive language; but the poem opens with the utmost magnificence.

tan age.

The fubject of the Æneid, which is the establishment of Æneas in Italy, is extremely happy. Nothing could be more interesting to the Romans, than Virgil's deriving their origin from fo famous a hero, as Æneas. The object was fplendid itself; it gave the poet a theme, taken from the traditionary history of his country; it allowed him to adopt Homer's mythology; and afforded him frequent opportunities of glancing at all the future great exploits of the Romans, and of describing Italy in its antient and fabulous state.

Unity of action is perfectly preferved in the Æneid. The fettlement of Æneas in Italy by order of the gods is conftantly kept in view. The episodes are properly linked to the main subject; and the nodus or intrigue of the poem is happily formed. The wrath of Juno, who opposes Æneas, gives rife to all his difficulties, and connects the human with the celeftial operations through the whole poem.

Great art and judgment are difplayed in the Eneid; but even Virgil is not without his faults. One is, that he has fo few marked characters. Achates, Cloanthes, Gyas, and other Trojan heroes, who accompanied Eneas into Italy, are undistinguished figures. Even Eneas himself is not a very interefting hero. He is defcribed indeed, as pious and brave; but his character is not marked by those strokes, that touch the heart. The character of Dido is the best fupported in the whole Æneid. Her warmth of paflion, keenness of re