A9. WcCASLAND. JR.

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fi»S. McCASLAND. JR.

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A N

ENaUIRY

INTO THE

LIFE and WRITINGS

O F

JJ ME R.

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Printed in the Year Mocca^xxr^

T O

The Right Honour ahh

LoRT)

# =jp # #

20342>'i7

"DFERTIS EMENT.

HTH E Notes are intended ofily as Proofs ;
and are long in fome places where an In--
dn6iion of Fa6ls luas neceffary. The Tran^
jlations from ancient Authors^ being defigned
for the fame purpofe, are almofl literal -,
'which is the Re-afon why they are not ta*
ken from more poetical Verfions.

"li'--lj[lli

i^'^.^rD

^4. >/tn / I. ^'

IT is the good-natured Advice of an admired
Ancient^ To think over the feveral Virtues
and Excellencies of our Acquaintance^
when we have a mind to indulge ourfelves,
and be chearful. His Friends, it wou'd feem>
were fuicere and conflant, or found it their In-
tereft to appear fo ; elfe the Remembrance of
good or great Qualities, never to be employed
in his Service, cou d not have proved fo enter-
taining.

Tis however certain, That the Pleafures of
rriendihip and mutual Coniidence, are purfu-
cd in one fhape or other by Men of all Cha-
racers : Neither Bufinefs, nor Divcrfions, nor

% j4n Enquiry into the Life

Learning, can exempt us from the Power of
this agreeable Pallion. Even a fancied Prefence
afFeds our Minds, and raifes our Spirits both in
Thought and Action. The Morahfl's Diredion
extends its Influence to every part of Life ; and
at this moment I put it in pradice, while I en-
deavour to enhvcn a few Thoughts, upon no
mean Subjed, by addreffing them to your
Lord^np.

It is Homer, My Lord^ and the Queftioii
which you looked upon as hitherto unrefolved :
By "sjhat Fate or ^'tfpojition of things it has
happened, that None have equalled him in
Epic- Poetry for two thoiifand feven hun-
^^ dred Years ^ the Time fine e he wrote ; Nor
*' any^ that we know^ ever fur pajfed him be-
" forel' For this is the Man, whofe Works
for many Ages, were the Delight of Princes »,
and the Support of Priefts, as well as the Won-
der of the Learned, which they flill continue
to be.

However unfafe it might be, to have faid
fo of old at Smyrna ^, where Homer was dei-
fied, or at Chios among his Pofterity S I be-
lieve

*> Sirabo, fpeaking of Smynm, fays, *£«-< ^ '5 l2ioMe^it>cii j j^ rt

3-«p' uvrtr, 'Of/jy>^Hcy Mvircct. XrpccS. /3<?. <^. This Struaure wa»
built by Lyjimachnsy one of Akxande^h Succeflbrs. ^ ^

« 'A|i>t.(Pi(r*i)7a(r» (^ »^ '0/*^p8 Xiix, fx,uf>Tvpt6v ^"Tas'OMHPl A AS

and Writings ^y^ H o m e r. j

lieve it \vou*d be difficult to perfuade your
Lordfhip, That there was a Miracle in the
Cafe. That, indeed, wou*d quiclcly put an end
to the Qiieflion ; For were we really of the
fame Opinion, as the Ancients, that Homer
was infpired from Heaven , that he fung, and
wrote as the Prophet and Interpreter of the
Godss we lliould hardly be apt to wonder : Nor
wou'd it furprize us much, to find a Book of
an heavenly Origin without an Equal among
human Compofitions : to find the Subjed of it
equally ufeful and great, the Stile juft, and yet
fublime, the Order both fimple and exquifite,
to find the Sentiments natural without lownefs,
the Manners real, and withal fo extenfive, as to
include even the Varieties of the chief Characters
of Mankind ; We fhou'd expcd: no lefs, con-
fidering whence it came: And That I take
to have been the Reafon, why none of the An-
cients have attempted to account for this Pro-
digy. They acquiefced, it is probable, in the
Pretenfions, which the Poet conftantly makes
toceleftial Inftrudion, and feem to have been of
Tacitus' s Opinion, " That it is more pious and

" rcfpeclful to believe, than to enquire into

« the Works of the Gods b".
But, My Lord^ the happy Change that has
been fince wrought upon the face of religious
AffairSj gives us liberty to be of the contrary

B 2 Opinion;

• 'n? (pn'inv o E O'S, ^ him O P * H'THS., HAktah, 'AAxj? («^# ^».
^ Pe Moribus Germanomm.

4- An Enquiry into the Lije

Opinion : Tiio' in ancient times it migiit have

gone near to banilTi us from Smyrna or Colophon,

yet at prefent it is become pertedly harmlels ; and

we may any where affert, *' That Horner^ Poems

" are of HiimanCompofitionh infpired by no

*' other Power tiian his own natural Faculties,

** and the Ciiances of his Education: In a

** word. That a Concourfe of natural Caufes,

*' confpired to produce and cultivate that

" miehty Genius, and gave him the nobleft

" Field to exercife it in, that ever fell to the

*' fhare of a Poet."

Here, My Lord, there feems to be occa-

fion for a little Philofophy, to put us, if pofli-

ble, upon the Track of this fuigular Phaenome-

non : It has fhone for upwards of two thou-

fand Years in xh^Toetick World ; and fo dazzled

Men's Eyes, that they have hitherto been more

employed in gazing at it, than in inquiring

What formed ity or How it came there? And

veiy fortunately, the Author of all Antiquity,

who feeins to have made the happiefl union

of the Courtier and the Scholar^ has determined

a Point that might have given us fome trouble.

He has laid it down as a Principle, " That

*' the greateft Genius cannot excel without

*' Culture ; Nor the fineft Education produce

" any thing Noble without Natural Endow-

" ments'^y Taking this for granted, We may

aflure ourfelves that Homer hath been happy

in them bothj and niufl now follow the dark

Hints

« Horat. De Arte Poet.

and Writings ^ H o m e R. 5"

Hints afforded us by Antiquity, to find out
How a hl'mdJirolingBard could come ly them,

I DO not choofe to entertain your Lordfhip
with the Accidents about his Birth b; tho'
fome Naturalifts would reckon them the Begin-
nings of his good Fortune. I incline rather to
obferve, That he is generally reputed to have
been a Native of y4fia the lefs > a Trad: of
Ground that for the Temperature of the Climate^
and Qualities of the Soil^ may vye with any
in Europe^. It is not fo fat and fruitful as
the Plains of Babylon or Banks of the AT//?, to
effeminate thelnhabitants,and begetLazinefs and
Inadivity : But the Purity and Benignity of the
Air, the Varieties of the Fruits and Fields, the
Beauty and Number of the Rivers, and the con-
ftant Gales from the happy Iflesofthe Weftern
Sea, all confptre to bring its Productions of
every kind to the highefl Perfedion : They in- .
fpire that Mildnefs of Temper, and Flow of
Fancy, which favour the moflextenfive Views,
and give the finefl Conceptions of Nature and
Truth.

I N the Divifion commonly made of Cli-
mates, the Rough and Cold are obferved to

B 3 pro-

** Sw/?-,) THv neCi^ot, ( (>fc'/)T£pc4 'OjM<n'p») jW.jyfHreti' ivJ^j ?[xBfutui;, Of

*^ Mimnermus, a Man of a delicate Tafte, who knew the Coun-
try well, calls it, (>-E»ri'iv 'Ao-'ur, the lovely y^?« ; And Herodotu.', who
was acquainted with it, and moft of the fine Countries tiien known,
afnrms, (3( 1^4^'' "li5»£(; itT-oj, t j^ to rixnoinot i?\, ^ f^ 'Ov^cci x.- T^

6 An Enquiry into the Life

produce the ftrongeft Bodies, and moil martial
Spirits ; the hotter, lazy Bodies with cunning
and obilinatc PaiTions ; but the temperate Re-
gions, lying under the benign Influences of a
genial Sky, have the beft Chance for a fine Pcf"-
ception, and a proportioned Eloquence ^ Good
Senfe is indeed faid to be the Produd of every
Country, and I believe it is ; but the richeft
Growths, and faired Shoots of it, fpring, like

other

•* Left it be thought thatthefe Conftquencesare ftrained, it may-
be worth while to fet down the Opinion at length of the Great
Hippocrates, in his IVeatife of Air, Water and Situation : B»;io/a«6< i\

Tci. — Tita'AHl' UK 7:/'.i~<rov i'liUp'i^iv <pi;i/,'t'^'E'{P il'nUE, «; rlci <Pu-

tvx ;^ ubil^ovu, TTUvrx yivtrai c* t^ 'AitA; ; ij tI yyj^^^A "^ ^^pw^ vt/Jbt^uTify], >^

Tu' HB-iiiT kvS'fciTruv yiTTilUTlfX fC iliifjOTipX, To d'l cilTiOV TiiTiUV, if rt

y^oiCic, T ilfttkiVj 07 i i ^AjK ci f/ii(ra> t eivxri}>Mv xitrxi zrpo^ 7Y]v «ft!,
is" T£ Y^/tpS zycfipuTifa; Tj'jv di uvtri<y» f^ y.fjjifOTi/iTX i^x^kxi 't>M-
fjji' ccTCMTUi, 0K6TXV fjj/)div vj iziy-f»ri\i fiiu'wc^ ac.?>i,x 7ru.vT(^ i(ro-
f/joipivi cvtotf/j'^, ' t.^4 ^'i x-xroi rnv 'Atrtw « tixvjx)!^ o/t^o/o)?, xXt.x
ccx w,'J 'i' JC^'fiXi ov iMio-a/x.iirxt S ^ii'iJi'5 J^ ^ '\'^/C?^i uvrvi fOfi iv-
■nxjiZiroTUTii is'iy y^ tvS^n^xTtif y^ ivi'i.^ficrxT^, y^ uS'cta-i, uuxXirx Kt-
^finrxi, rcTtri ts oupuvioia-i y^ Toitrt <y^ t 7^5. ' Ovn ffi q^k S ^iffJUiS
iKKiKuvrxt Xixv -J 'Ovn u,to xvx,t^uy y^ ccvui'^iyK; xvx^/^xtvtTa.i ^ ' Ourt

W-TO i^U^i'^ TTKyvVTUl' NoTJOS 7£ ^'KX.7f.O^'^- S-7J, VTTO ri 'tf/jQf,tVt TToX'

^iiiiv y^ X""^' '^'^ '■^ o)fx'ix xvToSt T,o>hai ioiKoc, i-jinQxi, o>co(rx
rs 'i>bn> asri^f/txr&iv, \u oyJatrx ocvttj v, -/v, xixMoX <puvx, wii rctiri xx^-
vrcirt ;^piovTet4 xvB^puTroi^ itfjuipQiirii i'^ ccyi^iuv, K. lit, iyriT>i^ioy fijiTx-
(pvTievrUg Tx T£ c^v-rpiip'of^JfiX xtijvsoc fv^u-/<lv suta? tCj fjJxXt^Xy Tix.-

tit ti 7!VK.V07XTX, >i £K-p£^i;'l' XaJ^^tf «. TuC, T( ' AvB-^illTTiSi; iVTfXCplTi

iivxi, J^ TX iic'ix x.<»^iV»?5 >^ uiiysS^i) fJjiyWuc , y^ viKti-x S'iX<p'o^>ii
*5 TXTi ii^ix xvrav i^ tx f/jiyt^ix, 'EiyJoi; ts tjjv X'^'f''''^ TxvTii*
■srfo<r(lyuTXTX avxt^ sJ kxtx t};» (puinv y^ tjjv //jiTpioTtiTX T flpi»v ;

To 05 XV^flXoV, r^ TO XTXPiXiTTOpo)^ >^ TO tl/jTTCtCV, J^ TO B'Vf/joioic, CVJC
til OViXITO on TOiXOTtf <Pu(ri E.'y{«c3j, fJt^KTi OfJljO<PvXl», f/jVjTi ««;»i^^fAo>;
it,'<^X Ti]il WOVyiV XpXTi'iv, 'l7r~0KpuliK'^S^ TOTtZv, &C.

To the fame Purpofe the Philofopher, 'H ©s«5 {'Ai/.vx) -r^oTipysi

wM/5? KXToiKi^i'/, iKMixfJjfy) T ToTtov CUD o) ysys'vjjc&t. Till/ 'Ev>cpx<rtxf
T 'Q.pmii in xvTM KXTi^ia-x, on 4>P O N I M O T A'TO r S xvS'pxi, La-i,

UKxTm(^ T</A<»»®-.

and Writings (j/' H o m e R . 7

other Plants, from the happieft Expofition and
moft friendly Soil ^

The purfuing a Thought thro* its rcmoteft Con-
fequences, is fo familiar to your Lordfhip, that I
need hardly mention the later Hiftory of this
Trad. It has never failed to fhew itsVirtue, when
Accidents from abroad did not (land in the way.
In the early Times of Liberty, the firft, and
grcatefl Number oi^htlofophers f, Hijiorians^^

B 4 and

* Ittgenta Hominum ub i que Iocorum7?/a J format. Q^Curtius,
Lib. 8. The Proof of this Afl'crtion is attempted in form in a
Tf eatife of Galen's ; That the Manners of Mankind depend upon the
Conjlitution of their Bodies.

f Thales of Miletus, contemporary witli Cyrus : Jnaximander,
Anaximenes, his Scholars, of the fame Place. Pythagoras of Sa-
fnos. Heraclitjis of Ephefus ; and Hermagoras, who was banifhed
that City for his too great Sobriety. Chryjippus was of Solis, Zena
of Cyprus, Atiaxagoras of Cla%omene. Xenophanes, the Naturalifl,
was of Colophon. Cleanthes, the Stoick, of JJJiiSf where ^>/>
Jlotle ftay'd for many Years. Me tr odor us, the great Friend of Epi-
<urus, was of Lampfaats ; where this Philofopher too dwelt fo long
that he may almoit pafs for a Native. Theophrajius, and his Com-
panion P/?'i2/;/<?/, were of fr^w, andhis Succeffor iV>/c'/«, the Heir
of Arijlotles Library, was of Scepjis. Thefe, and Xenocrates the
Platonick, Arcefilas the Academick, Protarchus the Epicurean,
and Eudoxus the Mathematician, Plato 6 Friend (all great Names
in Philofophy) drew their firft Breath on the fame Coall : As did
likewife Hippocrates, Simus, Erajijlratus, Afclepiades, Apollonius,
the greatelt Mailers of Medicine. It is alfo obfervable, tliat of the
fe'ven early Sages, called the ivif Men of Greece, four belonged to
phis Climate : Pittacus of Mitylene, Bias of Priene, Cleobulus the
hindian, and the abovemcntioaed Milefian Thales.

t Hecataus and Pherecydes, the two oldeft Hiftorians the Greekt
had, was the one of Miletus, and the other of the little Ifland
Syros. Hellanicus was of Lejbus, Theopcmpus of Chios : The old
Scylax was of Caryanda. Ephorus, the great Hiltorian, was of
Cuma ; Ctefias, Phyfician to Artaxerxes King of Perfa, and a
great Writer of Wonders, was of Gtiidus : 'Yo whom if you join
the inimitable Plerodotus, you will have the Names of the cliief
Hiltorians among the Greeks, excepting the tfio Athenians, Thucy-
dides and Xenophon.

8 An Enquiry into the Life

and Toets \ were Natives of tlu A,7atick
Coafl:, and adjacent Iflands. And after an In-
terval of Slavery, when the Influences of the
Roman Freedom, and of their mild Govern-
ment, had reached that happy Country, it re-
paid them, not only with the Delicacies of their
Fields and Gardens, but with the more valua-
ble Produdions of Men of Virtue and Learn-
ing^, and in fuch Numbers, as to fill their

Schools,

'' Hejiod^ near Hamer's own Days, was of Cumee ; Mimnermus
of Colophor', Archilochus of Paros, Tyrtaus of Miletus ; ThaleSy
the Poet and Law-giver, and Epimenides, the Charmer, were of
Crete. Anacreon was a Teian^ Simonides a Cean, Arion and Ter-
fander were Lejbians : And not to mention the particular Places of
efvery one's Birth, The admired Sappho, her Lover Alco'us, Bachylli-
des, Chierilus (not Alexanders), Phocylides, Bion, Si/nmias, PhiletaSf
Ion the Tragedian, Philetnon Me)iander\ Rival, Hegcmon Epami-
vondass Panegyrift, and the Afeonomick Poet Aratus, were all
born in this Poetical Region. It had alfo the Honour of producing
the Erythraean Sihl, and another infpired Lady, Athendis, under
Alexander. But what is by far the moll remarkable upon this Ar-
ticle is. That the famous Five, who diltinguifhed themfelves in
Epick-Poetry, were all Natives of this very Climate. Hear the
Tellimony of the learned Tzf/x^j : liyatxa-i oithtuv t noinrav
t 'Evix-iv ) uv^fi^ ovofAtci^oi vivTi ; 'O/Jijy.soc o ■xcn.Xu.iO';, Auri/Xici^©^
h KeXo^ain^ , T1civvic(rn, nsi«r«i'^|®- o ICasf/^^^sy;, )C^ »t;^ o 'Heri-
6!o^, 'lux'j, T(^sTi^))5 lie, 'lltriuooi. Pifander was of Rhodes, and,
of great Reputation, niltrxv^p©^ 6 ^\cc(ry]i/jnT»i(^ nenjrik, K«-
f/jiaug ht '^ri<poi\i. tsh^ jtoAeSi'. Antimachus wrote the Theban
War ; and Panyajis the Labours oi Hercules : He was of Halicar-
tialfus. Suidas fays of him, "ZZio-^'iKrxv Tjif netvjT^xwv jVat^yayf.

" 1 Pantet'tus, St-ratocks, Andronkus the Peripatetick, Leonidas the
Stoick, and before them Praxiphanes, Eudemus, and Hieronymus, were
all of Rhodes. Pojidonius was of Apamea in Syria, but lived, govern-
ed and taught in the fame Ifland. Charon the Hiftorian, Adeiman-
tus, and Anaximenes the Rhetor, were of Lampfaciis. Agathar-
chides the Ariftotelicic, of Gnidus. Erajlus and Caryfcus, of the
Socratick School, were Natives of Scepjis near Troy. That little
Place was formerly famous for the Birth of Demetrius, the cele-
brated Critick, contemporary with Arijlarchus ; and of MetrodoruSy
a Man of high Spirit and Eloquence, the unhappy Favourite of the

greaj

and Writings of}!{ounvi. 9

Schools, and the Houfes of the Great ; to be
Companions for their Princes % and to leave
fome noble Monuments for Poflerity.

I T will probably be thought too great a Re-
finement to obferve, that Homer muft have

been

^t^xMithridates. HegeJias,Xenocles, and Menippus ,vje.re the Authors
and greateft Ornaments of the JJiatick Eloquence : And in general,
the Tcacners of Oratory and Philofophy came from the fame Coaft :
Diophanes ; Potamon zndLe/doc/es, great Men and Rivals, from Miiy-.
lene ; Crinagoras, Dtonyjiui Jtticus, Diodorus Sardianus, Diotrephes^
Alexander firnamed Lychnus, Dionyfocles, and Damafus called
Scombrus ; Apolloniiis Nyf^ns, Menecratcs, Apollonius Malacus, Nl-
cias of Cos, who grew Anibitious and tamed Tyrant ; Theodoras
C> onus the Dialeftick, Archidamus, Jntipater, Nejlory Stoicks ;
with many others, whom fee in Setieca the Father, his Confro-
rjer. iS Suafor. where he relates the Sentences of the Grecian
Mailers.

* Theophanes the Hiftorian, Pofnpeyh great Friend and Counfellor,
was of Mitylene : His Son was afterwards Prefedl of AJia. Ari-
Jiodemus of Ny/a had been Pompefs Mailer ; and his Coufin-Ger-
man of the fame Name, was entrufted with the Education of the
Children of that great Man His younger Son Sextus Pompey,
when he was Lord of the Seas, had Dionyjlus the Halicar7iajfean
among his Friends, the celebrated Hiilorian and Critick. Theo-
pompus of Gnidus, and his Son, were botli Favourites of Jid'ius
CJfar ; and the Father had a great hand in his ihort Adminiltra-
tion. ApoHonius Molo was Cicero's Mailer. Pompey going to his
Eaftern Expedition, paid Pojldoiiius a Vifit in his School at Rhodes,
and humbled his Fafces at the Gate as they ufed to do to a Superior :
When he was about to take leave, Pompey alked his Commands, and
this courtly Philofopher bid him, in a line of Homer, ' Hiu ^pi^ lunv >^
x}aiifio;(^of ''■•tjf/^j^.. 'k>\uv', Al'iicays excel a7id Ihine aboue the reji y the
thing in the World he moft wanted to do. Hyhreas tJie fineil Speaker
in his time, was in high Favour with Marc Antony ; and the Care of
j^«|-K/?«/s Marmers was committed by C^efar his Onclc, toApollodore
the Pergamenian. The elder Athe-nodore needs no other Proot of
his Virtue and Merit, than that he lived and died with '' a :us
Cato. The younger held a high Place in AugKJlush Favour, grew
dearer to him the longer he lived, got great Honour ; and ^ jn
weary of the Court, returned with abfolute Power from the ■ ' i^e
to reform and g?'';ern his native City. He was fucceeded in J ^vovr
and Honour by Nejior the Academick, who was ch^irged wit:, uie
Education of the noble ManelluSy O^avia's Son, and apparent;
fLeix of the Empire.

JO An Enquiry into the Life

been the firft or fecond Generation, after the
Tranfplantation or rather the final Settlement
of this Colony, from the rocky Morea to thefe
happy Lands: A Situation, in which Nature is
obferved to make the moft vigorous Efforts, and
to be moft profufe of her genial Treafure. The
Curious in Horfes, are concerned to have a
mixed Breed, a Remove or two from the fo-
reign Parent 5 and what Influence it might have
here, will belong to the Curious in Mankind
to determine.

If Homer then, came into the World, in
fuch a Country, and under fo frop'tUous an Af-
peft of Nature, we muft next enquire, what
Reception he met with upon his Arrival ; in
what Condition he found things, and what Dif-
pofitions they muft produce in an exalted Qtf
nius, and comprehenfive Mind. This is a dif-
ficult Speculation, and I fhou*d be under no
fmall Apprehenfions how to get thro' it, if
I did not know that Men moving, like your
Lordfliip, in the higher Spheres of Life, are well
acquainted with the EfFeds of Culture and Edu-
cation. They know the Changes they are able
to produce ; and are not furprized to find them,
as it were, new-moulding human Creatures, and
transforming them more than Urganda or
Circe. The Influence of Example and Difci-
pline is, in effcd, fo extenfive, that fome very
acute Writers have miftaken it for the only

Source

and Writings ^/ H o m e r. i i

Source of our Morals ^ : the' their Root lies
deeper, and is more interwoven with our Ori-
ginal Frame. However, as we have at prefent
only to do with Homer, in his Poetical Capa-
city, we need give ourfelves no further Trouble
in confidering the Tenour of his Life, than as ic
ferved to raifc him to be the Prince of his Pro-
feflion.

In this Search, we mull: remember that
young Minds are apt to receive fuch ftrong Im-
preflions from the Circumftances of the Coun-
try where they are born and bred, that they
contrad a mutual kind of Likenefsto thofe Cir-
cumftances, and bear the Marks of the Courfe
of Life thro' which they have paffed. A Man
who has had great Misfortunes, is eafiiy diftin-
guifhed from one who has lived all his Days in
high Profperity ; and a Perfon bred to Bufinefs,
has a very different Appearance from, another
brought up in Sloth and Pleafure : Both our Un-
derftanding and Behaviour receive a Stamp from
our Station and Adventures ; and as a liberal
Education forms a Gentleman, and the contrary
a Clown, in the fame manner, if we take things
a little deeper, are our Thoughts and Manners
influenced by the Strain of our Lives. In this
view, the Circumftances that may be reafona-
bly thought to have the greatefl EfFedt upon us,
may perhaps be reduced to thefe following :
Hrft, The State of the Country where a Per-
fon

' Monf. Moihe k Vaytr, &c.

IX An Enquiry into the Life

fon is born and bred 5 in which I include the
common Manners of the Inhabitants, their
Conft'tttitton civil and reUgious, with its Caufes
and Confequences : Their Manners are ittn
in the Ordinary way of living, as it hap-
pens to be polite or barbarous, luxurious or
iimple. Next, the Manners of the TimeSy
or the prevalent Humours and Profeflions in
vogue : Thefe two are publick, and have a com-
mon efFeft on the whole Generation . O f a more
confined Nature is, firft, ^Private Education ;
and after that, the particular way of Life we
choofe and purfiie, with our Fortunes in it.

From thefe Accidents, My Lordy Men
in every Country may be juftly faid to draw
their Character, and derive their Manners. They
make us what we are^ in fo far as they reach our
Sentiments, and give us a peculiar Turn and Ap-
pearance : A Change in any one of them makes
an Alteration upon Ush and taken together, we
muft confider them as the Moulds that form us
into thofe Habits and Difpofitions, which fway
our Conduft and diftinguilh our Adions,

SECT.

rUings o/R o M e R. i j

THERE is, My Lord, a thing, which,
tho' it has happened in all Ages and Na-
tions, is yet very hard to defcribe. Few Peo-
ple are capable of obferving it, and therefore
Terms have not been contrived to exprefs a Per-
ception that is taken from the wideft Views of
Human Affairs. It may be called a ^rogrejVon
of Manners -, and depends for the moft part up-
on our Fortunes : As they flourifh or decline, fo
we live and are affedled ; and the greateft Revo-
lutions in them produce the moft confpicuous
Alterations in the other ; For the Alanners of a
I People

14- An Enquiry Into the Life

People feldom ftand ftill, but are either polifli-
ing or fpoiling. In Nations, where for many
Years no confiderable Changes of Fortune hap-
pen, the various Rifes and Fails in their moral
Character are the lefs obferved : But when by
an Invafion and Conqueft the Face of things is
wholly changed ; or when the original Planters
of a Country, from a State of Ignorance and
Barbarity, advance by Policy and Order, to
Wealth and Power, it is then^ that the Steps of
the Progreflion become obfervable : We can fee
every thing on the growing Hand, and the very
Soul and Genius of the People rifing to higher
Attempts, and a more liberal Manner ,

From the Accounts left us of the State of
ancient Greece^ by the moll accurate of their
Hiftorians=^, wc may perceive three Periods in
their Affairs. The jirft, from the dark Ages,
of which they had little or no Knowledge ^, to
the tim e of the Trojan War. The fecond, from
the taking of Troy, to the ^erjian Invafion un-
der Xerxes. The thirdy from that time, to the
lofs of their Liberty, firil by the Macedonians,
and then by the Romans, Greece v^zs peopled
in the Firft ; Ihe grew, and the Conflitution was
fettled in the Second ^ Jhe enjoyed it in the
Third, and was in all her Glory. From the two

* ThucydUes, Lib. i.

^ Cur fupera Bellum Thebanum & Funera Troja-,
Non alias alii quoque res cecinere Poets ?
Quo tot fafta Virum toties cecidere ? Nee ufauani,
iEtemis fam« jMonuraentis kiita fiorent ? T. Lucret*

and Writings of Howe r. ly

frft Periods, Homer drew his Imagery and
Manners, learned his Language, and took his
Suhje5f^ which makes it neceflary for us to re-
view them.

What is properly called Greece y is but a
rough Country : It boafts indeed, as well it may
in fuch an Extent, many a fine Vale, and deli-
cious Field ; but taking it together, the Soil is
not rich or inviting. It was anciently but thin-
ly inhabited, and thefe Inhabitants were expo-
led to the greateft Hardfhips : They had no
conftant nor fixed Pofiefilons ; but there were
frequent Removes, one Nation or Tribe ex-
pelling another, and poflefiing themfelves of
their Seats ^ : This was then look*d upon to be a
Calamity, but not near fo grievous as we ima-
gine it now, or indeed as they themfelves
thought it afterwards : For there being no Traf-
fick among them, or fecure Intercourfe, they
had but the bare Neceffaries of Life : They plan-
ted no Lands, acquired no Superfluities, and
built only Shelters from the Weather <* : Expc«
rience made them fenfible of the Uncertainty

• ^''E^.etS » ifctXu) /SiSectUi oiKUfSfit}, i»« [AiTUyeir«(rii ret ir^'oTt^ee,

^ Nee robuftus erat curvi Moderator Aratri
Quifquam ; nee fcibat ferro moUirier Arva j
Nee nova defodere in terram Virgulta ; nee altis
Arboribus, veteres deeidere faleibu' ramos.
Quod Sol atque Imbres dederant, quod Terra crearat
Sponte fua, fatis id plaeabat Peftora donum :
(.ilandiferas imer curabant Corpora (i^ereus.

T. Lucret. Lib. 5**.

i6 An Enquiry into the Life

of their Pofleflions; and as they knew not how
foon a fuperior Force might fpoil them of their
Lands, fo they were fure of finding in any
Country fuch a fcanty Subfiftance as they then
enjoyed 5 and therefore, without much Oppofi-
tion, they quitted their forry Dwellings, and
made room for an Invader.

O F a piece with this way of living at Land,
was their Manner at Sea^ as foon as they began
to build Ships, and ventured to vifit foreign
Coafls : They turned themfelves wholly to Pi-
racy ; and were fo far from thinking it bafe^
that the living by Plunder gave a Reputation for
Spirit and Bravery. This Pradice continued
long in Greece-, not among the meaner fort of
People only ; but the moft powerful of the Tribe
failed out with thofe under their Command,
took what Ships they met, and if they thought
their Numbers fufficient, they often fell upon
the Villages along the Coaft, killed the Men,
and carried the Women and Goods to their
Ship ^ Thucydides fays, that even in his time
there were feveral uncivilized Countries in
Greece, that lived both by Sea and Land after
the old barbarous manner C

These

o-zranv vS?. Strabo Geograph. Lib. 17.

*" Thucydides, Lib. i. Kci\ /a/£;%jj* t«<5s zsre^.'ci t^ '£»k«(?\^ rd

"AjtdftfvSw?, y; Tj";./ 7xuTii"iiwiei>v, See aUb Plutarch, m the Life
of T, Q^Flaminius. *

and Writings <9/Homeii. 17

These, My Lordy were the Manners in

Homers Days, and fitch we find them in his

Writings. Ulyjfes returning in difguife to liis

own Country, was received by his Servant

Ettm£nSj as a poor old Man, into his Cottage ;

and being queliioncd '■ji'ho zx\diwhence he was,

tells this plaufible Tale ; " That he was of

*^ Crete, a natural Son of the renowned Ca-

^^ Jfor^ and much beloved by his Father while

" he lived ; but at his Death, his Brothers drove

'' him out of the Houfe, and defrauded him

''' of hisfharc oftheParrimony : That however,

" his Worth and Bravery had procured him a

" rich and honourable Match :" Then he bids

him judge of the Ear by the Stalk 5 expatiates a

little upon his own martial Charader, and adds,

T0I02 E* EM nOAEMQ EPFON AE MOl
or OIAON E^KEN.

Such in the War ; I fcorned Country Toils
And Houjhold Cares, and bringing up of

Children :
But Shipsi2)ith Sails and Oars rejoicdmy Souh
Battles, and bttrnipfd Arms, and glitfring

Spears^
Things that to others Terror brings andT)read,
Were my delight s\ fo Godhadfor?ndmy Heart.

Here is plainly a Man who profejfes Pi-
racy ; and accordingly he tells, that in nine fe-
veral Courfes he gained fo much Wealth,that he

C was

1 8 An Enquiry into the Life

was held in great Eftecmamong his Countrymen,
■ AI^ A A' OIROS C0HAAETO, &c.

My Hoiife "ii^ds foonadvani -, andafterirard
I Re'verence had and A'jje among the Cretans.

And \7hcn U/yJfes, in his turn, comes to en-
quire into the Fortunes of Etimaus, he choofes
this Suppofition, as the moil natural he could
make :

Btit come, and tell me truly 'ujkat I ask ;
Whether the fpacious To-wn ^-juaspilhged^
In which thy Father, and thy Mother livd?
Or whether Men came unaware-: upon tbee^
Leftfingle with the Oxen, or the Sheep,
jind dragging thee aboard, failed over hither
To this Mans TTwelling ? ^

Thefe being the Manners of the Times, we
need not wonder at Homer's reorefenting the
good NeJior^'dS entertaining Telemadms and his
Company very honourably in hl<^ Houfe, and af-
ter the RepaO:, asking them. Whether they were

Merchants ■ H MA^IAIQX AAAAHSBE,

OIA TE AHaTHPE2 ?

——Or doyou rove uncertainy
As beiiig Robbers ?

Nor was Homers own Country behind-hand
with the reft of the Greeks, We learn from

Hero*

8 'O^wOT. er.

and Writings of FI o m e r . 19

Herodotus^ ihsitLatonds Oracle mBoutoo had
allured 'Pfarnmetichus (one of the twelve Kings,
when Egypt was broken into petty Govern-
ments) 1 hat brazen Men would come to his
Alliftance : They were no other, fays the Hi-
ftorian, than 'imi<i ts i^ K<xpg5 cLvS'pi!; j^aTco
MiLuj cKTi^.Mmvli^, Ionian and Carian Crews,
who had failed out on Piracy, and were forced
by Storm to land in Egypt.

B u T as every Misfortune forces Men to
think of a Remedy, the Calamities, to which
this barbarous Way of hving was expofed,
taught \\\tGreeksy in procefs of time, theNe-
cclliry of walhng their Towns; which, in its
turn, procured them Security and Wealth, and
firfl enriched the Cities upon the Sea: Thefe
who lay moil: expofed to Infalts before, were
now mod open to Trade 3 and the Phoenician
and Egyptian Merchants quickly taught them
the Methods of Gain : By this means Chalets^
Coriiithy and Mycen£ were the firft opulent Ci-
ties after the Ifics. Riches foon produced Sub-
ordination ; the lefs powerful being contented
with the Protection of the Rich and Brave ; and
the fc, on the other hand, glad of Numbers for
carrying on their Affairs ^.

C 2 PO VER-

^ Condere Gceperant tarn Urbcis, Arcemque locare
Pra.Tidium Reges ipfi fibi, perfugiumque ;
Et Pecudes & -./\gros divlsere ; atque dedere
Pro facie cujuique, k viribus, lagenioque.

T. Lucr€t. Lib. y.

%o An Enquiry into the Lije

Poverty was flill prevalent in the Country,
when ^etops came fioni /Jfia with a Flcod of
Wcakh, 'till then unknown to Greece , and by
that and his Skill in the ncccfl'ary Arts of Life, he
gained luch Power among the rude hihabitants,
that he gave his Name to a great Part of the Coun-
try. His Defcendanrs Atreiis and Thyefles added
to their hereditaryDominions; and Fortune made
a Prefcnt of a new Kingdom to the elder Brother.
Euryflhetis his Nephew, King of Mycen£^ of
the Line of ^erfeus, going againfl: the Hera-
elides-, or Pofterity oi Hercules, cntrulledhim
with the Government during his Abrence. The
Expedition proved fatal to Euryjiheus ; and the
Inhabitants of Mycen£ being afraid of a victo-
rious Tribe, and having proof of the Ability
of their Governor Atretis-, unanimouily offer'd
him the Kingdom. Thus the Family of 'Pelops
got the poffellion of two Kingdoms, and
became fuperior in Wealth and Power to the
^erfeids their Rivals. This Atretis fcems to
have been the hrft, who after the Days oi Minos ^
had fitted out a Fleet ; for befides a large and
fiourifhing Kingdom on the Continent, he left
to Agamemnon the Sovereignty cf many of the
IJlands, which cou'd never beheld in Subjedi-
on without a naval Force. They had been, as
halh been above obferved, early enriched by
Commerce with Syria, ^hceniciay and Egypt,
the firil civilized Countries.

A GA-

and Writings of M o m E R. 1 1

Agamemnon pofilircd of this wide Do-
minion and great Wealth, as things then went,
was more in a Condition, tiian by the Oaths
fworn to Tyndarus, to refent his Brother's
Wrongs, and to put iiimlelf at the Head of the
firil Expedition which Greece "sw^^^ in common
againft a foreign Enemy ^. But the length of
the War, and the Misfortunes the Greeks met
with in their Return, brought new Diforders
upon the victorious Nation. Many of the
Princes "" being killed, and fome of them loft
by the way. Parties flarted up in the Cities,
and the Greeks fell to their old Trade of one
Tribe's expelling another, as formerly. But
now the Contentions were longer and more ob-
ftinate, and more Blood was fpilt before either
Side wou'd fubmit. Their Cities were better
worth fighting for, and were not cafily given
up by People grown expert in War. Nor did
the Tribe that was worfted wander up and down
as before, to leek new diftant Habitations 5
but they fortified their Cities, to fecure them-
felves and their Pofterity againft the like Cala-
mities. Thus for fome Ages after the taking of
Troy^ Greece was indeed increafing in Cities
and Wealth, but was continually engaged in
Warsj Taking of Towns, Battles of Tribes,

C 3 Piracy,

•nTftJn XlUlh'mm it ^eiUTiSi h T^o'iotv n'/Kyev fji^on^ uvi^er^iy o\y.ce^t

i AhVt®-. iinyg._ ^e,^7. ,5.e.S'.

ax An Enquiry into the Life

Piracy, and Iiicurfions, were common Adven-
tures ".

In THE fecond or third Age of this Period was
Homer born ; that is, at a Time when lie might,
as he grew up, be a Spedlarpr of all tiie various
Situations of human Race 5 might obrerve them
in great Calamities,and in iiigh Fel icity ; but more
generally they were increafing in Wealth and
Difcipline. For, My Lord, I cannot help obfer-
ving, that from thefc hard Beginnings,and jarring
Intercfts, the Gr^^^J became early Mafters of the
military An, and, by degrees, of all others that
tend to enrich or adorn a City, and raife a Com-
monwealth : Shipping and Commerce, dome-
ftick Order, and foreign Influence, with every
fubfervient x\rt of Policy and Government,
were invented, or improved ; and fomeof them
brought to a very great degree of Perfection.
And truly it cou'd not be otherwife, Vv hilecach
City was independent, rivalling its Neighbour,
and trying its Genius in Peace, and its Strength
hi War ". Upon good or bad Succefs, the Ci-
tizens, all concerned in the Adminiftration,
made a careful Enquirv into the Caufe of it j

What

^ TPtVi'.iOJ *!» TCiUTW TO Ti ','•> ni>iX(r'/coii K* (ptAov, kJ t KxvKataVf
x^ Ai>iiyuv ''Eifcrm ^' or] no>!f!.o(,y^v ^ 'Evf,a>^iii Itv'/X'^''^ ts jra-
Xxm irXx^cdM^ot., uTtsf ^aiit roP, Tfucri <r'Jf/jfAxx,^yTc(, 6 Fior/iTiji Ctm

^ nZa-cc «^ it '£;Ao:5 i(rih^c(PiCu 3j'^' Tea uffiocTHi n OiK'^irui »^

and Writings ^y^HoMER. aj

What Fault in their Condudt had procured the
one, or what Excellency in their Conftitution
the other ? This Liberty produced Hardineis
and Difcipline ; which at length arofe to that
heiglit, that ten thoufand Greeks were an Over-
match tbr the Terjian Monarch, with all the
Power of the Jfiatick Plains.

This, My Lord, happened long after j but
the Struggle was frcfh in Horner ^ Days : Arms
were in Repute, and Force decided ^offejjion ^.
He faw Towns taken and plundered, the Men
put to the Sword, and the Women made Slaves :
He beheld their dcfpairing Faces, and fuppliant
Pofturesj iieard their Moanings o'er their mur-
dered Husbands, and Prayers for their Infants to
theVidor. On the other hand, he might view
Cities bleflcd with Peace, fplrired by Liberty,
flourilhing in Trade, and increafing in Wealth.
He was not enj^aged in Affairs hmilelf, to draw
off his Artention 5 but he wander'd thro' the
various Scenes, and oblervcd them at leifure.
Nor was it the ieaft inilrudlive Sioht, to fee a
Colony led out, a City founded, the Foundati-
ons of Order and Policy laid, with all the Pro-
vifions for the Security of the People; Such
Scenes afford extended Views, and natural ones
too, as they are the immediate EfFed of the
G 4 2;reat

? Homer fays of Anthpe,

'Oi ■XsZtOI 0lloi)5 so©- iyCTHraV £77TU7:!J>.C16 J

TJvfyacruv t' ; tTTii i fd^ uvvpycvTov y' s^tWMTO
Hetiiujit iVPV)^eft}> QytZlt/j^ K^xTiiu TVi? ioirt,

'Oeao^. P«Y«*^ ^, In the V-iKvoiittnuu.

14- ^^^ Enquiry into the Life

great Parent of Invention, NeceJJity-, in its
young and untaught Ellays.

The Importance of tiiis good Fortune will
beil: appear, if your Lordlliip refleds on the
Pleafure which we receive from a Reprefenta-
tion of natural and firnple Matmers : It is ir-
refiflible and incbanting j they beft fhew hu-
man Wants and FeeUngs; they give us back the
Emotions of an artlefs Mind, and the plain
Methods we fall upon to indulge them : Good-
nefs and Honefty have their Share m the De-
light 5 for we begin to like the Men, and wou'd
rather have to do with them, than with more
refined but double Charaders. Thus the vari-
ous Works necelTary for building a Houfe, or
a Ship ; for planting a Field, or forging a Wea-
pon, if dcfcribed with an Eye to the Sentiments
and Attention of the Man fo employed, give us
great Pleafure, becaufe 'uue fiel the fame. In-
.nocence, we fay, is beautiful j and the Sketches
of it, wherever they are truly hit off", never fail
to charm : Witnefs the few Strokes of that Na-
ture in Mr. ^ryden^ConqueJi oi Mexico j and
the Inchanted Ifland.

Accordingly, My Lord-, wc find Ho-
mer defcribing very minutely the Houfes, Ta-
bles, and Way of living of the Ancients 5 and
we read thefe Defcriptions with pleafure. But
on the contrary, when we confider our own
Cuftpms, we find that our fiifl Bufinefs, when
we fit down to poetize in the higher Strains, is

and Writings of Ho mbr. if

to unlearn our daily way of Life 5 to forget our
manner of Sleeping, Eating and Diverfions :
We are obliged to adopt a Set of more natural
Manners, which however are foreign to us 5
and mufl be like Plants raifed up in Hot-Beds
or Green- Houfes, in comparifon of thofe which
grow in Soils fitted by Nature for fuch Produc-
tions. Nay, fo far are we from enriching Po-
etry with new linages drawn from Nature, that
we find it difficult to underftand the old. We
live within Doors, covered, as it were, from Na-
ture's Face ; and pafling our Days fupinely ig-
norant of her Beauties, we are apt to think
the Similies taken from her lowy and the ancient
Manners mean^ or abfurd. But let us be in-
genuous. My Lord, and confefs, that while
the Moderns admire nothing but Pomp, and
can think nothing Great or Beautiful, but what
is the Produce of Wealth, they exclude them-
felves from the pleafanteft and moft natural
Images that adorned the old Poetry. State and
Form difguifeMan j and Wealth and Luxury dif-
guile Nature. Their EfFeds in Writing are an-
fwerable : A Lord-Mayor's Show, or grand Pro-
ceflion of any kind, is not very delicious Reading,
if defcribed minutely, and at length ; and great
Ceremony is at leaft equally tirefomein a Poem,
as in ordinary Converfation.

It has been an old Complaint, that we love
to difguife every thing, and moft Ourfelves. All
pur Titles andDiftin(5tions have been reprcfcntcd

i6 An Enquiry into the Life

as Coverings, and Additions of Grandeur to what
Nature gave us "J: Happy indeed for the bed of
Ends, I mean the pubhck Tranquilhty and good
Order J but incapable of giving delight inFidtion
or Poetry.

B y this time your Lordfhip fees I am in the
cafe of a noble Hiftorian, who having related
the conftant Superiority his Greeks had over
the Inhabitants of the j-lfjyrian Vales, con-
cludes *' That it has not been given by the
'' Gods, to one and the fame Country, to pro-
*' duce rich Crops and warlike Men ': *' Nei-
ther indeed does it feem to be given to one and
the fame Kingdom, to be throughly civilized,
and afford proper Subjcd:s for Poetry. The
Marvellous zndlVonderful is the Nerve of the
Epic Strain : But what marvellous Things hap-
pen in a well ordered State? We can hardly be
furprized j We know the Springs and Method of
ading ; Every thing happens in Order, and ac-
cording to Cuftom or Law. But in a wide
Country, not under a regular Government, or
fplit into many, whofe inhabitants live fcat-
tered, and ignorant of Laws and Difcipline ;
In fuch a Country, the Manners are funple, and

Accidents

^ Quel fuon faftofo e vano.

Quel inutil Sogetto

Di I-ufinghe, di Titole e d' Inganno ;

Ch.^ Ho?ior dal volgo infano

Indegnamente e detto,

Non era anco:' degli Animi Tiranno.

Paitor Fido, Choro deli* Atto 4-*
' Jisrodatus,

and Writings (?/ Homer. x7

Accidents will happen every Day: Expofition
and lofs of Infants, Encounters, Efcapcs, Ref-
cues, and every other thing that can inflame
the human Paflions while adling, or awake
rliem when defcribed, and recalled by Imitation.

These are not to be found in a well-governed
State, except itbe in a Civil IVar ; which, with
all the Diforder and Mifery that attends it, is a
fitterSubjed for an Epic Poem,thanthe moft glo-
rious Campaign that ever was made in Flanders.
Even the Things that give the greateft Luftrein
a regular Government 5 the greateft Honours and
highefh Trufls, will fcarcely bear Poetry : The
Mufe refufes to beftow her Embellifhmentsona
Luke's Patent, or a Generars Commiilion.
They can neither raife our Wonder, nor gain
our Heart : For Peace, Harmony and good Or-
der, which make the happinefs of a People, are
the Bane of a Poem that fubfifts by Wonder and
Surprize.

T o B E convinced of this, we need only fup-
pofc that the Greeks, at the time of the Trojan
War, had been a Nation eminent for Loyalty
and Difcipline : that Commiflions in due Form
had been iflued out, Regiments raifed. Arms
and Horics bought up, and a compleat Army
fet on Foot. Let us fuppofc that all Succefs had
attended them in their Expedition ; that every
Officer had vyed with another in Bravery againft
the Foe, and in Submiffioii to his General. That

a 8 An Enquiry into the Life

inconfequencc of thefe Preparations, and of this
good Order, they had at firft Onfet routed the
Trojans-, and driven them into the Town: Sup-
pofe this, and think, Wiiat will become of the
glorious Il'tad ? The Wrath of Achilles, the
Wifdom of Neftor^ the Bravery of ^Diomedes,
and the Craft of UlyJJes will vaniih in a mo-
ment. But Matters are managed quite other-
wife 5

Seditione, T^olis, Scelere at que Libidine & Ira,
Iliacos intra Muros peccattir^ (ir extra.

I T is thus that a Peoples Felicity clips the
Wings of their Verfe : It affords few Materials
for Admiration or Pity 5 and tho' the Pleafure
arifing from a Tafle of the fublimer kinds of
Writing, may make your Lordjhip regret the
Silence of the Mules, yet 1 am perfuaded you
will join in the Wifh, That vjc may never be 'a
proper SubjeB of an Heroic Poem,

But now that I have ventured fo far, I

begin to apprehend, My Lord, that I ihall be de-

ferted. The Habit of reconciling Extremes

when a publick Concern calls for Attention, is

become fo natural to your Lord/hip, that it muft

incline you to wilh our Epic Affairs not fo de-

fperare 5 and your Knowledge of the Poetical

Privilege, will immediately fuggeft, ** That Our

' " private Manners jWs pofTiblcadmit not fuch

*' Reprefentation 5 nor will our mercenary

* " Wars,

and Writings ^H o M E R. 19

" Wars, and State Intrigues, receive the Stamp
" oi Simplicity and Heroifm : "But why may
not a Poet feign ? Can t he counterfeit Man-
ners, and contrive Accidents as he fees good?
Is he not intituled to fhift Scenes, and introduce
Perfons and Characters at pleafure? Let him
but exercifc iiis Prerogative, and all will be well :
Our Manners need be no Impediment; he may
give his new-raifed Generation what Turn and
Caji he pleales.

T HO* this feems to promife fair, yet in the
end, I am afraid, it will not hold good. Your
Lordfhip will judge whether my Fears are jufl,
when relying on that Penetration which at-
tends your Opinions, I venture to affirm, *' That
*' a Poetdefcribes nothing fo happily, as what he
*' has leen ; nor talks mafterly, but in his native
•' Language, and proper Idiom 5 nor mimicks
'' truly other Manners, than thofe whofeOrigi-
*' nalshc has praclifed and known*.

This Maxim will, no doubt, appear fe-
vere ; and yet, I believe, it will hold true in fad.
If we caft an Eye backward upon Antiquity,
it will be found that none of the great original
Writers have excelled, but where they fpoke
of the Things they were moft converfant with,
and in the Language and Dialed they conftant-
ly ufed^ The fa ty rical buffoonifh Temper of

Archtlochus

* Seethe Note, pag. 33.

• As for the Poets in particular, fays Cer-vantes, En refolucion,
todos los Poetas antiguos efcrivieron en la Lengua que mamaron en
la Leche ; y no fueron d, bufcar las eftrangeras para declarar la alteza
defus Conceptos. Don^ixote, Pane H. lib, 5. c. 16.

30 An 'Enquiry into the Life

Archllochus is well known j nor is it a Secret,
that he indulged his PafTions, which were nei-
ther weak nor few. The Sententious JVrittms
of Euripides J and Menander's polite Pidtures
of Life, reprefented their daily Converlation.
*Plato's admired Dialogues are but correded
Tranfcripts of what pafled in the Acadeyny :
And Luciliusj preferred by fome Romans to all
that ever wrote v, wrotehimfelf juft ashe fpoke.
Herodotus'^ Hiftory ihows the Traveller, Thit-
cydidessthzVolitician, T>io7iyJius''s the Scholar,
Xenophon\ the Captain and the ^hilofopherj
as truly as they acted thele Charaders in their
Lives : Nor con'd thole Heroes have excelled
each in his different Way, had they done other-
wife.

But the Truth of this Maxim will beft ap-
pear, if we obferve its Influence in Converfation
and Behaviour. The Man who affects no other
than his natural Manners, has abetter chance to
excel, than if he Ihou'd attempt to copy another
Man's Way, tho' perhaps preferable both in
Language and Gefture to his ov^/n. It is a fmall
Circle of Acquaintance, which does not afford
fome diverting; Proofs of this common Miftake:
And if it was not a difagreeable Occupation, to
blame and find fault, 'twere eafy to produce ma-
ny Inftances of the fame mifcarriage in Writing,
I will only put your Lordjhip in mind of two

great

^ Lucllius quofdam ita deditos fibi habet Amatores, ut eum om-
nibus Poetis praefcrre non dubitent, Quintil. de Satyr.

and JVritings <?/^Homer. 31

great Men, who with every thing befides to re-
commend them, liave fpht upon thisfinglePvOck ;
andforthat rearon,aswell as theirbeing dead near
two hundred Years ago, they may be mentioned
with Icfs Reludancy, The Perfons I mean,
are both Italians^ who had tlie happinefs to fee
the golden A2;e of Learning in that Countrv,
the Tontificat oi Leo X.

Ttetro Bembo was of a noble Family in
Venice h his early Merit recommended him to
Leo-> who filled his Court with learned Men,
and had a true judgment in fuch things him-
felf. Bembo was made Secretary for the J^po-
Jiolick Briefs i and, after two Succeffions to
the Pontificate was railed to the Dignity of the
Turple-, chiefly for his Reputation in Literature:
And indeed his Learning and Abilities are un-
queflionable. But at the fame time, this great
Man admiring only the Ro?j^an Eloquence and
Manners, wrotea Hiflory of his own Country,
fo much upon the Model of a Latin Aunal, that
not only the Caft of the Work isfervilely copied,
but the Peculiarities of their Style, their Com-
putation of Miles and Time, and the Forms oi
their Religion and Government, are with infinite
labour wrought into a Venetian Story. The
efted: of it is, to enervate and deaden his Work,
which a Writer of half his Knowledge andAc-
complilhments, would have told better without
his Affe^ation*

^ A LITTLE

jx An Enquiry into the Life

A LITTLE yoLin!;er than the Cardinal ^2&Gio^
vanni Giorgio Trijjino, a Native o^Vicenza. He
was look'd upon as one ot tlic ^rcateft Maftcrs of
ancient Learning,both Greek and Roman, of his
Age 5 and, which rarely happens, was bleft at the
fame time with a Flow of 7"///?/^;^ Eloquence. A
Man fo qualified, eafily faw the Faults of his con-
temporary Writers ; and thought it not impofll-
ble, with his Talents and judgment, To produce
juch aToem in Italian, asV\oi\\Qic had done in
Greek.

H E s E T about it, and placed this great Model
before his Eyes : He abandoned the ufe of Rhyme,
followed the natural Run of Speech in his Verf e ;
and endeavoured to adapt his Inventions to the
State andTemper of his Age and Nation. He took
Italy for the Subject of his Poem, as Homer had
Greece : He has Champions of the fame Country,
zsHomer has Grm^^w Heroes : He u^cs, Angels for
his Divinities, and fupplies the ancient Furies
with modern'Z)^i;i/j : In his Geography, r.s//^-
w^^rdefcribed Gr^rr^, and chiefly TheJJdly ••> Trip
fino defcribes Italy ^ and dwells on Lombardy.
He has even attempted Fable ^ and interwoven al-
legorical Stories of Life andMorals,with the Body
of the Narration. But after all, the native Ita^
lian Manners are loft j and the high Spirit and
fecret Force which bewitches a Reader, and
dazzles his Eyes, that he can fee no Faults in
^ante and Ariofioy is here crufli'd by Imitation.
Its Fate has been anfwerable : The Italia li-

berata

and Writings ^Homer. gg

herata ( for fo he called his Poem ) being no
more read or known, than Chapelains Tu-
celle wou'd be without Boileau, or Sir i? * * *'s
yf * * V without the *Z) * * *. TriJJino owes his
Fame to his Tragedy of Sophonishdy and to his
Mifcellanies ; and the Cardinal is preferved
from Oblivion by his Letters and Love-Verfes 5
and there too, the fame hiclination to copy has
made him check his natural Fire, that he might
attain Cicero's Elegance in the one, and ^e-
trarchds Purity and Softnefs in the other.

To confefs the Truth, My Lordy we are
born but with narrow Capacities ; We feem not
able to mafler two Sets of Manners, or compre-
hend with facility different ways of Lifc^. Our
Company, Education and Circumftances make
deep Impreflions, and form us into a Charac-
ter, of which we can hardly divcfl ourfelves af-
terwards. The Manners not only of the Age
in which we live, but of our City and Family,
flick clofely to us, and betray us at every turn,
when we try to diflemble, and wou'd pafs for
Foreigners. Thefe we underftand, and can paint
to Perfedion ; and there is no one fo undifcern-
ing, as not to fee, that we have wonderfully fuc-
ceeded in defcribing thofe Parts of modern Life
we have undertaken. Was there ever a more
natural Pidure than x\\zWay of the World?

D Or

sivTX Ixitvoc, zreecTlivj a> ^u >^ t«J ^lUjyi^XTCt, tV» oiOof.tetaif/jcciX,

2 n>ii»!of. 'S^ noAfl. y.

34 -^^ Enquiry into the Life

Or can any thing in its kind furpafs the Rape
of the Lock ? The Authors, doubtlefs, per-
fedly knew the Life and Manners they were
painting, and have fucceeded accordingly.

Here then was Homers fir ft Happi-
nefs 5 He took his plain natural Images from
Life : He faw Warriors^ and Shepherds y and
^ enfant s^ fuch as he drew ; and was daily
converfant among fuch People as he intended
to reprefent : The Manners ufed in the Trojan
Times were not difufed in his own : The fame
way of living in private, and the fame Purfuits
in publick were ftill prevalent, and gave him
a Model for his Defign, which wou'd not allow
him to exceed the Truth in his Draught- By fre-
quently and freely looking it over, he cou'd
difcern what Parts of it were fit to be repre-
fented, and what to be palled over y.

F o R s o unaffected and fimple were the Man-
ners of thofe Times, that the Folds and Wind-
dings of the human Brcaft lay open to the Eye ;
nor were People afhamed to avow Paflions and
Inclinations, which were entirely void of Art
and Defign ^. This was Homers Happinefs, with
refped to Mankind, and the living Part of his
Poetry ; as for the other Parts, and what a

Painter

y it Et qucG

Defperat traftata nitefcere pofle, relinquit. Horat.

* Bold Homer durft not fo great Virtue feign
In his beft Pattern : Of Patroclus flain.
With fuch Amazement as weak Mothers ufe.
And frantick Geilure, he receives the News. WalleRi.

and Writings ^ H o m E R. 3 5*

Painter wou'd call St ill- It fe, he cou'd have little
Advantage : For we are not to imagine, that
he cou'd difcovcr the entertaining Profpeds, or
rare Productions of a Country better than we
can. 216^/ is a Subjed ft ill remaining to us, if
we will quit our Towns, and look upon it :
We find it accordingly, nobly executed by ma-
ny of the Moderns, and the moft illuftrious
Inftance of ir, within thefe few Years, doing Ho-
nour to the Britipj Poetry *.

In s h o r t, it may be faid of Homer, and of
every ^oet who has wrote well, Th2itwhathQ
felt and faw, that he defcribed 5 and that Ho-
mer had the good Fortune to fee and learn the
Grecian Manners,at their true Pitch and happiefl
Temper for Verfe : Had he been born much foon-
er, he would have feen nothing but Nakednels
and Barbarity : Had he come much later, he had
fallen in the Times either of wide Policy and
Peace, or of General Wars, when private Paf-
iions are buried in the common Order, and
eftablifhed Difcipline.

* The Seasons, by Mr. Thomfon,

D a SECT,

%^^^^^^ J4f?^ .

Xtf€-/^

/av^-O^ irvi^

SECT III.

WHOEVER refleas upon the Rife and
Fall of States, will find, that along with
their Manners, their Language too accompa-
nies them both in their Growth and Decay.
Language is the Conveyance of our Thoughts ,
and as they are noble, free and undifturbed, our
Difcourfe will keep pace with them both in its
Cafland Materials. By this Means a Conven-
tion of Men of Spirit and Underflanding, who
have the Bufinels of a City or State to ma-
nage (if they have not their Orders to receive
in iUence from a Superior) will naturally pro-
duce

and Writings ^Homer. 37

duce Speakers and Eloquence. The fame Men,
if they quit their Town and look abror-d, will
fpcak of tiie Objeds prciented to them by
Nature's Face, with the fame Freedom and
Happinefs of Exprellion : And if, in a wide
CpL' ntry, there are many fuch Societies, fpeak-
•j^'iie fame Tongue, but in different Dialed:sj
'SBLanguage will reap the Benefit, and be en-
rarficd with new Words, Phrafes, and Meta-
. according to the Temper and Genius of
tnce icveral People : While each approve their
own, becaufe it is ufed by their Governors in
their own independent State.

Your Lordship very well knows, what
a dcfpicable Figure the Beginnings of the human
Race make in the Pictures drawn of them by
the Ancients :

Cum prorepferiint^ primis Anlmalla TerriSy
Mutum & turpe TecuSj glandem atque cu-

b'tlia propter
Unguibus & 'Pngnisy dein Fujlibus^ atque it a

porro
^ugnabantArmis^quapojlfabricaverat ufus ;
^onec Verba^ quibus voces feftfufqi notdrentj
Nominaque invenere. ""

They thought, it fhou*d feem, that Language was
the firit Tamer of Men ^, and its Origin to have

D 3 been

= Horat. Sat. 3. Lib. \.

58 An Enquiry into the Life

been certain rude accidental Sounds, which
that naked Company of fcrambling Mortals
emitted by Chance ^

U PON this Suppofition, it will follow, that
atfirftthey uttered thefe Sounds in a much high-
er Note than we do our Words now 5 occafioij^
ed, perhaps, by their falling on them unqlr
fome Paflion, Fear, Wonder or Pain ^ 5 and
then ufing the fame Sound, either when ttee-
Objed: or Accident recurred, or when tli*^,
■wanted to defcribe it by what they felt : Nei-'
ther the Syllables, nor the Tone could be af-
certained ; but when they put feveral of thefe
^ocal Marks together, they wou'd feem tojing.
Hence ATAAEIN fignified at firft fimply to
fpeak or utter the Voice, which now, with a
fmall Abbreviation (A A E I N) %nifics to fing :
And hence came the ancient Opinion, " That

*' Poetry was before Profe."
The Geographer Strabo, a wife Man, and
well acquainted with Antiquity, tells us, that
Cadmus y Tberecydes, and Hecataus firft took
the Numbers, and the Meafure from Speech,
and reduced that to Profe which had always

been

"f Ti /2oroiv>>i Tjv 7r^ocry!'>i?-ciTi'Jj, f^ rsJ5 uvTOf/jUTHi otJro T dtvo^U)/

iWo 5" (rv[j!j(pi^ov>(^ ^i^cca-Ko/j^'ni^ TiJ? (pum ^ 'A 2 H M O Y

y^ ZYTKEXTMENHS aV.}?, eW g* x«1' oAty*" ^ I A P P O Y N
ra!? Xil{c,. Aiohf. S(xtA. (iicXioB-. a.

^ Kit} ^ h^ct, uv^^uzisi; EN X P E I ^ >ioyii to u^arev y^ <ptow.^
*yif6fii yiKft^, T«? TI zrfuli<; »^ t«5 ^fofrlavTXi oiVTUc, f^ Tec 11 A-
©H Jt: r8< riASXONTAZ a».«;ie<5 ^Mrci<^Hv tdi "i^otnui/jithiv ^

and Writings (j/'Homer. 39

been Poetry before : And the admired Judge of
the SubUme, in the Fragment of a Treatife we
have unhappily loft, has this remarkable Sen-
tence.

" Measure, fays he, belongs properly to Po-
*' etry, as it perfonates the various ^afflons
" and their Language; ufesFidion and Fables,
*' which naturally produce Numbers and
*' Harmony : 'Twas for this reafon, that the
*' Ancients in their ordinary ^ifcourfe de-
" livered themfelves rather in Verfe than.
'^Profec".

Had I to dowithfome others, I fhould be
at the Pains to Ihew the Connexion of the firfl
and laft Part of this Opinion ; but your Lord-
fliip will eaftly fee, That he thought the Life of
the Ancients was more expofed to Accidents and
Dangers, than when Cities were built, and Men
were protcded by Society and a \Publick ; and of
confequence their Difcourfe was more paflio-
nate and metaphorical. Give me leave only to
add, that the Compofition of the Names of
Tragedy and Comedy, which were Reprefen-
tations of ancient Life (Tpo-^w^a, 'Kooixoj^ol)
undoubtedly prove that they were originally
fung when afted, and not repeated as they are
now. Nor do 1 in the leaft queftion, but that
the firft things which were committed to Wri-

D 4 ting

xxTcta-Kdiioil^iTeit, Tccvt' upx f^ e< UaXxtei ifx^f/j'tT^isi /MciXt^ev Ttsi

40 An Enquiry Into the Life

ting in Greece^ as Oracles, Laws, Spells, Pro-
phecies, were in Verfe j and yet they got the
iimple Name of "ETrsa, Words or Sayings f.
But however thefe things be, it is certain, that
the primitive 'Parts of the Languages reputed
Original, are many of them rough, undecli-
ned, imperfonal Monofyllables 5 expreflivc^
commonly of the higheft Taffions^ and mofF
ftr iking ObjeEis that prefent themfelve's in fo^^
litary favage Life ^. "^'^

From

*" Some Veftiges of this Poetick Turn remain in the Piftures of
Eaftern Manners, that are preferved in the oldcft Accounts of the
Moors and Spaniards ; where the Romances occur every other Page,
and the Converfations upon paflionate Subjedts run into a loofe kind
of Verfe : For Example,

Abenamar ! Abenamar !
Moro de la Moreria !
El dia que tu nacifte,
Grandes Seiiales avia :
Eftava la Mar en Calma,

La Luna eltava crecida ; ;

Moro que en tal Signo nace
No deve dezir Mentira.
And in the fame Spirit,

Reduan ! Si fe te acuerda
que me dille la Palabra,
Que me darias a Jaen

en una noche ganada :
Reduan ! Si tu lo cumples

darete paga doblada :
Y ii tu no lo cumpliefles
defterrarte he de Granada.

Hiftor, de las Guerras Civiles de Granada.
Thefe Romances are fo old, that they are brought by the Arabs as
the Proofs of their H i ftories .

£ As this way of tracing a Language places it in an uncommon

Light, it will be proper to illuftrate it by a few fuch Examples, as

iire mod connefted with ordinary Life. The two ufual Words in

Hebrew for Meat and Food, Luhonif and Terephy fignify at the

" fame

and IVritings (?/ H o m e r. 41

From this Dedudion, it is plain that any
Language, formed as above defer ibcd, muft be
full of Metaphor ; and that Metaphor of : -e
boldeft, daring, and moft natural kind: For
Words taken wholly from rough Nature, and
invented under fome PaiTion, as Terror, Rage
or Want (which readily extort Sounds from
Men ) would be exprellive of that Fanaticifm
and Dread, which is incident to Creatures living

wild

fame time, the one Fighting, and the other Rapine or Plunder. Gur
fignifies to go abroad, to traojel ; and the Adjunft of it to dread,
to be in fear : And Ger or Giir, a Stranger and a young Lion. The
old Word for Wealth in Greek, .\i'icL, means nothing originally
hut Spoil, the Produft of War or Piracy ; and comes from Auca
Abigo, whence the Word in ufe ixxwa-, forms its Tenfes : And the
great variety of Words they have to fignify Good and Better,
take their Origin from Strength and Violence. This Colhifion of
different fignifications to the i'ame Word, which is obfervable
throughout the original Languages, mull be very convincing to fach
as are acquainted with their Idiom and Propriety. The conltant
Reafon of them is, the Connexion which thefe various Meanings
had in the Manners then prevalent. Some of thefe Connexions are
vanifhed in a civilized Life and Change of Manners : Others of
them Hill remain; fuch as Zonah, Caupona, Hofpita and Zonah Scor-
tum, Meretrix. Hhajhar, to gronM rich ; and Hhafar, to receive
Tythes, to be a Prieji ; with a hundred more of the I'ajne kind.
But it gives us an Idea of a difmal Way of Living, to find the
Word Karab, that fignifies to dra-v near to cnc, to approach, fig-
nifying at the fame time, to fight, to make War ; and tlience the
Word Ktrab, a Battle. It puts me in mind of the horrible Image
given us by Orpheus.

"ZecfKO^XKii' xfiiosai) Js T tirroicc tfartx, ^xt^i.

Father Ricci in his Chrifiian Expedition to China, fays exprefly.
That their Language confifts wholly in Monofyllables : The
fame feems to have been the Cafe of the ancient Egyptian ; and,
as we may obferve ourfelves, of the greateft Part of the Northern
Tongues,

^ At varies Linguae fonitus Natura fubegit
Mittere j Et Utilitai expreflit Nomina rerum. Lucret,

4-x An Enquiry into the Life

wild and dcfencclels ' : We muft imagine their
Speech to be broken, unequal and boiflerous >
one Word or Sound, according to its Analogy
TO different Ideas, wou'd ftand for them ail ; a
Quality we often miftake for Strength and Ex-
preffion, while it is a real Defed.

But let us take another Step, and fuppofe
the Affairs of the rude Community to be a lit-
tle advanced^ that they begin to underftandtheir
own Gibber i^^ live in tolerable Security, and
are at liberty to look about them : hi that cafe,.
Admiration and Wonder will fuccecd. Won-
der is the proper Paflion of raw and unexperien-
ced Mortals when rid of Fear. The great Cri-
tick among the Ancients has alTigned it tojoimg
Men: A witty Modern of the laft Age gives it
to the Ladies i and one of the finefl Pieces
written in our Language confines it to Fools.

*T I s certain, that in the Infancy of States,,
the Men generally refemblethe publick Confti-
tution : They have only that Turn which the
rough Culture of Accidents, perhaps difmal
enough, thro' which they have palled, cou'd
give them: They are ignorant and undefigning^

go-

^ Nam fuit quoddam tempus, cum in agris Homines paflim Beflia-
Tum more vagabantur, Sc fibi vidu ferino Vitam propagabant :
Necratione Animi quicquam, fedpleraque Viribus Corporis admi-
niftrabant. Nondum divinae Religionis, non humani Officij ratio
colebatur: Nemolegitimas videratNuptias ; non certos quifquam
infpexerat Liberos : Non jus a;quabile, quid utilitatis hafaeret, ac-
ceperat. Ita propter errorem atque infcitiam, csca ac temeraria
dominatrix Animi Cupiditas, ad fe explendam viribus Corporis
abutebatiir, perniciofiffimis Satellitibus.

M. T. Ciceronis de inventione Lib, i.

and Writings e?/ H o m e r. 43

<Toverned by Fear, and Superflition its Compa-
nion: There is a vaft Void in their Minds; they
know not wiiat will happen, nor according to
what Tenour things will take their Courfe j Eve-
ry new Objcft finds them unprepared ;, they gaze
and ftarc, like Infants taking in their firft Ideas
of Light ^ : Their Words cxprefs thefe Feelings ;
And as there is a mighty Diftance from this
Starting-place o^ Ignorance 2.nd Wonder, to the
Condition of a wife experienc'd Man,whom few
things furprize ; who is acquainted with the
Fates of Nations, and the Laws and Limits of
our Situation, the Language is tindured in pro-
portion, and bears the Marks of the intermedi-
ate Stages.

It were eafy, My Lord, to prove thefe Af-
fertions by abundance of Grammatical Exam-
ples, but they can only be underftood by Men
who, like your Lordlliip, have it in their Pow-
er to recoiled: them at pleafure. I will only ob-
ferve, that the Turks^ Arabs^ Indians, and
in general mod of the Inhabitants of the E/?//,
are a folitary kind of People : They fpeak bur
feldom, and never long without Emotion: Bur
when, in their own Phrafe, they open their
Mouth, and give a locfe to a fiery Imagination,
they are poetical, and full of Metaphor. Speak-
ings among fuch People, is a mat.rcr of feme
Moment, as we may gather from their ufual
Introdudions ; for before they begin to deliver

tlxir

44- ^^ Enqtury into the Life

their Thoughts, they give notice, that they ''^tll
oj)en their Month ; that they iz'ill unloofe their
Tongue-^ that they williittertheirVoice.andpro*
notince ijvith their Lips ^ Thefe Preambles bear
a great Refemblancc to the old Forms of Intro-
duction in Homer ^HeJtod,2.]\6. Orpheus, in which
they are fometimes followed by Virgil.

If there is then an inviolable and neceflary
Connexion between the Difpofitions of a Na-
tion and their Speech, we muft believe that
there will be an y^lloy of Simplicity and Won-
der in the Beginnings of every Language ; and
like wife that the Dialed will improve with the
Affairs and Genius of the People. Upon a near-
er View of that w^hich Homer fpoke, we find it
not original J but derived from others more an-
cient : Yet it fccms to have begun upon a very
fmall Stock which the Telafgi fpoke, and the
old Inhabitants of the Northern Parts of Greece.
The greater Part of its Acquilitions it drew
from Afia, Thenicia and Egypt ^ by the Way
of Cyprus and Crete ^ : Thefe, with the other
Iflands, were firfl: peopled and inftruded in the
Arts of Life : They lie moft conveniently for
Merchants failing from the above-named
Countries; and it was either trading Peo-
ple, or Perfons who were forced to travel a-
broad for feme bold Adions at Home", that

were

^ See the Arabian Nights Entertainments j a Tranflation from the
Arablck.

"»' (Kfipn vS(r©-) 23-«(ri} jVi«(t«j t^ ^»\Ucs^ ; %ifo)iT EAAHNJ2N

'" Danaus, Cadmus, &c. See t\K Marmora, Arundel, Epoch, 9,
concerning th& Uiyin^.tyro^^^.

and Writings ^H o m e r. 45-

were the firft Inftrudtors of the ancient
Greeks ".

These Adventurers came to a Climate
which inclines not Men to Solitude, and for-
bids Idlenefs : The Necellity of Labour and Con-
trivance ; a growing Commerce, and more
than any thing befidcs, the Number of free Ci-
ties and independent Governments, foon raifed
a nobler Language than either of the Originals.
It was at ^xk Jim^ky unconfinedy and free^ as
was their Life : The ?*^////Vy& Stile grew with
their Conjfiiution ; and was at its height
when they had mofl Affairs of that kind, and
of the greatefi Confeqnence to rc\^n2i^Q : And
when a rough warlike People had flripp'd them
of their Liberty, they had recourfe to ^hilo-
fophy and Learning. The Councils of a free
State are managed by Speakings which quickly
introduces Eloquence, and the Arts of Perfua-
fion : When thefe turn ufelefs, or dangerous
in Publick, Men betake themfelves to lefs ob-
noxious Subjefts.

These were the Stages thro* which the
Greek Language palled. It went thro' them
flowly, and had time to receive the Impreflion
of each : It lafted long, and far out-lived the
Latins as it had begun before : The r^afon was,

that

To?5 /ixfcU^ei^^ T^

*• Ton f3ji tV iKil/tC Y§'o¥6Vf 0( d'v^V^Hflii OV

sAfc»)fJ<wi' TTuXiuv K^iisv k^^iv. Keel Accti(co<; tS^ t'l 'AiyuTTTis (pivyap,
"Apy^ Kttr'i^i. K«J]ia(^ ^e 2j^a'»(^ 0ijto4iv iZcca-'iXdicn, fHapn; ji

4^ Afi Enquiry into the Life

that amidft all the Broils of Greece, they had
ftill Liberty and Employment enough, either in
Bufinefs or Literature, to keep alive fomething
of their Spirit and Language : That will always
follow our Fortunes, and be fitted to our Af-
fairs and Condition '^. For, in fad, what elfe
do we talk of? For this reafon, a flouriihing,
happy Nation, not over-difciplined at the Be-
ginning, that after a long Struggle, and much
Trial, conies to excel in every Art of Peace
and War 5 fuch a Nation muft fpeak the noblefl
Language ; which, in its turn, becaufe of the
Inftability of human Affairs, has no Security for
its Duration.

After fuch a Dedu£lIon, your Lordfhip
is no doubt in Expedation, what is at length
to be made of it ? It is this. My Lord, " That
'' when by the Progrellion above-mentioned,
" the Greek Language was brought to exprefs
" all the befl and bravefl of the human Feelings,
" and retained a fufficient Quantity of its Ori-
*' ginal, amazing^ metaphorick Tincture -, at
*' that ^oint of Time did Homer write.""
I K N o w no Refiedion more proper to con-
vince us of this, than the Confideration of the
Machines which he employs : The greater Part
of them are natural ; and except the Egyptian
and Orphick Allegories (which he ufually puts
in the Mouths of his Gods 1) they are told in the

pre*

P Format enim Natura prius nos intus ad omnem

Fortunarum Habitum— Horat. ad Pifon.

^ When the Poet mentions them in his own Perfon, he com-
monly introduces them with ^«o-t, ^eyfay.

and Writings ^ H o m e r . 47

prevailing Language of the Countiy. It is
given as a Rule in Poetry [, *' To ftrip the com-
" mon Accidents of Life of their plain Drefs,
'^ and in order to keep up their Dignity, af-
" cribe them to fome fuperior Power j and for
" inanimate things, to give them Life, cloath
'* them with a Perfon, and proper Attributes j"
But few People imagine that the ordinary Lan-
guage wore this metaphorical Habit at that time.
Yet it wou'd be inexcufable elfe, to put Poetical
Expreflions in the Mouth of any other than the
Poet himfelf: 'Twou'd be ^t2My falfe IVriting^
and is a common Fault in many excellent Per-
formances, Hoynefs grand Copier, who has
wrought one wonderful Poem out of the other's
two, feems to a very candid Judge, to have come
fliort of his Original in this particular : It is the
ingenious Monf. ^e la Motte I fpeak of, who
thinks Eneas by far too great a Poetj and
owns, that he could not help feeling that Im-
propriety thro' the whole of the fecond and
third Books of the Eneid--, where the Hero is
not lefs florid and figurative in hisNarration,than
Virgtlthc Poet in the reft s.

His writing folong after i^J^^^^j's Expedition^
and in a Language too refin*d for the Manners
then in ufe, makes this Incongruity the more
perceptible : But in the Trojan Times, their
Speech, as well as their Manners retained much

"^ See Baileau's, Art of Poetry.

» Difcours fur TOde : & Reponfe a la XI Refleaion de Monf.
Defpreaux fur Longin,

4-8 An Enquiry into the Life

of the Eajiern Caft ; their Theology was a Fable,
and their moral Inflradions an allegorical Tale.
Achilles comforts !PrMf//, when he came to bes
the Body of his flaughter'd Son, with a paraboli-
cal Story concerning the two Veffels^out of which
'Jupiter difpenies to every Man his Proportion of
Good and EviF j and Glaiicus tells T)iomedes,
^^ That like the Leaves of the Trees, fir ft fpread-
*' ing, and then decaying, fo are the Generations
" of mortal xMcn".

t Iliad*.

« Iliad ^.

//^{/acAfJ^^'/

^EC7.

SECT. IV.

NE X T to the Originals from which aLan-*
guage is derived, and the critical Period
of its Duration, it is chiefly affefted by the Re*
ligion of a Country, and the Manners of the
Times. Thefe might have been included undet
the Common Manners of the Nation ; but theif
Influence is great enough to deferve a particulat
Confideration.

I s H A L L foon have occafion to make a flri<f^ef
Enquiry into the Origin both of the G ecian
Religion and Learning. At prefent it is luffi*
cient to fay, that they came from the great Pa-

so An inquiry into the Life

rent of facrcd and civil Inftitutions, the King-
dom of E;ypt. That wife People feem to have
early obfcrved the Curbs of the human Paffions,
tind the Methods of govrrnini; a large Society.
They law the gcnerai Bent of Mankind, to ad-
mire what they do not underftandy and to ftand
in awe of unknown Powers, which they fancy
capable to do them great good or ill : They adap-
ted their religiousBelief and folemnCeremoniesj
to this Difpoficion ; made their Rites myfterious,
and delivered their allegorical Dodrines under
■ great Ties of profound and pious Secrecy.

12 TEKNON ! "Sr AE TOISI NOOISr DEAAZEO, FAaSSHK
EY MAA' EnlICPATEi2N. STEPNOISI A" EN0EO OHMHN a.

ISlo'W, thou my Sofi! approach with Mind intent,
j^nd careful keep thy Tongue: But in thjfBreafi
Revolve thefe awful Sounds.- —

Hence the Number of monftrous Stories con-
Gcrning their Gods, which the firft Grecian Sages
that traveird into Egypt certainly underftood,
and explained to their Adepts ^, among whom,
after fome Defcents, I reckon Hefiodzn<\ Homer:
But falling afterwards into the Hands of Men

• * 'O^Otuc -sr^eil Matrxiov. In Fragment. 'O^tpixuv 'Evalv.
^ Dioaoru! the SicUiaTt, after having explained the natural Sig-
nification of the Allegory of Bacckus's being the Son of Jupiter
and Cffgs, or Wine's being the Produiflion of the Earth and Moi-
Jiure, adds theie remarkable Words, <rua.<pmoi. ^t rtsTon; ilvxi rurt
'^X^l^oc, ^M T 'OP'I>lKr>N noIHMATrzN, y^ rsi wcc^ia-w/of^^ee,
XXTce. T«5 TiXiTci^, 'czc< tim i S-sVi; tc7<; ufAviiren l^e^w roi kutoI,

jiAi^©-. /3»?. y. Which plainly fhe'.vs tl^e Natwe and Tendency
©f the 0;;/'/^»V4 Rites,

and Writings <?/^ H o M e r . ft

of warm Fancies, who thouglir they might in-
vent as well as their Mafters, there were many
traditional Stories tacked to the former ; iome-
■times untowardly enough, and fometimes fd
as to make a tolerable Piece of the literal Rela-
tion, but confounding when applied to thcyf//?-
gvry. Thefe are all the ipoiaotoi {Sacred
Traditions) mentioned fo often by Herodotus^
with a Declaration that he will not publifh
them; and of the fame kind is the ©eios
A or OS {^the diiiine Tradition) recommend-
ed by Orpheus to his favourite Scholar, and
quoted by a primitive Father for another pur*
pofe c.

This Allegorical Religion havingbeen tranf-
planted into Greece^ found it a very proper
Soil for fuch a Plantation. It took deep root
in the Minds of the Greeks^ who were grofljr
ignorant, and pfepoflefled with no rival Opini-
ons : They made Additions to it of their own^
and in a few Ages it was incorporated with
their Manners^ mixed itfelf with their Lan-
guage, and gained univerfal Belief. Such was
its Condition when Homer made his Appear-
ance in the World : It had attained its Vigour,
and had not loft the Grace of Novelty :^nd Toiitht
This is the Crifis, when every body affects toi
talk in the prevailing Stile 5 which joined \\ith
the early metaphorical Cajl of the Language, is
E 2 one

• Jujlin Martyr. 'Zh<,^i ©EI ON AG TON (iXe^oci, r{srm xaccU

f% An Enquiry into the Life

one great Reafon of the conftant Allegory in
the ancient VVritings,

We have frequent Examplcsj how much
the firm Belief of any Sedt makes Men fpeak and
write in the approved Idiom : They introduce
it into their Bufinefsy allude to it in their ^lea-
fures^ and abftain from it in no Part of Life >
efpecially while the Docflrine flouriihes, and ap-
pears in Bloom : For your Lordlhip knows, that
thefe things, among the Ancients, had their
Spring and Summer as well as natural Growths ;
and after a certain time, like a lupcrannuated
Plant, they turned fcrubby and lifelefs, were
difregarded by degrees, and at lall vanilhed.

What further Advantages Poetry
might reap from a Religion fo framed, will
appear afterwards: Let us now confider the
Manners of the Times s by which I mean the
Profeffions and Studies that are in vogtie^ and
bring moft Honour to thofe that pollefs them
in an eminent degree.

They likewife follow the Fortunes of a
Kation : In the ^ProgreJJion abovementioned,
the Arts of the greateft Ufe in Life, I mean
thofe that fupply our natural Wants, and fe-
cure our Perfons and Properties, are the Jirji
that ennoble their Inventors ; and in procefs of
time, when Wealth has made its Entrance, the
Refiners ofPleafure, and Contrivers of Mag*
Jiiiicence draw our Attention.

From

and Writings ^Homer. 5-3

F R o M T H E Accounts already given of the
State of Greece-, it is cafy to conclude, that
ihcfirft muft be flill prevalent when Homer
lived ; a piece of good Fortune that exempted
him from the two Vices^ to whofe charge the
admired Longinus lays the Fall of Poetry : An
infatiable Delne of Riches, and what he calls
a mean d'tfpiritmg ^ajjion, (a^/^rg^'TDr rian^^)
the Love of Plealure ^,

I N efFe(fV, Arms at that time was the ho-
noured Profelllon, and a fiihltck Spirit the
courted Charadcr : There was a Neceihty for
them both. The Man who had bravely de-
fended his City, enlarged its Dominion, or
died in its Caufe, was revered like a God i
Love of Liberty, Contempt of Death, Honour,
Probity and Temperance, were Realities.
There was, as I faid, a Neceihty for thofe
Virtues^ : No Safety to Life or Fortune with-
out them ; while every State, that is to fay,
almoft every City was necellitated either to
defend itfelf againft its warlike Neighbour, or
fhamefuUy fubmit to Oppreflion and Sla-
very. Ai)d no wonder if the Man who learns

E 3 thefe

« 'o <^ ^.) vf"®- i>cut(^, (die Age of Vjejeus, a little before
the Trojan War) >t.i/«f» i»i^j4iT»c, y.i^m ^ tfyotc, x^ fccj^ui, skx^^t

f 4- -^^ Enquiry into the Life

thefe Virtues from Neccflity, and the Things
rhemfclves, knows them better than Schools
and Syftems can inftrud: him ; and that the
Reprefentations of fuch genuine Charaders
bear the Marks of Truths and far outfhine thofe
taken from counterfeit Worth, or fainter
Patterns.

Thus your Lordfhip fees, that the Fortunes^
the Manners, and tiie Language of a People
are all linked together, andneceflarily influence
.one another. Men take their Sentiments from
their Fortunes 5 if they are low, it is their con-
flant Concern ho'-ju to mend them 5 if they are
eafy, how to enjoy them: And according to
this Bent they turn both their Condud, and
their Converfation ; and afllime the Language,
Air, and Garb peculiar to the Manner of the
different Charaders. In moft of the Greek
Cities, Policy and Laws were but juft a form-
ing, when Homer came into the World f.
The firfl Sketches of them were extremely fuii-
ple^ j generally Prohibitions from Violence, or
fuch Regulations of Manners as we fhould think
unneceflary or barbarous. The Tribes were
but beginning to live fecure within the Walls
of their new fenced Towns, and had as yet

neither

f They had>noweII Jlgefied Body of Laws, or Plan of a Civil

Conftituticn, befftre Onomacritus. So Arijlotle, 'Ovo/a«x:j;t5 -ygvo-

and Writings ^ H o m e R. SS

neither Time nor Skill to frame a Domeftick
Policy, or Municipal Laws 5 and far lefs to
think of publick Methods of training up their
Citizens : They lived naturally, and were go*
verned by the natural Toife of the Paffions,
as it is fettled in every human Breaft. This
made them fpeak and adl, without other Re-
ftraint than their own native Apprehenfions of
G^^^and Evily Jujt and Unjufty each as he
was prompted from 'wtthin. Thefe Manners
afford the mofl natural Pidures, and proper
Words to paint them.

They have a peculiar Effcd: upontheLan-
guage, not only as they are natural, but as they
are ingenuous and ^^^/ While a Nation con-
tinues fimple and fincere, whatever they fay has
a Weight from Truth : Their Sentiments are
ftrong and honeft 5 which always produce fit
Words to exprefs theml^ : Their Paflions are
found and genuine, not adulterated or difguifed,
and break out in their ov/n artlefs Phrafe and
unaifc6ted Stile. They arc not accuflomed to
thc^rattle, and little pretty Forms that ener-
vate a polifhed Speech ; nor over-run with
^itbble and Sheer- IVit, which makes its Ap-
pearance late, and in Greece came long after the
Trojan Times. And this I take to be the Rea-
fon, " Why moft Nations arc fo delighted with
E 4 ** their

^ Qain Ipfe (Tiberius) compofitus alias, & veliit eluftantium
V^'e.rborum, Jhlutius promptimque eloquebatur quotiens fubveniret.

Tacitus,

S6 jin Enquiry into the Life^ &c.

*' their ancient Poets' :" Before they arcpolifh-
pd in ■> Flattery andFaHhood, we feel the Force
of their IVords, and the Truth of their
Thoughts,

In common Life, no doubt, the witty
facetious Man is now the prefprable Charafter ;
But lie is only a middling Pcrfon, and no He.
ro ^\ bearing a Perfonage for which there is hard-
ly an Inch of room in an Epic ^oem. To be
witty in a Matter of Confequence, where the
l^ifque is high, and the Execution requires
Caution or Boldnefs, is Impertinence and
Bujfoonry,

VI RG I L knew well the Importance of
this Imitation of ancient Manners ; and bor-
rowed from Ennius his antiquated Terms, and
the ftrongobfolete Turn of his Sentences. Nay,
he has adopted as many of the old Forms ufed
at Sacrifices, Games, Confecrations, and even
Forms of Law, as the Emergencies of his admi»
red Toem wou d permit.

- Grsecorum {\intantiquijjtmn quaeque

Horat. ad Auguftum. Ep. i . Ljb. 2.

Scripta vel Optima

k Bellus Homo, ic Magnui vis idem, Cotta, videri :
Sed <jui bellus Homo eft, Cotta, pufillus Homo eft.

Martial. Eprigr. Lib. i- lO,

SECT.

SECT, Y

JFimrdnnu^t' Scu^

BY TRACING theCaufes that have the great-
eft Influence upon a Language, we are
led to a Thought that muft give Pleafure to the
truly Good. We find that without Virtue there
can be no true Poetry : It depends upon the
Manners of a Nation, which form their Cha-
rafters, and animate their Language : If their
Manners are found and entire, their Speech
will accompany and do them Juftice ; And if
we rife higher, and fuppofe them not only
found, but Noble and Herotck (as we muft diO^
when fpeaking of Manners fit for Poetry) What

5*8 An Enquiry into the Life

is this but Virtue's Self in all her Luftre and
Dignity ? Your Lordfhip mufl have viewed her
at times in this glorious Drefs, and will forgive
me if I am inquilitive upon fo amiable a Subjedt.
Is what we call Herotfin indeed any thing elfe,
than a difinterefted Love of Mankind and our
Country, unawed by T>a7igers, and unwearied
hy Toils ? If it is nor, the focial Pallions, and
noblefl Affedions niuft prevail in an Epic-
^oem. They may vary indeed, and fhew them^'
felves very differently in different Charadters :
They may likewife have their own Shades^ and
muft be fometimes drawn upon dark Grounds,
to raife and give them a Reliefs but ftill they
muft be the principal Figures in the Piece,
if it is meant to give real and lafting Plea-
fure.

But, My Lord, there is another Conclufi-

on offers itfelf, and appears fo odd^ that one

does not know what to make of it : For does

it not found fcmething like Treafon in j^polld^

Court, to fay that a poUjhed Language is not

fit for a great Poet ? And yet, if the Maxim be

true, *^ That no Man defcribes well but what

*' he has feen, nor talks withEafe and Maftery,

'^ but in the Language and Idiom he has been

** uled to," I apprehend wc mufl affent to it.

Your Lordlhip is fo well acquainted with what

pafles for Politencfs of Stile, that I need be at

no pains to make out the Confequence. Let

me only obferve, that what we call Wolifbing

dimi-

and Writings ^/ H o M e R. T9

diminifhes a Language ; it makes many Words
obfolete ; it coops a Man up in a Corner, al-
lows him but one Set of Phrafes, and deprives
him of many fignificant Terms, and ftrong
beautiful Expreflions, which he muft venture
upon, \\kt Virgil, at the hazard of appearing
antiquated and homely.

A Language throughly polifhed in the
modern Senfc, will not defcend to the Simpli-
city of Manners abfolutely neceffary in E^pic-
"Poetry : And if we feign the Manners, we
muft likewile endeavour to imitate the Stile.
I have already fhewn how little Succefs we can
exped: in the Attempt ; and 'twere eafy to give
Proof in Fad, that no Learning or Genius is fuf-
ficient to fecure us from a Mifcarriage in this
Particular. But the Task is unpleafant : Let us
therefore choofe an Example where we may ra-
ther praife than blame.

T H E N A M E of Fenelon calls up the Image
of a Man diftinguilhed by every amiable Quality:
Like feme powerful Charm, it makes real Vir-
tue, princely Science, andSweetnefs of Manners,
rife to our Imagination. His perfed Know-
ledge of Antiquity, and flowing Fancy, fcem-
ed to qualify him to write the Sequel of the
inftrudive and fimple Odyjfey. And yet your
Lordfhip knows, his enchanting Work has
not efcaped Criticifm "" ; and that only fuch

Parrs

^ Critique des Jt'aniures de Telemaque. A Piece equally cruel
and nnjull ; without other Handle in fad, than wiiat arifes from the
Glow of an elevated Fancy, and the Incompatibility of Manners.

^o An Enquiry into the Life

Parts of it lie expofed, as attempt a Mixture of
ancient and modern Manners j that is, when he
wou'd reconcile old Heroifm with ^ol/tifksy
apd make Poetry preach Renfons of State.

It m a y be thought (uperfluous after this
to obferve, That an abfolute Court muil have
a pernicious Influence both on tiie Variety of
Characters in a Nation, and the Extent of their
Dialed : We need but look around us to fee
many of the finefl: Countries in Europe^ groan-
ing under baffled Laws and an arbitrary Sway,
and giving difmal Proofs of the Trudi of this
Remark. In fuch Governments not only Mat-
ters of Confequence are over-ruled at pieafure,
but in the moft indifferent Circumftances of
Life, all muft conform to the Court- ModeL
Example hath the Force of Command 5 and
no fufpicious Word is allowed to reach the
Ears of the miftaken Great. By this means,
many things muft lofe their Names, and be
foftncd into tnfignificant Appellations j and
where thep cannot be had, Circumlocutions
are called in, to witnefs our Dread of offend-
ing by fpeaking plain Truth ^

Bes ID ES,

*" When the Cardinal Richelieu had obliged the French Academy

to cenfure the Cid, a Piece of the celebrated Corneille\^ the Aii-

thor wrote a Letter to the Cardinal's favourite M. de Boifrobert,

where he tells him, " J'attens avec beaucoup d'Impatience les Senti-

" mens de I'Academie, afin d'apprendre ce quedorefenavant je dois

" fuivre : Jufques la, je ne puis travailler qu' avec defiance, i r.'ofe

*• employer on Mot en fcurete.

P, PelilTon. Hifl. de TAcad. Fianjoife.

and Writings (P/^Homer. 6\

Besides, it is odds but that in fuch a
Country, there 2ixc formal Reftraints upon Wri-
ting, which muft iiave yet a worfe EfFed. What
a lamentable Sight are thofe Countries at this
day, which were formerly the Tarents oi
Learning and Ingenuity? While with Joy we
may view our native iQe, the happy Inftance
of the Connexion between Liberty and Learn^
ing. We find our Language mafculine and no-
ble J of vaft Extent, and capable of greater Va-
riety of Stile and Charadter than any modern
Tongue. We fee our Arts improving, our
Sciences advancing, Life underftood, and the
whole animated with a Spirit fo generous and
free, as gives the trueft Proof of the Happinefs
of our Conftitution.

Forgive me. My Lord, if a Thought
fo pleafant, and which Tou have fo great a
Hand in making fuch, has drawn me from a
melancholy Subject. One cannot, without
Compaflion, think of a poor Poet writing un*
der the Terror of the Inquifition. He knows not
but fuch a Verfe may give umbrage to a Right
Reverend Father Inquijitor j another to a Reve-
rend Father l^rior Infpe6ior ; this Simile may
ftartle the Father ^Deputy Revifor, and that
Allufion feem dangerous to the Vicar him-
felf.

NowoNDERif the frighted Author, haunt-
ed with fuch fable Spe^res inflead of Mufes,
is delivered of a diftortcd Produdion. Their
A Ghoilly

6% An Enquiry into the Life

Ghoftly Appearance muft damp every liberal
Thought. The Mind dares not exert itfelf,
but crouches under the Panick of a Cenfure^
backed with the Secular Arm to inforce it.
And can we expedl: any Grace or Spirit in a
Work that is conceived and fafhioned in fuch
piteous Circumflanccs ? No furely, nor in a
little time any Works at all : For the Fathers
generally obtain their End ; and in a Nation
where they are too much encouraged, in a lit-
tle time fo order Matters, that fia ce any one
^writes but thcmfelves^. But thefe things
have been the Subjeft of many a Treatife : I
only mention them, to point out the Reafon
of the Antipathy between them and the fub-
limer Kinds of Writing. To expatiate upon
the baneful Influences of Tyranny, wouM be
needlefs, when the befl: regulated Government
moulds a Man too much to its Manners^ to
let him excel in that original and unlimited.
Draught of Mankind, Epic-Toetry.

' A Book in Spain muft pafs through fix Courts befcre it is
publifhed. I. It is examined by the Examinador Synodal of the
Archbifhoprick, commillioned by the Vicario. II. It goes to the
Recorder of the Kingdom where it is to be publifhed, Chronifia
de CaJliUa, Arragon, Valencia, &C. III. If approved by them,
it is licenfed by the Vicario himlelf, attefted by a 'Notario. IV. The
Privilege mull be had from his M<!?;>/?}' ; and a 5'<'f '•f.'fl■r^' countei"-
figiis V. After it is printed, it goes to the Corrector General for
fu Ma%eJ}ad, who compares it with the licenfed Co^y, left any*
thing i.'C inferted or altered. And VI. Tiie Lords of the Council
tax it a'c fo much a Sheet. In Portugal, a Book has feven Reviews
to pafs before Publication. I have Imiled at iome of their T'itle-
Pagss, bearing for the greater Security of the Buyer, Com todas af
licen^as necejfarias*
%

and Writings ^ H o m e r . 6\

I N Oppofition to thefe Opinions, it may
be advanced by fuch as are acquainted with
the Progrefs and Periods of Literature, That
the Interval between the high Liberty
and Enflavement of a State, has been obferved
to fhew the World fome noble Produdions.
' The Fa6i is unqueftionable , and to difcover
the Caufes of it, we need only confider the
Steps by which a Government falls from its
Rights, to be at the Mercy of "^i Jingle ^er-
fon. In general this Difaftcr is laid to the
Door of Corruption, and very juftly : Am-
bition and Luxury feldom fail, when they
have attained their full Grofwrh, to throw a
State into Convulfions, and make it ripe
for a Mafter. They difpofe Men to give and
takC) upon certain Confiderations, which in
time grow weighty enough to afFed the Pub-
lick : But at the fame time there is no Scafou
on Earth when Men arefo throughly known.
When the Offers are tempting, and Bribes
run high'', it is then that Men difcover what'

they

*. Biduo, per umim fervum, & eum ex gladiatorio ludo, con-
fecit totum negotium : Accerfivit ad fe, promint, interccffit,
dedit. Jam vero, O Dii boni Rem perdita'm ! etiam l<lo£fes
certarum Mulierum, atque Adolefcentukjrum nobilliim Introdutii'
«nes, nonnullis Judicibas pro mercedis cumulb fuerunt.

Cicero writing to Jttkus the Hiftoiy of Clodius's Acquital by
ihe Affiilance of Crajfus. Lib.i. Ep. 13.

Curio i Bribe to change Sides, and betray his Country, was Cen-
iles l-i-9i, or 80,729/. 3 J. 4^. He wanted this and five times
more to free him of Incumbrances ; for he had a Debt of Sex-
itniigSf H-S» 484,575 A

<f 4 An Enquiry into the Life

they are worth, or what they will fell them-
felves for. The Man of real Virtue appears
with double Luftre after the Refufal ; and he
who has withftood one Temptation, when his
Fotble is found out, and rightly applied to,
gives way upon the fecond, and fixes his Price*
Mankind in this refped are like certain Indi-
an Feathers j they do not fhew to Advan-
tage in one Light only, but the Diforder
and Dangers frequent at fuch Jundures, fee
all their Pallions a going, and turn them
into every Shape they are capable of: And
thefe Attitudes, when well obfervcd, and juftly
copied, give us the excellent Pieces above-
mentioned.

Besides, the Times of fuch Struggles
have a kind of Liberty peculiar to themfelves:
They raife a free and adive Spirit, which over-
fpreads the Country : Every Man finds him-
felf on fuch Occafions his own M after, and
that he may be whatever he can make him^
felf: He knows not how high he may rife,
and is unawed by Laws, which are then of
no Force. He finds his own Weight, tries his
own Strength, and if there is any hidden Worth,
or curbed Mettle in him, certainly (hews and
gives it vent. Accordingly we fee, that the
Genius's produced at thefe Times, give great
Proofs of Reach and Capacity ■» efpecially in
politick Managements and civil Affairs, in

the

and Writings <?/ H o m e r. 6f

the largeft Senfe^ The abflrad Sciences
are generally the Prodiidl of Le'ifure and
^iiet f i but tho(e that have refpecl to MaUy
and take their Aim from the human Heart,
are beft: learned in Employment and Ai^ita-
tion.

It was when Gr^^r^ was ill- fettled, when
Violence prevailed in many Places, amidft the
Confufion of the wandering Tribes, that Ho-
mer produced his immortal Poem : And it was
when Italy was torn in Pieces, when the lit-
tle States were leagued againfl each other 5 in
a word, in the Heat of the Struggle and
Bloodfhed of the Guelfe and Ghibelline Par-
ties, that ^ante withdrew from his Country »
and made the ftron^eft Draught of Men and
their Pafiions, that ftands in the Records of
modern Poetry. The Author of the Ene'id
lived in a Time of Diforder and publick Ruin :
He faw the Miftrefs of the World become
twice a Prey to lawlefs Power 5 her Conftitu-
tion deftroyed, and Prices fet upon the Heads
of her braveft Sons for oppofmg a Tyranny.
And ftill, My Lord^ it was when unhappy
Britain was plunged in all the Calamities ot

F Civil

« Thucydldcs, Arijlotk and Bemofihcr.es among the Gteeks, r.nd
Cicero, Virgil and Horace among the Romans, were Witnsflcs to
Civil Wars, or Attempts made upon the Publick Liberty. Some
of themfurviv'dit, and fome tell in its Defence.

£;>;o'A«S(r«v' Jto a-ff) "Aiyt/Txsj, en t/ju^r.^/jxriyot). rrfoiroii Tt/C^xi <riwt-

66 An Enqifiry into the Life

Civil Rage J that our high- fpirited Poem took
its Birth. It is true, the ^lan of Taradife
Loft, has httle to do with our prcfent Man-
ners 5 It treats of a fubhmer Theme, and re-
fufes the Meafure of Human Adions : Yet It
every where bears fome Analogy to the Af-
fairs of Mankind ; and the Autlior (who had
viewed the Progrefs of our Mifery) has em-
belhlhed it with all the proper hnages his
Travel Ung, Learning and Experience could af-
ford him.

B u T A s few of the Changes which Let-
ters have undergone, pafs unobferved by fo
quick an Eye, your Lordfhip will probably
ask; ''Since a polilhed Language, and the
" Deference paid to an abfolute Court, are
*' incompatible with the nobler kinds of
" Poetry, how came the ytew Comedy
*' to excel the old, which had all liberty of
" Language and Manners, Vv^hile the other
" grew up under the Influence of Luxury,
" and the Awe of the Macedonian Power ?
A learned and fententious Writer will not al-
low this to be true: " The Old Comedy, ac-
" cording to him, was employed in tiie Re-
" formation of Manners, in recommending
** Virtue, and pointing out the Abufes of the
" State ; v/hereas the New was contented to
"trifle with Punks and Pandars ; the old
" Chuff, the ^aviis^ or Knave of the Fa-
*' niily, and his young Mafter : The Scene,

*'he

and Writings (j/^ H o M e r . (J7

" he fayF, is always at Athens, and all the
" Pother is fome little jilting Story, or kna-
" vifli Prank ; propofing only fomc trifling
" Mirth or filly Tajiimc !
But admitting the Suppofitlon ^ the
diiferent Nature of the Writing accounts for
it. Nothing can be more oppofite than the
Stile, the Language, the Manners of Comedy
to Epic : The fittefl for the one feem the
mofl improper for the other ; and the mofl
uncomick Character on Earth is a Great and Ge-
nerous Man. 'Tis true indeed, that in fuch
a thorough democracy, as Athens was, the
Limits of Comedy -Sind Tragedy cou'd not be well
afcertalned or kept afunder. Tragedy being
a Reprefentation of the high Characters in Life,
and Comedy of the lower, they were in re-
ality jumbled together in this Stated, where
the vileft and mcaneft Creature, might fpeak
as fcurriloufly of the Perfon and Condudl of
the firft Citizens, as his Education and Temper
cou'd prompt him. Here lay the Strength of
the old Comedy, which cou'd not fubfift but in
fuch a State ; and which no doubt muft have
the Preference, if immoderate Laughter, if li-
berty to talk at random, and banter the higheft

F 1 Digni*

8 Pinxit & Demon (AHMON) Athenienfium, Argumento quo-
que ingeniofo. Vclebat namque varium, iracundum, irijuilum
inconfantem ; eundem exorabilem, clementem, mifericordem^
excelfum, gloriofum, huniilem, ferocem, fugacemque, & om-
nia pariter ollcndere,

Plinius, de Parvhafio, liib, 35. § zo.

68 An Enquiry into the Life

Dignities, and bell Men of the Nation, are
advantageous to that kind of Writinf^. But if
that Liberty was often abufed, and if the
^rama is capable of a nobler Turn, and of
giving a more refined Pleafure j if more 7V//^^
can be brought into the Manners, zx\AMen and
their Natures more generally reprefented, in
that cafe it muft give way to the new.

1 MUST however own, that while the
high democracy prevailed at Athens, and the
Commonalty were pofleffed of that uncon-
trouled Power which Pericles had put in their
hands, and Cleon exercifed, during that time,
Ariftophanes and his Fellows had Originals to
draw from j and in that refped their Wit and
Writings, which appear to us theatrical and
fdlfe-> are natural and true. But that wild li-
centious Government was no fooner check'd
by Fears from abroad, (which always produce
Regulations at Home) than the ^taAot x.'a.}^r5^/,
the Men of Capacity and Worth, began to di-
flinguifh themfelvcs and appear eminent 5 A
Secretion was made j Manners were formed,
and Charaftcrs obferved and valued. Here was
the Rife of the ne'UJ Comedy j Ribaldry was
baniflied, and Menander wrote. That is, at a
Seafon when Liberty was not loft, but the Ex-
crefccncies of itlopp'd off; when the Humour
of that witty People was not qualhed but re-
gulated : So true it is, That every kind of
"Writing, but efpecially the Poctick, depends

upon

and Writings <y^ H o m e r. 6^

upon the Manners of the Age when it is pro-
duced. The beft ^oets copy from Nature-, and
give it us fuch as they find it. Wlien once they
lofe Sight of this, they write falfe, be their
natural Talents ever fo great. Let Torquato
Taffo witnefs the Truth of this, and the rapid
Artofto'-> each endowed with a fertile Genius,
and a happy Expreflion ; but who quitting Life,
betook themfelves to Aerial Beings and Utopi-
an Charaders, and filled their Works with
Charms and VtJionSy the modern Supplements
of the Marvelous and Sublime,

S EC1\

'^M^^ 'W^K /y^.w^-^-'^

^riziv/^^ if/

SECT VI.

i/i/</ /'^/'//Z

"H E N 1 reflcd. My Lord, upon this way

of rcafoning, from the Inducnce that

publick Manners have upon Writing, I make

no doubt but the Qucflion will recur ; Since

it is abfolutely the Conjiin^iure^ and Man-

7iers of xkitTimes that produce Poets, ** How

^' have we but one Homer ? Cou'd a Space

** of two or three hundred Years, when

'' Greece, and the Coaft of ^Jia, was in a

^' proper Temperament for fuch Formations,

^' bring forth but one ?

The

and Writings (j/'Homer. 71

The Anfwcr is obvious 5 Tiiat tho' it be
abfolutely neceflaiy, yet it is not the only Con-
dition : There are many required befides ;
too many to be iiere enumerated 5 there is
an univerfal and elevated Genius ; a Qiiality
ib rare, that an excellent Author of our Na-
tion feems to think, " That of all the Num-
" bers of Mankind, that live within the Com-
*' pafs of a thoufand Years, for one Man
** that is born capable of making a great
" Toety there may be a thoufand born capa-
*' ble of making as great Generals, or A4i-'
" nifters of State, as the moft renowned irj.
" Story - ". But tho' this were exaggerated,
there are many fubfequent Circumllances of
Life, many Advantages of Education, and Op-
portunities of knowing Mankind in general,
and feeing particular Subjects fit for Poefy,
which can hardly meet in one and the fame
Perfon.

To INSTANCE in one Particular, from
which we may Judge of the Import of the
reft 5 much Travelling-, :^i'\A.\^'\d<z perfoiial Ob-
fervatwn^ has been the Lot of the greateft
Epic ^oets. \\\ this way of Life they had
frequent Opportunities to acquaint themfelvcs
with the Ormnals of their T>ramkts and
Pillions, whole great Excellency, whether
material or moral, is their Likenejs to Na-

F 4 ture

* Six WiUiam '7'tv«//V.\\Iilceil. Part 2. E:Tay 4. Pcetry.

7x j4n Rnqiiiry Into the Life

tUYc and Truth. But your Lordlhip knows,
that this happens to few Men, efpecially of a
Poctick Turn : They are common! y none of
the healthicfl People, and too deUcate to en-
dure the Hardfhips, or face the Dangers that
are inevitable in long Voyages. And yet,
My Lordy with all thefe Chances the Peri-
od I have mentioned, when the Marnier s, the
Religion and Language of Greece were at
their proper Titch for Toetry 5 to that Peri-
od, i fay, the World ftands indebted for Li-
nus^ Orpheus^ OlympiiSy Mufaus and Am-
phion ; Men who are handed down to us as
the Maflers of Verfe, by the grcateft of their
Succeflbrs b. Their Songs it is true, are long
ilnce pcriOied ; but the wife and peaceful He-
Jiody whofe Compofitions in part have reach-
ed us, and command our Admiration, owes
his Birth to the fame Period.

Nor can there be a greater Proof of the
Power that Manners, and the ^ublick Cha-
raBer have over Poetry, than the furprifing
Relcmblancc of the oldcfl Writings. Two
things cannot be liker one another, than the
old Oracles, the fragments of Orpheus (o
called, and the ancient Hymns ^ arc to Hefi-
od\ and Homer % Verfes. Not to fay in gene-
ral, that they have the fame Turn 5 but the fame
Epithets of Gods and Men^ the fame Senti-
ments

♦* r.Iui'k'um ante omnes — .rEneid. 6. Horat. OJe n. Lib. 3.
& do Arte Poetica.

and Writings ^Homer. 73

ments and Allufionsy the fame Cadence and
Stru6iiire ; nay, fometimes the very fame Ex-
frefjions and Vhrafes are to be met with in
them all. Numberlefs are the a-wejt/.Mfj^gimb,
or Coincidencies obferved by the Criticksj
and in fhort, the CoUufion of their Meta-
phor and Imagery is fo palpable, that many
have attributed the EfFeds of their being
formed upon the fame Models, their Wri-
ting from the fame Originals, and in the fame
plain Dialed, to downright Copying or Pla»
giarifm.

But Your Lordfhip fees there is no need
to go fo far : The Caufes afligned are fuffici-
ent to produce all this Likenefs ; if we re-
member too, that they commonly make Wri-
ters excrcife themfelves upon the fame Sub-
je<5ts, which is alfo a Part of their Influence,
A certain kind of Science is peculiar to every
Age, and a particular way of treating it.
They are both the Effect of the ConjunBttre
fo often mentioned. And while I am upon
this Subjed, 1 cannot pafs over one Confe-
quence, which has been long a Problem among
the Learned. It is elegantly propofed by a
Roman <^, who, if his Honefty had been equal to
his Underftanding, might have flood in the
firil rank of their Htfiorians.

«♦ Tho'

' ' C. Vellei Paterc. Hiil. Roman. Lib. i . in fine.

74- ^^ Enquiry into the Life

" T H o' I have little room for it, fays he,
*' yet I cannot help mentioning a thing which
" I have often revolved in my Mind, and
*' cannot fatisfy my felf about the Caufc of
** it : For is it not exceeding ftrange, that
•' the great Majters in every ^rofejjion and
'* Science^ always appear in the fame Period
" of Time-, and are of the fame Caft and

" Model ? One Age, and that at no great

" diftance of Years, produced Efchylus^
" Sophocles and Euripides^ Men of a di-
" vine Genius, who brought Tragedy to its
" Height. In another, the old Comedy flou-
" rifhed under Eupolis, Cratinus and ^ri"
'■^ ftophanes ; and the new was invented and
*' perfeded by Menander and his Cotem-
" poraries, 'Diphilus and Thilemon, without
'* leaving hopes of Imitation.

" In like manner, the ^hilofopkical

*' Sages of the Socratick School, how fhort

" did they laft after Tlato and Arlftotle^

*' Death ? As to Oratory^ who can be faid

'' to have excelled in it before Ifocrates, or

" after the fecond Defcent of his Scholars ?

'* They came all fo clofe together, that no

'' one great Man can be feen at any diftance

*' of Time from another." Then the Hifto-

rian proceeds to fhew, that the fame thing had

happened among the Romans -^ and, with great

Reafon, extends his Obfervation not only to

the fublimer Sciences, but alfo to Gram-^

mariansy

and Writings <?/ Homer. 77

marians, Painters-, Statuaries^ Scnlj)torSy
Founders^ and to all the fubfervient Arts.
The fame Event might be fhewn to have fal-
len out in any Nation, where Learning ever
fiourifhed, and whole Htjtory is known.

Wonderful, My Lord, have been the
Conjectures about this puzzling Appearance ;
and many a curious Speculation has been em-
ployed to folve it '^ : It has been doubted,
'' Whether any hifluencc of Stars ^y any
^' Power of 'Planets, or kindly AfpeEi of
" the Heavenly Bodies f, might not at times
" reach our Globe, and impregnate fome fa-
" vourite Race with a celcftial Spirit." Su-
pernatural Conceptions, and miraculous ^Nur-

flngSj

^ See Difcours Phyjique fur les hifluences des AJlres ; where the
Planetary Powers are reduced to Des Cartes Principles, and ac-
counted for by the Materia Subtilis. \ 2"'° Paris cliez Coignard.

* Les Ailres, & principalement les Signes tc les Planetes font
(apres Dieu) la feconde Caufe des Moeurs. Le Poete marque la

Force qu'elles ont fur la Complexion des Hommes, quand, cScc.

Voila comment Virgile fait I'Horofcope de I'Empire Romain, en
fa naiffance. P. Boilii du Poeme Epique Liv. 4.

^ Diftat enim, qua;

Sydera te excipiant, modo primos incipientem
Edere Vagitus, & adhuc a Matre rubentem
Ventidius quid enim ? Quid Tullius ? Anne aliud quam
Sydus, & occulti miranda Potentia fati ? Juvenal.

8 Hercules, Alexander and Sclpio *, were faid to be in reality
Jupiter\ Sons, tho' they palled for Jmphitrions, PhUijj\ and Pidi.
Scipio^s. Demaratus belonged to the liero Jfirohacits f : and Or-
pheus, Homer and Plato, according to ancient Tradition, had only
Mothers of the Human Race. Pindar was fed with Honey by the
Bees themfelves : Achilles was nurfed with the Fat of Lions, and
Marrow of Deer ; and the Founders of Ro?ne were fuckled by a
Wolf, tho' the Founder of the Perfian Empire had only a Bitch to
perform that Duty for him \.

* Livi] Hili. Lib, 26. f Ilerodit. Erato. J J"ftin. Lib. I.

*j6 An Enquiry into the Life

fings, have been contrived as a Salvo for
our Belief, when the Hero or Sage atchieves
things which we fancy above the Reach of
Men. But our Court-Hiftorian underftands
better ; and the* he talks a little ftrangely in
the End '', yet he feems to lay the Strefs of
the Matter upon a furer Bottom. The way he
accounts for it is by Emulation-, which cer-
tainly contributes to the Perfedion of every
Art and Science , and v/as ftrong among the
AoiAoij or Bards., whofe appearing in a Clu-
iler gave rife to the Queftion ^ : But this
Principle is far from giving com pleat Satif-
fadion, which indeed Velleiits does not af-
firm.

I WILL not repeat what I have faid j for
I am fure your Lordfhip has prevented me,
and already made the Application. It is the
different Periods, naturally fucceeding in the
^rogrefflon of Manners, that can only ac-
count for the Succeilion of Wit and Lite-
rature.

I HAVE

'' Naturaque quod fummo ftuuio pet: turn eft, afcendit in fum-
mum, difficilifque in perfefto mora elt, naturaliterque, qaod
procedere noji poteft recedit.

Velle. P. Hift. R. Lib i.

' In HeJiod\ Days, who, if not Contemporary, lived at no
great Diftance of Times from Homer, a Poet, or aOIAOX, was
.".s common a Calling as a Potter or a Joiner, and as liable to
Emulation and Envy.

Kss* Hrwx); Utu-/,^ <p^oni, )^ A0IAC2 AOIAfl.

and Writings <?/'H o M e R. 77

I H A V E marked out thofe of Greece in
the Hiftory of the Language ^ j they corre-
fpond with admirable Nicenefs to the fuccefllve
Sets of 'PoetSy Orators and Thilofophers enu-
m era ted by the Roman Hiftorian. For they
are fettled and uniform Caufesj and never fail
to work their EfiB^ unlefs when external
Violence hinders their Operation.

In the early Ages of the Grecian State,
the wild and barbarous Inhabitants wanted the
Afliftance of the Mufes to foften and tame
them. They flood in need of being impref-
itdi with an Awe of fuperior and irrefiilible
Powers, and a liking to focial Life. They
wanted a Mythology to lead them by Fear
and Thread (the only Holds to be taken of a
rude Multitude) into a Feeling of Natural
CaifeSj and their Influences upon our Lives
and Adions. The IVife and Good among
them faw this Neceflity, and fupplicd it : The
moil ancient of the infpired Train were the

?// Vates ^ ^hoebo digna loctiti^\

They had Religion for their Theme, and the
Service of Mankind for the End of their Son£^.
How unlike in this to fome \.z.iz Authors of our
own Growth ! who, I hardly know for what
End, have written againft the Religion of theic
Country 5 and without pretending to fubfli-
tute any thing better, or more prafticable, in

its

* See Page 45 ^ 46. » Virgil i^neid. 6.

78 An Enquiry into the Life

its place, wou'd deprive us of our happy Efla-
blilhment, mecrly as 'twou'd feem, for the
Pleafure of pulling down, and doing Mi Ichief.

But the firft Men of Science in Greece^
better inftruded in Human Nature, and
knowing the Advantages of national Rites,
wrote in a different Strain : The Forma-
tion of Things-, the Birth of the Gods-, their
Properties and Exploits, firfl informed their
Numbers : Next were celebrated the Heroes,
who had extirpated Tyrants, deftroyed Mon-
Jiers-f and fubdued Robbers. They fung the
flood of IDciicalwn, and Reparation of Man-
kind ; the Wars of the Centaurs-, and the Fate
of the Giants,

Et favos Lapitbas^ ^ fiimir/m Mero
Hylaum, domitofque Herculed mamt
Telluris Juvenes, nnde T*ericulum
Fuhens contremtiit 'Domus
Saturni vetei^is. ^

THtsE, lily Lord, were their Subjeds ;
They arefomeof the BPOTHN 0EAKTHP1A,
as Tenelope calls them " ; the

Err' ANAPP.N TE ©EHN TE, TATE KAEIOYSI AOlAor.

doings of Gods and Men, 'which Toets ufe

To celebrate. "

They

in Horat. Carm. Lib. 2. Od. \1.
" SoTiQs tofootb llanklnd. Ooves. cc,
° Ibid,

and Writings (?/ Homer. 79

They are as old as our Knowledge reaches in
the Grecian Antiquity, and the aoiaoi that
made and fung them, are among the earliefl
Charaders. *

This APPEARS fromthe Accounts given of
them by Homer himfelf : particularly when
he relates, that the greateft Prince of the Con-
federate Greeks put his beautiful Wife under
the Tuition of a Bard j and takes care to
let us know, that the Lady was inaccellible,
until that faithful Guardian was removed.
Many of them lived contemporary with
Homer : No Prince's Court feems to have been
without one or more of them 5 and they reforted
to all the great Feafts and high Solemnities,
to aflift at the Sacrifices, and entertain the
People. We know Ibme of their Namek, who
tuned their Lyres to the 'foregoing Subjeds 5
but their Songs are loft, and with them ma-
ny a Si rain of true Toetry and Imita-
tion»

SECT.

O , ,7i-c /."i. ^/It^

SEC T VII.

HITHERTO, My Lord, we have view-
ed Homers publick Advantages, an ' have
found that they afforded iiiai the fitteft Man-
ners for Poetical Compofitions, and the noblefl
Language to exprefs them. We have viewed
thefe in their own Beauties, and tried them
both by the Foils of their Contraries, and
Strength of their Confequences. His Terfo-
nal Good-fortune is now before us j I mean,
^* What effe<fl, his private Education, his
*' Way of Life^ and Succefs in it, mufl have

*' upon him as a Toet*"

The

and Writings ^/ Homer. 8i

The Tradition concerning his Educa-
tion is very lame. Plutarch having related his
Mother's Adventures about the time of iiis Birth,
paffes over the firft part of his Life in filcnce.
But if the Relation of it afcribcd to Herodotus
be true, he was educated in the only way that
Learning was to be had attiiat time. Letters
were then but little known, and it feems ftrange,
that in fuch a Place as Smyrna^ where according
to the cruel Pradice of thefe Ages, the Lydians
had been jufl expelled by another Tribe, there
fhould be any Body who underftood or taught
them.

But the low Circumftances of Homer's
Family, carried him and his Mother to 7*be-
mius\ Houfc, and left him his SuccefTor in the
School. I take ^/^^/^///Jto have been one of the
AGi/^oij or Bards-, who might, when at home,
inftrud Youth in Letters : For I fuppofe Learn.
ing was not then common enough to make a
Profellion by itfelf. If there was any Know-
ledge in the Country, it muft be in fuch a
Man*s Hands ^. And this. My Lord-, is in-
deed the important part of the Queftion, What
Learning was then in Beings and what kind

G of

* Ton <!^ ^tHMlON, vi ToiXxCet Woo'iXf ^acc<ry.ix,>^oy yin/cS^ Aty^ tS
no»)}T8, eivd'poi iroipov, iu fJuaa-XK; fcuro^ov ■ ^(AfO"o^©- yi 6

O'iip®', xx^u >^ TTXi AOldOS.

He is faid to have written a Poem, N o S T O N ? icTa" T^eixi

8x An Enquiry into the Life

of Knowledge it was pojjibley in that AgCy
for a Man to acquire ?

One of the moil learned and laborious
of the Roman Writers, after great Searches into
Antiquity, has left it doubtful when or where
Poems were firft produced : But adds, " It is
" certain they were before the Trojan War ^/'
As this was the Form in which Learning firfl
appeared in Greece, it wou d have been highly
entertaining to have known the Opinion of that
great Scholar concerning thefe early Produdi-
ons j not only what they were 5 but whether
the Poems ftill extant in his Days, were the ge-
nuine Works of thofewhofe Names they bore>
tor it was. My Lord, the Pradice of the an-
cient Poets, and particularly the Epic or Rhap-
fodijfsy to conceal their Names^ which indeed
the Nature of their Work did not invite them
to mention. We have a convincing Proof of
this in the K Y n p I A e n h^ a Poem of the Wars
of Cyprus, believed by People in after Times,
to be the Work of no lefs a Man than Homer
himfelf. It appears that this Opinion was flill en-
tertained in the Days oi Hero dot us y who confutes
it by comparing a Pallage in that ^oem-i with
another in the Iliad ^. For want of fuch a Guide
to point out the Species of Learning that pre-
vailed in Horner'^ Time, we mufl try to find

out

*> De Poemahim Origine magna quasftio efl : Ante Trojanum
^ellum probantur fuifTe. Plinij Hift. Nat. Lib. 7. Cap. 56,

« Herodot. Euterpe, Lib. 2,

and IVritings ^ H o M e r. 8 g

out the Rife of the National Opinions of his
Countrymen ; and in order to judge iSDhat kind
of Knowledge they hnd among them, we muft
fearch for it at the Foimta'm,

Whi LE THE "Poticiesoi Greece were yet but
forming, Affyria, Phoenicia and Egypt were
mighty Kingdoms, flouriiliing under regular Go-
vernments, and happy in the Kichncfs of their
Soil, and their Methods of improving it. In
a courfe of Years, the long Peace they en-
joyed, and the Arts which fuch Times pro-
duce, having brought a great part of the Ad-
miniftration into the hands of the Sacred Or-
deVy they took all poflible Methods to keep
up their Aiitkcrity^ and aimed at nothing
more than the rr.ifing their Reputation for
Wifdom and Knowledge. This rendered them
firft envious of their ^ifcoveries^ and then
at pains to find out Methods, " How to tranf-
'' rnit them to their T>efcendants, without
" imparting them to the Vulgar !* Here was
the Origin of Allegory and Parable ; and the
Foundation of the received Saying among the
Ancients, ' kKK-Ay^nv ^pnfi^ r 'Aiy^vrlioov. To
allegorize is an Egyptian Invention.

The way 1 would undcrftand this Max-
im is, Since it is natural to all Nations to em-
ploy AUufions, and fpeak in Similitudes, the
Egyptian Pricfcs have built upon it, fettled the
Tropes and Metaphors, and improved it into
an Alt, Nor did they flop here 5 but, as

G a a

84- -^^^ Enquiry into the Lije

a fecond Wrapper, and a Remedy againft the
growing Knowledge of the Country-, they
invented, or borrowed, a ne'iso ChdraBer
for writing thefe Allegories. They called
it I EPA rpAMMATA, ot Hol} Letter s, be-
caufe they muffc be known by none but
the Priefts, nor ufcd by them but in divine
Matters.

Your Lordship will remember that
T>anaus'^ the Egypt ia?i^ Cadmus the Thobnic't-
an^ of Egyptian Extrad:, and the Phrygian
^elops-, were the firft Planters, or Improvers
of Greece. But bcfides the deep Imprellion
of Afiatick and Egyptian Manners, which
thefe Founders of Cities and Kingdoms muft
give their new Subjeds^j it is agreed on all
hands, that the firft Sages among the
Greeksj drew their Science from thefe
Countries, and their Theology in particular
from Egypt ^ .

*T 1 s TRUE, there was as yet no Separation
of Wifdom : The Phllofopher and the Divine,
the Legiflator and the Poet, were all united
in the fame Perfon^. Such was Orpheus^

and

•* 'At A A N A O Y B-vyetli^Si krx'J, cci Tt:v riXirvii tccvtIm (t-Jji/
Si-fjt^c<pcclciv AK[/jt?if'^) s| 'Atyu^iH ilff/ayia-cHj iu ^ta'a-lxa-ai rug

* "AX\£«» a^'/j (^Mv^-oTTOifcn) iTrl Mciyoii ytyovxa-iv (tO wit in ^J^
fyria OX BabyloJz) xXb-ut 3 a-espaJ <f>°tJti, f^ n^i) ^ccp' 'AtyvpfiUt^,
Sec. Oepvs], Tlifi r 'nccpa.S'ihl^av Mv^m, Cap. 17.

7>%"EXNfis<J«. 'apodal, 'EvTi^Tm:.

8 See Page 98,

and Writings of 1;^ o m E R. 8 jr

and his Scholar Miifaus , Onomacrittts too, and
Thales'^j and in general, all the ancient Lawgi-
vers employed the Mufes to difpenle their divine
Inflrudions, and recommend their Morals''.
The great Men who came after them, and were
bred in this ancient School of Relmon and
T'olhicks, finding the Governments of Greece
already fettled, kept to Philofophy ; as ^Demo-
crkus, Pythagoras, and the Milefian Tbales ;
Thcfe, befides their Travels into Egypt, wan-
dered over the greateft Part of the Eaji. T^e-
mocritus ' and Thales falling in Times of lefs
difguife, plainly publilhed their Opinions 5
But Orpheus, Mufaiis^ Onomacrittis, and even
Pythagoras himfelf, drank deep of the clofe
referred Manner of their Mafiers. They taught
in Allegory, and aifeded a Myftkifm in their
commonefb Adions. T'ythagoras, th(/ he lived
lateft, feems to have aimed at eflabliihing aSed:,
or rather a Semblance of a Commoffjuealth 5
which made him take particular ways to raife
Admiration : And indeed with them all, Si-
lence and Superfi'ition made a necellary Part
of their Inftitutions. But happily for Greece,
the' they cou'd wrap up their Dodlrines in
G 3 Fabky

S © A A H 2, MiXmroiu^ is'il.c, y^ veijui^iTitcoi. Strabo, Lib. lO.
Lyairgus, they fay in his Travels, found Thales in Cretey and fent
him to Lacedemon.

^ n^oTifiov fB/j cv zroilifjttuo'i s|i-^sfo» c« ^(Afltro^et rot ocyixiAToi,
>$ Ti(5 A«y»«, mT7!i^ O P * E r 2 >9 'Ho-KJ^ .

WX>iT:cifX, 'dk^ TluS: y^ ET.

^ Pythagoras 8c Democrihts—. ambo, peragratis Ferfidisy jEthi-

opi(e, Arabicc, j£gypti^ueMz^\s. PUn. Lib. 25. cap. 2.

86" An Enquiry into the Life

Fable, they had not an unknown Chara-
<n:er to write in 5 fo that their Precepts and
Opinions came to appear, when their Ver-
les were publillicd, and their Manner was
known.

LINUS is fiid to have written, in the
old ^elafgick Letters, the Expedition of the
firfl: Bacchus 5 and to have left Relations of
other Tranfaftions of the fabulous Ages ^.
He wrote of the Generation of the Wvrld and
Rife of Thinj^Sy the common Foundation of
the Egyptian, and thence of the Grecian
Theo!o(ry. As he is reckoned the Parent of
their Poetry, fo in the Egyptian Records, kept
by their Priefts, he flands at the Head of the
Worthies who came to that Country in queft
of Knowledge I Laertius^ has prefcrved
the firft Line of his Poem of the Creation,

It contams an Idea of the ancient Chaos, or
tliat primigenial State of Narure, when the
Elements lay blended together, and Confufion
and Darknefs exercifed an uncontrouled Do-
minion. The fame Author adds, That Anax-
azoras was thoujiht to have taken occasion
iirom thence to advance his celebrated Poiition,
" That originally, all things lay jumbled" to-
*' gciher in one jarring and diforderly Mafs,

*'but

fe Diodorus Sicul. Biblioth. Lib. j.
I Ibid.
» In Procemio,

and JVritingS ^y^HoMER. 87

*^ but that a Mind came and put them in

*' Ordsr.

Coeval with Linus was ANT HE S
di Anthedon"^, z. Town in Bceotia. He wrote
Hymns °, celebrating the Gods j that is, the
Powers and Productions of Nature h whofe
ftrongcr Afpeds, and ftriking Senfations, feem
to have been the Origin of Rapture and Verfe.
Feafts and Sacrifices would help forward the
Tranfport, and are finely fitted to this Situation
of the human Mind. Horace makes thtHar-
*vefl home of the old Italians to be the Begin-
ning of their ^y^/yr ^, and the very Invention
of Heroick Meafure is afcribed to a Female^
THEMONOE the firfl Prieflefs of
Aj^ollo %

' TAMTHO a Native of Attica, and
Difciple of Linus, firft fung of the Graces,
without definino; their Number, or ^ivino-
their Names. He bewailed his Mafler's Death
in a T)irge called o it gain 02: He fung
the Rape of ^roferptne by the Infernal
God, and wrote Hymns to 'Juptter, T)iana
and Ceres. Thilojiratus fays, that Homer

G 4 copied

" Paufanias, BcEOt. Lib. g.

• Plutarch. De Muf;c.n.

P Horat. Ep. I, Lib. 2. Ad AuguJ}u?n.

An4 Strata, U^arLo ^ <tHMONOHN <y>cto-» yin^ Uv^ixr,

Lib. 9.;
' Paufanioi BcEOt.

88 An Enquiry into the Life

copied the Hymn to Jupiter^ and changed
it much for the better s.

But ORTHEVS, that Great Name in
Poetry, has ecUpfed the Fame of all the reft :
He likewife is faid to have been one of Linus
Scholars 5 tho* Ttutarch exprefly affirms, that
he imitated no Man in his Poetry or Mufick,
but was himfelf an Original^. It is how-
ever certain, that he made the fame Voy-
age as his fuppofed M after had done, into
Egypt 5 where he ftayed long, and was let in-
to the Secrets of their Philofophy and Religi-
on. At his Return he did greater Services to his
Country 5 or rather to the People he chofe to live
with, for he is thought to have been originally
from Thrace. His Adions are themfelvcs in-
volved in Allegory-, and related in the fame
kind of Fable as he was wont to employ about
his Gods and Heroes. Whether he left any
thing of his own in Writing is to me a great
Doubt. I find no reafon to conclude he did
not. But the Fame of his Knowledge was fo
high, that we have from Suidas'', the Titles
of fixteen or feven teen Poems written under his-
Name, chiefly by the Tjthagoreans, who em-
braced

* P^7;z/^(7 had faid, Ziu-M$'i<ri. jw-tyirt 9■£^^ iiXvifjtiiBfiix.'o7:^u^
Inflead of which, with nicre dignity' Homer has turned it,

J In Orpheo,

andWritings of Ho m e r. 89

braced his Dodrine 5 and from others, we may
reckon up twice the number. Tiiey are phi"
lofophical, prophetical-, and religious 5 and were
believed to contain his real Opinions and the
genuine Strain of his Verfe.

He begun his Song with ancient Chaos,
its Transformations and Changes, and conti-
nued it thro' the various Steps of Creation :
The Offspring of Saturn, or Time, the o^^"-
ther. Love and Night ; the Birth and Pro-
geny of the Giants ; and ended in the For-
mation of Man \ He dircded thefe his my-
ftical Leffons to raife an Awe of the Gods in
the Breafts of his Hearers, that he might re-
ftrain them from Barbarity and Bloodlhed, and
charm tliem into Humanity and Social Man-
ners y. jirifto_phanes when he wou'd give the
Sum of his Services^ fays,

OP$ET2 \d-/j yip TclM'm.'i ^ y)^v y^Ts^a^e y

Orpheus, our Tracers prejcrtbed^ and holy

RiteSy
And Abjiinence from Murder"^. — -

* Hefung, ' X^X'^'i^ /"-V 2rf«7«s XAOYS ki>Ayu,iro^ kvx^Jw,

Kul KPONON, 05 t' i/.oy^dicnv xizieiTiOKrtlKp' oAxoij
AI0EP.-. ; j^ S'l^vvi '7^<67riu. KV^y^^ov hPi>TA,
NYKTOS aH'y">5^'»? naT£^«,;Aur«v ; i'v p'aOANHTA
'OTtXoTi^m y.xXi\s(ri (ii^orcl, jsr^s;-©- yi i^pivB-,).
BPIMOrS t' iv^vvxTeiio '/««? j i^^' spy eci^r,\sc

Horat, ad Pifon. » Hetrecix,

90 jln Enquiry into the Life

As HIS Name for many ages was the fir ft in
Greece for Sandity and Wifdom, his Dodrines,
if they were not by himfelf committed to Wri-
ting, m'lfl; \jc current by Tradition. Tiie Prince
of tiie Phiiofophers quotes two Lines from
his Theogony without infinuating any Sufpici-
on of their not being genuine ^ j as Arijiotle^
the grand Critick, does botii from him% and
from his SuccelTorb, Nay fo lare as the Reign
of Augiiflus CaJar,T)iodorus ih^ Sicilian men-
tions the Tocm of Orpheus as a Piece then held
in great Admiration c. And truly I cannot
doubt but that the Writings that pafled un-
der his Name, whether written by Mtipeus
or Onomacritus contained his genuine Dog-
mas ^.

MUS^ US was Orpheus* famed Scholar,
or perhaps his Son. j^>^// fpeaks of him as
the greateft of Voets. He feems to have med-
dled Ic/s in the governing or reforming Man-
kind than his Mafter j deterred perhaps by the
unhappy End of the Theological Hero. Yet
he com po fed Prophecies and Hymns, and wrote
J acred Injlr unions which he addrelfed to his

Son.

' A^i?oL OtKovofhuLUt a,

* <l»j(r» '/»' >^ M O r S A I O S w«<, — Bje^r? >iJ<f o» ecilo |y.

'Ajirol. CeAir. 3-,
« K«( '/^ noimyiiA o-uytr«|f to 3'«f/*«^«^'oi' >^ xccrat ri)v ^yJ^Hv i/jr.

«• They were called theOP<DlKA EIIH; c* reTi 'Oe<piKUi »«•

A«/a/<!«5 iTiie-i, fays AriftotUy <©£< "^v/^ia.

and Writings ^/ Homer. 91

Son. He prefcribed Tur:fications and Atone-
ments^ fung the Wars ot \hz Titans, and left
fomething upon Aftronomy. But his great
Work, and what brought moft Honour in thofe
days, was a Theogony or Hiftory of the Cre-
ation ^. ^aufanias is of opinion that an Hymn
to Ceres is the only genuine Remain of this
philolbphical Poet f . He had a Son and Daugh-
ter, Eumolpus and Helene, both touched from
Helicon. The Son wrote of tiie Myjleries of
Ceres and Rites of Bacchus, and the Lady is
reported to have fung the Trojan IVar^,

Contemporary witii tliefe was Syagrus,
whofe Charader is ftill more confined to the Pro-
vince of a Poet. ^ Elian fays he too fung of the
War at Troy, and was " the fir ft who gave
" a loofe to his Mufe upon that noble Subjedl."
2). Laertius calls him Sagaris^ and brings him
down to Homer" ^ own Days ; whofe Rival and
Enemy he fay she was while dWvQf^s Xenoj)hanes
proved after he was dead'.

* Diog. Laertius in Prooem : Where he gives a Principle of
MuJ^us" Philofophy.

*" Jftlcis fe" Meffeniacis.

8 Hepha-Jlio apud Photium CoDiCE CXC. Suidas in Eu-
tnolpo.

*• "OTi S T A r P O S Tic, iy'cviTO ne«»)T>K f/tiiT '0^(picc y^ MiftrxToy,
• ? xiyiTBH Toi-TPniKON nOAEMON st^St®- utrui j /U/syiViJ?
asT(^ w;Te3-S(ri»5 XctQo[0/j(^^ t^ i;riro>ifJi/i<rxi tuutv.

'AiAtesv. HoitciX. iref . /S«'». i^. >tt<p, a.

* In Prooemio, And in Xeitophanes Life, yty^a^s J"* ;i c* 'EA*-
yf.'afc, j^ •lajw.S'oi,; )c«&^' HSIOAOT >^ OMHPOI, iTTKTKOTrTat
ikMTuif T» ■ist'i hat njpij^'^'ef,

^% An Enquiry into the Life

We c A N tell with more certainty, that^;^v-
thaon^ Son, the prophetick Melampus, brought
the Myfleries of ^Proferpine from Egypt into
Greece. He taught them the Story of the Z/-
tans^ and according to T)iodorus, -w ovioAov,
«du> tj^^e Toi Tlcc^ r tS^oov l^Q/Lctvy ^' The whole
" Hiftory of the Tranfadions and Difafters of
*^ the Gods '^." He is celebrated by Homer
himfelf, who without all doubt was acquaint-
ed with his Mythology I

About the Age of Z//;^^j came O L E N
from Lycia "", and compofed the firft Hymns that
were fung in "Dehs at their Solemnities, which
were among the oldeft in Greece"". Homer
himfelf frequented thefe Feafls, to celebrate
the fair Offspring of Latonay and fing to the
/<!?;2/^« J that repaired to ^D^/j? J" invaft Numbers
upon thefe Occafions. He glories in being
HAI2TOX AOIAHN, the fweeteft of the

Singers that came there °.

THT-

^ Diodor. Biblioth. Lib. x .

1 'O^vosr Vx^6)^. A. and again, Tif<^a^. ».

^ Ovt(^ ^i O AHN k^ Tii ceAAx? rise, TrctXctt^i, vfjiiviSe, Ixclwi c//<

" Aum'^ J>i 'i2 A H N es >^ rtsi iiAivm; rm U^^C'^ioTxlm tVojijo-sv
£^ner(. Tluuo'civ. (ioiuT,

Plutarch upon the Authority of Jntides and IJirus, two an-
cient Authors, fays, that the Statue of Jpollo in Delos had a Bow in
one Hand, and with the other fupported the three Graces who held
each an Inftrument of Mufick ; one a Lyre, another a Flute, and
the third a Syrhix, or Pipe. As to the Antiquity of it, they

faid, ovtZ ai Tta-Xkiov lyt to ei<P(^^Vf/jx tsto, ufi jki i^yx(retf^>if
itvTo, T' icccB-' ' l^pnicXiot, f/tji^oTim <pxvlt tlvxi, Ut^i MuTiKKi'

^ See below, Page 107.

and IVntlngs of Homer, 93

THTM OETES, Laomedon"% Grandfon,
and Orpheiis\ Cotemporary, is fpoke of as
the greateflof the early Travellers. Befidesthe
Countries then known, towir^^-^and Egypt,
which he vifited, he is laid vo have palled
thro* Africk to the IVeftern Region : There he
faw the Ifland in whicli the ancient Inhabitants
affirm that Bacchus was nurfed j and having
learned from the Nyfaans^ the Exploits of the
God, at his Return he compofed in the old
Dialed:, and wrote in the old Letters, the Piece
called the Phrygian Poems p.

It was indeed from the lelTer j4fia that the
Greeks got their Regular Mujick. The Fortifier
of Thebes^ the famous Amphion-i is called the
Invent er of Mufick^ I fuppofe in Greece : He
is allowed the Honour of firft framing a Lyre "iy
and certainly employed both his Melody and
perfuafive Strains, to induce the wild Inhabi-
tants to wall their Town, and live orderly :
But with what Propriety he is called the Inven-
tor of the Lydian Mcafure I hardly underftand '.

Th e

P Diodor. Biblioth. Lib. 3.

^ Plato fpeaking of the Invention of ArtSy fays, Tk ^

A AlAAAii xalfls^itJti yfye"* ^ait OPOEi, rkh UAAAMHAEi ;
T«^s !rsg»M8(rwi»MAPSrA;^ OATMH^, jrtf* >.6gxi ^l AMNION!,

^ Muficam invenit Amphisn ; Fiftulam & Monaulum ( M O-
NATAGN) Pan Mtrcmii; Obliquam Tibiam M?^«j in Phry-
gia ; Geminas Tibias Marfyas in eadem gentc. Lydios Modu-
les, Amphion ; Dorios, Thamyras Thrax ; Phrygios, Marfyas
Phryx : Citharam, Amphion ; ut alii Orpheus ; ut alii Linus ;
Septem Choidis additis T^erpander ; oflavam Si?nonides addidit ;
nonam Timotheus. Cithara fine voce, cecinit Thatnyras primus,
cum Cantu, Amphion ; ut alii Linus. Citharoedica Carmina com-
pofuit Terpander ; Cum Tibiis canere voce, Troezenius Darda-
vus inllituit. Plinii Hillor. Nat. Lib. 7. § 56.

94- ^^^ Enquiry into the Life

The "Phrygian MARSTAS' claims
the Invention of the Double Flute, and of the
Meafure that bears the Name of his Country.
He was in high efteem with the Ancients, and
feems to have been but too fenfible of his Vein
and Accoinphihments, as appears from the
Story of his Conteft with Apollo. Some be-
lieve the Foundation of that Fable to have been
the fatal End of theMufician, who went mad,
and threw himfelf into the Riijer that bears
his Name ^

His Scholar, OLTMTUS fliares
with him the Glory of the Invention of the
Phrygian Meafure", and pretends to be the
firft himfelf, who fung a N^nia or fune-
ral Song. He is faid on the Death of Ty^
thon^ civXyimi ehikhaeion ^v^q')^ " To have
** play'd a funeral Tune upon the Flute ia
" the Lydtan Strain. "^ " His Compofitions
are felected by Ariftotle as the raofl rapturous,
and the apteft to infpire Pafllon and Enthufi-
afm^ into the minds of the Hearers. And he
hath the Teftimony of the knowing ^liitarchy
as having greatly advanced his Art, by intro-
ducing

* Zuidas in M«;!(rt/«5.

^ Xenophon. 'Avatao-. /SioPi. ;<,

" No/Aoi e'^feOATMnOr^MA P2Y O Y (p^^yio* >i ^wXi ; j^

"^ nxisrct^X* '^ff' Mna-no^i. He fays there were two of that Name.

ITaAjTiK. S". And a little afterwards, fpeaking of the different
Harmonies and their Effefts, he fays, 'Esi-jso-j^rtJia? 4' *if^»us has been the Author.

and Writings ^Homer. 95-

ducing fome kinds of Mufick 'till then unknown
to the World, and of being the Prince and In-
venter of the beautiful Grecian Manner/.

The Muses Lover in more Senfes than
one^ the Thracian THAMTRAS firfl
played upon a Lyre without finging. This he
did to fhow the Variety of his Genius, for at
the fame time he compoied Hymns'"^ the pi-
ous Exercife of the ancient Poets. He like-
wife fung the Wars of the Titans '', and wrote
a Poem of three thoufand Verfes upon the
great Foundation of their Religion and Mo-
rals, the K o s M o r o N I A, or Generation of the
Worlds or the e o r o n i a, which is an equi-
valent Expreffion c.

The Troezenians ^ boafl: an Epic Poet,
OROEBANTIVS by Name, whowrote
before Homer, I cannot tell upon what Sub-
jed : But Melefander the Milefian, fung the
Battle of the Lapitha and the Centaurs e, which

feems

t^ x.ct>\'!ii Mis(riKij<:. n>iHrccpx- ibid.

» See the Catalogue \Xi»>. /3 and the y\rticleof the Pjliaas un-.,
der Nejior, where Homer mentions Ihamyris i as alfo Eujiathi-
us" Notes.

* Suidas in Thamyre.

^ "Or. S. O 1' O I li A N T t O T ? Tfo.^„y.'« "E^r, ^^i 'O^A^ye, 1%
^ccarl (it Tjcit^,viot >.oyot. Kotl f^ (P^uyx Ji A A PH T A, a ^^.vylu*

ASyXfTf.- 'At^llCCV, rioiX.A. «Vflf . /34b. (66. xfip. O.

e M£A(V«vJ))©-c M»;\i5(r(©-, yVAni©i2N>^ KENTAYPilK
^«;^!j)i \yfw\v» ' Ibid*

9^ An Enquiry into the Life

feems to have been an Adion of great Fame in
theeaily Ag;es, and to have afforded much Ex-
ercife to the young Adufes of Greece.

The WISE T A L MT H AT U S ^ \^
faid to be a Son of Hermes^ and not long af-
ter the celebrated Tkemonoe. There have been
fome great Men fince of the Name 5 but this
admired Ancient fung the Generation of Apollo
^nd^mnay and the Conteft of Minerva and
Meptime. He wrote a Poem upon Latona's
JLocks^ ( A/?Ta5 ^Aoy^^/uigv ) and another of an
uncommon nature, " The Voice and Speech
^' of f^eriiis and Love^." He likewife com-
pofed a K o s M o n G 1 i A, or Hiftory of the Cre-
ation of the World, in five thoufand Verfes.

These, My Lord, are fome of the Men
in whofe Hands the ancient Mythology and
Poetry grew together. When 1 review them
I think it happy that Hefiod's noble Work
has reached our Times. We fhould fcarcely
know elfe what to make of fo many © eg roNi a's,
K G s M on o 1 1 A's and ic o s m g r o n i a 's as we have
enumerated ; But from it we know, that the
Birth of the Godsy the Rife of Things, and
the Creation of the World are but reciprocal
Terms, and in the ancient Stile ftand for jufi:
the fame thing. They were the common
Theme of the firft Toets and Lawgiver s^ who
by their ieveral Improvements and Additions

enabled

* Suidas in n«W<^«i^(^.

5 4>ai'<«s y^ ?ioyiSi "Aif j)e/iT«{ f^ "Eeur^, Id ibid.

and fFritings ^/ H o m E R. 57

enabled Hejiod and Homer-, their Succcflbrs,
to give their Theology a Body, and reduce it
to a Standard that flouriihed while Greece was a
free Country, and lafted feme time after theii:
Liberty was gone.

And n o w I would willingly fpare your

Lordfhip the trouble of hearing any more

concerning the Books that might be in ^hemius'

or his Scholar's Library, was there not a Pre-

fumption " That thefe Writings I have na-

" med, are later than our Poet :" And of this

Opinion is that great Hiftorian, and Antiquary

of Greece Herodotus the Halicarnajfean. As

for xhzGods, fays he, *' Whence each of them

*' was dcfcended, or whether they were al-

" ways in being, and under whatShape or Form

*' they were, the Greeks knew nothing 'till

*^ very lately. Hejiod^^nd Homer ^c^c^ I be-

'^ lieve, about four hundred Years older than

" my felf, and no more : And thefe are the

*' Men who made a Theogony for the Greeks 5

*' who gave the Gods their Appellations, de-

" fined their Qualities, appointed their Ho-

" nours, and defcribed their Forms. As for

" the Poets that are faid to have lived before

'* thefe Men, / am of Opinion they came

*•'• after them^!' So far the Hifborian ; who

no doubt means Linus^ Orpheus, and their

Scholars, by the Poets he does not name.

H What

98 An Enquiry into the Life

What he fays of Hefiod and Homer y
muil be true in one or other of thefe refpedts ;
That either they brought their entire Syftem im-
mediately from Egypt y and pubUfhed it in
Greece jiA\ then ignorant of Religion and Rites j
Or that without other affiftance than their own
Wits, they contrived it wholly themfelves.
But they are both equally incredible.

Whoever knows any thing of the na-
ture of that kind of Writing, needs but make
one Refieclion, to be convinced that a Theoc^o-
ny is2i Piece of deep Learnings and vafl La-
bour^ " It is /? Syftem of the Univerfe, digefted
" and wrought into an Allegory : It is a
"^ Compofitionjmade up of infinite Parts, each
'' of which has been a Difcovery by itfelf,
<' and delivered as a Myftery to the initiated : *'
The contriving and putting *em together has
been a Work offome Ages, and isaconjund
Effort of Politicks and ^hilofophy.

Neither, on the other hand, were He-
fiod and Homer xhtfirft who learned Religion
in Egypt, and brought it to Greece. A fmall
Acquaintance with their Writings will convince
any Man that they wrote from Life ; and de-
fcribe the Exercife of a Worfhip long fince
eftablifhed in their Country. An hundred Paf-
fages in both Authors make it abundantly plain,
that the Greeks knew the Names and Natures
of their Gods, had Sacrifices and Ceremonies ;

Temples,

and Writings of Ho uetl. 99 ^

Temples, Priefts, Prayers and Songs long be-
fore either Hefiodox Homer were born. ,

But, My Lord-, it is to no purpofe to ufe
other Arguments than this noble Hiftorians
own Words. In the beginning of the fame
Book, fpeaking of the Origin of tiie Word
Ocean, he fays, omhpon ^j^tiW rnpoxEPon

h rlui Uoimiv iaivii){^^< *' Homer-, I beheve,
*' or fome of the Poets that lived before himy
'* having invented the Word, inferred it into
" their Poetry. Or if we fhould be fo in-
dulgent as to allow, that he fpoke negligently
in this place, and according to the vulgar Opi-
nion; how Ihall we reconcile it, when he
tells us exprcfly that Melamfiis, a Man placed
by Horner'^ himfelf three Generations before
the Trojan War, *^ firft taught the Greeks the
''Name and Sacrifices of Bacchus^? That
" the Pvitcs about Funerals called Orphick and
** Bac chick-, were really and originally jE^;'j&-
" tian ? And in general, that the Egyptians
'* were the firft of Mankind who ufed So-
** lemnities, made Procellions, and appointed
** Initiations j and that <d^' r8'7wi/''EM.Zoyf; ju«-
" fxa,^^<n^^ from them the Grecians learned
" to do the fame?'' For it is not an eafy Con-
clufion, that if Funeral Rites, Sacrifices and the
Name of Bacchus are found in Homer j and the

H 2 Hifto-

« •0^t/«r. 'P<«4'*^^ 0» •« 'Ei»r^Tj(. /3,?. ?. * Ibid,

loo An Enquiry into the Lije

Hiflorian tells us, that Melampus and Orpheus

firfl brought them from Egypt-, and taught them

the Greeks, Is it not eafy, I fay, to conclude,

" That this great Author, having his Fancy

" full of the Antiquity of the EgyptiaJiKittSy

'* in oppofition to the upftart Religion of

*' Greece) lias fallen unawares into an Incon-

" fiflency, when he fays that Homer and He-

*' Jiod were the Men who made a Theogony

'^ for the Greeks, and frjl informed them of

'^ the Names and Natures of their Divinities ?"

It remains then that thefe Fathers of our Poetry,

had themfelves, if not Patterns to work by, as

feems to have been Hefiod'^ cafe '^', at leafl

plenty of Materials to work upon j which

cou'd be no other than the Doctrines, whether

traditional or in Writing, of the Men 1 have

juft now mentioned ".

'And thus, My Lord-, we find an An-
fwer to the Queftion, What Learning was then
in Being ? and what kind of Knowledge it was
pofTible in Homer % days to acquire ? It was

wholly

™ 'AS^« ^^^' 'HrioJ*s<TjAi(»rj«8i'Tor* ct-^'v. i^^yriTt<; yivoire, (fpeak-
ing of the Nature of Saturn) ik (H^ ri'va, in elfjhxi, ttu^u t^
APXAIOTATiif^ uvtS TTcCfiXyiipoT©^ , r'ocSi UiV^muTi^ct. uvri

»> I Fuit hsec fapientia quondam,

Publica privatis fecernere, facra profanis ;
Concubitu prohibere vago, dare jura maritis,
Oppida moliri, leges incidere ligno :
Sic honor & nomen dinjiah Vatibus, atque
Carminibus venis, POST ho§ infi^nis Homerus, l^e.

Horat- ad Pifones*

and Writings ^Homer. ioi

\fh.o\\y fabulous and allegorical. '' The Pow-
" ers of Nature, and Human Pailions made
*' the Subjedl 5 and they defcribed their va-
*' rious EfFccfts with Tome Analogy and Refem-
" blance to Human AEiions. They began
*' with the Rife of Things, their Viciflitudes
" and Transformations, defined their Nature
*' and Influence 5 and in their metaphorical
" Stile, gave to each a ^erfon, a Speech,
" and Method of Operation, conformable to
" their fancied ^taltties.*' Nor is there any
other kind of Learning to be met with in Ho-
mer : I mean fuch Learning as we get from
Books and Matters ; for what Knowledge he
acquired as a Traveller, is of another kind,
and falls in more properly to be confidered ia
another Place.

SECT,

^ nzfx:^<^ i/2L

SECT VIII.

BUT HERE, begging your Lordjhip's Par-
don, I muft be permitted to think of my
own good Fortune in addrefling this Enquiry
as I have done : Whoever has a Diffidence of
his own Opinions, naturally feeks for a wifer
Man than himfelf with whom to communicace
them : And if he is confcious of any flngular
Humour, or Tndination to judge with a few
ag^inft the Multitude ; to laugh perhaps at what
they highly efteem, and efteem what they
think contemptible, he muft then find either
one of the fame Sentiments with himfelf^ or,

and Writings of ^o m e r, 103

if he fhould be miftakcn, one of that Can-
dour and Knowledge of Mankind, as will
make Allowances, and bear with the Infirmi-
ties of his weaker Friend. In this cafe. My
Lord^ I find myfelf bound to give fair Warn-
ing of the Forbearance I fhall want 5 iince I
am upon the matter about to afTert, ** Thiit
" Homer's being born poor^ and living a
^^ Jiroling indigent Bard, was in relation
'* to his Toetry^ the great eji Happinefs that
" coiid befall him!*
We have already feen fome of his Obliga-
tions to his Poverty. It put him in the only
Road of Life in which Learning was then to
be acquired, with the peculiar advantage of
living in the houfe with his Mafter in the dou-
ble Relation of a Scholar and a Son. Had he
been the Child of a rich Father, or of one
who cou'd have barely fupported him, or even
taught him his own Trade, he had never gone
to ^hemiusy to be doubly inftrudled in Philo-
fophy and Poetry, which at that time, as has
been already obferved, were not feparate Stu-
dies. The fame Necelllty made him glad to
be his Succejfory and teach his School after his
death; anExercife, if not too long continued,
of the higheft Tendency to ftrengthen the Mind
and corred the Fancy. But the grand Good-
fortune that Homer\ Poverty procured him
was this, " That it forced him to take up, and
H 4 con-

1 04 j4nEnquiry into the Life

continue in the Profcflion of an AoiAor, or
StroUng Bard.

To COMPREHEND the fuU Extent of this
Happinefs, your Lordfhip will be plcafedtoknow,
that this is a Grecian Charadter, which took
its Rife in that Country, and was formed upon
no borrowed Model. The Poetry and Alle-
gory of the Egyptians, was like every thing
f/cir^ bounded and prcfcribcd by Law ^. T>ia*
doriiS^-€\\^ us, that Men were forbidden the
'•^^ pradice of Mufick, as tending to effemiT
nate their Minds : And indeed the Care both
of this, and of the Terjian and Babylonijh
Governments feems to have been more em-
ployed about their Hiftory and Records^ or
AJironomy and Numbers, than the Encourage^
jnent of the Mtifes.

But IN Greece, where Nature was ob-
ilrudted in none of her Operations j and no
Rule or Prefcription gave a check to Rapture
and Enthufiafm, there foon arofea Set of Men,
who diflinguifhcd themfelves by Harmony and
Verfe. The wonderful Tales which they told,
and the Melody with which they accompanied
them, made them the Delight of thefe flmple
Ages 5 and their Knowledge of Things both
natural and divine, gave them a great Afcen-
dant over the Spirit and Belief of their Co-
temporaries.

Tho'

* See Page 140. indie Notes.

and IVrlttngs <?/Homer. ioj*

T H o' WE had no remaining Teflimonics
of the Honours paid to this Profeflion by the
Ancients, we might fafely conclude from its
Nature and Fun^ions, that it would meet
with univerfal Approbation. A Man who has
it in his Power to charm our Ears, entertain
our Fancies, and inftrudl us in the Hiftory of
our Anceftors ; who informs his wond'ring
Audience of the fccret Compoiltion, and hid-
den Harmony of the Univerfe, of the Order of
the Seafons, and Obfervation of 'Days, fuch
a Man cannot mifs of Efteem and Attention t>:
But if he adds a SanBion to his Dodrine and Art j
if he pretends '^That lie is under the Diredion
" of the Godsh that he defcribes their Natures y
" announces their Names, and decrees 5 that
*' he does this by their immediate Orders, and
*' then leads the way himfelf in the new Devo-
** tionj" he muft needs become the Objed of
their Admiration and Reverence.

That

^ On the old Altar of Pav, fays Sannazaro, Pendeano due
grandi Taaiole di Faggio, fcritte di rujUccwe lettere, leqiiali conte-
ne-vano le anticbe Leggi, e gl't ylmmaejhamcnti della Vita pajlorale.
NelP una eran notati tutti i D) del/' Anno, i Mutamcnti delle Jla-
gioni e la inequalita della notte e del giorno ; infic?ne i Pronojiici
delle Tempejiati, e quali giorni fan della Luna fortunati, e qualz
infclici alle Opere de* Mortali ; e che dafcuno in ciafcuna bora do-
'vejje fuggire o feguitare per non offendere le oJJ'er'vabili -volonta de
gli Dij. Neir altia fe legge-va qual Go'vernoji con^vcnga alle Pecore,
ifuale doHjeJfe ejfere la bella forma della Vacca e del Toro, e le eta
idonee al ge?terare, &c. And the ancient Prielt of the God had
perfeft Knowledge of, e la Terra, e 7 Cielo, e 7 Mare ; lo bifati-
gab'ilc Sole, la crefcente Luna, e tutte le St elk di cbe il Cielo Ji ador-
na ; e coji per confequente, i tempi del arare, del ?netere, di pian-
tare le Viti e gli Olivi J di inejlaregli Albert , vejlendoli di adotti--ve
fiondi. Sannazaro Arcadia.

io6 An Enquiry into the Life

That this was their Conduct appears
from no weaker Authority than the ingenuous
Pindar ^ the Prince of the Lyricks : He lets us
know, that the Homerid£ (a Family in Chios,
thouglit to be defcended from our Poet) fol-
lowed the Occupation of their Founder, and
were for the moft part, what he calls Singers
of flowing Verfe : He tells us that it was their
conftant Pradice in the beginning of their Song,
to ufher it in with a Trayer to Jupiter ^ : A
Cuftom of a very devout Appearance, and
which they obferved fo ftridly, as to hand it
down in a religious kind of Tradition, to
the Poets of after- times, ^iety was indeed
the chief Part of a Bard's Trofeffion, and fome
of their Worthies, fuchas Eumolpus, Melam-
fiis and Epimenides, are reported to have done
as great Feats in this Capacity, as the Law-
givers did in theirs.

In other refpe£ls, we find the Teftimo-
ny of the oldeft Poets ufed by the later Wri-
ters as the Great Mafters of Science 5 and have
a noble Inftance in Hecataus the Milefiariy
who in the grand Aflembly of the lonians
fairly diftinguifhed himfelf both by his
Knowledge and Capacity ^. The Queftion in
agitation was of no lefs Importance, than

*' Whether they fhould continue in their Obe-

'^ dience,

* ' O^iV ■JTlf lC ' 0(/jr,e'iS'oll,

'?»VTQ)i tTna^y rot. TToXk.' 'AatJot,

* Herodotus. T«f4'';t*fij>

artdWritingsofYioun's., 107

" diencc, or rebel agalnft the Great Kin-^ ?'*
(o they called the '^Perjian Monarch. Heca^
taus difluaded the War; and produced a thing
'till then rarely fecn, A Map of the Pcrfian
^Dominions y and from it made a Computation
of iheir Power : But like a Mafter of the Ar-
gument, if on the other hand, they were re-
folved to try the Fortune of War, he gave
them good Advice, and pointed out the only
Method of carrying it on. They negleded
both Parts of his Counfel, and were ruined in
the Iflue.

'Tis TRUE Hecataus lived after Homer :
But we find the Charad:er the fame in his Wri-
tings both for Sandity and Science. An aoiaos
or Bard, according to him, muft know
noAAA oEAKTHPiA^ maftj foothing Tales 5 their
Subject muft be epfa ANApriN te gean te.
The T>eeds of Gods and Men ; and their Oc-
cupation is

eEOI2I TE, KAI ANGP.anOISI AElAEIN.

To Mortals and Immortals both to Jlng.

That Homer himfelf was one of the
Number, is what I can find no rcafon to doubt.
Befides the concurring Opinion, and conftant
Tradition of all Antiquity, the Place where he
makes the moft immediate mention of himfelf,
declares him to be an aoiaos^ and the fore-
mofi of the Profeflion. I touched upon the
^ PafT^ge

io8 An Enquiry into the Life

Paflage before, which is wonderfully wrought^

and of vaft SimpHcity. It is addreiGTed to Latondy

and her prophetick Offspring Apollo and jD/-

ana-i whofe Feaft was held at ^elosy and was

frequented by vafl Multitudes of People from

Ionia J and the adjacent IJlands. " Hail, Hea-

'•^ "venly Tower Sy fays the Bard, whofe Praifes

*' I Ting ; let me alfo hope to be remembred

^' in the Ages to come : And when any one

*' born of the Tribes of Men, comes hither

^* a weary Traveller, and enquires % Who is

*' the fweetcfl of the Singing Men that re-

** fort to your Feafts, and whom you moft

'' delight to hear ? Then do you make An-

*' fwer for me ; f 'Tis the blind Man that

*' dwells in Chios ; His Songs excel all

*' that can e'er hefung. "
B u T I mud deal fairly with your Lordfliipj
and own, that this fame Hymn is by fome faid
to be none of Homers ; but the Compofition
of one Cynathus 5 a Chian too, and a great
Rhapfodift, who has the Honour to be the firft
Man that ftyig Homerh Works in Sicily s and
who is faid to have been the Author of a good
many of the Verfes, that pafs under the Poet*s
Name in the Iliad 2Lnd Odyjfey. Thefe Poems,
they tell you. Homer did not commit to Wri-
ting

* Tf(pAo5 uvi)^ i oMi'i e'i Xja» in zreu'nftXoios^'.

and Writings (^/'Homer. 109

ting himfelf ; but his Pofterity in Chios, and
the Rhapfodifts who were for ever repeating,
had got them by Heart ^ and this Cyna-
thus, their Chief, while he preferved Ho-
mer's Verfes, and put them together, did inter-
mix a good many of his own Invention. The
Hymn to Apollo, in particular, is pointed out
as one of his Compofitions 5 fo that we could
not draw much from it relating to Homer, if
there was fufficient Authority to fupport the
Aflertion.

But there is not : All we have for it,
is the Word of a namelcfs Scholiaft of ^in-
dars, who fpeaks faintly of it himfelf 5 and
the Men of that Clafs, tho' very ufeful in their
way, we all know, have but fmall Pretenfions
to great Credit in Fads : Or if their Teflimo-
ny was of any weight, the fame Scholiaft has
preferved three Lines of Hejiod's, which feem
to determine the Queftion s. They afTert, that
this or fome fuch Hymn was of Homers Com-
pofure, and that he was wont to make Voy-
ages to TDelos on the fame Errand. But there
is ftill better ground to believe it his \ I mean
the Authority of the learned and accurate Thu-
cydides, who quotes this very Hymn as an ori-
ginal Compofition of our Poets ^ and whofe

Judg-

* 'En ^qA«, TOM ar^ST(^«ytf J^^O/AJja^ 'Aet^ei

no An Enquiry into the Life

Judgment is of more weight than a hundred
Annotators.

It was neceflary to clear fo important a
Point, becaufe this is the only Piece of Hoiners^
which fixes the Place, if not of ills Birth, at
leaftof his Abode': It jfhevvs in what he pla-
ced his Merity and how he wifhed to be talk-
ed of among Pofterity : It likewife favours the
received Opinion of his lofing his Sight in the
Decline of Life, and leaves no doubt of his
Occupation. The IJlandof Chios was no ill-
cholen Retreat : It enjoyed the difFufive Benig-
nity of the Climate, in common with the reft
of that delicious Coaft ; but peculiar to itfelf,
it produced the richejt Wine that Greece could
boaft of" 5 and abounded in the other Ingredi-
ent of the Pleafures of the Ancients, the fine ft
Oil. What made this fo neceflary, was the
ufe of the Hot-Bath-, which was an Article in
their living they rated fo high, as to fet it upon
a footing with the Joys of Wine, and the
Charms of the Fair : And the three together
were thought fo fwcet by the ancient Men of
Pleafure, that Life in their Opinion was not
worth keeping without them ^ The Inhabitants

' Jrijlotle was of Opinion, that Homer was a Chian.

* Athena;as Dcipnofophii}, Lib. 12. Horac. Lib.3. Ode 19.

Quo C/^/^/«p;etio (Xduni ?

'Balnea, Vina, Venvs, corrvmpvnt.corpora nostra.
Sed vitam facivnt. Balnea, Vina, Venvs.
Homer himfelf when he defcribes a Man newly come out of the
Bath, and anointed with Oil, generally adds, that he appeared taller
and larger than before, and was grown UUiX^^ 'A^amTeiftv^
SomeihingUke the Immortals.

and fFritings (y^HoMER. iii

of Chios bore an excellent Charader among the
other Iflanders, and in particular proved excel-
lent Seamen ; infomuch that whilethe Power of
Greece \f2iS but yet in its Infancy, they were able
to fit out a powerful Fleet, and formed De%ns
upon the Sovereignty of the Seas : and fome-
time afterwards, when they were attacked by a
fuperior Force, they fhewed great Spirit in the
defence of their Liberties '". Our Poet there-
fore in this Situation was fettled as it were in the
middle^ between Ionia and Qreece. He had the
advantage of going to either when he pleafed ;
and cou'd be eafily tranfported to T^eloSy which
was jufi: in his Neighbourhood, to attend the
Feaft of his favourite divinity.

I T I s, I think, generally allowed that Homer
took his Charafters from Nature or real Life 5
and if fo, the Picture of thCAoiAos is his o'di'tt.
He does indeed omit no opportunity to do ho-
nour to the Fro'Xrion, nor even to mention it.
He has pri'.nted every Circumftance of it, draws
Similies from it, tells its efFeds upon the Hear-
ers, and of all the Wooers that had been de-
vouring Ulyffes* Eft ate in his abfence, he fpares
not one, fave ^hemius the Bard, and a khpth,
or Tttblick Servant ".

Few people have conceived a juft Opi-
nion of this Profellion, or entered into its
dignity. The Reafon of which I take to be,
That we have no modern Charader like it :

For

® Strabo ibid, ■ oJlw. P<t'f wJ". jC\

11% An Enquiry into the Life

Forlfhould be unwilli'Bg to admit the Iri^ or
Highland Rimers to a fhare of the Honour ;
tho' their Bufinefs, which is to entertain a Com-
pany with the Recital of fome Adventure, re-
fembles a part of the other. The Trovadores or
troubadours of Tro'venccy the earlieft of the
Moderns that fhewed any Vein for Poetry, have
a better Claim °. They fung their Verfes to the
Harp, or other Inflrument they cou'd ufe, and
attained to a jufl Cadence and Rettirno^Wcxit in
their Stanza's , but had neither Manners nor Lan-
guage for great Attempts.

This ignorance of an ancient Charader
has made fome ingenious Men, and admirers of
Homer:, take pains to vindicate him from it, as
a mean and contemptible Calling j or at leaft to
diflcmble and flur it over. It was indeed no
Life of Wealth or Power, but of great Eafe
and much Honour. The a o i a o i were welcome
to Kings and Courts 5 were necefiary atFeaflsand
Sacrifices 5 and were highly reverenced by the
People. The ^heacian ^oet is defcribed

EPIHPON AOIAON

AHMOAOKON, AAOI2I TETIMHMKNON.

Valde amabilem Vatem^

'Demodocumy Topulis honoratum.

It will eafily be granted, that Men pinch-
ed in their Livings and forced to have their
Thoughts ever upon the ftretch for Subfiftance,

can-

• See Sperone Speront. The Name remains Hill in Spain, as
Todos o los mas Cavalleros andantes de la Edad paffada, eran gran-
des Trobadores y grandes Mujicos. Parte i . Lib. 3. de Don ^ixote^

and Writings ^Homer. 113

cannot have room for rapturous Views, and po-
etick Strains ^. The fame Reafon excludes all
Men of Bujinefsy who are thoroughly fo, from
the Society of the Miifesi ; not only becaufe
our Capacities are narrow, but becaufe our iW/Wi"
as well as Bodies, when once inured to a Habit,
feldom or never quit their wonted Track : Or if
at any time, by main force, we are beaten out of
it, yet '' a certain Manner of thinking atid rea-
" foning always recurs, bearing aRefcmblancc
** to the Education and Courfe of Bufinefs We
" have run through. *' In fhort, whoevei'
confines his Thinking to any one Subjed, who
beftows all his Care and Study upon one Employ-
ment or Vocation, may excel in that 5 But can-
not be qualified for a Province that requires the
freeft and wldeft^ as well as the moft fimple and
difinterefted Views of Nature.

K ow, My Lardy if we were to fit down and
contrive, iiohat kindoi\Ai<i is the leaft obnoxious
to thefe Inconveniencies, we fhall find none {o
free from Care^ Bufinefs or Wanty as that of a.
Bard. It is exadly the eafy, independant State,

I i that

' ^ed Vatem egregium, — ■

Hunc, qualem nequeo monjlrare ^ fevt'io t an turn ^

Anxietate carens j^nimus facit j 07nni5 acerbi

Jmpatiens, cupidus Sil'variim, aptufqitc bibtndis

Fofitibtis Aonidum. Neque enlm cantare fub Aritrs

Pierio, Tljyrfum^e poteji contingere marjia

Paupertas, at que jSris imps ; quo JioSle d'leque

Corpus egtt " ■■

Pedora nojlra duas non ad?nittentia Curas. Jhv. Sat. 7;

* Or the fmall Genius which my Youth cou'd boall.

In Proff and Bufinefs lies exunft and loft. Prior .

J 14 An Enquiry into the Life

that is unawed by LawSy and the Regards that
moleft us in Communities j that knows no Du»
ties or Obhgations but thofe of Hofpitality
and Humanity : that fubjeds the Mind to no
Tinfture of Difcipline r, but lays it open to all
the natural Sen fat ions , with which the various
Parts of the Univerfe afFed: 2ifagacmiSy fercep'
tinje^ ?nmickmg Creature.

As THIS Condition is in itfelf of the ut-
moft Importance to a Toet-i the Confequences
of it are almoft equally happy: The aoiaoj,
or Bards^ were under a neceffity of frequent
Travelling, and every now and then exercifing
their Vein upon the greateft Subjeds. In this
Situation did Homer begin to wander over
Greece, carrying with him thofe Vitalities that
procured him a Welcome wherever he came '. I
have already fhewn what a noble Scene for Tra-
velling the Grecian Cities and young Com*
monwealths then afforded. Homer flayed fo
long in each of them, as was neceilary to fee y but
not to be moulded into their Manners. The
Order of a Town, and the Forms brought into
the common City-life, elude the Paffions ^^

and

^ Plato calls a Mhidht for Poetry, ^'t^^^iii' a;?«Te». <I»«r<^^©'.

' The Poet himfelf, when fpeaking of the People we gladly ad-
mit into our Houfes, enumerates Mu*ti\i [a Di'viner) li'lnrUpct kkkSv
(or a Phyjiciaii) Jj Ttjclew S'ii^av [a Carpenter).

H >^ S-ffixni/ AOIAON. «5 xti/ rafT'/jiri asisSlwV, 'Oaoar, 'P«'vJ'fti^p«

Adi'vine Bard, to charm us nvith his Sovg.

^ A great Man, uho had reafon to know it, fa}'s that Jie never
faw the Populace in fuch a Fury, but the Hour of Dinner or Supper
wou'd cool them. They don't like what they call Se dejhenrer.

Memoir, de Rstz^

and Writings c?/ H o M E r. li^

and abate their Force by turning them upon lit-
tle Objeds. But he neither led a Country nor
a Town-Life 5 and was in this refped: truly a
Citizen of the Univerfe.

The next Advantage of Homers Pro*
fellion, was the Accefs it gave him into the
Houfes and Company of the Great eft Men. The
Effedsof it appear in every Line of his Works 5
not only in hisCharaders of them, and Accounts
of their Adions ; but the more familiar Part
of Life ; their manner of Converfing and me-
thod of Entertaining, are accurately and mi-
nutely painted. He knows their Rarities and
^late, and can hold forth the Neatnefs and
Blegancy of their Bijouterie, He has nicely in-
fpeded the Trinkets their Ladies wore ; their
Bracelets^ Buckles and Necklaces^ whofe Pret-
tinefles he fometimes talks of with great Tafle
and Exadnefs. He has a delicious Pair of three-
ft one d Rar -rings.

And a curious Gold Necklace fet in Amber in
the form of a Sun,

— — '7roXvS'aui^^(^ o p m o s

Xpu'o?©., ^Agx/epm ffpff^©-, y\ehi(^ cas.
He has them too of feveral Sizesj for Lucina
was to receive at Latonds Lying-in, from the
GoddeiTcs that were Gofllps,

11^ An Enquiry into the Life

■ MKrAN OPMON

, ^ — A Necklace hu^e.

Strung upon golden Threadsy three Tards
in length.

In a word, there is fcarce a Circumftance in
Oeconomy but what he has fomewhere defcribed,
or made it evident that he knew.

Nor cou'd it beothcrwife, if wcconfider
the daily Life of the aoiaoi. The Manner was,
when a Eard came to a Houfe, he was firft wel-
comed by the Mafter , and after he had been en-
tertained according to the ancient Mode j that
is, after he had bathed, eaten, and drunk fome
MEAiHAEA oiNON, heavt'chedrmg IFine, lie was
called upon to entertain the Family in his turn :
He then tuned his Lyre, and raifed his Voicd and
fung to the liftening Crowd fome Adventure of
the Gods, or fome Performance of Men.

Many Advantages accrue from hence to
the Toet : He is under a happy NecefTrcy of
making no fanciful Conceits^ or profound Ver-
fesin an uncommon Language : But, if he would
fucc^ed, he muft entertain his wondering Au-
dience in afimple, intelligible Stile. He might
indeed tell wonderful Stories of ftrange Perform-
ances, and Places firange : but they muft be plain-
ly told, and with a conftant eye to natural Man-
ners and human ^ajfions : He needed not keep
Uridly to them j that wou'd raife no Admirati-
on j

and Writings (p/'Homer. 117

on ; but with an Analogy or Likencfs, fiich as
the Tcnour and Circumftance of the tender or
^woeful Tale wou'd bear.

Here too. My Lord^ was abundance of Op-
portunities not only io^i judging what was amifs,
what was true or falfe in hxsSong 5 but for ^^i^-
ingit. While he was perfonating a //^r^ 5 while
his Fancy was warming, and his words flowing;
when he had fully entered into the Meaftire^
was ftruck with the Rythmus, and feized with
the Sound h like a Torrent, he wou'd fill up the
Hollows of the Work 5 the boldeft Metaphors
and glowing Figures wou*d come rufhing upon
him, and caft a Fire and Grace into theCom-
pofition, which no Criticifm can ever fupply 2.

A s T o the Audience-, I might fhew the Good-
fortune of our Poet in that particular, by re-
minding your Lordihip of the Monitor of the
younger Gracchus % or the Slave who diredled
and chcck'd the mod fluent Orator of Augtiftus
Court ^ j but MoUere^ oldJVo'man comes near-
eft our Purpofc. 'Twasby her Ear andTaftc that
that celebrated Comedian tried the fuccefs of
his Comic Scenes, and as they affeded her more
or lefs, fo he judged of their Force and Failures c.
Thus the moft approved Writer among the
Moderns, makes choice of a Circumftance for
his Rule that Homer was obliged to regard in
every Performance.

I 3 The

» nAarai-©- TQN JJPAi'fJAOS. a See Plutarch in his Life*

•» Excerpta e Lib. 4. Concroverf. Senecs ; in Pioem,
4i*r Name was La Foret.

Ii8 ^7t> Enquiry into the Life

The more we confider its Influence up-?
on Poetry, the wider it appears : To this Ne-
cellity of plcafing his Audience, I wou*d afcribe
that jtijt Meafiire of Probability and IVonder
wiiich runs thro' the greateft part of liis Works.
The People mufl be entertained : that is, they
niuft be kept at a gaze, and at the fame time
muft comprehend the Dangers, and feel the Paf-
fions of tlie Defcription. The Adventure muft
be fuch as they can underftand ; and the Me-
thod it is brought about, muft furprize their Ima.
gination, draw forth their Attention, and win
their Heart ^. This at once accounts for the Sto-
ries which Homer tells, improbable indeed in
thcmfeivcs, and yet bearing fuch d^Refemblanee
to Nature and Truth.

P o R HIS Poems were made to be recited^
or fung to a Company ; and not read in pri^
vate, or perufed in a Book, which few were then
capable of doing: and I will venture to affirm,
that whoever reads not Homer in thts View lofes
a great Part of the Delight he might receive from
the Poet.

His Stile, properly fo called, cannot be
underftood in any other light 5 nor can the Strain
and Manner of hisWork be felt and relilhqd un-
lefs we put ourfelves in the place of his Audience,
and imagine it coming from the Mouth of a

Rhap'

and Writings of llo m e r. 119

Rhapfodift : Neither, to tell the truth, is there
^ny thing but tb^s fituation, that will fully ac-
count for all his Heroes telling miraculous
Tales as well as himfelf, and fometimes in the
fleat of a Battle. But when we remember
his ^rofeffiony and his common Audience^
we fee the Neceflity of Stories, and of fuch as
he ufually tells. He had not the Inhabitants of
a great luxurious City to entertain with un-
natural Flights, and lewd Fancies 5 but tiie
martial Race of a wide and free Country, who
Jiften willingly to the Prowefs of their Ance-
ftors, and Atchievements of their Kings.

It w o u'd b e tedious to infift upon every par-
ticular in the Life of a Rhapfodift j but there are
two Advantages more that deferve our Notice.
The firft is the Habit which the Poet muft
acquire by finging exteynporary Strains. We
have daily proofs of the power of 'Pra^fice
in every Art and Employment. An Inclina-
tion indulged turns to a Habit ^ and that, when
cultivated, rifes to 2in.Eafe and Mafterym the
Profellion. It immediately affeds our Speech
and Converfation ; as we daily fee in Lawyers ^,
Seamen^ and moft Sets of men v/ho converfe
with eafe and fluency in their own Stile, tho'
they are often puzzled when forced to aflfeft ano*-
ther. To what height fuch a Genius as Homer's
might rife by conftant Culture, is hard to tell 5
Euftathius fays, " That he breathed nothing but

I 4 ^^Verfe^

*■ See Pellflbn, Hilloire de I'Acad. Franjoife.

Jio An Enquiry into the Life

(c yerfe, and w as fo pofTefs'd with the Heroic-
" Mtifey as to fpeak in Numbers with more
*' eale than others in ^rofe^.
The second Peculiarity which attends
a StroUng Life is, great Returns of Mirth
and Humour. After fuffering Cold and Fa-
tigue, a flood of Joy comes impetuous upon a
man when he is refrcfhed, and begins to grow
warm ^. His Heart dilates, his Spirits flow, and
if there is any Vein of Humour or Thought with-
in him, it will certainly break loofe, and befet
a runing '. The poetick^ and mod kinds of
Strolers, are commonly Men of great Health;
of the quickeft and trueft Feelings : They are
obliged to no exhaufting Labour, to ftifFen their
bodies and deprefs their Minds. Their Life is
the likefh to the plentiful State of the Golden
^ge ; without Care or Ambition, full of Varie-
ty and Change, and conftantly giving and re-
ceiving the mofl; natural and ele^^ant Pleafures.
Their yiky froling from one httle State
to another wou d enrich their Fancies. Solitude
is a Friend to Thought ; as a perpetual Circle
of Pleafure and Div.erfions, is its greatefl: Ene-
my. When alone, we are obliged to furnilh out
our own Entertainment j Wemuft recojled our-

felves,

i "Orilztu t)c EriH OMHPOSj >^ iVS? Itx^'f frsfilf/H )^ EMME-
jlOTS M0Y2H2, i)i i^t^c'v XTT^iOvriTt 7rilj:>Xcyi»iTi^6i, EvfccS.npeetf//^

*" ThePoet has defcribVl it himfelf, we may fuppofe from Experi

''Oi-tq ^1 [LccXu, S-o^flt TTciB-/!, J^ JTa^" i^xXrj^ii. O^VttT, 0,

> Satur til cum clamat Horatius, EVOE ! Jiivenal. Sat, 7

and Writings 0/ H o m e r. ixi

relves,and look within^ if there be any thing there
that merits our Attention. When in Company
the regard wc owe to every Perfon in it, dijjipates
the Mind and hinders Reflexion. The way to
think little^ is to liurry from one Amufement to
another, that we may fly from ourfehes. But
the Man who lives plain, and at times fteps
afide from l^in of Li fey enjoys a more genu-
ine Pleafure : He obtains ravilhing Views of
filent Nature j^nd undifturbed contemplates her
folitary Scenes. He often turns his Attention
upon himfelf, canvaffcs his own Paflions, and
afcertains his Sentiments of Humanity.

In this Situation a Poet wou d find him-
felf obliged, not only to fludy the PaJ/wns of
his Hearers while he recited ; to obferve their
Features^ watch every Motio n of their Eye
and 7//r« of Thought 5 but to look around him
when alone, and lay up ftore of fuch Images,
as Experience told him wou'd have the ftrong-
eft EfFea.

B E F o R E I leave the fubj ed, I wou'd obferve

once for all, that the Ancients believed both

Homer\ Poverty ^ and his fubfifting by his

Mufe. A Man of great Learning and Eloquence,

fays'", " That many thought his Life more

** wonderful than his Poetry ; that to live

^^ poor and wanderings and earn juflfo much

*' by his Poems as barely to fupporthim, is a

** noble Proof of his Fortitude and Magna-

*' nimity.

f ^ Dibn Chryfoftome.

I XX ^n 'Enquiry into the Life

** nimity ^". This, My Lordy is fpoken a little
in the Spirit of an ancient Cyntck or modern Ca-
fuchtn j where Poverty is a Merit, and a con-
tempt of Wealth, a title to deferve it. But ©i-
on is not fmgular as to the Matter of fadt. ^la-
ta is of the fame Opinion : He feems to have
dealt a little hardly with Homer, becaufe hisTT?^-
ology and the Iwi/ixcc ^w^ the free Ionian Life
which he defcribed were not compatible with the
Manners of \\is perfect City ; but it is plain he
has ftudied him with all the Attachment and
Pieafure of a profefled Admirer.

I N T H E tenth Book of his Republick he gives

feveral ftrokes of his Life. He there makes it a

Queftion, " Whether Homer ^ who had imitated

" or reprefented Adions of all forts, had ever

" done any great thing himfelf?^' He feems to

think that he had not j and draws his Conjedure

from the Poet's Friends : He mentions one Cre*

ophilus a Samian, as the chief of them ; ** Whofe

** Name, fays he, however ridiculous ^, will be

*' lefs fo than the Figure he himfelf makes in

'^ Learning" : and if what is told of the Poct*s

** Life be true, his Friends feem to have been very

" care-

* To -yi cv Tim'fli ^ix'/i'ixl^, >9 osA^m^*'-) *7 totutov X^W ^ riojjj-

Aiav^ Xfva-o?-. Aoy. vy.

» We wou'd tranflate it L(n>e-meat, or Mr. Flejhly.

» He is faid to have entertained Homer in his Houfe upon Con-
dition he wou'd give him fome Work, to be publifhed under his
{Creaphilus,) Name ; and accordingly got a Poem upon the taking
and lacking ofOEchalia. K«j U3r<s<>'j|ii^o)/ '0/*«poi', AaCsiV icx^' xvy

andWrlttngs of Ho m e r. ixj

^' cardefs about him. Va^i^tdi.'^z.^ Homer has
" not been able, like ^rodicus the Qean^ or
*^ Protagoras oi Abdera^ to gain Admirers, or
* ' inftrud his Followers from a real Skill or
*' Knowledge of the things he defcribes ; but
*' has only been good at mimicking and de-
*' fcribing others : For do you imagine Glauco!
" (tills is Socrates* Companion in the Dia-
** logue) that Homer's Co-temporaries wou'd
" ever have permitted him and Hejiodto wan^
" der up and down the Country, finging and
" playing the Rhapfodifis, had they been able
*' to improve their Manners, or promote their
" Affairs military or civil ? Wou*d they not
^' have thought they had fallen upon a Treafure
<' when fuch Men came to their Town, done
'' them all poflible Honours, and penjioned
" them to ftay ? Or if they cou d not fix them,
" wou'd they not have followed thefe Po-
*' ets wherever they went, until they had fully
*^ learned the Science of fo great Mailers? ^ro-
*' tagoras and 'Prodicus can demonftrate, that
*' no Family nor City ever thrives without their
" Inftruftions, and are fo reverenced by their
*• Difciples, that they wou'd almoft bear them
" upon their Heads !
Thispart then of Homers Life, I mean
his execcifmg theProfefHon of an aoiaos, maybe
coniideredatthe fame time as the chief Parr of his
Education. To it he ov/ed many of the S^ecio^

1X4^ An Enquirjf into the Life

faMtractila^y which are admired by Horace.
For as he travelled over the feveral Provinces of
Greece y he might pick up the Country Miracles :
They commonly take their Rife either from the
natural Hiftory of the Place, or they are Tra-
dttional Stories of their mighty Progenitors.
They are always happy in {ovs\z Air of T rob abi-
lity y and have fome foundation in Natures
Something in the Mountain, Cavern or River
which at firil: ftruck the gazing Mortals that ap-
proached it, and made them conceive ftrangc
notions concerning the Caufes of the apparent
Wonder. Thefe, pafling from hand to hand are
enlarged, their Circumftanccs varied and refined,
until they grow by degrees into an Allegory or
myjUck Tale p.

I M A K E little doubt but this was one great
Pund of Homers, Learning ; as the Neceflity he
lay under of a daily ^ra5lice was his bed Inftru-
d:or in the^r^ ofToetry : If your Lordlhip will
be pleafed to make the Refledlion, it will be
found, that in all that wide ?te of Mankind,
contained in his two Poems, there is not any (in-
gle Charader marked out or diftinguifhed by
<2<r^^//V^^Knowledge,as we undcrftand the word.
The Knowledge and Virtues of his Perfonsare all
natural ; fuch as fpringup without other culture
than the native Bent of their Genius, and their
Converfe among Mankind. Thus UlyJJes grew

• Beautiful ftriking Miracles.

f It is an Obferyation of Straboi, concerning our Poet, cit ^jj^wo?

and JVritings of Mower, izf

up a fagacious, fubtle, bold, perfuafive Man,
without the aid of Mailers of Rhetorick or Lec-
tures of Politicks : Agamemnon was lofty, royal
and ambitious ; a vigilant and brave General,
dreading Difgrace, and careful of his People;
and all this without ftudying King-craft or
the Art of War. It continued fb until Homers
own days j there was but little 'Erudition in the
World : and that fame was allegorical ; and de-
fcended, as appears from the former Account, to
the Bards {wm the firft Lawgivers, who pro-
fefled both Charaders.

In this refped, the Talent of their Poets,
was truly natural, and had a much better title
to Infpiration than their learned SuccefTors 5 I
mean learned by Books j tho' I do not fay that
Homer or Hefiod had no Learning of this fort ;
But perhaps {ut vineta egomet cadam mea) the
lefs of it the better. Certainly, My Lord^ the
Scholafiick Turn, Technical T^xms, imaginary
Relations, and wire-drawn Sciences, fpoil the na-
tural Faculties, and marr theExpreflion. But
the Ancients of early Times, 2iS Nature ^'xwc,
Powers and a Genius, fothey fought, or plowed,
or merchandized, or fung ; Wars, or Loves, or
Morals, w5 « Mvuif. l^l^u, juft as their Mufe or
Genius gave ^ermijjion.

HOME Rs blind Bard * iingsbymeer Infpi-
ration 5 and of things he cou'd know no other
way : which as it is the greatefl Recommenda-
tion to his Irade^ if at the fame time, it has

* D E M D c u s the Pheacian.

lr6 An Enquiry into the Life

a foundatton-i and is fuch a Lie as he ufes to make^
(that is, like to Truth) it muft fhew *' How
*' much thefe ancient Songfiers trufted to their
" Vein ; and were accordingly believed to
*' know fomething more than Men.
'T IS WORTH while to obferve what a Pidurc
the Poet gives of them himfelf in the Character
of ^hemius. He had been forced by Tenelofe'^
Wooers to fmg at their Feafts, and was Ihut up
with them in the great Hall, where Ulyjfes had be-
gun to take a dreadful Revenge. When the
Slaughter was well over, he came out from the
Hollow of a Door where he had lurked, threw
down his Lute, and fpringing to the Hero be-
fmeared with Blood, fell down before him with
thefe Words :

rOTNOTMAl r OAT^SET. »

Ulyfles ! at thy Knees I beg for Tity /
'Twill gaul thy Soul hereafter ^ if thou killejl
^H^Lidy whofings both to the Gods and Men :
Untaught by others^ in my Mind I bear.
By God himfelf imflanted, all the Strains
OyMelody and Verfe.

Indeed, the Epithets he beftows, and the
Infmuations he makes concerning the Chara-
dleriftick of his Brethren, wou'd make one fuf-
pe€t that they were frequently under the power
of an Impiilje. A Bard with him, is geios, !Z)i-
'Z,'i;/^,©t2ni2, Trophetick 5 epihpos, mofi venerable:

* Oaves, X*

and Writings ^H o m e r. 117

He is the T)arlmg of the Mufes ^ ; he fings from
the Gods\ and if he touches upon an improper
Subjed, \\s nottiie aoiao2 that is to be blamed,
but Jupiter i who manages Mortals juft as
he plealess. In a word, he never begins to
fing until he feel the Stirrings^ of his Mind,
and huh the permiflion of his Mufe\

The other Parent of our Poetry, the
peaci'ful Hejiod, tells us, '' That it is by In-
*^ fplrsrion of the Mufes ^^ and of they^r Shoot*
^\ ing ^"ipollOi that there are finging Men up-
" on the Earth, and Players upon the Harp''.'*
Nor is II only xh&T'oetick Tribe who make thefc
Prtrreiilions, or the credulous Multitude that be-
lieve them ; but we find the Men of greatefl
Knowledge and feverefl Thought, both admit-
ting and fupporting their Claim.

I T I s a flrange Saying to come from the

Mouth of a wife Philofopher, '' That God, de-

" priving the Poets of their underflanding,

*« ufes them as his Minifters, Sooth- fay ers

*' and holy Prophets, to make uSj the Hearers

^* know

* ToK 'Zsfe? Mar i(pt>^^rru 'O^tfW. S"*

' 'ft; «'l' «'■' AOIAON u.n)f TTOTio'i^KtTcti^ «« ti ©Eflji ES

' Hefings,"GiT?!-j) e»>'002 ofvt/Teec 'Oy rv t' AOlAOJ
,"A«t..o«. i«;«5ro.^» ZET2 «»t(©- ; i'? n ^l^cjtr:*

* , K*AJ(ra(r.^f ~-^ ©EION AOIAON

AjjM-oJ^ajtov } T/-' ''.' nu ©E02 ■''"■ coxif 'Ao«<JVl»

TifTT^. 5 03-j, 0TMO2 EriOTPTNHSiN if/JV". 'O<5yoj-. <^.

» MOTS* ip''>^. ANHKEN, t«S<^V«)Uai xAs« «J'.k<5]»«i'. '0<JVo3-. tf.

» 'Ex. -yj MOT2AflN, >^ t>t)jccAK AnOAAfiNOS

"AyiJjjHS AOIAOI s'«<r»» ht^i^iyeif *^ Kl©APl2TAr, 0i«y.

ii8 An Enquiry into the Life

" know,that it is not of rhemfelvesrhey fay fuch

*' wonderful and high things, not being rn their

'^ Wits : but that it is G^^himfelf whofpeaks

" to US; and pronounces by them y'\ For In-

" ftance, he names Tynnichustht Chalcideauy

" who never in his Life made a Poem worth

*^ mentioning, except the celebrated ?*^f^;^, or

*' Hymn to Apollo y which was in every Body's

** Mouth, and was perhaps the finefl Poem that

^'^ ever appeared. This he fays he compofed,

" ETPHMATi MOT2AN, by tk^ Itivention of

^' the Mufes.

These are high Pretenlions, and fhou'd

be ftrongly fupported before they are admitted :

But if one uninfeded with the Poetical Spirit was

to fearch for their meaning in Trofe, it wou'd

ieem to fay, " That as there is no Poetry without

*' Genius, fo that Genius itfelf has its Fits and

" Seafons, which are provoked and indulged no

" where fo happily as in the ftroling unanxious

" Life of an A o I A o 2, or Bard.

y hiei rauTcc 3 6 ©EOS i^cctpi fOfjt^ nsruv vSfn, rirei^ y^p^^reii
TnHPETAIS. J^ Toii XPHSMflAOIS, J^ to?.; MANTE2I fo^ ©EIOIS,
Ttel, ruiiUi, it 'Ak^cvtk; £|(JS^4''» <'^' OTK OTTOI sicr* o» ravTO, ^iycyrti^
ira TTo^^ <e|(«, oi; cS? jM/tj^rapsfiv, i^'o©E02 ATT02 E2TIN, o >.{-

To the fame Purpofe Guarlm, *

^efla Parte di Noi, che hifende e "jede^
None mjlramrtu. ma 'viendalCielo :
EJe la da^ come a hi piace^ e toglie.

SECT.

{/rarcd't mir.

SECT. It:

^an^.'' ^oMF^A^ ■

HOWEVER noble and natural the Af-
pefts of Mankind might be, which Ho-
mer had from the young Common- Wealths
that were beginning to form thcmfclvcs all
over Greece-, yet his Views \vcre not confined
to them. The Manners of his Poems are
generally of the Grecian Stamp i but he quits
them at tim.es, and by fomc artful Touches
inferred here and there, he lets us know, that
he is not ignorant of other Nations, nor un-
acquainted with the State of Foreign Coun-
tries. He appears, upon Occafion, a great

K Gene a-

t J o An Enquiry Into the Life

Genealogijiy a knowing Hifioriariy and, which
is moft to our purpofc, a wonderful Geogra-
pher. This, no Infpiration will account for :
We mufl: therefore accompany him in the fe-
cond Part of his Travels, his vifiting Egypt
and the Eajl,

AmoItg the other Stories contrived by his
Admirers, there is one told by HephaftioUy ^
that conceals a Meaning very different from its
firft Appearance. He fays, " That a Lady of
" Memphis^ the Daughter of NicarchuSy by
" NamePHANCY, excelling in. fVifdoMy com-
" pofed two Poems j the JVar of Troy ^ and the
*' IVand'rings Qf UlyJfeSj and laid them up in
" the Holy Tlace of the Temple of Vulcan at
" Memphis 5 that Homer coming there, found
" means to get Copies of them from the
" Sacred Scribe, VuKi^n^Sy and out of them
" compofed his Bias and Odyjfey." The Scnfe
put upon this by the Learned, is, That Homer
was either an Egyptian born, (for fo many
have fufpedled) or that having his great Ge-
nius cultivated by an Egyptian Education,
he was thereby enabled to compofe his ad-
mired Poems.

Besides the conftant Belief of his being
in that Country, among the Ancients ; and be-
fides the Authority of the Egyptian Pricfts
themfelves, who affirmed it upon the Faith
of their Records, ^ there are other Prcfump-

tions

* Apud Photium, in Biblioth. §. 190.

'^' Diodorus Sicul, Lib. i. Biblioth. in fine

and Writings 0/ H o m e r : \^ i

tions in his Works, that will probably hav^
confiderable Weight with fuch as can take
them from the Original.

I A M obliged to fay fo , becaufe tho' it be
very pleafant to trace the Likenefs between
the Cuftoms of one Country, and thofe of ano-
ther derived from them, to fearch into the
Origin of the borrowed Rites, and the natural
Foundation of the new Mythology j yet their
Connexion is delicate, and the Perception of
it generally too fine-, to be turned into a dJL-
red Proof : It cannot be felt at all, without
a nice Knowledge of the Mother- Country and
its Manners, as well as of their moral 'Tro-
geny. But fuch a Draught of the parallel Cu-
ftoms of two Countries, would, I am afraid,
prove tedious. It has afforded Materials for
fome ingenious Books, and is of late, the
Subjedl of the mod entertaining Converfati-
ens. I will not therefore undertake to defcribc
the Proceflion at the Funerals of Apisy or its
Progrefs thro' Heliopoln-, up the Nile^ up-
on which Orpheus 2ivA Homer founded their
Defcription of the Tajfage of Souls to Hell: =
Nor will I meddle with the Lake near Mem-
phis, that was the Pattern of Acheron-, nor the
Manner of burying m the delightful Meadows
around it, that gave Rife to the peopling the
Elvfian Fields.

K 2 Let

c Tlap S t<r«v 'nxeava reloccc; xcttAivit't^x Trtrpiv,
HSt Tcap HgAio o TijAai., KOci /ICjuiov 'Oviipiuv
Hlffctv AcvJ'a 5 ittoi/ra kut As DaSgAci/ AbtyialviCf
'EvQtt r$ va/ac-i ^v^ih ElAfiAA KAMONTfiN^ OSvff. «;

1 3 1 j4n Enquiry into the Life

Let mc only obferve to your Lordfhip,
That thcfe Places were extant, and thcfe
Cuftoms ftill kept up, fo late as the Time of
l^iodonis the Sicilian 5 and that the Egyp-
tian Pricfts affirmed to him, That from them
Homer had taken his religious Dodrines.
They gave Inftances further, in the Temple of
Uarknefs or Gloom-, the Brazen Gates of Co-
cytus and Lethe y the Archetype of Charon^
Boat, and the Etymology of his Name * j with
many other Parts of the Grecian Creed-, too
many to mention here, which were Realities
in Egypt : There was a real Temple, real
Gates, a wooden Boat, and an honeft Ferry-
man, all fairly exifting in this World 5 tho'
transferred by Orpheus and Homerj and ap-
plied, perhaps typically, to that ijukich is to
come. ^

But there is one Proof given by the Sa-
cred Order, of Homers being in their Coun-
try, much too curious to be omitted. It is
taken from that Part of his Writings, where
he relates, how the beauteous Helen, when
fhe entertained TelemacLus in her Koufe, had
put into the Wmc a Uriig of fuch Virtue, as
to infpire Mirth and Joy, occafion a perfed
Oblivion of by-paft Ills, ?.nd an lafenlibility
of prcfcnt Mifery. This, fcys the Poet, fhe
received as a Prefcnt from ^olydamna the
Wife of Thon the Egyptian:^ And this

fay

* CHARONI in the old Egyptian, fignified ^\m^\y z.Itrry-mm,

* Diodorus Siculus, Lib. i. ^'OZva- S-

and Writings of Houek, 13^

hy the Pricfts, with ail its Circumftanccs, (the
furprifing Qualities of the Drug, and Names
of the Perfons) he could learn no where fo
exadly as in Egypt.

To give this Argument fair Play, we muft
remember, that in thofc rude Ages of the
World, ';x'.^<?^^'^rdi^covcred any Knowledgeof
the Cuftoms or Inhabitants of a^//?^; ^'oun-
try, was of courfe fuppofed to have >-:n in
that Country. There was no Correfponctcnce
of Letters, little Trade, and the Writing of
Hiftory was a thing unknown. Knowledge
therefore implied Travelling ; and if it ex-
tended to Perfons J and the Peculiarities of
their Manners, it fixed it to the Country
where thofe Perfons lived : The Charader of
the Man who undcrftood the Tetnpers-, and
knew the Mind of many Pedple, was He,

^'Oc, ixlXab -aroAAot TrAar;^,^,^ ^jvho far

had ftrayd der many Lands.

I MUST own, my Lord, this looks plaufible:
But there are fome other Confidcrations that
give it ftill a greater Air of Veracity. From
the moft authentick Accounts we have of He-
lena Adventures, ^ it appears, that fhe was
for fome time in the Power of this Tkon,
(whether a Prince of the Country, or the Go-
vernour of a Province) and confequently in
Company with his Lady : For we can never
fuppofe, that fo beautiful a Creature, fo dif-
K 3 crcet,

134 -^^ Enquiry into the Life

crcet, and of fuch high Bu'th, would be
treated as an ordinary Prifoncr.g It appears
alfo, that the Egyptian Ladies were much
addidcd to the ule of this Medicine j and if
Y/e believe a later Hiftorian, They were the
firft People in the World who found out an
Antidote againft Grief and Sorrow. ^ The
Egyptian Complexion, which was thought-
ful and melancholy, made them fonder of an
enlivening Totion-, than an airy People would
have been j and the fame excellent Writer,
*Diodonis, who was himfelf in the Country,
informs us, that the Recipe was ftill known
when he lived, and as much in Vogue as
ever.

Tho' I could take this upon the Sicilians
Word j yet, I confcfs, what makes it, and
the whole Story, appear the more probable
to me, is. That 1 find the fame Medicine y?///
in ufe in the lame Country, and the Effcds
of it now, exaftly fuch as Homer afcribes to

his Heroine's Anodyne :

N/i'Tic'j'^JS, 'ctyoAov T'^jKctxutiv r' i'm^vYi^luu a.7mvJctV'

*pow'rful to baniflj Grief-, to calm our Ire,
And bring Infenfibility of 111.

It is not much above a Century and a Half,
fincc a young Phyfician, who proved after-
wards

* Her che 72cn puo ill hella Donna il pianto ?

£t in lingua amorofa i dolci Detti ?

Efce da 'vaghe Lf^bbra aurea Catena,

Che I' alwe, a. [no loler, prende et a^rena. Taflb»
*• Diodorus Siculus. Biblioth. Lib. i.

and Writings c/* H o m e r.' i j 5

wards very eminent in his Profcflion, went
down toEgypt with thc^;2^/^/^f^Conful,whore
ufual Rcfidence was then at Grayi-Cdiro- He
ftaid there fome Years, and at his Return to
Italy, pubUfhed theObfervations he had made,
in his Trcatife ^e Medic im Mgyptiorum. He
has a Chapter in it, of tiie Medicines which that
People fwaliow for Pieafnre -, to elevate their
Imagination, and make them fancy themfelves
in Groves and Gardens, and other Places of
Delight. The firft mentioned is the Affion,
(our common Opium) ^0 devorato, fays the
Phyfician, referunt. Homines hilares admo-
diim evadere-, fnultaque ac varia loqtti, for-
tiorefqtte ad qutfcunque obeimda munera
Jibi videri : ^raterea fiibdormicntes-, hortos
etiam et viridaria mult a, arboribus-, herbis ac
floribus variis perbelle ornata ppeBare.

The firft of thefe, my Lord ! are the very
Virtues oi Horner ^ Opiate : And to fhcw that
he knew the Place where it grew, as well as
the Perfons that ufed it, T)iodoruSy after he
has told that Thon and Volydamna were
Thebans, immediately fubioins, that the La-
dies of 'Diofpolis (the ancient Thebes) had
the Honour of the Invention : And the Phy-
fician, as if he had travelled with him, adds
to his former Account, " Hunc Juccmn, quo
" omnes utimtur^ ex loc'is S a i e t h, nbi
" olim Thebarum erat Urbs praclariffima
" deferunt." It is true, they ufe Opiates for
K 4. Plcafure,

1^6 ^72 Efiqutry into the Life

Plcafurc all over the Levant -, but by the
bcft Accounts of them, they had them origi-
nally from Egypt -, ^ and this one appears
plainly to be a Produdion of that Country,
andaCuftom, which yourLordfhip fees, can
be traced from Homer to Angujiiiss Reign,
and from thence to the Age preceding our
own.

The happy Concurrence of Circumftances
in this Obfervation, has tempted me to put
them together : But iny Pcrfon who reads
Homer, with a tolerable Tafte of ancient
Manners, will find other Marks of his being
in Egypt no lefs convincing.

Is3 o Traveller who docs not defcribc a
Country of defign, has given more Hints of
his knowing its Nature and Situation.^ He
never mentions Sailing-, but he names Egypt
as the Place of the greateft Refort. When
Ulyffes appears to the Wooers, as a poor old
Man, the moil probable Lye he can tell of
the way he v/as reduced to Poverty, is, That
as was cuitomary among the Greeks, he had
gone a privateerirsg into Egypt, where he
was taken, and foid for a Slave-^ He had

told

* All over the Eaft, they call the fineH: fort of their Opium,
Mtjn, and Meferi, which is to fay, Egyftian : For Egypt is
callt 1 Mifli, as tar as the Indies. It is a Corruption of Meferiy
which is plainly from Miz,rarm, the old Name of Egypt. See
Jac. Bontius de Medicina Indorum, Lib. 3. Cup. 4.

'^ See S:rabo, Rook. I.

1 "O? (Zeu?) |x' cc(j.y^ Av)ii^?'p<f/ toA'jtA v.yv'oKrj ccvvv.bv
AIlTllTON?' Uvt,i, SoA/xJjv cScv. — ^ 'OSuff. f.

and Writings 0/ H o M e r. 157

told the fame Tale more particularly to his
Scrvnnt Eitmeus before, and even fpecified
the precife Time it takes to fail, with a fa-
vourable Gale, trom Crete to the only Egyp-
tian Vort-, {-KifjL laioi l^fjur^) in fiveT)ays>
When AyitinoiiS^ one of the Wooers, is diC-
pleafed with UlyJJfess Behaviour, the firft
Threat that offers to him, is, to fend kirn as
4 Slave to E ;ypt or Cyprus ^ And in his
Hymn to Bacchus-, the Poet repeats the fame
two Places as the Common Market for
Slaves. He takes Occaiion to give a nice
Dcfcription of the Pirate's Method of Icour-
ing the Coaft, from the Story of their having
once feized upon Bacchtis, as fome noble
Youth, for whom they expeded an immenfe
Ranfom : After they had dragged him aboard,
he makes the Captain fay to the Steerfman,
(who was beginning to fufpcd, that their
Captive would prove troublefome, and was
advifmg to let him go)

Mind y oil the Windy and hoift aloft the Sails
Haid in your Tackle : We'll fee to the Vrisner ;
He'll vifty as I judge, Egypt or Cyprus,

Or fail the Northern Seas : Unlefshetell

His Name and §luality y and Friend s Eft ate. ^

"• Begone, fays he.

Mil ■ra.%ct TiKpvjv AirXTITON xai KXIIPON ll^ai- 'OSrff. p
* Copied hy Ovid, in his' Metamorph, Lib. 3.

12 8 Jn Efjquhy into the Life

A s to the Country itfelf, the Poet has
made his HerOy Achilles, (inftruded perhaps
by his Father, or by the wile Chiron) " give
a noble Defcription of the Metropolis, Thebes;
and in the compafs of a few Lines, has Ihewn
its Form, its Wealth, and 'Policy . « Nor is he
Icfs acquainted with the Nature of the Egyp-
tian Soil, ^'^iviJion of their Tribes 5 ^ and
Icfs ftill, that they were among the ancientefl:
of Nations, and the oldeft and pureft Vota-
ries of the Gods J

These, my Lord, are the Prefumptions
for Homers having been in Egypt, that
arc to be met with in his Works. They
amount not perhaps to a Arid Proof ; but if
furvey'd, as they ftand in the Author, they
carry a high Probability, and will polllbly

leave

" Pelluriiim, oppidum nobile, quod Pcleus, Achillis Pater
dicitur condidille. Ammiau. Marcellin. Lib, 22.

«» Jliad. .. P Odyff. S.

'AiyuTli'^j} T^ 's'Kt.lqa. 4>f p«( Xt'^o-'poi; apHfu

Some of thofe I take to have been the M-:;pou Mvhov hfuTtriov
e-jZUc, To often mentioned by Hippocrates i the Ewivov fiUpov, in
the lame Author : It was an Extiaft of Lilies uied by the La-
dies, and retains the Egyptian or Ajiaticl: Name, from Sufan, a
Lilly. Hippocrates likewife mentions the 'Ahuv^u aifh-xn^, the
BsAe^ov aifwr'iiv, the Bz^ccvb^ iifbTlia?, the ai^vjilivi c;v-fi]^pivj, and
even the aifuTf.ioq ct:? itfelf. This lafl: is thrown out by a vari-
ous Reoflmg, or rather a Conjcdlure ; the more improbable, that
m another Place, he prefcribes the 'Oto^- Msinivsj^ ojj^j ^^q
MijKfeViev J7i/to%e\. ^ Iliad, y- -f Ibid.

and Writings 0/ Homer. 1^9

leave but fmall Room for doubting, when
we confider, that he failed with Mentes, a
Merchant and Ship-mafter 5 and that no con-
fiderable Trade was carried on in thofe T)aysy
but with Egypt y Th^nicUy or Cyprus:
They furnifhed the Chief Commodities then
known ; Greece at that time labouring under
a great ^ k-)^^v\fjLaTicc* as Thucydides calls it,
and having no Superfluities to barter ; but
fetching the little Wealth they had, and the
Beginnings of their Arts, from thefe Foun-
tains of Science and Government. «

Now

* Want of Goods or Merchandize.

* The Greek Hiftorians have been all condemned by Bochart,
a Man of very great Learning, for afTerting, that the lower
T.gjpt was a Plain made out by the continual Congcftion ot the
Shmc, which their wonderful River fwept along, in its Courfe
thro' Ethiopia and the high Country. He has likewife chaftifed
Homer, who favours that Opinion, in his Account of the Di-
fl-ance of the Pharos from the Land. He founds his own Opi-
nion upon the fmall Alteration which the River has made upon
the Egyptian Coaft, for Two thoufand Years and upwards :
For it is fo long fince Alexandria was built, which ftill con-
tinues a Sea-port Town : And he fees no Reafon, why it
fhould not be making conftant Additions to the Land, if it had
ever made any. But there is a Reafon why that Effett of the
River fhould ceafe. Where-ever the wide Communication of
the Sea, and the Agitation that is frequent on the Main Ocean,
is broken by the Intervention of Vromontories, there Slime and
Mud, and all the Dregs of a mighty River, fall to the Ground,
and fettle, being neither driven by the Stream, now dilTipatcd,
nor toffed by the Waves j and the Slime thus fettled, will receive
Additions, as long as it is protedred by fuch powerful Bulwarks,
and no longer. The fame River, if it find any Rocks at a fmall
Diftance from its Mouth, will heap Earth upon them, form an
Ifland, and continue to increafe it, until it leave only Space fuf-
ficient for a free Egrefs to itielf, and the natural Play of the
Waves on either Hand, as they are dircfted by the adjacent
Shore The Mouths of the Ganges, the Euphrates, the Danube -y
and, nearer Home, the M&ander and the Po, arc all Proofs of
what is afferted above.

140 -^^ Enquiry into the Lifs

Now, if your Lord^np will join, to fo
many Marks of Homers being a Traveller,
the Charaftcr given of him in fjco Words
by a Man of the fame Caft, in what he calls

TO *1AEIAHM0N, KAI TO OlAEKAHMON

T o n o I H T o X, t his Love of Knowledge
and Travelling, you will both encreafe the
Probability of his being in Egypt, and find
a SpeBator worthy of fo auguft a Scene :
Here he might fee, " What the utmoft Stretch
" oi Human '^Policy is able to perform:'*
He might Tee Riches, Tleafttres, snd Mag-
nijicence, reconciled (as far as the Nature of
things will allow) with Safety and good Or-
der. Here was the noblcft Contraft, and moft
inftrudtive Oppofition, that any Cpnjundure
can offer to our View : He came from a
Country where Mature governed ; and went
to another, where from the highcfl: Atchieve-
ment to the fmalleft Adion in Life, every
thing was diredled by fettled Rules, and a
digefted Tolicy. ^

Here was a People fo throughly
moulded to their Government, that Educa-
tion feemed to have taken the Place of Na-
ture, and by a Depth of Thought in the

Le-

t Strabo, Geograph. Lib. i'"^

« *Od yccf iJLovov Tj? xp-'iixxTiXtiv vj Kp'vtiv ijv xcttfOi; wpiCfitvo; ; aAA^
KfliTB nrtpi-jrctTijecit, xa] Td ^ovffaa^ai, tea.) )t«iix>i^ijvat txtrai. 7^5 yu.
vaiKOq J nal xaSoAS TuJv KCL,a. r°v (iiov ^paT'oftsvtsJv a-xavTcov.

A(oS. I(K«A. BiCAioS a.

Their very Mufck and Sculpture was circumibribed by Law„
and continued invariable, iliys Flato, for many Thoulands of
Years. Leguwi, Lib. .l^°.

and Writings of Houek. 141

Legiflature, was laid fo fme, and made to
take fuch hold of the Paffions, that it fcem'd
rather to create than Mre^ them. This ap-
peared long 2i{tcr: Homer's Days, in their Tc-
nacioufncfs of their own Cuftoms, under a
frequent Ciiange of Matters, ^ and their in-
fed ing all the Nations that learned their Re-
ligion or Politicks from them, with the fame
Stubbornefs and Bigotry.

But when our Poet went down to Egypt-,
they had received no Shocks from the ^er-
Jian or Macedonian Power : They were liv-
ing in Peace and Splendour, flourifhing in
all the Arts they chofe to encourage, reve-
renced for their Wifdom, and renowned in
Arms. /f<?r^ he could fill a capacious Mind,
and fatiate that Thirft of Knowledge, which
is the Charaderiftick of the greatcft Souls.
In Greece he muft have learned many Alle-
gories, while he exercifcd his Profeflionj but
here he would fee their Source and Dcfign :
He would be inftructcd in the Rife and Ufe
of thofe Dodrincs he had imbib'd : He
would gain an Eafc and Exadnels in apply-
ing them, and be able to raife his Moral to
that ftupcndous Height we fo juftly admire.
For what might we not cxped from the Af-
fluence and Fire of his Imagery, when ranged

and

'^ \^gyptji pler'que fubfufculi funt et atrati, magifquc mcefti-

ores. Connoverfi, et repofcones acerriini. — i — Nulla tor-

mentorum vis invcnni adimc potuit, quse ' invitum eliccre

potuit, ut nomcn proprium dicat. Ammiaji. Marcellin. Lib. 22.

14^ An Enquiry into the Life

and governed by a Mind now Majier of the
Subjea >

I AM very fenfible, my Lord, that Ho-
mers Mythology is little undcrftood ; or to
exprefs it better, is little felt : And for this
reafon, the EfFefts of his Egyptian Edu-
cation are loft upon the greater part of his
Readers. There are but few who look upon
the divine Terfons he employs, otherwife
than fo many groundlefs Pinions, which he
made at Pleafure, and might employ indif-
ferently ', giving to Nepttme, for inftancc, the
Work done by Apollo, and introducing Venus
to perform what he now afcribes to Minerva,
But it is mere want of Perception. His
Gods, are all natural Feelings of the fever al
lowers of the Univerfe : Or, as the Biihop
of Thejfalonica calls them, " 'Evrnm cvyivc^v
*' amcti ei'jlv n 'z^^irilda-juctra, Shadowings
*' or Wrappers of noble Sentiments'' They
are not a Bundle of extravagant Stories ; but
the moft delicate, and, at the fame time, the
moft majeftick Method of exprefliKg the Ef-
feds of thofe natural Powers, which have the
greateft Influence upon our Bodies and Minds, y

There

«jviTlofiivwv TtSv 'jta^aiwv xq ei^ov ENNOIAE <tT2IKA2 7rep> tww
apayfAaTwv, tta.) vpoqi^ivTiuv uf) Tali /cyo;; rev M T O N.

ZTp«i3. Big- <•"

And the excellent Vincenzo Gravina : Verloche gli antichi Foeti

con un medejimo colore, efpremivano fentimenti teologici, filici e

morali : Colle quali fcienze; comprefe in unfolo corpo, 'vefiito di

man'iere popuUri, allargu'Viino U campo ad alti e profondi MifterL

Delia Ragion Poetica, Lib. i . § 8.

and Writings 0/ Homer. 14^

There is fcarcely a Page in Homer's
Poems, where your Lordfhip will not meet
with Proofs of this Aflertion j and if we con-
fidcr the Stroke it muft have in Poetry, we
fhall find, That here is an Advantage for
Defcription loft beyond retrieving : When
to thefe natural Senfations, the Belief of
S anility was joined, and the Apprehenfions
of a l^ivine ^refence was filling the Mind,
the Image would be irrefiftible, and raife fach
Ajfediions, as beft account for this Poet's
being deify d by the Ancients, ^ and doated
on by the Moderns.

It may look odd to fay, that even the
Ignorance of thefe Ages contributed not a
little to the Excellency of his Poems : But it
was certainly fo. The Gods were not called
in doubt in thofe Daysj T'hilofopherSy and
fpeculative incredulous People had not fprung
up, and decryed Miracles and fupernatural
Stories ; they rather made it their Bufinefs to
invent and propagate them, for the Good of
Society, and the keeping Mankind in Order :

Expedit effe Deos, et tit expedit-, effe put emus :
*T>entur in antiquos Thura Mertmqtie facos,'^

By this means, here too, the Poet defcribcd
from Realities j I mean, fuch things as had

a double

z 'Et Geo? lc;'iv '0[i.v\f>,q, iv a.^av^.Taoai citta^iHi

'El 5' Zv fxi^ Qioi; iq), voixilia^at Qioq iivcti.

'Eiriypcctxn. B(§ 5-

* Ovid, de Arte Amandi, Lib. i.

1 44 ^^ Enquiry into the Life

a. double 'Weight, by being firmly believed,
and geaerally received, for facred Truths :
And he muft have had a good Faith, or at
lead zjlrong Feeling of them himfelf, to be
able to tell them with fuch Spirit and Com-
placency.

O N E of the wildeft Stories in the whole
Iliad, if taken literally, is in the very Beginning
of the fifteenth Book j where Jupiter reminds
his Spoufe, how, upon occafion of a former
Quarrel, " He had fattened two Anvils to
*■'■ her Feet, and twiftcd a golden permanent
" Chain about her Arms, and fo mounting
" her aloft, had hung her up between
" the Clouds and the Sky. And yet, my
Lord-, this Legend was fo well believed,
that we are told, ^ " That in the Neigh-
" bourhood of Troy-, they fhewed the two
" Ltimps of Iron which had been hung
" about the Goddefs, and which Jupiter let
*■': fall there, on purpofe to give future Ages
" a certain Proof of that memorable Tranf^
" adion.

Would not this tempt one to conclude,
that the Commonality in all Ages is the fame ?
always ready to fv/allov^ a wondrous Talc,
be it ever ib grofs or fcnfelefs, and to be-
lieve a Metaphor in its literal Meaning.

Our

-MuSp«« 5' IvJTpo'y

Ka/36aAov, o<ppa t£Ao*to no.) ic(;oiJ.ivQiai ■zvQtc^at.
a»(OT*pa) "A K M O N A I imtv, 'EvqaQ. hq t^w 6 P'^-^-tsS. 'lAa$.

and Writings of Houkk. 14J

t)ur modern Sa^es are indeed widely difFctem
from the ancient ; T/jej, as I obfervcd, em-
ployed their Wit in compojing iacred Allego-
ries, and their Authority b among the People
in fupporting them. They look'd upon them
as the great Bridle of the Multitude, to
whofe PalTions, they knew, they were ob-
liged to fpeak, and could never pretend to
govern them by Reafon and Thilofophy :
But many of the Moderns^ who would faia
be thought wife, employ their Talents and
Learning, fuch as they are, to very different
Purpofes.

But, my Lordy whatever Ufe be made of
It, 'tis certain that Fidtion and Lying are
infepariible from Poetry. This was the firfl
Profellion of the Mufes-, as they told Hefiod
one Day they appeared to him, while lie fed
his Lambs in a Vale of Helicon : " Sl:jep'
" herdy faid tlley^

'"^l^/UiiV -^ib^ict TTOAAo, XLyiiV \'njf.<^l'7l hfJ^ivA

"Tis ours falfe Tales to frame ^ refembling true;,
And ours f unfold the Truth itfelf to Men.

L " Then

*» Vlatd having firfl mentioned what he calls his TO ON a/el-
'jlivsatv J' ouK j'xovj 3nti O y^fovcu? tJ, v.at iuj kx) Ijcf^gvo? aovo^t
with great Modefty adds, Tlep) Zt t£v aMoiv Zatixovuv tinttlv, ««»
yvuivxt Tk)v yfvic:v, MEIZON ^ kuB' ijuS?. Tinqiov Si roli; iifyi-
uociv 'ifxicpoc^sv i-AyoMOK; (X£v 6s£v yVd', &<; 'i^ctcctv, aa.fyiiiqZ'i t8 T85
T£ auTJov "Trpoyo'vg^ £/?ocr:- 'ASuvarow ouv to?? Oimv ncaiafv a.'xic;{tVi
xflnVep A N E T ts I/kctwv Jta< uvafuciimv aToSsi'^swv Asfair.', «AA* So;
iwila 4>affKa;r/v ^7«i'V$.\A»/Vj E 11 M E N X S T ii N O M a.

1 4^ A 'Enquiry Into the Life

''^ Then they gave him a fair Rod, a Shoot
'' of verdant Laurel, breathed into him a di-
*' vine Song, and made him celebrate things
" pajiy and things to come.

Another Ancient, of a lofty Strain
and unbounded Flight, has made a fort of
Apology for this Part of his Profefllon : He
has founded it upon the Nature of Mankind,
of which he fcems to have had the ftrongeft
and mod forcible Perceptions of any Poet.
He is telling the Story of Telops 5 *■ The

* Love that Neptune bore him after he was

* taken out of the Kettle, where he had been
*■ boiled, and all the Pieces of his Body put

* together, without lofuig a Bit, fave the
' Top of one Shoulder, which they made up

* with another of Ivory.' Then mod natu-
rally he adds ^, " Wonders are every where 5
" and ftill, fome way, an artful Tale, drefs'd
" up with various Lyes, beguiles the Thoughts
" of mortal Men, and pleafes more than
" Truth."

The eloquent Att'ick Moralill: is of the
fame Opinion : " Thofe, fays the Orator, ^
" who would write or paint any thing agree-
" able to the Vulgar, fhould not choofc the

" moft

c "H Saij,aac ra. ToAAa"

'TiCif TOW uAyifiCj Aoyov,
l^iSa.i.'^?,!J.ivoi •\ev'5s3i voiKiAili
'■EU-xariavTi MT0OI. Itivl'^/d 'Okvixt. «.

* Ifocrat. crpos NiKOKAjc.

and U^ 'tings ojT H o M E R. 1 47

" mofl: profirab!c, bnt the moft fabulous Sub-
" jc\.s. For this P afon, Homer y in his
" EpicL and th^: In^enLors oi 'Tragedy j de-
" fervc our Admiration. They obfcrved
" this original Kiafs in Mankind, and have
" adapred their ''^oetry to it. Homer has
" wrapt up the War'; and Conflids of the
" Heroes in Fable ; zkA the Tragedians, in
'' the pubiick Games, entertain us with the
" fame Fables, by G'^^ure and Adion."

I T was indeed a ' cry- extraordinary Pro-
jed of our mgenioi; Countryman, To write
mi Epick ^ueMy without mixing Fable, or
allowing the fmalleft Fidiop throughout the
Compofure. 'Twas like lo;: ping off a Man's
Limb, and then putthig him upon running
Races ; tho' it muft be owned, that the Per-
formance <^ (hews with what Abihty he would
have acquitted himfelf, had he been found
and entire.

But we have at pr ' ^b little Fic-
tion, and fo m.uch Pc^etry, th^t I bcl'eve
your Lordfhip will v jc difplcafed to kno\v>
among the re t, S -'^ess Se: le of the Mat-
ter. He had b.-Jii '^ften con^n^ianded in his
Sleep, to applv bimfelf to Mitjick: At firft^
he imderftooc Admonition as if it re-
lated to ThfLfb'hj i That being, in his Opi-
nion, the tru '1 Harmony, which confilkd
in the Numl\-s and Meajkres of Ltfe. But
L 2 at

* Sf W. Ditvemy-t's Goridibert,

14^ -^'^ Enquiry into the Life

at lafl:, being in Prifon, he bethought hin>
Iclf, that it was fafcft tor him to apply to tiie
common Poetry. Wherefore he firft i<z^
about compofing an Hymn to Apollo, whofe
Peafl: was then celebrating : But upon a little
farther Reflexion, " That a Poet, if he would
*' be really fitch, muft maJze, 2iW'tfcotirfes in Verfe"^; and
having no Talent at Allegory himfelf, he took
the firft Fable he remembred of E fop's, and
put it in Verfe.

There is not, my Lord, a Circumfiancc
of this little Story, which does not afford a
Jvlaxim to a Poet. But it fecms flrange, that
a Man fo capable and quick-fighted in Cha-
raders, and fo great a M after of h'ony as So-
crates, fhould have no Genius for Mufick, f
and be barren in Mythology. I believe he
icafoncd too much 5 was apt to canvafs his
Fancies, and not be indulgent enough to his
Imagination, which is the prime Faculty of
a Mythologift. It is this, that diftinguilhes
the real T'oet > and one Stroke of it diicovers
him more than the grcateft Magnificence of
Words, and Pomp of Defcription.

W E arc told by the Author of the beauti^
ful Effay upon the Pleafures of the Imagina-
tions, "That Mankind receive more Delight

from

* 'Et/vevjira; 6ti tow Tloiv^Tyiv Stot} 'iijif (AfAAoi Tloi^ii^t; eTvaif
TcifiTv M T O T 2 aAA' 6v At'j'Sj. IIA«Tave$ ^xdaiv.

f Plato, IToAiTei'as f-
f Spe^atoKy Numb. 41 1»

and Writings o/^ H o M e i< . i ^p

*'^from t\\zFancy than from i\\QUnderJlandmg."
Few are capable of PJcafurcs purely intellec-
tual ; and every Creature is capable of being
pleafed or difquietcd in fome degree by
the Fancy. Hence, plain naked Truth is
either not perceived, or foon difrelifhed. But
the Man that can give his Ideas jLi/^ and
Colourings and render the fubtile Relations
and mutual Influences of natural Caufes
fenfible and ftriking ; that can bellow upon
them a human Appearance-, and then weave
them into a Orange and paffionate Story ; to
Him we liften with Wonder, and greedily
learn his Toothing Tale. We find a Pleafure
in comparing it with the Truth which it
covers, and in confidering the Refemblance
it bears to the feveral Parts of the Alle-
gory.

ORTHEUS had never been faid to have
charmed the wildefl: Beafts of the Woods,
and to have made the rigid Oaks keep time
to his Numbers, had he fmiply told the Im-
port of his Song : Had he acquainted his
lavage Audience, " that Time and Space were
" the ancienteft of things 5 that they had
'^'^ brought forth many wild and ftrange Pro-
*■'■ dudions, arifing from the jarring Natures
*' and uncouth Combinations of the various
" Seeds of Being •■> but at length, in Timcy
<' the Heavens appeared, with the Air, the
*■'■ Earth, and Seas 5 which were the laft of

*' Things,

5Q An E^jquiry hlo the L'^fe

" Thin?^s, Tme having Dcen neither able to
f* deOroy them (a:, it had done its iormer
" Productions) nor to m.ike any A^ddirion to
" them, and bring forth tiie like." Such
Dodrine as this wo'jld have found no Ad-
million into the Minds, nor welcome from
the Fancy of the uncultivated Crowd : They
could receive little Plcalure from the Narra-
tion, and be impreffed with no Reverence
for the Subjcd.

But when after ftriking his Lyre, and
foftening every ruder Thought, he took up
another Strain, and began to unfold the
ancient Reign of hodry Saturn-, the Marvels
of the Golden Age-, and the (Irange Relation
of his Progeny , " How the old Monarch was
*'• married to Ops or Rhea-, and had by her
" many Children -, Thefe the cruel Father
*' himfclf devoi-ircd foon after they were
*^ born 5 until at length fnc brought forth
'' Jiip^ter and Jtmo, Ceres and Neptune,
" who rebelled asiainll their voracious Pa-
" rent, made the beneficent Jupiter King,
" and deprived Saturn for ever, both" of the
" Power to deftroy his new Offspring, or yet
" to beget any more," 'Twas then that the
flubborn Multitude opened their Hearts to the
wondrous Taic ; and with a pleafmg Amaze-
ment received his Sayings : They conceived a
high Reverence for their Teacher, and found"

them-

-p

>»-.

and Writings of Homer; i jT

thcmfclvcs ftruck with an Awe and Dread of
the Deities which he fung.

I A M under a Nccellity of having re-
courfe to Examples, becaiife the Subjedl: is of
a Nature fo tickhfh and delicate, as not to
admit of a dired: Dcnnition : For if ever the
Je ns J\ais qiioi was rightly applied, it is to
the VoiL'ers of Mythology, and the Faculty
that produces them. To go about to defcribe
it, would be hke attempting to define Infpi-
ration-, or that Glo'U'j of Fancy and Ejfufion
of SoiiU which a Poet feels while in his Fit -,
A Senfation fo ftrong, that they exprefs it only
by Exclamations, Adjurings, and Rapture !

Auditis ? An me ludit amabilis
Infania ? Aiidire & videor pos
Err are per Lucos, amoen£
^as ir J qua fubeiint & Aur/e /

When a Favourite of the Mufcs is in this
Condition, iVf?^//rt' appears in her gaycft Drcfs^
the noblcft Objcdscome in vicWj They turn
out their beauteous Sides 5 He fees their vari-
ous PoHtions, and (lays for nothing- but Re-
femblance to join them together. The Tor-
rent of the Poetick Pafllon is too rapid to
fufFer Corf id e rat ion-, and drawing of Confc-
quences : If the hiiagcs are but iliong, and
have a happy Collulion, the Mind joins them
together with inconceivable Avidity, andfl^els

L 4 " the

ijz An Enquiry into tie Life

the ]oy of the Dilcharge, Uke throwing off ^
Burthen or DeHverancc from aPrcflhre*.

But at the fame time, this Force and
Colhijion of Imagery is fufceptible of very
different Meanings, and may be viewed in
various, and even oppofite Lights : It ofteri
takes its Rife from a Likenefs which hardly
occurs to a cool Imagination ; and wiiich we
arc apt to take for downright Nonfenfe, wlien
wc are able to find no Connexion between
what went before, and the ftrangc (^ompari-
fbn that followi-. It is in reality the next
thin?- to Madnefs ; Obfcure and ambio;uous,
with intermixed Flaflics of Truth, and Inter-
vals of Scnfc and Defign -f-. Lycopbrons Caf-
fandra, an admirable Imitation of a Trophe-
tick Fury, is not fo obfcure for being a ^re-
di^ioji {\\'^\\n^-, like other Prophecies J, fore-
told things that had fallen out before it was
wrote): But it is clouded by the dark Manner
of hinting at Men and Things, in fuch Re-
femblanccs and AUuiions, as render it one

con-

•* At Phocbi nondam patiens, immanis in Antro,
Bacchatur Vates ; magnum fi pcftore poffit
Zxcuffiffe Deum. Tanto magis ilic fatigat
Os rabidum, fcra Corda domans, fingitque premendo.

Virgil. iEneid. Lib. 6.

i" 'Ei,-i Si ^va'Bi i\ UoiviTniij i^ cv^itititx aivifaZTuSijii net) 6v tsT Tpoc-
T'J%ovTo^ av3po5 fviop'cxt. "Erl Bs TO^s rd Sji'jaei TOiavrii itvcct, Srau
^ag£TU« avlfiii; (pflavepa t£j ku) (x>^ /5aAo,u.iva v\(j.lv iVcitntvvaS-Ti, ctAA'^
airOicpv'jr'rtjC'Cit cti ij.i?,t:za tu;v Ixvra coCpiav-, CTtpC^vZ^ Si to Xfi'ifxix,

UKarav. A^utQiaZ. /3»
i Scc^-iriotls's Kfjetor. Lib. 3. § 17. of E^imemks.

and Writings 0/ H o m e r. 153

continued Train of 'vviid and daring Metar
■phor.

But it is time, wy Lord, to look back,
and remember that we are treading upon
enchanted Ground j fox fo is every Inch that
belongs to the Poets : And as we have lately
been informed of certain Countries where
every thing in Nature is r ever fed-, it is fo
here in fad, where a little Folly is preferable
to the deepeft Wifdom, and all Perfons of
qool Senfe are incapable of the higheft Ho-
nours : Nor have the Tojfeffed any Caufe to
complain, while they may comfort themfelves
that they are not without Company 5 and
thofe of the moft eminent of Mankind.
*' That there is a Grain of Folly incident to
*f great Minds," is an Obfcrvation not entirely-
confined to Poetry 5 but extending itfclf to
Perfons that excel in every Art and Charac-
ter of Life : The fame Flow of Spirits, and
Energy of Thought, which enable them to
excel in Science, and reach the Heights of
their Profeillon, carrying them often beyond
the common Meafures of ordinary Life, by
which alone, the Vulgar judge of Wifdom
and Folly. In natural Knowledge it makes
a 'Democritiis or an Archimedes, who were
fometimcs thought a little crazy by their
Countrymen. But when it was applied to
what They thought 'Divine Matters, it afllimed
\ more venerable Habit and fcvcrcr Mien :

1 5 4 -^^ Enquiry into the Life

It then required SiibmijTion and Obedience ^ %
Yet ftill it prcferved Ibmething of the Air
and Look of the original Pailion ; fomething
of the ecjf at ick Manner of an agitated Mind.
This is To true, tliat thofe wiio had a mind
to falfify the Charader, and pafs themfelves
upon Mankind for the truly infpired, were
obUgedto adopt likewife i\\z Aj^pearance, and
affe£t a maddifh Behaviour, to give a Sanc-
tion to the Cheat A

What may be the Appearances, or Af-
peds of Things natural or divine, that
have the virtue thus to fhake our Frame, and
raife fuch a Commotion in the Soul, I will
not fo much as enquire : The Search, I fhould
fufped, would befruitlefs, li no\. irreverent ^ :
It would be like prying into the Author of
Fairy- Favours, which deprives the curious
Enquirer of his prefent Enjoyment, while
the courted Thantom mocks his eager Grafp,

^ sic fieri jubet ipfe 'Dtus ; fie migna facerdos
Eft mihi divino vaticinata Sono :
Hxc ubi Bellonx moru eft agitata, nee scrcm
Flam mam, non aniens verbera torta timet.
"Ipfa bipcnnc faos CL>;iit vio]enta lacertos,

Sanguineque effufb fpargit inulta Dcam :
Statquc latus prasfixa veiu, ftat faucia pe(£i:us,
Et canit eventus quos Dea magna moncr.

Alb. Tibul. Eleg. \,C.

^ Bona pais non ungues ponere curat,

Non Burbam j lecreta petit loca, Biilnea vitat :
Nancifcetur enim prcetium nomcnque poetx, See.

Horat. de Arte Poef.

c KaScAB \xlv yup tv rali; /copyfAjvai; MTOOAOFIAlS ovit

A(o5. r.'KjA B.'.Sa. S.

and Writings of Home r. 1 5 j

or prcfents him with a Turf, or Stone, in-
ftead of a Goddcfs. The Ohjcds, they fay,
of :■ ;': "jifHon, diu:over themfclvcs, hke a
coji Beatttj^t but :- Hahcs j 'tis well if you
get a Side-Glance, or a paiTing Smile : They
cannot bear to be ftarcd c^t, and far Icfs to
be criticized, and taken to pieces : 'Tis un-
lawful to doubt of their Charms, and the
ready way to elude their Force, and rob.
curfelvcs of the delightful Afloniihment.
But thus far we may prefume to carry our
Enquiry without Offence, and venture to fay.
That the original Caufe of this Paffion mull
be fome wondrous fublimc thing, that pro-
duces fuch admired Effeds : Its Didates ia
many Places, are received with profound Sub-
mi ffion, and the Perfons touched with it are
held in high Veneration.

Modern Hijlory informs us of certain
Countries, where they pay a devout Regard
to mad People. They look upon them as fa-
voiuxd with fome nearer A fpecis oiix^^scwX^
things than are allowed to other Men, and
as having fomewhat about them y^rr^^ and
divine. As I do not pretend to account for
this ftrangeOpinion, I can only as it were guefs,
by parallel Cafes, what may be the Reaibn of
it : And without looking fo far back as the
prophetkk Sibyls, or the Truth-telling, but
difrcgardcd Caffandra-, we find abundance of

Examples

*" l<lon co^r'iftte Bellezze, e non I fffofe, Taflb.

'i'y6 An Enquiry into the Life

Examples in later Antiquity, of the Deference
paid to the Ecftatick Race. The ancient
Greeks have cxprcffed the Senfe they had of
their Condition, by the very Name they gave
thcmS: From its Origin we know how infe-
parable they thought the Symptoms of My-
thology and Madnejs. They faw the Perfons
iindcr either PaiTion, neither looking nor
fpeaking like other Mortals : They were
amazed at their Change of Voice and Fea-
ture ', and could not perfuade themfelves, but
that they were aduated by fome higher Geni-
MS than was competent to Mankind.

B u T it was not only the Appearance xh^it
ftruck them j They were led into the fame
way of thinking, by the imagined Effects
©f this Paflion. Some of the Proficients in
it, they thought capable to inform them of
the IFill of Heaven-, and defcribe the Deeds
©f Heaven-born Heroes 5 Others of them, to
foretell what would happen on Earth, and
eafily inferred the Sacrednefs of the Caufe,
from its wonderful and beneficent Influence.
They were not able to imagine that mere
Humanity could penetrate into the Depths of
Futurity, or unravel that Combination of
Caufes, which they called Chance: Their
acuteit Obfcrvers could difcover no Path to
guide them thro' the Abyfs of Ages ^ to the Fates
of Families and Nations latent in the ^\^omb

£ M A N T I S.

and Writings of tiouE k. \^f

of Time : And of courfe, they admired the
dark eft Hint given by ^n Oracle, and received
the moft diftant Notice of an approaching
Event, as a McfTage from Heaven. " We
" reap, fays the Pliilofopher, notable Advan-
" tages from Madnefs, which comes to us as
« a Gift of the Gods. There is, for Inftance,
" the Prophetefs of T>elphty and the Prieft-
" eflcs of T)odonay who in their Madnefs
" have done great and fignal Services to
" Greece, both of a publick and private Na-
" ture, but little or nothing when in their
'■^ IVits. Twou'd be tedious to begin and
" tell of the Sibyls, and many others, who,
" under the Power of a furious divining
" Spirit, have forewarned numbers of Peo-
" pie of things that vi^ere to come. At times
" there fall upon certain Families fome cruel
" Diftempcrs, or other fcvere Affliction, to
" punifh them for the Crimes of their Pro-
" genitors ; but if any one of them is fcized
" with this Ecjiatick Spirit, and begin to
" prophecy, a Cure is found : They fly
" to Prayers and Holy Ceremonies, and
" light upon certain expiatory and my flick
'^ Rites which free the Pcrfon thus infpired,
^' and is a ftanding Remedy in all fuch Cafes to
" Poftcrity. But the moft beautiful Madnefs j
" and amiable Poftelllon, is, when the Love
" of the Mufes feizcs upon a foft and fuf-
'' ccptible Mind j it is then that it exalts the

'' Soul,

158 Jn Efiquhj into the Ltje^ bed

" Soul, and throwini^ it into Ecftafics, makes
*' it break forth in Hymns and Songs, and
" otiicr kinds of Poefy, and celebrate the
" high Atchievcments of ancient Times, and
** inftruct the Generations to come. This
*' is fo cercain, that whoever he be that pre-
*' tends to the Favours of the Mufe, without
" partaking of this Madnefs, from an Opi-
" nion perhaps, That Art alone is fiijficient
" to make a Poet-, he may affure himfelf that
** he ^'\\v fail in his Ckaracfer -, his Work will
" be lame ; and while the Produdions of the
" infptred ecftat'ick Train are read and ad-
" mired, his fober Performance will fink in
" Oblivion >

Let us acquiefce in this Sentence, My
Lord, in fo far as it regards Poetry 5 and after
a fruitlefs Attempt or two, get loofe at hft
from an infeSiious Siibje^,

*> Vhto in Thxdyo.

SECT

yraW'M' env

c T! r* T V

^ Azri^ {//-uA/ i-ii^'

1H A V E fomewherc read of a famous
Painter, who, to give Proof of his Art,
had reprefentcd a Jleeping Satyr , that aftec
the firft Deft^n was finiflied, he began to think
it might be proper to divcrfify and enliven it,
with the addition of a Country Boy, (landing
afide and gazing at the Creature, as if afraid
to awake him. He tried it j and exprcflcd fo
happily the Curiofity and Wonder in the in-
nocent Pace of the young Pcafant, that when
the Picture was expofed to view, and the
People came flocking to fee it, their whole

Attcn-

1 60 -An Enquiry into the Life

'Attention turnd upon the Adjunct of the
Piece : They admired the wondering Boy,
were delighted with the native Simplicity and
Surprize in his Look j and all the Mafter's
Art, in exprefling the Charafter and uncouth
Proportions of the principal Figure ^ was over-
looked and thrown away.

I MAKE little doubt, my Lord, but this
may be frequently the Cafe of thofe who
attempt to defign after moral Originals, as
well as natural ones. They enter fo deeply
into one Paflion or Biafs of Humanity, that,
to ufe the Painters Phrafe, they quite over-
charge it. Thus I have feen a whole Syftem
of Morals founded upon a fingle Pillar
of the inward Frame 5 and the entire Con-
dud of Life, and all the Charaders in it,
accounted for, fometimcs from Stiperftition,
fometimes from Tride, and mod commonly
from Intereft. They forget how various a
Creature it is they are painting 5 how many
Springs and Weights, nicely adjuftcd and
balanced, enter into the Movement, and
require a juft Allov/ance to be made to their
feveral Clogs and Impidfes, e're you can de-
fine its Operation and Effeds. But few of
them are willing to acknowledge fo much ;
and like the honeft Painter, go and dalh out
the fuperfluotts Boy, and put a Tree or im-
pending Rock in his room, that will not
cclipfe the principal Reprefentation,

WhE'

and Wrhhigs of Homek. i6i

Whether any fuch Enormity has hap-
pened in fome Step or other of this Enquiry,
or whether it would be worth while to lop
off the Excrefcence, if it prove troublefomc,
I fubmit to your Lordfhip's Determination.
All I beg for, is a fhort T)emnr in the Sen-
tence, until we regain a cooler Temper to
eondud us to the end of our Search, and
to teach us, What Ufe is to be made of the
mad mythological Vein ? A chief Part of
Homer' sWorks cannot be underftood without
fome knowledge of its Nature and Origin,
nor tafted without a Confcioufnefs of his
Dexterity in the Application. Even the
lively Author of the 'Dialogues of the Dead,
with all his Penetration, has put it as a
Maxim in the Mouth of the Poet, " That
*^ as it is the beft way, to prophecy of diftant
*' things, and wait for Events to fulfil it j
" So in Poetry, there is nothing like fend-
*' ing forth a Fable into the World, in hopes
«* that fome time or other it may ftumble
<« upon an Allegory.

MTTHOLOGT, taken in the largeft
Senfe, muft be diftinguifhed into two forts :
The one abflraBcd and cool ; the Refult of
great Search and Science : " Being a Com-
" parilbn of the Harmony and Difcord, the
" Refemblancc and Diflimilitude of the
^' Powers and Parts of the Uni-verfe" It often
confifts of their tineft Trofortions and hidden

M Jpi'

\6i An Enquiry Into the Life

aptitudes fet together, and perfonated by a
Being adting like a Mortal. " The other,
" Hidden and flafhyj rapid FeeUngs, and Starts
" of a Paffion not in our Power." The firft
of thefc may be called artificiaU and the
fecond natural Mythology -, the one is a
Science, and may be learn'd j the other is
the Faculty that for the moft part, if not
always, invents and cxprefles it. This laft
cannot be learned j but like other natural
Powers, admits of Culture and Improvement.
The Ufe I would make of fuch a Divifion is
to obferve. That Homer had the happieft Op-
portunities the World could give, to acquire
the one, and improve the other.

W E need only call to mind his Climate
and Parentage, his Education and Bufmefs,
to be pcrfuaded of the fair Chance he had
for a noble Capacity and a proportioned Cul-
ture. They confpired to blefs him with fo
powerful an Influence, that the fagacious
^emocritus, flruck with admiration of his
Geniusy faid in a happily invented word,
That it approached to divinity *. And as
for acquired Knowledge in the mythological
way, had he been to range over the Globe,
He could have pitched upon no Country, in
any Age before or lince, fo proper for his
Inftrudion as the then Kingdom of Egypt.

4 '©MJjpJ? ^XLEnS Tiaxlkv GEA20ISHE.

and Writings OyT H o m e r. 1 6 j

In Egypt he might learn their Dodrine
concerning the Origin of Things ; He wou d
be informed of the Antiquity of Tan and the
Inventions of Thoth : He wou'd hear their
ftatute Songs and legal Hymns, handed down
for thoufands of Years, and containing the
Principles of their primitive' !ri?^^/(9^j/ : The
Nature of x.\\cElementSj the Influences of the
Tlanets, the Courfe of the Tear^ and Inftinds
oi Animals. How attentively would he liften
to the Songs of their Goddefs ? the CompoH-
tions of the beneficent IJis ^ 5 who while oh
Earth, condefcended thus to employ the
Mufes, and prefcribe the Form in which fhe
would be worfhipped after fhe was gone ?
Thefe he would imbibe 5 and like fome young
T>niid come over from Gaul to ftudy under
the Britifh Triefts, the fenior Doctors of
their oral Myfierics, He wou'd return to his
Country fully inftrtiBedy and a Mafter in
their emblematical Mythology.

Never was there a People fo addided to
Metaphor and Alhifion : Their very Method
of Writingoi Sacred Sculpture^ was a complete
and {landing Syftem of natural Simile's.
" It was an immenfe Colle6lion of all the
" Relations-, and - analogous Circumftanccs,
" they could find in a long courfe of Ob-
*; fervation, between htiman h^^w.^:, and the
M 2 *^ Nature

fc 'Eke? (paffi, t'ch. tov aoAuv TijTov ciffuff[xsvx xpo'yoP ni^vj* rij;
"iZlCiO'L z9i^y.aTa y$fovivitt.

1 64 An Enquiry into the Life
Nature and Make of Birds ^ Beajfs, F/Jhef-

*' Reptiles, Infers, or whatever animate ox
" inanimate thing they imagined moll con-
'* Ibnant to the Manners and Oeconomy of
*' what tiiey wanted to reprcfent." Thus
wdicn they would fignify a dutiful Child-,
they painted a Stork 5 becaufe that Bird, as
they fancied, being fed by its Dam and
taught to fly, never afterwards leaves her,
but accompanies and tends her until fhe die
of old Age. When they wou'd reprcfent a
Woman that had been once with Child, they
painted a Lionefs j becaufe they believed that
Animal conceives but once. When they
defigned to paint a Man univerfally hated
and flmnnedj they drew an Eel, which is
found in company with no other Fifh.

They had hkcwife a fingular way of ex;
prefhng abftrat1:ed Ideas 5 fuch zs Tledfttre
and '^Pain-, ImpoJJibilttyt Antiquity, Happi-
nefsj and the like. Thus, to exprefs Tlea-
fure, they painted the Number Sixteen, which
they looked upon as the Year of Life when
Mankind is capable of mutual Enjoy^nent.
Vox: 7!in ImpoJ[/ihility, they delineated /-u^^jiv^?
walking upon Water ; and to denote any
thing very ancient, they painted a Bundle of
-their .papyrus, a Plant which they thought.
the firjl Food of Mortals, before the^Ia\:enp-
tion of Corn, or eatijag of Fiefh-.- Sometimes
their Chara{l:crs did not- only contxiin a fimple
z Exprcf-

and Writings of Hou-eik, 1 5 j

Exprcflion of a Fad, or the manner of it, but
likewife exhibited the Reafons and Caufe ;
efpccialiy if it was a natural Appearance ih^x
happened in their Country, or any thing
relating to the Divifion of Time-, or the Re-
volutions of the Heavenly Bodies.

Thus, in order to explain the Over flow-
ing of the Miley they firft painted a Lion ;
bccaufe the hiundation of Egypt happens
conftantly in June-, when the Sun is in
that Sign of the Zodiack. Under him flood
three Heater Veffels -, and the Figure of a
Heart with a Tongue-> in the midft of them.
The three Urns-, neither more nor lefs in
number, denoted the three Caiifes, as they
conceived, concurring in the Produdion ot
the Phenomenon. One they afcribcd to the
Soil of Egypt j of fuch a nature, they faid,
as to generate Moifture in itfelf : The lecond
flood for the Influence of the Ocean, whofe
Waves, according to Thales, were then im-
pelled into the River's Mouth by the Etefian
Winds : tho' that Part afllgned to the Ocean
may rather favour the Opinion of Ettthymenes,
" That the Nile took its rife from the At-
*' lantick, and yearly overflowed its Banks,
^' at the Scafonwhcn thele Winds beat upon
" the Coaft, and drove a greater quantity of
<' Water into the mouth of the Cavern that
M 3 '' fed

\66 An Enquiry into the Life

" fed it c." The third Urn exprcficd the
true Caufe of the annual Deluge 5 the prodi-
gious RainSy that fall about that time in the
Southern Parts of Ethiopia^ and arc gathered
by a large Circuit of Mountains into the
Bafon or Lake, where the Nile has its Origin.
Thefe make it fwell above its Banks, and
lay the lo^juer Egypt under water for three
Months in the Year ^.

The Heart was an Emblem of the Nile
itfelf, as it gave Life and Motion to Egypt, in
the fame manner as the other does to the
Human Body : And the annexed Tongue re-
prcfented Humidity-, the great Caufe of their
Happinefs j and according to them and their
Scholars ^, the jirfi conftitucnt Principle of
Being.

These, my Lord, are a few Examples of
the enigmatical Humour of the Egyptians.
I could with pleafure add to them, both for
the Curiofity of what they contain, and be-
caufe they abound with Imagery-, and fill the
Mind with more Senfations than any other
kind of Writing. I could run over the fur-
prifing Refcmblance they found between the

Sun

*■ Navigavi At'anticum mnre : Ir.de Nilus fluit major quam-
diu EtelxK tempus obfcrvant; tunc enim ejicitur m^ie inftanci-
bus ventis. Cum refcderint, et pclagas conquieicit ; minorque
dilcedenti inde vis Ni!o eft. Caetcrum dulcis maris iapor, et
fimiles mloticis Belluca.

Euthym. ivIalTiiicnf. apud Senecam. Nat. Quxft. Lib. 4. § z.

" Ihaies, and the lonicK School.

and Writings 0/ H o M e r . 16^

Sun and a puny Infe5f, the common Beetle,
in its Generation, Inftind, and Parts. I could
relate the Sympathy they obferved between
the Moon at her Change^ and their Cyno-
cephaltis or Ape 5 an Animal, as they faid,
defigned by Nature, for a facred Symbol, in
fo far as it comes into the world circttmcifed
like an Egyptian Trieji : And from thefe
and fuch like, we might explain a part of
the Reafon of their monftrous Statues, and
Baboon- IForjhifj ^. But an Apprchenfion flops
me, left it be faid. That all this while I am
but indulging a Conje<^ure, and plealing my
felf with an imaginary Scheme ; " That Ho-
<c ;^^;^ never \z^n\z&t\\c Egyptian My thology,
" neither does it appear, that he knew the
*^ Grounds of their Religion/'

The Argument of the grcatcft weight to
prove that He did, is^taken firft from the Al-
legories that are foun'd in his Writings. They
contain the fame '\DoBrine and Tbeogony ss

M 4 we

*" The Opinion which the wife and learned Tlutarch enter-
tained of their Rites and religious Ceremonies, is fbmething
lingular. 'OuSiv yhp aAofovj cvii /x'w'GiaSe?, cuSs Czo SBiaiiaifjiovtai
((!o?T£p 'ivioi vofJittiici) l/KaT£q-oi%£;ovTO 'lEPOTPFlAIE ; aAAa tcc
fxtv yj6iKa<; 'ixovTCi no.) 'yjsiiuSei(; uiTiCC<;, tcc S" 6vk U'xotgcc >ioyi-}^i.
Tvflo; 'ISTGPIKHE ^ (^vaimi lq«v : And the very Example he
fubjoins is, ?(ov t'-* ^tp} KPOMMtOT, the Regard they pay to
theO«io». " The Egyptians, fays he, have inferted nothing in:o
" their Worihip without a Reafon, nothing merely fabulous,
'• nothing fuperfihious, (as many fuppofc) ^ but their Inilitutions
" have either a Refpcdt to Morals, or to fomething nfful in
" Life ; and many ot them bear a beautiful Rcfcmblance ot
'* io;ac I'aH in Hulory, or of ibme Appearances in N-ittire.

1 6 8 An Enquiry into the Life

we know was delivered by Orpheus^ and in
the fame 'uailed and myftick manner : So that
with the fame certainty as we can fay, fuch
a Man is a Stoickj another an Epicurean, and
another a Sceptick, we can affirm that Homer
is an Egyptian Mytkologift. We immediately
fufpcd a Man to be a Difciple of a particular
Setl, and inftrudcd in this or the other
School, from his way of writing, and uflng
tiie Terms peculiar to cither of them. But
if we find him building likewife upon the
fame Principles, and delivering the fame
Maxims, we no longer doubt of his Precep-
tor.

The Egyptian Religion and Doctrines,
were fettled in the fouthermoft Parts of
Greece, by 'Danaiis and his Poftcrity. After-
wards Orpheus, Alufa, Melampus, and their
Succeifors, fpread thci^ over all the Country.
Homer, who came a^icer them, made no
change upon thofe Rites and Opinions : And
yet. My Lord, we find his Writings appealed
to, as the Standard of their private Belief,
and grand Diredory of piiblick JForjluip. Js
not this the fame as to fay, " That Homers
" Poetry contains the fame Principles and Pre-
" cepts with thofc of the Egyptian Theologne,
" and was the perfefteft CoUedion of them
" the Grecians had in Writing ? " Nor arc
there wanting other Proofs, not only of our
Poet's following the general Doctrine of the

and Writings of Houe r. 1 6^

Egyptians^ and of the Grecian Law-giver
their Scholar, but plainly borrowing Images
and ^efcriptions from him, and inferring
them in his Poetry : Efpecially if yotir Lord-
[hip will take it upon the W^ord of the early
Fathers of our Church, it will be eafy to
make out nothing lefs than downright ^Fla-
giarifm.

''HOMER, fliysoneofthcm^ ftretch-
" ing his Privilege as a Poet, and from an
" Emulation of the Glory that Orpheus had
" acquired, myftically introduces a Tltirality
" of Gods ^ that he might not appear to di(^
" fent from the other's Poetry. He has copied
" him fo clofe, that the Refemblance appears
" in the very firft Line of his Works : Or-
" pheus having begun his Poem with

Homer copies

^' chooHnc^ rather to offend in the Meafure of
** his Verfe, than to be the firft that made
*'' mention of the Name of the Gods.

Another primitive Writer -f hath re-
corded fevcral Inftances of his borrowing
largely both from Orpheus and Miif£iis. He
informs us, that Orpheus having faid a very
harfh thing of the fair Sex^

» Ju(iin Martyr. | Clem:ni Alexandrin. Stvovd^t. 8.

I/O An Enquiry into the Life

Nothing fo fierce and impudent as Woman :
Homer had jufl: changed a Word, and faid.

And that as Miifaus firft employed the beau-
tiful and juft Comparifon of the growth and
decay of the Leaves of Trees, to exprefs the
tranfitory State of Mortals, Homer had but
tranfcribed it in the fixth Iliad, " That as
" the Wind ftrewed the Leaves upon the
" Ground, and the fprouting Wood fent forth
" others at the approach of Spring, fo
" one Generation of Men fails, and another
" comes in its room." The Father gives
fome other Examples of the fame kind j par-
ticularly the noble Defcription of the Cyclops
falling ajleep 5 which he fays Horner took
from Orpheus^ Kcprefenration of Saturn in
the Theogony :

K&it' a7ro^o;^^t»(7a5 ara^i/V iv^voL 5 xad ^e /J-tv

Out-ftretclod he lay

His brawny Neck reclindh then funk in Sleep,
The allfubduing God.

With what views thefe ancient Authors
have made fuch Obfcrvations, or how far

they

md Writings of Homer. 171

they have fucceeded in them, is a Queftion
remote from our prefent Subjed : Only fo far
we may prefume to ufe their Authority in
fecular matters, as they intended to prove in
the firfl: place, " That Homer was not him-
" felf the Author of the Toly-theifm which
*' he fung, nor the Inventor of his religious
*' and philofophical Allegories 5 but had re-
*^ ceived them, at firil or fccond hand, from
" the Egyptians!' In this refpedl, it would
not be difficult for any body who is ac-
quainted with Homer, and who looks over
the few Pragments of Or/^^^f/j", to make other
Remarks to the fame purpofe. As for in-
ftance, that beautiful Defcription oi Heaven^
fo juftly admired, and tranfcribed by Art-
Jiotle.

^OuXvjuLitQv^ c3"t ^ao-] 3iu)v e5'(^. Sec.

Radiant from Heaven he came, the bleft

Abodes-,
And Seat un^aken of th' iynmortal Gods :
The happy Land, '■juhere Tempefts never blowy
Nor chilling Showers defcend^ nor fieecy Snowy
TH unclouded Sky fmiles with perpetualT^ay^
And Light eternal darts a gladdening Ray.

This Defcription bears a great Rcfemblance
to thofe Lines of the Theologue, (fo the An-
cients called Orpheus) :

Th'

1/2 An Enquhy into the Life

Th' Abodes of Men

He fever d from th' Immortals, to poffefs
A blifsftd Seat-, exempt from all Excefs ;
Where from above no chilling Cold is fent.
Nor fcorchtng Ardour fires the Element 5
Wloere Phoebus' yf^-/^ r owls the middle Roady
And temp' rate Mildnefs dwells beneath the
God.

Here the Thought is the fame, and feveral of
the Karnes. In the Fragments that pafs under
the name of the fame Author, we have Exam-
ples of thofe hidden pieces of Art employed
by our Poet, to give his Work an air of Divi-
nity and Infpiration. Such is the Invocation
of his Mtfe at the beginning of his Poem,
and his mznuomn^, t\\z celeftial Appellations
of Men and Things, as if he had underftood
the Language of the Gods. As to the firf]-,
bcfldes what is told above, there is another
Addrefs to his Genius recorded by Tzetzes:

where the Epithet comes from a Mountain in
Thracey in the O dry fan Country. For the
fccond, Briareus's two Names arc later than
the Moons :

M>i:7a70 y a,hMv ^Sa.v dix-^i^roVy !w n S^EAHNHN
'A^vocrvi K>^ri^'d(yiv ; 'E-m^^^vioi ^s 75 MHNHN,
"H Ts-ihK 'I'J^i i'~^^h'<^0A'A' ^^i3..,'r*roK'\oL IXhXct^^-

Another

and Writings 0/ Homer. 17J

Another Earth of boimdlefs Size he formdy
SELENE call'd in Heaven 5 but the Tribes
Of Men term it ?^^ MOON : She, like this

Globe-,
Has many Hills y and To'xnSy and lofty Roofs.

But however thefe things may be, whether
Coincidences from Chance, or Imitations
arifmg from a Tarity of Principles and Man-
ners, we may fafely conckidc, that Homer
drew his Mythology from thefe three Sources :
firft) from the Form of Wor^ip aheady cfta-
bhfhed in his Country : Secondly, from the
Traditional l^oEirines of Orpheus and Me-
lamptiS) wiio firft formed the Grecian Cere-
monieSj and gave that People a Notion of
Immortality : And laftly, which was tiie Pa-
rent of the other two, from the Egyptian
Learning.

I WOULD not be vuiderftood in this, as
if I affirmed that Homer iiad gone tliro' a
Courfe of Hieroglyphicks in Egypt : Perhaps
that Science was not then brought to fuch
Perfcdion, as it afterwards attained 5 tho'
their high Pretenfions to Antiquity and legal
Infiitiitions in Rehgion fcem to affure us that
it was. But the Dcfign of the Examples in
that way, was to fhew their Manner of Think-
ing and Writing upon natural and religious
Subjeds : From which of confcquence we
niuit fuppofe, That \i Ho?ner was at all among

them,

174 -^^ Efiquhy into the Lije

them, as it appears he was, a Alan fo capable
and inquifitive, could not return without
learning fomething of their Rites, and the
reafons of them j that is, of their Mythology.

With refped to the traditional Part of
his Inftruftion, it may be asked. How it was
p refer ved in times of fuch Ignorance and
Diforder ? And thro' what Channels it could
be conveyed to Homer? Tho* thisQueftion
be upon the matter anfwcred already, and
that the Age in which he lived is too remote,
to allow us to fpeak with certainty of his
Inftri0or ; yet we can give an account of
fome great Men who had the honour to pafs
for his Teachers, and were named as fuch by
the Learned and Wife among the Ancients.
And firft, TRONATIT>ES of Athens is
given for his Mafier s. Tiiodorus the Sicilian,
whofe Authority is doubly valuable, as an
Hiftorian and a Critick, honours him with
the Appellation of MEAOnOlOs ET<E>rHS5*
and adds, that He had written in the ^elaf-
gick Chara^er, in imitation of Linus and
his Scholars : That his Subjcd was likewife
the fame ; The primeval State of Nature ;
which he accordingly infcribed nPHTOKO^-
M02, The firft World.

After him, Arifteus the famous North'
em Traveller has the faircfl Pretenfions. He
was a Native of Troconnefits, a little Ifland

« Biblioth. Lib. 3. * h Poet of great Gen'ms.

and Writings o/" H o m e r. 175

in the Tropontis near the ancient CyzicuSy a
delicious Place, and partaking in the BlefTings
of that happy Climate. Invited by his Situa-
tion, which lay juft oppofite to Thrace, He
vifited that Country, wandred a great way up
among the Scythians^ and was the firft that
gave the Greeks any knowledge of the north-
ern Nations. He compofed, at his Return,
the 'APIMASOEIA 'EDH, Arimafpan Toetry i
containing an Account of the feveral Tribes
of the Barbarians he had gone thro', and
particularly of the One-eyed Arimafpians-, as
he calls them, the fierceft of Men^. After this
He made a Voyage Weftward, and viewed
Italy, at that time almoft as barbarous as the
Scythians themfelves ; and both at home
and in his Travels, he feems to have per-
formed fome Feats of an extraordinary Na-
ture ^ which raifed the Wonder of his Co-
temporaries, and made him be looked upon
as a God, or at lead as a divine Man. This
Opinion would not be weakened by his
writing a Theogony, like the reft of the
ancient Sages j and excrcifmg himfelf in a
Field, where Philofophy and Religion of old
ftrove which fliould moft aflift the other, and
made an Effort in common for the Good of
Mankind.

Between

*» Herodot. Melpomene. Lib. 4.

17^ ^^i Enquiry into the Life

Between thofe two, Tronapides ana
ArifteiiSy lies the Claim of inftrudling Homer:
Creophtlus too is named as a Competitor ;
but his Pixtcnfions had been better fmothered
as we faw formerly. How to determine be-
twixt the remaining Pretenders, furpaffes my
Abilities 5 and I muft in this Particular join
with an Author, who tho' an Admirer of our
Poet, has cxcrcifed his Eloquence, in proving
him unjuft to the Trojans ^ and injurious to
the beauteous Helen. It is ^ion Chryfoftome
I mean, who gives it as his opinion, " That
" as the precile Time and Tlace of his Birth
** was not certainly known among the Greeks,
" fo it was likcwife a queftion, IVho had
" been his Mafter in Wifdom and Poetry ^ ?

But there is another Channel ftill, thro*
which this kind of Science might fiow down
to Homer ; not indeed diredly from Egypt,
but from a '[Phoenician or Egyptian Colony,
Your Lordfliip knows the invidious Story that
goes of Hippocrates the Father of Medicine :
It was cuftomary among the Ancients, when
any one recovered of a Difcale, to write or
engrave an account of their Cure upon a
Tablety and hang it up in the Temple of
EfciilapiuSy in fign of Gratitude to the God^
who they tliought had dirccled them to the
Remedy. Thcfe Tablets, they fay, contain-
ing

k 'Otti^pa ttiv ytch Xa'ztp ra aAAa ri rtp) avrhv, ho,) tbto ^?i(|AflW

and Writings 0/ H o M e II . x'y^

ng the Htjlory of all lorts of Diftcmpers,
and their Method of Cure-, Hippocrates pcr-
ufed ; and havmg made hlmfclf Maftcr of
the Knowledge they afforded, afterwards fet
fire to the Temple, that he might enjoy
fuch a Treafure without a Rival. ^,

Much of the fame kind is the accbinlt
we have of Homers Inftru£lion ^ only he
fpared the Records from which he drew it;
'Twas in the firft or fecond Generation after
Oedipus, fays Tiiodorus-, that Thebes was
fack'd a fecond time by Alcm£on. "Among
" the Captives he carried off, was the old blind
" Prophet Tirejiasy who died by the way :
" But his Daughter, the celebrated Manto,
" was fent to ^Delphi as a part of the Spoil.
" She was no lefs skilled in T>ivination than
" her Father j and while flie flayed m Apollo's
" Temple, made great Improvements in the
" Art. She-was favoured bytheGWj and
" having a wonderful Genius, compofed
" Oracles of all kinds, and in different
" Forms, allegorical^ prophetical:, and moral,
*' Thefe were preferved in the Temple ; and
" from them, fays the Hiflorian, Homer bor-
<* rowed many Verfes-, and inferted them
" as Ornaments into his own 'Poetry ^

However imaginary this Infinuation
may appear, it would be rafh to condemn it
as entiicly groundlcfs. It carries indeed in its

N Face,

' Difihruf, Book IV.

1/8 An Enquiry into the Life

Face a certain air of Fable ; but if narrowly
viewed, and ihc Circumftances weighed, I
believe it will be allowed to bear an appli-
cation of the Proverb, " That if not true,
'^ it is at leaft well contrived." The Founda-
tion of the Story, Alcmaon^ Expedition, the
facking of Thebes, and its Defolation long
after, even during the ^\ojan War-, arc cer-
tain and undoubted Fa&s : The Neighbour-
hood of the T>elphick Oracle, the conftant
Cuftom of the Country, and the fuppofed
SanEiity of the Place, make the fubfequent
Parts of it look probable.

But when we take in the other Prefump-
tions, arifmg from the Oracle itfclf and Ho-
mers own Works-, it bec9mes difficult for us
to rcfufc our Aflent : As firft, That the Places
where Hymns-, Songs-, Taans, and Toetry
in general was ufcd and known, were an-
ciently no other than the Temples and /Altars
of the Gods : Next, That the ges^ata
or Savings of the God were preferved with a
peculiar Care : They were infcribed fome-
timcs in Wood, and fometimcs in Plates of
ivletal, and hung upon the Pillars that enclofcd
the A A T T o N or SayiUuary. Nay Tint arch
allures us, That there was commonly about
the Temple at T>elphi, a Set of Men of a
Toetical Turn, whofe Bufuiels it was to fit
round the Oracle on folcmn Days, and re-
ceive the Voice from Tjthids Mouih, which
z they

and Writings o^Homer. \y^

"W'ere afterwards to wrap up in a Vehicle of
Words, in what Phrafe and Meafure they
thought convenient i". " For fuch was the
" kind of Life, continues the hiima'm Thilo-
" fopher-, in thefc early Times, and fo gene-
*^ ral was the ^ropenfity to Harmony and
*' Numbers, that every Science was delivered
" in Verfe : Nothing in Hiftory, nothing in
" Philofophy, and in a word, no Accident
" or Tranfaftion that wanted Voice and T>e^ s
" fcription, but what wore the Garb of the {
'' Mufes, and in it was admired. Nor for /
" certain, did the T)elphian God refufe the /
*' loved Ornament to his own Art-, or drive
" the divine Mtife from the facred Tripod :
" He invited her to it, and fanned the poet-
"^ ick Fire : He cherifhed the pregnant Bread,
" infpired it with Images, and exalted the
" myfterious Sublime of the Soul, until it
" burft forth in Strains befitting his Shrine.

But this is not all : We know from //i?-
;;;^r'sown Mouth, that this very Temple was
in high Repute long before his Days ; That
it was honoured by the adjacent Nations,
confulted by Princes, and was arrived at an
immcnfe Pitch of Wealth and Fame. In
the Odyjfey-, he lets us know that Agamemno^
had confulted it himfelf before he undertook

N 2 the

"" This is confirmed by Strabo: llv^lav tixi>ixhvi\, t» Tv«"f-(.i
rpov nOlHTAS rivaq CzispyoivTa^ rtfi 'Ispiu-

1 8o An Enquiry Into the Life

the Expedition to Troy " : and in the Iliady
Achilles tells the Ambafladors, from that
Prince {Agamemnon) " That He would not
" marry his Daughter, tho' fhe were beauti-
'' fid as Venus, and skilful as Minerva j
" That he would have no Peace with him,
" nor part in the War j That he was refolved
" to go home to Ththia, and fhun his im-
*' pending Fate i fmce his Life was more
" worth to him than all the Wealth within
" the Walls of Troy i and (to inhance the
" Comparifon) more than all the Treafures
" that are preferred within the Stone- built
" Gate of the rocky TTTHOS, the Abode of
" the Soox\ihYm^ ATOLLO.o

This is Homer's Defcription of the Situa-
tion of the Oracle : When v/e compare it
with the accounts left us by Hijiorians and
Travellers^, it appears fo natural and juft,
that wc eafily believe the Poet muft have
had the rough Afpe^ of the Mountain in his
Eye, and rcprefcnted the Building from the
flately Original. Or if this Belief be thought
fond or illufivc, it is not impoiTible to heighten
the Evidence : But upon condition, that

Tlv^ol' iv y;fu6syi,<jB u'jspGv) /aii/oi/ Oi.'Sow
Xpi^j/fjtsvo; ; Tore yap pa KuAi'v^tro •x^fJ.a.Tog a,px^
Tficffi rs acci Axvuolti, 'OSur. 6.

« Ihad. IX.

P AeA^so TrfpSi^i? xnp'ov, fisx'foj/Szf, ttctlh yopviv %%9v'Th MAJf*

T£ioN. It;«s. B-'C. e. See aJfo JP^w/Sw^^, Phoa>.

and Writings of Homer. i8i

we remember the Want of Records^ al-
ready mentioned j and that they had in thofe
days no other Method of knowing the Tranf-
adtions of former Ages than by Tradition
and Converfe with the Guardians of Kno-ju-
ledge. With fuch Alliftancc it is eafy to
make out Horner'^ Acquaintance with 'Delphi.
To him, my Lord, we owe our hiformation
of the Antiquity and Jirjl Settlement of that
facred Seat : From him we learn, " IVhat
" iz'ife Nation or artful ^People was then
" able to projed fuch an EftabliQiment ; or
" endowed with the necclTary Addrefs for
" executing the great T>efign of explaining the
<f Turpofes of Heaven, and foretelling the
" Fortunes of Men." A httle Reflcdion
will tell us, they could hardly be Greeks:
The Grecian Tribes had not as yet attained
the ordinary Arts of Life ; much lefs had
they reached this Height of human Policy '^.
Or if it was a Grecian Settlement, the Plant-
ers mud have been fomc JLxception from the
Rule ; fome privileged Nation, and the fird
inftruded in Religion and Government.

It was fo, my Lord '-i and to make amends
for the Silence or Trifling of the fucceeding
Hiftorians ^ Homer hath allured us. That the
Founders of this prophetick Colony were
C RETANS. " There were many of
N 3 " them,

.9 See Page 25. and Sttiion 11. throughout.
' E^horns apud Stvaboncm, Lib. 9.

T 8 z An Enquiry Into the Life

'' them, he fays, and goodly Men, who came
*^ in a Ship from Cnoffus the City of MinoSy
*' and were chofcn by Apollo to offer Sacri-
" fices, and relate the Oracles of the God
*^ of the Golden Tripod -■> whatever Thoebtts
'' Ihould utter, when he prophccied from
'^ the Laurel, under the Holloijus of Varnaf-
^' fits^y And that we may not doubt of
the Manner in which this was done, He tells
That they fung fuch Taans or Hymns of
Praife,

As Cretans wont to fing i whofe Breafl the

Mufe
Hath filled, di-vine, with ever-flowing Verfe,

Such was the firft Edablifhment of the
Delphic Oracle. It came to be quickly in
repute with its neareft Neighbours 3 and in
not a great many Years, Greece was full of
the Fame of its Sanctity and Truth. Prefents
of immenfe Value came pouring in, from
Italy on one hand, and from Ajia on the
other. And when thcfcTrcafurcs were touched,
or any hidignity was offered the Temple,
the Tub lick was fure to efpoufe the ^larrely

and

» '0(ji.i^p8"Tavo« Ijs'AtoAA- It IS cxadlly Strahos, Defcription of
the Oracle, <^a.e\ 5' livui to f^au/Tferov, 'ANTPON KClAON'xa^a

y.ov.

and Writings ojT Ho m e r. 185

and make a Holy IFar in its Defence. But
thegreateftlionour it had, was to be the Place
of Aflcmbly of the Amphi^lyons, or great
Council of Greece. They were Deputies
fent from the Sovereign States^ to confult in
common the general Welfare of their Coun-
try, and determine Differences between the
jarring Cities.

During their Meeting, the 'Py/'fe?/ Games
were celebrated in honour of Apollo. The
reafon why I mention them, is to obferve
that it was long before Horfe-Races and
JVreftl'mg came to be a part of the Entertain-
ment. The firft and fole Aftors for many
Years, were the k 1 a p a a o i or Rhapfo-
difts ; and their Conteft was, who Ihould
fing the fineft T'tean in prefcnce of that
auguft Aflembly. This Cuftom was cdabliflied
before the AmphiByons met at Delphi : And
tho' there were no other Evidence o^ Homer's
being there, yet 1 Ihould never think, that
the fweeteft Singer in Gr^^r^ would foolilhly
fhun the Place where the greatefi Honours
were paid to his Art. 'Tis plain he was
y^W of the Characler ; was fcnfible to Glory
and publick Elleem -, and as for his liking to
the Snbje^y the Praifc of ApoUo, befides the
firii and longeft of his Hymns dedicated to
that Theme, there goes a Second under his
Name, where he tells the Gody " Thar a
" fwect-fpokcn^^r^, who holds in his Hand

N 4 an

•« 84 ^« Enquhy into the Life

an harmon'iQUS Lyre, makes h'lm always the
firft and laft Subjcd of his Song *.

And here, a new unbounded Profpeft
opens full upon us : Homer at T>elphi, con-
%'erilng with the Priefls, and Ringing T^ans
to Apollo ! What Advances might he not
jnake in this great School of Religion and
Toetry ? The Oracle was i\\z fiandmg Foun-
tain of their Knowledge : The facred Spring
that flood open for their hiftrudion in (what
they thought) Piety ^nd Learning. Thither
they came from every neighbouring Coaft,
to learn the Fates of Kingdoms and Com-
mon-Wealths, and confult the Succcfs of
their Projeds in private Life. Let us think
a little, ho'-jv it iz'as poillble to draw fuch
Dependance ? How to maintain it in the
midft, not only of a barbarous People, fuch
as the Greeks generally were at its Sertle-
mentj But when things were much changed,
when they had acquired that Acutenefs and
Penetration, for which they were famous,
fome hundreds of Years before the Oracle
ceafcd. Religious Reputation, we know, is
of a ticklifh Nature, hard to be fupported in
a learned inquifitive Nation j and when once
blafted, is irretrievable for ever. The T>ijft-
ff///^,y increafcs, when we consider how nicely
x\\z Anfis:ers\.'o\x\6. be fifted, and their Senfe

canvaflcd.

and Writings 0/ HoM E R. i8y

canvalfcd, with more curious Eyes and anxi-
ous Attention, than any thing in the World
befides : And after all, it feems, " They
^^ flocked toTyt\^\\\, and believed theOracle"

As a fort of Apology for a thing incapable
of Defence, we muft fuppofe, that they firmly
believed what many of them have left in
Writins:, " That mod of the Predidions
" were really accomplished." Others, they
perfuaded themfelves, would ftill come to
pafs : For they reafoned, If fome had, Why
not all ? In the next place, it ufually ap-
peared from the Anfwer, That the God was
perfedly acquainted with the Country, Pa-
rentage, and Fortunes of his Suppliant. He
commonly addrefied him with an Appellation
taken from the Founder of his Family, or
from fome illuftrious Tlace or ^erfon to
whom he bore a relation. And indeed thro'
all the Oracles that have reached us. We dif-
cover a wide Knowledge of the Geography
and Antiquities of Greece y of their Colonies^
ancient Settlements-, and Turns in their Af-
fairs. Nor is that Knowledge confined to
Greece j but Afia-> AfricK and the Weftern
Parts, fall often under the Cognizance of
Apollo.

T o account for this, without fuppofing a
Slice ejjion of knowing Men in the Service of
the Temple, and a Stock of Literature un-
jknown to the reft oiGreeccy would prove a

difficult

I 86 J}n Enquiry Into the Lije

difficult Task : And the rather, that there
could be no Fallacy devifed to fupply the
want of it. For the Votaries, however prone
to believe^ and unwilling to reafon-, yet could
never be deceived as to their own Country
and Parentage. And in this refped the
Oracle aded in as fair a manner as could
be v^ifhed. It did not, like the Sibyls, utter
Piophecies at random, upon ftrange hidden
Subjects, without Rule or Choice : But al-
lowed you plainly to ftate your Queftion, and
then, in fome connexion with it, emitted a
Prophecy, or gave the Solution. There
feems then to be a NccelTity either to admit
the Knowledge of the Priefts, or turn Con-
'uerts to the Ancients, and believe in the
Omnifciencc of Apollo, which in this Age
I know no body in hazard of.

The Truth is, fuch a Settlement neither
could have been projeded nor executed at
that time, by any other than a 'u:ife ^eople^
skilled in the Arts of Government both reli-
gious and civil, and not without fome Expe-
rience in Naval Affairs. Without this laft,
it was impoilible to know the State of Greece ;
the different Nations that inhabited the feve-
ral Coafts j then* Cities, and Product of the
Soil 5 the Revolutions in their Reptiblicks,
and Origins of their Families. But a People
skilled in Navigation had good Opportunities
to know fuch things 5 becaufc, as v/as already

obfcrvcd.

and Writings o/" Homer. 187

obferved, the greater part of Greece lay upon the
Sea. Thefe Conditions are hard to be found
together j and when found, they agree to no
Greek Nation then in being, but to the Cre-
tans ^ the very Men whom our Poet names
as the Founders of the Oracle. Let us take
a View of this ancient Ifland, and, if polliblc,
trace this Oracular Science to its Fountain.

It appears from Hiftory, That before the
Days of Minos J Crete lay under the common
Calamities of Greece : It was afHid:cd with
Incurfions, Devaftations, and frequent Re-
moves of its old Inhabitants : But from his
time, it became a regular flourifhing State ;
and, by virtue of his Laws, with the alliftance
of its Situation, had the Happinefs to preferve
its Liberty long after the Continent was en-
JJaved. From fuch a thorough and fudden
Change in their Affairs, it is natural to infer,
" That the Cretan Laws were not invented by
" degrees, like the Athenian and Roman-, or
" enabled piece meal according to theUrgencies
" of the State 5 but laid down all at once } and
" refembling in this refpcd, the Spartan or
" Venetian Conftitution." And when we
confider it in this Light, we niuft allow fuch
a Plan of Government to be the Effcd of
abftra^ed Knowledge, and of a juft View of
human Nature^ in its Pallions and Relations
to outward Objcds. But this could hardly
^omc from a Barbarian : It muft be the

Child

1 8 8 An Enquiry into the Life

Child of a Man who had either himfelf feen,
or was foundly inftruded in the Arts of Po-
licy 5 who knew a legal civilized Life, and
could provide againft the Turns of Manners
ai'ifing in populous Cities and rich Communi-
ties, either from inward Luxury or foreign
.Violence,

That this was done by Minos with A
Depth of Wifdom peculiar to that great
Law-giver, is unanimoully teftified by the
Ancients : But one Witnefs may ferve for all
on this Subjed j for we may fafely take
^lato sWoxd in what belongs to a Legijla-
tiire. He fays two things of the Cretan Laws i
Firft, That it was with great Reafon they
were celebrated as the mod excellent in Greece :
And fecondly, That they were the moft an-
cient in that fame Country. Let us keep
them in view, while we confider at the
fame time fome Particularities in the Life of
the Law-giver.

He IS famous not only in this Capacity,
but as a Founder of the Cities, Cywjfus^ Cy-
donia-, and Thocftus " 5 which are two Quali-
ties that rarely meet in one Man. He appears
to have been equally juft in executing his
Laws, as he was wife in contriving them.
His two Brothers he made lupicme Judges irt
the Kingdom. Talus the younger, went a
Circuit thrice a Year thro' the Ifland, to

hti.r

u Diodor. Sical. Lib. j.

atid Writings 0/ H o m e r. 1 8p

hear Caufes and give Juftice : The Laws by
which he judged were engraved on Plates of
Brafs 5 and from the conftant ufe he made of
tliem, lie got tlie Name of xaakott, or
the Brazen Talus. Rhadamaiithus the elder,
had the Cognizance of Capital Crimes, and
held his Tribunal in the Metropolis^. The
Prince himfclf led his Armies and commanded
his Fleets in Perfon, and he is faid to be ab-
folutely the firji who was Lord of the Ocean.
From this Circumftancc in his Life, and the
Power of Life and Death committed to his
Brother, they both feem to have had their
Names v.

But the greateft Honour which this
Prince attained to, and what makes molt
for our prefent Purpofe, is, that of all the
ancient Heroes, Minos alone is celebrated as
the Companion of Jove, with whom he ufed
to converfe as with a Friend 2. From him,
'tis faid, he had his Laws j and to account
for this Familiarity, he was afterwards called
his Son. Now, My Lord, if to thefe Ac-
counts of this Founder of States, Vfo, add
another Refledion 5 " That all the Gods

" were

" Vlato in Mime et EpinomUe.

y Rhadamanthus fr'^m RhaJa , Doniinari and Af««of/» j Imagi-
nes, Umbrx, Phantafmaca .- Or M.iveth or Moth., Mors, Mortes,
As if it were the Lor.i ot the Shades, or Frince of Death, Mino:
from Ail or Me, Aqua: and iVo«, Filius, Princcps. From the old
Root Mi or Mat, by a common Tranfpolition, comes lam the
Sea.

« Homer calls him a.'oj iJ.iyx}M'Occpi:;C<;, which Horace tranf-
iates— — Jm/ ArcMts Mmoi (nimijjtis. Lib. i. Ode 28=

ipd An Enquiry into the Life

" were fald to be born in CretCy that therd
" Jupiter was nurfcd in a Cave, and the
^* CtireteSi or Id£i T>aByli^ danced about
" him, left old Time Ihould devour him,
*' as he had done all the Gods that had been
" worfhippcd before." This, I fay, will
carry us a Step further in the Enquiry, and
enable us to underftand what Ephorus means,
when he tells us, " That Minos was no Cre~
'* tan, but came from beyond Sea to Crete-,
with thcfc Tutors of Jove juft now men-
tioned a.

H E R E a Light ftrikes upon us that feems
to make fome amends for the Length of the
Dedudion. The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi
was a Settlement of Cretans : In Crete was
Jupiter born, and the reft of theG^^J j that
is to fay, the Cretans were the lirft Europe-
ans who received a Form of Worftiip, and
learned the Names and Natures of the Gods 5
and from them that Knowledge was propa-
gated among the Weftern Nations. In this
Senfe, Jnpiter and Juno-, Ceres and Neptune y
with all their Train, were o^ Cretan Ext ra5i
as- to the Greeks. The Inhabitants of Crete
formerly barbarous^ were inftrucled by Minos,
who came with People already civilized and
knowing in civil and manual Arts, the Cu-
retes, Id.^i 'DaByli, and the Telchines from
Rhodes : Which is to fay in Subftance,

" That

■ Apud Diodor. Lib. V.

and Writings 0/ Homer, ipi

« That the Knowledge of the Gods, .their
<« Temples, Priefts, and Oracles, with the
" necefTary fubfervicnt Arts, were firft brought
" to Crete, by Phrygians, Phoenicians, and
" Egyptians"

I CANNOT rcfolve to lead your Lordfhip
thro* the Labyrinth of Mythology and Hiftory,
in which a farther Inveftigation would in-
tangle us : Tho' fhould we purfue it, and
trace backward the Delphic Antiquities, firft
from Crete, then from Thoenicia and Rhodes,
and thence to Egypt, we have every where
Prints that would dired us in the Track.
Many of them have been pointed out already
by a great Man ^, tho' with another Defign :
But a Hand fo mafterly as his, feldom touches
a Subjed without Ipreading a Luftrc upon
whatever belongs to it. Cadmus^ Relation
to Egypt is a thing too notour^ to be men-
tioned. Cut I incline to think, that the
People laft named (the Telchines) came im-
mediately to Greece from that Mother-land of
Priefts and Superftition.

The Account 'Diodorns gives of them is
firft. That they were Childreyi of the Sea -,
or, in plainer Terms, that they came from
beyond Sea to Greece and the Iflands; whofe
rude Inhabitants being able to give no other
account of their Origin, imagined them (as
the Indians did the Spaniards) to be the Off-

fpring

*• Sir ipmc Newton, Chronol. Chap. I.

I pi An Enquiry into the Life

fpring of the Element where they firft ap-
peared, and fo called them the Sons of the
Ocean : They had given the fame Name to
Inachtis and his Wife before, and for the
fame Reafon : They were, for any thing we
know, the firft Egyptians that came to Telo-
ponnefus, and founded the ancient Kingdom
oi Argos. Some faid, that Inachus was the
God of the Rtnjer at whofe Mouth he had
entered the Country.

I T IS eafy to imagine how prone an igno-
rant gazing Race of Mortals would be to
cx\\.Qn2dw fuch Fancies : And how great the
Barbarity was that prevailed among them, is
evident from the Story of 'Phoroneus the)
Son of Inachus-, and his SuccefTor in the
new formed Kingdom. He is faid to have
firft taught the wild Inhabitants to quit the
Caves and Hollows of the Mountains in
which they lived S to build themfelves
Houfes, and make a fort of Town ^. In his
Days came the Telchines-, the fecond Egyp-
tianColony, and attempted to make a De-
fcent, and fettle in the fan1e Place 5 but be-
ing repuifed by Thoroneus, they failed to

Rhodes,

* Genus et indocile, et dif^irfum mont'ibiis altis.

Virgil. iEncid. Lib. 8.

•* Paufani.is Corinth. Lib. ^. <[)OPnNEA Iv ri^/if raJ/jjT'svtffSizi
<irp5TOV j "INAXON it cvh avSpct a^f^a. tcv IIo]afjicv TCiiipa iivdt

4>0PriNF.I- 4'opttjvtu? 5? 6''vaxaT8; «v6pw7r8<; cvvyiyaff 'KpZ.ro?

I5 KO/vov. CTopiSvjv Tiuii tccc) i<P Jauluiv ixcd^ois otuovviU^; x«» rJ %«giF£
J^ Tpilei. ii9fO;V6itcrav ac^ 'jvof/.a(:9;j OOPHNIKON^

dHd Writings 0/ Homer. 195

Rhodes, and fome of them paflTcd over from
thence to Crete ^. In both Places they are
called the Inventors of Arts of every kind 5
as well they might appear to a People fo void
of Contrivance, and deftitutc of the Necef-
faries of Life. They v/ere the firft of Man-
kind who reared Temples-^ and made Images,
and Statues of Gods. Some of the ancienteft
Statues in Greece bore the Telchine Name,
and preferved the Memory of theirs Authoi's :
Thus the Lindians called theirs, the Telchi-
nian Apollo. The old Camirits had a Tel-
chinian Jtino j and in lalyffus, both Juno
and the Nymphs were diftinguifhed by the
fame Epithet ^.

Now, My Lord, it is generally agreed,
that thcfe are all Egyptian Inventions \ and
the very things for which that thoughtful
People valued themfelvcs above other Na-
tions. The great Uifctple of their Prieils
tells use, " That the Names of the twelve
*' Gods were firft fettled by the Egyptians,
*' and from them the Greeks had received
" them : That 'twas They who had railed
" Altars, carved Statues, and bedowed
'' Temples upon the Gods, and had firil cut
** the Figure of a living Creature m Stone."

O After

* Eiifcbius, Numb. 129. t> Diodor. Sicui. Lib. j-.

c dvuj^nix Tt Giuiv 'E-Tcuvun.'a? aAeyow vfurUt; 'AifvjfltSi; voix'sxt,
ka) "E^xvivuq TUfx ffipiuiv TapaAaGsjv. BnMOTS t« hu) AFAA-
MATA K«< NEOTS O$olst «;iev«I(jia< c(J>iai FIPnTOTE ; «ai luz «J

1 94 ^^^ Enquiry into the Life

After this, it is almofl: ncedlcfs to add. That
the Teldjmes paflcd for great Conjurers
and Magicians 5 able to do Wonders with
Charms and Drugs, whofe Powers they knew,
but were extremely referved and fcriipulotis
in communicating their Difcovcries. Yet
thefe are Characlcrifticks not only of their
being Egyptians, but of the Race or Tribe
of the ^Priejts, the old Inventors of the
lEPA FFAMMATA ( the Holj CharaBcr^) and
other Methods of hiding their Knowledge
from the Vulgar^.

So FAR we are led by the laborious and
learned IDiodonts. From others we learn,
" That the CiireteSy the Corybantes-, the Tel-
'' chines, and the Id^i T>a^iyli, were all of
*-^ one and the fame Tribe, or with a very
*' little Variation : That they were all en-
*' thufiaftick, and addided to f acred Shows,
*' Bacchic Procejjions, and ecftatick Perfor-
'*' mances : That in confequence of this general
" Character, they chofc to appear as Sewants
" :!ii\(}, Minifters of thcGods 5 and amazed Man-
" kind v/ith tlie noife of Cymbals, Sift rums,
" Tipes, and the Appearance of the ar-
*' med \Da?Jce ^." In a word, they were a

People

d Tb? 6' /fpta? Twv 'AirrnTinN, iicii XaA5a(8? xa) Maya?
co^j'a, Tivi Ziuipifoyrag rtv aAActv, vjysfiovi'ac xu) Tt[xiii; Tvyxuvsiv
'Trapse T0J5 -jp'o vitxiov. HrpaQ- B'/3. a-

« Siraio, Lib. lo. Tt is admirably told by the Author;
T«V uvrti 5i TO'i K0TPE2I tbs KOPTBANTAS k«} KABEIPOlS

and Wnthigs of Homtlk. 195

People come from a Land of ^^riefts-, and
fond of propagating their native Arts 5 thofc
Arts by which they could raife the grcateft
Admiration in Mankind, and gain tiic moft
Reverence to themfcivcs.

That they came from an Eaftern Coun-
try is apparent from the Order of their Ar-
rival, and the Trogrefs of their Inventions
thro' the weftern Parts of Europe. The
lilands faid to be tirft peopled, and brought
to live in a regular manner, v^^ere Cyprus,
RhodeSy and Crete. Your Lordfhip, who
knows their Situation, will eafily perceive,
that their Neighbourhood to the Conthient
muft have procured them that Precedency ;
and for the fame Reafon, that Imbrtis and
Lemnos lying fo near the Ckerfonejus, be-
came the grand Receptacles of ihe Same-
thracian and Bendtdian Myficries. Nine of
the Telchines are faid to have lived in Rhodes ;
and fome of them went from thence with
Rhea, to alii ft her to nouriih Jove in. Crete}
that is, *' Iji a Courfe or Flax of I^ears, they
O 2 " ivent

nal 'TA\ICTE AAKTTACTE kaJ TEAXINAZ aTod>«/vHc-/v. 'Ci II
e'jyyivili; u)iAy;X(av, kcl) fjt,iKpa?1»va$ aurtSv 'rzpo:; «AAi^Aa? dtu^o^iki; 5ia-
qifiXvatv 'Clqli Tu'jw uTiiv, xx, ««t«; t5 ■jtA/ov, /iTfti^a? 'E>0T*
EIMTIKCTi: Tivaq, nc) BAKXIKOTE, ya) tVT/ra xivi^ffd ixeVx

Ccpu-B KCC) 4/o4^y, XCl) K-JfA§:'At«V yCli TUfXT«VCOV KCc) OT^VJV ; i'l'. i' avA8

Ka.) rx iefic Tp-'-rcw r vx xcivoTreigFcrSai, Tavra rs v.cc) t(5* "Eaixo^^a.'
Kwv, tta.1 rx IV 'Aijfxvw no.) xKhx TAeito, ^ixro th^- ITpcirxjAsg Atyec-
6x1 ra^ uvT^q- 'E^( (X.SV qvv OEOACTIKOS iix; o loiarcc Ipo'-roj

\^6 Jn Enquiry into the Life

" 'uvenf from Rhodes, and inftruSled the
'* Grctans in the fForJhip of Jupiter."

O N E of the chief Parts of thcWorfhip of
the Ancients, was their Oracles ^ 5 and their
believing in them was a good Proof of tiicir
being highly convinced of their divine Ori-
ginal : It is not therefore to be fuppofed
that the Egyptian Strangers would neglcd a
principal Branch of then* Religion, or over-
look lb gainful an Inftitution in their new
Plantation : But that there may be no ufe for
Suppofition, nor any doubt left of xhzOracular
Talents of this very Tribe, one of the Tel-
chines, LTCUS by name, leaving their firft
Settlement, went toZ/r/^"^, and founded the
Oracle of the Lycian Apollo, upon the Banks
of Xanthus. This Temple, the accurate
Strabo calls to AHTnoN. or Temple Q>i Lat ana,
which affords a new Proof of its Egyptian
Origin. The chief Oracle in Egypt was that
of Latona, J polios Mother at But 00, (for
the God Was of a footh-faying Family ;) and
the Telchine that founded this, has probably
called it after the honoured Habitation of the
Goddefs in his own Country.

TtELTHI

f Tc7? apxKioii; uSaAcv j^v Iv rttj.^, kx) ^ MAKTIKH xo^oAa,
HCCi Tcc XPHLTHPIA" vvv) o' cXiyof{ci nx^,i%ti ToAAij-

" See Page 9:. of OL£N the Lycian,

and Wrhhigs of Wou'eik, 197

^ELTHI I take to have been their next
Settlement, after they had fucceeded fo well
in CretCy and eilablifhed both their Rites and
Laws among the Inhabitants : From it, in a
lineal kind of Succcflion, fprung the Oracles
of greateft fame over Greece. Among the
Dciccnii^iXHSQi Macheretis (a '\DelphickTriejh
famous for \<\\\\xi'i,NeoptolemiLs) was Branchus-,
who quitted his paternal Sear, went to "Z)/-
dym£ near Miletus^ and there let up the
Oracle of Apollo^ known by the Name of
Brancbida. The Priefts of this Temple,
affirmed in the ufual mythological ftrain, that
Apollo was in love with their Founder^ and
fo bcftowed upon him the Gift of Tro-
phecy.

A LITTLE before this, the Clarian Oracle
near Colophon was founded by Mop fas the Son
of the infpired Alanto, and Grand ion of the

Theban Prophet. It flood in a beautiful

J-

Grove, as did mod of the Temples that were
confecratcd to Apollo and 'Diana^ and was
ftill in vogue in the Days of Germanicits the
Son of Erupts y and Livid % Grand-child.
There were many of them all along the
lonick Coafty which feems to have been an-
ciently a propketick Soil : It came afterwards
to be produdive of 'Poetry., and turned at
laft ^oRhetonck^\\<i Thilofophy. Apollo h^d
Oracles at Zeleia, Triapus^ Lariffky Thym-
bruS) Cilia, Gryniu?n, and many other Places.

O 3 The

198 An Enquiry hilo the Life

The multitude of them fhews a particular
Attachment to his Worlhip j and the reafon
of it is worth our notice, and belongs to our
Subjc6i:.

The little Ifland T^elos is commonly af-
%ned by the Greek Hiftorians, as the Birth-
place of Apollo and T^iana : But the Afia-
t'tcks have likewife a Claim, and perhaps
equally ancient with the other. " A little
^'^ up from the Sca-lhorc, not far hova Ephe-
" fiis, there ftands a (lately Grove of all forts
" of Wood, but chiefly Cyprefs : They call
" it Ortygidy and thro' it runs the River Cen-
" chriusj in which they fay the Goddefs
" Latona bathed herfelf after Child-bearing.
"^ For here it was that her Delivery happened
" under the Care of Ortygia the Nurfe 5 and
" here they fhew the Reccfs or Sancitiary in
" which ihe was brought to bed, and the
*' Oliv3 Tree on which fhe firll leaned,
*^ when her Pangs had ceafcd. Above
" the Grove ftands Sclmiffus, the Mount
<' where the Ciireies took their Station, and
" with the Noifc of their Armour, amazed
" the jealous yi?^;2(?, until L^/-^^^ was brought
^' to bed. Many old Temples are to be fcen
" around the Place, and fome new built :
'-' The hrft are adorned Vv^ith ancient Statues 5,
?^ fuch as a Statue of Latona vvith a Sceptre
" in her hand, and another of Ortygia with
«' the T'-dnn-Gods in her Arms. A grand

" Arfcmbiy

and Writings 0/ H o M e r . 1 9 5^

'' Aflembly is yearly held in honour of the
" Birth i the Youth from the adjacent parts
<* appear fumptuoufly habited, and keep the
" Feaft with all pofllble Magnificence 5 and
" the ancient College of the Cnretes, make
*^ an Entertainment for themfelvcs, and per-
" form fome myjlick Sacrifices ^ I fuppofe
" after the manner of their Founders s.

Here, My Lord, we have the lamei?/>^j,
and the fame Teachers of them, as we found
in Crete J the Parent of the TDelphick Oracle :
And it could hardly fall out otherwife,
fmce the fame Hiftorian who pointed out
the Country of Mincs^-, hath alfo told us,
" That the Cretans under Sarpedon-, failed to
" this very Coaft, and founded the old Mile-
" tilS : The new was hard by it 5 which after-
*' wards fent forth Colonies all around it,
" and on both fides the Hellefpont-, as far as
" the Euxine Sea/' With the Cretans came
likewife thcfe Guardians of young "Deities^
the CURE'l^ES, to the maritime Places of
Ionia, Carid, and Lycia-, and made Apollo
be born here^ as they had made '[fove be
produced in Crete \ or perhaps, as they or
fome of their Companions had made Apollo
himfelf ovv^e his Birth to 'Delos before.

That the GrecTans were themfelves con-
fciousot this Genealogy of their God, I gather
from the Hymns afcribcd to Orpheus i which,

O 4 tho'

L ^Jiralo: I'ib 14. ^- I^honu z^pud Str,Tl>in> lib. 14..

2 00 An E?iqu}ry into the Life

tho' not the Work of the great Law- giver, as
they ftand now, are yet the nobleft and oldcft
Remain of the pure Grecian Liturgy. They
arc properly Invocations of the fcvcral Dei-
ties, and com poled of the T^iftintiions-,
TowerSy and Attributes peculiar to each : The
Tufcan Triejis very juftly called thefe Pieces
of Worfhip Indigit amenta. In the Addrefs
to Apollo, among the other Qualities, taken
from his Nature, as reprefcnting the Sunh
from his Mythology, as vanquifhing Tython 5
and from his Effects, as Health and Harmony,
there is one taken from a local Relation : He
calls him wem4)Iths or \\iz Memphi an Apollo s
an Appellation taken from Memphis the Me-
tropolis of Egypt, at the time when thefe
Hymns were compofed J. It is remarkable
as it ftands among the other Epithets 5 and
coming in among the firji of them, feems
to infmuate an early Aliinity between the
Delphick and Egyptian Prophecy. In thefe
fame Hymns, the Curetes are complimented
with being

Th' immortal Race

Who firft prefcrib'd a Trayer to iz-eak Man-
kind ^'.

An4

^^ The Hymn begins^

MEM^IT", ayAacTiut. <>5'«. cAG/oSSra, &c.

k A^avaroj KOTPHTEE, ap-^ia Ti\t%t sXovti?,
'T(i6<5 i<a;]i T«A£T^v riPfiXOI (x«po^«c?/v j6ic6«.

md Writings 0/ H o M e r. 201

And in the Addrefs to Latona, 'tis plain the
Author knew the Prctenfions of Afia to her
Reception 5 but he has divided the Honour,
and made her bear Apollo in "Delos, and
*Diana in Ortygia I

There is another Connexion dill remains:
To comprehend it in all its Strength and
Beauty, requires an Eyeaccuftomed, like your
Lordfhip, to view the various Models of
States, and trace the Genius and Refult of
different Schemes of Government. 1 can only
pretend to point out the Subftance of it,
which ftands thus.

It is agreed among the Ancients, That
the ^lan of the Spartan Conftitution was
taken from the Laws of Crete. Lycurgus-,
they faid, made fome ftay in the Ifland, and
converfed with the Cretan T h a l e s, a
Law-giver and Poet, who informed him,
" How Minos and Rhadamanthiis had framed
*' their Laws, and publiflied them among the
" Inhabitants as coming from Jove." From
thence he went to ^Delphi-, and confulted the
Oracle concerning the ^lan he had received ;
and it being approved of, he returned to La-
eedemon-, and fettled it likewife as the Dic-
tates, not of Jove J but of the 'Delphian God,
It was ilill in vigour when Herodotus lived 5
who having had occafion to obferve the Spar-
tan

T^v (isv »v OPTXTIH, Tev « xpavaii »vi AHAQ.

20 z An Enquiry into the Life

tan and Egyptian Cuftoms, with more At-
tention and Undcrftanding than falls to the
fharc of mod Travellers, hath left us a
Draught of the Refemblance he found in
many Particulars, both of their Religion and
Government i. I will not enter into a T>e'
tail of them, but take notice of an obvious
Queftion 5 " How great the Refemblance
" muft have been between the Originals (the
" Egyptian and Cretan) fuice fo much of it
" was preferved in the Copy at fecond hand,
" the Lacedemonian Conftitution ? "

Of ALL the Inftitutions oi Crete:, I fhall
mention but one, to fliew the difFufive Influ-
ence ot the Egyptian Cuftoms. Mujick and
'^Poetry in Egypt were circumfcribed by Law,
as I obferved before ; and we learn from
the Sketch of the Cretan Common-wealth
left us by Strabo, " That their Children were
" taught Letters, and the Songs appointed by
" Law-, and a certain Species of Mujick, ex-
" clufive of all others "^." In imitation of
this, the Lacedemonian Youth fung the Hymns
of Terpander ; and to give them the more
Authority, the Helotes or Slaves were forbid
to ling them under fevcre Penalties. Thus
thefe three States agreed in the ftrange De-
iign of fctting Boundaries to the two wildeft

things

1 Herodot. Erato, Lib. VI.

and Writings 0/ Homer. 20 j

things in Life, the SaiUcs ofMt/Jick andB^ap-
turcs of Toetry. But this, \vc are told",
was the moft ancient Thilofophy in Greece h
and their fiift Sophtftsy taught h^ the Egyp-
tians, run tiicir Science in \\\\% politick Strain.
They chofe, like their Mafters, to begin at
the Source ; and thouglit it the greateft Wi{^
dom to fafhion and regulate the human Paf-
fions, by adjufting the Springs that fet them
aiioins^.

And now. My Lord , we are got upon an
Afcent-, whence we can fee to the end of the
Difquifition. It now appears 'whatthofeVj^.h^s
were, which the Cretans were wont to fing :
No other than the publick Hymns authorized
by Law, and appointed to be learned by
their noble Youth. It appears in what man-
ner the Oracle was crcded, and wliat kind
oi Learning was probably there : It has been
a Tradition of the Cretan and Egyptian My-
thologyy involved in Metaphor, and height-
ened by Enthufiafm. Nor muft we confine
it folely to religious matters : All forts of
Subjects came thro' the hands oi Apollo-, and
the Philofophcr fo often c]uotcd, when he
forms a Scheme for improving his Country-
men in Wifdom, and alTifting them to make
advances in real Knowledge, lays a part

KPHTH T« xa;; AAK.£A'VlMONI j hcc) soip'^a.) -rAfT^oi fCj^ iy.il ue\v.

2 04 An Enquiry Into the Life

of the Strcfs upon their InJlru6iion from the
Oracle^.

Thither our Poet feems to have gone
by Sea from Chios. For in relating the
Voyage of the Cretan Veflcl that carried
the Founders of the Temple of 'Delphiy almoft
round the TeloponnefuSy he has defcribed the
Coafi fo minutely as to name eighteen Pro-
montories and Coaft-Towns-, they faw one
after another : He mentions the diftant IJlandst
and Tops of Mountains, they defcried at fuch
and fuch Parts of their Navigation, and has not
forgot fo much as the Changes of the Wind
ncceflary in fo indired a Courfe. This feems
to be too exaft and particular to be received
by Relation from another, but looks like the
effect of perfonal Obfervation, and the ex-
ad Memory our Poet retained of a Voyage
made by himfelf. There let us leave him
with his priefily Inftru^ors, to confiderwhat
ufe he made of this Stock of Knowledge, and
How fuch Materials are to be managed ?

So DELICATE is the Nature oi Mythology ^
that it requires not a flronger Head, or more
elevated Fancy, to produce it at firft, than
it docs a nice Hand to apply it in a Poem,
and interweave it with the Perfons and Ma-
chines concerned in the Adion. Of the
two forts already mentioned, the laft is apt

and Writings 0/ HoM E r. 205

to get the upper-hand in the Narration, and
confound its own Offspring, the artificial
Mythology. This produces Inconfiftencies
fometimes in Fads, or renders the Meaning
of the Allegory impenetrable : But the Worft
part of its hifluence, when mifapplied, is
upon Manners 5 where it deftroys the Diftinc-
tions of Charadters, and often blends Extremes
that are incompatible in Nature.

There are Circumftances in many of
Homer's Stories, which have little Con-
nexion with the Tranfadion where they
are employed : " Some of his Fables, fays
" Etifiathius-, were invented by himfelf for
" his prcfent purpofe ; others of them arc
" purely allegorical : And he has many be-
" fides, that were compofed at firft by the
*^ AncientSy and are inferred in their proper
*' places in his Poetry, tho' their Allegory
" does not always YcC^cd: the Trojan Affairs,
" but points at what was intended by its
** fir/l Inventors." To fhew the Truth and
Extent of thefe Obfcrvations throughout Ho-
mer's Writings, would be upon the matter,
to write a regular Treatifc of Mythology. It
has been done in part by the learned ^froclus
in his Notes upon Hefiod, and upon 'Tlatos
TirriiSiiSh where theObjedions raifcd againd:
our Poet's Rcprefentations of the Gods are
anfwered, fometimes with more Deference
than Judgment. But there are fomc other

Parts

20 6 Jn Enquiry into the Lije

Parts of his Management with refpedl to liis
*Di'vimtieSy their ranging themfelves on dif-
ferent SideSy and his Chiefs being proteded
by oppofite Powers, that it will be worth
while to examine. They are Beauties in
Poetry for the moft part but Uttle obferved,
and give great Pleafure, when we enter into
their Meaning, and perceive the Juftnefs of
the Application.

HO ME Rs Gods are finely diftributed
between the two Armies, the Greeks and
Barbarians : The Greeks, naturally wife and
brave, and fo formed by the Temperature of
their Climate, have Dallas and Jtmo of their
Party. The Trojans have Mars, or the im-
petuous tS'^/^ of War, Venus or Effeminacy,
and Apollo, a mixed kind of Divinity ; the
God of Heat, ecftatick Mitfick, and poetick
^ajjion. Jupiter, or the Univerfal Nature,
and particularly the Influences of the Celeftial
Region, favours fometimes the one and fome-
times the other, but generally the Greeks.
Neptune is entirely Grecian, as they were
Lords of the Sea. Mercury and T^iana have
little to do in the War, but are mentioned
by the Toet, the one from the Egyptian
Tradition as LatoJids Oppofite and the Con-
duBor of departed Souls 5 and the other, as
a ^ower, no Friend to the Ladies, whom
fhe kills at pleafure. Thcfe arc what we
may call the aEii-ve Gods, and this is their
z general

and Writings 0/ H o m e r; 2 07

general Arrangement. As for Saturn or
Tmej Ceres or the Earthy ^luto or Helly
they are a kind of Jlable Hetties that fup-
port the whole of things, but have little par-
ticular Influence upon any fingle Aft ion.

I F w E defcend to their feveral Parts, and
look nearer ftill into the Poet's Condud, we
fhall find every God in his becoming Employ-
ment, and ading confiftently with the Power
he reprefents. Phoebus or the Sun, the God
of Heat and Health, in his Wrath fends a
Plague. Achilles, from a Senfation of the
Corruption of the^^/V now unwholfom, or in
the Poet's Stile, being warned by Jtmo-, calls an
AlTembly : Provoked by Agamejnnon, ^ alias y
or Reflexion, reafons with him, and quiets
him. His Armour is made by Vitlcan, and his
vaft Nimblenefs and Humidity makes him
properly the Son of a Sea Goddefs. The wife
and patient Ulyjfes is favoured by Minerva ;
and it is very remarkable, that Homer never
varies this tutelar Kumen-t nor reprefents his
Hero under any other Tuition than the blue-
ey'd Maid's. It might have embellilhcd his
Narration, and given play to his Fancy ; but
he has preferred the Truth of the Charader,
and ftuck clofe to his Allegory. The fre-
quent Shipwrecks, and bad Fortune of the
Hero at Sea, is told in poetical Language,
by faying, He was hated by Neptune,
in the fame manner as the Man who com-
mitted

2*>8 j^n Enquiry into the Life

mitted any Outrage when drunk, was undef
the dilpleafure of Bacchus. The other
Chiefs mentioned in the Iliad arc frequently
allifted or proteded by fome 'Divine Terfon>
according to the nature of the Occafion, and
thpir perfonal Qualities.

Let us now quit our Bard for a little,
and obfcrve what Figure this Subjed makes
in other hands : The celebrated Roman Poet,
Writing for the Honour of his Country, has been
forced to Pdift Sides, and make the Trojans-,
if not the conquering ^arty, at leaft worthy
to conquer, and only fubdued by Fraud and
Stratagem. This, with the received Tradi-
tion concerning the Birth of his Hero, has
led him into fome Improprieties about his
Gods, which he has not failed to cover with
his ufual Judgment : For example, th^rt
the chief Divinity that guides the holyy wife,
and brave Eneas, fhould be VENUS,
is fomcthing unlucky. She well might
tutor ^Paris, and favour all the Trojans
"Who had their Seraglio's even then : But it
required great Diicretion to make her ad in
the Eneid, with any Propriety. And after
all, however we may be charmed with the
Delicacy of her Appearance, and the Pomp
of the Defcription, I don't know but fhc is
introduced as a 7nere Terfon, divine indeed,
and of great Power 5 but without any regard
to her CharaBer and Inclinations. It was hard
z to

and Writings of Homer. 209

to make her appear in a virtuous Caufe, or
dired the Enterprizes of the pious Hero, in
any other Capacity than his traditional Pa-
rent 5 except ihe had condefcended to accom-
pany him when he went a hunting, and con-
duded him into the Cave with 'Dido,

Such, My Lord-, is the impatient Temper
of Mythology 5 and fo powerful a thing is
Truth, that it will not bear to be disfigured,
tho' in Mafque, nor (loop to any other than a
genuine Reprefentation. Vcih2L'^s Homers draw-
ing immediately from the Fountains, or having
a hand himfelf in modelling thefe divine
phantoms, has made him happy and natural
in their 'Diftribiition. Their Ufe, if we may
believe the Ancients, was not confined to
Toetry ; nor to raifmg thofe high Senfations
and magnificent Images of the Univerfe and
of its Parts, for which we admire them : But
thro' the channel of Religion they reached
Life, had an influence upon Morals, and
impreffcd the Vulgar with that dread of
future Punifhment that keeps them in their
Duty.

A Person of great Wit, and greater
Learning, who has laboured exceedingly to
prove, That Mankind for the moll part ad:s
not from Principle, hath at the fame timas
cifaycd to weaken this Influence », and attri-

P butes

* Continuation de Penfees direrfes par M. Bdyle, Tom. i«

2 1 o An Enquiry into the Life

bates any Good their Religion and its Rites
could do, to its taking up tl:at Time which
niuft have been otherwife ill employed by a
polite and voluptuous People : Yet he allows,
that an Apprehenfion of Punifhment from
the Magiftrate reftrains from Evil ; and why
an Apprehenfion of Vengeance from the
Godsy if fuppofed equally certain, fhould not
have the fame Effect, I cannot undcrftand :
The former is infufficient in many inftances,
to prevent Fraud or Violence, and fo no
doubt is the latter. And thefc Inftances,
when collected and fct together, make a
glaring Appearance 5 but conclude no more
againft the Efficacy of Religion, than againft
the Neceffity of Laws and of Penalties to
inforce them.

That the Commonalty of Greece and
Rome believed a State of future Rewards and
Punifhmcnts 5 and that this Belief ^z^x.^\\zvc\.
in their duty, is affirmed, as I laid, by the
wifcft of the Ancients. 'Tis needlcfs to tell
your Lordfhip, that Tim.^us Locrus was of
the number : The Characler he bears of
^Plato's Mafler is fufficicnt to juftify his
Claim. The little Treatife of his, which 'tis
thought his illutlrious Scholar purchafcd at
an immenfe Price, is no Icfs than a Syftem

■ of

and Wifitings 0/ H o M e r. 211

of the JVorld^. His ExprciTions are fimple,
but his Dodrincs are drawn from deep Ob-
fervation, and explained in the Harmony and
Proportions of the ^ythagorick ^hilofophy.
He begins with Creation-, which he attributes
to a good Trinciplej whom he calls, " The
*^ invifible God, the Prince and Parent of
" all things." Then he goes thro' its Tarts 5
the Nature of the ElementSy the Courfe of
the Planets, and Periods of Time, and con-
cludes with Marly and the Doftrine of Mo-
rals, m thefe remarkable Words : " The
" Mind, fays he, that is exercifed in fuch
" Contemplations, and attains to a Conten-
*' tednefs with the State of Humanity, and to
" a jiift Ufe of the appointed Meafure of
" Life, is undoubtedly happy : And whofo-
*' ever receives this Attainment as his Lot
" from Heaven, is led by Truth to Felicity,
** But if any Difpofition happens to be per-
" vcrfe and unruly, then Chaftifement fhould
" be applied ; both that appointed by the
" LawSy and alfo what can be drawn from
" thofe Traditions that introduce numberlefs
" Terrors from Heaven^ and Tortures in
•' Hell h threatning endlcfs Punifhments that

P 2 av/aic

a TiM^t'w Tw AoKpS T£f< *TXAS KOEMn ko.) 4)TZEnE.

Upon this Treatife, thefe Verfes of Tlmon the Satyrift are
prefer ved.

IToAAuJv 5' apyvptiav rAiySv JjAAaSaro /3('€Acv
"Evin-j «Ci!fAvieei« TIMAIOrPA'l'ElN i-inxiiffi".

2 1 1 An Enquiry into the Life

await the wretched Ghoft below, with all
the Torments which the I o n i c k PoEt
has Jaudably, and from ancient Tradition,
reprcfcnted the Souls of wicked Men to
endure hereafter. For as fometimes, when
wholefom Remedies will not prevail, we
procure Health by adminiftring a fickening
Potion ; fo we curb the Stubborn and Dif-
obedient by falfe Relations, when the
true have no EfFcd. Of necefllty there-
fore THE FOREIGN TORMENTS muft be

inculcated b And it muft be told, that

Nemejis, the diftributive and avenging
Tower, hath appointed all thefe things to
happen in the fecond Teriod, and to be
executed by fierce infernal Genii, who
witnefled the Conduft and the Crimes of
Men. To them the all-governing God
has committed the Adminiftration of the
World, which conftfts of Gods and Men,
and of the other Animals he himfelf has
formed, after the pcrfedt Model of the
eternal and intelleElual Idea ^.
It appears then that Mythology, and
Homers Mythology in particu'ar, was thought

fc AtyoJVTO S' avavxaij'w? KcCi TIMOPIAI HENAI.'

c "0<? ^ "zuvTmv 'Aysjxtiv 0s5$ Its TpE'J'e ^ioiftu;(Tiv Kodfjiai, ffouTS*
T/iipofjitveo ix Btuiv re xac uvBpurtov ; rHv t« aAAuv t-lxv ^dd fsitf
fttitpy^rctc Iter EIKONA txv apic;av "EIAEOS AlflNin xai
KOHTn.

Ttfxaiog Aoy.p. 'xep) *t%' KcVfxw,

and Writings 0/ H o M e R. 115

to be a Cure for a wrong-turiVd Mind, and
a Reftraint from Immorality and Vice : And
if it was fo in Greece^ it was much more fo
in Italy y where Ttmaus was born, and where
long after his days, not only private Siiper-
Jlttion prevailed, but the moft important
Steps of the State were over-ruled by the
Arufpices and Augur ss and their Confuls
and Pretors bowed before a Prefage taken
from the Entrails of Be aft s^ the Flight of
Birds J and Signs from Heaven.

But Timauss, Difciple fcems to have
carried things a little further : He lived in
Athens at a time when the Laws had given
a Sandion to Mythology j with which, like
a good Citizen, he fo far complies, as to
difapprove of a narrow Scrutiny into its
Senfe and Origin, He thinks it beft to accept
of the literal Meaning, and would have cu-
I'ious inquifitive People rather turn their
Searches another way.

There was a beautiful Spot of Ground
a little without the Walls of Athens, upon
the Banks of Ilijfus, where it was believed
that Boreas had run off with the Nymph
Orithya, while ihe was fporting with one of
her Companions upon the Brink of the
River. Thither came Socrates with a young
Gentleman of the Town, in queft of an
agreeable Retirement. They were to re::d a
paradoxical Difcourfe of Lyftas, the grcateft

P 3 Orator

2 1 4 An Enquiry into the Life

Orator then in Athens, proving, " That
" Fanjotirs ill Love fhould ratlier be granted
'* to thofe that never felt the Paflion, than
" to the real Lover/' And having talked a
little of the Beauty of the Place, how proper it
^2& for Girls to fport in-, and mentioned fome
other Circumftances of the Story, the Youth
very naturally turns to his fmiling Com-
panion, and fays, " But be fuicere with me,
" Socrates s Do you really believe this he-

" gend to be true ^ ? Why, fays the Philo-

" fopher, tho' I did not, (as they fay your

*' learned People do) I would not be far

" in the wrong j and then I fhould go alle-

" gorize, and fay, that the real Wind had

*^ come in a Gull, and blown the Nymph off

*' the Steep, and fo was reported to have

" carried her av/ay, while Hie and Tharma-

" cia were intent upon their Play. But for

*' my own fhare, my Boy, 1 look indeed up-

" on thefe moral Meanings as very pretty

*' and curious ; but think they belong to a

" profound laborious Genius, and are the

^^ Work of not a very happy Man. My

*' reafon is, (and I have no other for it)

*' That after one has got thro' this Allegory,

" he mud next undertake the Race cf the

" Hippocentaurs \ and when he hath adjufted

*' them, then the Chim£ra comes upon him :

" Next

d 'Aaa' uttc (xo) Trpo? A;o?, u SaKPATES, ku) cu thto^ ri
MlGOAOlKMA Ttifly aPivfieg ztvcc:.

and Writings of Houek, 215

" Next follows a Train of Gor/ions and Te-
" gafiiss^ and other unwcildy Monftcrs, inex-
*' plicable both for their Number and Ab-
" furdity. Thefe, fhould one go about to ex-
" plain without believing tkcniy and attempt
** to give, according to their Texture and
'* Likenefs, but a homely Solution of their
*' Meaning, it would be rai Undertaking of
" great Pains and Leifure. Btit /, my Friend,
" can find no Leifure for fuch Enquiries;
*'' and the reafon of it is, That I cannot as
** yet, in obedience to the God of 'DEL-
" THIy Understand myself. Now it
" appears ridiculous to me, to be fearching
" after other Matters while I am ignorant
" of this. Wherefore bidding thcfe Sub-
" je£ls adieti i and being perfuaded of the
*' Truth of the Opinion fettled concerning
" them by Law, (which I juft now told you) I
*' fix my Attention upon my felfj and confider
'' not the Gorgon or the Centaur, but what
" kind of a Monfter I am -, whether more
" double and llippery than ^Troteus, and
*' more fiery than Typhcn : Or perhaps a
" tamer, milder Animal, deilgned by Nature
" ioi'x divine Lot-, and a peaceful Dejliny."

P 4 'SEC f.

Oroyft/et mv

S E C L

THERE are few things in tiie ancient
Poetry more moving than the Story
of Orpheus and Etirydice. It hatii acquired
new Beauties by falling into the Hands of
the tender and paflionatc Virgil 5 and is told
by him in fo melting a (train, that fome of
the Touches he hath given it can hardly be
read without Tears. When we are wrought
up to fuch a Temper, it naturally leads us to
companionate the hard Fate of the unhappy
Lovers 5 and we begin to feel fome Indigna-
tion at the captious Condition, upon which

An Enquiry into the Life^ See. 1 1 7

he was to pofTefs his Beauty, or lofe her for
ever : Not to look at his loved Eurydice.
Arbitrary and capricious ! Unbefitting the
juft Brother of 'Jove-, and unlike the Boun-
ties of a divine-, tmenvious Nature : Unlefs
indeed there be fomcthing elfe underllood
than appears 5 fome Truth in Life or Morals
that Hes latent under this Circumftance of
the Tale.

The great and unhappy Lord Verulam,
who was fenfible of the Incongruity, has
given an Explication of the Fable » 5 but
feems not to have hit upon the real Mean-
ing. What he fays is entertaining and beau-
tiful : for he was a Spirit of that high Order
that go ingenioujly wrong-, and cannot err
v\^ithout inftru5iing. But I incline to think
that the Moral of the Fidion is rather to
be learned at an ordinary Mujick- Meeting-,
or an unmeaning Opera, than in the Recefles
of an abftrufe Philofophy.

ORT HEUS' Miftrcfs was MuflcL
The Powers of it are enchanting. It lulls
the Reafon, and raifcs the Fancy in fo agree-
able a manner, that we forget ourfelves while
it lafts : The Mind turns diflblute and gay;
and huggs itfclf in all the deluding Profpeds
and fond Wilhes oi 2. golden 'Dreayn. Whilft
every Accent is warbled over by a charming
Voice, a filly Song appears found Morality i

and

** F. Bacon, Di Safient'm Veterum. § ix.

2 1 8 Jn Enquiry into the Lije

and the very Words of the Opera pafs for
Senfe, in prefence oi thzK Accompagnamento-
But no fooner docs the Miifick ccafc, than the
Charm is undone, and the Fancies dilappcar.
The firft fober Look we give it breaks the
Spell j and we are hurried back, with fome
Regret, to the common dull Road of Life,
when the florid lilufion is vanifhed.

In this gloomy Temper, My Lordy
fhould I be at prefent, had it been my Hap-
pinefs to make one of the infpired Train :
How unwillingly would a true Son of the
Miifes part with his Fidions and Enthufiafm ?
The myfterious Egypt ! The prophctick Ifis!
The oracular Telchines 5 thefe nurfing Fathers
of the Grecian Divinities I To bid farewell
to the fey and travel back with Homer-, to
Countries of a cooler Turn-, would be a me-
lancholy Profpecl to a ^oet.

But as things are at this time, I find it
pollible to be very chearful under the
thoughts of an Exchange : Variety they fay
is fweet j and there is a kind of pleafure in
getting rid of the Enthnjiaftick, Lymphatick
Tribe-, and taking Journey with our Poet, to
a Land of Freedom and Ingenuity : A Land
of Arts of a different Stamp , not fo prccife
and uniform as the prieftly Prefcriptions ;
but blooming in the native Grace and Vigour
which is the Gift of Liberty and unlimited
Commerce. Nor will the Chraige 1 am

per-

and Writings o/' H o M e r. 219

pcrfuaded be difagrccablc to your Lordjhipy
fince it leads to a People and Nation whofe
Memory you are in Gratitude bound to ho-
nour.

The THENICIAN Name is fo
famous in early Antiquity, that the bare
mention of it is fuflicicnt to point out the
Source of your Obligations. It prefents us
with the Authors and Improvers o^ Build-
ing-, and the nobler kinds of Architetiure -,
with the firft Workers in Iron, Woodj and
Stone : It makes us think of a Country, the
Parent of Mechanic ks-, Navigation, and
Aftronomy ; the Invcnters of G/afs, and Ri-
vals of Egypt for the Invention of Letters
and Arithmetick : In fhort it reminds us of
the Origin of the noble and ufeful Arts that
employ many of your Lordfhip's Hours, and
enable you to judge for your Country, in a
Capacity not very common among the
Great.

This Happincfs of ^henicia in the in-
ventive Genius of its Inhabitants, and its
Situation between jtidaa and the Sea, have
made me often wonder at the Obfervation
of an ancient Hiflorian. He is treating of
the Rife of Arts, and what every Nation had
found out for the common Ecncfit of Man-
kind j and conchidcs his Account with this
Remark, Soli omnium Judxi niJoil in fnediam
conttdere. The Jews alone of all the reft

h^ve

no An Enquiry into the Life

have contributed nothing for the ptiblick
Good.

I H A V E frequently endeavoured to find
a reafon for this Diflimilitude between two
Neighbour Nations : Sometimes I have
thought, that the Knowledge of human Arts
cultivated in ^henicia, was perhaps incom-
patible with that divine Science^ for which
the other People are fo juftly regarded :
*' Being the only Canton of the Earth whofe
*' Inhabitants were furprizingly illuminated,
" beyond the reft of the human RaceK"
At other times I have imagined, that our
Author vv^as miftaken in his Remark •■, and he
muft have been fo in the groffeft manner,
according to the Doctrine of the Rabbis.
One of the wifcft of them <^, makes no fcru-
ple to aflert, *^ That the fublime and pro-
''^ found Parts of all kinds of Knowledge,
<« were to be found among the Jews ; and
** that not only the Principles of all the
*' Sciences y but like wife the Conclufions
" which the Greek Philofophers, Tythago-
" ras, TlatOy and fuch others, had drawn

" from

^ On eft furpris de voir les Habitans d'un petit Canton de la
Terre, plus eclaires que le refte du Genre humain.

M. Leibnitz, Preface a la Thcodicee.
<= En nuejira ley fe comfrehende todo lo fiibtil y profunda de
Ins fciencias ; lo que no ts anfy en las otras. And afterwards :
los fimdxmmtos y conclufiones de to^s Us fciencias, fiieron tran-
Jladados de Noibrros, a los Chaldeos primeroj dejpnes a los Porlas
V Mcdos, y defpttes a los Gricgos.

R. Ycuda. Cu7.ary, Difcurf z*"*.

and Writings 0/ Hom e r. 22 1

^^ from them, were tranfmitted to them from
" the Jewish SageSy thro' the hands, firft of
<' the Chaldeans, and then of the Medes and
" ^erjtans." Which of thefe may have
been the Cafe ; or whether the Neceflity
of Invention in Naval Affairs may not have
produced fome difference between the bor-
dering Nations, your Lordlhip's Acquaintance
witii the Nature of thofe Arts, and the
Hiflory of Men, will beft enable you to de-
cide. But our prefent Bufinefs is only with
the 'Phenicians.

They were a very ancient Nation ; fo
ancient, that tho' they are among the firft
Countries that make any Figure in our Hifto-
ries, and that Letters were early in ufe
among them, yet then* Origin is quite uncer-
tain 5 and in this refped they are upon a level
with their Neighbours the Egyptians y or the
ancient Athenians, who both called them-
fclvcs A T T o X o N A E '^ , aiid thc firft of Men *.
Some of the old Writers faid, they came
from about the Arabian Gtilphy and fettled
upon the Mediterranean Coaft : And others
of them affirmed quite the contrary ; " That
" fome Merchants of Sidon had gone from
** thence, and firft fct on foot a Traffick in the

" Red'

** Sprung from the Earth where they lived.

e ^aci Tofwuv 'AiCl'ftot ttarci tvJv I; apx^it; tZv cAwv yfvfiriv, ITPfl-
TOTE ANOPnnOTE ysvic^cii ttccTOi t$,v "AIFXnTON.

^foS(«p. EtKfA- B16A. 4-

Ill An Enquiry into the Life

*^ Red-Sea f." However this may be, wc cannot
doubt of their retaining much of the Manners
of the Eaftern Nations : Their Language was
a Branch of the Arameauy and their Policy
both civil and rehgious 5 their Temples, Re-
cords, and Order of Trie/is, exempted from
Taxes, are very hke the Inftitutions that pre-
vailed over the Eaft g.

But what diftinoiuifhed them from all the
reft, was their early Application to Maritime
Affairs, and the noble ufe they made of their
Succefs. They were invited to turn their
Thoughts this way by the Commodioufnefs
of their Situation 5 and purfued it with fuch
indefatigable Patience, that they were the
firft Invcnters, and continued the fole Mafters,
of the JVeftern Trade, from the firft Her-
cules to the time of Alexander, for many
hundreds of Years. By this means their Ac-
ceftions of Wealth and People were fo great,
that they grew uneafy at home, and therefore
fpread themfelves abroad in great Colonies,
and filled SlJain and Jfrick with Cities, little

inferior

f '0< (u.£v -/rtp Mou tic; <forv(Kac v.oa tb? SfSov.'a^ Tb5 jtaS' vifjia^t

^OINIKES tKdASvo, oTt Kccl vi eiAarla: EPI0PA : 'Oi S^ EKEI*
NOTE TOTTHN. Srfag. BiQK- a.

g Ta'j re Upelg xcclwriaatl^ai TapaTAJ^ffi'ws toT^ kxtoc "Aifurl^v
ATEAEIS, xui tcciav.c, AEITOXPHAS azoJ^sAvtxivvq, S<; Baj3u/wv«i
x;sAb<?i XAA.'iA.lOTS. A«Sw#. B<§A. «.

a7td Writings of Homer. 22 j

inferior in Power and Splendour to their
own^.

They were bufied about thefe Settle-
ments for fome time after the Trojan War ^ :
That is, My Lord, " While the Thenicians
*' were in a State of high Profperity, popu-
" lous and powerful, acquainted with foreign
" Countries and ufcful Arts, then it was,
*' that by a ftrange Conftancy of good For-
" tune. Homer had Opportunities to know
<' and converfe with them."

I MUST acknowledgejAf/L^r^, that fucha
Combination of hicky Incidents in the Life of
any one Man, looks fomething fafpicious , and
when I review the Concourfe of them, his
Climate and Country:, his Religion and Lan-
guage-, the publick and private Manners of
his Age, and his own ^rofejjlon and Travels,
it fcrves but to incrcafe the Wonder. But
your Lordfhip knows, that a thing's being rare^
does not always conclude it falfc or imagi-
nary j elfe the mod beautiful Theories in
Learning, and the higheft T^itches^, of Happi-
nefs in Life, mull; be given up as abfurd and
impollible. Our Bufuicfs therefore, is to

tread

h Gadcs (Cadix), Barcinon {Barcelona), Ma]aca (Malaga),
Carteia, Cartaj^ena in Spain, In AtVick, Innis, Tripoli, Leptis,
Utica, and the Rival of Rome, Cetrthfige ; Thebes alfo mBeotiA.

i QpMXKttrai no.) v] ^JQlNIKfiN vci.v\if^i(X. ; o< not tx e Ja rdv
*HpciK?i.tiu)v c^vjXS)v iTfjASoi/, Ku) Tlineii; 'itP^tcuv tiltKil, jtai 'Zifl to.
y.iea t?s AiCu-is 'zci^af^Ui, MJKPON mH TPOIKfiN TSTFPON.

2 24 -^^ Enquiry into the Life

tread cautiouJJy, as we have done hitherto^
and to take as little upon Suppofition, as the
diftancc of Time and Nature of the Subjeds
will permit.

That Hornet had the Opportunities men-
tioned, and that he did not negled to im-
prove them, will bcft appear by confidering
what he has really learned from the Pheni-
cians : This will b£ a certain Proof of his
converfmg with them, at the fame time that
it will fet the Happinefs of this Circumftancd
of his Life in a true Light : And if they are
Leflbns of Importance, 'twill increafe at
every Step, as we fliall find this or the other
Fable, taken from \\\z Relations Q>i xS\'S>x. inge-
nious People.

And first, it may not be a'mifs to
obfcrvc in general, That many of the Egyp-
tian Dodrines and Cuftoms, pafled thro' ''Phe^
nicid into Greece : The Refugees from Egypt
commonly took this Country in their way,-
and afterwards proceeded to the Ifands^ or
fettled upon fome part of the Grecian Coaft :
Some of them made a confiderable Stay in
Thcnicia before they came further Wefl-,
and therefore carried along v/ith them into
their new Settlements, both the Theniciait
/Irts, and the Egyptian Learning.

Thus CAT>MUS, when he had (laid
long in Tbenkia, went to Lemnos-, Imbrus,
and Safnothrace, and is faid to have cai-riecf

thitlici*

and Writings 0/ Homer. 225

thither the Worfhip and Rites of the ^heyiL
cian Cabeiri or Great Gods, and tauglic
the Inhabitants their Initiation and Myfteries ;
tho' I rather think the Telchines, or the Idai
*Da6iyli were there before him : For why
ihould he not rather have eftablifhed liis fa-
vourite Worlhip in Thebes-, where he finally
fettled ? His Son-in-law Arifteas reigned
in Cea ; his Grandfon Bacchus in Naxos,
^halanthtiSy another Thenician-, took up his
Habitation in Rhodesy and the celebrated
Anceus ruled in Samos, He was one of the
Argonauts, and the only Aftronomer that
was among them. His Mother gave her Name
to the Ifland Aftypalea y and the greater part
of the Cyclades received Names from the
^henlciansy which were derived from thofe
Accidents and Appearances that occur to a
fea-faring mercantile People. Their Origin
has been nicely inveftigated by the laborious
Bochart ; and they appear to have been given
in the fame way as the Spaniards and '^Por-
tuguefe, when they difcovercd the Indies^
called their Countries and Rivers, Tierra de
FuegOy Tierra de Brea-, Terra dos Papos :

Rio grande T>e la Plata T>e las

Cone as ; and fuch others.

But befidcs this early Intercourfe between
the Greeks and 'h henicians, and principally
the IJlandeiSy among whom Homer lived,
there was another Piece of good Fortune

O attended

ii6 An Enquiry into the Life

attended him. Before he could converfc
with the Egyptian Priefts, there was a necef-
fity of making a Voyage to Egypt : But
there was no need of travcUing into T^be-
n'lcta-, in order to meet with a Thenician
Captain-, or the Governour of a Colony : They
themfelves went over all, carrying their Know-
ledge and Experience alone; with them. Their
manner was, to go out early in the Spring
upon a Trading Voyage ; fome to the Bof-
phorns and Eiixine-, fome to the Egean and
Adriatick ; others pafTed the Streights, and
fleered to the Gttm Coafi on one hand, and
as far as Britain on the other ; and when
they had fearched thro' all for Merchandice,
they returned loaded home late in the
Year.

To THIS intelligent and wide-fpread Na-
tion, I am apt to think our Poet Hands in-
debted for his foreign Geography. This is

an uncommon way of fpeaking -, but it will
be eafily underftood when we refled. That
Homer was more capable of giving than re-
ceiving Inftrudion in the Geography of Greecey
the leJferAfia, and perhaps the Egyptian Coafi :
But what further Knowledge appears in his
Writings of the other Trads of Land in Eu-
rope, Afiaj and Africa, That I judge he has
received by Information from the ^henicians.
My Reafons for^this Opinion are thefe : By
(laying in Greece, and making ftiort Voyages
z among

and Writings 0/ Homer, ii/

•among the IJlands, or even down to Egypt?
he could never Jearn that the Earth was be-
girt on all fides with the Ocean, as he often
fays it is : But the 'Thenicians w^ho had made
long Voyages upon the Red and Mediterra-
nean Seasy who had palled thro' the Streight
oi Gibraltar y and failed the Coaft on either
hand before Homers days, and were actually
making fuch Voyages every Year during his
Life, They might tell him, that where-ever
they came, they found the general Barrier
was the Ocean ^.

From the fame Seafaring People, he
muft have heard what Countries were the
Boundaries 2X\d Ends^, as he calls them, of
the habitable Globe. Some of thefe he plainly
names by their proper Appellations ; others
of them he points out by fuch Marks and
Peculiarities as demonftrate that he was not
ignorant of their Situation. To the South, he
diredly mentions Africk, Ethiopia, and what
we take for Arabia'^, as the uttermoft Parts of
the World : To the North, he defcribcs the
Life of the Hyperboreans, jufl as we know
the Scythians and Tartars lived, People that
inhabit the Northern Continent : To the Eaft,
and IVefty he names no Country, but fays
0^2 frequently,

.- ' They named it io from the very Circumftance. See
Page . in the Notes. ,

b HEIPATA FAIHr. 'OJuir. >. « EPEMbOXS.

2 2 8 Jn Enquiry into the Life .,

frcquentljs That the Sun r'lfes from s and
fets in the Ocean^j which can have no other
Meaning, than that the AJiatick Continent
on the Eafty and the European on the IP^eJly
arc bounded by the Watery Element. This
is the only Senfe the Expreilion will bear 5
and any other put upon it, makes it a plain
Abfurdity.

I T I s the more remarkable, as it comes
from a Man who lived between two great
undifcovered Lands. Ionia had the vaft Con-
tinent oi Afia lying due Eaft from it ; a very
fmall Part of which was known to Homer
himfelf, or to the Greeks long after his
Time. There is no mention made of Baby*
Ion or Ecbatana in all his Writings, which
He who celebrates the Wealth of Thebes y and
Arts oiSidony would never have omitted to
do, had he known any thing of the Ajjyrian
or Median Empire «. Nay fo late as the
Reign of T>ariiiSy the Lacedemonians did not
know the diftance of Sufa or Babylon from

the

c 'HsAio? ttsw tteira viov rpoaiQciMev upHpai^,
[E^ UKah?iCcppsiTXo ^a^vppoa 'ilKEANOIO.

'OSuiT- «J.

i 'Ev 5* 'ivtc' flKEANn, hafiffhv 4>ao$ vieAioto,
"S-fixw vviila [jLiAsitvav' 'Odva, 8-

e^Oixvifos y' oi;i/ i?t« ti^v tZv STPnN% are ri^v MHAflN apxviv
tt^iv •■ 'OuS» v«p ay 0HBAS 'AUXnTlAE 6vofiilo>v, ho,) r'ov inu,
jja« Tov h ^otviKifi T/isTOVj rdv iu BaGuAwvi* no.) Ni'va, Ka) Exe*-*

am Writings 0/ H o m e r. 229

the Sea ^ : So that 1 believe Homer was
acquainted with little more of the In-land
Country i than what was under Triam's Domi-
nion, or inhabited by his Allies.

O N T H E other hand, to the JVeJl of
Greece, lay Italy, a greater Country, as they
imagined, than their own g, and then undif-
covered by the Greeks : Behind it were the
wide and unknown TraOs of Gauly Germany
and Spain, which were impervious at that
time, and had all the Appearance of an
HHEipos, on end lefs Continent. Now, for a
Perfon living betv/ixt the two, and know-
ing little of either (in comparifon of the
whole) fave the neareft Coafts ; for fuch a
Man to fay, " That the Sun rifes and fets
" in the Ocean, That the Ends of the Earth
" were upon the Ocean, and That the Ethi-
" opians, the laft of Men, dwelt upon the
" Ocean" plainly fhews an Acquaintance
with a Trading Nation, who could only
difcover the Luiiits of the habitable World,
and relate them to a curious inquifitive Man
at their Return. And indeed thro' all Ho-
mer's Works, the Mention of Coafts, and
Silence concerning the Inlayid Countries
(excepting \\\Q'izoi Egypt and Greece) iecms

0^3 to

f "EipsTo 6 KA«oufi/ii5 {^a.ai>Xv(; ri^i AiKclxiuovn^) "rh 'Aptqayo-
p^Vy 'Onoaicov vnxt^fuv utto 0AAA2LH2 rijq 'Iwvtov oSd; it>i vxpx
BA2IAHA. ? 'ii^oSoT. Tsp|<%.

8 MAGNA GKJE.CIA.

2^0 An Enquiry int6 the Life

to befpeak that kind of Knowledge which a
Man may learn from the Relations of a
trading ^'People, who vifit all maritime
Places, but never go far into the Country,
from their Ship.

As FOR the Inner-Sea (the Mediterra-
nean) he dcfcribcs the Coaji quite around it 5
but with this Difference, that he fpeaks of
the North- Eaji End of it ^, fo particularly
and minutely, as to convince his Reader,
that he had vifited it in Perfon. He names
all the Towns and Rivers ; he dcfcribes their
Situations and their Soils : One Country is
rocky and mountainous i another fertile and
plain : One is dry and fandy 5 another moiji
and full of Verdure : This produces Sheep ;
that abounds with Horfes j a third fwarms
with Pidgeons ; and a fourth is biefled with
beautiful Women. And thefe Accounts of
the feveral Places, and their Qualities, are all
confirmed by the fucceeding Geographers.

But when the Poet comes to mention
the Countries and Nations lying round the
Wefi End of xh^ Mediterranean, he. talks
of them as a Man who had heard of thefe
Places from Travellers -, I mean, fuch Peo-
ple as willingly tell Wonders of the diftant
Regions they have feen, and take pleafure

* Omnis GrKciie fabulofiias, ficat et litcrarum claritas, ex
l^oc priniuiii ciiiH cfiuiiit . Quapiopte in -o pauiulum (.omma
rcbirnur, i'. »• Li^. .,. i u

and Wntmgs of Homer, 251

in amazing People with Stories of Giants
and Monjlers, JPltches and JVildsy or of
any thing out of the common Road of
Life, either for Good or ///. And yet, My
Lord, thefe very Stories, ftrange as tliey are,
and difguifed witli all the Ornaments of Fic-
tion, bear fiill about them fome Marks of
Truth : The Ground- work of the Wonder is
commonly fomething real 5 and fnews the
Juftnefs of our Philologift's Obfervation,
'' Tliat to frame a iV^o:; Wonder, witiiout any
" previous Foundation from Truth, is not in
" the manner o'i Homer i."

Thus v. hen we confider his Accounts of
the Northern Nations, " Wiio live, fays he,
*' upon Niares-m'ilky indigent, haughty, and
" the jufteft of Men V the Dcfcription ap-
pears at firil fom.ewhat foolifh : But upon
a nearer vievv^ we difcover the Truth of it,
and fee the Beauty that refults from fuch

Variety of Character in a Poem. We

find there were really fuch People ; Such the
Romans found them when they extended
their Conquells to the North 5 and We our-
fclvcs find the fame Cufton^s and manner of

0^4 Liie

t Sec the Notes, Page i i j.

1' TlxAiv Tfiiictv ocas (pasivw

JAvamv T a.yYj'.xa.xw-> nal ayauwv ixTOfxcAywi/ j

a J z A71 Enquiry into the Life^

Life prevailing among fome of the Tartar-
Tribes at this day.

The P o l I s h Hiftoi-ians tell, That after
the Death of Stephen^ one of the braveft
of their Kings, there came Ambafladors to
Tolandy from the CHAM of Tartaryy
who was :i Candidate for the Crown *. They
had Inftrudions to reprefent to the T>yety
" That the Cham was a Prince of great
" Power, and could raife Three hundred
" thoufand Horfe, which, if they chofe him
'^ King, he would either imploy in the De-
" fence of Poland-, or to conquer its Neigh-
" bours and enlarge its Dominion. That as
" to his perfonal Qualities, he was temperate
" and fober, caring for no Delicacy in his
" Eating, and fatisfying his Hunger with
" Horfe-flepj only. That being informed
*^ there were Differences among them about
" Religbn^ he gave them Aflliranccs that
^^ their Tope fhould be his Tope, and their
" Luther Ihould be his Luther , juft as they
" pleafed to determine." We can trace this
" fame kind of Scythian or Tartar Life,
always among their Horfes, unfettlcd in their
Lands, and free from Avarice, thro' the va-
rious Periods of Hiftory i, from Homer and
Heftod down to our times.

But

* Anno ij-Sd.

\ rAAKTO^fArriN 1*5 a?avj 'AEHNAiS c(xi' Ijcovtuu.

and Writings o/Homer, 235

But it is worth while, My Lord, to rank
the feveral Countries round the Mediterra-
nean) and confider how Homer has mentioned
them feparateiy. The laft part of our En-
quiry gave us a View of his mythological
Science, and of his Capacity to inftrud in
another channel 5 abftra&ed Relations and
general Refemblances were to be applied to
Life and Manners : But here his Veracity
muft appear, and /^^^^ Knowledge oiTerfons
and Places, which was faid to be neceflary
to an Epick Toet. It muft indeed be al-
lowed to appear in its own Drefs, and to put
on fome Ornaments for our Entertainment ^
but will never be admitted without a natural
Foundation. It has been obferved already,
that Greece and Egypt (including the j^Ji-
atick Coaft) are his proper Province ; and a
very wide one they were. He fpeaks of
them with the Familiarity and Exadlnefs of a
Man, who had lived in the one and vifited
the other. But he bcftows an Epithet upon
the latter, which furprized me at firft rcad-

'EtfTo7$ SKTQAIS di^Ssfxi'a 9cp**« 'OTKTaE tq\v : 'OvS' av Trpori-
iiviattt (rxu9>i? ivJjp otttlxv avrio rJjv xaAAi'c^iiv elvui, fiaAAov J^Tsp
SILTPAN AEPMATINHN-

'Aiaxiv- AiaAey. /3- '£pu$/as.

Campeftres melius Scythe

(Quorum plauftra vagas rite trahunt domos)
Vivunr, et rigidi Get£;

Immetata qui bus jugera, libcras
Fruges et ccrerem fcrunt,

Nee cukura placet longior annua.

Herat, Carm, lib, 3 . Ode 24,

2 34 ^^^ Enquiry into the Lije

ing : He calls it niKPHN*'AirrnTON> the bitter
Egypt.

It IS hard to conceive in what Senfe
this Term was applicable to a Country he
had formerly defcribed as wealthy and power-
ful, and the fruitfuUeft Soil in the known
World. Twas nothing ftrange to hear him
call it 'ETPPEiTHN "AirxnToN, the well-watered
Egypt, and the rich Egyptian Pields,
HEPiKAAAEAS 'ArpoTs moft beautiful Lands,
*Twas rather a new Argument, and not a
weak one, for his having vifited that Coun-
try in Perfon. But upon a little Reflexion,
this too appears to be extremely juft : It is a
Proof that the Poet, accuilomed to the gene-
ral Eafe and Liberty of Greece, has been
ftruck with the Strictnefs and Severity of the
Egyptian Regulations. A poor Man could
not v/ander up and down idle in Egypt,
as he might do in Homer's Country : For a
People once difciplined, and under a Subor-
dination of Command, are bound down to
their Tasks j there's no fhifting nor delay 5
their Matter's Will muft be pundually fulfil-
led, and IFays are taken to make Men toil,
in order to fupport the Luxury of a Few :
The greater part muft do fo, for their own
Livelihood 3 and when they themfelves, and
their Work, become the ^Property of others,
more coercive Methods are applied. Egypt
was the Country where they had a peculiar

Law,

and Writings o/' Homer. 235

Law, obliging every Man to give an Account
of himfelf once a Year, to the Magiftrate :
He was to tell, " Where he lived ? How
" he was fuftained ? And what he contii-
" buted to the Publick-weal ? "

HOMER's Exprellion, 'tis true, hatha
particular refpcd to a ftate of Servitude 5
and indeed we know from the bed Autho-
rity, that the Egyptians were terrible Ma-
flers : Their rigid Policy, and immenfe pub-
lick Works, TalaceSy Temples^ Canals^
Lakes, pyramids, all thini^s of incredible
Labour and ftupendous Magnificence, might
have fome hand in thefe Severities 5 and at
the fame time make them fo fond of their
Slaves^ that Signs from Heaven, and what
they themfelvcs took to be the Finger of
God, could hardly prevail with them to
fet a whole Nation of them at liberty. But
'tis certain, that over all the World there are
great Hardfhips and intenfe Mifcrics in the
wealthieji Cities : and 'twas finely judged of
our Poet, to diflinguifh this rich Country by
a Sentiment which exprcflcs an Effed of
their Conftitution, that hits not the Eye of
every Spcdator.

To THE North and North-eajl oi Greece,
Homer mentions the Thracians, Cimmeri-
ans, and hints at Colchos and the Euxine.
Thefe People he might know three fcvcral
ways : Either from the Relations of Jafon

l^y6 An Enquiry into the Life

and his Companions in the Argonautick
Expedition 5 or from the Theniciansy who
were conftantly palling and rcpafTing in the
^ropontis, and faiUng thro' the Iflands i and
moft certainly, from the Inroads that fome
of the Cimmerian Tribes had made upon
the leffer Afia (his own Country) not long
before he was born. In thofe Climates-, the
Winter-days are fhorter, and the Sky more
cloudy than in Egypt and Greece : From
whence he has taken occafion to feign a
Jirange Nation, covered with perpetual Dark-
nefs, and unvifitcd by the Beams of the Sun.
Their Seats he has not certainly alligned ;
but leaves them among the Out dthe World
Wonders which Ulyjfes faw in his Peregrina-
tions. Bochart has fhewn their Name to
be plainly ^henician ^-f and the Origin of it
to be the fame dark Appearance that gave
Rife to the Fable.

B u T as the Thenician Trade lay chiefly
up the Mediterranean, it is to be Weffward
that Horner'^ Obligations to them lie thickeft,
and the greateft Prefum prions of his borrow-
ing from them his Accounts of thofe Coun-
tries. Many of his Wonders are to be found
in Greece 5 but his ftrangeft Tales, his
^^&ti/x 'o!n\2^^, horrible T orients, as he calls
them, arc in foreign Parts. And firft,

ITALY

* Cimmir nigrefcerc \ C'mrir Tencbrarum atror ; Cimrire jom
Atroics dici. Cm.^an, Lib. i. § 33.

and Writings 0/ Hom e r. 237

HALT furniilicd him with abundance of
Monfters : The Adriat'tck Coaft, that Ues
oppofite to Epiriis, and the Gulph of Taren-
turn-, were too well known, and too often
vifited, to produce many Miracles : But the
Weft-Jide, whither the Greeks had then fent
no Colonies, was only frequented by the
*Phenicians ; and accordingly there are many
fupernatural things told of its ^Promontories^
and of the IJlands that lie alongft it.

I N T H E Entry of the Scilician St r eights
(the Faro of MeJJina) flood two difmal
Rocks, the Deftrudion both of Ships and
Sailors. At the Foot of the one there was
a darkfom Cavern, the Abode of the Man^
eating Monfter Scylla, and oppofite to her
was the devouring Chary bdis. There was but
a narrow Paflage between them ; and if yon
did not fail thro' it, you had no choice, but
pafs you muft between other two, the dread-
ful Tlan6ia : They were clashing Rocks, that
fhattered the unwary Ship, and left the
broken Planks and mangled Bodies to be
tolTed by the Waves, and Blafis of pernicious
Fire.

After you had paflcd them, the Sirenuf£
appear'd, or Rocks inhabited by the enchanting
Syrefjs, who lirft allured the palling Mariuer
with their Voice, and when he approached,
deftroyed him. Further up the Coaft were
the Leftrygons 5 Cannibals likewife, who fed
z upon

25 8 An Enquiry into the Life

upon the unhappy Wretches that were fliip*
wreck'd on their Shore ; and beyond theif
Country was the fuppofed Boundary of Ulyp
fes earthly Navigation, the Habitation of a
powerful Sorccrcfs, the infamous C'lrcL She
dwelt in a ^eninftila ^. " Where, fays Ho-
" mer-, was the Abode of the Mormng-, and
*' Out-goings of her Parent the Sun!*

All thefe were in Italy-, or hard upon
the Shore ; and however wild and fabulous
they may appear, there are few of them, but
upon enquiry, we find to have fome natu-
ral Foundation. Their Karnes and ^ali-
ties plainly fliew their Thenician Extrad, and
that they were propagated by that induftrious
People, from the Adventures they met v^^idi
in the way of their Trade.

The Thenicians, upon their firfl: refort-
ing hither, and attempting to land, found
the Natives of the Country extremely inhu-
man and barbarous ; and therefore reported
in general, that all the Coaft, up and down,
was full of Monflers. The Pafifage in the
Mouth of the Faro is but narrow 5 and as
there is often a great Sea rolling in it, 'tis
probable they have fometimes fmarted for
venturing thro'. On one hand is a danger-
ous Vortex., and on the other ftands Scyllds
Rock-, a threatning Precipice, exaftly fuch as
.^(S'^^^r defcribcs it, tow'ring-, Jfeep, and

its

} 'AlAIA KhSOS, a Land-Ifland.

and Writings 0/ Homer. 239

its Top in the Clouds ^. It is joined to the
Land by a flat Ifthmtis, upon which it would
feem, that the inhofpitable Barbarians ufed to
pafs, and lurking among the Cliffs, fct upon
and murdered the Sea-faring People, who
had taken Shelter under it;, to fhun the
Whirl-pool on the other fide. For this reafon
S c Y L L A, or T)eJiru&ion ", a Monfter with
many Heads and Hands, lived at the foot of
it; and oppofite to it was C harybdis, or
the Chafm of Perdition ^.

The TLANCTM have been hitherto
look'd upon as utterly fabulous. " Two
" wandering Rocks that dafhed together, and
*' Hurricanes of Fire blowing in the Ocean/'
feem to have exifted no where but in the
Brain of the Poet : And yet. My Lord,
one of them is apparently true, the other
really fo, and fometimes botli.

I TAKE the Foundation of the Fiftion to
have been fome of the Iflands that lie in the
Sea, between Sicily and the Circeian Pro-
montory. It would be tedious to enumerate
them all, and perhaps too minute and dog'
matical, to fix upon the two defcrib'd in the

Odyffe)'\

'O'itly) KopvCpij vstptA*! Ss (J-iv u-iJ.<pt£i£y]K$

Kvuviii- 'OSuff. M.

" SCOL-y Exitium, Infortunium lethale.

CHOR'OBDANi Foramen perditionis.

Bochart. Canaan. Lib. i. § i8.

^40 -^^^ Enquiry into the Life

Odyjfey -, 'tis fufficient to know, that all this
Coaft, and the Iflands that lie alongft it,'
abound with burning Mountains^ and are fub-
jed to frequent Eruptions of Fire. The moft
remarkable of them lie in a Knot together,
to the North of Sicily y and are known by the
Name of the Liparean Iflands. They were
anciently Seven in number, but now you
may count upwards of a dozen, many of
them having been fplit by Earthquakes, and
fome new ones caft up, by the Heavings
of the fubterraneous Fires, which undermine
that dangerous Shore. Several of them arc
no more than bare defart Rocks, called
by the Italians Tarte rotte, " Parts broken
" off by the Shocks of an Earthquake."

Now, My Lord, the Courfe of a Ship
from the Circeian Promontory to Ithaca,
lies diredly either thro' the Faro, between
Sicily and Reggitim ; or if you will not ha-
zard that PafTage, there is a Necefllty to fail
thro' the Lipareans, and fo round the Ijland^-
After you have paffed the two neareft of
thefe Iflands, if you caft an Eye back upon
them, you will find, that they appear to be
running together, and in a little time, that
they are become one, fince you left them.

The

p 'Aui«p sTe/Si^ ra? 76 TaptU^^uffuciv 'Eralpoiy
EvBa Tot cvK ST* t'xstTa, $i*ivsKiti>i; afopsv<J(»
'Ottotjp*) 5>j ret cZb<; taasrai, uPlAoi. xa) avlii
Ou/xw /3bAjv««v» '4pi<a St tc< fiiJi(poTfp<t>6fV'

'OSvtf. Mir

afid tVrkhgs of Home n. 241

The reafon of it is, the Current that fets in
between them, and docs not allow you to
keep a flreight Coutfc after you have made
good your Pallage : Whereas if you vary but
a very little from it, you lofe the Line that
direds your Eye thro' the Void, and take
them up under one. Hence the Foundation
of the Fable, that they v^ere floating Rocks ^
which run together as any Ship paflcd,
to catch and crufh her. The fame Appear-
ance will enfue in the Cafe of any two
Prominences that are contiguous ; and for
the very fame reafon, the Cyanean Iflands in
the Mouth of the BofphoruSj got the Name of
SymplegadeSf as if fometimes they had been
feparatcd, and afterwards had clofed and coi-
iefccd into one.

But this Appearance, tho' it may have
ferved to confirm the Fidlion, was not fuffi-
cient to raife the dreadful Idea that Homer
gives of them. I believe the ^Phenicians
have happened to pafs, or been lying at An-
chor among thcfc Iflands, at the time of an
Etiiption and Earthquake. All over the
Lipareans\ there are Clefts in the Surface

R of

' Tetrarcha, {peaking of a Lover's Heart, dcfcribes it thus ;

Dentro, confufion rurbida, ct mifchia
Di doglic ccrte, et d' allegrczze incertc :
Non bolii mai Vulcan, Lipari od Ifchin,
Stro}nboli o Mongibello in tanta rabbia.
p0co ama fe, chc'n tal giuoco 9' ai rii'chia.

Triomfo d' Ai/iore, Capitol IV.-

24^ -^^ Enquiry into the Life

of the Ground, and Vents in the Rocks, that
emit Flame by night and Smoke by day 5
Some of them have noted Volcanos^ that like
Vefuuio or Mon Gibel, difgorge with their
Flames immenfe quantities of Afhes, and
throw out Stones of fuch a monftrous Size,
that a great part of the Sea is choaked up,
and one of them almoft joined to Sicily by
an Ifthmiis of the Rubbilh. At fuch a Jun-
cture, the frighted Mariners might fee the
Rocks really clajhing, and to their dire Ex-
perience feel Ylv^(^ l?\QOh ^viWai;, Storms
of deftru^ive Fire.

This Circumftance alone, were there no
other Signs of Agreement, ties down the
^lanBa either to the Liparean IJlandsj or to
xh^ Rocks that furround Ifchia^ and participate
of the Difafters of the Neapolitan Shore :
Here x\\Q,7henicianYQi^z\s that efcaped, and
perhaps faw their Companions perifli in the
infernal Tempcft, needed only relate the
terrible Scene of SeaSy and Flames, and
Rocks in an uproar : Their literal Defcrip_
tion is the Sum of the Fable; and what is
added wears the fame Appearance of Proba-
bility. Circe, to exaggerate the danger of
coming near thefe Rocks, fays " That the
" Birds of the Air could not pafs them.'
The fame thing is told of the Aornos, and
other pcftilentious Places, where yet the Air
is not put in fuch Commotion, as by the
z Flame

and Writings c/' Homer. 24^

Flame and Vapour ifluing from a burning
Mountain. The Storm it raifcs, and the
fulphureoLis Steams it throws all around it,
might very readily bring down a flying Powl,
and give a handle to the beautiful Fable
which Homer has grafted upon fuch an Acci-
dent r.

'Mt is no rare thing, fays Strabo,
*' among thcfe Iflands, to fee Flames rolling
" upon the Surface of the Deep. They
*' proceed from the Caverns of Fire that are
*' below, which often find a vent, and force
" their Paflage thro' the Waves. T ojidoniiis
*' writes. That within his own niemcry, one
" morning about the Verrial Equinox-, the
" Sea between Hiera and Uftica appeared to
*' heave, and was raifed to a ih-an<je height ;
*^ that it continued for fome time to fwell
" and to fall by turns, and afterwards cea fed.
" That thofe who ventured to fail near it,
" feeing the Fiflies driving dead with the
" Current, and being fcorchcd with Heat
" themfelves, and almoft choaked with
" a noifoni Vapour, made what Sjjeed
" they could to the Shore : Some of the
*' Sailors in the Skiff that went ncareil
R 2 *' expired 5

TpiipMVS^i Tul r aa6p9<ri'>iv Ai) Ta;p) (pip'jciv-
'AAAa T« KCCi ruv ctiu u^ccpt'iTai Ai^ ttstph ■
|AAA' aAAijy ivtijat Toiijp, »vap^fi{JiJOv thxi-

OS-jf. M.

244 ^^ Efiqtiiry into the Life

*' expired ; the reft, with great difficulty, got
" back to Lipariy where they fell into Fits,
" like Pcrfons fubjed to the Epilepjie^ and
" frequently loft, and then recovered the
" ufe of their Reafon. For fome timd
" after, there was a kind of Clay and Slime
" found floating upon the Sea j and in many
*' places of it, Flames were feento burft
" forth, and fometimes Clouds of Smoke
'' and j^p^es : The floating Matter hardened
" by degrees, and when thrown on fhore,
*' grew like Pieces of Milftonc. Titits Fla-
" minhis was then Tretor of Sicily 5 he gave
" the Roman Senate an account of what had
" happened, and they fent fome of the Col-
*' lege of the Triejis, both to Lipari and
" Uftica-, to do Sacrifice to the Sea^ and to
'■'■ the Subterranean Gods^.

After Ulysses had cfcaped the hands
of the Cyclops^ he left the Coaft of Sicily,
and came to the Eolian Ifland, where Eolus
lived. The Palace and Oeconomy of this
Prince, feem to be purely of the Poet's In-
vention 5 tho* T^iodorus hath given a long and
particular DeduOion of the Names and For-
tunes of his Children. But Homer had fome
reafon to add, in his figurative ftrain, " That
*' he was beloved by the immortal Gods ;
" that Jupiter had appointed him to be
*' Goternour of the JVmdsj an4 given him

« Power

« Strttbo, Lib. VI.

and Writings o/^ Homer. 245

*^ Power, to let them loofe or reftrain them,
" at his pleafure." Tour Lordjhip mufl: know,
that anciently the Z/^^r^^/^Illands were named
from Eolus 5 and tiie neareft of them to
Italy *, was faid to be the Place of his Ha-
bitation. The Aflertion does not want Pro-
bability j tho' the rocky Coaft oi Lipari (the
largcft Illand) and great Quantities of yf/^/«/,
found in no place of the World, as they
imagined, but in this and another little Ifle a,
fecm rather to agree with The brazen JVallj
topped with a fmooth fining Sto?jey that
runs round the TxrAwni vm^^j (^Jloatingljlaiid)
where he lived b.

Betwixt it and Sicily lies Hiera, a dcfart
Rock confecratcd to /^^//^^Tij, and from thence
receiving its Name : Here they fancied he
had a Torge as well as in Etna, becaule of
three Volcanos or Craters-, at which it fre-
quently difgorges Flame and Sand, and the
burning Stones I mentioned before. It is
jult under the Eye of the Inhabitants of
Lipari ^ ; and they fee diftindly from which
R 3 of

* Strongyle, or the Ro nd ifland, now Stromboli.

'Ev (xovifi yap iii vvjfftf) MHAfl (fitrzt {/.(Kpa t(5 q-uT/^pi'a. uii Suva*
fAivyi ZiUjOidv ToAAaJi; -xo^taiv- A;oJwp. EiksA- BiC «•

b ii-^x 5" 2 aiv

"A I O A O S ''tto;.'«5v)5, (pi'Ao; a6xvxrotgt fitoict
HaojI*) sv/ vy,aio ■ Iluaav 5* Tt fjtiv itirl Ti'i%ot;

X:iAK£ov app^n'ov, A I E E H S' uvuSilpoixi II E T P H.

OSliT. K.
c Tajr^rc Sa (''">?? AiT.'/pvji;) jjht^^v x£? sci xjii Tvjf? HiKuA/ai:, >]>'

ErpaC. BiEA. ^.

1/^6 An Enquiry into the Life

of the Craters the Flame or Smoke iflues,
and in what degree, whether languid or im-
petuous. They likcwife hear the uncouth
Sounds and hollow Noifes under ground,
which proceed from the Efforts of the ftrug-
ling Matter in the forj Caverns, and gene-
rally grow louder before a violent Eruption*
'Twas therefore the Opinion of the Ancients,
" Thu Eolus, from a Courfe of Obfervations
" made upon thefe Volcanos, and by com-
paring the different Sounds they emitted,
'^ and the various Changes in the Quantity
" or Violence of the Smoke or Flame, or
" their Hiifting from one Vent to another;
" that by comparing thcfe with the enfuing
" y^ Iter at ions of the Weather, he had at-
^' taincd to a great Sagacity in foretelling a
*' Storm, and could predicl: how the Wind
*' would blow for a certain number of days
" after he had obferved the Sign." This
Skill he ufcd, they fay, with great Conde-
fcenfion and Goodncfs to the Sea-faring
People : He received them into his Harbour,
treated them hofpitably, and directed them
when to fail, and what Courfe to ftcer upon
the dangerous Coaft. For thefe reafons, the
^henicians made him Lord of the JVinds^
handed him down as favoured by the Im-
mortalsy and have given him a Name

from

and Writings o/^ H o m e r . 2 47

from the Storms ^i he alllfted them to
fhun.

This way of accounting for Eohis
Knowledge of the Weather, has found cre-
dit from later Obfervations. There is a
Sympathy and Connexion obferved between
the \Vmds and the Agitation of the Fires,
both here and in Etna, They are fierce and
violent when the Winds are high, and fub-
fide when the Air regains a Calm. It is
obferved befides, that particular Winds pro-
duce different Effeds. Tiie accurate TolyhiuSi
who failed round thefe Coads with very in-
quifitive Eyes, affirms " That before the
South-wind blow, the Ifland Hiera is
covered over with Smoke Irke a thick
Fog, fo that it obftruds the Profpect of
Sicily beyond it : That before a Northerly-
windy the Flames arifmg from the great
Crater, mount with a clearer Blaze than
at other times, and greater Noifc is heard
from below : That the JVeJl-wind is pre-
ceded by a middle kind of Appearance, a
mixture of Smoke and Flame, and a fainter
Noife from the hloUozvs of the Rock."
He concludes his account with what is moft
immediately for our purpofe, " That from
*' the Divcrfity of thefe Sounds, and the
R 4 " various

* From ^01 Procdla, Tempeftas : MELEC AOLIN Rex
Tera^'^cflatun. Tacncc the Greeks have formed their 'A^aa^.

Bochart. Cannan. Lib. v, § 33.

^4^ ^^ Enquiry into the Life^

*' various ErLiptions of the Fire and Vapour,
" it waspoflibic to know-iC/'to /^/W would
" blow for three days to come 5 and accord-
•" ingly, that there were People in Ltpati
" then living, who forewarned the wind-
*' bound Ships of an approaching Change,
'.' and feldom failed in their Prediction e. In
confirmation of this, we find that the L'tpa-
reans to this day are generally Seamen, and
of fuch Knowledge in thofc matters, that
Bocaccio affirms there are even few Women in
the IJlandy who have not fome Skill dell'
arte marinarefca of the Art of Naviga-
tion f.

The Connexion between the various
Qualities and Changes of the ^/>, and the
Force and Appearances of Fire, cannot have
efcaped lour Lordjh/p's Searches into the fc-
veral Parts of natural Kno-wledge. It muft
be the more perceptible in thefe Volcmos, as
the Fire isvaft, and the Chafms, at which they
belch the Smoke and Vapour, are widen'd
and laid open to the Air, by the dreadful
Convulfions of the lab'rlng Flames. Nor

can

* Naturalis divinatio aliquanJo certior eft, aliquando magis in
luhicro proat fubie£t'um I'e habet circa quod vcrlatur : Quod
ii fuerit naturse conftantis et regularis, certam efficit prsedicli-
bnerri; fi varix, et compofitas (tanquam ex natura et cafu) falla-
tem. Attamcn etiam in fiibjedlo vario, i) diligenter canoniz.c-
tur, tenebic prxdiftio ut plurimum : Temporis torte momenta
i.O.i ajRe^petur, a re non niultum crrabit.

Ir. Bacon, do Verulam. Hijlor. Ventorurfia

f Decamerone, Cicrndta V. Novella II,

and Writings 0/ H o M e r. 2 4^

can they mifs of prefaging a coming Storm.
For if the Openings of the fnbterra?ieous
Mazes, are at any confidcrablc diftancc from
the pent-up Fire which they feed and keep
alive j in tiiat cafe, a T^empeft brooding from
that quarter, and beginning to play upon
thofe Openings, muft quickly produce an
Alteration at the Volcano^ Head. But it is
agreed on all hands that Sicily and the neigh-
bouring Coaft is quite hollow-, and pierced
with many Crofs-^affages that communicate
under the Bottom of the SeaS. Thus, for
inftance,. there is a Communication believed
to run between Hiera and Sicily ; and a Cor-
refpondence has been obferved between the
Eruptions of £'/^«^, and of this burning Illand,
both as to their Quantity and Violence ^.

It would be too great a DigrelTion from
our Subjed to purfue this Reafoning much
farther ; But before we venture upon the
reft of Homers Miracles^ it will be pleafant
to obferve what ufc Tolybius has made of this

very

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itq ^v cvvcc-fiwaq-, Tpog tb vi^aui;-, xx) rrpbg Tijv "HTS/pov. AiCTep i)
TS "AiTvvi rotavT-/iv 'ixnM 'Btiv.vvTO.t. fyxioiv, otccv /copJiTiW ccTra.vTtg j
j(5:i ui TuJv AiTtapaiuv vijaci, kcc) tu. vtp) TyjV Ainatx^^ixv, Koi

h Aif«at yug rivtq in TfaVwv twv Nvjirwv xnONOMOTS tlvau

jjLfvH?. A;3 xa) KcTa. ro TAerc-ov ENAAAaH ua'.BffBat tb? iv ravTMi
•lalu vviaoig KfaTyjpag, twv Kfl^i Tviv "Aftvi^v.

2 JO An Enquiry into the Life

very Story of Eolus and his windy Empire.
He owns it looks extremely fabulous at firft
telling : The Wifids fowed up in a Bag^ and
given to UlyfTes ! And yet here is a Foun-
dation for it, and fome Veftiges of Truth in
the Heart of the Fable : The Poet indeed
has ufed his Privilege ; has told it in his own
way, and drcfled it up with feveral ft range
Circumftanccs, to increafe our Wonder ^ :
Wherefore-, fays the Hiftorian, fomewhat fe-
rioufly, '' This foottld make us believe, that
" the moft extravagant things that are fung
*' by Homer, are only fo in appearance :
" But that tho' we do not comprehead it,
" there is ft:ill fome Principle in Nature, fome
" Fad in Hift:ory, or Leflbn in Morals, at
" the bottom of the Tale."

About thirty miles from Shore, directly off
NapleSy and a Stone-throw from the South fide
of the Ifland Capre£, ft:and the Sirenus^
or Rocks of the Syrens. The common Opi-
nion about their Inhabitants, and the moft
probable, is " That they were lewd fFomen,
*■'■ y^ho proftituted themfelves to the Sailors,
" and by the Allurements of a lazy voluptu-
" ous Life, made them unmindful of their
" Voyage, and carelefs of returning to their
" native Country." But their Story, as it
is told by Homer-, lies fo pat for a MoraU
that 'tis hard to believe it to be any thing

' TerJona. — 5' intejo Iregi al Ver, TafTo,

and Writings 0/ Homer. 251

clfe than pure FiBion : Their charming Af-
peft at firft Sight 5 their beautifnl Faces and
cnfnaring Voice, perfeftly rcprcfent the fair
Appearance of an Objcd of Pleafure ^ and
their tuife deftrudlivc Nature, their hidden
Deformities, and the way to fhun and deftroy
them., a<yree To nicely with the Methods pre-
icribed by the Mora! ilLs, for avoiding ^^//<^(?^
Snare ^^ that it would ahnoft be pity to fpoil
th.cAlle{rory. Nor is there any neceflity wc
fhould : The Thenician accounts of thefc
enchanting Creatures; their teUing how ra-
vifhingly they fung, and iiow many Crews
had been loft tiiro' their means, was Ground
fufficient for the Poet : They both gave him
a foundation for his Tale, and fcope to work,
it up in the fymboUccil Egyptian manner,
until it loft its Specialities, and from a pri-
vate Story, became capable of a general Ap-
plication. There were feveral Syrens up and
down the Coad, that waited for the palling
Ships, and for that end took their ftatioii
upon the 'PrGtnontories-, or lived in the Ijlands
nearefl: the Shore. One of them flaid at
^anormus ^, another at Naples ■^oxh.Q'is at Sur-
rentum-, and the greateft number lived in the
delightful Capre£ in the Mouth of the Bay

k A-.v'rT.STXt 5s hoc) r.'ae ; tI ccya.^'^v t' vawv-. Tt hti uycchov
liTS y.a,ii'jv tqtv iv TM .Gi'u) : T«Ct' «v ihv ixi) n? avviv^ aniAAiTi/t
u-rd ry,i; 'A4>P0ITNH5: : av 22 t)c f^'^> OLMcyraXiv v) p.»y'A<tPC-
STNH 'AnOAATTAIj aulo? h\ nu'Ciai, y.a) ixunifioc, uai, lu'Scc'iJ.av
yivCai iv TuvTt tw jitip. Kipjvf.Oi ©<€«;« lllNAS-

' PALERMO in i>!nly.

152- An 'Enquiry into the Life

of Naples. From thence, it is probable, they
paired over to the Rocks that bear their Name,
to talk with the Seamen from on board, and
perfuade them to moor their VefTel, and
come on fhore. Homer has retained the
^henician Name taken from the moft obvi-
ous Part of their Charadler, their Jinging ^ 5
and Pofterity, by building Temples to them,
and afllgning the particular Places of their
Abode and Burial, hath made the Tradition
pafs for a Reality "^.

I N the fame Clafs with thefe fmging La-
dies, Horace has placed the other Enchant-
refs "^y the powerful Circe, and not with-
out reafon either from the Moral, which he
has had in his Eye, or from their real Story.
As to the Allegory, " She is a Sorcerefs,
^* skilled in Poifons, and knowing how to
" mix an intoxicating Draught : She is the
*' Child of the Sun, whofe Beams can only
" raife a Plant of Virtue, and concodl the

" Juice

^ From S i r Cantilena: Inde Siren Canens, Canorum.

Bochart, Lib. i . § 33.

tn^hfu'JiM fxaxpo? ^xi 6a;e;a jusw -r^i 'OpuviJ^, to t!Lv EEIPH-

NfiN 'lEPON ixw'J, fc-rJ ^x.tftx l\ vyisihx rpia TpoH£,>£v«.

%pv,fjix, T£lpci5vj» « Ka/hffi ZEIPHNOTEAS. iTpafi. /3<eA. a-

LTfaS- B.eix- a-

Sirenes, prinio juxta Pelorum, poft in Capreis infuii ha-

bitarunt. Serv. in Mneid. V.

n Sirenum voces, et Circes poculi nofti ;

Qux li cum fociis ftultas cupiduioue bibifTet,
Vixiflct Can's immundus, aut arnica luto Su?.

Homt. 'Eftjl. i. lih. r.

and Writings 0/ H o m E r. 255

^' Juice of Herbs to a healing or noxious
" Quality. With their alliflance, fhe could
" change and transform the Mortal that once
" tafted of her baneful Cup : She could make
" him forget his Refolutions and his Duty 5
'' renounce his Bravery and Manhood ; ren-
'* dcr him deaf to the Admonitions of his
" Friends ; and in fine, convert him into
" fome Species of a Brute, according to the
" Bent of his Senfuality.

The Truth of the matter is, Circe has
been herfelf one of the Syrens : Like them
fhe fung, and filled her Palace with Melody <> :
Like them, fhe lived upon a Promontory that
rmi out into the Sea : Like them, fhe waited
for the pafling Ships, and like them deftroycd
the Crews, when Ihe had them in her power.
Her Name is Circe, the T>eJiroyer or Tul^
ier down ^ ; of the fame falfe Nature and de-
ceitful Appearance with her Sifters, and only
differing from them as fhe employed other

Means

*• She is OiS« avli^tica.. The Vocal GoJdefs; and when they
approached her Palace,

Ki'pxJ)? 5' tvSov anVov, a«<S8<r>)S ot< kkAi^j.
And afterwards,

' From Kirkar, diruerer, perdere, peflundare : Unlefs the Waifs
that inclofed her Palace have got her that Name from Kir, a
yall. ^

*Eop9v S' iv /3t^ff(r«)« Tsluy/xtva iuixala Ki'/ix>i<
Sfi^olfft KoLtffgt) TfptffKijTlftJ iv) X<i)fui> 'Oive- K.

154 -^^ Enquiry into the Ltje

Means for obtaining her cruel Purpofe bc-
fides the Charms of her Voice. ^

It IS here obfervablc, x\\^t^i2'%nttgMous
Miracles, or the ftrange things that the Poet
relates of this Coaft, are much of a piece :
His Monfters, as well as his Men, are of the
fame Species, and bear a Likenefs in their
Manners : The Cyclops, the Leftrygons, and
Scylla, are all Men-eaters : And the Female
Phantoms, Circe and the Syrens-, firft bewitch
with a Shew of Pleafure, and then deftroy.
At iirft reading, they feem wild and impro-
bable i but like the other Parts of Homers
Poetry, they had a Foundation in the Man-
ners of the times preceeding his own.

It was ftill in many Places, the Age
fpoken of by Orpheus.

When Men de'vourd each other like the

Beajis,
Gorging on human Fle^j

The Subject is difmal, and a particular De-
fcription of fuch horrid Deeds, would be
fliocking : It will be enough to put your
Lordfhip in mind, That our modern Indians
have not been the only Guilty of the dread-
ful Ad oi feeding upon their Fellow-Crea-
tures. The fame Barbarity is attributed to
moft Countries, before the Arts of Life
reached them, and ftript them by degree, of
their inhuman Cuftoms. The Eaft was dc-

tcll-

and Writings o/' H o M e r. 255

teftable for offering Children to their furious
King^ and Egypt was once infamous for
InhofpitaUty and Murder r. The Euxine was
forced to change its favage Name, and the
Altar of l^iana at the Mouth of it, flood
reeking with the Blood of Strangers. The
human Sacrifices in Britain and Gaul remain
an indelible Stain upon the Memory of our
Forefathers 5 and Greece, with all its boafted
Humanity, was not entirely rid of them at
the time of the Trojan War^. The Cartha-
ginians continued them long in Africky
and they were not difufcd in Italy, until
the Days of Numa Tompilius. Nor did that
religious Law-giver think fit to aboliih them
utterly at firft : He chofe to elude the
cruel Rite, and fubflituted Images of Straisy
in place of the human Creatures whom they
ufed to butcher. 'Twas upon the Ides of
May, a little after the Vernal Equinox-, that
the ^riejis of the greateft Dignity, and the
Virgins that guard the eternal Fire t, accom-
panied with the ^retors, and other Citizens,
made a Bridge over the Tiber, and in a To-
lemn manner, cad thirty of thefe Images into

the

' Moloch, from Melech, a King.

' — Quis aut Euryfthea durum,

Aut illaudati nefcit Buliridis aras ? Virgil.

* Tu cum pro vitula llatuis dalcem Aulide Natam

Ante ARAS ; Ipargiique MOLA Caput, Improbe, falfa,
Rc£tum animi Ibrvas ? — Horat. Lib. II. Sat. V.

t '0< HUhHitsvot IIONTI<MKEE, lepitav 6t ^ia(f'avti:;a1ot, xa;< civ

1^6 An Enquiry into the Life

the Stream : In throwing them over, they
called them, by ancient Tradition, Argives^;
which, as it preferVes the Footftcps of this^
Cruelty in Italjiy lb it lets us know what
People tor the mod part fitrniftied the wretched
Vidims, and what reafon the '"'Phentcidn-, and
afterwards the Grecian Sailors had to give
out, that this Coaft was inhabited by Canni-
bals ■> and ^Dejiroyers of Mankind,

The oppolite Shore of Greece, the Ep I'-
ll us. continued long in the fame favage Con-
dition. The Wanders, even to the Weft^
were beginning in Homer's time to un-
learn their rude Behaviour to Strangers 5 and
as confcious of being a civilized People,
they threaten their Offenders " with tranf-
*' portation to the Continent, to King
" EcHETUs, the Scourge of all the human
" Race." So true it is, that the Iflands were
firft brought under Difcipline, and that Arts
and Policy came to Greece from beyond Sea.

T H L Y fiift fettled and took root in the
maritime Tkces. and afterwards fpread by
degrees into the Heart of the Country. It
was long before they penetrated to the Weft
of Italy, which we therefore find full of
Prodigies 5 and the Appellations given thehi
by Homer, arc as monftroiis as their own
Natures, and found as ftrangcly in a Grecian
Ear : The Etymologies of their Names are

and Writings ^ H o M e k. 1 5 t

in vain fought for in liis Language, which
they only refemble in their Ttrminations :
But the Aramean affords them, and derives
them from words that fhcw how thcfe Names
have been given at firft : They point at the
very Act of Raveningy beheld by^ fuch The-
nicians as had tlie good fortune to efcape the
niercilefs Hands of the Barbarians '*' ; and Iiave
been afterwards fixed as proper Names ^ by
bcmg often repeated in the fad Relation of
the Fate of their Companions.

But there is too much faid of thcfe Sa-
vages, and we have dwelt too long upon this
Black lide of Mankind : Let us quit the Men,
and confider fome of the natural Wonders
of tiiis fabulous Coafl* Your Lordihip knows
that the City of Sidon is fituated in thirty-
three Degrees twenty Minutes of Latitude,
and the Circeian Promontory in forty- two ;
and if it be true that the 'Thenician Navigation
was firft upon the Red Sea, then that People
mull: have been accuftomed to the near Equa-
lity of Day and Night that happens within the

S Tropicks,

* The Lejirygons (Aaiq'puywv) from Lah-tirgan, Leo mordax 5
their King Lumus trom Laham voiare, dej^lutirej or Lahm
Caro : Thence the Goblin's Name, that Ivvallowed Children
^live, Lafnia i and thcGreeh word for the Throat, Aaz/x^c. Thefe
two, x.\\Q Lejirygons and Lamus, have been obfcrvcd by Bochart,
The King of the Continent's Name likewifc points at his Nature.
It comes from Catctth contundere cxderc, whence Echetoth
contufurus, contufor erit ; and agrees nicely with Homer's
Epithet :

'Eli "EXETON $ac;?i{icc /Spo'jsv /IHAHMONA t«vtwv.

158 An Enquiry tiito the Life

TroJjtckSy and increafcs as you approach the
Equator. But when their Trade took ano-
ther Turn, and they begun to fail the Medi-
tenaneaUy and difcovcr the unknown Coafts
of Italy, How would they be furprized to
find the day near two hours longer than at
the Mouth of the Arabick Gulf, and one
hour longer than in their own Country ?
They would be amazed at the quick Return
of the Morning, and think the Sun was ear-
lier upon his Road than ever they had ob-
ferved him before. The length of the TiJ^i-
lights^ longer too than ever they had feen,
would contribute to raife their Wonder 5 and
vhen they compared every thing with their
own Southern ClimeSy and were come to an
Anchor under the Mons Circeius, lying due
Eaji of them, 'twas no wonder, if not know-
ing how to account for the fudden Return
of Light, they took it into their Heads,
" That there was x\\z Abode of the Morning,
" and the early Road of the rifing Sun"

While the Vhenkians were making but
annual Voyages, and had not ventured to
'-jainter in foreign Ports, they wou'd happen
to be in the Tyrrhene Sea 2,vi(i Gulf of Genoa,
about the time of the iongeft day. The
Diftance of thefe Parts from Sidon, and the
common Accidents in flow trading Voyages,
(which the Thenidayis could only make to
unknown Nations) muft have employed the

Spring-

and Wrtthigs of Wom^k, lyj?

Spring-months, and protradted their Voyage
till that Scalbn. For I make little doubt
but this Fable has been framed, when they
were neither fuch Geographers, nor Aftrono-
mers as they came to be afterwards : It has
been in the Infancy of their Navigation at
leaft to the North Seas ; and fuch a Tradi-
tion, when once broached, would not fail to
be preferved, and find a Place in all the Re-
lations of that barbarous Coaft. It is too
remarkable a Circumftance not to have ftruck
Men, whofe Employment forces them to ob-
serve the Weather, and fixes their chief At-
tention upon the Heavens : To fuch People
the Abode of the Morning was in CirceV
IJle, for the fame reafon that we here in
Britain are characterized by Virgil^

Et minima contentos no5ie Britannos^

F R o M C I R c e's Ifle, and by her Direc-
tions, UlyJJes failed to the infernal Regions :
We are told, in the poetick Stile, "■ That
" after palling the Ocean, he firft arrived at
*' a gloomy Beach covered with Thickets
" and the Groves of Troferpine -, Top'lars
" and Tews calling a difmal Shade. Here he
" drew his Ship on fhorc, and entered him-
'' felf into the Manfions of Hell : He trode
" the ThreOiold of the Habitations of the
*' ^ead^ and faw within,"

S 2 The

2 6o An Enquiry into the Life^

The four infernal Rivers that difgorge
into the Burning Lake their baleful Streams:
Abhorred Styx, the Flood of deadly Hate-,
Sad Acheron of Sorro^Ji', black and dee^y
Cocytus namd of Lamentation loud
Heard on the ruefil Streamy fierce Phlcgcthon,
Whofe J raves of burning Fire tnfame with
Rage ^

Upon llic Bri'nk, where two of the Rivers
met, he was to perform certain Sacrifices to
the irifernal T)eities, and pour forth the
Blood to the Ghofls departed.

T i-i 1 s Defcriprion is partly reaU and partly
mythological. The tcrrcftrial Part of it feems
to agree with the Avernus, a kind of Lake
formed by the Sea in the recefs of the
Lucrbie Bay-, not far from Circes Habita-
tion : The reft (too lona, to be here tranf-
cribed) h Egyptian^ and relates to the T;^cd-
dr/jj ^iic/j b mentioned above ^. Next to the
r> A I M, fays Strabo d, lies the Lucrine Bay.,
and wirhin it the Lake Avernus. It was
here the Ancients believed that Homer had
defcribed Ulrffes as converrmg with iht^ead^
and confulting Tirefias Ghoft : for here they
laid was the Oracle facrcd to the Shades ^
which t/Zv/T^j came and confulted concerning
his Return. T\\z Avernus is a deep darkfom
Lake, with a narrow Entry from the outer

Bay,

'Milton. '^ Strange foreign Tortures. <=^p. iia. * Lib. V.

and Writhigs 0/ Homer. i6\

Eay : It is furroundcd with flccp Banks that
hang threatning over it, and is only acccflible
by the narrow Paflage thro* which you fail
in. Thcfe Banks were anciently quire o'er-
grown with a wild Wood, impenetrable by
a human Foot. Its gloomy Shade imprelled
an awful Superftition upon the Minds of the
Beholders 5 and the neighbouring People
atfirmcd, That the Birds ^ fell into the Water
as they flew over it, being choaked with the
infernal Steam.

Here therefore they fuppofcd was the
Paflage to Hell-, and the Seat of the Cmme-
rians, who dwelt in perpetual Night. Who-
ever failed hither, firll did facrifice ; and en-
deavoured to propitiate the infernal Powers
with the afliftance of fome Priefis who at-
tended upon the Place, and direded the my-
flick Performance. Within, a Fountain of pure
Water broke out juft over the Sea ; but no
Creature ever rafted of it, believing it to be
a Vein of the River Styx : Somewhere near
this Fountain was the Oracle j and the Hot
IVaters frequent in thcic Parts, made them
think they v/ere Branches of the burning
Thlegethon.

In this very Bay Ephorus places the

Cimmerians : He lays They lived in fubter-

raneous Cells, which they called Argill.e;

S 3 and

* Hence its Name ylornos ; and by inferting the Holick T,
Ajornos j thence in the Itnlick Pronunciation A v t R n u s.

^6l An Enquiry into the Life

and that they had Communication with one
another by means of certain dark Pallagcs
cut thro' the Earth, and by them conveyed
Strangers down to the Oracle of the 'Dead-
lit fays further, that they lived upon the
Produce of the Metals which they dug out of
the Earth, ai^l upon the Sacrifices that were
offered to the fubtcrrancous Oracle 5 whole
Minifters had it as a Cudom handed down
from Father to Son, That none of them
fiould ever fee the Sun, nor quit their GrottSy
but imder Covert of the Night. This, he
gives as the rcafon why the Poet aflerts,
" That l^hebus, who enhghtcns the World>
" never looks upon them, nor vifits them
*^ with his 2iladdcnin'j; Beams.

This Account of the Cimmerians is
ingenious, and has fomething in it very enter-
taining to the Imagination ; but as I woud
he far from rejecting it, fo the Poet's defcri-
bing their Town and Tribes in this Part of
the Country, is no ftrid Proof of their be-
ing really Italians. Hefner often tranfports
and mixes his Miracles 5 efpecially if they
are of a kindy and bear any Analogy in theic
Natures, or refemblancc in their Manners.
Circe is of the fame Blood with <:^/Eetes, and
is allied to the Sorcerefs Medea, tho' foe lived
in Italy, and ihey in Colchos at the furtheft
end of the Enx'tne-, fcparatcd by Seas and
Continents of immcnlc Extent,

The

afid Writings of Homek, 2 (J j

The I^ea of the oneeyd Cyclops^ whom
he places in Sicily-, he is thought to have
taken from the Arimafpians in Thrace ; and
the Cimmerians, from the Jong Nights and
cloudy Sky, in the fame Country. This lad
is the more probable, that the Thenicians
might be palling homeward from the Bof-
phorus pretty late in the Year, and might
perhaps be tempted to tarry upon fome Pro-
fpeds of Gain, until the Winter furprized
them in that cold Climate, and froze up their
Ship : In that Cafe they wou'd literally fee
a People yjg^ lij vt%k\yt Ki.v.aLXv^j.fj.kv^ic,, wrapt
tip in T^arknefs and Clouds, and might give
them a Name, which indeed will agree either
with Thrace or the Avermis.

We MUST NOW purfue our Voyage
round the Mediterranean, and for that rea-
fon muft leave Ulyjfes failing back to Circe,
and afibciate ourfelves with the other Tra-
veller celebrated by Homer, the famous Me-
nelaus. The South and South- eaft Coaft of this
Sea fcem to have fallen to his Share, as the
North and North-weft were vifited by Ulyjfes ;
tho' I know that the latter is likcwife laid to
have been driven both to Spain (where there
was a Tovv'n of his Name, and a Temple of
Minerva) and to the Coaft of Africk, where
he faw the Lotophagi : But as the Pheniciam
Accounts of thcfe Parts are related by the

S 4 Poet

a 64 ^^ Eyiquky Into the Life

Poet under the Pcrfoii of Menelaus, it will
be proper for us to follow him.

After the taking of Troy, the Greeks
found they had purchafed the Victory very
dear : Be (ides the Men they had loft, there
were few of the furviving Chiefs who had
not fufFered at home, by Diforders in their
Families, or Damage in their Eftates : Nor
was the Spoil that was faved from the Flames
when the City was burnt, fufficient to en^
rich them all. They could not think of
(laying fo long away, and returning to their
empty Habitations with little or nothing, as
the Reward of their Toils •-, and fome chofc
rather to go and feek for Seats in unknown
Countries, than to live in their own Houfes
after the difmal things that had happened in
them during their Abfence.

Thus T>iomedes and Teucer went and
fettled, the one in Apulia, and the other in
Cyprus : Menelaus and Ulyjfes revived the
old Pradiice oi Greece-, making Defcentswith
their Squadrons upon feveral Coafts, and car-
rying what Plunder they met with to their
Ships: And when the Difafters incident to a
piratical Life had dilabled them from conti-
nuing fuch Violences, they wandred about
from place to place, and fet on foot a kind
of Contribution (what the French call a
QuHe) where-ever they came. Their high
Reputation procured t;hem a kind reception

fron^

and Writhgs 0/ Hom e r. 26 j

from all that had heard of the Dcn:ru(f5:ion
of Troy, the greatcft Tranfaclion the World
had then to talk of : And accordingly they
received many B&ivma, {Trefents to Strangers)
from the Princes they vifited, and both, tho'
late, returned rich to their own Countries.

The Account Menelaiis gives of -his
own Travels, is in a very plain manner,
" That having fufFcred many things, and
" wandered far, he had amafled much Wealth,
<*^ and had come home at the end of eisiht
" years : That having been in Cyprus^ 'The-
" nicidj and Egypt-, and having vifited the
" Ethiopians and Arabians-, he arrived at
" laft in Ljbia" of which he tells feveral
Wonders : But the flrangcft thing that be-
fel him, was in the TharoSy a little Ifland
in the Mouth of the Nile. There he law
Proteus the mutable Prophet of the Sea, and
received a Prophecy from him, " That It
" was not his \Menelaiis) Fate to finilh his
*' days in Argos. but the Immortals would
" fend him to the Elysian Plain, and
" Ends of the Earth, where yellow Rhada-
" mayithtis reigns, and where an eafy affluent
*^ Life is enjoyed by Men ; where Snow is
" never (<:c\\ nor Rain, and Winter fhows
*' not his hoary Face 5 but foft Gales con-
*' ftantly blowing from the JVeftern Ocean,
" ferve to cool the Air and fan the Inhabi-
f^ tants of the happy Shore.

There

266 An Enquiry into the Life

There is no doubt made by the An-
cients, but that this Dcfcription is taken
from the Bay of Cad'tx and the Weft Coaft
of Spain 5 and there can be as little, that
Homer muft iiave iieard of the Nature and
Situation of thcfc Parts from the Pheni-
ciANS. It will coft your Lordfhip but a
Thought to recoiled, That the Tyrian Her-
culeSf long before Jupiter^ Affair with Alc-
mena^ had made the firft Difcovery of thefe
Lands, and ercded the famous Tillars that
bore his Name : His Countrymen took care
not to lofc fo fwcet a Commerce j but
charmed with the Softnefs and Delicacy of
the Climate, and knowing pcrfedly the Va-
lue of the Commodities it produced, they
planted it with Colonics, and drew from it
the chief Streams that filled Tyre and Sidon
with fuch immcnfe Wealth, and particularly
with Coin and Plate.

The Richncfs of the Spanijh Mines af-
forded ample Materials of Hyperbole and
Defcription to the ancient Writers ^ 5 and we
find in the Poets coming after Homer ^ that
the Eafe and AfBucnce of their Princes, had
palTed into a proverb ^. This cou'd be known
to Homer in no other way but by the Re-
pot^

"Out irea. rrcv:y!Hov]a. ita) ikatjv

TAPTHSIOX (iMiAsi^cau 'AvAxp- 'Axocrarar-

and Writings 0/ Homer. 26^

port of the ^henicians •■> who, when they
fpoke of this happy Country, called it M e-
CHOS Elysoth, The Vlace of Joys or
Land of Mirth ^, From them therefore our
Poet has learned the Nature of the Weftern
Region^ the Blowing of the Zephyrs, and
the Fertility of the Soil ; and has defcribcd
his Elysium juft fuch a Place as the
Fields about Cadix, and the Andaluzimt
Tlatns ^.

I T gives, My Lord-, a particular kind of
Pleafurc to learn from what Originals a cele-
brated Piece of Painting has been taken, and
from what Objed the Painter borrowed his
Idea. We imagine ourfelves to be let into
a fort of Secret, and difcover new Beauties
in the Copy, by placing it and the Model
together, and comparing their mutual Linea-
ments.

^ Bochart, Canaan.

^ Los fcrtiles Campos 6c Andalufia, tan celcbrados de la An-
tigucdad por los Campos Elifios, rcporo de las Almas bien aven-

turadas Mire aquel peda^o de tierra, que en fertilidad

y influencia del Cielo, hermofura de tierra y agua, no he vifto
cola mejor, en toda la Europa. And ff caking of the neigh-
bouring Plain of Malaga, he fays, Fue tan grand e cl confuelo que
recebi de la vifta ddla, y fragrancia que traia cl Viento, regalan-
dofe por aquellas maravillofas Huertas, llenas de todas efpecies
4e Naranjos y Limones, llenas de Azahar todo cl Anno, que
me parcgio ver un peda^o de Parayfo : Porque no ay en toda
la RedonJezdc aquel Ori2,onte,-cora que no dekyte los cinco Sen-
tidos. Los ojos fe entreticnan con la villa de Mar y Tierra,
llena de Arboles hcrmolilTimos : A los Oydos delcyu con
grande admiracion la abundancia de los Pajarillos, que dia v
noche no ceiTan fu dulce Armenia : Los Mantcnimicntos loii
abundintes y fudanciofos para cl Guflo y la Salud ; El Trato de
la Gente muy apr.2.ible, cfablc y cortcfano; y todo es de raancra,
que fe pudicra h-iicr un" grande Libro de fus excelcncias-

' " Vida de Ohrcgon,

i68 Jn Enquiry into the Life

mcnts. The fame holds, and perhaps in a
greater degree, in poetical Reprefentations-
An Author to whom our Country owes many
a beautiful Treatife, makes not the leaft
queftion, but that the Gulf thro' which Vir-
gil's AleBo fhoots into Hell is the Catarad
of the VelinOi three Miles from Terni. The
River falls down a Precipice of an hundred
Yards high, and throws itfelf with fuch Vio-
lence into the Hollow of a Rock, as to raife
a continual Mift refembling Clouds, or the
Smoke afcending from a vafl: Furnace ^.

But Hsmer does not feem to have kept
entirely to one Model : He has divided his
Defcription of the next World into three
Parts, and has taken them from three dif-
ferent Originals. The firit contains an Ac-
count of the Entry to the Realm of TlutOy
and is taken from the Avernus ; the fecond
dcfcribes the Paffage, and fcveral Stages of
the dreary T'rogrefs, copied from the ^ro-
cejJJon at the Funerals of uipis up the Nile ;
the third prcfents us with the happy Climes
prepared for the Good and Upright, taken
from the fortunate IJlands and the neigh-
bouring Coafl : And all the three are made
to coincide in fcveral Circumdances, thro*
the Addrefs and good Management of the
Poet.

After

* Addifon's Journey thro' Italy.

and fVrittngs 0/ H o M e r. ^6^

After this View of the Coafts of Italy
and Spain, it wou d be to little Purpofc to
ask, How it appears that Homer learned thefc
things from the ^Fhenicians, or thro' whofe
Hands he received them ? It is fufficicnt that
fuch Knowledge could be drawn from no
other Fountain : Tho' at the fame time, it
will not be unpleafant to hear that there arc
Prcfumptions in his Writings, of his having
been perfonally acquainted with this mduftri-
ous People.

And first. He knows their Cbara6ier
perfedlly. When he fpeaks of them in ge-
neral, they are always ^olviTUic, vaoaUAuloi u,v-
^^i(;. The VhQ,i\\Q\?ii\s f am d for Shipping, or
renow-ned at Sea j which is the diftinguifhing
Mark of the Nation. Then their chief City
is 2eroA'j^aAx@o S/i^air, Sidon abounding with
Metals ; and the Sidoyiians-, -sroA^/^c^J^^Aot
af^^g?, ingenious artful Men. It is impof-
fible for any Man, tho he had lived a great
part of his Life at Sidon, to give more pro-
per Epithets to the Nation and City, or more
expreflivc of the Genius of the Inhabitants.
But Homer goes further, and (liews that he
has been acquainted with all Ranks of the
Thenicians.

The mean People of a trading Nation
naturally fall into Tricking and low Cozen-
age 5 and in this refped the Thenician Ped-
lars were the ''^jcjus of Antiquity 5 and bore

fuch

i^o jin Enquiry into the Lije

fuch a Charafter among them as the Jews cto
among us. Such cxadly hath Homer painted
them. He calls them T^ook\<xji, Scrapers of Money
from any thing ^ 5 and to explain how they did
it, he fubjoins, that they were tstq'Ku'zs- (A^m^Mi
av^^i^^ Men with a thoufand Jmall Wiles.
There was bcfides a great Intercourfe between
the two Nations : The ^henk'tan Ships, our
Poet tells, frequently wintered among the
Grecian lilands, and the Prince g of one of
them had a Thenician Miitrefs : She was,
according to his Defcription,

Tall and beautiful, and skill' d in curious
Work \

Homer relates her Story fb particularly, her
Father's thenician Name i, and his Circum-
ftances, and how (he was carried off by the
Taphian Pirates as fhe was returning from the
Country to Sidon, that one would almoft
think he had got it from the Defcendants
of the Family.

This Sufpicion is confirmed by the Know^
ledge he difcovers of the Produce and Manu-
facture

8 Ctejtm, the Son of Ormcnus, Prince of the rich Ifland
S^rin, or, as the latefl: Geographers called it, Syros.

h KaAii TS fxtfa^.*} n k«< a\'Aciot, spy' tilZ:X.

'OZva. Q.

* ''Ajvfttc- Softened from jifrubas or Aidrubas, Asdrubai-

JBocharf.

and Writhigs of H o M e r; 27 1:

faclure of the Country. Moft of the fine
things he mentions, Gifts to the Gods, or
Prefcnts from great Men, are (he fays) of
Sidonian Workmanfhip. The fined Garment
in the Trojan Queen's Wardrobe, was bought
in Sidon by Taris, who mud no doubt have
been a Judge in thofe Matters ^ ; and the
prettied Utenfil in Menelaus Palace was a
Silver Bowl edged with Gold, which he had
received as a Prefent from the King of Si-
don i and it is not improbable that Homer
had feen many like it, when in that City
himfelf ^. In fhort, he feldom defer ibes Toys
or Jewels, or any Piece of curious Work,
but he very readily adds, that it was made in
Sidon, or brought over in a Vhenician Ship :
And |herein he hath the Happinefs to agree
with our facred Chronicle, where we learn,
that the wife Solomon, when he was about
to build his magnificent Temple, received a
cunning Man from Tyre, " Skilful to work
" ill Gold and in Silver j In Brafs, in Iron, in
'^ Stone, and in Timber \ In Purple, in Blue,
" in fine Linen, and in Crimfon ; alfo, to
'' grave every manner of Graving, and to
*' find out every device which fiiould be put
" to him.

But, My Lord, We do the ^henicians
an Injury in making them only Artificers,
Navigators, and Merchants. The nobler

Sciences

•t lliftd VL 5 OdyiT IV,

17% An Enquiry into the Life

Sciences were cultivated among them, and
they have the Honour of being the Authors
of two famous Se^s that gained great Pvepu*
tation, by Opinions which the Grecians bor-
rowed from them. We have it upon the
Authority of Tofidonius^ That what is called
the Atomkal Thilofophy was firft advanced
by Mofchus a Sidoniarit fome time before
the Trojan War. I am the apter to believe
that it was fo, becaufe it is certain that Ep'f
ciiriis was not the In-venter of the Dodrine
of At07ns which he embraced ; but received
that method of accounting for the Rife of
Things from T>emocrittis, who had travelled
long in the Eajiy and brought from thence
his Learning and Phiiofophy. By this means
thofe Principles that were fo greedily fwal-
lowcd both in Greece and Ro?ne 5 and as a
witty Writer affertsa, were embraced by all
the fine Gentlemen of Antiquity, came ori-
ginally from l^henicia.

I T were eafy, My Lord, to fay a great
deal concerning the ^henician Theohgyx.v2LnC*
cribed by EufcbiuSy their Records kept in
their Temples, and the -problems that palfed
betwixt them and the knowing and peaceful
Trince juft now mentioned : But as thefe,
things belong not immediately to our Sub-
jecl, nor to the Inftrudion that Homer re-
ceived from this People, 1 ihall rather feled

a Grecian

' Monf. S*. Evremond,
I

and Writings of Wo we k. 27}

a Grecian Difciple of tiieirs, whofe Works
have fome Connexion with our Poet.

Among the earlieft of the Greek Philo-
fophcrs was Therecydes, a Native of that
very Ijland, wiiere we heard that it was
cuftomary for the ^henician Ships to winter.
He has the Honour to be mentioned as ^-
thagoras's Mafler, and is famous for intro-
ducing Trofe-writlng into Greece. He had
no hving Matter of his own, to lead him the
way in Science ; but having puixhafed from the
Thenicians, either in his own Country, or
as is more probable in theirs, fome Volumes
of their fublime Philofophy, he drew from
thence his Knowledge, and acquired a very
great Name among the Greeks. They look'd
upon him as the firit who had fpoke of the
Tranfmigration of Souls, a Doitrine much
inculcated by the Pythagoreans his Succef-
Ibrs : and read with admiration his Accounts
of the Birth and SucceJJions of the Gods.

His Country is pointed at in Homer in a
very remarkable manner : " Abo've Ortygia,
" fays the ^Poet^ there is a certain Ifland
** called S y R I a, if ever you heard of it,
*' c3z TtfoTTct} 'HaA/o'o, isjhere are the Returns
" or Tropicks of the Sun. This, it leems,
is the Mark of the place, that will help us
to diftinguifh it from the ncighb'ring Ides :
But without the adiftance of fucceeding

T Hiftory,

274 -^^ Enquiry into the Life

Hiftory, and particularly where it relates to
^herecydeSj we fhou'd never have known
what to have made of it : To have gone in
fearch of fuch an Ifland under the Tropicks,
wou'd have been as foolini as to think of
contriving a natural meaning for the Exprcf-
iion taken in its literal Signification ; and in
what Senfe the Returns of the Stm can be
faid to be in any one of the Cyclades, is a
Qaeflion that would puzzle our beft Aftro-
nomers.

For a Solution^ the old Scholiaft upon
the Paffage tells us, that " In this Ifland
" there ivas a Cave confecrated to the Sun,
'* which jhe'-jved the Time of his Returns."
Thefe are the very words of the Commen-
tary ; and they feem to ftand as much in
need of an Explication as their Subjcd. I
incline to think, that the I'henicians finding
the Ifland rich in Grain, which they much
wanted, and accomrnodated with a fine Har-
bour, may have endeavoured to fit it in every
refpcd for their Winter Retreat. With this
view it is probable they may have adjufled
a Meridian Line to fome Hole or Cleft in
the Roof, which admitted a Ray of the Sun
into the confecrated Cave, and marked the
Solftices upon that Line, and what other Sub-
divifions they thought fit«

Thf.

and Writings o/^ Homer. 27J

The Use of fuch a thing, for letting
them know the Turns of the Year, and
for pointing out the Scafons fit for fail-
ing, needs no Enlargement 5 and their
Skill in Aftronomy and Numbers, leaves
as little doubt of their Ability to efifed it.
The fame thing was afterwards performed,
and perhaps more accurately, by Therecydes ;
not in the Cave, but by ereding a Styhis
whofe Shadow ihould mark the Advance and
Reccfs of the Sun to and from the Tropicks^
Whether this Heliotrope was moveable or not,
1 cannot tell -, but it was long preferved in
SyroSy many hundred Years after the Author's
Death -, and from its Duration, I take it to
have been fome Tyramid of Brafs or Stone,
ereded and marked in a level from the
Bafe, in the fame way as the great Obelisk
brought by Aiiguftiis from Egypt-, and placed
in the Campus Martins near the City 5 whofe
Shadow, fays Tliny, Ihewcd the Sun's Alti-
tude, and the Increafe and Diminution of
the Days and Nights.

Had Therecydes lived before, or contem-
porary with Homer-, there wou'd be no
doubt but this very Machine was the thing
defcribed by the 'Toet ; but being pofterior,
it is more likely that he himlclf took the
Hint from the Thenicians, and probably out-
did theirs, in the Exadnefs of his Inven-
tion*

T z There

^7^ An Enquiry into the Life

There was nothing like x\{\s Heliotrop(*
to be feen iri any Part of Greece^ fave in
this little Ifle, whofe Inhabitants, ignorant
like the other Greeks j when they came to fee
it, and were gazing at the Marks, and asking
the ufe of them, could only gather from the
^henicians Anfwer (juft what Homer has faid
of them) " That they were the Returns of
" the Sun ; or, that when the Sim had ad-
" vanced fo far. He returned the way he
" had come." Homer cou'd not mifs to hear
of them j for if he was not himfelf in this
Ifland, which he has defcribed fo happy and
healthful, he wou'd certainly be informed
of every thing concerning it in T^elos, juft
in its Neighbourhood, whither he came
every Year to fuig at the Feafts of Apollo.

Here, My Lord, wx will finifh our
Voyage. We fet out from the Hellefpont^
and taking the Coaft of Italy in our way,
we have returned by Spain and Africk to the
Kgean Sea^ What we have feen is fufhcient
to convince us, that Homer owed moft of
thofc Tales that raife our Wonder in the
Odyjfey, to his Converfe among the Pheni-
ciANs : And as they were told frorn the riift
Apprehenfions the Thenician Sea-men and
funpie Greeks formed of them, that fame
Simplicity has been preicrved in the Relation,
and has accommodated them to the Undcr-

ftanding

and Writings of Homer, ty/

(landing and Tafte of all Nations and Ranks
of Men.

I CANNOT bid them farewell, without
refledling with fome Surprize on Homer's
Good fortune in this Particular. He was
equally happy in his IVonders as in his Reli-
gion. Too much Splendour did not glare
in his Eyes and darken his Miracles ; for, if
your Lordfhip will forgive the Oddnefs of
the Phrafe, the bed Light to place a Won-
der in, is a little Objttirity. His Gods and
their Powers were never fo much as que-
ftioned, when he fung of their marvelous
Alliances and myftick Generation : Nor
were thefc Countries to the North and Weft
of Greece enough known, to make People
doubt of the ftran2;e and woeful Stories he
related of them. It was {o late as Cocceitis
and Agrippa, under Aiignftiis, who cleared
the A-uerniis, and cut thro' the Mountains,
that Homers Hell appeared to be an ordinary
Bay ; and what he faid of it, -zcivlx ravlai.
fiZ'^(^ ilvoLfy to be all a pure Fable : But be-
fore that, and efpecially in the Infancy of
the Tbenician Navigation, while the Coaft
lay unexplored, the xMiracles v/ould be fwal-
lowed ; and the ftrangeft Tale he could tell,
would pafs for a certain Truth.

S UCH Reflections as thcfc, have fometimes
led me to think, that Homer's Art was not
(p great and refined ss \yc commonly fuppofe

T 3 ' ^1=

a 7 S- An Enquiry Into the Lifi

it to have been : That his Goo^ Fortune
was far fupcrior to his Skill j Since he
needed but reprefent things both in his
own and other Countries, almoft as he
heard them talked of. The ordinary Strain
in which they were related, was nicely cal-
culated for 2;ivin2; them that air of natural
JVo72derj that affeds us fo ftrongly in reading
them : A thins; hardly to be counterfeited !
Por a man who underftands any S\xh]zd: per-
feBlj, who knows the Caufes and Effeds of
every furprizing like thing about it, of con-
fequencc talks cooly j and having no Admi-
ration himfelf, can with difficulty raife it iri
another. When he eflays to do it, his Looks
and Voice, and laboured Sentences betray
him, and fhew the Artifice 5 But if at any
time he comes to forget himfelf, and can
fcrew up his Fanpy lb as to fmother his Rea-
fon, he may then fucceed 5 and infpire his
Hearers with a Pallion he begins to feel : Yet
his judgment will recur when the Fit is over,
and leave him the fame cool unadmiring
Perfon he was before.

I HAVE heard it declared, by thofe whofe
Bufinefs It is to perfonate Charaders and their
peculiar Pafllons, that they never fucceed fo,
>vell as when they forget themfelves moft 5
and have entered into fome fort of Perfua-
fion, that they are indeed the ^erfons whom
they rcprcfcnt. ^ut I don't know, whe-
ther

and Writings o/" Homer. 27^

ther I dare apply their Cafe to our celebrated
Poet, and venture to fay, " Thar the more
" firmly Homer believed the Wonders he
" tells, he woud tell them the better, and
" paint their mod moving Circumftances
" with a truer Feeling than if he had not
" been perfuaded of the Truth of the Fads/*

^aulum tu inter ejfe cenfes, ex animo omnia
Ut fert natura facias-, an de induftrid ?

Thus, We have run over Homers Ad-
vantages from Nature and Education : We
have furvcyed the Climate where he was
born : We have confidered the Manners of
his Country, its Language ^i'aA Re ligi en i and
have found from the Nature of things, and
their conllant Effeds, that they were all in
the happieft temper for Defcription and
Pocfy. We have gone further, and traced
him in his private Education, his Employ-
ment and Manner of Life, and found them
of the fame nature and tendency : And to
account for the wide Knowledge of Mcii and
Thmgs that appears thro' out his Works, wc
have look'd abroad, and found foreign C am'-
/r/Vj- affording the happieftOpportunities Man's
heart cou'd Vv^fh, for pQetick Improvement :
Their joint Elfccfs we have found verified in
his Dcfcriptions and Allufions, and in the
Numbers, of lhlnin2; Imaoics that iirace his
Writings : Dut take them altogether, and
T 4 they

z8o j4n Enquiry into the Life^ &,c,

they had not been able to raife him to his
high Station, if the nobleft Subject that
ever fired the Fancy of a Poet had not com-
pleated his Happiiiefs. Let us, My Lord^
conlider it, and conclude the Enquiry,

^m:-^^^

/'^^'tt^A/'.Mi/.

SECT.

S^^ewi^rtnifJ'at^.

SECT, XIL

OF THE TWO HeroickToems written by
Homer, the firjl contains an Account
of the hotteft Period of a long War between
the confederate Princes of Greece^ and the
richeft Kingdom of AJia with its 'Dependen-
cies. The fecond relates the Confcquences
of that War, and the Pates of the feveral
Chieftains after the Vidory. Homer feems
to have been deftin'd for writing the Hiftory
of the whole Tranfa^iionj by being born in
pne Country, refiding in the other^ and tra-
velling much in both.

a 8 2 j4n Enquiry into the Lije

It would be a difficult matter to enu-
merate the Advantages of fuch a Situation :
It woLi'd be to rcfume the Conditions in
Ma?2?2erSf Langiiagey and Travelling-, we
found to be requifite in Poetry j and fhewing
that by this means they are included in Ho-
mers Fortunes. He appears to be ~ the only
Bard, that equally knew the Country of his
Hero-, and that of his Enemies : And except
thofe Poets who have fung of Civil JVars^
where the contending Parties are of the fame
Country, and where for that reafon, there
can be no Variety of Manners ; excepting
thofe, I_fay, he fcems in this refpe^ like-
wife to be fingular among the Poets.

I c A N N o T pretend to determine the
prccife time he fpent in each Country 5 how
ibon he left Ionia-, or how frequently he re-
turned to it \ 'Tis certain, that his Language
and Manners arc principally lonickh tho' all
the Dialcds of Greece are employed in his
Poetry, and give proof that he has vifitcd the
principal Nations, and learned the Peculiari-
ties of their Speech. His o''d)n has no doubt
been formed, where he fpent his Youth 5 and
afterwards, by wandering up and down in
AJia and Greece, he hath attained that cafy
familiar manner of fpcaking of them, for
which he is admired. This is a Bleiling fo,
rare in a Poet's Lot, to be as it were a Na-
tive of both CGuntries, that I believe yous:

Lord^

and Writings 0/ Homer. 28 j

Lordfhip will not be difpleafcd to take a
Yicw of lome of its Confcquences.

The firil that offers, is That he muft
have been acquainted with the Field of
Aciion^ the Plains of Troy. Twas this ena-
bled him to defcribe it fo minutely ; and give
it that Air of Veracity it bears from thofe
Natural Incidents he has thrown into his Nar-
ration. He had them, not by reading or Specu-
lation, but from the Tlaces themfelves, and
the Profpeds that arofe from the Culture and
Difpofition of the Grounds. IVho but the
Man that had wandered over that delightful
Plain, that had viewed the Bendings of the
Coaft, and every Corner of the Fields, could
have defcribed or feigned the genuine Marks
of it : The Tomb of 'Dardaniis-, the Springs
of Scamander, the Beach Tree, with many
other Circumftances that diftinguidi the En-
'virons, and enrich his Landskip. Other
Writers, before they tell you of an Adion
that happened in any Place, firft defcribe that
^laccy be it a Grove, or Rock, or River, or
the Declivity of a Mountain. Thefe they
feign according to the ftrength of their Fancy,
and then they apply them ^. Ho?ner men-
tions

* Efl: urbe egreffis tumulus, templumque vctufiium
Defertx Cereris i Juxtaque antiqua cuprefTus,
Relligione patrum maltos iervata per annos ; Says Fneas
:o his Servants, who mafi huve knospn thcf; Flares as well, oy
better than himfelf, Kiicid. 11.'

i84 ^^ Enquiry into the Life

tions his Places with an appearance of Cer-
tainty, as already fubjiftingy and already
known t> : . He does it almoft in the Manner
of an Htftorian, and leaves you to pick up
your Knowledge of them from the Cir-
cuniftances of the Adion where they are in-
troduced.

It may perhaps feem fomewhat extras
ordinary, at this diftance of Time, to affirm
" That Homer % Account of thefe Places was
f' not fiditious ; that his Battles were given
^' in no imaginary Spaces, but correfpond
'* with, the real ftate of theL^nd and Water/'
Yet a very convincing Proof of it may be
drawn from the Nature of a Treatife that
Time has deprived us of. Tiemetrius Scep-
jiiis was born at a little Villages iituated
upon a Skirt of Mount Ida, not many
miles from Troy. As he knew every Mead
and Brook in the Country, and that therp
was neither Hill \\ox Vale, nor hardly a By,
way, that had efcaped his notice, he wrote
^ Commentary of thirty Books upon fev^ more
than Jixty Verfes of Homers Catalogue of
the 'Trojans- There he afcertaincd the real
"^Places of Homers Defcrlptions, and pointed
put the Scenes of the remarkable Aclions.
He fliewcd where the Greeks had drawn up

thci;-

^ Ft m medi.-is res,

Non ferus ac not At auditor ein rat it,

• " Horar. ad Pifon.

^ SCEFSIS.

md Writings 0/ H o M e r. 1 8 J

their Ships 5 where Achilles encamped with
his Myrmidons 5 where He&or drew up the
Trojans h and from what Countries came the
Auxiliaries : In fhort he fixed the Geography
of the Trojan Affairs, and adually performed
what F/r^/7 feigns.

Juvat ire et l^orlca cajlra,

T>efertofqiie videre locos-, littufque reliBitm,
Hie 'Dolopiim mamis 5 hie favus tmdebat

Achilles i
ClaJJibiis hie locus ; hie acies cert are folehayit.

Or, as it is fancied by a fofter Poet :

Hac that Sifnois ; hie eji Sige'ia tellus ;

Hie jleterat Triami regia eelfa fenis,
Illie <:^/Eacides-, illic tendebat Ulyffes ;

Hie lacer admijfos terniit He&or eqtios.

Here is the great Witnefs for Homer :
He appears to his Character, and atteds iiis
Veracity after many Searches into the Truth
of his Relations. But tho' wc had no fucii
Teftimony, we might know he copied from
Nature, and defcribed Realities by the Effe^s
of his Defcriptions upon our own Minds :
'Tis in this as in other things ; no Imasiina-
tion can fupply the want of Truth : Flowery
Meads and horrid Rocks, difmal Dungeons
and enchanted Palaces (cliings all on Extremes)

can

it 6 A7t E^iquhy into the Life

can be eafily imagined : But they take only
with young raw Fancies, fit to be entertained
with ftories of Dwarfs and diftrefs'd DamTels.
■"Tis the Traces of Truth that are only irre-
fiftible ,♦ and the moft fanciful fairy Scene iii
the Argents^ or the *****, does not pleafe
like the Calltcolone^ or a Profpeft from the
Brow of the lofty Ide-, becaufe not real. In
the one, the Harmony cftablifhed between
the human Underftanding and Truth, com-
mands our Aflent : In the other, the Mind
wavers, and views them palling like a waking
^ream.

Such was Homers Good fortune with
refpeft to Places ; and the fame Caufe has
made him equally happy in the knowledge
of the Terfons whofe adions he fung. A
Stranger in Asia muft have been a Stranger
to its Inhabitants j but Homer, as a Native,
had many opportunities to know the Na-
tions and Tribes contiguous to Troy. We
find him able to recount Triam's Auxiliaries,
and make up a Lift of their Leaders, with
equal certainty as he had done his BornTiA
or Catalogue of the Grecian Ships. His
Knowledge this way will bear the ftricteft
Scrutiny 5 and as we are apt to fct a high
value upon thofe Accounts of Men and
Countries, that are given by People perfon-
aily acquainted with them, it will be worth

while

and Writings 0/ Homer. 2S7

V/hile to enquire narrowly into the Poet's
Abilities, by dipping a little into his Subjed.

T R I A M's Kingdom, according to Ho-
mer y extended from the River £ s e p u s, the
Border of the Cyzicentan Territory, all along
the Coaft of the Tropontis and Hellefpont^
until you come to the L e c t i a n Promon-
tory, over againft Lesbtis-, in the Egean Sea*
This we learn from Achilles own Mouth,
who had ravaged the greateft part of it.
When the unhappy ^riam came to him to
beg the Body of his flaughtered Son, the
fierce Greek began to relent, and thinking
upon the Reverfe of Fortune of the aged
Prince, he fays to him :

Before thefe days^ old Kingy we hear thou,

ruledft
O'er 7nany Provinces in profperous State,
From Lesbus upwards^ Macar'j- fertile Seat,
All between Phrygia and the Hellefpont. ^

The Trojan Dominion therefore, was
bounded on the weft by the Sea^ and on the
eaft by the famed Mount Ida^ w^hofe Skirts
run north to the Euxine, and fouth-eaft to
the Bay of Iffus. It comprehended nine

Govern-

d Ka) Cit Tegovf to fp)v fiJjv, an'ioflviv oAQxv ttyiat i
"Oacov AESBOS avco, Munarog sSo?, Ivlo? tipytt,
Ka< ^PXriH K«QuV«fe«, kuI EAAHSnONTOS uiriiF!>iv.

i88 An Enquiry into the Life

Governments J or Provinces ^, over which it
is thought -priam reigned before the Arrival
of the Greeks. Befides thefe, he drew Auxi-
liaries from the high Countries all around
him, as far as from beyond the River Halys
on the one hand, and the Oid Cilicia on the
other.

WiTrt THESE> and with their Inhabi-
tants, muft Homer have been acquainted,
to give us fuch a Plan of the Trojan Power
as he has done : And in order to fit him for
this Task, fome Events fell out before he
was born, which are worthy of Obfervation.
As firft, " That this very Country, formerly
*' the Dominion of ancient Troyy reaching
*« from the River Efepus to the LeBian Tro-
*' montory, was foon after the Dcftrudlion of
** the City, wholly occupied by the E o l i-
*' A N s, a Grecian Colony. Next, that with-
in fourfcore Years after this Settlement was
made, another Grm^;^ Tribe, the Ionians
came and polTcilcd themfcives of all the Coaft
from that Promontory down to the Cilictan
Border. Not long after this. Homer came

into

^ I. From 'Eje^us down to Abyelos, rr.kr Adraflus and Am-
phius the Sons of Merops. II- Ahydos, with is Territory,
Under Alius, ill. The Lyciaits\inC\tr Paadaru's.' IV. The Duf-
dans 'nder 'Eueas. V. The Trojans, fo called from Troy, under
Heftor. VI. Tht Leleges under Altes. VII. and Vill. Two
Lyrncjfus's: One under Eurypylus rhe Son of Tclephu?j the
other, under Myntes, the Country of the beautiful Brifeis, Achil-
les' Miftrefs. IX. Thebes, oppoiite to Lesbus, . under Erion,
where Chryfcis was takeri, Agamemnon's loved Captit'efj and ic
was alfb the native City of the faithful Andromache.

and Writmgs of Homek. 289

into the World, and had accefs to hear from
his own. Countrymen their Exploits, and from
his NeighbotirSi the Defccndants of 'Priam's
Allies, the traditional accounts of what palled
in the War.

From the Remains of the TrojanSy that
were left fcattered up and down in the con-
quered Country, he would hear their Side of
the Story : What Friends and Anccftors any
of them had loft in the Common Catife :
What kind of Men they were ? What Ar-
mour they wore $ what Weapons they ufcd,
and how nobly they fought before they fell
in Battle ? He has defcribed the Houfes of
fome of the Princes that lived at a great Dif-
tancc from Troj 5 has given us an Inventory
of their Armories-, the Number of Horfes
they kept, and the Chariots they had laid up,
with all the Circumftanccs of a Family Story >
luch as miglit be told by one of their Pofte-
rity. He appears indeed to have wandered
over many of the Places he mentions, and
to have vifited the native Soils of the greater
part of his Heroes, where he might hear
their Stories from their Subjeds and Defcen-
dants. They would not fail to tell them with
all the miraculous aggravating Incidents,
which their Love to their Chiefs, and the
Warmth of their Fancies could infpire : And
wc all know how carefully fuch Traditions

U are

1^0 J?i Enquiry into the Life

are prefervcd, and faithfully handed down to
the youn*?; Branches of a warlike Family.

The Effect of this Good- fortune in Ho-
mer's Situation, we feel upon our Minds,
while we read his Works. To perfuadey is
allowed to be a thing very hardly accom-
plifhed in Verfe. The common weak fide
of Poetry is, that while we read it, we per-
ceive it is fo : The Fidion every now and
then difcovcrs its cloven foot, betrays its
DifTimilitude to Truth, and tho' never lo wil-
ling, we cannot believe. However we may
be pleafed with the Sweetnefs of the Lines,
and the Pomp of the Defcription, the Mind
is feldom feized, nor do we enter into the
Subjed. The Poet gains no Afcendant over
our Opinions, nor puts us in pain for the
Confequences. But when we fit down to
Homer, and hear him tell over the Num-
ber of his Ships^ recount his Auxiliaries,
and produce as it were the Mufler-Roll of
the two Armies, we can no longer defend
ourfelv es j and in fpite of all our Precaution,
an Opinion creeps upon us, " That every
" Tittle of 'what he fays is true"

Another Confequence of Homers Si-
tuation with regard to his Stwje&, is the
Smoothnefs of his Language. I do not mean
the Genius of the lonick Dialed, or its gene-
ral Aptucfs for Poetry j tho' the frequent Re-
turn of Vowels J and tlie fporipve 'Difpofition

and Writings 0/ Homer: 291

of the People, are Circumftances of no fmall
Importance, ^either for Sound or Chara^er,
The Advantage I mention, is the Softnefs of
the proper Names of Places and T^erfons
that fill his Poem ; and their being as it were
ready poUfhed to his hand, and fit to be em-
ployed in a Work where Delicacy and Gran-
deur muft combine to bring it to perfedion.
Here feems to be another Singularity in.
Homers Deftiny, " To fpeak as eafily of a
*' foreign Country as he does of his own/*
His Anceftors had come and pof'eried them-
felves of all the Dominion of Troy, had
foftened the Names of the Mountains, the
Rivers, and Vales, and given ':hem Grecian
Terminations : They had familiarized them
into their Lan2,ua2;e before he was born, and
he juft came in time to reap the Benefit of
it in his Poetry.

We are told that Virgil in his Youth
intended to write a Poem of the l^Fars of
Rome 5 but having elTayed it, he v/as deterred
from the Undertaking by the Afperity of the
ancie7it Roman Names. That great Maftcr
of Verfe found it difficult to put fuch harfh
Words as Vibiiis Caiidex, Tanaqnily Lite it-
mo^ or Tiecius Musy into his Poetry. Seme
of the Names of Towns could abfolutely find
no Place in Hcroic-Meafure ^ They were al-
U 2 moft

* Manfuri Oppidulo, quod Ver[u dicere non efi-.

Hot at. Lib. I. Sat. V.

ipi j^n Enquiry into the Life^

moft as frif^htful as Boikatis WOERT>EN.\
or the hideous JVU R TSy of whofe Name
he fo woefully complains, as quite fea-
ring his Mufec. But inftead of thefe. Ho-
Trier had the moft flowing Names and fono-
rous Appellations, either impofed by the
lately fettled Tribes, or foftened from their
ancient Rudenefs into his own. graceful Dia-
led. Succeeding Writers have bore tefti-
mony to his Excellency in this particular >
there being few Parts of his Works from
which they have borrowed more largely, than
thofc high-founding Epithets he every where
impofes upon Perfons and Places, and which
have been in a manner confecrated to the
Poetick Stile, with the unanimous Confent
of his Succeflbrs.

But, My Lord, x\\o we know the Times
of the EoUan and Ionian Migrations, and
when they fettled upon the Afiatick Coafty I
hardly think that we are got to the Bottom
of the Affair ; or that this Knowledge is fuf-
ficient fully to difcover Homer s Happinefs in
the Choice of his S u b j e c t. I am apt to

think

*» Des villes que tu prens Ics noms durs et barbares,
N' ofFrent de toutcs parts que fyllabes bizarres :
Et qui peut fans frerair aborder Wo'erden f
Quel vers ne tomberoit au feul nom de Hevfden ?
Quelle Mufe a rimer en tous licux difpolee,
Oleroit approcher des Bords du Zulderz^ee ? Bpitr, ^'.

* WuRTS 1' efpoirdu Pais, et i'Appui des ces Murs
WuRTs. — Ah quel nom, Grand Roi, quel Hedtor que ce Wurts ?
Sans ce terrible nom — — —
Bientot — Mais Wurts s' oppofe. Efhr. 4,

and Writings 0/ H o M e r . 2 p j

think that thcfe Colonies were not the firjl
that crofled the Heliefpont, and carried with
them fomething of the JVeftern Language
and Manners. I beHeve there were many
Bodies of People from Thrace and the Iflandsy
who may have gone over at different times,
and taken PofTellion of fome Parts of the
Coaft, and who were afterwards incorporated
with the former hihabitants. A Prefumption
of this may be drawn from the Trojan
NameSy which are fuppofed to have cxifted
before Homers People came and fettled in
their Country. They arc for the moft part
of Grecian Compofition : Nay even the
Names of the Trojan Auxiliaries are gene-
rally Grecian-, tho' further removed from that
Country than the AJiatick Shore. But as
thefe may have been impofed by the fubfe-
quent Inhabitants (the new Greek Plantation)
we could not build upon this Circumftance
without the Concurrence of other Proofs.

And first, We arc allured by a Native
of Gonitis S one of the Northern Countries,
formerly in alliance with ^Priam^ " That
*' the Trojan Language had many Words and
*' Names in common with the Thracian.'*
Of this he gives feveral Liftances, which it
would be to little purpofc to tranfcribe : But
what appears very remarkable in them is.
That thofe very Inllanccs arc generally Gre-

U 3 ^i^n

KSTRABO.

194 -^^ Enquiry into the Life

cian Terms, as well as Trojan or Thracian.
There are indeed many reafons to induce us
to believe, that the difference between the
ancient eft Greek-, and the Language oiThracey
was not very confiderable. The People of
Macedon had many Names in iife among
them, which were not underilood by the
Inhabitants of Attica and ^eloponnefus j and
tlie Thracians who filled all the Country to
the North of Macedon, from Epirtis and Il-
ly ricvim to the Strymonick Bay, and quite down
to the Hellefp07it ■, have no doubt varied yet
more from the Grecian Dialed 5 but ftill with
fome Affinity to the bordering Language.

To CONFIRM us in this Opinion, it is
certain that the Thracians had anciently great
footing in Greece : T e r e u s a Thracian
governed at T>atilis in the ^hocean Territory,
where the tragical inhuman Story of Thilo-
mela, and Trogne was afted. From thence a
Body Oi' Thracian: paffed over to Eiibo^a,
and inhabited theliland : They are conftantly
called Abantes, by Homer-, from Abas-, the
Town in ^hocis whence they came. Of the
fame Nation were the Aone^^ Tembices, and
HyantianSy who made thcmfelves Maflers of
the old Bccotia j and even the polifhed Attica
itfelf was inhabited by the Thracians^ under
the Command of the renowned Eumolpus.
In a word, the great Tracts of Land occu-
pied by them, and by the Egyptian and

Thry-

and Writings of Homer, ipy

Phrygian Colonics, have made the ccle'
brated Geographer aflerr, " That almoft
" all Greece '•joas formerly poffejfed by Bar-
*' barians d."

This Intercourse between the Na-
tions, and Affinity of their Dialed, will ap-
pear ftill ftronger, if we call to mind Who
were the Mafters of the ancient Mullck and
Poetry, and the firft famed for thefc Arts
among the Greeks ? It was Orpheus, Mu-
fausy Thamyris, and Eiimolpiis-, ail Thra-
ciANS j who were not only underftood by
the then Greeks, but able to charm them
with their Eloquence and Melody, and per-
fuade them to exchange their Fiercenefs for
a focial Life and peaceful Manners ^. No
wonder then if the Thracian Tribes that
crofTed the Hellefjwnt and fettled in the Do-
minion of TroVy ihe Caucones, Treres, and
Ctmmerians, gave Names to their new Habi-
tations, which bear an Analogy to the Lan-

guage of Greice.

U 4 But

d EKATAIOS fxv-v h o MfAi^jo? T£p) tJ?; nEAOnONNHSOT
(pvjffjv, oTt Tp^ t3u 'EaA'/jvcov WK!iJ«ii aJ|v(y Bx?^:a.p<it : li^tSrv 51 ri
nAt v\ Sxy.nASA. EAAA2 KU^amia. BAPBAP^N uTi^pJe tj 7raA««ov.

Srpag. B.§A <:•

c 0pa>«£5 viJCiv ot IrtixsWj^ivltq r^q a.p%aiai; M«J/nii?, OPETS
MOTEAIOS x«) G^MTPS; Kz) ot; Iv t>; Ay?',^ ryj T£p» r'v
"ACwv ©AViTPiE o 0PAH tCxff'ifievas, tSv aJ^uJv 'E-y/.>:56u,aaTwv yt-
-vo,xsvos (Ly KaJ 6 KlKflN OP*ETS = 2? 'OpCpei^ T^i Tpir^ fxJv
ft-yup'sutov Sil?ii' ■"£,> Kx) ixsiKovuiv a«(tav Ij:J1ov» xa) "OxAov Xizi '^u-
vafxiv 'Zfpcjroiafxevoc, Sr«d)9ipii 1$ 'ET/fTUijiireM^' 'Avi^p TOHiJ i^i

2^6 An Enquiry into the Life

But besides the Thrac'ianSy there were
fcveral other Tribes, that m nn ambulatory
uncertain kind of Life, ftrayed over Greece
and other Parts of Europe, before the Trojan
War, whom Homer neverthelefs recounts
among the Nations fighting under the Ban-
ners oiTroy. Thefc came not as Auxiharies
from beyond Sea to ^riam, he having re-
ceived no manner of Allldance from the Eu-
ropean Side g, and muft therefore have pafled
the Sea, and fettled in Afia fome confide-
rablc time before the Be^inninc of the War.
The mofl diftinguifhed of them were the
wandering P e l a s g i, the great Planters of
Greece ^, Italy S and the Trojan Coaft. k
wouM be endlefs to relate their feveral Settle-
ments up and down thofe Countries, and
their Expulfions from them : It is fufficient
we know in general that they were a great
and populous Nation : '' Among their other
*' Eftablifliments, fays an ancient Hiftorian,
" the Telafgi were pofTcffed of the whole
" Sea- Coaft oi Ionia, with the neighbouring

" IJlands:

% 'AAAa: Ka; 'z^l Ttiiv lysW^Lv vy rci-S.x' To re yap IirAArmM
^v ^CAov, xai Twv KATKfiXnN, y.xi AFAErflN- "Eif^cct o ift

TrpaC B/SA i^.

» AANAOE, 5 Tf!]-^>tOK& ^vyxlipuv Tolyj

'EaSwv ii<; 'AprOZ, uKtasv 'Ivctyji -s-oAiv J
IIEAALT'nTAi: f uvo-xxc'mvac TOTplv,

* See Bionyfius Halicarnstjf. jintiquh. Rom, Lip.L

and Writings 0/ H o M e r. 297

" IJlands : But being exceedingly given to
'* change of Place, and a fudden Rclinquifh-
" mcnt of their former Scats, they botli in-
" creafed in an extraordinary manner, and
<« were as quickly brought low :" The chief
Blow was given them by the Eolians and lo-
niansy at their Arrival in AJia-:, who took
their Towns, drove them from their delici-
ous Fields, and forced thofe that efcapcd the
Sword, to take Shelter in the higher Coun-
try.

Such Commotions are apt to appear
fomething ftrange to us now ; but very un-
rcafonably, when we confider how many
European Families are at this day quitting
their paternal Habitations, and cro fling no
narrow Arm of the Sea, to a plentiful Land,
like the ancient Greeks ; but traverfmg the
Ocean in queft of uncultivated Grounds, and
running to another World in hopes of bet-
tering their Condition. This Refledion may
(top our Wonder : And when we think of
all thefe Removes and interchangeable Seccf-
fions of Tribes and Nations, we lliall not be
furprized to hear it affirmed by a Man fo well
vcrfed in the ancient ftate of things as Stra-
bo J " That about the time of the Trojan IVar^
*' both Greeks and Barbarians^ as if feizcd
^' with fome wandering Spirit, or aded by a
" reftlefs Impulfe, deferted their native Seats^

" and

29 8 An Enquiry into the Life

*' and marched in Multitudes to invade the
" Poflefllons of their Neighbours."

It was by this mixture of Tribes, and
Permutation of Places of Abode, that the
Coaft of the leffer Afia was in a manner na-
turalized to the Greeks before the War of
Troy. Their Neighbours the Thracians had
often fettled in it j and the wandering *P^-
lafgiy the Leleges^ and the Caucones, when
driven from the Shore, had even carried into
the upper parts of the Country, fome Tinc-
ture of the Grecian Language, and Know-
ledge of the Inhabitants of their Mother-foil :
And as the Language then fpoken in Troy
feems therefore to have been a Mixture of
the Thracian, Arameany and Greek, it is not
impolTiblc but that the People might make
fhift to underftand each other : ^aris
misht be able to court a Grecian Dame in
an intelligible Stile 5 Or, if it fhould be
malicioufly faid, that this may be done
without much Language, Homer himfelf
might (land in little need of an Interpreter,
to learn from the Defcendants of the Trojan
and Lycian Families, the mighty Deeds of
their warlike Progenitors.

This will appear ftill the more probable,
if we confider that few of the Genealogies
of the Trojan or "Dardan Chiefs reach above
three or four Generations : So far they can
trace their Dcfccnt, and no farther. A great

Proof

and Writings 0/ Homer, 299

Proof of the late peopling the Country. Any
of the Races that go higher, run into Mytho-
logy, and derive their Pedigree from Hea-
'vens that is, they are the OfF-fpring of fome
flroling Man, or ftroiingGod, who came into
their Country three or four Generations ago,
(they cannot tell from whence) and left them
behind him, as his Pofterity.

It was a common Phrafe among the
Ancients, when they addrelTed a Man whofe
Appearance and Converfation befpoke him
to be of a noble Family, That hh ''juas not
fpru7ig from the Rocky nor dropt frmn an
aged Oak : Upon thisSuppofition, when they
found themfelces at a lofs for a fejloly Father
as the Stock of their Race, they took care to
give themfelves fuch an Original as they were
fure would never try to difprove their Claim.
But this very Want fhews a recent Settle-
ment 5 and a mixture of Strangers lately
come into the Country, who muft either im-
pofe ne'u; Names upon things, or pronounce
the old with the Accent and Tone peculiar
to the Genius of their native Tongue. In
any cafe, Homers Writings muft have felt
the foftening Influence, and been exempted
from that Harihnefs and Diflbnancy which a
number of foreign Names unavoidably intro-
duce into narrative Toefy.

These

^oo An Enquiry into the Life

These, My Lord, are beautiful Circum-
ftances in the Poetick Deftiny of our Bard 5
and might give great diftafte, if a Compofi-
tion was deprived of the Graces that attend
them. For is it not here as in Life ? That
we too frequently overlook our Enjoyments,
and arc ignorant of their real Value, until
fome cruel Accident fnatch them from us,
and make us fenfible of their Worth by their
abfence. But Homers Good fortune, almoft
in every Circumftance of his Fate, makes him,
methinks, appear like fome exquijite Statue,
the Work of his Country, and placed with
judgment in a well regulated Garden : There,
Pieces perhaps of ordinary Workmanfhip grace
this or the other Parterre 5 but all the Open-
ings terminate upon this favourite Figure^
and at every different Turn you difcover a
new Beauty, and think it more graceful than
before.

Yet among all thefe there is gene-
rally a chief point of view ; fome advanta-
geous Stand, which gives the fweeteft Atti-
tude, and moll amiable appearance of the
Figure. This, My Lord, is ftill before us :
It may open up us at the next Turn, and has
perhaps been luckily rcierved for the laft
Look, that we may retire full of the Idea,
and with a higher Tafte of the Beauty of the
Original.

The

and Writings of Hom e r. '301

The great Good fortune that attended
Homer, I take to have been what we may
call the Material Tart of his Subjed. " It
^' was a prodigious Rendezvous of the bra-
" veft Inhabitants, and Sons of the noblcft
*' Families of a free Country, wide and war.
" like 5 and enaged in a violent ftruggle
" of Pallions and Arms, with another of
" more effeminate Manners. The EfFeft
" was, that it afforded him real, hiftorick
" CharaSfers for his M o d e l.

To fet this matter in a juft Light, and
(hew the vaft extent of its Influence, we need
make but one Reflection j " That fuch an
" Affembly of the Chiefs of two great Na-
" tions, difplaying their Virtues and Vices
•' upon the greateft and mofl interefting Sub-
" jcfts, muft include the prime Chara&ers oi
*' Mankind j and of confcquence prefent a
" Poet with the molt genuine and fairefl:
" Materials that can beautify a human Com-
*' pofition." Let us remember. My Lord,
what it is that gives us fuch perpetual Plca-
fure in reading the Iliad ? That makes us
ftart at the Turns in the Speeches, and fills
us with Anxiety and Wonder ? It is not the
beautiful Delcriptions of Tlaces, nor even
the Rage and Ardour of the Battles. But
thofe High ftrokes of Chara^er that every
where occur, and are conftantly prefenting
US with new Sentiments of the human Heart,
z fuch

5 02 Jin Enquiry into the Life

fuch as we exped, and from our own Expe-
rience feci to be true. Thcfd can never mifs
their Aim : Tiicy at once charm the Fancy
with Images, and fill the Undcrftandhig with
Refiedion : They intereft every thing that is
human about us, and go near to agitate us
with the fame Paflions as we fee reprefcnted
in the moving Story.

This Rcfleclion will bear to be turned
on every fide, and dreads no Search be it
ever fo fevere. In the choice we make of
any Meafure in the condud of our Bufinefs
or Pleafures, we examine its Juftnefs and Ex-
pediency, not only by confidering what good
end it ferves ? But likewife, what Inconve-
niences are avoided, what Pains or Trouble
fpared, or what Mifcarriagcs prevented, to
which another Method might be liable ? Take
Homers Subjed in the fame Light, and it
will appear with a Pre-eminency hardly to
be exprcfled. Such a Convention of TrinceSy
from different Countries and Soils, but all
fpeaking the fame Language, furnifhed him
with great Materials, and hindered him from
attempting an Impoffibility-, " I mean the
" feigning or forming new imaginary Charac-
" tcrs, without Originals from which he might
''copy them." The flourifhin^; Condition of
Greece at that time ; the great number of
Principalities, free Cities, and growing Re-
publicks, fcnt forth an Aifembly of Heroes,

the

and Writings 0/ H M e r; 30}

the World could hardly match ever fincc.
The Gr^r/^wx themfelver confefTcd, that their
Country, when much more polifhed and im-
proved, had never produced fo many free
natural Chzv2idiC\:Sj not tainted with ^oliticksy
not moulded by Laws, nor effeminated with
^leafures 5 and for that reafon, half- deified
thofc very Perfons, whom they knew at the
fame time to be but the Sons of Men.

His Subject therefore, faved him from
a defperate Enterprize ; and prevented him
from falling into thofe Errors and Abfurdities
that deprive many a lively Poet of his Repu-
tation. To it he owed the Statelinefs and
Dignity with which Idomenetts the Cretan
King appears on all occafions. To it he
owed the beautiful and unwariike Nireus,
the faithlefs Tandartts-, and the amiable hu-
main Tatroclus. And above all the reft, to
this he was indebted for the noble Contrast
of CharaBers that adorn his .Poems. There
we fee the ancient Neftor-, mild, and calm,
and talkative, oppofed to the young f "rv
Thejfalian, the intractable Achilles : The too
indulgent Triam ftands by the prudent Toly-
damas, and the v^ife Antenor : The Hardi-
nefs of the noble ii/i?^(?r, and Debauchery of
the luxurious Tarts-, ferve but to illufttate
one another, and come all originally from
die fame Fountain.

The

J 04 An Enquiry into the Life

The Detail of this part of his Happinefs
would be cndlefs : But there are two remark-
able Circumftances in Homers Writings,
which have been generally look'd upon as
Strokes of Art-, where I am apt to think the
Nature and Situation of his Subjed bore a
confiderable Sway. It has been obferv'd to
his Honour, " That the CharaEiers of his
*' HeroeSy t\\o of the fame kind^ and cxcel-
*^ ling in one and the fame thing, are yet
." all diverfified, and mark'd with fomc Pecu-
*' liaritics that diftinguifh them, and mak«
*' a Separation." Thus, for inftance, both
Achilles and Ajax, T>iomedes and He5for,
Ulyjfes and Merion-, are all brave ; but it is
in a different manner. Achilles is fierce and
impetuous, Ajax ftcady and firm, T>iomedes
gallant and open, Ulyjfes cautious and bold ;
and both Agamemnon and He6ior are mark'd
with that princely Courage which becomes
the Generals of two great Nations. ThiSy
My Lord, I hardly think could ever have
been feigned 5 it was Truth and Nature alone
that could form thofe Differences, fo real
and yet fo delicate, and afterwards offer them
to a Reprefentation.

To DESCRIBE fo many Men 5 to point
out their Manners j to paint their Peribns,
relate their Adventures, and make a long Re-
cital of their Families, feems to be beyond
the Power of Fiction. The making or feign-

tng

and Writings of Houek. 505

rng Faculty, be it ever fo rich and inventive,
nfter an Effort or two, recoils upon itfelf ;
and if it finds no flore of Originals witliin,
cither falls a repeating the fame Characters
with a tedious uniformity, or contrives falfe
ones, that glare and make a Show, but b/
fome wry Feature certainly betray their Un-
Jikencfs to Truth.

HOMER has kept true even to the
Fortunes and Eflates of his Heroes : The two
richeft Men in Greece, were Agamemnon and
Achilles: The one, by reafon of his large
Dominions and the Sovereignty of the Ifles * :
And accordingly we find him lending fixty
Ships to the Arcadians, an inland People ;
and promifing many Towns and Lands
in Dow'ry with his Daughter. The other,
Achilles, was Lord of the rich Thejfalia?i
"Plains, early famed all over Greece, for
Wealth and Horfemanihip i^. He had like-
wife taken and plunder'd three and twenty
Towns lying round Troy, and was enriched
by his Share in the Spoil. We are not
therefore furprizcd at the Treafure he throws
away v/ith flich Profufion at the Funerals of
'Patroclus -, nor to find him renovvncd for
his Horfes and Chariot -racing, beyond the

X reft

rioAAJitri NHEOIEI ncci 'APFEI ^ccP.t asikcativ* 'iKiaS. B-

B n Mtvtdv, TrpMlaV /jlsv 0HTTAAOI iviomuoi v\iav tv r^lq EA-

506 Jn Enquiry Into the Life

reft of the Greeks. He was fo remarkable
for it, that when Ulyjfes meets his Shade
in the infernal Regions, the firft Circum-
ftance which occurs to him is, That now
alas ! he was there-, ?^e?ia(7jLiiv^'l'jr'^omvdc»y,
unmindful of his Horfes and Chivalry.

The Second thing which has been
look'd upon as a noble Proof of his Judg-
ment, is the Teriod of Time he has chofen
for the Beginning of his Poem. He has not,
they fay, fet out with the firfi Campaign ;
nor attempted to deduce the Trojan Story
from the miraculous Birth of Helen S or her
Brothers : He has confined himfelf to the laft
Tear of the War, and by that means filled his
Poem with Hiflory and ABion.

But here too, he was happy in his Sub-
jed, which directed him of its own accord
to make the Choice. There were two dif-
tind Periods in the War. The firft was long
and tedious, while Achilles and his Myrmi-
dons were fighting on the fide of the Greeks-,
and ravaging the Country around Troy. Du-
ring all that time, the Trojans kept within
their Walls, and durft not meet this dreaded
Warrior in the open Field : So that there
was but little to be defcribed, except thcfe

Excur-

* Nief reditum D'lomecUs ab interitu Meleagri,
Nee ^emho bellHtn Trojannm orditur ab ovo.

Horat. ad Pifbn.

and Writings of Houek. 30/

Excurfions to pillage, which are occafion-
ally inferted in the Dialogues of the I//ad.

But the fecond Teriod was ^ort and
full of Adion : For no fooncr was the dif-
obligcd inraged Hero retired to his Ship,
and had withdrawn his Troops, than the
Face of the War was wholly changed : The
remaining Greeks were now no longer fup-
ported by his tremendous Arm s and the Tro-
Jans ventured to quit their Town and face
the Enemy. Battles, and Truces^ and Per-
juries, enfued : Fear, and Terror, and Dc-
fpair, took their turns in the Camps, and
filled every anxious Hour with Paillon and
Amazement. The Wrath of the Hero was
the Spring of all this Mifery 3 and therefore
a ha/jpy Tke'me for an Epic or Narrative
Poet.

It was so. My Lord-, in many refpcds.
The Wrath of Achilles was in reality the
Hinge of the War-, and that upon which the
Avhole of the great Tranfadion turned. The
Time of Adion 5 the Counfcls of the Leaders 5
the Difpofition and Temper of the Armies, all
depended upon it, and were directed by it.
This made it a kind of Rule for the Condud
and Difpofition of his Poem : and if he kept
it in his Eye, (as wc fee he has certainly done)
it would naturally lay out his general Tlan^
and influence the Proportions of the fubfer-
vicnt Parts. It has bcfidcs, the peculiar Ex-

X '^ cellency

308 An Ejtquhy into the Lffe^

ccllency of fhcwing and cxcrcifing more
^ajjions^ and of more oppofitc Natures, than
any other Period of the War. It was raifed
by Love and Ambition, inflamed by Pride,
Ibfcened by Friendfliip, kept up by Glory and
confcioLis Virtue, and only vanquifhed by a
luperior Paflion, Revenge.

Many other Parts and Epifodes, if I
may fay fo, of the Grecian Expedition^ fur-
nifhed Matter for Epic Poems. 'Demodocus
lling the Ambush of the TroJanHovCc ; ^be-
miitSj th(^ Return of tiie Greeks witii Aga-
memnon j and the Little Iliad (a Poem
fo called) contained both thofe Subjeds, and
the occaJlonal Adventures that had foliowed
upon the War ; the adjudging the Arms of

Achilles^ Thilo^ietes-, ReoptolemttSy

• S/non, with fome others ^. But it is

worth our notice, what Judgment the Fa-
ther of Criticifm lias made of thefe Pieces :
He fays, That whereas the Iliad and Odyjfey
could furnifh but two, or at mod but four,
regular and entire AcUo7is, the Little Iliad
could afford double the number 5 fo that you
might compofe eight different Poems of the
Materials ir contained : So fimple and con-
nected a Subjed was the Wrath of Achilles^
and the Wanderings of Ulyjfcs I

d'Oiov^CTAwv v.iiCii;-, <!)(Aok]>;tv>?i N«5's-"o'/eAio$, 'E-jp'JTuAo? TV^m'^tia^
AnKUivcci, 'IAi'h rifpfi#» y.ci'i 'AjrexAHf. kcc) EjVcsv, y.a.'l Tfuah'sf-
VjKGiLhas been deeply indebted to this Pcrformanc j

and Writhigs of Houkk, 309

It was, at the fame time, not only rich
in ASiion-, but in fuch A^ion as is capable
of being defcribed, and admits of a Reci-
tal. When a great Town is taken fword
in hand, the Carnage and Fury cxercifed in
it can hardly be told'. That horrid Face of
Mifery is, in the real meaning of the Phrafe,
beyo72d Expre£lon : Tiie Intenfenefs of tiie
111 tranfcends all Lana,uaG;e, and mocks the
Words we ufe in the Defcription. Much
Icfs can we collect from every quarter, the
various Scenes of Woe, and reprefent them
together. But the A6tion that has fallen to
the Ihare of our Poet, is generally of fuch a
nature as to give play to the Imagination :
Wc can follow it ftep by ftcp, obferve its
Progrefs, and lofe but little of the "ivhole.
We can accompany T>'tomedes and UhJJes
in every Motion of their nodurnal Expedi-
tion ^ ; and can vv^alk up and down the Gre-
cian Camp, and vifit the Watch, with Aga-
memnon and Nejtorj as if prefcnt upon the
Place f .

It is true. We cannot comprehend
the Shock of a general Engagement, nor
defcribe what is doing in all the Pairs
of a Battle : But the ancient manner of

X 3 %hting

c Ia(c3:S- K.

h\v\ To'i fxsi/ Katfjiirtj iiSiiKOTE;, vjoi y.x) -^-rvM

3 1 o An Enquiry into the Life

fighting made a compenfation for this to the
Poet. Their Battles were, for the moil part,
fo many 'Due/s, or fmglc Combats of Chief
againft Chief, and Man againft Man : Hardly
was there a random Blow given, or a Javelin
let fly, without being aimed at a particu-
lar Perfon. The Warriors had time to know
one another, and to throw Reproaches and
Threats, as well as Spears, at their inful-
ting Adverfary. This manner of fighting is
finely fitted for Defcription 5 and tho' wc
cannot be in all parts at once, yet we caa
attend upon any fingle Hero, hear him
threatning, and view him performing, in the
Rage of the Field.

I SHOULD tranfcribe a great part of his
Poems, if I intended to point out every par-
ticular Advantage that Homer reaped from
this kappy Choice- But there is one famous
T^oiibt concerning his Works, which deiervcs
our Attention, lour Lordjlnp muft have ob-
fcrvcd how ferioufly the Ancients propofe
ir, and I fuppofc, will not be difpleas'd to
find his Subject affording an Anf^vvcr.

They feem inclind to believe " that
*^' the Principles of all the Sciences arc to
" be found in his Works : No Species or
" kind of Writing for which he has not fet an
^' Example 5 nor almoft any Art-, whofc Pre-
^'- cepts and B.ules may not be deduced from
" his 'Poetry." They went further, and entered

into

md Writings o^ Homer. 311

Into a Detail of his Knowledge. General
Aflertions did not content them 5 but fuch
wife Men as T>tonyfius the Halicarnajfeany
and the ingenious 'Plutarch, thought thcm-
felves judicioufly employed, in collefting the
fevcral Branches, and fetting them together.
They have fhewn, that Poetry in all its Forms,
Tragedjf Comedy^ Ode> and Epitaph, are
included in his Works : That Oratory, ^Poli-
ticksy Oeconomy, and War, are bound to
acknowledge him as their Matter. The laft
we fliould not fo much wonder at, fince the
great Macedonian Conqueror, among other
Honours done to his Works, profefled him-
felf his Scholar in this Kingly Science: But
fome went ftill further, and found the greateft
Secrets of Nature, and hidden Myfieries of
the Univerfe, revealed or fliadowcd out by
this wonderful Poet. Hardly a depth in Aftro-
nomy, or latent Principle in Heaven or
Earth, which they have not difcovcr'd him
to be acquainted with, and to have hinted at
its Powers in fome Allufion or Metaphor.

These, My Lord, are very ftrange Af-
fcrtions 5 and it fcems (Iranger dill, that the
fever eft Men in the World, the People leaft
obnoxious to lUufion or poetick Enthufiafm,
Ihould adopt and defend them. The famed
Antifthenes had begun a Trcatife to prove

TA) Ho/Mry 5 That the Post ffoke fometimes
X 4 accor-

311 An Enquiry into the Life

according to Truths and fometmes, ac-
cording to Opinion: But not living tQ
finifh it, no lefs Man than Z e n o, the
Parent of the Stoick ^hilofophy, tyok up
the Defign : He fhewcd, that Homer no
where contradi61:ed himlclf, pointed out the
latent Meaning of his Allegories, and the
natural Scnfe in which they were to be
taken s. The learned Crates MalloteSy
contemporary with Ariftarchus-, and Tane-
tius Maikr, took a ftep ftill beyond them :
He thought it not enough, that what Homer
himfelf had touched upon fhould be dcrnon-
ftrated to be true i but he actually applied
his Hypotkefes to the Thenomena of things,
and by their afliftance, endeavoured to folve
thofe Difficu Ities in natural Thilofophyy which
had not beei. directly explained by the Poet ^K

They did indeed imagine, that there
was nothing in the World but v/hat he under-
ftood : And being flruck with what they
faw, they gave into the common weaknefs
of Mankind, and made large Allowances for
what they faw not. They came at laft to
perfuade themfelves, that a Mind lb vaft cou'd
not belong to a Man -, that fo much Know-
ledge cou'd only flov/ from a heavenly Source 5

and

g A/ftiy *. X;ucjV '• »'? OMHPON-

h Ti've v.:Ci rjtpbg EniTTHMONIKAS vioifCitg srpt^av T>,y

and Wiritifigs 0/ H o M e r. 315

and having once firmly fettled his A p o-
T H E o s I s i in their own Minds, they
wanted next, that every thing about him
fhould appear fupernatural and divine. The
Uncertainty about the Place of his Birth,
they improved into a celeftial Lineage 5 and
becaufe they knew not the name of his Fa-
ther, they called him the Son of Apollo.

A p p I o N the celebrated Grammarian

writes, " That the Herb Cynocephale, the

" Egyptian OJirites, has a miraculous Virtue 5

** that it is a fovereign Remedy againft Witch-

" craft, and commands the infernal Powers 5

" that the Perfon who digs for it, immedi-

" ately dies ; but that he himfelf having

*' procured it from another, had charm'd up

*' the Shades, and enquir'd into Homers Coun-

" try and Parentage : That he had received

*' an Anfwer, but durft never publifh v^hat

'' he had learn d upon that Subjed ^." To

fuch Extravagancies docs :ifond Opinion lead

us ! It v^as poflible, among the Ancients,

to improve a common Accident into a

ground of Admiration 5 and the loweft Cir-

cumftance in Life, into a Proof of '\Divi'

nity 1-

But, the plain Account, whichi/^;;>^fr's Sub'
je£t makes of thefe fufpeded Sciences, is this :

Nature

« -Dnficitthn. "f Winii, Hift. Nat. Lib. XXX. § a.

1 See Note C* ) Page j.

J 1 4 -^« Enquiry into the Life

Nature includes them all : Her Proportions
are juft and invariable : Whoever paints her
truey or any part of her that is full of Adion ;
and applies that Aftion to Times, T laces, Ter-
fons, and their Signs, will include thofe ^ro
portions, and their Meafures, without intend-
ing it, almoft without knowing it, but never
without fome Perception of their Propriety
and Truth.

I T wou'd be ridiculous to imagine, that Ho-
fner firfl: learned the Sciences and their Rules
ahftraBedly j that then he applied them to
proper Objects, and thefe again to the Sub-
jeci of his Work ; That by this means he
had converted the Principles of all the Sci-
ences, natural and moral, into human or
divine Pcrfons, and then wrought them into
the under-parts of his Poem. This is begin-
ning at the wrong end ; and however pro-
per the Method may be, or rather necelTary
in Thilofophy, it wou'd fpoil all in the hands
of the Mujes. Homer took his Plan from
Nature : He has followed her clofely in every
frcp : He has related Adions and Pallions of
every kind: He has painted Tlaces, Terfons,
Aiiimals, and Seafons, with their proper
Marks and Qualities. He has done this with
a contlant view to the ejfeBs which thefe
things produce j both as they fiiike upon
the human Mi7id, and do good or ill in hu-
man

and Writings 0/ Homer, 315

man Affairs ^. By this means he gives us
back our own Sentiments on every Accident
in Life, and paints the ImprclTions we receive
from the other Parts of the Univerfe. He
becomes an allowed Mailer in Morals ", and
is fufpeded of Myftery and hidden Meanings
in the feveral Branches of natural Know-
ledge.

H E came into the World at a proper dif-
tance of time, after the Expedition which he
fung ; not too near it, when naked Truths
and the fcvere Appearance of known Fads,
might quafh Enthufiafm, and render Orna-
ments ridiculous ; but when the Circumftanccs
of the Story had fufficient time to ripen into
Fabky or at lead be fufceptible of it, from
a skilful hand.

m Tov OMHPONt xaSaTrtp Iv apixovix uVffittyi, Tizvlai; •^ii\at t8<
•xot^ltHHi; TttJw T.oo'twv Ka) rng Yloti^ia.'; t(J)' 0/5 ly jvelo Cvtfi^tSA^a^at
•TTXvlcLq, iv iSru 8x0:^0? auiiov -^v npaLrtqo<;- ^^tycc^oppyiiJioavviiv re yap
Crip TOV OP4>EA uani^acir i^SoviJ rt vTfp^xl^iaixt tov HEIOAON,
na) cixhtii aAAov Ka) AOFON (xiv uTo9«<?8a< t&i/ TpwiniV, I? Su i\
TTXH Tct(; Trav]a)w 'EA/j^vtov tc xctl Bape-ipav APETA2 ivvijvtyy.sv.
*Ea!tyxyiaia.t il tq av;ov IIOAEMOTS, t8$ (xh irpoq *Av2pa$, t«5
il TpoVlTTH? nu) Ttix*l> Th? Si -Trpo? ITolanty?, ra? St rtfit; 0e«'? t«
K:«i Gti^' Ka) oToVa nzr' EIPHNHN ha), nfti Xspa?, xa) 'flSa?,
«iz) *EpcJla?, Ka) /SalTCCi;' "Epya. re 2v rEHpriA a-zjTCCi, ko.) "nPAS
ai aviiJ.aivH(Jtv orgaa %pi) l{ r^v THN irp.xT.tiv' xa) NauiMia?, hxI
'Gt^.oiouxv ryjv it' 'HCpcitqui- E'AH rt 'Ai/SpuJvj Jta) K©H TTointfiiz.
TccbTx ravla. tov OMHPON lanxoviaq ilnpyxa^ai ; k«) tjJs ujj
Ipwi/'a? avis ficti'v£i;6.i:i. <l>Mo£7pii;r> HPHIKA. § II.

" Trojani Belli fcrlprorem, maxinie Lolli,
Dum tu declam.'is Romx, I^\\;nefl:e rclegi :
Qui quid lit pulcrum, quid rurpe; quid utile, quid non •
Plenius ac melius Cnrirsii'i'o et CitANTORE dicir.

tiorat. Lib, I. Epijl. II,

516 An Enquiry into the Life

It is, I think, generally allowed, that a
Poet's 7lan is much wider than an Hiftori-
an's. The Writer of Hiftory reprefcnts but
one Tingle Portion of Nature 5 and for the
moft part, only that fide of it which is con-
nected with Politicks and Government : But
the Poet, tho' confined to a fingle Aftion,
takes Mankind for his Rule in the Execution.
He has an Un'tverfal Idea for his Model, all
the Palllons to fill the Under-parts, and the
whole Train of Accidents and Adventures in
War, Dangers, and Death, to make out his
Narration. He takes them originally from
real Life and a Jingle 7 art ; but he is not
tied down to the Circumftances of the Fad.
The Image turns general in his Hands 5 and
the more his SubjeB is varied, the richer and
truer will be his Imitation.

His manner of writing mud alfo be
taken into the Account. A Metaphor is 2igene*
ral Pattern-, which may be applied to many
Particulars : It is fufceptible of an infinite
number of Meanings 5 and reaches far becaufe
of its Ambiguity. It leads, as we found be-
fore, even to Madnefs i and Vv^antonly ranges
the Corners of the World for Comparifons
to fit its fancied Properties. This way of
treating a Subject muft render it ftill more
general, and when joined with the Truth
of ^efcription will account for the Myste-
ries in //<>///(?/• 's Writings.

But

and Writings 0/ Hom E r. 317

But how furprizing a thing is it to be
able to join thofe Extremes ? To fpeak in
the fimpleft and moft comprehenfive manner :
To fear fo high, and ftoop fo low, as to
follow Nature minutely, and at the fame time
fill the Images with ExpreJJion and Majefty,
And yet, My Lord, the greateft Objedi-
ons againft our Poet, arife from the too
great Truth of his Defcriptions ; and from
his reprefenting his Heroes in thofe na-
tural Lights which we think below the
Politenefs of our Manners. They have been
frequently anfwered ; and here, their very-
Foundation turns out to the Honour of the
Poet, and proves the grand Ornament of
his Performance.

It could, in reality, enter into no Man's
mind, to have given fuch an Epithet, for
example to a Trince, as Bo^V a^a3-(gl Mferg-
Aa(^, The loud-voicd Menelausy had not the
Exigencies of War rendered this a very emi
nent and ufeful Quality. Before the Inven-
tion of Trumpets or Drums, the Leaders of
an Army v^ere often at a lofs how to make
a general Signal':, efpccially by night, or in
thick weather, when a vifiblc Sign could
be of no Service. In the famous Scythian
Expedition, undertaken long after Homer's
tim>e, by Darius the Father of XerxeSy we
find a Man of ftrong Lungs the moft nc-
ccflary Pcrfon in the Camp. This Epithet
5 then

518 jin Enquiry into the Lije

then was taken from the real ftate of things '
And indeed it feems impoITible, that cither
the Poet's Defcriptions, or the Anions dc-
fcribed, fhould be fo different, and yet fo
true, had he followed any other Guide.

The particular Circumftances of the fevc-
ral Encounters could never have been fo va-
rmtjly imagined in the road of Fiction only :
Keiiher the fnigle Combat between Menelaus
and Taris, nor that between Ajax and Hec-
tor, where every thing is managed in a very
different manner, and yet with the higheft
Probability in both. In the firft, the Prayer of
the Grecian Hero to Jupiter, — the fhivering
of his Sword, — his Fury at the Difappoint-
ment, — and burfting the Lace that bound on
the Helmet of the effeminate Trojan, are de-
licate Circumftances, and nicely adapted to
the Temper of the Warriors, and the Inequa-
lity of the Match. In the other, where the
Heroes were more upon the level, and with-
out perfonal Enmity, how exadly do things
fall out in proportion to this Equality ? The
Gallantry of i7f^<?r, —the Bluntnefs o^Ajax,
— the Effeds of their Spears, — and their be-
taking themfelves to fuch rough Weapons as
pond'rous Stones, arc agreeable to the Strength
of the Combatants, and the manner of

fighting then in ufe.

Jam

and Writings o/^ H o M E r . 319

I AM not in hazard, with j/our Lordfhip^
of being underftood as if I aflerted, that Ho-
mer's Accounts of Fads, even excluding his
Allegories, are literally true : That, for ex-
ample, the Lot of Ajax fprung firft out
of the Uruy juft as the Greeks themfelves
could have wifhed 5 or that HeElors Spear
pierced exaftly thro' fix of the feven Folds
of his malTy Shield, and ftuck in the lafl.
This would lead into a peevilh Difquifition
of the Truth of Circumftances which Poe-
try will never bear, and is againft its Laws :
It is fufficient, if the Grofs of the Hiftory and
chief Charaders are true.

And here we find the Poet copying Na-
ture fo dole, as to conned the Manners of
his Heroes with the Make and Caft of
their ^Perfons. Their Stature and Afpcd is
conftantly fuited to their Temper and Dif-
pofvtion. His Poem is like the firft View
we take of an unknown Face, which pre-
judices in. its favour, or creates a Diflike :
In the fame manner, we no fooncr fee the
Form of a Man delineated by Horner-, than
we exped from him fuch Paflions and Man-
ners, and fuch a kind of Condud, as wc find
afcribed to him in the Poem. Ulyffes Pic-
ture is almoft inimitable <> 5 But it cannot
be juftcr than his Herald's, the trufty Eury-
bates. This ancient Perfon fcrved as a Coun-

fcllor

« See 'U<aS- f. line 19:, and compare it with 'OJvir- Z> 0, ST*

5 to An Enquiry into the Life

fellor to the Prince of Ithaca ; he accom-
panied him to the Siege of Troy, and held
the chief place in his Confidence and Efteem :
His rotmd cojnpa^ Shoulders, his fuuarthy
Face, and Jloort curling Hair, promife that kind
of Perception, and Aptnefs for Toil and Euii-
nefs, which is neceflary in a fecond part in
Life ; and make us think of a Man who knows
how to rc%n his Paflions and Appetites to
thofe of his Mafter ^.

The CharaBers of many other Perfons
in Homer are fo beautiful, that it wou d be
worth while to colled the Accounts we have
of their Lives and Fortunes from other
Writers, and compare them with the 'Poet's :
But thefe hiftorical Scraps are very imper-
fect, and often contradidory to one another.
For after all. My Lord, Homer is their
beft Hiftorian '^ ; And it is to be prefumed>
that the faint Tradition concerning the Ad-
ventures of thefe Heroes J was rather ingrafted

upon

rv/)Js Iw "n/aojir/, (XiAavo'xpoofj duAoKap>ivo5« 'OSuff'T-

q 'KcLt yhp xa) 8Tw; Tpo? tcc tj? '0fx.vjp8 JJoi>i(jiCLicc ^laTtiBiiixcti, w?
©EIA re a.x?,cc ^^yafxEvov, nai ncifa ANGPnnOT Soiai- Ka.) vuv Ik-
')if'X?Lyiy!J.cct ixaAAov, b'tt iTi) Tyj ETroTOi'icf. (xo'voi/, sS' 'ic rJs 'll^cyyi ?«!-
Kti c^av ; uXf^u. ToAAcS aaAAov It) ts to7{ 'Ovi(j.aat ruv H pnn N")
trrt TS ToT? Ttvesi' Ku) iJj tcw A/', eSc 'dxcc£;og Ilv.Hv '/Aaxe tb
itistvxi Tivct, vt aTftBaveiv u4>' Irspy. Ilo'fiev yip aiTw ET4>0PB0I ?
Ts6tv 5fc EAENOlT£xa:i AHIOOBOI? Kjti v>^ A»" »k t^c dvlmeiutv^i;
JLrpciiiccg it •yro^f.o'i "AvJpEj, ^? eV Kal'aAs'yu) C'pa^Ej ? Tb yap fiii
^ot^uadxi TaCra t3w OMHPON (4>av£p"v}' aAAa ytfovoruiv re x«i
AAHOINHN EPrriN aVsiyjlArav -roisItrSar, ttAJJv cA/yav, « Soxtt
IxaAAwv sKaw iXiiavKvciffCit, s'iri tm to/kMiiii tj Ka* ;iSi'm a-To$iiva< t^v
IloV^ffiv. . "♦(AocTpal. HpniKA, § XVIII,

and Writings 0/ Homer. 321

upon the Cliaraclcrs they bear in his Poe-
try, than that they arofc from a nearer
Acquaintance with them, or better Oppor-
tunities to hear of them, than were enjoyed
by the Poet. The prettiefl: thing of this icind
is a fanciful Piece of the elegant ^FhiloftratuSy
which he calls his Heroicks. His Favourite
among them all, is the unfortunate Tala-
medes, whom he endeavours to raife upon
the Ruins of Ulyjfes ; and fpeaks much of
the Injuftice done him in the Iliad,

Philostratus manages the Caufe of his
negledcd Hero, with the Humanity and Good-
nature that run thro' all his Writings. He
mixes it every where with high Praifes of
HomeTy and contrives a ftrange enthufiaftick
Story of a Ta^fion between him and Ulyjfes
Gholf in order to bring him off. But a later
Author S zealous and grave, and a great
Enemy to the Grecian Superftition, has put
the matter upon a ditlerent Foot : He affirms,
" that it was 'Pala?nedes who wrote the Poem
" of the Trojan JVar i that Homer had received
"it from Agamemnon^ Pofterity, and was
'■'■ brib'd by them to omit the Paflagcs that did
"honour to the Author, or rcflcded upon
"their Parent. The Poet complied, and fup-
'•^ preffed the Name of '^Falainedes thro' Envy,
*' a Pallion that taints the greateft Minds."

Y This

J 11 jin Enquiry into the Life

This Story, the only bad one I ever
read of our Poet, as it is told bv Snidas^
contradids itfelf, and therefore does not re-
quire a Refutation. I wou'd only take occa-
fion from it to remark, That one of the
2;reateft Chan2,es which Science has under-
gone, and one little obferv'd, had firft its
Birth when thefe Authors wrote. T^hilofo-
phy was taking a new Face about the Age of
\PkiIoJiratits : It v/as beginning to forfake the
natural Precepts of Life and Morals j to ne-
g]ed that noble Connexion, which the firfl
Mailers had eftablifhed, between ^hyfical
Contemplations and this prime Science of
Manners and Actons. A Connexion never
to be overlook' d 5 and which we have the
Satisfadion to fee revived ^, fincc the Sci-
ences have gained a new Luftre 5 and by the
happy Application of Geometry and Num~
berSy to the Appearances of Nature, have
loft that Uncertainty which was long their
Reproach, and the Cauie of their Decay.

But inftead of this, in T hilojlratits' A^c,
the Knowledge of Secrets was coming in
vogue. Unnatural Virtues, and marvellous
Ft at s J were afFedcd by the vain glorious
Leaders of the ieverai Seels : They found it

c'afier

^ See Vhilofoph. Natur. Tr'mc'tpia, ScijoUum ult. of Sir IJaac New-
ton. Chroi.oiogy, Chap. 2 ana 3, of the lame Author. Cum-
berland de Legibus AW. Chaiafitcnfi;. Vol. II. Treat N . Theoilkee de
Leibnitz. Derham'j Ajlro (s-VhyjicQ-Theology, and WoolaftonV
^Ugion of nature delineated.

and Writings c»/^ Homer. 31^

eafier to diftinguifh themfelvcs by high Tre*
tenJionSj than by laborious Study, and a Con*
duS: unfhakcn by the Frowns of Fortune,
and humble under her Smile. Slavery was
growing intenfe : Not only Virtue felt its
Sting, but whatever belonged to Greatnefs
of Mind, or had any relation to Freedom of
Thought, was a fufpicious Quality : Learn-
ing fell under the difpleafure of tyrannical
Power j and the Superiority and Firmnefs
which it infpircs, grew dangerous amidft a
Crowd of Slaves. Such a Preflurc upon the
minds of learned Men, made them look out
for uncommon Relief : Either they ftretched
the Powers of the human Mind to an im-
polTible Pitch of Infenjibility ■, which was the
Revival of high Stoicifm 5 or they attempted
to bring new Supports from Heaven-, when
they could find no Refource upon Earth :
Some Reigns thereafter, about the time of 1^///-
das-, when the Philofophers came to be harafled
likewjfe ow. another Score, they unanimoufly
gave into this latter Folly : They were all
agog ^h^M Miracles 5 and a general Affedlation
of a fupcrnatural Intcrcourfc between the
Gods and them-, like a phrenzy had feizcd
the p erf edited Sages.

It is in this very Tafte, My Lord, that
Thiloftratus relates the Story of ^alamedes^
in a Convcrfation with a philofophical Her-

Y z mit :

324 -^^^ Enquiry into the Lifey

mit : He lays, that ^rotefilaits ufcd to appear
to him once a week in a Vineyard, teach
him Ibmc divine fecrets, and then complain
of the hard ufage that TalamedeSy and fomc
of his Brotiier Heroes had received from the
Grecian Bard. The faint Accounts of the
other Princes, and the wandering Reports
concerning their Lives, are not worthy of
greater Regard. They are mentioned by
the firft Hiftorians in Greece, whofe Writings
we have now loft : But tho' they had efcaped
the hand of Time, we Ihould have reaped
but little advantage : Por Homer has obtained
credit fo far above them, even in refped of
their Veracity, that Strabo, who had ftudied
them carefully, declares *' he wou d rather be-
" lieve him and Hejiod, and the Tragedians
"^ who have copied their Heroick-Hiftory,
'' than follow Hellanicus, or Theopompus,
" or CteJiaSy or even Herodotus himfelf c."
His Subject therefore ftill comes up-
permoft, and appears with greater Excellency
the more it is canvallcd. It is this that dif-
tinguifhes him amidft- the poetick Tribe, and
joined with his Language, Manners, and Reli-
gion, has left him without a Ritual. The great
Difference between him and Virgil has been

already

c 'Pa5<ov 5' OLM rig HElOAfi xccl 'OMHpfl Ttc;fva£itv i^pwoAoyaif^
xa.) TO!? TfaytHolg Iloiifleiii, ^ KtvicIx ri xcc\ 'HpoSoTw kui 'EAAavtuot

and Writings o/^ Homer. 325

already pointed out in a lively elegant Eflay
upon the Life of our Poet : It comes origi-
nally from a hand faid to be happy in paint-
ing modern Life ; and at the fame time,
has taught Homer to fpeak Englifh incompa-
rably better than any Language but his o'oun ^.
It was his Invention that made him the
Firji of ^oets j whofc Sources and Opportu-
nities have been the principal Objed of this
Enquiry.

B u T if your Lordfhip will indulge me in
the Liberty taken by Juvenal's She-Critick^,
I would further obferve, that Virgil had
feen much of the Splendour of a Court-, the
Magnificence of a Palace, and the Grandeur
of a Royal Equipage : Accordingly his Re-
prefentations of that Vart of Life, are more
augufl and fiately than Ho?ners. He has a
greater Regard to decency, and thofc po-
lilhed Manners that render Men i^o much of
a piece, and make them all rcfemble one
another in their Condu:!: and Behaviour.
His StatelDeJigns and political Managements,
are finely laid, and carried on much in the
Spirit of a Courtier. The Eternity of a Go-
vernment, the Forms of MagiflratuYe-, and
Plan of T)ominion (Ideas to which Homer
was a Stranger) are familiar with the Roman
Y 3 "Poet-

* Homer's llioJ, trar^fluted by Mr. Port.
' Juvenaly Sntyr 6.

71 6 An Enquiry into the Life

^oet. But the GreciansWWQs are plain and
natural 5 either Stratagems in War, or fuch
Defigns in Peace as depend not upon forming
a Tarty for their execution. He excells in the
fimple inftrudive parts of Life, the Play of
the Taffions, the Prowefs of Bodies, and thofe
Jingk Vie^jus of Perfons and Characters, that
arife from untaught, undifguifed Nature.

This difference appears no where more
ftrongly than in the Chiefs of the Armies.
The Charaderiftick of Homers Hero is vio-
lent TaJJion j his honoratus Achilles mud be

Impiger-, iractmdtiSj inexorabilis-, acer :

Paint him, fays Horace,
For''Juardj and fierce-, of unrelenting JVrath^

Nay to fuch heigiit did his Impotency rifc^
that the yo\x\\^ Ant ilochttSj when he brought
him the difmal News of Tatroclus Death,
was forced to hold his Hands, left he fhou'd
have attempted to cut his own Throat [. It is
true, we arc apt to make allo''Jvances for
this Excefs of Pallion : We think of the ill
Ufage he met with ; Our eye is turned upon
his unbounded Courage and fupcrior Strength,
and we are willing to bear with his haughty
Spirit : But what fhall we fay to the Prince

i Aii'Sif yip av^ A A I M O N cToIuii^SfS ai^pM-

and Writmgs of ¥{qu^k» 327

of the Grecian Powers, who was to think
for them all, and lead their Armies ; their
Stay and Confidence, the ^2X.(i\^ Agamemnon?
How is he tolTed and agitated between Love,
and Anger, and 'Dread of a Mifcarriage ? He
thinks it no fhame to own his Paflion for a
Captive Maid, in face of the whole Army :
He tells them plainly '' that he likes her
" much better than his Lady, the beautiful
" Clytemneftra, of the prime Grecian Nobi-
" lity." He is beiides, now and then, a little
covetous i and tortured with Fear to fuch a
degree, that his Teeth chatter, and his Knees
fmite 5 he groans, and weeps, and rends his
Hair ; and is in fuch piteous plight, that if
we were not well allured of his perfonal
Bravery, we fhould take him for a down-
right Coward.

But Virgil durft make no fuch Con-
defcenfion to Nature, nor reprefent the hit-
man Frailties in their genuine Light. His
Charadlcrs are z\\ formed 2i\\d regulated', and
except that his Hero is fometimes, as Don
Quixot fays of his Amadis, algo lloron-, a little
blubber-efd ; excepting that, and the Cave-
Adventure, he behaves in every other refpcd:
with all the Dignity and Referve of a Ro-
man Senator.

Here the Force of the Model appears,

and the Power of piiblick Manners. Virgil's

Poem was to bg read by a People deeply dif-

Y 4 ciplin'd.

3 18 Afi Enquiry into the Life

ciplin'dj whofe early Ncccflitics had taught
them political ForniSy and from being a
Company of Banditti, had forced them into
publick Virtue. Thefe Forms had time to
take root in the Minds and Manners of the
Nation 5 and Qonftancy-, Severity ■> and Truth,
was become a i^r/7//^;2Charader. Even when
the Subflancc was gone, when Luxury and
high Ambition had ftript them of their ori-
ginal Integrity, they were ftill forced to feign
and diiremble : They put on a Shew of Vir-
tue j and tho' they were really vicious, and
knew themfelves to be fo, yet they copld
not bear a prafejjed Ruffian-, nor an avowed
^■Profligate : They turn'd nicely fenfible of
Reputation, and what they called a Man's
Fortune } not in our Senfe of the Word,
but that Fatej which as they imagin'd, at-
tends and over-rulcs all our Enterprizcs.
por this reafon they did not love that any
Accident that had frighted or put them in
diforder fhould be known. They thought it
diminifhed their Authority, and made them
look little in the Eyes of the People ; and
therefore concealed their PalTions, and the
Events that raifed them. Thus they difunited
things, and their Appearances, and by that
means difguifed their Humanity.

But the natural Greek, in Homers days^,
covered none of his Sentiments. He frankly
i)V/ncd che Piv'^itu'cs of Love- and JViT^e'i

and Writings 0/ H o M E r. 31^

he told how varacioufly he eat when he
was hungry, and how horribly he was
frighted when he faw an approaching Dan-
ger : He look'd upon no means as bafe to
efcape it 5 and was not at all afhamed to
relate the T^rick or Fetch that had brought
him off : While the haughty Romany who
fcorn'd to owe his Life to any thing but his
Virtue and Fortitude, defpifed accidental
Eicapes, and fortuitous relief in Perils j and
fnufFed at the Supplenefs and Levity of Mind
neceffary to ufe them.

After the Heroes-, the Difference ap-
pears molt confpicuous in the female Cha-
ra6iers of the two Poems. The Ladies make
but an inconfiderable figure in the Eneidj
and excepting a G^een who raifes Horror by
the fatal Cataftrophe of her Death, the reft
are feeble languilhing Shadows, who feldom
fpeak or aft thro' out the Piece. Lavinia
herfclf, who fhou d be the moft amiable and
important Charafter, is an obfcurc retired
Perfon, whom we hardly know. She is jufl:
like a Senator s 'Daughter y kept from Sight;
and, according to the Rules of a wholefom
Oeconomy, without a Will or Paflion of
her own. The Italian Referve appears in
her Manners, and that paflve Tamcncfs with
which our gay 'People find fuch fault in the
virtuous Charaders of the ancient Plays.

But

550 Afi Enquiry into the Life

But the Heroines of the Grecian Toet
are among the (Iriking Figures of his Subjed.
His Captive- Beauties are indeed in a (late
that draws Compaflion 5 they are too much
upon the eajlern Eftablifhment, to be look'd
on without Tain, by one accuftomed to
European-, and much more to Britifh Man-
ners. To think of a firue Woman, dragged
away from an indulgent Father or a fond
Husband, and left at the Mercy of a brutal
Conqueror, bathed in the Blood of all fhe
loved, is a mod Ihocking Circumftance : It
is not to be palliated, even tho' they are re-
prefented in a little time, z.^ pretty eafy un-
der the Difpenfation, and unwilling to part
with their new Acquaintance ^'.

But H o m e r's Ladies of ^ality are all
remarkable for great Good, or great 111, and
make their appearance accordingly. The
too lovely Helen is not more diftinguifhed by
the Gracefulnefs of her Terfon-, the Cliarms
of her Face, and that Air of Grandeur that
accompanied her motions, than by a Mind
capable to pleafe. She is not only fitted

for

k 'Ex 3" y^yctyt KA/tr'tj? BPISHTAA v.xWirkp-^'iv ;
^•hv.i 5 aysiv" tw S* u^\i(; Ttiiv irapi vija^ ' K.yjx.i'm'
"H 5' 'AEKOTE' a.[i.x relet ITNH ki'sv. - — 'lAia?. a.

"E^pUfJiov u(j.^' 'AxaAvfa* Sai'Opova Xtpirj St TS?a.£

and Writings 0/ Homer. ^31

for the fofter Hours of Life, but anfwers
Triam the old Trojan King> with all the
Difcrction of a Trivy-Cormfellor. She appears
at times with a high Scnfe of Honour-, and in
the end, laments fo feelingly the Slip flie had
made thro' the wrath of Vemis, calls herfelf
fo many hard Names, and touches upon a
tender point (her former Lover) with fuch
Delicacy, that I make no doubt but many a
good-natur'd Husband, to fee her looky and
hear her talk, wou d approve of Menelaiis
taking her home, after fhe had lived ten
Years with another.

The ancient i/(?n/^^, and the young y^:?^<^rtf-
mache, are the livelieO: Characters of a tender
Mother, and a more tender Wife, that ever
were painted. All their Speeches, and Sen-
timents, are fo natural and juft, that it is im-
polTible to read them without emotion. They-,
and old ^riam, are the only Perfons who
fpcak long 5 both as they are moft fufccptible
of Fear, and the aptcft to complain under
a Calamity.

The aged venerable King-, when he wou'd
perfuade his daring Son to re-enter the
Town, and flielter himfelf from the Spear of
Achilles, ufhers in his Speech with a moving
A^iwn. He acknowledges the Superiority of
the dreadful Hero, and then falls into a na-
tural Wifh, " That the Gods had no greater
«« regard for him than he : " He calls to

mind

3^2 An Enquiry into the Life

mind the Miferles which he had brought
upon him -, and they are fo diftrading, as to
make him forget HeEior for a little, and
talk of Laothoe and her Children. • — - But
foon returning to the prefent Objcdl of his
Care, he again begs him to come within
the Walls ; not fo much to fave himfelf, but
left Achilles fhould triumph, and to defend
from Slavery and T>eath the Men and Wo-
men of wretched Troy : Then remembering
his own feeble and dcftitute Condition, if
He6for IS {lain, he raifes his Voice, and calls
upon him to return, at leaft to keep his aged
Father from beholding thofe Miferics that
ftare him in the face : He bids him do it,
'Etz qfjviov1a.j "oi'htle he is yet in his Senfes-,
which has a peculiar Beauty, and is ftrangcly
moving : It fignifies either as yet alive, or
rather, before he begins to doat j when he
fhoud be infenfiblc of his Fate, and like a
Captive Infant, not know whether he was
happy or miferablc.

The Recital which Andromache
makes of her cji'n Life, when fhe wou d dif-
fuade her loved HeBor from going to Battle j
the lofs of her Father, her Mother and Bro-
thers \ her own forlorn ftate if Ihc lofes him
too, are all the Diftates of Nature itfelf. But
what fhe adds, when her Tears begin to
flow 5 the life Ihc makes of her Orphan Cir-

Ihe

and Writings 0/ Homer, jj^

cumjlance, is melting beyond Exprellion. She

flops a little, looks at him, and then

burfls forth,

He6ior, now thourt my All, my Father fir ft ^
My tender Mother, Br other, and my Husband-

The remaining Charadcrs, Hecuba, Pe-
nelope, Natificaa, and Calypfo, ad and fpeak
with the fame Propriety : They ferve but to
lead us back to Homers Subject. They
fhew its Fitnefs for Poetry in every refped
we can confider it, and by every Comparifon
we can make with it. It is fo rich and luxu-
riant, that the Poet feems almoft overwhelm'd
with the flow of Tajjion and Sentiments that
crowd upon him, and offer thcmfelves to
Dcfcription. He has feldom room to appear
himfelfj and as Strada fays elegantly of Z//-
cretius, that he is frequently covered with
the Machinery and Majcdyof his Subjedll, fo
Homer is perpetually perfonating, and fays
little or nothing as immediately from him-
felf.

I T here appears. My Lord, that Nature
is the furefl Rule, and real Chara^ers the
bcft ground of Fiction : The Pallions of the
human Mind, if truly awak'd, and kept up
by Objcds fitted to them, didate a Language
peculiar to thcmfelves. Homer has copied it,

and

^ Irolufones Voetic.

}J4 ^^ Enquiry into the Life

and done Juftice to Nature. We fee her
Image in his Draught, and receive our own
Perceptions of Men and Things rcfleded
back under different Forms. By this means
he fixes our Attention, commands our Admi-
ration, and enchants our Fancy at his plea-
fure : He plays with our PalTions j raifes our
Joys; fills us with Wonder, or damps us with
Fears: Like fome powerful Magician, he
points his Rod, and Spedres rife to obey his
Call : Nay fo potent is his Spell, that hardly
does the Enchantment vanifh 5 it is built up-
on Truth, and made fo like it, that we can-
not bear to think the delightful Story
fhou d ever prove untrue. His Work is
the greal; "Drama of Life aded in our
View. There we fee Virtue and Tiety
praifed ; publick Religion promoted ; Tem-
perance, Forgivenefs, and Fortitude, extolled
and rewarded j Truth and Character followed j
and accordingly find it (landing at the head
of human Writings.

By these Steps then. Homer is be-
come the Parent of Poetry, and his Works
have reached their exalted Station : By
the united Influence of the happieft Climate,
the moft natural Manners, the boldeft Lan-
guage, and moft exprefilve Religion : When
thefe were applied to fo rich a Subjed as
the War between Greece and Troy^ they pro-
duced the ILIAT> and the ODTSSET,

Their

and Writings 0/ Homer. 355

Their conjund Powers afford the wifh\i-for
Solution 5 and a proper Anfwcr to the Qlic-
ftion, " By 'U)hat Fate or ^ifpofition ofthmgs
" it has happen d-, that 710 'Poet has equal-
'* led him for np'-jjards of t'-juo thoufand
" Tears J nor any, that isue kno'SJj ever fur-
" pajfed him before? Since it is no
Wonder, My Lord, if a Production which
requires the Concourfe of ^o many dillimiiar
Causes, lb many wide Chances and un-
common Ingredients, to make it excel;
(the Abfencc or Alteration of any one of
which would fpoil it) T\\z.ifuch a Produdion
Oiould appear but once m three or four
thou land Years ; and that the Imitations
which rcfcmble it mod, with due regard to
the Manners of the TimeSy fhould be next
in Efteem and VaUic.

INDEX.

^3^

INDEX

^be Letter (n) added to the Figures, direois to the
Notes of the Page ; the Letter following it^ to
the particular Note, if there are more than oni
in that Page.

AB A N T E S, Thracians. Page 294

Abas, a ^own in Phocis. ibid.

Abenamar, a Moor, under what Signs

he was horn. 40 n ( f )

Academy, Athenian, 30, 74, 113 : French, 6c n

AcARNANiANs, Ptrates^ 16 n

Accidents, that model Mankind, 12: their Culture^

rough, 42: frightful. 2j8, 328

Acheron, the infernal Kiver^ copied fro7n what ?

131

Achilles, his IVrath effaced^ 28 : allegorizes to-
Priam, 48 : how nurfed, 76 n : defer ibes the
Metropolis of Egypt, 137: his Speech to the Am-
haffadors, 180: perceives the Plague, 207 ; Bach,
305 : ravages the Trojan Territory, 306 : Pro-
fufe at Patroclus'5 Funerals, ibid, his Arms ad^
judged to Ulyflbs, 308 : his Character oppofed to
Nefior'j 303,304: Chief Part of it, 326: /«
hazard of Self-Murder, ibid. Kenozvned for
Horfemanpip, ibid. Loved by the Capti-ve-La-^
die Si 33 c?

Acquai

Xk*

INDEX.

Acquaintance, their Ufe, i. See Friendfhip.

Adion, capahle of 'Defcription^ 309: its Effe£is

•when applied. 314

A<^ions, fingiilar and entire. 308

Admiration, Materials of it-, 25, 27 : Incident to
whom, 42 : courted by Pythagoras, 85 : by
Priefts^ 195: hard to obtain.^ 278 : Admiration
oflVealtlo. 25

Adriatick Sea^ 226: Co aft ^ full of Monflers .237

Adventures, of Telemachus, unjujily criticized.

59 n

"Aatton, or San^uary. 178

*A^Ma, whence derived. 247 n

Affsclions, w^/^5 how raifed, 143 : ♦S'f^ Paflions,
Sentiment.

AiFiHity 0/ Miracles. , 254

Afifion, ^y^^?. ' 135

Africk, known to Apollo, 185: By whom planted,
2.22. : fro?n whom Homer heard of itj 226 :
Wonders in it. 263, 265, 276

Agamemnon, why Gencralifjimo of the Greeks,
21 : his Lady., how debauched^ 79 : confults the
Delphic Oracle., 179 : provokes Achilles, 207 :
of a princely Courage^ 304: Kicb and powerful^
305: his Character at large, 326, 327: his
PoJIerity. 321

Age, Golden one, for Learnijig. 3 1

Agrippa, cleared the Avevnus. 277

^Aia/A {'ii(7©-. 238 n

Air corrupted, 207 : It's Influence upon Fire. 248

A J AX, his Bravery, 304 : his Comhat with Hed:or,
318: his Lot fprungfirfi out. 319

^ ALCMiiiON

INDEX.

AicMJEoyi takes Thebes. i>j'j

Alexander tbe Great ^ 222 : Homcr'j Scholar.

Alexandria, why a Sea-^own fiill. 139 n

Algo lloron. 327

Allegories, Orpbkk, 46, 47, 49, 50 n : why fo

many in the ancient iVrititigs. 52

Allegory, its Origin in Greece, 77 : In Egypt, 83 :

Every where ^ ibid. & 125 : it fed in 'Teachings

85,98, 1 01: In Cover mnem., 145: Stumbled

upon^ 161: Egyptian, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167,

168: a laborious Study. 214,215

Alliances of the Gods. 277

Allum-llone, where found anciently. 245 n

Alpinus, Petrus, Be Medicina JL^y^tiornm. 135

Altitude, Suns.^ fJjown by an Obelisk- 275

Amadis o/Gaul, hliibber-eyed. 327

Amazement, delightful. 150, 155

Ambition, its Efei^s, 63 : High, where found. 328

Ambrosia, carried to ]u^\tev. 243

Ampkictyons, the States of Greece. 183

Amphion, oncoftheMafersofVerfej*]z: In-ucn-

tor of Mufick. 93, ibid, n

Amphion and Zethus, why they walled Thebes.

23 n

AMPiriTrvYON. 1^

Anaxagoras, his creating Principle. 86, 87
Anceus, a Phenician. 225

Ancient, admired one., his Advice. i

Ancients, how fatisfied about Homer, 3 : their

Opinion concerning the Rife of Man kind ^ 37;

addi^ed to Poetry., 40, 41, 42, 43: Cajini-^
'L 2 lals^

INDEX.

lals, 41 n, 254, 255, 256 : tbeir Method cf
Bntertaining^ 116: their Education^ 125: tbeir
Sages^ 77, 78, 79, 145 : Authors of Fable,
ibid. & 117, 124, 126: Way of [peaking of
Foundlings^ 2.z() : Manner of Fighting. 309,

310,318

Andalusia, the ancient Elyfium, 267 : Defcrip-
tion of it. ibid, n C^)

Angels, in Poetry^ what? 32

Animals, their Jnftin^is Jitidied^ 163 : ttfed in Me--

taphor^ 164 : defer ibed by Homer. 314

Annal, a Latin one. 31

Anodyne, Helen'j. 134

Antenor, wife. 303

Anthes o/Anthedon. 87

Anticles and Iftrus. 92 n
Antilochus, holds the Hands of AchWks. 326
Antisthenes wrote in Defence 0/ Homer. 311
'AoU'os ^<f^Poet, Bard.

AoL, Procella. 247 n
A0NES5 Thracians. 294
AoRNos. 242,26111
KvE.^ a facred Animaly 167: Circumcifed by Na-
ture, ibid.

Apis, his Funerals. 131

Apollo, his fir fi Vrieftefs., 87, ibid, n Homer'j
Hytnn to him, 108: another by Socrates., 148:
^be God of Smging'Men^ 127 : 'The finejl Poem
addrejfcd to him, 12S : Infpires the relu^ant Pro-
phetefsy 1 52 : n faimirs Manto, 177: his Say-
inz,s.y how pyefervcd., 178 : ^be God ofVerfe., 179:
Defcription of his Oracle, 180 : his Games 183:
(mother Hymn of Homer'.y to hit??, ibid, dealt

fairly

INDEX.

fairly with his Votaries ^ i86: a Telchin-Cc^fi/,
193: his Oracle in Lycia, 196. of a Sooth^
faying Fainlly^ ibid, hath Oracles up and down
the Afiatick Co aft ^ 197: Ifhy^ 198, 199: Ori-
ginally an Egyptian, 200 : dilates Laws to Ly-
curgus, 201 : God of Science^ 203 : of Heat^
ecftatick Mujick, &c. 206 : bis yearly Feaft. in
Delos. 276

Appearance, human. 149

Appearances, /n^/w^, 154,156: difinited from
things. 328

Appion confults the Dead concerning Homer. 313
Arabia, fuppofed to he mentioned in Homer. 227,

265

Arabian Nights Entertainments^ 44 ; n Arabian

Gulf. 257, 258

Arabs pro've their Biftories hy old Poetry^ 40 : n ( ^ )

'Taciturn and folitary. 43

Aramean Language^ 257 : a Branch of it in Fhe-
nicia, 222 : a Mixture of it fpoken in Troy. 298
Arcadians, an In-land People. 305

Archilochus, his Chara^er. 29,30

Archimedes, fufpc&ed of Madnefs. 253

Arciiitedture, Iinproiers of it. 219

Argenis, Barclay's. 286

Argives, facrificedhy the Italians. 2k6

Argonauts, their Aftronomer. 255

Argos, the oldcfi Kingdom in Greece, 192 : n by
whom founded. 1 9 2

Arimaspian PoarjK. I75

Arimaspians, one-eyed^ ibid. The Originals of
the Cyclops. 263

Ariosto bewitches a Reader.^ 32: Fapid. 6j

'L 3 Arista-

INDEX

^^«

Aristagoras, 229 n

Aristeus, 174, 175 : A true ^uzck. ibid, n

Aristophanes, aMafierofthe old Cr.r.cdy^ "-jj^'.
His Model^ 68 : praij'es Orpheus. 89

Aristotle, his Opinion of young Men, 42 : Of
the firfl Men^ 43 : n Of the Snuatlon of Greece^
44: n Of their ancient La-xs^ 54 : n Of the In-
njention of Sciences^ 6$ : n a iSocratick, 74 :
preferves Verfes of Orpheus cind Mufoeus, 90 :
his Opinion of Olympus'j Miifick^ 94 : of the
Place of Homer's Birth, no: n o/Epimenides'^
Prcphecies, I S2.:n tranfcribes Homer's Defc rip-
tionof Heaucn, 171: criticizes the little Iliad.

308

Arithmetick, hroented hyjohom. 219,275

Arms, when moji epecmed. 23, 53

Art, cannot make a Poet ^ 15S: Ylomtrs, inferior to
his good Fortune , 277,278

Arts, their Divifon and Precedency, 52 : ad'vajt-
cing iu Britain, 61 : Inve?ited or improved in
Phenicia, 219 : ne-ver by the Jews, 219, 220 :
Why faid to be all in Homer. 310, 311, 312,

3133 3I4j 315, 316.

Arundeliam Marbles. 44 n (1)

Afcendant, hardly gained by a Poet. 209

Asia, confults the Delphic Oracle. 182, 185

Asia, the Leffcr, Homer 'j nati^je Country, 5, 226,

28 1 5 282 : It's Climate and Soil, ibid. & n (•• )

compared with Europe by Kippocraces, 6 : n ( "^ )

It's Virtues, 7 : the Parent of Men of Lcarnin-r^

7, 8,9: It's ^'ribnte to the Romans, 8: n ( ' )

9 : n O' ) Ii's Miifick, 93 : In-vdcd by Thraci-

. ans, 236, 293 : By the Pelafgi, 296 : Ey the £0-

lians, 297; Ey the lorn:i.r\s, \h\d. naturalized to

the Greeks, 598 : the richejl Kingdom in it. 281

AsIATICK

INDEX.

AsiATicK Eloquence^ Authors of it^ 9: n. ( ' )
Afiatick Coaji . 293,29^

Assyria, among the firfi pozverfiil Kingdo7?2s^ 83 :
It's Wealth and Grandeur unknown to Homer.

228

AsTROBAcus, a Hero, 76, n

Aftronomers, puzzled hy Homer, 275 : Argcnau-
tick Afironomer. 225

Aftronomy, invented hy zvho^n, 219: Depths of it
tn Homer, and why. 311, 313

Aftro-theology, Derham'j. 322

AsTYPALAiA. 225

Athenians, fiurrilous, 67, 68 : rendered inge-
nious by their Climate, 6 : n ( '^ ) Of all Cba-
ra^ers, 67 : n Vain of their Antiquity, 221 : to
he improved by the Oracle. 204.

Athens, built hy Minerva, 6 : n Us Laws enabled
piece-meal. 187

Atomical Philofophy, hy whom invented. n'^z

Aton^m^nts prefcribed, gi : Jnfpircd. 157

Atreus, made King of Mycenae, 20 : the fecond
Man who equipped a Fleet. ibid

Attica, peopled by Thracians. 294

Attitude of a Figure. 300

Attitudes, moral. 64

Audience, it's Influence upon a Poet. 117, 118,

119, 120

Augurs command the State. 213

Augustus, his Tutor, 9: nC^) his Counfellor,

ibid, brings an Obelisk from Egypt, 275 : the

Avernus cleared in bis Reign. 277

Authority, courted hy Priefts, 83 ^ 195: dimimjbed

by Mis jort lines, 3^^

Z 4 Authors

INDEX.

Authors late^ ivrite againft the pihlick Reli^ion^
77, 78. See Modern Sages.

ATTOX0ONE2. 221

Auxiliaries, Trojan, 285: IVhejice they came,
288,293: recounted hy Homer, 236, 290:
among the InJiru£iors of the Poet^ 289, 298 :
their Names generally Grecian 293: of Euro-
pean Extra^. 296

AvERNus, 260, 261, 262: If ben cleared, 277:
found to he a Fable. ibid.

Awe of the Gods, bow raifed. 50, 150

BABOON Worflnp, how accounted for. 16 j
Babylon, its Plains, 5 : Care of its Govern^
ment, 104 : Its Priefts free from T'axes, 222 : n (s)
Its Ifealth unknown to Homer. 228

'B^cchXc-Proceffions. 194, 195 n

Bacchus, his Genealogy, 54 : n his Expedition
fung hy Linus, 86 : by Thymoeces, 93 : his Kites
prefcribed by Eumolpus, 91: by Melampus, 99 :
where nurfed, 9 3 : carried off for a Slave, 1 3 7 :
his Difpleafure explained, 207, 208 : his King-
dom. 225
3accn, Lord Verulam. 217, n 248 n
Barbarians, 190, 191, igz- Mafiers of Greece^

2.9^, 295
Barcelona, by whom built. 223 ri

Bard, 5 : A Grecian Chara^er. 104

l^ardsyfubje^ to Envy, 75, n 76 : 'I'utors to Ladies,
79: frequented Courts, ibid. & 112: Philofc-
phers, 8 1 : n of great Authority, 1 04 : highly
honoured, 105 ; Pious, ic6 : Learned, io6, 107?
their Subje^s according to Homer, 107 : their
"■ ' l-ttfmefs^

INDEX.

Bufifjefsy 112: their Life, 112,113,114: y^d-^

^vantages of it, ibid. — throughout the Sedlon.

Bath, Hot, lo'ved by the Anciejtts. no

Battles, Homer'j. 119, 301, 307, 309

Bay, qfNaples, 251 : o/Cadix5266 : o/Iflus, 287:

Lucrine, 260 : Strymonick. 294

Bayle, Monf. 209

Beards, why cherijhed hy Poets. 154 n ( ** )

Beauty, a Coy one, her Behaviour, 155, ibid.n
Captive-Beauties. 3

Being, eternal, 145 : Seeds of it, 149 : nldefl Prin-
ciple of it. 90, nCO 166
Belief, Salvo's for it, 75,76: hard to obtain. 290
Bellona, her mad Priefiefs. I54 " ( *" )
Bembo, Pietro, the Cardinal. 3^)33
Beotia, po//^_//^^ ^>' Thracians. 294
Bigotry, where learned. 141
Births, miraculous, 40, n (^) 75, 76, 512
BocHART, learned, 139 : n laborious, 225, 136,
239,11 247, n 252, n 257,11 267,11(0
BoiLE Au, Defpreaux, has immortalized Chapejain,
32 : His Art of Poetry, 47 : n complains of the
Dutch Names. 291, 292

BoisROBERT, Monf de,'PJ\c\\\\&\is Favourite, 60

B^H^TIA, or Catalogue of Ships. 286

BoNTius, Jacobus, de Medecind Indoru?n. 136

Boreas, runs off with a Nymph. 2.1^, 214

BosPHORus, 226 : Clajljing Rocks in the Mouth of
it, 241 : the Phenician Ships froze up in it. 263

Bossu, le Pere. 75

Bounds

INDEX.

Bounds o/Troy. 287

Bouto, Latona'5 Oracle. 19^ 196

Bow], Silver^ a Prefent to Menela^s. 271

Branchus fettles an Oracle. 197

Brals, a Wall of it. 24 j;

Bravery, different Kinds of it. 304

Brea, Tierra de, ft he Land of Koftn or Caulk J

225
Briareus, his tzuo Names. 172

Bri3eis, Achilles'j Mijlrefs^ her Country.^ 288:
'parts with him tmwillingly. 330 n

Britain, happy ajid free^ 61 : plunged in Mifery^
when., 65, 66 : Vtjited by the Phenicians. 226

Britifh Poetry ^ honoured^ 3jf : Britifti Manners ^fa-
vourable to the Ladies. 330

Building, invented or impro'ved. 219

CA B I R I, Phenician Deities. 194, n 225
Cadix, by whom bui/t., 223 : n (^) Bay of,
266 : the ancient Elyfium. 267

Cadmus. 38, 44, n ( " ) 84? ipi? 225

Cairo, ?'« Egypt. I35

Callicolone. 286

Camirus, in Rhodes, the Country o/Pifander, 8 :
n C^ ) ^ Telchin Settlement. 193

Campus Martius. 275

Cannibals. 41, n 254, 255

Cnpacity, ^//;;m;/, narrow. 3 3> 593^^3

Capre.i, the Abode of the S'werx'^. 251

Captive-Beauties, move Compaf/ion. 330

Capuchin,

INDEX.

Capuchin^ spirit of 122

CARIA5 199 : Carians, Pirates^ 19 : poffejfed the

Grecian J/Iands. 45 n

Cartagena, hy whomhuilt. 223 n

Carteia. ibid, n

.Des Cartes, Monf his Principles applied to Ajiro-

logy. 75 n C'*)

Carthage, the Kival c/Rome. 223 n

Cassandra, a Propbetcfs^ 155 : Lycophron's

CalTandra, why oh [cure. 152

Castok and Pollux, Helen'j Brothers. 306

Catalogue of the Greeks, 286: of the Trojans.

320 n (4>
Cato, Marcus, his Majler. 9 n C'')

Caucones, Thracians, fettle in Troy, 295:

driTen from tbe Shore. 298

Caufes, uniform^ 77 : natural^ ibid. Caufes of

I fonder. 124, 277, 278

Cave-Adventure, Dido'j. 209, 327

Caves, raife Wonder^ 1 24 : confecrated to the Sim.

274
Cea, King of 2.2.$

Cebes the Theban, his'Tahle or Figure. 251 n
Cenchrius, the River. 198

Centaurs, their IVars. 78, 95

Ceremonies, holy^ ^ 51 '• Grecian, hy whom formed.

173

Ceres, her My ft erics ti^tight by Women .^ 84 n ( ^ )

♦S*?/;;^ ^^ Eumolpus, 9 I ; her Eirth^ 150: where.,

190: her liVath jnng by Orpheus, 169: a

Stable D^ity. 207

Certainty, broiipfji into the Sciences ^ how. 7,2.z

CiiRVANTEs, Miguel dc. 2911

( HALDEANS,

I N D E I;

Chaldeans, Friefts, jealous of their Knowledge^
194: n Exempted from 'faxes. 222

Cham of Tartary, Emhaffy from him^ 232 : his
Sentiment of Religion. ibid.

Chance, ivhat. ij6

Chaos, fling by Linus, 86 : ithe primigenial State
of Nature^ ibid, by Orpheus, 89 : co-exiftent
with i'lme. ibid, n

Chapelain'j Pucelle. 32

Charader fto write in) unknown^ 84, 86 : Pclaf-
gick, ibid. 6i* 39 : Secret and Holy. 194

Chara6ter, bozv formed, 12: Morale 14: cannot
he dlffembled.^ 33 : Utopian, 69: Blended.^ 205 :
High Strokes of it^ 301 : Roman, 328 : Grecian,

329, 330

Characters, natural s^^ 55 : National.,how defiroyed.,

60 : Prime of Mankind^ 301 : Imaginary^ 302 :

Free., 303 : Falfe and Glaring., 305 : Contraft of

Characters ^ 303 : Female Chara^ers., 329 : In the

Eneid, ibid. In the Widid ajid Ody^ty., 330: In

the ancient Plays^ 3 29 : fame and Virtuous, ibid.

Charon, Model of bis Boaty 132: Etymology of

his Name, ibid, n

Charybdis, 237, 239 : Meaning of the IVord,

ibid, n ( ° )

Chaftifement, applied to the Mind. 21 1

Chersonesus. 195

CniH'E.KA.y a Mojifer. 2.1^

China, 41 : n Chinefe Language^ ivholly mouo-

fyllabical. ibid.

Chios, pretends to Homer'i Birth, 2 : n ("^ ) ivas

the Place of his Abode, io8, ibid, n no: a well

chofen Retrejt. ibid.

Chiron, fTw/or c/ Achilles. 138

Chivalry, forgot after Death, 306

Chor-

]

INDEX.

Chor-obdan, explained. 239 n (°)

Chriftian Expedition to China. 41 n

Chromcley facred. 271

Chronology, iS^r Ifaac Newton'5. ipijn 322 n

Chryseis, Agamemnon'j Mifirefs. 288, 327

Chrysippus 315- r»(")

Cicero, his Account of the fir fi State of Mankind,

/\.2 : n of the Acquit al o/Clodius : 63 n fell in

defence of Liberty. 65 n ( « )

CiD, cenfured. 60 n

CiLiciA. 288

CiL-LA, an Oracle of A^oWo. 197

Cimmerians, 234: invade the lejfer ACia^ 236:

where placed by Ephorus, 261 : Origin of the

Fable concerning them. 236, 262, 263

CiMMiR. 236 n

Circe, 10 : ASorcerefs^ 238: Defcriptio7i of her

Abode^ ibid, her Account of the FlanCice.^ 242:

her Chara^er and Powers., 2^2. : a Siren, 253 :

Her Name, whence, ibid .n bewitches with a Shew

of Pleafure. 2 54

CiRCEAN Promontory. ' 239, 240

Cities, independent, 22: rich and lewd, 119:

Grecian. 114

Civil War. See War.

Clarian Oracle founded. ^97'

Clemens Alexandrinus. 169 n

Cleomenes, King of Sparta. 229 n
Climate, the beft, 5, ibid, n ( O no, 175 Climates^

their Di-vifion, 6 : their EffeCfs. ibid, n 45

Clodius, how acquitted. 63 n

Clytemnestra, her Guardian, 79 : how de-
bauched^ ibid, her Rival. 288, n 327

Cno

ssus

INDEX.

Cnossus founds ?Z;^ Delphic Oracle, 182: By
whom founded itfelf 188

CocYTUs, the infernal Rivery its Gates, 1^2: Its
Name whence, 260

CoLCHOS. 235, 262

Colony, led out J 23 : Colonies, when moft frequent,
22, n 294: Eolian ^w^Ionick, 288, 297 : Phe-
nician, 222, 223: Pelafgick, 296: Britifh, 297

Colophon zenlous for Homer, 4 : ApoUo'j Oracle
near it. 197

Combats, fingle. See Duels.

Comedy, whence named, 39 : New Comedy, 66 :
it's Rife, 68 : Mafters lu it, 74 : Old Comedy,
66 : its Strength and Limits, 67 : Majters in it,
68,74: originally in Homer. 311

Commenrary on Homer. 274

Commonalty, 144, 210. See Vulgar.

Commonwealth, Semblance of it, 85. See State,
Repuhlick.

Conceptions, fitpernatural.

Condud:, Meafures of it.

Conjundlure, its Virtue. 70, 72;

Conftancy, a Roman Chara^er.

Contraft of Chara^ers.

Converfation,

CoRNEiLLE Monf. hts Letter about the Cid. 60 n

Corruption, the Caufe of Sla'very. 63, 64

CORYBANTES, who. I94, \<)$

Countries, rich and effemiizate, 5, 265 85 : known

to the Ancients. 93

Courage, princely, 304: unbounded. 326

Court, ahfolute, 60 : Courts in Spain for Books,

62 : n Splendour of a Court. 325

Courtier

75, 76,

313

153,

302

735 334j

335

328

303

305

119

INDEX.

Courtier and Scholar^ joined^ ^: Sprit of a Courtier.

325

Court, Btftcrian, *]S. See Velleius.

Cka^tok^ the Moralift. 315 n(")

Ckassus, Marc. y^i'^j Clodius. 63 nC*^)

Crates Mallotes afes Homer'j Pbikfopby. 312

C^ATiNusy a Majierofthe oldCo7?2edy. >]^

Creation, Poem of it^ 86 : Steps of it tJi another,

89: Hiftory of it in a third, 91: Foimdation of

the ancient Religion, a fourth, 95 : a fifth Hifiory

of it, ^6: a fixtb^\h'A. How compofed, gS, loi,

149, 150: a fe'venth, 163: an eighth, 174:

a ninth, 175: a tenth, 211. See Gods, Theo-

gony. Mythology.

Creed, Grecian, 132: Egyptian. 163, 167

Creophilus, Horner^ s Friejid, 122 : his Mafler,
176: Meaning of his Name. 122 n (_"')

Cretans, fend forth a prophetick Colony, 181 •
Jln^ Pceans, 182 : a wife, knowing People, 186:
Skilled in naval Affairs, 187 : fettle the Delphic
Oracle, 190 : people the lonick Coaji, 199 : the
cldefi Philofophers. 203 ri

Crete, lies open to the Sea, 44: n ( "") Its Dl-
jiance from Egypt, 137: Its ancient barbarous
State, 187 : Civilized by Minos, 188, 189 : the
Birth-place cf the Gods, 190 : Inhabited by Cu-
retes <jz/7cf Telchines, 191, 192, 193: amongthe
Ijlands firfi peopled, 195: propagates Oracular
Prophecy, 126, 197 : gives Laws to Lacedemon,
201 : fets Bounds to Mufick. 202

Criticifm, weak in Poetry, 117: Father of it, 90,

30S

Ctesias, the Hiftorian. '7, n ( g) 324

Ct ESI us. Prince of Syro5, 270: his Mifirefs de-
fer ibed, ibid.

Culture.

INDEX.

Culture, its Necejftty^ 4 ; Its Power ^ 10, 11, li^

S$^ 117, 141 : Rough, 42. See Education.
Cumberland de Legibus Nat. 322 n

CumeaN Coafi. 249 n ( s )

CuRETEs, Priefts c/ Jupiter, 190 : Eafierns, 191,
195: Enthiifiafiicky 194: Guardians of young
Deities. 199

Curio, his Bribe from Casfar, 63:0 his Debt^

ibid.
Cuftoms propagated, 131,196, 201. See Religion,

Manners.

Cyanean I/lands, floating. 241

Cyclades, happy Ifles, 5: Produ^ive of Legrn"

ing, 8 : by whom peopled^ 45 : n How named^

225: Jn whofe Dominion, 20, 305 : in what fen fs

under the Tropicks. 275

Cyclops afleep, 170: Idea of him whence hor-

Towed. 26$

Cynjethus, a Khapfodift. 308

Cynick, ancient. 122

Cynocefhalus, or Ape, facred. 167

Ctnocephale, an Herb, if s Virtues. 313

KuVe/a 'E-sT};. 83

Cyprus, 42: a Market for SkiTS, 137: early

civilized, 195 : If'hy. ibid.

CyruSj fuckled by what. *l6 ^

Cyzicus, 175: Its Territory. 287

DAMSELS, difireffed. Stories of them. 286
Danaus, ^ Fugitive from Egypt, 45 : n
Planted Greece, 84: changed the Name of the
Pelafgi, 296 : n Father of fifty Daughters', ibid.

Dancing

i N D E 3^.

l)ancing defcribed by Homer, 3t> ri

Dante, dazzles the Eyes of a Reader, 32 :

wben he wrote. 65

Danube, the Kiueri 139 n

Dardan Chiefs. £98

DarUanus) i'/j STo;;/^. 283

Dardanus, <« Troezenian Muftcian. 93 nC')
Dares the Phrygian, wrote an Iliad. 95 n (<*)
Darius. 228, 317

Darknefs or Gloom, it's ^emple^ 132: perpetual

Darknefs, where. 236

Daughters o/Danaus, teach the Myfieries of Ceres.

Daulis, the Habitation of Tereus. 394

Davenant, ij/r William. 147 n

Days, where floort^ 236: Days of the Tear ^ where
marked-, 105 : n Obfervation of Days. ibid.

Dead, their Habitation., 259 : their Oracle^ 260,
261, 262 : hoiv raifed^ 313 • Dialogues of the
Dead. 161

Decius Mus. 291

Deification of Homer. 2, 143, 312, 313

A«i'«t n<A«;£5«- 236

Deities, Stable, 207. ^S*!?^ Gods, Heaven, Mytho-
logy.
Delos vifted by Olen, 92: ^;' Homer, ibid, &
I oS: frequently, 109, 11 1: yearly, 276: ?7^^
Birth-place of A'^oWo and Diana. 198, 199, 200^

201

Delphi, Prophctefs of, 157, 177: not far from

Thebes, 178 : temple of, ibid, early honoured^

179! rich, 180: if s Situation, ibid, by whom

founded, iSi, 197: ^/^ow;; /o Homer, ibid, i;^

,^^^^ l^y him, 183, 184, 204: in h/gb Repute,

A A 182,

INDEX.

182, 183: why^ 185: the Mother of the GvC'

cian Oracles.- 197

Deluge, Deucalion'j. 78

Demaratus, his Father. 76 n C^)

Democracy 0/ Athens. 67

Democritus, 85 : travelled ever the Eafiy ibid.

n C') filppofed to he mad, 153 • his opinion of

Homer, 162 : taught Epicurus the Do^rine of

Atoms, 272 : where he learned it himfelf. ibid.

Demodocus, 112 : his Poem. 308

^l^^lAov 'h^hjjeuSv. 67 n

Demosthenes. 65nC^)

Dependance, how drawn hy Priefts. 184

Depths of AJironomy in Homer. 311

DERHA-iiifr, his Ajiro-'Th oology. 322 11

Defcription in Poetry, 24, 116: exceffwe, 147:

pompous, 208 : fiiperfluous, 283 : true, 284 : ifs

Effe^s, 285 : imnatural, 286 : beautiful. 306

Deftiny, peaceful, 215 : Poetick. 300

Deucalion. 78

Devils, modern. 32

Dialed of a Country, 37. Dialeds 0/ Greece, 282:
lonick. 290

Dialogues 0/ ?/&^ JD^^^5 161 : ofthel\i2id. 119, 307*

310

Diana, 108, 197: her Birth, where, 198, 201 •
unfriendly to the Ladies, 206 : her Altar. 255
Dido. 209, 329

DiDYM^i^, an Oracle c/ Apollo. 197

Diffidence, if s Remedy. I02

Dignities, where bantered. 67, 68

DioDORus Siculus, his account of the firfl Men,
38 : n of the Orphick BJtes^ 50 : n of Orpheus's

Poem^

I N D E X.

Poem, 90: 0/ Melampus, 92 : oftheLa'uosof
Egypt, 104, 140: n (") his Aloderation in Ke-
„ ligiott^ I54^" O) ^^^ Chara^cr. 174, 194

DiOMEDEs-, 28, 48, 304: fettles in Apulia, 264;
his npilttrnal Expedition. 309

Dion Chryfoftome. 121, 176, 312. n (^)

DiONYsius the HalicarnafTean, 30, 296, n ( ' )

piPHiLus, a Majier in the- New Comedy. 74

Difcipline, it^s Influence on Poetry., 26, 27, 28, 55,

62, 113, 114, 1205 121 : Severe in Egypt, 140,

234, 235

Dilguife, Love of it. 25, 26, 328

Difquifition, trre'verent in B^eligion, 154 : peevifi
in Poetry. 319

^ Divination, taught hy Orpheus, 89 : hy Mufeus,
90 : exercifed hy Melampus, 92 : hy the Poets,
127, 128: ^y Man to, 177: furious, 152, 154,
156, 157 : the Height of Policy, 181 : gainful y
196 : powerful^ 213 : natural, 248. n See Pro-
phecy.

■ Divinities, Grecian, what, 86, 87, 92, 97, 1425
149, 150 : whence, 98, 90, loo, 190, 191, 192,
193, 194 : ranged) 206 : flahle. 207

Divinity, favourite one of Homer, m : Proof of
Divinity. 313

DoDONA, Priefiejfes of , 157

DoLOpEs. . 285

Dominion, Plan of it, wher^. 325

Drama, 68: Drama o/l//>. 334

Dreams, plcafanU how procured, iSS- Golden

Dream, 217 : IVaking one. 2S6

Drugs, Egyptian. 135, 136, i^S, n CO ^94

Druids, 1621

A a 55 Dryd es

INDEX.

Bryden. 24
Duels in the Battles of the Ancients^ 310 : hetween

Menelaus and Paris, 318: letwtejt Ajax and

Hedor. ibid.

Duke, his Patent. 27

Dungeons, where defcrihed. 285

Dwarfs, Stories of. 286

EARTH, the Parent of Men, 43 : n where
, 7noft fruitful 138 n ( P )

Eaft, travelled over. 85, 272

Eafterns, taciturn and foUtary, 43 : metaphorical^
ibid, their //W /or Opium, 136: n(') their
Pohcy^facred and civil, 222 : theirU^omen, barjhly
ufed. 330

Ecbatana. 22S

Ecftatick Kace^ 154, 156 : Spirit, 157, 158. See

Prophecy, Rapture.
Education, Power of it, 10, ii, 12, 29, 33, 42,

43, 545 SS-^ 140, 14I5 H5
Egean ^S*!?^. 5, 2265 2765 287

Egypt, broken into finall Governments, 19: ?^ff
Parent of IVifdom, 50, 83, 84, 85, 140, 14X3
162, 163, 167, 173, 191. {See Mythology,
Allegory:) it's ancient Name. 136 n,

Egypt, lower, how formed, 139 '.n flri6ily policed,
140, 234, 235 : overflowed annually^ 165 : why
called the bitter Egypt. 234

Egyptian Language refolves into Monofyllahles,
41 : n brought into Greece. 19,44,84, 191, 192

Egyptian Records, 85, 104, 130: Poetry, 104,
163, 202, 203 : Mufick, ibid. Laws, 140,
234, 235: Pbyfick, I'iS'. If'orJJjip, 163: rea-

fonahls

INDEX.

fmable and pure^ 167: n Refugees, 224 : Colo-
nies. 45, n 84, 191, 192, 193

Egyptians, inflru^ ?/??^ Greeks, 44, 45 : invent
Mathematicks, 65: n thoughtful^ 134: per-verfe
and ohflinate^ 141 : n Enigmatical^ 251 : terrible
Mafiers^ 235 ; fond of Slaves, 137, 235: a Na-
tion of Priefis. 195

Eloquence, how produced, 36, 37 : tames Mankind,
ibid, n governs free States, 45 : follows our For^
tunes, 46 : civilized the barbarous Greeks. 295

Elysian Fields, w/'fwcf /■« Homer. 131,265,266,

267
Emulation, firong among Poets^ 75 n ( 8 ) 76

Enchanted Illand. 24

Ends of the Earth, where. 227, 265

Eneas, too 7nuch a Poet, 47 : unfortunate in his

tutelar Numen, 208 ; defer ibes to his Servants,

283 : n apt to weep, 327 : his Chara^er. ibid.

Ene'id, for whom defigned, 327, 328 : Female Cba-

raCfers in it, 329 ; obfcure. ibid.

Enni us, ^op/V^^jy Virgil. $6

Enthufiafm, Poetick, it's Origin, 87 : checked by
Law, 104, 202, 203 : by Poverty, 112, 113 :
raifed, 117 : improved, 119 : infpired., 125, 126,
127,143: indulged, 128: incapable of Defini-
tion, 151 : next thing toMadnefs, 152, 153, 154;
/^/.7>', 156, 157, 15B3 203, 316. See Mythology.

Environs, o/Troy. 283

Envy, where it prevails, 753n (^ ) 76, 83, 104:

Homer ace u fed of it. 321

Eolian Ifland. 244

'Eo\\2in Colony, 10: occupies the Tvo]2lv\ territory,

288: wo? the firji from Greece, 293: expels the
Felalgi. 297

A a 3 EoLus,

INDEX.

EoLus, 244.: why Lord of the Ifinds^ 246 : his
Name Phenician. 247 n

^'Hwtif©-. 229

^^\c-Poetry^ ifs Strength.^ 26 : Suhje5is fit for it^
27, 28 : Paffions and Manners^ 57, 58 : Lan-'
guag:^e fit for it, 58, 59: what it is, 62: It^s
Genius, ^^i : made harfio hy proper Names^ 299.
See Foetry.

Jipic- Poets, firfi, 8 : the famous Five, S : n at all
Courts, 79 : conceal their Names^ 82. See Bard,
Poet.

Ephesus. 198

EPHORUS, 181,11190,199,11(^)261

Epicurus, fiot the In<ventor of the Do^rine of

Atoms, 272 : taught by Democritus. ibid.

Epimenides, ^/(9?/^5 106: prophetical, 152 n (t)

Epirus, barbarous, 256 : ifs King, Echetus,

Epitaphs, found in Homer. 311

Equipage, Royal, where feen. 325

Efcapes, and Refcues, inflame the Paffions, 27 :

accidental. 329

EscHYLus, a Mafier in tragedy. 74

EscuLAPius, his Temple burnt hy Hippocrates,

176, 177
EsEPus, the River, 287, 288. ibid, n

EfTay upon Homer. 325

Eftablifhment, religious, imprudently attacked, 77,
78 : wifely made, 181, 186: Eafiern, fever e for
Women. 330

Eternity of a Government. 325

Ethiopia, 166, 227. Ethiopians. 138, 229

Etna,

INDEX. '^

Etna, 241, n 242, 247, 249. ibid, n ( O ( " )
Etolians, Pirates. 16 n

EuBOEA, peopled by Thracians. 294

EuMiEuSj Ulyfles'j Servant. i?? 18

EvMOLvus, a religions Poet^ 91 : wrought Wonders^
106 : conquered Attica. 294

Euphrates. I39 n

EupoLiSj a Majler in Old Co medy. 74

Euripides, bis Chara6ier^ 30 : perfeSls 'tragedy ,

74: his Account of Tidiwzxx^. 29611

Europe, civilized^ 195, 224: ifs Boundary to

the U'^efij 2.2.% : fent no Allies to Priam. 296

European Families^ 297 : Manners.^ favourable to

IVomcn. 330

Eurybates, the Herald or Efquire. 319

EuRYDicE, her Story. 216.

EuRYSTHEus, iC/;/g o/Mycene. 20

EusTATHius, his account of a Bard., 81 : n of

Homer, 119: of bis Gods., 142: of his Fables.

205
EuTHYMENEs, hls Accotiut cf the Overflozving of

the Nile. 165, 166 n

EuxiNE Sea. 199, 226, 235, 236, 255, 262, 287
St. EvREMONT, Monf de. 2.*]2. n

Example, powerful., 10, 11, 12: where equal to

command. 60

Exclamations, where natural. 151

Excurfions, to plunder .^ 16, 17, 18, 306, 307

Expedition, Grecian, 308. See Greece, War,

Troy.

A a 4 FABLE,

INDEX.

FABLE, attempted^ 32 : the Language ofth$
Pajfions, 39: necejfary m Poetry^ 145, 146,

147, 148: %(uljy^ 146, n 149 • obfcure, 152, ibid,
n t Homer'j Fables^ 206 ; their Influence on Life^
209, 21 o, 21I5 212 : take T'tme to ripi;n. 315

Face of Nature^ 25, 37: Face of Mifery^ inefcpref-
fihle. 309

Fa6ls, known ^ quc^fJo Enthufiafm^ 315 : «(?; minutely
kept to. 319

Faculty, mythological^ 151, 162: Feignijjg Faculty^
recoils upon itfclf 304, 305

Fairy Favours^ muft not he inquired into. 154, 155

Falfe IVriting in Poetry^ 47, 68 : ivj//^ Chara6fersi,

305

Family-5'/on>j. 285

Fanaticifm, incident to whom. 41

Fancy, raifed, 117, 120, 143: 5;/wj high Plea fure,

1 48, 149, 150: commanded by Mufck, 211 :
f mothers Keafon., 278 : r^w Fancies^ 286 : 77//f<^
with Images^ 302 : K?;/C)' enchanted by Homer. 3 34

Fan torn, courted^ 154 : Divine Fantoms. 209

Faro f)/ Meflina. 237, 240

Fate, iis Power, 75 : n ( ^) E^f^j of Nations and

Men. 1565 328

Fa'-her, pximiti-ve^ 51 : Fathers, ancient, 169, 170,

171 : modern, 61, 62 : ftcfloly. 299

Tavours of the Mufe, 158: Fa-vours in Love. 214
Feafts, a ffift Poetry, 79, 8*7, 108, ii2, 116, 120,

ibid. n(*)
Feats, marvellous. 106, 175, 322

Feature, amazing Change of it, 152, n ( * ) 156 :

j;7:)' Fealuxe.^ betra;fs Chjira^ers. 305

peelings^

INDEX.

^Feelings, childijh^ 43 ; human^ 46 : quick and true^

J 120: rapd. 162

Female a^ the Inventrefs of Verfe^ 87 : fings the

Trojan IVar^ 91, 130 : impro'ves Prophecy, 177

Female Chara^iers in the Eneid, 329 : in the Iliad

and Ody iTey. 330, 331

Fenelon, his Chara^er. $9

Fidion, 145, 14^5 147 : gees ajiray^ 283, 284:

difcovers itfelf, 290 : impotent in Chara5iers^ 29,

302 : furefi Ground of it. 124, ibid, n ( p ) 333

fields o/Troy, 283 : not feigned by Homer. 284,

285

Fighting, ancient Manner of ity 909, 310 : ftted

for Defcription. ibid.

Fine Gentlanen of Antiquity^ their Religion. 27^
Fire, Storms ofit^ 237, 242: fuhterraneous Fires ^

240, 249 : influenced hy the Air, ibid,

Flaminius, Titus. 244

Folly, preferable to IVtfdom^ where ^ 153, 154. hois)

dejiroyed. 251 n

Food, fynonymous with Fighting. 40, 41. n C ^ )
La Fo^.ET, Moliere'j Servant. 117 n ( ^ )

Forms of Law in Poetry^ 56 : Political Forms^ how
produced. 328

Fortune or Fate. ibid.

Fortunes of Life ^ 12 : of a Nation., 13 : conne^edy
with what. 14, 44, 46, 54

J'railties, human^ confeffed^ 34 : dijfembled^ 327,

328
Vrcedom of thought. 323

friends, fnccre and confiant^ i : Homer V carelefs.

122, 123

friend-

INDEX.

Friendfhip, it's Power, 2 : it's Ufe in Learnings
102, 103: a foftniiig Faffwii. 308

Tury, propbetick^ imitated^ 152: if s Appearance
affe^ied, 154, 194: it's Symptoms, 156: it's
^ffe^s. ibid. 157, 158

Future State, believed hy the Ancients, 210, 21 1

Futurity. 165

C~1 A D E S, founded hy Phenicians, 323. n f^ )
J See Cadix.
Galen, his ^reatife of the Catifes of Manners. 7

Games, Pythian. 183

Ganges, Mouth of. • 139 n

Gaul, miknown. 22^

Genealogies, divine, 75, 76,273: Trojitn, Jhort,
298. See Theogony, Gods.

General 0/ irZ7^ Greeks, 21: Species of Courage he-

comingthe Chara^ier. 304

Generation, myfiick, o/Homer*5 Gods. 277

Genii, or Demons, their Generation ine^ipUcahle,

145 :n infernal. 212

Genius, Homer'j. See Homer.
Genius produced, 4 : when it excels. ibid.

Genius of a People, 12: inventive of the Vheni-

cians, 219, 220

Geography, Homer'5, 130: foreign Geography,

226: Trojan. 283/0288

Geometry, applied to Nature. 322

Germanicus. 197

Germany, unkno-jcn to theGxcdis, 229

• GhoU

INDEX.

phoft of UlyfTes p anions with Homer, 3^1 : Ho-
mer'i ozvuj called up hy Appion, 313 : Ghofts
departed^ 260 : tortured. 212

GhoftJy Appearance. See Priefts, Spedres.
Giants, Fate of^ 78 : heget Mankind from Heaven^
89 n C) Giants and Monjiers. 231

Gibraltar, Streights of. 226^ 227

Glals, invented hy the Phenicians. 219

Glauco. 123

Glaucus. 48

Gnidus. 7n(^)

GO D Sy their IVorks not to he pry'd into, 3, 154,
155 : their Birth .^ 78, 79 to 107 : their Names^
whence^ 84, n (^) 79, 99, 191, ibid. n(<^):
what they are., 87, 142 : their ^ranfa5iions^ <)zi
their oldeft Votaries.^ 138 : never doubted of^ 143,
144, 277: 'Phto' s Opinion of their Generation^
14J; : n invifble^ 211: fpeak to us by the Poets^
127, 128 : govern all things^ 211 : n ( ') their
Language^ 172: where born^ 190: their Mini-
fters^ 127, 194: their Guardians, 199 : ranged
hy Homer, 206 : Z'jy Virgil, 208. Phenician Gods,
225 : their Ufe in Life, ^09 : Slrolcrs, 299. See
Heaven, Mythology.

Goddcffes, Goffips. ' 115

Golden- Age, /or Learning, ^i : of the IVorld, 120:

ifs Marvels fung. 1 50

Golden-Dreana. 217

Goodnefs, the Source of Pleafure, 24 : ifs Influence
upon Language, $$ : upon P-oetry. 57

GoRGONs, T'rain of 215

Gracchus, his Monitor. iiy

Graces, by whom fir fi fung, 87: to whom they re-
tain, 92 n ( " )

Granada.,

INDEX.

Granada, Ci'vil Il^ars of^ 40 n(*^)

Gravina, Vincenzo. 1^2

GREECE, Periods of it's Hijiory, 15: whejt
peopled, ibid, it's Soil^ ibid. : it's ancient Inhabi-
tants, ibid. 181, 184 162: Poor, 14,20: it's
firft Expedition, 21 : conftantly in War, ibid. 23,
137: it's Climate, 45 : peopled by Out-laws, ib. n
84, 191 : in a proper DifpoJIt ion for Poetry, wben^
34, 46, 70 : Periods in it's Manners and Lan-
guage, 45, 77; free, 54, $5^ 1045 234: ifs
great Council, 183: State of it known by the
Priejls, 185 : minutely defcribed by Homer, 226,
230: it's Princes, 301, 302, 303, 304: ifs
CharaMer, 301 : fitfi Cities in it, 19 : Pr evinces^
305 : n ( O C* ) Men^ 305, 306 : poffeffed hy
Barbarians. 295

Grecian Fables, whence, 203, 230, n : & Sed:. VII.

throughout. Grecian Ladies beautiful, 230 :
courted without Language, 298 : flriking Figures^
330: Gx&c\2in Statue. 300

Greek Language, it^s Origin, 44, 45, n 84, 193, n
294, 295 : Hijlory of it, 45: how improved, ibid.
46 : ^?'i Stages, ibid, w^jy itfurvived the Latin,
ibid, the ancient efi Greek, 294 : carried into the
high Country aboie Troy, 298 : a Mixture of it
fpoken in Troy. ibid.

Greeks, barbarous, 16, 192, 278 : Pirates, 16,
17, 18 : Maflers in the Military Art, 22; In-
'venters of other Arts, ibid, fuperior to the Afia-
ticks, 23, 26, 301 : all upon the Sea, 44, n ( *" )
186, 187'. their InftrtiSiors, 44, 45, 86,97,98:
ignorant, 51, 81 : their Laws, 54, $$ '.governed
}?y Nature, ibid, bought and fold their Wives,
54 : n ( 5 ) tamed by the Mufes, 77, 78 : rife of
their Opinions, 83: School of their Sages, 84,
S55 £24: their Mufcky 93, 94, 95: actite, 184:

ivifi

INDEX.

wife and brave^ 206 : civilized hy Thracians^

295 : natural and open. 326, 328, 329

Grief^ anAntidotiagainfiit. 134.

Ground, poetical^ enchanted. 153

Gb^yhiuu^ an Oracle of A^oWo. 197

GuARiNi, Battifta. 26, n 128 n

GuELFE and Ghibelline Parties. 6$

GuM'CoaJi, *vijited hy the Phenicians. 226

Gur, explained. 41 n

HABITS, whence contra^edy 11, 12 : their
Power in Poetry, 119

Halys, the River. 288

Happineft, how attained. 211

Hardfhips, the greatefi^ where. 235

Harmony, Men dijlinguijhed hy it, 104: Harmony
of Life, 147 : of the fforld, 210, 211 ; hetween
the human Mind and Truth. 286, 290

Harufpices, powerful. 21^

Harveft-home, the Origin of Satyr. 87

Heart, a Lover s, defcrihed hy Petrarcha, 241 : n

human, it's Sentiments where learned, 6s '. afcer^

tained", 121 : reprefented. 301, 302

Heat, God of, 206

Heaven, 3, 89, n {"") 105 ; ifs IVillj 156 ; Mef-
fage from it, 157 : Defer ipt ion of it, 171 : ^r-
r or s from thence, 211 : a Fund of Genealogy, 75,
76, n ( " ) 298 : difproved no Claims, 299 ; Help
from it expeSied. 323

Hebrew, 40, n ( ^ ) See Jews.

Hecat^us, 38 ; difiinguiJJjed hy his Knowledge
and Capacity, 106,107

Hector.

INDEX.

Hector, 285, 287, 288 : n oppofed to Paris, 303 :
compared to Agamemnon, 304: fights with Ajax,
318, 319 : Speeches to hmiy 331 : by his Father^
ibid. 332 : ^j Andromache. 333

Hecuba, a Mother s Chara^er. 331

tiELEN entertains Telcmachus, 132 : mixes Opium

with the IVine^ ibid, her Adn^ientures^ 133:

was in Egypt, ibid, iitjured by Homer, 176:

wight tmderfiand Paris, ^98 : her Birth miracu-

Ions, 306: her Chara^er at length. 336

Helicon. 91, 145

Heliopolis. 131

Heliotrope of Pherecydes. 27 j^

Hell, Virgil'j-, whence, 268 : Homer'j, ibid. Paf-
f age to it, 131: ifsUfe, 209: proves a Fable
cit loft. 27 Y

Hellanicus. 324

Hellespont peopled, i^g: Co aft of, 287: early

croffed by Europeans. 293

Helotes, Sla'Ves. 2.0Z

Heph^estion. 130

Heraclides. 20

Hercules, 20 : his Birth miraculous, 76 n

Hermit, philofophical one. 3 24

Herodotus, 26: a traveller, 30 : criticizes the
KoVeta "Ets-w, 82 : his Account of the Kites of
Ceres, 84: n C"^) o/Olen the Lycian, 92, n (»")
of the Age of Hcmer, 97 : of the Grecian Gods,
ibid, has made a Miji-ake, 160 : writes the Story
0/ Helen, 1 3 3 : rf Difciple of the Egyptian Priefts,
195 : judicious, 201, 202 : his Veracity compared
with Homer' J. ^24

Heroes, why fung, 78 ; ^hec logical Hero, 90 : He^
roes affembled, 301, 302: deified, 303: not

feigned

INDEX.

feigned Chara5iers^ 290 to 305, 314 fo 317, 326.

YitroiC'Meafure in-vented. 87

Heroick Poetry. See Epic Poetry.

Heroines, Grecian. 134, 320

Heroifm, Stamp of it^ 28, 29 : what it is, 58 :
irreconcileable with Politicks^ 60 : with plaint'-
aefs and Witticifm. ^6

HESIOD, his Country, 8 n ( ^^ ) 44: inftri{5led
from Egypt, 50 : his Poetry, 72 : his Opinion of
Poets, 75: n(8) his A^e, ibid, his Age and
Works, 96, 97, 98, 99: borrows and invents,
100, ibid, n C "' ) a Rhapfodiji, 123 : not learned
hy Books J 125 : lays claim to Jnfpiration, 127 :
receives it from the Mufes, 145 : his Comment a-

' tors, 8, n ( h ) 205 : mentions the Galadophagi,
232: Out-done, where he moft excelled, by Ho-
mer, 315 : n ( " ) of great Veracity. 324

Hhalhar, it's double Meaning. 41 n

Hi ERA, a Burning- Jfland, 243, 245 : foretels the
Ifeather, 247 : comtnunicates under the Sea with
Etna. 249

Hieroglyphicks, 84 : what they were, 163 to 16"] :
in what Senfe learned by Homer. 173

Hippocrates, his Account of the Difference be-
tween Afia and Europe, 6 : n of the Egyptian
Ointments, 138 : knew Opium, ibid, calumniated
hy Pojlerity. 176

Hiftorian, 26 : wherein different from a Poet, 316
Hiftorians, born in Afia, 7 : n ( g ) Greek Hijio-
rians condemned Z'/Bochart, 139 :n in what in-
ferior to Homer. 324

Hiftorick Characters. 301

Hiftory, Grecian, i^s Periods, 1 1 : ^Spirit of ifs
Author Sy 30 : Hijlory,wben unknown, 133, 181 •

HOMERy

INDEX.

IlOMERy Prince of the Poets, 2 : Prophet of the
Gods, 3, 128 : deified by Kings, 2 : n ( O C* )
hy Pofterity, 143, 312, 313 : his Birth, 5 : bis
Country, ibid. 176,281,286,288: his Mother^
S,n(^^ )Si:his Father, 103 : his Language and
Manners, 15, 16, 17, — throughout the Section j
281,^292, 298, 299: State of the Iforldwhen
he was horn, 22, 143, 223, 254, 277, 288, 315 :
not engaged in Affairs, 23, 113, 114, 123 : his
First Happinefs, 34: his Second, 46: when
he wrote, 6$ : an Egyptian ^^dept, 50 : hisTniKD
Happinefs, 51 : Religion of his Age, 52 : Laws^
54 : Manners, $$ : exempted hint from Vice,
ibid, his Education, 81 : chief Part of it, 123 :
his Mafters, 81, 174, 175, 176; his Ri-
'vals, 91, 1 09 : n ( s ) his Ejiemies^ 91 : n ( ' )
a public k Singer, 92 : digefied the Grecian 'itheo-
logy,9*]: did not invent it, 98, 99, 100, 171,
172, 268 : his Fourth Happinefs, 100, loi .*
his Fifth and great efi, 103 : lived fireling and
indigent, ibid. 107, 108, 121, 122, 123 : in the
Houfe with his Mafter, 103 : fucceeded him,\h\d.
turns Aoi/ioE or Bard, 104, 107 : blijid, 108 :
his ufual Refidence, ibid, no, in, 204, 225 *
begins his Iravels, 114, 120, 124; breathed
nothing but Verfe, 119 .* his Fortitude, 121 : his
Friends, 122 ; has no aSiive Chara^er, 123 .•
Fund of his Learning, 1 24 : extols his Profefjion,
1 25 — throughout the Section : a Geographer and
Hiftorian, 130, 226, 320, ibid, n(^) goes to
Egypt, 130 : a Plagiary, 73, 88, 130, i69-?o-'
178 : fufpe^ed to be an Egyptian, 130 ; failed
with Mentes, 139: his Sixth Happinefs, 140 :
his Mythology perfe^ed, 141 : little under flood,
142: happy in it, 162, 163* 184, 204 : and in
his iVonders, 143, 277, 315: his own Beliefs
J 44, 279 : wifely fabulous, 147 .' inguifitive^

141 ;

INDEX.

141: 174, 229; injlru^ed hy ^radition^ 174^
184, 203, 288, 289; fond of Honour y 183 : fails
found the Peloponnefus, 204 : 'vifits Delphi, ib.
184: bears the Priefis^ ibid. Dijlrihution of his
Gods^ 2.06 : Ufe of his Mythology^ 209 : it^s If if hi-
' ence on Life, 210, 211, 212: /jard to adjufi and
explain, 214, 21 5 : his Seventh Happinefs, 223 :
CoMverfes with the Phenicians, 224 : learns their
Geography, 2.26 : knows only the Coajis, 228,
229 ; tells nothing purely fictitious, 131, n ( ^ )
:J3I, 250: inftru^s in two different Methods^
233 : his Veracity, ibid. Witnefs for it, 250 :
another, 285 : a third, 311 : a fourth and fifth,
S12: a fixth, 320 : n ('^) where he places the Uro-
picks, 273 ; was in Syros himfelf, 276 ; went
yearly to Delos, ibid, whence he bad his iVonders,
276, 277, 278 : bis Eighth Happinefs, 281 :
defiined to fmg the War of Troy, ibid, fingular
among the Poets, 282 ; enjoyed the y^dvantages
of a Native of two Countries, ibid, bappy in the
Knowledge 0/ Places, 283: o/Perfons, 2%6-to-
290 : narrates like an Hijlorian, 284 : beard
both Sides of the Story, 289 : bis Information,
whence, 289, 290 : bis Ninth Happinefsy 291 :
his Language foftened, ibid. 292, 298, 299 :
confecrated to Poetry, 292 : might underfiand the
Trojans and their Allies, 298: bis Poetick-
Deftiny, 300: like the Vx^^s of a Statue, ibid.
his Last and chief Happinefs, as to bis Suhje^,
301: had Kings for his Pupils, 310: never in^
confiftetit, 312: believed to underjiand every
thing, ibid, why, 313-^0-317 : learned no Science
abfira^edly, 3 14 : follozvs Nature, ibid. aMaJier
in Morals, 3 1 5 : n ( " ) like a Mufician in Poetry,
ibid, n ( • ) furpajfcd all before and after him,
ibid, calumniated by Suidas, 321 : bis Veracity
admired by Philoftratus, 320: 0(^1) hy Strabo,
B b 324;

INDEX.

324: Difference hctween himandVlrgW^ 324-fo--
330: taught to [peak BngWih, 325: excels in
JFemale-CbaraSierSj 329 : is perpetually perfo'
nating^ 333: has done Jujiice to Nature, 3 34 :
plays with our Pajjions^ ibid, a Fainter from
i//^jibid. Author of the Iliad and Odyfley, 334,

335

Homer'i Genius, naturally fornted, ^: whereas'

comprehetifive^ 10 : cultivated by PraHice^ 119 :

hy an Egyptian Education^ 130: approached to

Divinity^ 162: hut a Part of bis Happinefs.

334
Homer'j Model, Ancient Manners^ 14, 15, 16 :
unaffeCled andjimple^ 34 ; warlike and ingenu-
ous^ 54, ss ' ^^^^ ^^^ tmcojtfinedy 114, 115 :
real Chara^erSy 301. .See Charadter, Manners.

Homer'j Subject, a nolle Fields 4: compleated
his Happinefs^ 280 : w;^^/ it was^ 281 : f«^^f-
rial Part ofit, 301 : includes the prime Charac-
ters of Mankind^ ibid, faved him from Abfurdi-
tiesy 302, 303 : dire5fed him where to hegin^
306: full of Hijlory and A^ion, 307: Jhows
Paffions^ 308 : comprehends all Sciences ^ 312,
313, 314; left him without a Rival, 324: rich
and luxuriant, 333, its Effe6is. 334

Homer*j Works, of human Compojition, 4 : in-
fpired hy what, ibid. Mamters in them, 17: r^-
femhle Orpheus, <?«fi? tht Oracles, 72 : «o^ writ-
ten at fir ft, 208, 209: their Strain, 118: «o^
underftood, 142, 161 : r/?'^ Standard of Religion,
168 : /^/y^ Meafiire in the firft Line, 169 : a
famous Doubt concerning them, 310: contain all
manner of Knowledge, 31 1 : why, 314 : <^ Ground
of Phyfiognomy, 319 : beyond the Power of a Man,
312, 320 ; n ( 1 ) j?(^?/i at the Head of human
Writings. 334

Homerida:,

INDEX.

HoMERiDjKj 2 : n ( "") follow the Occupation of their
Founder y io6 : begin their Songs with a Prayer
to Jupiter. ibid.

Honefty, a Source of Pkafure^ 24, SSi 5*1' See
Virtue, Truth.

Honour, defined hy Guarini, 26 ; n ( ' ) Political
Honour^ no poetical Suhjeii. 27

Horace, a Courtier and a Scholar^ 4: his Prin-
ciple about the forming of a Poety ibid, his Ac-
count dftbe Trojan IVar^ 28 : 0/ Homer' j Con-
du6l^ 34 .' n ( '^ ) of the fir fi Mortals^ 37 : of the
Connexion between our Fortunes and Manners^
46 : n ( "^ ) of the oldeft Greek IVr iters, 56 : n ( ■ )
witneffed theFall of Rome, 65 : n ( recounts the
^ranfa^fions of the firft Ages, 78 : his Opinion
concerning the Origin of Satyr ^ 87 : of the Sue-
Uffion of Poetry^ 1 60 : n ( " ) of Homer'j Won-
der s^ 123, 124; perfonates a poetick Rapture,
151 ; laughs at bis Brethren the Poets, 154 : n {^)
tranjlates the Epithet o/Minos, 189 : n ( ^ ) joins
Circe with the Sirens, 252 : praifes Homer,
284, 306 .* makes him a Majier in Morals, 315

Horfemanfhlp. See Chivalry.
Horfcs, bought up, 27: Life among them, 232:
Theflalian Horfes. 305

Hours, /o/f, 331 • anxious. 307

Humanity, it^s U^ants and Feelings, 24 : Be spin-
nings of it J 37 : Sentiments of it, when canvajpd,
121 .' it*s Biafs, 160 ' it's State and Meajnrey
2.11 '• interejicd and moued, 302.' it's Frailties
reprefented^ 327 : difguifed, 328. See Mankind.

Humidity, how painted by the Egyptians. 166
Husbands, difpofid to forgive. 331

Hyantians, Thracians. 294

B b 2 Htbreas,

I N D EX.

Hybreas, the finefi Speaker of his Age, 9 n ( h )
Hymns, ancient^ 72, 87, 90 : Hymn to Jupiter
by Pampho, 87 : copied hy Homer, 89 : Hymn
to Ceres hy Mufseus, 91 : the oldeft in Greece,
92 : ^ pious JSxercife, 95 : youthful Hymns fung
hy Hefiod and Homer, 109 :n(^) Hymn to
Apollo hy Tynnichus, 128 : hy Socrates, 148 :
to Ifis, hy herfelf^ 163 : to Apollo hy Homer,
182: a fecond^ 183: Hymns afcrihed to Ot'
pheus, 199,200, 201: Hymns of Terp^nder^
202 : Cretan Hymns. 20J

Hyperboreans. 227

IALYSSUS, ^ Tekhiti'Settlement. 193

lam, whence formed. 189 n (^ )

Jason. 235, 236

Ida, Mount, 284 : Brow of, 286 : the Boundary of
Troy, ^Sf : runs North and South. ibid.

Idjei Dadyli, tutors of Jove, 190 : a knowing
^n^^, ibid. Phrygians ^wtf Egyptians, 191, 194,
199 : firji: in Lemnos. 225

Idomeneus, Ki7ig of CvtiQ. 303

Jd ne fais quoi. 151

1«£9S Te^aQet. 84, 194

he^} Alyt. 51

Jews, invented no Arts, 219 : famed for divine
Science, 220 •' Jews of Antiquity, whoy 269,

270

Ignorance, its Effe5is upon Language and Matt'
ners, 42, 43 : produCfive of IVonders, 124 ; fa"
'vours Poetry. 143, 277

Iliad, hov) to he effaced, 27, 28 .* wild Story in it,
144 : ifs Suhje^, 281 ; ifs chief Beauty, 301 :

makes

INDEX.

makes tis Jiart as we read it, ibid. Dialogues in

it, 48, 287, 307, 309, 310: Plan of it^ 307:

hy whom compofed^ 9^9 9$^ n C^) 130, 321

Iliad and Odyfley, bow many Anions in them, 308 :

bow produced. 3 34, 335

Little Iliad, a Poem. 308

IWuCioT), florid, 218 : Men lea (I ohtoxious to it,

211

Illyricum. 294

Ilyssus, a Rivulet near Athens. 213

Imagery, 141, 151, 166

Imaginary Chara^ers, in what Sejjfe impojjihle, 302

Imagination, the chief Faculty of a Poet, 148:

Pleafures of it, 149 : weak in Cemparifon of

ftruth, 287 : enriched hy what, 302 : Play given

it, 309. See Fancy.

Imbrus. 195, 224

Immortality ?^?/^^?. 173,211,273

ImpofHbility, Hieroglyphickfor it, 164: in Poetry,
what. 302

Inachus, why a Kiver-God. 192

Incidents, lucky onesy fufpicious. 223

Indians, 191 : Indian-Feathers. 64

Indies, 136: difcovered and named. 225

Indigitamenta. 200

Ingredients, o/P/^^/z/y^, no: uncommon Ingredi-

cuts. 335

\\-\\2i\-\6.-Countrics. 229, 256

Innocence, beautiful. 24

Inquifition, Dread of ifs Effe^s uponPoetry. 61, 6a
Inlplration, claimed^ 3 : 'I'ttle to iti 125, 126, 127,

128 : not to be defined. 151

B b 3 Integrity,

I N D EX.

Integrity, original. 328

IntcYconxi^thetween Nations^ dangerous^ 15: rarey

133, 181: hetween Gods and Men, 105, 14.3,

233

Interval, hetween Liberty and Slavery, 63 : he^
tween Senfe and Madnefs, i %%

Inventers of Arts^ 93, n C) (0 97* 9^, 193?

194, 219

Invention, iis Parent ^ 24, 221 : Horner'^ Inven-
tion. 325

Inventory of Arms in Homer. 289

Invocsition of the Mufe^ 172; Invocations. 200

Ionia. 5, n ( «) iio, hi

loNiANs, Pirates^ 19: rebel againji the 'Perfia.n,

106 : incline to Pleafure, 6 n, 290 : occupy

Troy, 2.SS : expel the Pehfgl 297

loNicK-L//^, 122: Coaft, 197- Po^^, 212: Dia-

le5i. 290

Joy, impetuous. 120, ijri, 152

IscniA^tbe J/land. ^ 242

Is IS 5 ber Songs, 163 : pfefcrihed her own Form of

IVorJhip, ibid, prophetick. 218

Iflands, how formed, 139 '.floating I/lands, 237,

239, 245 : Eoiian I/land. 244

Iflands, of the Archipel. happy, 5 : produSliue of

Learning, 7, 8 : early peopled, 44: poffeffedhy

Carians, 45: n hy f^^ Pclafgi, 296, 297; their

Names, how impofed, 225 : firji avilized, 2^6 :

fend Colonies to Afia in their turn. 293, 296

Issus, Bay of ^ 287

Is TR. us, an ancient Hiflorian. 92 n (")

Italia liberata, Trissino'j Pot^;?;, 32,33

Italy, 31 : where defcribed, 32: torn in pieces,

6$: barbarous, I'jy. fuperjiitious, 213: undrf-

' covered^

INDEX.

couered^ 229 : fallofMonfters, 236, 237, 238:
of Cannibals^ 254, 255, 256 : planted by the
Pelafgi. 296

Ith AC A fiourfe to it ^failing from Ita]y, 240: Pn«f^
of Ithaca, 320

JuDjEA, 219

Judges, hrihed. 63 n ( '^ )

Juno, fufpended by Jupiter, 144 : her Birth, 150,
190: a TGlchm-Goddefs, 193 : jealous, 198 :
why f aid to favour the Greeks, 206: to warn
Achilles. 207

Jupiter, Hymns to him by Pampho, 87 : copied
by Homer, 38 : n ( s ) quarrels with Juno, 144 :
infpires the Bards, 127: manages Mortals, ibid.
rebels againft Saturn, 150 : his Friend and Com-
panion, 189 : why nurfed in Crete, 190, 195,
196 : gives Laws to the Cretans, 201 : what he
is, 206 : loves Eolus, 244 : his Affair with Alc-
mena. 266

Justin the Hiftcrian . 7 6 n

Justin Martyr. 51, n 169

Juvenal, his Account of Aftrology, 75 n (^) of
the Condition of a Poet, x 13, n 120 n his fhe^
Critick. 325

KAAOI K'ATA90l. 68

Karab, why it fignifies a Battle. 41 n

Kingdoms, their Fates, where learned. 184

Kingly Science. 311

Kt^^uJhi. 183

Knowledge, to be acquired in the Age of Homer,

81, 82, 100, loi, 124, 125, 163-/0-204

Ku'-are/* "Etyj). 82

B b 4 LACE-

INDEX.

LACEDEMONIAN Laws^ whence lorrowed.
201

Lacedemonians, ignorant of Geography, 2.2S,

229

Ladies, apt to wonder^ 42 : givejj as Bribes^ 63 •
n (0 jufceptinjc of RaptureyS"] : curious in feW'
els^ 115: love Medicines, 134 • invent Opiaies,
135: ufe Ointments^ 1 3 8 : n a harJJj 1'hing [aid
cfthem, 169, 170: killed by D'lamL^ 206: courted
without Language J 298 : kept from Sights 329 :
defer ibed by Homer, 330 : fubje6i to Frights^
331 : ready to complain^ ibid, appear little in the
Eneid, 329 : and frequently in the Iliad and
OdyfTey. 330, 331, 332, 333

La ERTi us, Diogenes, 86 : gives a Principle of
MufsEus'.? Fbilnfophy^ 9 1 : n ( '^ ) his Account of
Syagrus or Sagaris, ibid, n ( ^ ) ( * )

Language, on what it depends^ 3 6 : how improvedj
37, 46, 51 : the Earner of Mankind, 37 : it^s
Origin^ 38: Original Languages^ 40: their pri--
raitive Parts, ibid, raoiiofyluihical, ibid. 41 n full
of Metaphor^ ibid, defcilivc^ 42 : Language^ how
tin^uredy 43 : Maxim concerning it, 4,6 : ordi-
fiary Lang:iage^ metaphorical, 47 : pdifjed Laii-
guage^ unfit for Poetry, 58 : tmpoverifhed, 59, 60:
Language of the Gods, 172: Northern^incnofylla"
bical,^i : n IVefern, carried over the Flellefpont,
293 : Trojan, what, 29 S : Homer'j, fmooth,
290-^^-300 : adopted by fucceednig IVriters, 292 :
La'tviua<ie, feeble on fome Occafions, 309 : Lan-
guage of the Pafjions, 333 : copied by Hom^r,

334
Lafith^. 78, 9j?

LaR15SA

I N D E X.

Larissa. 197

Latona, her Oracle in Egypt, 191, 196 : her

Of springs 92, 108, 196, 198: her Locks. 96

Laughter, immoderate. 67

Lavinia, an oh [cure Chara^er. 329

Laws, municipal^ 55 : when of no Force ^ 64 :

7ieceffary^ 210: Grecian, 54:11 Roman, 187:

Athenian, ibid. Cretan, 188, 201 : Egyptian,

140, 141, 234, 235; Enemies to Poetry. 104,

114, 202, 203, 303
Lawgivers, Poets^ 84: their comjnon 'Theme. 86,

88, 89, 96, loi, 125

Lawyers, acquire a peculiar Stile. 119

Leaders of Se5is. 85, 272, 322

luCArmngj fupplies not FriendJJjip.^ i, 2: where

produced^ 8 : Age of Learning., 31 : connel^ed

with Liberty^ 61 : ifs Succefjion and Periods^

fjZ'tO'Sz: rare among the Anctents^ 81 : in what

Form at firfiy 82-?o-i.oi, 106, 107, 124, 125,

179, 203, 271, 272, 273: where perfecuted^

61, 62 : when. 323

Lechom and Tereph. 40 n

Lectian Projnontory. -^87, 288

ASIA, whence deri'vedy 41 n

Leibnitz, Alonf. his Theodicee, 220 n, 3 22 n

Leleges, a wandering Tribe ^ 296 : n fettle in

Troy. 298

Lemnos, the Receptacle of My fl cries y 195: *vifited

by Cadmus. 224

Leo X. 31

Lesbus, produced Hiftorians and Pcets^ 7 n, 8 n;

a Boundary of Priam'i Dominion. 287

Lestrygons, Man-eaters. 237, 254

Lethe, River, if s Brazen Gates. 132

Lettcri,

¥/

INDEX,

Letters, little kfiown, 8i : Holy Letter s, 84: Pe-

lafgick, 865 93, 174 : mj/ive not in Ufe^ 133 :

Phenician. 221

Am^ov, 73. the Lycian Oracle^ 196

Levant. 136

Levity, $$^ s^ ' ft^c^JJaryy where. 329

Liberty, it's EffeSis^ 7, 22, 23, 34, 55, 36, 37*

46, 218 : Love of it^ when a Reality, 53 : con-

nehed with Learjiing^ 60, 61 : peculiar Species

of it J 64: ah u fed, 68 ; innjaded and defended.

65,11 HI

LiBETHRis, a Mountain in Thrace. 179

Life, barbarous y 15, 16 : it^s Effe^s, 19 : Modern*
truly painted, 33, 325 : Solitary and Savage, 40
41, 42 : Common Life, $6 : Social, 77 : bow in'
Produced, ibid. 89, 295 : thought not worth th^
keeping, no: eafiefi Life, 113 : firoling Life^
1205 128: lonick Life, 122: Poetical, 179*
Arts of Life, 181: civilized Life, 188: i«i79
218: Tartar-Life, 232 : voluptuous, hurtfuh
210, 250 : Good and Bad in Life, 251 : n the
Good frequently overlooked, 300 : Drama of Life,

334
Life, it's Meafures, !$$: Condu6i of it, 160: how

■made happy. 211

Life to come, 132. See Heaven, Immortality.

Light, thahejlfor a IVonder-, 277

LiNDiANs, Telchines. 193

Line, Meridian, drawn hy the Phenicians. 274

Linus. 72, 86, 87, 92, 93 n (0

Liparean-Iflands. 2./\o-to-2$o

Little-Iliad, a Poem. 308

Liturgy, Grecian, 200 : Egyptian, 163

LiviA. 197

LOLLIUS,

INDEX.

LoLLius, fiudying Eloquence. 3x5 n («» ^

LoNGiNus, Dionyfius. 39, 53

luovt and iViney no, 328: Lonje and; A?nbiticn,

30S
LuciLius, preferred to all Poets. 30

LuciNA, her Fee as a Midwife. 115, 116

Lucretius, 1411, 15115 ipn, 44n5('i) 333
'LvcuuOy harjb in Poetry. 291

Lumps of Jron^ hung about Juno. 144

Luther, acceptable to the Cham ^/Tartary. 232
Luxury, difguifes Nature^ 25 : enjlaues a NatioUy
63: deftroys Integrity. 328

Lycophron, ^/j Caflandra, why ohfcure. 152
Lycurgus, whence he had his Laws. 201

Lycus, ^Telchine, ere6is an Oracle. ip6

Lydians, fAr/)^W Smyrna. 81

Lymphatick, yr/^tf o/Pn>j?j-. ai8

Lyre, ^^ w;^o?» invented-, 93 : ^^/^ /^y 0;;^ of the
Graces. 92 n ( " )

Lysias, his Difcourfe on Love. 213, 214

MA C A R, his happy Country. 287

Macedonian Power., it's Influence upon
Learning, 45, 66, 67 : Macedonian Language.^

294
Machereus, a hold Prieji of Dclph], 197

Machines, Homer'j, 46, 97, loi, 142, 206. See

Gods, Mythology,
Madnefi, cbfcurc, 152 : real, 153 : affefled^ 154,
ibid, n ( '^ ) revered, 1 55 : imminent, 316: //^
Pauegyrick by Plato, 157, 158

Magi.

INDEX.

Magi, confuUcdhy Pythagoras and Democrltus,

85n(0

Magiftrate, refirains from Vtce. 210

Magiftrature, Forms of it. 325

Maids, taken captives by Achilles and, Patroclus.

330 n
Mankind, 89, 21 1 : 'Bia[s of^ 50 : Original Draught
cf^ 62: Plan of., 124 : Afpe^s of., 129 : Nature
c/, 1465 160, 187, 188: tranfitory^ 48, 170:
whence^ 37, 43 : n fprung from Heaven^ zgg :
, did not drop from an Oak^ ibid- prime Chara^ers
affemhled.^ 301 ; Weak-fide of^ 312

Manners, Divifion of^ ii, 12: Trogreffion of^i^ :
on what t bey depend, 14: natural, 23: why fo
pleafant.^ 24: modern, 25: -zw// painted, 33,
325: Manners, bow formed, 68: /&oz£; r6/«-
founded., 205: confined and uniform, 60, 282:
delicately conne^led, 131. Manners, ancient,
unaffe^ed andfimple, 34 : refufe a polifijed Lan-
guage, 59, 60, 66 : /or;;/ one for themfelves, 43,
46, 55- adjufied to Poetry, 24, 34, ss-to-s^j.
Manners, heroick, 57, 58, 303, 304. Manners
of the Times, 1 1 : <5!j^^(^? ^ Language, 49 : w;??^?
//?^j>' follow, 1 3,52 : ?/&^/r nsturalProgrefiion, ibid.
?/:;^/r Influence upon Poetry., 72-?o-8o. iW^ww^rj,
human, /-/^/'^/r Ci^/(/^, according to Galen, 7 : n ( *^ )
cannot he counterfeited, 33, 59, 304: their Source
and Con?ic&lion, 322. Pubiick Alanners, their
Power, 72, 327 : Weflern, carried over the Hel-
lelpont, 293 : Bricifh, with refpe^ to iVomen.

330
Manners /'« Homer, 'oi;/^<?;*<:£', 114, 115, 129,326,

329
Marcellinus, Ammianus. 141 n

Marcellus, his ^utor. 9 n

Mars, what he reprefents, 206

Marsya*

INDEX.

Marsyas, 935n(0 94

Martial, his Epigram upon a Beau. 56 n

Marvellous, the NerDe of Poetry^ 26 : modern Sup-
plement of it. 69

Mathematicks, invented^ 6$ : n applied to Nature.

^axims in Poetry and Language, 29, 46, 47, 55,

645 7ij87>ii7, i43> ^51

Mayor, Lord^ bis Show. 25

Meafure, in Poetry^ whence, 39: in Mufick, 93,

94: in Life, 153, 211: how examined^ 302:

^Y'j Power and Effe^s. 117

Mechanicks, where invented. 219

Medes ^W£? Perlians. 220, n ( *= ) 221

Median Empire^ unknown to Homer. 228

Mediterranean Sea^ failed hy fi&^ Phenicians,
226, 227, 266 : Coaft of it laid out^ 233 : Voyage
round it. 26'^,2']6

Melampus, his Hiftory. 92, 99, 106, 168, 173
Meleager, bis Death. 306 n

Melesander, an Epic-Poet. 95

Memphis. 1305131,200

Memciiths. 200

Men, refemhle the Confiitution of their Country., 42 .*
like the Leaves of Trees , 48, 170 : admire what
they tmderftand not^ 50 : whence they take their
Sentiments., 54 : when heft known ^ 63 : like In-
dian Feather s., 64 : their Inter eft ferved^ 77 :
where they firft appeared.^ 221 : n ( '' ) their com-
7non IVeaknefs^ 312: deified^ 303 • defer ihed,

304

Menander, his Character., 30: Period of Man^
mrs when he wrote ^ 68: invented and perfe^ed
New Comedy. 74

Menelaus,

INDEX.

Me^elaus, 21 : his Epithet, 317: fights with
Paris, 318 : bis ConduSi with refpe^ to bis IVife.

331
Menon, a Dialogue 0/ Plato s. 305 n ( '^ )

M E N T E s 3 a Friend of Homer' j. 139

Merchants, firfi injiru£i the Greeks, 44 : Pheni-

cian Merchants^ Se6t. XI.

Mercury, bis Province^ and KinmWPower^ io6

Meridian-Line, drawn hy the Phenicians. 274

Messina, Faro 0/, 237, 240

Metaphor, ifs Origin, 38-/0-43 : fettled into an

Art, 83 : employed in Learnings 98, loi : 7'ime

for indenting it, 117, 151, 152: Syftem of it^

where, 163: defined, 316

Mettle, whenfloown. 64, 120

Mexico, Conquefi ofy 24

Mi or Me, Aqua. i89n(yj|

Midas, an Invent er in Mufick. 93 n C «■)

Milton, the Period when he wrote. 6$, 66

MiMNERMus, the Poet, his Epithet fo Afia. 5 n ( O

Mind, human, how formed, 11,12: broken hy ^er^
ror, 62: capable of a Sett, 113, 119 : exhaufied
ly trifling, 114, 115: it's Powers Jir etched. 322

A Mind, made the IVorld, 86, 87, 211 : fit for
Poetry, 114, n C") 162 : great, it's Chara-
6ieri(Uck, 141, 153 : agitated, it's Marnier, 154:
debauched by Mufick, 21 7 : how made happy,
211 : feldcm feizcd, 290 : tainted by Envy, 321 :
Le-vity of Mmd. 329

Minerva, 142: why faid to favour the Greeks,
206 : and direSi Ulyffes. 207

Minos, 20, 182, 187 : his Condu^ and Char a5fer^
188 : the Companion of Jove, 189 : not a Cre-
tan. 100

Miracles,

INDEX.

■ Miracles, 3 : Speciofa Miracula, 123, 124 : Couh-

try-Miracles, ibid. Ufe of Miracles^ 14.3, 209

211 : when not decried^ 143 : how darkened, 277:

when [wallowed^ ibid, when fought for. 323

Mirth, Returns of it, 120

Mi{ery, where intenfe^ 235 : F^c^ of Mifery. 309

Mi s Ti or Meferi. 136 n(^)

MiTH RID AXES, the Great:, his Favorite. pn

Model /■;/ Po^^fy, 34j 73> 74* it* s Force ^ 327:
Homer' J, m;/^^?, 34, 301 : TriffinoV. 32

Model of the IVorld. 212

Modern Sages, unlike the Ancient, 77, 78, 145

Moderns, why Strangers to Nature, 25 : underftand
their own Manners, 3 3 : their firjt Poets. 112

MoLiERE, Monf. de, how he tried bis Comedies. 117

MoN-GiBEL. See Etna.

Monofyllables, imperfonal. 40

Monfters, hy whom defer iled, 231 : Homer*^, 236 :
rZ?^/> Manners. 254

Moon, iJ'OW reprefented, 167 : /&^r Names, 172 :
another IVorld. 173

Moors, poetical. 40, n ( f ) 43

Mopsvs, founds the Clarian Oracle. 197

Moralift, ^w Dire tl ion for true Plcafure^ i, 2, 57,

211 : /or avoiding falfe. 251

Morals, f^^'/r Source, 12: ifnprcved, 123, 141:

Syfiem of, 160: ancient Do flrine, 211: Majier

of Morals., $1^ : Precepts, when for faken. 322

Morning, i&#r Abode, where. 238, 258

MoscH us, <^ Sidonian, /r/? taught of Atoms. 272

MoTHE le Vayer. 11 n

MoTTE, Houdancour, Afo;;/ de la, 57

Mountains,

INDEX.

Mountains, Burning. 240, 242, 245

Multitude, how governed^ 77: credulous^ 144:

Bridle of^ 50, 145'

Muro H, Imagines. 189 n(y)

Muie.. dire^is the A5iions of Men ^ 125 : het Fa^

n}ours^ 158: Invocation of, 172

Muses, Stamers of Mankind^ 77 : employed by
Lawgivers, 85: and in all Sciences, 179: ?i?(?ir
Lover ^ 95: Favorite, 151 : ^^o//, 218 : appear
to Hefiod, 145 : //^^/V Profeffwn. ibid.

Mus^us, 72> 85 : /^'/J Chara^er and IVorks, 90,
ibid, n ( "^ ) copied by Homer, 168, 169, 170 :
a Thracian. 295

Mufick, Grecian, 93, ibid, n ( it*s Inventer, g$:
philofophical, 147: ecjlatick, 206: ifs Power ^
2.1*] : forbid in Egypt, 104: circumfcribed, 141,
n ( " ) 202, 203 : ancient Majiers of it. 2^^

Mufter-Roll of the Grecian and Trojan Armies.

290

Myrmidons. 285, 306

Myfteries, their Ufe among the Ancients, $0, 89,
98 : Oral Myfteries, 163 : Bendidian in Lemnos,
195 : Latona'j in Afia, 199 : Myfteries in Ho-
mer'j IVritings, 311: why^ 3 1 /{-to- 317

My{!i\c\^m affe^ed. ^S, ^IS

Mythology, it^s Influence upon Mankind, 77 :
if s Foundation, 86, 131: brought into Greece,
92 : improved there ^ 96 : Homer'j, Itttlc under-
flood, 142 : Socrates why barren tn it, 148 : ifs
Powers, 151 : has the Appearance of Mad?iefs,
154, 156 : two Kinds of it, 161 : Egyptian, 163 :
whether learned by Homer, 167 : Sources of his
Mythology, 173 : Cretan, 203 : ifs Ufe in Poetry,
2.o^-to-2o<) : in Life, 209-^0-215

NAMES,

INDEX. ff

NAMES, how in-vented, 38 : proper, how /;;/-
pofed, 225 : how foftened in Homer, 291 :
Roman Names, harjlj, ibid, impojjihh to pronounce
in Verfe, ibid, proper Names Jiiffen Poetry, 299 :
poUJljed and prepared for Homer, ibid.

Naples, Coaft of, 242: Bay of, 251,252

National C-&<^m^^r, 13 : Kites, necejfary, 78

Nations expelling one another, 15, 16, 21 : North-
cm, when known to the Greeks, 175, 277 : Ho-
mer'j Account of them, Z'^i : covered with Dark-
uefs, 236, 262, 263 : Nations relinquifnng their
Seats, 292-/0-298

Nature, fineft Perception of, 5, 6, 114, 121, 151 :
Afpetis of, lo, 87, 154: Powers, 87, loi, 142,
161, 162 : Univerfal Nature, 206 : alone forms
Charaofers, 304: followed, ^i^, 317: the befi
Rule, 69, 333 : her Image in Homer, 334

Nausicaa, 333

Navigation, Grecian, 15: Phenician, 222, 226,
257, 259, 277 : Homer'j, 139, 204 : UlyfTes'j,
238: Mcnelaus'j, 263: Navigation defer ibed
by Homer, 315 n

Naxos. 225

Neceflity, Parent of Invention, 19, 23, 2:r,i

Nemesis,^ powerful Goddefs, 212

Neoptolemus, killed by a Priefl, 197 : a l^a-
gedy, 308

Neptune, 141, 146,150, 190, 206, 207

Nestor, 18, 28 : his Chara^ier, 303

NewtoNj A^/r Ifaac. 191, 32s n

C c Nile,

INDEX.

Nile, Banks of, $' ^ P^If^g^ ^o Hell, 131, 268 :
forms the Lower Egypt, 139 n : Caufes of it's
annual Overflowings 165, 166

NiNEVE or Ninos. 228 nC)

N1REUS5 beautiful and unwar like y 303

NoN, Filius. 189 n C^)

Nonfenfe, where fufpe^ed. 152

Numbers, applied, 322. See Arithmetick.

Nymph, carried off by the Ifind^ 213 : Telchinc
Nymph 5 y 193

OAKS, ftot the Parents of Men. 299

Obelisk, Egyptian, turned into an Helio-
trope, ^*^s
Obfcurity, it's life, 277
Ocean, it's Etymology, 99 n : the Nile, 1310:
Lord of it, 20, 189 : the general Boundary, 227
OdylTey, ifs Chara^ier, $9- if's Suhje5i, 281,
308: Author, 130: IVbnders, 276: h$w pro-
duced, SH- ^S*^^ Homer.
OEcHALiA, Sacking of, a Poem, 122 n ( " )
Oeconomy, defcrihed, 116: o/Eolus, 244: taught
by Homer, 311: wholefomfor young Ladies, 329

Oedipus- i77

Og, Limes. ' 99 n

Oil, an Ingredient of Plcafure, 110: why^ ibid.
Ointments, ufed by Ladies, 1 38 n C )

'O I T O'A I N O 2 (7^ T« Mn Swfx*) 8'7

Olen, ?^<?Lycian, 92

Olympus. 72, 93, n ('), 94, 95

Onion, worfbipped, 167 rt

Onoma-

INDEX.

Onomacritus, a Lawgiver, 54: andPoet^ 85, 90
Opera, a7t unmeaning ^hing^ 217

Opiniorjj creeps upon usy 290 : fond OpinioJt, it's
Power, 313

Opium, tjivcnted hy Ladies^ 135

Ops or Rhea. 150, 195

Oracles, anciently in Verfe, 40 : refemhle HomerV

Verfes, 72: why admired, 157: Fountains ef

Knowledge, 184: a chief Part ofWorJhip,ig6i

Reformers of Mankind^ 203, 204

Orapollo, Niliacus, i66n(^'^^

Orators, horn in Afia, 9 n : Succefjions of, 74, 77 :

the mofi fluent o/Auguftus'j Court, (Haterius)

117
Oratory, 74, 125 : taught hy Homer, 311

Order, facred. See Fathers, Priefts.

Order of a Nation, 35 : ofa^own^ 114

Orythia, a Nymph, 213

Oroebantius, an Epic-Poet^ 95

Orphan-Circm?iJiance, 0/ Andromache> 333

ORPHEUS, defer ihes the ancient favage Life,
41 n, 254 : his Addrefs to his Son, 50 : his Po-
ems, ibid, n ('') refemble Homer's Verfes, 72:
when he was born, ibid, a Lawgiver and Poet, 84 :
his Chara^er, Hiftory, Principles, and IVritings,
88, 89, 90 : an hiventer of Arts, 93 nC^^C''):
pifpute about his Age, 97, 100 : his Idea of He 11^
whence, 132: his Do6frine and Manner, 149:
copied by Homer, iS^-to-i'^i : his Hymns, 199 :
a Thracian, 295 : Abridgment of his Life by Eu-
ftathius, ibid, n ( • ) out-Jiript %y Homer /;; hts
greateji Excellency, 3 1 5 n

Orpheus and Euridice, a vnving Story, 216

C c 2 Ortygia,

INDEX.

Ortygia, a Country^ 198 : neav Syros, 273 : a,

Ntirfe^ ibid, her Statue^ ibid.

Ofirites, an Herb ^ raifcs the Dead, 313

Out-laws, the Planters of Greece, 44., 45 n

Ovid, copies a Hymn of Homer'j, 137 n C^ ) : his

Opinion of the Gods, 143 : defcrihes the Fields of

Troy, 285

PALAMEDES, an Tuventer of Arts, 93 n ("> ) :
faid to he the Author of the Iliad, 321

Pal^phatus, his Hifiory and Writings, 96

Palermo, the Habitation of a Siren, 251 n

Pallas. See Minerva.

Pa MP HO, his Mafier andlVritings, 87: copied by
Homer, 88

Pa n, the Son of Mercury, 93 n ( O • feigned In-
fer ipt ion on bis Altar, 105: an old Egyptian
Deity. 165

Pandarus, 288 n : faithlefs, 303

Parable, 83. See Allegory, Metaphor.

Paradice-/o/?, Milton'^, a divine Plan. 66

Paris, a Pupil o/Venus, 208 : a Judge of Cloths,

-';^ 271 : effeminate, 303 ; ^ Foil to Hedtor, ibid.

fights Menelaus, 318 : mentioned dijiantly by

Helen, 331

Parrhasius, the famous Painter, 67 n

Parties in Cities, 21 : Art of Parties, unknown to

Homer, 326

Parte rotte, ahotit Lipari. 240

Paflions, human, how raifed, 27, 64, 145, 302 :

influence Language^ 41, 42, 43 : how expreffed.

Ibid, hozv eluded-) 114: when cannjajfed, 121:

wbdre creaiid^ 141: fpoken to, 145; regulated,

203:

INDEX.

203 : dijfemhled 328 : reJJgned, 329 : tbe/r
Curbs, 50: their Poife^ $$: their Play ^ 326:
their Language ^ 333 : Social PaJJions^ where
prevalent^ 58: how infpired, 77, 85: Poetick
PaJ/ion, 117, 143 : ifs i'orrent^ 151 : it^s Caufe^
155: refemblcs Madnefs^ 156: ungovernable^
162 : blends Extreme s-^ 205 : wjS'^;? /o ^^ attained.,
278: Prophetick P^j7/w/, 157

Paftoral L//^, Jnjlru^ions for it^ 105 n

Piean, famous one to Apollo, 128 : Pseans, when
firjt ufedy 178 : yearly at Delphi, 183 : Cretan
Paeans, 182, 203

Pelasgi, 44 : their Letters^ 86, 93, 174: the
Planters of Greece and Italy, 296 : a great Na--
tion^ ib'id. gi^ven to Change^ 297: expelled from
Troy, ibid, carry Grecian Manners into the high
Coufitry^ 298

Peleus, the Father 0/ Achilles, 138 n (")

Peloponnesus, Origin of the Name^ 20 : by whom
planted^ ibid. 45 n : Coo^ft of^defcribed by Homer,

204 : pojfcjfed by Barbarians. 295 n ( '^^
Pelops, how made Kiug^ 20, 45 n: a Phrygian,

84: his Story ^ from l^rnddiV^ 146

Penelope, 78, 126, 333

People, their Security^ 23: effe^s of their Happi-

nefs on Poetry ^ 26, 28. See Commonalty, Vulgar.
People 0/ Athens, made wife by their Climate^ 6n :

fcurrilous^ 67 : tbetr Pi6iure^ ibid, n

Pericles, ejlablifjed a Democracy. 68

Periods of the Grecian Hi (lory ^ 13, 14: of the

Ifoid, 212: of the Trojan li^ar^ 281,' 306 :
Perfian Monarch, 23, 107, 229 n : YcrCian Empire,

it's Founder^ 76 n : enjlavcd Kgypt, 141: tranf-

mitted Arts^ 220

C c 3 Pel -on.

INDEX.

Pcrfon, Make of it^ correfponds with the lempety

319
Perfbns, known hy Homer, 286, 287 : effe^s of
this Knowledge, 290, 314

Perfuafion, difficult in Poetry, 285, 290

Petrab-cha, 33, 241 n

Ph ALA NTHus, <^w^// /« Rhodes, 225

Phancy, a Female^ writes the IJiad, 130

Phanites, the f acred Senile y ibid.

Pharmacia, a Nyinph^ 21^

Pharos, ifs Difiance from the Land, in Homer,

13911

Phebus. See Apollo.

Phemius, Homer'i Mafter^ 81 : ^ Philofopher and

Poet^ ibid, n 308 : hts Library^ 97

Phemonoe, indents Hexameter Verfe, 87 : the fir fi

Pythia, ibid, n C*)

PhENICIA, 44, 83, 139, 21S, 220j 224, 273

P H ENICJANS^ Merchants^ 19: injlru^ the
Greeks, ibid, the Cretans, 191 : in'ventArts^ 193,
219: an ancient Nation^ 221: their Language
and Policy^ 222 : how difiinguiJJjed, ibid, found
Cities, 223 : infirjci Homer, ibid. 226, 227 :
propagate their Gods, 224 : give Names to the
Cyclades, 225 : make annual Voyages, 226 \ feign
the Plandje, 241 : ^/'^-i? a Name to Eolus, 246 :
and to Homer'j Monjlers, 257: trade upon tJye
Red-Sea, ibid, the Tyrrhene Sea, 258 : the li^ejl
Coajl of Spain, 266 : gi've rife to Elyfium, 267 :
their Chara6ier, 269 : I'he Jews of ylntiquity,
ibid. Men nf Science, 271 : their 'itheology, 272 :
tnflrufi Pherecydes, 273 : draw a Meridian Lijie,
. 274 : iheir Winter Retreat, ibid, their Sea-men,

242,276

rhcnomenon.

INDEX.

Phenomenon, fingttlar^ 4: of the Nile'j Overflow'
ifig, 165 : Phenomena of the Iforld^ 312

Pherecydes, one ofthefirji Writers in Profe^ 38 :
a Scholar of the Phenicians, 273 : bis Country
defcribed^ ibid, makes a Heliotrope. 275

Philemon, Menander'j CotetJiporary^ 74

Philocletes, a Subjefi of Iragedy^ 308

Philomela and Progne, their Story, where, 294
Philofbphers, 0/ Afia the lefs, 7 n ( *" ) : 'Prince of^
90 : Legiflators and Poets, 84 : incredulous, 143 ;
borrow from the Jews, 220 : when perfecuted, 323
Philofophy, when firjijl tidied in Greece, 45, 84:
;;; what Maimer, ibid. 96-/0-107 : Egyptian,
141, 163: (^iJ^f Mythology) ajjified Religion,
175 : the mod ancient, 203 : in Lacedemon and
Crete, ibid, n; Pythagorick,85,2ii: Atomical,
272: Phenician, 273 : taught by }^omQ,v, 313,
314, 315: Method to he obferved in it, 314:
takes a new Face, 322 : rejiored to it's firfi
Ltiflre, ibid^

Philostratus, 87, 88 : his Opinion of Homer>
315: of his Veracity, 320: nC^) wherein he
blames him, 321

Phlegethon, the Burning-River, 260, 261

Phoroneus, «'u/7/.z^rf ^^^ Peloponnefus, 192

P H o T I u s, the Patriarch, 91 n ( ^ )

Phrygians, 84, 191, 287, 294, 295

Phthia, the Country of AchWks, 180

Piety, profeffed by Bards, 105, 106: praifed by

Homer, 334

Pindar, how nurfed, 75 n ( e ) : his Account of

Homer'5 Poficnty, 106: bis Sdoliajl, 109 : his

Chara6ier, 146

Piracy, thought honourable, 1$, 16, 136

C c 4 Places,

INDEX.

places, kno'wn and defcribed by Homer, 383-fo-287 :
not fiChticus^ ibid, cffe^i of this Knowledge^

285,314
Plagiarifm, where fufpe^ied^ 73, 130, 169, 321

Plains 0/ Babylon, 5 : Afiatick, 23 : Affyrian, 26 :
Trojan, 283 : ThefTalian, 305

Plan o/Paradice loft, 66: Flan cf M.znkind^ 124:
Plan of Dominion^ 325 : a Poefs Plan^ 316 : Ho-
mer'j, how laid otit^ 307

Planct.^, GaJJjing'Kocks^ 237 : where j z^g-to-

244
Vhnets, their Power ^ 75, ibid, n ('0 (0 (0, 163

PLA'J'O^ defcended from a God^ 75n(^); his
Dialogues^ what^ 30 : Prince of the Philofophers^
90 : hts Opinioji of the human Capacity^ 33 n :
of the Inuenters of Arts^ 9 3 " C ' ) ' ^'Z ^ Poetic k
Mind^ 114 n : of Homer'5 IVay of livi?ig,
122: of his Friends^ ibid, of his Capacity for
Biifincfs^ 123 : of the Infpiration of PoetSy
127, 128: of Egyptian Sculpture and Mil-
fcky 140 : of the Generation of the Gods^ and
religious Beliefs 145 n : of what conftitutes a
Poet J 148 n : of the obfcure Nature of Poetry^
1520: of Madnefs, prophet ick^ expiatory^ and
pneticaU ^Sl-i 15S • 0/ Egyptian Hymns, 163 n:
cftbe Cretan La-zvs^ 188 : of the eldeft Philofo-
fb)\ 203 : of tbe Delphic Oracle, 204 : his
JiJjferj 210: Original of his Tim^^us, 21; n:
when he Ircedy 213: bis Opinion of . Mythology,
ibid. Adnjice about explaining Allegories^ 214,

215

"Pl^ys, ancient , 329. See CoirK^dy^ Tragedy.

Players, 278: mhjl forget ther.ifelves, ibid.

Plejlantry, where intolleralle^ <,$, ^6

rieafure,

INDEX.

Plcafure, Refiners of, 52 : a daftardly PaJ/ion, 53 :
natural and elegant ^ 120 '.genuine^ 121 : Potions
for it ^ 135,136: reconciled with Order, 140:
intelleSlttal, 149 : Hieroglyphic k for Pleafure^
164: deceitful, bow avoided, 251

Pleafures of FriendJJoip, i : of the Ancients, no :
of the Imagination, 148 : o/HomerV Poetry, 301:
of Love and IVme, 328 : y^o/7 Chara^ers, 303

Pliny, 67 n : Z^/j Chara^er, 82: recounts the In-
venters of Mtifick, 9 3 n ( ■■ ) : gives the Hijiory
of ait Obelisk, 2,*j$

Plunder, when honour ah le, 16, 17, 305, 33011:
fynonymous with Foody 40 n ( ^ )

Plutarch, his Account of the Origin of Speech^
38 n ( '^ ) : of the Age before Theleus, 53 n : 0/
the old Philofophy, 85 n ("" ): 0/ Orpheus, 88 : of
ApolioV Statue, 9211 ("); o/Olympus'j Mu-
fick^ 94, 95 : of the religious Kites 0/ Egypt,
167 n .' of the IVriting of Oracles, 178, 179 ; of
Homer'j univerfal Science, 311

Pluto, zichat, 207, 217

Po, the River, 139 n

Poem, it^s Bane, 27, 158 : Poems, when produced,
82 : how, 87, 157 : where, 178

Poet, what, 148, 149 : how diftinguiJJjcd, ibid.
what he can defcribe, 29 : muji not be frighted,
61, 62: his Province^ 91 : his bcfi Materials^
301: his Plan, wide, 3 1 6

Poets, their Power, 29 : copy Nature, 69 : boztf
formed, "jz, 'Ji,'j'j : rare, 71, 147, 148 : deli-
cate, 72, 113: deprived of Under jiandmg, 127:
Poffj-, ancient, why admired, ^ 5^ 5^ '• their Cha-
ra^er, 77, 104, m : Suhjctis, 78, 86, 100,
105: 31^/^ of Science, 106: of Piety, ibid.
Modern, ^cci'f r^? unfortunate, 24, 25 : fuccefsfvl,

33:

INDEX;

33 • fi^ft ^/ t^s»h ^^2 • exceed in Defcriptions,
47, 283, 285 : feldom perfuadei 285, 290. See
Bards.
Poets, horn in the Icjjer Afia. 8 n ( '' )

Poetry, before Profe, 38: it's Pronjiftce, 39:
Caiifes of it's Decay^ 5$ : none without Virtue^
ibid. 57, 58 : Conditions required^ 70, 71, 112,
114: mitft he intelligible, 116: how produced,
117,1285 143, 158: prefcribed by Law, 104,
163, 202 : muft life Ft6iion, 145 : naturally oh'
fcurcy 152* ibid, n (f ) : ifs Ufe, 209 : Laws,
319 : all ifs Forms in Homer, 310, 311

Point of Time, when Homer wrote, 46 : Foint of
View, 300

Poland, Candidate for the Crown of, 2^2

Policy, an Enemy to Poetry, 26, 27, 114, 303:
when formed in Gxttce^ $^'' human, ifs Perfec-
tion, 83, 140, 181, 186 : Arts of, 188: School
of,Ss ' what it produced, 98

PoLiDAMNA, an Egyptian Lady. 132, 133

Tolifhing, ifs Effe^s on Language, SS* 5^ : on

Men. 325

Politencfs of Stile, 58 : of Manners, S'l-l-i S^S

VoLYBixjs, accurate, 2j:^*]: thinks well of Homer.

250
Pol YD A MAS, prudent, 303

TIoM/'waiOTfAo/ "A{'/§<f. 270

Polythcifm, not invented by Homer, 171

Pomp, admired, 25: Pomp of Words, 148, 290
PoMPEY the Great, his Couufellor, 9 n : his ^utor,
ibid, ^utor of his Children, ibid, vifits Vo^xAo-
nius, ibid.

PoMPEY, Sextiis, his Friend, 9n

fON T u s 3 Native of, 29 3

Pope,

INDEX.

Popi, Mr. his Rape of the Lock, 34: y^rt ofPoe*

try^ 42 : Sran/lation of the Iliad, 325

Poppies> their Juice prefcribed by Hippocrates,

i38n (P)
Portugal, Reviews a Book pajfes in it^ 62 n
Toktvgvese^ gave Names to Countries^ 225

Pes iDON I us, his Reply to Pompey, pn; his Ac-
count of the Epicurean Philofophy^ 272

VofCeflion^ decided by Force, 23

Poirefllon, poeticky 153. Sec Metaphor, Mytho-
logy.
Power, arbitrary, ifs EffeCis, 60: tyrannical, 323
Powers, unknown^ $0: their Ufe, *]*]: Powers of
Nature^ 87, loi, 161

Prayer, 39, 106, 157, 200, 318

Prefages, powerful, 213 : of the IVeather, 246
Prefence, divine, if s Influence, 143, 154

PrefTure upon the Mind, 62, 152; upon Learning,

323
Pbliam, comforted by Achilles, 48 : his Dominion,
2.2.i) : it's Extent, 287 : reigned over nine Pro-
fvinces, 288 n : received no Afjijiance from Eu-
rope, 296 : indulgent to Paris, 303 : wifely an-
fweredhy Helen, 331 : his laft Speech to Hedof,

ibid.
pRiAPUs, an Oracle, 197

Pride, a Foundation of Morals, i6q

Priefts, Popijh, damp Learning, 61 : Heathen, loved
Authority, 8 3 : kept the Laity in Ignorance, ibid.
194: Egyptian, 130, 132, 133: circu7ncifed,
167: their Dtfciple, 193: Britifh, 163 : Tufcan,
200: precife, 218 ; jreefrom ^axes, 222 ; Ro-
man, 255

J rinces,

INDEX.

Princes, Admirers of Homer, 2, 311: kept a Bard
in their Court ^ 79 : Grecian, 301 : AffemUy of
Princes J Homer'j Stihje^^ 302. See Heroes.
Principle, good one, creates the World, 211 : 'Prin-
ciple of Mufaeus'i Philofophy, 91 : n (') firjl
Principle of Being, 166 : Principles of the
Sciences in Homer, 3io-?o-3i7

Prior, Mr. 113 n C^)

Privilege, Poetick, 29, 250

Probability, Meafure of it., 118, 276, 277, 278
Problem in Literature, propofed ^j)'Velleius,7 3-^0-7 7
Proceflions, Bacchic, ip^^ 195 n

Proclus, writes in Defence of HomGr, 205

Proconnesus, the Country of hr\Q.t\xs, 174, 175
Prodicus the Cean, 123

Progeny, moral, difficult to trace, 131

Progreflion of Manners, 13 : ijohen ohfervahle, 14:
it's effe^s on Homer, 17, 18, 22, 23, 34, 35 :
on Learning and learned Men, 76, 77 ; on Lan-
guage, 43, 44, 46 : onKeligion, 51, 52, 89, 104,

105, 184
Promontories of the Morca, 204 ; of the Coajl of
Italy, 237, 251 ; Grecian, 239, 240, 253, 257

Pronapides, an Athenian, Homer'j Majler, 174,

176
Prophecy, 40, 90, 127, 152, ibid, n ( * ), 156,

l%l't0-2OO

Pkopontis, 175, 236 : Coafl of, under Priam, 287
Proportions, uncouth, 60: of the World, 105, i6t,

163,211,314: of Life, 147. See Mealures.
Profe, later than Verfe. 38, 273

Proserpine, Rape of, 87: her Myjicries. 92
Protagoras (;/ Abdera. 123

PrOte-

INDEX.

Protesilaus, appears to a Hermit. 324

Proteus, Jlippery^ 215 : the Sea-Prophet. 265

Provence, Trovadores 0/, 112

PsAMMETICHUS, jfiC/Vig 0/ Egypt, I9

Ptolemy, Philopater, 2 n (»)

Pyramid, of Brafs, 2*] $ ' Egyptian Pyramids^ 235

Pythagoras, his Manner, 85 : ;&/.y Defigns^ ibid.

his Majiers, 220j 273: his Philofophy^ 211

Pythagoreans /oZ/ow; Orpheus, 88, 273

Pythia, 178- iS*^^ Phemonoe.

Pythos, 180 : Pythian Games^ 183

OUackery /« Mufick and Ceretnonies, 295 n (0 :
in H^onders^ 175 n ( * )

Quality, Ladies of ^ 330

Queen, //; the Eneid, 329

Quibble, when in *vogue^ 55

QuixoT, Don, 29, n (0 112, n 327

RA B B Tj, their BoHrin:, 220

Rape of the Lock^ 34 : o/Proferpine, 87

Rapture, it's Origin.^ 87, 154 : promoted^ 114, 117,
128: ungovernable, 162: regulated, 203

Realities, powerful in Poetry, 143. <5V^ Truth.
Reafon, w/)^ri? dangerous, 148, 213, 278

Records, Egyptian, 86, 130 : Phenician, 272
Red-Sea, 221, 222, 257, 258

Reduan,

INDEX.

Reduan, a Moor. 40 n ( f )

Refugees, Egyptian. 44, 45 n, 84, 224

Regions, /;;/?r;;^/. 212,259,306

Relations (Analogies) imaginary^ 1 25 : fubtile^
149: Colle^ion ofy 16^ : ahftraSied^ 233

Relief, fupernaturaU 323 : fortuitous^ 329

Religion, z'/'i Influence^ 12 : f/^o« Language^ 49,

51 : Grecian, /Vj Origin^ 50, 84, 92, 97-/0-101,

131 : <« Suhje6i for Poetry , 77 : .S^j&oo/ 0///, 85,

184: afftfied Philofopby^ 175, 209, 211 : r^-

firains from Vice ^ 2.10: Publick^ promoted^ 77,

78, io6, 143, 154, 334: written againft, by

whom, 77, 145

Removes of Tribes and Nat ions ^ 15, 16, 21, 297

Rendezvous of Princes, where, 302

Reputation, religious, where delicate^ 184 ; po//-
tical, how fupported, 328

Referve, /« Characters j 327 : Italian, 329

Reftraints on Writing, 6t

Return of the Greeks, a Poem, 81 n, 308

Returns of the Sun, why in Syros, 274

Retz, Cardinal de, 1 14 n ( ' )

Revolutions in States^ 13, 14 : in Manners, ibid.
in Learning, 66, 73-?o-77, 203, 21 8-/0-2 22,

322, 323

Rhada, dominari. 189 n ( '' )

Rhadamanthus, 189, 201 : yellow, 265

Rhapfodifls, concealed their Names, 82 : Hefiod

and Homer of the Number^ 123. See Bard.
Rhea or Ops,i5o : what? 195

Rhodes, 7 n('), 8 n (''),(') 9 n, 192,195,

225
i^hyme, abandoned. 32

.r^.y-wiij. ' Riccr,

INDEX.

Ricci, Father^ 41 n

Richelieu, Cardinal de^ 60 n

Riches, their Influence^ 195 25, 53, 14^

Rio Grande, in America, 225, de la Plata, ibid.

Rites, myfterious^ 50: national^ 78: holy^ 89:

Orpbick^ 99 : funeral^ ibid, borrowed, 131 •* ex"

piatory, 157 : Egyptian, 167 n, imported^ ^99 "

Phenician, 225 : famage^ 2>ss

Rivers, leautiful, 5 : raife Wonder, 124 : form

JJIands^ 139 n : infernal, 131, 132, 260

Rocks, Clafhin^, 237 : Kocks eftbe Sirens, ibid-

250: Scylla'j Kock, 23$ ; floating Kocks, 241 :

defart, 245

Rome, Founders of, 75 n(g): Mijirefs of the

IVorld, 6$ : a Prey to Power, ibid. Comtnons of

Rome, 210

Roman Empire, ifs Horofcope by Virgil, 75 n (*) :

Eloquence, admired, 3 1 : Names, harfh, 294

Romans, hravefi of them^ murdered^ 65: origi-
nally Banditti, 328 : forced into Virtue^ ibid.
how corrupted, 63n,328; obliged to dijfemhle,
ibid, haughty, 329

Roman zes, a kind of Poetry in Spain, 40 n

Ruffian, profeffed, 328

Riiners, Irifh, their ProfeJJion, in, 112

Rythmus, powerful, 117

SAcrifices, attended on by Poets, 79, 112 : pro^
mote Rapture, 87 : myjttck, 199: to the Sea-
Gods, 244 : human, 255 : infernal, 260
Sages, Grecian, 84 : modern, 745 : ancient, ibid.*
Jewifii, 221 : perfecuted. 323

Saligna(;

INDEX.

Salignac, Frangois de. See Fenelon.
Samos, hy whom goDcrned^ 2.2S

Sandlion, to a Do^rine^ 105 : to a Cheat ^ 154.
Sandbity, a Poefs CharaSier^ 107 : efficacious^ 143
Sannazzaro, his Arcadia, 105

Sarpedon, ^^()p/(?j Ionia, 199

Saturn, his Story^ 149, 150: Time, 190, 207
Satyr, it's Origin^ 87 : ^ Satyr painted^ 159

ScAMANDER, Springs of^ 183

ScEpsius, Demetrius, 284

Scholiaft, namelefs^ 109 : HomerV, 274

Science, firfi Men 0/, 78 : drawn from Egypt, 84:
Majiers of, 106, 107: divine Science, 220:
priejily, 83,193,194,218

Sciences, when invented^ 6$ ' where, ibid, n ( ^)
wire-drawn, 125: deli'vered in Verfe, 39, 40,
85, 179 : tranfmitted from the Jews, 220, 221 :
all in HomGT. 310-^0-317

Scipio, miraciiloufly defcendH. 75 n (^)

ScoL, Exitium. 239 n ( " )

Sculpture, J acred, 163 : where invented, 193

ScYLLA, her Rock, 238 : what fie is, 239

Scythians, when known to the Greeks, 175: de^
fpife Houfes, 233 n : live among Horfes-, 232

Sea, Sovereignty of it, 20, iii, 189 : if s Children,
191: Mediterranean i'^^^r, 227, 230, 233,236,
258, 263: Red-Sea, 227, 257: Tyrrhene,
25 8: North-Seas, 259

Sea-Towns, firjl enriched, 19

Seasons, a Poem, 35 *

Seafons, where marked, 105,275; defcrihed. 314,

Secrecy

INDEX.

Secrecy in Religion^ enjoined^ $o : in Fhilofcpby^
83, 85 : Secrets^ Knoii'lcdgt of^ 322

Senator, Roman, 327: his Daughter^ 329

Senfations, natural^ 114, 143: htgh^ 209

Senfe, the Produil of C'lery Climate^ 6

Sentiments, noble^ 142 : tbeir Shadowivgs^ ibid.
Sentiments of the hujnan Hearty 301

Severity, a Roman CharaCferj 328

Shides /■;/ Poetry^ 58

Shade 0/ Achilles, 306: 0/ Ulyffes, 321: Oracle

of the Shades^ 260: Shades CGufulted concerning

Homer, by Appion, 313

Sheer-Wit, the Keftife of true, ^^

Shew of Virtue, 328

Shipping and Commerce, where tinderflood, 22, 222

Ships, Grecian, 284, 285 : Catalogue of, 286 : Sixty

lent by Agamemnon, 305

Show, Lord Mayor s, 25 ; f acred Shows, 1 94

Shuian, a Lilly, 1 38 n ( P )

Sicily, 108, 239, 240, 242, 244, 249, 251 n

Sicilian Str eights, 237

SiDON, Merchants of, 221 : Latitude of, 257 :

it^s Diflance from Italy, 258: whence enriched,

2.66 : charaSierized, 2.6g : famed for Cloaths,

271 : for curious Work, ibid, for Science, 272

SiGEuM. 285

Silence, enjoined, $0 : infiitutedy 85

S1M01S5 ^^(?R/T;^r, 285

SiMONiDEs, 8 n (^).: improved Mufick. 93 nC)

Simplicity of Manners, 24: amiable^ ibid. 34: af-

fet^s Language^ 43, ^S- admits not a poliJJjed

Speech, 59 : Simplicity of Stile, 116, z']6, 278

D d SiNON.,

INDEX.

SiNoN, a Stihje^ of tragedy ^ 308

Sir, Cantilena. 252 n ( ')

Sirens, 237: zvho^ 250: their 'l'emple^,2.$2. n (™)
Slavery, where intenfe, ' 234, 323

Slaves, Market of^ 137 : where 'valued, 234 : Crowd
of Slaves, ' 323

Sleep, all-fiihduhigy 170

Smyrna, 2 : Homer'j I'emple there, ibid, n (^)

zealous for him, 4 : the Place of his Education,

81
Socrates, his Opinion of Poetry, 147 : unpoetical
himfelf, 148 : why, ibid, his Advice concerning
facred Allegories, 2^13, 214, 215

Socratick-School, 8n('), 74

Soil, where happy, 5 : ifs Effe5is, ibid. 6 n : Gre-
cian, 14 : natural Soil, 25 : rich, 83 : Egyptian,
138 : prophetic k Soil, 197

Solitude, Advantages of, 120, 121

SoLMissus, the Momit of the Curetcs, 198

Solomon, hnngs an Artiji fro?n Tyre, 271 : peace-
ful and learned, 2.*]2.
Solftices, marked upon a Meridian^ 274
Song 0/ Orpheus, 89, 149: of the old Poets, 77:

Songs of \^\s, 163. iS^Ti? Hymns.
Soothfayers, 127 : Sooth faying, 180, 196

Sophocles, perfefls tragedy, 74

Sophonisba, a tragedy, 33

Soporificks, Egyptian, 138 n(P)

Soul, Effufion of, 151: exalted, 157: immortal,
173, 210; ifs Condu^or, 206. ^'^'^IVIind.

Sounds, uncouth, Prefages of Weather, 246

Spain,

INDEX.

Spain, 229, 276: when planted, 222^ 227,: <vi'

fitedhyVlyiCes, 263: li'eji Coafi of, 266: Re-^

njiews a Book mufl pafs m it^ 62

Spaniards, 191,225: Spamfh Mines^ 266

Spartan Conjlitmion^ 587, 201

Spells, 40 : how hroken, 218 : potent, 334

Spirit, public k, 53 : generous and free ^ 61 : cntJJjed,

62: celefiialy 75 : afcendaut over it, 104: Spirit

of a Cvnick, 122 : of a high Order, 217: 'ivdn-

dering Spirit, 29 7

Stars, their Influence^ 75

State, /r^f, hoiv governed, 22, 36, 45: how en-

Jlaved, 63 : State-Defigns, 325 : Reafons of

State, 60

Statue, Grecian, 300 : Statues, Telchinian, of

Apollo and Juno, 193 : of Apollo in Delos, 92

n ( " ) o/Latona and Ortygia, 198

Statute-*Sb;;^j, 163, 202, 203

Stephen, King 0/ Poland, 232

Stile, politick^ 45: poetick, 47, 292 : prevailing,
$1 : iinnffeSied and artlefs, SS -polite, 58 : Ho-
rn cr'j Stile, 3? 118
SiWl'Life, 35 : nobly defcribed, ibid. ^

Stoicifm, it^s Parent, 312: high Stoicifm, when
revived, 323

Stoxi^i, why fo thick in Ylomzv, 119: traditional,
124: inconne^cd, 20$: warmly told, 289

S'itRA BO, his Account 0/ Horner'^ temple in
Smyrna, 2 n (•') : of his Pojlerity in Chios, ibid.
n (') of the Re?noves of the Grecian 'Jribes, 22,
n ( ") of the fir ft IFr iters in Profe, 38 : of the
firft Pyihia, 87 n (n ) : of the befi Greek Hwe,
1 10 : ofHovncrs Veracity, 1 24 n ( ^ ) : 6/ /^/j C/><^-
ra^er and Inclinations, 140: of the old Mytho-
D d 2 /o^.

INDEX.

h^y^ 142 n: o/Arifleus, n(') oftheCompoJU

tion of Oracles^ ^79 n: of the Situation c/ Delphi,

180 n ( p ) : of the Oracle itfelf^ 182 n ( p ) •' of

the Egyptian Priejis^ 194 n: of the Curetes,

Tclchines, <^//£i? Idsei Dadtyli, 195 n, 199: of

Divination^ 196 n : of the Lycian Oracle^ 199 :

of the Conjittutiou of Crete, 202 : of the Pheni-

cians, 222, 223, n, n : of the Liparean Iflands^

243, 245 n C *■ ) * of the Neapolitan Shore, 249 nt

of the Sirens, 252 n (0 : of Pofidonius'i man"

ner of IVriting, 266 n: 0/ Demetrius Scepfius,

284: of the Language of Troy, 2^^ : of ancient

Greece, 19511 C^); ()/ Homer'j Science^ 312

n C') : of the old Hifiorians, 324

Strabo, his own CharaSier^ 38, 140: accurate,

196 : his Country^ 293 ; learned m Hifiory^ 324

Strada, Famian, 333

Stroke, of Imagination^ 184: of Chara6ier^ 301

Stroking Life, 120, 124: StrotingBard, 5, 79, 103,

104., 113 : StroUng God, 299

Strom B0LI5 a Burning- I/la^id, 241 n, 245 *

Stvlus, ^r^^^ii ^;' Pherecydes, 275

Styx, the infernal Kivtrj 260, 261

Subjeds,/o)* Poetry, 26, 27, 28, 35, 39 : HomerV

Subjea, Sed. XII.

SuV>lirne, Judge of, 39 : Supplement of, 69

Sul ..eifion 0/ U'U and Literature^ 76: of learned

Priefis, 185

SuiDAs, 885 9in(g)5 94n(')j 26 n : calunt'

niates Homer, 321

Sun, reprefented, 167, 200, 206 : rifes and fets in
the Ocean. 2.2.Z, Z2.g: his Daughter, 238 252:
his Out-goings, 238, 258 : where never feen,
262 •• hts Cave, 274, 275 ; his Returns or ^ro-
picksy 273, 276

Superflition,

INDEX.

Superftition, the Companion of Fear ^ 43 ; injiitutedy

85: hiiilt iipon^ 160: falfely imputed^ 16711:

Mother-land of\ 191 : preuaknt^ 213 ; Grecian

Superfiitiony 321

SuRRENTUM, a Station of the Sirens, 251

SYAGRUS9 firft fimg the Trojrin IVar^ 9 1

Sybil, Erythrean, 8 n: Sybils prophetick^ 155,

157 : wild and ohfcure, 186

Symplegades, floating Rocks, 241

Syria, 20, 228 n ('). See Aramean.

Syria, an J/land, 273

Syro« (the fa?ne) the Comitry of Phcrecydes, 7

n (^), 273 : fertile, 274 : a Heliotrope lo?ig

jpreferved in it. 275

rpACITUS, 3, 55n

JL Talos, 188 ; the Brazen^ 189

Tamenefs, m a young Lady^ 329

Tanaquiz,. 291

Tarentum, Gulf of, 237

Tartary, Cham of, 232 : Tartar-Life, ibid.

Tasso, Torquato, his Chara^ler^ 69 : his Defer ip-
tion of a Lady ixjseping and petitioning, 134 n :
of a Coy Beauty, 155 n : his Apology for Fable,

250 n :
Technical ^rwzj, chain up the Fancy, 125

Telchines, 190-^0-200, 218, 252

Telemachus, his Ad'ventures^ nnjiijily criticized,
59 : entertained himfelf by Helen, 132

Temple, iS/V William, 71

Temple, Homer*j, 2 n : temples and Altars, 176,

193
D d 3 Tereph

INDEX.

Tereph, it'' s donhle Meanings 40 n

Tereus, f'!?^ /wZ?/;?;;^^;; Thracian, 394,

Terpander, <^ " (")} 93 n C"), 202

Terra dos Papos, 225

Teucer, fettles in Cyprus, 264

Thales, the Lazvginjcr^ 85 n, 201

Thales, tbe Pbilofopher^ 7n(03 85, i66nC'^)

Thamyri5, the Mujes Louver ^ 93 "3 95 - reigned
on Aloiiut Athos, 295 n ( " )

Theatrical iVriting^ 68

Thebes, /« Egypt, 135, 138, 228

. Thebes, in Greece, ivhy zvalled^ 23 n : Sacking

0/, 177, I78." ly whom founded^ 223 n, 225

^bsodicee, Ejfais de, 220, 322 n

Theogony, what, 96. See Gods, Creation.

Theology, ancient^ 48 ; why monjiroiis^ 50 : Gre-
cian, whence^ 49, 84, 168, 193 n, 203 : reduced
to a Body ^ 97: Eg}ptian, iis Foundation^ 86,
167 : Phcnician, ^ 272

Thessaly defer ihedj 3 2 : P/<;?/k j c/, 305

Thetis, iWior^^r q/" Achilles, 207,

Thinking, confined^ 113 : evited, izi

Thok, a Prince of Egypt, 132, 133

Thoth, the In'venter of Arts in Egypt, 163

Thrace, Mountains in it, 172,295: firji known
to the Greeks, 175, 231 n: fends Colonies to
Afin, 293 ; Thracian Language, 44: rcferr.hks
the Trojan, 293 : and the Grecian, ibid.

ThracianSj Horfemcr.^ 231 n: fettle in Troy, 29 S

Tkvcydide?,

INDEX.

Thucydides, accurate^ 14 : lays out the Periods
of the Grecian Ilijiory^ ibid, defcrtbes their an-
cient barbarous States 15 n, 139 : and it's Con-
tinuance^ 16 n : witnejfed the Confnfions of
Greece, 65 n ( "^ ) his Authority 'valuable^ 109
Thymoetes, the iVeftern Traveller^ 93

Thymbrus, an Oracle of ApaUoy 197

Tiberius, [poke fluently on fome occafions^ $$ n
T1BULLUS5 defer ibes a Fit of Prophecy^ 154 n ( '■' )
Tierra de Fuego, 225

TiMi^ius Locrus, 210

Time and Space, the cldcfi of things ^ 149, 190
Times, rclativ?^ 314

TiREsiAs, the blind Prophet^ 177, 197, 260

Titans, their Ifars, 78, 91, 95

Titles of Honour, 'c^'/j'.'7f, 25,26

Tongues, See Language.

Torments, foreign, 212

Towns, when '■jj ailed ^ 19 : taken and plundered^ 23,
309; Town-Life, 115

Toys, where made^ 271

Trade, Inuenters of, 221, 222 ; taught theGr^tVs^
19, 20, 1 39 : Itttlc known, 133 : ancient Slave-
Trade, 137; Phenician, 236 : I'radingVoya-'e,

226

Traditions, y^cmi, 51, 90, 163, 173, 211 : how

conveyed^ 100, 174 •' Egypcidn, 203: Troj.ari,

20S, 288, 2S9, '320

Tragedy, Rife of the Name, 39 ; Iii-venters of, 147:

perfeiied by whom, 74 : originally in Homer, 311

Tranfmigration of Souls, firft taught^ 273

Tranfplantation, /// Animals^ 10 : mends the Breed^

ibid.
D d 4 Travellers,

INDEX.

Travellers, 84, 86, 93, loi, 136, 174, 230

Travelling, nccejfary, "ji^ 114, 124, 130, 140

T^YCSiCiire of Knowledge, I ^"j : 0/ Achilles, 306

Treres, a lijandering Thvac'irxn 1'ribe^ 295

Tripod, /^^rf.^, 179 : Golden^ 182

Tripoli? hy ^johom founded^ 223 n

Trissino, Giovanni Giorgio, 32, 33

Trojan IVar^ ifs Confequeuces in Greece, 21 :

iibroad^ 22 n, 2.6\ : by whom fiiiig^ 91, 130, 321 :

ifs Periods^ 281, 306 : Hinge of tt^ 307 • '^'-^

imrtous Epilbdes, 308 : produced^all Virtues and

^^(^^s, 315", 334

Trojan-Horfe, a Peer/?, 3^ 8 : Trojan Coafl^pcjfeffed

hy Pelafgi, 296 : naturalized to the Greeks,

298 : Trojan Language^ 293, 298 : Nantes ^

2.^1, 2.^'i,2.<)$ : Genealogies^ 298

Trojan-Allies. See Auxiliaries.

Trojans, routed^ 28 : made the conquering Party^

2c8; keep Sera-/lios^ ibid. Ccitalogue ef^ 286:

Jed by Hector, 288 n: Remains of-, 289 : effe-

minate, 301 : keep Vjithm their Walls y 306 :

take the Fiekl^ 307

Tropicks, of the Sun^ 238, 273, 274

Trovadores, or Troubadours c/ Provence, 112

Troy, a Place of Kelicks^ 144 : Plains of^ 283 :
Extent of if s DomiiiioUy 287: commanded nine
Pronjincesj 288 n : it's Territory, zz'hoUy occupied
by Greeks, ibid, planted by Pelafgi, 296: ra-
<vaged, 306. See Trojan War.

r§ccK,m, ifs Meaning, 270, ibid, n

Trunipets, how fupplied in War, 317

Truth, Conceptions of, 5 : Truth in Manners, 29,

54, 68 : in Defign, 34 : in Langnage, S5 • ^^^

Waiting, 68 : in Poetry, n8 ; facrsd, 144: re-

realed

I N D E X.

sealed hy the Mtifes^ i\S'. ?iot perceived, 149:
Flajhes of^ 152: oracular^ 182 ; powerful^ 209 :
7iot to be cUfgmfed^ ibid, leads to Happmefs^ 211:
legal 'Truth ^ 215 : predifhve^ 248 n : never [up-
plted^ 285, 290, 305 : irrefijltble^ 286 : alone
forms Characters J 304, 333 : followed by Ho-
mer, 316,334
Tunis, hy whom founded^ 223 11
Turn, fcholajlick^ 125 : poetical^ 40 n C;, 72
Turns of the year, marked upon Tablets^ 105 n :
upon a Meridian Line^ 275
Tynnichus, the Chalcidean, 12S
TYPHON,/^r_y, 215
TzET?E55 Jpan; the Commentator of Hefiod, 8

LY S S E S, feigns a I'ale^ 1 7 : his Character ^
28, 133, 207, ^o^fi /pares a Bard^ 126:
/:'/j Wanderings^ 130, 308 : /^/^;;i ^^^/w, 136 :
hated by Neptune, 208 : fees many IVonders, 236 :
Boundary of his Navi^^ation^ 238: vifits 'EcAws
244: receives the Winds tn a Bag^ 250 ; y27/7j to
HeU, 259 : coiifults the Shades, ^260 ; /i driven
to Spain, 263 : turns Pirate^ 264: 77/^^/'^ Achii-
les'i Shade ^ 306: his no^urnal Expedition^ 309:
his Pi5iure^ 319: his Squire^ 320; /^/j G7jo/
pa^ions with Homer, 321

Underftnnding, refufed to Poets^ 127: ^^/ifr //Y//^
Plcafure^ 148, 149 : ///.-^ ^.y/7/j Reflexion^ 302.
i5(?<? Mind.

Union 0/ Courtier and Scholar, 4 : qf Lawg-iver
and Poet, 77, 84 : Union ofCaufes in Homer'.?
/ror^j, 334

Units-

INDEX.

Unity, the Principle of Mufaus, 91 n ( ' )

Univerfal Nature, perfonated^ 206

Univerfe, SyJiemofit^gS: Parts of it, 11^: Citi-
Zen of it^ 115: Powers of it, loi, 142, 161,
206, 207: it's Model, 212: it's Myjieries in
Homer, 311. ^^'^'^ Nature.

Urganda, the wife, 10

UsTicA, one of the Liparean IJlands, 243

Utica, hy whom founded, 223 n

VAriety of Stile, 61 : of Genius, 95: ofCha-
raifer in a Nation, 60 : /';/ a Poem, 231,3 04,
305: Variety of Accidents, 318: pie a f ant, 218

Vein, exercifed, 114: fet a running, 120 : trufied
to, 126: mad Vein, 161. &^ Mythology.

Velleius Paterculus, 73, 74, 76

X EHicE, Hiftory of^i : Conftitution of, 187

Ventidius, raifed by his Stars, 75 n (

\es\js, her Voice,^6: an Enemy to Health, no

n ( ' } • what floe reprefents, 206 : tinfortiinate

in her Pupil, 208 : her Wrath, how floewn, 331

Veracity, Horner'^, 233 : in Places, 283,285: in

Perfons, 290 : in Char aiders, 303 : in Fa6ls and

Hijhry, 324

Verfe, 32, 39,40, 61, 72, 87, 104, 116, 120, 126,

179, 290

Verulam, Xor<;?3 217,248 n

Vesuvio, 242

ViBiu$ Caudex, a Roman Name, 291

Vice, Kejiraint from, 213: difplayd, 301, 315 n

Views.

INDEX.

Views of Nature^ 5, 121 ; of human Affairs^ 13 :
of human Necefjities^ 2.1: of Chara^ers^ 326

Violence, when prevalent, 23, 53 n ( " )

VIRGIL Copies HomcVy 44, 47: and Enniiis,

S6, 59 : ivitneffcd the Fall of Rome, 6$ : an
Aftro.oger^ 75 nC"): his Opinion 0/ Mufaeus,
72 n, 90 : defer ibes a mad Prophetefs^ 152. * : the
firji Alen^ 19211: unfortunate in his Mythology,
208: of admirable Judgment, ibid, tender and
paffionate, 216: defer ibes the Temple of Ceres,
283 n : deterred from writing Res Romanas,
291: indebted to the Little-Iliad, 308 n: hound
tip by his Model, 327 : Difference between him
and Homer, 325

Virtue, Men of, 8 : necejfary in Poetry, 57 : real
Virtue-, 59 : Virtue's Self, 58 ; when brighefi,
64: leads to Happinefs, 211: where difplayed,
301, 315 : when persecuted, 323 : Publick,
how learned, 327 : Shew of Virtue, ibid, extolled
and rewarded in Homer 'j iVrittngs, 334

Virtues publick, when real, 5 3 : how befi learned,
54: unnatural Virtues, 322

W(ior\s, fub ft it uted for what, 69, 322, 323

Vocal Goddels, 253 n ( ° )

Voice of Love, an ancient Poem, 96 : PythiaV
Voice, 178: Power of Voice, 217; enfiiarinf^,

25 I 5 253

VOLCANOS, 242, 245, 2463 249

Vortex, dangerous, 235

Votaries, rZ'^ pureft, 138 ; /)ro7;e /o belie've, 186
Vowels, Return of, 290

Voyages, /cwg^, 72 : /o Egypt, 86, 88, 130, 226 :
to Grand-Cairo, 135: to Italy, 175: round
Peloponnefus, 204 : to the Streights, 227 ; Tra-
ding

INDEX.

ding Voyages, 226 : annual^ 258 : round the

Mediterranean, 263,276

Vulcan, /j'ij 2^;?//'/^ /M Memphis, 130: his Em"

'ployment in Homer, 207 : his Work defcribedy

315"
VuLCANo, ct Burning-I/Iand, 241 n, 245

Vulgar, 83, 1465 153, 1 94, 209. See Commonalty,

Multitude.

'Aggons, ufed for Honfesy 232, 233 n,!!
Waller, Mu his Opinion 0/ Achilles, 34

Wanderings o/Uly (Tes, 130,308

War, con ft ant y where ^ 21 : C/t/7, ifs Effe^s, 2-7.,

6$^ 66, 282 : Holv War, 183 : War reprefentidy

206: taught hy ^iomer, 311: War 0/ Troy,

See Trojan.
Wars with Men, [ung hy Homer, 3 1 5 n : with

Gods and GoddeJJes^ ibid, with Walls and Horfes^

ibid.

Way of the World, ^ Co?;^^dy, 33

Wealth admired^ 25 : difguifes Nature, ibid, ruins
Poetry, s^: brought into Greece. 19, 20, 139:
Life of, 112 ; reconciled with Order, 140 : flows
to temples, 179, 1S2 : Wealth of Tyre and Si-
don, whence, 266 : of Theflaly, 305

Weftern Ira'veller, 93 : Countries, unknown to

Homer, 277: Lajiguage and Manners, 293

Wiles, in 'trade, 270 : in War, 326

Winds, their Governor-, 244 ; fredi^ed : 264, 248 :

change the Appearances 0/ Volcanos, 294 : fowed

:fp in a Bag, 250 : Etefian Winds^ 165

Wine,

INDEX.

Wine, heart'Chearingy ii6: the hejl in Greece^
no: Loije and IVine, ibid. 328

Wirdom, feparated^ 84 : pojfejfed hy a Lady, 130:
inferior to Folly, I53 ' Mafier inWifdom, 176:
Depth of it, 188 ; taught by what, 203 : repre--
fented, 206, 207. IVifdom of the Ancients^ 21^^.
See Learning, Knowledge.

Wit, Sheer, 55 : Sticceffion o/Wit, 76

Wives, bought and fold, 54n(«): eafily par^
doned, 331; ?^7i£/f r one, her Chara6ier^ ibid.
Woe, Scenes of it, inexprefjlble, 309

W0KRDEN5 a ^own in Holland, 292

Woers, Penelope'j, all defiroyed, in, 126, 136,

Woman, 170: fine Woman, in Diflrefs, i^^ n:
dragged away from her Family y 330

Women, beautiful, 230 : lewd, 250 : where with"
out Paffions, 329 : forget Injuries, 330 : apt to
complain, 331 : irreflfiible in Grief, 332, 333 :
IVomcn of ^ality, 115, 330. See Ladies.

Wonders, how to be told, 118, 119, 746: how
framed, 124, 236, 277: Out othe IVorld IVon-
ders, 2$6 : Light for a IVonder, 277. *5(f^ Mi-
racles.

Wonder ( the Faffion ) to whom it helongSi 42 :
how raifed, 149 : ?iatural WoJider, 278

World, Soul of, 211 n: Syflejn of, 210. ^^^^ Na-
ture, Univerfe.

Worfhip, Grecian, Form of , 173 : Baboon-Wor-
fhip, 167 ; Egyptian, ibid.n. See Rites.

Wrath 0/ Achilles, 307 : 0/ Venus, 331

Wreflling at the Pythian Games, 193

Writers, original, why they excel-, 29 : ancient^

why efleemed^ 55 ; of one Age., why fimilary 7 3

Writing,

I N D E X. /^/^V^'

Writing, on what it depends^ 68 : euery kind of it

/■« Homer, 310, 6*^^ Charader.
Wry-Feature, betrays a Cbara^er, 305

WuRTs, frightful to a French Poety 292

XANTHUS, Banks of 196

Xenophanes, Homer'j Enemy^ 91, ibid.

n(0

Xenophon, 7 n C ^ ) * his Chara^er^ 30 : his

Explication of the Fable o/Marfyas, 94 n ( *^)

YEAR, Days of marked on the Altar of Fas ^
105 : Tjirns of -275

Yeuda.t Rabbiy 220 n(0

ZE L E I A, an Oracle 0/ Apollo, 197

Zeno, zvrites in Defence 0/ Homer, 312

TjEthv s a?id Amphion, w^// Thebes, 23 n

Zodiac, Sign of 165

ZoNAH, Caupona, it*s equivocal Meaning, 41 n

FINIS.

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