Homer, which would appear, perhaps, to a modern eye tow naked and unornamented, are painted by Pope in all the beautiful drapery of the most graceful metaphor. With what propriety of figure, for inftance, has he raised the following comparison : Eurogtos ngpooner &c. B. III. p. 26. of the Greek Vol. Thus from the flaggy wings &c. See page 34. of this Vol. When Mars, being wounded by Diomed, flies back to heaven, Homer compares him in his paffage to a dark cloud raised by summer heats, and driven by the wind. de ["{Μin d' ex viQear igeorrin Qœuriley ang, * Καύματα εξ ανέμοιο δύσοδος ορνυμένοιο. II. V. 864.3 ***K The inimitable tranflator improves this image, by throwing in some circumftances, which, though not in the original, are exactly in the fpirit of Homer: As vapors, blown by Aufter's fultry breath, Pregnant with plagues, and bedding feeds of death, Choak the parch'd earth, and blacken all the skies; There is a description in the eighth book, which Euftathius, it seems, efteemed the most beautiful night-piece that could be found in poetry. If I am not greatly mistaken, however, I can produce a finer: and I am perfuaded even the warmeft admirer of Homer will allow, the following lines are inferior to the correfponding ones in the translation. Lis d'or' ev xgary &c. fee page 73 of the Gr. Vol. 2 As when the morn, &c. See page 98. of this Vol. I fear I fear the enthufiaftic admirers of Homer would look upon me with much indignation, were they to hear me speak of any thing in modern language as equal to the strength and majesty of that great father of poetry. But the following paffage having been quoted by a celebrated author of antiquity, as an inftance of the true fublime, I will leave it to you to determine whether the tranflation has not at leaft as juft a claim to that character as the original. 2016 as dos xampp &c, fee p. 44 of the Gr. Vol. As torrents roll, &c. See page 55 of this Vol. vi There is no antient author more likely to betray an injudicious interpreter into meaneffes, than Homer; as it requires the utmost skill and addrefs to preferve that venerable air of fimplicity which is one of the characteristical marks of that poet, without finking the expreffion or the fentiment into contempt. Antiquity will furnifh a very ftrong inftance of the truth of this obfervation, in a single line which is preserved to us from a tranflation of the Iliad by one Labeo, a favorite poet, it seems of Nero; it is quoted by an old fcholiaft upon Perfius, and happens to be a verfion of the following paffage in the fourth book: Ωμου βεβρωθους Πριαμος Πριαμοιο τε παίδας. which Nero's admirable poet rendered literally thus: Crudum manduces Priamum Priamique pifinnos. I need not indeed have gone fo far back for my inftance: a Labeo of our own nation would have fupplied me with one much nearer at hand. Ogilby or Hobbs (I forgot which) has tranflated this very verfe in the fame ridiculous manner And eat up Priam and his children all. But But among many other paffages of this fort I obferved one in the fame books which raised my curiofity to examine in what manner Mr. Pope had conducted it. Juno, in a ge neral council of the gods, thus accosts Jupiter : Πως θελεις άλιον θείναι πονον ήδ' ατελέςον Ίδρων', ὃν ίδρωτα μονῳ, καμετην δε μοι ἱππει Λαου αγείριση, Πριαμῳ κακά, τοιο τέ παισιν. which is as much as if the had faid in plain English, "Why furely, Jupiter, you won't be fo cruel as to render ineffectual all my expence of labor and fweat. Have I not tired both my horses, in order to raise forces to ruin Priam and his family?" It requires the moft delicate touchés imagine able, to raise fuch a fentiment as this into any tolerable de gree of dignity. But a skilful artist knows how to embellifa the most ordinary subject; and what would be low and spirit, lefs from a lefs masterly pencil, becomes pleasing and grateful when worked up by Mr. Pope's: Shall then, O tyrant of th' etherial plain, My fchemes, my labors, and my hopes be vain? To spread the war I flew from shore to shore, But to fhew you that I am not fo enthufiaftic an admirer of this glorious performance, as to be blind to its imperfect tions; I will venture to point out a paffage (amongst others which might be mentioned) wherein Mr. Pope's usual judgement seems to have failed him. When When Iris is fent to inform Helen that Paris and Mene laus were going to decide, the fate of both nations by single combat, and were actually upon the point of engaging; Homer describes her as hastily throwing a veil over her face, and fying to the Scaan gate, from whence the might have a full view of the field of battle: Auting of aggerryor &c. fee p. 29 of the Gr. Vol. ---Nothing could poffibly be more interesting to Helen, than the circumstances in which the is here reprefented: it was neceflary therefore to exhibit her, as Homer we fee has, with much eagerness and impetuofity in her motion. But what can be more calm and quiet than the attitude wherein the Helen of Mr. Pope appears? O'er her fair face a nowy veil fhe threw, Her filent footsteps to the Scaan gate. wait Thofe expreffions of speed and impetuofity which occur fo often in the original lines, viz. αντικα - ώρματο αιμα καινον, would have been fufficient, one would have imagined, to have guarded a tranflator from falling into an impropriety of this kind. This brings to my mind another inftance of the fame nature, where our English poet, by not attending to the particular expreffion of his author, has given us a picture of a very different kind than what Homer intended. In the first Iliad the reader is introduced into a council of the Grecian chiefs, where very warm debates arise between Agamemnon and Achilles. As nothing was likely to prove more fatal to the the Grecians than a Diffenfion between those two princes, the venerable old Neftor is reprefented as greatly alarmed at the confequences of this quarrel, and rifing up to moderate between them with a vivacity much beyond his years. This circumftance Homer has happily intimated in a fingle word : 1 Jan 963 Tour de Nesup Upon which one of the commentators very justly observes ut in re magna et periculofa, non placide assurgentem facit, fed prorumpentem fenem quoque. A circumftance which Horace seems to have had particularly in his view in the epistle to Lollius, I. 2. Neftor componere lites Inter Peleiden feftinat et inter Atriden. This beauty Mr. Pope has utterly overlooked, and substituted an idea different from that which the verb avog very fuggefts: he renders it, 3. SLOW from his feat arofe the Pylian fage. But a more unfortunate word could fcarcely have been joined with arofe, as it deftroys the whole spirit of the piece, and is juft the reverfe of what both the occafion and the original required. I doubt, Euphronius, you are growing weary: will you have patience, however, whilft I mention one obfervation more? and I will interrupt you no longer. When Menelaus and Paris enter the lifts, Pope fays, Amidst the dreadful vale the chiefs advance, All pale with rage, and shake the threat'ning lance, In the original it is, |