Mufæus, venerable names in antiquity, and eminently celebrated in fable for the wonderful power of their fongs and mufick. The learned Fabricius, in his Bibliotheca Græca, has reckoned about feventy who are faid to have written before Homer; but their works were not preferved, and that is a fort of proof they were not excellent *. What fort of Poets Homer faw in his own time, may be gathered from his description of † Demodocus and Phemius, whom he has introduced as opportunities to celebrate his profeffion. The imperfect rifings of the art lay then among the extempore fingers of stories at banquets, who were half fingers, half musicians. Nor was the name of poet then in being, or once used throughout Homer's works. From this poor ftate of poetry, he has taken a handle to usher it into the world with the boldeft ftroke of praise which has ever been given it. It is in the eighth Odyffey, where Ulyffes puts Demodocus upon a trial of fkill. Demodocus having diverted the guests with fome actions of the

* Thus at first : "but their works were not preferved, and can "only be confidered (if they were really excellent) as the happiness of "their own generation."-The candour of which statement pleases me better than the fubftitution.

+ Od. ift. and Od. 8th.

Editor.

Trojan war; *All this (fays Ulyffes) you have fung very elegantly, as if you had "either been present, or heard it reported; "but pass now to a fubject I fhall give you, fing the management of Ulyffes in the "wooden horse, just as it happened, and I "will acknowledge the Gods have taught you

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your fongs." This the finger being inspired from heaven begins immediately, and Ulyffes by weeping at the recital confeffes the truth of it. We fee here a narration which could only pass upon an age extreamly ignorant in the nature of Poetry, where that claim of inspiration is given to it which it has never fince laid down, and (which is more) a power of prophefying at pleasure ascribed to it. Thus much. therefore we gather from himself, concerning the most ancient ftate of Poetry in Greece; that no one was honoured with the name of Poet, before him whom it has especially belonged to ever after. And if we farther appeal to the consent of authors, we find he has other titles for being called the firft. + Jofephus obferves, That the Greeks have not contested, but he was the most ancient,

* Odyff. 7. viii, ver. 487, c. + Jofeph. contra Appion, 1. 1.

whose books they had in writing.

fays, He was the

* Aristotle

first who brought all the parts of a poem into one piece," to which he adds, " and with true judgment," to give him a praise including both the invention and perfection. Whatever was serious or magnificent made a part of his subject: war and peace were the comprehenfive divifion in which he confidered the world; and the plans of his poems were founded on the most active fcenes of each, the adventures of a fiege, and the accidents of a voyage. For thefe, his spirit was equally active and various, lofty in expreffion, clear in narration, natural in description, rapid in action, abundant in figures. If ever he appears less than himself, it is from the time he writ in; and if he runs into errors, it is from an excefs, rather than a defect of genius. Thus he rose over the poetical world, fhining out like a fun all at once; which if it

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*Arift. Poet. cap. 25.

+ This followed in the first edition :-" And Horace acquaints us, that he invented the very measure which is called Heroick from "the subjects on which he employed it :

"Res geftæ regumque, ducumque, et fortia bella,

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Quo fcribi poffint numero monftravit Homerus."

Which he properly fuppreffed, as too ftrong a conclufion for the

premises.

Editor.

fometimes make too faint an appearance, it is to be ascribed only to the unkindness of the season that clouds and obfcures it *, and if he is fometimes too violent, we confefs at the fame time that we owe all things to his heat.

Theology.

As for his Theology, we fee the Heathen system entirely followed. This was all he could then have to work upon, and where he fails of truth for want of revelation, he at least fhews his knowledge in his own religion by the traditions he delivers. But we are now upon a point to be farther handled, because the greatest controversy concerning the merit of Homer depends upon it. Let us confider then, that there was an age in Greece, when natural reafon only difcovered in general, that there must be fomething fuperior to us, and corrupt tradition had affixed the notion to a number of deities. At this time Homer rofe with the finest turn imaginable for poetry, who designing to instruct mankind in the manner for which he was most adapted †, made use

* It stood originally thus :" it is to be afcribed only to the "neceffity of the feafon, that keeps it at a diftance; and if-."

+ Thus in the first edition :-" adapted, writ poems wherein he "made ufe of the miniftry of the gods to give the highest air of Surprize and veneration to his writings. He found the religion of

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of the miniftry of the Gods to give the highest air of veneration to his writings. He found the Religion of mankind confifting of Fables and their Morality and Political Instruction delivered in Allegories. Nor was it his business when he undertook the province of a Poet, (not of a mere Philofopher) to be the first who should discard that which furnishes Poetry with its most beautiful appearance: and especially, fince the age he lived in, by discovering its taste, had not only given him authority, but even put him under the neceffity of preserving it. Whatever therefore he might think of his Gods, he took them as he found them: he brought them into action according to the notions which were then entertained, and in fuch ftories as were then believed; unlefs we imagine fo great an absurdity, as that he invented every thing he delivers. Yet there are several rays of truth streaming through all this darknefs, in those fentiments he entertains concerning the Providence of the Gods, delivered in feveral allegories lightly veiled over, from whence the learned afterwards pretended to

"mankind wrapt up in fables; it was thought then the easiest way to 64 convey morals to the people, who were allured to attention by pleasure, " and ared with the opinion of a hidden mystery. Nor was it—.”