pearance, one should never prefs the enemy too closely; for this would discover the weakness which we ought to conceal from them.

The episode of Patroclus most admirably furnishes us with these two inftructions. For when he appeared in the arms of Achilles, the Trojans, who took him for that prince now reconciled and united to the confederates, immediately gave ground, and quitted the advantages they had before over the Greeks. But Patroclus, who should have been contented with this fuccefs, preffes upon Hector too boldly, and, by obliging him to fight, foon discovers that it was not the true Achilles who was clad in his amour, but a hero of much inferior prowess. So that Hector kills him, and regains those advantages which the Trojans had loft, on the opinion that Achilles was reconciled.

THE

THE FABLE OF THE ODYSSEY.

“HE Odyssey was not defigned, like the Iliad, for the inftruction of all the states of Greece joined in one body, but for each state in particular. As a state is compofed of two parts; the head which commands, and the members which obey; there are inftructions requifite to both, to teach the one to govern, and the others to fubmit to government.

There are two virtues neceffary to one in authority; prudence to order, and care to see his orders put in exe

cution.

tution. The prudence of a politician is not acquired but by a long experience in all forts of business, and by an acquaintance with all the different forms of governments and states. The care of the administration fuffers not him that has the government to rely upon others, but requires his own presence and kings, who are abfent from their states, are in danger of lofing them, and give occasion to great disorders and confusion.

These two points may be eafily united in one and the fame man. "A king forfakes his kingdom to visit the "courts of several princes, where he learns the man

ners and customs of different nations. From hence "there naturally arifes a vast number of incidents, of "dangers, and of adventures, very useful for a political "inftitution. On the other fide, this abfence gives "way to the diforders which happen in his own "kingdom, and which end not till his return, whose "prefence only can re-establish all things." Thus the absence of a king has the fame effects in this fable, as the divifion of the princes had in the former.

The subjects have scarce any need but of one general maxim, which is, to fuffer themselves to be governed, and to obey faithfully; whatever reason they may imagine against the orders they receive. It is easy to join this inftruction with the other, by beftowing on this wife and induftrious prince fuch fubjects, as in his abfence would rather follow their own judgment than his commands; and by demonftrating the misfortunes which this difobedience draws upon them, the evil confequences which almost infallibly atttend these particular

particular notions, which are entirely different from the general idea of him who ought to govern.

But as it was neceffary that the princes in the Iliad fhould be choleric and quarrelfome, fo it is necessary. in the fable of the Odyssey that the chief person should be fage and prudent. This raises a difficulty in the fiction; because this perfon ought to be abfent for the two reafons above mentioned, which are effential to the fable, and which constitute the principal aim of it: but he cannot abfent himself, without offending against another maxim of equal importance, viz. That a king should upon no accounts leave his country.

It is true, there are sometimes fuch neceffities as fufficiently excufe the prudence of a politician in this point.. But fuch a neceffity is a thing important enough of itfelf to fupply matter for another poem, and this multiplication of the action would be vicious. To prevent which, in the first place, this ncceffity, and the departure of the hero, must be disjoined from the poem; and in the fecond place, the hero having been obliged to absent himself, for a reafon antecedent to the action, and placed diftinct from the fable, he ought not fo far to embrace this opportunity of instructing himself, as to abfent himself voluntarily from his own government. For at this rate, his abfence would be merely voluntary, and one might with reafon lay to his charge all the disorders which might arise.

Thus in the conftitution of the fable he ought not to take for his action, and for the foundation of his poem, the departure of a prince from his own country

nor

nor his voluntary stay in any other place; but his return, and this return retarded against his will. This is the first idea Homer gives us of it *. His hero appears at first in a defolate island, fitting upon the fide of the fea, which, with tears in his eyes, he looks upon as the obstacle which had so long oppofed his return, and detained him from revifiting his own dear country.

And lastly, fince this forced delay might more naturally and ufually happen to fuch as make voyages by fea; Homer has judiciously made choice of a prince, whofe kingdom was in an island.

Let us fee then how he has feigned all this action, making his hero a perfon in years, because years are requifite to inftruct a man in prudence and policy.

"A prince had been obliged to forfake his native country, and to head an army of his subjects in a "foreign expedition. Having gloriously performed "this enterprize, he was marching home again, and "conducting his subjects to his own ftate. But spite "of all the attempts, with which the eagerneís to re"turn had infpired him, he was ftopt by the way by "tempefts for feveral years, and caft upon feveral "countries, differing from each other in manners and "government. In thefe dangers, his companions, "not always following his orders, perifhed through "their own fault. The grandees of his country "ftrangely abuse his abfence, and raise no fmall dif"orders at home. They confume his eftate, conspire

* Odyffey V.

" to

"to destroy his fon, would constrain his queen to ac "cept of one of them for her husband; and indulge

themselves in all violence, fo much the more, be"cause they were perfuaded he would never return. "But at last he returns, and discovering himself only "to his fon and fome others, who had continued firm "to him, he is an eye-witnefs of the infolence of his "enemies, punishes them according to their deferts, "and reftores to his ifland that tranquillity and re"pose to which they had been strangers during his "abfence."

As the truth, which ferves for foundation to this fiction, is, that the absence of a perfon from his own home, or his neglect of his own affairs, is the cause of great diforders: fo the principal point of the action, and the most effential one, is the abfence of the hero. This fills almost all the poem: for not only this real absence lafted feveral years, but even when the hero returned, he does not discover himself; and this prudent difguife, from whence he reaped fo much advantage, has the fame effect upon the authors of the diforders, and all others who knew him not, as his real abfence had before, fo that he is abfent as to them, till the very moment of their punishment.

After the poet had thus compofed his fable, and joined the fiction to the truth, he then makes choice of Ulyffes, the king of the isle of Ithaca, to maintain the character of his chief perfonage, and bestowed the reft upon Telemachus, Penelope, Antinous, and others, whom he calls by what names he pleases.

I fhall