"earth before it." It is however remarkable that his fancy, which is every where vigorous, is not discovered immediately at the beginning of his poem in its fulleft fplendor: it grows in the progress both upon himself and others, and becomes on fire, like a chariot-wheel, by it own rapidity. Exact difpofition, just thought, correct elocution, polished numbers, may have been found in a thousand; but this poetical fire, this "vivida vis animi,” in a very few. Even in works where all thofe are imperfect or neglected, this can overpower criticism, and make us admire even while we difapprove. Nay, where this appears, though attended with abfurdities, it brightens all the rubbish about it, till we fee nothing but its own fplendor. This fire is difcerned in Virgil, but difcerned as through a glass, reflected from Homer, more fhining than fierce, but every where equal and conftant: in Lucan and Statius, it bursts out in fudden, short, and interrupted flashes: in Milton it glows like a furnace kept up to an uncommon ardor by the force of art in Shakespeare, it ftrikes before we are aware, like an accidental fire from heaven: but in Homer, and in him only, it burns every where clearly, and every where irrefiftibly.

:

I fhall here endeavour to fhew, how this vaft Invention exerts itself in a manner fuperior to that of any poet, through all the main conftituent parts of his work, as it is the great and peculiar characteristic which diftinguishes him from all other authors.

This ftrong and ruling faculty was like a powerful ftar, which, in the violence of its courfe, drew all things

within its vortex. It feemed not enough to have taken in the whole circle of arts, and the whole compafs of nature, to fupply his maxims and reflections; all the inward paffions and affections of mankind, to furnish his characters; and all the outward forms and images of things, for his defcriptions; but, wanting yet an ampler fphere to expatiate in, he opened a new and boundless walk for his imagination, and created a world for himfelf in the invention of Fable. That which Ariftotle calls the "Soul of poetry," was first breathed into it by Homer. I fhall begin with confidering him in this part, as it is naturally the firft; and I fpeak of it both as it means the defign of a poem, and as it is taken for fiction.

Fable may be divided into the Probable, the Allegorical, and the Marvellous. The Probable Fable is the recital of fuch actions as though they did not happen, yet might, in the common courfe of nature: or of fuch as, though they did, become fables by the additional epifodes and manner of telling them. Of this fort is the main story of an Epic poem, the return of Ulyffes, the fettlement of the Trojans in Italy, or the like. That of the Iliad is the anger of Achilles, the most fhort and fingle fubject that ever was chofen by any Poet. Yet this he has fupplied with a vafter variety of incidents and events, and crowded with a greater num ber of councils, fpeeches, battles, and epifodes of all kinds, than are to be found even in thofe poems whofe fchemes are of the utmost latitude and irregularity. The

on is hurried on with the most vehement spirit, and

its whole duration employs not fo much as fifty days. Virgil, for want of fo warm a genius, aided himself by taking in a more extensive subject, as well as a greater length of time, and contracting the design of both Homer's poems into one, which is yet but a fourth part as large as his. The other Epic poets have ufed the fame practice, but generally carried it fo far as to fuperinduce a multiplicity of fables, destroy the unity of action, and lose their readers in an unreasonable length of time. Nor is it only in the main defign that they have been unable to add to his invention, but they have followed him in every episode and part of ftory. If he has given a regular Catalogue of an Army, they all draw up their forces in the fame order. If he has funeral games for Patroclus, Virgil has the fame for Anchifes; and Statius (rather than omit them) deftroys the unity of his action for those of Archemoras. If Ulysfes vifits the fhades, the Eneas of Virgil, and Scipio of Silius, are fent after him. If he be detained from his return by the allurements of Calypfo, fo is Æneas by Dido, and Rinaldo by Armida. If Achilles be abfent from the army on the fcore of a quarrel through half the poem, Rinaldo must absent himself just as long on the like account. If he gives his hero a fuit of celeftial armour, Virgil and Taffo make the fame prefent to theirs. Virgil has not only observed this clofe imitation of Homer, but, where he had not led the way, fupplied the want from other Greek authors. Thus the ftory of Sinon and the taking of Troy was copied (fays Macrobius) almost word for word from Pifander, as the

loves of Dido and Æneas are taken from thofe of Medea and Jafon in Apollonius, and feveral others in the fame manner.

To proceed to the Allegorical Fable: if we reflect upon thofe innumerable knowledges, thofe fecrets of nature and phyfical philofophy, which Homer is generally fuppofed to have wrapped up in his Allegories, what a new and ample scene of wonder may this confi. deration afford us! how fertile will that imagination appear, which was able to clothe all the properties of elements, the qualifications of the mind, the virtues and vices, in forms and perfons; and to introduce them into actions agreeable to the nature of the things they fhadowed! This is a field in which no fucceeding poets could difpute with Homer; and whatever commendations have been allowed them on this head, are by no means for their invention in having enlarged his circle, but for their judgment in having contracted it. For when the mode of learning changed in following ages, and fcience was delivered in a plainer manner; it then became as reasonable in the more modern poets to lay it afide, as it was in Homer to make ufe of it. And perhaps it was no unhappy circumftance for Virgil, that there was not in his time that demand upon him of so great an invention, as might be capable of furnishing all thofe allegorical parts of a poem.

The Marvellous Fable includes whatever is fupernatural, and efpecially the machines of the Gods. He feems the first who brought them into a fyftem of ma

ry for poetry, and fuch a one as makes its greatest

importance and dignity. For we find thofe authors who have been offended at the literal notion of the Gods, conftantly laying their accufation against Homer as the chief fupport of it. But whatever cause there might be to blame his machines in a philofophical or religious view, they are fo perfect in the poetic, that mankind have been ever fince contented to follow them : none have been able to enlarge the fphere of poetry beyond the limits he has fet: every attempt of this nature has proved unfuccefsful; and after all the various changes of times and religions, his Gods con tinue to this day the Gods of poetry.

We come now to the characters of his perfons; and here we shall find no author has ever drawn fo many, with fo vifible and furprizing a variety, or given us fuch lively and affecting impreffions of them. Every one has fomething fo fingularly his own, that no painter could have diftinguished them more by their features, than the poet has by their manners. Nothing can be more exact than the diftinctions he has obferved in the different degrees of virtues and vices. The fingle quality of courage is wonderfully diversified in the feveral characters of the Iliad. That of Achilles is furious and intractable; that of Diomede forward, yet liftening to advice, and subject to command; that of Ajax is heavy, and felf-confiding; of Hector, active and vigilant; the courage of Agamemnon is infpirited by love of empire and ambition; that of Menelaus mixed with foftnefs and tendernefs for his people: we find in Idomeneus a plain direct foldier, in Sarpedon