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 fhould have been contented with this fuccefs, preffes upon Hector too boldly, and, by obliging him to fight, foon difcovers 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 thofe advantages which the Trojans had loft, on the opinion that Achilles was reconciled.

THE FABLE OF THE ODYSSEY.

THE Odyffey was not defigned, like the Iliad, for the instruction of all the states of Greece joined in one body, but for each state in particular. As a state is composed 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 fce his orders put in exe

cution.

eution. 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 adminiftration fuffers not him that has the government to rely upon others, but requires his own prefence and kings, who are abfent from their ftates, are in danger of lofing them, and give occafion to great diforders and confufion.

These two points may be eafily united in one and the fame man. "A king forfakes his kingdom to vifit the <<courts of feveral princes, where he learns the man66 ners and cuftoms of different nations. From hence "there naturally arises a vast number of incidents, of "dangers, and of adventures, very useful for a political "inftitution. On the other fide, this abfence gives

66

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 abfence 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 eafy 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 demonstrating the misfortunes which this difobedience draws upon them, the evil confequences which almoft infallibly atttend thefe particular

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

But as it was necessary that the princes in the Iliad fhould be choleric and quarrelfome, fo it is neceffary in the fable of the Odyffey that the chief perfon fhould 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 conftitute the principal aim of it: but he cannot abfent himself, without offending against another maxim of equal importance, viz. That a king fhould upon no accounts leave his country.

It is true, there are fometimes fuch neceffities as fufficiently excuse 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 neceffity, and the departure of the hero, muft be disjoined from the poem; and in the second place, the hero having been obliged to abfent himself, for a reafon antecedent to the action, and placed diftinct from the fable, he ought not so far to embrace this opportunity of inftructing himself, as to absent 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 diforders which might arife.

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 firft 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 fo long oppofed his return, and detained him from revifiting his own dear country.

And lastly, fince this forced delay might more naturally and usually happen to fuch as make voyages by fea; Homer has judiciously made choice of a prince, whose 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 fubjects in a "foreign expedition. Having glorioufly performed "this enterprize, he was marching home again, and "conducting his fubjects to his own ftate. But spite "of all the attempts, with which the eagerness to re"turn had infpired him, he was ftopt by the way by "tempefts for several years, and cast upon feveral "countries, differing from each other in manners and "C government. In thefe dangers, his companions, "not always following his orders, perished through "their own fault. The grandees of his country "ftrangely abuse his abfence, and raife no fmall dif"orders at home. They confume his eftate, confpire

* Odyffey V.

to

« to destroy his son, 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 persuaded 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 deserts, "and restores to his island 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 disorders: 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 abfence lafted several years, but even when the hero returned, he does not discover himself; and this prudent disguise, from whence he reaped so 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 ifle of Ithaca, to maintain the character of his chief perfonage, and bestowed the rest upon Telemachus, Penelope, Antinous, and others, whom he calls by what names he pleases.

I fhall.