cafions on which they are employed; and in doing this properly, a tranflator may at once thew his fancy and his judgment. As for Homer's repetitions; we may divide them into three forts; of whole narrations and fpeeches, of fingle fentences, and of one verse or hemiftich. I hope it is not impoffible to have fuch a regard to thefe, as neither to lofe so known a mark of the author on the one hand, nor to offend the reader too much on the other. The repetition is not ungraceful in those fpeeches where the dignity of the fpeaker renders it a fort of infolence to alter his words; as in the meffages from Gods to men, or from higher powers to inferiors in concerns of ftate, or where the ceremonial of religion feems to require it, in the folemn forms of prayers, oaths, or the like. In other cafes, I be-. lieve the best rule is to be guided by the nearnefs, or distance, at which the repetitions are plac'd in the original: When they follow too clofe one may vary the expreffion, but it is a queftion whether a profefs'd tranflator be authorized to omit any: If they be tedious, the author is to answer for it. It only remains to speak of the versification. Homer (as has been faid) is perpetually applying the found to the fenfe, and varying it on every new fubject. This is indeed one of the most exquifite beauties of poetry, and attainable by very few: I know only of Homer eminent for it in the Greek, and Virgil in Latin. I am fenfible it is what may fometiines happen by chance, when a writer is warm, and fully poffeft of his image however it may be reasonably believed they defign'd this, in whofe verfe it fo manifeftly appears in a fuperior degree to all others. Few readers have the ear to be judges of it, but those who have will fee I have endeavour'd at this beauty. Upon the whole, I must confefs my felf utterly ine capable of doing justice to Homer. I attempt him in no other hope but that which one may entertain without much vanity, of giving a more tolerable copy of him than any entire tranflation in verse has yet done. We have only thofe of Chapman, Hobbs, and Ogilby. Chapman has taken the advantage of an immeafurable length of verfe, notwithstanding which there is fcarce any paraphrafe more loofe and rambling than his. He has frequent interpolations of four or fix lines, and I remember one in the thirteenth book of the Odyffes, N. 312. where he has fpun twenty verfes out of two. He is often mistaken in fo bold a manner, that one might think he deviated on purpofe, if he did not in other places of his notes infift fo much upon verbal trifles. He appears to have had a ftrong affectation of extracting new meanings out of his author, infomuch as to promife in his rhyming preface, a poem of the myfteries he had reveal'd in Homer; and perhaps he endeavoured to strain the obvious fenfe to this end. His expreffion is involved in fuftian, a fault for which he was remarkable in his original writings, as in the tragedy of Bussy d'Amboife, c. In a word, the nature of the man may account for his whole performance; for he appears from his preface and remarks to have been of an arrogant turn, and an enthufiaft in poetry. His own boaft of having finifh'd half the Illiad in lefs than fifteen weeks, fhews with what negligence his verfion was performed. But that which is to be allowed him, and which very much contributed to cover his defects, is a daring fiery fpirit that animates his tranflation, which is fomething like what one might imagine Homer himself would have writ before he arriv'd to years of difcretion. Hobbes has given us a correct explanation of the fenfe in general, but for particulars and circumftances he continually lopps them, and often omits the moft beautiful. As for its being efteem'd a clofe tranflation, I doubt not many have been led into that error error by the fhortness of it, which proceeds not from his following the original line by line, but from the contractions above-mentioned. He fometimes omits whole fimiles and fentences, and is now and then guilty of mistakes, into which no writer of his learning could have fallen, but thro' carelefnefs. His poetry, as well as Ogilby's, is too mean for criticism. It is a great lofs to the poetical world that Mr. Dryden did not live to tranflate the Iliad. He has left us only the first book, and a small part of the fixth; in which if he has in fome places not truly interpreted the fenfe, or preferved the antiquities, it ought to be excufed on account of the hafte he was obliged to write in. He feems to have had too much regard to Chapman, whofe words he fometimes copies, and has unhappily follow'd him in paffages where he wanders from the original. However, had he tranflated the whole work, I would no more have attempted Homer after him than Virgil, (his verfion of whom notwithstanding fome human errors) is the moft noble and spirited tranflation I know in any language. But the fate of great Genius's is like that of great Minifters, tho' they are confeffedly the first in the commonwealth of letters, they must be envy'd and calumniated only for being at the head of it. That which in my opinion ought to be the endeavour of any one who translates Homer, is above all things to keep alive that spirit and fire which makes his chief character: In particular places, where the fenfe can bear any doubt, to follow the strongest and most poetical, as moft agreeing with that character; to copy him in all the variations of his ftyle, and the different modulations of his numbers; to preserve, in the more active or defcriptive parts, a warmth and elevation; in the more fedate or narrative, a plainnafe and falowy in the fpeeches, a fullness and perfpicuity; in the fentences, a fhortness and gra B + vity: vity: Not to neglect even the little figures and turns on the words, nor fometimes the very caft of the periods; neither to omit or confound any rites or cuftoms of antiquity: Perhaps too he ought to include the whole in a thorter compais, than has hitherto been done by any tranflator, who has tolerably preferved either the fenfe or poetry. What I would farther recommend to him, is to fludy his author rather from his own text, than from any commentaries, how learned foever, or whatever figure they may make in the estimation of the world; to confider him attentively in comparison with Virgil above all the ancients, and with Milton above all the moderns. Next thefe, the Archbishop of Cambray's Telemachus may give him the trueft idea of the fpirit and turn of our author, and Boff's admirable treatife of the Epic poem the jufteft notion of his defign and conduct. But after all, with whatever judgment and fludy a man may proceed, or with whatever happiness he may perform fuch a work, he must hope to please but a few; thofe only who have at once a tafte of poetry, and competent learning. For to fatisfy fuch as want either, is not in the nature of this undertaking; fince a mere modern wit can like nothing that is not modern, and a pedant nothing that is not Greek. What I have done is fubmitted to the publick, from whofe opinions I am prepared to learn; tho' I fear no judges fo little as our beft poets, who are most fenfible of the weight of this task. As for the worst, whatever they fhall please to say, they may give me fome concern as they are unhappy men, but none as they are malignant writers. I was guided in this tranflation by judgments very different from theirs, and by perfons for whom they can have no kindness, if an old obfervation be true, that the ftrongest antipathy in the world is that or fools to men of Mr. Addifon was the firft whofe advice determin'd me me to undertake this task, who was pleas'd to write to me upon that occafion in fuch terms as I cannoť repeat without vanity. I was obliged to Sir Richard Steele for a very early recommendation of my undertaking to the publick. Dr. Swift promoted my intereft with that warmth with which he always ferves his friend. The humanity and franknefs of Sir Samuel Garth are what I never knew wanting on any occafion. I muft alfo acknowledge with infinite plea fure, the many friendly offices, as well as fincere criticifms of Mr. Congreve, who had led me the way in tranflating fome parts of Homer, as I wish for the fake of the world he had prevented me in the rest. I must add the names of Mr. Rowe and Dr. Parnell, tho' I shall take a farther opportunity of doing justice to the last, whofe good nature (to give it a great panegyrick) is no less extenfive than his learning. The favour of thefe gentlemen is not entirely undeferved by one who bears them fo true an affection. But what can I fay of the honour fo many of the Great have done me, while the first names of the age appear as my fubfcribers, and the moft diftinguifh'd patrons and ornaments of learning as my chief encouragers. Among these it is a particular pleasure to me to find, my highest obligations are to fuch who have done most honour to the name of Poet: That his Grace the Duke of Buckingham was not difpleas'd I fhould undertake the Author to whom he has given (in his excellent Efay) the finest praise he ever yet receiv'd: that Read Homer once, and you can read no more; That the Earl of Halifax was one of the first to favour me, of whom it is hard to fay whether the advancement B 5 |