Jupiter ryinling the front done to Achilles esposing his Cauye,hord Kantele Junos llegada deloding dream to Agamemnon, tó excite kime to give Battle to the "Trojans. I L I A D. N OW pleasing fleep had seal'd each mor tal eye, Stretch'd in the tents the Grecian Leaders lie, Th'immortals slumber'd on their thrones above; All, but the ever-wakeful eyes of Fove. To 7.1. Now pleasing seep, &c.) Aristotle tells us in the twenty lixth chapter of his art of poetry, that this place had been objected to by some criticks in those times. They thought it gave a very ill idea of the military discipline of the Greeks, to represent a whole army unguarded, and all the Leaders a-fleep: They also pretended it was ridiculous to describe all 5 To honour Thetis' son he bends his care, Fly hence, deluding Dream! and light as air, 10 To Agamemnon's ample tent repair. Bid the Gods fleeping besides Jupiter. To both thesë Ariffotle an{wers, that nothing is more usual or allowable than that figure which puts all for the greater part. One may add with refpect to the latter Criticism, that nothing could give a better image of the superiority of Jupiter to the other Gods (or of the supreme Being to all second causes) than the vigilancy here arerib'd to him, over all things divine and human. ř. 9. Fly hence, deluding dream.] It appears from Aristotles Poct. cap. 26. that Homer was accus'd of impiety; for making Jupiler the author of a lye in this paffage. It seems there were anciently these words in his speech to the dream ; sidopergy сi têxo agiats, Let us give him great glory. (Instead of which we have in the present copies, Tegócare xide' innalze) but Hippias found a way to bring off Homer, only by placing the accent on the last fyllable but one, Assomb, for sidó ufur, the infinitive for the imperative; which amounts to no more than he bade the dream to promise him great glory. But Macrobius de Somnio Scip. l. 1. c.7. takes off this imputation entirely, and will not allow there was any lye in the case. “ Agamemnon (says he) was order'd by the dream to lead out all the forces of the Greeks, (Ilargudin is the word) and promis'd them vi&ory on that condition: Now Achilles and « his forces not being summond to the assembly with the “ reft, that neglect ablolv'd Jupiter from his promise.” This remark Madam Dacier has inserted without mentioning its author. Mr. Dacier takes notice of a passage in the scripture exaftly parallel to this, where God is represented making use of the malignity of his creatures to accomplish his judgments. 'Tisin 2 Chron. ch, xviii. ¥.19, 20, 25. And the Lord said, Who will persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall ar Ramoth. Gin lead Bid him in arms draw forth th'embattel'd train, The lofty tow'rs of wide extended Troy. At Juno's suit the heav'nly factions end. Swift as the word the vain Illusion fled, Cloath'd in the figure of the Pylian Sage, lead? And there came förth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuadé him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherea wib? And he said I will go forth, and I will be a lying Spirit in the mouth of all bis Prophers. And he said, Thou shalt persuade bim, and prevail alfo: Go forth and do so. Vide Dacier upon to ristotle, cap. 26. . 20. Descends, and houers o'er Atrides' head.] The whole adion of the dream is beautifully natural and agreeable to philosophy. It perches on his head, to intimate that part to be the seat of the soul : It is circumfused about him, to express that total possesion of the senses which fancy has during our sleep. It takes the figure of the perfon who was dearest to dzememnon; as whatever we think of moft, when awake, is the common object of our dreams. And just ac the instant of its vanishing, it leaves such an impreslion that the voice seems still to found in his ear. No defoription can: be more exact or lively. Euflathises, Dacier. -1 H 5 Canik. |