on himself and others, and becomes on fire like a chariot-wheel, by its own rapidity. Exact difpofition, juft thought, correct elocution, polifhed 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 those are imperfect or neglected, this can over-power criticifm, 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 glafs, reflected from Homer, more fhining than fierce, but every where equal and conftant: In Lucan and Statius, it burfts out in fudden, fhort, and interrupted flashes: In Milton it glows like a furnace kept up to an uncommon ardor by the force of art: In Shakespear, 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 fhow, how this vaft Invention exerts itself in a manner fuperior to that of any poet, through all the main constituent parts of his work, as it is the great and peculiar characteriftic 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 furnifh 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

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himself in the invention of Fable. That which Ariftotle calls the Soul of poetry, was firft breathed into it by Homer. Ifhall begin with confidering him in this part, as it is naturally the first, andĢI fpeak of it both as it means the design 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 episodes 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 short and fingle fubject that ever was chofen by any Poet. Yet this he has fupplied with a vafter variety of incidents and events, and crouded with a greater number of councils, fpeeches, battles, and episodes of all kinds, than are to be found even in those poems whose schemes are of the utmoft latitude and irregularity. The action is hurried on with the most vehement fpirit, 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 extenfive fubject, as well as a greater length of time, and contracting the defign of both Homer's poems into one, which is yet but a fourth part as large as his. The other Epic Poets have used the fame practice, but generally carry'd it fo far as to fuperinduce a multiplicity of fables, destroy the unity of action, and lofe their readers in an unreafonable 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 epifode 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 omits them). deftroys the unity of his action for thofe of Archemorus. If Ulyffes vifit the fhades, the Æneas of Virgil and Scipio of Silius are fent after him. If he be detained from his return by the allurements of Calypfo, fo is Eneas 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 abfent himself just as long, on the like account. he gives his hero a fuit of celeftial armour, Virgil and Taffo make the fame present to theirs. Virgil has not only obferved this clofe imitation of Homer, but where he had not led the way, supplied the want from other Greek authors. Thus the ftory of Sinon and the taking of Troy was copied (fays Macrobius) almoft word for word from Pifander, as the Loves of Dido and Æneas are taken from those of Medea and Jason in Apollonius, and feveral others in the fame manner.

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To proceed to the allegorical fable: If we refect upon thofe innumerable knowledges, those fecrets of nature and phyfical philosophy, which Homer is generally fuppofed to have wrapp'd up in his allegories, what a new and ample fcene of wonder may this confideration 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 learn

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ing 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 aside, as it was in Homer to make use of it. And perhaps it was no unhappy circumftance for Virgil, that there was not in his time that demand upon him of fo great an invention, as might be capable of furnishing all thofe allegorical parts of a poem.

The marvellous fable includes whatever is fupernatural, and especially the machines of the Gods. He feems the first who brought them into a fyftem of machinery for poetry, and fuch a one as makes its greatest importance and dignity. For we find those 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 caufe 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 sphere of poetry beyond the limits he has fet: Every attempt of this nature has proved unsuccessful; and after all the various changes of times and religions, his Gods continue to this day the Gods of poetry.

We come now to the characters of his perfons: And here we fhall find no author has ever drawn fo many, with fo visible and furprising 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 diverfified in the feveral characters of the Iliad. That of Achilles is furious and intractable; that of Diomede forward, yet listening

to advice and fubject to command: That of Ajax is heavy, and felf-confiding; of Hector active and vigilant: The courage of Agamemnon is inspirited by love of empire and ambition, that of Menelaus mixed with softness and tenderness for his people: We find in Idomeneus a plain direct foldier, in Sar- . pedon a gallant and generous one. Nor is this judicious and aftonishing diverfity to be found only in the principal quality which constitutes the main of each character, but even in the underparts of it, to which he takes care to give a tincture of that principal one. For example, the main characters of Ulyffes and Neftor confift in wisdom; and they are distinct in this, that the wisdom of one is artificial and various, of the other natural, open, and regular. But they have, befides, characters of courage; and this quality alfo takes a different turn in each from the difference of his prudence: for one in the war depends still upon caution, the other upon experience. It would be endless to produce inftances of these kinds. The characters of Virgil are far from ftriking us in this open manner; they lie in a great degree hidden and undistinguished, and where they are marked most evidently, affect us not in proportion to those of Homer. His characters of valour are much alike; even that of Turnus feems no way peculiar but as it is in a fuperior degree; and we fee nothing that differences the courage of Mneftheus from that of Sergeftus, Cloanthus, or the reft. In like manner it may be remarked of Statius's heroes, that an air of impetuofity runs thro' them all; the fame horrid and favage courage appears in his Capaneus, Tydeus, Hippomedon, etc. They have a parity of character, which makes them feem brothers of one family. I believe when the reader is led into this track of reflection, if he will purfue it thro' the Epic and Tragic writers, he will be convinced how + X

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