"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, 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 overpower criticism, and make us admire even while we disapprove. 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, fhort, and interrupted flashes in Milton it glows like a furnace kept up to an uncommon ardor by the force of art: in Shakespeare, it strikes 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 irresistibly.

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I shall 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 course, 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 descriptions; 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 course 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 settlement 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 supplied with a vaster variety of incidents and events, and crowded 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 utmost latitude and irregularity. The action 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 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 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) destroys the unity of his action for those of Archemoras. If Ulyffes vifits the fhades, the neas 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 score of a quarrel through half the poem, Rinaldo muft abfent himself just as long on the like account. If he gives his hero a fuit of celestial armour, Virgil and Tasso 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 story 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 those innumerable knowledges, thofe fecrets of nature and physical philosophy, which Homer is generally fuppofed to have wrapped up in his Allegories, what a new and ample scene 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 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 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 system of machinery 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 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 unfuccefsful; 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 persons; and here we shall find no author has ever drawn fo many, with fo visible and furprizing a variety, or given us fuch lively and affecting impreffions of them. Every one has fomething so 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 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 softness and tendernefs for his people: we find in Idomeneus a plain direct foldier, in Sarpedon