There are two peculiarities in Homer's diction which are a fort of marks or moles, by which every common eye diftinguishes him at firft fight: Those who are not his greateft admirers look upon them as defects; and those who are, feem pleased with them as beauties. I fpeak of his compound epithets, and of his repetitions. Many of the former cannot be done literally into English without detroying the purity of our language. I believe fuch should be retained as flide eafily of themfelves into an English compound, without violence to the ear or to the received rules of compofition; as well as thofe which have received a fanction from the authority of our best Poets, and are become familiar thro' their use of them; fuch as the cloud-compelling Jove, etc. As for the reft, whenever any can be as fully and fignificantly exprest in a fingle word as in a compound one, the courfe to be taken is obvious.

Some that cannot be fo turned as to preferve their ful image by one or two words, may have juftice done them by circumlocution; as the epithetique to a mountain, would appear little or ridiculous translated literally leaf-shaking, but affords a majestic idea in the periphrafis: The lofty mountain fhakes his waving woods. Others that admit of different fignifications, may receive an advantage by a judicious variation, according to the occafions on which they are introduced. For example, the epithet of Apollo, incónor, or far fhooting, is capable of two explications; one literal in refpect of the darts and bow, the enfign of that God; the other allegorical with regard to the rays of the fun: Therefore, in fuch places where Apollo is represented as a God in perfon, I would use the former interpretation; and where the effects of the fun are described, I would make choice of the latter. Upon the whole, it will be neceffary to avoid that perpetual repetition of the fame epithets which we find in Homer, and which, tho' it might be accommodated (as has been already fhewn) to the ear of those times, is by no means Lo to ours: But one may wait for opportunities of placing them,

them, where they derive an additional beauty from the occafions on which they are employed: and in doing this properly, a tranflator may at once fhew his fancy and judgment.

As for Homer's Repetitions, we may divide them into three forts; of whole narrations and fpeeches, of fingle fentences, and of ouc verfe or hemiftich. I hope it is not impoffible to have fuch a regard to thefe, as neither to lose 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 thofe fpeeches where the dignity of the speaker 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 state, the ceremonial of religion feems to require it, in the folemn forms of prayers, oaths, or the like. In other cafes, I believe the beft rule is to be guided by the nearnefs, or distance, at which the repetitions are placed in the original: When they follow too clofe, one may vary the expreffion, but it is a queftion whether a profeffed tranflator be authorifed to omit any: If they be tedious, the author is to anfwer for it.

or where

It only remains to speak of the "crfification. Homer (as has been faid) is perpetually applying the found to the fenfe, and varying it on every new iubject. This is indeed one of the moft 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 fometimes happen by chance, when a writer is warm, and fully poffeft of his image: however it may be reasonably believed they defigned this, in whose 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 endeavoured at this beauty.

Upon the whole, I must confefs myself utterly incapable of doing juftice to Homer. I attempt him in no other hope but that which one may entertain without

much

much vanity, of giving a more tolerable copy of him than any intire tranflation in verse has yet done. We have only thofe of Chapman, Hobbes, and Ogilby. Chapman has taken the advantage of an immeafurable length of verfe, notwithstanding which there is fcarce any paraphrase 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 Odyffey, ver. 312, where he has fpun twenty verses out of two. He is often miftaken 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 strong affe&tation of extracting new meanings out of his author, infomuch as to promife, in his hyming preface, a poem of the myfteries he had revealed in Homer: and perhaps he endeavoured to ftrain 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 Buffy de Amboife, etc. 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 enthusiast in poetry. His own boast of having finished half the Iliad 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 arrived at years of difcretion.

Hobbes has given us a correct explanation of the fen in general, but for particulars and circumftances he continually lops them, and often omits the most beautiful. As for its having been efteemed a clofe tranflation, I doubt not many have been led into that 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 fenVOL. III.

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tences, and is now and then guilty of miftakes, into which no writer of his learning could have fallen, but thro' careleffuefs. 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 finall 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 excused on account of the hafte he was obliged to write in. He feems to have had too much regard to Chapman, whose words he fometimes copies, and has unhappily followed 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 most noble and fpirited tranflation I know in any language. But the fate of great geniufes is like that of great minifters, tho' they are confeffedly the firft in the commonwealth of letters, they must be envied and calumniated only for being at the head of it.

That which in my opinion ought to be the endeavour of any one who tranflates Homer, is above all things to keep alive that (pirit and fire which makes his chief charafer: In particular places, where the fenfe can bear any doubt, to follow the strongest and most poetical, as mott agreeing with that character; to copy him in all the variations of his ftyle, and the different modulations of his numbers; to preferve, in the more active or defcriptive paris, a warmth and elevation; in the more fedate or narrative, a plainnefs and folemnity; in the fpeeches, à fullncis and perfpicuity; in the fentences, a fhortnefs and gravity: Not to negle&t even the little figures and turns on the words, nor fometimes the very caft of the periods; neither to omit nor confound any rites or cuftoms of antiquity: perhaps too he ought to conclude the whole in a fhorter compaís, than has hitherto been done by any tranilator, who has tolerably preferved either the

fenfe

fenfe or poetry. What I would farther recommend to him, is to study his author rather from his own text, than from any commentators, 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 these, the Archbishop of Cambray's Telemachus may give him the trueft idea of the ipirit and turn of our author, and Boffu's admirable treatife of the Epic poem the justest notion of his defign and condu&. But after all, with whatever judgment and study a man may proceed, or with whatever happinefs he may perform such a work, he muft hope to please but a few; those only who have at once a taste of poetry, and com-. petent 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.

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What I have done is fubmitted to the publick, from whofe opinions I am prepared to learn; though I fear no judges fo little as our beft poets, who are moft fenfible of the weight of this task. As for the worst, whatever they shall 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 ftrongeft antipathy in the world is that of fools to men of wit. Mr. Addifon was the firft whofe advice determined me to undertake this talk, who was pleafed to write to me upon that occafion, in fuch terms, as I cannot repeat without vanity. I was obliged to Sir Richard Steel for a very early recommendation of my undertaking to the public. Dr. Swift promoted my intereft with that warmth with which he always ferves his friend. The humanity and frankuefs of Sir Samuel Garth are what I never knew wanting on any occafion. I muft alfo acknowledge with infinite pleafure, the many M m 2 friendly