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: thofe who are not his greatest admirers look upon them as defects, and those who are feem pleafed 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 deftroying the purity of our language. I believe fuch fhould be retained as flide cafily of themselves into an English compound, without violence to the ear or to the received rules of compofition; as well as those which have received a fanction from the authority of our beft poets, and are become familiar through their ufe of them; fuch as the cloud-compelling Jove, &c. As for the reft, whenever any can be as fully and fignificantly expreft 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 full image by one or two words, may have justice done them by circumlocution; as the epithet soos to a mountain, would appear little or ridiculous tranflated literally "leaf-fhaking," but affords a majeftic idea in the periphrafis : "The lofty mountain hakes his waving woods." Others that admit of differing fignifications, may receive an advantage by a judicious variation according to the occafions on which they are introduced. For example, the epithet of Apollo, εκηβόλος, οι "far-fhooting" is capable of two explications; one literal, in refpect to the darts and bow, the enfigns of that God; the other allegorical, with regard to the rays of the fun therefore, in fuch places where Apollo is reprefented as a God in perfon, I would ufe the former interpretation; and where the effects of the fun are defcribed, 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, though it might be accommodated (as has been already fhewn) to the ear of thofe times, is by no means fo to ours but one may wait for opportunities of placing 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 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 verfe or hemiftich. I hope it is not impoffible to have fuch a regard to thefe, as neither to lofe fo 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 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 believe, the best rule is, to be guided by the nearness, or diftance, at which the repetitions are placed in the original when they follow too clofe, one may vary the expreffion; but it is a question whether a profeffed tranflator be authorifed to omit any if they be tedious, the author is to anfwer for it. It only remains to speak of the verfification. 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 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 whofe verse it so 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 muft confefs myfelf utterly incapable of doing juftice 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 verfe has yet done. We have only thofe of Chapman, Hobbes, and Ogilby. Chapman has taken the advantage of an immeafurable length of verfe, notwithftanding which, there is fcarce any paraphrafe more loofe and rambling than his. He has frequently interpolations of four or fix lines, and I remember one in the thirteenth book of the Odyffes, ver. 312. where he has fpun twenty verfes out of two. He is often mistaken in fo bold a manner, that one may think he deviated on purpose, if he did not in other places of his notes infift fo much upon verbal trifles. He appears to have had a strong affectation of extracting new meanings out of his author, infomuch as to promife, in his rhyming preface, a poem of the mysteries 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 d'Amboife, &c. In a word, the nature of the man may account for his whole perfor mance; 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 sense in general; but for particulars and circumstances he continually lops them, and often omits the most beautiful. As for its being esteemed a close translation, I doubt not many have been led into that error by the shortnefs of it, which proceeds not from his following the original line by line, but from the contractions abovementioned. He fometimes omits whole fimilies and fentences, and is now and then guilty of mistakes, into which no writer of his learning could have fallen, but through careleffness. 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 translate 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 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 version of whom (notwithstanding fome human errors) is the most noble and spirited tranflation I know in any language. But the fate of great geniufes is like that of great minifters: though they are confeffedly the first in the common-wealth 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 spirit and fire which makes his chief character in particular places, where the fepfe can bear any doubt, to follow the strongest and moft poetical, as molt agreeing with that character; to copy him in all the variations of his style, and the different modulations of his numbers; to preferve, in the more active or defcriptive parts, a warmth and elevation; in the more fedate or narrative, a plainnefs and folemnity; in the speeches, a fullness and perfpicuity; in the fentences, a fhortness and gravity: not to neglect 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 customs of antiquity; perhaps too he ought to include the whole in a fhorter compass, 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 study 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 confi der 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 Bofiu's admirable treatise of the Epic poem the justest notion of his defign and condu&. But after all, with whatever judgment and ftudy a man may proceed, or with whatever happiness he may perform fuch a work, he muft hope to please but a few: those only who have at once a taste 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. Ι 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 most sensible of the weight of this task. As for the worft, whatever they fhall please to fay, they may give me fome concern as they are unhappy men, but none as they are malignant writers. 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 strongest antipathy in the world is that of fools to men of wit. Mr. Addison was the firft whofe advice determined me to undertake this task, who was pleased to write to me upon that occafion in fuch terms as I cannot 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 pleasure, the many friendly offices, as well as fincere criticifms of Mr. Congreve, who had led me the way in tranflating some parts of Homer; as I wish for the fake of the world he had prevented me the reft. must add the names of Mr. Rowe and Dr. Parnell, though I shall take a further opportunity of doing juftice to the laft, whose good-nature (to give it a great panegyrick) is no lefs extenfive than his learning. The favour of these 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 most diftinguished patrons and ornaments of learning as my chief encouragers? Among these it is a particular pleasure to me to find, that my highest obligations are to fuch who have done moft honour to the name of poet; that his grace the duke of Buckingham was not displeased I should undertake the author to whom he has given (in his excellent Effay) fo complete a praife. "Kead 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 ay whether the advancement of the polite arts is more owing to his generofity or his example. That fuch a genius as my lord Bolingbroke, not more diftinguished in the great fcenes of bufinefs, than in all the ufeful and entertaining parts of learning, has not refufed to be the critick of these sheets, and the patron of their writer. And that fo excellent an imitator of Homer as the noble author of the tragedy of Heroic Love, has continued his partiality to me, from my writing Paftorals, to my attempting the Iliad. I cannot deny myself the pride of confeffing, that I have had the advantage not only of their advice for the conduct in general, but their correction of feveral particulars of this tranflation. I could fay a great deal of the pleasure of being diftinguished by the earl of Carnarvon but it is almost abfurd to particularize any one generous action in a person whose whole life is a continued feries of them. Mr. Stanhope, the prefent fecretary of ftate, will pardon my defire of having it known that he was pleased to promote this affair. The particular zeal of Mr. Harcourt (the son of the late lord chancellor) gave me a proof how much I am honoured in a fhare of his friendship. I must attribute to the fame motive I that of feveral others of my friends, to whom all acknowledgments are rendered unneceffary by the privileges of a familiar correspondence: and I am fatisfied I can no way better oblige men of their turn, than by my filence. In fhort, I have found more patrons than ever Homer wanted. He would have thought himself happy to have met the fame favour at Athens, that has been fhewn me by its learned rival, the univerfity of Oxford. If my author had the Wits of after ages for his defenders, his tranflator has had the Beauties of the present for his advocates; a pleasure too great to be changed for any fame in reverfion. And I can hardly envy him thofe pompous honours he received after death, when I reflect on the enjoyment of fo many agreeable obligations, and easy friendships, which make the fatisfaction of life. This distinction is the more to be acknowledged, as it is fhewn to one whofe pen has never gratified the prejudices of particular parties, or the vanities of particular men. Whatever the fuccefs may prove, I fhall never repent of an undertaking in which I have experienced the candour and friendship of fo many perfons of merit; and in which I hope to pafs fome of those years of youth that are generally loft in a circle of follies, after a manner, neither wholly unufeful to others, nor difagreeable to myself. THE |