THE FIFTH BOOK OF THE ILIA D. B UT Pallas now Tydides' soul inspires, Fills with her force, and warms with all her fires, And crown her Hero with distinguish'd praife. High V. 1. But Pallas now, &c.] As in every just history-picture there is one principal figure, to which all the reft refer and are fubfervient; fo in each battel of the Iliad there is one principal perfon, that may properly be called the hero of that day or action. This conduct preferves the unity of the piece, and keeps the imagination from being diftracted and confufed with a wild number of independent figures, which have no fubordination to each other. To make this probable, Homer fuppofes these extraordinary measures of courage to be the immediate gift of the Gods; who beftow them fometimes upon one, High on his helm celeftial lightnings play, one, fometimes upon another, as they think fit to make them the inftruments of their defigns; an opinion conformable to true theology. Whoever reflects upon this, will not blame our Author for representing the fame heroes brave at one time, and dispirited at another; just as the Gods affift, or abandon them, on different occafions. V. 1. Tydides. That we may enter into the spirit and beauty of this book, it will be proper to fettle the true character of Diomed, who is the hero of it. Achilles is no fooner retired, but Homer raises his other Greeks to fupply his abfence; like ftars that shine each in his due revolution, 'till the principal hero rifes again, and eclipses all others. As Diomed is the firft in this office, he feems to have more of the character of Achilles than any befides. He has naturally an excess of boldness, and too much fury in his temper, forward and intrepid like the other, and running after Gods or men promifcuofly as they offer themfelves. But what differences his character is, that he is foon reclaimed by advice, hears thofe that are more experienced, and in a word, obeys Minerva in all things. He is affifted by the patronefs of wisdom and arms, as he is eminent both for prudence and valour. That which characterises his prudence, is a quick fagacity and prefence of mind in all emergencies, and an undifturbed readiness in the very article of danger. And what is particular in his valour is agreeable to thefe qualities, his actions being always performed with remarkable dexterity, activity, and difpatch. As the gentle and manageable turn of his mind feems drawn with an oppofition to the boisterous temper of Achilles, fo his bodily excellencies feem defigned as in contrast to thofe of Ajax, who appears with great ftrength, but heavy and unwieldy. As he is forward to act in the field, fo he is ready to speak in the council: But it is obfervable that his councils ftill incline to war, and are byafs'd rather on the fide of bravery than caution. Thus he advifes to reject the propofals of the Trojans in the feventh book, and not to accept of Helen herself, though Paris fhould offer her. In the ninth he opposes Agamemnon's propofition to return to Greece, in fo ftrong a manner, as to declare he will ftay and continue the fiege himself if the General should depart. And thus he hears without concern Achilles's refusal of a reconciliation, and doubts not to be able to carry on the war without him. As for his private character, he appears a gallant lover of hofpitality in his behaviour to Glaucus in the fixth book; a lover of wisdom in his affiftance of Nefter in the eighth, and his choice Th' unweary'd blaze inceffant ftreams fupplies, When choice of Ulyffes to accompany him in the tenth; upon the whole, an open fincere friend, and a generous enemy. The wonderful actions he performs in this battel, feem to be the effect of a noble refentment at the reproach he had received from Agamemnon in the foregoing book, to which these deeds are the anfwer. He becomes immediately the fecond hero of Greece, and dreaded equally with Achilles by the Trojans. At the first fight of him his enemies make a queftion, whether he is a man or a God. Eneas and Pandarus go against him, whofe approach terrifies Sthene lus, and the apprehenfion of fo great a warrior marvellously exalts the intrepidity of Diomed. Æneas himself is not faved but by the interpofing of a Deity: He purfues and wounds that Deity, and Æneas again escapes only by the help of a stronger power, Apollo. He attempts Apollo too, retreats not 'till the God threatens him in his own voice, and even then retreats but a few Steps. When he fees Hector and Mars himself in open arms against him, he had not retired tho' he was wounded, but in obedience to Minerva, and then retires with his face toward them. But as foon as the permits him to engage with that God, he conquers, and fends him groaning to heaven. What invention and what conduct appears in this whole epifode? What boldness in raifing a character to fuch a pitch, and what judgment in raifing it by fuch degrees? While the most daring flights of poetry are employed to move our admiration, and at the fame time the jufteft and cloleft allegory, to reconcile thofe flights to moral truth and probability? It may be farther remarked, that the high degree to which Homer elevates this character, enters into the principal-defign of his whole poem; which is to fhew, that the greateft perfonal qualities and forces are of no effect, when union is wanting among the chief rulers, and that nothing can avail 'till they are reconciled fo as to act in concert. V. 5. High on bis helm celeftial lightnings play.] This beautiful paffage gave occafion to Zoilus for an infipid piece of raillery, who afked how it happened that the hero escaped burning by these fires that continually broke from his armour? Euftathius answers, that there are feveral examples in history, of fires being feen to break forth from human bodies, as presages of greatness and glory. Among the reft, Plutarch, in the life of Alexander, describes his helmet much in this manner. This is enough to warrant the fiction, and were there no fuch example, the fame author fays very well, that the imagination of a Poet is not to be confined to strict physical truths. But all objections may eafily be removed, if we confider it as done by When fresh he rears his radiant orb to fight, Such, from his arms, the fierce effulgence flow'd: by Minerva, who had determined this day to raise Diomed above all the heroes, and caused this apparition to render him formidable. The power of a God makes it not only allowable, but highly noble, and greatly imagined by Homer; as well as correfpondent to a miracle in holy fcripture, where Mafes is defcribed with a glory fhining on his face at his defcent from mount Sinai, a parallel which Spondanus has taken notice of. Virgil was too fenfible of the beauty of this paffage not to imitate it, and it must be owned he has surpassed his original. Ardet apex capiti, criftifque ac vertice flamma Æn. x. v. 270. In Homer's comparison there is no other circumstance alluded to but that of a remarkable brightness: Whereas Virgil's comparison, befide this, feems to foretel the immenfe flaughter his hero was to make, by comparing him first to a comet, which is vulgarly imagined prognostick, if not the real cause, of much misery to mankind; and again to the dog-ftar, which appearing with the greatest brightness in the latter end of fummer, is fuppofed the occafion of all the diftempers of that fickly feason. And methinks the objection of Macrobius to this place is not just, who thinks the fimile unseasonably applied by Virgil to Æneas, because he was yet on his ship, and had not begun the battel. One may answer, that this miraculous appearance could never be more proper than at the first fight of the hero, to strike terror into the enemy, and to prognosticate his approaching victory. The The Sons of Dares firft the combate fought, Which o'er the warrior's fhoulder took its course, Not fo Tydides, flew thy lance in vain, .25 But pierc'd his breast, and stretch'd him on the plain. Left the rich chariot, and his brother dead. And V. 27. Idæus fled, Left the rich chariot.] It is finely faid by M. Dasier, that Homer appears perhaps greater by the criticisms that have been past upon him, than by the praises which have been given him. Zoilus had a cavil at this place; he thought it ridiculous in Idavs to defcend from his chariot to fly, which he might have done faster by the help of his horfes. Three things are faid in answer to this: First, that Ideus knowing the paffion which Diomed had for horfes might hope the pleasure of seizing these would retard him from purfuing him. Next, that Homer might defign to represent in this action of Ideus the common effect of fear, which disturbs the understanding to fuch a degree, as to make men abandon the surest means to fave themselves. And then, that Idæus might have some advantage of Diomed in swiftness, which he had reason to confide in. But I fancy one may add another solation, which will better account for this passage.~ ~Homer's word is érλn, which I believe would be better tranflated non perfeveravit, than non fuftinuit defendere fratrem interfeƐbum: and then the fenfe will be clear, that ĺdaus made an effort to fave his brother's body, which proving impracticable, he was obliged to fly with the utmost precipitation. One may add, that his alighting |