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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 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 himfelf in the invention of Fable. That which Aristotle 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 courfe 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 ftory 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 subject that ever was chofen by any Poet. Yet this he has fupplied with a vaster variety of incidents and events, and crowded with a greater num ber of councils, fpeeches, battles, and epifodes of all kinds, than are to be found even in those poems whose fchemes 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 extensive subject, 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, deftroy 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 story. 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 thofe of Archemoras. If Ulyffes vifits the fhades, the Eneas 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 fcore of a quarrel through half the poem, Rinaldo muft absent himself just as long on the like account. If he gives his hero a fuit of celestial armour, Virgil and Taflo make the fame present to theirs. Virgil has not only observed this close imitation of Homer, but, where he had not led the way, fupplied the want from other Greek authors. Thus the ftory of Sinon and the taking of Troy was copied (fays Macrobius) almost word for word from Pifander, as the

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loves of Dido and Æneas are taken from thofe of Me dea and Jafon in Apollonius, and several 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 supposed 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 ufe 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 such 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, constantly laying their accusation against Homer as the chief fupport of it. But whatever cause 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 fphere 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 shall find no author has ever drawn fo many, with so visible and furprizing 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 distinguished 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 self-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 tendernefs for his people: we find in Idomeneus a plain direct foldier, in Sarpedon

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a gallant and generous' one. Nor is this judicious and aftonishing diverfity to be found only in the principal quality which conftitutes the main of each character, but even in the under-parts of it, to which he takes care to give a tincture of that principal one. For example, the main characters of Ulyffes and Neftor consist in wisdom; and they are distinct in this, that the wifdom of one is artificial and various, of the other natural, open, and regular. But they have, besides, 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 ftill upon caution, the other upon experience. It would be en dlefs to produce inftances of thefe kinds. The characters of Virgil are far from ftriking us in this open manner; they lie in a great degree hidden and undiftinguished, and where they are marked moft evidently, affect us not in proportion to thofe of Homer. His characters of valour are much alike; even that of Turnus feèms no way peculiar but as it is in a fuperior degree; and we fee nothing that differences the courage of Mneftheus from that of Sergefthus, Cloanthus, or the reft. In like manner it may be remarked of Statius's heroes, that an air of impetuofity runs through them all; the fame horrid and favage courage appears in his Capaneus, Tydeus, Hippomedon, &c. 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 urfue it through the Epic and Tragic writers, he will be convinced how infinitely

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