therto prevented our public schools from fubftituting it in the room of the Iliad. That the Iliad fhould be neglected is not indeed to be wished, but that it should engrofs our whole attention, to the utter exclufion of the Odyffey, is certainly unreasonable.

The Iliad prefents us with a rough profpect, like that of high mountains, craggy rocks, and foaming cataracts; while the Odyffey exhibits a fofter fcene, and fuggefts ideas fimilar to those which arife from the landfcape, where all is mild, ferene, and beautiful. The one is like the pictures of Pouffin, the other like those of Claude Lorain. A reader admires the Iliad, but he

loves the Odyffey.

The works of Homer appeared fo early in the world, and fince their appearance have been fo frequently praifed and illuftrated, that at this late period it is not neceffary to add to the general panegyric. Suffice it to recommend the perufal of a few authors, which may clear the way to the ftudy of the Odyffey. Among thefe, are the papers in the Adventurer on this fubject, Pope's Notes to his Tranflation, and above all Mr. Spence's very elegant and ingenious Effay. As to the Tranflation itself, it abounds with faults and abfurdities. Without derogating from the merit of Pope as an original poet, we may venture to pronounce his Odyffey a paraphrafe, rather than a juft tranflation of Homer. The copy no more resembles the picture, than the portrait on a fign-poft ufually refembles the perfonage intended to be exhibited. The chief beauty of Homer is fimplicity, which, in the Tranflation, is facrificed to a gaudy glare and artificial embellishments. As a poem confidered by itfelf, it has many beautiful paffages; but as a tranflation, it is perhaps unworthy the reputation it has obtained.

To cenfure fo celebrated a name, might appear arrogant in an individual, were he not fupported by many and judicious critics. Mr. Spence, whofe opinion is decifive, and, inftar omnium, points out defects in Pope's Tranflation, which could never have escaped fo great a poet but from hafte and wearinefs. In this work, Pope was affifted by inferior writers; but as the whole is published under his name, he will ever be answerable

or

for its faults. The tranflation of the Iliad, though a very excellent model of verfification, exhibits not a just picture of the fimple, yet magnificent, Mæonian.

Mr. Spence's Effay, at the fame time that it will exhibit the deformities of the Tranflation, will infpire a tafte for the beauties of the original; and, indeed, the general remarks, which are interfperfed with the greateft judgment and elegance, will contribute to teach a juft method of criticism in almoft every fpecies of poetry.

Mr. Spence was a truly claffical writer. He was no lefs amiable in his manners than pleafing in his productions. That he chiefly wrote in dialogue is to be lamented; for that form, where the perfons are fictitious, has feldom been approved in England, though it has often fucceeded in France.

No. CLXXVI. THOUGHTS ON THE OEDIPUS TYRANNUS OF SOPHOCLES, AND SEVERAL CIRCUMSTANCES RESPECTING THE GRE CLAN DRAMA.

OF

F the three Greek dramatic poets, Sophocles is the most celebrated; and of the productions of Sophocles, the Oedipus Tyrannus is the most excellent. It has stood the test of the fevereft criticism. The unities of time, place, and action, are inviolably preferved: and: while the Tragedy fatisfies the critic, who judges it by the laws of Ariftotle, it pleases the common reader and fpectator, who forms his opinion from the feelings of his nature. Never was there a tale more affecting than that of Oedipus, and never was it told more pathetically than by Sophocles. Many a tear has it excited from an Athenian audience, whofe hearts were ever. finely fufceptible of the fentiments of humanity: but: the best tranflation of it would not equally please in a modern theatre. Many other caufes of its failure may. be affigned, befides that fimplicity, artlessness, and incomplexity

complexity of fable, which the tafte of the moderns is too much vitiated to relish,

In the first place, it must be confidered, that every original compofition muft lofe fomething of its beauty from the beft tranflation. It is a common remark, that the fpirit of an author, like that of fome effences, evaporates by transfufion. Foreign manners, and foreign cuftoms, are feldom understood by a common audience, and as feldom approved. The majority of an English audience are unacquainted with antient learning, and can take no pleasure in the reprefentation of men and things which have not fallen under their notice. Add to this, that they love to fee Tragedies formed on their own hittories, or on hiftories in which they are in fome manner nearly interested. When Shakespeare's hiftorical dramas are reprefented, they feel as Englishmen in every event; they take part with their Edwards and Henties, as friends and fellow-countrymen; they glory in their fucceffes, and fympathize with their misfortunes. 'To a fimilar circumftance may part of the applause, which the Athenians bestowed on this Tragedy of Sophocles, be attributed; for Oedipus was king of a neighbouring country, with which the Athenians were always intimately connected either in war or peace.

Thefe confiderations fhould teach us to content our felves with admiring Sophocles in the clofet, without attempting to obtrude him on the stage, which must always accommodate itself to the tafte of the times, whether unrcafonable or juft, confiftent or capricious.

In truth, the warmeft admirer of antient Greek poetry must acknowledge a barrennefs of invention in the choice of fubjects. The Trojan war, and the misfortunes of the Theban king, are almoft the only fources from which thofe great mafters of compofition, Homer,

fchylus, Euripides, and Sophocles, have derived their Subject matter. They have, indeed, embellished these little parts of hiftory with all the fire of imagination and melody of poetry; but is it not ftrange, that in a country like Greece, where the reftlefs fpirit of military virtue was continually forming noble defigns, and atchieving glorious exploits, the poets could difcover no illuftrious deed worthy of being painted in never-fading colours,

but

but the worn-out ftories of a wooden horfe, and a Sphinx's riddle? It is difficult for an age like the prefent, which hungers and thirfts after novelty, to conceive that an audience could fit with patience during the recital of a story which all must have heard a thoufand times; especially as it was unadorned with the meretricious artifices of players, with thunder and lightning, hail and rain, tolling bells, and tinfel garments.

But the famenefs of the ftory in the Grecian poets became agreeable to the audience, through that veneration which every thing that bears a mark of antiquity demands. That the ftory on which a dramatic poem is founded, fhould not be of modern date, has, I think, been laid down as a rule. Nor is it the precept of an arbitrary critic, but is juftified by nature and reafont Imagination always exceeds reality. The vulgar could never prevail upon themselves to look on fcenes, to the reality of which they have been eye-witneffes, with the fame ardour as on thofe which they have received from their ancestors, and have painted with the ftrongest colours on their fancy. In obedience to this rule, the Greek poets took their fubjects from antient facts univerfally known, believed, and admired: and the audience entered the theatre, to behold a lively reprefentation of the picture already formed in their own. imagination..

A modern reader has not a preparatory difpofition of mind neceffary to receive all that pleafure from these compofitions, which tranfported an antient Greek. He. does not glow with that patriotic ardour which he would feel on reading glorious deeds of a fellow-countryman, when Homer reprefents a hero breaking the Trojan phalanx and encountering a Hector. He does not confider an antient Theban or Athenian involved in the guilt of undefigned parricide or inceft, nearly enough. connected with him to excite his fympathy in a violent degree: but all these feelings in a Grecian audience, occafioned by a Grecian fufferer, account for that uncommon delight which they took in their dramatic reprefentations, and for their freedom from that fatiet which might otherwise have been occafioned by a simple and reiterated tale..

An

An English audience has lately fhewn itself not fo averse from the antient Tragedy, as was expected, by its favourable reception of Elfrida and Caractacus, written on the Grecian model: but, perhaps, this event is not fo much to be attributed to the revival of the refin ed tafte of an Attic audience, as to the infatiable avidity of fomething new. The English are as ford of the xa in literature, as the Athenians were in politics: but, whether caprice or reason, whether taste or fashion, gave them a favourable reception on the Englifh ftage, it is certain that Elfrida and Caractacus are elegant poems, formed exactly on the antient model, and may be read with great advantage by those who wish to entertain a juft idea of the Greek Tragedy without a knowledge of the language.

No. CLXXVII. CURSORY REMARKSON SOME

OF THE MINOR ENGLISH POETS.

W

E are told in the epiftle to the Pifos, that poetical mediocrity is intolerable; yet we find that Poets, of inferior merit as well as fame, are read with pleasure.

It is true, indeed, that the loudeft melody of the grove is poured forth by the lark, the blackbird, the thrufh, and the nightingale; but it is no lefs true, that their paufes are often filled by the fweet warblings of the linnet and the red-breaft. The lofty cedar that waves on the fummit of the poetic mountain, feems to overshadow, and exclude, by its luxuriance, all other vegetation. He, however, who approaches it, will find many a violet and primrofe fpringing at its root. He will often difcover, amid a plentiful growth of weeds, a modeft flowret lifting its humble head, and becoming more beautiful by feeming to conceal the native sweetnefs of its odour, and the luftre of its hues.

The first dignities in the commonwealth of letters are pre-occupied by fuch writers as Spenfer, Milton, Dry

den,