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LECT.

VIRGIL's battles are far inferior to Homer's, in XLIII. point of fire and fublimity: but there is one im

portant Episode, the Defcent into Hell, in which he has outdone Homer in the Odyffey, by many degrees. There is nothing in all antiquity equal, in its kind, to the fixth book of the Æneid. The fcenery, and the objects, are great and striking; and fill the mind with that folemn awe, which was to be expected from a view of the invifible world. There runs through the whole description, a certain philofophical fublime; which Virgil's Platonic Genius, and the enlarged ideas of the Auguftan age, enabled him to support with a degree of majefty, far beyond what the rude ideas of Homer's age fuffered him to attain. With regard to the sweetness and beauty of Virgil's numbers, throughout his whole works, they are fo well known, that it were needless to enlarge in the praise of them.

UPON the whole, as to the comparative merit of these two great princes of Epic Poetry, Homer and Virgil; the former muft, undoubtedly, be admitted to be the greater Genius; the latter, to be the more correct Writer. Homer was an original in his art, and difcovers both the beauties and the defects which are to be expected in an original Author, compared with those who fucceed him; more boldness, more nature and eafe, more fublimity and force; but greater irregularities and negligences in Compofition. Virgil has, all along, kept his eye upon Homer; in many places, he has not so much imitated, as he has literally translated

XLIII.

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him. The defcription of the Storm, for instance, in L E C T. the first Æneid, and Æneas's fpeech upon that occafion, are tranflations from the fifth book of the Odyffey; not to mention almost all the fimilies of Virgil, which are no other than copies of those of Homer. The pre-eminence in invention, therefore, muft, beyond doubt, be afcribed to Homer. As to the pre-eminence in judgment, though many Critics are disposed to give it to Virgil, yet, in Virgil, yet, in my opinion, it hangs doubtful. In Homer, we difcern all the Greek vivacity; in Virgil, all the Roman stateliness. Homer's imagination is by much the most rich and copious; Virgil's, the moft chafte and correct. The ftrength of the former lies, in his power of warming the fancy; that of the latter, in his power of touching the heart. Homer's ftyle is more fimple and animated; Virgil's more elegant and uniform. The first has, on many occafions, a fublimity to which the latter never attains; but the latter, in return, never finks below a certain degree of Epic dignity, which cannot fo clearly be pronounced of the former. Not, however, to detract from the admiration due to both these great Poets, most of Homer's defects may reasonably be imputed, not to his genius, but to the manners of the age in which he lived; and for the feeble paffages of the Eneid, this excufe ought to be admitted, that the Eneid was left an unfinished work.

VOL. III.

LECT.
XLIV.

LECTURE XLIV.

LUCAN'S PHARSALIA-TASSO's JERUSALEM—
CAMOENS' LUSIAD-FENELON's TELE-

MACHUS VOLTAIRE's HENRIADE

-MILTON's PARADISE LOST.

AFTER Homer and Virgil, the next great Epic Poet of antient times, who prefents himself, is Lucan. He is a Poet who deferves our attention, on account of a very peculiar mixture of great beauties with great faults. Though his Pharfalia difcover too little invention, and be conducted in too historical a manner, to be accounted a perfectly regular Epic Poem, yet it were the mere fqueamishness of Criticifm, to exclude it from the Epic clafs. The boundaries, as I formerly remarked, are far from being afcertained by any such precise limit, that we must refufe the Epic name to a Poem, which treats of great and heroic adventures, because it is not exactly conformable to the plans of Homer and Virgil. The fubject of the Pharfalia carries, undoubtedly, all the Epic Grandeur and Dignity; neither does it want unity of object, viz. the Triumph

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XLIV.

Triumph of Cæfar over the Roman Liberty. As it L E C T. ftands at prefent, it is, indeed, brought to no proper clofe. But either time has deprived us of the last books, or it has been left by the Author an incomplete work.

THOUGH Lucan's fubject be abundantly heroic, yet I cannot reckon him happy in the choice of it. It has two defects. The one is, that civil wars, especially when as fierce and cruel as those of the Romans, prefent too many fhocking objects to be fit for Epic Poetry, and give odious and disgusting views of human nature. Gallant and honourable atchievements furnish a more proper theme for the Epic Mufe. But Lucan's Genius, it must be confeffed, feems to delight in favage scenes; he dwells upon them too much; and, not content with those which his subject naturally furnished, he goes out of

his

way to introduce a long Episode of Marius and Sylla's profcriptions, which abounds with all the forms of atrocious cruelty.

THE other defect of Lucan's fubject is, its being too near the times in which he lived. This is a circumftance, as I obferved in a former Lecture, always unfortunate for a Poet; as it deprives him of the affiftance of fiction and machinery; and thereby renders his work lefs fplendid and amufing. Lucan has fubmitted to this difadvantage of his fubject; and in doing fo, has acted with more propriety, than if he had made an unfeasonable attempt

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XLIV.

LECT. attempt to embellish it with machinery; for the fables of the Gods would have made a very unnatural mixture with the exploits of Cæfar and Pompey; and instead of raising, would have diminished the dignity of fuch recent and well-known facts.

WITH regard to characters, Lucan draws them with spirit and with force. But, though Pompey be his profeffed Hero, he does not fucceed in interefting us much in his favour. Pompey is not made to poffefs any high distinction, either for magnanimity in fentiment, or bravery in action; but, on the contrary, is always eclipfed by the fuperior abilities of Cæfar. Cato is, in truth, Lucan's favourite character, and wherever he introduces him, he appears to rise above himself. Some of the noblest, and most confpicuous paffages in the work, are fuch as relate to Cato; either fpeeches put into his mouth, or defcriptions of his behaviour. His fpeech, in particular, to Labienus, who urged him to enquire at the Oracle of Jupiter Ammon, concerning the iffue of the war [book ix. 564.], deferves to be remarked, as equal, for Moral Sublimity, to any thing that is to be found in all antiquity.

IN the conduct of the story, our Author has attached himself too much to chronological order. This renders the thread of his narration broken and interrupted, and makes him hurry us too often from place to place. He is too digreffive alfo; frequently

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