Sketch of the Sub

LAIUS, King of Thebes, despairing of ject. having any Children by his Wife Jocafta,

confulted the Oracle, and received for Anfwer, that he should have a Son, who would one Day murther him. To prevent this, as foon as the Child was born, he bored Holes through his Feet, and fastening them to a Tree with Thongs, left him, from which Miffortune he was afterwards named Oedipus. The royal Infant however was preserved by the Care of the Servants; and in Process of Time, travelling near Phocis, met his Father Laius without knowing him, and upon his difputing the Way, killed him in the Heat of Paffion. He afterwards afcended the Throne of Thebes, and married Jocasta his Mother, at that Time unknown to be fo; by her he had four Children, Eteocles, Polynices Antigone, and Ifmene. As foon as his Sons were grown up to Man's Estate, they dethroned their Father, and agreed between themselves to reign alternately. Eteocles was appointed by Lot to rule the firft Year; but when that was expired, refused to refign the Crown to Polynices, his younger Brother. Upon this a War commenced, in which the injured Prince was affifted by Adraftus, King of Argos, and five other Heroes. Thefe were all flain in Battle, except Adraftus: and the two Brothers falling in fingle Fight,

Creon

Creon ufurped the Throne, and by an inhuman Act of Cruelty in not fuffering the dead Bodies to be buried, drew upon himself the Vengeance of Thefeus, who marched an Army against him, and took the City.

THE ingenious Mr. Harte, fpeaking of the Subject of the Thebaid, fays. "It must certainly be an infinite Pleasure to peruse the "most antient Piece of Hiftory now extant, “excepting that in holy Scripture. This Re"mark must be understood of the Action of "the Thebaid only, which Statius, without "Question, faithfully recited from the most "authentic Chronicles in his own Age. The "Action of the Iliad and Odysey happened

feveral Years after. This is evident from "Homer's own Words. Agamemnon in the "fourth Book of the Iliad recites with great "Transport the Expedition of Tydeus, and

Ulyffes mentions the Story of Jocasta (or "Epicafte, as he calls her) in a very parti"cular Manner, in giving an Account of his "Defcent to Hell, Odyssey, Book 11th. The "Antiquity of the Thebaid may be confidered " also in another View: as the Poet was ob "liged to conform the Manners of his Heroes "to the Time of Action, we in Justice ought "not to be fo much fhocked with those In"fults over the dead, which run through all "the Battles. This foftens a little the Bar

"barity

Characters of the Thebaid.

barity of Tydeus, who expired gnawing the Head of his Enemy, and the Impiety of "Capaneus, who was thunder-ftruck, while "he was blafpheming Jupiter. Whoever "reads the Books of Joshua and Judges, will "find about those Times the fame favage Spirit of Infolence and Fiertè.".

THE latter Part of this Obfervation may ferve, as a Defence of our Author againft Mr. Pope's Cenfure of his Characters (see Preface to his Homer) and that of Boffu, who in his Treatise on Epic Poetry has the following extraordinary Remark. "The The great"eft Part of Statius's Characters are falfe. "The Impetuofity of his Genius, joined to "the Defire of amplifying, and making every

thing he would fay, appear grand and mar"vellous, has been the Occafion of this De"fect. He almoft always carries to Excefs "the Paffions he represents in his Perfonages. "He does not know, what it is to preferve

Uniformity: he makes his Heroes act Ex"travagancies, which one would not pardon "in young Scholars, and often, instead of

describing them as he ought, he has made "Chimeras of them all. Thefe Faults can"not be attributed but to Want of Judg"ment, Knowledge, and a Juftnefs of Think"ing." Unwilling as I am to contradict a Writer of fuch acknowledged Abilities, as

Mr. Bolju,

Mr. Boffu, I muft, in Juftice to the Poet, deny Part of the Charge, viz. that the greateft Part of his Characters are falfe. I know buf two, which are exaggerated in the Colouring namely Tydeus and Capaneus. Eteocles and Polynices are out of the Question: being fuch as he was obliged to describe them, in Order to attain the moral End of his Poem: which was to shew the fatal Confequences of Ambition on the one Hand, and of a too greedy Thirst of Revenge on the other. The reft, Adraftus, Amphiaraus, Parthenopaus and Hippomedon are very amiable Characters. In the two former we have a lively Portrait of a good King, and pious Prieft; and the two latter difplay great Mag-. nanimity, and Nobleness of Heart in voluntarily taking Part with the injured at the Expence of their Lives and Fortunes. The female Characters are likewife unexceptionable. Ifmene and Antigone act the Part of tender and loving Sifters: Argia, Deiphyle, and indeed all the Relicts of the feven Leaders are illuftrious Examples of conjugal Affection; and even the unhappy Jocasta herself is blamelefs, if confidered in the Light of a Mother.

and Con

LET us now take a View of our Author's Scheme poetical Conduct and Oeconomy, an Object, duct of which fhould have been first attended to, had the Poet.

A

I not

I not been infenfibly drawn away to confider his Characters. Here, divefting myfelf of all Predilection and Partiality, I must own, he has in many Points failed. One great Cause of his Imperfection in this Particular is his having ftuck too close to Hiftory and Tradition, and not fufficiently calling in the Affiftance of Fiction and Invention, a lawful and neceffary Advantage, which all Epic Writers are allowed to take. The Introduc-' tion of the funeral Games however, through which he has deftroyed the Unity of his Action, and which has been oftener attacked than any one Part besides, is apologized for by Mr. Harte in a very masterly Manner. "The Defign of this Book (fays he) was to give a Refpite to the main Action, introducing a mournful, but pleafing Variation from Terror to Pity. It is alfo highly probable, that Statius had an Eye to the fu"neral Obfequies of Polydore and Anchifes "mentioned in the third and fifth Books of

68

2

Virgil: we may alfo look on them, as a

Prelude opening the Mind by Degrees to "receive the Miseries and Horrors of a fu"ture War. This is intimated in fome "Measure by the Derivation of the Word "Archemorus. Befides the Reasons above" mentioned would have a fine Opportunity "of remarking upon chief of the Heroes,

who