Iliad, and Erminia's adventure with the shepherd in the seventh book of the Jerusalem, afford us a well judged and pleasing retreat from camps and battles.

Secondly, the subject of an epic poem must be so great and splendid as to fix attention, and to justify the magnificent apparatus the poet bestows on it. The subject should also be of ancient date. Both Lucan

and Voltaire have transgressed this rule. By confining himself too strictly to historical truth, the former does not please; and the latter has improperly mingled well known events with fictitious. Hence they exhibit not that greatness which the epic requires.

The third requisite in an epic subject is, that it be interesting. This depends in a great measure upon the choice of it. But it depends much more upon the skilful management of the poet. He must so frame his plan, as to comprehend many affecting incidents. He must sometimes dazzle with valiant achievements; sometimes he must be awful and august; often tender and pathetic; and he must sometimes give us gentle and pleasing scenes of love, friendship and affection.

To render the subject interesting, much also depends upon the dangers and obstacles which must be encountered. It is by the management of these, that the poet must rouse attention, and hold his reader in suspense and agitation.

It is generally supposed by critics, that an epic poem should conclude successfully; as an unhappy conclusion depresses the mind. Indeed it is on the prosperous side that epic poets generally conclude. But two authors of great name, Milton and Lucan, hold the contrary course. The one concludes with the subversion of Roman liberty; and the other with the expulsion of man from Paradise.

No precise boundaries can be fixed for the duration of the epic action. The action of the Iliad lasts, according to Bossu, only forty-seven days. The action of the Odyssey extends to eight years and an half; and that of the Eneid includes about six years.

The personages in an epic poem should be proper

and well supported. They should display the features of human nature; and may admit different degrees of virtue, and even vice; though the principal characters should be such as will raise admiration and love. Poetic characters are of two sorts, general and particular. General characters are such as are wise, brave, and virtuous, without any farther distinction. Particular characters express the species of bravery, of wisdom, and of virtue for which any one is remarkable. In this discrimination of characters, Homer excels. Tasso approaches the nearest to him in this respect; and Virgil is the most deficient.

Among epic poets it is the practice to select some personage as the hero of the tale. This renders the unity of the subject more perfect, and contributes highly to the interest and perfection of this species of writing. It has been asked, Who then is the hero of Paradise Lost? The devil, say some critics, who affect to be pleasant against Milton. But they mistake his intention by supposing that whoever is triumphant in the close, must be the hero of the poem. For Adam is Milton's hero; that is, the capital and most interesting figure in his poem.

In epic poetry there are, beside human characters, gods and supernatural beings. This forms what is called the machinery of epic poetry; and the French suppose this essential to the nature of an epic poem. They hold that in every epic composition the main action is necessarily carried on by the intervention of gods. But there seems to be no solid reason for their opinion. Lucan has no gods, nor supernatural agents. The author of Leonidas also has no machinery.

But, though machinery is not absolutely necessary to the epic plan, it ought not to be totally excluded from it. The marvellous has a great charm for most readers. It leads to sublime description, and fills the imagination. At the same time it becomes a poet to be temperate in the use of supernatural machinery; and so to employ the religious faith or superstition of his country, as to give an air of probability to events most contrary to the common cause of nature.

With regard to the allegorical personages, fame, discord, love, and the like, they form the worst kind of machinery. In description they may sometimes be allowed; but they should never bear any part in the action of the poem. As they are only mere names of general ideas, they ought not to be considered as persons; and cannot mingle with human actors without an intolerable confusion of shadows with realities.

In the narration of the poet, it is of little consequence, whether he relate the whole story in his own character, or introduce one of his personages to relate a part of the action that passed before the poem opens. Homer follows one method in his Iliad, and the other in his Odyssey. It is to be observed, however, that, if the narrative be given by any of the actors, it gives the poet greater liberty of spreading out such parts of the subject as he inclines to dwell upon in person, and of comprising the rest within a short recital. When the

subject is of great extent, and comprehends the transactions of several years, as in the Odyssey and Eneid, this method seems preferable. But, when the subject is of smaller compass and shorter duration, as in the Iliad and Jerusalem, the poet may, without disadvantage, relate the whole in his own person.

What is of most importance in the narration, is, that it be perspicuous, animated, and enriched with every poetic beauty. No sort of composition requires more strength, dignity, and fire than an epic poem. It is the region in which we look for every thing sublime in description, tender in sentiment, and bold or lively in expression. The ornaments of epic poetry are grave and chaste. Nothing loose, ludicrous or affec'ed, finds place there. All the objects it presents, ought to be great, tender or pleasing. Descriptions of disgusting or shocking objects are to be avoided. Hence the fable of the Harpies in the Eneid, and the allegory of Sin and Death in Paradise Lost, should have been omitted.

HOMER'S ILIAD AND ODYSSEY.

THE father of epic poetry is Homer; and in order to relish him, we must divest ourselves of modern ideas of dignity and refinement, and transport our imagination almost three thousand years back in the history of mankind. The reader is to expect a picture of the ancient world. The two great characters of Homer's poetry are fire and simplicity. But to have a clear idea of his merit, let us consider the Iliad under the three heads of the subject or action, the characters, and the narration.

The subject of the Iliad is happily chosen. For no subject could be more splendid than the Trojan war. A great confederacy of the Grecian states and ten years seige of Troy must have spread far abroad the renown of many military exploits, and given an extensive interest to the heroes who were concerned in them. Up-TM on these traditions, Homer grounded his poem; and, as he lived two or three centuries after the Trojan war, he had full liberty to intermingle fable with history. He chose not, however, the whole Trojan war for his subject; but with great judgment selected the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, which includes the most interesting period of the war. He has thus given greater unity to his poem. He has gained one hero, or principal character, that is, Achilles; and shown the pernicious effects of discord among confederated princes.

The praise of high invention has in every age been justly given to Homer. His incidents, speeches, characters, divine and human; his battles, his little history pieces of the persons slain, discover a boundless invention Nor is his judgment less worthy of praise. His story is connected with great art. He rises upon us gradually. His heroes are introduced with exquisite skill to our acquaintance. The distress thickens as the poem advances; every thing serves to aggrandize Achiltes, and to make him the capital figure.

In characters, Homer is without a rival. He abounds in dialogue and conversation, and this produces a spirited exhibition of his personages. This dramatic method, however, though more natural, expressive, and animated, is less grave and majestic than narrative, Some of Homer's speeches are unseasonable, and others trifling. With the Greek vivacity he has also some of the Greek loquacity.

In no character, perhaps, does he display greater art than in that of Helen. Notwithstanding her frailty and crimes, he contrives to make her an interesting object. The admiration with which the old generals behold her, when she is coming toward them; her veiling herself, and shedding tears in the presence of Priam; her grief at the sight of Menelaus; her upbraiding of Paris for his cowardice, and her returning fondness for him, are exquisite strokes, and worthy of a great

master.

Homer has been accused of making Achilles too brutal a character; and critics seem to have adopted this censure from two lines of Horace :

Impiger, iracundis, inexorabilis, acer,

Jura negat sibi nata; nihil non arogat armis.

It appears that Horace went beyond the truth. Achilles is passionate; but, he is not a contemner of law. He has reason on his side; for though he discovers too much heat, it must be allowed that he had been notoriously wronged. Beside bravery and contempt of death, he has the qualities of openness and sincerity. He loves his subjects, and respects the gods. He is warm in his friendships; and throughout he is high spirited, gallant and honourable.

Homer's gods make a great figure; but his machinery was not his own invention. He followed the traditions of his country. But though his machinery is often lofty and magnificent, yet his gods are often deficient in dignity. They have all the human passions; they drink and feast, and are vulnerable like men. While, however, he at times degrades his divinities,