اهم I THE TWENTY-FOURTH BOOK OF THE L I A D. Now OW from the finish'd games the Grecian band ΙΟ What feas they meafur'd, and what fields they fought; V. 14. What feas they measur'd, &c.] There is something very noble in thefe fentiments of Achilles: He does not recol All pafs'd before him in remembrance dear, 20 25 } For lect any foft moments, and tenderneffes that had paffed between him and Patroclus, but he revolves the many difficulties, the to ile by land, and the dangers by fea, in which they had been companions: Thus the poet on all occafions admirably sustains the character of Achilles; when he played upon the harpin the ninth book, he fung the atchievements of kings; and in this place there is an air of greatnefs in his very forrows: Achilles is as much a hero when he weeps, as when he fights. This paffage in Homer has not escaped the cenfure of Plato, who thought it a diminution to his character to be thus tranfported with grief; but the objection will vanish, if we remember that all the paffions of Achilles are in the extreme; his nature is violent, and it would have been an outrage to his general character to have reprefented him as mourning moderately, for his friend. Plato fpoke more like a philofopher than a critick when he blamed the behaviour of Achilles as unmanly: Thefe tear would have ill become Plato, but they are graceful in Achilles, Befides, there is fomething very inftructive in this whole representation, it fhews us the power of a fincere friendship, and loftens and recommends the character of Achilles; the violence he ufed towards his enemy is alleviated by the fincerity he ex preffes towards his friend; he is a terrible enemy, but an amia ble friend. For Phabus watch'd it with fuperior care, 30. 35 E'er V. 30. For Phœbus watch'd it, &c.] Euftathius fays, that by this fhield of Apollo are meant the clouds that are drawn up by the beams of the fun, which cooling and qualifying the fultrinefs of the air, preferved the body from decay: But perhaps the poet had fomething farther in his eye when he introduced Apollo upon this occafion Apollo is a phyfician and the God of medicaments, if therefore Achilles ufed any arts to preferve Hector from decay, that he might be able the longer to infult his remains, Apollo-may properly be fard to protect it with his Egis. V. 36. But Neptune this, and Pallas this denies.] It is with excellent art that the poet carries on this part of the poem: he hews that he could have contrived another way to recover the body of Hector, but as a God is never to be introduced but when human means fail, he rejects the interpofition of Mercury, makes ufe of ordinary methods, and Priam redeems his fon: This gives an air of probability to the relation, at the fame time that it advances the glory of Achilles; for the greateft of his enemics labours to purchafe his favour, the Gods hold a confultation, and a King becomes his fuppliant. Euftathius. Thore feven lines, from Κλέψαι δ ̓ ἀτρύνεσκον Μαχλοσύνην ys have been thought fpurious by fome of the ancients: They judged it as an indecency that the Goddefs of wisdom and Achilles should be equally inexorable; and that it was below the majesty of the Gods to be faid to fteal. Befide, fay they, had Hamer been acquainted with the judgment of Paris, he would undoubtedly have mentioned it before this time in his poem, and confequently that story was of a later invention : And Ariftarchus affirms that Maxhocin is a more modern word, and never known before the time of Hefod, who ufes it when he Tpeaks of the daughters of Pratus; then adds, that it is appropriated to fignify the incontinence of women, and can not E'er fince that day implacable to Troy, Unpitying pow'rs! how oft' each holy fane 40 45 50 A lion, not be at all applied to men: Therefore others read the late verie, Η οἱ κεχαρισμένα δῶς ὀνόμηνε. Thefe objections are entirely gathered from Euftathius; to which we may add, that Macrobius feems to have been one of those who rejected these verses, fince he affirms that our author never mentions the judgment of Paris. It may be answered,. that the filence of Homer in the foregoing part of the poem, as to the judgment of Paris, is no argument that he was ignorant of that story: Perhaps he might think it moft proper to unfold the cause of the deftruction of Troy in the conclufion of the Ilias: that the reader feeing the wrong done, and the punishment of that wrong immediately following, might acknowledge the juftice of it. The fame reafon will be an answer to the objection relating to the anger of Pallas: Wifdom cannot be fatisfied without juftice, and confequently Pallas ought not to cease from refentment, till Frey has fuffered the deferts of her crimes. I cannot think that the objection about the word Μαχλοσύνη is of any weight; the date of words is utterly uncertain, and as no one has been able to determine the ages of Homer and Hefied, fo neither can any perion be affured that fuch words were not in use in Homer's days. A lion, not a man, who flaughters wide Heav'n dooms each mortal, and its will is done : 55 60 By fate, exceeds; and tempts the wrath of heav'n. 65 Hector's dead earth, infenfible of wrong! 70. Then hear, ye Gods! the Patron of the Bow. 75 V:52. A lion, not a man, &c] This is a very formal condemnation of the morals of Achilles, which Homer puts into the mouth of a God. One may fee from this alone that he was far from defigning his hero a virtuous character; yet the poet artfully introduces Apollo in the midst of his reproaches, intermingling the hero's praifes with his blemishes; Brave tho' he be, &c. Thus what is the real merit of Achilles is diftinguifhed from what is blameable in his character, and we fee Apollo or the God of wildom, is no lefs impartial than juft in his reprefentation of Achilles. |
