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makes one of a group, and Ihinks in wrctehed unanimilY
wilh Ihe Ihrong. In~Qmhercd wilh the nOlions of olhm,
and impol'crifhed by Ih~ir abundanee, he cnneti"cs nOI
\he leali embryo of ncw thOllghl; opens nOI Ihe leal!
vifia Ibroullh Ihe gloom of ordinary writers, il;lo Ih~
bright wal1<s of rarc imagination, and fingular defign:
while the Irue genius is croning all publie roads inlo
frefh untrodden ground, he, up 10 the knees in antiql1i·
ty, is Ireadiog the facred footfieps of great examples,
witb the blind veneration of a bigol falutmg the papal
loe; comfortably hoping full abfolution for the fins of
his oIVn underí!anding, from Ihe powerful charm of
touching his idol's infallibililY.
Such meannefs of miod, fuch profiration of our own
powers, proceeds from 100 grcal admiration of others.
Admiration has generally a degree of I\VO very bad in.
greditnls. in il; of ignorance, and of fear ; and does
mifchicf in cOOlpofilion, aod io life. Proud as Ihe
\Vorld is, lhere is more fuperiori'y in il giveo, lhan af.
fumed : and its grandees of all kinds owe more of Iheir
devation lO Ihe littlenefs of others minds, thao to the
gmtnefs of their oIVn. Were nOl profirale fpirits lheir
voluntary pedefials, Ihe Ggure Ihey make among man·
kind would nOllhnd fo high. Imilalm and Iranj/a·
t.n are fomewhal of Ihe ped~fial.kind, and fomelimes
ralhcr raife Iheir orlgina!'s repulalion. by fhowi ng him
lo be by \hem inim~table, Ihan Iheir own Homer has
beentranOated into mofi laoguages; .lElian tells us, Ihat
the Indians, (hopeful tUIOr!! ) hal'e taught him to fpeak
Iheir longue. Whal exp~tl we from Ihem! NOI Ho·
mer's Aehtlles, but ·fomething, which, like Patroclus,
alfumes his name, and, at its peril, appears in his fiead;
nor expetl we Homer's Ulyfles gloriollfly builting out of
his cloud into royal grandeur, bul an Ulylfes under dif·
guife, and a beggar tO lhe Jafi. Such is thal ioimitable
falher of poelry, and oracle of all the wife, whom·Ly·
curgus tranfcribed ; and for ao annual publie reeilal of
whofe works Solon enatled a law; that il is mueh 10 be
feared. Ihal his fo numerous tranflalions are bUl as Ihe
publifhed tenimooiJls of (o many naliQns, and ages, thal
Ihis aUlhor fo divine is unlranflaled Hil!.
BUI here,
C;,./~iul ollrrln
Vd/il,---. VIRG.
and demand. julliee for his f~vourile, and oun. Great
things he has done; bUI he OIighl have done grealer.
Whal a fal! is il from Homer's oumbers, free as air,
lofty and h~rmonious as Ihe fpheres, iOlo ebildifh fhae··
kles, and tio)tliog foundsI BUI, in his fal!, he ia fiil1
grelt ;--
Nor !
L.f lhan archa/lgtl ruin'd, and Ih. eX"/J
Or g/~r, obfcur'd.-- MILT . '
Had Millon never wrote, Pope had beeo lefs 10 blame :
bUI when in Milton'. genius, Homer, as il were, perCo.
nallr rofe to forbid B/ilons doing him thal ignoble wrong;
il is lefs pardon, ble, by thal ,ff.lllinol. deeoralion, 10
pUl Achilles in pettieom a (eeond lime, How mueh
nobler had it líeen, if his numoers had rolled on io full
now, through Ihe .arious modulalions of mafcbline mela–
dy, ioto Ihofe grandeurs of foleam found, which are io-
VOL. IÍ. No. 40. 3
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difpenfibl y dcmanded by the nali"e dignilY of heroie
fong! HolV mueh nobler, if h~ had refil!cd the templa·
Ihal Gothie dreOlon, IVhieh OIodern pocfy lalhng,
bCI'ame mortal ! Ohow unlike Ihe "e>!hlefa, divinehar–
mony of Ihree grm names (holV junly joioed!) of Mi/.
Ion, Cruce, and Rome? His verfe, 'buI for his liltle
fpcek of momlity, in its extreme pans, as his hero Jwl
in his "eel; Ilke him, had been invulnerable, and immor·
tal. But, unfortunately, Ih. t was undipl in Heheon;
as IhiJ in Slyx. Harmony as well as eloquenee is elfen·
liallO poefy: and a murder of his mufie is puning half
Homer 10 deMh. DIanA is a lerm of dlmintttion; \Vhal
\Ve Olean by blaok verfe is, verfe unfallen, uneurfi; verle
nclaimed, reinthroned in Ihe true lal/gllag. DI Ih, ;
IVho never Ihundered, nor fulfered Ihei r Homer 10 thun–
der in rhime.
Bttt fuppofing Pope's lIiad to have becn perfetl io ils
kiod ; yet it is a Irfll1J1olion fiill; IVhieh c1iffers as muen
froOl an originol, as Ihe moon froOl Ihe fun.
BIII as nothing is more eafy than to wrile originally
wrong; originals are oot here rtcommcnded, bUl under
Ihe Itrong guard of Ihe firll rule,-KI/IXV Ih,fit¡. L,,·
eian, \Vho IVas ao original, ncgleaed nOI Ihis rule, if IVe
may judge by his reply 10 one who look fome freedom
wilh him. He \Vas al firfi an apprenliee 10 a fiatuary;
and when he IVas refletlrd on as fu eh, by being ealled
Prom"h,uJ, he replied, .. 1 am indeed Ihe invenlor of
a newwork, Ihe model of \Vhich 1owe 10 none; and, if
I do nOI exeeule it well, I deJerve to be. lorn by twel ..e
vullures, inficad of one."
Bacon f~ys, ., Men feek not 10 koow their own fioek,
aod abilities; bUI faney their polfellions to be grealer,
and their abililies lefs, Ihan they really are." Whieh
is in effeél faying, .. Thal IVe oughl lo eXerI more than
we do; and thal, on exertioo, Qu r prohabilily of fuc~cfs
is greater than IVe conecive."
Nor bave IVe Hacon's opiniononly, bUI his allifianee 100,
in favour of originals. His mighlY miod lravellcd rouod
Ihe inlelletlual world; aod, IVith a more than eagle's (ye,
faw, and has poinled out, blank fpaees, or dark fpots in
il, nn whieh Ihe human miod never Ihone : fome of Ihtf~
have beencolighlened fioee ; fome are benig!md Uill.
Moreover, fo boundlefa are the' bold exeürfions of Ih~
human mind, Ihal in Ihe vafi void beyond real exin~nee,
il can eall forth fhadowy beings, aod unkno\\'n worlds,
as numerous, as brighl, and perhaps as lafiing as Ihe
nars; fueh quile.origiDal beaulies \Ve may coll pm di·
faieal,
Nalol jin. jomin. jlom. OVI D.
When fueh aD ample area for renowned adventure in ori·
ginal attempts lies before us, fhaJ l \Ve b: 2S m~re leaden
pipes, conveying Iq Ihe prefeol age fmall fireaola of ex·
eelleoee ffom its graod refervoir io aotiqtlilY; aod Ihofe
100 perhaps mudded in Ibe paf. ! Originals fhine like eo–
mm; have no peer in Iheir palh; are rivalled by none,
ánd Ihe gaze of all: all olher eompofitions (if Ihey fhina
at all) fhine in dufices; like the Uan in tbe galaxy_;
where, like bad neighbours, all fuffer from all; each
particular being diminifhed, and almolllofi in Ihe Ihrong.
If thoughl' of Ibis nalure prevailed; ir ancients and
moderns were no looger eoofidcred as mallerl and pJlpils.
t 3 T bUI