Mr. POPE has therefore juftly turned the thought, "If Greece muft perish, we thy will obey; "But let us perish in the face of day !" Jove, they were confcious, was against them: prepared to execute his decree, they only wish to die in battle, if their magnanimity can be obferved. This must be at least acknowledged the generous vanity of heroifm. In VIRGIL we meet with a Grecian, who had been long confined in the woods, deftitute of fubfiftence. The Trojans, the inveterate enemies of his country, happened to fail by, while he was ftanding on the fhore: he cried out, defired help, and explained his misfortunes; adding the perpetual danger he had been in of falling a victim to the Cyclops, and concluding with "Si pereo, manibus hominum periiffe juvabit.” The 1 The Cyclops were a fet of formidable monfters: he therefore prayed the Trojans, if they still perfifted in their enmity to every Greek, to dispatch him themselves; for, should they send him into the woods again, fure death awaited him, and from those blood-thirsty hands which he had been fo eager to avoid. Were he to stay in the ship, and be there flain, it would be fome fatisfaction to him, that he died by his fellowcreatures. This may be fome allowance for those who point the line thus: "Si pereo manibus hominum, periiffe juvabit." But the other feems preferable; for this, in ftrictness, is almost saying, that he rather 'chofe death than life, provided his death came from men. PITT's tranflation is therefore injudicious. The fire of fpirits is the characteristic of youth; majefty is the ftamp of age: the fun is fierceft at noon, but its grandeur increases towards its setting. The Iliad is the work of D 4 HOMER HOMER in youth; the Odyssey, of the poet in years. The former was fufficient to have exhausted his genius; but the latter is only lefs remarked, because formed on narration rather than action. The difference of fubject in the Iliad and Odyffey pronounces the different period of their author's life. We perceive the vigor of ANACREON'S writings; but he is rather a companion for the glass, than for laborious pleasures. Sometimes he appears eager for the dance, but is always previously inspired by BACCHUS: like modern gentlemen, he is usually in his cups before he thinks of moving. "Fœcundi calices-quem non ?" HOR. LONGINUS has, in this fection, sufficiently proved himself mafter of candor and good-nature: he blames HOMER, but not like a cenfor; he fhows his faults, but endeavors at the fame time to make allowances for them... Youth Youth may delight with a glowing imagination; age inftructs with its morality: age may not be fo captivating as youth, but is more useful. This feems to be the meaning of 90s. The above observation may vindicate those critics, who esteem not the Odyssey of HOMER fo greatly inferior to his Iliad. Thefe epics may indeed be feen in the twofold light of PALLAS and MINERVA: ACHILLES, the hero of the firft, poffeffes her magnanimity; and ULYSSES, that of the laft, her wisdom and her prudence. IGURES, which conftitute the fublime, are a proper arrangement of striking fentiments, adequately expreffed. This is the cause, why the admirable piece of SAPPHO, here mentioned, is fo affecting to a reader. The circumftances are judiciously difperfed, difperfed, and the expreffions happily adapted to the fubject. Of all the paffions which torment the mind of man, that of love is the most difficult to reprefent; a tumultuous tempeft this mo.ment, a fubfiding calm the next: rage and pity, jealousy and fondness, softness and feverity, difperfe the thoughts, and harrow the foul of the sufferer. Judgement is particularly required to describe so confused a mixture of ideas, and aptly express this discordant concord of paffion. Among the imitators of this fine ode are found the names of the most celebrated authors; VIRGIL, HORACE (in his Ode xiii. B. i.), LUCRETIUS, and CATULLUS. HORACE feems to have had an eye to it likewise in his Ode xix. L. i. "Mater fæva cupidinum, "Et vultus nimium lubricus afpici." The |