PREFACE. H AVING fome time ago heard, that the tranflation of HOMER's Iliad would be attempted, I refolved to confer with the gentleman who undertook it. I found him of a tall presence, and thoughtful countenance, with his hands folded, his eyes fixed, and his beard untrimmed. This I took to be a good omen because he thus resembled the Conftantinopolitan Statue of HOMER which Cedrenus defcribes; and furely nothing could have been liker, had he but arrived at the character of age and blindness. As my business was to be my introduction, I told him how much I was acquainted with the fecret history of HOMER; that no one better knows his own horse, than I do the camel of Bactria, in which his foul refided at the time of the Trojan wars; that my acquaintance continued with him, as he appeared in the perfon of the Grecian poet; that I knew him in his next tranfmigration into a peacock; was pleafed with his return to manhood, under the name of Ennius at Rome; and more pleafed to hear he would foon revive under another name, with all his full luftre, in England. This knowledge, added I, which Sprung from the love I bear him, has made me fond of a converfation with you, in order to the fuccefs of your tranflation. The civil manner in which he received my proposal encouraging me to proceed, I told him, there were arts of fuccefs, as well as merits to obtain it; and that be, who now dealt in Greek, should not only fatisfy himfelf with being a good Grecian, but also contrive to haften into the repute of it. He might therefore write in the title-page, Tranflated from the original Greek, and felect a Motto for his purpose out of the fame language. He might obtain a copy of verfes written in it to prefix to the work; and not call the titles of each book, the firft, and fecond, but Iliad Alpha, and Beta. He might retain fome names, which the world is leaft acquainted with, as his old tranflator Chapman uses Epbaiftus inftead of Vulcan, Baratrum for hell; and if the notes were filled with Greek verses, it would more increase the wonder of many readers. Thus I went on; when he told me, fmiling, I had shewn him indeed a fet of arts very different from merit, for which reafon he thought, he ought not to depend upon them. A fuccefs, fays he, founded on the ignorance of others, may bring a temporary advantage, but neither a confcious fatisfaction, nor future fame to the author. Men of fenfe defpife the affectation which they easily fee through, and even they who were dazzled with it. at firft, are no fooner informed of its being an affectation, but they imagine it also a veil to cover imper-. fection. be The The next point I ventured to speak on, was the fort of poetry he intended to use, how fome may fancy, a poet of the greatest fire would be imitated better in the freedom of blank verfe, and the defcription of war Sounds more pompous out of rhime. But, will the tranflation, faid he, be thus removed enough from profes without great inconveniencies? What tranfpofition is Milton forced to, as an equivalent for want of rhime, in the poetry of a language which depends upon a natural order of words? And even this would not have done his business, had he not given the fulleft fcope to his genius, by choosing a subject upon which there could be no hyperboles. We fee, however he be defervedly fuccessful, that the ridicule of his manner fucceeds better than the imitation of it; becaufe tranfpofitions, which are unnatural to a language, are to be fairly derided, if they ruin it by being frequently introduced-:· and becaufe hyperboles, which outrage every leffer fubject where they are seriously used, are often beautiful in ridicule. Let the French, whofe language is not copious, tranflate in profe; but ours, which exceeds it in copioufness of words, may have a more frequent likeness of founds, to make the unifon or rhime easier; a grace of music, that attones for the harshness our confonants and monofyllables occafion. After this, 1 demanded what air he would appear with? whether antiquated, like Chapman's verfion, or modern, like La Motte's contraction. To which he anfwered, by defiring me to obferve what a painter dees who would always have his pieces in fashion. He neither K 5 |