A complete dictionary of the Greek and Roman antiquities explaining the obscure places in classic authors and ancient historians relating to the religion, mythology, history, geography and chronology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their ... rites and customs, laws, polity, arts and engines of war : also an account of their navigations, arts and sciences and the inventors of them : with the lives and opinions of their philosophers / compiled originally in French ... by Monsieur Danet ; made English, with the addition of very useful mapps.

HOMERUS,

Homer. Velleius Patercu∣lus reports, that Homer was the wittiest Man that ever was born, and that he deserved the Name of Poet by excellency; that as he ne∣ver had imitated any one that was before him, so after him none had been able to match him; and in fine, that he and Archi∣lochus were the only Men who had begun a great work, and had carried it to its per∣fection. Homer has left us two incomparable Works, one of the Trojan War, intituled Iliads; and the other of the long and dange∣rous Voyages of Ulysses, under the Title of Odysses, each of them divided into four and twenty Books. Alexander the Great order'd them to be laid up in a Case, inlaid with precious Stones, he got amongst the Spoils of Darius King of Persia. Yet 'tis uncertain where Homer was born, and many Cities of Greece ascribe to themselves the honour of his birth. Lucian speaks thus on this account.

'Tis neither known what Homer was, nor what he did, nor his Country, nor his ex∣traction, nor the time wherein he lived; otherwise there would not be so much dis∣pute, as there is on this subject; nor would the people doubt whether Colophon was his Country, or Chio, or Smyrna, or Cumae, or Thebes, or a hundred other Cities; nor whe∣ther his Father is Maeonis the River of Lydia, or some Man of that Name, and his Mo∣ther Menalepis, or some Nymph of the Drya∣des, and whether he lived in or since the time of the Hero's. For 'tis neither known, whether he is more ancient than Hesiod, un∣der the name of Melesigena, or whether poor or blind, as is the common rumour.

The same Lucian, in the description of the Island of the Blessed, says again:

When I had been two or three days in that Coun∣try, I accosted Homer, and desired him to tell me where he was born, because it was one of the greatest Questions amongst the Grammarians, he told me, they had so per∣plex'd him upon that subject, that he him∣self knew nothing of the matter, but that he believed he was of Babylon, and there call'd Tigranes; as Homer amongst the Greeks, being deliver'd to them for an Hostage. I then ask'd him whether he made those Verses, which are disallowed and damn'd as none of his. He told me he did, which made me laugh at the impertinence of those that will needs deny them. I also enquir'd why he had begun his Poem with anger, and he said it was done without design, and that he did not write his Odysses before his Illiads, as several held. As for his pretend∣ed blindness, I did not speak to him on it, because I plainly saw the contrary.

Tatian, one of the most ancient Apologists of the Christian Religion, reports that Homer was before all Poets, Philosophers and Greek Historians, and is the most ancient of pro∣fane Writers. However, he affirms that Mo∣ses is more ancient than Homer himself.

Tertullian has observ'd that the Pagans did not deny, that the Books of Moses were extant many ages before the States and Cities of Greece, before their Temples and Gods, and also before the beginning of Greek Letters. In fine, he says, that Moses liv'd five hundred years before Homer's time; and the other Prophets who came a long while after Moses, were yet more ancient than all the Wise men, Law-givers and Philosophers of Greece. And by consequence the Holy Scripture is with∣out comparison much older than Homer; and as the Poesy of Homer, who liv'd so many ages before all the Philosophers, Historians and Greek Writers, was a pattern to them, so in the like manner Homer has follow'd the truths of the holy Scripture, as they were then spread abroad in the World.

Aelian assures us, that Ptolomeus Philopator King of Egypt, having built a Temple to Homer, he set up therein his Figure upon a Throne, with the representation of all the Cities that pretended to the honour of his birth; and that Galaton drew the picture of Homer with a Torrent coming out of his Mouth, at which all Poets were drawing water.

We learn from Plutarch, that Alexander had always the Illiads of Homer under his Pillow with his Dagger, and laid it up in a little Casket of an extraordinary value, that was found amongst the Spoils of Darius.

Horace has written in one of his Epistles, an Encomium on the Illiads and Odysses of Homer, and declares at first, that neither Chrysippus nor Crantor, who excell'd amongst the Stoicks and Academick Philosophers, and had set down the most perfect rules, of Morals, had never so well conceiv'd nor so happily ex∣plain'd the nature and the laws of honest and profitable, virtue and vice, as Homer himself had done in his Illiads, Trojani belli scripto∣rem, &c. Horace gives reason for what he did, saying, that the Illiads represented won∣derful well the passions, and the fatal conse∣quences of the foolish conduct of many Kings and Nations.

Cur ita crediderim, nisi quid te detinet, audi.

In the City of Troy, Antenor pretended that Helena should be restor'd, and Paris oppos'd him, and sacrificed his own Country to his brutish passion. In the Grecian Army Achilles and Agamemnon fell out; one follows the passion of his Love, and the other the tran∣sports of his Anger: Nestor endeavours to bring them to an Agreement, but to no pur∣pose. On the contrary, the Odysses represents in the person of Ulysses, a perfect model of Wisdom and Virtue, when after he had took revenge of the unchastness of Paris upon the City of Troy, he runs for a long while so ma∣ny dangers at Sea, overcomes Storms and Adversities, and resists the Inchantments of Mermaids and Circe, viz. Voluptuousness, which stupifies those who give themselves over to it: On the other side, the Noble∣men of Ithaca, who pretended to marry Pe∣nelope, shew us the effeminate life and the fa∣tal end of voluptuous Men; for at last they washed with their own blood the wrong they had done to Ulysses during his absence, and the infamous debaucheries they had com∣mitted in his Palace.

Of all the great Men of Antiquity, none had so great honours perform'd to them as Homer: For, besides the Statues erected to him, and Medals stampt with his Effigies, they erected also Temples and Altars to his honour, where they offer'd him Sacrifices. And a Sect of Christians, call'd Carpocratians, ador'd and burnt Frankincense to Homer's Image, in the like manner as they did to the Images of our Lord and St Paul, as St Austin and St John Damascen, and the Book ascrib'd to the Emperor Charles the Great tells us.

We have still many ancient Monuments of the divine honours that were perform'd to this great Poet, and amongst others a ve∣ry ancient Marble, which was found in the Territory of Terrentium. M. Cuper tells us, that Archelaus of Priene, who made that work, as it appears by the Inscription thereof, endea∣voured to express thereby the Apotheosis of Homer. He is represented by this figure set∣ting on the top of Mount Olympus, holding a Scepter in his right hand, crown'd with a Diadem, and an Eagle by him. There were eleven Images of Women round about Homer, representing the nine Muses, and his Illiads and Odysses set in the rank of the nine Muses. Behind him are the Figures of Time and Harmony, setting a Crown on his head. Not far off is an Altar, and near it on one side is represented the Fable, and on the other the History; and further off are set in order Poesie, Tragedy, Comedy, Vertue, Memo∣ry, Faith and Wisdom.

The Singers, who formerly sung the Po∣ems of Homer, were dress'd in red cloaths when they sung the Illiads, and in blue Cloaths when they sung the Odysses, and some wrapp'd up the Illiads in a red Parchment, and the Odysses in a blue one.

Tully, l. 3. de Orat. says, that Pisistratus Ty∣rant of Athens, was the first who set the Illiads and Odysses in the order we now have them.

Apollinarius wrote a Poem in imitation of the Illiads of Homer, containing the whole History of the Old Testament to the Reign of Saul; and divided also his work in four and twenty Books, according to the four and twenty Greek Letters. Besides this Poem, he wrote Comedies like those of Menander, Tra∣gedies in imitation of Euripides, and Lyrick as Verses fine as those of Pindar.

Pythagoras being come down into Hell, saw the Soul of Hesiod tied with chains to a Brass Pillar, and that of Homer hung to a Tree, both expos'd to the biting of Serpents, in punishment of what they had writ of the Gods.

Strabo tells us, that of all the editions of Homer, that which is call'd è Narthecio is the most correct and most esteem'd, being the work of Calisthenes and Anaxarchus. Aristotle gave this Edition to Alexander, and it was called after that name, because Alexander kept it in the rich and precious Box of Darius.