A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

504 HOMERUS. HOMERUS.
were worsted; how Achilles at last allowed his crisis of the action, and his scanty revelations with
friend Patroclus to protect the Greeks; and how, respect to the plan of the entire work, he shows a
finally, he revenged the death of Patroclus by kill- maturity of knowledge which is astonishing for so
ing Hector. This simple course of the story Wolf early an age. To all appearance, the poet, after
thinks would have been treated by any other poet certain obstacles have been first overcome, tends
in very much the same manner as we now read it only to one point, viz. to increase perpetually the
in the Iliad; and he maintains that there is no disasters of the Greeks, which they have drawn on
unity in it except a chronological one, in so far themselves by the injury offered to Achilles; and
as we have a narration of the events of several Zeus himself, at the beginning, is made to prodays in succession. Nay, he continues, if we ex- nounce, as coming from himself, the vengeance and
amine closely the six last books, we shall find that consequent exaltation of the son of Thetis. At the
they have nothing to do with what is stated in the same time, however, the poet plainly shows his
introduction as the object of the poem, —namely, wish to excite, in the feelings of an attentive hearer,
the wrath of Achilles. This wrath subsides with an anxious and perpetually increasing desire not
the death of Patroclus, and what follows is a only to see the Greeks saved from destruction, but
wrath of a different kind, which does not belong also that the unbearable and more than human
to the former. The composition of the Odyssey haughtiness and pride of Achilles should be broken.
is not viewed with greater favour by Wolf. The Both these ends are attained through the fulfiljourney of Telemachus to Pylos and Sparta, the ment of the secret counsel of Zezs, which he did not
sojourn of Ulysses in the island of Calypso, the communicate to Thetis, and through her to Achilles
stories of his wanderings, were originally inde- (who, if he had known it, would have given up all
pendent songs, which, as they happened to fit into enmity against the Achaeans), but only to Hera,
one another, were afterwards connected into one and to her not till the middle of the poem; and
whole, at a time when literature, the arts, and a Achilles, through the loss of his dearest friend,
general cultivation of the mind began to flourish in whom he had sent to battle not to save the Greeks,
Greece, supported by the important art of writing. but for his own glory, suddenly changes his hostile
These bold propositions have met with almost attitude towards the Greeks, and is overpowered
universal disapprobation. Still this is a subject on by entirely opposite feelings. In this manner the
which reasoning and demonstration are very preca- exaltation of the son of Thetis is united to that
rious and almost impossible. The feelings and almost imperceptible operation of destiny, which
tastes of every individual must determine the the Greeks were required to observe in all human
matter. But to oppose to Wolf's sceptical views affairs. To remove from this collection of various
the judgment of a man whose authority on matters actions, conditions, and feelings any substantial
of taste is as great as on those of learning, we copy part, as not necessarily belonging to it, would in
what Miiller says on this subject:-" All the laws fact be to dismember a living whole, the parts of
which reflection and experience can suggest for the which would necessarily lose their vitality. As in
epic form are observed (in Homer) with the most an organic body life does not dwell in one single
refined taste; all the means are* employed by point, but requires a union of certain systems and
which the general effect can be heightened." —"The members, so the internal connection of the Iliad
anger of Achilles is an event which did not long rests on the union of certain parts; and neither
precede the final destruction of Troy, inasmuch as the interesting introduction describing the defeat
it produced the death of Hector, who was the de- of the Greeks up to the burning of the ship of Profender of the city. It was doubtless the ancient tesilaus, nor the turn of affairs brought about by
tradition, established long before Homer's time, the death of Patroclus, nor the final pacification
that Hector had been slain by Achilles in revenge of the anger of Achilles, could be spared from the
for the slaughter of his friend Patroclus, whose fall Iliad, when the fruitful seed of such a poem had
in battle, unprotected by the son of Thetis, was once been sown in the soul of Homer, and had
explained by the tradition to have arisen from the begun to develop its growth." (Ilist. of Gr. Lit.
anger of Achilles against the other Greeks for an p. 48, &c.)
affront offered to him, and his consequent retire- If we yield our assent to -these convincing rement from the contest. Now the poet seizes, as flections, we shall hardly need to defend the unity
the most critical and momentous period of the of the Odyssey, which has always been admired as
action, the conversion of Achilles from the foe of one of the greatest masterpieces of Greek genius,
the Greeks into that of the Trojans ~ for as on the against the aggressions of Wolf, who could more
one hand the sudden revolution in the fortunes of easily believe that chance and learned compilers
war, thus occasioned, places the prowess of Achilles had produced this poem, by connecting loose indein the strongest light, so, on the other hand, the pendent pieces, than that it should have sprung
change of his firm and resolute muind must have from the mind of a single man. Nitzsch (Hall.
been the more touching to the feelings of the hear- Encyclop. s. v. Odyssee, and Annerk. z. Odyss. vol.
ers. From this centre of interest there springs a ii. pref.) has endeavoured to exhibit the unity of
long preparation and gradual developement, since the plan of this poem. He has divided the whole
not only the cause of the anger of Achilles, but into four large sections, in each of which there are
also the defeats of the Greeks occasioned by that again subdivisions facilitating the distribution of
anger, were to be narrated; and the display of the the recital for several rhapsodists and several days.
insufficiency of all the other heroes at the same time 1. The first part treats of the absent Ulysses (books
offered the best opportunity for exhibiting their i.-iv.). Here we are introduced to the state of
several excellencies. It is in the arrangement of affairs in Ithaca during the absence of Ulysses.
this preparatory part and its connection with the Telemachus goes to Pylos and Sparta to ascertain
catastrophe, that the poet displays his perfect ac- the fate of his father. 2. Tlhe song of tie returning
quaintance with all the mysteries of poetical com- Ulysses (books v.-xiii. 92) is naturally divided;position; and in his continual postponement of the into two parts; the first contains the departure of