There we see he makes it not the Argive, but th' Argive, to fhun the shock of the two vowels, immediately following each other; but, in his fecond argument, in the fame page, he gives a bad example of the quite contrary kind:

Alpha the pray'r of Chryfes fings:

The army's plague, the ftrife of kings.

:

In these words the armies, the ending with a vowel, and armies beginning with another vowel, without cutting off the firft, which by it had been th' armies, there remains a most horrible ill-founding gap betwixt thofe words. I cannot fay that I have every way obferved the rule of the Synalepha in my tranflation; but wherefoever I have not, it is a fault in found the French and the Italians have made it an inviolable precept in their verfification; therein following the fevere example of the Latin poets. Our countrymen have not yet reformed their poetry so far, but content themselves with following the licentious practice of the Greeks; who, though they fometimes ufe Synalephas, yet make no difficulty very often, to found one vowel upon another; as Homer does, in the very first line of Alpha. Μήνιν άειδε Θεά ПInλniάdew 'Axiλño. It is true, indeed, that in the fecond line, in there words μυρὶ ̓Αχαιοίς, and ἀλγὲ One, the Synalepha in revenge is twice obferved. But it becomes us, for the fake of Euphony, rather Mufas colere feveriores, with the Romans, than to give into the looseness of the Grecians.

I have tired myself, and have been fummoned by the prefs to fend away this Dedication, otherwife I had exposed fome other faults, which are daily committed by our English poets; which, with care and obfervation, might be amended. For, after all, our language is both copious, fignificant and majeftical, and might be reduced into a more harmonious found. But, for want of publick encouragement, in this iron age, we are so far from making any progress in the improvement of our tongue, that in few years,

years, we shall speak and write as barbarously as our neighbours.

Notwithstanding my hafte, I cannot forbear to tell your Lordship, that there are two fragments of Homer tranflated in this Mifcellany; one by Mr. Congreve (whom I cannot mention without the honour which is due to his excellent parts, and that entire affection which I bear him) and the other by myfelf. Both the fubjects are pathetical, and I am fure my friend has added to the tenderness which he found in the original, and, without flattery, furpaffed his author. Yet I muft needs fay this in reference to Homer, that he is much more capable of exciting the manly paffions than thofe of grief and pity. To caufe admiration, is indeed the proper and adequate design of an epick poem: and in that he has excelled even Virgil; yet, without prefuming to arraign our mafter, I may venture to affirm, that he is fomewhat too talkative, and more than fomewhat too digreffive. This is fo manifeft, that it cannot be denied, in that little parcel which I have tranflated, perhaps too literally: there Andromache, in the midft of her concernment, and fright for Hector, runs off her bias, to tell him a ftory of her pedigree, and of the lamentable death of her father, her mother, and her feven brothers. The devil was in Hector if he knew not all this matter, as well as the who told it him; for fhe had been his bedfellow for many years together: and if he knew it, then it must be confefs'd, that Homer in this long digreffion, has rather given her his own character, than that of the fair lady whom he paints. His dear friends the commentators, who never fail him at a pinch, will needs excufe him, by making the prefent forrow of Andromache, to occafion the remembrance of all the paft: but others think that fhe had enough to do with that grief which now oppreffed her, without running for affiftance to her family. Virgil, I am confident, would have omitted fuch a work of fupererogation. But Virgil had the

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gift

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gift of expreffing much in little, and fometimes in filence for though he yielded much to Homer in invention, he more excelled him in his admirable judgment. He drew the paffion of Dido for Æneas, in the most lively and most natural colours imaginable: Homer was ambitious enough of moving pity, for he has attempted twice on the fame fubject of Hector's death: firft, when Priam and Hecuba beheld his corps, which was dragged after the chariot of Achilles and then in the lamentation which was made over him, when his body was redeemed by Priam; and the fame perfons again bewailed his death, with a chorus of others to help the cry. But if this laft excite compaffion in you, as I doubt not but it will, you are more obliged to the translator than the poet: for Homer, as I obferved before, can move rage better than he can pity: he ftirs up the irascible appetite, as our philofophers call it; he provokes to murder, and the deftruction of God's images; he forms and equips thofe ungodly mankillers, whom we poets, when we flatter them, call heroes; a race of men who can never enjoy quiet in themselves, 'till they have taken it from all the world. This is Homer's commendation, and fuch as it is, the lovers of peace, or at least of more moderate heroifm, will never envy him. But let Homer and Virgil contend for the prize of honour, betwixt themselves, I am fatisfied they will never have a third concurrent. I wish Mr. Congreve had the leifure to tranflate him, and the world the good nature and justice to encourage him in that noble defign, of which he is more capable than any man I know. The earl of Mulgrave and Mr. Waller, two the best judges of our age, have affured me, that they could never read over the tranflation of Chapman, without incredible pleasure and extreme transport. This admiration of theirs muft needs proceed from the author himself: for the tranflator has thrown him down as low as harsh numbers, improper English, and a monstrous length of verfe could carry him.

What then would he appear in the harmonious verfion of one of the best writers, living in a much better age than was the laft? I mean for verfification, and the art of numbers: for in the drama we have not arrived to the pitch of Shakespear and Ben Johnfon. But here, my Lord, I am forced to break off abruptly, without endeavouring at a compliment in the clofe. This Mifcellany is, without difpute, one of the best of the kind, which has hitherto been extant in our tongue. At leaft, as Sir Samuel Tuke has faid before me, a modeft man may praife what is not his own. My fellows have no need of any protection, but I humbly recommend my part of it, as much as it deferves, to your patronage and acceptance, and all the reft to your forgiveness. I am,

My LORD,

Your Lordship's most

obedient Servant,

John Dryden.