DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0769
A SHORT HISTORY OP GRECIAN LITERATURE.
•warriors, or the manners and customs of people little known; a knowledge which they
had either acquired by travelling from one place to another, as was their practice,
or which they received from other travellers equally prone to exaggeration and cfledu-
lity with themselves.
As these observations naturally lead us to that period when Homer lived and sung
the war of Troy, and the wanderings of Ulysses, it will be necessary to state a few
things regarding his history, and the character of his poetry.
HOMER.
There is something extraordinary in the life and writings of this great poet, which
his admirers in all ages have endeavoured to elucidate, some by supposing him en-
dowed with supernatural powers, and favoured with inspiration from heaven ; and
others, with more justice to his real talents, by forming conjectures concerning the ad-
vantages of his situation, and the peculiar felicity of the times in which he lived, for
affording him pictures ol men and manners admirably suited for the purposes of poe-
try. Of his family and real history little i3 known beside conjecture, which usually
takes no common liberties with the lives of extraordinary men. The most probable
account is, that he was of humble rather than exalted rank, and that he was bom
about a thousand years before the Christian a3> a. and three hundred after the destruc-
tion of Troy*. His birth falls under that period of history when scarcely any thing
was entrusted to record, but left to the varying tale of tradition. He lived, however,
in an age when the Greeks were evidently making gradual progress towards improve-
ment, lived under a monarchical but limited government, and had extended their
commerce to a considerable extent. The people were brave and irascible, open and
generous to friends, treacherous and vindictive to enemies, hospitable to those who
claimed their protection, or who were qualified to amuse them by anecdotes and the
recital of adventures. Among people of this description, of simple and artl ss man-
ners, Homer seems to have lived, aud to have observed them well The commerce
that was carried on between distant countries enabled him to visit every place, to be-
come acquainted with the history of its inhabitants, to store up in his capacious mind
the many traditionary stories with which such a state of society abounds, aud to exa-
mine with that discriminating power of mind, peculiar to men of the first talents,
every object of nature or of art, which co-ild embellish or give dignity to his verse;
and his occupation of an aoicfoc or strolling bard (for such he seems to have been) who
knew TroKK* 3-eA*<riffn* many soothing tales, obtained for him a welcome reception
wherever he went.
That Homer was not the first poet of eminence in Greece, seems to be admitted
by all, except those who are more inclined to ascribe his poems to a miracle, than to
the natural improved powers of an extraordinary mind. The names of several early
Grecian poets are recorded in history, and fragments of their works are yet extant, which
appear, by the language at least, as old as the days of Homer ; by the subject and
manner, still more ancient. It must be supposed, that with the thirst for knowledge
he possessed, he would avail himself of their hymns in honour of the gods and heroes
of their country, to form his poetical style, and assist him in the machinery of his
poems. That the Greek language was highly cultivated at the time in which he liv-
ed, is evident from an attentive perusal of his works. The narrations and dialogues,
so frequent in his poems, give us a picture not only of the character of individuals,
but also of the current language of the country, because the style and manner of ex-
pression are such as would be used, with very little attention, in common life. It
did not, as in most other states, keep pace with the advancement o knowledge and
civilization, with the progress of the arts and sciences, and the increase of luxury and
wealth. It was early brought to an almost complete state of perfection, especially
the poetical style, by the lively imagination of the people who delighted in the songs
of the bards ; and by the union of poetry with religion. In this state Homer found it,
and availed himself of its happy nature for combination and expressive simplicity to
describe, and characterize every object with wonderful accuracy.
It has been the destiny of this poet, the greatest that ever lived, to bert.be subject of
dispute in ail ages. Powerful states contended for the honour of his birth, when his
fame survived only in his works. The strolling bard, who, perhaps, was obliged to
provide by the*charms of his poetry for the day that was passing over him, and in his^ so-
litary wanderings, to store his mind with new ideas collected from the varying face of
* Homer is supposed to hafebeen a native of Ionia, but of what city or place has never been
determined
•warriors, or the manners and customs of people little known; a knowledge which they
had either acquired by travelling from one place to another, as was their practice,
or which they received from other travellers equally prone to exaggeration and cfledu-
lity with themselves.
As these observations naturally lead us to that period when Homer lived and sung
the war of Troy, and the wanderings of Ulysses, it will be necessary to state a few
things regarding his history, and the character of his poetry.
HOMER.
There is something extraordinary in the life and writings of this great poet, which
his admirers in all ages have endeavoured to elucidate, some by supposing him en-
dowed with supernatural powers, and favoured with inspiration from heaven ; and
others, with more justice to his real talents, by forming conjectures concerning the ad-
vantages of his situation, and the peculiar felicity of the times in which he lived, for
affording him pictures ol men and manners admirably suited for the purposes of poe-
try. Of his family and real history little i3 known beside conjecture, which usually
takes no common liberties with the lives of extraordinary men. The most probable
account is, that he was of humble rather than exalted rank, and that he was bom
about a thousand years before the Christian a3> a. and three hundred after the destruc-
tion of Troy*. His birth falls under that period of history when scarcely any thing
was entrusted to record, but left to the varying tale of tradition. He lived, however,
in an age when the Greeks were evidently making gradual progress towards improve-
ment, lived under a monarchical but limited government, and had extended their
commerce to a considerable extent. The people were brave and irascible, open and
generous to friends, treacherous and vindictive to enemies, hospitable to those who
claimed their protection, or who were qualified to amuse them by anecdotes and the
recital of adventures. Among people of this description, of simple and artl ss man-
ners, Homer seems to have lived, aud to have observed them well The commerce
that was carried on between distant countries enabled him to visit every place, to be-
come acquainted with the history of its inhabitants, to store up in his capacious mind
the many traditionary stories with which such a state of society abounds, aud to exa-
mine with that discriminating power of mind, peculiar to men of the first talents,
every object of nature or of art, which co-ild embellish or give dignity to his verse;
and his occupation of an aoicfoc or strolling bard (for such he seems to have been) who
knew TroKK* 3-eA*<riffn* many soothing tales, obtained for him a welcome reception
wherever he went.
That Homer was not the first poet of eminence in Greece, seems to be admitted
by all, except those who are more inclined to ascribe his poems to a miracle, than to
the natural improved powers of an extraordinary mind. The names of several early
Grecian poets are recorded in history, and fragments of their works are yet extant, which
appear, by the language at least, as old as the days of Homer ; by the subject and
manner, still more ancient. It must be supposed, that with the thirst for knowledge
he possessed, he would avail himself of their hymns in honour of the gods and heroes
of their country, to form his poetical style, and assist him in the machinery of his
poems. That the Greek language was highly cultivated at the time in which he liv-
ed, is evident from an attentive perusal of his works. The narrations and dialogues,
so frequent in his poems, give us a picture not only of the character of individuals,
but also of the current language of the country, because the style and manner of ex-
pression are such as would be used, with very little attention, in common life. It
did not, as in most other states, keep pace with the advancement o knowledge and
civilization, with the progress of the arts and sciences, and the increase of luxury and
wealth. It was early brought to an almost complete state of perfection, especially
the poetical style, by the lively imagination of the people who delighted in the songs
of the bards ; and by the union of poetry with religion. In this state Homer found it,
and availed himself of its happy nature for combination and expressive simplicity to
describe, and characterize every object with wonderful accuracy.
It has been the destiny of this poet, the greatest that ever lived, to bert.be subject of
dispute in ail ages. Powerful states contended for the honour of his birth, when his
fame survived only in his works. The strolling bard, who, perhaps, was obliged to
provide by the*charms of his poetry for the day that was passing over him, and in his^ so-
litary wanderings, to store his mind with new ideas collected from the varying face of
* Homer is supposed to hafebeen a native of Ionia, but of what city or place has never been
determined