The Whole Works of Homer :: :: University of Virginia Library

Lest with foule hands you touch these holy Rites;
And with preiudicacies too prophane,
Passe Homer, in your other Poets sleights;
Wash here. In this Porch to his numerous Phane,
Heare ancient Oracles speake, and tell you whom
You haue to censure. First then Silius heare,
Who thrice was Consull in renowned Rome;
Whose verse (saith Martiall) nothing shall out-weare.
Silius Italicus. Lib. 13.

He, in Elysium, hauing cast his eye
Vpon the figure of a Youth, whose haire
With purple Ribands braided curiously,
Hung on his shoulders wondrous bright and faire;
Said, Virgine, What is he whose heauenly face
Shines past all others, as the Morne the Night;
Whom many maruelling soules, from place to place,
Pursue, and haunt, with sounds of such delight?
Whose countenance (wer't not in the Stygian shade)
Would make me, questionlesse, beleeue he were
A verie God. The learned Virgine made
This answer: If thou shouldst beleeue it here,
Thou shouldst not erre: he well deseru'd to be
Esteem'd a God; nor held his so-much breast
A little presence of the Deitie:
His verse comprisde earth, seas, starres, soules at rest:
In song, the Muses he did equalise;
In honor, Phœbus: he was onely soule;
Saw all things spher'd in Nature, without eyes,
And raisde your Troy vp to the starrie Pole.
Glad Scipio, viewing well this Prince of Ghosts,
Said, O if Fates would giue this Poet leaue,
To sing the acts done by the Romane Hoasts;
How much beyond, would future times receiue
The same facts, made by any other knowne?
O blest Æacides! to haue the grace
That out of such a mouth, thou shouldst be showne
To wondring Nations, as enricht the race
Of all times future, with what he did know:
Thy vertue, with his verse, shall euer grow.

Now heare an Angell sing our Poets Fame;
Whom Fate, for his diuine song, gaue that name.
Angelus Politianus, in Nutricia.

More liuing, then in old Demodocus,
Fame glories to waxe yong in Homers verse.
And as when bright Hyperion holds to vs
His golden Torch; we see the starres disperse,
And euery way flie heauen; the pallid Moone
Euen almost vanishing before his sight:
So with the dazling beames of Homers Sunne,
All other ancient Poets lose their light.
Whom when Apollo heard, out of his starre,
Singing the godlike Acts of honor'd men;
And equalling the actuall rage of warre,
With onely the diuine straines of his pen;
He stood amaz'd, and freely did confesse
Himselfe was equall'd in Mæonides.

Next, heare the graue and learned Plinie vse
His censure of our sacred Poets Muse.
Plin. Nat. hist. lib. 7. Cap 29.

[_]

Turnd into verse; that no Prose may come neare Homer.

Whom shall we choose the glorie of all wits,
Held through so many sorts of discipline,
And such varietie of workes, and spirits;
But Grecian Homer? like whom none did shine,
For forme of worke and matter. And because
Our proud doome of him may stand iustified
By noblest iudgements; and receiue applause
In spite of enuie, and illiterate pride;
Great Macedon, amongst his matchlesse spoiles,
Tooke from rich Persia (on his Fortunes cast)
A Casket finding (full of precious oyles)
Form'd all of gold, with wealthy stones enchac't:
He tooke the oyles out; and his nearest friends
Askt, in what better guard it might be vsde?
All giuing their conceipts, to seuerall ends;
He answerd; His affections rather chusde
An vse quite opposite to all their kinds:
And Homers bookes should with that guard be seru'd;
That the most precious worke of all mens minds,
In the most precious place, might be preseru'd.

Idem. lib. 17. cap. 5. Idem. lib. 25. cap. 3.

The Fount of wit was Homer; Learnings Syre,
And gaue Antiquitie, her liuing fire.