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BUT fince he would needs chufe that wrong way of criticism, I wonder he miss'd a stone fo ready to be thrown against HOMER, for his filling the Iliad not only with so much flaughter, (for that is to be excufed, fince a War is not capable of being described without it) but with so many various particulars of wounds and horror, as fhew the writer I am afraid fo delighted that way himself, as not the leaft to doubt his reader being fo alfo. Like SPANIOLETTA, whose dismal pictures are the more difagreeable for being always fo very movingly painted. Even HECTOR's last parting from his son and AN* DROMACHE, hardly makes us amends for his body's being dragg'd thrice round the town. M. DE LA MOTTE in his ftrongest objection about that dismal combat, has fufficient caufe to blame his inrag'd adversary, who here gives an instance that it is impoffible to be violent without committing fome mistake; her paffion for HOMER blinding her too much to perceive the very groffeft of his failings. By which warning I am become a little more capable of impartiality, though in a dispute about that very poet for whom I have the greatest veneration.

M.

M. D'ACIER might have confidered a little, that whatever were the motives of M. DE LA MOTTE to so bold a proceeding, it could not darken that fame which I am fure fhe thinks fhines fecurely even after the vain attempts of PLATO himfelf against it: caus'd only perhaps by a like reason with that of Madam D'ACIER's anger against M. DE LA MOTTE, namely, the finding that in prose his genius (great as it was) could not be capable of the fublime heights of poetry, which therefore he banish'd out of his commonwealth.

NOR were these objections to HOMER any more leffening of her merit in translating him as well as that way is capable of, viz. fully, plainly, and elegantly, than the most admirable verses can be any disparagement to as excellent profe.

THE best excufe for all this violence is, its being in a cause which gives a kind of reputation even to fuffering, by never fo ill a management of it.

THE worst of defending even Homer in fuch a paffionate manner, is its being more a proof of her weakness, than of his being liable to none. For what is it can excufe HOMER any more than HECTOR, for flying

at the first fight of ACHILLES? whose terrible afpect fure needed not such an inexcuseable fright to fet it off; and methinks all that account of MINERVA's restoring his dart to ACHILLES, comes a little too late, for excufing HECTOR's fo terrible apprehenfion at the very first.

FINI S.

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