action; and of making the reader acquainted with the previous circumftances by a narrative from the hero. The Phæacians, a people fond of strange amufing tales, refolved to fit out a fhip for the diftreffed hero, as a reward for the entertainment he has given them. When he arrives in Ithaca, his abfence, his age, and his travels, render him totally unknown to all but his faithful dog Argus: he then puts on a disguise, that he may be the better enabled to furprife and to punish the riotous fuitors, and to re-establish the tranquillity of his kingdom. The reader thinks that Ulyffes is frequently on the point of being difcovered, particularly when he engages in the shooting-match with the fuitors, and when he enters into conversation with Penelope in the nineteenth book, and perfonates a fictitious character; but he is ftill judiciously disappointed, and the fufpenfe is kept up as long as poffible. And at laft when his nurse Euriclea discovers him by the fcar in his thigh, it is a circumstance so fimple and fo natural, that notwithstanding Aristotle places these recog, nitions by Signs and Tokens, below thofe that are effected by Reasoning, as in the Oedipus and Iphigenia; yet it ought ever to be remembered, that Homer was the original from whom this ftriking method of unravelling a fable, by a discovery and a peripetie, was manifeftly borrowed. The doubts and fears of Penelope left Ulyffes was not in reality her husband, and the tenderness and endearments that enfue upon her conviction that he is, render the surprise and fatisfaction of the reader complete.

Upon the whole, the Odyffey is a poem that exhibits the fineft leffons of morality, the most entertaining variety of fcenes and events, the most lively and VOL. III. natural

E

natural pictures of civil and domeftic life, the trueft representation of the manners and cuftoms of antiqui ty, and the jufteft pattern of a legitimate Epopee: and is, therefore, peculiarly useful to those, who are animated by the noble ambition of adorning humanity by living or by writing well.

But take the danger and the shame away,
And vagrant nature bounds upon her prey.

HOR.

FRANCIS.

To the ADVENTURER,

SIR,

Ir has been observed, I think, by Sir William Temple, and after him by almost every other writer, that Eng. Jand affords a greater variety of characters than the rest

of

of the world. This is afcribed to the liberty prevailing amongst us, which gives every man the privilege of being wife or foolish his own way, and preferves him from the neceffity of hypocrify or the fervility of imitation.

That the position itself is true, I am not completely fatisfied. To be nearly acquainted with the people of different countries can happen to very few; and in life, as in every thing elfe beheld at a diftance, there ap pears an even uniformity: the petty difcriminations which diverfify the natural character, are not disco. verable but by a close inspection; we, therefore, find them moft at home, because there we have moft opportunities of remarking them. Much less am I convinced, that this peculiar diverfification, if it be real, is the confequence of peculiar liberty; for where is the government to be found that fuperintends individuals with fo much vigilance, as not to leave their private conduct without restraint? Can it enter into a reafonable mind to imagine that men of every other nation are not equally mafters of their own time or houses with ourfelves, and equally at liberty to be parfimonious or profufe, frolic or fullen, abftinent or luxurious? Liberty is certainly neceffary to the full play of predominant humours; but fuch liberty is to be found alike under the government of the many or the few, in monarchies or in commonwealths.

How readily the predominant paffion fnatches an interval of liberty, and how faft it expands itself, when the weight of restraint is taken away, I had lately an opportunity to discover, as I took a journey into the country in a stage coach; which, as every journey is a

kind of adventure, may be very properly related to you, though I can display no fuch extraordinary affembly as Cervantes has collected at Don Quixote's inn.

In a ftage-coach the paffengers are for the most part wholly unknown to one another, and without expectation of ever meeting again when their journey is at an end; one should, therefore, imagine, that it was of little importance to any of them, what conjectures the reft should form concerning him. Yet fo it is, that as all think themselves fecure from detection, all affume that character of which they are most defirous, and on no occafion is the general ambition of fuperiority more apparently indulged.

On the day of our departure, in the twilight of the morning, I afcended the vehicle with three men and two women, my fellow-travellers. It was eafy to obferve the affected elevation of mien with which every one entered, and the fupercilous civility with which they paid their compliments to each other. When the first ceremony was dispatched, we fat filent for a long time, all employed in collecting importance into our faces, and endeavouring to ftrike reverence and submiffion into our companions.

It is always obfervable that filence propagates itself, and that the longer talk has been fufpended the more difficult it is to find any thing to say. We began now to wish for converfation; but no one feemed inclined to defcend from his dignity, or first propofe a topic of difcourfe. At last a corpulent gentleman, who had equipped himfelf for this expedition with a fcarlet furtout and a large hat with a broad lace, drew out his watch, looked on it in filence, and then held it dangling at his finger. This was, I fuppofe, understood by all the

company

company as an invitation to ask the time of the day, but nobody appeared to heed his overture; and his defire to be talking fo far overcame his refentment, that he let us know of his own accord that it was paft five, and that in two hours we should be at breakfast.

His condefcenfion was thrown away; we continued all obdurate; the ladies held up their heads; I amufed myself with watching their behaviour; and of the other two, on efeemed to employ himself in counting the trees as we drove by them, the other drew his hat over his eyes and counterfeited a flumber. The man of benevolence, to shew that he was not depreffed by our neglect, hummed a tune and beat time upon his fnuffbox.

Thus univerfally difpleafed with one another, and not much delighted with ourselves, we came at last to the little inn appointed for our repaft; and all began at once to recompenfe themselves for the constraint of filence, by innumerable questions and orders to the people that attended us. At laft, what every one had called for was got, or declared impoffible to be got at that time, and we were perfuaded to fit round the fame table; when the gentleman in the red furtout looked again upon his watch, told us that we had half an hour to spare, but he was forry to fee fo little merriment among us; that all fellow-travellers were for the time upon the level, and that it was his way to make himself one of the company. "I remember," fays he, "it was on juft fuch a morning as this, that I and my Lord Mum"ble and the Duke of Tenterden were out upon a ram"ble: we called at a little house as it might be this; "and my landlady, I warránt you, not fufpecting to