206 CONCLUSION. THUS have I attempted to give a sketch of the state of society in the times of Homer. I have drawn my materials from the poet himself, with some assistance from his contemporaries, Hesiod, and the Sacred Writers; without involving myself with critics and historians, or presuming to fill this dissertation with my own speculations, in preference to theirs. The subject resolves itself into learning, government, arts, and manners. As far as learning depends on a thirst for knowledge, it can make little progress in a rude and warlike age; as far as it is promoted by mutual communication and emulation, it must languish, when there are no teachers, learners nor competitors, neither books nor readers. In such circumstances it can be expected to advance only as fast and as far as it is subservient to the urgent wants of men. Astronomy was, therefore, cultivated till it ascertained the seasons for tillage and navigation, and enabled the navigator to steer his course from island to island, or coast along the shores of the Mediterranean sea. Geography was content with the infor mation gained at different sea-ports, without exploring the interior of the surrounding continents, or aiming at the character of a science. As agriculture was an art of prime necessity, it was practised with more application and success; but it soon supplied the necessities of the cultivator in a genial climate, and a fertile soil. The mechanical arts will not always keep pace with our wants, and will never go beyond them. The fine or ornamental arts have an early origin, but a slow growth. The rudest barbarians have a passion for adorning their persons; and soon wish for amusements to beguile their indolent or solitary hours. Music and dancing gratify these desires for a long time without much art or refinement. Sculpture and painting have a later origin; and which is the elder sister is still a subject of dispute. The elegancies of life will not be sought for, till every natural want is abundantly supplied. The arrival of this period was accelerated among the Greeks by their passion for military and piratical expeditions, which brought them acquainted with foreign luxuries, and supplied them with the precious metals, and other materials for furnishing and ornamenting their persons and houses. Accordingly, we find, that while the manners of their heroes continued rude and ferocious, their dwellings were elegantly furnished, and their wives had attained a considerable degree of refinement. The form of their government was free, and as far as we know, the exercise of it, mild. The kings were limited, the nobles powerful, and both controlled by the assembly of the people. Slavery prevailed to a great extent; it being not only an accidental consequence, but a main object of their warlike and marauding expeditions, to carry off slaves as an article of trade, either for ransom or sale. But we hear of no unnecessary severity to these unhap.py people. We know, that many of them were advanced to eligible situations, and possibly contributed to civilize their masters. Whether their posterity continued in servitude we are not informed; and we have no intimations, that any of the people were slaves by birth. In the art of war they were very inferior to their posterity, and to the Romans; but nearly equal to our ancestors before the invention of fire arms; except, perhaps, in besieging towns, of which art they seem to have been ignorant. Theology is the most defective part of their system. Their gods were no better than themselves: air and earth were peopled with malignant spirits, and nothing can exceed the absurdity of their infernal regions. Their practice was better than their theory. The sentiments of genuine piety and morality, which we meet with in Homer and Hesiod, may fairly be ascribed to themselves, or at most, to the higher orders of the people; for it is impossible, that they should be familiar to the multitude. From the poems of Homer especially, might be easily selected, with the assistance of Duport's Gnomologia, a system of morals, at least a series of religious, moral, and prudential maxims, that would justify Horace in preferring him to Chrysippus and Crantor. As to morals, I apprehend, that we have no reason to plume ourselves on our superiority. Gaming is a vice of general prevalence among the unoccupied classes in every stage of society; but the only persons chargeable with it in the period of which we are treating, are the idle and dissolute suitors of Penelope. Minerva found them before the door of the palace, playing with dice, at some game, which critics, ancient and modern, pretend to describe, reclining on the hides of oxen, which they had slaughtered and consumed, and attended by heralds and their own servants, who supplied them with meat and wine. On a similar occasion, Patroclus, when a youth, killed his adversary in a passion; and these are, I believe, the only instances of gambling that In one of them the parties were boys; in the other, the profligate suitors of Penelope. occur. We are so much struck with the inconsistency between different parts of their social intercourse, that we feel inclined to attribute much of their refinement to the taste and genius of the poet; but as this incongruity appears chiefly among the men, we * Od. i. 107. should rather ascribe it to their martial character, and wandering habits. When, notwithstanding this, we discover occasionally so much courtesy and urbanity, even in them, we may account for it by their hospitality, which supplied the want of many good qualities. It bound the host and his guest, and their posterity, in mutual bonds of inviolable friendship, even though they met as enemies in the field of battle; and procured them the kindest reception and most liberal entertainment in their civil intercourse. Nestor, Menelaus, and Alcinous received their guests with a noble and gracious courtesy; and on more familiar and interesting occasions, they wept, and kissed each other's head, and shoulders, and hands and eyes.* Those, who are surprised at the rudeness of some of their customs, compared with the elegance of others, should reflect, that the primeval simplicity of ancient habits might continue, without affecting more modern fashions; that military men might retain the practice of cutting up, and cooking their own food, though not in camp; and that some of those actions were connected with the ceremonies of religion. Even in modern times, many usages obtain in one civilized country, that appear indelicate and revolting to the inhabitants of another: and our travellers are often incommoded and shocked at the want of * Od. xvi. 15: xvii. 35: xxi. 224: xxiv. 397. |