Monsieur Bossu's Treatise of the Epick Poem/Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
ARistotle bestows large Commendations on Homer for the Simplicity of his Design, because he has included in one single part all that happen'd in the Trojan War. And to him he opposes the Ignorance of certain Poets, who imagin'd that the Ʋnity of the Fable, or of the Action, was well enough preserv'd by the Ʋnity of the Hero, and who compos'd their Theseid's, Heraclid's, and such like Poems, in each of which they heap'd up every thing that happen'd to their principal Personage. The Instances of these Defects which Aristotle blames, and would have us avoid, are very instructive. These Poems are lost to us: but Statius has something very like it.
His Achilleid is a Model of all the Adventures which the Poets have feign'd under the Name of Achilles[1]. "O Goddess (says this Poet) sing of the magnanimous Son of Æacus, that has made Jove himself tremble, and was deny'd Admittance into Heaven, from whence he deduc'd his Origin. Homer has render'd his Actions very famous; but he has omitted a great many more than he has mention'd: For my part, I will not omit any thing. 'Tis this Hero at his full Length which I describe. Here is a noble Design, and Aristotle falls short of what he proposes.
All this cannot be consider'd, but as an Historical Recital, and without the least Glimpse of a Fable. Nor can I represent the Idea I have of this Design better, than by comparing it with the Fables of Æsop. I have already compar'd the Iliad with one of these Fables: and sure I may take the same liberty in a Poem that is less Regular; and make a Comparison between the Achilleid which comprehends several Actions under one and the same Name, and several Fables which likewise go under one Name. Homer and Virgil diverted themselves with their Poems of the Gnat, and of the Battel between the Frogs and the Mice: nor shall I stoop lower, when, upon the like occasion, I shall enlarge my self as far as the Design of Statius, and the Necessity of this Doctrine require me.
Let us suppose then and Author, who is as well vers'd in the Fables of Æsop, as Statius was in the Epick Fable; and who has read the Batrachomyomachia, as well as Statius has the Iliad. He shall have discover'd in this Battel between the Mice and the Frogs, the great Commendations which Homer bestows on the Valour of one of the Heroes in this Fable, upon Meridarpax for instance; whose Bravery made Jove and all the Gods wonder no less, than that of Capaneus in the Thebaid. And as Statius has read of several Actions of Achilles, which are not in the Iliad; this Author likewise shall have read of many Adventures attributed to the Mouse, which are not in the Batrachomyomachia of Homer.
He shall know what passed between the City-Mouse and the Country-Mouse; in order to teach us, That a little Estate enjoy'd quietly is better than a copious one, that exposes us to continual fears.
He shall know that a Lion having spared the Life of a Mouse, was afterwards saved by this very Mouse, who gnaw'd assunder the Toils in which he was caught; whereby he might inform us, That the good Offices we do to the most Infirm and Ignoble, are not always lost.
He shall know the Story of the Mountains, which after great Groans, and much ado, were deliver'd of a Mouse; like those who promise much, but perform little.
He shall have read in the Battel between the Cats and the Mice, that the Mice being defeated and put to flight, those amongst 'em, who had put Horns upon their Heads as a distinguishing Note of their being the Commanders, could not get into their Holes again, and so were all cut off: Because in the like Disorders, the Chief Leaders, and Men of Note, do commonly pay Sawce for all.
And upon these Discoveries, when he has conceiv'd the Idea of a Piece more surprizing than the Batrachomyomachia, or than any other particular Fable of Æsop, he shall undertake a Poem of all the Fables of the Mouse: as Statius undertook one about every thing that Story or the Poets ever said of Achilles. He might begin after the same manner, as Statius did his Achilleid:
"Inspire me, O my Muse, what I ought to say concerning the Magnanimous Meridarpax, which Jove himself cannot look upon without trembling. Homer indeed has celebrated some of his Actions in his Poem; but there are a great many still untouch'd; and I am resolved to omit nothing that my Hero has done."
He, as well as Achilles, had a Mortal for his Sire, to wit, the Redoubted Artepibulus, and a Mother far above his Rank and Quality, no less than a lofty Mountain. His Birth is foretold by the Oracles, and the People Hocking together from all parts to be Witnesses of this miraculous Labour, beheld Meridarpax creep out of his Mothers Belly, with so much Surprize and Delight, that their joyful Shouts and loud Laughter carried the News thereof to the Gods.
In the War his Associates maintain'd against the Amazonians of the Lakes, he signaliz'd himself in the Death of Physignathus. He would have utterly destroy'd all his Enemies, had not the Gods put a stop to his Designs.
To refresh himself after the Fatigues of this War, he was for taking the Air in some Country-Seat or other. But by the way he is surprized by a furious Lion, who is just ready to tear him to pieces: but Meridarpax was no less eloquent than stout. The Lion admir'd his parts, and let him go.
He was welcom'd in the Country by an old Friend of his Sire's. This Villager thought of making him a delicate Repast with his Country-Fare: but these old, dry, and unsavoury Morsels would not down with our nice Stranger. Whereupon bepitying the sorry Life of his Friend, he invites him to a more pleasant one, and prevail'd upon him to jog along with him.
They were scarce got half-way to their Journey's end, but they heard a most terrible noise. Meridarpax perceiv'd 'twas the Lion's Roar which before had spar'd his Life. He made that way, and in short found him so fetter'd in the Noose, that he expected nothing else but Death: the Mouse freed him from that fear, by gnawing asunder several Knots; and put the Prisoner in a Capacity of freeing himself from the rest.
Meridarpax re-joyns his Country-Friend, conducts him to Town, and receives him very splendidly in a Pantry well furnish'd. This new Citizen was blessing himself at his happy Change; when on the sudden in steps the Housekeeper, and at her Heels one of the most formidable Enemies these two Guests had. The Domestick betook himself presently to his Cittadel: but the poor Stranger, seiz'd with Fear, and every Limb about him in an Ague, sees himself a long time expos'd to the Claws of a merciless Enemy. In short he escap'd; and without minding the good Cheer, as soon as the Danger was over, and he came to himself, he takes his Congé of his Host, and tells him, That he preferr'd his quiet Poverty to all that Plenty which was so attended with frights and fears.
Meridarpax stomachs this Affront, calls together a great many of his Allies, and prevails so effectually upon them, that they enter into a Confederacy with him, and offer to serve him in the War. He, the better to maintain his Grandeur, and make himself more conspicuous than all the rest, claps two great Horns on his Forehead. At the first opening of the Pantry he had a great deal of Success against some of the young Rangers, who first came in. But no sooner had their squeaking call'd in their Sires and their Dams, and the Wawling of a great many others at a distance, gave notice of a new Reinforcement, that was ready to pour in upon the Assailants, but they presently thought of a speedy Retreat. The rest with ease slunk into their Holes, and none left upon the spot but Meridarpax embarass'd with the Ensigns of his Grandeur, which made the Avenues too strait for him to escape at. One of his Party bid him lay aside his Regalities, but he had scarce time to reply, That he had rather die like a King, and make his Exit gloriously.
A Poem made up of these Stories joyn'd together, and which we might compare with one of the Fables of Æsop or the Batrachomyomachia, is very much like the Idea I have of the Theseid, the Heraclid, the Achilleid, and other such like Poems, when compar'd with those of Virgil and Homer.
Aristotle was in the right, when he call'd a certain little Iliad the whole Trojan War squeez'd into the compass of one single Poem. This Iliad indeed was very small, since it was all contain'd in a very narrow Compass. It was not at all like the Iliad of Homer, a small part of which fill'd so many Books. We may say as much of the Achilles of Statius, who is comprehended at his full Length within the Compass of twelve Books. And the Achilles of Homer is so vast, that a few days of his Anger and Passion have taken up four and twenty Books compleatly.
According to the old [2]Adage it must needs follow, that this Lion of Homer was of a prodigious size, since so large a Table could contain no more than one single Paw, which had been the Destruction of so many Heroes. And on the other side, that the Lion of Statius was but of a very small size, since all his Parts could be comprehended and included in a Table less by half than that of Homer's.
You see then the ill Effects of Polymythia, or a Vicious Multiplication of Fables. The Fable of the Dogs and the Wolf demonstrates how beautiful and regular the Iliad is; and the Narration of the Adventures of the Mouse shews the contrary in the Achilleid. If my two Parallels are of equal justness, the Difference that appears to be between the Achilles of Homer and that of Statius ought to be attributed to nothing else but the different Conduct of these two Authors.
There is still another way of irregularly multiplying Fables. without making a Rehearsal of the Hero's whole Life: and that is, by mixing with the main Action other foreign Actions, which have no manner of Relation thereto. This belongs to the Unity of the Action, and the Art of making the Episodes; of which we shall speak in the next Book.
The Poem of Ovid's Metamorphoses is of another kind. If (as I have already laid down the Idea I conceiv'd of the Achilleid of Statius, of the Heraclid, of the Theseid, and of other such like Pieces of the Ancient Poets) I had a mind likewise to present the World with an Example of Æsop's Fables compar'd with Ovid's Metamorphoses; I should be forced to put all the Fables of Æsop into one Body: Because Ovid is not contented to rehearse all that ever happen'd either to Achilles, or to Hercules, or to Theseus, or to any other single Personage; but he makes a Recital of all that ever happen'd to all the Persons of the Poetical Fables. This Recital is by no means an Epick Poem, but a Collection of all the Fables that were ever writ in Verse, with as much Connexion and Union, as the Compiler of so many Incidents could devise.
And yet I do not see how any one can condemn this Design, and tax its Author with Ignorance: provided none pretend that he design'd to make an Epopéa, nor compare it to the Poems of Homer and Virgil, as Statius has done his Achilleid and Thebaid.