New-York tribune., 1880-02-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

THE ORIGIN OF THE HoMERIC PoFMs; lfansRpa rnyis n
io@ ,as es%en is%c p Gt ils rs na'per
Tn. translator of this essay has been leu 10
the task by the that there - no singe
work IN English which adequately sets ieren 'no
d Geulties OF regarding the Homcric poems az tnc ~
ducton OF one poet with the exception perhaps Oh 'e
elaborate treatise OF Mure, which defends the nhi's vi
authorship. -
represented by DIR. Bonz, take the ground that Tue
Iad and Odyssey, which call the poems OF honei,
arc not the WORK OF single poet. but are ma"o "P u
the separate songs Of different poets For hiany c"
tres among the Greek tribes heroic songs were III o
culation repeating the legends OF the Trojan war; ec
containing only single transaction, and designed W
be sung with the accompaniment OF the Bre at ioS''
banauets In course OF time these separate songs "eIc
combined according 10 the order Of the Story a' n
into large groups and then into the cpmpiete poen9
nearly as they are found at the present day. Iney "
at last collected IN a permanent written lot" o' ~
orders OF Pisisratus in the sixth century before Christ
The theory first presented IN modern tiincs' o' ~,
celebrated German philologist F. "A. VOL, wHo puo-
lsred his "Prolegomena TO the Homene Poems' III
1895 The excitement produced by TINS WORK eAtcnueo
far beyond range Of professional Greek SehoIs'
The philosopher Fchte declared that he had eac'eu e
same conclusions through purely abstract grounds,
au expression Of approval 20 which Woi repheu
in a vein of humorous irony. The assent ol 50
learned and acute a phOlogist as Wilhelm Won Huih-
bodt was Of more importance. Schiller, on the o'n'i
hand who took lively interest In the discuss'on VI
aesthetic questions deemed il oarbarous procedure "
think of dismem berng the Iiad or OF its ever having
been put together from originally separate songs
Goethe also in his old age took the same vlew' ~
tbough be was al first ncucd 10 favor the revolution
ary theory OF Wolf Tho peculiar merit OF 'nlS
courageous scholar not the bOldness OF Ills ach
on received opinion but tie conseieDtousness OF us
method For nearly twenty years ho devoted nllnSe'
10 the researches which the fruits were aierward
se, forth in this Proegomena" before presenting then
10 the attention OF the learned world. Not feature IN
the traditions of antiquity, not an Incident ID tuc
poems themselves, not fact in the general progress oi
culture escaped his vg,lant scrutiny AT lasI thouSh
with unfegned reluctance he found himself eompeHed
10 break loose from belief which he LAD chershed a.
warmly as Others aud submit TO the ptiless force oi
investigation and reasoning. His book was Justly
characterized by an eminent authority at the time as
thorough model OF research a point OF ancient
history aud as remarkable for its thirst for knowledge
and love Of TRUTH for its firm grasp ana ccsehhG
together of long series of thoughts observations
In such field.
The gist Of the question may be summed
up i'm a few words from the admirable comprehensive
abatement OF the author The ancient Greeks possessed
besides the Iiad and odyssey, number OF other epc
poems relating the Trojan myths which can De aced
back considerable distance beyond the beginning OF
the Greek national e OF these possess but aiew
differences from the Had and the odyssey In regard
to each of these Trojan epics there is uniform ira
dition AS to place of it's origin and nearly uniform,
as to the name Of its author The date OF their c0mpo
stion moreover belongs TO period not far removed
from that OF authentic history. In spite OF al thls
these poems together with the Had ana Odyssey are
sometimes ascribed to Homer. He is regarded as tine
auhor of most OF ali OF the other Trojan eplcs and
even OF the socalled Homeric hymns to the gods The
idea of limiting HOmer's authorship 10 TIE illad ana
odyssey alone rarely held in the cassleol
age and did not become established belief UNTIL In
the third century before Christ. Alexandra was mace
the centre of Greek learning and culture. The belief s
accordingly the consequence OF research, which did not
arrive ut definite conclusion until several centuries
after the completion OF the Iad On the other hand tne
direct historical testimony OF the classical period ascDes
10 Homer such variety OF works as tue boidest fancy
could hardly attribute to single person. But the very
existence Of this Incompatible genius is shrouded IN OBJ
scnry Seven cities have coDtended for the honor Of
having been the birthplace of Homer. One Greek
epigram asserts that spot earth but heaven Itself
was his native land But ingenious suggestions have
been able to solve the historical difficulty. Nor is
there any greater certainty as to tho date or
OF his BIRTH The time has been placed at different
noinls during q period OF more than four hundred
wears Every statement belongs TO the tradi
tion of particular locality. Thus, according to the ira
don OF Smyrna the birth Of Homer took place In the
middle Of the eleventh century, Chos nxeslt about
two generations later the beginning Of the tenth
century; samos IN the ninth century, and 80 on Thus
Homer is made bear all the epic poetry of the Trojan
circle OF myths; he has been repued as born at der
ent points in the Greek world during period OF more
than four centuries ard in each instance there coz
nected with his birth residence In agyen LOCALITY tie
story Of the OF school OF epic poetry IN the same
locality Tie conclusion is irresistible that the state
ments as to Homer's birth at different places and at
different times are really statements to the beginning
of epic poetry the several localities The sequence OF
dates and places affords history Of that form OF poetry
over the western coast OF Asia Minor and among the
islands To these historical data In regard to the person
of Homer must added the facts which are established
s 10 the poems without reference to tie name OF the
author For example, the Had and Odyssey were not
originally committed TO writing, Tut were orally dc
nyered. This supposilion has been more ana more
firmly established the time OF Wolf even by the
attacks to which has been subjected There is not the
slightest hint in the poems Of The existence OF the ART OF
writing 1t appears from sufficient proof that the Had
was completed work in the eighth century before
Christ hut 1t was till full century later that we find
the beginnings Of the art OF Greeks
The Of these poems by oral tradition only for
period OF two centuries the less surprising from the
historical fact schools of poets who made
II their business TO cultivate epic poetry and To create
and transmit the heroic Of their anc siors the rs
record OF the commission OF the lind and Odyssey to
writing is in the latter half Of the sixth century
before Christ when the work was done at Athens
by a committee appointed by Pisistratus.
The internal evidence OF the poem4 moreover. fur
oisbes conclusive argument against the unity
If authorship. This is discussed by the author with
great analytic vgor and acuteness but we can give
only the result of his inquiry. without even All outline
NJ his reasoning Every thing, IN his opinion, tends 60
,how that the character both OF the Iliad and tbs
Odyssey is Incompatible with the suppostion Of unity
n. authorship The theory, which he mautains In
agreement with Wolf is affirmed 10 be the only one IN
accordance with the traditions Of antiquity. IL has
GROWN out OF a thorough investigation Of the most