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 [1]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 demon-
- ↑ Ex ungue Leonem.
strates
