5 ble Quarrel in the Defence of Rape and Adultery. Then as to the Event and Succefs of the War, they were conquer'd in the End, and faw their Town miferably burnt and deftroy'd by the Greeks. And yet, 'tis for this unjuft, this vanquish'd People, that later Nations have fhewn the greatett Efteem and Regard; which they have carried fo far, that not content to admire their Actions and Feats of War, they have endeavoured to graft themselves upon their Stock, and to derive their Original from them. The French Writers were the firft that gave into this Piece of Vanity, by tracing their Defcent from Francus the Son of Hector, who, they fay, landed in Gaul, conquer'd the Country, fet up his Empire there, and gave the Peo ple the Name of Franks, instead of that of Gaul by which they were call'd before. This Trithemius relates from one Hunnibald, who liv'd in the Time of Clovis, whom Mr. Camden, in the punning Wit of that Age, calls a bald Writer, fabled and feign'd, and of no manner of Credit and Authority. After the Invention of this Story, the Britons, not willing to yield in their Descent and Original to the French, fet up a like Claim, and invented just such a Story. The first Author of this Romance was Jeffry of Monmouth, who writes, that Brutus, Son of Silvius the Son of Eneas, and Brother to Afcanius, having kill'd his Father accidentally in hunting, fled to Greece, refcued many Trojans that were in Slavery there; then failing for England, which at that time was called Albion, and inhabited with a Race of Giants, landed at Totnefs in Devonshire, overcame and destroyed them, and fetting up his Empire there, cali'd the Country Britain from his Name. Mr. Camden has long fince taken this Story and imaginary Original to task; and from the Uncertainty of Hiftory before the first Olympiad, A 3 4 The ingenious Mr. Voiture, who did not love the Greek Au thors, because, I fuppofe, he had never read them, (for I am fure it is impoffible to do it without admiring and vaftly preferring them to the Latin Writers) us'd to fay, by way of Jeft, That as he was defcended from Francus, he had a natural Averfion for the Greeks, lympiad, and alfo from the Silence of Cæfar, Tacitus, Gildas and Bede, who have carefully enquired into the Original of the Britons, has proved almoft to a Demonstration, that it is all a mere Fable and the Forgery of that Romantick Writer to gratify his Countrymen. The Welsh have alfo put in their Claim for this kind of Antiquity, as defcending from Camber a Trojan Prince, who, they fay, landed there, and having conquer'd the Natives, called the Country by his Name; and laftly, the brave Cornish Men have traced their Pedigree from Corinaus, who they fay, coming from Troy with Brutus, encountred Gogmagog and other Giants, and called the Country Cornwall, from his Name. Notions and Traditions which are like to last as long as Men are willing to be deceiv'd, and loth to part with the Mentis gratiffimus Error; that is, as long as the World endures. Some learned Men have entertained the fame Opinion of Æneas's coming into Italy, and fetting up his Kingdom there; and looked upon it as a downright Fable, and the Invention of the Romans to illuftrate their Original, by deriving from that Trojan Hero. The learned Bochartus in a Letter to Mr. Segrais, the French Tranflator of Virgil, has endeavour'd to difprove this Tradition, and, as he faith, to overthrow the whole Plan and Foundation of the Æneis. This his Affertion he grounds upon a Paffage in Homer, at the 20th Book, . 307. where Neptune prophefies, that after the Deftruction of Troy, Eneas his Children and his Pofterity fhould reign over the Trojans. Some Criticks, out of Concern for the Honour of Rome, and Regard to the Credit of Virgil, have endeavoured to reconcile this feeming Difference between the two Poets, by fuppofing that Æneas did actually come in to Italy; and after he had fettled his Son Afcanius there, return'd into Afia, and reigned over the Trojans. But befides that it is not likely that Prince fhould forfake a Kingdom he had juft fet up, and return to a destroyed and miferable Place, there is not the leaft Ground and Authority for this Piece of Hiftory. Others have thought there was a Fault in the Text of Homer, and that the true Reading was not Τρώεσιν but παντεαιν ἀνάξει. This Bochartus faith is taking an unwarrantable Liberty with the Writings of the Ancients; and that if fuch a License is once allow'd, there is an End of the Credit and Authority of their Writings. But, with Submiffion to that very learned Man, this various Reading is not without fome Foundation. For, as Mr. Barnes obferves upon the place, 'tis certain the Paffage was fo read in fome ancient Copies: and what renders it more likely, is, that it exactly tallies and agrees with two Verfes in Virgil, which feem to be a literal Imitation of the Words of Homer. 6 Hic Domus Enee cunctis dominabitur ævis, Æneid. L. 3. y. 57. So that 'tis not unlikely that Пáve was the true and genuine Reading, or at least that it was that of the Copy which Virgil made ufe of. But granting Homer had written pas as it ftands in the prefent Editions, I do not fee why it fhould difprove the coming of Eneas into Italy, or fubvert the Foundation of that noble Poem; fince Neptune in his Prophecy (and 'tis the Nature of Prophecies, you know, to be dark and ambiguous) might mean that Eneas would rule over the Trojans in another Country, tho' not at Troy. This was long fince the Opinion of Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus, one of the beft Criticks and judicious Writers A 4 6 Pro Τρώεσσιν tamen Πάντεων legebatur: unde Virgilius, Hic Domus Æneæ, &c. Vide Barnes in locum. 7 Writert among the Ancients. To which Bochartus replies, that he wrote this to make his Court to the Romans, and to compliment Auguftus, under whose Empire he lived. This feems to bear hard upon that curious Searcher into Antiquity, who, I make no doubt, had some ancient Writers for his Vouchers. This Tradition of Eneas's coming to Italy (however it might be grounded) proved once of great Benefit to the Inhabitants of Acarnania, who, after the Death of Alexander Son of Pyrrhus King of Epirus, fearing the Etolians would make War against them; fent Ambaffadors to Italy to implore the Affiftance of the Roman Senate; and to engage it to gratify their Requeft, alledged that they were the only Province of Greece that had not fent & Ships and Succours against their Ancestors the Trojans. Their Plea was allowed to be juft, their Requeft was granted, and an Embafwas fent to the Etolians to order 'em to defift from their intended War. This happen'd in the 12th Year of Rome, and 200 Years before the Eneis was written. But Tradition was not fo favourable to the People of Ithaca, who, when they expoftulated with Agathocles King of Sicily for plundering their Country, and driving away their Cattle, were answered, What he had done was only by way of Reprifal for Ulyffes's driving away the Sheep of the Sicilians, and alfo blinding their Shepherd. The fame Prince, when the Inhabitants of Corcyra complained to him for invading their Country, told 'em it was because their Ancestors 7 See Bayle's Dictionary, Article Acarnania. 8 Strabo indeed has prov'd by the Catalogue of Ships, that their Allegations were false; and fhewn that the Acarnanians furnished their Quota of Men and Ships in that famous Expedition, though Homer has only pointed out their Country, and not called 'em by their Name. "Demonftravimus (faith he) in recenfione Navium "Græcarum, Acarnanas quoq; inter eos numerari, qui Expeditio ni ad Ilium interfuerint. Strabo, Edit. Cafaub. p. 361. This, however, may ferve to fhew it was a very ancient Tradition, and was thought then fo well grounded and juft, that it procured that Nation the Favour and Protection of the Romans, and fecur'd it from a War they had reason to fear was coming upon them. Ancestors had received Ulyffes in their Ifland. But the most ridiculous Meffage of this Kind was that which Mahomet the Great fent to Pope Pius the Second, who affifted the Greeks against the Turks, telling him, he wonder'd the Romans should make War against him, fince they had both the fame Original, and were engaged in Honour to revenge the Death of their Countryman Hector upon their common Enemy the Greeks. Thus fictitious Wrongs, faith Monfieur Bayle, invented by the Poets, have fometimes been made to apologize for real ones. But to return to the Paffage of Homer: The Ambiguity of the Word is fo far from difproving this Tradition, that it rather feems to be an Argument for it: It being, as I faid before, the Nature of Prophecies to be deliver'd in a dark, obfcure, and intricate manner. So that upon the whole, I cannot think that a dubious Expreffion, and the fingle Teftimony of Strabo ought to bear down the Evidence of so many ancient Writers, who have tranfmitted this to Pofterity as Truth. But fuppofing, after all, the Objection of Bochartus to be juft, allowing that Eneas really never came into Italy, but remain'd in his own Country, and reigned over the Trojans there, (which I find is Mr. Pope's Opinion; for which I can't but fay he gives very good Reasons, and every body knows that Gentleman never gave a bad one in his Life) I do not fee why this fhou'd reflect upon Virgil, derogate from his Merit, or destroy the Foundation of that noble Poem. For granting only that there was such a Tradition among the Romans, this fure was Ground enough for him to build upon, tho' there was no manner of Truth in the Story. Now that there was fuch a Report, is plain from the Teftimonies of Livy, Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus, and other Hiftorians; and from the Inftance I have given of the Acarnanians, who, 200 Years before Virgil wrote, infifted upon it, and by vertue of it ob Bayle's Dictionary, ibid tain'd |