These are
the beauties of a God in a human body. When the picture of Achilles
is drawn in tragedy, he is taken with those warts and moles and hard
features by those who represent him on the stage, or he is no more
Achilles; for his creator, Homer, has so described him. Yet even
thus he appears a perfect hero, though an imperfect character of
virtue. Horace paints him after Homer, and delivers him to be
copied on the stage with all those imperfections. Therefore they
are either not faults in an heroic poem, or faults common to the
drama.
After all, on the whole merits of the cause, it must be acknowledged
that the epic poem is more for the manners, and tragedy for the
passions. The passions, as I have said, are violent; and acute
distempers require medicines of a strong and speedy operation. Ill
habits of the mind are, like chronical diseases, to be corrected by
degrees, and cured by alteratives; wherein, though purges are
sometimes necessary, yet diet, good air, and moderate exercise have
the greatest part.
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