for the circumstances of a branch of Mount Taurus rising in Asiatic Turkey, and of Asia's beginn ng in that country (represented as it is by Hector), seem to be brought into view by those expressions, and the line of division itself seems referred to by the words μεσσε δαρος. Perhaps also there may be an allusion to the city of Constantinople, commonly called the Ottoman porte or gate, in the last word, dopos, as constituting the door between Europe and Asia; which door is again noticed, by πυλα in ευρυπύλοιο, where Constanti nople (Kwv woλ) (as well as the neighbouring Greek islands) is mentioned in the 677 of the 2 II. Και Κων Ευρυπύλοιο πολιν νήσός τε Καλύδνας. But what hero represents the British Islands all this while? For surely, when a Helen is the prize, or an object is in view which interests all the rest of Europe, the inhabitants of those islands can never be supposed to have stood idle and taken no part in the contest. By whom would we wish to see these happy islands represented rather than by Nestor; in whose character are at once depicted, wisdom, courage, justice, experience, science, eloquence, humanity, military skill, in short, all the noble qualities that adorn the good and the great. The following lines of the catalogue prove the representative character of Nestor, as just assigned, 2 II. 591: Οι δε Πύλον ενεμοντο και Αρήνην ερατεινήν By Πύλον, from πυλα janua, I understand England, with reference to the two famous Straits, Passages, or Doors of St. George's Channel and Dover, just as the Strait of Babelmandeb at the mouth of the Arabian Gulf is so called from bab, a gate. By Ag may be understood Ireland, or Ierne ; by Θρυον, the passage through or thorough fare of Aλpe1010 Togov, the pass of the letter alpha, (the two British Isles exhibiting, in fact, the shape of that letter;) by EUXTITOV DITU, the Highlands of Scotland; by Κυπαρισσήεντα, the districts of North Britain, within which the Scotch firs are found; by Auryεvetav, the narrow part of England about Durham, where the land is nearly cut through by the sea on each side of it; by ПTEλεov, I understand Ireland again, which has the shape of a wing; by Eλos, Wales; by Awpiov, Dover; and the fable that follows relates to the sands in the neighbourhood of the Goodwins; which, in a poetical sense, almost blind the river Thames (avgn, quasi Thame and gew) at its mouth. In Teens, there appears an allusion to the British islands, as highly remarkable for their verdure or greenness; and in ITTOTα, to their inhabitants being much addicted to navigation, as well as their being fond of horses, and possessing an excellent race of them; for ITTOS often means a ship in Homer; and by πотα, therefore, may be understood a distinguished navigator, or great seacommander. The geographical position of Nestor's country relative to that of Agamemnon (France, including Spain, as in a great degree dependent on or connected with France), namely, as being over it, or over its head, or to the northward of it, is noticed by the 59th line of the 2d II. *In treating the character of Menelaus, a few pages back, as representing Spain, the following note ought to have been inserted, with reference to the mention of Lagτn as one of the places in subjection to him. The 3rd vol. of Bourgoanne's Travels in Spain, p. 156, has this passage, "The country round Carthagena was formerly called Campo Spartario; and the appellation of Spartaria was also given to the city on account of the great quantity of spartum, or Spanish broom, found in the plains and mountains." And in p. 419 of the same book, is the following passage, "The kind of grass which the Spaniards call Esparta is very common, for it covers a great part of Spain. It serves to make ropes, mats, and several useful articles. Mr. Bowles (a writer upon Spain) says he counted upwards of forty methods of employing it: among others, they spin it into very fine linen." and when Nestor is mentioned in 1 Il. 252, Εν Πύλω ήγαθέη μετα δε τριτατοισιν ανασσεν, there is perhaps not merely an allusion thereby to the triangular shape of the British Isles, but to the three great portions of which they are composed, England, Scotland, and Ireland; to the three estates of their government; to the form of their municipal constitutions, which is commonly threefold, consisting of a mayor and two councils; and to the like form of their judicial constitution in a judge and two juries; and when Nestor (England) says of himself exov ɛyw μubolo, the poet, in putting those words into his mouth, may have intended to intimate that the first invention of the fabulous method of composition, which was threefold in its nature, is to be ascribed to the English also. Nor let it be imagined, because the poet has constituted Agamemnon Generalissimo of the Greeks, |