195 / 298
Vico’s Ring
195
A. Haddock,
Vico’s “Discovery of the True Homer
”, cit., pp. 593-597, for a more
detailed discussion of Vico’s approach to the Homeric poems.
407
§ 880 (Book III, Section II, Chapter I, Proof VI): «by many centuries».
408
This is succinctly summarized in § 879 (Book III, Section II, Chapter I,
Proof V), stating in the case of the
Iliad
: «[…] when Greece was young and
consequently seething with sublime passions, such as pride, wrath, and lust for
vengeance, passions which do not tolerate dissimulation but which love mag-
nanimity; and hence Greece admired Achilles, the hero of violence. […] the
peoples of Greece found pleasure in coarseness, villainy, ferocity, savagery,
and cruelty», in contrast with the
Odyssey
: «when the spirits of Greece had
been somewhat cooled by reflection, which is the mother of prudence, so that
it admired Ulysses, the hero of wisdom. […] they found delight in […] luxury
[…], […] joys […], […] pleasures […], […] songs […], […] pastimes […], and
[…] attempts […] on […] chastity […]».