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  • Aug. 1, 1794
  • Page 26
  • MR. TASKER'S LETTERS
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The Freemasons' Magazine, Aug. 1, 1794: Page 26

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Page 26

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Mr. Tasker's Letters

MR . TASKER'S LETTERS

CONTINUED . LETTER THE THIRD .

SIR , I CONTINUE to write to you without any regular order , con * cerning the Homeric wounds ; and you are now referred to that of Agamemnon in the nth book-, which , in my liumble opinion , is a strong proof of my assertions in a former letter , in more points than one . Homer ,, as you may remember , found it absolutely necessary

in this book , to describe the Grecians flying from the Trojans ; and to save the honour of his countrymen , he contrived to wound some of his first-rale heroes in such a manner as might oblige them to retire from the fight , but not endanger their lives . Accordingly he narrates , that Coon , a Trojan warrior , darted ( aMrio-t ) unperceived at Agamemnon , and hit him , xxma , x ^ i p-iew , on the middle of the hand , under the elbowand that the of the

ancon , or ; point shining dart came out at the opposite side . The thrilling steel transpierc'd the brawny part , And thro' the arm stood forth the barbed dart . POPE , Read a few lines further , and you will perceive how the original is a picture of nature , and how the translation is otherwise . Homer says , that Agamemnon continued fighting while the warm blood flowed from the wound ; but when the wound was dry , and the blood

stopped , as Pope in that place beautifully translates , Then grinding tortures his strong bosom rend , Less teen the darts the fierce Ilythite send . The Uythiee , you well know , were the goddesses that presided over child-birth . In plain English , therefore , when from the lacerated tendons of the hand irritation took placehe felt pains equal to a

, . \ yoman in travail . Whereas , from Pope ' s' description , the generallissimo of the Grecian army ' would have been effectually maimed in his arm , but no violent or painful symptoms would have followed from the division of a muscular part . In proof of the irritation that must ensue from the wound described , you may recollect that that horrible symptom , the lock-jaw , does very often follow from wounds

in the hands and feet in hot climates , and sometimes even in ours . You , who are such a master of the Greek language , need not be told that x ?< , derived from the old Greek verb S , to hold , is very unequivocal , and the appropriated word for ' hand , ' in all Greek writers . I am therefore surprised to find , that in the Latin prose-translation affixed to Clarke ' s most judicious and accurate edition of Homer , it should be rendered ' brachium ; ' the Greek word for arm is P ^ x ™ * . from which the Latins formed their' brachium . '

“The Freemasons' Magazine: 1794-08-01, Page 26” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 2 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fmm/issues/fmm_01081794/page/26/.
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Title Category Page
THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE, OR GENERAL AND COMPLETE LIBRARY. Article 1
BRIEF OBSERVATIONS ON MASONRY, Article 6
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 7
A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE PATRONS AND GRAND MASTERS IN ENGLAND, Article 14
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 16
THE MASTER AND SLAVE. Article 17
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE RELIGIOUS AND MILITARY ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM. Article 18
PRESENT STATE OF FREE MASONRY. Article 22
MR. TASKER'S LETTERS Article 26
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 27
ON IMPRUDENT FRIENDSHIPS. Article 31
FEMALE MERIT AND VANITY CONTRASTED. Article 35
THOUGHTS ON CONJUGAL HAPPINESS. Article 37
LETTERS FROM T. DUNCKERLEY, ESQ. Article 39
BRIEF CHRONOLOGICAL SKETCH OF THE ORDER OF KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. Article 41
ANECDOTE OF KAMHI, EMPEROR OF CHINA. Article 42
WHIMSICAL ANECDOTE. Article 43
KENTISH EPITAPHS. Article 44
THE MEDICAL APPLICATION OF MONEY. Article 45
ANECDOTE OF THEOPHILUS CIBBER. Article 46
FORTITUDE Article 47
ON FORTITUDE. Article 48
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 51
BIOGRAPHIC SKETCH OF THE. LATE. GEORGE COLMAN, ESQ. Article 53
TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 55
CEREMONY OF LAYING THE FOUNDATION-STONE OF ST. PAUL'S. CHURCH, BRISTOL. AUGUST 17, 1789. Article 56
TO THE PROPRIETOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. Article 57
THE HERMIT'S PRAYER. Article 57
STRICTURES ON PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS. Article 58
OCCASIONAL ADDRESS Article 60
POETRY. Article 61
A SONG FOR THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. Article 62
MASONIC SONG. Article 63
ON MY SHADOW. Article 63
THE DEBTOR. Article 65
MASONIC INTELLIGENCE. Article 66
MONTHLY CHRONICLE. Article 71
HOME NEWS. Article 72
PROMOTIONS. Article 76
Untitled Article 77
Untitled Article 78
BANKRUPTS. Article 79
Untitled Article 80
LONDON : Article 80
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 81
PRICES OF BINDING PER VOLUME. Article 81
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Page 26

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Mr. Tasker's Letters

MR . TASKER'S LETTERS

CONTINUED . LETTER THE THIRD .

SIR , I CONTINUE to write to you without any regular order , con * cerning the Homeric wounds ; and you are now referred to that of Agamemnon in the nth book-, which , in my liumble opinion , is a strong proof of my assertions in a former letter , in more points than one . Homer ,, as you may remember , found it absolutely necessary

in this book , to describe the Grecians flying from the Trojans ; and to save the honour of his countrymen , he contrived to wound some of his first-rale heroes in such a manner as might oblige them to retire from the fight , but not endanger their lives . Accordingly he narrates , that Coon , a Trojan warrior , darted ( aMrio-t ) unperceived at Agamemnon , and hit him , xxma , x ^ i p-iew , on the middle of the hand , under the elbowand that the of the

ancon , or ; point shining dart came out at the opposite side . The thrilling steel transpierc'd the brawny part , And thro' the arm stood forth the barbed dart . POPE , Read a few lines further , and you will perceive how the original is a picture of nature , and how the translation is otherwise . Homer says , that Agamemnon continued fighting while the warm blood flowed from the wound ; but when the wound was dry , and the blood

stopped , as Pope in that place beautifully translates , Then grinding tortures his strong bosom rend , Less teen the darts the fierce Ilythite send . The Uythiee , you well know , were the goddesses that presided over child-birth . In plain English , therefore , when from the lacerated tendons of the hand irritation took placehe felt pains equal to a

, . \ yoman in travail . Whereas , from Pope ' s' description , the generallissimo of the Grecian army ' would have been effectually maimed in his arm , but no violent or painful symptoms would have followed from the division of a muscular part . In proof of the irritation that must ensue from the wound described , you may recollect that that horrible symptom , the lock-jaw , does very often follow from wounds

in the hands and feet in hot climates , and sometimes even in ours . You , who are such a master of the Greek language , need not be told that x ?< , derived from the old Greek verb S , to hold , is very unequivocal , and the appropriated word for ' hand , ' in all Greek writers . I am therefore surprised to find , that in the Latin prose-translation affixed to Clarke ' s most judicious and accurate edition of Homer , it should be rendered ' brachium ; ' the Greek word for arm is P ^ x ™ * . from which the Latins formed their' brachium . '

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