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Or, if the poet everywhere appears and never conceals himself,

then again the imitation is dropped, and his poetry becomes

simple narration. However, in order that I may make my meaning

quite clear, and that you may no more say, 'I don't understand,'

I will show how the change might be effected. If Homer had said,

'The priest came, having his daughter's ransom in his hands,

supplicating the Achaeans, and above all the kings;' and then if,

instead of speaking in the person of Chryses, he had continued in

his own person, the words would have been, not imitation, but

simple narration. The passage would have run as follows (I am no

poet, and therefore I drop the metre), 'The priest came and

prayed the gods on behalf of the Greeks that they might capture

Troy and return safely home, but begged that they would give him

back his daughter, and take the ransom which he brought, and

respect the God. Thus he spoke, and the other Greeks revered the

priest and assented.