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Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts
Journal of Natural Philosophy Chemistry and the Arts Author:William Nicholson Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Scylla and Charybdis, 41 Cna." Strabo likewife, after having mentioned Meflina, proceeds, Acixyi/rai Km Xfj/£3if, putpov trpo Tv; Woxeuj, tv Tv wopS/ia. " Cha... more »rybdis is feen in the ftrait a little before we reach the city." Several other writers might be cited to the fame purpofe. From all thefe reafons and hiftorical teftimonies we muft then conclude that Homer was not exaft with refpeft to the fituation of Charybdis -, nor can it be a great offence to fay, that in this paffage of his long poem he has certainly nodded. The accuracy of feveral of his defcriptions of various places in Sicily cannot be denied. It is fuch that we muft either fuppofe that he had himfelf travelled in thofe parts, as is the opinion of many j or at lead that he had procured .very faithful and circumftantial information from others. Of this the rocks of Scylla are an example. But, as to the fuppofed whirlpool of Charybdis, and its fituation, I think we may venture to affirm he never faw it himfelf, arid that the accounts he had received of it led him into error. We will now enquire what foundation there is for the faying, which became proverbial, that " he who endeavours to avoid Charybdis dafhes upon Scylla -," and which was applied by the ancients to thofe who, while they fought to fhun one evil, fell into a worfe. On this fubje£l I likewife made enquiries of the Meflinefe pilots abovementioned, and to what better matters could I apply for the elucidation of fuch a proverb ? They told me that this misfortune, though not always, yet frequently happens, unlefs proper meafures are taken in time to prevent it. If a (hip be extricated from the fury of Charybdis, and carried by a flrong foutherly wind along the ftrait towards the northern entrance, it will pafs out fafely ; but mould it meet with a...« less