Homer
.Called Melesigenēs (q.v.); the Man of Chios (see Chios); the Blind Old Man; Mæonʹidēs (q.v.), or Mæonius, either from his father Mæon, or because he was a native of Mæonia (Lydia). He is spoken of as Mœonius senex, and his poems as Mœoniœ chartœ or Mœonia carmĭna.
The Casket Homer. An edition corrected by Aristotle, which Alexander the Great always carried about with him, and laid under his pillow at night with his sword. After the battle of Arbeʹla, a golden casket richly studded with gems was found in the tent of Darius; and Alexander being asked to what purpose it should be assigned, replied, “There is but one thing in the world worthy of so costly a depository,” saying which he placed therein his edition of Homer.
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The British Homer. Milton (1608–74).
The Homer of dramatic poets. Shakespeare is so called by Dryden. (1564–1616.)
“Shakespeare was the Homer of our dramatic poets; Jonson was the Virgil. I admire rare Ben, but I love Shakespeare.”—Dryden.
Homer of the Franks. Charlemagne called Angilbert his Homer (died 814).
The Oriental Homer. Firdusi, the Persian poet, who wrote the Châh Nâmeh (or history of the Persian kings). It contains 120,000 verses, and was the work of thirty years (940–1020).
The Homer of philosophers. Plato (B.C. 429–347).
The Scottish Homer. William Wilkie, author of The Epigoniad (1721–1772).
