Chapter I: Prolegomena

SECT. I.

_On the State of the Homeric Question._

Objects of this Work Page 1
Results thus far of the Homeric Controversy 2
Improved apparatus for the Study of Homer 4
Effect of the poems on Civilization 5
They do not compete with the Holy Scriptures 6

SECT. II.

_The Place of Homer in Classical Education._

Study of Homer in the English Universities 9
Homer should not be studied as a Poet only 11
His claims compared with those of other Poets 14
Study of Homer in the Public Schools 18

SECT. III.

_On the Historic Aims of Homer._

High organization of the Poems 21
The presumption is that the Poet had Historic aims 22
Positive signs of them 23
Pursued even at some cost of Poetical beauty 26
Minuter indications 28
General tone 28
Hypothesis of reproduction inadmissible 30
What is chiefly meant by his Historic aims 35

SECT. IV.

_On the probable Date of Homer._

The main question: is he an original witness 36
Adverse arguments 37
Affirmative arguments 39

SECT. V.

_The probable Trustworthiness of the Text of Homer._

The received text to be adopted as a basis 42
Failure of other methods 44
State of the Manuscripts 46
Complaints of interpolation 47
Testimonies concerning the early use of the Poems 49
Preservative power of the Recitations or matches 55
Pseudo-Homeric poems 56
Argument from the Cyclic poems 59
The Alexandrian period 60
Amount and quality of guarantees 64
Improbability of wilful falsification 67
Internal evidence of soundness in detail 69

SECT. VI.

_Place and Authority of Homer in Historical Inquiry._

Homer paramount as a literary authority 71
He has suffered through credulity 73
And through incredulity 79
Proposed method of treatment 81
Instances of contrary method, (1) Hellen and his family 82
Authority of Hesiod 84
Instance (2), personality of Helen 87
Conclusion 89