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ly help smiling, his reverence for him is still visible, and he takes every opportunity of contrasting his gigantic powers with the petty refinement of Euripides.

Notwithstanding these observations, we must never forget that Euripides was still a Grecian, and the contemporary of many of the greatest names of Greece, in politics, philosophy, history, and the plastic arts. He has a particular strength in portraying the errors of a diseased soul-pursuing, even to madness, the passions of which it is the slave. He is admirable where the object calls chiefly for emotion, and requires the display of no higher qualities; and he is still more so where pathos and moral beauty are united. It is by no means my intention to deny him the possession of the most astonishing talents; I have only stated that these talents were not united with a mind in which the austerity of moral principles, and the sanctity of religious feelings, were held in the highest honor.

THE OLD COMEDY.

COMEDY, at its commencement, namely, in the hands of its Doric founder, Epicharmus, borrowed its materials chiefly from the mythical world. Even in its maturity, it appears not to have renounced this choice altogether, as we may see from many of the titles of the lost pieces of Aristophanes and his contemporaries; and at a later period, in the interval between the Old and New Comedy, for particular reasons, it returned again to mythology with a peculiar degree of predilection. But as the contrast between the materials and the form is here in its proper place, and nothing can be more directly opposed to the exhibition of the ludicrous than the most important and serious concerns of men, the peculiar subject of the Old Comedy was naturally therefore taken from public life and the state: 'it is altogether political; and the private and family life, beyond which the New never soars, was only introduced occasionally and indirectly, with a reference to the public. The Chorus is therefore essential to it, as being in some sort a representation of the public: it must by no means be considered as something accidental, which we may account for in the local origin of Old Comedy; we may assign as a more substantial reason, that it belongs to the complete parody of the Tragic form. It contributes also to the expression of that festal gladness, of which Comedy was the most unrestrained effusion. For in all the popular and religious festivals of the Greeks, choral songs, accompanied by dancing, were exhibited. The Comic Chorus transforms itself occasionally into such an expression of public joy; as, for instance, when the women who celebrate the Thesmophoriæ, in the piece that bears that name, in the midst of the most amusing drolleries, begin to chaunt their melodious hymn in honor of the gods of the festival, in the same manner as took place on a real occasion. At these times we observe such a display of sublime Lyric Poetry, that the passages may be transplanted into Tragedy without any change or modification. The most remarkable peculiarity of the Comic Chorus is the Parabasis, an address to the spectators by the Chorus, in the name and under the authority of the poet, which has no concern with the subject of the piece. Sometimes he enlarges on his own merits, and ridicules the pretensions of his rivals; at other times he avails himself of his rights

as an Athenian citizen, to deliver in every assembly of the people proposals of a serious or ludicrous nature for the public good. The Parabasis may, 'strictly speaking, be considered as repugnant to the essence of dramatic representation: for in the Drama, the poet should always disappear behind the characters; and these characters ought to discourse and act as if they were alone, and without any perceptible reference to the spectators.

We have now but one Comic writer of the old kind; and we cannot, therefore, in forming an opinion of his merits, derive any assistance from a comparison with other masters. Aristophanes had many predecessors; Magnes, Cratinus, Crates, and others. He was indeed one of the latest Comic authors, as he survived even the Old Comedy itself. We have no reason, however, to believe that we witness its decline in him; for in all probability the Old Comedy was still rising in merit, and he himself one of its most perfect poets. It was very different with the Old Comedy, and with Tragedy; the latter died a natural, the former a violent death. Tragedy ceased to exist, because that species of poetry seemed to be exhausted-because it was abandoned and because no person could again rise to the same elevation. Comedy was deprived by the hand of power of that unrestrained freedom which was necessary to its existence. Horace, in a few words, informs us of this catastrophe: /

Successit vetus his Comœdia, non sine multa
Laude, sed in vitium libertas excidit, et vim
Dignam lege regi: lex est accepta: chorusque
Turpiter obticuit, sublato jure nocendi.

The period comprehended within the range of the Old Comedy begins with Epicharmus, Olymp. 70, (B. C. 500,) and concludes about Olymp. 100 (B. C. 375); the poets Strattis and Theopompus being among the latest writers of the Old Comedy.

CRATINUS

WAS the author of twenty-one Plays, and gained the victory nine times, according to Suidas. He was born Olymp. 65, 1, and died at ́an advanced age, about Olymp. 89. He is described as having possessed all the bitterness of Archilochus, together with the energy and fire of Eschylus. The titles and fragments of about twenty of his plays are to be found in Athenæus.

EUPOLIS

Was born about Olymp. 83; first began to exhibit Olymp. 87, 3, being then only 17 years of age. He copied Cratinus, but was reckoned to have possessed more elevation and amenity. Suidas says he wrote seventeen Plays, and gained the victory seven times; but he is doubtless mistaken, since many more than seventeen are mentioned by ancient writers.

ARISTOPHANES.

THE notice of this poet by Suidas is very short and incorrect; he makes him a Rhodian or Lindian by birth, his father's name being Philip. His Plays were fifty-four. Titles and fragments of nearly this number are to be found in Athenæus. He first exhibited Comedy at Olymp. 88, 2 (B. C. 427.) The Acharna was exhibited two years afterwards, and during the sixth year of the Peloponnesian war. It is therefore the first of his surviving plays; the Plutus being the last which was exhibited Olymp. 98, (B. C. 388.)

MIDDLE COMEDY.

WITHIN the period usually assigned to the Middle Comedy, are included the Dramatic writers from Olymp. 101 to Olymp. 111.

"Towards the end of the Peloponnesian war," says Schlegel, "when a few individuals, contrary to the Constitution, had assumed the supreme power in Athens, a law was enacted, empowering every person attacked by Comic poets to bring them to justice; and a prohibition was issued against the introduction of real persons on the stage, or the use of such masks as bore a resemblance to their features, &c. This gave rise to what is called the Middle Comedy. Its distinctive peculiarities are variously stated: at one time, in the abstinence from personal satire, and the introduction of real characters; and at another time in the dismissal of the Chorus. The introduction of real persons under their true names, was at no time an indispensable requisite. We find characters in many pieces, even of Aristophanes, in no respect historical, but altogether fictitious, with significant names, in the manner of the New Comedy; and personal satire is only occasionally resorted to. The right of personal satire was no doubt essential to the Old Comedy; and by losing this right the Comic writers were no longer enabled to throw ridicule on public actions and the state. When they confined themselves to private life, the Chorus ceased to have any longer a signification. An accidental circumstance contributed to accelerate its removal. The dress and instruction of the Chorus required a great outlay; but when Comedy came to forfeit its political privileges, and consequently also its festal dignity, and was degraded to a mere source of amusement, the poet found no longer any rich patrons to defray the expense of the Chorus."

This account of Schlegel will perhaps be deemed very unsatisfac ́tory; as it certainly is in a critical point of view, since it does not attempt to define the precise limits between the Middle and the New Comedy. The following extract, therefore, is annexed from the Preface of that excellent work, the Fasti Hellenici :

"The new Comedy commenced in the reign of Alexander, and this is confirmed by the dates assigned to Philippides and Philemon.

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