by exciting pity and terror; with the meeting of Hector and Andromache, and the supplication of Priam to Achilles for the body of his son, in the Iliad; with the love, despair, and death of Dido, the episode of Nisus and Euryalus, and the parting scene between old Evander and his son, in the Æneid. But though, of all the pleasures which poetry, or music, or painting can afford, the pleasure of emotion deserves to be esteemed the greatest, yet all those arts certainly afford considerable pleasures of other kinds; and, perhaps, to do full justice to the epic poem, we ought not to characterize it by any one particular and principal pleasure, but by that variety, which is peculiar to it, and which comprehends, in some degree or other, every sort of pleasure which serious poetry can give!. Whatever, therefore, may be decided with respect to the comparative excellence of the poems themselves, we may safely, perhaps, assent to the general decision of criticism, respecting the comparative merits of the poets, and allow, that "the first praise of genius is due to the writer of an epic poem; as it requires an assemblage of all the powers which are singly sufficient for other compotionsm." Æn. VIII. 557, &c.—particularly, from v. 572 to 584. I do not know any where a finer example of natural pathos, heightened by the nicest selection of expression, and by such harmony of versification, as would almost make nonsense pass upon the under standing for sense, through the recommendation, if I may be allowed such an expression, of the ear. 1 Some writers give still greater latitude to the variety of epic poetry. And, indeed, if what should, or may be done, is to be determined by what has been done by the best epic poets-by Homer, Virgil, and Tasso, (for Ariosto is a comic poet), it even admits, occasionally, of some departure from rigid dignity, and of some approach, at least, to the smile of comedy, though not to the broad laugh of farce. See Lord Kaims, Elem. of Criticism, vol. i. p. 289, and the treatise Пɛpı 'Oμnpov moinoaws, p. 257, vol. v. of Ed. Hom. Ernest. m Dr. Johnson's Life of Milton, THE END. 403 INDEX. Of Poets, Critics, Philosophers, &c. mentioned by Aristotle. AST ESCHYLUS 70. 92.99. Agatho 78. 87 92. 93. A tragic poet, the contemporary of Socrates, Euripides, &c. A few fragments only of his works remain, wach confirm the account given by antient writers of his style; that it abound with ornamental refinements, and particularly with antitheses. [Alian. XIV. 13. and Aristoph. Thesm. v 58, &c. and Kuster's note). The following lines may afford a pretty good specimen of his turn, both of writing and thinking: Τεχνη τυχην ἐςερξε, και τυχη τεχνην. Art. Ethic. Nie. VI. 5. Το μεν παρεργον, ἔργον ὡς, ποιούμεθα, Athen, V. init. CALLIPPIDES, 114, 115. A famous tragic actor. See Plutarch, Apophthegm. Lacon. p. 376, ed. H. St. From the story there told, it seems probable enough, though, I think, by no means certain, that the proverbial expression, Τραγικος πίθηκος, (έπι των παρ' ἀξιαν Core, Suid. and Hesych.) might, as it has been supposed, have originally alluded to the vanity of this actor. In the Sympos. of Xenophon, when the buffoon, Philip, is asked-Επι τῳ γελωτοποιείν μέγα φρονεις ; he answers, Δικαιότερον γ', οίομαι. ή Καλλιππίδης ὁ ὑποκριτης, ὡς ὑπερσεμνύνεται ότι δύναται πολλους κλαίοντας καθίζειν. p. 380, ed. Leuuclavit. It seems much more doubtful, whether the passages referred to by Dacier, in Suetonius, Tiber. cap. 38. and Cic. ad Attic. lib. xiii, ep. 12, have the same aliusion. the passage there mentioned, and other fragments, the reader may also see Grotii Excerpta, p. 845, and Sir W. Jones's Poes. Asiat. Comment. p. 408. Chionides, 68. One of the earliest and most eminent Athenian poets of the old comedy. Suidas. Cleophon, 67. 98. See Note 14. Crates, 71. He is said to have flourished about twelve or fifteen years before Aristophanes; of course, in the time of the old comedy. DICEOGENES 88. Tragic and dithyrambic poet. Suid. Dionysius, 67. See Note 12, and the additions and corrections. EMPEDOCLES, 66. 96. 111. The Sici lian poet-philosopher contemporary with Sophocles. See Notes 8 and 9. He is often quoted by Aristotle, and many frag ments of his poetry are preserved in various antient authors. See Ding. Laert. in vitâ: the Poesis Philosophica of H. Stephens, &c. Epicharmus, 68. 71 Of Syracuse, a philosophical and a comie poet. The names of forty of his comedies are recorded, and a considerable number of frag ments from them, and some from his philosophical poetry, are extant. See Grotii Excerpta, and the Poes. Philos. of H. Stephens. Euclid, 98. Of what Euclid Aristotle speaks, it seems impossible to ascertain. Victorius says, he is here called the old Euclid, to distinguish him from Euclid the philosopher, the disciple of Socrates, and founder of the Megaric sect. [Diog. Laert. in vitâ]. But as that Euclid flourished, according to the common account, about sixty years before Aristotle, he might well enough be called dexxios, and there is certainly no im probability in supposing a cavilling logician to have been also a cavilling critic. See Diog. Laert. and Bayle, art. clide. Eu PAUSON, 67. See Note 12, p, 140. Philoxenus, 67. Of Cythera, contempo rary with Plato; a tragic and dithyrambic poet, famous for his musical innova tions, his jokes, and his gluttony. See Dr. Burney's Hist. of Music, vol. i. p. 418, &c. Mem. de l'Acad. des Inscrip. tome xix. p. 315, octavo. But there were several persons of the same name, and, unfortunately, of similar character, who appear to have been confounded with each other, even by antient writers themselves. See Perizonius, Elian V. Hist. X. 9. Phormis [Phormos, Athen. and Suid.] 71. A Sicilian comic poet contemporary with Epicharmus. Polygnotus, 67, 74. Also see Note 12. Pliny, Natural Hist. lib. xxxv. cap. 9. Elian, V. Hist. IV. 3. where Perizonius points out, as some illustration of the passage of Aristotle, cited Note 12, p. 140, a picture of this painter, mentioned by Pausanias, (in Phocis), which repre sented the punishment of an undutiful son in the infernal regions. Polyides, the sophist, 88, 90.-does not occur, that I know of, any where else. The title of sophist seems sufficiently to distinguish him, if the name does not, (for in some MSS. it is Пoλudos), from Polyidius the dithyrambic poet, musician, and painter, mentioned by Diodor. Siculus, [lib. xiv.] and Etymol. Mag. voce Arλas. Protagoras, 93. See Note 165. SOPHOCLES, 67, 70, 84, 87, 88, 89, 91, n. 108, 115. Sophron, 66. This famous Sicilian poet was contemporary with Euripides. He wrote mimes, some for male, and others for female characters, in the Doric dialect. Some very obscure fragments are preserved by Demetrius, Athenæus, &c. See Note 6, 134, 135. Sosistratus, 114. A rhapsodist. Sthenelus, 98. See Note 194. He is mentioned, I believe, only by Aristotle, and by Harpocration, who records him as a tragic poet of the age of Pericles, and says, that he was accused of plagia rism. THEODECTES, 89, 91. A rhetorician, of Phaselis in Lycia, the scholar of Plato and Isocrates. He is said to have composed fifty tragedies, and an Art of Rhetoric in verse. He is frequently mentioned by Aristotle, Dion. Halicarn. Quintilian, &c. His fellow-citizens erected a statue to his memory. See Plut. in vitâ Alexandri, p. 1236, ed. H. S. Only a few trifling fragments of his works remain. Timotheus, 67. See Note 17. The famous poet-musician of Miletus, contemporary with Euripides. He was banished by the Spartans for improving a musical instrument by the addition of a few strings, which they called “dishonouring the antient music," and "corrupting the ears of youth;” λυμαινεται τας άκρας των νέων. The words of this curious decree are preserved by Boethius. See Casaub. in Athen. p. 613, or p. 66, 67, of the Ox. ed. of Aratus. The reader will find a full and entertaining account of Timo theus in Dr. Burney's Hist. of Music, vol. i. p, 405. Tyndarus, [al. Pindarus], 114. An actor, clearly; but we know nothing further. XENARCHUS, 66. A comic post, of whom the reader may see a pleasant fragment in Athen. p. 225, describing a curious trick practised by the Athenian fishmongers to evade the law by which they were forbid to pour water upon their stale fish in order to make them ap pear fresh. See Grotů Excerpta ex Trag. Diog. Laert. IX. 18. Bayle, art. Xeno- ZEUXIS, 74, 113. The famous painter. GENERAL INDEX. The letter n refers to the notes at the bottom of the page. ARC ACCENTS, no term applied to them by Acts, five. No such division applicable to Actors, Greek, played temale parts, 115, in the dramatic contests, 214. Their in- Αδυναμία, 360, η. Αδίκης, Αεικελιος, 336, 337. Eschylus, not said by Aristotle to have di- Agatho, a fragment of, 299. Avringu, whether used by Aristotle to de- Απόπλους, 259. Awo ounvns, oi, or ra, 230. AgXITEXTOVIKN, 305. ARI Ariosto, unity of his poem, of what kind, Aristophanes, 162, n. (Or Antiphanes) a Aristotle, has no where said that all poetry Οι 261, n. 262, 271, 277, 278, 283, n. Animal. 248. Problems, 57, 146, 147, 22. Of the effect of passion upon it, 55, 'Apponzi, or melodies, of the Greeks, not Athenians, their immoderate fondness for Aulus Gellius, his story of Polus the tragic CALLIMACHUS, bis hymns, 118. BACH, C. P. Eman, his choral recitative, Casaubon, Isaac, 37, n. 165, n. 224, n. Bacon, Lord, 197. Batteux, his explanation of dithyrambic Beattie, Dr. his mistake with respect to a Beauty, size and strength essential to it, Beginning, middle, and end-Aristotle's Bell, the sound of it affected by its swing- Beni, his commentary on Aristotle quoted, Cases, 95, 1. Castelvetro, a transposition of his adopted, Charemon, his poetical character, 139. His Xaλemaive, not used transitively, nor sy- Xeikaively, 280, 281, and π. Χορος διαλεκτικος, 224. Chorus, antient dramatic, its gradual ex- |