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wealth. Yet this Poet, whether impelled by mere wantonness of genius, or actuated by malice and envy, could not refrain from employing the shafts of his ridicule against Socrates, the most venerable character of Pagan antiquity. In the Comedy of The Clouds, this virtuous Philosopher was exhibited on the stage under his own name, in a cloak exactly resembling that which Socrates wore, in a mask modelled from his features, disputing publickly on the nature of right and wrong. This was undoubtedly an instance of the most flagrant licentiousness; and what renders it the more extraordinary, the audience received it with great applause, even while Socrates himself sat publickly in the theatre. The truth is, the Athenians were so fond of ridicule, that they relished it even when employed against the gods themselves, some of whose characters were very roughly handled by Aristophanes and his rivals in reputation.

We might here draw a parallel between the inhabitants of Athens and the natives of England, in point of constitution, genius, and disposition. Athens was a free state like England, that piqued itself upon the influence of the democracy. Like England, its wealth and strength depended upon its maritime power; and it generally acted as umpire in the disputes that arose ainong its neighbours. The people of Athens, like those of England, were remarkably ingenious, and made great progress in the Arts and Sciences. They excelled in Poetry, History, Philosophy, Mechanics, and Manufactures; they were acute, discerning, disputatious, fickle, wavering, rash, and combustible, and, above all other nations in Europe, addicted to ridicule; a character which the English inherit in a very remarkable degree.

If we may judge from the writings of Aristophanes, his chief aim was to gratify the spleen and excite the mirth of his audience; of an audience too, that would seem to have been uninformed by Taste, and altogether ignorant of decorum; for his pieces are replete with the most extravagant absurdities, virulent slander, impiety, impurities, and low buffoonery. The Comic Muse, not contented with being allowed to make free with the gods and philosophers, applied her scourge so severely to the ma

gistrates of the commonwealth, that it was thought proper to restrain her within bounds by a law, enacting, that no person should be stigmatised under his real name; and thus the Chorus was silenced. In order to elude the penalty of this law, and gratify the taste of the people, the Poets began to substitute fictitious names, under which they exhibited particular characters in such lively colours, that the resemblance could not possibly be mistaken or overlooked. This practice gave rise to what is called the Middle Comedy, which was but of short duration : for the legislature, perceiving that the first law had not removed the grievance, against which it was provided, issued a second ordinance, forbidding, under severe penalties, any real or family-occurrences to be represented. This restriction was the immediate cause of improving Comedy into a general mirror, held forth to reflect the various follies and foibles incident to Human Nature; a species of writing called the New Comedy, introduced by Diphilus and Menander, of whose works nothing but a few fragments remain.

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ESSAY XV.

HAVING communicated our sentiments touching the origin of Poetry, by tracing Tragedy and Comedy to their common source, we shall now endeavour to point out the criteria, by which Poetry is distinguished from every other species of writing. In common with other arts, such as Statuary and Painting, it comprehends imitation, invention, composition, and enthusiasm. Imitation is inIdeed the basis of all the liberal arts: invention and enthusiasm constitute Genius, in whatever manner it may be displayed. Eloquence of all sorts admits of Enthusi asm. Tully says, an orator should be vehemens ut procella, excitatus ut torrens, incensus ut fulmen; tonat, fulgurat, et rapidis Eloquentiæ fluctibus cuncta proruit et proturbat. "Violent as a tempest, impetuous as a torrent, and glowing intense like the red bolt of heaven, he thunders, lightens, overthrows, and bears down all before him, by the irresistible tide of Eloquence." This is the mens divinior atque os magna sonaturum of HoThis is the talent,

race.

.........Meum qui pectus inaniter angit,
Irritat, mulcet, falsis terroribus implet,
Ut magus.

With passions not my own who fires my heart;
Who with unreal terrors fills my breast,

As with a magic influence possess❜d.

We are told, that Michael Angelo Buonaroti used to work at his statues in a fit of enthusiasm, during which he made the fragments of the stone fly about him with surprising violence. The celebrated Lully being one day blamed for setting nothing to music but the languid verses of Quinault, was animated with the reproach, and running in a fit of enthusiasm to his harpsichord, sung in recitative and accompanied four pathetic lines from the Iphigenia of

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