Ion; and have not only given a fanction by their filent knowledge to the wilful act of poifon, which in their fituation, as flaves, to have concealed would have admitted a foftening alleviation, but have folemnly invoked the infernal Proferpine to aid the hellish defign: They therefore confider themselves as involved in the fame cause and fate with Creufa 21, and when informed of the confequences arifing from the discovery of the plot, they stand self-condemned, and acknowledge the justice of the sentence decreed by the tribunal of Delphi: There is fome truth therefore in the observation of the Pere Brumoy 22, that the Chorus is peu vertueux. The other characters of Xuthus and the Tutor require but little confideration: The former is amiable, and fhews a tenderness for Creufa in the concealment of Ion 23: The other is an old Villain of the most abandoned principles; he advises 24 his royal Mistress to murder her Husband 25, to fire the temple of Delphi 26, and to kill Ion 27: Had the Poet executed poetical justice on him, when detected in the mainour, ἐπ' αυτοφώρῳ π/0ρ 28, Humanity would have rejoiced at the facrifice. The fentiments, by which the Characters in poetry are displayed, are fo clofely connected together with them, that they are mutually illuftrated; fo that feveral beauties, and fome few defects, already mentioned, may be applied to this 22 V. 1249. 23 Tom. v. Ion, p. 130. 21 V. 1114. 24 It is worthy of obfervation, that Creufa and the Tutor converfe with each other in verfes, confifting each of one line alternately, from (V.938 to 1028) in the original, and from (V. 970 to 1060) in the Tranflation, which is no lefs in both than go lines of continued dialogue in a uniformity of metre No modern theatre would admit a conversation on the stage fo circumstanced, and it would be curious to trace, whether the latent cause of this remarkable difference fprings from modern manners or modern languages compared with those of the Ancients. 25 V.845. 28 V. 1214. 26 V.974. 27 V. 1025 title. But there remains an objection ftill unnoticed, which is the equivocation of our Author in regard to the expreffion of the Oracle: Mercury, in the Prologus, ufes the word Tεpunévaι 29, which implies, that Apollo will inform Xuthus, that Ion was begot by him; and thus the King repeats the fame word, as the voice of the Oracle 30; and when Ion exprefsly asks him, Σὸν γέγωτ ̓ ἢ δῶρον ἄλλως; (V. 537.) Born fo, or by fome other Tho' a prefent, born my fon. (V. 547-) Thus Ion, understanding it, afks of Creufa, how Apollo could give his own fon to Xuthus, and folemnly declare that he was begot by the latter 31? Upon this fhe flatly denies the expreffion of TeQunévαL. (V. 1534.) πεφυκέναι. 31 Not born the fon of Xuthus; but he gives thee Still this evafion in the mouth of the Queen may be justified, and especially, as the religious Ion rejects the sophistry of it with such a noble difdain 32: But what fhall we fay to the Goddess Minerva, who, at the defire of the God, contradicts the obvious meaning of the oracular words; and declares to Ion, that Apollo gave him to Xuthus & púraoi ré, (V.1561.) Not as the Author of thy being. (V. 1614) 30 V. 536. a1 V.1533. 29 V. 70. 32 V. 1537. And And the even adds a fanction to the fraud of the Oracle by commanding Creufa to guard the fecret, that Xuthus may continue pleafed in his error 33: Après tout, fays the Pere Brumoy. 34, Apollon eft feducteur, Minerve entremetteufe, & Xuthus duppe: It must be owned there is truth, as well as humour in this French obfervation: Our Poet might easily have contrived a fet of words in conformity to the obliquity of the Loxias Apollo 35, which would have involved a double meaning: This would have faved the reputation of the God, and preferved the morality of the Drama: Euripides himself seems to be conscious of this latent defect, for he makes Minerva declare, that it was the intention of Apollo to reveal the truth at Athens 36. Another objection in point of sentiment is the fanction of this Goddess to the conduct of the amorous God; "Well hath Apollo quitted him in all.” (V. 1648.) Is this a declaration, which ought to flow from the mouth of the fage and chafte Minerva, and would an Athenian Theatre be edified by this divine leffon? The Apothegm of the Chorus, which concludes the Play, is alfo too general, for it does not fpring from the Drama itself: Is not Creufa, 33 V. 1602. 34 Tom. 5. Ion, p. 130. 35 Thus Ægeus in our Author's Medea exprefsly days, that the God anfwered to him, Words of dark import and inexplicable. (Potter, v.734.) We have an inftance of the metaphorical darkness of the oracle in the Pho niffeæ. (V. 414.) See alfo Cicero de Divin. 1. 2. c. 56. f. 115. and the Pres liminary Effay on the Ion, p. 23. 36 V. 1567. who confented to poison Ion, rendered happy by the event? and yet the general affertion is, that the wicked are never profperous. The last head of my critical difcuffion is the language. It is extremely hazardous for a Modern Critick to venture a fingle objection against the diction of an ancient Poet, whofe file is fo pure, elegant, and chafte, as that of our Author. In every Language there are little niceties, which none but natives can ever feel; and the utmost diffidence ought always to be used, when the adventurous ftranger dares to launch into this dangerous fea of Criticism: The latent imperceptible rocks are continually under him, and every moment he is liable to be fhipwrecked on error: The only compafs, which can here guide him, is Common Reafon, deriving her authority from the knowledge of things, of which the words of all languages are only fymbols. Where a Poet departs from the fimple diction of profe, and foars into the elevated region of poetry, he is obliged to borrow fimiles and metaphors 37 in order to embellifh his fubject: But in the combination of thefe adorning 38 figures he is not to indulge the romantick flight of a wild imagination, ungoverned and unrestrained by any laws: I will analyze a bold expreffion in this play, and try if it can bear the teft. The Chorus addreffes the river Cephifus under the appellation of Ω ταυρόμορφον ὄμμα Κεφίσε. (V. 1261.) 37 The most excellent of all figures, according to a fine obfervation of Ariftotle, is the metaphor; for it is impoffible to receive this alone from another, and it is the mark of a noble genius; fince to fucceed in metaphor is to difcern the reremblances of things: Τὸ δὲ μέγισον τὸ μεταφορικὸν εἶναι· μόνον γὰρ τέτο ουτε παρ ̓ ἄλλῳ ἐςὶ λαβεῖν, εὐφυΐας τε σημεῖον ἐςὶ· τὸ γὰρ εὖ μεταφέρειν, τὸ ὅμοιον θεωρεῖν ἐσὶ. (De Poet. c. 22.) 38 Enim verò jam majore curâ doceat tropos omnes, quibus præcipuè non poema modo, fed etiam oratio ornatur. (Quint. Inft. Orat. 1. 1. c. 8.) Here Here the pa, or eye, applied to a river, perfonifies it by a metaphor, extremely common among the Greeks; and fo far there is no objection: But then the epithet Taupoμoppov introduces another metaphor, incompatible with the former; for how is it poffible to justify, "O thou eye of Cephifus refembling the form of a Bull." The Tauriformis Aufidus of Horace 39 literally correfponds with this expreffion of Euripides, without introducing that false affemblage of ideas, which I here condemn: And the absurd confusion, arising from this mixed metaphor, may fairly be illuftrated by the modes up, or the swift-footed eye of Æfchylus, and by the following inftance from Milton; What heart of rock could long Dry-ey'd behold? (Par. Loft. B. II. v. 495.) There is one more expreffion in the play, which for a dif◄ rent reafon I fhall venture to condemn. When Ion finds Creufa after the Delphick fentence paffed upon her, he orders her to be arrested, that she may be darted down Parnaffus by a leap from the rock, like a quoit; Ὅθεν περαῖον ἅλμα δισκευθήσεται. (V. 1268.) Or as foftened by the Tranflator, As down the craggy precipice the bounds. (V. 1314.) Now here I conceive there is an infulting and comick levity, inconfiftent with the dignity of the Tragick Mufe: It reminds me of that witticifm in Milton, where Satan ludicrously exclaims to his mates, that the angels Into ftrange vagaries fell, As they would dance. 39 L. 4. Od. 14. V. 25. (Par. Loft, B. VI. V.615.) 40 Sep. Cont. Theb. V. 629. R 2 This |