Like that of Swans remurmuring to the floods, Dryden En. XI. v. 696. Hence we may fairly collect from the above inveftigation of this curious topick of claffical inquiry, that the epithet raucis does not always and neceffarily imply a hoarse unmufical grating diffonance; but may be understood, and is fo defigned by Virgil and the Author of the Pervigilium Veneris, to express only a louder compafs or a deeper tone of harmony, refulting from the mixed concert of collected Swans. Thus Hefiod alludes to their refounding powers of voice, Κύκνοι αερσιπόται μέγαλ ̓ ἤπυον. Scut. Her. v. 316. And Euripides in his Electra " confers the epithet of dyeras, or the fonorous, on the Swan, while in this paffage of the Jon he speaks of their charming melody, Τάς καλλιφθόγγες ᾠδας, As in his Iphigenia in Tauris he exprefsly calls this animal melodious, 58 Since I wrote the above criticifm, I have had the fatisfaction to dif cover, that Servius in his learned comment on Virgil has remarked on the paffage in the 7th, and alfo on that in the 11th Eneid, that the word rauci will imply harmony as well as difcord: Raucum Tv μowy eft, ficut grave olens ; nam legimus, graviter fpirantis copia thymbræ : Sciendum tamen Virgilium fecundum morem provinciæ fuæ locutum, in quâ bene canentes cycni rauciores vocantur. (Ed. P. Stephens, 1532. Æn. 7. p. 487.) Rauci autem Ty μow, ett, nam modo canoros fignificat, aliàs voces peffimas: Juvenalis, Rauci Thefeide Codri: Sicut venenum & de bono & de malo dicitur, ut odor malus & bonus vocatur. (Id. Æn.x1. p. 644.) 59 V.151. Thus the Author of an Epigram in the Anthologia" fpeaks of the μελίθρες κύκνος : For I readily admit that the ancient Poets, both Greek and Roman, were not uniform and conftant in regard to their defcriptions of the particular tone affigned to the Swan; but I deny that any Author among them, except Lucian, ever confidered it as unmufical and dif fonant, according to the modern idea. There is an epigram in the Anthologia of Antipater, where the feeble note of the Swan is contrafted with the loud vociferation of the Jack, daw, Λωΐτερος κύκνε μικρὸς θροὸς, ἤε κολοιων Kgwyμos. (L. III. c. 25. ep. 69.) These are tranflated by Lucretius with this difference, that he has oppofed the Crane to the Swan instead of the Jackdaw, Parvus ut eft Cycni melior canor, ille Gruum quam On these paffages the Author of the new Syftem of Ancient Mythology has the following obfervations": "The Water men in Lucian give the preference to a Jackdaw; but Antipater in fome degree diffents, and thinks that the Swan has the advantage; and Lucretius confeffes, that the screaming of the Crane is not quite so pleasing; which however is paying them no great compliment." I cannot affent to the above inference drawn by Mr. Bryant : For if these paffages are examined relatively to their refpedive places, they will be found to imply the contraft of Melody and Difcord: The former is an elegant encomium on the Græcian Poetefs Erinna, whofe fweet concife and immortal poetry is opposed to the dull voluminous and perishable works of other Authors; and the latter, applied by Lucretius to his own verfes, is preceded by the decifive line, Suavidicis potius quam multis verfibus edam. 62 (L. IV. v. 181.) Confequently in both these cafes an elegant brevity is contrafted with a clamorous prolixity. But this Author propofes to folve the origin of the fable, regarding the harmony of the Swan, by referring it to a Colony of Canaanites, whose infigne was a Swan: "In all places, fays 2 he, where they refted, they were famous for their hymns and musick; all which the Greeks have transferred to Birds; and fuppofed that they were Swans, who were gifted with this harmony: yet fweet as their notes are faid to have been, there is not I believe a perfon upon record who was ever a witness to it; it is certainly all a fable." If the evidence flowing from the feveral fources of information in this Effay be admitted, this affertion of Mr. Bryant, that there is no hiftorical teftimony, refulting from the evidence of the fenfes to fupport this idea, must be abandoned. The whole for our more eafy contemplation of it may be collected under one general point of view in the following manner. All the Ancients unanimously affent to the harmony of the Swan, except Ælian, Pliny, Myndius Alexander, and Lucian: The first of thefe, Ælian, in one paffage only wavers in regard to his folemn belief, though in feveral others he appears to accede to the pre vailing opinion: The fecond, Pliny, is inclined to disbelieve the experiments made in order to ascertain the fuppofed funeral dirge of this animal: The third, Myndius Alexander, attempted to refute this notion of the dying Swan's melody by other experiments of his own: And the fourth, Lucian, confiders and burlesques the whole as a vifionary fable. On the contrary, all the other Poets and Philofophers of Græce and Rome adopted the general opinion of the vocal power of the Swan; and though they often differed in regard to the particular tone, yet they all confidered it as musical; The most received idea, attached to the note, was that of a sweet melodious and melancholy plaint, Cum liquidam tollunt lugubri voce querelam. Lucret. 1. 4. v. 550. The softness of this fong was supposed to increase as the Bird advanced in age: Hence Euripides in his Hercules Furens draws a comparison from this aged Songfter, Κύκνος ὡς, γέρων αοιδός, Πολιᾶν ἐκ γενύων, Κελαδήσω. (ν. 694.) And Martial among the qualities beflowed on his deceased Mistress celebrates her, as fweeter than old Swans, Puella fenibus dulcior mihi cycnis. Ep. 1. 5. ep. 38. v. I. He also addreffes the Favourite of the Emperor Domitian with this wish, that he may enjoy the mufick of ancient Swans, Sic femper fenibus fruare cycnis. Ep. 1. 9. ep. 42. v. 2. This enchanting melody was peculiarly exquifite in the last moments of the expiring Swan; and to this idea Eschylus refers in his Agamemnon, Κύκνος δίκην Τὸν ςαλον μέλψασα θανάσιμον γόον. (ν. 1454.) That like the Swan warbled her dying notes. Potter, Agam. vol. II. p. 115. 65 66 This Mr. Bryant 63 imagines to allude to Egyptian and Canaanitish Priests, who lamented the death of Adon and Ofiris. The Roman Poets, as Ovid 64, Statius ", Martial Seneca 67, have often adopted this flattering idea to embellish their descriptions: And Efop has made the Swan, as musical near its death, the fubject of two of his fables 68. The idea of the harmony of this Bird was fo univerfally riveted both among the Greeks and Romans, that Κύκνειον “ ἄσμα, and cycnea 7° cantio became proverbial expreffions. This is the general amount of the ancient testimony. If we recapitulate, in a fummary manner, the modern evidence, we fhall find that Leland and Olaus Magnus believed it: Aldrovandus has 63 Anal. of Ant. Mythol. vol. 1. p. 381. 64 66 67 Sic ubi fata vocant, udis abjećtus in herbis, Nec foli celebrant fua funera cycni. 69 Epift. 7. v. 2. Sylv. 1. 2. v. 10. Dulcia defectâ modulatur carmina linguâ, Dulcior vocem moriente cygno. 68 C. 74 & 75. L. 13. ep. 77. Hippol. 5. 302. 9 Diogen. Cant. v. 37. Vat. Appen. 2. 21. Strom. 1068. See Schot. Proverb. Græca, p. 222, 284, & 632. 70 Lucret. 1. II. v. 504. 1. 3. v. 7. Virg. Ecl. 9. v. 36. Hor. Carm. 1. 4. Od. 3. v. 20. added |