8 to imply a fubject, difobedient to the royal edict, like a horse reluctant to the rein: But on the contrary in our Poet the affectionate and faithful Pylades is called the παράσειρος ", οι the attached Friend of his Oreftes. Hence from the above investigation we collect, that the expreffion of do sigurov Zuyos in this paffage of the Ion, when analyzed, will imply, that this car of Night had no connexion with the σsiga, or rein attached to the yoke; it was confequently a biga, and not a quadriga, a chariot drawn by two, and not by four horfes. The Latin verfion therefore of Brodeus, Canter, Barnes, and Mufgrave', which is "nullis aftrictum jugis,” conveys an improper idea; for the car was yoked, as I apprehend, with the Cuyor: It ought to be "nullo funali equo jugo aftrictum," unharneffed with any sigao, or extreme horfes to the yoke. Having established this interpretation of Ut non furalem fe præbentem Lafcivientem pullum. (Stanley.) Whom e'er I find unwilling to fubmit, Shall tame. (Potter, Agam. vol. 2. p. 127.) Ποδὶ κηδοσύνῳ παράσειρος. (Oreft. v. το1η) The Scholiaft pere gives a falfe definition of this word, for he fays, that it properly fignifies the horse, which follows behind the car. Παράσειςος. κυρίως ὁ ὀπίσω τῷ ἅρμαλος ἑπόμενος ἵππος. But this is directly contrary to its derivation, and the affertion of Julius Pollux; nor is the remark of Barnes more accurate, when he fays, Propriè equus, qui ad alius latus jugatus trahit; for I have already proved that the Tagάoupos was not jugatus, or yoked. This Editor however in his Note on (v. 1169) in his edition has rendered dosigalov," nullo tone connexum," but the idea intended to be conveyed by it, is very different from mine, fince he adds, "As in Painting you fee the horfes of Aurora, unconnected with any traces to her car, but held only by bridles." His explication therefore has nothing to do with the biga, any more than with the quadriga; but only fuppofes this poetical car, governed by the bridles, and not by the traces: But my idea is, that it was unreined with extreme horfes only, being a biga. the word dosilov, I fhall now proceed to fhew by other clasfical authority, that the poetical car of night was a biga. There is a fragment of our Poet from his play of the Andromeda, preferved in Ariftophanes 10, and the Scholiaft ** of Theocritus; where Night is perfonified and reprefented, as riding in her car through the facred Æther; but the expreffion here does not afcertain the number of horses: It appears however from Varro 2, that Ennius tranflated this Andromeda of Euripides, and the thus addreffes Night, as riding in her biga, or car drawn by two horses, Quæ cava cœli fignitenentibus Conficis bigeis. The other Roman Poets, after this Tragedian, as Virgil 13, Claudian 14, Valerius Flaccus 15, and Silius Italicus 16, conftantly affign to this Goddess the fame humble equipage of the biga: The only exception indeed to the contrary, which I believe is unparallelled, where he is honoured with the quadriga, is in Tibullus, Jam IO Ω Νὺξ ἱερὰ Ὣς μακρὸν ἵππευμα διώκεις· ̓Ασεροειδέα νωτὰ διφρευά Σ' αιθέρος ἱερᾶς Τα σεμνοτάτε δι Ολύμπο. (Thefmop. v. 1o78.) 1 On Idyl. 2. v. 166. 12 De Lin. Lat. 4. See Columna in Enn. Fragm. p. 408. and his comment on this paffage, where he proves, that the word Andromacha in Varro is a mistake for Andromeda. Jam Nox æthereum nigris emenfa quadrigis, Mundum cæruleo laverat amne rotas, (L. 3. el. 4. v. 18.) For the Ancients were in general extremely uniform in regard to the poetical append ges of their vifionary Deities: But thefe have been greatly diverfified by the imagination of Modern Poets, who have often deviated from the venerable example of Claffical Antiquity: To illuftrate this affertion from two examples of our own country, Spenfer, fpeaking of Night, defcribes Her twyfold teme, of which two black as pitch, And two were brown. Fairy Queen, B. 1. cant. 5. ft. 28. And the learned Milton, in one of his juvenile poems, has contrived from his own fertile invention, to furnish this Goddefs with four horfes, whom he honours with names of Græcian derivation, Nox fenis amplexus Erebi taciturna reliquit, In. quint. Novem. ed. Newton. vol. 3. p. 643. It only remains to obferve, that as the Stars are here painted by Euripides, as the Followers of Night, fo Theocritus has annexed them, as Attendants on her Car, Αςερες εὐκήλοιο κατ' ἄζυγα νυκτὸς ὀπαδοί And alfo Tibullus, Ludite, jam Nox jungit equos, currumque fequuntur (L. 2. El. 1. v. 88.) N° XLIII. Verfe 1153. Ξιφήρης Ωρίων. 1186. And with his glitt'ring fword Orion arm'd, AS the epithet of pgns, or the fword bearer, is here bestowed on Orion, so we find in Ovid' enfifer and enfiger, applied to the fame Constellation: Thus Hyginus 2 in his Poeticon Aftronomicum defcribes him incinctum ense, or furnished with a fword; and obferves, "that on the part of the heaven where that is reprefented, there are three obfcure ftars:" The Reader may there fee his figure, correfponding to this idea: The time of the rifing and fetting of this sword of Orion is mentioned by Pliny 3. It may perhaps be worthy of observation, how extremely different among the Greeks and Romans is the metre of the word Orion: Here the penultima must be fhort, as it conftitutes the fourth foot of the Iambick: But in Homer and Hefiod it is long; fince we there find at the end of a verfe σθένος Ωρίωνος : The Ro mans often adopted this last metre, as Virgil, 4 Armatumque auro circumfpicit Oriona. (Æn. 1. 3. v. 517) Faft. 1. 4. v. 388. & De Art. Aman. L. 2. v. 56. Mythol. Latin. ed. Stav. p. 535. 3 Nat, Hift. 1. 18. c. 67. & pl. 33. 4 II. 18. v. 486. And But Ovid makes the penultima of the Genitive cafe fhort, Nitidumque Orionis ensem. (Met. 1. 13. v. 294.) The three laft inftances equally ferve to illuftrate the aftronomical appearance of the fword, as here described: The Roman Poets alfo make the antepenultima of the nominative fhort, though derived from the Omega of the Greeks, as Virgil ufes, Nimbofus Orion. (Æn. I. v. 539.) Thus in one word there are five oppofite variations of metre; fince the antepenultima and penultima in the different Cafes are both occafionally long or fhort, which perhaps is an inftance unparallelled. In the first fyllable 'ngiwy and Orion; in the second 'Nęłw, and 'Ngiwvos; and in the third Oriōna and Orionis. N° XLIV. |