for pofterity to determine; but that it was confeffed as a truth, deduced from each of these hiftories, that the most ancient dialect was the Dorick, next to the Æolick fo called from

olus; the third the Ionick, denominated from Ion, fon of Xuthus; the fourth the Attick, eftablished by Creufa, daughter of Erechtheus; and this was three generations fubfequent to the former :" But Meurfius rightly obferves, that the affertion of Jamblichus in regard to the Attick Dialect is a mistake. (De Reg. Athen. 1. 1. c. 14.)

Verse 1592. Ayaids.

1646. Achæus.

N° LXXV.

THE Scholiaft on Apollonius correfponds with Euripides, and fays, "that Achæa was fo denominated from Achæus fon of Xuthus:" Alfo Conon, preferved in Photius, relates, "that Xuthus, the youngest Son of Hellen, coming to Athens, built the Tetrapolis of Attica, and married Creusa daughter of Erechtheus, on whom he begot Achæus and Ion That Achæus, having committed involuntary murder, was banished; and coming into the Peloponnefe built Achæa Tetrapolis, from whom are derived the Achæans." Paufa

* Ὅτι αὕτη πρώτη ἐκλήθη Αχαΐα ἀπὸ ̓Αχαΐς το Ξάθε. (Argon. 1. 1. v. 242.) 2 Ὁ δὲ νεώτατος ̓Αθήναζεν ἀφικόμενος κλίζει τεράπολιν καλεμένην τῆς ̓Αλικῆς, κα γαμεῖ Κρέασαν τὴν Ἐρεχθέως, καὶ τίκλες ἐξ αὐτῆς ̓Αχαιὸν καὶ Ἴωνα· καὶ ὁ μὲν ̓Αχαιός ἀκάσιον φόνον ἐργασάμενος ηλάθη· καὶ εἰς Πελοπόννησον ἐλθὼν ̓Αχαΐαν κλίζει τεράπολιν, 'Axao. (Bibliot. p. 438.)

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nias alfo mentions, "that Xuthus, flying to Athens, was efteemed worthy of receiving Creufa, daughter of Erechtheus; and by her had Achæus and Ion as his Sons :" And Strabo makes Achæus a Son of Xuthus, who, after having committed an involuntary murder, fled to Laconia, and occafioned the Achæans there to be fo denominated.

3 Ὁ δὲ ἐς Αθήνας φυγών θυγατέρα Ερεχθέως ἠξιώθη λαβεῖν, καὶ παῖδας ̓Αχαιὸν καὶ "Iwva toxer it avτns. (L. 7. c. I. p. 521. ed. Kuhn.)

4 Τῶν δὲ τότε παίδων Αχαιὸς μὲν φόνον ἀκέσιον πράξας ἔφυγεν εἰς Λακεδαιμονίας, καὶ ̓Αχαιὲς τὰς ἐκεῖ κληθῆναι παρεσκεύασεν. (1. 8. p. 588.)

ION.

I O

N.

FINAL ESSAY.

S the History and Mythology with the laws and cuftoms contained in the Ion have been amply confidered, I fhall here contemplate the beauties and defects of the drama in its Plot, Characters, Sentiments, and Language. The Prologus of a Græcian Play is defined by Aristotle', "as a part of its quantity, comprehending all that portion of it preceding the apodos, or first choral fong :" Thus Euripides, where he is introduced by Aristophanes in one of his Comedies2, calls it "the first part of Tragedy:" It was therefore effentially inwoven with it, and differs entirely from our modern Prologue, which may be termed a preliminary address of the

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* Εσι δὲ πρόλογος μὲν μέρος ὅλον τραγωδίας τὸ πρὸ χορᾶ παράδει· πάροδος μὲν ἡ πρώτη λέξις ὅλε χορδ. De Poet. c. 12.)

2 Ὅπως τὸ πρῶτον τῆς Τραγωδίας μέρος. (Ranæ, v. 1151.)

3 Il est donc certain, que les Grecs n'ont point eu de Tragedie, fans ce qu' Ariftote appelle ici le Prologue pour une partie de quantitè de ce Poeme, (Dacier, fur la Poetique d'Arift. c. 12. p. 173.) When therefore Milton in his Preface to Samfon Agonistes afferts, "that ancient Tragedy ufed no Prologue, yet fometimes in cafe of felf-defence, or explanation that, which Martial calls an epiftle," he must be understood to mean a Prologue in the modern acceptation of the word: I therefore use the word Prologus in this Essay in order to avoid the idea attached to Prologue.

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Poet to the Audience detached from the Play itself. The established custom of Efchylus and Sophocles was to develop in the regular progress of their dramas the several incidents of the plot without any previous communication to the fpectators in their refpective Prologufes of the fubject or the events, which either constituted the foundation or the revolutions of the piece then prefented to them: But Euripides here introduced an innovation, and opened the Prologus of his Plays with a dramatick character, who informed the Theatre of the hiftory of the plot. We have his own express affertion, as contained in Ariftophanes, for the truth of this interesting anecdote;

Ἀλλ ̓ ὀυξίων πρώτιζα μὲν μοὶ τὸ γένος εἶπεν εὖθυς

Το δράματος. (Ran. v. 978.)

He is contending in this fcene for a fuperiority over his rival Æfchylus in confequence of the advantages, which had

✦ Au refte il ne faut pas confondre ce Prologue de la Tragedie Grecque avec le Prologue de la Comedie Latine: Ce Prologue des pieces Comiques ne fait point partie de l'action theatrale, & il eft emprunté des Prologues de la vieille Comedie Grecque, où il eft d'ordinaire au milieu de la piece, fous le nom de Parabafe. Les Latins l'ont mis prefque toujours a la tète de leurs pieces. Il y en a eu pourtant qui ont mis le Prologue dans la piece mème, comme Plaute qui a mis après le premier acte celui du foldat Fanfaron; mais cela n'a jamais etè fuivi des Poetes fages & reguliers. Terence n'a eu garde de donner dans un fi grand abus. (Dacier fur le Poetique d'Arift. c. 12. P. 174.)

5 The λόγον πρωταγωνισήν, mentioned by Ariftotle in the fourth chapter of his Poeticks, as the invention of Æfchylus, is justly explained by Dacier as the principal character, and not as the Prologus; Il inventa l'idée d'un principal perfonnage. On f'est donc trompè, quand on a cru, qu'ici relayusins aoyos fignifie le Prologue. Outre que ce terme n'a jamais été employè dans ce fens-la, il n'eft pas vrai qu' Efchyle fe foit fervi de Prologue dans fes pieces. (Rem. 37. fur le chap. 4.) When Ariftotle, in his next chapter, afferts, that the Inventor of the Prologus was unknown, he is there fpeaking of comedy, and not of tragedy. (c. 5.)

accrued

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accrued to the Græcian drama from his improved refinements of it. Thus Thomas Magifter in the life of Euripides informs us, "that he invented many things in the Dramatick Art, unknown to his Predeceffors; for to delineate the fubject in the beginning of the drama, and to lead the Reader, as it were by the hand, forwards into the plot, was the arti fice of Euripides." This preliminary Speaker is fometimes a principal character in the Play; but he has often no other connexion' with it, as Mercury here, who exprefsly enters for no other purpose than to relate in 81 lines the history and genealogy of Creufa and Ion: Yet not contented with conveying the previous intelligence of the facts, prior to the fuppofed commencement of the play, he alfo anticipates the important events contrived within it; fuch as the design of Apollo to impofe his own Son on Xuthus; and 10 Creufa's difcovery of Ion, as her illegitimate offspring from the embrace of the God; nor is there a fingle circumstance related by him, which is not in the fequel of the drama revealed with greater propriety; This innovation therefore of Euripides must be confeffed to be fo far from an improvement, that in reality it becomes a very effential difadvantage : The curiosity of the Spectator from this immediate information naturally

9

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6 Πολλὰ γὰρ εἰς τὴν τέχνην ἐξεῦρεν, ἃ ἐδειτισῶν γε τῶν πρὸ ἀιῖς· τό τε γὰρ ἐν ἀρχῇ το δράμαλος τὴν ὑπόθεσιν διατυποῦν, καὶ τὸν ἀκροατὴν ὥσπερ χειραγωγεῖν εἰς τὸ ἔμπροσθεν, Εὐριπίδε τέχνημα. (Ed. Barnes, p. 5o.)

7 Donatus upon Terence calls this character golaixò gówπov, id eft perfonam extrà argumentum, a protatick perfonage, foreign to the fable. (Phormio, a. 1. f. 1.)

Hence appears the error of Caftelvetro, who fpeaking of the Prologus of Euripides afferts, that the Preliminary Character never converfes on future things, which he could not reasonably know, as the Prologi in the Latin Comedies; Ma quefti cotale introdotto a ragionare folo non ragiona ne del poeta, ne delle cofe lontane & feparate della tavola, ne delle cofe future, che ragionevolmente non poffa fapere, come fanno i prolaghi nelle comedie Latine. (Poet, d'Ariftot. Vulgar. ed. 1576. p. 105.) 9 V. 79. 10 V. 729.