lous powers of these inspired Dames; and he concludes with a folemn advice to the King to receive the unknown Deity, as the reported Author of the amiable gift of wine: "for without that bleffing there is an end of love, and of every other pleasure among Mortals :" · Οἴς δὲ μηκέτ ύλος, ἐκ ἔςιν Κύπρις, 82 Οὐδ ̓ ἄλλο τερπνὸν ἐδὲν ἀνθρώποις ἔτι *. 83 Here the Pere Brumoy is extremely shocked and exclaims, "that this fcandalous affertion proves, that the Græcian Piety was not always very fevere in Morality; and that the impiety of Bentheus had fomething more virtuous "3" But fuch a fevere reflexion would have better graced the lips of a Mahometan, whose religion banishes the grape from focial life, than that of a Chriftian, whofe divine creed acknowledges it, as the gracious prefent of a benevolent Creator, to enliven the heart of Man: The other inference alfo of the French Critick, derived from thefe lines, is of a nature equally extraordinary; for he adds, "that this would almost make him imagine, that the character of this Tragedy was that of a real Opera; and that there was probably more than one model of this compofition in Antiquity: In reality, continues he, one difcovers fo much relation between our Operas and this Piece, that that alone might ferve to justify my fuppofition; and befides what inconvenience would arife from the belief, that Tragedy and Opera had its origin at the fame #2 V. 773: 83 Ce mot fcandaleux fait bien voir que le piété Grecque n'étoit pas toujours fort févere en fait de morale, & que l'impieté de Penthée avoit quelque chofe de plus vertueux. (Théatre des Grecs, tom. 5. p. 20.) 84 time in thofe hymns, compofed in honour of Bacchus? This Antiquity of the Opera will not render it more innocent in our fight, especially as long as vice, arrayed in the most brilliant colours, will there triumph with impunity over virtue 4" It would lead me too far from the principal object of this Effay to enter into any elaborate refutation of this opinion: It is fufficient to observe, that this Tragedy of the Baccha has no more resemblance to a Modern Opera, than that of any other Play of the fame nature on the Græcian Theatre: The union of Lyrick Poetry and of Mu fick was equally employed in all of them, and fo far it may be faid to correfpond in idea with an Opera; but the conftitution of this, being in other respects extremely different, it admits no father comparison with the Græcian Drama: Ainfi l'on peut dire que leurs Pieces de Théatre étoient des efpeces d'Opéra ; & c'est pour cela meme qu'il ne pouvoit y avoir d'Opéra proprement dit parmi eux: This is the excellent obfervation of Rouffeau in his Dictionaire de Mufique, under the title of Opéra; where he analyzes the origin of this Dramatick Composition, and develops the different principles of musical melody in the Græcian and Modern Languages 55 : 85 He 34 Cela me feroit prefque penfer que le caractere de cette Tragédie est celui d'un veritable Opéra, & qu'il y en a eû apparemment plus d'un modele dans l'antiquité: En effet, on voit tant de rapport entre nos Opéra & cette Piece, que cela feul pourroit fervir à juftifier ma penfée, & d'ailleurs quel inconvenient y auroit-il à croire que la Tragédie & l'Opéra euffent pris naïffance en même-tems dans les hymnes compofées en l'honneur de Bacchus ? cette antiquité de l'Opéra ne le rendra pas plus innocent à nos yeux, fur tout tant que le vice paré des plus brillantes couleurs y triomphera impunément de la vertu. (Théatre des Grecs, tom. 5. p. 20.) 85 Les Sons de la voix parlante n'étant ni foutenus ni harmoniques font inappréciables, & ne peuvent, par conféquent, f'allier agréablement avec 86 He there afferts, "that the Græcians had not this Lyrick Drama, as we have, and that what they called by this name had not the least resemblance to ours 6" After tracing the variation, he fubjoins," It is certain that the Greek Tragedies were recited in a manner, very fimilar to fong, and that they were accompanied with inftruments, and the Chorus: But if one imagines on that account, that they were Operas, correfponding to ours, we must then conceive them Operas without airs; for it appears to me proved, that the Græcian Mufick, without even excepting the inftrumental, was nothing but the true Recitative "." 87 To return to the Drama, the Chorus enforces also the advice of the Meffenger, and boldly afferts with true fortitude the divinity of their God: This declaration is not only confonant to the particular character of thefe Bacchanalians in the Play, but correfponds to the moral nature of the Chorus in general on the Græcian Stage: The royal Pentheus however, inftead of being foftened by the relation of the Prodigies, becomes more inflamed, and in the language of Ovid, ceux de la voix chantante & des inftrumens, au moins dans nos Langues, trop éloignées du caractere mufical; car on ne fauroit entendre les patlages des Grecs fur leur maniere de réciter, qu'en fuppofant leur Langue tellement accentuée que les inflexions du difcours dans la déclamation foutenue, tormaffent entr'elles des intervalles muficaux & appréciables: Ainfi l'on peut dire, &c. (Dictionnaire de Mufique, tom. 2. p. 37-) 86 Je remarquerai d'abord que les Grecs n'avoint pas au Théatre un genre lyrique ainfi que nous, & que ce qu'ils appelloient de ce nom ne reffembloit point au nôtre. (Id. p. 38.) 87 Il eft certain que les Tragédies Grecques fe récitoient d'une maniere très femblable au Chant, qu'elles f'accompagnoient d'Inftrumens & qu'il y entroit des Chours: Mais fi l'on veut pour cela que ce fuffent des Opéra fans airs: Car il me paroît prouvé que la Mufique Grecque, fans en excepter même l'Inftrumentale, n'étoit qu'un véritable Récitatif. (Dictionnaire de Mufique, tom. 2. p. 39.) Acrior admonitu eft, irritaturque retenta Et crefcit rabies, remoraminaque ipfa nocebant 89 Hence he inftantly commands all the Warriors in his kingdom to be fummoned, and refolves to march in military array to defeat the alarming progrefs of this formidable enthusiasm: This idea throws a new dignity over the subject of this Tragedy, and displays the importance of it to the Spectators: In vain does Bacchus 9 attempt to remonstrate against the madnefs of this refolution; but when he perceives the King, inflexibly determined to perfevere, he propofes to carry him, arrayed in the female garb of a Bacchanalian to the spectacle of the Theban Votaries on Mount Citharon: Hence we are to confider the unfortunate Pentheus under the most abject ftate of infatuation, fince he is inclined to confent to this humiliating propofition; and the Pagan maxim, "that the God first deprives the Mortal of understanding, whom he is inclined to deftroy," can never be better illuftrated than in this dramatick character: Ὅταν δὲ Δαίμων ἀνδρὶ πορσύνη κακά, But 88 Met. 1. 3. v. 567. 89 See my Note N° 27. on v. 786. f. 427. 9° hefe lines are inferted by Barnes in his edition of Euripides, but under the title of incertae Tragedia (p. 515.) The Latin maxim, Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat, appears to be literally tranflated from it; but the sentiment is as ancient as Homer; for he fays, that Jupiter deprived Chucus of his understanding, when he exchanged armour with Diom.de: Ενθ' αὔτε Γλαύκῳ Κρονίδης φρένας ἐξέλειο Ζεύς. (Il. 6. v. 234.) And But Bacchus himself confeffes, after the departure of the King from the ftage, that he muft infpire Pentheus with a gentle frenzy, fince he would never confent in his fober fenfes to affume this female attire: He alfo informs us by a poetical prophecy, that the Monarch will now go disguised to the Bacchanalians, where he will fuffer death under their vengeance; and he even foretells his approaching maffacre by the hands of his own Mother: This anticipation of the catastrophe of the drama is certainly injudicious, because it deftroys that agreeable fufpenfe, which is the very foul of the Plot; and the conduct of our Poet in this refpect has been already condemned in my Final Effay on the Ion "': The Pere Brumoy alfo obferves, Il prévient même une partie du dénouement; car il dit nettement, que Penthée va être la victime de fa mere". When Dionufus retires to inveft Pentheus with the female apparel, the Chorus regales us in the interval with an ode of animated Poetry: They exprefs their panting wishes to enjoy Bacchanalian revelry, and compare themselves to the sportive Hind, who has bounded over the nets of the Hunter, and escaped the pursuit of the Hounds into the fhady receffes of the folitary grove: Their And Virgil makes even the pious Æneas declare, Hic mihi nefcio quod trepido malè numen amicum (n. 2. v. 736.) The following affertion alfo of Velleius Paterculus has great resemblance to it: Sed profectò ineluctabilis fatorum vis, cujufcunque fortunam mutare conftituir, confilia corrumpit. (L. 2. c. 57. Ed. Ruhn. p. 265.) And in another place he fays, Quippe ita fe res habet, ut plerumque fortunam mutaturus Deus confilia corrumpat. (L. 2. c. 118. Id. p. 456.) 91 See p. 213 to 216. 92 Théatre des Grecs, tom. 5. [.21. delivery |