We shall hear him moan and wail

Like the plaintive nightingale.

It behooves the sacred Chorus, and of right to them belongs,
To suggest sagacious counsels in their verses and their songs.
In performance of our office we suggest with all humility
A proposal for removing groundless fears and disability;

Better would it be, believe us, casting off revenge and pride,
To receive as friends and kinsmen all that combat on our side
Into full and equal franchise: on the other hand, we fear

If your hearts are filled with fancies, proud, captious and severe, While the shock of instant danger threatens shipwreck to the State Such resolves will be lamented and repented of too late.

If the Muse foresees at all
What in future will befall
Dirty Cleiganes the small-

He the scoundrel at the bath-
Will not long escape from scath,
But must perish by and by,
With his potash and his lye,
And his soap and scouring ball,
And his washes, one or all;

Therefore he can never cease

To declaim against a peace.

What

These two portraits of Cleophon and Cleiganes are so graphic that they might serve H. B. as models for a caricature. follows introduces the celebrated contest for supremacy between Eschylus and Euripides. The scene is laid in the Infernal

Regions:

Enter XANTHIAS and EACUS.

EACUS.

By Jupiter! but he's a gentleman,

That master of yours.

XANTHIAS.

A gentleman! to be sure he is;

Why, he does nothing else but wench and drink.

EACUS.

His never striking you when you took his name—
Outfacing him and contradicting him!

XANTHIAS.

It might have been worse for him if he had.

EACUS.

Well, that's well spoken, like a true-bred slave.
It's just the sort of language I delight in.

What think you of muttering as you leave the room

After a beating?

EACUS.

Why that's pleasant too.

XANTHIAS.

By Jove it is! but listening at the door

To hear their secrets?

EACUS.

Oh! there's nothing like it!

XANTHIAS.

And then the reporting them in the neighborhood.

EACUS.

That's beyond every thing, that's quite ecstatic.

XANTHIAS.

Well, give me your hand, and there, take mine,-and buss me.

And there again—and tell me, for Jupiter's sake

For he's the patron of our kicks and beatings

What's all that noise and bustle and abuse

Within there

На?

EACUS.

Eschylus and Euripides only.

XANTHIAS.

EACUS.

Why there's a custom we have established

In favor of professors of the arts.

When any one, the first man in his line

Comes down among us here, he stands entitled

To privilege and precedence, with a seat
At Pluto's royal board.

XANTHIAS.

I understand you.

ACUS.

So he maintains it, till there comes a better
Of the same sort, and then resigns it up.

XANTHIAS.

But why should Eschylus be disturbed at this?

ACUS.

He held the seat for Tragedy, as being master

In that profession.

XANTHIAS.

Well, and who's there now?

EACUS.

He kept it till Euripides appeared;

But he collected audiences about him,

And flourished and exhibited and harangued
Before the thieves. and housebreakers, and rogues,
Cut-purses, cheats and vagabonds and villains,
That make the mass of population here;
And they-being quite transported and delighted
With all his subtleties, and niceties,
Equivocations, quibbles and so forth,
Evasions and objections and replies,-

In short-they raised an uproar. and declared him
Arch poet, by a general acclamation.

And he with this grew proud and confident,

And laid a claim to the seat where Eschylus sate.

XANTHIAS.

And did he not get pelted for his pains?

EACUS.

Why, no.-The mob called out, and it was carried To have a public trial of skill between them.

XANTHIAS.

You mean the mob of scoundrels that you mentioned ?

EACUS.

Scoundrels, indeed! Ay, scoundrels without number.

XANTHIAS.

But Eschylus must have good friends and hearty.

EACUS.

Yes; but good men are scarce, both here and elsewhere.

XANTHIAS.

Well, what has Pluto settled to have done?

EACUS.

To have a trial and examination

In public.

XANTHIAS.

But how comes it, Sophocles ?

Why does not he put in his claim among them?

ACUS.

No, no, not he !-the moment he came down here

He went up and saluted Eschylus,

And kissed his cheek and took his hand quite kindly;

And Eschylus edged a little from his chair

To give him room; so now, the story goes,

(At least I had it from Cleidemides,)

He means to attend there as a stander-by,
Professing to take up the conqueror.
If Eschylus gets the better,-well and good,
He gives up his pretensions ;-but, if not

He'll stand a trial, he says, against Euripides.

It is impossible for any translator to give a more perfect rendering of comedy. The facility, the flow, the living, breathing, chattering impudence of the two slaves is inimitable, lively and true. It may be doubted if Sheridan knew much about Aristophanes, but following the same great model, Nature, he has produced a companion scene to this dialogue in the opening of "The Rivals." The compliment to Sophocles and Eschylus is very graceful. Bacchus, the appointed judge, now enters, accompanied by the rival bands, and the contest begins.

Chorus.

Here beside you, here are we
Eager all to hear and see
This abstruse and curious battle
Of profound and learned prattle,
-But as it appears to me,
Thus the course of it will be;
That the junior and appellant
Will advance as the assailant,
Aiming shrewd satiric darts
At his rival's noble parts,
And, with sallies sharp and keen,
Try to wound him in the spleen;
While the veteran sends and raises
Rifted rough uprooted phrases.
Wields them like a thrashing staff,
And dispels the dust and chaff.

BACCHUS.

Come now begin and speak away; but first I give you warning
That all your language and discourse must be genteel and clever
Without abusive similes, or common vulgar joking.

EURIPIDES.

At the first outset I forbear to state my own pretensions;
Hereafter I shall mention them when his have been refuted;

And after I have proved and shown how he abused and cheated

The rustic audience that he found, which Phrygia has bequeathed him. He planted first upon the stage a figure vailed and muffled,

An Achilles or a Niobe that never showed their faces,

But kept a tragic attitude without a word to utter.

BACCHUS.

No more they did: it's very true.

EURIPIDES.

In the meanwhile the Chorus

Strung on ten strophes right an end, but they remained in silence.

BACCHUS.

I liked that silence well enough; as well perhaps or better

Than those new talking characters.

EURIPIDES.

That's from your want of judgment,

Believe me