But the author of the life of Aristophanes says that all his comedies were acted by two vπoкpiral, Philonides and Callistratus. I am inclined to think that this writer misunderstood certain passages in the Didascalia, wherein it was stated that Aristophanes exhibited this or that play διὰ Φιλωνίδου, οι διὰ Καλλιστράτου. i. e. in the name of Philonides or Callistratus. The argument of the Frogs says, ἐδιδάχθη ἐπὶ Καλλίου ἄρχοντος, τοῦ μετὰ Αντιγένην, ἐπὶ Ληναίῳ. Φιλωνίδης ἐπεγράφη, καὶ ἐνίκα. Argum. Acharn. ἐδιδάχθη-διὰ Καλλιστράτου. The wasps were acted διὰ Φιλωνίδου. The birds διὰ Καλλιστράτου. The author of the life himself has remarked this. The Plutus was the last play which Aristophanes presented in his own name. He wrote two comedies afterwards, Κώκαλος, and Αἰολοσίκων, but they were acted under the name of his son Araros. (Argum. Plut.) Platonius informs us that after Eupolis was drowned', Comedy abated of its personal invective, and the Choragi by degrees ceased to furnish the chorusses regularly, and that the Eolosico of Aristophanes had no choric songs. It seems, from the life above quoted, that the case was the same with the Cocalus : but I do not remember to have seen it remarked that there was no chorus in the Plutus; although amongst the Dramatis Personæ we find Χορὸς ἀγροικῶν, and some overwise grammarian has inserted at proper intervals in the body of the play, λeiwei ǹ toû Xopoù on, an odd accident to have happened five times in the same comedy. It appears from Aristotle, quoted by the Schol. on Aristoph. Ran. 420. that Cinesias had procured a law to be passed, limiting the expenses of the dramatic Choragi, or abolishing them altogether. Harpocrates says, that this Cinesias was abused by the comic poets every year. The Xopnyia were renewed by Lycurgus. But see Spanheim on the Argument to the Frogs, and Wesseling in Petit. Legg. Att. p. 145. It has been thought by some learned men, that, because each of the ten tribes appointed a Choragus for the Dionysiac contests, there must have been always ten competitors for the prize of Comedy, of which only three were placed, as the phrase is on the turf. But it is clear from the argument to the Plutus, that this was not the case. We are there informed that Aristophanes, 1. But Cicero tells us that Eratosthenes had refuted the common story of the death of Eupolis: Ep. Attic. VI. 1. when he presented that play, had only four competitors; Nicochares, Aristomenes, Nicophon, and Alcæus. It is most probable that different Xopnyia were allotted to different tribes: so many for comic chorusses, so many for tragic, so many for dithyrambic, &c. The contending Choragi were called 'Avтixóρnya', the poetical or musical candidates Αντιδιδάσκαλοι"; the actors Αντίτεχνοι. The names of successful Choragi and Poets were proclaimed to the people. The author of the life of Sophocles says, ὅτε νικῶν ἐκηρύχθη, Xapa viкndeis ééλime. See Callimachus Epigr. VIII. 3. The tragic The Choragus consecrated to Bacchus a tripod, inscribed with the names of himself and his poet, and the Archon*. But perhaps this is true only of the dithyrambic contests. victor seems to have consecrated a tablet or marble slab. The oldest of these inscriptions which has been preserved is in Plutarch, Themistocl. p. 251. ἐνίκησε δὲ καὶ χορηγῶν τραγῳδοῖς, μεγάλην ἤδη τότε σπουδὴν καὶ φιλοτιμίαν τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἔχοντος· καὶ πίνακα τῆς νίκης ἀνέθηκε, τοιαύτην ἐπιγραφὴν ἔχοντα. ΘΕ ΜΙΣΤΟΚΛΗΣ ΦΡΕΑΡΙΟΣ ΕΧΟΡΗΓΕΙ. ΦΡΥΝΙΧΟΣ ΕΔΙΔΑ ΣΚΕΝ. ΑΔΕΙΜΑΝΤΟΣ ΗΡΧΕΝ, From the expression τοιαύτην ἐπιγραφὴν, it appears that Plutarch had not seen the inscription itself, but took his information from the Didascaliæ. Here is no mention of the actor; and Mr. Tyrwhitt thinks that the actor's name was never mentioned in these inscriptions. We certainly do not find it in any of the fragments which remain to us of the Attic Didascaliæ; but, since the 'YTокρíтηs is mentioned in a marble of uncertain date and place in the Oxford collection, p. 53. and in the Orchomenian inscription above referred to, it is probable that in later times the actor's name was added to those of the Choragus and the Poet. It seems probable that the original prizes of tragedy and 1. Demosth. c. Mid. I. p. 134. 2. See Casaubon on Athen. VI. p. 235. D. 3. Alciphron III. 48. 4. See the Preface to the Persæ of Eschylus, p. xxii. 5. On Aristotle, p. 149. comedy were discontinued when the dramatic art had attained its consistency and polish'. The successful poet was honoured with a crown of ivy; Callimachus Epigr. VIII. Ἦλθε Θεαίτητος καθαρὴν ὁδόν· εἰ δ ̓ ἐπὶ κισσὸν ει Τὸν τεὸν οὐχ αὕτη, Βάκχε, κέλευθος ἄγει, Φθέγξονται, κείνου δ ̓ Ἑλλὰς ἀεὶ σοφίαν. Alciphr. II. 3. p. 230. μὰ τὸν Διόνυσον καὶ τοὺς Βακχικούς αὐτοῦ κισσοὺς, οἷς στεφανωθῆναι μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς Πτολεμαίου βούλομαι διαδήμασιν. Cf. p. 238. Το this Euripides alludes in the prayer with which he concludes his Orestes, Phoenissæ, and Iphigenia in Tauris. Ὦ μέγα σεμνὴ Νίκη, τὸν ἐμὸν Βίοτον κατέχοις, Καὶ μὴ λήγοις στεφανοῦσα. Cf. Aristoph. Ran. 390. Simonid. Ep. LXXII. Himer. Orat. XIII. 7. Epigr. ap. Steph. v. Φασηλίς. The actors also of the successful pieces wore crowns of ivy. Alciphr. III. 48. p. 382. Κακὸς κακῶς ἀπόλοιτο καὶ ἄφωνος εἴη Λικύμνιος, ὁ τῆς τραγῳδίας υποκρίτης ὡς γὰρ ἐνίκα τοὺς ἀντιτέχνους Κριτίαν τὸν Κλεωναῖον καὶ Ιππασον τὸν Αμβρα κιώτην ΤΟΥΣ Αἰσχύλου ΠΡΟΠΟΜΠΟΥΣ, τορῷ τινι καὶ γεγωνοτέρῳ φωνήματι χρησάμενος, γαῦρος ἦν, καὶ κιττοστεφὴς ήγε συμπόσιον. We have no document by which we can determine the number of tragedies represented at one sitting, but it appears that the time allowed to each poet was measured by the clepsydra3. The prizes were awarded by judges appointed by the Archon, usually five in number, but not always. Their decision, as might have been expected, was not always impartial3. The judges of the Cyclian chorusses were punishable by fine, if they decided contrary to justice. 1. Bentley Diss. Phal. p. 303. 4. See Valesius in Maussac. Diss. Crit. p. 204. and Biblioth. Crit. II. iii. p. 45. 5. See Ælian II. 8. Aristoph. Av. 445. Tyrwhitt. p. 149. 6. Æschin. c. Ctesiph. 85. The tripods and tablets commemorative of the Dionysiac conquerors, were placed in the Lenaan temple of Bacchus. From these, different authors at various times compiled chronological accounts of the dramatic contests, giving the names of the three first competitors, the titles of their plays, the success of each, and the name of the Archon in whose magistracy they were performed. The following extracts from them, preserved in the Arguments to the Medea of Euripides and the Plutus of Aristophanes, furnish a good specimen ; Εδιδάχθη ἐπὶ Πυθοδώρου ἄρχοντος, κατὰ τὴν ὀγδοηκοστὴν ἑβδόμην Ολυμπιάδα. πρῶτος Εὐφορίων· δεύτερος Σοφοκλῆς, τρίτος Εὐριπίδης. Μηδεία, Φιλοκτήτης, Δίκτυς, Θερισταὶ Σάτυροι, οὐ σώζεται. The concluding words of which should be read as follows ; τρίτος Εὐμιπίδης Μηδείᾳ, Φιλοκτήτη, Δίκτυϊ, Θερισταῖς Σατύροις. οὐ σώζεται. i. e. the Satyric drama was never published. The Plutus of Aristophanes is thus recorded : Εδιδάχθη ἐπὶ ἄρχοντος Αντιπάτρου, ἀνταγωνιζομένων αὐτῷ, Νικοχάρους μὲν Λάκωσιν Αριστομένους δὲ Ἀδμήτῳ· Νικοφῶντος δὲ Αδώνιδι. Αλκαίου δὲ Πασιφάη. The principal compilers of Didascalia were Aristotle, Dicæarchus, Callimachus, Eratosthenes, Carystius of Pergamus, and Aristophanes the grammarian. The student who wishes to obtain full information on this subject must consult Casaubon on Athenæus VI. p. 235. E. Jonsius Hist. Script. Philos. I. 16. Bentley on the Fragments of Callimachus, p. 470. ed. Ernesti. Two fragments of marble Didascaliæ were published at Rome in 1777, by G. A. Oderici, and reviewed in Wyttenbach's Bibliotheca Critica Il. iii. p. 41. A curious inscription found at Corcyra is given by Montfaucon in his Diarium Italicum, p. 412. which says, that Aristomenes and Psyllas give each to the city of Corcyra 60 mina, εἰς τὴν τῶν τεχνιτᾶν μίσθωσιν τω Διονύσω. of which Montfaucon makes strange work, by reading T Atovúσ in the dative case-It directs that there should be hired with 50 Corinthian minæ three αὐληταί, three τραγῳδοί and three κωμῳδοί. Our remarks on the number of the Chorus, the laws by which it was regulated, the actors and their dresses, will be reserved for another Number. HELLANICUS of LESBOS'. WE learn from Suidas v. 'EXλávikos that according to some authors the name of the father of Hellanicus was Andromenes; according to others Aristomenes; according to others Scamonthat he had a son whose name was Scamon-that he resided together with Herodotus in the court of Amyntas King of Macedon, during the time of Euripides and Sophocles-that he was somewhat junior to Hecatæus, who flourished during the Persian wars-that he survived until the reign of Perdiccas-that he died at Perperene opposite to Lesbos-and that he composed many works both in prose and verse. 3 2 The chronology of this passage is not very accurate, since Amyntas, King of Macedon, died certainly before Euripides, and probably before Sophocles, was born. The Paschal Chronicle assigns Ol. 67. as the date of Hellanicus, and says that he was contemporary with Democritus of Abdera, Heraclitus, and Anaxagoras. Aulus Gellius, on the contrary, states, on 1. A collection of the fragments of Hellanicus was published at Leipsic in 1787 by Frederick William Sturz. Another Hellanicus, who appears to have been a Grammarian, is quoted in the Sch. Min. on Homer, Od. ß. 185. in the Sch. on Sophocles, Phil. v. 201. by Eustathius on Homer, pp. 816. 1035. 1173. 2. The Greek words are καὶ Ἑκαταίῳ τῷ Μιλησίῳ ἐπέβαλε, which Sturz translates, "familiariter Hecatæo usus est," but Suidas means to say that Hellanicus was young when Hecatæus was advanced in life, as appears from a similar expression under the article Máyvns, ἐπιβάλλει δ' Επιχάρμῳ νέος πρεσβύτῃ. 3. P. 146. Ed. Par.-See also Syncellus Ed. Par. p. 238. 4. Hellanicus initio belli Peloponnesiaci fuisse quinque et sexaginta annos natus videtur, Herodotus tres et quinquaginta, Thucydides quadraginta. Scriptum hoc est in libro undecimo Pamphila. Lib. 15. c. 23. |