must necessarily be expunged. If we read rò giapov midior, the dactyl will disappear.

According to Mr Porson (p. 26), the poets of the sock agree with their brethren of the buskin, in excluding dactyls from trochaic verses, except in the case of proper names. In the eleven comedies of Aristophanes, we have not discovered any genuine instance of a dactyl in a verse of this measure. We have observed, however, three verses, which appear to deserve greater attention than they have received. Ach. 220. Kai Tara Saxgation tè σκέλος βαρύνεται. Eq. 327. Πρῶτος ὤν; ὁ δ ̓ ἱπποδάμου λείβεται θεώμενος. Pac. 1154. Μυρρίνας αἴτησον ἐξ Αἰσχινάδου τῶν καρπίμων. It is almost superfluous to observe, that the two middle syllables of these three proper names are necessarily short. 'Idasos, in particular, cannot reasonably be supposed to be a Doric compound of Os and decos. We perceive, therefore, that in order to introduce these refractory names into tetrameter trochaics, Aristophanes has twice used a choriambus, and once an ionic a minore, in the place of the regular trochaic dipodia. The following instances of the use of dactyls, to which we are unable to make any additions, are given by Mr Person (p. 25): Hermippus apud Athen. p. 486. Α. ἣν ἐγὼ πάθω τι τήνδε τὴν λεπαστὴν ἐκπιών, Τῷ Διονύσῳ πάντα τάμαυτοῦ διδωμι χρήματα. We should be very happy, if we were able to rid ourselves of this dactyl as. easily as of that which follows: Comicus incertus apud Plutarch. Polit. Pracept. p. 811. Γ. Μητίοχος μὲν γὰρ στρατηγεῖ, Μητίοχος δὲ τὰς ὁδοὺς, Μητίοχος δ' ἄρτους ἐποπτᾷ (Ι. ἐποπτεῖ), Μητίοχος δὲ τάλφιτα, Μηαιόχῳ δὲ πάντα κεῖται, Μητίοχος δ' οιμώξεται. We vehemently suspect, that this important personage, who appears, from Plutarch, to have been a creature of Pericles, was not called Metiochus, but Metichus. If the reader will consult Alberti's note on the words Mario Téuevos in Hesychius, he will be convinced that our conjecture is not destitute of foundation. Names of a similar form are by no means uncommon: as Φρύνιχος, Ολύμπιχος, Οἰώνιχος, Ισμήνιχος.

We now return to the tragic senarius, respecting which we find two very important canons in the preface to the Hecuba, besides those which relate to the use of anapests. The first of these canons is, that the third and fourth feet must not be ineluded in the same word, as in the following verse of Castorio the Solian, produced by Mr Porson from Athenaeus (p, 454, F): . Σὲ τὸν βόλοις νιφοκτύποις δυσχείμερον. Hoc si fieri posset, says Mr Porson (p. 28), omnis rhythmus, omnes numeri funditus ever-> terentur." This expression has in some instances been construed rather too strictly, as if it were necessary that a tragic senarius, which has neither the penthemimeral nor the hephthemimeral

cœsura,

esura, should at least have a pause after the third foot, like the following verses of Sophocles: Phil. 101. Λέγω σ ̓ ἐγὼ δόλω Φιλοκτήτην λαβεῖν. Ibid. 276. Σὺ δή, τέκνον, ποίαν μ' ἀνάστασιν δοκεῖς. Ibid. 1369. Εα κακῶς αὐτοὺς ἀπόλλυσθαι κακούς. Such verses are, indeed, sufficiently common; but a certain number may also be produced, which have no regular pause at all in the two middle feet. Soph. Oed. Tyr. 615. Κακὸν δὲ κἂν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ γνοίης μια. Ibid. 809. Κάρα διπλοῖς κέντροισί μου καθίκετο. Ant. 95. ̓Αλλ' α με καὶ τὴν ἐξ ἐμοῦ δυσβουλίαν. Αj. 71. Οὗτας, σὲ τὸν τὰς αἰχμαλωτίδας χέρας. Ibid. 1228. Σέ τοι τὸν ἐκ τῆς αἰχμαλωτίδος λέγω. Εl. 282. Ἐγὼ δ' ὁρῶς ἡ δύσμορος κατὰ στέγας. To our ears, most of the preceding verses appear to be as destitute of casura, as if the third and fourth feet of each were comprehended in the same word. Mr Porson, however, has proved that the ancients, who must be allowed to have been better judges of these matters than the Edinburgh Reviewers, were of a different opinion. Mr Porson has collected three apparent instances of the violation of his canon from Æschylus, two from Sophocles, two from Euripides, and one from Neophro. Soph. (Ed. Col. 372. Εἰσῆλθε τοῖν τρισ. αθλίοιν ἔρις κακή. Mr Porson reads τρὶς ἀθλίοιν, divisim. Aj. 969. Πῶς δῆτα τοῦδ ̓ ἐπεγγελῷεν ἂν κάτα. As the tragedians do not say ἐπεγγελών κατά τινος, Mr Parson reads τοῦδέ γ' ἐγγελῶς, ἂν κάτα. Perhaps, however, the true reading is τοῦδ' ἂν ἐγγελῶς, ἂν κάτα. Eurip. Androm. 397. Ατὰς τί ταῦτ ̓ ὀδύρομαι, τὰ δ ̓ ἐν ποσίν. Neophro apud Stob. απ. p. 107. ed. Grot. Καὶ πρὸς τί ταῦτ ̓ ὀδύρομαι, ψυχὴν ἐμήν. Mr Porson reals ταῦτα δύρομαι in both passages. The only tragic verse of any metre, to the best of our knowledge, in which ὀδύρομαι cannot be changed into δύρομαι by a similar alteration, occurs in a suspicious passage of Euripides: Phoen. 1750. Αλ λὰ γὰρ τί ταῦτα θρηνῶ καὶ μάτην οδύρομαι. Mr Porson's second instance from Euripides is Iph. Aul. 1586, which we omit, as he has taught us that the whole conclusion of that play, after the last song of the Chorus, was fabricated many centuries after the death of the poct. The three examples from Eschylus cause a little more hesitation. Pers. 501. Στρατός περᾷ κρυσταλλοπῆγα διὰ πόρον. Mr Porson reads, Κρυσταλλοπῆγα διὰ πόρον στρατὸς περά. Α gam. 1261. Η κάρτ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἂν ἦ κάρτ' άγαν Hermannus H. p. 142.) παρεσκόπεις χρησμῶν ἐμῶν. Mr Porson reads, Η κάρτα χρησμών αρ ἐμῶν παρεσκόπεις. Suppl. 252. Καὶ τἆλλα πόλλ ̓ ἐπεικάσαι δίκαιον ἦν, Εἰ μὴ παρόντι φθόγγος ἦν ὁ σημανῶν. Mr Porson reads, Καὶ πολλά γ' την δίκαιον ἀλλ ̓ ἐπεικάσαι. The following emendation adheres more closely to the common reading: Καὶ πολλά γ' άλλα μ' (vὶ ἀλλ ̓ ἂν) εἰκά και δίκαιον ἦν. Upon the whole, when we consider how frequently the first and second, the second and third, the fourth and fifth, and the fifth and sixth feet of the senarius are included in the

αν

same

same word, we cannot agree with the learned Hermann (H. p. 141), in attributing to chance the non-occurrence, or at least the extreme rarity, of verses which exhibit the two middle fect similarly conjoined.

Mr Porson's second canon may be conveniently expressed in the following words: The first syllable of the fifth foot of a tragic trimeter iambic must be short, if it ends a word of two or more syllables, unless the second syllable of the same foot is a monosyllable which is incapable of beginning a verse. The monosylJables of most frequent occurrence which are incapable of beginning a verse, are c, d, gây ồ ồn, màn mùn, ou, together with all enclitics. Dissyllables, in which the vowel of the second syllable is elided, are considered as monosyllables. This canon was originally promulgated rather obscurely in a note on v. 343 of the tragedy; which verse in most editions is thus represented: Κρύπτοντα χεῖρα καὶ πρόσωπον τούμπαλιν. The true reading,

a, had already been received by King on the authority of manuscripts: but it remained for Mr Porson to show that the common reading violates a very important law of tragic versification. His words in the note in question are as follows:

"Quid velim melius fortasse intelligetur, si dicam, paucissimos apud Tragicos versus occurrere similes Ionis initio, "Arhas ὁ χαλκέοισι νώτοις οὐρανόν.

In his note on v. 1464 of the Phoenissa, Mr Porson remarks, that the following verse, forged in the name of Euripides by Teles, is inartificially constructed: Καὶ γῆς φίλης ὄχθοισε nevptã zai rápy If Teles had written gupta on ráp, he would not have offended against Mr Porson's canon, as the particle.

cannot begin a verse, and therefore may be considered as in some degree adhering to the preceding word. Such verses, however, as we shall hereafter show, are not of very frequent occurrence. The following verse, quoted in the same note, is of a better and more usual form: Εν γῆς φίλης μυχοῖσι κρυφθήναι καλόν.

Perhaps our readers will not be displeased at seeing a somewhat larger collection of real or apparent violations of Mr Porson's canon, than is exhibited in the preface to the Hecuba. Our collection might be considerably increased by the examination of the fragments of the lost tragedies. But every thing relating to the fragments is so uncertain, that they are hardly legitimate objects of minute criticism. As an instance of the small reliance which can be placed on the accuracy of quotations made from memory, Mr Porson (p. 42) produces a verse of some tragic poet, which is twice cited by Plutarch: Où maïs 'Ax12λiws, dλa' ixtïvos autos. Muretus (Far. Lect. xv, 1.) destroys

the

the metre, by changing xves into 'As. In Bentley's Epistle to Mill (p. 14), v. 27 of the Baccha of Euripides, is thus exhibited: Διόνυσον οὐκ ἔφασκον εἶναι τοῦ Διός. If Bentley had been an old scholiast, and the Baccha had been lost, we hardly believe that the true reading, ixQüvα Aiòs, would have occurred to the most sagacious critic. Mr Porson (p. 43) observes, that the following verse of the Perithus of Euripides deserves consideration : Ἐμη γὰρ ἦλθε μητρὶ κεδνῇ πρὸς λέχος. Although Mr Por son's caution with regard to this verse is perfectly justified by the preceding examples, we are inclined to believe that the poet wrote πρὸς κεδνὸν λέχος. The words κεδνὸν λέχος occur in v. 835 of the Hippolytus. In the surviving plays, we confine ourselves to those instances which are to be found in the Aldine editions of Sophocles and Euripides, and in Stanley's edition of Eschylus. We quote the verses of Euripides throughout the whole of this article, according to the numeration of Barnes.

Esch. Suppl. 206. Τὸ μὴ μάταιον δ ̓ ἐκ μετώπων σωφρόνων (μετόπω σωφρονῶν Ald.) Ἴτω πρόσωπον (προσώπων Ald.) όμματος παρ ̓ ἡσύχου. From the reading of Aldus Mr Porson (p. 39) deduces iz μετω ποσωφρόνων. Ibid. 212. Πάτες, φρονούντως πρὸς φρονούσας ἐννέπεις. Read with the MSS. and Aldus, πgos Ogovouvras. Ibid. 274. Xgavlešo ἀνῆκε γαῖα μήνη καὶ δάκη (μηνεῖται ἄκη Ald.). We are not aware of any satisfactory emendation of this verse. Ibid. 995. Λάθοιμι,

χώρα δ ̓ ἄχθος αἰεὶ ζῶν πέλοι. Read δείζων in one word, from ἀείζως, which is contracted from wos. In the same manner, the cxãę ¿tív of Aristophanes (Ran. 146) must be considered as a contraction of αέναον. Pers. 321. Νωμῶν, ὅ τ ̓ ἐσθλὸς ̓Αριόμαρδος Σάρ deri Mévbos ragarɣáv. Mr Porson remarks (p. 38), that the death of Ariomardus, who, at the beginning of the play, is called the governor of Thebes in Egypt, could not occasion much affliction at Sardes. Mr Porson conjectures that several words are lost, which ought to intervene between Αριόμαρδος and Σάρδεσι. Soph. Oed. Τyr. 1113. Γέρα ξυνάδει τῷδε τἀνδρὶ ξύμμετρος. So also Soph. Ed. Col. 1014. 1368. Ant. 740. Trach. 1177. Eurip. Phoen. 540. The recent editions are free from these errors. Ibid. 1482. Al roũ Qurougyoũ xargòs vμiv ŵd ögar. In this and nine other similar verses of the same poet, Mr Porson (p. 37) observes, that the second syllable of the pronoun must be considered as short, according to the well known practice of Sophocles. Ed. Col. 664. Θαρσεῖν μὲν ουν ἔγωγε κάνευ τῆς ἐμῆς Γνώμης ἐπαινῶ, Φοῖβος εἰ προέπεμψε σε. Νo emendation is proposed by Mr Porson. No Ibid. 1022. Εἰ δ ̓ ἐγκρατεῖς φεύγουσιν, οὐδὲν δεῖ ποιεῖν. So also Eurip. Phoen. 754. Alc. 674. Herc. 1338. Menalip. fr. 7. In these five verses, Mr Porson (p. 37) reads oud and oud' us. That this trifling alteration is of great consequence to the metre, may

be

be demonstrated by the following passages in Aristophanes. In v. 1039, of the Acharnians, the words oidui uradour terminate a catalectic iambic, in which the three syllables - must of course be considered as a tribrach. In iambic verses of every kind, according to Dawes's well known canon, the middle syllable of a tribrach or dactyl must not terminate a word of more than two syllables. We must therefore read od vì as two words, by which alteration the rhythm is restored. In the Ecclesiazusa we find the two following tetrameter anapestics: V. 516, Οὐδεμιά γὰρ δεινοτέρα σου ξυμμίξασ' οἶδα γυναικί. Ibid. 624. Μηδεμιᾶς κ τρύπημα κένον. τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τί ποιήσει. Unless we are much mistaken, no tetrameter anapestic can begin with a dactyl contained in a word of four syllables. Before the conclusion of this article, we shall have an opportunity of enlarging on this point. At present it will be sufficient to mention, that in the verses in question we must read aid and no μs, or more properly fin de parcs. * We proceed in our enumeration. Soph. Trach.

οὐδὲ

1138.

* Attici etiam, says Mr Porson (p. 37), circa posteriora Aristophanis tempora ovde sis et unde sis plene scripta usurpare cœperunt, Episharmi exemplum fortasse secuti. We have observed three instances of the hiatus in question, which in all probability are considerably more ancient than the later plays of Aristophanes. Crates apud Athen. p. 267, E. Ἔπειτα δοῦλον οὐδὲ εἰς κεκτήσετ ̓, οὐδὲ δούλην. It ap pears by the Parabasis of the Knights, that Crates preceded Aristo-, phanes in point of time. Cratinus apud Etymol. v. Broμázev. 25. [δὲ] μαλακὸν καὶ τέρεν τὸ χρωτίδιον [ἦν], ὦ θεοί. Καὶ γὰρ ἐβλίμαζον αὐτήν· δ' ἐφρόντιζ ̓ οὐδὲ ἔν. Eupolis apud Stobæum iv. p. 31. Ἢν δέ τις τῶν ἐνθάδ ̓ ἀστῶν, μηδὲ ἓν χεῖρον φρονῶν, Ἐπιτίθηται τῇ ποιήσει, πάνυ δοκεῖ κακῶς @gov. The last example is mentioned by Mr Porson in the present edition. That the later tragedians imitated the comic poets, appears from the following verse of Dionysius the tyrant apud Stobaum xxxviii. p. 149. Τοῖς οὐδὲν οὖσιν οὐδὲ εἰς ὅλως φθάνει. Another fragment of the same author is given by Stobaus xcviii. p. 407. Ei akicīs

tò

μηδὲν ἀλγεινόν ποτε Μηδὲν ἔσεσθαι, μακαρίως έχεις φρενῶν· Θεῶν γὰρ ἕξειν βίοτον, οὐ θνητῶν, δοκείς. Grotius reads μηδὲ ἓν ἔσεσθαι, without adverting to unde in the first verse. The marginal title to these lines is Dionysius Tyrannus Alcmena. The margin of Stobæus is so little to be trusted, that we do not hesitate to read, Mýdei', irerbai. -Two of: the fragments of Epicharmus, to which Mr Porson alludes, are preserved by Stobaus: Tit. xx. p. 103. Ovde sis oider mer' igyns xarà τgóπου βουλεύεται. Τit. xxxviii. p. 151. Τυφλὸν ἠλέησ' ιδών τις, ἐφθόνησε δι Qube is. A third is given by Plutarch. Consolat. p. 110, B. Zuvexgion, καὶ διεκρίθη, κἀπῆλθεν ὅθεν ἦλθεν πάλιν, Γῶ μὲν ἐς γῶν, πνεῦμα δ' άνω. τί τῶνδε χαλεπόν; οὐδὲ ἕνα To these authorities may be added Hipponax amid Stobæum xxix. p. 129. Xgóvos dè Qevyétæ vi pendè sis ágyós.