GRAGG. — THE GREEK EPIGRAM BEFORE 300 B.C. 33 



217 has a grave beauty of its own, though it cannot rival Sim. 02, 

 which it recalls. 



2 IT- 'Q Xpovf, navTOLdiv BvrjTois Travenia-Kone Sai'fidiv, 

 /iyyfXns TjfifTepcov TTiicri. yevnv nadeojv. 

 i)S ifpau (Tco^eiv Trfip(t)fXfi'i)i 'EXXhS(j )((oftav 

 Bojcorcof Kkfivoii di'TjiTKOfiev fv SaTreSojf. ^27 



Another epigram, which, like that just quoted, shows how these later 

 joets adapted to their own times the earlier sentiments, is 2o7 : 



Tovf ayadovs ecrrfp^av" Api]^, (cpiXrja-f 5' frraivos 



Kai yrjpo. I'eoTTji nv Traped(i>)( vfipicrat • 

 coy Koi T {\ javKia^a^ dtjovs dno TrarpiSos fpy(i>[v 



^\0 fTr[i] ndvSeKTOv <^fp(T(<p6vTjs doKapovA^^ 



Splendid severity had passed away, and in its place were coming charm 

 and grace. 



Although the name of the dead is occasionally omitted from the 

 epigram, 129 most epigrams give the reader all necessary details. The 

 name of the dedicator and the verb of dedicating are always present in 

 dedicatory inscriptions; in epitaphs, while a synonym for "dead" or 

 "tomb" may be lacking (as in the fifth century), the fact that the 

 verses are epitaphs is usually indicated by expressions like eV^aSe, Kflrai, 

 etc. In a very few cases there is no indication that the verses were 

 inscribed, — a peculiarity which appears now in sepulchral inscriptions 

 for the first time ; e. g. 



239> Ov anduis (arl yvvaiKi (adXfjv Kai (rai(f}pova (pvvai 

 TTjv avTrjv boKipcos, Toibe TV)(fy TXvKepa.^^^ 



In this century we find inscriptions written neither in elegiacs nor 

 hexameters, but in irregular combinations of hexameters and pentam- 

 eters. These verses bear witness to the growing passion for novelty, 

 but otherwise they add nothing to our knowledge of the epigram, and 

 are interesting chiefly because the commonplace authors of some of 

 them have evidently attempted to imitate earlier and better poems. ^^^ 



The epigrams preserved in MSS. differ little from the inscriptions, 

 though among them there are a greater number that are excellent. 

 Almost all show the signs of the times. The epitaph in honor of Plato 

 shows a common formula slightly modified : 



"7 Cf. 224, 292. "8 cf. 20. "9 See p. 32, 



"0 Cf. 230. 



"1 Soe pp. 36 ff. Cf. K. F. Smith, Some Irregular Forms of the Elegiac Dis- 

 tich, A.TP22, pp. le.'ift. 

 VOL. XLVI. — 3 



