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the Jlrophe, antijirophe and epode, as the etymology of their names 

 feems to import, had a reference to the fong and dance. The 

 firft ftanza, called y?/-!?//;^, they fung, dancing at the fame timej 

 the fecond, called the antijlroplie^ was fung while the dance was 

 inverted j the epode they fung ftanding ftill. In corroboration of 

 this opinion, we find that the odes which purfue this form were 

 either in honour of the vidors in fome of the Grecian games, 

 and intended to be fung by a chorus at the entertainments 

 given by the conquerors, to whom they were infcribed, or by 

 their friends, on account of their viflories, or at the folemn fa- 

 crifices made to the Gods on thofe occafions, as the odes of 

 Pindar which have reached our time ; or elfe make part of fome 

 dramatic poem, and were intended to be performed on the ftage 

 by a chorus, in like manner, and accompanied with dancing. 

 Thus we fee in what odes, and why, this complicated regu- 

 larity, this threefold correfpondence of uniform and regularly 

 repeated ftanzas, was adopted. We find it was not employed in 

 the Greek poetry intended for other purpofes, and not compofed 

 with a view to mulic. Horace, who ftudied the Greeks with 

 great care, admired them exceedingly, and was a very corredl 

 writer, has not thought proper to introduce the Jfrophe, antijirophe' 

 and epode into Latin poetry ; and why .? doubtlefs becaufe he 

 well knew that they were appropriated to poetry intended to be 

 fet to mufic, and performed by a chorus. Is it not then a pe- 

 dantic and idle affedlation to adopt in Englifh poetry a regulation 

 which was rejeded by the Latins, and not univerfally employed 

 even by the Greeks themfelves, but only when the fubjed made 

 it neceffary that the ode fliould be fet to mufic, and performed 

 with an accompaniment of dancing ? It feems to me that it 



ViTOuId^ 



