U05.1 



Epigirsmiy Fragment s^i l^c.from the Greek. 



313 



femblances, among the e^rly poems of the 

 Greeks. A lb t air of voluptuoulntl's, 

 an engaging dcta.l ot .'e(:ription, a kind 

 of ea'Urn fiagirtnce tvnich pervades the 

 latter, is in general changed a. nong us tof 

 more elegance in tne turns ot exorclTion, 

 a greater mixture rf fentiment. and a jult- 

 er fenfe of the delicacy and refpetl due to 

 the delightful objefts of our p aile ; but 

 tUe groi'nd wok jeinams und.'cred, as 

 the pati'ion iviiich tonus it is every where 

 the laiue. It i> evident tiiat I ar>i hcie 

 fpeaking of th fe among our nioofrn 

 poets wjjofe ref'Utation is eiiabliflird, and 

 who have fixfd 'he llandard of our na- 

 tional ta!',e. There is a later race cf 

 writers of ainorcus poetry to whrm thefe 

 oblervatiuns in no lelpeil apply. More. 

 voluptuous than the molt voluptuous of 

 the Giecian bardi, they contrive to ren- 

 der themlUves as di gulfing as -hey aie 

 ijnmorjl, by the extreme vici^ ulneis of 

 thtir Ityle and the uiidl'guifed libertmifm 

 of tlie image'i they p^elcnt. M^re abl'urd- 

 ly refined than the moft refined of our 

 own poets, unnat iral ientiment uiurps the, 

 place of real pafTion j and by trying at 

 every turn to imprrfs the-.r readtis -vith 

 ideas of their excdfive fenfibiiiry, ihsy 

 loon convince them that they in tail have. 

 no feeling, unieis it. be in the coarftft and 

 tnolt brutal of all gratificatirns. 



The manners and culti;ins of the an- 

 cient Greeks were fuch as nectlTirily forni- 

 t'iie (tyie of theii amorous poetry. Af;er 

 Cecrops had introduced ihe ordinances of 

 marriage among tliem, the fyliem of po. 

 lygsmyas well a< of concubinage appears 

 to have been very prevalent, tnough the 

 former was probably e^ly dilcounte- 

 nanced ; for we fin J that Agamemnon, 

 immediately afier the fiige of Tioy, hav- 

 ing, contrary to thecuft^'m of his ctiu.ntry, 

 and in imitation of the cor.ltant habits of 

 the Afia;ics, mariied Cilf^ndra, ths 

 daughter ol Priam, that aflion was one 

 of the chief caufes of the confpiracy which 

 was formed againft him by Cly;emnt(tra, 

 his firil wife, and which involved the i.'n- 

 forfunaie bride in the malTjcre that en- 

 fucd. Many ages attfr, however, So- 

 crates hirtifclf had two wives at one [.iiiie, 

 tbe noti:rioU5 Xanthippe, and Myr:o, the 

 f;test-giand-daughter of Ariihdes ; and 

 Philip, King of Maced'n. is faid to have 

 taken a new Ipoiife in every town that he 

 Ci'bdusd or coimtry that he conqiertd, 

 itr nisOiilivts of policy, to le.'i'rr liiS lew 

 liihJTils m 'lefubniilTn'e toilie y;:ke of his 

 government. Cnncuhinaje, li(>»< vcr, w.is 

 iitvcf ruutlidifcouraged even by their phi- 

 lolopricra and lawj^vvcrt*. SoLu authoiifcd 



covirtefans for the ftaie. When Xe.-xea 

 invaded Greece, the courte'.ans (who 

 were alieaJy a clifs in high ellimation at 

 Corinth) crowded to the Temple ot Ve- 

 nus, the tutelar deity of that place ; and 

 even Simonides afcrihes to their prayers 

 the providrnce that was afterwards Jo fig- 

 naliy exerted in refvuing G'eece from 

 flavery. Afyaiia, the mittrels of Pericles, 

 publicly aliilVd h^m in the affairs of the 

 goi'einment, and is recorded to have been 

 the immrdluec-ufe id ti:c Peloiioni^efian 

 war, by inltigatii'g him to avenge on the 

 Megirenfians tl.e inf dt they had offered' 

 her by carrying awav fome female lhve» 

 whom fhc loved. We have an epigram 

 of Piuo's in honour of Archseanafli of 

 Colophon, with whom he was deipeiately 

 in love. Perimder, Epaminondas, lib- 

 erates, Ariftotle, come in for their flure 

 ot amorous anecdotes. The Hatue of'' 

 Ph:yne was phced tiet^een thofe of Ar- 

 chidannis and Pbilip> Kings of Macedon, 

 at Delphi. 

 Mother of warm defires and amorous grace ! 



With new delights Theore'i foul engage, 

 That ftie may Uave the youthful, ftrong em- 

 brace, 



For the lipe fenfe and vigorous mind of' 

 age ! 



Such is the addrefs of Sophocles to Ve« 

 niii when he was a vet y old man ; yet 

 even then he had not arrived at the period 

 of his amours, but afluaily died while in 

 puriuit of a; other miitref-, Aichippf. 



Since fo general a licentio'ilneia prevail- 

 ed throughout th*; nations pt Greece, we 

 flvill hardly wonder at the romantic legend 

 of Kermefianax of Colophon, who relates 

 that Komer compofed nis OdylHy for fove 

 of Penelope j or if we I'mde at its a'bl'ur- 

 dity, we nuiit recollecf ihati adloatrd by 

 the fame fpirit, our own oil romancc- 

 writers make two amorous knishts nut of 

 Hercules and Thcfeus ; and that by the 

 magical wand ot the French tragrdians, 

 the Horatii, the Scipios, and thi» Mtrii, 

 aie mcti'niorfihofed into a comp:iny of 

 whining gallants, to tlie completion of 

 wtiol'c cnava'ers nothing is wanting but 

 powdered wigs, ftiff (lays, and embroider* 

 ed ruffles. 



Many of the aBcient philofophers arjj 

 proved of Icve aad ami'ri.us incitement^ 

 as the belt cure for meianchjly ; and thaf; 

 which others approved, Epirurus praitifed, 

 A Itory of him, whicn is fjid lo have ex- 

 cited the (liong cenluifs of Cicero, is told 

 by old Burton in the folUnving quamt 

 manner, •• Wh^n a f.id and lick pitient 

 was brouglit un o liim 'o becuredj he bid 

 lum on a di.wii-bcd, crowned him with a 

 Rr» grul.nd 



