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18:^0.] Dttiir Amaiiliori. 4ai 



One of these pleadings has come down to us ; it would seem tliat the 

 advocates were bound by an oath not to mistate or exaggerate any fact — 

 a vow whicli, as it is hinted, was kept cliiefly from its penalties having 

 reference to the lover for whom they were about to plead. As the 

 action which thoy were to bring forward in his behalf was, necessarily, to 

 have taken place during the preceding year, it was thought that this oath 

 would be likely to be binding. 



There was a very large concourse of people assembled: the judges 

 were seated on an elevated throne at the upper end of the theatre, and 

 consisted of six persons, three male, three female, who had pleaded 

 for, and had obtained, the same prize in preceding years. Those who 

 had loved the best, and who had best pleaded the cause of love, were 

 considered to be the best qualified to judge upon the merits of lovers. 

 It was necessary that a certain number of years should intervene between 

 that of their obtaining the prizie, and of adjudging it. They were, 

 therefore, usually of about that age when manl}' beauty is becoming 

 more stamped with manliness, and when, in woman, the loss of the first 

 freshness of youth is almost more than compensated by the full lux- 

 uriance of mature loveliness. What this age may be, I leave to each of 

 my readers individually to decide. 



On this occasion, there were three candidates — whose advocates 

 now appeared — all of them young, and all of them more than com- 

 monly beautiful. The Greeks were not a people to be excited to 

 great deeds for the love of ordinary beauties. All and each of 

 these were pre-eminently lovely, each in her different style. Ao-lac 

 appeared to be perhaps a little, a very little younger than the 

 other two ; a year or so, at their age, may sometimes be very 

 observable. At all events, the air of extreme simplicity and freshness, 

 both of person and mind, might be sufficient to convey this impression. 

 She seemed more affected by the agitation natural in appearing and 

 speaking before so large an assembly, than her competitors; it appeared 

 also that she was to speak first ; for silence being this time obtained 

 in earnest, and its very completeness adding to her confusion, she 

 advanced alone. There is perhaps nothing more trying to self-possession 

 than this breathless silence and fixed attention ; and that, too, at a 

 moment when we most need all our resources — the concentration and 

 ready mastery of all our powers. Aglae accordingly began in a low 

 and hesitating voice ; but, warming by degrees as she went on, and 

 seeing that her youth and timidity caused her to be looked upon with a 

 friendly eye, she grew firmer and more collected with every line she spoke. 

 She began by setting forth that her father's whole life had been de- 

 voted to the arts — that, in a word, he was what in these day? would be 

 called a dilettante. So wrapped up was he in matters of this nature, that 

 he determined his daughter should marry no one who was not emi- 

 nently skilled in music, poetry, and painting ; to effect which he pro- 

 posed her hand as the prize for the best ode to her beauty, best sung — 

 and the best portrait of the fair prize. Unfortunately, however, Aglae 

 loved already one to whom the arts were unknown. Her father was 

 inexorable ; she and her lover seemed parted for ever. Such was the 

 opening of her pleading : its conclusion was as follows : 



The Pleading of Aglae for Eumolpus. 



The time came, and a dozen appear'-d for the prize : 

 Thev gave in their pictures : I saw not — my eyes 



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