396 CLASSICAL LITERATURE 



Such derived literatures are, to a greater or less degree, all the 

 literatures of Western Europe, after that of Greece. Latin literature 

 is, of course, original in some of its elements and qualities, but for 

 the most part, as of course I need not demonstrate in this presence, 

 it is an imitation or an echo of Greece. Hence the student of the 

 history of Latin literature will be vastly concerned with Greek 

 literature in order to understand adequately his own. 



The student of Greek literature, for the purpose at least of ascer- 

 taining its originals, will have little occasion to make use of the 

 lessons of comparative literature; though occasionally even here 

 valuable hints may be received, e. g. on certain Semitic or Oriental 

 influences on Greek literature in and before the sixth century B. c. 



Greek literature, as everybody knows, is marvelous in its origin- 

 ality originality in forms and types of literature, in themes, in 

 treatment, in metrical and rhythmical expression, in adaptation of 

 word and phrase to thought in all that makes up literature. The 

 student of Greek literature is drinking ever at the fountain-heads 

 of European literature. For some creations of Greek literature that 

 are lost in their original form and are found only in later imita- 

 tions or workings-over in Latin (or even in the Semitic tongues 

 such as Arabic or Syriac) , the student of Greek literature may need 

 to follow down and examine the later productions as for example 

 in reconstructing the Greek originals of plays of Plautus or Terence, 

 of lyrics of Catullus or Horace, and of many other books in Greek 

 prose or verse that exist only in later excerpts or abridged -trans- 

 lations. 



It is at once vastly interesting and suggestive to trace the later 

 fortunes of Greek literature and of individual works, but this is a 

 n-dpfpyov for a student of Greek literature; there is almost too much to 

 be done in Greek literature itself. We are less concerned, as distinct- 

 ive students of the history of Greek literature, with what it became 

 than with what became it! On the other hand, from the point 

 of view of the comparative study of the development of the forms of 

 literature, and of the history of identical literary motifs, as from that 

 of its universal philosophical lessons, the science of comparative 

 literature will be useful to the historian of Greek literature (as that 

 of comparative philology has been to the student of the history of 

 the Greek language), while from almost all points of view it is ab- 

 solutely essential to the student of the history of Roman literature, 

 and of all later literatures. 



I have sketched, in meagre outline, the principles which the 

 historian of classical literature should follow in order to solve 

 the problems, new and old, that confront him. Have the demands 

 herein involved been as yet adequately met? To me there seems 

 very much to be done: first, in the successful application of all 



