I 446 ] 



been obferved by the ancients ; but this fidelity however in the 

 Chorus doth not take from the abfurdity of the principal charac- 

 ters, in trufting thofe (who fometimes have not the leafl connection 

 with them) with their .molt important fchemes and defigns. 

 There is a moft flagrant inftance of this in the Medea of Euripides. 

 Medea is reprefented by the poet, according to her juft character, 

 crafty, diflembling, and at the fame time of implacable revenge ; 

 this defigning woman, who in other parts of the tragedy mews 

 herfelf a perfect: miltrefs of diflimulation, difcovers to the Chorus 

 her refolution of murdering her own children and Jafon's fecond 

 wife, by fending her a prefent of an envenomed garment 0 . The 

 Chorus, though they are bound by no oath of fecrecy, make 

 their ufual reflections upon this -deiign.; and though Jafon comes 

 in immediately afterwards, w-hiift. they continue upon the ftage, 

 conceal it from him, when they muft be induced by all kinds of 

 confiderations to reveal it. There is in the Hippolytus of Euri- 

 pides another inftance, to the full as ftrong as this : Phaedra, 

 svho is reprefented in the greateil depth of diftrefs, through a 

 paflion which me cannot gratify, is earneftly prefled by her nurfe 

 to let her know the caufe of. the alteration in her health. Phaedra 



e Who could fuppofe however that this Chorus, in which {he puts fo 

 entire a confidence, are Corinthian women to whom fhe is an utter ftran- 

 ger, and who, as being Corinthians, muft -be fuppofed to be attached to 

 the intereit of the per ion fhe intends to deftroy ? When fhe hath alio 

 difcovered to them thefe horrid intentions, ihe at laft intreats their fe- 

 crefy by no better reafons than if " they wi/Ji her well, and are women." 



I fhould rather fuppofe, that this abfurdity alio arofe from what 

 was ufual in the time pf Thefpis, when there was only a ftage of boards, 

 probably for the actors to perform upon, without any retiring room for 

 the Chorus, who were therefore neceffarily prefent. Pcgfiibly the whole 

 play was performed frcm the cart, without any ftage at all, when tl\e 

 chorus would have ftill le s opportunity to withdraw. 



! -hovvv- 



