762 POE 
was an article of the eftablifhed creed, that the fouls of 
the deceafed could not be admitted into the Elyfian 
lhades till their bodies were committed to the earth. 
This gives dignity and propriety to the tragedy of Anti¬ 
gone, in which the characters are ftrongly marked, and 
the denouement noble,moral, and poetical. The deaths 
of Hsemon and Antigone, with the unavailing repentance 
and defpair of Creon, are ftrikingly depictured ; and the 
tyrant king and father is with awful jultice told, that the 
“ jultice” he is at length anxious to difpenfe, comes too 
late. 
5. “ PhiloCtetes.” The fable of this beautiful drama is 
of the mod touching fimplicity ; and, in confequence of 
its introduction by Fenelon into his popular prole epic 
of Telemaque, it is become familiar to every reader, and 
can never fail to excite the molt lively commiferation. 
6. “Ajax.” This bulwark of the Grecian holt, is in the 
prefent drama reprefented as driven to defpair and dif- 
traCtion by that unjult fentence, which adjudged the 
armour of Achilles to a competitor fo unworthy, in his 
eftimation, of that fplendid diftinCtion, as Ulylfes. The 
characters are excellently preferved in this drama; and 
that of Ajax himfelf in particular, when recovering 
from his diforder, combines the pathetic and fublime. 
7. “ EleCtra.” This tragedy muft be claffed among the 
chief glories of the Grecian drama. It is much fuperior 
to the Choephorae of ALfchylus, on the fame fubjeCt—the 
murder of Clytemneftra and Egifthus by Oreftes, infti- 
gated by the oracle of Apollo, and urged to the bloody 
deed by the implacable vengeance of his filter EleCtra. 
The cataftrophe is, by the art of the poet, wrought up 
to the higheft pitch of terror. Clytemneftra is led to 
believe that Oreftes is dead, and rejoices in her fancied 
fecurity. On a fudden, he appears armed with a poniard 
for her deftruCtion. The Athenians would not permit 
parricide, or indeed any murder, to be perpetrated in view 
of the audience; but, Clytemneftra is heard, behind the 
fcenes, imploring mercy of her fon; while EleCtra, in 
thrilling accents, exhorts Oreftes to (how the fame mercy 
to her which (lie fhowed to their father. After the firll 
wound is given, Ihe exclaims “ Another ftroke and, the 
fecond ftroke immediately following, file, unappalled, 
amid thefe horrors exultingly cries, “ O that Egifthus too 
groaned with thee now !” The dead body, covered with 
a veil, is then brought upon the ftage; and at this moment 
Egifthus enters, and is given to underftand that it is the 
corpfe of Oreftes which is placed upon the bier. Elated, 
he commands Clytemneftra to be fummoned, that (he 
may participate in his fatisfaClion, and is aftonifhed to 
learn that (he is already prefent. But on lifting up the 
veil, he difcovers the countenance of jClytemneftra, and 
is at the fame inftant apprifed, that the perfon to whom 
lie is talking is Oreftes. This is perhaps the perfection 
of the tragic art. Egifthus, petrified with grief, aftonifh- 
ment, and terror, religns himfelf to the fate which he is 
confcious awaits him ; and the fcene of death and murder 
finally clofes. 
Euripides. This dramatift deferves a high degree of 
praife for his rare and exquifite pathos, the brilliancy of 
his expreflions, and the extraordinary vividnefs of fome 
of his thoughts. But he gave to fome of his heroes whi¬ 
ning and effeminate fentiments; and it is a ferious charge 
againft him that he never objected to facrifice morality 
and religion for an energetic or linking idea. He has 
more command of the paflion of love than either ASfchylus 
or Sophocles; but ftill it is rather the turbulent fury of 
an ungovernable lull than the ennobling druggies of 
a pure attachment. 
There are many paffages in the works of Euripides that 
exprefs ftrong and unqualified atheifm; and it has been 
fuppofed by fome that he held this dreadful opinion. 
We cannot entirely agree with this; for we (hould not 
judge haftily of a dramatic writer, who is often compelled 
to put into the mouths of paffionate characters expreflions 
Very different from his own opinions. Still it muft be 
TRY. 
confeffed, that the great knowledge of the Greeks had 
raifed them to the pitch of defpifing all fenfual gods; 
and that, as they had not advanced fo far as the difcovery 
of the ideal Divinity, they were very liable to fall into 
this deplorable error. At all events, it is a fublime ftudy 
for the metaphyfician to read Euripides. Now we find 
him boldly contemning all notion of God ; now worlhip- 
ping the Deity in the pureft terms; next doubting 
and hefitating; and at laft gives up all reafoning on the 
fubjeCt in defpair. Nineteen of this author’s tragedies 
remain. 
r. “The Bacchanalians.” To the majority of an 
Athenian audience (and for their gratification, and not 
that of the more refined portion of it, this drama appears 
to have been written) it would afford probably great 
delight ; being founded on one of the moft popular (lories 
of the ancient mythology, the amour of Jupiter with 
Semele, and the birth and achievements of Bacchus. 
The leffon inculcated throughout this drama is, that the 
ancient traditions refpeCting religion ought not to be 
difturbed or queftioned ; that fpeculations on fuch fub- 
jeCls were prefumptuous and ufelefs; and that the prac¬ 
tice of virtue, unallied with reafon, comprehended every 
thing valuable or important in human exiftence. 
2. “ Ion.” This feems to have been the original and 
prototype of that numerous clafs of tragedies turning 
upon the difcovery and recovery of long-loft children, 
of which Home’s Douglas is perhaps the moft popular 
and pleafing. In this drama, as in many others, we meet 
witli expreflions, from the lips even of virtuous perfons, 
apparently incompatible with the (lighted degree of re¬ 
verence for the gods. Creufa, not without reafon indeed, 
exclaims, 
O moft audacious ravages committed 
By the immortal gods! To whom for juftice 
Can we appeal, if, through the wrongs of thofe 
Who rule the world with a defpotic power. 
We perifli ? 
But far more remarkable is the following apoftrophe 
to Apollo, in reference to the wrongs of Creufa, from 
the youthful, the innocent, and the pious, Ion, the votary 
of that god, and dedicated to his fervice in the temple 
of Delphi : 
--—---Since thou art fupreme 
In majefty, let virtue too be thine; 
For whofoever of the human race 
Tranigreffes, with feverity the gods 
Punifhhis crimes; then how can it be juft 
For you, whole facred laws mankind obey, 
Yourfelves to break them ? Though ’twill never be. 
This fuppofition I will make, that thpu 
Neptune, and Jove, who in the heavens bears rule, 
Should make atonement to mankind for thofe 
Whom ye have forcibly deflowered, your.temples 
Muft ye ex'nauft, to pay the fines impofed 
On your bafe deeds. For, when ye follow pleafure, 
Heedlefs of decency, ye aft air.ifs. 
No longer is it juft to fpeak of men 
As wicked, if the conduct of the gods 
We imitate ; our cenfures rather ought 
To fall on thofe who fuch examples give. 
What can we think of the religious creed of the poet who 
could hazard, in the pretence, it may almoll be faid, of an 
afiembled nation, reflections fo fevere, and, at the fame 
time, fo juft, upon thofe deities, who were the acknow¬ 
ledged objefls of the national worfliip ? What can we 
think of.the fentiments really entertained by the wor- 
(hippers of thefe profligate deities ? or what of the reli¬ 
gious fyltem, which not merely inculcated, but in a 
manner confecrated, this profligacy ? At the firft glance 
caft upon this tiflue of crimes and abfurdities, we muft 
be tempted to fuppofe that the whole was regarded as a 
folemn farce, and that no one could be fo far deluded as 
to 
