t r y. 
765 
POE 
fies her voluntary afient to become the' deftined viClim. 
The A-rgives invade the Athenian territory ; the facrifice 
of Macaria takes place; after which a battle is fought, in 
which the Athenians are completely victorious, and 
Euryftheus is made prifoner, and brought in chains to 
the temple of Jupiter, which the chorus of old men had 
never left during the whole of thefe tranfa&ions. Yet 
it is ftill the boaft of pedantry, that in the Grecian drama 
the unities of time, place, and aftion, are invariably and 
inviolably preferved. 
10. “ Iphigenia in Aulis.” This tragedy inay be con- 
fidered as the moft celebrated of all the productions of 
Euripides ; and the fubjeCt is fuch as is calculated to 
excite a very deep intereft. Yet it muft be confeffed, that, 
horrid as would have been the aCtual facrifrce of Iphi¬ 
genia, the cataftrophe difappoints the expectation, and 
creates an emotion too nearly allied to the ludicrous. 
The fublfitution of a hind, though of a milk-white hue 
and of the faireft form, for the virgin princefs, by the 
deity, whofe awful anger we are led to believe that no¬ 
thing lefs than the blood of the innocent and beautiful 
daughter of Agamemnon could appeafe, is an incident 
deficient in practical congruity ; and, in the relation of it, 
imperial tragedy almofl affutnes the tone of a burletta. 
The defeCt in the fable is irremediable. If the facrifice 
takes place, the cataftrophe is (hocking ; if not, it ceafes 
to be even tragical. 
There is a paffage in one of the choral odes, which, in 
common with many others, ftrikingly manifefts the con¬ 
tempt entertained by Euripides, and doubtlefs by all 
other men of fenfe and reflection, for the prepofterous 
fictions connected with the heathen mythology. In allu- 
(ion to the fuppofed defcent of Helen from Jupiter, and 
the fable of his amour with Leda, the Chorus fuddenly 
changing its tone, exclaims, 
•—-- Or haply the fantaftic mufe 
From whom thefe amorous tales began, 
Suchfhameful legend forged with impious views 
T’ impofe on the credulity of man. 
11. “ Rhefus.” This drama is borrowed from the well- 
known epifode of the fame name in the Iliad. Though 
not devoid of intereft, it has no pretenfion to be ranked 
among the higher productions of the bard of Pella. 
There is a remarkable coincidence between the expoftula- 
tion addreffed by ./Eneas to HeCtor in this play, and that 
of Maherbal to Hannibal fubfequent to the victory at 
Cannae, as recorded by Livy ; and it is difficult to avoid 
fufpeCting that the hiftorian was indebted to the poet for 
th is embellifhment of his narrative. ASneas, in the paf- 
fage alluded to, fays, 
Ah ! would to Heaven you equally flood firft 
In wifdom as in courage; but one man 
By bounteous nature never was endowed 
With knowledge univerfal. Various gifts 
Doth ffiedifpenfe: to you the warrior’s palm, 
To others fapient counfels. 
And Maherbal, in precifely the fame fpirit, fays, 
Non omnia nimirum eidem Dei dedere. 
Vincere fcis, Annibal; Victoria, uti nefcis. 
12. “The Trojan Captives.” Though extremely de¬ 
ficient in whatever can deferve the name of plot, this 
play arrefts the attention by its pathetic reprefentation 
of the distrefsful incidents confequent upon the capture 
of Troy. Priam, venerable by his age, his character, 
and his fufferings, falls by the unhallowed hands of vio¬ 
lence. Aftyanax, the infant fon of HeCtor, is, at the 
inftigation of Ulyfies, thrown headlong from one of the 
towers of Jlion, left he ffiould hereafter afpire to become 
the avenger of his country’s wrongs. Hecuba is deftined 
to become the captive of the man who gave this horrid 
counfel, whofe craft and cruelty were proverbial, and 
who, ot all the Greeks, was moft the objeCt of Trojan 
deteftation. This wretched queen is moreover doomed, 
Vol. XX. No. 1408. 
in confequence of the fame pernicious influence, to fee her 
daughter Polyxena, the young, the innocent, and the 
beautiful, perifli as a propitiatory victim on the tomb of 
Achilles, Cad'andra* the royal virgin prophetefs, not- 
vvithftanding the fanClity of her charaCler, is degraded to 
the miferable condition of (lave and concubine to Aga¬ 
memnon ; and Andromache, the difconfolate widow of 
HeCtor, is compelled, while yet agonized with grief at 
the fate of her hufband and her fon, to enter into fecond 
nuptials with Pyrrhus, the murderer of Priam, and who 
boafted his defcent from that remorfelefs chief by whofe 
more-than-mortal prowefs the noble HeCtor fell. To 
complete the train of calamities which overwhelmed the 
devoted houfe of Laomedon, they fee, in the moment of 
departure from their native country, Troy in flames, and 
hear the tremendous crafli of falling towers and temples, 
the palace of the monarch, fo lately the objeCt of univer¬ 
fal reverence, prefenting to the aftoniffied gaze only a 
heap of namelefs ruins. This terrific fcene, abhorrent 
as it is to every feeling of humanity, exhibits but too 
faithful a picture of the manner in which wars were 
ufually conducted in ages of antiquity. 
13. “Hecuba.” This tragedy exhibits in their full 
force the beauties and defeCts of this great tragic w'riter. 
The fubjeCt is two-fold. The Grecian fleet, returning 
from Troy with Hecuba, and the other Trojan captives, 
is detained by contrary winds at the Thracian Cherfone- 
fus. The caufe is fupernatural. The ghoft of Achilles 
had appeared on the monument ereCted to his memory 
on the Thracian coaft, demanding the facrifice of Poly¬ 
xena, the virgin daughter of Hecuba, as a victim deftined 
to atone for the treachery by which he loft his life; and, 
till this was accompliflied, the fleet could not proceed on 
its voyage. The diftrefs of Hecuba, and the filial affec¬ 
tion and fortitude of Polyxena, are moft pathetically 
defcribed; but the will of the gods could not be averted, 
and Polyxena periftied on the tomb of Achilles, by the hand 
of Pyrrhus, the fon of that terrific hero. The mifery of 
the aged and helplefs Hecuba was rendered complete by 
another event, unconnected, except by the circumftances 
of time and place, with the former cataftrophe. At a late 
period of the fiege of Troy, when that city appeared in 
imminent danger, and the towers of Ilion were nodding 
to their fall, Priam had privately conveyed his favourite 
fon, the youthful Polydore, with much treafure, to the 
palace of his friend Polymeftor, fovereign of Thrace. 
This fceptered villain, tempted by the baleft avarice, flew 
his innocent gueft, and plunged his corpfe into the fea, 
denying him the rites of burial. The wretched Hecuba, 
more eager from the lofs of her daughter to confole her- 
felf in the embraces of her fon, is fuddenly apprized of 
this new and unexpected calamity. But, as if her mind 
acquired additional ftrength from this accumulation of 
misfortunes, (lie is at once infpired by the defire, and 
conceives the projeCt, of revenge. By the permiffion of 
Agamemnon, (he invites Polymeftor to her tent, as the 
friend and proteCtor of her family ; and, under pretence 
of difcovering to him the fpot where great riches are 
depofited, (he caufes the eyes of this traitor and murderer 
to be put out; a puniffiment not more fevere than retri¬ 
butive and poetical juftice demands. So far is well ; 
but in the tranfports of her rage (he almoft extingui(hes 
our compaffion, and excites our utmoft indignation and 
horror, by ordering the two fons of Polymeftor to be 
afiaffinated, in vengeance for the crimes of the father; 
forbearing to take his life, that (he might enjoy the inten- 
fity of his fufferings. 
14. “Cyclops.” This dramatic romance is borrowed 
from the extravagant adventure of Polypheme in the 
Odyffey. By way of variety, Euripides has introduced 
into it Silenus, and a chorus of fatyrs; and it muft be 
acknowledged, that the drunken god is happily pour- 
trayed. In divers of thefe fcenes there are genuine 
touches of comic humour; and the crafty, cold, and cal¬ 
lous, Ulyfies difplays fentiments of generofity and heroifm, 
9 I very 
