767 
F O E T R Y„ 
general imprefiion, which is the only circumftance of real 
moment in the cataftrophe of any drama, is decidedly in 
favour of virtue; and the paflions take their proper tone 
and direction. 
19. “ Iphigenia in Tauris.” This drama is deftined to 
the common fate of fecond parts, to be much lefs inter- 
efting than the firft. Neverthelefs, it contains fome very 
fine fcenes ; and the eclaircijjement between Iphigenia and 
Oreftes is equal to any thing of the kind in ancient or 
modern tragedy. But the refcue of Iphigenia from 
Tauris is not to be compared, in point of dramatic import¬ 
ance, with the tremendous facrifice required by Diana at 
Aulis. This goddefs is ufually reprefented as one of the 
beft-difpofed and moft eftimable of the heathen deities; 
but nothing can be more odious than the part affigned to 
her throughout thefe two celebrated tragedies. 
Agamemnon, it is neceffary to recollect, had, upon 
what occaiion we are not informed, but, as it feems, not 
lefs than fifteen or fixteen years previous to the memo¬ 
rable period when Greece rofe in arms to avenge the 
rape of Helen, made a folemn vow, 
To facrifice the lovelieft objeCt born 
That year, to her whofe filver orb illumes 
The fliades of night. 
In the courfe of the next twelve revolving moons, Cly- 
temneft’ra brought into the world the beautiful Iphigenia, 
who was by the goddefs deemed the lovelieft offspring of 
the year; and whom fhe therefore claimed in virtue of 
the rafti vow of Agamemnon, as her exclufive and irre¬ 
vocable right. When the grand armament deftined 
againft Troy, the thoufand fhipsof Greece, were affembled 
in the bay of Aulis, contrary winds prevented their leav¬ 
ing the haven; and Calchas, the feer, being confulted, 
pronounced this terrific prediction, 
“ Leader of the Grecian hoft ! 
O Agamemnon, from this port thy barks 
Thou fhalt not launch, till Dian firft receive 
Thy virgin daughter, Iphigenia’s blood !” 
This produces afituation of unrivalled dramatic intereft ; 
but, though the unlooked-for clemency of Diana enfeebles 
the cataftrophe of the fable, it is of a defcription which 
has little tendency to exalt the chara&er of the goddefs. 
At the moment when Calchas lifts his falchion to plunge 
it into the bofom of Iphigenia, a bleeding and beautiful 
hind is feen ftretched and gafping on the ground. And 
Iphigenia is fuddenly conveyed “ through ether’s radiant 
heights,” to Tauris, a city of Scythia, where flood a fane 
confecrated to Diana, of which Iphigenia became the 
prieftefs. But it ftill remained doubtful whether a hind 
had been fubftituted for the human viftim, or whether 
Iphigenia had, under that form, been really facrificed. 
The latter was the opinion which the relatives of Iphi¬ 
genia appear to have embraced ; for Clytemneftra invaria¬ 
bly fpeaks of Agamemnon as the murderer of his daugh¬ 
ter ; and Oreftes, in this tragedy, exclaims, “ Once more 
I clafp my Iphigenia,deemed alifelefs made.” By the indul¬ 
gence of Diana, however, the royal virgin had become chief 
prieftefs of her temple at Tauris; but upon terms dread¬ 
ful to be endured, or even contemplated. Thoas, king 
of the Tauric Scythians, maintained with the greateft 
rigour the ancient practice of facrificing every Greek, 
landing on the Tauric coaft, at the fltrine of the goddefs; 
•who, at her feftivals, is declared by Iphigenia “ to delight 
in cuftoms falfely called religious.” And fhe fubfequently 
exprefles heranxious wifh to be removed “far from Dian’s 
altars red with human gore.” For, as prieftefs, fhe was 
compelled to affift at thefe horrid and fanguinary rites ; 
and it was her office to pour luftral waters on the victim’s 
head. 
Of the Comedy of the Greeks we fhall give but few 
fpecimens. According to Theocritus, Epicharmus the 
Sicilian firft invented this clafs of dramas. In the old 
comedy, it will be Sufficient toi mention Ariftophanes. 
Some clever writers had preceded him ; but the faults of 
their time, fcurrility and obfcenity, were fhockingly 
glaring. Our author amended in fome meafure thefe 
faults; and in other refpeCts fo far meritorioufly exerted 
his pen, that his fame will live with that of his country 
for ever. 
This comic poet, after being long and unjuftly abufed, 
has of late years excited in the literary world a due 
degree of notice and fame. Thofe who have obferved 
his licentioufnefs, his perfonality, and the extravagance 
Of his farcafms, his witticifms, and his fentiments, have 
made too little allowance for the genius of his nation. 
They have forgotten too, that he who would teach virtue 
or wifdom effectually, mult, when addreffing the preju¬ 
diced and ignorant, talk to them in their own language, 
even though it be vulgar and obfcene. An oppofite 
mode may indeed convert many; but this fubdues all. 
Allowing for the exaggerations of critics, it is evident 
that Ariftophanes, a man of ftrong natural fenfe and of 
a highly-cultivated underftanding, confidered the drama 
as a powerful engine, whence he might inculcate to the 
Athenians found doCtrines as to philofophy, politics, and 
manners. The difficulty of fuch a tafk in fo violent and 
bigoted a people, where many were rude and unlettered 
on the one hand, and many were ftrongly prejudiced in 
favour of the doCtrines he oppofed on the other, is plain 
enough. But clear powers of reafoning, an imagination 
moft daring, yet never obfcure, and moft beautiful in its 
fentiments, yet never overwrought, were pofTefTed by 
Ariftophanes. When we add to thefe, that he was a 
perfeCt matter of poetry in all its modes, grave and fevere, 
lively and fenfual; that he pofleffed wit of the moft re¬ 
fined ftamp, humour of the broadeft fpecies, and an hilarity 
which actually became frantic joy in fome moments, we 
depict an author who alone could fill the meafure of dra¬ 
matic delight for the comic, philofophic, and vehement, 
Athenians. The purpofes he turned thefe powers to 
were the teaching of a beauteous and natural morality, 
the overthrow of the falfe metaphyfics and practical ab- 
furdities of the fophifts, an expofure of the bad politics 
and dangerous doCtrines of the factious demagogues of 
the time, and, laftly, fome minor farcafms delicately 
pointed againft the national faults of his countrymen ; 
to wit, their impetuofity and their contemptible love of 
change, and negleCt of their old favourites. In attempt¬ 
ing thefe important projects, it of courfe happened, that 
our author’s wit carried him too far. He unfairly at¬ 
tacked, in the plaineft perfonal manner, Greek cuftoms; 
blackened fome of the belt men of the ftate ; and, in his 
famous play of The Clouds, ridiculed with unneceflary 
feverity the immortal Socrates. It is proper however to 
obferve, that, in regard to this philofopher, he feems to 
have had no malicious or unfair motive in this attack. 
Before the time of Socrates, the fophifts (the teachers of 
the falfe and abfurd logic that proved the worfe the 
better tide, changed fides, and again refuted) had poifoned 
the minds of half the young men of Athens. Arifto¬ 
phanes proceeded to laugh thefe logicians out of refpeCi. 
Now a great proof of his exquifite (kill is the manner in 
which he fet about this. He was aware that to the mul¬ 
titude philofophy cannot be taught in the abftraCt; and 
accordingly he embodied all the abfurd points of the 
doCtrines of the fophifts in one character, which was ren¬ 
dered ftill more ftriking by perfonal incongruities. The 
character was taken from Socrates, who had but lately 
appeared among the philofophers of the day, and whofe 
grander doCtrines were perhaps unknown to our poet. 
The uglinel's of the fage, his contempt for all artificial 
diltinCtions of fociety, his paradoxical and fomewhat 
coarfe language, rendered him the very form that was 
wanted. Ariftophanes made good ufe of him as a fatire 
on fophiftry, though (let modern critics fay what they 
will) he did injuitice to the man himfelft 
It was not in comic writing alone that Ariftophanes 
was great. There are paffages of ferious declamatory 
1 poetry 
