few of his fragments are collected among the remains of the lyric poets. Ibicus flourished, A. C. 552. He was born in Italy or Sicily, and wrote seven books of odes in the Doric dialect. Anacreon was a native of Teos, a maritime city of Ionia. His father is by some named Scythinus, by others Eumelus. In addition to these names Suidas also mentions those of Parthenius and Aristocritus. Writers differ respecting the time in which he flourished, a variation probably occasioned by the length of his life. He is commonly placed by chronologers at 532 B. C. He was a contemporary of Cyrus, Polycrates, and Hipparchus. It is said that with his countrymen, being compelled by a Persian commander to fly from his native city, he settled at Abdera, in Thrace. He repaired to Samos, under the tyranny of Polycrates, with whom he lived in habits of friendship. He was afterwards, according to Plato, invited to Athens by Hipparchus, the son of Pisistratus, who received him with distinguished honour. lived to extreme old age, and, according to some authors, had the misfortune to be choaked by the stone of a grape. He The poetry of Anacreon was wholly devoted to pleasure. "Anacreontis quidem tota poesis est amatoria." (Cic. Tusc. Disp.) There are remaining under his name fifty-five odes, with a considerable number of fragments collected from ancient authors, and sixteen epigrams. These odes have been much admired on account of a simplicity and sprightliness, which it has been found difficult to imitate. They were first published by H. Stephanus, 1554, from two MSS. of which he has given no very distinct account. He speaks of one as written on vellum, and the other on the bark of a tree, of such antiquity as to be nearly illegible. One of these MSS. he is said to have brought from Italy, and to have obtained the other from an Englishman named Clement, a friend of Sir Thomas More. These MSS. have disappeared, and no further account can be given of them, except that they are said to have been destroyed by the hands of the editor. The genuineness of these odes was somewhat suspected on their first appearance. That they are not modern fabrications, was, however, ascertained by the discovery of the celebrated Vatican MS. of the Anthology of Cephalas, which likewise contains the odes of Anacreon in a different order from that of Stephanus, and is ascribed to the tenth century. Whether these productions are all to be ascribed to the Teian bard, whose name they bear, may still be doubted; and many learned men have freely avowed their suspicions. Of the many passages quoted by the ancients from the writings of Anacreon, it is observed that scarcely a single expression is to be found in the odes now extant. The seventeenth and thirty-eighth of the present collection are, however, quoted by Gellius and Hephestio. The rare occurrence of the Ionic dialect in these poems is also supposed to furnish an argument against their genuineness. It seems, therefore, probable that many, VOL. II. 4 I Robortellus, Faber, Bentley, Hemsterhusins, &c. or or perhaps most of these performances, are rather to be considered as ingenious and happy imitations of Anacreon, than as his real works. In general, however, if compared with those, which are allowed to be the productions of that poet, they are not unworthy of the name which they bear. He Simonides, the son of Leoprepes, was born in the island of Ceos, 558 B. C. He was celebrated, both as a poet and philosopher. He lived in friendship with the chief persons of his age, among whom are mentioned, Hipparchus, the Athenian; Pausanias, king of Sparta; Themistocles; and Hiero, king of Syracuse, over whom his influence is said to have been exerted for the most beneficial purposes. gained, according to his own testimony, fifty-six prizes in contests of genius. The addition of an eighth chord to the lyre is ascribed to lin, as is likewise the introduction of some of the compound letters of the Gruck alphabet, and the invention of an artificial system of memory. Such was the degree of excellence in which he possessed that faculty of the mind, that he boasted at the age of eighty, that he surpassed all mankind in his powers of recollection. Order he asserted to be the principal instrument of memory, which maxin is said to have been impressed on him by a miraculous event, the relation of which Cicero has thought fit to adorn with the beauties of his style. Simonides is frequently reproached by the ancients with the vice of avarice. ου γαρ εργατιν τρέφω Callimachi, fr. Simonides died 468 B. C. at the age of ninety. The fragments of this writer, with those of some other poets of the same name, arė printed in the Analecta of Brunck. They consist of lyric extracts, Iambics, remnants of elegies, and epigrams. As a poet, Simonides excelled in tenderness and pathos, of which his fragment on Danae is a fine example. The fragments of the lyric writers are collected by Stephanus and Ursinus. The first edition of Anacreon was published, as has been mentioned, by H. Stephanus, Paris, 4to. 1554. This edition was reprinted at Paris, two years afterwards, by Morel and R. Stephanus. An edition published at Paris, 1624, is valued on account of its rarity. The editor was De Rance, then a boy of thirteen. He afterwards became the Abbé de la Trappe. On taking the monastic vows, he caused all the copies of his Anacreon, which were in his power, to be burnt, which has rendered the work so extremely rare, as to have been unknown to most bibliographers. It is dedicated to Cardinal Richelieu. Tanaquil Faber published editions of Anacreon, Salmurii, 1660, 80, and 90. An edition of this author was likewise published by his daughter, with a French prose translation. Baxter published his first edition of Anacreon in 1695, and a second in in 1710, in which he attacks the edition of Barnes with much virulence. Baxter is blamed for his bold alterations of the text. Barnes's edition was published at Cambridge, 1705, and has been since twice reprinted. He possessed an imperfect collation of the Vatican MS. and added notes, metrical observations, and a diffuse life of the poet. Maittaire published two editions, London, 4to. 1725-40. They are valued for their beauty and rarity, only 100 copies of each having. been printed. An edition was published by Pauw, Tr. Rhen. 4to. 1732. Fischer has published three edition, Lips. 1753-76-93. The last is the most copious, and contains an epitome of almost all that has been said respecting Anacreon. Anacreon is contained in the Analecta of Brunck, and was likewise published separately by the same editor, 1778, 1786. A splendid edition appeared at Rome, 1781, by Spaletti, being a fac-simile of the celebrated Vatican (now Parisian) MS. Some very beautiful editions have been printed by Bodoni, at Parma. Of their intrinsic merits Fischer speaks contemptuously. A beautiful edition appeared at London, 1802, from the press of Bulmer, ornamented with vignettes, and published under the direction of Mr. Forster, ON THE DANCING OF THE ANCIENTS. IT has been often a matter of surprise with me, that in these times, when dancing forms so essential a part of polite education (when we have seen two Chancellors throw off the ceremony and circumstance of office and weave the mazy dance) no one has adduced the practice of antiquity in defence of this fashionable accomplishment. I propose in this paper to present the amateurs of the orchestric art with a few facts and reflections relating to it, as studied in the refined states of Athens and Rome. The first object which presents itself to our notice is the Tragic Chorus. The absurdity of the modern opera has been repeatedly dwelt upon, and the unnatural scene of a monarch or a general issuing his orders in recitative, or a hero breathing his last in a quaver. But how extravagantly ridiculous should we think it, to see fifteen old men, not only warbling out some moral hymn in tenor, treble, and bass, but actually, when surrounded by scenes of national distress or private calamities, leading down the middle and up again? This, however, was really the case; and exhibitions, such as these, were to an Athenian audience perfectly consistent with the dignity of the tragic muse. The reason was this: In almost all religious festivals and processions dancing bore a considerable part, and was thought to be more peculiarly acceptable to Cybele, Mars, and Bacchus. Accordingly we find that the ancient poets always represent their priests and priestesses, the Galli, Salii, and Bacchæ, as frisking light in frolic measure" with a sort of reli gious gious furor. A reason, perhaps more fanciful than true, might be assigned for this preference. A barbarous people, when making its invocations to the earth (or Cybele) would naturally endeavour to draw her attention to its prayers by beating the ground with its feet, as we know the Greeks to have done, when addressing the infernal deitics. The custom which prevails amongst all uncivilized nations of accompanying the shout of war with martial dancing, sufficiently discovers the reason why this sort of gesticulation was practised in the worship of Mars. Lycophron terms that deity exnols, "the dancer," which word, Hesychius tells us, signifies not only "excellent in the dance," but also "active in war;" and Socrates, as quoted by Athenæus, says, "The man who dances best, is best in war." The particular species of dance appropriated to this purpose was called "the Pyrrhic," from its inventor, Pyrrhus, a Cretan; or the "armed dance," for it was performed in armour. Why Bacchus should delight in dancing will sufficiently appear from the following fragment of Eriphus.* "Father, 'tis said of old, and truly said, That wine, rich wine, can move th' unwilling feet, according we find in all antiques that the followers of Bacchus and Silenus, the Baccha and Satyrs, are represented as dancing. Now Tragedy was originally nothing but a hymn in honour of Bacchus, sung by the rustics after vintage, and of course accompanied by dancing. In process of time, however, dialogues were added, and representations of some well-known history, which gradually assumed a more regular form, still retaining their original name, and the song in honour of Bacchus. The subject of this song being afterwards changed, the manner of singing it was still retained, and the dancing was still celebrated round an altar placed in the center of the orchestra or "dancing space." This is a much more simple and natural account than the absurd fictions of the grammarians, who imagined that these dances were symbolic of the motions of the heavenly bodies. It was still customary, however, for the husbandmen to meet after the conclusion of the vintage, and to represent by gesticulation alone such fabulous beings as a Satyr or a Cyclops. Afterwards this was converted into a profession, and persons denominated "mimes," or "pantomimes," corresponding nearly to our Merry Andrews, expressed by action only, without the intervention of speech, some tragic or comic story; and they were said "to dance a history."+ Two celebrated performers of this species of dancing lived in the time of Augustus, Pylades and Hylas, who are said by Macrobiust to have danced the stories of Niobe, Edipus, and Hercules; but from an epigram of Boethus, f Pylades appears to have confined himself to tragedy. We learn also from Suetonius, that Nero sang the his tory Ap. Athenæum. † Anthol. p. 235. Saturn, ii. 7. § Anthol. Brod. p. 23 and 502. || Nero, c. 21. tory of Niobe, whilst Cluvius Rufus danced it. The first exhibitor of this art at Rome was Livius Andronicus. Since it was customary at Athens for young persons of both sexes to dance in religious ceremonies, particularly in the great festival in honour of Minerva, one naturally expects to find professed teachers of the art. Accordingly we read that very early there were dancing masters at Athens of the names of Thespis, Pratinas, Carcinus, and Phrynichus,* the last of whom was very celebrated for throwing his legs to an extraordinary height. That the Athenians were famous for this accomplishment appears from a story told by Herodotus+ of one Hippoclides, who, after having danced before his intended father-in-law in the Athenian and Spartan style, ordered a table to be brought, upon which he stood on his head, and danced a jig with his feet in the air; whereupon the old gentleman exclaimed, "Hipploclides, you've danced away your match." Yet though the art was so much studied, it soon became a reproach to a woman to dance too well; for, to the names of a female singer or dancer, an Athenian attached pretty nearly the same ideas that we do; and‡ avλntpis and opxnolgis are very where synonymous with raga. Amongst the Romans also, though dancing was very much in vogue, it was held very discreditable for a lady to be too great a proficient; and Horace mentions, as an instance of the corruption of the age, that young ladies were fond of learning the Ionian step, which species of dance appears to have been very similar to the Catalonian sarabanda. Sallust, the historian, censures the celebrated Sempronia, not because she danced, but because she danced too well. The ancients had a species of luxury which has not found its way to modern times, that of having dances performed during their repasts. It seems, however, to have been principally a Roman custom, and probably found its way from Rome to Jerusalem, as we find Salome dancing before Herod at a great entertainment. It may, perhaps, be proper to remark, in order to shew how universally dancing was practised in religious rejoicings and festivals, that we find frequent mention of it in the Jewish history: for instance, Sam. i. 21. "Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing unto one another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?" and again Sam. ii. 6. "And David danced before the Lord with all his might." Exod. xv. 20. “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances." Of course, as the Greeks and Romans were so well skilled in dancing, they were particularly careful to avoid an aukward gait; so much so, indeed, that I am led to imagine that they far excelled the moderns in this particular. A clownish or hurried mode of walking was considered as very indecorous, and indicative of low and vulgar origin. Alexis, the comic poet in Athenæus, says, "I hold it to be a certain mark of vulgarity to walk inelegantly in the streets." And *Athen. I. p. 22. + VI. c. 129. Athen. XIV. p. 628. + Arist. Ran. 514. Ælian. V. H. vii. 2. § Vid, Macrob. iii. 14. |