St. Chryfoftom drew its fupport from the mafculine and vigorous atticifm of this farcaftic comedian, to whom the father paid the fame regard as Alexander to Homer, that of putting his works under his pillow, that he might read them at night before he flept, and in the morning as foon as he awaked.

their true form, I am not afraid that any body will complain. I have given an account of every thing as far as it was confiftent with moral decency. No pen, however cynical or heathenifh, would venture to produce in open day the horrid paffages which I have put out of fight; and instead of regretting any part that I have fuppreffed, the very fuppreffion will easily fhew to what degree the Athenians were infected with licentiousness of imagination and corruption of principles. If the taste of antiquity allows us to preferve what time and barbarity have hitherto fpared, religion and virtue at least oblige us not to fpread it before the eyes of mankind. To end this work in an ufeful manner, let us examine in a few words the four particulars which are most striking in the eleven pieces of Aristophanes.

II. The firft is the character of the ancient comedy, which has no likeness to any thing in nature. Its genius is fo

Character of ancient come

dy.

wild and ftrange, that it scarce admits a definition. In what clafs of comedy muft we place it? It appears to me to be a fpecies of writing by itself. If we had Phrynicus, Plato, Eupolis, Critinus Ameipfias, and fo many other celebrated rivals of Ariftophanes, of whom all that we can find are a few fragments fcattered in Plutarch, Athenias and Suidas, we might compare them with our poet, fettle the general fcheme, obferve the minuter differences, and form a complete notion of their comic stage. But for want of all this we can fix only on Aristophanes, and it is true that he may be in fome measure fufficient to furnish a tolerable judgment of the old comedy; for if we believe him, and who can be better credited? he was the moft daring of all his brethren the poets, who practifed the fame kind of writing. Upon this fuppofition we may conclude, that the comedy of those days confifted in an allegory drawn out and continued; an allegory never very regular, but often ingenious, and almost always carried beyond strict propriety, of fatire keen and biting, but diverfified, sprightly and unexpected; fo that the wound was given before it was perceived. Their points of fatire were thunderbolts, and their wild figures, with their variety and quickness, had the effect of lightning. Their imitation was carried even to refemblance of perfons, and their common entertainments was a parody of rival poets joined, if I may fo exprefs it, with a parody of manners and habits.

But it would be tedious to draw out to the reader that which he will already have perceived better than myself. I have no design to anticipate his reflections; and therefore shall only fketch the picture, which he must finish by himself: he will purfue the fubject farther, and form

to

to himself a view of the common and domestic life of the Athenians, of which this kind of comedy was a picture, with fome aggravation of the features: he will bring within his view all the customs, manners, and vices, and the whole character of the people of Athens. By bringing all thefe together he will fix in his mind an indelible idea of a people in whom fo many contrarieties were united, and who in a manner that can scarce be expreffed, connected nobility with the caft of Athens, wifdom with madnefs, rage for novelty, with a bigotry for antiquity, the politenefs of a monarchy with the roughnefs of a republic, refinement with coarfenefs, independence with flavery, haughtinefs with fervile compliance, feverity of manners with debauchery, a kind of irreligion with piety. We fhall do this in reading; as in travelling through different nations we make ourselves masters of their characters by combining their different appearances, and reflecting upon what we fee. III. The government of Athens makes The governa fine part of the ancient comedy. In most states the mystery of government is confined within the walls of the cabinet; even in commonwealths it does not pafs but through five or fix heads, who rule those that think themselves the rulers. Oratory dares not touch it, and comedy ftill lefs. Cicero himself did not speak freely upon fo nice a fubject as the Roman commonwealth; but the Athenian eloquence was informed of the whole fecret, and fearches the receffes of the human mind, to fetch it out and expofe it to the people. Demofthenes, and his contemporaries, fpeak with a freedom at which we are aftonished, notwithstanding the notion we have of a popular government, yet at what time but this did comedy adventure to claim the fame

ment of the Athenians.

rights with civil eloquence? The Italian comedy of the laft age, all daring as it was, could for its boldnefs come into no competition with the ancient. It was limited to general fatire, which was fometimes carried fo far, that the malignity was overlooked in an attention to the wild exaggeration, the unexpected strokes, the pungent wit, and the malignity concealed under fuch wild flights as became the character of Harlequin. But though it fo far refembled Aristophanes, our age is yet at a great distance from his, and the Italian comedy from his fcenes. But with refpect to the liberty of cenfuring the government, there can be no comparifon made of one age or comedy with another. Ariftophanes is the only writer of his kind, and is for that reason of the highest value. A powerful ftate fet at the head of Greece, is the fubject of his merriment, and that merriment is allowed by the state itfelf. This appears to us an inconfiftency; but it is true that it was the interest of the state to allow it, though not always without inconveniency. It was a reftraint upon the ambition and tyranny of fingle men, a matter of great importance to a people fo very jealous of their liberty. Cleon, Alcibiades, Lamachus, and many other generals and magiftrates, were kept under by fear of the comic ftrokes of a poet fo little cautious as Ariftophanes. He was once indeed in danger of paying dear for his wit. He profeffed, as he tells us himself, to be of great ufe by his writings to the state; and rated his merit fo high as to complain that he was not rewarded. But, under pretence of this public spirit, he spared no part of the public conduct, neither was government, councils, revenues, popular affemblies, fecret proceedings in judicature, choice of minifters, the go

vernment,