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النشر الإلكتروني

Ὣς οἱ μὲν προπάροιθε θυράων ὑψηλάων
Οὐδοῦ ἐπὶ ξεστοῦ πανθυμαδὸν ὀκριόωντο.
Τοῖῖν δὲ ξυνέηχ ̓ ἱερὸν μένος ̓Αντινόοιο,
Ἡδὺ δ ̓ ἄρ ̓ ἐκγελάσας μετεφώνεε μνηστήρεσσιν.

Odyss. lib. xviii.

An English farmer would be surprised to hear that the modern practice of pounding cattle might be considered as a refinement on a very ancient custom, of barbarous severity, but a radical cure for trespassing. Elian thus describes it, De Nat. Animal. lib. v. cap. 45. : — Ἐν Σαλαμῖνι δὲ χλωροῦ σίτου καὶ ληΐου κομῶντος ἐὰν σᾶς πεσοῦσα ἀποκείρῃ, νόμος ἐςὶ Σαλαμινίων τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐκτρίβειν αὐτῆς· καὶ τοῦτο εἶναι τὸ παρ ̓

Ὁμήρῳ, Συὸς ληϊβοτείρης, φασιν. As Elian represents this as the law of Salamis, so Homer testifies to its use among the Ithacans: and we are farther informed, that it was a custom among the people of Cyprus. The inference therefore seems to be, that it was a general practice.

The manner of the single combat is well exemplified in this curious scene. The champions are represented as fighting naked, but decently girding the loins :

Αὐτὰς Ὀδυσσεὺς

Ζώσατο μὲν ῥάκεσιν περὶ μήδεα, φαῖνε δὲ μηροὺς
Καλούς τε, μεγάλους τε, φάνεν δέ οἱ εὐρέες ὦμοι,
Στήθεά τε, στιβαροί τε βραχίονες· αὐτὰς ̓Αθήνη
Αγχι παρισταμένη μέλε ̓ ἤλδανε ποιμένι λαῶν.
Μνηστήρες δ ̓ ἄρα πάντες ὑπερφιάλως ἀγάσαντο
Ωδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον·

Ἦ τάχα Ἶρος ἄιρος ἐπίσπαστον κακὸν ἕξει·
Οἴην ἐκ ῥακέων ὁ γέρων ἐπιγουνίδα φαίνει.

Ὣς ἄρ ̓ ἔφαν· Ιρῳ δὲ κακῶς ὠρίνετο θυμός·
̓Αλλὰ καὶ ὡς δρηστῆρες ἄγον ζώσαντες ἀνάγκῃ,
Δειδιότα· σάρκες δὲ περιτρομέοντο μέλεσσιν.
̓Αντίνοος δ ̓ ἐνένιπτεν, ἔπος τ ̓ ἔφατ ̓, ἔκ τ ̓ ὀνόμαζεν·
Νῦν μὲν μήτ' εἴης, βουγάϊε, μήτε γένοιο,
Εἰ δὴ τοῦτόν γε τρομέεις καὶ δείδιας αἰνῶς,
*Ανδρα γέροντα, δύῃ ἀρημένον, ἥ μιν ἱκάνει.
̓Αλλ ̓ ἔκ τοι ἐρέω, τὸ δὲ καὶ τετελεσμένον ἔσται,
Αἴ κέν σ ̓ οὗτος νικήσῃ, κρείσσων τε γένηται,
Πέμψω σ ̓ Ηπειρόνδε, βαλὼν ἐν νηῒ μελαίνῃ,
Εἰς Εχετον βασιλῆα, βροτῶν δηλήμονα πάντων,
Ὅς κ ̓ ἀπὸ ῥῖνα τάμῃσι καὶ οὔατα νηλέϊ χαλκῷ,
Μήδεά τ' ἐξερύσας, δῴη κυσίν ὠμὰ δάσασθαι.

One might almost imagine that Homer was amusing himself here in parodying his own more serious duels. The brevity of the speeches, and the conciseness of the periods, pleasantly remind us of the style devoted to the anger of Achilles, and practically illustrate the principle, that every passion betrays its appropriate nature in its language, whatever may be its circumstances, or whatever individual it may inform. Ulysses girds his own strong loins with his rags: Diomede, in the Iliad, performs the same office of the cincture to his friend Euryalus, before his combat with Epæus.

The Phoenicians were the great artists and navigators of the ancient world. It is supposed that they were expelled from their country by Joshua, that they settled on the sea-coasts, and colonised extensively in the three known quarters of the globe. The force of the epithet ναυσίκλυτος is, famed for the number of his ships; keeping up a large fleet.

The following adventure is told with all the elegance of Ovid:

Ενθα δὲ Φοίνικες ναυσίκλυτοι ἤλυθον ἄνδρες
Τρῶκται, μυρί ἄγοντες ἀθύρματα νηῒ μελαίνῃ.
Ἔσκε δὲ πατρὸς ἐμοῖο γυνὴ Φοίνισσ ̓ ἐνὶ οἴκῳ,
Καλή τε μεγάλη τε, καὶ ἀγλαὰ ἔργ ̓ εἰδυΐα·
Τὴν δ ̓ ἄρα Φοίνικες πολυπαίπαλοι ἠπερόπευον·
Πλυνούσῃ τις πρῶτα μίγη, κοίλῃ παρὰ νηΐ,
Εὐνῇ καὶ φιλότητι· τά τε φρένας ήπεροπεύει
Θηλυτέρῃσι γυναιξὶ, καὶ εἴ κ' εὐεργὸς ἔῃσιν.
Εἰρώτα δὴ ἔπειτα, τίς εἴη, καὶ πόθεν ἔλθοι·
Ἡ δὲ μάλ' αὐτίκα πατρὸς ἐπέφραδεν ὑψερεφὲς δῶ.

MISCELLANEOUS PASSAGES FROM PLAUTUS.

PLAUTUS, in the last scene of the Trinummus, thus describes the connection between inward feeling and outward expression

Si quid stulte fecit, ut ea missa faciat omnia.

Quid quassas caput? CH. Conciatur cor mihi, et metuo.

The practice of unction was adopted by the Greeks and Romans on a variety of occasions: at gymnastic exercises, after public or private bathing, medicinally, and at banquets and festivals as a luxury. This custom at the bath is mentioned in Pænulo:

Quid multa verba? faciam, ubi tu laveris,
Ubi ut balneator faciat unguentariam.
Sed hæc latrocinantur quæ ego dixi omnia.

The literal meaning of latrocinantur is, those who serve in war for pay.

I have already remarked on the Miser of Plautus at considerable length: but I cannot refrain from adding the following passage, in which Euclio suspects that even the cock had been suborned by

the cooks to scratch for his pot of crowns, and executes summary justice on him accordingly :

Condigne etiam meus me intus gallus gallinaceus,
Qui erat anui peculiaris, perdidit pænissume.
Ubi erat hæc defossa, occœpit ibi scalpurire ungulis
Circumcirca: quid opus est verbis? ita mihi pectus per-

acuit:

Capio fustem, obtrunco gallum, furem manifestarium. Credo ego edepol illi mercedem gallo pollicitos coquos, Si id palam fecisset. exemi e manu manubrium.

Quid opus est verbis? facta est pugna in gallo gallinaceo. Sed Megadorus meus affinis eccum incedit a foro.

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