to perplex the head. Then it was, the fathers of the church, in whofe hands these authors were, held it a point of confcience to deftroy the idols of the ftage, as they had already destroyed the idols of the temple, and to bury heathen wit in the fame grave with heathen fuperftition; their poets and their gods were to be exterminated alike. To the more enlightened tafte, or rather perhaps to the lucky partiality of Chryfoftom alone we owe the prefervation of Ariftophanes. Continually engaged in argumentative and controverfial writings there were fome, who occafionally condefcended to quote a paffage, as it ferved their purpose, from thefe profcribed comedies, either to help out their wits or illuftrate their meaning; and thefe fcraps and fplinters being fwept together by fome few patient collectors, who had charity enough to work upon the wreck, pofterity hath been put into poffeffion of thefe gleanings of the comic ftage of Athens in addition to the more entire and ineftimable remains of Aristophanes. It has been my task (and I believe it is the first of the fort attempted in our language) to avail myself of these friendly guides for making fomething like a regular detail of the names, characters and productions of these loft, but once illuftrious, poets, and to give to the public fuch as I conceived to be the best of their fragments in an English translation. This part of my general undertaking being heavier than all the reft to myself, I was much afraid it would have proved fo to my readers alfo; but their candid reception of thefe papers in particular, and the encouraging voice of my profeft reviewers, have banifhed that anxiety from my mind, and enabled me to proceed with chearfulness to the end. There There is one part however of thefe papers, in which I conceive I have been misunderstood as having carried my attack against the moral doctrines. of Socrates, and of this I am interested to exculpate myself; My fubject led me to refer to certain anecdotes unfavourable to his private character, but I ftudiously marked thofe paffages by obferving that there was no defign to glance at his moral doctrines, and at the fame time quoted the authorities upon which thofe anecdotes reft; when any fcholar will convince me these were futile and malicious tales, I will retract all credit in them and thank him for the conviction: As for the purity of Socrates's doctrine I never attempted to impeach it; of the purity of his character I must continue to think there is much caufe to doubt. The learned Bishop Sherlock in his fourth discourse may be referred to upon this fubject: He there fays that the corrupt example of Socrates was a dead weight upon the purity of his doctrine, and tended to perpetuate fuperftition in the world-Though I am aware that the corrupt example here alluded to refpects his religious practice, yet furely if the preacher of Christianity was interefted to fhew the corrupt example of Socrates in this light, the friend of Chriftianity may be allowed to reprefent it in another point of view, and by fair authorities to exhibit what the heathens themselves have reported of this famous philofopher, whofe moral purity is by fome taken merely upon truft, by others defignedly extolled to the fkies for the fake of oppofing character to character, and by an audacious comparison with Chrift difparaging the Divinity of the World's. Redeemer. I fhould expect then, that as far as truth and good authorities warrant, I am as free to to difcufs the private vices and impurities of Socrates, as thofe of Mahomet, which the learned prelate abovementioned moft eloquently difplays in his parallel between Chrift and that Impoftor: The Deit will perhaps be much interested to support his favourite philofopher, and will care little for the prophet: The modern Platonist, who is ingenious to erect a new system of natural religion out of the ruins of heathen idolatry, may be zealous to defend the founder of his faith, and his anger I muft fubmit to incur; but it is not quite fo eafy to bear the reproof of friends, from whom I have not deserved it, and in whofe fervice I have drawn that anger upon myself. As for my defence of Ariftophanes against the groundless charge of having taken bribes from the enemies of Socrates to attack him for the purpose of paving the way to his public trial, that I observe hath been on all hands admitted; for in truth the facts and dates on which it turns, cannot be contested; they are decifive for his exculpation. N° CXLI. Nunc quam rem vitio dent quæfo animum advertite. (TERENT.) EASY as it has been to clear Ariftophanes from the charge of confpiring against the life of Socrates, he would be a hardy advocate, who should attempt to defend his perfonal attack upon that philofopher in his comedy of The Clouds. The outcry has been been kept up for fo many ages, that now to combat it would be a task indeed there are fo many, who join in it, without having examined into the merits of the cafe, and an appeal to the practice of the stage in those times as likewise to the comedy itself would affect fo few amongst the many, who pretend to pronounce upon the offence, that the man, who undertook to foften general prejudices, muft undertake to tranflate The Clouds; and to transfufe the original fpirit of fuch a compofition into a modern language would be no easy work. An attempt however to give my English readers fome idea of the opening fcenes of this famous comedy fo far as goes to the introduction of the philofopher upon the ftage, and the obnoxious incident of the basket, will I hope be neither thought prefumptuous or difpleafing: It will at leaft difclofe fomething of the character and defign of the piece, and may in future tempt an abler hand to execute the whole, and give it to the public. "At the opening of this comedy Strepfiades, "(the father of the Prodigal) is discovered fitting "at his defk with a number of bills and papers "before him, in deep meditation, whilft Phidip pides his fon is fleeping on his bed in the fame "chamber-The time before break of day-Strep"fiades, ftarting from his feat, breaks forth into the "following exclamation" STREPSIADES. "Ah me, Ah me! what an eternal night! "O Kingly Jove, fhall the day never dawn? "And yet the cock fung out long long ago; "I heard him, I-But my flaves lie and fnore, "Snore in defiance; for the rafcals know "It is their privilege in time of war, "Which with its other plagues bring this upon us, "That we mayn't rouse these vermin with a cudgel. "There's my young Hopeful too- He fleeps it "through, "Snug under five fat blankets at the leaft: "Wou'd I cou'd fleep as found! But my poor eyes "Have no fleep in them; what with debts and duns "And ftable keepers bills, which this fine fpark "Heaps on my back I lie awake all night. "And what cares he but to coil up his locks, "Ride, drive his horses, dream of 'em all night, "Whilft I, poor devil, may go hang ?-For now "The fettling day of term comes on apace, "And my ufurious creditors are gaping "tablets, "What hoa! a light there, boy! bring me my (Boy enters.) "That I may set down all and fum them up, "Debts, creditors and intereft upon interest (Boy gives him the tablets.) "Let me fee where I am, and what the total"Put down twelve pounds, twelve ftandard pounds to "Pafias "Out on it, and for what? A horfe, a horfe; (PHIDDIPPIDES, talking in his fleep.) "Phidon! for fhame, keep, keep the ring! STREPSIADES. "There 'tis ! "That's it-my bane. He's on his horse's back: "He's racing in his fleep. PHIDDIPPIDES. (as before.) "A heat, a heat "How many turns to a heat? STREPSIADES. "More than enough: "You've given me heats in plenty: I am jaded"But to my lift-What name ftands next to Pafias? Amynias-three good pounds-ftill for the race. "A chariot for the race of the firft rank. 66 PHIDIPPIDES. |