Agamemnon's reply stands in codd. thus: εἴπερ τις εἰδώς γ ̓ εὖ τόδ ̓ ἐξεῖπον τέλος, where Tóde Téλos, ‘this performance,' means 'this vow,' my future execution of what I promised. We have, without hesitation, edited ἐξειπεῖν for ἐξεῖπον, and our verse translation is 'Yes, skilled as well as any man to speak this vow,' ì. e. ‘nobody knew better than I, as an experienced commander, when the time was come to proclaim aloud a vow such as this.' Mr Paley edits ¿έeîπev and annotates thus: 907. ELEρ TIS—ye must, it seems, stand for elπep yé Tɩs, the ye having no other meaning in this position. It follows that for eşîrov we must read ežeîrev, if any one ever did make this vow with a knowledge of what would befall him.' He means that he did not make such a vow, because a knowledge of the future was impossible; a sentiment very appropriate to the present position. This remarkable note might perhaps be left to the judgment of most Greek scholars without further notice. As we write, however, for learners of every grade, we will simply observe : V; (1) ye emphasises the word which it follows, and may happen to stand in almost any part of the sentence. It is habitually used in replies, emphasising the word to which it is joined as important in such reply. Thus in Plato, ons οὔ; πάνυ γε. Eurip. Hec. 246. Η. ἥψω δὲ γονάτων τῶν ἐμῶν ταπεινὸς ὤν; Ul. ὥστ ̓ ἐνθανεῖν γε σοῖς πέπλοισι χεῖρ ̓ ἐμήν. Thus, if the answer is affirmative, ye is properly rendered ‘yes'. So we render it here; and its right place is after eidos. Elep τις is an adverbial phrase further strengthening the affirmation eidus y' ev, 'knowing well, if anybody (does know well)' = knowing as well as anybody. This phrase might naturally stand after eidos y eu, but, as metre required it to precede, Aesch. so placed it with perfect right. (2) As to the suggestion that ereр yé Tis is the true construction, we read it with surprise; but we merely reply that in no place of any Greek author (as we firmly believe) will the phrase Tep Tus be found so divided by ye. Obviously our version implies that ŋugáμŋv av is to be mentally supplied as the principal verb of this sentence. Clyt. had asked, 'Would you have vowed' &c.? Agam. replies, "Yes, I would have vowed, knowing as well as any man how to do so.' As to Mr Paley's final words, 'He means' &c., we leave them to the consideration of logical interpreters. They make Agam. to say, 'He did not address a vow to the gods, that he would not walk on purple, because a knowledge of the future was impossible'! And 'that sentiment' Mr Paley considers 'very appropriate to the present position.' We cannot agree. Quitting this painful discussion, which nothing but the regard due to our younger readers would have prevailed on us to insert, we refer them, for the just view of this σrixoμvía, to the analysis of Epeisodion III., which they will find on p. 96. 1554-1556. Admitting that our restoration of this marvellously corrupt passage is extensive and apparently bold, we firmly believe it to be correct in the main (as regards 1554, 1555), allowing the final words of 1556 to be a purely conjectural improvement. As to yúval with which codd. start, we say that it is simply ridiculous to suppose that the queen is here addressed. She cannot be supposed present before the place where she speaks. 1557--1561. καὶ ταῦτα τἄπη κλαυμάτων ἀρχηγενῆ ἄξει· κρατηθεὶς δ ̓ ἡμερώτερος φανεῖ. In this speech Aegisthus replies to the upbraidings of the Chorus thus: "For these words again you will smart hereafter. The tongue of Orpheus is the converse of yours. He dragged all things in the wake of his song for joy; you for the provo cation of your silly howlings will be dragged (to prison): and under that control you will show yourself a tamer creature.' Here Mr Paley annotates: 1609. aşe appears to be the middle voice,-'You forsooth, after irritating people by your senseless barkings, think to lead them to your own purposes.' But Prof. Kennedy, with Peile and Butler, supposes the antithesis to be this, he led captive by his songs, you shall be led captive (deoμòs, v. 1599) in consequence of your insolence.' The poet however merely speaks of the yλŵσσa évavría, or two opposite kinds of eloquence, viz. that which soothed and that which irritated. The object of both was the same, but the latter was a mistaken way to effect it. When Mr Paley cites Butler and Peile along with ourselves as taking age for a middle-passive, you will be dragged, he has omitted to say that Pauw, Voss, Conington, Plumptre, Nägelsbach, Jenisch, Enger, Linwood, &c., do the same: while Hermann, Blomfield, Scholefield, Bothe, Dindorf, Weil, Karsten, Keck, Van Heusde, who are silent about äğe, must be ranked on the same side. For, if they had taken the view of Klausen and Mr Paley, they must have said so, and have written in its defence. Few scholars will for a moment doubt, that the 'iusta interpretatio,' declared rightly by Karsten to be 'fundamentum critices,' points with unerring finger to the fact, that ăşeɩ, middle future, is here used in a passive sense. 'Aráуew in Attic procedure was the technical word for arresting or committing to prison: and ἄξει here = απάξει οι απαχθήσει. The word nepoτepos is used in allusion to the wild beasts tamed by Orpheus: 'mulcentem tigres' Verg. 1569. ζεύξω βαρείαις, und. ζεύγλαις. οὔτι μὴ σειραφόρον κρiðŵνта πôλov, far from being a trace-harnessed high-fed colt. The σειραῖος oι σειραφόρος ἵππος of a chariot resembled the leader in a modern 'tandem.' It was attached by traces to the chariot, and would often be a young and spirited animal, whose function was to pull on and quicken the yoked pair. Hence it is spoken of as кpil@vтa (кpiłάw), barley-fed, i.e. high-fed. CONSPECTUS METRORUM CHORICORUM. I. For general information on this subject, the student is referred to Linwood's 'Greek Tragic Metres.' There, or in Call any equivalent treatise on the subject, he will find an explanation of the names of the so-called 'Feet,' the laws of Arsis, Thesis and Ictus, as constituting the Rhythm of Verse, those of Metre in general, and of the particular metres used in Greek tragic composition. With this knowledge, he will have no difficulty in reading and comprehending the subjoined metrical exposition of the choric verses in the Agamemnon, with their appended names. 2. As the terms Anacrusis and Basis (Base) often occur, let it be observed that Anacrusis is a syllable, usually short (~), prefixed to a rhythm of which it does not constitute a part. Anacrusis may also be a long syllable or resolved into two short (~~); but either instance is comparatively rare. In i is an anacrusis. ἰὼ γενεαὶ βροτῶν A Base is a disyllabic foot, spondee (--), iambus (~) or trochee (-), prefixed to a rhythm of which it does not consti tute a part. Two feet so prefixed are called a double base. The long syllable of a base may be resolved into two short: thus in δι ̓ ἔριν | αἱματόεσσαν. Si epuv is a trochaic base with first syllable resolved. A verse may have anacrusis and base. --^-^-|--| ~ πα | λιμμή | κη χρόνον τιθεῖσαι 3. Trihemimeris (trihem.) means 1 foot (3 half feet). 2 feet (5 ). Penthemimeris (penthem.) Hephthemimeris (hephthem.),, 31/12 (7 " ). The trochaic hephthemimer is a verse of frequent occurrence in this play. The Cretic foot (—~—) is a trochaic trihemimer. 4. Dipodia (2 feet), tripodia (3 feet), pentapodia (5 feet), are used to express recurrence of the same foot: thus pentapod. troch. means a sequence of 5 trochees. A spondee at the close of a line is treated as equivalent to a trochee in verses to which the latter foot properly belongs, but such a trochaic verse is called impure. |