Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/211

189 L1TERATTJKE OF ANCIENT GREECE. 189 We will not include in this number the seven wise men : for although Diogenes Laertius, the historian of ancient philosophy, cites popular verses of Thales, Solon, Chilon, Pittacus, and Bias, which are some- what in the style of scolia * ; yet the genuineness of these sententious songs is very questionable. With respect to language and metre, they all appear formed upon the same model ; so that we must suppose the seven wise men to have agreed to write in an uniform style, and more- over in a kind of rhythm which did not become common until the time of the tragedians j. Nevertheless they appear, in substance, to be as early as the age to which they are assigned, as their tone has a great resemblance to that of the scolia in the iEolic maimer. For example, one of the latter contains these thoughts : " Would that we could open the heart of every man, and ascertain his true character ; then close it again, and live with him sincerely as a friend; "the scolion, in Doric rhythms, ascribed to Chilon, has a similar tone : " Gold is rubbed on the touchstone, and thus tried; but the minds of men are tried by gold, whether they are good or bad." Hence it is probable that these scolia were framed at Athens, in the time of the tragedians, from traditional sayings of the ancient philosophers. § 17. Although scolia were mostly composed of moral maxims or of short invocations to the gods, or panegyrics upon heroes, there exist two, of greater length and interest, the authors of which are not other- wise known as poets. The one beginning, "My great wealth is my spear and sword," and written by Ilybrias, a Cretan, in the Doric measure, expresses all the pride of the dominant Dorian, whose right rested upon his arms; inasmuch as through them he maintained his sway over bondmen, who were forced to plough and gather in the harvest, and press out the grapes for him J. The other beginning, " In. the myrtle-bough will I bear my sword," is the work of an Athenian, named CaUistratus, and was written probably not long after the Persian war, as it was a favourite song in the time of Aristophanes. 1 1 celebrates uoof/.iv> '^X av *2«5/si (fiUiho'id r,v trT-!%<iv tot-) ^urte. y.axov. Il/y-ov yae oiiiv yXutHTU. oia ht'o^.o.to; XctXu, di^f-uSov 'i%eutrx In that of Thales (Diog. Laert. I. i. 35,) the ithyphallic is before the last verse, J See Muller's Dorians, B, I J I. ch. 4. § 1.
 * Diogenes generally introduces them with some such expression as this : ray V