Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/316

294 294 HISTORY C7 THE other part of it was formed of noble Persians, who in the king's absence consulted about the affairs of the kingdom. For we know that at the beginning of this drama (which had a great resemblance to the Persians of jEschylus) a royal eunuch and carpet-spreader* came forward, who prepared the seats for this high council, and announced its meeting-. The weighty cares of these aged men, and the passionate laments 01 the Phoenician damsels who had been deprived of their fathers or brothers by the sea-fight, doubtless made a contrast, in which one of the main charms of the drama consisted. It is remarkable that Phry- nichus, in several instances, deviated from mythical subjects to subjects taken from contemporary history. In a former drama, entitled the Capture of Miletus, he represented the calamities which had befallen Miletus, the colony and ally of Athens, at the Persian conquest, after the Ionic revolt (b. c. 498). Herodotus relates that the whole theatre was moved by it to tears ; notwithstanding which the people afterwards sentenced him to a considerable fine " for representing to them their own misfortunes;" a remarkable judgment of the Athenians concerning a work of poetry, by which they manifestly expected to be raised into a higher world, not to be reminded of the miseries of the present life. § 8. Contemporary with Phrynichus on the tragic stage was Chce- rilus, a prolific and, for a long time, active poet ; since he came tor- ward so early as the 64th Olympiad (b. c. 524), and maintained his ground not only against iEschylus, but even for some years against Sophocles. The most remarkable fact known with regard to this poet is, that he excelled in the satyric drama,t which had therefore in his time been separated from tragedy. For as tragedy constantly inclined to heroic fables, in preference to subjects connected with Dionysus, and as the rude style of the old Bacchic sport yielded to a more dignified and serious mode of composition, the chorus of satyrs was no longer an appropriate accompaniment. But it was the custom in Greece to retain and cultivate all the earlier forms of poetry which had anything peculiar and characteristic, together with the newer varieties formed from them. Accordingly a separate Satyric Drama was developed, in addition to tragedy; and, for the most part, :}: three tragedies and one satyric drama at the conclusion, were represented together, forming a connected whole. This satyric drama was not a comedy, but (as an ancient author aptly describes it) a playful tragedy. § Its subjects were taken from the same class of adventures of Bacchus and the heroes, as tragedy; but they were so treated in connexion with rude objects of outward nature, that the presence and participation of rustic, f According to the verse : 'Hvixa fth {iafiXiv; r,v XoloiXo; iv trari^tii;. { For the most part, I say ; for we shall see, when we come to the Alcestis of Euripides, that tetralogies occur, composed of tragedies alone. § n«/£ou<ra r^ccyuihtu., Demetrius de Elocut § 169. Comp. Hor. Art. P. 231.