Page:History of the Literature of Ancient Greece (Müller) 2ed.djvu/425

403 LITERATURE OF ANCIENT GREECE. 403 is called, which threw a veil over everything, and, though it made vice ludicrous, failed to render it detestable* To return, however, to the kordax, and to connect with it a remark on the rhythmical structure of comedy ; we learn accidentally that the trochaic metre was also called kordax, f doubtless because trochaic verses were generally sung as an accompaniment to the kordax dances. The trochaic metre, which was invented along with the iambic by the old iambographers, had a sort of lightness and activity, but wanted the serious and impressive character of the iambus. It was especially appropriated to cheerful dances ; even the trochaic tetrameter, which was not properly a lyrical metre, invited to motions like the dance. § The rhythmical structure of comedy was obviously for the most part built upon the foundation of the old iambic poetry, and was merely extended and enlarged much in the same way as the iEolian and Doric lyrical poetry was adapted to tragedy, namely, by lengthening the verses to systems, as they are called, by a frequent repetition of the same rhythm. The asynartetic verses, in particular, i. <>. loose combinations of rhythms of different kinds, such as dactylic and trochaic, which may be regarded as forming a verse and also as different verses, belong only to the iambic and comic poetry ; and in this, comedy, though it added several new inventions, was merely continuing the work of Archilochus. || That the prevalent form of the dialogue should be the same in tragedy and comedy, namely, the iambic trimeter, was natural, notwith- standing the opposite character of the two kinds of poetry; for this com- mon organ of dramatic colloquy was capable of the most various treatment, and was modified by the comic poets in a manner most suitable to their object. The avoidance of spondees, the congregation of short syllables, and the variety of the caesuras, impart to the verse of comedy an ex- traordinary lightness and spirit, and the admixture of anapaests in all feet but the last, opposed as this is to the fundamental form of the trimeter, proves that the careless, voluble recitation of comedy treated the long and short syllables with greater freedom than the tragic art permitted. In order to distinguish the different styles and tunes, comedy eio ployed," besides the trimeter, a great variety of metres, which we must suppose were also distinguished by different sorts of gesticula- epitome has been preserved,) expresses an entirel) opposite opinion, but this is only a proof how very often the liter writers of antiquity mistook the form for the substance. f Aristotle, quoted by Quintilian, ix. 4. Cicero Oral. i)7. t Chap. XI. § 8, 22. ' § Aristophan. Peace, 324 foil. Gaisf. and Terentianus, v. 2243. Aristophafiis ingens micat sollertia, Qui s:i pe metris multiformibus novis Archilochon arte est amulatus musira. Cctnp. above, chap. XI. t} 8. 2i)2
 * Plutarch, in his comparison of Aristophanes and Menandcr, (of which an
 * For the sake of breTity, we merelj refer to Hephtestion, cap. xv. p. 83 foil.