Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/26

 16 Journal of Philology. As for argument 3, surely if Nicias is not represented, Lama- chus may be left out too. It is mere trifling to say that "Nicias is not passed over, though mixed up with it in a very different (p. 47). Nicias is once mentioned by name, 363 : virtpaKovTi{(is <rv y yjbrj Nuciciy rats pujxavals, and once alluded to in the word peWoviKiav (G39). What sort of proportion or harmony would thus be preserved between the allegory and the fact ? Lamachus, the poorest and least influential of the generals, represented as King of the Athe- nians ! and Nicias, virtually if not nominally, commander-in-chief, then, in general estimation, the foremost soldier and citizen of the Republic, not only not represented, but scarcely men- tioned ! 7. " The scenery pointed to Athens itself as the theatre of action, and represented in fact the Pnyx." The only ground for this opinion is (as I have said), that we have a ircrpa represented on the stage in this play (54), while in the " Knights" and elsewhere, we have ttlrpa and nerpai used for the tribune and seats in the Pnyx. But it must be observed, that the rock in the present case forms a kind of background, (as Stivern himself admits), and the action takes place at the foot, not on the top of it, so that all resemblance fails. The birds assemble below, the Athenian eKiikrjaia met upon " the rocks." But, says Siivern, Athens is pointed out as the scene of the action by line 301, where Euelpides says, tys ; rls yavK 'A(tfva(* rjyayt ; and by 1455, where the Sycophant uses evdaftl as if he were at home. It is not clear to me that cvOabl in the latter pas- sage does mean " hither to Athens ;" the Sycophant might hope to ply his old trade in the new city of Nephelococcygia. In any case, this and the other passage would be merely varieties of a very common expedient in all farce, for the production of a comic effect, where the actor, affecting to forget his assumed character and the supposed scene of action, appeals to the audience. As in the " Frogs" (the scene being as far below Athens as that of the " Birds" is above) Dionysus asks Xanthias, 2746, Korubts olv ttqv Tovt narpaXoiae avr60t Kai tow tm6pKovt obs TKtyfv 17/xti/ ; SAN. av d* ov" ; AIO. 1^ roifs foovt tyoayt koL pvvi y 6pm.