Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/131

 CHAPTER I. SECTION III. SOPHOCLES. Trjs TpayLKTJs Movarj? darepa ^eKpdiriou, IToXXd/ciS iu dv/xer]cn Kal iv cTKrji'fjcn redrjXws BXaiffbs ' Axo-pvlr-qs Kicrabs ^pei/^e ko/jltjp, Tufx^os Ix" '<^'^' yv^ oXtyov ixipos' dXX' 6 irepicrcrds Aluv ddavoLTOis depKerai iv aeXiaiv. SiMillAS. SOPHOCLES, the son of Sopliilus or Sophillus, was born at Colonus, an Attic deme about a mile from the city, in (B.C.) 495. His father, who was a man of good family, and possessed of considerable wealth^, gave him an excellent education. His teacher in music was the celebrated Lamprus, and he profited so much by his opportunities, that he gained the prize both in music and in the Palaestra ^. He was hardly sixteen years old when he played an accompaniment on the lyre to the P^an, which the Athenians sang around the trophy erected after the battle of Salamis ; in other words, he was the exarchus, and possibly, therefore, composed the words of the ode^. His first appearance, as a tragedian, was attended by a very remarkable circumstance. Cimon removed the bones of Theseus from Scyrus to Athens 1 Leasing {Leben des Sophocles, scimmlichte Sdiriften, Vol, vi. pp. 282 sqq.), to whom we are indebted for nearly all the particulars which we have given in the text, quotes (note C) Plin. H. N. xxxvii. 11 : principe loco genitum Athenis. 2 KaXws re iTrai8ev6rj Kal erpdcpr) iv eviropiq. dieTrovrjdT] d^ iv Tratal /cat Trepl TraXalarpav Kal [xovaLK-qv, i^ u>v dpLcporepuv iarecpafudr], cSs (prjaiv "larpos. idiOdx^V 8i TTju p.ovaLK7]u TTapd KdixTTpu}. Vit. Anonym. ^ 2o0o/cX^s 5^ TTpos T(^ KaXbs yeyeprjadat ttjv ulpau -qv koI dpxvo'TiK^v dedidayfiivos Kal /xovaiKrjv ^tl irah (^v irapd Ad/xirpu). /xerd yovv tt]v iv 1,aXa/uuvi vav/xaxi-a.^ Trepl rpoTraiov yv/xvos dXrjXt^ufievos ix-'pevae /xerd Xvpas' ol 5e iv i/iartw (paai. Kal rbv Qdfj.upLv oibdaKwv avrbs iKiOdpLcrev' d/cpws bi iacpaipiaev, on ttjv 'SavcriKaav KadiJKe. Athen. I. p. 20. Merd ttjv iv "ZaXajxivc vavfiaxiav 'AOrjvaiojv xepl rpoTraiov 6vt<j}v, yuerd Xijpas yvfxvbi dXrjXiixixivo^ to?s Traiavi^ovai tuv innviKiuv i^vpX^- Vit. Anon. D. T. 6. 8