Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/328

 (v. 61), and after them the ridiculous figure of Pseudartabas (v. 94), who, as "the king's eye," has a monstrous orifice in his mask, resembling the port-hole of an Athenian trireme with the leather-bag below to prevent it from shipping water (v. 97: ). These are followed by the Thracian mercenaries (v. 155), who steal the garlick of Dicæopolis; and Amphitheus, who had been ejected by the Prytanes (v. 58), reappears from the right (v. 129), in order to cross the stage to the left (v. 132) with the commission to buy eight shillings' worth of peace for Dicæopolis. From the left periactos he returns (175), pursued by the Acharnians, who of course enter by the left-hand parodos (v. 204) ; Amphitheus continues his flight into the city, and Dicseopolis retires to his own house, from whence he reappears with his family (237). The chorus interrupt the festivities by actually throwing stones on the stage (284). The Acharnians are brought to terms by the production of the basket of charcoal, made to resemble a child which Dicæopolis fetches from his house (v. 331) ; and he also goes in to procure the chopping-block on which he is to plead his cause (v. 359 : ). A question arises as to the scene with Euripides. Many commentators, and even the latest writers on this play, supposes that Euripides and his servant appear on the balcony or second story of the scene. But in this, as we think, they have been misled by the Scholiast, who has not understood the Greek of his author, and we conceive that the direct reference to the must be accepted as a proof of the fact that Euripides is shown in the interior of his house, but on the level of the stage. The words of the original run thus (vv. 394 sqq.):