Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/47

 THE TRAGIC CHORUS. — ARION. 29 TIius Herodotus^ calls the constitution of Lycurgus, " the order now established among the Spartans" [rov vvv Karearewra Koo-fiov ToU ^Traprtrjrrp-i) ; Clearchus^ speaks of the Lacedaemonians who were prostrated in consequence of their having trodden under foot the most ancient 07'der of their civil polity (ot rov TraXacorarov r^? TToXiTLKYj^; KocTfjLov <7VfjL7raTT]aavT6<; e^erpa-)(r)lad7](7av) ; and Archi- damus, in Thucydides^, tells his subjects that their good orde7' (to evKoafjLov) is the reason why they are both warlike and wise ; and concludes his harangue to the allied army, when about to invade Attica, with an enforcement of the same principle"*. This description of the Chorus may suffice to show, that, being both regular and stationary, or moving only within the limits of a particular space, it was distinguished, in the latter respect, from the marching troop, which was a regular body of men in a state of pro- gress, and in both respects from the Comus (/ccSyao?), which was a tumultuous procession of revellers. We find the earliest descrip- tion of the stationary Chorus in Homer's "Shield of Achilles^," where, as we shall see presently, the Hyporcheme is intended ; and we have the moving or processional Chorus by the side of the Comus in Hesiod's " Shield of Hercules^." The regularity of the Chorus always necessitated a leader (efap^o?), who was either the musician or some fugleman among the dancers, who " set the ex- ample^" to the others. Thus in a dirge the chief mourner was said " to lead off the lament^;" and even the chief player in a game at ^ I. 65. 3 Ap. Athen. xv. p. 681 c. ^ -^ §4. ^ II. It: KOfffiov Kal (f)vaK7]v irepl iravTos iroiov/xevoi €i>l Kocrfxa} xpw/i^oi'S (paiveadai. This word k6(t/j.os appears to be appropriated to dancing rather than to music: Kal yap ev hpxh'^^'- *^^^ iropeia KaXbv [ikv ei'O'X'llJ-oo'vvr} Kal Koa/xo^, k.t., Athen. xiv. p. 628 d. 5 Horn. II. XYiii. 590 — 606. « 272—285, 7 Kiister, de Verb. Med. 1. 23, 11. 5. 8 The following passages will show the usage of i^dpxoj : Iliad XVIII. 50 : at 5^ (STjprf'C^ei) ap.a Trdaai 'Zrrjdea ireTrXriyovTO' Qiris 5' i^VPX^ yooio. Ibid. 314: ai'Tap 'Axaiot Uavvvxioir UdrpoKXow dveaTevaxovTO yoQyres. Totcrt 5^ IItj€l5t]S ddivov e^vpx^ ySoio. Ibid. 604 : doiu: 5^ KV^icrrrjTT^pe /car' ai^roil'S MoXttt}? i^dpxovTes idivevov Kara fi^craovs. To which we may add, H. XXIV. 720: Trapa 5' elaav dotSoi'S Qp-qvu}v i^dpxovs oire (TTOvbecrjav doihrjv 01 [xh dp" idp7]V€ou, iirl 5^ arevaxovTO yvvoLKei. With which compare II. I. 604 ; Odyss. xxiv. 60. The simple dpx^^v occurs in Iliad XIX. 12. Archilochus, fr, 38, Liebel. Athen. XIV. p. 628 a: