Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/73

 THE TRAGIC DIALOGUE.— THESPIS. 55 the difference between the lyric Tragedy of the Dorians and the regular Tragedy of the Athenians consisted in this, that the one had actors [vTroKpnal) and the other had none, we must look for the origin of the complete and perfect Attic drama in the union of the rhapsodes with the Baccliic chorus. There can be little doubt that the worship of Bacchus was introduced into Attica at a very early period^; indeed it was probably the religion of the oldest inhabitants, who, on the invasion of the country by the lonians, were reduced, like the native Laconians, to the inferior situation of ireploiicoi, and cultivated the soil for their conquerors. Like all other Pelasgians they were naturally inclined to a country life, and this perhaps may account for the elementary nature of their religion, which with its votaries was thrown aside and despised by the ruling caste. In the quad- ripartite division of the people of Attica the old inhabitants formed the tribe of the ^gicores or goatherds, who worshipped Dionysus with the sacrifice of goats. But though they were at first kept in a state of inferiority and subjection, they eventually rose to an equality with the other inhabitants of the country. There are very many Attic legends which point to the original contempt for the goatherd's religion, and its subsequent adoption by the other tribes. This is indicated by the freedom of slaves at the Dionysian festivals, by the reference of the origin of the religion to the town Eleutheree, by the marriage of the King Archon's wife to Bac- chus^; and we may perhaps discover traces of a difference of castes in the story of Orestes at the Anthesteria. It was natural, therefore, that the ^gicores, when they had obtained their free- dom from political disabilities, should ascribe their deliverance to their tutelary god, whom they therefore called 'EXei^^epo? : and in later times, when all the inhabitants of Attica were on a footing of equality, the god Bacchus was still looked upon as the favourer of the commonalty, and as the patron of democracy. succession (e4 VTroK-qxpeojs) in the papio^Qiv ayCoves. See Pseudoplat. Hipparch. p. 228, and the other passages quoted by Welcker, Ep. Cycl. pp. 37 r fol. ^ On the early worship of Bacchus in Attica sae Welcker's NacJitrag, pp. 194 fol. and Phil. Mus. 11. pp. 299 — 307. '^ Kol avT-q T] yvvT] V[uv Wve to. dpprjTa lepa vir^p r?}? TroXews, Kol elSev a ou .irpoarJKev avT7]v bpav ^evrju ovcrav, kuI Toiavrri odaa elarfKdev ol ovbels d'XXos ' Adrjvaiwu TOGOVTWv 'dvTwv elcTepX'^TaL dW ij tou ^acriX^ws yvurj, i^copKOJcr^ re rds yepaipds rds VTTTjpeTovaas to?s iepots, i^edodr) 5e t (^ AL0u6(Tip yvvq, '4irpa^e be virep t'^s TroXews Tct Trdrpia rd vpb^ tovs Oeovs, TroXXd /cat dyia Kal dirdpprjTa. Pseud. Deniosth. in Necer. pp. 1369—70. Above, p. 19.