Page:Tragedies of Sophocles (Francklin).djvu/31

 [ 3 J

WHILST the tae, genius, and knowledge of the ancients, have been univerally felt and acknowledged in every other part of polite literature, it is matter of admiration to conder, that the Greek Theatre ould o long have remain'd in neglect and obcurity. In philoophy, morals, oratory, and heroic poetry, in every art and cience, we look back to Greece, as the andard and model of perfection: the ruins of Athens afford, even to this day, fre pleaure and delight; and, nothing but her age eems to be forgotten by us. Homer, Xenophon, Demohenes, and many other eminent Greek writers, have of late years put on an Engli habit, and gain'd admiion even into what is call'd polite company; whil chylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, ill lurk in chools and colleges; and very eldom make their appearance, at lea with dirty leaves, in the libraries of the great. To what all we attribute a judgment o capricious and o unaccountable? partly, perhaps, to the hay everity of ignorant foes, and partly, to the outrageous zeal of* miaken friendip. The fate of Antient Tragedy hath, indeed, been ngularly unfortunate: ome painters have drawn a too attering likenes of her; whil others, have preented us with nothing but a caricature; ome exalt the Greek drama, as the mo perfect of all human compotions, without the lea pot or blemi; whil others a affect to call it the infant ftate of the age, weak, inrm and imperfect; and

A 2 as


 * The remarks, which are handed down to us on Antient Tragedy, have hitherto, for the mo part, coned of mere verbal criticims, various readings, or general and trite exclamations of undiinguiing applaue, made by dull and phlegmatic commentators, totally void of ta and judgement; add to this, that the old tragedians have been amefully diguied and mirepreented to the unlearned, by the fale medium of bad tranlations.