The Sirens were fupernaturals, of an inferior order, half women and half birds. They inhabited the coaft of Sicily, and made it their bufinefs, by alluring fongs, to draw ignorant or unwary navigators toward the shore, where their veffels bulged upon sharp rocks, and were swallowed up by violent whirlpools. At the inftigation of the god. defs Juno, they challenged the Muses to a trial of skill; and, being vanquished, their antagonists plucked the golden feathers from their wings, and made them into crowns for their own heads (19). Ulyffes, in the Odyssey, relates his adventure with them, and gives the fong they ufed to feduce him. All know how the fongs of Orpheus mollified the iron heart of Pluto, when he ventured into the infernal dominions to regain his wife, This poet abstained from animal food, in order, as it has been fuppofed, to induce the barbarous Thracians, whom he attempted to civilife, to abolish the diabolical practice of eating human flesh (20), His endeavours to reform thefe monsters do not, however, appear to have been attended with much fuccefs; as neither his philofophy nor his poetry was able to protect him from the favage fury of the Thracian Bacchants, What could the Mufe herfelf that Orpheus bore, Whom univerfal Nature did lament, When by the rout that made the hideous roar, His goary vifage down the ftream was fent, Down the fwift Hebrus to the Lesbian fhore (21)? The most ancient Greek fongs, now known, are faid to be of magic and incantation; and of these some have been afcribed to Orpheus. Mufic and fong made a principal part of every feftive entertainment among the ancient Greeks. The custom of finging at table is frequently alluded to by Homer, (19) Burney, I. 307. These ladies feldom used their victories with much lenity: Thamyris having had the arrogance to contend with them, they punished his temerity with the lofs of his fight. I. 323, 20) Idem. (21) Lycidas. who is even thought to have written not only the Iliad and Odyffey, but a number of other poems, to be fung at feafts, by hisfelf or others, to the found of the lyre. Nor is it the leaft derogation to the father of poetry to be found in this character. The bards or chanters of ancient Greece were treated with the highest refpect, and even regarded as perfons divinely infpired (22). Neither does this diftinction appear to have arifen more from their extraordinary talents, than from their exemplary virtues, Agamemnon leaves one of them as the propereft guardian or monitor of his wife Clytemneftra; that fhe, by continually hearing fung the praifes of women, eminent for their chastity and goodnefs, might continue virtuous through emulation. Nor could Ægifthus corrupt her till he had dispatched the musician in a defert island (23). The poetical part of the fong, the melody, and the dance, are frequently reprefented, in ancient authors, as one and the fame thing, and were certainly called by one-and the fame name. We find the youths in Homer dancing to the fong. In the warlike dance, one youth ftrikes the lyre, others fing the fong, the reft dance. The dance was in imitation of the things expreffed in the words of the fong. A ceremony which Xenophon in his Expedition, relates to have been practised at the feast of Seuthes the Thracian (24). Songs for the table, however, were by much the moft numerous. Originally it fhould feem that, after the repaft, all the guests fung, either together, or in their turns. The custom was, in the latter cafe, for the finger to hold in his hand a branch of myrtle, which was paffed from one to another, according to the rank or ftation they occupied at table (25). Afterwards, when the lyre was introduced, and finging required more than ordinary talents, that inftrument, (22) Burney, I. 357. (23) Athenæus, p. 14. (24) Athenæus, p. 15. where is a curious account of a warlike dance. (25) M. de la Nauze. viii A HISTORICAL ESSAY with, perhaps, the myrtle, was fent to thofe only who were of diftinguished merit, or known to poffefs the requifite abilities, whereever they might happen to be placed (26). Hence it was that, from the irregular fituation of the performers, the fongs obtained the name of Scolia, or unequal, a term afterwards applied to fongs in general. This practice is faid to have been invented by Terpander, who flourished in the twenty-fifth Olympiad, i. e, about 680 years before Chrift. Perhaps the time of that poet was only the æra of its commencement. Athenæus tells us, that the Scolia were originally fung after the common fongs by ordinary perfons were over; for then, fays he, it was the custom for each wife man to produce fome elegant fong; and it was admired as elegant, if it contained fome precept or fentiment useful in life (27). Thefe Scolia were on all fubjects; but chiefly on those of love and wine. That Love infpires mufic and poetry," was a celebrated fentiment among the Greeks, and makes the fubject of a queftion in Plutarch (28). The learned Frenchman, who has treated this difficult fubject with a degree of comprehenfion and perfpicuity not eafily paralleled in fimilar difquifitions (29), has arranged them under the following heads: 1. Moral, 2. Mythological and historical, 3. Common and ordinary fubjects. Of all which, fufficient fpecimens, either entire or in fragments, are preserved by Athenæus and other ancient writers. The most famous and pleafing writers of Scolia on love, wine, and good chear, are Alcæus and Anacreon. "Sing me," fays a character in Ariftophaneses comedy of the Banqueters, 66 Sing me," fays he, one of the 66 (26) It has been thought by fome that when a gueft declined to receive the lyre, from a want of fkill, they immediately fent him a myrtle branch, to which he was, in that cafe, obliged to fing. Hence, it is faid, to bid a man "fing to the myrtle," became a commoi proverbial expreffion; implying that he wanted learning or eloquence to mingle in the converfation of men of letters and genius. Erafmi Adagia, 947. See alfo Potters Antiquities of Greece, II. 403. (27) 1. 15. p. 693. (28) M. de la Nauze. (29) Idem. "Scolia "Scolia of Alcæus or Anacreon." The former, in one of his fongs, recommends, in general,-to drink in all feasons of the year, and in all fituations of life (30). The lyric rhapfodies of Anacreon are well known; they are pure Scolia, and every thing we can imagine the moft perfect and elegant fongs on thofe fubjects fhould be. But, however excellent or admirable the compofitions of this great poet are, we ought not to fuppofe that he was without a rival. The following fong, preferved by Athenæus (31), is altogether in his best spirit. Quaff with me the purple wine, Praxilla, a learned Sicyonian lady, compofed a great number of hiftorical Scolia, of which, though fhe was 'much admired on this account, fcarce any now remain. Among the Scolia of this defcription, few are fo frequently mentioned, or fo much applauded by ancient writers, as thofe in praise of Harmodius and Ariftogiton, whofe ftory is fhortly this. Hipparchus, one of the fons and fucceffors of Pififtratus, who had ufurped the regal power in Athens, having publicly infulted the fifter of Harmodius, he, in conjunction with his friend Ariftogiton, flew the tyrant at the Panathenæan games: an event which was the fignal to the Athenians to recover their liberty (32). These fongs appear to have been numerous. One of them, beginning, There was never an Athenian," is mentioned by Ariftophanes, in his comedy of the Wafps, where it is propofed to be fung at table by the old mans fon. But the most celebrated is, undoubtedly, that preferved by Athenæus, of which the following is a tranflation. The author is fuppofed to be one Calliftratus, whom the prefent bishop of (30) M. de la Nauze. (32) Burney, I. 469. London (31) 1. 15. London has pronounced an ingenious poet and excellen citizen (33). In myrtle leaves I'll wear my fword, As did Harmodius and his friend so true, Upon Minervas feftal day. Blefs'd youths with endless glory crown'd, And Athens freedom gain'd by YoU (34). The fong of Eriphanis, addreffed to her lover Menalcas, called Nomion;-of Calyce, whofe ftory resembles that of Sappho;-and of Harpalyce, were famous love fongs among the Greeks, but are now loft (35). The moral and mifcellaneous Scolia, according to dr. Burney, are wonderfully fimple and infipid. He gives a Titeral verfion of one, which does not, it must be confeffed, appear to have any extraordinary merit. It is this: (but the latter part, which is lefs intelligible, and, indeed, appears to labour under fome confiderable mistake, is not ranflated by dr. Burney:) "Son of Telamon, warlike Ajax! they fay you are the "praveft of the Grecians who came to Troy, next to A (33) De facra Poef. The learned prelate spiritedly adds, that fuch a fong in the mouths of the people of Rome after the death of Cæfar, would have been of more fervice than all Ciceros Philippics. "Plus mebercule valuiffet," fays he, "unum "Aguodía pedos quàm Ciceronis * Philippicæ omnes.' (34) A different, and far from inelegant, verfion may be read in dr. Burneys hiftory (I. 469). The ingenious author is, however, (though fupported by the authority of Cafaubon) certainly mistaken, in confi ering the fong as two diftin& fragments. (35) M. de la Nauzes "chilles. |