The sun., 1878-06-09
SOMH NEU' HOOhS.
Two Iscm,rl ,bic I.rimcr..


WAY with all The moro important t"pi.s s. in tlr
fields oi science. history and iurratura. 80
mora signal service o. tho Hppiinncca ui cdu.a.
ton has tecn rem lcrcd In our day than the
preparation of th,sr manuals ty mon ~
accepted authority ou1 reputation u thoir
several lines ~ study W. have frequent
" had occasiou 10 notirr with what come
pletencss and fcitiy the rro"t of the
publishers las hsrn carried oul. Tat thr two
latest volumes secm to ask Inrli iiur attention.
both on account OF the'r merit us tf'ai sr-. ami
because Of The int r,s, atta,hing io tlr SUBJECTS
Of which they treat. II ia of course rlpo~-ibIe
for a writer. whatever the scopr Of h- acquire
menis and soundncss Of his Judgment. To- dis
cuss such comprehensive themes without omit
ting much whose absence may hc regretted or
Affirming much which might br pucstlonnd.
but any positive shortcomings ure COMPENSATED
by q suggestive and stimulating style which can
hardly fail TO prompt the reader to personal In
quiry.
The survey Of Crock literature for which We
arc indebted to Prot Jebb ~ Glasgow Unvrrsi-
ty.is uncommonly thorough anlsati.ft't1ry II
begins earlier and comes down later than any
oher trcatse that we ha,c seeu. Thus enabling
The reqdcr to conceive that atasionishngph phrnom-
enon in the history of the human mind namc-
ly. the unbrokcn. though not un,hakcn conii-
nuity OF Greek literary activity from the Homer
icage to our own day. In the review of au inie-
lectual productivity unoXhausted hy three thou-
sand years. we naturally look most narrowly at
those chapters handling topics on which recent
research has east most light. and which. flr
that very rcnson. are least APT to receive adr-
nuate treatment in a succinci ioNt book. The
subjects of special interest from this poiu,
OF view arc the poems which hnN' como down
to us under the names of Homer AMI llrsiol
skaE - 4 f ..ftI.
adjustment to peculiar aesthetic and mcchan-
cal conditions-Grcck philosophy. and cspnr!a-
ly It's latest polemical development undcr the
growing presence Of Christianity in Nco Pa
,onism-and finally the mult.iur.ou- but roia-
lively little studied produ.t oi Greek energy
In history geography. science. romantic unrra-
tive. satire and criticism which followed the
political absorption OF the Grerk Stalns hy
Rome, and the intellectual subIusuiJn of Rome
by Athens and Alexandria
II Is essential that n handbook % Crock liter
ature should convey to the general reader
faithful transcript of tho opinion Prevailing
emonG scholars regarding the history Of tho
Homcric poems. This is the moro necessary
because such unsatisfactory views have been
commended by Mr.. Gladstone. and n'caus, one
Of the latest translations OF the Had AMI o iys-
sey quietly valves ,ho question u authorship %.
and tacity assumes that the existence of 70 per
sonal Homer, creator Of both cpir-. i- sup
ported by tho weight Of evidence and ar-
ceptcd by most competent critics. Now. tho
truth is that the result Of Homcric study from
VOLTS time 20 our day has been. NOT % prove
any precise theory identified with particular
critics namc. but 10 gain wide assent for certain
propositions which greatly narrow the scope of
the discussion In the first place. the Illal aud
the Odyssey belong to the on L. not the beginning
n "a f.al ift
point reached by n school OF poetry in Ionia
which began by shaping the rude war songs -
Acolic bards into short lays. and gradually
evolved a style suited to heroic narrative. As
for tho Had. it has boon enlarged and re-
modelled by several hands from a shorter
poem by one hanl on the Wrath of
Achilles. tho latter having. probably been
composed about $40 Il. {. The odyssey. on the
other side. is mainly the work ~ one lo"t. who
was. however of cons lerlbly later DAT, than
the author OF tho Wrath but who awaited
himself Of earlier lays dealing with tho return
OF the heroes from Troy. Il was proDahly put
together between S90-sj0 3. C.. and WAS aft ,r-
ward interpolatod, though not SO largely as the
Had. Such are some Of the conclusions re
Rarding the Homerie poems which may now ho
pronounced established. ani which we are glad
70 SEQ made known 10 the general reader i'm MI
Jebbs s,holarliAe ianual. truth. IN fact.
never becomes common property until it has
passed into the primer
When we consider how frequently modern
poets. and notnhly Swinhurn' ana Browning.
have striven to make the Grrea drlma reality
TO US. it is clear that Mr. lebb hns rculered n
service 70 cultivated people by heipns them 10
form distinct notion ~ wu.tn performance ia
Greek theatre wn- Ike. Of course tuc cirdi-
nal polat go hr Kept .n mind s. tiai a Crook
drama wa- r'uaer au opera thaH lire. Vne
poct7 ilr, ohl''i wa- TO clon-' and trt.n r 'ii.-
rus. on which hs would sometimes -fnI.l .0II--
equivalent 20 many times that -um now; and t
is to be noted thgt the chOrrgts. or cAo.u. pro-
wider anl trainer. might Eet ur.z'. ir-
respective OF the trigedy's success cs "a piece
Of literary Workmanship. W. ar, reminded
further. that whiie tierc could mover Dee moro
than J0m actors. and up 10 the tlme of Sopho'l,- s.
only two, yet thero was somn opportunity for
paGean,ry. there being no lmito the number
Of mute persons. such rs guards. servants.
&c. who could De brought uulu tAe stage. IS
regards mechanical conditions. u is 81 .uIn-
cant fact that the literary merit OF rle Gr'r'i
drama had perhaps cu'ni'natrl iu .l,cA}l lu-.
when the 81, ilrle wa- stlIl lrH-.nt'd 'd on I. u-
porary wooden platform. Ol,nu in On mark 10
place. after the pr fis" method fuliuN. hy stroll
ling player, 40 English fairs. Lut 10 wa- tIr
famous Thautrc OF Diony.u-. begun about jlD
b. c.. which Aopho .le, un1 lt.p.lr. Aud i'm
view wlen taoy pannol N.ir im-'d. '.;
and IL is useful, therefore, tp bear in min /
some details oi iia structure 10 WAS Doe tl- lorm
Of half circle. opeu 10 the sky AMI tho
site on the foot s0uo of tle Arropols WIS
chosen with am oYr 90 tNe advantage THAT the
upper tiers % sri, cYa.d ho hnNn out ot the
natural ro'k. s wv Sir. JrbD DO. tAn r"ilor
10 imagine himself sitting in ol' oi These
uppcr-tier sHilis with BIS hrrb e. thr N'Wplr-