The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-02-14

Curious things are seen by those who
go down into the land OF literature to
read the thoughts OF the dead, and
among them nothing more curious than
the remarkable anachronisms OF the
ancient writers. Notwithstanding a
desire on the part OF the reader OF some
loved poet or historian to excuse the
palpable errors which too frequently
creep in, upon the ground oil careless
ness, it is too apparent at times that to
ignorance alone must be ascribed most
OF the anachrpnisms,
Sophocles, in his 'Electra," tells us
OF tho death of 0restes, who, he sup
poses, was tn rown from his chariot and
killed during the Pythian games. Now,
these games were not instituted until
over 900 years after the death Of young
0restes. Euripidies in his "Pheni-
ose," the subject Of which, twill be re-
membered, is the invasion OF Thebes by
Polynices and the Arglves, produces
Teresias talking OF his giving the vic
tory to Athens against Eumelpus AS
matter OF fact, tho Eumolpus war took
place four generations before the The
ban war.
The comic poets OF Rome and Athens,
as may be imagined, showed very little
respect for chronology in fact they al
most utterly ignored il, as witness
Alexis, in his comedy OF "Hesione," in7
Producing Hercules drinking from. n
"Thericean cup" species Of goblet in
vented by one Thericles, Corinthian
potter who tlourished 500 years after
the supposed period OF Hercules. Di-
philus, in his "SapPho," has Archilochus
and Hipponax both addressing the
burning lady, though Hipponax was
dead century before she was born,
ana she died almost as long before
Archiiochus was born. Then we have
the great Plautus, in his "Amphytrion,"
causing Blenpharo to talk about golden
Philippians, money not coined until
900 years alter the days Of Amphytrion.
Dryden alludes to Virgil's famous anach-
ronism in making Kneas and Dido con-
temporaries, "ior it is certain that tho
hero lived about 200 years before the
building Of Carthage"
But still greater discrepancy OF time
is found in the authors works, where
Eneas ia placed in the port Velinus,
which was made by the Roman Consul
GURUS Densatus! Nor have the COM
mentators OF Virgil Jared any better.
In the celebrated stanzas Of the poet,
beginning" Escudent alii," &c, Lord
Bolingbroke imagined that Virgil at
trihuted to tho Romans the honor Of
having surpassed tho Greeks in histori-
cal composition. According to his
idea" says D Israeli, "those Roman his
torians whom Virgil preferred to the
Grecians we're Sallust, Livy and Tacitus,
But Virgil died before Liyy had written
his history, or Tacitus was born!" But
Morglay (lS52) did still better, for he
makes Dido tells Eneas that she should
have been contented with son, even
''if he had been coCkney dandipert."
St. Austin once made curious
anachronism. The holy father under.
took to prove that the ten plaques wero
punishments adapted TO the breach OF
the commandments. But he forgot
that the latter were given to the
Isrealites, and the plaques were in
fiicted on the Egyptians, and also, that
the commandments were not issued to
the Jews until nearly three months
after the plaques had been sent
"Chancer's poem, 'Troilus and Ores.
sida,'" says Campbell, "abounds in all
those glorious anachronisms which were
then, and so long after, permitted to
romantic poetry-such as making the
son OF Priam read the Thebias' OF
Status, and the gentlemen Of Troy con-
verse about the devil, jousts and tourna.
ments, bishops, parliaments, and
scholastic divinity" In Book Y. he
makes Pandarus, at the siege OF Troy,
refer to Robin Hood thus:
"And to hlmselie iul soberly he salde,
From Hassellwood there jolly Robin plaicd."
Palavicini, in his "History of the
Council OF Trent" to confer an honor
on Lansac, the ambassador OF Charles
IN, to that council bestows on him a
collar OF tine Order OF st. Esprit, but
this order was founded several years
later by Henry III, Lodge, in "The Trud
Tragedies OF Marius and Sylla," 1884,
introduces Frenchmen who, "ior forty
crowns" agree to poison the Consul Of
Rome; and Schiller, in "Die Piccolom.
ini," anticipates the lightning rod by
more than hundred years when he
makes Butler say, (Act /, Scene 81
"Doch allie ilirht an glesch gcryalt gem zugel
Kin einZiRet durch gletche tleb' und Furcht
Zu eincm Woke sic zusammen hlndendben
Und vie des Blltzes Funkc Slclcr, schned,
Gee, tet an der WettcSRnge, lauit
Horrscht sein IIeiehl, &c.
In the "0rlando Furioso" Ariosto
has made a very strange anachronism,
which seems to have been entirely due
TO the authors ignorance OF the times
In which his characters tlourished.
Thus, In the sixth book, Charlemagne
and tho Paladins are Joined by Edward,
King OF England, the Earl OF Warwick
aud the Dukes Of York, Clarence and
Gloster. In Book ~, Cymosco, the
King triza, employs cannon in battle.
and the Same military implements arc
used in tho siege OF Paris Book VIZ.
The poet also establishes the Moors in
Spain, though the Saracens did not in
vile them over until nearly three CEN
turics aitcr tho death OF Charlemagne,
and Constantine tho Great figures in
the last three books, though no died
A. D. 227. When Delaylgne, In his
lies Eniants d'Eduard," supplemented
the murder OF the Princes in tho Tower
Ny Juo uluHlC Vi you puNo tHO Ming
he made an objectionable bunder, but,
on the whole, perhaps Ariosto did even
better
It's rom arkablo that tho works OF
Shakespeare are crowded with anNchro.
nisms, tho greatest number OF which,
ono would like to believe, arc tho work
OF caroleHsnoBs. In tho play Of "Coriol.
anus" Titus Lartius, addressing Caius
Martius Il G., Coriolanus,) saysi
"Thou wnsi soldier even to Caios wish"
which is certainly n little curious, for