The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-07-09

words which show hat Aeschylus
was fully aware Of the necessity TO
buttress the imagination with the aid
of divine interference LOT Sucn a
Superhuman task.
Further in regard to DR.. Verralfs
view that the Waterman was a traitor
in the pay Of Aegisthus. we cannot
agree. for his closing words are too
pathetic, ring too true for US to feel
any undercurrent of faith tesSness and
betrayal.
All we'll at least God send
The master come safe home, to let me
grasp
His friendly hand in mine.
There is surely no touch Of the faith
less heart in these simple and honieiy
words and it takes a great stretch
of the imagination to believe that this
Waterman is other than the play
makes him out to be, namely a SIM
pie, faithful peasant, true to his a
ter. and at the same time true to hlm-
self so as to look out for his own
safety in the catastrophe that he fears
must come. He is not unlike the
guard in the Antigone Of Sophocles.
though not so brutal in the selfish re-
gard for his own safety.
The remarks on the story are en-
riched with many citations from
I1OIItCI III l. "IiASkS do = 90
from Aeschylus himself, and are
necessary for q thorough understand
ing of Aeschylus's point of view and
for a sympathetic and intelligent
study Of the play. for they set forth
very clearly the basis on which the
drama rests.
Perhaps the most interesting chap
ter is that on the Religious and
Moral IDEAS" which it would repay
any one interested in the development
| of religion among the Greeks to read
and carefully perpend. Aeschylus's
doctrine Of Learning by experience"
the transformation Of character by
pain. the subtle process by
which the Deity effects all change"
is lucidly brought out. Dr.. Head
lam also touches on the bold indie
pendence of spirit in AeSchyluS in
dissenting from the views of others,
as when he says, in the noble lines
C55-9):
But single in the world | hold
A doctrine different from the old:
| Not veal it is, but sinful Deed
More sinners after him doth breed
Formed in his image; none the less
Doth lovely offspring always bless
The house that follows Righteousness.
The chapter on the characters
shows a profound study of the diff
le1tlI pdt ID d1lu IS q great Hclp III
getting into close tOuch with the play.
One who reads this chapter before
hand cannot help getting a clearer
vision of the several characters as the
play develops itself.
"A brief note at the end of the in
PRODUCTION enumerateS the manu-
scripts containing the Agamemnon
which are referred to in this edition
1t is here we miss the inal hand OF
DIR. Headlam, especially giving us in
full an account Of the manuscripts
as we'll as the methods he followed il
constituting the text which he sub
mits to the world. Perhaps his WORK
ION editing Aeschylus," which unfor
%tunateiy l have never seen, contain:
all that is needful. At any rate, / re
gret very much that some Of the crit
cal notes do not contain fuller in
formation.
The translation, placed side by sid,
with the text, enables the reader, ever
though he has long 6 put aside hi
Greek, to follow with moderate easa
and great pleasure the original Greek
In a spiritual translation such a
this is, l do not pretend to be com
petent to criticise. | can. however
say with sincerity. that it has givel
, me great pleasure. not only in tn
first, but also in the second reading
and l feel hat I can commend i
ia the IllS Hest lCI HIS. oCCdSEOidily
it must be confessed, the English i
somewhat difficult to understand, eve
where the o~bscurity Of the origina
) is no excuse as for example in line
| 269-29O:
Right woman's giddinees, to a tempt
ing lure
: The yielding yes ere present proc
assure.
3 And again in 493. so perisheth fam
a woman cries." the commission of tn
relative is harsh to say the least, an
, TO many will carry Il wrong impress
sion. Of course the Greek will col
rect these wrong impressions. but tn
Greek may not always be used, an
the English should always be SO iuei
as to be beyond the possibility OF mis-
conception.
S These faults, however, are slight i
comparison with the very many c,
c~ellencies.
G The play on words is we'll brougf