AESCHYLUS, the tragic poet, was born at Athens. The time of his birth is not exactly ascertained. Some suppose that it was in the 65th, others in the 70th Olympiad; but according to Stanley, who follows the Arundelian[7:2:197] marbles, he was born in the 63d Olympiad. He was the son of Euphorion, and brother to Cynaegirus and Amynias, who distinguished themselves in the battle of Marathon and the sea-fight of Salamis, at which engagements Aeschylus was likewise present. In this last action, according to Diodorus Siculus, Amynias, the youngest of the three brothers, commanded a squadron of ships, and fought with so much conduct and bravery, that he sunk the admiral of the Persian fleet, and signalized himself above all the Athenians. To this brother our poet was, upon a particular occasion, obliged for saving his life. Aelian relates, that Aeschylus, being charged by the Athenians with certain blasphemous expressions in some of his pieces, was accused of impiety, and condemned to be stoned to death: they were just going to put the sentence in execution, when Amynias, with a happy presence of mind, throwing aside his cloak, showed his arm without a hand, which he had lost at the battle of Salamis in defence of his country. This sight made such an impression on the judges, that, touched with the remembrance of his valour, and with the friendship he showed for his brother, they pardoned Aeschylus. Our poet, however, resented the indignity of this prosecution, and resolved to leave a place where his life had been in danger. He became more determined in this resolution when he found his pieces less pleasing to the Athenians than those of Sophocles, though a much younger writer. Some affirm, that Aeschylus never sat down to compose but when he had drunk liberally. He wrote a great number of tragedies, of which there are but seven remaining; and notwithstanding the sharp censures of some critics, he must be allowed to have been the father of the tragic art. In the time of Thespis there was no public stage to act upon, the strollers driving about from place to place in a cart. Aeschylus furnished his actors with masks, and dressed them suitably to their characters. He likewise introduced the buskin, to make them appear more like heroes. The ancients gave Aeschylus also the praise of having been the first who removed murders and shocking sights from the eyes of the spectators. He is said likewise to have lessened the number of the chorus. M. Le Fevre has observed, that Aeschylus never represented women in love in his tragedies, which, he says, was not suited to his genius; but in representing a woman transported with fury he was incomparable. Longinus says, that Aeschylus has a noble boldness of expression, and that his imagination is lofty and heroic. It must be owned, however, that he affected pompous words, and that his sense is too often obscured by figures. This gave Salmasius occasion to say that he was more difficult to be understood than the Scripture itself. But notwithstanding these imperfections, this poet was held in great veneration by the Athenians, who made a public decree that his tragedies should be played after his death. He was killed in the 69th year of his age, by an eagle letting fall a tortoise upon his head as he was walking in the fields. He had the honour of a pompous funeral from the Sicilians, who buried him near the river Gela; and the tragedians of the country performed plays and theatrical exercises at his tomb. The best editions of Aeschylus are those of Stanley, folio, Lond. 1663, with an excellent Latin translation and commentary; and of Schütz, in 3 vols. 8vo, Halle, 1782.