The Works of Richard Hurd (Volume 2) - Softcover

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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1811. Excerpt: ... But here a question will be started, "Why then "did the Greeks moralize so much, or, if we con"demn Acchts and Seneca, how shall we defend "Sophocles and Euripides?" An ingenious e modern hath taken some pains to satisfy this difficulty, and in part, I think, hath succeeded. His solution, in brief, is, "That the moral and political "aphorisms of the Greek stage generally contained "some apt and interesting allusion to the state of "public affairs, which was easily catched by a quick, "intelligent auditory; and not a dry, affected moral, "without further meaning, as for the most part was "that of the Latins." This account is not a little confirmed by particular instances of such acknowledged allusions, as well as from reflexions on the genius and government of the Athenians, at large. But this, though it goes some way, does not fully extricate the matter. The truth is, these sentences are too thick sown in the Greek writers, to be fully accounted for from the single consideration of their democratical views. Not to observe, that the very choice of this medium for the conveyance of their political applications, presupposes the prior acknowledged use and authority of it. I would then account for it in the following manner. I. In the virtuous simplicity of less polished times, this spirit of moralizing is very prevalent; the good e P. Brumoy, Disc, sur le purall. des Theat. p. 165. Amst. J 732. sense of such people always delighting to shew itself in sententious or proverbial yvdoai, or observations. Their character, lik that of the clown in Shakespear, is to be very swift and sententious. As you like it, Act v. sc. l. This is obvious to common experience, and was long since observed by the philosopher, oi clypoixoi t-akiga. yi/cofAoruVo slr), xai pct§tw...