a smaller history of greece-第64章

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ntering　it　Mummius　put　the　few　males　who　remained　to　the　sword；　sold　the　women　and　children　as　slaves　and　having　carried　away　all　its　treasures；　consigned　it　to　the　flames　（B。C。　146）。　　Corinth　was　filled　with　masterpieces　of　ancient　art；　but　Mummius　was　so　insensible　to　their　surpassing　excellence　as　to　stipulate　with　those　who　contracted　to　convey　them　to　Italy；　that；　if　any　were　lost　in　the　passage；　they　should　be　replaced　by　others　of　equal　value！　　Mummius　then　employed　himself　in　chastising　and　regulating　the　whole　of　Greece；　and　ten　commissioners　were　sent　from　Rome　to　settle　its　future　condition。　The　whole　country；　to　the　borders　of　Macedonia　and　Epirus；　was　formed　into　a　Roman　province；　under　the　name　of　ACHAIA；　derived　from　that　confederacy　which　had　made　the　last　struggle　for　its　political　existence。



CHAPTER　XXII。

SKETCH　OF　THE　HISTORY　OF　GREEK　LITERATURE　FROM　THE　EARLIEST　TIMES　TO　THE　REIGN　OF　ALEXANDER　THE　GREAT。

The　Greeks　possessed　two　large　collections　of　epic　poetry。　　The　one　comprised　poems　relating　to　the　great　events　and　enterprises　of　the　Heroic　age；　and　characterised　by　a　certain　poetical　unity；　the　other　included　works　tamer　in　character　and　more　desultory　in　their　mode　of　treatment；　containing　the　genealogies　of　men　and　gods；　narratives　of　the　exploits　of　separate　heroes；　and　descriptions　of　the　ordinary　pursuits　of　life。　　The　poems　of　the　former　class　passed　under　the　name　of　Homer；　while　those　of　the　latter　were　in　the　same　general　way　ascribed　to　Hesiod。　　The　former　were　the　productions　of　the　Ionic　and　AEolic　minstrels　in　Asia　Minor；　among　whom　Homer　stood　pre…eminent　and　eclipsed　the　brightness　of　the　rest：　　the　latter　were　the　compositions　of　a　school　of　bards　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Mount　Helicon　in　Boeotia；　among　whom　in　like　manner　Hesiod　enjoyed　the　greatest　celebrity。　The　poems　of　both　schools　were　composed　in　the　hexameter　metre　and　in　a　similar　dialect；　but　they　differed　widely　in　almost　every　other　feature。

Of　the　Homeric　poems　the　Iliad　and　the　Odyssey　were　the　most　distinguished　and　have　alone　come　down　to　us。　　The　subject　of　the　Iliad　was　the　exploits　of　Achilles　and　of　the　other　Grecian　heroes　before　Ilium　or　Troy；　that　of　the　Odyssey　was　the　wanderings　and　adventures　of　Odysseus　or　Ulysses　after　the　capture　of　Troy　on　his　return　to　his　native　island。　　Throughout　the　flourishing　period　of　Greek　literature　these　unrivalled　works　were　universally　regarded　as　the　productions　of　a　single　mind；　but　there　was　very　little　agreement　respecting　the　place　of　the　poet's　birth　the　details　of　his　life；　or　the　time　in　which　he　lived。　　Seven　cities　laid　claim　to　Homer's　birth；　and　most　of　them　had　legends　to　tell　respecting　his　romantic　parentage；　his　alleged　blindness；　and　his　life　of　an　itinerant　bard　acquainted　with　poverty　and　sorrow。　　It　cannot　be　disputed　that　he　was　an　Asiatic　Greek；　but　this　is　the　only　fact　in　his　life　which　can　be　regarded　as　certain。　　Several　of　the　best　writers　of　antiquity　supposed　him　to　have　been　a　native　of　the　island　of　Chios；　but　most　modern　scholars　believe　Smyrna　to　have　been　his　birthplace。　His　most　probable　date　is　about　B。C。　850。

The　mode　in　which　these　poems　were　preserved　has　occasioned　great　controversy　in　modern　times。　　Even　if　they　were　committed　to　writing　by　the　poet　himself；　and　were　handed　down　to　posterity　in　this　manner；　it　is　certain　that　they　were　rarely　read。　　We　must　endeavour　to　realise　the　difference　between　ancient　Greece　and　our　own　times。　　During　the　most　flourishing　period　of　Athenian　literature　manuscripts　were　indifferently　written；　without　division　into　parts；　and　without　marks　of　punctuation。　　They　were　scarce　and　costly；　could　be　obtained　only　by　the　wealthy；　and　read　only　by　those　who　had　had　considerable　literary　training。　Under　these　circumstances　the　Greeks　could　never　become　a　reading　people；　and　thus　the　great　mass　even　of　the　Athenians　became　acquainted　with　the　productions　of　the　leading　poets　of　Greece　only　by　hearing　them　recited　at　their　solemn　festivals　and　on　other　public　occasions。　　This　was　more　strikingly　the　case　at　an　earlier　period。　　The　Iliad　and　the　Odyssey　were　not　read　by　individuals　in　private；　but　were　sung　or　recited　at　festivals　or　to　assembled　companies。　　The　bard　originally　sung　his　own　lays　to　the　accompaniment　of　his　lyre。　　He　was　succeeded　by　a　body　of　professional　reciters；　called　Rhapsodists；　who　rehearsed　the　poems　of　others。　　and　who　appear　at　early　times　to　have　had　exclusive　possession　of　the　Homeric　poems。　　But　in　the　seventh　century　before　the　Christian　era　literary　culture　began　to　prevail　among　the　Greeks；　and　men　of　education　and　wealth　were　naturally　desirous　of　obtaining　copies　of　the　great　poet　of　the　nation。　　From　this　cause　copies　came　to　be　circulated　among　the　Greeks；　but　most　of　them　contained　only　separate　portions　of　the　poems；　or　single　rhapsodes；　as　they　were　called。　　Pisistratus；　the　tyrant　or　despot　of　Athens；　is　said　to　have　been　the　first　person　who　collected　and　arranged　the　poems　in　their　present　form；　in　order　that　they　might　be　recited　at　the　great　Panathenaic　festival　at　Athens。

Three　works　have　come　down　to　us　bearing　the　name　of　Hesiodthe　'Works　and　Days；'　the　'Theogony；'　and　a　description　of　the　'Shield　of　Hercules。'　Many　ancient　critics　believed　the　'Works　and　Days'　to　be　the　only　genuine　work　of　Hesiod；　and　their　opinion　has　been　adopted　by　most　modern　scholars。　　We　learn　from　this　work　that　Hesiod　was　a　native　of　Ascra；　a　village　at　the　foot　of　Mount　Helicon；　to　which　his　father　had　migrated　from　the　AEolian　Cyme　in　Asia　Minor。　　He　further　tells　us　that　he　gained　the　prize　at　Chalcis　in　a　poetical　contest；　and　that　he　was　robbed　of　a　fair　share　of　his　heritage　by　the　unrighteous　decision　of　judges　who　had　been　bribed　by　his　brother　Perses。　The　latter　became　afterwards　reduced　in　circumstances；　and　applied　to　his　brother　for　relief；　and　it　is　to　him　that　Hesiod　addresses　his　didactic　poem　of　the　'Works　and　Days；'　in　which　he　lays　down　various　moral　and　social　maxims　for　the　regulation　of　his　conduct　and　his　life。　　It　contains　an　interesting　representation　of　the　feelings；　habits；　and　superstitions　of　the　rural　population　of　Greece　in　the　earlier　ages。　　Respecting　the　date　of　Hesiod　nothing　certain　can　be　affirmed。　　Modern　writers　usually　suppose　him　to　have　flourished　two　or　three　generations　later　than　Homer。

The　commencement　of　Greek　lyric　poetry　as　a　cultivated　species　of　composition　dates　from　the　middle　of　the　seventh　century　before　the　Christian　era。　　No　important　event　either　in　the　public　or　private　life　of　a　Greek　could　dispense　with　this　accompaniment；　and　the　lyric　song　was　equally　needed　to　solemnize　the　worship　of　the　gods；　to　cheer　the　march　to　battle；　or　to　enliven　the　festive　board。　　The　lyric　poetry；　with　the　exception　of　that　of　Pindar；　has　almost　entirely　perished；　and　all　that　we　possess　of　it；　consists　of　a　few　songs　and　isolated　fragments。

The　great　satirist　ARCHILOCHUS　was　one　of　the　earliest　and　most　celebrated　of　all　the　lyric　poets。　　He　was　a　native　of　the　island　of　Paros；　and　flourished　about　the　year　700　B。C。　　His　fame　rests　chiefly　on　his　terrible　satires；　composed　in　the　Iambic　metre。　in　which　he　gave　vent　to　the　bitterness　of　a　disappointed　man。

TYRTAEUS　and　ALCMAN　were　the　two　great　lyric　poets　of　Sparta；　though　neither　of　them　was　a　native　of　Lacedaemon。　　The　personal　history　of　Tyrtaeus；　and　his　warlike　songs　which　roused　the　fainting　courage　of　the　Spartans　during　the　second　Messenian　war；　have　already　been　mentioned。　　Alcman　was　originally　a　Lydian　slave　in　a　Spartan　family；　and　was　emancipated　by　his　master。　　He　lived　shortly　after　the　second　Messenian　war。　　His　poems　partake　of　the　character　of　this　period；　which　was　one　of　repose　and　enjoyment　after　the　fatigues　and　perils　of　war。　　Many　of　his　songs　celebrate　the　pleasures　of　good　eating　and　drinking；　but　the　more　important　were　intended　to　be　sung　by　a　chorus　at　the　public　festivals　of　Sparta。

ARION　was　a　native　of　Methymna　in　Lesbos；　and　lived　some　time　at　the　court　of　Periander；　tyrant　of　Corinth；　who　began　to　reign　B。C。　625。　　Nothing　is　known　of　his　life　beyond　the　beautiful　story　of　his　escape　from　the　sailors　with　whom　he　sailed　from　Sicily　to　Corint