royal Helena, the greatest and most fatal beauty of all Antiquity, is difcovered by Iris, as employed in the Iliad, Her in her palace at her loom she found, The golden web her own fad ftory crown'd: (Pope, b. 3. v. 172.) 1 According to Monfieur Guys, "Embroidery is the present Occupation of Women in Modern Græce; and he obferves, that we are indebted to the Greeks for this Art, which among them was very ancient, and carried to the highest point of perfection and excellence :" He illuftrates this affertion by feveral claffical inftances in his fourth letter of his Voyage Litteraire de la Græce. (P. 39.) N° LXVII. Verfe 1428. Δώρημ' Αθάνας, ἡ τέκν ἐρέφειν λέγει. 1483. The gift of Pallas, who thus nurtures children. THIS intermediate line in the mouth of Ion is propofed to be given with the former and fubfequent one to Creufa by Pierfon, Heath", and Mufgrave: Becaufe it is improbable that Ion, educated at Delphi, fhould have heard of the Dragons, the gift of Pallas to Erichthonius: I confefs that I fee not the neceffity of this emendation, fince Ion through the whole drama appears to have an intimate knowledge of Verifim. Lib. p. 13. z Not. in Ion. p. 142. * See his Note on (V. 1448.) in his edition. all 4 all the historical circumstances regarding this illuftrious fa mily: This is evident from his converfation with Creusa on her first arrival at Delphi: And why may he not be fuppofed to have seen the figures of these ferpents depicted, as he tells us in a former line of the play, "that the delivery of Erichthonius by Minerva to the Daughters of Agraulos is reprefented in painting:" This deep acquaintance of Ion with the Hiftory and Customs of the Athenians may be perhaps confidered, as I fhall hereafter mention in my Final Effay, if we confider his years and education, as a dramatick defect; but as this critical objection to the propriety of manners does not solely rest on the prefent paffage, I am inclined to reject an alteration, unfupported by manuscript authority, when the sense does not abfolutely require it. N° LXVIII. Verfe 1480. Τὸν ἐλαιοφυῆ πάγον. Amidst the rocks 1536. With Olive crown'd. THE various historical teftimonies, which relate to the confecrated olive in the citadel of Athens, produced by Minerva in her contention with Neptune for the fupremacy over that city, are collected by Meurfius in his Cecropia. This tree is known to delight in a barren foil, like the rock on which this citadel was built: Thus Virgil, Difficiles primum terræ, collefque maligni, (Georg. 1. 2. v. 181.) 4 V. 271. See my Annotations on the Greek Text. 5 C. 19: N° LXIX. No LXIX. Verfe 1550. 'Ανθήλιον πρόσωπον ἐκφαίνει θεῶν ; ; What God above the hallow'd dome unveils 1604. His radiant face, that shines another Sun? WE may collect from the expreffion in this and the following lines the fublime idea, which the Græcians entertained of the awful prefence of their Pagan Divinities, and of the fatal confequences arifing to the fpectator from the appearance of them: Here Ion alludes to that luminous fplendour, dazzling with its irradiation, and to the danger of beholding this heavenly Vifitant. Thus Achilles, when Minerva appears to him in order to appease his refentment against Agamemnon, is astonished at her celestial aspect, and the terrible appearance of her eyes, Δεινώ δε οἱ ἴσσε φαάνθεν. (II. I. v. 200.) I It is by this peculiar fymbol of divine light, and by the brilliant luftre of her glittering eyes, that Helena discovers Venus, where the mentions her ὄμματα μαρμαίροντα: And thus Minerva in her defcent is compared by Homer to a glancing ftar, whofe trail of light emits many sparkles, while all the Spectators are confounded at the awful fight of the Goddess, Θάμβος δ' ἔχει εἰσοροώνας. (11. 4. v. 79.) The Romans borrowed this idea of divine effulgence from the Græcians: Thus Virgil fays of Venus, Rofeâ cervice refulfit. (En. 1. v. 406.) And in another paffage he reprefents the fame Goddess, He also paints Pallas in the fatal night of Troy, when revealed to Æneas, as Nimbo effulgens. (En. 2. v. 616.) His Juno is discovered in her disguise of Beroe by the glowing symbol of her eyes among other marks of divinity, Divini figna decoris Ardentefque notate oculos. (Æn. 5. v. 648.) 2 We will now confider the fatal confequences arifing from the presence of these Divinities; and these were to be dreaded, unless upon particular occafions, as Ion here qualifies the expreffion. This obfervation will enable us to answer a question, started by the English Commentator on the following lines of the Odyssey, The Prince o'eraw'd Scarce lifts his eyes, and bows as to a God. (B. 16. v. 195.) 2 Εἰ μὴ καιρὸς ἐσθ' ἡμᾶς ὁρᾶν. (V. 1552.) Here Here Ulyffes, adorned by Minerva with divine Graces, discovers himself in the lodge of Eumæus to his Son Telemachus, Θάμβησε δὲ μὲν φίλος υιὸς Ταρβήσας δ' ἑτέρωσε βάλ ̓ ὄμμα]α μὴ θεὸς ἔιη. (11. 16. v.179.) The original expreffion literally implies, "that the fon is "aftonished at him, and cafts his eyes through fear on the "other fide, left he should be a God." But the Commentator remarks, "This fear of Telemachus, according to Dacier, proceeds from the opinion of the Ancients: When the "Gods came down vifibly, they thought themselves fo un"worthy of fuch a manifeftation, that whenever it happened, "they believed they should die, or meet with some great 66 66 among calamity: Thus the Ifraelites addrefs Mofes, Speak thou to us, and we will hear; but let not the LORD fpeak to us, left we die. Thus alfo Gideon: Alas! O LORD, my "GOD, because I have seen an Angel of the LORD face to "face, and the LORD faid to him, Fear not, thou shalt not "die. Hence it is very evident that this notion prevailed the Ifraelites: but how does it appear that the "Greeks held the fame opinion?" I reply, that this paffage in Euripides, where Ion exclaims, "Let us fly, O "Mother, that we may not behold the Deity," demonstrates, that the Græcian idea of the danger of a divine prefence is fupported by evidence; nor is it irreconcileable with the following obfervations of the English Commentator, who continues to affert, "The contrary is manifeft almoft to a "demonstration: The Gods are introduced almost in every 3 Φεύγωμεν, ὦ τεκᾶσα, μὴ τὰ δαιμόνων Ορώμενο (V. 1552.) "book |