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MISCELLANIES.

CONJECTURE ON A PASSAGE IN ESCHYLUS.

In the prayer which Electra addresses to Mercury and the soul of her father for the safety of her absent brother, at the commencement of the Choëphore, the following verses (129-31. ed. Dindorf.)

Occur:

κἀγὼ χέουσα τάσδε χέρνιβας βροτοῖς

λέγω, καλοῦσα πατέρ', εποίκτειρόν τ' ἐμὲ

φίλον τ' Ὀρέστην, πῶς ἀνάξομεν δόμοις.

No one, we think, can fail being struck with the weakness of the latter clause, πῶς ἀνάξομεν δόμοις; and one would with justice consider that the supplicatory form of address ought not to be interrupted. We would read with a very slight alteration,

φῶς τ ̓ ἀνάψον ἐν δόμοις.

The metaphorical use of the word pas must be obvious to the classical reader. See Eurip. Hec. 820. Iph. T. 849.

CORRECTION OF A PASSAGE IN EURIPIDES.

Various are the interpretations which the well-known line in the Hecuba of Euripides, 736,

δύστην, ἐμαυτὴν γὰρ λέγω λέγουσα σε,

Εκάβη, τί δράσω ;

has given rise to for an account of them we would refer our readers to Hermann's note on that passage. All of them are, we think, equally unsatisfactory. We submit the following to the judgment of our readers:

δύστην ̓, ἐμαυτὴν γὰρ λέγω ποθοῦσα σέ,
Ἑκάβη, τί δράσω ;

"Infelix Hecuba, meipsum enim dico quum tui desiderium habeam." We need hardly observe how easily the error of Tolovra for Aéyovra can be accounted for, by its proximity to λéyw. As to the phrase, ἐμαύτην γὰρ λέγω, it will be sufficient to refer our readers to Valckenaer's note on Euripides Phoen. 1001.

PHILOLOGUS.

THE RAPE OF EUROPA.

A MARINE DIALOGUE, (from Lucian.)

Zephyrus and Notus, (W. and S. Wind).

(West W.)

WELL, this I will declare,Since first I blew,
So fine a pageant never met my view.-

Did'st see it, brother South ?-(S.) What pageant, West,
Hath thus thy senses and thy sight impress'd ?—
For none I've seen.-(W.) Then 'tis not like again
Thou'lt meet with such another on the main.-
Where wast thou ?-(S.) Busy by the Indian strand,
Plying my task, to cool the sultry land

That stretches inwards.-(W.) Therefore hast thou lost
The sweetest sight that ever eyeballs cross'd.-
Thou know'st Agenor, wealthy Sidon's lord.-
(S.) I do ;-and of his daughter's charms have heard,-
The fair Europa.-(W.) 'Tis of her I speak;
Whose beauty found the Thunderer's heart too weak-
Long hath he loved, and sought the maid to gain,
But, till to-day, hath sigh'd and sought in vain.
(S.) How hath he won her then at length ?—Explain.
(W.) Joy in her heart, and pleasure in her eye,
Down to the shore the blooming girl had gone ;-
There, with her maidens, tripping joyously
She led the dance, and peerless 'mid them shone.

When lo! amid them all a snow-white Bull!
Who, playful like themselves, had join'd their ring;
Of noble aspect, and of forehead full,
The goodly beast his joy was bellowing;
Yet soft the note;-and gentle was his look;
His youthful horns curl'd graceful o'er his face;
And deftly leapt he, and each sport partook,-
So frolicsome, so full of life and grace!—

The God was he !-Europa felt the charm;-
Love's subtle power was working in her breast;—
Nor fail'd her heart, or sunk in soft alarm,
Till with her weight his proffer'd neck she prest :-
Then rush'd he to the main ;-and dashing on
Impetuous through the billows plough'd his way;

While rais'd aloft his snowy shoulders shone,
Breaking on either side the Ocean's spray.

And she, his gentle burden, onward borne,
Oft look'd behind, the lessening shore to view;
Her right-hand timorous grasp'd an arching horn,
Her robe the other closer round her drew,-

Swell'd by the breeze.

(S.) A beauteous sight, I ween; Would I, like you, such spectacle had seen. (W.) A matchless triumph 'twas, achiev'd by love, Dazzling to look upon, and worthy Jove.

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Won by its beauty, soon each Zephyr lay,
Upon the Ocean's bosom hush'd to rest;
Or join'd themselves companions on the way,
Led by the Loves, who fluttered o'er its breast;
And holding flaming torches up on high,
Now touch'd the waters with their tiny feet,-
Then, soaring upwards, waved them in the sky,
Singing the wedding-song, when lovers meet.
The Nereïds too, leaving their coral caves,
With joyful notes the tender tale repeated;
Half hid their charms,-all dancing on the waves,
Or on the finny dolphins sportive seated.

And every living monster of the deep,

In gentlest bearing mingled in the throng;-
Tritons were gambolling round in circling sweep,
And huge sea-beasts dragging their length along.
E'en Ocean's God had seiz'd his chariot reins,
His Amphitrite smiling by his side,
And urged his coursers o'er the azure plains,
Leading the triumph of his brother's Bride;-
A joyous convoy: while the Paphian Queen,
Bright Venus' self, within a shell reclining,
By Tritons twain upheld, was laughing seen,
Strewing fair flowers, and bridal garlands twining.
Thus from Phoenicia to the Cretan shore
Its glittering course the pageant onward bore,-
There ceased-and straight in other semblance drest,
A Bull no more, shone forth the God confest-

And Jove, all-powerful Jove, with eager hand
Led forth the blushing maiden from the strand,

With downcast eye, and trembling at his side,—
(For now she guess'd herself indeed a bride,)

Till Dicte's shady grot received the pair,
And we were left to gaze and wonder there.
Awhile we linger'd;-then to sea again,-
We shaped our varying course across the main.
(S.) O lucky brother West, such sight to view,
While I on Southern shores unceasing blew,
Where elephants and griffins have their home,
And dusky negroes o'er their deserts roam.

R. A. SCOTT.

THE PUSHTU, OR AFFGHAN LANGUAGE.

[We are indebted for the following vocabulary to Lieut. C. Harris, of the Bengal Army, one of the late prisoners at Ghuzni and Cabul. It is an interesting contribution to the science of Comparative Philology, and will, we hope, induce some of our correspondents to investigate this portion of the subject.]

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N. B. The letter r is a peculiar letter, similar to rh in Sanscrit.

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The letter z is pronounced like the French j in jour.

XXI.

NOTICES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS.

ARISTOTELIS OPERA, ex recensione Immanuelis Bekkeri. Accedunt Indices Sylburgiani. Oxonii, e Typographeo Academico, 1837. 11 vols. 8vo.

THE University of Oxford has rendered a useful service to the students of Aristotle, by the reprint, in an octavo size, of the inconve

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