1. The utter confusion of the situations of Argos cena in the Tragedians has often been noticed-a cor more remarkable when contrasted with the fidelity v they possess all that is essential to the real interest of in the localities of Mycena; and when it is consi palpable the confusion must have been to Greeks, wh have visited the places in question, and have know was situated five miles from the other-one a flouri the other in total desolation. 2. In the actual vestiges of Colonos there is m to interest a reader of Sophocles. The two small hill: on the outskirts of the long forest of olives, where from Thebes would first emerge to the view of the Athens (Ed. Col. 13)-their rocky projections, conne with the group of hills which form the ἔρεισμ ̓ Ἀθηνῶν 51) the prospect of the level plain (eviπov), and the beyond (eváλaooov, Ed. Col. 667)—the luxuriant cree hang over the walls of the adjacent vineyards (ib. 67 the glades of ancient olive-trees, interspersed with shrubs of oleander (δάφνης, ἐλαίας, ἀμπέλου) (ib. 18)of the Cephisus which irrigate the gardens and the (ib. 185)-all exactly coincide with the poetical descri even here it is obvious that other reasons than a m natural scenery have conspired to produce it; that i sult, partly of the poet's affection for his birth-place the natural prominence which such a spot would the eyes of an Athenian, to whom, accustomed only to plain and waterless rocks of the rest of Attica, Col seem, by contrast, a spot of unusually luxuriant veg the Cephisus a noble and beneficent stream. And gress of the drama all the details of topography, whe with the actual localities, vanish as completely as of Argos and Mycena. Dr. Wordsworth (Athens p. 238) has well shown how in his wish to reconc dition of Edipus' burial at his own birth-place, C the more national and authorized version which plac in the sanctuary of the Eumenides under the Areopagu has veiled the whole of the closing scene in studied obso s of Argos and My ere is much indeed ib. 18)-the rivulets and the olive-grore al description. Yet, han a mere love of ; that it is the reth-place, partly of would assume in only to the barren ca, Colonos would ant vegetation, and And in the pro y, when compared y as in the case thens and Attica, reconcile the traace, Colonos, with h placed his tomb eopagus, Sophocles ed obscurity. The the honour of its real parent, in the same way as the have usurped the honour of the whole historical and Parnassus. In other words, the only Parnassus and Castalian spring of which the Greeks chose to know were those crags and that spring which were always with the holiest associations of the whole Greek race, recalled to their minds the solemn scene of the Delph disregarding altogether the mountain and the spring w none but shepherds or accidental travellers could be In the same spirit, the fanciful or mythological nan they affixed had reference to the places, not as they themselves, but as they appeared to those who pas whatever road in ancient times was the chief approach Thus, the ridge of mountains which overhangs Mycen it has really five peaks, was said to have resulted from faction of three nymphs-because (as it would seen point of view in which it would be seen by the pilg came to worship at the great temple of the Argive He peaks are so grouped together as to appear to be thre But the most striking instance of the action and re-ac existed between the scenery and the imagination of Gr be found in its mythology. In this respect, the differ course, immense between a local and an universal relig merest fancies of a national belief will be far more de woven with the outward features of the country with w are associated, than can possibly be the case with the an universal faith 18. To have seen Puteoli or Malta ma factory, as giving us a lively image of the scenes of St. crounos, which name seems to have been sometimes given to the perennial vein of water which creeps under the dry bed of the Ilissus, sometimes to the passage of the main stream of the Ilissus, when swollen by rain it falls in a cascade over these rocks, just as the Castalian stream in like circumstances falls over the cleft at whose foot is the famous spring.-For the somewhat contradictory statements respecting Callirhoe, of which the above seems the best explanation, see Leake's Athens, 2nd edit. 1. p. 175. Words worth's Athens and Attica 18 Dr. Robinson, in his searches in Palestine, has casion to make a remark character on the ease of id localities of the Old Testam with the difficulty of identif the New Testament. In th local character of the relig places with its own import latter, its universal characte fact of its importance, threw siderations into the shade. way as the two crags torical and geological nassus and the only se to know any thing, re always connnected Freek race, when they the Delphic oracle; - spring with which could be familiar. gical names which t as they were gs Mycenae, though d Attica, p. 161. in his valuable Reine, has frequent ocremark of the same ase of identifying the Testament compared fidentifying those of .In the former the Che religion invested n importance-in the character, by the very e, threw all local conshade. standing at the threshold or outlet into the profane ext Yet they have each their distinctive marks. The spi and retirement which pervades the sanctuary of Esculapi the hills of Epidaurus, outweighed to the Greeks all advantages of its hot situation, and its want of medicina fixing its title to be regarded as the seat of the h the lonely plain of Nemea sunk as by magic into t the wild upland boundaries of Argolis and Corinth suited to express the solemnity of the funeral games morus; Brauron, the seat of the worship of Artem cannot be more happily described than in the complai in its desolation— From haunted spring and dale Edg'd with poplar pale The parting genius is with sighing sent; Olympia-by its peculiar brightness and liveliness colour, by its full majestic river, and by its low rampa green wooded hills, distinct in character from the rest is well fitted for the scene of the only festivity com whole Greek race; much in the same way, as it ha observed, that England, separated by its insular positi rest of Europe, is better fitted, in its history, to represen tendencies of the common European mind, than any o more directly mixed up with them. In Delphi and one can fail to be struck with the stern impressive f mon to both: the bold cliffs, starting from the side the water rushing from hidden sources through the dee rocks, both of which seem to have denoted earth spe her inmost heart in oracles. Delphi, in particular, i position laid down before-that the most interesting sp can be discovered without the possibility of doubt. to be known about it hitherto may be seen in the Ulrichs upon Phocis, in which it occupies the mo 21 The same general character appears to pervade the scenery of the Styx; and here, as in the case of Epidaurus, only with a reverse consequence, the awe inspired by the whole scene, in direct con tradiction to facts, orig in the poisonous quali which still seems to lir See Leake's Morea, 11 |