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to play the parafite, and he without difpute is "of all Gods the greateft. "Tis his cuftom to make himself welcome in every house he en"ters, rich or poor, no matter which; wherever "he finds the dinner-table neatly fpread, the "couches ready fet, and all things in decent "order, down fits he without ceremony; cats, "drinks and makes merry, and all at free.coft, "cajoling his poor hoft; and in the end, when he has filled his belly and bilked his club, coolly "walks home at his leifure."

DIONYSIUS the comic poet was alfo a native of Sinope, the countryman as well as contemporary of Diodorus. I have nothing but a fhort fentence from this author, which conveys an excellent maxim fo neatly turned, that I fhall fut it down in the original

Η λέγε τὶ σιγής κρίντλον, ή σιγήν έχει

Either fay fomething better than nothing, or fay "nothing!"

The noted tyrant of Sicily of the above name was alfo a writer both of tragedy and comedy.

EPHIPPUS, a writer of comedy in this period, was a native of Athens, and one of the moft

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moft celebrated poets of his age; we have the titles of twelve of his comedies, of all which that intitled Philyra was the most admired; this Philyra was the mother of Chiron the Centaur.

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N° CIV.

EPICRA TE S.

PICRATES was a native of the city of Ambrafia, the capital of Epirus; his reputation is high amongst the writers of the class under our prefent review; he was fomewhat junior in point of time to Antiphanes before mentioned, and, if we are to give credit to Athenæus, was an imitator of that poet's manner; it is faid that he went fo far as to copy certain paffages out of his comedies and introduce them into his own. Five of his comedies are named, and the following remnant of a dialogue ridicules the frivolous difquifitions of the Academy in fo pleasant a ftile of comic irony, that I think myself happy in the difcovery of it. The learned reader will acknowledge a striking fimilitude in the manner

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to Ariftophanes's remarks upon the occupations of Socrates's fcholars in the comedy of The Clouds.

"A. I pray you, Sir (for I perceive you learn'd
"In these grave matters) let my ignorance fuck
"Some profit from your courtesy, and tell me
What are your wife philofophers engag'd in,
"Your Plato, Menedemnus and Speafippus ?

What mighty myfteries have they in projection?
What new discoveries may the world expect
From their profound refearches? I conjure you,
By Earth, our common mother, to impart them!
B. Sir, you fhall know at our great festival
"I was myfelf their hearer, and so much

As I there heard will presently difclofe,
"So you will give it ears, for I must speak
Of things perchance furpaffing your belief,
So ftrange they will appear; but fo it happen'd,
"That these most fage Academicians fate
In folemn consultation-on a cabbage.

A. A cabbage! what did they discover there? "B. Oh fir! your cabbage hath it's fex and gender, It's provinces, prerogatives and ranks,

And nicely handled breeds as many questions As it does maggots. All the younger fry "Stood dumb with expectation and respect, Wond'ring what this fanie cabbage should bring "forth:

The Lecturer ey'd them round, whereat a youth.

Took heart, and breaking first the awful filence, "Humbly crav'd leave to think-that it was round: "The caule was now at iffue, and a fecond

Opin'd it was an herb-A third conceiv'd
"With due fubmiffion it might be a plant-
The difference inethought was fuch, that each
Might keep his own opinion and be right;

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"But foon a bolder voice broke up the council, "And, ftepping forward, a Sicilian quack

Told them their question was abuse of time, "It was a cabbage, neither more nor lefs, "And they were fools to prate fo much about itInfolent wretch! amazement feiz'd the troop, "Clamor and wrath and tumult rag'd amain, "Till Plato, trembling for his own philofophy, And calmly praying patience of the court, Took up the cabbage and adjourn'd the cause."

ERIPHUS was also a writer of the Middle Comedy, and like the poet last reviewed is charged by Athenæus with being a copyift of Antiphanes. Three small fragments, and the titles of three plays, are every thing which now remains of this author.

EUBULUS.

Eubulus, the fon of Euphranor, and a native of Atarna in Lefbos, ranks with the most celebrated poets of this æra, and though Suidas enumerates only four and twenty of his comedies, Athenæus contends that he was the author of fifty, and the names of all these are still upon the lift. He flourished in Olymp. CÌ, which is fo VOL. IV.

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high

high in the period now under review, as to make it matter of doubt whether the Old Comedy has not a joint claim to his productions with the Middle: Ammonius however exprefsly claffes Eubulus amongst the latter, and quotes his comedy of The Cup Bearers; it is from this very comedy as it should seem, that the famous paffage was taken, in which he introduces Bacchus in perfon laying down to mankind these temperate and moral rules against the abuse of his bless ings

"Three cups of wine a prudent man may take; "The first of thefe for conftitution's fake;

"The fecond to the girl he loves the beft;

The third and laft to lull him to his reft,
Then home to bed!-but if a fourth he pours,

"That is the cup of folly and not ours;
"Loud noify talking on the fifth attends;

"The fixth breeds feuds and falling-out of friends;

"Seven beget blows and faces ftained with gore;

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Eight, and the watch-patrole breaks ope the door;

"Mad with the ninth, another cup goes round,

"And the twill'd fot drops fenfelefs to the ground."

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When fuch maxims of moderation proceed from the mouth of Bacchus, it argues great impiety in his votaries not to obey them.

The most elegant epigrammatift might be proud to father the following ingenious turn upon. the emblem of Love addreffed to a painter

Why,

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