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ESSAYS ON THE DRAMA.

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The Grecian drama forms one of the most delightful walks in the garden of classical literature; and while it presents models of genuine pathos and beautiful writing, it throws important light on the superstitions, prejudices, and moral feelings of that highly intellectual people, the Greeks. They retained, even during the decline of their government, a strong desire for every species of dramatic entertainment; they were imitated by the Romans, the conquerors of the world, who introduced into Rome all the classical improvements of the Athenian stage.

It was not, however, till about two hundred years before the christian era, that Plautus, the great Roman comic writer, appeared, but whose comedies were principally translations from the works of Dephilus, Epicharmus, and other Greek authors: notwithstanding this lack of originality, the vigor and beauty of his compositions are much praised; and according to Varro, the muses, if they had spoken Latin, would have used the language of Plautus.

Amid the glory of ancient Rome, while the actions of her eminent men renowned as warriors, orators, and statesmen, astonished the world, the Roman stage never attained the brilliancy or fertility of the Grecian; Terence being the only writer after Plautus who is worthy of notice. Terence flourished about a hundred years before the christian era, and was by birth an African; he was adopted, when a child, by Publius Terentius Lucanus, a Roman senator, who took him to Rome and had him educated. Being emancipated by his master, the young African assumed the name of his benefactor, and soon acquired reputation and friends by the talents which he displayed. His writings were much admired by the polite and learned of Rome, being esteemed for their prudential maxims and morality. Most of his plays, like those of Plautus, are translations from the Greek; but they are valuable on that very account, as giving us an idea of his celebrated model, Menander. Ancient Rome presents a dreary blank in the history of the drama, for shortly after this period her greatness began to fade: vast projects of ambition occupied her senate, whilst the contending factions, under such men as Sylla, Marius, and Pompey, led on to that dreadful degeneracy which ultimately destroyed every feeling connected with the cultivation of the fine arts; and amidst the debasement of manners, in place of the refinements of comedy, the Roman stage was disgraced by the most barbarous spectacles. Gladiators, wild beasts, and other brutal exhibitions, corrupted the public taste, which, tending to plunge the people into every species of immorality, the decline of the empire soon followed:

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ruin and desolation complete its history. That vast empire, which gave laws to the world, perished by its own infamy, and speedily ensued over Europe that deluge of ignorance that has been truly termed the dark ages.

In the beginning of the middle ages, when every thing noble and intellectual was buried under the deluge of barbarism, the dramatic art existed only among the lowest classes of the people in plays improvisated at certain festivals: these were attacked as heathenish, immoral, and improper exhibitions; but the favour which they enjoyed amid the spirit of the times, induced the clergy to encourage theatrical representations of subjects from sacred history. These were called mysteries, and in all the southern countries of Europe, as well as in Germany and England, they preceded the rise of the national drama.

Of this kind were the ridiculous Festa Asinaria, in which mass was performed by persons dressed like asses, and every means taken to divert the people in churches on the occurrence of the festival of Easter. So popular were these extravagancies, that even papal decrees against them were, for a long time, ineffectual. Craik's "Sketches of the History of Literature and Learning in England" tells us, "The subject of the mysteries or miracle plays were all taken from the histories of the Old and New Testaments, or from the legends of Saints and Martyrs; and, indeed, it is probable that their original design was chiefly to instruct the people in religious knowledge." The morals, or moral plays, succeeded, in which all the characters were allegorical. The vices and the virtues were impersonated. The devil of the miracles became the vice of the morals, though in character he was still introduced to undergo his tribulations, to the satisfaction of the audience, in seeing the enemy of mankind always overcome. More especially the morals, but even the miracle plays, were written and represented down to the very end of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century. Collier gives an account of Lupton's moral "All for Money," in the title called "A Moral and Pitiful Comedy," in the prologue, "A Pleasant Tragedy." The catastrophe is sufficiently tragical. Judas, in the last scene, coming in (says the stage direction), "like a damned soul in black, painted with flames of fire and a fearful vizard," followed by Dives, "with such like apparel as Judas hath," while Damnation (another of the dramatis persona), pursuing them, drives them before him, and they pass away, "making a pitiful noise," into perdition.

[To be continued.]

REVIEW THE POETRY OF SCIENCE.

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Review.

THE POETRY OF SCIENCE, or Studies of the Physical Phenomena of Nature. By ROBERT HUNT. Reeve & Co.

[Second notice.]

THE chapter on crystallization is one of the most interesting; but our author seems rather at sea on the subject. He tells us, p. 41, that "many pleasing experiments would appear to shew that electricity has much to do in the process of crystallization; but it is evident that it must be under some peculiarly modified conditions that this power is exerted, if, indeed, it has any direct action." The latter clause of this sentence seems to deny all that was asserted in the first, and we are left in doubt as to the author's real opinion on this important matter: but we are not left long so; for, at p. 46, we find him stating that "electricity and light and heat exert remarkable powers, and both accelerate and retard crystallization;" and that "electricity appears to quicken the process of crystalline aggregation-to collect more readily together those atoms which seek to combine to bring them all within the limits of that influence by which their symmetrical forms are determined." In our humble apprehension this is extremely like having a "direct action ;" and, if not, we are at a loss to give it a name. We are told, also, that "during rapid crystallization some salts--as the sulphate of soda and boracic acid-exhibit decided indications of electrical excitement."

Mr. Hunt adds the following remarks on the subject:

"Light is also given out in flashes; and we have evidence that crystals exhibit a tendency to move towards the light. This is the amount of experimental evidence which science has afforded in explanation of the conditions under which Nature pursues her wondrous work of crystal formation. We see just sufficient of the operation to be convinced that the pellucid star which shines in the brightness of heaven, and the cavern-secreted gem, are equally the result of forces which are known to us in only a few of their modifications."

We like the modest tone of this admission; for, since philosophers acknowledge that they really know so very little of the forces which are operating under their noses to form a crystal, they may surely bear a little with the astrologer, who, although able to point out the nature and periods of certain influences or "forces" of the heavenly bodies, is yet free to confess that they are occult, and past the wisdom of man to fathom. We hope,

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after this, to witness less of the contemptuous sneering of those philosophical cubs who ask us to produce them "a specimen" of one of those influences or "forces" of which we speak. We promise to do so when they have shewn us "a specimen" of the crystalline "forces."

One remarkable analogy is observable in the law by which bodies always form crystals at certain definite angles only (which seems to be the result of electrical action), and the way in which certain effects are produced by the heavenly bodies when at certain definite angles only also, and which equally would seem to depend on electrical action. For instance, when the Sun comes to an angle of 60° from the planet Mars, we invariably find an increase in the temperature, with electrical phenomena, lightning, or auroræ, according to the season. And if such an aspect occur in the nativity of an individual, he seems to be electrified; for his blood becomes heated; he exhibits increased activity; he is excited; takes to riding, shooting, &c., or other martial exercises; and, if a military man, he exhibits much daring, and generally receives his reward in the shape of preferment; while, if the native be a female, she becomes less timid than heretofore, seeks the society of the other sex, and readily gives her hand in marriage. There seems to be some strange power in the particular angle in each case: water will crystallize at the angle of 60°, but it never does so at 50° or 55°; and so, if the Sun pass at the distance of 50° or 55° from Mars, we see no change in the temperature, &c.; which invariably occurs, however, when he reaches 60° from that planet.

This remarkable effect of electricity in forming crystals always at regular angles is well worth the study of the experimentalist. Mr. Hunt sums up the facts touching this branch of science in the following very well-worded paragraphs.

“Every body, when placed under circumstances which allow of the free movement of its molecules, has a tendency to crystallize. All the metals may, by slowly cooling from the melting state, be exhibited with a crystalline structure. Of the metallic and earthy minerals Nature furnishes us with an almost infinite variety of crystals, and, by a reduction of temperature, yet more simple bodies assume the most symmetric forms. Water, in the conditions of ice and snow, is a familiar and beautiful example; and by such extreme degrees of cold as are artificially produced, many of the gases exhibit a tendency to a crystalline condition. **If we take an amorphous mass of marble, and place it in water acidulated with sulphuric acid, it dissolves, and a new compound results. The marble disappears-the eye connot detect it by form or colour: the acid also has been disguised-the taste discovers nothing sour in the fluid. We have, in combination with the water, the lime and the acid, but that combination appears to the eye in no respect different from the water itself. It is colourless and perfectly transparent, although it holds a mass of solid matter, which previously would not allow of the passage

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of a ray of light. Let us expose this fluid to such circumstances that the water will slowly evaporate, and we shall find, after a time, microscopic particles of solid light-refracting matter forming in it. These particles gradually increase in size, and we may watch their growth until eventually we have a large and symmetric figure, beautifully shaped, the primary form of which is a right rhomboidal prism."

THE PHENOMENA AND DIOSEMEIA OF ARATUS. Translated into English Verse, with Notes, by JOHN LAMB, D.D., Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Dean of Bristol. John W. Parker.

THE WEATHER BOOK: Three Hundred Plain Rules for telling the Weather by the Barometer, Thermometer, Hygrometer, Clouds, Winds, Animals, Plants, &c. London: Tilt & Bogue.

HERE are two works, written 2100 years apart in time, the Diosemeia* being penned about 250 years before Christ, and the Weather Book 1840 years after his appearance. It is curious and instructive to compare the amount of weather-wisdom of our own day with what was in existence in the days of Aratus, and, indeed, long anterior to his time, for he adopted the ideas of Eudoxust, who brought the science of Egypt into Greece.

Antigonus Gonatus, King of Macedonia, was himself acquainted with the astronomy of Eudoxus, and he gave Aratus a copy of that philosopher's work on the celestial sphere, and requested the poet to render it into verse in imitation of the "Works and Days" of Hesiod. The Phenomena is confined to the technical description of the constellations, the important circles on the celestial sphere, and an account of the positions of various other constellations when those moving in the zodiac were rising. "The Diosemeia contains prognostics of the wind and weather, derived from various sources, but chiefly from observations on the heavenly bodies." These did not originate with Eudoxus, however, nor with the Egyptians from whom he received them; for they were known doubtless to the Phoenicians and Assyrians, as we

* This word signifies "a sign in the heavens given by Jove." "Eudorus, a son of Eschines of Cnidus, who distinguished himself by his knowledge of astrology, medicine, and geometry. He was the first who regulated the year among the Greeks, among whom he first brought from Egypt the celestial sphere and regular astronomy. He spent a great part of his life on the top of a mountain, to study the motion of the stars, by whose appearance be pretended to foretell the events of futurity. He died in his 53d year, B.C. 352."-Lemprière.

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