Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

COMOEDIA COMOEDIA. 343
file first to give to the iambistic performances of the and Xenarclhns. Epicharmus is very commonly
comus a regular metrical form (Schol. ad Dionys. called the inventor of comedy by the grammarians
Tsrac. ap. Bekker, Anecd. G:. p. 748; Meineke, and others (Theocr. Epijq. 17; Suidas s. v.
1. c. p. 549). He no doubt substituted for the'EirLXap,uos; Solinns, 5, 13); this, howrever, is
more ancient improvisations of the chorus and its true only of that more artistical shape which he
leader premeditated compositions, though still of gave to it. (Bernhardy, 1. c. p. 900.) In his efforts
the same general kind; for, as Aristotle says he appears to have been associated with Phormis,
(Poet. c. 5), Crates was the first who sptev, a somewhat older contemporary. The Megarians
&c4EtLseYOS "rs LaltLKlS is4as Kadi'Xov rwoiev in Sicily claimed the honour of the invention of;Ayovs i NubiOovs. There would seem also to have comedy, on account of his having lived in Megara
been some kind of poetical contest, for we learn before he went to Syracuse. (Dictionary of Biog.
that the prize for the successful poet Wvas a basket anzd jlVythl. art. Epiciarzns.) According to
of figs and a jar of wine (Marrn. Par.. c.; Bentley, Aristotle (Poet. 5) Epicharmus and Phormnis
Dissest. on tlhe Ep. of P1'hd. vol. i. p. 259, ed. were the first who began dveov 7roestesi,; which
Dyce). It was also the practice of those who Bernlardy (1. c. p. 898) understands to mean that
took part in the comus to smear their faces with they were the first to introduce regular plots. The
wine-lees, either to prevent their features from subjects of his plays were mostly mythological,
being recognised, or to give themselves a more i. e. were parodies or travesties of mythological
grotesque appearance. IHence comedy came to be stories. (Miiller, Dorians, book iv. c. 7.) Whether
called vpv/yq8La, or lee-song. Others connected in the representation there was a chorus as well as
the name with the circumstance of a jar of new actors is not clear, though it has been assumed
wine ('pui) being the prize for the successful (Grysar, de Dor. Cosn. p. 200, &c.) that he and
poet. (Athen. ii. p. 40; Anon. ap. Meineke, 1. c. Phormis were the earliest comic poets whose works
p. 535; Aristoph. Achacrn. I. 473, &c.; Fragm. reached posterity in a written form. (Bentley, I.c
ap. Athen. xii. p. 551; Acmhazn. 851, 603, Vles. p. 451.) But the comedy of Epichannus was of
650, 1534; Schol. ad Arist. Acliarn. 397, 498; brief duration. WVe hear of no successors to him
Schol. ad Plat. de Rep. iii. p. 928, ed. Bait. et except his son or disciple Deinolochus.
Orell.; Bentley, Dissert. on the Ep. of Phal. vol. i. In Attica, the first comic poet of any importp. 341, &c. ed. Dyce; Bode, 1. c. p. 22.) There ance whom we hear of after Susarion is Chionides,
can be lbut little question that Susarion's pieces who is said to have brought out plays in B. c. 488
were merely intended for the amusement of the (Suidas s. v. Xowvir&s). Euetes, Euxenides, and
hour, and were not committed to writing (Bentley, Myllus were probably contemporaries of Chionides;
l. c. p. 250, &c.; Anonym. de Com. ap. Meineke, he was followed by Magnes and Ecphantides.
1. c. p. 540; Bode, 1. c.). The comedy of Susarion Their compositions, however, seem to have been
doubtless partook of that petulant, coarse, and little but the reproduction of the old Megaric farce
unrestrained personality for which the Megarian of Susarion, differing, no doubt, in form, by the
comedy was noted. For entertainments of such a introduction of an actor or actors, separate from
character the Athenians were not yet prepared. the chorus, in imitation of the improvements that
They required the freedom of a democracy. Ac- had been made in tragedy. (Bode, I. c. p. 29-36.)
cordingly, comedy was discouraged, and for eighty That branch of the Attic drama which was called
years after the time of Susarion we hear nothing the old comedy, begins properly with Cratinus,
of it in Attica. who was to comedy very much what Aeschylus
It xias, however, in Sicily, that comedy was was to tragedy. Under the vigorous and liberal
earliest brought to something like perfection. The administration of Pericles comedy found free
Creeks in Sicily always exhibited a lively tempera- scope, and rapidly reached its perfection. Cratinus
ment, and the gift of working up any occurrence is said to have been the first who introduced three
into a spirited, fluent dialogue. (Cic. Vern. iv. 43, actors in a comedy. (Anonym. de Cons. ap. MeiDivisn. in Caecil. 9, Orat. ii. 54; Quintil. vi. 3. neke, p. 540.) But Crates is spoken of as the first
~ 41.) This faculty finding its stimulus in the who began ica0OXov rrotesi X6yovrs ) uv5Oovs (Arist.
excitement produced by the political contests, which Poet. 5), i. e. raised comedy from being a mere
were so frequent in the different cities, and the lampooning of individuals, and gave it a character
opportunity for its exercise in the numerous agra- of universality, in which subjects drawn from
rian festivals connected with the worship of Demeter reality, or stories of his own invention received
and Bacchus, it was natural that comedy should a free, poetic treatment, the characters introuuced
early take its rise among them. Yet before the time being rather generalisations than particular indiof the Persian wars, we only hear of iambic com- viduals. (See Aristotle's distinction between h&
positions, and of a single poet, Aristoxenus. The icaO' heKao-ro and rh Kca0oAov, Poet. 9.) In what
performers were called avTorcda8aXot, i. e. impro- is known of his pieces no traces appear of anything
visatores (Athen. xiv. p. 622.; Etym. Magn. s.v. of a personal or political kind. He was the first
aroica~68.; Eustath. ad II. xi. p. 884. 45; Hesych. who introduced into his pieces the character of a
s. V.; Aristot. R/het. iii. 7. ~ 1; Bode, 1. c. p. 8, &c.), drunken man. (Anonym. de Cons. ap. Meineke,
and, subsequently,'ia/Aot. Their entertainments p. 536.) Though Crates was a younger contem.
being of a choral character were, doubtless, ac- porary of Cratinus, and at first an actor in his
companied by music and dancing. Athenaeus pieces, yet, except perhaps his earlier plays, the
(xiv. p. 629) mentions a dance called the ialtGLc1K, comedies of Cratinus were an improvement upon
which he ranks with the Kclf8aa and iKl'tYis. those of Crates, as they united with the universality
Afterwards, the comic element was developed of the latter the pungent personal satire and earnest
partly into travesties of religious legends, partly political purpose which characterised the old comedy
into delineations of character and manners; the (Bernhardy, I.c. pp. 942, 946.) Crates and his
former in the comedy of Epicharmus, Phormis, and imitator Pherecrates seem in the character of their
Deinolochus; the Litter in the mimes of Sophron pieces to have had more affinity with the middle
z 4