A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

PHILONIDES. PI-IILONIDES. 315
-founded on the statement of a grammarian (Schol. at first exceedingly cautious and otherwise clever,
in Aristoph. Nub. 530), that an express law for- he brought out (cKaOeit, the regular word for bringing
bade a poet to exhibit a drama in his own name into a contest) his first dramas in the names of
while he was under thirty years of age; but (&Ld) Callistratus and Philonides; wherefore he
Bergk has shown (I. c. pp. 906, 907) that this law was ridiculed.... on the ground that he laboured
is probably one of those innumerable fictions of the for others: but afterwards he contended in his own
commentators, who state as facts things which are name (acO'rd c?7yovlaTo):" here again the phrase
simply the expression of their own notion of their "that he laboured for others" must imply that
author's meaning; for Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Callistratus and Philonides were poets.
Euripides are all known to have brought out Thus far all is clear and consistent. Aristoplays in their own names while they were under phanes, from motives of modesty and caution,
thirty. but not from any legal necessity, began to exhibit,
Now, in every case, the name enrolled in the not in his own name, but in that of Callistratus,
public records was that of the person in whose and afterwards of Philonides. The success of
name the chorus was applied for, whether he were these first efforts encouraged him to come forward
the real author or not, and this is the name which as the avowed author of his plays; and again,
appears in the Didascalia prefixed to a play under towards the close of his life, he aided his son
the form ebLdaX0r7 a'a KaAAXrTrpi'rov (Acharn.), or Araros, by allowing him to bring out some of his
8L' acro'roT0'ApIoroqsdvouvs (Equit.). In fact, dramas (the Cocalus for example) in his own name.
according to the original spirit of the institution, the But at the close of this very same Life of Arischorus was the only essential part of a play, tophanes (p. xxxix.) we find the error which we
and the public functionaries knew nothing of the have to expose, but yet combined with truth as to
author as such, but only of the teacher of the chorus. the main fact, in the statement that " the actors of
Now we can easily understand how, when a poet Aristophanes were Callistratus and Philonides, in
was wealthy and fond of enjoyment, he might whose names (8s' CDi) he exhibited his own dramas,
choose to assign the laborious duty of training the the public (or political) ones ('ad i717UocKd) in the
chorus and actors to another person; and thus, name of Philonides, and the private (or personal)
besides the reasons already stated for a poet's using ones (ac ic'lors1Kd) in that of Callistratus." It seems
another's name at the commencement of his career, that the grammarian, though himself understandwe see another ground on which he might continue ing the meaning of Uac, copied the error into which
that practice, after his reputation was established. some former writer had been led, by supposing
Now we learn from Aristophanes himself, to say that it referred to the actors: for, that it cannot
nothing of other evidence, not only the fact that he have that sense in the passage before us, is obvious
brought out his early plays in the names of other from the tautology which would arise from so
poets, but also his reasons for so doing. In the translating it, and from the force of the eavTro;
Parcbasis of the Knights (v. 514), he states that namely, "the actors of Aristophanes were Callishe had pursued this course, not from want of tratus and Philonides, by whom as actors he exhithought, but from a sense of the difficulty of his bited his own dramas." We may, however, with
profession, and from a fear that he might suffer great probability regard the passage as a later infrom that fickleness of taste which the Athenians terpolation: how little credit is due to it is plain
had shown towards other poets, as Magnes, Crates, from the fact that the distribution of subjects in the
and Cratinus. Again, in the Parabasis of the last clause agrees neither with the testimony alClouds (v. 530), he expresses the same thing in ready cited, nor with the information which we
the following significant language:- derive from the Didascaliae, as to the plays which
~Ka, nrapOe'vos -yap E'r' AJ, iKcoUK 67'Z: rw uo0l T1E7Ke were assigned respectively to Philonides and Callistratus. From the Didascaliae and other testiie'~'OlKe,?rais a' 67E'epa'e X' dei~ ro, monies, we find that the Babylonians (B. c. 426)
where the last words evidently imply, if the figure and the Acharnians (B. c. 425) were also brought
is to be interpreted consistently, that the person in out in the name of Callistratus; and that the first
whose name he brought out the play referred to play which Aristophanes exhibited in his own
(the Daetaleis) was another poet. It was evidently name was the Knights, B. c. 424 (iaxaseOlq.... t'
the word ~e7v in this passage that misled the av'roi Tor'Apse'rocpa vovs, Didasc.). And hence
scholiast into his fancy of a legal prohibition. the notion has been hastily adopted, that he henceWe must now inquire what light the ancient forth continued to exhibit in his own name, until
grammarians throw upon the subject. The author towards the close of his life, when he allowed
of the anonymous work, [Iepl Kco.auoas, who is de- Araros to bring out his plays. But, on the concidedly one of the best of these writers, states (p. trary, we find from the Didascaliae that he brought
xxix.) that " Aristophanes first exhibited (41isase) out the Birds (B. c. 414) and the Lysistrata (B. c.
in the archonship of Diotimus (B. c. 427), in the 411) in the name of Callistratus (a8d KaAAianame of Callistratus (La& KaXXeAto pCio0V); for his Tpd'rou).
political comedies (-ds 7roAhrlKts) they say that he Thus far the testimonies quoted have only regave to him, but those against Euripidesand Socrates ferred to Philonides in general terms:' it remains
to Philonides; and on account of this (first drama) to be seen what particular plays Aristophanes
being esteemed a good poet, he conquered on sub- brought out in his name. From the aboye statesequent occasions (r0'os xoeTroes, sc. Xpodovs), en- ments of the grammarians it might be inferred that
rolling his own name as the author (rtiryparpol'evos). Aristophanes used the name of Philonides in this
Afterwards he gave his dramas to his son" (Araros). manner before the composition of the Knights; but
The play which he exhibited on this occasion was this is probably only a part of the error by which
the AarraAses (Nub. 1. c. and Schol.). To the same it was assumed that, from the time of his exhibiting
effect another respectable grammarian, the author of the Knights, it was his constant custom to bring
thelife ofAristophanes, tells us(p. xxxy.) that "being out his comedies in his own name. It is true that