16 APRIL 1910, Page 24

Theophrastus, Herodas, Kebes. Translated by R. Thomson Clark. (G. Routledge

and Sons. ls. net.)—This is a volume in the publishers' " New Universal Library." The special novelty about it is the inclusion of the " Mimes " of Herodas. Before 1891 only a few fragments of these were known. Then a manuscript which contained some hundreds of lines was found in Egypt. It cannot honestly be said that they are a great gain to literature, but they throw a somewhat lurid light on Greek manners. It is true that Herodas belongs to a period of decline,—the third century B.C. A fourth piece is added in the famous "Choice of Hercules." There is a certain irony in the contrast between this and other things to be found in the book.