CLASSICAL ANTIQUITIES.
IF the world be not familiar with the arts, habits, and customs of classical antiquity, it will not be for want of learned pains or learned books. Treatises have been written on some "unknown tongue ;" or on some nation of whose existence the sceptic may doubt; or.upon the site cf some once famous places, or the uses of some mutilated or perished utensils; and these disquisitions have swelled to nearly as great a bulk as the ancients themselves devoted to the history of their civilized country, nay in some instances to a greater. Other scholars have, perhaps more usefully, made it their aim to illustrate particular authors, pouring such a vast and wordy tlood of erudition upon the pregnant brevity of their ori- ginals, as to render the reading of the commentary by far the tougher task of the two—although justice must admit that their matter is often useful, and mostly curious. Another class have devoted their lives to the perusal of every scrap of antiquity, and (harder task) to much of what moderns have written upon it, ill order to explore the penetralia of the ancient house and the ancient man, aiming, to show how he dressed, ate, drank, and slept. Their domiciles, the number of rooms, and the furniture in them, are unfolded in detail; thus marriage, birth, and burial ceremonies are described; the civil, military, and religious in- stitutions, both for the instruction of youth and the government of men, are analyzed; until, by dint of fact and speculation, one may form as clear an idea of the civilized world before Christ, as Cuvign did of the animal kingdom before the Flood. The two volumes before us, though differing between them- selves, are both of the last-named class of books, and are among the ablest we have seen, not only for their matter but their man- ner. Although profoundly learned, they are not dry ; and they are not vonfined to a mere dull and lifeless description of formali- ties ; the Manual infusing into its pages something of an histo- rical spirit and use ; the Public and Private Life of the Ancient Greeks aiming at giving an animated and coherent coup-devil of Hellenic society, which a largo spice of either native or trauslated enthusiasm renders more readable than such books often are. " Used as not abusing. them,--considering them as helps to the original ant bora whence they draw so laready, rather than as COM- penriium,; to supersede tleon,—we know of no two works likely to be so useful.
If the reader ask te7iieh we recommend, we answer, Both by till tneans : but if that should be beyond his views, a slight account of eaeli may enable him t.) decide for himself. The sub- jects, then, of the Public and Private Life ef the Ancient Greeks, are somewhat more extensive than those of the Political Antiqui- ties ; but not so much so as might be expected from the title; the latter work touching upoa more details of private life than might have been supposed. Both can be read contiuuoualy ; the Public and Private Life seems, however, more obviously i.dended for such a purpose. The reputation which excited the translators to their tasks must be the guarantee for general exactness; but the references to the original authorities are more systematic and more numerous (indeed they are never omitted) in the Political Antiquities than in the book of HAsg. The tone of HERMANN, too, is loftier ; his speculations are more comprehensive and philo- sophical—there are parts where he gives us the essence of history. His arrangement is better and more systematic : his volume has also a capital index,—no mean advantage in a book which is as much to be referred to as read. In short, when both are not to be had, let ladies and young gentlemen get HAsg; but let the scho- lar possess himselfot IlEnarAsor. The comparison we have endeavoured to draw would be incom- plete without a sample of each wink; which will also furnish a specimen of the manner of each translator. We begin with the Public wed Private Life of the Greeks, and take a passage descrip- tive of Athenian superstitions and sepulture. Superstitious Practiees.—Athens, which gave birth to men who raised themselves above so ma y traditional prejudices, and ventured to speculate oa the loftiest problems of philosophy, also numbered among her citizens those whir made votive offerings when an eye or a haad pained them ; who sent for Telesahomus from Epidaurus, when the native deities did not relieve the disease ; attempted to charm back the affections of faithless lovers, or to urge on hesitating suitors by magic songs (X7 iii, accrabiscrO, and impre- cated evil on the heads of hated persons by invoking the infernal gods. :Ven- geance and superstition invaded even the silent ahode of death. 31en burred in the graves of their enemies prayers for their punishment ia Hades inscribed on leaden tablets (ano:iv,/ f.coX2i,Aros 1),X.cwrvra). Rites ,if' Sepulture.—The Athenian was carried to his grave, as a victor over the calamities of life, crowned with a wreath of flowers and grass inter- woven with hands of wool. When the Ilead had been furnished with the honey- cake for Cetherus and the obol for Charon, the corpse was washed, anointed, wrapped in a sumptuous dress, and strewed with flowers: it was then laid out, and the laments of the kinsmen mingled with the plaintive song of the hp-ed mourners, whose loud wail was accompanied by the flute. This mourning, and the ftsting connected with it, lasted at mar time for three duys, which were afterwards reduced to two, and in later times to a still shooter period.. Early in the morning, after the lament, the kinsmen and ft tends Caine to per torm the indispsnsable duos of the costly and honourable burial—the body being either burnt or committed to the earth ; this ceremony was concluded with a sacri- fice, prayers, and a banquet. Gratitude or affection adorned -the grave with a uuue bearing an inscriptina, or with a statue air raratax): in dos case elf
unmarried women, with a water.pitcher (for the bridal-bath), the guardian- ship of which was probably also intrusted to the infernal deities.
The following, from Heemstese is part of his account of the Senate and General Assembly of the Athenian People.
The meeting was opened by a lustration and prayer, after which the presi- dents proposed the subjects to be considered : if these, as was regular, had been already approved by the Senate, it was first put to the vote whether the people should abide by that decision, or take the matter into further consideration. In the debate, any one might speak : the regulation according to which the herald first called on the citizens who were above fifty, soon fell into disuse : there is as little ground for supposing that there was any restriction respecting the age of speakers, as that orators were selected and &pedal:yr authorized to conduct every debate. Nothing but 17171#1a deprived of the right of speaking ; and all the cases in which the qualifications of a speaker were dis- puted, will be found to he comprised under It. The regulation that an orator should be a married man and parent, and proprietor of landed property, ex- tended, at the utmost, only to the professional orators; who, as appeared from the principles of democracy already explained, made it their busineis to direct the councils of the people, and especially to propose measures which, if ap- proved by the people, were usually designated by their names. Perfect freedom of speech was allowed ; and every orator, in token that his character was in- inviolable, wore a crown whilst spetking. The presidents, sreilapar, alone might interfere to check casual disturbances ; calling in, if requisite, the as- sistance of the body of Seythians who acted as police: they might also fine the orator to the amount of fifty drachma.. Before any measure could be put to the vote, it was requisite that the weekier and soarels6aaxis, who conjointly took the votes, should themselves assent to it : any refusal on their part was, however, attended, to say the least, with great personal risk. The usual method of voting was by a show of hands, the result being an- nounced by the presidents. Even nominations to office, in the few cases, that is to say, in which lot was not had recourse to, were decided in a similar stay; the people declaring their acceptance or rejection of each candidate on his pre- senting himself, or being recommended to them by some orator. Vote by ballot was prescribed by law only in those cases in which an individual citizen was made the object of a formal public decree, when at least six thousand votes were required. Of this kind was ostracism ; which is by no means to be con- sidered a legal process, but solely a political expedient of the supreme authority of the time being. This measure was not attended by any definite charge; but yearly, on a certain day, it was proposed to the people that they should ostracize : if they affirmed there was occasion for it, a second meeting was ap- parently appointed, at which every one gave in, written on a shell or potsherd, the name of the individual whose expulsion he wished. The victim of the proceedings left the country for ten years; but as such a sentence was by no means viewed in the same light as a legal punishment, the honours, house, and property of the exile, remained intact ; and he might at any time be recalled by a decree of the people, which could not be dune in the case of common crimi- nals. The exercise of judicial power was usurped by the public assembly but seldom, and only on extraordinary occasions. In all the cases in which it could legally exercise this power, we see it appear rather as a party concerned than as judge; and even in those suits which were commenced before the assembly, its decision, as in cases of nasri3oa.4, was, at the most, but a preejudicium, merely to show the prosecutor Atm far the public voice was with him.
When we think of the years of labour which the original authors bestowed upon these works, and as well of the careful toil of their translators, and compare the brevity of this notice (yet long perhaps to many) with the space often given to some temporary production which has not cost its author one twentieth of the labour or of the thought, we can brook any conceivable amount of ire which our apparent neglect may stir up. Yet, in reality, our complainants will know not what they do. To have reviewed these volumes at a length proportioned to their learning, would have required a rigid and careful perusal of every page, and after the direction of the copy—" Read slow, pause often." A patient ex- amination of many of the authorities would next have been neces- sary, to confirm correctness or detect errors. A survey of the whole subject would have taken up, perhaps, a whole Spectator ; and after all, besides repelling the reader from our pages, would either have stq erseded the books, or disgusted him with their subject.
"Everthe demos totas optantibus ipsis Dii faciles."
But we are not of the easy sort, and prefer to profit people rather than to please. In a "classical journal," a long discussion might be reasonably expected. In a newspaper, a notice which describes the character of a perennial work answers every pur- pose that can be looked for, as it notifies the appearance and na- ture of the book to those who may be in want of it.
Scarcely had we disposed of the Antiquities of Greece, when Mr. CARR'S Manual qf Roman Antiquities was placed before us. As its object is to serve as an Introduction to ADAMS, including moreover the new discoveries of modern scholarship, it is of course addressed to a younger class of readers than either of the two pre- ceding volumes, and has school-book somewhat legibly written on its face. To those who look beyond the fashion of things, this is no objection : we often find the matter of these juveniles fuller and plainer than that of more imposing-looking volumes. We will not predicate this of Mr. CARR'S book in a comparative sense; but we can positively say that it is a capital affair, well designed for what the profession terms " the business of the school." Every page shows signs of industry : the arrangement is clear and methodical ; and if the execution might have been a little more forcible, it is brief and intelligible. The volume is also illustrated by a good many wood-cuts: it has a table of con- tents, an ample index, a chronological table, and a series of ques- tions on each chapter not self-answering.
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