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and how soon I must leave you? 

    HIPPOMACHUS。 Ay; travelling soon puts such thoughts out of men's 

heads。 

     CALLICLES。 A battle is the best remedy for them。 

     CHARICLEA。 A battle; I should think; might supply their place with 

others as unpleasant。 

     CALLICLES。         No。   The     preparations    are  rather  disagreeable     to  a 

novice。    But as soon as the fighting begins; by Jupiter; it is a noble time; 

men trampling;shields clashing;spears breaking;and the poean roaring 

louder than all。 

     CHARICLEA。 But what if you are killed? 

     CALLICLES。 What indeed?             You must ask Speusippus that question。 

He is a philosopher。 

    ALCIBIADES。 Yes; and the greatest of philosophers; if he can answer 

it。 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 Pythagoras is of opinion 

    HIPPOMACHUS。             Pythagoras    stole  that  and   all  his  other  opinions 

from Asia and Egypt。         The transmigration of the soul and the vegetable 

diet are derived from India。       I met a Brachman in Sogdiana 

     CALLICLES。 All nonsense! 

     CHARICLEA。 What think you; Alcibiades? 

    ALCIBIADES。 I think that; if the doctrine be true; your spirit will be 

transfused   into   one   of   the   doves   who   carry   (Homer's   Odyssey;   xii。   63。) 

ambrosia      to  the  gods   or  verses   to  the   mistresses   of   poets。  Do    you 

remember Anacreon's lines?          How should you like such an office? 

     CHARICLEA。 If I were to be your dove; Alcibiades; and you would 

treat me as Anacreon treated his; and let me nestle in your breast and drink 

from   your   cup;   I   would   submit   even   to   carry   your   love…letters   to   other 

ladies。 



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     CALLICLES。   What;   in   the   name   of   Jupiter;   is   the   use   of   all   these 

speculations      about    death?     Socrates     once    (See   the   close   of   Plato's 

Gorgias。)   lectured   me   upon   it   the   best   part   of   a   day。 I   have   hated   the 

sight of him ever since。         Such things may suit an old sophist when he is 

fasting; but in the midst of wine and music 

     HIPPOMACHUS。             I  differ   from   you。    The     enlightened     Egyptians 

bring skeletons into their banquets; in order to remind their guests to make 

the most of their life while they have it。 

     CALLICLES。   I   want   neither   skeleton   nor   sophist   to   teach   me   that 

lesson。   More   wine;   I   pray   you;   and   less   wisdom。    If   you   must   believe 

something which you never can know; why not be contented with the long 

stories about the other world which are told us when we are initiated at the 

Eleusinian mysteries?         (The scene which follows is founded upon history。 

Thucydides tells us; in his sixth book; that about this time Alcibiades was 

suspected      of  having    assisted    at  a  mock    celebration     of  these   famous 

mysteries。      It   was   the   opinion   of   the   vulgar   among   the   Athenians   that 

extraordinary   privileges   were   granted   in   the   other   world   to   alt   who   had 

been initiated。) 

     CHARICLEA。 And what are those stories? 

     ALCIBIADES。 Are not you initiated; Chariclea? 

     CHARICLEA。           No;    my    mother    was    a  Lydian;     a  barbarian;     and 

therefore 

     ALCIBIADES。   I   understand。          Now   the   curse   of   Venus   on   the   fools 

who made so hateful a law!            Speusippus; does not your friend Euripides 

(The     right   of  Euripides     to   this  line   is  somewhat      disputable。      See 

Aristophanes; Plutus; 1152。) say 

     〃The land where thou art prosperous is thy country?〃 

     Surely we ought to say to every lady 

     〃The land where thou art pretty is thy country。〃 

     Besides; to exclude foreign beauties from the chorus of the initiated in 

the Elysian fields is less cruel to them than to ourselves。               Chariclea; you 

shall be initiated。 

     CHARICLEA。 When? 

     ALCIBIADES。 Now。 



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     CHARICLEA。 Where? 

    ALCIBIADES。 Here。 

     CHARICLEA。 Delightful! 

     SPEUSIPPUS。   But   there   must   be   an   interval   of   a   year   between   the 

purification and the initiation。 

    ALCIBIADES。 We will suppose all that。 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 And nine days of rigid mortification of the senses。 

    ALCIBIADES。 We will suppose that too。               I am sure it was supposed; 

with as little reason; when I was initiated。 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 But you are sworn to secrecy。 

    ALCIBIADES。   You   a   sophist;   and   talk   of   oaths!      You   a   pupil   of 

Euripides; and forget his maxims! 

     〃My    lips  have    sworn   it;  but  my   mind    is  free。〃  (See    Euripides: 

Hippolytus;     608。   For    the  jesuitical  morality   of   this  line  Euripides   is 

bitterly attacked by the comic poet。) 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 But Alcibiades 

    ALCIBIADES。 What!            Are you afraid of Ceres and Proserpine? 

     SPEUSIPPUS。   NobutbutIthat   is   Ibut   it   is   best   to   be   safeI 

mean Suppose there should be something in it。 

    ALCIBIADES。          Now;    by   Mercury;    I  shall  die  with   laughing。     O 

Speusippus。   Speusippus!        Go   back   to   your   old   father。 Dig   vineyards; 

and judge causes; and be a respectable citizen。          But never; while you live; 

again dream of being a philosopher。 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 Nay; I was only 

    ALCIBIADES。 A pupil of Gorgias and Melesigenes afraid of Tartarus! 

In   what   region   of the   infernal   world do   you   expect   your   domicile   to   be 

fixed?    Shall you roll a stone like Sisyphus?         Hard exercise; Speusippus! 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 In the name of all the gods 

    ALCIBIADES。 Or shall you sit starved and thirsty in the midst of fruit 

and wine like Tantalus?        Poor fellow?      I think I see your face as you are 

springing up to the branches and missing your aim。                Oh Bacchus!       Oh 

Mercury! 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 Alcibiades! 

    ALCIBIADES。   Or   perhaps   you   will   be   food   for   a   vulture;   like   the 



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huge fellow who was rude to Latona。 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 Alcibiades! 

     ALCIBIADES。          Never    fear。   Minos      will   not  be   so  cruel。    Your 

eloquence will triumph over all accusations。             The Furies will skulk away 

like   disappointed   sycophants。       Only   address   the   judges   of   hell   in  the 

speech which you were prevented from speaking last assembly。 〃When I 

consider〃is not that the beginning of it?            Come; man; do not be angry。 

Why   do   you   pace   up   and   down   with   such   long   steps?   You   are   not   in 

Tartarus yet。      You seem to think that you are already stalking like poor 

Achilles; 

     〃With stride Majestic through the plain of Asphodel。〃                (See Homer's 

Odyssey; xi。 538。) 

     SPEUSIPPUS。 How can you talk so; when you know that I believe all 

that foolery as little as you do? 

     ALCIBIADES。 Then march。               You shall be the crier。        Callicles; you 

shall   carry   the   torch。  Why   do   you   stare?     (The   crier   and   torchbearer 

were     important     functionaries      at  the   celebration     of   the   Eleusinian 

mysteries。) 

     CALLICLES。 I do not much like the frolic。 

     ALCIBIADES。 Nay; surely you are not taken with a fit of piety。                  If all 

be   true   that   is   told   of   you;   you   have   as   little   reason   to   think   the   gods 

vindictive as any man breathing。            If you be not belied; a certain golden 

goblet which I have seen at your house was once in the temple of Juno at 

Corcyra。      And men say that there was a priestess at Tarentum 

     CALLICLES。 A fig for the gods!              I was thinking about the Archons。 

You will have   an accusation   laid   against   you to…morrow。           It   is   not very 

pleasant to be tried before the king。          (The name of king was given in the 

Athenian      democracy      to  the   magistrate    who    exercised     those   spiritual 

functions which in the monarchical times had belonged to the sovereign。 

His court took cognisance of offences against the religion of the state。) 

     ALCIBIADES。   Never   fear:   there   is   not   a   sycophant   in   Attica   who 

would dare to breathe a word against me; for the golden plane…tree of the 

great king。     (See Herodotus; viii。 28。) 

     HIPPOMACHUS。 That plane…tree 



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     ALCIBIADES。           Never     mind    the   plane…tree。     Come;      Callicles;    you 

were not so timid when you plundered the merchantman off Cape Malea。 

Take   up   the   torch   and   move。      Hippomachus;   tell   one   of   the   slaves   to 

bring   a   sow。    (A   sow   was   sacrificed   to   Ceres   at   the   admission   to   the 

greater mysteries。) 

     CALLICLES。 And what part are you to play? 

     ALCIBIADES。            I  shall    be   hierophant。       Herald;      to   your    office。 

Torchbearer; advance with the lights。               Come forward; fair novice。              We 

will celebrate the rite within。 

     'Exeunt。' 

     。。。 



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                   CRITICISMS ON THE 

   PRINCIPAL ITALIAN WRITERS。 



                                     No。 I。    DANTE。 

                                    (January 1824) 

     〃Fairest of stars; last in the train of night; If better thou belong not to 

the   dawn;   Sure   pledge   of   day;   that   crown'st   the   smiling   morn   With   thy 

bright circlet。〃      Milton。 

     In   a   review    of  Italian   literature;   Dante    has   a  double     claim   to 

precedency。      He   was   the   earliest   and   the   greatest   writer   of   his   country。 

He was the first man who fully descried and exhibited the powers of his 

native    dialect。   The     Latin   tongue;   which;    under    the  most    favourable 

circumstances; and in the hands of the greatest masters; had still been poor; 

feeble; and singularly unpoetical; and which had; in the age of Dante; been 

debased   by   the   admixture   of   innumerable   barbarous   words   and   idioms; 

was still cult

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