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THE FROGS. 189

Eur. “Itis well; I pray to quite another kind of
god.” ~
Bac. “JI understand; gods of your own, a new
coinage, as it were.”
Eur. “Just so.” .
Bac. “Pray away, then, to these particular gods
_of yours.”
Eur. “ o air, fine nurturer of my soul, and thou,
Quick-moving pivot of the tongue, and source
Of keen perception, and the delicate power
Of nostrils apprehensive, grant me grace
That I may rightly form the words I try.”

These preliminaries ended, the trial began. Eu-
ripides opened the attack. “Of my own poetry,” he
said, “I will speak afterwards. My first task will be
to show what a braggart and cheat this fellow was.
He found a silly audience used to the old-fashioned
poets, and befooled it. First he put on the stage a
figure muffled up and silent, that looked very tragical,
but did not utter a syllable." Meanwhile the chorus
sang an ode of immeasurable length; but from the
hero not a word.”

Bac. “ And it seemed to me very fine, much finer
than the chatter that I hear now.”

Eur. “That was because you were an ignoramus.”

Bac. “Perhaps you are right. But why did what’s-
his-name do it?”

1A reader of A%schylus will remember the opening scene of the
Prometheus. The demigod remains silent while the work of fastening
him to the rock goes on.