and representation of the Grecian Drama; the second to its internal economy, its nature, and its criticism. The subdivisions again of each part have been arranged with the same regard to order. The original matter, with the exception of some notes attached to the extracts from Aristotle's Poetics, has been entirely omitted, and replaced by a series of chapters from the pen of the present Editor. In the two first he has endeavoured to fill up a deficiency, which was complained of in the former edition, by giving a connected sketch of the origin and history of the Grecian Drama; to which is appended a chronological table of its writers and contemporary events. The third chapter contains a description of the Dramatic Contests, the Theatre, Audience, Actors, and Chorus. In these chapters it has been the Editor's aim to present a clear and unbroken statement in the text, whilst the authorities on which that statement is founded, and all discussions respecting its doubtful points, have been placed, in the shape of notes, at the foot of the page. With his own account the Editor has interwoven the most important parts of Schlegel's Critiques upon the Greek Dramatists, contained in the fourth, fifth, and sixth Lectures of his Dramatische Kunst und Litteratur. From the same work his Lectures upon the nature of Grecian Tragedy and Comedy have been given entire in the second part of the present compilation. These extracts are the more valuable as the English translation of Schlegel's book is now out of print. To the Excerpta Critica several additions have been made, chiefly from Porson; and the whole of these miscellaneous remarks have been reduced into some kind of a classification. A selection of Examination Papers upon the Greek Tragedians, forms an Appendix to the whole. As such papers are always eagerly sought after, and sometimes difficult to be procured, a considerable number has been inserted; sufficiently so, it is hoped, to give the student an idea of the manner in which he is expected to read the Tragics. In the present edition care has been taken to avoid any invasion of literary rights and property. A new translation of the extracts from Schlegel was prepared exclusively for this compilation. Instead of the account of the Tragic contests, which had been confessedly borrowed from the excellent papers in the Museum Criticum, a new chapter has been given, composed as much as possible from the original authorities. Permission has been obtained, where deemed requisite, for the insertion of papers and extracts which had previously been published elsewhere. To Mr. Mawman the Editor returns his acknowledgments for the liberality with which he allowed the quotations, given in the account of the three great Tragedians, to be made from Porson's celebrated Prælectio. To the Rev. J. Tate of Richmond, Yorkshire, the Editor is under peculiar obligations. That distinguished scholar has not only permitted his two able papers on the Greek Middle Verb and the Canons of Dawes to be incorporated in the work, but has also enriched it with an original Dissertation on the principal Tragic and Comic metres. The value of this admirable Synopsis will be best appreciated by those, who have hitherto had to glean as they could, for themselves or for their pupils, a knowledge of this difficult branch of Greek literature from voluminous and abstruse treatises, or from remarks scattered, without order or connexion, through annotations, diatribes, prefaces, and reviews. CAMBRIDGE, May 26, 1827. TABLE OF CONTENTS. THE HISTORY AND EXHIBITION OF THE GREEK DRAMA. Page M Arranged from Mr. Clinton's Fasti Hellenici; to which admirable work the |