Papers of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (6.1890-1897 (1897))

THE CHORUS IN THE LATER GREEK DRAMA.

419

who attribute the disappearance of lampooning to law also record
that at first the poets were compelled by law 6vo/j.aarl Ko^mhdv
as a means of checking lawlessness in high places.'57

The second reason assigned for the abolition of the chorus must
receive more respectful consideration, inasmuch as it has until
now remained undisputed. The anonymous writers irepl Kco/xcp-
oYa? have nothing to say about this point. But.Platonius, after
the reference to the Eupolis episode, adds: Kal iTreXiirop oi
yop-qyoi- ov yap eri irpodvp.iav elyop oi 'AOrjvaloi toi)? %opr)<yovs tou?
t<x5 hairdvas rot? yopevTaii irapeyovras %eipoTovelv. 8. top yovp
AloXoa iKcopa 'ApLaTOCpaprj'; eSiSa^eP, o? ov/c eyei Ta yopiKa pieXr/. toip
yap yoprjycop ytir/ yjiipoTOvr\jjuevtoV tcai twp yopevTWP ov/c eyoPTWP ra?
Tpocpd*; vire^rjpidri tt)s Kcop.a>8ia<; to, yopevTcop fieXrj /cat tcop vTrode'aeoop
6 Tpoirof fjLeTe/3\rj0T]. 9. ctkottov yap opto'; tt) apyaiq KWfxwhia tov
aica>7rTeip Sijfjbovs ical S«cacrj-<z? Kal crrpaTriyovs, Traptls 6 'ApiaTO<pdpj]<;
to avpr)9co<; cnroafccb^rai. 8ia top 7toXvp (f)df3op A'coXop to Spdfia to
ypa(p€P Tot? TpaycoSols to? /ca/cok eyop Siaavpei. 10. tolovto'; ovp iaTiP
6 Ttj<; fiecrr)s /cw/oimcua? tvttos, oto? eaTiP 6 AioXocriKcop 'Apio-to<f>dpov<;
Kal oi 'OSuccret? KpaTiPov Kal -rrXelaTa tS>p iraXaicop SpafiaTWP oijTe
•)(opiKa ovt€ 7rapa/3do-ei<; eyoPTa. Then in § 14 : Ta p,ep yap e%0PTa
irapa^daei'; rear' eKelpop top ypopop iSiSd^Oi) Ka0' op 6 Sj)/xo? eVp<2T«,
Ta Se ovk eyoPTa t?5? e%ovaia<; Xolttop curb tov Si^/jlov /j,€0iaTa/J,epr}<;
Kal tt}? bXiyapxlas KpaTova-qs. Then follows §§ 7—8 again, again
the admission that other such plays as the '06Wo-et? are to be
found in the old comedy, but under the oligarchy, and again the
notice of the failure of the choregia. To this should be added
§ 10 and the interpolated § 11 of the Vita, which says that the
Cocalus and Plutus were brought out under similar circumstan-
ces. In both these accounts are elements that arouse suspicion,
especially the insistence on the fear of the poets and the " choregic
law" against scurrility as helping to bring about the change.
Platonius was an extremely careless compiler, as is shown by
the repetitions.38 He is strangely ignorant of the nature of the
early choregia, supposing that the choregi were elected by the

37 Anon, iv, ix a, ix b, Thom. Mag. (Dub. xv), Cic. Resp. 4. 10, 11, Themis-
tius Or. 8, 110 b.

38Fielitz, I. c, p. 28. Leo, Quaesi. Aristoph., shows in detail that the whole
article is a curious hodgepodge of several parallel accounts.