A tour in Greece, 1880 . s, erected by that potentate and Attalus,of whicli there are some twenty-eight arches remaining. The Dionysic theatre calls up a liost of associations, for weare on the very spot that witnessed the birth of the ancientdrama,—at any rate, of that drama as we know it. Here^schylus and Sophocles competed for the tragic crown, andhere Aristophanes and Menander produced their unri^alledsituations of broad burlesque or light comedy. I\Iost of tliedecorations date from the time of Adrian; but since the oldtraditions were then a living poNver, we may rest assured thatall the o
A tour in Greece, 1880 . s, erected by that potentate and Attalus,of whicli there are some twenty-eight arches remaining. The Dionysic theatre calls up a liost of associations, for weare on the very spot that witnessed the birth of the ancientdrama,—at any rate, of that drama as we know it. Here^schylus and Sophocles competed for the tragic crown, andhere Aristophanes and Menander produced their unri^alledsituations of broad burlesque or light comedy. I\Iost of tliedecorations date from the time of Adrian; but since the oldtraditions were then a living poNver, we may rest assured thatall the original arrangements were carefully reproduced. In thelowest tier are fifty marble seats in almost perfect preservation,each inscribed with tlie name of the official for whose use itwas intended. In the centre sat tlie priest of Dionysus Eleu-therius, the god to wliom the theatre was dedicated. On hisright sat the priest of Zeus, guardian of the town ; and onhis left the Exegetes, or interpreter of the sacred laws. All. ATHENS OF THE FAST. 43 round the semicircle the stalls extend, and even in the secondand third rows inscriptions show that the places were all re-served. A sight of this most interesting spot disposes ofsome of the nonsense instilled into the youthful mind,—suchas that the actor, in appealing to sun, sky, and sea, wouldactually point to each object in succession; for although thetwo first would undoubtedly be available in an unroofed place,yet the third was as certainly out of his ken, unless he couldturn his back upon the audience and see through a block ofbuilding and two or three small hills. Apart from the Acropolis and its slopes, Athens boasts but Temple of TllGSGUS a single ancient building of first-rate importance. This isthe celebrated but probably misnamed Temple of from the citadel and rounding the Areopagus, weapproach this beautiful shrine, and are surprised to find howvery small it is, its length being considerably less than
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