antiquity, we shall find various examples of pieces which come under the foregoing defcription of a fong. That beautiful relique of Sappho, which is well known to the English reader by Mr. Phillips's excellent tranflation "Bleft as the immortal Gods is he," &c. is an exact model of fong-writing. The poems of the gay and sprightly Anacreon are almoft all songs in every respect except the measure, which inftead of being divided into returning ftanzas, is uniform. Yet this would not neceffarily difqualify it for musical adaptation, and there is no doubt but they were really fung and accompanied with inftrumental mufic. The Odes of Horace contain many beautiful specimens of the fong complete in every circumftance. All these pieces are handed down to us under the denomination of Lyric poetry, the nature of which, as intimately timately connected with our subject, it will be proper to examine with fome attention. THE union of mufic and poetry among the ancients was very ftrict. It would feem that they had no idea of the mufic of founds without words, and they appear feldom or never to have used vocal mufic without accompanyment with inftrumental. The lyre was the favourite inftrument for this purpose, and hence that species of poetry defigned to be fung to mufic acquired the denomination of lyric. Yet we have variety of proof that this term is applied with equal propriety to poetry accompanied with any other inftrument. Horace abounds with fuch inftances-it will be fufficient to refer to his first ode fi neque tibias Euterpe cohibet, nec Polyhymnia immedi immediately after, to fix the clafs of poets to which he belongs, he says Quod fi me Lyricis vatibus inferes. To answer this purpose of mufical adaptation, Lyric poetry has always been in poffeffion of a variety of measures, differing indeed greatly among themselves, but all very diftinguishable from the ftately regular march of Heroics, and the languid inequality of elegy. Thus the Anacreontic is smart and lively, the Sapphic tender and melodious, the irregular Pindaric fuited to the fudden changes and unbounded flights of the wild various mufic of the paffions. Horace affords a fine profufion of regularly returning measures suited to all the varieties of mufical expreffion, many of which one can scarcely read without falling into a natural music. So far Lyric poetry is characterized by its manner of compofition; will it also admit of a character from the nature of its fubjects? It has been already observed that the pieces of Sappho and Anacreon are formed entirely upon gay and amorous topics. A beautiful variety of poems of this caft is to be met with in Horace, and he frequently mentions the peculiar fuitableness of them to the Lyric muse. Thus Nos convivia, nos prælia virginum Nolis longa feræ bella Numantiæ, Non hoc jocofæ conveniet lyræ. BUT what muft we think of thefe declarations when he nobly breaks out "Quem virum aut heroa," &c. when he undertakes with fuch fuccefs to fing the actions great of Auguftus, the praises of Drufus, and the poetical character of Pindar, with Pindar's own fire and fublimity? In that beautiful ode, the 9th of the 4th book, where he sketches out the Grecian bards, his predeceffors in Lyric poetry, we find the Ceæque, Alceique minaces as well as the wanton gaiety of Anacreon and the amorous foftness of the Lesbian maid. One of the oldeft pieces of Grecian Lyric poetry extant, is a heroic ode fung by the Athenians at their public feafts in commemoration of Harmodius and Ariftogiton. The odes of Pindar ce lebrate |