324 Aristotle's treatise on poetry The successive improvements of Tragedy, and the respective authors of them, have not escaped our knowledge; but those of Comedy, from the little attention that was paid to it in its origin, remain in obscurity. For it was not till late that Comedy was authorized by the magistrate, and carried on at the public expense : it was, at first, a private and voluntary exhibition. From the time, indeed, when it began to acquire some degree of form, its poe^ have been recorded; but who first introduced masks or dialogues', or augmented the number of actors — these, and other particulars of the same kind, are unknown. Epicharmus and Phormis were the first who invented comic fables. This improvement, therefore, is of Sicilian origin. But, of Athenian poets. Crates was the first, who abandoned the Iambic type^, and introduced dialogues and plots of a general character (rfp^ev a.f^iixevo<i Trj<s laix^LKrjs tSeas KaOoXov Troteiv Xoyov? kol fxvOovi). Epic poetry agrees so far with Tragic^, as it is an imitation of serious actions; but in this it differs, that it makes use of a single metre, and is confined to narration. It also differs in length : for Tragedy endeavours, as far as possible, to confine its action within the limits of a single revolution of the sun, or nearly so; but the time of Epic action is indefinite. This, however, at first was equally the case with Tragedy itself Of their constituent parts, some are common to both, some peculiar to Tragedy. He, therefore, who is a judge of the beauties and defects of Tragedy, is, of course, equally a judge with respect to those of Epic poetry : for all the parts of the Epic poem are to be found in Tragedy ; not all those of Tragedy in the Epic poem. B. Tragedy. Cap.vr. Of the species of poetry which imitates in hexameters, and of ^efinition of Comedy, we shall speak hereafter. Let us now consider Tragedy ; ^^u^iu^oi collecting, first, from what has been already said, its true and essential mosUmport- c^efinition. Tragedy, then, is an imitation of an action that is impor- u?0o9or^ ^^^^5 e?^^^7'e, and of a proper magnitude — by language embellished and plot. rendered pleasurable, but by different means, in different parts — in the way, not of narration, but of action — effecting, through pity and terror, the correction and refinement of such passions. ("Eo-Ttv ovv rpaywSta fjLLfxrjo-LS TT/Da^cws o-TTOuSatas KOL reXctas, /xeye^os €)(OV(Tr]<i' ySvcrixivio Aoyo), ^(ji)pl<s kKacTTOv Twv aZoiv Iv rots /xoptots, ZpoiVTaiV, koX ov 8t' aTrayycXta?, hC 1 We should read yovs with Hermann. — J. W. D. 2 i.e. personal and particular satire: below, c. IX, — J. W. D. ^ After Tpayujdig. in the text we have the interpolation : A^^x/** /aovoi; fxirpov fieydXov, or /uerd X6yoi'. — J. W. D.
