FIRST LECTURE.

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infi.pid.ity, in fomething effeminately voluptuous, whichabforbed their character and the idea of elaftic vigour ;and this Euphranor feems to have hinted at, when incomparing his own Thefeus with that of Parrhafius, hepronounced the Ionian’s to have fed on rofes, his ownon flefli (/) : emafculate foftnefs was not in his opinion,the proper companion of the contour, or flowery frefh-nefs of colour an adequate fubftitute for the fterner tintsof heroic form.

None of the ancients feem to have united or wifliedto combine as man and artift, more qualities feeminglyincompatible than Parrhafius. — The volubility and.oftentatious infolence of an Afiatic with Athenian fim-plicity and urbanity of manners; punctilious cor-reCtnefs with blandifhments of handling and luxuriouscolour, and with fublime and pathetic conception, afancy libidinoufly fportive (m). If he was not the

inventor,

(/) Thefeus, in quo dixit,. eumclcm apud Parrhafium rofa pafiutn eife, fiumivero carnc. Plin. xxxv. 11.

(m) The epithet which he gave to himfelf of AfigoSieiirot, the dainty, the ele-gant, and the epigram he is faid to have compofed on himfelf, are known : SeeAthenseus, 1. xii. He wore fays iEIian, Var. Hill. ix. n. a purple robe and agolden garland ; he bore a Half wound round with tendrils of gold, and his fandalswere tied to his feet and ancles with golden firaps. Of his eafy fimplicity we may

judge from his dialogue with Socrates in Xenophon ; a-n-ouvtfjuovrvaTwr, 1. iii. Of

his libidinous fancy, befide what Pliny fays, from his Archigallus, and the Melea-ger, and Atalanta mentioned by Suetonius in Tiberio, c. 44.