CHORUS. We are curious to see upon what ground these clever tilters are going to measure each other. Their tongue is keen, their wit is ready, their heart is full of audacity. From the one we must expect both elegance and polish of language, whereas the other, armed with his ponderous words, will fall hip and thigh upon his foe and with a single blow tear down and scatter all his vain devices. DIONYSUS. Come, be quick and speak and let your words be elegant, but without false imagery or platitude. EURIPIDES. I shall speak later of my poetry, but I want first to prove that Aeschylus is merely a wretched impostor; I shall relate by what means he tricked a coarse audience, trained in the school of Phrynichus.[472] First one saw some seated figure, who was veiled, some Achilles or Niobé,[473] who then strutted about the stage, but neither uncovered their face nor uttered a syllable. DIONYSUS. I' faith! that's true! EURIPIDES. Meanwhile, the Chorus would pour forth as many as four tirades one after the other, without stopping, and the characters would still maintain their stony silence. DIONYSUS. I liked their silence, and these mutes pleased me no less than those characters that have such a heap to say nowadays. EURIPIDES. 'Tis because you were a fool, understand that well. DIONYSUS. Possibly; but what was his object? EURIPIDES. 'Twas pure quackery; in this way the spectator would sit motionless, waiting, waiting for Niobé to say something, and the piece would go running on. DIONYSUS. Oh! the rogue! how he deceived me! Well, Aeschylus, why are you so restless? Why this impatience, eh? EURIPIDES. 'Tis because he sees himself beaten. Then when he had rambled on well, and got half-way through the piece, he would spout some dozen big, blustering, winged words, tall as mountains, terrible scarers, which the spectator admired without understanding what they meant. DIONYSUS. Oh! great gods! AESCHYLUS. Silence! EURIPIDES. There was no comprehending one word. DIONYSUS (_to Aeschylus_). Don't grind your teeth. EURIPIDES. There were Scamanders, abysses, griffins with eagles' beaks chiselled upon brazen bucklers, all words with frowning crests and hard, hard to understand. DIONYSUS. 'Faith, I was kept awake almost an entire night, trying to think out his yellow bird, half cock and half horse.[474] AESCHYLUS. Why, fool, 'tis a device that is painted on the prow of a vessel. DIONYSUS. Ah! I actually thought 'twas Eryxis, the son of Philoxenus.[475] EURIPIDES. But what did you want with a cock in tragedy? AESCHYLUS. But you, you foe of the gods, what have you done that is so good?