ANTIQUITY. The pastoral undoubtedly takes its root far hack in Greek literature. Aecordirus to _Eliauus ([aria Historia. x. 1S) its inventor was Stesichorus of Himera in Sicily (who died about n.r. 553) : and his subject was the blind ness of Daphnis. afterwards the typical love-lorn cowherd. According to the ancient grammarians, it originated in the rustic cult of Artemis at Syracuse (,Scholia upon Theocritns), These tra ditions certainly point to very old folksongs now lost. The extant pastoral dates from Thcocritus, who flourished about n.c. 270 at the courts of Syracuse and Alexandria. To him are attrib uted thirty-one idyls (little pictures of life), of which ten are strictly bucolic. Here first occur Thyrsis, Tityrus, Corydon, Damoetas, Daphnis, Lyeidas. Menalcas, and Amaryllis, names since made familiar to Western Europe. Theocritus seemingly reproduces the language of the peas ants, their melodies, superstitions, and custom of answering one another in verse. His idyls are short descriptive lyrics combined with little dramatic pieces, sometimes comic, like the mimes which had been popular in Sicily since Sophron (about 440 B.C.). The poet introduces himself
under the name of Simichidas, and devotes an idyl to his patron Ptolemy Philadelphus of Alex andria. and another to Hiero H. of Syracuse. Theoeritus was followed by two poets: Ilion of Svmrna, known for his beautiful Lament for Adonis, and Mosehus, author of the still more beautiful Dirge for Bion. Several centuries later an unknown Greek writer told the story of Daphnis and Chloe in prose. The theme of the romance is artless innocence: its tone is sensuous and decadent. The pastoral poem had already been adapted to Italy by Vergil (d. 19 n.c.). However much Theocritus may have idealized his country scenes, he yet had nature before his eyes. The purely artificial pastoral began with Vergil, who took his notes not so much from nature as from Theocritns. Vergil composed ten graceful bucolies, which he called eclogue (i.e. selections). Like Theoeritus, he wove into them incidents from his own life. From Vergil the pastoral motive spread to 'Horace, Catullus, and other Roman poets, and eventually throughout West ern Europe.