, inasmuch as every poet bids us bear in mind, to use the
beautiful metaphor of Keats, that the hand of Joy is "ever on his lips
bidding adieu," and that the "wave of death"--the [Greek: koinon kym'
Aida] of Pindar--persistently dogs the steps of all mankind. The curious
in literature will find in the Anthology much apparent confirmation of
the saying of Terence that nothing is ever said that has not been said
before. He will note that not only did the gloomy Palladas say that he
came naked into the world, and that naked he will depart, but that he
forestalled Shakespeare in describing the world as a stage ([Greek:
skene pas ho bios kai paignion]), whilst Philostratus, Meleager, and
Agathias implored their respective mistresses to drink to them only with
their eyes and to leave a kiss within the cup. The man of the world will
give Agathias credit for keen powers of observation when he notes that
the Greek poet said that gambling was a test of character ([Greek:
kubos angellei benthos echephrosyes][78]), whilst if for a moment he
would step outside the immediate choir of the recognised Anthologists,
he may smile when he reads that Menander thought it all very well to
"know oneself," but that it was in practice far more useful to know
other people ([Greek: chresimoteron gar en to gnothi tous allous]).

Then, again, the pungent brevity of such of the poetry of the Anthology
as is epigrammatic is highly attractive. Much has at times been said as
to what constitutes an epigram, but the case for brevity has probably
never been better stated than by a witty Frenchwoman of the eighteenth
century. Madame de Boufflers wrote:

Il faut dire en deux mots
Ce qu'on veut dire;
Les longs propos
Sont sots.

In this respect, indeed, French can probably compete more successfully
than any other modern language with Greek. Democritus (410 B.C.) wrote,
[Greek: ho kosmos skene, ho bios parados; elthes, eides, apelthes]. The
French version of the same idea is in no way inferior to the Greek:

On entre, on crie,
Et c'est la vie!
On crie, on sort,
Et c'est la mort!

Lastly, although much of the sentiment expressed in the Anthology is
artificial, and although the language is at times offensive to modern
ears, the writers almost invariably exhibit that leading quality of the
Greek genius on which the late Professor Butcher was wont to insist so
strongly--its virile sanity.

For these reasons the literar