ousehold duties. According to Pericles, that woman was most to be
prized of whom no one spoke, either in praise or blame. Because of
Sappho's prominence and social activity, but more especially because of
the ardent character of some of her poems, her good name has been
assailed by many modern critics. The majority, however, consider the
accusations as groundless.

Alcman, the great lyric poet of Sparta (Lydian by birth), brought the
so-called Lydian measure to its highest perfection. He was always ready
to praise women in his verses, and wrote some choruses especially for
the--

"Honey-voiced, lovely singing maidens,"

which were sung by female voices only. B[oe]otia could boast of two
great poetesses. Myrtis, a native of Anthedon, is reported to have been
the instructress of Pindar, and is said to have contended with him for
the palm of superiority. She was famous through the whole of Greece, and
many places possessed statues in honour of her. The second poetess was
Corinna, of Tanagra, sometimes called the Theban because of her long
residence at Thebes. She flourished about 490 B.C., and was a
contemporary of Pindar. Like Myrtis, she is said to have instructed him,
and is credited with having gained a victory over him in the public
games at Thebes. Only a few fragments of her work have been preserved to
us. But Pausanias, who states that she defeated Pindar no less than five
times, thinks that her personal charms may have had something to do with
the matter.

While teaching Pindar, Corinna once offered to beautify his earlier
efforts with mythological allusions. The pupil, nettled by this
criticism, soon brought to his instructress a new poem, of which the
first six stanzas touched upon every part of Theban mythology; whereupon
she cooled his enthusiasm by remarking with a smile: "One must sow seed
by the handful, not by the bagful."

Whether the character of these earlier poetesses was above reproach or
not, it is certain that in the later days of Grecian civilization music
was handed over to the most degraded classes. In Egypt the caste of
professional musicians was not held in any respect, and the art was
often merely an added accomplishment to enhance the value of slaves. So,
too, in Greece, the practice of music was given over to the Hetaerae, or
courtesans. That these women were at times able to win a high position
is amply proven by the case of Aspasia. A native of Miletus, she came to
live in Athens,