Eschylus was in the sole possession of the glory of the stage, with
almost every voice in his favour, when a young rival made his appearance
to dispute the palm with him. This was Sophocles. He was born at Colonos,
a town in Attica, in the second year of the seventy-first Olympiad. His
father was a blacksmith, or one who kept people of that trade to work for
him. His first essay was a masterpiece. (M5) When, upon the occasion of
Cimon's having found the bones of Theseus, and their being brought to
Athens, a dispute between the tragic poets was appointed, Sophocles
entered the lists with AEschylus, and carried the prize against him. The
ancient victor, laden till then with the wreaths he had acquired, believed
them all lost by failing of the last, and withdrew in disgust into Sicily
to king Hiero, the protector and patron of all the learned in disgrace at
Athens. He died there soon after in a very singular manner, if we may
believe Suidas. As he lay asleep in the fields, with his head bare, an
eagle, taking his bald crown for a stone, let a tortoise fall upon it,
which killed him. Of ninety, or at least seventy, tragedies, composed by
him, only seven are now extant.

Nor have those of Sophocles escaped the injury of time better, though one
hundred and seventeen in number, and according to some one hundred and
thirty. He retained to extreme old age all the force and vigour of his
genius, as appears from a circumstance in his history. His children,
unworthy of so great a father, upon pretence that he had lost his senses,
summoned him before the judges, in order to obtain a decree, that his
estate might be taken from him, and put into their hands. He made no other
defence, than to read a tragedy he was at that time composing, called
_OEdipus at Colonos_, with which the judges were so charmed, that he
carried his cause unanimously; and his children, detested by the whole
assembly, got nothing by their suit, but the shame and infamy due to so
flagrant ingratitude. He was twenty times crowned victor. Some say he
expired in repeating his _Antigone_, for want of power to recover his
breath, after a violent endeavour to pronounce a long period to the end;
others, that he died of joy upon his being declared victor, contrary to
his expectation. The figure of a hive was placed upon his tomb, to
perpetuate the name of Bee, which had been given him, from the sweetness
of his verses: whence, it is probable, the notion was derived, of the