Philostratus, Life of Apollonius of Tyana 6.10-11 (1.219.21 Kayser 2nd ed.) = (in part) T 76 Radt
“ἐντυχών τε αὐτοῖς ἔπαθόν τι πρὸς τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ὁποῖον λέγονται πρὸς τὴν Αἰσχύλου σοφίαν παθεῖν Ἀθηναῖοι. ποιητὴς μὲν γὰρ οὗτος τραγωιδίας ἐγένετο, τὴν τέχνην δὲ ὁρῶν ἀκατάσκευόν τε καὶ μήπω κεκοσμημένην, εἰ μὲν ξυνέστειλε τοὺς χοροὺς ἀποτάδην ὄντας, ἢ τὰς τῶν ὑποκριτῶν ἀντιλέξεις εὗρε παραιτησάμενος τὸ τῶν μονωιδιῶν μῆκος, ἢ τὸ ὑπὸ σκηνῆς ἀποθνήσκειν ἐπενόησεν, ὡς μὴ ἐν φανερῶι σφάττοι, σοφίας μὲν μηδὲ ταῦτα ἀπηλλάχθω, δοκείτω δὲ κἂν ἑτέρωι παρασχεῖν ἔννοιαν ἧττον δεξιῶι τὴν ποίησιν.
“ὁ δὲ ἐνθυμηθεὶς μὲν ἑαυτὸν, ὡς ἐπάξιον τοῦ τραγωιδίαν ποιεῖν [φθέγγοιτο] secl. Jones, ἐνθυμηθεὶς δὲ καὶ τὴν τέχνην, ὡς προσφυᾶ τῶι μεγαλείωι μᾶλλον ἢ τῶι καταβεβλημένωι τε καὶ ὑπὸ πόδα, σκευoποιίας μὲν ἥψατο εἰκασμένης τοῖς τῶν ἡρώων εἴδεσιν, ὀκρίβαντος δὲ τοὺς ὑποκριτὰς ἐνεβίβασεν, ὡς ἴσα ἐκείνοις βαίνοιεν, ἐσθήμασί τε πρῶτος ἐκόσμησεν, ἃ πρόσφορον ἥρωσί τε καὶ ἡρωίσιν ἠσθῆσθαι, ὅθεν Ἀθηναῖοι πατέρα μὲν αὐτὸν τῆς τραγωιδίας ἡγοῦντο, ἐκαλοῦν δὲ καὶ τεθνεῶτα ἐς Διονύσια· τὰ γὰρ τοῦ Αἰσχύλου ψηφισαμένων ἀνεδιδάσκετο, καὶ ἐνίκα ἐκ καινῆς.”
‘When I met them, I experienced something regarding the men’s message akin to what the Athenians are said to have experienced when confronted with the ingenuity of Aeschylus. For he was a tragic poet, and saw the art unformed and, as yet, lacking sophistication. If he had simply shortened the choruses, which were too long, or invented the actors’ dialogues, rejecting long solos, or contrived off-stage deaths, so that murder was not committed before the audience’s eyes, this would not be lacking in ingenuity, but might seem such as to have provided opportunities for inventiveness even to someone else who was less skilled in poetry.
‘But he, reflecting that he was worthy of composing tragic poetry, and further, that tragedy as an art form was suited to the sublime rather than the humble and commonplace, adopted masks and other stage properties that captured the appearance of the heroes and mounted the actors on high boots so that they would have a heroic gait, and he was the first to adorn them with costumes which it is fitting for heroes and heroines to wear. As a result of which, the Athenians considered him the father of tragedy, and summoned him even after death to the Dionysiac festivals. For, following a public vote, Aeschylus’ plays were given repeat performances, and he won anew.’
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