NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
3 3433 06818889 9
^.i^i
T
Onq Q.
1
S*W YORK
I'BRARY.
-*iiffff*i
V^^N
"rO«f
Hr^'
> r^l VO*
.v<3^ ^
l^/>
V
/>^
t^
7
uf-tlis
#
'^jMismmmm mMmM> .
THEKKW YOHKl
PDBLIC LIBRARY
ACTOR, LENOX AND
HLOEi^ FOUNDATiOMS.
1004
DISTRICT OF MARYLAND, 55.
BE IT REMEMBERED, that on this fifth day of May, in the
forty-first year of the Independence of the United States of"
America, Edward J. Coale and Nathaniel G. Maxwell, of the
said district, have deposited in this office, the title of a book, the
right whereof they claim as proprietors in the words following,
to wit : —
« Tooke's Pantheon of the Heathen Gods, and' Illustrious He-
roes. Revised for a classical course of education, and adapted
for the use of students of every age, and of either sex. Illus-
trated with engravings from new and original designs."
In conformity to an act of the Congress of the United States,
^entitled " An act for the encouraeement of leai-ning, by securing
Ihe copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and pro-
prietors af such copies, during the times therein mentioned ;
and also to the act, entitled, " An act supplementary to the act,
entitled ' An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing
the copies of maps, charts, and books to the authors and propri-
etors of such copies during the times therein mentioned, and
extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving,
and eV^hing historical and other pnnts.''^^^^^^ ^^^^^^
merk of the District of Maryland. -
CONTENTS.
The JVymphs, ^^
The Inferior Rural Deities, .' ' .' ..' .* jg^
PART III.-GODS OF THE SEA.
Neptune,
Ti-iton and other Marine Gods' ', * * * iqq
Monsters of the Sea, } • • . lyy
Scylla and Charybdis, \ 202
PART IV.— INFERNAL DEITIES
riew of Hell, Charon, Rivers of Hell, Cer^
Pluto, Plutus, . . . . ; 211
Proserpine, the Fates, the Furies, ' \ ' ' 215
-^'ght, Death, Sleep, the Judges of Hell, [ 220
Ihe most famous of the Condemned in Hell 222
Monsters of Hell, Elysium, Lethe, . . . 229
PART v.— OF THE DII MINORUM GENTIUM OR THP
SUBORDINATE DEITIES ' ™
The Penates, the Lares, . ^qa
The Genii, •.../.!;; 240
The JYuptial Deities, , . ] , [ [ * 243
Deities presiding over Infants, . \ \ \ \ 245
PART VI._OF THE DII INDIGETES AND ADSCRIPTITII
OR THE SEMI-DEI AND HEROES '
Hercules, 2^^
Jason, Theseus, .......*** 258
Castor and Pollux, ....!.[' 263
Perseus, JEsculap^ius, \ \ 267
Prometheus, Atlas, ....*.'.* .* ] 273
Orpheus, and Amphion, Achilles, . .* \ \ 279
Ulysses andfOrion, - ! ! 283
Osires, Apis, Serapis, ...!"!.' 286
APPENDIX— OF THE VIRTUES AND VICES WHICH
HAVE BEEN DEIFIED. »^"i^«
Th^ Virtues and the Good Deities^ , . , 292
The^ Vices and the Evil Deities^ . , ^^10
J^
AD VER TISEMEJVT
TO THIS REVISED EDITION OF
TOOKE'S PANTHEON.
The object of the Editor of this work, is to
> present a complete summary of Mythology, m a
4 chaste diction, for the study of persons of every
1 a^e and of either sex. Without a general know-
f ledge of Heathen Mythology, the immortal writ-
ings of Homer, Virgil, Ovid, and others, are al-
most unintelligible, and their principal beauties
* Tooke's Pantheon is a work which has
stood the test of time. It is more than a century
since it was published, and the labours and re-
searches of the author are at this day so justly es-
teemed, that it is used as a class-book m several of
our colleges. The sole exception urged by many,
is, that the work is occasionally too indelicate in
its phraseology, and therefore not well adapted for
the youth of either sex. An attempt has been made
in this edition to render it free from this objection,
by altering or expunging the language or phrases
considered improper, while much care has been
taken that no fact nor incident, worthy of any note,
related by the author, is omitted.
* Andrew Tooke, born in London, 1673, was a learned man,
and a very respectable teacher. Though he possessed much
property, he was so attached to literature and his habits of life,
that he continued in his profession to the end of his ^s He
published several learned works, among them The Pantheon,
translated from the Latin of Poraey, a Jesuit oi Lyons. Pomey
was much distinguished for his Paniheum Myshcum, translated
by Tooke without acknowledgment. He wrote besides a French
aad ik^V dictionary, and several works which exhibited his
III ■I'^iUliiiiig ill ancient literature. He died at Lyons, in the
year KITS; thus H appear- that this work was published previon*
to that year.
^^ ADVERTISEMENT.
While tiiis book may be resorted to, occasionaljv
by gentlemen who have finished their classical
course of education, we trust it will be found very
useful to both young fedies and young gentlemen
prosecutmg their studies in polite literature, espe-
cially as classical learning has of late become an
object of considerable importance in female edu-
cation.
Thirty new and beautiful outlined plates, drawn
irom antique statues, have been engraved for this
edition by G. Fairman, Esq. an artist of the first
reputation of this country, and the work is printed
with good type, on paper o-f an excellent quahty;
It IS therefore anticipated, that it will meet with a
favourable reception, and a liberal support from the
classical reader and the heads of colleges, acada-
mies and schools, equal to the endeavours of the
publishers to render it worthy of their patronage.
Questions for examination, for the conve-
nience of teachers, and for the use of students, will
be found at the end of each chapter. The table of
eojitents exhibits a brief analysis of the work.
22?SlE@®liS^2®l?»
MODERN DESCRIPTION OF THE PANTHEON.
This temple, the most celebrated of those which
have escaped the more essential injm'ies of time, im-
presses us with a very striking idea of the magnifi-
cence of the ancients. From its circular form it has
acquired the name of the rotunda. The entrance to
it is under a grand portico, supported by sixteen im-
mense columns of the Corinthian order, each of them
composed of a single piece of red oriental granite.
Of these, eight of them are in front, and sustain an
entablature and frontispiece of the most beautiful
proportion which architecture can boast. The cir-
cumference of each of these columns is fourteen feet ;
and the height, independent of the base and capital,
which are of white marble, two and forty. The in-
side of the temple is supplied with light through one
circular aperture, the diameter of which is six and
twenty feet, and to which there is an ascent by a
staircase consisting of an hundred and ninety steps.
The gallery over the principal altar of a semicircu-
lar form, is obtained from the thickness of the wall,
and supported by pillars of yellow marble. On
every side are chapels adorned also with columns of
yellow marble, and with pilasters crowned with an
entablature of white marble, which extends round
the bttilding. The walls and the pavement are cased
with raaibie. The whole presents us with an assem-
blage of rarelieauty ; and we cannot but regret the
%
14
loss of its statues and some of its other original or-
naments ; which would still improve the magnifi-
cence of its effect.
The bronze ornaments of the dome were removed
in the pontificate of Urban VIII. for the purpose of
forming tlie canopy of the great altar in St. Peter's.
We know that the bronze gates ornamented with
bass-relief, were taken away by Genseric, king of the
Vandals, and were lost in the sea of Sicily.
f
Jk
THE
FABULOUS HISTORIES
OF THE
CHAPTER I.
THE APPROACH TO THE PANTHEON.— THE ORIGIN
OF IDOLATRY.
The Fabulous Pantheon, is, as its name imports,
die Temple of all the Gods, which the superstitious
folly of men have feigned through a gross ignorance
of the true and only God.
It may be right to give some account of tlie Pan-
theon, of which you have a view in the plate that fa-
ces the title page. It is uncertain by whom this beau-
tiful edifice was erected : some suppose it to have been
built by Agrippa, the son-in-law of Augustus ; but
others contend that he only enlarged and adorned it,
and added to it a magnificent portico. Its body is
cylindrical, and its roof or dome spherical ; its inner
diameter was one hundred and forty-four feet, and
the height from the pavement to the grand aperture,
on its top, was also one hundred and fort3-four feet..
Its exterior was built after the Corinthian order of
architecture. The inner circumference is divided
into seven grand niches, six of which are flat at the
top, but the seventh, which is opposite to the entrance,
is arciied. Before each niche are two columns of an-
tique yellow marble, fluted, and of one entire block,
^he whole wall of the temple, as high as the grand
sive, is cased with different kinds of
)le, in compartments. The frieze is
1^
entirely of porphyry. Above the grand cornice rises
an attic, in which are wrought, at equal distances,
fourteen oblong square niches, between each of which
were four marble pilasters, and between the pillars,
marble tables of various kinds. This attic had a
complete entablature ; but the cornice projected less
than that of the grand order below. The spherical
roof springs from the cornice, which is divided by
bands that cross each other like the meridians and
parallels of an artificial terrestrial globe. The spa-
ces between the bands decrease m size as they ap-
proach the top of the roof, to which they do not
reach, there being a considerable space left plain,
between them and the great opening.
The walls below were formerly decorated with
works of carved brass or silver, and the roof was co-
vered on the outside with plates of gilded bronze. The
portico is composed of sixteen columns of granite,
four feet in diameter, eight of which stand in front,
with an equal intercolumniation. To these columns
is a pediment, whose tympanum, or flat, was orna-
mented with bass-rehefs in brass : the cross beams,
which formed the ceiling of the portico, were covered
with the same metal, and so were the doors. Such
was the Pantheon, the richness, and magnificence of
which induced Pliny, and others, to rank it among
the wonders of the world. This temple subsisted in
all its grandeur, till the incursion of Alaric, who
plundered it of its precious metals. The building
continues to this day ; but it was, in the beginning
of the seventh century, converted, by Boniface IV.
into a Christian church, and dedicated to the " Vir-
gin Mary, and all the saints."
^he causes which have chiefly conduced to the
establishment and continuance of idolatry ai^ thus
enumerated :
1. The first cause of idolatry wa&J^€iBifmifk< fol-^
?v, and vain tdory of men , who h^e oHidd't&I^Him*.
' Jii
17
who is the inexhausted fomitain of all good, the hon-
ours which they have attributed to muddy streams :
" pigging," as the prophet Jeremiah complains, " to
themselves broken and dirty cisterns, and neglecting
and forsaking tlie most pure fountain of living wa-
ters." It ordinarily happened after this manner: if
any one excelled in stature of body, if he were en-
dued with greatness of mind, or noted for clearness
of wit, he first gained to himself the admiration of
the ignorant vulgar : this admiration was by degrees
turned into a profound respect, till at length they
paid him greater honour than men ought to receive,
and ranked the man among the number of gods ;
while the more prudent were either carried away by
the torrent of the vulgar opinion, or were unable or
afraid to resist it.
2. The sordid- flattery of subjects toward their
princes, was a second coMse of Idolatry. To gratify
their vanity, to flatter their pride, and to soothe
them in their self-conceit, they erected altai's, and
set the images of their princes on them ; to which
they oflered incense, in like manner as to the gods ',
and not unfrequently, while they were hving.
3. A third cause of Idolatry, was an immoderate
love of immortality in many ; who studied to attain
it, by leaving effigies of themselves behnid them; ima-
gining that their names would still be preserved from
the power of death and time, so long as they hved:
in brass, or in statues of marble, after their funerals.
4. A desire of perpetuating the memories of excel-
lent and useful men to future . ages, ivas the fourth
cause of Idolatry. For to make the memory of
such men eternal, and their names immortal, they
made them gods, or rather called them so.
The contriver and assertor of false gods was Ni-
nus, the first king of the Assyrians, who, to render
tbe name of his father Belus, or Nimrod, immortal,
^*
18
worshipped him with divine honours after his death,
which is thus accounted for :
After Ninus Iiad conquered many nations far and
near, and built the city called after his name, Nine-
veh; in a public assembly of the Babylonians he
extolled his father Belus, the founder of the empire
and city of Babylon, beyond all measure, representing
him not only worthy of perpetual honour among all
posterity, but also of an immortality among the gods
above. He then exhibited a statue of him, curiously
and neatly made, to which he commanded them to
pay the same reverence that they would have given
to Belus while alive ; he also appointed it to be a
common sanctuary to the miserable, and ordained,
" that if at any time an offender should fly to this
statue, it should not be lawful to force him away to
punishment." This privilege easily procured so
great a veneration to the dead prince, that he was
thought more than a man, and, therefore, was cre-
ated a god, and called Jupiter, or, as others write,
Saturn of Babylon ; where a most magnificent tem-
ple was erected to him by his son.
After this beginning of Idolatry, several nations
formed to themselves gods ; receiving into that num-
ber not only mortal and dead men, but brutes also ;
and even the most mean and pitiful inanimate things.
For it is evident from the authority of innumerable
writers, that the Africans worshipped the heavens as
a god; the Persians adored fire, water, and the
winds; the Lybians, the sun and moon; the The-
bans, sheep and weasels ; the Babylonians of Mem-
phis, a whale; the inhabitants of Mendes, a goat;
theThessalanians, storks ; the Syrophcenicians, doves ;
the Egyptians, dogs, cats, crocodiles and hawks;
nay, leeks, onions, and garlic. Which most sense-
less folly Juvenal wittily exposes.
« O sanclas gentes, quibus haec nasci
Numma"-— «—
M
10
ReTigious natior.s snre. and 1)le5s'd abtulps.
Where ev"iy orcliai'd is o"eiTuii with gods.
The ancient Romans, who were so superior in
aiins, in arts, in eloquence, and in ahnost every
thing that can adorn human nature, were pkmged
into the grossest idolatry. They reckoned among
their gods not only beasts and things void of all
sense, but, which is a far greater madness, they some-
times worshipped as gods, the very worst of man-
kind..
Besides their own country gods, and family gods,
they worsiiipped all strange deities that came to the
city, and which were made free of it. Whence it
came to pass, in time, that when they saw their pre-
cincts too narrow to contain so many, necessity
forced them to send their gods into colonies, as they
did their men.
QUESTJOJi'S FOR EXMIL'W^TIOjY OA" THE FOREGO-
LYG CHAPTER.
What is meant by the Fabidous Pantheon ?
Give some account of the Pantheon at Rome
To what purpose was it devoted by Poj^,e Boniface ?
What causes have conspired to the establishmeiit of Idolatry r
Who was the contriver of false gods, and how is the circum-
stance accounted for ?
Whom or what did the Africans, Persians, and others wor-
ship as gods ?
Did the ancient Romans exhibit more wisdom in this respect?
To what had they recourse when Ihek" deities became very
numerous ?
CHAPTER IT.
THE ENTRANCE INTO THE PANTHEON. A D^STRI-
BUTION OF THE GODS INTO SEVERAL CLASSES.
As the Roman people were distributed into three
ranks ; namely, of * senators or noblemen^ knights or
•m^tle?nen, plebeans or citizens; as also into fnohle,
Tatricii, equites. et plebeii. f Nobiles, novi, et ignobiles. Cic.
Muraen. • *
20^
new-raised\ and ignoble ; (of whicli the new-raised
were those who did not receive their nobihty from
their ancestors, bat obtained it themselves by their
own virtue ;) so the lioman gods were divided, as it
were, into three classes.
The Jirst class is of superior gods, JDii majorum
gentium, for the people paid to them a higher degree
of w arship ; because they imagined that these gods
were more eminently employed in the government of
this world. These were called also select, because
they had always the title of celestial gods, and were
famous and eminent above others, of extraordinary
authority and renown. Twelve of these were styled.
consentes ; because, in affairs of great importance,
Jupiter admitted them into his council. The images
of these were fixed in the Forum at Rome : six of
them were males, and six females ; commonly, with-
out other additions, called The Twelve gods ; and
whose names Emiius comprises in a distich.
Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars,
Mei'curius, Neptunus, Jupiter, Vulcanus, Apollo.
These twelve gods were believed to preside over
the twelve months ; to each of them was allotted a
month 5 January to Juno, February to JVeptune,.
March to Minerva, April to Venus, May to Apollo,
June to Mercury, July to Jupiter, August to Ceres,
September to Vulcan, October to Mars, November
to Diana, December to Vesta. They likewise pre-
sided over the twelve celestial signs. If to these
twelve Dii Consentes^ you add the eight following,
Janus, Saturnus, Genius, Sol, Pluto, Bacchus, Tel-
lus, and Luna, you will have twenty, that is, sdl the
select gods.
The second class ccaitains the gods of lower rank
and dignity, who were styled Dii Minorum Gentiu
because they shine with a less degree of glory
have been placed among the gods^ as Gkero says, ht
their own merits. Whence they are called also M-
sciiptitii, Minuscularii^ Putadi, and Indigetes : be-
cause now they wanted nothing ; or because, being
translated from this earth into heaven, they conversed
with the gods ; or being fixed, as it were, to certain
places, committed peculiarly to their care, they dwelt
in them, to perform the duty intrusted to them. Thus
^neas was made a god, by his mother Venus, in
the manner described by Ovid :
His better parts by lustral waves refin'd,
More pure and nearer to ethereal mind ;
With gums of fragrant scent the goddess strews,
And on his features breathes ambrosial dews.
Thus deified, new honours Rome decrees,
Shrines, festivals ; and styles him Indiges. — Met. 14.
The gods of the third and lower class, are some-
times called Minutiy Vesci, and Miscellanei, but more
usually Semones, whose merits were not sufficient to
gain them a place among the celestial gods; yet
their virtues were such, that the people thought them
superior to mortal men. They were called PateU
larii, from certain small dishes, in which the an-
cients offered to the gods their sacrifices, of which
Ovid makes mention :
To Vesta's deity, with iiumble mess,
In cleanly dibh serv'd up, they now address.
To these we ought to adjoin the gods called JVo-
vensiles, which the Sabines brought to Rome by the
command of king Tatius ; and which were so named,
and some say, because they were latest of all rec-
koned among the gods ; or because they were presi-
dents over the changes, by which the things of this
world subsist. Circius believes them to have been
the strange gods of conquered nations ; whereof the
numbers were so vast, tliat it was thought fit to call
iXi in general Kovensiles, lest they should forget any
"thm, * And lastlj; to this class also we must refei'
22
those gods and goddesses by whose help and means,
as Cicero says, men are advanced to heaven, and
obtain a place among the gods; of which sort are
the principal virtues, as we shall show in the proper
place.
qUESTJOAS FOR EXAMINATIOK.
Were the heathen gods, all of one degree of rank ; if not, int©
how many classes were they divided ?
What is said of the first class ?
Why were they called select f
Why were some of them called consentcs?
Over what did the twelve gods preside ? Enumerate thenx.
Which others make up the twenty Select gods ?
Which is the second class of gods, and Avhy are they so styled ?'
What are the gods of the third class, and how are they deao
minated ?
What are the *' JNovensiles ?"
CHAPTER ni;
A SUPPOSED VIEW OF THE PANTHEON. A MORE
COMMODIOUS DIVISION OF THE GODS.
Having ah*eady described to j^ou the structure and
ornaments of this wonderful building, within the nich-
es of which the statues of the gods were placed, it is
right you should be informed, that the three classes,
mentioned above, are here divided into six, and paint-
ed upon the several parts of the Pantheon. 1. The
celestial gods and goddesses are upon an arch. 2.
The terrestrial, upon the wall on the right hand. 3.
The marine and river gods upon the wall on tlie left.
4. The infernal, Vi^ow the lower compartment by the
pavement. 5. The minuti or semones, and miscella'
nei, before you. 6. The adscriptitii and indigetes
behind you. Our discourse shall likewise consist of
six parts ; in each of which I shall lay before ydu.
vhatever I have foimd most remarkable.
^3
best authors upon this subject. Let us, however
first sit down together awhile ; and, as the place is
free from company, we will take a deliberate view
of the whole army of gods, and inspect them one
after another ; beginning, as is fit, with the celestial,
and so with Jove, according to the direction of the
poet :
** Ab Jove principium Musae : Jovis omnia plena."
Virg. Eel. 3.
From the great father of the Gods above
My Muse begins : for all is full of Jove.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMmATIOK
Into how many classes are the gods in the pantheon divided ?
Hov\ are they ranged?
WLe.ice does the description begin ?
Repeat the line from Virgil and translation.
PART I.
OF THE CELESTIAL DEITIES.
CHAPTER I.
SEC. I.— JUPITER. HIS IMAGE.
The gods commonly called celestial, are Jupiter,
Apollo, Mars, Mercury, and Bacchus. The celes-
tial goddesses are Juno, Vesta, Minerva or Pallas,
Venus, Luna, and Bellona.
We will begin with Jupiter,* the father and king
of gods and men, whom you see sitting in a throne
of ivory and gold, under a rich canopy, with a beard,
holding thunder in his right hand, which he brandish-
es against the giants at his feet, whom he formerly
conquered. His sceptre, they say, is made of cy-
press, which is a symbol of the eternity of his empire,
because that wood is free from corruption. On his
sceptre sits an eagle, either because he was brought
up by it, or because an eagle resting upon his head,
portended his reign, or because in his wars with the
giants an eagle brought him his thunder ; and thence
received the title of Jupiter"* s armour hearer.
He wears golden shoes, and an embroidered cloak,
adorned with various flowers and figures of animals.
This cloak, it is reported, Dionysius the tyrant took
from him in Sicily, and giving him a woollen cloak
instead of it, said, " That would be more convenient
for him in all seasons, since it was warmer in the
• DiyAm pater atque horainum rei
'\rM..
i5
winter, and much lighter in the summer." Yet you
must not be surprised, if by chance you should see
him in another place, and in another dress, for he is
wont to be decked in several fashions, according to
the various names he assumes, and according to the
diversity of the people among wliom he is worship-
ped. You may see him among the Lacedaemonians
without ears ; whereas the Cretans are so liberal to
him in this particular, that they give him four. So
much for the figure of Jupiter.
quESTIO^'s for examl\atiok.
Which are the celestial gods ?
Who is Jupiter?
Of Avhat is Iiis sceptre the symhol ?
Wliat does the eagle on his sceptre denote ?
What happened to him with respect to his cloak?
How was lie represented by the Lacedai^nionians and Cretans ?
SEC. 2. JUPITER'S DESCENT AND EDUCATION.
Those who were skilled in the Heathen Theology,
reckon up three Jupiters ; of which the first and se-
cond were born in Arcadia. The father of the one
was jEther ; from whom Proserpine and Liber are
said to be born. The father of the other was Coelus ;
he is said to have begot Minerva. The third was a
Cretan, the son of Saturn, whose tomb is yet extant
in the isle of Crete. But Varro reckoned up three
hundred Jupiters ; and others mention a much larger
number ; for there was hardly any nation that did
not worship a Jupiter of their own, and suppose him
to be born among themselves. But of all these, the
most famous Jupiter, according to the general opin-
ion, is he, whose mother was Ops, and whose father
was Saturn ; to whom therefore all that the poets
fabulously wrote about the other Jupiters is usual-
ly ascribed.
-. He was educated at the place where he was born,
%t U, upon the mountain Ida in Crete, but it is not
26
agreed by whom he was brought up. Some affirm,
that he was educated by the Curetes and Corybantes ;
some say, by the Nymphs, and some, by Amalthaea,
the daughter of Mellissus, king of Crete. Others,
en the contrar}^, have recorded, that the bees fed him
with honey ; and some maintain, that a goat gave
him milk. Not a few say, that he was nourished by
doves ; some, by an eagle ; many, by a bear. And
further, it is the opinion of some concerning the
aforesaid Amalthgea, that she was not the daughter
of Mellissus, as we have mentioned ; but the very
goat which suckled Jupiter, whose horn he gave af-
terwards to his nurses, with this admirable privilege,
" that whoever possessed it should immediately ob-
tain every thing that he desired." They add be-
sides, that after this goat was dead, Jupiter took the
skin and made a shield of it ; with which he smgly
combated the giants ; whence that shield was called
*^gis, from a Greek word that signifies a she goat,
which at last he restored to life again, and, giving
her a new skin, placed her among the celestial con-
stellations.
ilUESTIO^'S FOR EXAMmJlTION.
- How many Jupiters were there, and whence do they derive
their origin ?
Which was the most famous Jupiter ?
What is ascribed to him ?
Where was he educated ?
What do authors say of those who brought him up ?
What is said of the horn of the goat which is thought to hav«
suckled Jupiter ?
Why was his shield called the iEgis.?
SEC. 3.— EXPLOITS OF JUPITER.
He overcame, in war, the Titans and the Giants, of
whom we shall say more when we speak of Saturn,
He also delivered his father Saturn from imprison-
ment; but afterwards deposed him from the throne^;
and banished him for a conspiracy, and then divid«(i
fe
27
the paternal inheritance with his two brolliers, Nep*
tune and Phito. Jn fine, he so assisted and obhged
all mankind by the great favours which he did, that he
not only thence obtained the name of Jupiter, but he
was advanced also to divine honours, and was esteem-
ed the common father both of gods and men. Among
some of his most illustrious actions, we ought to re-
member the story of Lycaon. For wiien Jupiter
had heard a report concerning the wickedness and
great impiety of men, it is said that he descended
from heaven to the earth, to know the real truth of
it ; and that being come into the house of Lycaon,
king of Arcadia, where he declared himself to be a
god, while others were preparing sacrifices for him,
Lycaon derided him : nor did he stop here, but be-
ing desirous to try whether Jupiter was a god, he
kills one of his domestic servants, roasts and boils
the flesh of him, and sets it on the table as a ban-
quet for Jupiter ; who, abhorring the wretch's bar-
barity, fired the palace with lightning, and turned
Lycaon into a wolf. Ovid Met, 1 .
With respect to his other exploits, some of them.
are absurd ; others are highly criminal, if taken in a
literal sense. But it is supposed by the Abbe Ba-
nier and other learned writers on this subject, that
they are merely allegorical, and conceal some mean-
ing, at present either lost to us or open to conjecture.
1st. Such for instance his having wooed his sister,
Juno, in the shape of a crow ; an ill-boding fowl
one would suppose, not very likely to captivate
the heart of a tender maid, but, perhaps, the croak-
ing thing might take very well with a termagant^
such as she has been described to be. 2d. Next,
that he overcame the innocence of Danae, daughter
of Acrisius, king of the Argives ; this monarch be-
ing forewarned by the oracle that he would perish
by the hand of his grandson shut up his only child
in a tower ; Jupiter, however assumed the shape of
•ci sliining metal called gold, (in which no small por*
tion of his divinity has ever since resided,) and de-
scending throiigh the roof, fell into the lady's lap*
3d. At another time he flew into the arms of Leda,
the wife of Tyndarus, in the shape of a beaiitilal
swan. 4th. In the likeness of a wild satyr, he he-
haved like a rufilan to Antiope, the wife of Lycns,
king of Thebes. 5tli. He imposed upon Alcmena
by assuming the figure of her husband Amphitryon.
Gth. In the shape o(Jire he won the heart of Egina,
the daughter of Asopus, king af Boetia. 7th. Pie
deceived Calisto by counterfeiting the modesty and
countenance of Diana; yet, he shamefully abandoned
her to the cruel persecution of Juno, who transformed.
her into a hear ; but, however, commiserating her
condition, he placed her and her son Areas both in
the heavens. Calisto is said to be the great bear and
Areas the little. 8th. He sent an eagle to snatch away
Ganymede, the son of Tros, as he hunted upon the
mountain Ida. Or rather he himself, being changed
into an eagle, took him unto his claws, and carried
him up to heaven. He offered the same violence to
Asteria ; the daughter of Coeus, a young lady of the
greatest modesty, to whoii?i he appeared in the shape
of an eagle, and carried her away in his talons. 9th.
Personally attached to Europa, daughter of Agenor,
king of Phoenicia, he ordered JVIercury to convey her
to the seashore, where, having transformed himself
into a bull, he took her upon his back and transported
her into Crete. The bull is supposed to have been
die ship upon which a bull was painted, in which Eu-
ropa was carried away. In like manner the horse
Pegasus, which was painted upon Bellerophon's ship,
and the ram, which was painted on that of Phryxus
and Helle, created ample matter of fiction for the poets.
But to return to our fable : Agenor immediately or-
dered his son Cadmus to travel, and search every
where for his sister Europa ; which he did, but could
m
29
no where find her. Cadmus dared not return without
lier, because, by a sentence not less unjust to him than
kind to his sister, his father had banished him for
ever unless he found her. Wherefore he built the
city of Thebes, not far from the mountain Parnassus ;
and as it happened that his companions, who were
with him were devoured by a- certain serpent,' while
they went for water ; he, to avenge their death, slew
that serpent ; whose teeth he took out, and, by the
advice of Minerva, sowed them in the ground ; and
suddenly sprouted up a harvest of armed soldiers,
who, quarrelling among themselves, with the same
speed that they grew up, mowed one another down,
excepting five only, by whom that country was peo-
pled afterward. At length Cadmus and his wife
Hermione, after much experience, and many proofs
of the inconstancy of fortune, were changed into
serpents.
He is said to have invented sixteen of the letters of
the Greek alphabet ; <«, /3, y, <J, e, <, », a, /«., v, o, ^, p^
C-, T, y, which, in the time of the judges of Israel, he
brought out of Phoenicia into Greece : two hundred
and fifty years after this, Palamedes added four more
letters, namely, |, 9, <p, %, in the time of the siege of
Troy ; although some affirm that Epicharmus invent-
ed the letters 6 and z • and six hundred and fifty
years after the siege of Troy, Simonides invented
the other four letters, namely, v, &>, {, ^. Cadmus is
also said to have taught tlie manner of writing in
prose ; and that he was the first among the Greeks
who consecrated statues to the honour of the gods,
qUESTIOJVS FOR EX^MIJVATIOJV.
Mention some of the exploits of Jupiter?
How did he derive his name and honours ?
What did he to Lycaon, and why?
What is his other exploits ?
What happened to Calisto .^
a*
^
so
What circumstance occurred to Ganymede and Asteria 9
Explain the fable respecting Europa ?
What did Agenor do to recover his daughter ?
What city did Cadmus build, and what exploit did he perform
on a serpent ?
Which of the letters of the Greek alphabet did Cadmus invent ?
Who added the others, and when ?
What besides did Cadmus do for the benefit of mankind ?
SEC. 4.— THE NAMES OF JUPITER,
Can hardly be numbered ; so many did he obtain,
either from the places where he lived and was wor-
shipped, or from the things that he did. The most
remarkable shall be given alphabetically.
The Greeks called him Ammon, or Hammon, which
name signifies sandy. He obtained this name first
in Lybia, where he was worshipped, under the figure
of a ram ; because, when Bacchus was athirst in the
fabulous deserts of Arabia, and implored the assist-
ance of Jupiter, Jupiter appeared in the form of a ram,
opened a fountain with his foot, and discovered it to
him. But others give this reason, because Jupiter
in war wore a helmet, whose crest was a ram's head.
The Babylonians and Assyrians, whom he govern-
ed, called him Belus, who was the impious author of
idolatry : and because of tlie uncertainty of his de-
scent, they believed that he had neither father nor
mother ; and, therefore, he was thought the first of
all gods. In difierent places, and languages, he
was afterw ards called Beel, Baal, Beelphegor, Beel-
zebub, and Belzemen.
Jupiter was called Capitolinus, from the Capito-
line hill, upon the top of which he had the first tem-
ple that ever was built in Rome ; this Tarquin the
Elder determined to build, Tarquin the Proud did
build, and Horatius, the consul, dedicated.
He was also called Tarpeius, from the Tarpeian
rock, on which this temple w as built. He was like-
wise styled Optimus Maximus, from his power and
willingness to profit all men.
M
31
He was also called Gustos. There is in Nero's
coins an image of him sitting on his throne, which
bears in one hand thunder, and in the other a spear,
with this inscription, Jupiter Custos.
In some forms of oaths he was commonly called
Diespiter, the father of iight ; as we shall further
remark presently under the word Lapis ; and to the
same purpose he was by the Cretans called Dies.
The title of Dodonteus was given him from the
city Dodona in Chaonia, which was so called from
Dodona, a nymph of the sea. Near to this city
there was a grove sacred to Jupiter, which was
planted with oaks ; and famous, because it was the
most ancient oracle of all Greece. Two doves de-
livered responses there to those who consulted it :
or, as others used to say, the leaves of the oaks
themselves became vocal, and gave forth oracles.
He was named Elicius, because the prayers of men
may bring him down from heaven.
Quod ccelo precibus eliciatur.
" Eliciunt coelo te Jupiter, unde Minores
Nunc quoque te celebrant, Eliciumque vocant." —
Fast 3.
Jove can't resist the just man's cries,
They bring him down, e'en from the skies ;
ll«nce he's Elicius call'd.
The name Feretrius is given him, because he^
smites his enemies, or because he is the giver of^
peace ; for when peace was made, the sceptre by
which the ambassadors swore, and the flint-stone on
which they confirmed their agreement, were brought
out of his temple : or lastly, because, after they had
overcome their enemies, they carried the grand
spoils [spolia opima) to his temple. Romulus first
presented such spoils to Jupiter, after he had slain
Acron, king of Csenina ; and Cornelius Gallus of-
fered the same spoils, after he had conquered Tolum-
nius, king of Hetruria ; and thirdly, M. Marcellus,
Ik
32
when he had vanquished Viridomams, kmg of the
Gauls, as we' read m Virgil :
'•' Tertlaque arma Patri suspendet capta Quirino.'*
And tlic third spoils shall grace Feretrian Jove. — ^n. 6
Those spoils were called o/lma, which one general
took from the other in battle.
Fulminator, or Ceraunius, in Greek Ke^ccwtog, is
Jupiter's title, from hurhng thunder, which is thought
to be his proper office, if we believe the poet :
-O qui res hominumque Deumque
j^ternis regis imperiis, et fulmine terres." —
Virg. ^n. 1. 229.
O king of gods and men, whose awful hand
Disperses thunder on the seas and land ;
Dispensing all with absolute command.
In Lycia they worshipped him under the name of
Gragus, r^a^io^ \^G7^a])sios'\ and Genitor.
In jEgium, about the seacoast, he is said to have
had a temple with the name of Homogynus.
At Pra3neste he was called Imperator. There was
a most famous statue of him at that place, afterward
translated to Rome.
He was called Latialis, because he was worshipped
in Latium, a country of Italy ; whence the Latin
festivals are denominated, to which all the inhabit-
ants of those cities of Italy resorted, who desired to
be partakers of the solemnity ; and brought to Ju-
piter several oblations ; particularly, a bull was .sa-
crificed at that time, in the common name of them
all, of which every one took a part.
The name Lapis, or as others write, Lapideus,
was given him by the Romans, who believed that an
oath* made in the name of Jupiter Lapis, was the
most solemn of all oaths. And it is derived either
* Juramentuna per Jovem. Lapideui omuium sanctissimuna*
Cic,,7.ap. 12.
m
3S
J^porn the stone whicli was presented to Saturn by his
\^'ife Ops, who said it was Jupiter, in which sense
Eusebius says, that Lapis reigned in Crete ; or from
the flint-stone, which, in making bargains, the swearer
held in his hand, and said, ■^" It" knowingly I deceive,
so let Diespitev, saving the city and the capitol, cast me
away from all that is good, as I cast aw^ay this
stone ;" upon which he threw the stone away. The
Romans had another form, not unlike to this, of
making bargains, whicli may be mentioned here :
f " If with evil intention I at 'any time deceive ; upon
that cl-iy, O ! Jupiter, so strike thau me, as I shall
this day strike this swine ; and so much the more
strike thou, as thou art the more able and skilful to
do it ;" he then struck down the swine.
In the language of the people of Campania, he is
called Lucetius, from lux ; and among the Latins Di-
espiter, from dies. Which names were given to Ju-
piter, " because he cheers and comforts us with the
light of the d?ty, as much as with life itself:" or, be-^
cause he was believed to be the father of light.
^he people of Elis used to celebrate him by the
title of Martins.
He was also called IMuscarius, because he drove
away the flies : for when the religious exercises of
Hercules were interrupted by a multitude of flies, he
immediately oflered a sacrifice lo Jupiter, which be-
ing finished, all the flies flew awa}*.
He was styled Nicephorus, that is, carrying vic-
tory : and by the oracle of Jupiter Nicephorus, em-
peror Adrian was told, that he should be promoted
to the empire. Livy often mentions him ; andma-
^ Si sciens fallo, me Diespiter, salva urbe arceque, bonis eji-
ciat ut ego liunc lapidem. — Fest ap. Lil.
t Si dolo raalo aliquando fallam, tu ilio die, Jupiter, me sic
ferrto. ut ego huiic porcum hodie feriam ; tantoque niagis ferito,
quatiio magis pote-^!,. pollesque. Liv. 1, I
ilttik
S4
iiy coins are extant, in which is the image of Jupi-
ter bearing victoiv in his hand.
He was called Opitiikis, or Opitulator, the helper,
and Centipeda, from his stability ; because those
things stand secure and firm which have many feet.
He was called Stabilitor and Tigellus, because he
supports the world : Almus and Alumnus, because
he cherishes all things.
He was styled Olympius, from Olymptis, the name
of the master who taught him, and of the heaven
wherein he resides, or of a city which stood near the
mountain Olympus, and was anciently celebrated
far and near, because there a temple was dedicated
to Jupiter, and games solemnized every five years.
To this Jupiter Olympus, the first cup was sacri-
ficed in their festivals.
When the Gauls besieged the capitol, an altar was
erected to Jupiter Pistor ; because he put it into the
minds of the Romans, to make loaves of bread, and
throw them into the Gaul's tents ; upon which the
siege was raised.
The Athenians erected a statue to him, and wor^
shipped it upon the mountain Hymettus, giving him
in that place the title of Pluvius ; this title is men-
tioned by Tibullus :
" Arlda nee Pluvio supplicat herba Jovi."
Praedator was also his name, not because he pro-
tected robbers, but because out of all the booty taken
from the enemy, one part was due to him. For
when the Romans w ent to war, they used to devote
to the gods a part of the spoil that they should get,
and for that reason there was a temple at Rome
dedicated to Jupiter Praedator.
He was styled Quirinus, as appears by that verse
of Virgil, cited above, when we spoke of the name of
Feretrius.
^
35
Rex and Regnator are his common titles in Vir-
gil, Homer, and Ennius.
Jupiter was also called Stator, which title he first
had from Romulus on this occasion : when Romulus
was fighting widi the Sabines, his soldiers began to
fly ; upon which Romulus, as Livy relates, thus
prayed to Jupiter :'^' " O ! thou father of the gods
and mankind, at this place at least drive back the
enemy, take away the fear of the Romans, and stop
their dishonourable flight. And I vow to build a
temple to thee upon the same place, that shall bear
the name of Jupiter Stator, for a monument to pos-
terity, that it was from thy immediate assistance that
Rome received its preservation." After this prayer
the soldiers stopped, and returning again to the bat-
tle, obtained the victory ; upon which Romulus con-
secrated a temple to Jupiter Stator.
The Greeks called him i:uTr,p \^Soter'\ Servator,
the saviour^ because he delivered them from the
Medes. Conservator also was his title, as appears
from divers of Dioclesian's coins, on which were his
effigies, with thunder brandished in his right hand,
and a spear in his left ; with this inscription : Con-
servatori. In others, instead of thunder, he holds
forth a little image of victory, with this inscription :
Jovi Conservatori Orbis, To Jupiter the conservator
of the world.
The augurs called him Tonans and Fulgens And
emperor Augustus dedicated a temple to him, so call-
ed ; wherein was a statue of Jupiter, to which a little
bell was fastened. He is also called Bpovrxtei [^Bron-
taios'] by Orpheus ; and Tonitrualis, the thunderer,
by Apuleius ; and an inscription is to be seen upon
a stone at Rome, Jovi Brontonti.
* Tu pater Deum hominumque, hiiic saltern arce hostera, deme
terrorem Romanis, fugamque foedam siste. Hlc ego tibi templum
Statori Jovi, quod monuraentum sit posteris tua praesenti ope
servatam urbem esse, voveo. Liy. I. 1.
56
Trioculas, T/t.c^^stAjuos \_7Viopihalnios^ was m\ epi-
thet given him by the Grecians, who thought that
he had tln-ee eyes, with one of whicli he observed
the affairs of heaven, with another the affairs of the
earth, and with the tliird he viewed the sea affairs.
There was a statue of him, of this kind, in Priamus'
palace, at Troy ; which, beside the two usual eyes,
had a third in the forehead.
T^ejovis, or Vejupiter, and V^edius, that is, " lit-
tle Jupiter," was his title when he was described
without his thunder, viewing angrily short spears
which he held in his hand. The Romans accounted
him a fatal and noxious deity ; and therefore they
worshipped him only that he might not hurt them.
Agrippa dedicated a pantheon to Jupiter Ultor,
" the avenger ;" at Rome, according to Pliny.
He was likewise called Xenius, or Hospitalis, be-
cause he was thought the author of the laws and cus-
toms concerning hospitality. Whence the Greeks
call presents given to strangers xenia, as the Latins
called them lauiia.
live, ^Zeus'\ is the proper name of Jupiter, because
he gives life to animals.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMIJVATIOJV.
Had Jupiter many names ?
What did the Greeks call him ?
What name did he obtain in Lybia ?
By whom and on what account was he called Belus ?
Why was he called Capitolinus ?
Why was he called Tarpeius, and why Optimus Maximus ?
How did he obtain the title of Diespiter f
Why was he styled Dodonaeus ?
Why was he named Elicius ?
Explain the reason why the name Feretrius was given him .''
Why was he called Fulminator ?
What was he called at Praeneste ?
Why was he called Latialis ?
How did he obtain the name Lapis, and from what is it de-
rived ?
What was the Roman way of making bargains ?
Why was he called Lucetius ?
M
3*7
Why was he styled Muscariiis, and why Nicephorus ?
Why was he denominated Opitulator, Centipeda, Almas, and
Ruminiis ?
On what account was he denominated Olympius, Pistor, Plu-
vius, Praedator ?
What are his titles in Virgil, Homer, and Ennius ?
How did he obtain the title Stator ?
Why, and by whom was he called Soter r
What was he called by the augurs ?
Why was he called Trioculus i
Why was he called Xenius, and why Zeus ?
SEC." 5.— THE SIGNIFICATION OF THE FABLE, AND
WHAT IS UNDERSTOOD BY THE NAME JUPITEB. .
•► Natural philosophers many times think that heaven
is meant by the name Jupiter-: whence many authors
(express the thunder and hghtning, which came from
heaven, by these phrases : Jove tonante, fulgente, <^c.
and in this sense Virgil used the word Olympus.
" Panditur interea domus omnipotentis Olympi." uEn. 10.
Meanwhile the gates of heaven unfold.
•• Others have imagined that the air, and the things
that are therein contained, as thunder, lightning,
rain, meteors, and the like, are signified by the same
name. In which sense Horace is to be miderstood,
when he says : sub Jove, that is, " in the open air."
Some, on the contrary, call the air Juno, and the
fii'e Jupiter, by which the air being warmed becomes
fit for the production of things. Others, again, call
the sky Jupiter, and the earth Juno : because out of
the earth all things spring ; which Virgil has ele-
gantly expressed in the second book of his Georgics :
" Turn pater omnipotens foecundis imbribis sether,
Conjugis in gremium letse descendit, et omnes
Magnus alit, magno conimistus corpoi'e, foetus."
Euripides thought so, when he said that the sky
ought to be called Summus Deus, '* the great God."
Plato's opinion was different ; for he thought that the
sun was Jupiter ; and Homer, together with the
slforesaid Euripides, thinks that he is fate ; which
4
^.C-
38
fate is, according to Cicero's definition, — *" The
cause from all eternity why such things as are al-
ready past, were done ; and why such things as are
doing at present, be as they are ; and why such
things as are to follow hereafter, shall follow ac-
cordingly."* In short, others by Jupiter understand
the soul of the world ; which is diffused not only
through all human bodies, but likewise through all
the parts of the universe, as Virgil poetically de-
•scribes it :
The heaven and earth's compacted frame,
And flowing watei-s, and the starry frame,
And both the radiant lights, one common soul
Inspires, and feeds, and animates the whole.
This active mind, infus'd through all the space,
Unites and mingles with the mighty mas§.^-;-iEn. 6.
* Jupiter is usually represented by the ancients as
governing the world by his providence ; and is de-
scribed as viewing from an eminence the pursuits
and contentions of mankind, and weighing in his
scales their fortunes and their merits. He is the
moderator of the difterences of the gods, and when-
ever any of the inferior deities asked him a favour,
he was disposed to nod his assent : *
He, whose all-conscious eyes the world behold,
Th' eternal thunderer, sat enthron'd in gold :
High heav'n the footstool for his feet he makes,
And wide beneath him, all Olympus shakes.
He spake ; and awful bends his sable brows,
Shakes his ambrosial curls, and gives the nod ;
The stamp of fate and sanction of the god :
High heaven, with trembling, the dread signal took,
And all Olympus to the centre shook. — Homer.
All heaven is represented as shaken with his ter-
rors, and neither men nor gods had the temerity to
oppose his will :
* iEterna rerum causa ; cur ea, quae preterierint, facta sint ;
et ea, quae instant, fiant ; et ea, quae consequentur, futura sint
pic. d.e Divin. 1.
%M
39^
Ih^n spake ih' almighty father as he sat
Enthron'd in gold ; and clos'd the great* debate,
Th' attentive ^\•inds a solemn silence keep ;
The wond'ring waves lie level on the deep ;
Earth to his centre shook ; high heav'n was aw'd,
And all th' immortal pow'rs stood trembling at the god,
VirgU.
QUESTION'S FOR EXAMIjYATIOJV.
What do philosophers understand by the word Jupiter f
What meaning do others give of it ?
What is the example from Horace ?
How does Virgil understand it in the Georgics ?
Repeat the original and translation ?
Give me the opinion of Eux-ipides, Plato, and Homer ?
Repeat the lines from the sixth ^neid, and point out the ap-
plication ?
How is Jupiter represented by the ancients ?
Repeat the lines from Homer ?
How is he represented by Virgil ?
CHAPTER n.
SEC. I.— APOLLO. HIS IMAGE AND DESCENT.
Apollo is represented as a beardless youth, with
long hair, comely and graceful, who wears a laurel
crown, and shines in garments embroidered with,
gold, with a bow and arrows in one hand, and a
harp in the other. He is at other times described
holding a shield in one hand and the Graces in the
other. And because he has a threefold power in
heaven, where he is called Sol : in earth, where he
is named Liber Pater ; and in hell, where he is styled
Apollo 5 he is usually painted with these three things :
a harp, a shield, and arrows. The harp shows that
he bears rule in heaven, where all things are full of
harmony ; the shield describes his office in earth,
where he gives health and safety to terrestrial crea-
tures ; his arrows show his authority in hell, for who-
ever he strikes with them, he sends them into hell.
40
Sometimes he is painted with a crow and a hawk
flying over his head, a wolf and a laurel tree on one
side, and a swan and a cock on the other ; and un-
der his feet grasshoppers creeping. The crow is sa-
cred to him, because he foretells the weather, and
shows the different changes of it b}' the clearness or
hoarseness of his voice. The swan is likewise en-
dued with a divination,^ because foreseeing" his hap-
piness in death, he dies with singing and pleasure.
The wolf is not unacceptable to him, not only be-
cause he spaied his flock when he was a shepherd,
but the sharpness of his eyes represents the foresight
of prophecy. The laurel tree is of a very hot na-
ture, always flourishing, and conducing to divination
and poetic raptures ; and the leaves of it put under
the pillow, was said to produce true dreams. The
hawk has eyes as bright as the sun ; the cock fore-
tells his rising; and the grasshoppers so entirely
depend on him, that they owe their rise and sub-
sistence to his heat and influence.
There were four Apollos : the first and most an-
cient of them was born of Vulcan, and was the tute-
lary god of the Athenians ;f the second was a Cre-
tan, a son of one of the Corybantes ; the third was
born of Jupiter and Latona ; the fourth was born in
Arcadia, called by the Arcadians, Nomius. But
though, as Cicero says, there were so many Apollos,
yet the rest of them are seldom mentioned, and all
that they did is ascribed to one only, namely, to him
that was born of Jupiter and Latona, which is thus
represented :
Latona, the daughter of Coeus the Titan, con-
ceived twins by Jupiter : Jmio, mcensed at it, sent
the serpent Python against her ; and Latona, to es-
* Cygni non sine causa Apollini dicati sunt, quod ab eo divi^
nationem habere videantur ; quia praevidentes quid in moite bo-
iii sit, cum cantu et voluptate moriuntur. Cic. TuscuL 1
t Bapier's Mythology.
«
41
eape tiie serpent, fled into the island of Delos^-
Where she brought forth Apollo and Diana at tlie
same birth.
qUESTIOA'S FOR EXAMINATION.
How is Apollo represented ?
With what things is he painted, and why ?
Wliy are the crow, hawk^w^olf, swan, and laurel, consecrated
to liim ? ..13
How many Apollos were there, and which is the principal ?_
Where was Apollo born, and what was tlie occasion of his
birth at Delos r
SEC. 2.— ACTIOS OF APOLLO.
Apollo was advanced to the highest degree of
honour and worship by these four means, viz : by
the invention of physic, music, poetry, and rhetoric,
which is ascribed to him ; and, therefore, he is sup-
posed to preside over the Muses. It is said that he
taught the arts of foretelhng events, and shooting
with arrows; when, therefore, he had benefited man-
kind infinitely by the?e favours, they worshipped
him as a god. Hear how gloriously he himself re--
peats his own accomplishments of mind and nature,
where he magnifies himself to the flying nymph
whom he passionately loved.
-'' Nescis, temeraria, nescis
Quern fugias, ideoque fugis-
Jupiter est genitor. Per me quod eritque, fuitque,
Estque, patet. Per me concordant carmina nervis;
Certa quidem nostra est, nostra taraen una sagitta
Certior, in vacuo, quae vulnera pectore fecit.
Inventum medicina meum est, opiferque per orbem
Dicor ; et herbarum est subjecta potentia nobis."
Ov. Met. a.
Stay, nymph, he cried, I follow not a foe ;
Thus from the lion darts the trembling doe :
Thou shunn'st a god, and shunn'st a god that loYQ.
But think from whom thou dost so rashly fly,
Nor basely born, nor shepherd's swain am I.
What shall be,
Or is, or ever was, in fate I gee.
4*
42
Mine is the invention of the charming lyre ;
Sweet notes and heavenly numbers 1 inspire.
Sure is my 1jo\v, unerring is my dart,
But ah ! more deadly his, who pierc'd my heart.
Med'cine is mine ; what herbs ai^id simples grow
In fields, in forests, all their powers I know,
And am the great physician call'd below.
His principal actions are as follows :
1. He destroyed all the Cyclops, tlie forgers of
Jupiter's thunderbolts, with his arrows, to revenge
the death of jEsculapius, his son, whom Jupiter had
killed with thunder, because by the help of his
physic he revived the dead. "^For this act Apollo
\vas cast down from heaven and deprived of his di-
vinity, exposed to the calamities of the world, and
commanded to live in banishment upon the earth. In
this distress he was compelled by want to look after
Admetus' cattle : where, it is said, he first invented
and formed a harp. Aiter this, Mercury got an op-
portunity to dri\'e away a few of the cattle of his
herd by" stealth ; and while Apollo complained and
threatened to punish him, unless he brought the
same cattle back again, his harp was also stolen by the
samef god j so tliat his anger was changed tO
laughter.
2. He raised the walls of the city of Troy, by tlie
music of his harp alone ; if we may believe the poet:
" Ilion aspices, firmataque turribus altis
Mceni, Apollinaj structa eanore lyree." — Otid. Ejp. Pari(jt.
Troy you shall see, and walls divine admire j
Built by the music of Apollo's lyre.
Some say that there was a stone, xipon whicli
Apollo only laid down his harp, and the stone by
the touch became so melodious, that whenever it wa^
struck with another stone, it sounded like a harp.
3. By misfortune he killed Hyacintlius, a boy
that he loved. For, while Hyacinthus and b© were
* Lucian Dial. Mort
i Hor. Carm. 1.
43
playing together at quoits, Zephyrus was enraged,
because Apollo was better beloved by Hyaciuthus
than himself; and, having an opportunity of re-
venge, he blew the quoit that Apollo cast, against
the head of Hyaciuthus, by which blow he fell down
dead. Apollo caused the blood of the youth, that
was spilt upon the earth, to produce flowers called
violets, as Ovid finely expresses it : ,
"^ Ecce cruor, qui fusus humi siguaverat herbam,
Desiiiit esse cruor; Tyrioque nitentior ostro
Flos oritur, formamque capit, quain lilia ; si non
Purpureas color huic, argenteus esse in illis. ' — Met. ICt
* Behold the blood, which late the grass had dy'd,
Was now no blood ; from which a lloAver full blown^
Far brighter than the Tyrian scarlet shone,
Which seeni'd the same, or did resemble right
A lily, changing but the red to white.
. Besides, he was passionately fond of Cyparissus,
another boy, who, when he had unfortunately killed
a fine deer, which he exceedingly loved and had
brought up from its birth, was so melancholy for
his misfortune, that he constantly bewailed the loss
of his deer, and refused all comfort. Apollo, be-
cause he begged of the god that his mourning might
be made perpetual, in pity changed him into a cypress
tree, the branches of which were always used at fu-
nerals.
'' munusque supremum.
Hoc petit a superis, ut tempore lugeat omni. —
Ingemuit, tristis(}ue Deus, lugebere nobis,
Lugebisque alios, aderisque dolentibus, inquit."
Ov. Met. 10^
Implores that he might never cease to mourn,
When Phoebus sighing, I for thee will mourn,
Mourn thou for others, hearses still adorn. .
4. He fell violently in love with the virgin
Daphne, so famous for her modesty. He pursued
lier, but whiie she fled from the violence of his pas-
44
sion, she was changed mto a laurel, which remains^
ahvays flourishing, and always pure^ ,.
5. He courted also along time the nymph Bolina,
but never could gain her ; for she chose rather to
throw herself hito the river and be drowned, than
yield to his wishes.
6. Leucothoe, the daughter of Orchamus, lung of
Babylon, was not so tenacious. Her father could
not bear the disgrace brought on his family, and
buried her alive. Apollo was greatly grieved at
this, and though he could not bring her again to life,
he poured nectar upon the dead bod} , and thereby .
turned it into a tree that drops frankincense.
" Nectare adorato spargit corpusque locumque,
Multaque prajquestus, tanges tumen sethera, dixit.
Protiniis imbutum coelesti nectare corpus
DelicLiit, terramque suo madefecit adore ;
Virgaque per glebas, sensirn radicibus actis,
Thurea surrexit ; tumulumque cacumine rupit."
Ov. Met. 4.
He mourned her loss, and sprinkled all her hearse
With balmy nectar, and more precious tears.
Then said since fate does here our joys defer,
Thou shalt ascend to heav'n and bless me there
Her body straight embalm'd with heav'nly art,
Did a sweet odour to the ground impart,
And from the grave a beauteous tree arise,
That cheers the gods wath pleasing sacrifice.
The attachment of Leucothoe and Apollo had
been discovered to her father by her sister Clytie,
whom Apollo formerly loved, but now deserted:
which she seeing, pined away, with her eyes con-
tinually looking up to the sun, and at last was
changed into a flower called a siui-flower, or helio-
trope. Ovid Met. 4.
7. Apollo was challenged in music by Marsyas, a
proud musician ; and when he had overcome him,
Apollo slayed him for his temerity, and converted
him into the river of that name in Phrygia,
8. Midas, king of Phrygia, having foohshly de^
45
termined the victory to Pan, when Apollo and he
sang together, Apollo stretched his ears to the length
and shape of asses' ears. IMidas endeavoured to
hide his disgrace by his hair : but since it was im-
possible to conceal it from his barber, he prevailed
with him by great promises, not to divulge what he
saw. But the barber went and dug a hole, and put-
ting his mouth to it, whispered these words, " King
Midas has asses' ears :" and the reeds that grew
out of that hole, if they were moved by the least
blast of wind, uttered the same words, viz. " King
Midas has the ears of an ass."
-" Secedit, humumqne
Effodit, et domini quales conspexerit aures,
Voce refert parva." Ovid Met. 15.
He dug a hole, and in it whispering said,
What monstrous ears sprout from king Midas' head!
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMiJ<CATIOK.
How was Apollo advanced to honour ?
Repeat the description of himself, as given by Ovid. -.
What occurred to Apollo, with regard to the Cyclops ?
What is said of the music of his harp ? ^
^,How did he kill Hyacinthus, and ^at was the effect of it ?
/ Repeat the lines from Ovid. ^
What is the story of Cyparissus ?
Repeat the lines from Ovid.
What is related of Daphne }
What is related of Bolina .''
What happened to Leucothoe .'
What became of Marsyas ?
What is the story respecting Midas ?
SEC. 3.— NAMES OF APOLLO.
As the Latins call him Sol, because there is but
one sun ; so some think the Greeks gave him the
name of Apollo for the same reason. Though
others think that he is called Apollo, either because
he drives away diseases, or because he darts vigor-
ously his rays.
He was called Cynthius, from the mountain Cyn-
thus, in the island of Delos ; wheqce Diana also was
called Cvnthia^.
46'
And Delius, from the same island, because he wa»
born there : or, as some say, because Apollo (who
is the smi,) by his light, makes all things manifest ;
for which reason he is called Phanaeus.
He was named Delphinius, because he killed the
serpent Python, called Delphis : or else, because
when Castilius, a Cretan, carried men to the planta-
tions, Apollo guided him in the shape of a dolphin.
His title Delphicus comes from the city Delphi,
m Boeotia. Here Apollo had the most famous tem-
ple in the world, in which he uttered the oracles to-
those who consulted him ; which he first received
from Jupiter. They say that this famous oracle
became dumb at the birth of our Saviour, and when
Augustus, who was a great votary of Apollo, de-
sired to know the reason of its silence, the oracle
answered him, that in Judea a child was born, who
was the son and image of the supreme God, and had
commanded him to depart, and retui'n no more an-
swers.
Me puer Hebrasus^jjdivos Deus ipse gubernans,
Cedere sede jubet, tristemque redire sub orcum ',
Aris ergo dehinc nostris abscedito, Csesar.
Apollo was likewise called Didymseua, which
word in Greek, signifies twins, by which are meant
the two great luminaries of heaven, the sun and the
moon, which alternately enlighten the world by day
and by night.
He was also called Nomius, which signifies either
a shepherd, because he fed the cattle of Admetus ;
or because the sun, as it were, feeds all things that
the earth generates, by his heat and influence. Or
perhaps this title may signify lawgiver; and was
given him, because he made very severe laws, when
he was king of Arcadia.
He was styled Paean, either from allaying sorrows,
oj from his exact skill in striking ; wherefore he is
47
armed with arrows. And we know that the sun
strikes us, and often hurts us with his rays, as with
so many darts.
He is accordingly referred to in this character by
Homer :
Bent was his bow, the Grecian hearts to wound,
Fierce as he raov'd his silver shafts resound.
Breathing revenge, a sudden night he spread,
And gloomy darkness roll'd around his head.
The fleet in view, he twang'd his deadly bow,
And hissing fly the feather'd fates below.
On mules and dogs th' infection first began ;
And last the vengeful arrows fis'd on man. — Iliad.
By this name Paean, his mother Latona, and the
spectators of the combat, encouraged Apollo, when
he fought with the serpent Python, crying frequently,
** Strike him. Paean, with thy darts." By the same
name the diseased invoke his aid, crying, " Heal us,
Paean." And hence the custom came, that not only
all hymns in the praise of Apollo were called Pceanes,
but also, in all songs of triumph in the celebration
of all victories, men cried out, " lo Paean." After
this manner the airy and wanton lover in Ovid acts
his triumph too :
" Dicite lo Paean, et To, bis discite, Paean !
Decidit in casses prseda petita meos." Art. Am. 2.
Sing lo Peean twice, twice lo say;
My toils are pitch'd, and I have caught my prey.
H^ was called Phoebus, from the great swiftness of
his motion.
He was named Pythius, not only from the serpent
Python, which he killed, but likewise from asking
and consulting ; for none among the gods was more
consulted, or delivered more responses, or spake
more oracles than he ; especially in the temple which
he had at Delphi, to which all sorts of nations resort-
ed, so that it was called "the oracle of all the earth."
The oracles were first given out by a young virgin ;
afterwards it was determined that an old woman
48
should give the answers, in the dress of a young
maid, who was therefore called Pythia, from Py-
thius, one of Apollo's names, and sometimes Phoe-
bas, from Phrebus, another of them. But as to the
manner by which the woman understood the god's
mind, men differ.
There are also different opinions respecting the
tripos on which the oracle sat. Some say that it
was a table with three feet ; on which she placed
herself when she designed to give forth oracles.
But others say, that it was a vessel, in which she
was plunged before she prophesied ; or rather, that
it was a golden vessel, furnished with ears, and sup-*
ported by three feet, whence it was called tripos ;
and on this the lady sat down. It happened that
this tripos was lost in the sea, and afterwards taken
up in the nets of fishermen, who contended among
themselves which should have it : the Pythian
priestess being asked, gave answer that it ought to
be sent to the wisest man of all Greece. Where-
upon it was carried to Thales of Miletus ; who sent
it to Bias, as to a wiser person ; Bias referred it to
another, and that other referred it to a fourth, till,
after it had been sent backward and forward to al?
the wise men, it retured again to Thales, who dedi-
cated it to Apollo, at Delphi.
The seven wise men of Greece were, " Thales of
MiletuSy^^ " Solon of Athens" " Chilon of Lacedce-
mon^" *' Pittacus of Mytilene," " Bias of Priene^^'
" Cleohulus of Lindi" and ^^ Periarider of Co-
rinth." 1 will add some remarkable things con*
cerniiig them :
Thales was reckoned among the wise men, be-
cause he was believed to be the first that brought
geometry into Greece. He first observed the courses
of the times, the motion of the winds, the nature of
thunder, and the motions of the sun and the stars.
Being asked what he thought the most difficult thing
49
111 the world, he answered, " To know one's self."
This perhaps was the occasion of the advice wTitten
on the front of Apollo's temple, to those that were
about to enter, " Know thyself," rvaSi c-euvrov.
When Solon visited Croesus, king of Lydia,
the king showed his vast treasures to him, and ask-
ed him \\ hether he knew a man happier than he :
" Yes," says Solon, " I know Tellus, a very poor,
but a very virtuous man, at Athens, who lives
in a little tenement, and he is more happy than
your majesty : for neither can those things make us
happy, which are subject to the changes of the times ;
nor is any one to be thought truly happy till he
dies." » It is said, when king Croesus was afterward
taken prisoner by Cyrus, and laid upon the pile to
be burni, he remembered this saying of Soloii, and
often repeated his name ; so that Cyrus asked wdiy
he cried out Solon, and who the god was whose as-
sistance he begged. Croesus said, " I now find by
experience that to be true, which he told me ;" and
he then- related the story. Cyrus, on hearing it,
was so touched with the vicissitude of human affeirs,
that lie preserved Croesus from the fire, and ever af-
ter had him in great honour.
Chilo had tliis saying continually in his mouth :
'' c/Ye quid nimium cupias," " Desire nothing too
much." Yet when his son had got the victory
at the Olympic games, the good man died with joy,
and all Greece honoured his funeral.
' Bias, a man no less famous for learning than no-
bility, preserved his citizens a long time. . And when
at last, says Cicero, his country Priene was taken,
and the rest of the inhabitants, in their escape, car-
ried away w ith them as much of their goods as they
could ; one advised him to do the same, but he made
aijswer. " Ego vero facio, nam omnia mea mecum>-
jwrto." "It is what I do ali^ady; for all thing's
that are mine I carry about me." He often said^
50
"Amicos i|a amare opertere, ut aliquando essent
osuri, "That friends should remember so to love
one another, as persons who sometimes hate one
another." A sentiment very un\vortl)y of a wise
and good man.
Of the rest, nothing extraordinary is reported.
qUESTIOJ^S FOR EXJiMINATION.
What is tlie origin of the name Apollo ?
Why was he called Cynthius, Delias, and Delphinius ?
From what did he derive his title Delphicus r
When did the oracle become dumb ?
Why was he called Didymteus and Nomius ?
Why was he styled Pajan ?
On what account was he named Phcebus and Pythiu?"?
What is said of the tripos ?
Who were the seven wise men of Greece ?
On what account was Thales celebrated P
For what is Solon celebrated ?
What was the famous saying of Chilo ?
Why is Bias reckoned among the seven wise men ?
SEC. 4.— THE SIGNIFICATION OF THE FABLE APOL-
LO MEANS THE SUN.
Every one agrees, that by Apollo the Sun is to be
understood ; for the four chief properties ascribed to
Apollo, were the arts of prophesying, of healing, of
darting, and of music ; of all which we may find, in
the sun, a lively representation and image.
It may be observed that Apollo's skill in music
geems to agree with the nature of the sun, which,
being placed in the midst of the planets, makes with
them a kind of harmony, and as it were, a concert :
and because the sun is thus placed the middlemost
of the seven planets, the poets assert, that the instru-
tnent which Apollo plays on, is a harp with seven
strings.
Besides, from the things sacrificed to Apollo, it
appears that he was the Smi : the first of these was
the olive, the fruit of which cannot be nourished iu
iiaces distaut from it. 3. The laurel, a tree always
51
flourishing, never old, and conducing to divination ^
and therefore the poets aie crov. ned with laurel. 3,
Among animals, swans were offered to him ; because,
as was observed before, they have from Apollo, a
iacultv of divination ; for they, foreseeing the hap-
piness in death, die singing and pleased. 4. Grif-
fins also, and crows, were sacred to him for the same
reason ; and the hawk, wliicli has eyes as bright and
piercing as the sini ; the cock, which foretells his
rising, and the grasshopper, a singing creature i
hence it was a custom among the Athenians, to fast-
en golden grasshoppers to their hair, in honour of
Apollo.
And especially, if we derive the name of Lato-
na, the mother of Apollo and Diana, from the
Greek ?^ccv$uva [lanthano, to lie hid] it will signify,
that before the birth of Apollo and Diana, that is,
before the production of the sun and moon, all thingg
lay involved in darkness ; from which these two glo*
rious luminaries afterward proceeded, as out of the
womb of a mother.
But notwithstanding all this, several poetical fa-
bles have relation only to the sun, and not to Apollo,
And of those therefore it is necessary to treat apart?.
QUESTIOjYS for EXAMmjTIOjY.
What were the chief properties of Apollo ?
Why does Apollo's skill in music agree with the nature of the
sun ?
How is it inferred that he was the sun from tjie things sacri-
ficed to him ?
What is inferred from the name Latoha, mother of ApoNo
and Diana ?
62
CHAPTER III.
SEC. 1.— THE SUN. HIS GENEALOGY, NAMES, AND
ACTIONS.
This glorious suii, which ilhistrates all things with
his light, is called Sol, as Cicero says, either be-
cause he is the only star that is of that apparent mag-
nitude ; or because, when he rises, he puts out all
the other stars, and only appears himself. Vel quia
Solus ex omnibus sideribus tantus est ; vel quia cum
exortus est, obscuratis omnibus. Solus appareat.
Cic. de Nat. Deor. 2. 3. Although the poets have
said, tliat there were live Sols 5 yet, whatever they
delivered concerning each of them severally, they
commonly apply to one, who was the son of Hype-
rion, and nephew to jEther, begotten of an unknown
mother.
The Persians call the sun Mithra, accounting him
the greatest of their gods, and worship him in a cave.
IJis statue has the head of a lion, on \Yhich a turban
Qalled tia7'a, is placed ; it is clothed with Persian at-
tire, and holds with both hands a mad l>ull by the
horns. Those that desired to become his priests,
and understand his masteries, did first undergo a
great many hardships before they could attain to the
honour of that employment. It was not lawful for
the kings of Persia to cU'ink immoderately, but upon
that day in which the sacrifices were offered to
^lithra.
The Egyptians called the sun Horus ; whence
those parts into which the sun divides the day, are
called horce, hours. They represented his power by
a sceptre, on the top of which an eye was placed ;
by which they signified that the sun sees, every thing,
and that all things are seen by his mean^.
53
These horcb were tlioiiglit to be the daughters oi
Sol and Chronis, who early in the mornmg prepara
the chariot and the horses tor their father, and open
the gates of the day.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EX.lMLXJriOy.
What is Cicero's opinion with regard to Sol, and to whoiii
does the name apply ?
What is said of the Persians witli regard to the sun ?
What ^\ as necessary to be done by those wlio would become
the priests of tlie sun ?
AVhat name did tlie Egyptians ;^!ve to the sun, and how did
they represent hi.s power?'
\Vho were the '• hone,"' and what was their business?
::^EC. 2.— OF THE SEVEN W0XDER3 OF THE WORLD..
The seven wonders of the world :
1. The Colossus at Rhodes, a statue of the sun,
seventy cubits high, placed across the mouth of the
harbour ; a man could not grasp his thumb with
both his arms. Its legs were stretched out to such
a distance, that a large ship under sail might easily
pass into the port between them. It was twelve
years making, and cost three hundred "^talents. It
stood fifty years, and at last was thrown down by
an earthquake. And from this Colossus the people
of Rhodes were named Colossenses ; andnoweverys
statue of an unusual magnitude is called Colossus.
2. The temple of Diana, at Ephesus, a work of
tlie greatest magnificence ; which the ancients great-
ly admired. jTwo hundred and twenty years were
spent in finishing it, though all Asia was employed.
It was supported i)y one hundred and twenty-seven
pillars sixty feet high, each of which was raised by
as many kings. Of these pillars thirty-seven were
engraven. The iqiage of the goddess was made of
ebony, as we learn from history.
3. The Mausoleum, or sepulchre of Mausolus,
' A Rhodian talent is w^ortli 322Z. 18*. 4d. English.-
t Plia. 1. 7. c. 38. k 1, 16. c. 40.
6*
54
king of Caria, ^built by his queen Artemisia, of the
purest marble ; and yet the workmanship of it was
much more vakiable than the marble. It was from
north to south sixty-three feet long, almost fotii*
hundred and eleven feet in compass, and twenty-five
cubits (that is, about thirty-five feet) high, surround-
ed with thirty-six columns, which were beautified in
a wonderful manner. From this Mausoleum all other
iSumptuous sepulchres are called by the same name.
4. A statue of Jupiter, in the temple of the city of
f Olympia, carved with the greatest art by Phidias,
out of ivory, and made of a prodigious size.
5. The walls of Babylon (the metropolis of Chal-
dea,) Jbuilt by queen Semiramis ; their circum-
ference was sixty miles, and their bi>eadth fifty feet,
so that six chariots might conveniently pass upon
them in a row.
6. The llpyramids of Egypt ; three of which, rsr-
tnarkable for their height, still remain. The first
has a square basis, and is one hundred and forty-
three feet long, and one thousand feet high : it is
made of great stones, the least of which is thirty feet
thick ; and three hundred and sixty thousand men
were employed in building it, for the space of twen-
ty years. The other two, which are somewhat
smaller, attract the admiration of all spectators. In
these pyramids, it is reported, the bodies of the
kings of Egypt lie interred.
7. The palace of ^Cyrus, king of the Mede#,
made by Menon, with no less prodigality than art j
for he cemented the stones with gold.
qUESTIOjYS FOR EXAMmJlTJOJV.
What is the first of the seven wonders of the world ; hoWls
it described, and what name did the inhabitants of Rhodes ^-
vive from it.
Describe the second of the wonders of the world ?
* Plin. 1. 36. c, 5. t Phil. 1. 36. c. S. | PUn. 1. 6. c. 26.
^\ Plin. 1. 36. c. 13. gelo. h ^. c, 32. ^Cale^ip. V. ^rtiai^tir.
DO
Which was the third, and what technical term owf ? its ov'mm
to it ?
Which was the fourth ?
- Describe the fifth ?
Give some account of the sixth ?
Which was the seventh ?
SEC. 3.— THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN.
The most celebrated of Sol's children was Pharton,
who gave the poets an excellent opportunity of show-
ing their ingenuity by the following action. Epa-
phus, one of the sons of Ji^iter, quarrelled with
Phaeton, and said that though he called himself the
son of Apollo, he was not. This slander so pro-
voked Phaeton, that by Clymene, his mother's ad-
vice, he went to the royal palace of the Sun, to
bring thence some indubitable marks of his nativity.
The sun received him kindly, and owned him as his
son ; and, to take away all occasion of doubting
hereafter, he gave him liberty to a«;k a'iy thing,
swearing by the Stygian lake, an oath which none of
the gods dare violate, that he would not deny him.
Phaeton then desired leave to govern his fjither's cha-
riot for one day. This was the occasion of great
grief to his father, who endeavoured to persuade him
not to persist in his project, which no mortal was
capable of executing. Phaeton, however, pressed
him to keep his promise, and perform what he had
sworn by the river Styx. The father was forced
to comply with his son's rashness : he directed him
how to guide the horses, and especially advised him
to observe the middle path. Phaeton was transport-
ed with joy, mounted his chariot, and taking the
reins, began to drive the horses ; which, finding him
unable to govern them, ran away, and set on fire
Iboth the heaven and the earth. Jupiter, to put an
end to the conflagration, struck him out of the chariot
with tiiuader, and cast him headlong into the river
Po. His 5i§t9rs, Lampethusa, Lampetia» and Pha-
56
etliusa, lamenting his death, incessantly, upon the
banks of that river, were turned, by the pity of the
gods, into po})lars, from that time weeping amber in-
stead of tears. This forms a subject of one of the
most beautiful passages in Ovid. — Met. 2.
Circe, the most skilful of all sorceresses, poisoned
her husband, a king of the Sarmatians ; for which
she was banished by her subjects, and flying into
Italy, fixed her seat on the promontory Circa3um,
where she fell in love with Glaucus, a sea god, who
at the same time loved Scylla : Circe turned her into
a sea monster, by poisoning the water in which she
used to wash. She entertained Ulysses, who was
driven hither by the violence of storms, with great
civility ; and restored his companions, whom, ac-
cording to her usual custom, she had changed into
hogs, bears, wolves, and the like beasts, unto their
former shapes.
Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, king of Crete, loved
an officer named 2'^aurus, hence the fable of her at-
tachment to a hull, and of her giving birth to a mon-
ster, half man and half beast, called Mino-Taurus,
or, Minotaur.
The Minotaur was shut up in a labyrinth, which
Daedalus made by the order of king Minos. This
labyrinth was a place diversified with very many
windings and turnings, and cross paths, running in-
to one another ; — see Theseus. Daedalus was an
excellent artificer of Athens, and, as it is said, in-
vented the ax, the saw, the plummet, the augur,
and glue ; he also first contrived masts and yards
for ships ; besides, he carved statues so admirably that
they not only seemed alive, but could never stand still
in one place ; nay, would fly away unless they were
chained. This Daedalus, together with Icarus, his
son, was shut up by Minos in the labyrinth which
he had made, because he had assisted Pasiphae in
her intrigues, and finding no way to escape, he meidfi
^1
wings for himself and his son, with wax and the
feathers of birds ; fastening these ^ wings to their
shoulders, Da?daliis flew out of Crete into Sicily,
hut Icarus in his flight, neglecting his father's advice,
observed not his due course, and out of juvenile
wantonness flew higher than he ought ; upon which
the wax was melted by the sun, the wings broke ifi
pieces, and he fell into the sea, which is since, ac-
cording to Ovid, named the Icarian sea, from him.
<' Icarus Icariis nomina fecit aquis." — Trist. 1.
Icarian seas from Icarius were called.
To these children of the sun, we may add his
niece and his nephew Byblis and C annus. Byblis
was in love with Caunus, and followed him so long
to no purpose, that at last, being quite oppressed
with sorrow and labour, she sat down under a tree,
and shed such a quantity of tears, that she was con-
verted into a fountain.
" Sic lachrymis constimpta suis Phoebeia Byblis
Vertitur in fontem, qui nunc quoque vallibus illis ♦
JXoraen habet domina?, nigraque sub ilice manat."
Ov. Met. 0.
Thus the Phcebian Byblis, spent in tears,
Becomes a living fountain, which yet bears
Her name, and, under a black holm that grows
In those rank valleys, plentifully flows.
quEsrio.YS for EXmiLYJTWy.
What is said of Phceton, one of the children of the sun ?
What happened to Phteton ?
Who were his sisters, and what happened to them ?
Who was Circe, and Avhat is related of her ?
Who was Pasiphae, and how is the fable of the Monitaur ex-»
plained ?
Who was Daedalus, and what circumstances are related of
Ijim ?
Who were the niece and nephew of Sol ?
q8
CHAPTER IV.
SEC. 1— MERCURY. HIS IMAGE, BIRTH, QUALITIES,
AND OFFICES.
Mercury is represented witli a cheerful counte-
nance and lively eyes ; having wings fixed to his hat
and his shoes, and a rod in his hand, which is wing-
ed, and bound about by two serpents. His face in
partly black and dark, and partly clear and bright ;
because sometimes he converses with the celestial,
and sometimes with the infernal gods. He wears
winged shoes, which are called Talaria, and wings
are also fastened to his hat, which is called Petasus,
beicause, since he is the messenger of the gods, he
ought not only to run, but to fly.
His wings are emblematical of the wings whicii
language gives to the thoughts of men. His cha-
racter, as the swift messenger of the gods, is thm
referred to by Homer ; —
* The god who mounts the winged winds
Fast to his feet the golden pinions binds,
That high through fields of air hi? flight sustain.
O'er the wide earth, and o'er t)ie boundless main ;
lie graf.ps the w'and that causes jlcep to fly,
Or in soft sltunbers seals the wakeful eye ;
Then shoots from heav'n to high Pieria's steep,
And stoops incumbent on the rolling deep. — Odyssey.
His parents were Jupiter, and Maia, the daughter
of Atlas ; and for that reason, the}' use<^i to offer sa-
crifices to him in the month of jMay. They say that
.Juno was his nurse, and once wl}en he took liis milk
too greedily, it ran out of his mouth upon the hea-
vens, and 'made that white stream w])irb they call
'' The Milky-way."
He had many 'offices. 1. The first and principal
was' to carry t|ie commands of Jupiter 5 whence-- he
jlMM^^'l^"^
5§
is commonly called '' The messenger of the gods.'^
2. He swept the room where the gods supped, and
made the beds ; and miderwent many other the like
servile employments ; hence he was styled Camillas
or Casmillus, that is, an inferior servant of gods ;
for anciently ail boys and girls under age were call-
ed'Camilli and Camillae : and the same name was
afterward given to the young men and maids, who
attended the priests at their sacrifices : though the
people of Bceotia, instead of Camillus, say Cadmillus ;
perhaps from the Arabic word ckadam, to serve ; or
from the Phoenician word chachnel, god's servant or
minister sacer. 3. He attended upon dying persons
to unloose their souls from the chains of the body,
and carry them to hell : he also revived, and placed
in new bodies those souls which had completed their
fid\ time in the Elysian fields. Almost all which
things Virgil comprises in seven verses.
-*'■ Dixerat. Ille patris magiii parere parabat
ImperiO; et primum pedibus talaria nectit
Aurea, qua; sublimem alls sivea^quora supra,
ScHi tenam, vapldo pariter cum llaniine portant.
Turn virgam cairit ; hac aniinas ille evocat Oreo
Pallentes, alias sub ti'istia Tartara mittit.;
Dat somnos, adimitque, et lumina morte resignat." «®n.4,
Hermes obeys ; with golden pinions binds
His flying feet, and mounts the western winds :
An'\ whether o'er the seas or earth he flies,
With rapid force they bear him down the skies.
But ftrst he gmsps, within his awful hand,
The niark of sov'reign pow'r, his magic wand :
With this he draws tlie souls from hollow graves ;
With this he drives them down the Stygian Avaves ;
With this he seals in sleep tlie wakeful sight,
And eyes, though clos'd in death, restores to light.
His remarkable qualities were these : 1. He was
the inventor of letters, and excelled in eloquence, so
that the Greeks called him Hermes, from his *skill
ia mterpreting or explaining ; and, therefore, he is
"^ 'A?ro re l^urnviiu i.e. ab iiiterpretando.
60
accounted the god of the rhetoricians and orator^i
2. He is reported to have been the inventor of
contracts, weights, and measures ; to have first taught
the arts of buying, selHng, and trafficking ; and to
have received the name of Mercury* from his under-
standing of merchandise. Hence he is accounted the
god of the merchants^ and the god of gain ; so that all
unexpected gain and treasure, which comes of a sud-
den, is from him called ip^elov or ep/Lccciov.
3. In the art of thieving he certainly excelled all
the sharpers that ever were, or will fbe ; and is the
prince and god of tliieves. The very day on which
he was born, he stole away some cattle from king
Admetus' herd, although Apollo was keeper of them ;
who complained much of the theft, and bent his bow
against him : but, in the mean time. Mercury stole
even his arrows from him. While he was yet an
infant, and entertained by Vulcan, he stole his tools
from him. He took away by stealth Venus' girdle,
while she embraced him ; and Jupiter's sceptre : he
designed to steal the thunder too, but he was afraid
lest it should burn him.
4. He was mightily skilful in making peace ; and
for that reason was sometimes painted with chains of
gold flowing from his mouth, with which he linked
together the minds of those that heard him. And he
not only pacified mortal men, but also the immortal
gods of heaven and hell ; for whenever they quarrel-
led among themselves, he composed their differences.
'' Pacis et annorum, superis imisqiie Deorura,
Arbiter, alato qui pede carpit iter." — Ovid Fast. 5.
Thee, Aving-foot, all the gods, both high and low,
The arbiter of war and peace allow.
This pacificatory faculty of his is signified by the
rod that he holds in his hand, which Apollo hereto-
* A mercibus, vel a mercium cura, Philostrat, in Soph. 3.
t Lucian. Diall. Apoll. et Vulc
61
fore g#e him, because he had given Apollo a harp.
This rod had a wonderful faculty of deciding all
controversies. The virtue was first discovered by
Mercury, who seeing two serpents fighting, as he
travelled, he put his rod between them, a)id recon-
ciled them presently ; for they mutually embraced
each other ; and stuck to the rod, which is called
Caduceus. ^Hence all ambassadors sent to make
peace are called Caduceatores : for, as wars were
denounced by jFeciales, so they were ended by
Caduceatores.
qUESTWJVS FOR EXAMLYATIOjX.
How is Mercury represented ?
Why does he ^vear wings, and what are they called ?
Who were his parents ?
What is said to be the origin of the Milky-way ?
What are Mercury's principal offices ?
What was the first remarkable quality belonging to Mercupy?
What was the second ?
"What Avas tiie third ?
What was the fourth ?
What emblem of peace does he carry ?
How was this virtue discovered ?
What Avas the rod called, and wdiat name is derived from it ?
SEC. 2.— ACTIONS OF MERCURY.
Of which the following are the most remarkable :
Hermaphroditus, the son of Mercury and Venus,
was a celebrated hunter. In one of his excursions
through the forests, he was observed by a wood
nymph called Salmacis, who, struck with his manly
form and noble visage, both new to her, anxiously
followed him wherever he Avent. But Hermaphro-
ditus inured to solitude by the nature of his pursuits,
and unaccustomed to the soft attractions of female
society, as anxiously avoided her, until she had re-
course to stratagem, and to hide in ambush to be-
hold hiin. At length, however, they met at a favourite
fountain in the midst of the forest, vA'here he usually
^ Hom. in Hvm. f Lexic. Lat. in hoc Verbo.
6
62
came to bathe during the heat of the da}^ rf^re the
infatuated nymph imprudently disclosed her senti-
ments. Such frankness merited a generous return,
but the ungrateful and sturdy huntsman, unmoved
by her advances, rejected her with disgust, upon
which the indignant Salsnacis prayed the gods to
avenge the insult by wedding him for ever to a fe-
male form. Her pra3'er was granted, and the
n retched Hermaphroditus, cquail}^ amazed and
.shocked at the change, prayed then in turn, to alle-
viate tlie poignancy of his misfortue by sending him
companions of similar form. The gods always mer-
ciful, listened to his entreaties, and decreed that
whoever, thereafter, should bathe in that fountain,
should resemble Hermaphroditus, and partake alike
the form and qualities of either sex.
A herdsmen, whose name was Battus, saw Mer-
cury stealing Admetus' cows from Apollo their keep?-
er. When Mercury perceived that his theft was
discovered, he went to Battus, and desired that he
would say nothing, and gave him a delicate cow.
Battus promised him secrecy. Mercury, to try his
fidelity, caine in another shape to him, and asked
him about the cows ; whether he saw them, or knew
the place where the thief carried them. Battus de-
nied it ; but Mercury pressed him hard, and pro-
mised that he would give him both a bull and a cow,
if he would discover it. With this promise he was
overcome ; upon which Mercury was enraged, and
laying aside his disguise, turned him into a stone
called Index. This story Ovid describes in very
elegant verse.
The ancients used to set up statues where the
roads crossed : these statues they called Indices, be-
cause with an ai'm or finger held out they showed
the way to this or that place. The Romans placed
some in public places and highways ; as the Athe-
iiimis did at their doors to drive away thieves ; and
63
they call these statues Heriufe, from IMercury, whose
Greek name was Hermes : concerning which Her-
mae it is to be observed :
1 . That they have neither hands nor feet ; and
hence Mercury was called Cyllenius, and by con-
traction CylliiTs, which words are derived from
a Greek word signify ing a man without hands and
feet : and not from C3dlene, a mountain in Arcadia,
on which he was educated.
2. A purse was usually hung to a statue of Mer-
cury, to signify that he was the god of gain and pro-
fit, and presided over merchandising ; in which, be-
cause many times things are done by fraud and
treachery, the}^ gave him the name of 13olius.
3. The Romans used to join the statues of Mer-
cury and Minerva together, and these images they
called Hermathenae ; and sacrificed to both deities
upon the same altar. Those who had escaped any
great danger, always offered sacrifices to Mercury ;
they offered up a calf, and milk, and honey, and es-
pecially the tongues of the sacrifices, which, with a
great deal of ceremony, they cast into the fire, and
then the sacrifice was finished. It is said that the
Megarenses first used this ceremony.
QUESTIOKS FOR EXAMIKATJOJ^.
What is related of Mercury in connexion with Venus ?
What is the story of Battus ?
What were the ancient indices ?
What were the Herm;« ?
Why was Mercury called Cyllenius ^
Why w'as he called Dolius ?
What were the Hermathenae ?
What w^ere the sacrifices offered to Mercury^ and why?
64
CHAPTER V.
SEC. 1— BACCHUS. HIS IMAGE AND BIRTH.
Bacchus, the god of ivine, and the captain and
emperor of drunkards, is represented with svvoln
cheeks, red face, and a body bloated and puffed up.
He is crowned with ivy and wine-leaves ; and has
in his hand a thyrsus, instead of a sceptre, which is
a javelin with an iron head, encircled by ivy or vine-
leaves. He is carried in a chariot, which is some-
times drawn by tigers and lions, and sometimes by
lynxes and panthers : and, like a king, he has his
guards, who are a drunken band of satyrs, demons,
nymphs that preside over the wine-presses, fairies of
fountains, and priestesaes. Silenus oftentimes comes
after him, sitting on an ass that bends under his
feurden.
He is sometimes painted an old man, and somet-
times a smooth and beardless boy ; as Ovid and Ti-
bullus describe him. I shall give you the reason of
these things, and of his horns, mentioned also in
Ovid:
-" Tibi inconsumpta juventa ?
Tu puer astern us, tu fonnosissimus alto
Conspiceris ccelo, tibi, cum sijie cornibus adstas^
Virgiiieum caput est."
. Still dost thou f^njoy
Uiiwastcd youth ? Eternally a boy
Thou'rt seen in heaven, whom all perfections grace;
And when unhonf d, thou hast a virgiji's face.
According to tlie poets, the birth of Bacchus^ was
both wonderful and ridiculous.
They say, that when Jupiter was in love with Se-
mele, it excited Juno's jealousy, who endeavoured to
destroy her ; and in the shape of an old woman,
visited Semele, and advised her to oblige him. when
f
65
he came, by an inviolable oath, to grant lier a re-
quest : then, says she to Semele, ask him to come to
you as he is wont to come to Juno : and he will
come clothed in all his glory, and majest}^, and ho-
nour. Semele was greatly pica<ed Avith this advice ;
and therefore, when Jupiter visited her next, she
begged a favour of him, but did not expressly name
the favour. Jupiter bound himself in the most so-
lemn oath to grant her request, let it be what it
would. Semele, little foreseeing what she desired
would prove her ruin, made the rash request. What
Jupiter had so solenmly sworn to perform, he could
not refuse ; he accordingly put on all his terrors, ar-
rayed himself with his greatest glorj^, and in the midst
of thunder and lightning entered Semele's house.
Her mortal body could not stand the shock, and
she perished ; for the thunder struck her down and
stupified her, and the lightning reduced her to ashes.
So fatal are the rash desires of the ambitious ! Bac-
cl)us, her son, not yet born, was preserved, taken
from his mother, and se\A'ed into Jupiter's thigh,
whence in fulness of time lie was born, and deliver-
ed into the hands of Mercury to be carried into Eu-
})<jen, to Macris, the daughter of Aristaeus, who im-
mediately anointed his lips with honey, and brought
him up with great care in a cave, to which there
were two gates. Ovid. Met. 3.
qUESTIO.XS FOR EXAMmATOlK,
How is Bacchus represented ?
By what is his chariot di'awii ?
How is he painted ?
GXve some account of Bacchus' birth r
What was the consequence of that request?
What did Macris do for Bacchus at }iis birth .''
SEC. 3.— THE NAMES OF BACCHUS.
Bacchus was so called from a Greek word, which
signifies *' to revel ;" and for the same reason, the
66
wild women^ his companions, are called Thyades
and Mccnades, which words signify madness and fol-
ly. They were also called Mimallones, that is, imi-
tators or mimics ; because they imitated all Bac-
chus' actions.
Biformis, because he was reckoned both a young
and an old man ; w ith a beard, and without a beard :
or, because wine (of which Bacchus is the emblem)
makes people sometimes cheerful and pleasant,
sometimes peevish and morose.
He was named Brisseus, either from the nymph
bis nurse ; or from the use of the grapes and honey,
which he invented, for biisa signifies a bunch of press^
ed grapes ; or else from the promontory Brisa, in
the island of Lesbos, where he was w orshipped.
Bromius, from the crackling of fire, and noise of
thunder, that was heard when his mother was killed.
Bimater, because he had two mothers : the first
was Semele, and the other the thigh of Jupiter, into
which he was received after he was saved from the
fire.
He is called also by the Greeks Bugenes, that Is,
born of an ox, and thence Tauriformis, or Tauri-
ceps ; and he is supposed to have horns, because he
first ploughed with oxen, or because he was the son
of Jupiter Ammon, who had the head of a ram.
Dcemon bonus ; the " good angel ;" and in feasf^;
after the victuals were taken away, the last glass was
drmik round to his honour.
Dithyrambus, which signifies either that he was
born twice, of Semele and of Jove ; or the double
gate that the cave had, in which he was brought up i
or perhaps it means that drunkards cannot keep se-
crets ; but whatever is in the head comes in the
mouth, and bursts forth, as fast as it would out o£
two doors.
Dionysius or Dionysus, from his father Jupiter^
m from the nympjjs oaJlieyd ^ysfi§, by whom.he,w-as
nursed, as tFiey say, or from a Greek word, signilyv
ing " to prick," because he pricked his father's side
with his horns, wlien he was born ; or from Jupiter's
lameness, who hmped* when Bacchus was in his
thigh ; or from an island among the Cyclades, call-
ed Dia, or Naxos, which was dedicated to him when
he married Ariadne ; or lastly, from the city of Ny-
sa, ill which Bacchus reigned.
Evius, or Evous : for, in the war of the giants,
whtn Jupiter did not see Bacchus, he thought that
he was killed, and cried out " Alas son !" or because
when he found that Bacchus had overcome the giants,
by changing himself into a lion, he cried out again,
" Well done son." Ew uts
Evan, from the acclamations of Bacchantes, whO
were therefore called Evantes.
Euchius, because Bacchus fills his glass plenti*
fully, even up to the brim.
Eleleus and Eleus, from the acclamation where--
with they animarted the soldiers before llie fight, or
encouraged them in the battle itself. The same ac-
clamation was also used in celebrating the Orgia,
which were sacrifices offered up to Bacchus.
laccus was also one of his names, from the noise
"which men make when drunk : and this title is given
him by Ciaudian ; from whose account of Bacchus,
we may learn, that he was not always naked, but
sometimes clothed w ith the skin of a tiger.
Lenaeus ; because wine palliates and assuages the
sorrows of men's minds; or from a Greek word,
which signifies the " vat" or " press" in which Wine
is made.
Liber and Liber Pater, from lihero ; as in Greek
they call him ExsvOepio^ [^Ehutherios'] the " Deliver-
er ;" for he is the symbol of liberty, and was wor-
shipped in all free cities.
Lvaeus and Lyceus signify the same with Liber :
Tor wine frees the mind ^qm ca«:es ; and those wko
68
havp drank plentifully, ?peak wiiatevcr comos in tlien
minds. *
Tiic saoiincL's of Bacchus were celebrated in the
liiglu, therefore he is called Nyctilius and Nysaeus,
because he was educated upon the mountain N} sa.
Rectus, '0^^s5 [Or^//o5,] because he taught a king
of Athens to dilute his wme with water 5 thus men,
who tlirough much drinking staggered before, by
mixing water with their wine, begin to go straight.
His mother Semele and his nurse were sometimes
called Thyo : tlierefore from this they called him
Thyoneus.
Lastly, he was called Triumphus ; because, when
in triumph the conquerors went into the capitol, the
soldiers cried out, " lo triumjjhe /"
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMm^TIOK,
vFrom ^vhat is the name of Bacchus derived ?
What are his companions called ?
Why was Bacchus called Biformis ?
Why, Bri.sanis f
Why, Bromius ?
Why, Bimater ?
Why, Bnji;enes ?
Why, Dithyrambus/
W hy, Dionysius ?
Why, Evlus ?
Why, Evan P
"Why, Eleus ?
Why, lacchus ?
Why, Liber ?
Why, Nyctilius r
Why, Rectus ?
Why, Triumphus?
SEC. 3 —ACTIONS OF BACCHUS.
Bacchus invented so many things useful to man-
kind, eidier in finishing controversies, in building
cities, in making laws, or obtaining victories, that
he was declared a god by the joint suffrages of the
whole world. What Bacchus could not himself do,
his priestesses were able to accomplish j for by stri-
6»
king the earth with their thyrsi, they drew foiit
rivers of milk and honey and wine, and wrought se-
veral other miracles, without the least labour. Yet
these received their whole power from Bacchus.
1 . He invented the use of wine : and first taught
the art of planting the vine from which it is made j
as also the art of making honey, and tilling the
earth. This he did among the people of Egypt,
who therefore honoured him as a god, and called
him Osiris. The ass of Nauplia merits praise, be-
cause by knawing vines he taught the art of pru-
ning them.
2. He invented commerce and merchandise, and
found out navigation, when he was king of Phoe-
nicia.
3. At the time when men wandered about unset-
tled, like beasts, he reduced them into society, he
taught them to worship the gods.
4. He subdued India, and many other nations,
riding on an elephant : he victoriously subdued
Egypt, Syria, Phrygia, and all the east ; where he
erected pillars, as Hercules did in the west : he first
invented triumphs and crowns for kings.
5. Bacchus was desirous to reward Midas the king
of Phrygia, because he had done him some service ;
and bid him ask what he would. IMidas desired,
that whatever he touched might become gold : Bac-
chus was troubled that Midas asked a gift which
might prove so destructive to himself; however, he
granted his request, and gave him the power he de-
sired. Immediately whatever Midas touched became
gold, even his meat and drink ; he then perceived
that he had foolishly begged a destructive gift : and
desired Bacchus to take his gift to himself again.
Bacchus consented, and bid him bathe in the river
Pactolus ; IVIidas obeyed ; and hence the sand of
that river became gold, and the river was called
Clarysorrhoos, or Anrifluus, — Ovid Met. 11. -
70
6. When he was yet a child, some Tyrrhenian
mariners found him asleep, and carried him into a
ship : Bacchus first stupified them, stopping the ship
in such a manner that it was innnoveable ; afterward
he caused vines to spring up the ship on a sudden,
and ivy twining about the oars ; and when the sea-
men were almost dead with the fright, he threw them
headlong into the sea, and changed them into Dol-
phins. Ovid Met. 3.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMmATlON.
Why was Bacchus declared a god ?
What were his priestesses able to perforin ?
What was the first invention attributed to him ?
Why does the ass of Nauplia merit praise ?
What were Bacchus' second and third inventions ?
What did he do as a conqueror ?
What was Midas' request ?
What circumstance occurred when he was but a child ?
SEC. 4.— THE SACRIFICES OF BACCHUS.
In sacrifices there are three things to be consi-
dered, mz. the creatures ofiered, the priests who offer
them, and the sacrifices themselves, which are cele-
brated with peculiar ceremonies.
The fir, the ivy, bindweed, the fig, and the vine,
were consecrated to Bacchus. So also were the
dragon and the pie, signifying the talkativeness of
drunken people. The goat was slain in his sacrifi-
ces, because he is a creature destructive to the vines,
the Egyptians sacrificed a swine to his honour be-
fore their doors.
2. The priests and priestesses of Bacchus were
the Satyrs, the Sileni, the Naiades, but especially
the reveling women called Bacchse, from Bacchus'
name.
3. The sacrifices themselves were various, and
celebrated with difierent ceremonies, according to
the variety of places and nations. They were cele-
brated on stated days of the year, with the greatest
regard to religion, a-s il w-^ks thgi professed*
n
Oscophoria were the first sacrijfices offered up to
Bacchus : they were mstituted by the PhxOenicians,
and when they were celebrated, tlie bo3's, carrying
vine-leaves in their hands, went in ranks praying
from the temple of Bacchus, to the chapel of Pallas.
The Trieterica were celebrated in the winter at
night, by the Bacchge, who went about armed,
making a great noise and pretending to foretell things
to come. They were entitled Trieterica, because
Bacchus returned from his Indian expedition after
three years.
The Epilena^aw^re games celebrated in the time
of vintage, before the press for squeezing the grapes
was invented. They contended with one another,
in treading the grapes, who should soonest press out
most must; and in the mean time they siuig the
praises of Bacchus, begging that the must might be
sweet and good.
Apaturia v,ere feasts celebrated in honour of Bac-
chus, setting forth how greatly men are deceived by
wine. These festivals were principally observed by
the Athenia.ns.
Ambrosia were festivals observed in January, a
month sacred to Bacchus ; for which reason this month
was called Lena>us, or Lenreo, because the wine was
brought into the city about that time. But the Ro-
mans called these feasts Brumalia, Bruma, one of
the names of Bacchus among them ; and tliey cele-
brated them twice a year, in the months of Februa-
ry and August.
Ascolia, feasts so called from a Greek word sig-
nifying a boraclio, or leathern bottle ; several of
which were produced filled with air, or, as others
say, with wine. The Athenians were v/ont to leap
upon them with one foot, so that they would some-
times fall down ; however, they thought they did a
great honour to Bacchus hereby, because they
trampled upon the skins of the goat, which animsd
7^
is the greatest enemy to the vines. But among the
Romans, rewards were distributed to those who, by
artificially leaping upon these leathern bottles, over^
came the rest ; then all of them together called aloud
upon Bacchus confusedly, and in unpolished verse ;
and putting on masks, they carried his statue about
their vineyards, daubing their faces with the bark of
trees, and tlie dregs of wine: and returning to his al-
tar they presented him with their oblations in basins,
and then burnt them. In the last place, they hung
tipon the highest trees little wooden or earthen ima-
ges of Bacchus, which from the smallness of their
mouths were called Oscilla : they intended that the
places, where tliese small images were set up in the
trees, should be, as it were, so many watch-towers,
from which Bacchus might look after the vines, and
see that they suffered no injuries. These festivals,
and the images hung up when they were celebrated,
are elegantly described by Virgil, in the second
book of his Georgics.
-"Atque inter pocula Iseti
Mollibus in pratis unctos saliere per utres :
Nee non Ansonii, Troja gens missa coloni,
Versibus incomptis ludunt, risuque soluto,
Oraque corticibus surnnnl horrenda cavatis :
Et te, Bacche, vocant per carmina heta, tibique
Oscilla ex alta suspendunt mollia pinu.
Hinc omnis largo pubescit vinea foetu, &.c."
And glad with Bacchus, on the grassy soil,
Leap VI o'er the skins of goats besniear'd with oil.
Thus Roman youth, deriv'd from ruin'd Troy,
In rude Satuniian rhymes express their joy;
Deforni'd with vizards, cut from barks of trees,
With taunts and huisrhter loud their audience please ,
In jolly hymns they praise the god of wine.
Whose earthen images adorn the pine,
And there are hung on high, in honour of the vine.
A madness so devout the vineyard fill, &lc.
Lastly, the Bacchanalia, or Dionysia, or Orgia,
were the feasts of ]3acchus, among the Romans,
which at first were solemnized in February, at mid-
73
flay, by women only ; but afterward they were per-
formed in the most scandalous manner by men and
women, and young boys and girls, till the senate by
an edict abrogated this festival, as Diagundus did
at Thebes. Pentheus, king of Thebes, attempted
the same thing, but the Bacchge barbarously killed
him ; whence came the story, that his mother and
sisters tore him in pieces, fancying he was a boar..
There is a story, that Alcidioe, the daughter of Nin-
yas, and her sisters, despising the sacrifices of Bac-
chus, staid at home spinning while the Orgia were
celebrating, and on that account were changed into
bats. — Ovid Met. 4. — And it is said that Lycurgas,
who attempted many times to hinder these Baccha-
nalia in vain, cut off his own legs, because he had
rooted up the vines to tiie dishonour of Bacchus.
qUESTIO.YS FOR EX.iMLYJTIO.X.
What are the tlu'ee things to be considered in regard to sacri-
lices ?
What things were consecrated to Bacchus ?
Who were the priests and priestesses of Bacchus ?
Were the sarifices all of one kind ?
Wliich were the first sacrifices ; by whom were they instituted,
and how were tliey celebrated ?
What were the Epilentea ?
What were the Apaturia ?
W1iat were the Ambrosia ?
What were the Ascolia, and how were they celebrated ?
What were the Oscilla ?
Repeat the lines of Virgil on this subject ?
What were the Bacchanalia ?
SEC. 5.— THE HISTORICAL SE^SE OF THE FABLE
BACCHUS AN EMBLEM EITHER OF MMROD OR
MOSES.
Some writers say, that Bacchus is the same with
Nimrod : the reasons of these opinions are : 1. The
similitude of the words Bacchus and Bar('hus, which
signifies the son of Chus, that is, Nimrod. 2. Thev
think the name of Nimrod may allude to the He-
brew word namiu'y or the Chaldee, namer, a ticker :
74
and accordingly the chariot of Bacchus was drawn
by tigers, and himself clothed with the skin of a ti-
ger. 3. Bacchus is sometimes called Nebrodes,
which is the very same as Ninn'odus. 4. Moses
styles Nimrod " a great hunter," and we find that
Bacchus is styled Zagreus, \^ hich in Greek signifies
the same thing. Nimrod presided over the vines,
since he was the first king of Bab) Ion, where were the
most excellent wines, as the ancients often say.
Others think that Bacchus is Moses, because ma-
ny things in the fable of the one seemed derived
from the history of the other. For, first, some feign
that he was born in Egypt, and presently shut up in
an ark, and thrown upon the waters, as Moses
was. 2d. The surname of Binmtur, which belongs
to Bacchus, may be ascribed to Moses, who, be-
side one mother by nature, had anotlier by adoption,
king Pharaoh's daughter. 3d. They were bodi
beautiful men, brought up in Arabia, good soldiers,
and had women in their armies. 4th. Orpheus di-
rectly styles Bacchus a lawgiver, and calls him
Moses, and further attributes to him the tAVO tables
of the law. 5th. Bacchus vras called Bicornis ; and
accordingly the face of oMoses appeared double horn-
od, when he come dov»ii from the mountain, where
lie had spoken to God ; the rays of glory that dart-
ed from his brow, resenibling the sprouting out of
horns. Cth. As snakes were sacrificed, and a dog
given to Bacchus, as a companion ; so ?»Ioses had
his companion Caleb, which in Hebrew signifies " a
dog." 7th. As the Bacclue brought water from a
rock, by striking it with their thyrsi, and tlie comi-
try wherever they came flowed with wine, milk, and
honey ; so the land of Canaan, into which Mo-
ses conducted the Israelites, not only flowed with
milk and honey, but with wine also; as appears
from that large jjunch of grapes which two men car-
ried between them upon a stafl'. 8th. Bacchus dried
75
up the rivers Orontes and Hydaspes, by striking
them with his thjrsis, and passed tln-ough them, as
Moses passed through the Red Sea. 9di. It is said
also, that a little ivy-stick, tliroAvn down b}^ one ol
the Bacchfe upon the ground, crept like a dragon,
and twisted itself about an oak. And, 10. That
the Indians once were all covered with darkness,
while those Baccha} enjoyed a perfect day.
From this you may collect, that the ancient inven-
tion of fables have borrowed many things from the
Holy Scriptures, to patch up their conceits. Thus
Homer says, that Bacchus wrestled with Pallene, to
whom he yielded ; which fable is taken from the his-
tory of the angel wrestling with Jacob. In like
manner Pausanias reports, that the Greeks at Troy
found an ark that was sacred to Bacchus ; which
when Euripidus had opened, and viewed the statue
of Bacchus laid therein, he was presently struck with
madness : the ground of which fable is in the second
book of Kings, where the Sacred History relates
that the Bethshemites were destroyed by God, be-
cause they looked with too much curiosity into the
ark of the covenant.
Wine and its efiects are understood in this fable
of Bacchus. He was educated by the Naiades,
nymphs of the rivers and fountains ; whence mei,i
may learn to dilute their ^vine Avilh water.
Bacchus is naked, he cannot conceal any things
Wine always speaks truth, it opens all the secrets of
the mind.
The poet says Bacchus has horns.
" Accedant capiti cornua, Bacchus eris." — Ov. Ep. Saph.
But put on faorns, and Bacchus thou shalt be.
Wine makes even the meanest people bold, inso-
lent, and fierce, exercising their fury and rage againsi
others, as a mad ox gores with liis horns.
He is crowned with ivy ; because that plant, be-
76
ing. always green and flourishing, by its natural
coldness assuages the heat occasioned by too much
v\ine.
qUESTIOj\S FOR EXAMINATION.
In what respects do Bacchus and Nimrod resemble each other r
In what respects is Bacchus like Moses :
What does the fable of Bacchus teach r
CHAPTER VI.
SEC. 1.— MARS. HIS IMAGE AND DESCENT.
Mars is fierce and sour in his aspect ; terror is
every where in his looks, as well as in his dress ; he
iits in a chariot drawn by a pair of horses, which
are driven by a distracted woman ; he is covered
with armour, and brandishes a spear in his right
hand, as though he breathed fire and death, and
threatened every body with ruin and destruction.
Mars, the god of war, who is often seen on horse-
back, in a formidable manner, with a whip and a
spear together. The dog was consecrated to him,
for his vigilance in the pursuit of his prey ; the wolf,
for his rap'dciousness ; the raven, because he dili-
gently follows armies when they march, and watches
for the carrasses of the slain ; and the cock, for his
watchfulness, whereby lie prevents all surprise. But,
that you may understand every thing in the picture,
observe, that the creatures which draw the chariot
are not horses, but Fear and Terror. Sometimes
Discord goes before them in tattered garments, and
Clamour and Anger go lieliind. Yet some say, that
Fear and Terror are servants to Mars ; and accord-
ingly, he is not more awful and imperious in his com-
mands, than they are ready and exact m their obe-
dience.
77
" Fer galeam, Bellona mihi, nexusqties rotarum
Tende, Favor ; Frcena rapidos, Formido, jnc!;ales."
Claud, in Ruf.
My helmet let Bellona bring ; Terror my traces Mt ;
And, panic Fear, do thou the rapid driver sit-
SsEvit medio in certamlne Mavors,
Co^latus ferro, tristesque ex tetliere Dira^,
Et scissa gaudens vadit Discordia palla,
Quam cum saugulneo sequiuir Bellona flageilo."
Virg. ^n. 8.
Mars in the middle of the shining shield
Is grav'd, and strides along the liquid field.
The Dirai come from heav'n with quick descent,
And Discord, died in blood, with garments rent,
Divides the press : her steps Bellona treads,
^nd shakes her iron rod above their heads.
Bellona is the goddess of war, and the companion
of Mars ; or, as others say, his sister, or wife. She
prepares for him his chariot and horses when he goes
to fight. It is plain that she is called Bellona from
helium. She is otherwise called Duellona from du-
elfum, or from the Greek word fieMv)} yjelone] a
^' needle," whereof she is said to be the inventress.
Her priests, the Bellonarii, sacrificed to her in their
own blood ; they hold in each hand naked swords,
with which they cut their shoulders, and wildlv run
up and down like men mad and possessed ; upon
which people thought, that (after the sacrifice was
ended) they were able to foretell future events. Clau-
dian introduces Bellona combing snakes ; and
another poet describes her shaking a burning torch,
with her hair hanging loose, stained and clotted with
blood, and running through the midst of the ranks of
the army, uttering horrid shrieks and dreadful groans.
" Ipsa faciem quatiens, et flavam sanguine multo
Sparsa comam, medias acies Bellona pererrat.
Stridet Tartarea nigro sub pectore Diva
Lethiferum murmur." Sil. I. 5.
Her torch Bellona waving through the air,
Spriiildes with clotted gore her flaming hair.
And through both armies up and down dotli flee , >
While from her lionid breast Tissiphone
A dreadful murmur sends.
And ill Homer we have a description of a battle
in which Mars, Minerva, and Discord, are engaged :
Loud clamours rose from various nations round ;
Mix'd was the mui-raur, and confus'd the sound :
Each host now joins, and each a god inspires ;
These Mars incites, and those Minerva fires.
Pale Flight around, and dreadful Terror reign ;
And Discord, raging, bathes the purple plain.
Discord, dire sister of the slaught'ring pow"r,
Small at her birth, but rising every hour ;
While scarce the skies her horrid head can bound ;
She stalks on earth, and shakes the world around ;
The nations bleed where'er her steps she turns :
The groan still deepens, and the combat burns. — Iliad.
Before the temple of this goddess, there stood a
pillar called Bellica, over which the herald threw a
spear, when he proclaimed war.
Mars is said to be the son of Jupiter and Juno,
though, according to Ovid's story, he is the child of
Juno only.
He married Nerio or Nerione, which word in the
Sabian language signifies " valour and strength,"
and from her the Claudian family derived the name
©f Nero.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATION.
How is Mars represented ^
How is his chariot drawn and driven ?
What animals are consecrated to Mars ?
Repeat the lines in Virgil.
Who is Bellona ?
Who is Bellonarii .'
How is Bellona represented by Claudian >
Who was Mars ?
Whom did he marry ?
SEC, 2.— NAMES AND ACTIONS OF MARS.
The name of Mars sets forth the power and influ-
ence he has in war, where he presides over the sol-
79
tilers ; and his other name, Mavors, shows tha$ all
great exploits are executed and brought about
through his means.
The Greeks call liim Af^r? \_Ares.'] either from the
destruction and slaughter which he rauses ; or from
the silence which is kept in war, where actions, not
words, are necessary. But from v/hatever words
this name is derived, it is certain that those famous
names Areopagus and Areopaglta, are derived from
A^r,i. The Areopagus, that is. the " hill" or " moun-
tain" of Mars, was a place at Athens, in which IMars,
being accused of murder and incest, was forced to
defend himself in a trial before twelve gods, and was
acquitted by six voices ; from which time, tiiat place
became a court wherein were tried capital causes,
and the things belonghig to religion. The Areopa-
gitae were the judges, whose integrity and credit
was so great, that no person could be admitted into
their society, unless he delivered in public an ac-
count of his past life, and was found in every part
thereof blameless. And, that the lawyers who plead-
ed, might not bhnd the eyes of the judges by their
charms of eloquence, they were obliged to plead
their causes without any ornaments of speech ; if
they did otherwise, they were immediately com-
manded to be silent. And, lest they should be
moved to compassion by seeing the miserable con-
ditions of the prisoners, they gave sentence in the
dark, without lights ; not by words, but on paper ;
hence, when a man speaks little or nothing, they
used proverbially to say of him, that *' He is as si-
lent as one of the judges in the Areopagus."
His name Gradivus comes from his stateliness in
marching ; or from his vigour in brandishing hit
spear.
He is called Quirinus, from Curis or Quirts^ signi-
fying a spear ; whence comes securis or semicuris, a
piece of a spear. And this name was afterward attri*
80
buted to Roiniihis, because be was esteemed tbe son of
Mars ; fVoni w horn the Romans were called Quiiites.
Gradi^ us ij: tlio name of Mars when he rages ; and
Qnirinus, 'rvhen he is quiet. And accordingly there
were t^vo temples at Rome dedicated to him ; one
within the city, which was dedicated to Mars Quiri-
ims, the keeper of the city's peace; the other with-
out the city, near the gate, to Mars Gradivus, the
warrior, and the defender of the city against all out-
ward enemies.
The ancient Latins applied to him the title of Sa-
lisubsulus, or " dancer," from salio, because his tem-
per is very unconstant and uncertain, inclining some-
times to this side, and sometimes to that, in wars :
whence we say, that the issue of battle is uncertain,
and the chance dubious. But we must not think
that Mars was the only god of war ; for Bellona,
Victoria, Sol, Luna, and Pluto, used to be reckoned
in the number of martial deities. It was usual with
the Laca:^demonians to shackle the feet of the image
of Mars, that he should not fly from them : and
among the Romans, the priests Salii were instituted
to look after the sacrifices of Mars, and go about
the city dancing with their shields.
The poets relate only one action of this terrible
god : this is his attachment to Venus, and her treach-
ery. Sol was the first that discovered it, and he
innnediately acquainted Vulcan, Venus' husband.
Vulcan instantly made a net of iron, whose links
were so small and slender, that it was invisible. By
this the lovers were caught, Alectryon, Mars' fa-
vourite, sufi'ered punishment, because, when he was
appointed to watch, he fell asleep, and so gave
§ol an opportunity to slip in ; therefore Mars
changed him into a cock, which to this day is so
mindful of his old fault, that he constantly gives no-
tice of the approach of the sun, by crowing.
61
quESTioys for examlyation
What does the name of Mars import ?
What do the Greeks call him ?
What names are der'ved from h^ns ?
VV^ho Avere the Areopagitffi ?
From what does Mars derive his name Gradivus ?
Why is he called Quirinus ?
On what account has he the title of Salisubsulus ?
W'hat action is related of Mars ?
Who discovered Venus' treacher\-, and what was done in con-
sequence ?
What happened to Alectryon ?
SE*'.3.— THE STORY OF TEREUS ; AND THE SACRI-
FICES OF MARS.
Tereus, the son of Mars, by the nymph Bistonis^
married Progne, the daughter of Pandion, king of
Athens, when he was king of Trace. This Progne
had a sister called Philomela, a virgin in modesty
and beauty inferior to none. She lived with her fa-
ther at Athens. Progne, being desirous to see her
sister, asked Tereus to fetch Philomela to her, with
which he complied. Tereus fell desperately in love
with Philomela ; and as they travelled together, be-
cause she refused to favour his addresses, he over-
powered her, cut out her tongue, and threw her into
a gaol ; and returning afterwards to his wife, pre-
tended that Philomela died in her Journey ; and that
his story might appear true, he shed many tears and
put on mourning. But injuries sharpen the wit,
and a desire of revenge makes people cunning : for
Philomela, though slie was dumb, found out a way
to tell her sister the villany of Tereus. She de-
scribed the violence offered to Iter in embroi-
dery, and sent the work folded up to her sister.
Progne no sooner viewed it, than she was so trans-
ported with passion that she could not speak, her
thoughts being \^'holly taken up in contriving how-
she should avenge the affront. First, then, she has-
tened to her sister, and brought her home without
82
Tereus' knowledge. While she was thus medltatmg
revenge, her young son It3's came and embraced his
mother ; but she carried him aside into the remote
parts of the house, and slew him while he hung
about her neck, and called her mother. When she
liad killed him, she cut him into pieces, and dressed
the ilcsi], and gave it Tereus for supper, who fed
lieartily on it. After supper he sent for his son itj-s :
Progne told him what she had done, and Philomela
>]iovved him his son's head. Tereus, incensed with
rage, rushed on them both with his drawn sword ;
but they fled away, and fear added wings to their
tlight : so that Progne l^ecame a swallow, and Phi-
lomela a nightingale. Tereus was also changed
into a hoopoe [upujja,'] which is one of the filthiest
of all birds. The gods out of pity changed Itys
into a pheasant. Ovid Met. 6.
To Mars were sacrificed the wolf for his fierce-
ness ; the horse for his usefulness in war ; the wood-
pecker and the vulture for their ravenousness ; the
cock for his vigilance, which is a prime virtue among
soldiers ; and grass, because it grows in towns laid
desolate by war.
Among the ancient rites belonging to Mars, the
most memorable is the following : Whoever under-
took the conduct of any war, went into the vestry of
the temple of Mars ; and first shook the Ancilla, a
holy shield, afterwards the spear of the image of
Mars, and said " Mars, watchi"
Qui belli alicujiis susceperat curam, sacrarium Martis ingres-
?us, primo Aiicilia cominoveljat, post hastum simulacri ipsius ;
dicciis, IMars, Vigila. Sereins
(^IJESTIOKS FOR EXAMIKATIOjY.
Who was Tereus. and whom did he marry ?
Give somi- ac.r.o'unt of the stoiy of Philomela. [The pupil
might shut the book, and write the story from memory, in his
own words.]
Into what were Trogne, Philomela, Tereus. and Itys mef.a--
morphosed ?
83
What were the sacrifices offered to Mars, and on whatac=
count ?
What rite did the ancient warriors perform before they went
out to battle ?
CHAPTER VII.
SEC. 1.— THE CELESTIAL GODDESS, JUNO. HER
LMAGE AND DESCENT.
We have viewed the five celestial gods ; let us
now look upon the goddesses that follow them in
order. First observe Juno, riding in a golden cha-
riot drawn by peacocks, holding a sceptre in her
hand, and wearing a crown beset with roses and
lilies.
Juno's chariot is finely represented by Homer;
and Hebe is mentioned as her attendant : —
At lier command rush forth the steeds divine ;
Rich with immortal gold their trappings shine:
Bright Hc1)e Avaits : by Hebe, ever young.
The whirling wheels are to th«8 chaiiot hung.
On the bright axle turns the bidden wheel
Of sounding brass ; the polish'd axle, steel :
Eight brazen spokes in radiant order flame ;
Such as the heav'ns produce : and round the gold
Two brazen rings of work divine were roU'd.
The bossy naves, of solid silver, .-hone ;
Braces of gold suspend the moving throne ;
The car, behind, an arching ligure bore ;
The bending concave form'd an arch before :
Silver the beam, th' extended yoke was gold,
And golden reins th' immortal coursers hold. Homer.
Juno is the queen of the gods, and botli the sister
and wife of Jupiter :
-" Jovisque
Et soror et conjux." Virg. JEn. 1.
Her father was Saturn, and her mother Ops ; she
was born in the island Samos, and there lived
till she was married.
84
She seems very august and majestical. How
beautiful is that face, how comely are all her limbs f
how well does a sceptre become those hands, and a
crown that head ? how much beauty is there in her
smiles ? She is full of majesty, and worthy of the
greatest admiration.
Her :^'?rvaiit is Iris, the daughter of Thaumus and
Electr: . -iid sister to the Harpies. She is Juno's
messenger, and Mercury is Jupiter's ; though Jupi-
ter and the other gods, the Furies, nay, sometimes
men have sent her on messages. Because of her
swiftness she is painted witli wings, and she some-
times rides on a rainbow, as Ovid says :
"EfFngit, et remeat per quos mndo venerat arcus.*' Mel. 3.
On the same bow she went yhe soon returns.
It is her office to unloose the souls of women from
the chains of the body, as Mercury unlooses those
of men. We have an example of this in Dido, who
laid violent hands on herself, for when she was al-
most dead, Juno sent Iris to loose her soul from her
body, as Virgil describes at large, in the fourth book
of his iEneid :
" Turn Juno omnipotent longum miserata dolorem,
Difficilesqne obitus, Irim demisit Olympo,
Qua^ luctanfem aiiinuitn nexosrpie resolveret artus.
Erffo Iris croceis per co^liini roscida pennis,
Milie trabens varios adverso Sole colores,
De/olat, et supi-a caput astitit : hunc ego Diti
Sacrum jussa fero, teque isto corpore solve.
Sic ait, et dextra crinem secat : omnis et una
Dilapsus calor, at<jue in ventos vita recessit."
Tken Juno, grieving that she should sustain
A death so ling'ring, and so full of pain,
Sent Iris down to free her from the strife
Of lab'ring nature and dissolve her life.
Downward the various goddess took her flight,
And drew a thousand colours from the light ;
Then stood about the dying lover's head,
And said, I thus devote tiiee to the dead :
This oft"nng to tlie infern.al gods I bear.
85
Thus while she spoke, she cut the fatal haii*:
The struggling soul was loos'd and life dissolv'd in air.
But in this Iris differs from Mercury ; for he is
sent both from heaven and hell, but she is sent from
heaven only. He oftentimes was employed in mes-
sages of peace, whence he w as called the peacema-
ker ; but Iris was alwaAS sent to promote strife and
dissension, as if she were the goddess of discord :
and therefore some think that her name was given
to her from the contention which she perpetually
creates ; though others say, she was called Iris, be-
cause she delivers her messages by speech, and not
in w riling
qUESTlOA'S FOR EXAMmATIOi^'.
How is Juno represented ?
Repeat Homer's description of her chariot ?
Who is Juno, and what relation does she bear to Jupiter and
Saturn ?
How is she represented with regard to her figure ?
Who is Iris, and for what purpose was she employed ?
How' is she painted ?
What office does Iris bear with respect to the souls of women ?
In what does Iris dift'er from Mercury ?
SEC. 2.— THE CHILDREN, AND DISPOSITION OF JUNO
Vulcan, Mars, and Hebe, were the children of
Juno by Jupiter. Although some say that Hebe
had no other parent than Jimo. Hebe, on account
of her extraordinary beauty was, by Jupiter, made
goddess of youth, and held the oflice of cupbearer
of Jupiter. But by an unlucky fall she offended
the king of the gods, who turned her out from her
office, and put Ganymede in her stead.
Juno's w orst fault was jealousy, of which the fol-
lowing are instances. Jupiter io'. ed lo, die daughter
of Inachus. When Juno observed that Jupiter was
absent from heaven she suspected tlie cause of his
absence. Therefore she immediately Hew down to
the earth after him. As soon as Jupiter perceived
6
86
her coming, fearful of a chiding, he turned the young
lady into a white cow. Juno seeing the cow, asked
who she was, and what was her origin ? Jupiter
said, she was born on a sudden out of the earth.
The cunning goddess, suspecting the matter, de-
sired to have the cow, which Jupiter coukl not re-
fuse, lest he should increase her suspicion. So Ju-
no, taking tlie cow, gave it to Argus to keep : this
Argus had a hundred eyes, two of which in their
turns slept, while the others watched.
Sen-andain tradidit Ariro.
Centum lumiuibus cinctuui caput Argus liabebat:
Inde suis vlcibus capiebant bina (juletem ;
CcBtera servabant, atque in statione manebant.
Coustilerat quocinKpie inodo, spectabat ad lo ;
Ante oculos lo, qnauivis aversus, habebat." — Ov. Met. t.
The goddess tlien to Argus straigiit convey'd
, Her gift, and him the watcliful keeper made.
' Argus' head a hundred eye? j)osse,st,
And only two at once reclin'd to rest :
The others ualch'd, and,, in a constant round.
Refreshment in alternate courses found.
Where'er he turn'd he always lo view'd ;
lo he saw, though she behind him stood.
Thus was lo under constant confmement ; nor
was the perpetual vigilance of her keeper the only
misfortune ; for she was fed with nothing but insipid
leaves and bitter herbs. This hardship Jupiter
could not endure ; therefore, he sent Mercury to Ar-
gus, to set lo free. Mercury, under the disguise of
a shepherd, came to Argus, and with the ]uusic of
his pipe lulled him asleep, and then cut olf his head.
Juno was grieved at Argus' death, and to make him
some amends she turned him into a peacock, and
scattered his hundred eyes about the tail of the bird-
-'* Ccntumque oculos nox occnpHt una
Excipit hos, volucrisque sua) Saturnia pennis
Collocat, et gemmis catidam stellantibus implet.*'
There Argus lies ; and all that wond'rous light,
Which gave his iuuidred eyes their useful sight,
Lies buried no^'^ in one oternal night.
87
But Juno, that she might liis pyes rotaiit,
Soon lix'd them in her gaudy peacock's train.
Nor did her rage against lo cease, lor she coinnnc-
ted her to the furies to be tormented. Despair and
Anguish made her flee into Eygpt, where she beg-
ged of Jupiter to restore her to her former shape.
Her request behig granted, she thenceforth took the
name of Isis, the goddess of the Egyptians, and was
worshipped with divine lionours.
Juno ga\ e another evidence of her jealousy. Forj
when lier anger against Jupiter was so violent that
jiothing coidd pacify her, king Cithajron advised
Jupiter to declare that he intended to take another
wife. The contrivance pleased him, wherefore he
takes an oaken image, dressed very beautiiully, and
puts it into a chariot ; and declares publicly, that he
is about to marry Platoea the daughter of jEsopus.
The report came to Juno's ears, who immediately
fell furiously upon the image, and tore its clothes,
till she discovered the jest ; and laughing very hear-
tily, she was reconciled to her husband. She was
afterward called Citheroniaj from king Cithaeron,
the adviser of the trick.
(lUESTJO^'S FOR EXAMJNATIOK.
Who were Jumo's children ?
What was Hebe's office, how did she lose it, and who suc-
ceeded her in it ?
What Avas Juno's sjreat fault ?
\\M\\ whom was Jupiter enamoured?
Into what was lo nietamorphosed by Jupiter, and what «5^
coimt did he give of the matter to his wife ?
What did Juno do with lo in her new form ?
What became of the eyes of Argus after his death?
Repeat the linos from Ovid-
What became of lo ?
To what was Jupiter advised by Citha;ron, and what was the
result ?
SEC. 3.— NAMES OF JUNO.
Juno was called Argiva, from the Argivi, among
whom sacrifices were celebrated to her honour ; in
which a hetacomb, that is, one hundred oxen, wei.e
sacrificed to her. They made her image of gold
and ivory, holding a pomegranate in one hand, and
a sceptre in the other ; upon the top of which stood
a cuckoo, because Jupiter changed himself into that
bird, when he fell in love with her
Bunea, from Bunseus the son of Mercury, who
built a temple to this goddess at Corinth.
Coprotina, or the nones J)f July, that is, on the
seventh day, maid-servants celebrated her festival,
together with several free women, and offered sacri-
fices to Juno under a fig-tree (caprificus) in memo-
ry of the extraordinary virtue, which enabled the
maid-servants to preserve the honour of the Roman
name. For, after the city was taken, the enemy,
determined to oppress the Romans, sent a herald
to them, saying, if they desired to save the remain-
der of their city from ruin, they must send thera
their wives and daughters. The senate was dis-
tracted at the thought. A maid-servant named Phi-
lotis or Tutela, took with her several other maid*-
servants, some dressed like mistresses of families,
and some like virgins, and went over to the enemy.
Livy, the dictator, disposed them about the camp ;
they incited the men to drink much, because it was
a festival : the wine made the soldiers sleep soundly ;
and a sign being given from a wild fig-tree, the Ro-
mans came and slew them all. These maid-servants
were made free, and portions out of the public treasu-
ry were given them : the day was afterwards called
Nonae Caprotinae, from the wild fig-tree, whence
they had the sign : and they ordered an anniversary
sacrifice to Juno Caprotina to be celebrated under
a wild fig-tree, the juice of which was mixed with
the sacrifices in memory of the action.
Curis or Curitis, from her spear, called Curis in
the language of the old Sabines. The matrons were
understood to be under her guardianship ; whence.
89
says Plutarch, the spear is sacred to her, and many
of her statues lean upon spears, and she herself is
called Quiritis and Curitis. Hence springs the cus-
tom, that the bride combs her hair widi a spear
found sticking in the body of a gladiator ; and taken
out of him when dead, which spear was called Has-
ta Celibaris.
Crinis nubentium comebatur liasta celibari, quae scilicet in
corpore gladiatoris stetisset abjecti occisique. Festus. Arnob
contra Gentes.
Cingula, from the girdle which the bride wore
when she was led to her marriage ; for this girdle
was unloosed with Juno's good leave, who was
thought tlie patroness of marriage.
Dominduca and Interduca, from bringing home
the bride to her husband's house.
Egeria, because she promoted, as they believed,
the facility of the birth.
Quod earn partui egerendo opitulari crederent. Festus.
Februalis, Februata, Februa, or Februla, because
they sacrificed to her in the month of February.
Her festivals was celebrated on the same day with
Pan's feasts, wlien the Luperci, the priests of Pan,
the god of shepherds, running naked through the
city, and striking the women with Juno's cloak (that
is, with the skin of a goat) purified them. The ani-
mals sacrificed to Juno were a white cow, a swine,
and a sheep : the goose and the peacock were also
sacred to her.
Juga, because she is the goddess of marriage. A
street in Rome, where her altar stood, was hence
called Jugarius : and anciently people used to enter
into the yoke of marriage at that altar. She is also,
by some, called Socigena, because she assists in the
coupling the bride and bridegroom.
Lacinia, from the temple of Lacinium. built and
dedicated to her by Lacinius,
90
Lucina and Lucilia, either from tlic grove, in
which she had a temple, or from the light of this
world, into which infants are brought by lier. Ovid
comprises both these significations in a distich.
" Gratia Lacina, dedit hwc tibi iiomina lucus.
Vel quia priucipiuni tu, dea, lucis habes." — Fast. 2.
Lucina, hail, so nam'd from thy own grove,
» Or from the light thou giv'st us from above.
Nuptialis ; and when they sacrificed to her midei*
this name, they took the gall out of the victim, and
east it behind the altar ; to signify that there ouglit
to be no gall or anger between those who are mar-
ried.
Opigena, because she gives help to women in la-
bour.
Parthenos the virgin ; she was so called, as we
are told, from this circumstance : there was a foun-
tain among the Argivi, called Canathus, where Ju-
no washing herself every year was thought to re-
cover her youth and beauty.
Perfecta, that is, perfect ; for marriage was €Cs.-
teemed the perfection of human life.
She was called Pronuba; marriages were not
lawful unless Juno was first called upon.
Regina, queen ; which title she gives herself, as
we read in Virgil :
" Ast ego, qua divnm incedo regina, Jovisqile
Et soror et conjux." — JE^u L
But I who walk in awful state above,
The queen of heav'n, sister and Avife of Jove.
Sospita, because all the women were supposed t©
fee under her safeguard, every one of which had a
Juno, as every man had his Genius.
Unxia was another of her names, because th^
posts of the door were anointed, where a new-mar-
ried pair lived, whejjce the wife wqs c^e.d Uxor.
rJn,'^>/-,
91
QUESTION'S FOR EX.'}MJXJTIOS. ""
Why was Juno called Argiva ?
How did the Argivi represent lier r
Give in writing the reasons for her name Caprotina.
How did she obtain the name Curis and Curitis ?
What custom arose from this 'f
Why was she named Cingnla ?
On what accounts was she named Dominduca and Interduca ?
Why was she called Februalis ?
What animals were sacrificed to her?
On what acconnt was she named Juga, and Socigena ?
Why is she called Lacinia and Lucina?
What circumstances took place when they sacrificed to Juno
under the name of Nnptialis ?
Why was she called Parthenon, and why Perfecta?
What title does she give herself in Virgil ?
Why is she called Sospitaaud Unxia?
CHAPTER VIII.
9EC. 1.— MINERVA, OR PALLAS. HER IMAGE AN»
BIRTH.
Minerva — it may be asked why she is clothed with
armour, rather than with women's clothes. What
means the head piece of gold, and the crest that glit-
ters so ? To what purpose has she a golden breast-
plate, and d lance in her right hand, and a terrible
shield in her left ? On her shield is a grisly head
beset with snakes : and the cock and owl are paint-
ed on it.
Minerva is armed, rather than dressed in women^g
clothes, because she is the president and inventress
of war. The cock stands b}' her because he is a
fighting bird, and is often painted sitting on her head-
piece.
The head, which seems so formidable with snakes^
she not only carries on her shield, but sometimes alsQ
in the midst of her breast ; it is the head of Medusa,
one of the Grorgons, of wliich Virgil gives a beauti-
02
ivA (l^srriplioTt. The Basilisk is also sacred ta hery
to denote the great sagacity of her mind, and the
dreadt'u] ejects of her courage, she being the god-
iless both of wisdom and of war ; for the eye of the
basilisk is not only piercing enough to discover the
smallest object, but it is able to strike dead whatso-
ever creature it looks on. She wears an olive crown,
because it is the emblem of peace 3 and war is
onh' made that peace may follow. Though there
is another reason, too, why she wears the olive : for
she first taught mankind the use of that tree. When
Cecrops built a new city, Neptune and Minerva
contended about its name ; and it was resolved, that
whichsoever of the two deities found out the most use-
ful creature to man, should give their name to the
city. Neptune brought a horse ; and Minerva
caused an olive to spring out of the earth, which
v/as judged a more useful creature to man than the
horse : therefore, Minerva named the city, and call-
ed it Athenae, after her own name, in Greek ^Ahvet,
The most celebrated of the statues of Phidias,
«fter that of Jupiter Olympius, was the statue of Mi-
nerva in her temple at Athens : it was thirty-nine
feet high.
History mentions five Minervas. We shall speak
of that only which was born of Jupiter, and to whom
the rest are referred. The account given of her
birth was this : when Jupiter saw diat his wife Juno
bad no children, he through grief struck his fore-
head, and after thiee months brought forth Minerva •
whence she was called Tritonia : Vulcan "'^striking
his head with die blow of a hatchet, was amazed to
see an armed virago leap out of the brain of her far-
ther, instead of a tender infant.
1 " De capitis fertur sine matre paterni
Vertice, cum clyp€o prosiluisse suo.
* Luclan. in Dial. Dear.
93
€)at of her father's scull, as they report,
Without a mother, all in arms leap'd forth.
They say besides, that it rained gold in the island
of Rhodes, when Minerva was born, an observation
made by Claudian also.
♦' Auratos Rhodiis imbres, nascente Minerva,
Induxisse Jovem ferunt."
At Pallas' birth, great Jupiter, we're told,
Bestrevv'd the Rhodians with a shower of gold.
qUESTlOXS FOR EXAMLYATIOJV.
From what does Minerva derive her name ?
How is she represented, and what are the figures represented
9n the shield ?
Why is she armed, and what does the cock signify?
Why is the basilisk sacred to Minerva ?
Why does she wear an olive crown .''
How did Athens derive its name .''
Which is the most celebrated statue of Minerva ?
What was the origin of Minerva ?
What happened at Rhodes when Minerva was bom P
SEC. 2.— NAMES OF MINERVA.
Minerva is so called from diminishing, [a mintsJ]
And it is very true, that she, being the goddess of
war, diminishes the number of men, and deprives
families of their head, and cities of their members.
But the name may be derived from threatenings, be-
cause her looks threaten the beholders with violence,
and strike them with terror. Or, perhaps, she has
her name from the good admonition she gives ; be-
cause she is the goddess of wisdom. She is com-
monly thought to be wisdom itself; hence, when
men pretend to teach those that are wiser than them-
selves, it is proverbially said, Sus Minervam, o-vt
'A^^vav, Cic. 9. Epist. 18. " That sow teaches Mi-
nerva."
The Greeks call her Athena, because she never
sucked the breast of a mother or nurse ; for she was
born out of her father's head, in full strength, and
94
was therefore called motherless. Plato says she had
this name iVom her skilF in divine af.airs. Others
think she was so named, f because she is never en-
slaved, but enjoys the most perfect freedom, as the
Stoics well observe, who say, The philosopher is
the only freeman.
Liber nemo est nisi sapiens, Tollius in Paradox,
She is called Pallas, from a giant of the same name,
whom she slew : or from the lake Pallas, where she
was first seen by men; or, lastly, which is more
probable, from brandishingj her spear in war.
She had many other names ; but we shall only
mention two or three, after we have given some ac-
count of the Palladium.
The Palladium was an image of Pallas, preserved
in the castle of the city of Troy ; for w bile the cas-
tle and temple of Minerva were building, they say,
tliis image fell from heaven hito it, before it was co-
vered with a roof. This raised every body's admi-
ration ; and when the oracle of Apollo was consult-
ed, he answered, " That the city should be safe so
long as that image remained within it." Therefore,
when the Grecians besieged Troy, they found that
it was impossible to take the city, unless the Palla-
dium was taken out of it. This business was left to
Ulysses and Diomedes, who undertook to creep into
the city through the common sewers, and bring away
the fatal image. When they liad performed the task,
Troy was taken without "ditHculty. Some say it
was not lawful for any person to remove the Palla-
dium, or even to look upon it. Others add, that
it was made of wood, so that it was a wonder how
it could move the eyes and shake the spear. Others,
* 'Khcc quisii S£^y«y, vel 'H^^jt/ov, hoc est, qua? divlua cogni-
Ecit. Plato in Clntylo.
t Ab « non et &-/7<r««r^«* servire. ^
% Aro TH TpmWiiy ri h^f^, a vibrandu bast^'i. Serv. ra iER. l.>
95
«n the contrary, report, that it was made of the
bones of Pelops, and sold to the Trojans by the
Scythians. The}- add, that jEneas recovered it, af-
ter it had been taken by the Greeks, from Diomedes,
and carried it with him into Italy, where it was laid
np in the temple of Vesta as a pledge of the stability
of the Roman empire, as it had been before a token
of tlie security of Troy. And, lastly, others write,
that there were two Palladia ; one of which Diome*
des took, and the other JEneas carried with him.
Parthenos, i. e. virgin, was another of Minerva's
names : whence the temple at Athens, where she was
most religiously worshipped, was called Parthenon.
For Minerva, like Vesta and Diana, was a perpetual
virgin ; and such a lover of chastity, that she de-
prived Tiresias of his sight, because he saw her
bathing in the fountain of Helicon : but Tiresias*
mother, by her petitions, obtained, that since her
son had lost the eyes of his body, the sight of his
mind might be brighter and clearer, by having the
gift of prophecy. Ovid, indeed, assigns a diiierent
cause of his blindness. There is another illustrious
instance of the chastity of IMinerva : when Neptune
had successfully made love to the beautiful Medusa
(whose hair was gold) in the temple of Minerva, the
goddess changed into snakes that hair which had
tempted him ; and decreed, that those v/Iio looked
upon her therealter should be turned into stone.
Her name Tritonia was taken from the lake Tri-
ton, where she was educated ; as we also may learn
from Lucian, who mentions the love which Pallas
hears to this lake : ,
" Hanc et Pallas amat, patrio quod %erticc iiata
Terraruni primam Lyl/ien (nam proxiiiia c(i?lo Cot,.
Ut probat ipse calor) tcti£;it, stagnicpie quieta
Vultus vidlt aqua, posuitque in margiiift plantas,
Et se dejecta, Tritouida dixit, ab uiida."
This Pallas love?, born of the biaiis of Jove,
Who first on Lybia trod (the heat dolli prove-
96
This land next heav'n :) slie standing by the sidcv
Her face within the quiet water spied,
And gave herself from the lov'd pool a name
Tritonia.
Or from rpira, or rptrejv ^triton] a word which in the
•Id Boeotian and jEolic languages signifies a head,
because she was born from Jupiter's head. Yet,
before we leave the lake Triton, let me tell you the
ceremonies that were performed upon the banks of it
in honour of Minerva. A great concourse of peo-
ple out of the neighbouring towns assembled to see
the following performance : all the virgins came in
companies, armed with clubs and stones, and on a
sign being given, they assaulted each other ; she
who was first killed was not esteemed a virgin, and
therefore her body was disgracefully thrown into the
lake ; but she who received the most and the deepest
wounds, and did not desist, was carried home in tri-
umph in a chariot, in the midst of the acclamations
and praises of the whole company.
Epyccriq ^Ergatis'] operaricty '* workwoman" was
her name among the Samians, her worshippers ;
because she invented divers arts, especially the art
of spinning, as we learn from the poets : thus the
distaft'is ascribed to her, and sometimes she is call-
ed Minerva, from her name, because she was the in-
ventress of it. Althougli Minerva so much excelled
all others in spinning, yet Arachne, a young lady of
Lydia, very skilful at spinning, challenged her in
this art ; but it proved her ruin ; for the goddess
tore her work, and struck her forehead with a spoke
of the wheel. This disgrace drove her into despair,
so that she hanged herself; but Pallas, out of com-
passion, brought her again to life> and turned her
into a spider, which continues still employed in
spinning :
" Froiitem percussit Arechnes ;
fson tulit infiplix. ?aqtiPO(jue animosa ligavil
GuUura, pendentem Pallas miscrala levavftf
Atque ita, Vive quiJeni, pende taiiien, improba dixit."
Ov. Met. 6.
Arachne thrice upon the forehead smote ;
Whose great heart brooks it not ; about her throat
A rope she ties: remorseful Pallas staid
Her falling weight: — Live wretch, yet hang, she said.
She is called Musica ; because, says Pliny, the
dragons or serpents on her shield, which, instead of
hair encompassed the Gorgon's head, did ring and
resound, as if the strings of a harp near them were
touched. But it is more likel^that she was so na*
med, because she invented thT^j^lpe ; upon which,
when she played by the river-side, and saw iii the
water how much her face was swelled and deformed
b^' blowing it, she was moved \\ ith indignation, and
threw it aside, saying, the sweetness of tlie music is
too dear, if purchased with so much loss.
Glaucopis was another of her names ; because
her eyes, like the eyes of an owl, were gray or sky-
coloured, that is, of a green colour mixed with white.
She was also called Pylotis, from a Greek word,
signifying a " gate :" for, a:^ the image of IMars was
set up in the suburbs, so her efligy or picture was
placed on the city gates, or doors of houses ; by
which they signified, that we ought to use our wea-
pons abroad, to keep the enenu' from entering our
towns ; but in the town we must use the assistance
of Minerva, not of Mars ; that is, the state ought to
be governed at home by prudence, counsel, and law.
QUESTIONS FOR EXJMLX.ITIO.Y.
What are the reasons given for the name Minerva ?
What proveri) has her great wisdom furnished, and what does
the term Minervale signify ?
Why Ls she called Athena ?
Why is she named Pallas ?
Give somo account in writing of the Palladium.
Wliy was she calied Pavtlicnos?
What is the history of Tiresias ?
What is related of Neptune and Medusa ?
98
Why was Minerva named Tritonia ?
What ceremony was performed on the banks of the lakp
Triton ?
Why is Minerva called Ergatis ?
Repeat the lines from Ovid.
Why is Minerva called Musica ?
Why is she named Glaucopis ?
Why is she called Pylotis ?
What inference is drawn from the circumstance ?
SEC. 3.— THE SIGNIFICATION OF THE FABLE.
By the story of Minerva, the poets intended to re-
present wisdom ; that is, true and skilful knowledge,
joined with discreet and prudent manners. They
hereby signify also the understanding of the noblest
arts, and the accomplishments of the mind ; like-
wise the virtues, and especially chastity : for,
1. Minerva is said to be born out of Jupiter's
brain : because the wit and ingenuity of man did
Jiot invent the useful sciences, Vihicii, for the good of
men were derived from the brain of Jupiter ; that is,
from the inexhausted fountahi of the divine wisdom,
whence not only the arts and sciences, Jntt the bless-
ings of wisdom and virtue also proceed.
2. Pallas was born armed ; because a wise man's
soul being fortified with wisdom and virtue, is iuvin*
cible : he is prepared and armed against fortune ;
in dangers he is intrepid, in crosses unbroken, in
calamities impregnable. Thus, though the image of
Jupiter perspires in bad weather, \et as Ju})iter him-
self is dry and unconcerned, so a wi^e man's mind
is hardened against the assaults that fortune can
make upon his body.
3. She invented and exercised the art of spinning ;
and hence other young women may learn, if they
would preserve their good character, never to in-
dulge idleness, but to employ themselves continu-
ally in some sort of work ; after the example of
Lwcretia.
4. As the spindle and the distafl' were the inven-
' 1
99
tioii of Minerva, so they are the arms of every vir-
tuous woman. For which reason those instruments
were formerly carried before the bride when she was
brought to her husband's house ; and somewhere it
is a custom, at tlie funeral of women, to throw the
distaff and spindle into the grave with them.
5. An owl, a bird seeing in the dark, was sacred
to Minerva, and painted upon her images, which is
the representation of a wise man, who, scattering
and dispelhng the clouds of ignorance and error, i?
clear sighted where others are stark blind.
qUESTIOXS FOR EXAMINATION.
What do the poets represent by the story of Minerva ?
Why is Minerva said to have originated from Jupiter's brain?
Why was she said to be born armed ?
What lesson should Minerva teach as the inventress of spin-
ning ?
Why were the spindle and distaff carried before the bride,
when she went to her husband's house ?
What does the owl represent as sacred to Minerva ?
CHAPTER IX.
SEC. 1.— VENUS. HER IMAGE. HER DESCENT.
Turn your ey€s now to a sweet object, and view
that goddess in whose countenance the graces sit
playing, and discover all their charms. You see a
pleasantness, a mirth, and joy in every part of her
face. Observe with what becoming pride she holds
up her head and views herself, where she finds
nothing but joys and soft delights. She is clothed
with a purple mantle glittering with diamonds. By
her side stand two Cupids, and round her are three
Graces, and after follows the lovely beautiful Ado-
nis, who holds up the goddess' train. The chariot
in which she rides is made of ivory, finely carved,
100
and beautifully palmed and gilded. It is drawn b^
swans and doves, or swallows as Venus directs,
when she pleases to ride.
Venus, whom in more honourable terms men st}'!©
the " goddess of the Graces," the author of elegance,
beauty, neatness, delight, and cheerfulness, is in re-,
ality the mistress, president, and patron of all manner
of licentiousness ; and it should seem, by the wor-
ship which was formerly paid to her, that men used at
that period to erect altars to, and deify their vices ;
that they hallowed the greatest impieties with frank-
incense, and thought to ascend into heaven by the
steps of their iniquities.
You will see her sometimes painted like a young-
virgin rising from the sea, and riding in a shell ; at
Other times like a woman holding the shell in hex
hand, her head being crowned with roses. Some-
times her pictui'e has a silver looking-glass in one
hand, and on the feet are golden sandals and buc-
kles. In the pictures of the Sicyonians, she holds
a poppy in one hand, and an apple in the other.
At Etis she was painted treading on a tortoise^
showing thereby that young women ought not to
ramble abroad ; and that married women ought to
keep silence, love their home, and govern their fa-
mily. She wore a girdle or belt, called Cestus ;
in which all kinds of pleasures were folded, and
which was supposed to excite irresistible aflection.
Some give her arrows ; and make Python Suada^
the goddess of eloquence, her companion.
We learn from several authors, that there were
four Venuses, born of different parents, but this Ve-
nus of whom we speak was the most eminent, and
had the beauties as well as the disgraces of the
others commonly ascri])ed to her. She sprang from
the froth of the sea. She was by the Greeks called
Aphrodite, ex u<p^o<; spuma. As soon as she was
born, she was laid, like a pearl, in a shell instead of
lot
a cradle ; and was driven, by Zephjrus upon the
island Cythera, where the Horae, or hours, re-
«"eived, educated, accomplished, and adorned her ;,
and, when she came of age, carried her into heaven,
and presented her to the gods, all of whom, being
taken with her beauty, desired to marry her : but
she was at length betrothed to Vulcan, and married
CO him,
qUESTIO.^'S FOR EXAMLyATION>
How is Venus described ?
By whom is she attended ?
How is her chariot drawn ?
What different descriptions are given of her ?
What may be inferred from the worsliip paid to Venus ?
How is she painted ?
How is she painted at Elis, and what does that denote ?
What was she called by the Greeks ?
What happened to her as soon as she was born ?
By whom was she educated, and who did she marry ?
SEC. 2— NAMES OF VENUS.
She is called Venus, says Cicero, because all
things are subject to the laws of love. Or ^Ise, as
others say, her name is given her because she is emi-
nently beautiful ; for she is the goddess of beauty*
Or lastly, she is so called, because she was a stran-
ger or foreigner to the Romans ; for she was first wor-
shipped by the Egyptians, and from the Egyptians
she was translated to tiie Greeks, and from them to
the Romans. Let us now proceed to her other
names.
Amica, ET<*//j«e [Hetaira] was a name given her
b}^ the Athenians ; because she joins lovers together ;
and this Greek word is used both in good and bad
senses.
Armata, because when the Spartan women sallied
out of their town, besieged by the Messenians, and
beat them, a temple was dedicated to Venus Ar-
mata.
9*
102
Apaturia, that is " the deceiver," for nothing is
more deceitful than love, which flatters our eyes and
pleases us, like roses in their finest colours, but at
the same time leaves a thorn in tlie heart.
She was called by the Romans Barbata ; because,
when the Roman women were so troubled with a
disease that caused their hair to fall off, they pray-
ed to Venus, and their hair grew again ; upon
which they made an image of Venus with a comb,
and gave it a beard, that she might have the signs of
both sexes.
Cypris, Cypria, and Cyprogenia, because she
was worshipped in the island of Cyprus : Cytheris
and Cytherea ; from the island of Cythera, whither
she was first carried in a sea-shell.
There was a temple at Rome dedicated to VenuS
Calva ; because when the Gauls possessed that city,
jropes for the engines were made with the women's hair.
Erycina, from the mountain Eryx in the island of
Sicily ; upon which jEneas built a splendid and fa-
mous temple to her honour, because she was his mo
ther.
Horace makes mention of her under this name.
She is properly called Ridens, and Homer calls
her a lover of laughing : for she is said to be born
laughing, and thence callecJ'the *' goddess of mirth."
Hortensis, because she looks after the production
of seed and plants in gardens. And Festus tells us_,
that the word Venus is by Nsevius put for herbs, as
Ceres is for bread, and Neptunus for fish.
Idalia and Acidalia from the mountain Idalus-,
in the island of Cyprus, and the fountain Acidaliug)
in Boeotia.
Marina, because she was born of the sea, to wbi.cft
Ausonius refers in his poem.
" Orta salo, suscepta solo, patre edida Ccelo.'*
Heav'n gave her life, the sea a cradle gave.
And earth's wWe regkma her with )qy rep^ivt,.
103
She is called Aphroditus and.Anadyomiie. that is^
emerging out of the waters, as Apelles painted her ;
and Pontia, from Poiitiis. Hence came the custom,
that those who had escaped any danger b}^ water,
used to sacrifice to Venus. Hence also the mari-
ners observed those solemnities called Aphrodisia,
which Plutarch describes in a treatise against Epi-
c^irus.
Melanis, or Melpenis, that is dark and concealed ;
whence the Egyptians worshipped a Venus, called
Scoteia, a goddess to be admired in the night,
Migonitis signifies her power in the managemem
of love. Therefore, Paris dedicated the first temple
to Venus Migonitis.
Paphia, from the city Paphos in the island of Cy^
prus, where they sacrificed flowers and frankincense
to her. And this is mentioned by Virgil ;
" Ipsa paphum sublimis adit, sedesque revisit
Leeta snas, ubi templum illi, ceiitumque Saba^o
Thure caleiit ai-a;, sertisque receulibus halunt."-— »iE». !•
This part perforrn'd, the goddess flies sublime
To visit Paphos and her native clime ;
Where garlands, evergreen and ever fair,
With vows are otier'd, and with solemn pray'r:
A hundred altars in her temple smoke,
A thousand bleeding hearts her pou'r invoke.
Mer name Verticordia, signifies the power of love
to change hearts, and to ease the minds of men from
all cares that perplex them. Ovid mentions this
power, and for tlie same reason Venus is called in
the Greek Epistrophia.
QUESTIO.YS FOR EXJiMINATIOK.
Why is she called Arnica and Armata?
Why was she called Apaturia and Barbata ?
Why was she denominated Cypris and Cytheris ?
Why was a temple dedicated to Venus Calva at Rome ?
Why was she called Erycina and Ridens ?
Why was sh« denominated Hortensis Idalia ? and AcidaliaP
104
How di<i -lip iVrive ber ruunps Marina and Aphroditis*
Why is she Ccilicni Aliilrt-uis, and wli)^ Migonitis ?
WU\' is sho callrii Piiphia Hiid Verticordia ?
SEC. .1— ACTlOiNS OF VENUS.
Pygmalion, a statuary, considering the great m-
conveniences ol' marrying, had resolved to live sin-
gle ; but afterward making a most elegant and arti-
ficial image of Venus, he fell so much in love with
his own v.'orkmanslfip that he begged Venus to turn
it into a womai:, and enliven the ivory. His wish-
es were granted, and of her he had Paphos, from
whom tlie island Paphos had its name. Ovid
Met. 10.
Pyramus and Tliisbe were both inhabitants of the
city of Babylon ; equal in beauty, age, condition,
and fortune. They began to love each other from
their cradles. Their houses were contiguous, so
that their love arose from their neighbourhood, grew
greater Ijy their mutual play, and was perfected by
their singular beauty. This love increased with
their years, and in due time, they begged their pa-
rents' consent ; which was refused, because of some
former quarrels between the two families. And that
the children might not attempt any thing against
their parents' will, they were not permitted to see
each other. There was a partition-wall between
both houses, in which wall there was a small chink,,
never discovered by any of the servants. This cre-
vice the lovers found, and met here : their words
and their sighs went through, but kisses could not
pass ; which, when they parted, they printed on
each side of the wall. By some contrivance they
met and agreed upon an interview under the shade
of a large mulberry tree, which stood near a foun-
tain. When night came on, Thisbe deceived her
keepers, and escapes first, and flies into the wood ;
for love gave her wings. When she got to tlie ap-
105
pointed place, a lioness fresh from the slaughter of
some cattle, came to drink at the fountain. Thisbe
was so frightened that she ran into a cave, and in her
flight her veil fell from her head ; the lioness return-
ing from the fountaia, found the veil, and tore it with
her jaws besmeared with blood. Pyramus comes
next, and sees the print of a wild beast's foot, and
finds the veil of Thisbe blood}' and torn. He, ima-
gining that she was killed and devoured by the wild
beast, gi-ew distracted, and hastened to the ap-
pointed tree ; but not finding Thisbe, he threw him-
self upon his sword, and died. Tliisbe in the mean
time, recovered from her fright, came to the mul-
berry tree, where she saw Pyramus in the struggles
of death : she embraced her dying lover, mingled
her tears with his blood, and folding her arms about
him, called upon him to answer her, but he was
speechless, and looking up expired. Thisbe, dis-
tracted with grief, tore her cheeks, beat her breast,
rent her hair, and shed a deluge of tears upon his
cold face ; nor did she cease to mourn, till she per-
ceived her veil, bloody and torn, in Pyramus' hand»
She then understood the occasion of his death, and
drew the sword from the body of her lover, plunged
it into her own, and falling accidentally on him,
gave him a cold kiss, and breathed her last breath
mto his bosom. The tree, warmed with the blood
of the slain lovers, became sensible of their misfor-
tune, and mourned. Its berries, which were before
white, became red with grief, and blushed for the
death of Pyramus ; when Thisbe also died, the ber-
ries then became black and dark, as if they had put
on mourning. Such were the fatal effects of love.
In the next place hear the story of Atalanta and
Hippomenes. She was the daughter of the king
Scha^neus, or Ca^neus. It was doubted whether her
beauty or swiftness in running were greater. When
she consulted the oracle, whether she should marry
ioe
or not, this answer was given, ** That inaniage
would be fatal to lier." Upon which the virgin hid
herself in the woods, and lived in places remote
from tlie conversation of men. But the more she
avoided them, the more eagerly they courted her ;
for hoi* disdain inflamed their desires, and her pride
raised their adoration. At last, when she saw she
could not otherwise deliver herself from the impor-
tunity of her lovers, she made this agreement with
them : " You court me in vain ; he who overtakes
me in running shall be my husband ; but the}^ who
are beaten by me shall suffer death ; I will be the
victor's prize, but the vanquislied's punishment. If
these terms please, go with me into the field." They
all agreed to these conditions :
^' Venit ad banc legem temeraria tui-ba procorum."
Ov. Met. 10.
All her mad wooers lake the terms propos'd.
They strove to outrun her ; but they were all
beaten and put to death according to the agree-
ment ; suffering the loss of their lives for the fault
of their feet. Yet the example of these lovers did
not deter Hippomenes from undertaking the race,
who entertained hopes of winning the victory, be-
cause Venus had given him three golden apples,
gathered in the gardens of the Hesperides, and also
told him how to use them. Hippomenes briskly
set out and began the race ; and when he saw that
Atalanta overtook him, he threw down a golden ap-
ple ; the beauty of it enticed her so that she went
out of her way, followed the apple, and took it up.
" Decruiat cursus, aurumque voliiblle tollit."
She, j^reedy of the shilling fruit, steps back
To catch the roliing gold.
Afterward he threw down another, which she
pursued ali^o to obtain ; mid again a third ; so that
107
while Atalanta was busied in gathering them up,
Hippomeues reached the goal, and took the lady as
the prize of his victory. But forgetful of the grati-
tude and respect due to Venus, he met with a signal
punishment. Himself and Atalanta were turned
into a lion and lioness.
Another proof of the fatal effects of love is the
case of Paris and Helena. Paris was the son of
Priamus, king of Troy, by Hecuba. His mother,
when she was pregnant, dreamed that she brought
forth a burning torch : and asking the oracle for an
interpretation, was answered, " That it portended
the burning of Troy," and that the fire should be
kindled by her son. Therefore, as soon as the child
was born, he was exposed upon tlie mountain Ida :
where the shepherds brought him up privately, edu-
cated him, and called him Paris. When he was
grown to man's estate, he gave such tokens of singu-
lar prudence and equity in deciding controversies,
that on a great diflerence which arose among the
goddesses, they referred it to his judgment to be de-
termined. The goddess *Discordia was the occa-
sion of this contention : for, because all the gods
and goddesses, except herself, were invited to the
marriage of Peleus, she was angr}-, and resolved to
revenge the disgrace ; diere(bre, when they all met
and set down at the table, she came in privately,
and threw down upon the table an apple of gold, on
which was this inscription, " Let the fairest take
it." Hence arose a quarrel among the goddesses,
for every one tliought herself the most beautiful.
But at last, all the others yielded to the three supe"-
rior goddesses, Juno, Pallas, and Venus ; who dis-
puted so eagerly, that Jupiter himself was not able
to bring them to agreement. He resolved Uierefore
to leave the final determination of it to the judgment
* Dion. Cluysost. Orat. 20. Philostrat. ia Icon,
t Fuichrior accipiat. vel, Detur pulchriori.
108
©f Paris ; so that she should have the fipple to whom
Paris should adjudge it. The goddesses consent,
and call for Paris, who was then feeding sheep
upon a mountain. They tell him their business,
and court his favour with great promises : Juno
promised to reward him with power, Pallas with
wisdom, and Venus promised him the most beautiful
woman in the world. He pronounced Venus the
fairest, and assigned to her the apple of gold. Ve-
nus did not break her promise to Paris ; for in a
little time Paris was owned to be king Priam's son,
and sailed into Greece with a great fleet, under the
rolour of an embassy^ to fetch away Helena, the
most beautiful woman in tlie world, who was be-
trothed to Menelaus, king of Sparta, and lived in his
house. When he Cciine, IMenelaus was from home,
and, in his absence, Paris carried away Helena to
Troy. Menelaus demanded her, but Paris refused
to send her back ; and this occasioned that fatal war
between the Greeks and Trojans, in which Troy,
the metropolis of all Asia, was taken and burnt, in
tlie year of the world 2871. There were killed
eight hundred sixty-eight thousand of the Grecians ;
among whom Achilles, one of their generals, lost his
life by the treachery of Paris himself.
There were slain six hundred and seventy-six
thousand of the Trojans, from the beginning of the
war to the taking of the city, among whom Paris
himself was killed by Pyrrinis or Philoctetes ; and
his brother Hector, tlie pillar of his country, was
killed by Achilles. When the city was taken and
burnt, king Priamus, the father of Paris and Hector,
at once lost all his children, his queen Hecuba, his
kingdom and his life. Helena, after Paris was kill-
ed, married his brother Deipliobus : yet she at length
betrayed the castle to the Grecians, and admitted
Menelaus into her chamber to kill Deiphobus : by
which, it is said, she was reconciled to the favour of
109
Menelaus again. These things, however, belong
rather to history than to fable.
qUESTIO.XS FOR EXAMINATION.
What happened to Pygmalion ?
Can you give in short the story of Pyramus and Thisoe ?
Give the story of Atalanta and Hippomenes.
Give-an abridged account of the fates of Paris and Helena,
SEC 4— THE COMPANIONS OF VENUS ; VIZ. HYME-
N^US, THE CUPIDS, THE GRACES, ADONIS.
The first of Venus' companions was the god Hy-
menaeus. He presided over marriage, and was the
protector of young unmarried women. He was the
son of Bacchus and Venus Urania, born in Attica,
where he used to rescue virgins carried away by
thieves, and restore them to their parents. He was
of a very fair complexion ; c)-owned with the «ma-
racus or sweet marjoram, and sometimes with roses ;
in one hand he carried a torch, in the other a veil
of flame colour, to represent the blushes of a virgin.
Newly married women offered sacrifices to him, as
they did also to the goddess Concordia.
Cupid was the next of Venus' companions. He
is called the god of love, and man}^ different parents
are ascribed to him, because there were many
Cupids. Plato says he was born of Penia, the
goddess of poverty, by Poros, the son of Coun-
sel and Plenty. Hesiod relates, that he was born of
Chaos and Terra. Sappho derives him from Ve-
nus and Ctt'lum. Alca^us says he was the son of
Lite and Zephyrus. Simonides attributes him to
Mars and Venus ; and Alcma^on, to Zephyrus and
Flora. But whatever parents Cupid had, this is
plain, he always accompanies Venus, either as a son
or a servant.
The poets speak of two Cupids. One of which is
an ingenious youth, the son of Venus and Jupiter, a
celestial deity ; the other tlie son of Erebus and Nox,
10
110 '
l^Hell and JVight,'] a vulgar god, whose companions
are drunkenness, sorrow, enmity, contention, and
such kind of plagues. One ol^ these Cupids is call-
ed Eros, and the other Anteros ; both of them are
boys, and naked, and winged, and blind, and armed
with a bow and arrows and a torch. They have
two darts of di/lerent natures ; a golden dart which
procures love, and a leaden dart which causes ha-
tred. Anteros is also the god who avenges slight-
ed love.
Although this be the youngest of all the celestial
gods, yet his power is so great, that he is esteemed
the strongest, for he subdues them all. Without
his assistance, his mother Venus Is Aveak, and can
do nothing, as she herself confesses in Virgil.
" Nate, mese vires, mea magna potenlia, solus." JEn. 4.
Thou art my strength, sod, and povyer alone.
He is naked because the lover has nothing of his
own, but deprives himself of all that he has, for his
mistress' sake.
Cupid is a boy, because he is void of judgment.
His chariot is drawn by lions, for the rage and
fierceness of no creature is greater than the extrava-
gance and madness of violent love. He is blind,
because a lover does not see the faults of his beloved
object, nor consider in his mind the mischief pro-
ceeding from that passion. He is winged, because
nothing flies sv,ifter than love, for he who loves to-
day, may hate to-morrow. Lastly, he is armed
with arrows, because he strikes afar off.
The Graces called *Cliarites, were three sisters,
the daughters of Jupiter and Eurynome, or Euno-
mia, as Orpheus says, or rather, as others say, the
daughter of Bacchus and Venus. The first was
* Koiptr-zi dictpe «T(9 Tfis Kupuf i. e. a gaudio.
Ill
called ^Aglaia, from iier cheerfulness, her beauty^ or
her worth ; because kindness ought to be perform-
ed freely and generously. The second, fThalia,
from her perpetual verdure ; because kindness ought
never to die, but to remain fresh always in the re-
ceiver's memory. The third, JEuphrosyne, from
Jier cheerfulness ; because we ought to be free and
cheerful, as well in doing as in receiving a kindness.
These sisters* were painted naked, or in transpa-
rent and loose garments, young and merry, with
hands joined. One was turned from the behelder,
as if she was going from him ; the other two turned
their faces, as if they were coming to him ; by which
we understand, that when one kindness is done, thanks
are t^vice due ; once when received, and again when it
is repaid. The Graces are naked, because kindnesses
ought to be done in sincerity and candour, and with-
out disguise. They are young, because the memo-
ry of kindness received ought never to grow old.
They are virgins, because kindness ought to be pure,
without expectation of requital. Their hands are
joined, because one good tiuni requires another;
there ought to be a perpetual intercourse of kind-
ness and assistance among friends.
Adonis was the son of Cinyras, king of Cyprus,
and Myrrha. As he was very handsome, Venus
took great delight in him, and loved his company.
When he hunted, a boar gored him with his tusks,
and killed him. Venus bewailed his death with
much sorrow and concern, and changed his blood,
which was shed on the ground, into the flower ane-^
mone, which ever since has retained the colour of
blood. While she flew to assist him, being led by
his dying voice, a thorn ran into her foot, and the
* Ayluloi id e^i, splendor, honestas, vel dignitas.
t <Qa.Xa.ia (ii^m ^xXtia est Ivlusse nomen) id est, veriditas et
cinnitas a BxXKcj vireo.
t Eviftfciruvny id est, Iwtitia et urbanitas. Vide Hesiod, iu Theogl
112
blood that came thence fell on the rose, which be-
fore was white, but thereby made red.
Venus besought of, and obtained from Jupiter,
that he should return to life for six months m every
year ; so that Adonis revives and dies in incessant
succession. In Greece, Phoenicia, and some other
countries, festivals were appointed expressive of this
circumstance : the solemnity continued several days ;
the first part being spent in lamentations for his
loss, and the second in joy for his restoration.
qUESTIOJ{S FOR EX^MmATION.
Who was Hyraenaeus, and of whom was he the protector?
Whose son was he, and how was he represented ?
Who was Cupid, and whose son was he said to be ?
How many Cupids do the poets describe, and how are th^y
represented ?
What is his character with regard to power ?
Why is he represented naked ?
Kow is his chariot drawn ?
Why is he represented blind, winged, and armed with arrows?
Who were the Graces, and what were their names ?
How are they represented in paintings ?
Why are they said to be ever young, naked, and with their
bands joined ?
Who was Adonis ? what was the cause and consequences ojf
his death ?
CHAPTER X.
LATONA.
Latona was the daughter of Phoebe, by Cseus
the Titan. So great was her beauty, that Jupiter
fell in love with her, which excited the jealousy of
Jimo, who caused her to be cast out of heaven to the
earth ; not contented with this, she obliged Terra,
by an oath, not to give her a habitation, and be-
sides she set the serpent Python upon her, to per-
113
seciite her wherever she went. Juno, however, was
disappomted, for the island Delos received Latona,
wliere, under a pahn or an oUve tree, she brought
forth Diana ; who, as soon as she was born, nursed
and took care of her brother Apollo.
Her reception at Delos, notwithstanding the oath
of Terra, is thus accounted for. This island for-
merly floated in die sea, and they say that at the
time it was hidden under the waters, when Terra
took her oath, but that it emerged afterwards by the
order of Neptune, and became fixed and immovea-
ble for Latona's use, from which time it was called
Delos, because it was visible like other places.
The island Delos emerged for Latona's use, be-
cause it was sister to Latona. Some say, that her
name was formerly Asteria, whom Jupiter loved and
courted, but she was converted into an island : others
report that she was converted into a quail, (Ovid
Met. 15,J and flew into this island, which was,
tlierefore, among other names, called Ortygia. Ni-
obe's pride, and the barbarity of the countrymen of
Lycia, increase the fame of this goddess.
Niobe was the daughter of Tantalus, and the wife
of Amphion, king of Thebes. She was so enriched
with all the gifts of nature and fortune, and her hap-
piness so great, that she could not bear it : being
pufl'ed up with pride, and full of self-conceit, she be-
gan to despise Latona, and to esteem herself the
greater, saying : " is any happiness to be compared
to mine, who am out of the reach of fortune f She
may rob me of much wealth, but she cannot injure
me, since she must leave me still very rich. Does any
one's wealth exceed mine ^ Is any one's beauty like
mine ^ Have I not seven most beautiful daughters,
and as many ingenious and handsome sons ? And
have I not, therefore, reason to be ^.proud .'^" In
this manner she boasted of her happiness, and de-
spised others : but her pride, in a short time, depri-
10*
114
ved her of all the happiness which she possessed,
and reduced her from the height of good fortune to
the lowest degree of misery. For when Latona saw
herself despised, and her sacrifices disturbed by Nio-
be', she appointed Apollo and Diana to punish the
injury that was oflered to their mother. Immediate-
ly they went with their quivers well filled with arrows,
to Niobe's house ; where first they killed the sons,
then the daughters, and next the father, in the sight
of Niobe, who by that means ^\ as stupified with
grief, till at length she was turned into marble,
which, because of this misfortune, is said to shed ma-
ny tears to this day. — Ovid Met. 6.
The rustics of the country of Lycia in Asia, did
alsQ experience the anger of Latona to their ruin ;
for when she wandered in the fields, the heat of the
weather and toil of her journey brought such a
drought upon her that she almost fainted for thirst.
At last discovering a spring in the bottom of the val-
ley, she ran to it with great joy, and fell on her knees
fo drink the cool waters :
" Gelidos potura liquores."
To quench her thirst with the refreshing stream.
But the neighbouring clowns hindered her, and
bid her depart. She earnestly begged leave, and
they denied it : she did not desire she said to injure
the stream by washing herself in it, but only to
quench her thirst.
" Quid prohibetis aquae ? usus communis aquarum :
Nee solera proprium natura, nee aera fecit, ^
Nee tenues uiidas. Ad publica munera veni.
^ Quae tan:?n ut detis Eupplex peio. Non ego nostrojs
Abluere hie artns, lassataque membra parabara :
Sed relevare sitim. Caret os humore loquentis,
Et fauces arent, vixque est via vocis in illis.
Haustus aquce mihl liecter erit : vitaHique fatfiUof.
Accepisae ^imul"
*%»:
115
-Whv hinder vou. paid she,
The use of water that to all is free?
The suJi. the air, tl>e pure and cooliitu; \vave.
Nature made free. I claim tiie boon she gave ;
Yet humbly I entreat it. not to drench
My \veary limbs, but killiui^ thirst to (|ueiich.
My tongue wants moisture, and my jaws avf dry.
Scarce is there way for speech. For drink [ die,
Water to me were nectar. If I live,
'Tis by your favour.
They reGjarded not lier entreaties, but with threats
endeavoured to drive her awa}'. This great inhu-
manit}' moved the indignation of Latona, who cursed
tliem, and said, " May you always live in this wa-
ter." Immediately they were turned into frogs, and
leaped into the muddy water, where they ever aftei-
lived.
qUESTIOyS for EX^MLWiTIOX.
Who was Latona, and what was the consequence of Jupiter's
affection to her ?
Where was Diana born, and how was she employed immedi-
ately after her birth .•'
How is Latona's reception at Delos accounted for ?
What is said of her transmigrations into an ishuid and quail ?
Who was iSiobe, and what is said of her pride and self-suffi-
ciency ?
What was Latona's conduct towards Niobe ?
Into what was Niobe changed ?
What happened to the rustics of Lycia, and why were they s*»
pnniahed ?
CHAPTER XI.
AURORA.
Aurora, the daughter of Terra ^nd Titan, the
sister of the sun and moon, and mother of the stars
and the winds, is a goddess drawn in a chariot of
gold by white horses ; her countenance shines like
gold ; her fingers are red like roses : so Homer de-
no
scribes Aur(ir;i. Tlu' Orerk-; call Aurora by another
name, and sone say that she was th*' claap;hter of
Hyperion and ThJa, or of l^allas, from whom the
poets also eall her Pallantias. S!)e by force carried
iwo beautiful } oung men, Cephalus and Tithonus,
nilo Iicaven.
Cephalus married Procris, the daughter of the
king of Athens. When Aurora could, by no per-
suasion, move him to leave her, she carried him into
heaven ; but even there she could not shake his con-,
stancy ; therefore she sent him again to his wife
Procris, disguised in the habit of a merchant. Af-
ter this she gave him an arrow that never missed the
mark, which she had received from Minoe. When
Ce})hahis had this arrow, he spent his whole time in
hunting and pursuin^g wild beasts. Procris, sus-
pecting the constancy of her husband, concealed
herself in a bush, to discover the truth : but when
she moved carelessly in the bush, lier husband think-
ing sonje wild Ijeast was there, drew his bow, and
shot his wife to the heart. — Ovid Met. 7.
Tithonus was the son of Laomedon, and brother
of Priamus : Aurora, tor his singular beauty, carri-
ed him up to heaven, and married him ; and, instead
of portion, obtained from the Fates immortality for
him. She had Memnon by him, but she forgot to
ask the Fates to grant iiim perpetual youth, so that
he became so old and det repid, that, like an infant,
he was rocked to sleep in a cradle. Hereupon he
grew weary of life, and wishing for death, asked
Aurora to grant him power to die. She sa'd, that
it was not in her power to grant it, but that she
would do what she could : and therefore turned her
husband into a grasshopper, which, they say, moults
when it is old, and grows young again.— -Oi^tc?
Met. 13.
Memnon went to Troy, to assist the king Priam,
where, in a duel with Achilles, he was killed } and,
117
in the place where he fell, a fowntaih arose which
every year, on the same day on which he died^
sends forth blood instead of water. But as his body
lay upon the funeral pile to be burnt, it was changed
into a bird by his mother Aurora's intercession ; and
many other birds of the same kind flew out of the
pile with him, which, from his name, were called
Aves Memnonise : these, dividing themselves into
two troops, and furiously fighting with their beaks
and claws, with their own blood appeased the ghost
of Memnoii, from whom they sprung. — Ovid
Met. 13.
There was a statue of this Memnon, made of
black marble, and set up in the temple of Serapis at
Thebes, in Egypt, of which they relate an incredi-
ble story : for it is said that the mouth of the statue,
when first touched by the ra3's of the rising sun,
sent forth a sweet and harroonious sound as though
it rejoiced when its mother Aurora came ; but at
the setting of the sun, it sent forth a low melancholy
tone, as lamenting her departure.
qUESTIOJ^S FOR EXAMINATION.
Who was Aurora, how was her chariot drawn, and how is she
described by Homer ?
Who did she carry to heaven ?
What is said of Cepbalus, and what became of his wife Pro-
cris ? ^
Who is Tithon, and what is related of him ?
Into what was he changed, and why ?
What became of INIemnon, and w hat is said to have happened.
where he was killed ?
Into what was his dead body changed ?
Where was his statue erected, and what is reported of it ?
PART 11.
OF THE TERRESTRIAL DEITIES.
CHAPTER I.
SEC. 1.— SATURN. HIS IMAGE, FAMILY, AND ACTIONS.
Look upon the wall on the right hand. On that
wall, which is the second part of the Pantheon^ as
well as of our discourse, you see the terrestrial dei-
ties divided into two sorts ; for some of them inhabit
both the cities aud the fields hiditferently, and are
called in general *" the terrestrial goddesses :" but
the others live only in the countries and the woods,
and are properly called |" the gods of the woods."
We will begin with the first.
Of the terrestrial gods, which are so called, be-
cause their habitation is in the earth, the most cele-
braied are Saturn, Janus, Vulcan, jEolus, and Mo-
mus. The terrestrial goddesses are Vesta, Cybele,
Ceres, the Muses, and Themis : they are equal in
number to the celestial gods and goddesses.
We Will begin with the eldest, Saturn, who is re-
presented as a decrepid Jold man, with a long beard
and hoarV head. His shoulders are bowed like an
arch, his jaws hollow and thin, his cheeks sunk ;
his nose is flat, his forehead full of furrows, and his
* Dii tgrrestres urbes et campos promiscue incolunt.
t Dii autem sylvestres rnre, lantum et in sylvis deguut.
% Virg. ^u. 7<.
119
chin turned up ; his right hand holds a rusty scythe,
and his left a child, which he is about to devour.
He is the son of Terra, or Vesta, and Coelum,
Coelus, or Coelius, who was the son of ^ther and
Dies, and the most ancient of all the gods. This
Coelum married his own daughter Vesta, by whom
he had many children. The most eminent of tliem
was Saturn, whose brothers were the Cyclops, Ocea-
nus. Titan, the hundred-handed giants, and divers
others ; his sisters were Ceres, Tethys, and Ops, or
Rhea, whom he afterwards married. The sisters
persuaded their mother Vesta to exclude Titan,
or Titanus, the eldest son, and to appoint Saturn
heir of his father's kingdom. When Titan saw
the fixed resolution of his mother and sisters, he
would not strive against the stream, but voluntarily
quitted his right, and transferred it to Saturn, under
condition that he should not bring up- any male chil-
dren, so that after Saturn's death, the kingdom
might return to the children of Titan.
His wife Ops, perceiving that Jier husband devour-
ed all lier male children, when she brought forth the
twins, Jupiter and Juno, she only sent Juno to him,
and sent Jupiter to be nursed in Mount Ida, by the
priestesses of Cybele, who were called Curetes, or
Corybantes. It was their custom to beat drums
and cymbals while the sacrifices were offered up,
and the noise of them hindered Saturn from hearing
the cries of Jupiter. By the same trick she also
eaved Neptune and Pluto from her devouring hus-
band.
Titan, when he saw himself cheated, and the
agreement broken, to revenge the injury, raised for-
ces, and brought them against Saturn, and making
both him and Rhea prisoners, he bound them, and
shut -them together in hell, where they lay till Jupi-
ter, a few years after, overcame the Titans, and set
his father and mother agam at liberty. Alter tlii"
120
Saturn strove to take away his life; because he
heard by an oracle that he should be driven out of
his kingdom by a son, as in reality he was after-
Wards ; for Jupiter deposed him from the throne,
and expelled him the kingdom ; because he had con-
spired to take away his life. Beside this, when he
found Saturn almost drunk with mead, he bound
and maimed him, as Saturn had also maimed his
father Coelum before, with his sickle.
Saturn having thus lost his kingdom went into
Italy, which was anciently called Saturnia. He
lived there with king Janus ; and that part of Italy
in which he lay hidden, was afterwards called La-
tium, and the people Latini ; as Ovid observes :
" Inde din Genti mnnsit Saturnia nomen :
Dicta fuit Latium terra, latente Deo." Fast. 1.
The name Saturnia thence this land did bear,
Ahd Latium too, because he shelter'd here.
King Janus made Saturn partner of his kingdom,
upon which Saturn reduced the people to civil '"O-
ciety, and joined them to each other, as it werf 'n
chains of brass, that is, by the brass money which . i
invented ; and therefore, on one side of the money
was stamped a ship.
" At bona posteritas pnppim signavit in sera,
Hospitis adventuui testificata Dei." Fast. 3.
A ship by th' following age was stamp'd on coin,
To show they once a god did entertain.
And on the other side was stamped a Janus Bifrons.
But although the money was brass, yet this was the
golden age in which Saturn lived, when, as the poets,
who magnify the happiness of that age, would per-
suade us, the earth without the labour of ploughing
and sowing brought forth its fruits, and all things
were common to all. Virgil hath given an elegant
description of this happy age in the eighth book of
his ^neid :
121
" Primus ad a2thereo venit Saturnus Olympo,
Arma Jovis fugiens, et regnis exul ademptis.
Is genus indocile, ac dispersum montibus allis
Composuit, legesque dedit. Latiumque vocari
Maluit, his quoniam latuisset tutus in oris :
Aurea, qua; ut perhibent, illo sub rege fuere
Sajcula ; sic placida populos in pace regebat."
Then Saturn came, who fled the pow'rs of Jove,
Robbd of his realms, and banish'd from above.
The men dispers'd on liills to town he brought,
The laws ordain'd, and civil customs taught,
And Latium call'd tlie land, where safe he lay
From his unduteous son, and his usurping sway.
With his wild empire, peace and plenty came ;
And hence the golden times derived their name.
qUESTlO.XS FOR EXAMIJVATIOJ^,
How are the ten-estrial deities divided, and why ?
Which are the most celebrated of the celestial deities ?
How is Saturn described ?
Whose son was he, and who were his brothers and sisters?
W^hat was the conduct of his sisters to him ?
HoAV did Titan act, and for what did he stipulate ?
By what means did Jupiter escape, and who besides were sa
ved in like manner ?
Who were the corybantes ; and what was their custom in of-
fering sacrifices ?
How did Titan avenge himself upon Saturn ?
Who released Saturn, and how did he requite the exertions of
Jupiter in his behalf?
How did Jupiter act afterwards ?
What is the origin of the name Latini ?
Repeat the two Latin and English lines.
What did he perform at Latium ?
How is the age in Avhich Saturn flourished described by the poetS?
Repeat the lines from Virgil —
" Primus ad sethereo venit," kc.
SEC.*2.— NAMES OF SATURN. SACRIFICES, kc.
Many derive the name Saturnus^ from sowing,
because he first taught the art of sowing and tilling
the ground, in Italy ; and therefore he was esteem-
ed the god of husbandry, and called Stercutius by
the Romans, because he first fattened the earth with
manure : he is accordingly painted with a sickle,
* Saturnus dictus est a Satu, sicut a Portu Portunus, et a Nep-
tu Neptunus. Festus. Serv. in JEn. 7. Lips. Sat. 3.
11
122
with which the meadows are mowed and the corn is
cut down. This sickle was thrown into Sicily, and
there fell within a city then called Trepanum, and
since Trepano, from that circumstance ; though
others affirm, that this city had its name from that
sickle which Ceres had from Vulcan, and gave the
Titans when she taught them to mow. But others
say, the town had its name because it was crooked
and hollow, like a sickle. Indeed Sicily is so fruit-
ful in corn and pasture, that the poets justly imagin-
ed that the sickle was invented there.
Saturnus is derived from that ^fulness which is
the eifect of his bounty when he fills the people with
provisions ; as his wife was called f Ops, because
" she helps the hungry." Others affirm, that he is
called Saturn, Jbecause he is satisfied with the years
that he devours, for Saturn and Time are the same.
Men were sacrificed to Saturn, because he was
delighted, as they thought, with human blood :
therefore the gladiators were placed under his pro-
tection, and fought at his feasts. The Romans es-
teemed him an infernal god, as Plutarch says, be-
cause the planet Saturn is malignant and hurtful.
Those who sacrificed to him had their heads bare,
and his priests wore scarlet garments. On this altar
were placed wax tapers lighted, because by Saturn
men were brought from the darkness of error to the
light of truth.
The feasts Saturnalia, in the Greek language
Kpovix ICronia'] were instituted either by Tullus,
king of the Romans, or, if we believe Liyy, by
Sempronius and Minutius, the consuls. Till the
time of Julius Caesar they were finished in one day,
viz. on the 19th of December ; after this they began
to celebrate them for three days ; and then, during
four ©r five, by the order of CaUgula : and some
* A saturando, quasi saturet populos annona.
t Quod esurientibes opem ferat.
i Quod ipse saturetur annis quos ipse de vorat . Cic.de Nat. Deor. 2.
123
write, that they lasted seven days. Hence they call-
ed these days the first, the second, the third, Sic.
festivals of Saturn : and when these days were added
to the feast, the first day of celebrating it was the
17th day of December.
Upon these festival days, 1. The senate did not
sit. 2. The schools kept holyday. 3. Presents
were sent among friends. 4. It was unlawful to
'proclaim war, or execute offenders. 5. Servants
were allowed to be jocose and merry toward their
masters ; as we learn from Ausonius :
" Aurea nunc revocat Saturni festa December j
Nunc tibi cum domino ludere, verna, licet." Ech de Men.
December now br?iigs Saturn's merry feasts,
When masters bear their sportive servants' jests.
6. Nay, the masters waited on their servants, who
sat at table, in memory of that liberty which all en-
joyed in ancient times in Saturn's reign, when there
was no servitude. 7. Contrary to the custom, they
washed them as soon as they arose, as if they were
about sitting down at table. 8. And lastly, they
put on a certain festival garment, called synthesis,
like a cloak, of purple or scarlet colour, and this
gentlemen only wore.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATION.
How is tlie name of Saturn derived, and why is he esteemed
the god of husbandry ?
Why is he often painted with a sickle in his hand ?
How do others derive the name as an assistant to the poor?
Why were gladiators put under his protection ?
How was he esteemed by the Romans ?
How were his sacrifices made ?
When were the Saturnalia instituted, and how long did they
last in each year ?
What peculiarities were observed during the feasts ?
SEC. 3— THE HISTORICAL SENSE OF THE FABLE BY
SATURN IS MEANT NOAH.
Although it is generally said, that Saturn was
Nimrod, the founder of the empire of Babylon, yet I
124
am more inclined to believe the opinion of Bocliai-
tus, who maintains that Saturn and Noah were the
same. The reasons which he brings are these :
1. In the time of Noah "^the whole earth spoke
one language : and the ancient mythologists say, that,
the beasts understood this language. And it is said,
fthat in Saturn's age there was but one language,
which was common to men and brutes.
2. Noah is called in the Hebrew language Ja
man of the earth, that is, a husbandman, according
to the usual phrase of Scripture, which calls a sol-
dier \\a man of war ; a strong man §« man of arms ;
a murderer ITa mari of blood ; an orator **« man
of words ; and a shepherd \\a7nan of cattle. Now
Saturn is justly called a man of the earth, • because
he married Tellus, whose other names were Rhea
and Ops.
3. As Noah was the first planter of vineyards, so
the art of cultivating vines and fields is attributed to
Saturn's invention.
4. As Noah was once overcome with wine, be-
cause perhaps he never experienced the strength of
it before ; so the Saturnalians did frequently drink
excessively, because Saturn protected drunken men.
6. As Noah cursed his son Ham, because he
saw his father's nakedness with delight ; so Saturn
made a law that whoever saw the gods naked should
be punished.
6. Plato says, " that Saturn and his wife Rhea,
and those with them, were born of Oceanus and The-
tis :" and thus Noah, and all that were with him,
were in a manner new born out of the waters of the
deluge, by the help of the ark. And if a ship was
stamped upon the ancient coins, because Saturn
* Genesis xi. 1. § Job xxii. 3.
i Plato in Politicis. II 2 Samuel xvi. 17.
X Vir terra?, Gen. ix. 20. ** Exod. iv.
II JoBhua V. 4. tt Gen. xlvi. 32.
125
came into Italy in a ship ; surely this honour be-
lonc^ed rather to Noah, who in a ship preserved the
race of mankind from utter destruction.
7. Did Noah foretel the coming of the flood ? so
did Saturn foretel, *" that there should be great
quantities of rain, and an ark built, in which men,
and birds, and creeping things, should all gail to-
gether."
8. Saturn is said to have devoured all his sons,
except Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto. So Noah may
be said to have condemned all men, f because he
foretold that they would be destroyed in the flood.
For in the scripture phrase, the prophets are said
to " do the things which they foretel shall be done
hereafter." But as Saturn had three sons left to him
not devoured ; so Noah had three, Shem, Cham or
H^m, and Japhet, who were not destroyed by the
flood.
Furthermore, these reasons may persuade us that
Noah's son Cham is Jupiter : 1. His Hebrew name
Ham is by many called Cham, from which the
Egyptians had the name 'a^sv ^^^Imouii] and the
Africans had Amnion or Hammon. 2. Cham was
the youngest son of Noah, as Jupiter was of Saturn.
3. Jupiter is said to be lord of the heavens ; thus
Cham had Africa, which country is esteemed nearer
the heavens than any other countries, because it has
the planets vertical.
Japhet is the same with Neptune ; for as Nep-
tune had the command of the sea, so the islands and
peninsulas fell chiefly to Japhet's lot.
Shem is supposed to be the Pluto of the ancients,
which is thus accounted for : he was so holy, and so
* Kjovos •r^offrfidiHi 'itn^eti -arXniog ofi^fuv hc. id est, Saturnus
preenunciat magnam imbx'iura vim futuram, et fabricandam,
esse arcam, et in ea cum volucribus, reptilibus, atque ju-
mentis esse navigandum. Alex. Polyhistor. Apud Cyril, contra
Julian, 1. 1.
t Hebrews xi. 7.
11*
126
gi*eat an enemy to idolatry, that the idolaters hated
him while he lived, and endeavoured to blacken his
memory when he died, by sending him to the Sty-
gian darkness, and putting into his hand the sceptre
of hell.
The Greek words signifying Saturn and Time,
differ only in one letter, from which it is plain, that
by Saturn, Time may be meant. And on this ac-
count Saturn is painted devouring his children, and
th^'owing them up again ; as time devours and con-
sumes all things that it has produced, which at
length revive and are renewed. Our days, months,
or years, are the children of Time, which he con-
stantly devours and produces anew.
Lastly, as Satnrn has his scythe, so has Time too,
with which he mows down all things ; neither can
the hardest adamant withstand the edge thereof,
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATION.
With what scripture character has Saturn been identified ?
What is the first reason for supposing Saturn and Noah to toe
^he same person ?
What is the second '
What is the third ?
What is the fourth ?
What is the fifth ?
What is the sixth ?
What is the seventh ?
What is the eighth ?
What are the reasons for supposing Noah's son Cham to be
Jupiter ?
With which of the scripture characters is Neptune compared ?
How is it accounted for that Shem and Pluto are the same
personages ?
Point out the arguments to prove that Saturn and Time are
the same ?
I
^^
lMfCif5
1^7
CHAPTER II.
SEC. 1.— JANUS. HIS IMAGE, NAMES, AND ACTIONS.
Janus is the two-faced god ; holding a key in his
right hand, and a rod in his left. Beneath his feet
you see twelve altars ; some saA' he was the son of
Coelus and Hecate ; and that this name was given to
him ^from a word signifying to go or pass through.
fWhence it is that thoroughfares are called in the
plural number jani ; and the gates before the door
of private houses, jaiiuce. A place at Rome w^as
called Jani, in whicli were three images of Janus :
and there usurers and creditors met always to pay
and receive money. This place is mentioned both
by JTully and || Horace.
As he is painted with two faces, so he is called by
Virgil, Bifrons, and by Ovid, Biceps :
" Jane Biceps anni tacite labentis imago,
Solus de superis, qui tua terga vitles."
Thou double pate, the sliding year dost show,
The only god that thine own back can view.
Because so great was his prudence, that he saw-
both the things past, and those whicli were future.
Or by Janus the world was thought to be meant,
viewing with two faces the two principal quarters^,
Uie east and the west.
When Romulus, king of the Romans, made a
* Jan IS quasi Eanus ah eundo.
t Unde fit ut transitiones perviee Jani (plurali numero) fore*
que in limis profanarum aedium Januai dicerentur. Ctc. de NaL
Deor,
t Viri optimi ad medium Janum sedentes, Cic. de Offic. t,
Dempster, in Paralip.
Ij Imus et Summus Janus. Herat. !, I, ep. 1.
128
league with Titus, king of the Sahines, tliey set up
an image of Janus Bifrons, intendiiicr thereby to re-
present both nations between which the peace was
concluded. Numa afterwards built a temple, which
had double doors, and dedicated it to the same Ja-
nus. When Falisci, a city of Hetruria, was taken,
there was an image of Janus found with four faces ;
upon which the temple of Janus had four gates, but
of that temple we shall speak by-and-by.
He is called Claviger, " turnkey" or " club-bear-
er," from the rod and the key in his hands. He
held the rod, because he was the guardian of the
ways, rector viarum ; and the key for these reasons :
1. He was the inventor of locks, doors, and gates,
which are called januce, after his name : and him-
self is called Janitor, because doors were under his
protection.
2. He is the Janitor of the 3'ear, and of all the
months ; the first of which takes the name of Janu-
ary from him. To Juno belongs the calends of the
months, and she committed them to his care, there-
fore he is called by some Junonius, and Martial takes
notice, that the government of the year was com-
mitted to him ; for which reason twelve altars were
dedicated to him, according to the number of the
months ; as there were also twelve small chapels in
his temple. The consuls at Rome were inaugurated
in the temple of Janus, who were from this said to
open the year. Upon the calends of January (and
as Macrobius says on the calends of March) a new
laurel was hung upon the statue of Janus, and the
old laurel was taken away ; to which custom Ovid
refers.
" Laurea Flaminibus, quae toto perstitit anno
Tollitur, et frondes sunt in honore novae." Fast. 3.
The laurel that the former year did grace,
T' a fresh and verdant garland yields his place.
129
Pliny thought this custom was occasioned because
Janus rules over the year ; " The statue," says he,
" of Janus, which was dedicated by Numa, had its
fingers so composed, as to signify the number of
three hundred and sixty-five days ; to show that Ja-
nus was a god, by his knowledge of the year, and
time, and ages." He had not these figures described
on his hand, but had a peculiar way of numbering
them, by bending, stretching, or mixing his fingers,
of which numeration many are the opinions of au-
thors.
3. He holds a key in his hand, because he is, as
it were, the door through which the prayers of man-
kind have access to the gods : for, in all sacrifices,
prayers were offered up to Janus. And Janus him-
self gives the same reason, as we find in Ovid, why,
before men sacrificed to any of the other gods, they
first offered sacrifice to him :
" Cur quamvis aliorum numina placem,
Jane, tibi primum thura merumque fero ?
Ut possis adJtum per me, qui limina servo,
Ad quoscunque voles inquit ; habere deos." Fast. 1.
Why is't that though I other gods adoi-e,
I first must Janus' deity implore ? —
Because I hold the door, by which access
Is had to any god you would address.
But Festus says, because men thought that all
things took their being from Janus, therefore they
first made their supplications to him as to a common
father. For though the name father is given to all
the gods, yet Janus was particularly called by this
name.
He first built temples and altars, and instituted
rehgious rites ; and for that reason, among others,
in all sacrifices they begin their rites by ofiering
bread, corn, and wine, to Janus, before any thing is
offered to any other deity. Frankincense was ne-
ver offered to him, though Ovid mentions it, which
130
therefore he inserts either by poetical license, or
only in respect to the sacrifices which were in use
in his time. For Pliny asserts, that they did not sa-
crifice witii frankincense in the times of the Trojans.
Neither does Homer i'n the least mention frankincense
in any place where he speaks concerning sacrifices.
He was also called Patulcins and Clusius, or Patu-
lacius and Clausius ; from opening and shutting ;
for in the time of war Janus' temple was open, but
shut in the time of peace. This temple was found-
ed by Romulus and Tatius. Numa ordained that
it should be opened when the Romans waged war,
but shut when they enjoyed peace.
Ovid mentions both tliese latter names of Janus
in a distich : and Virgil describes the manner and
occasion of opening his temple, and also the conse
quences of shutting it again :
" Sunt geminae belli portae sic nomine dicunt
Religione sacrse et saevi formidine martis.
Centum aerei claudunt vectes eeternaque ferri
Robora ; nee custos absistit limine Janus.
Has ubi certa sedet patribus sententia pugnse,
Ipse Quirinali trabeacinctuqueGabino
Insignis, reserat stiidentia limina consul.'' ^n. 7.
Two gates of steel (the name of Mars they bear,
And htill are worshipped with religious fear)
Before his temple stand : the dire abode
And the fear'd issues of the furious god
Are fenc'd with brazen bolts ; without the gates
The weary guardian Janus doubtly waits.
Then when the sacred senate votes the wars,
The Roman consul their decree declares,
And in his robes the sounding gates unbars.
It is remarkable, that within the space of seven
hundred years, this temple of Janus was shut only
thrice : once by Numa ; the second time by the
consids Marcus Attilius and Titus Manlius, after the
Carthaginian war ; and lastly, by Augustus, after
the victory at Actium.
In this story of Janus, we may behold the repre-
sentation of a very prudent person ; whose wisdom
131
consists *' in the remembrance of tilings past, and in
the foresight of things to come."
'• Aspera turn positis mitescent saecula bellis :
Cana fides, et Vesta, Rerao cum fratre Quiriflus
Jura dabunt ; dirae ferro et compagibus arctis
Claudentur belli portae, Furor impius intus,
Sceva sedens super arma, et centum vinctus ahenis
Post tergum nodis, fremet horridus ore cruento."
Then dire debate, and impious war shall cease,
Then the stern age be soften'd into peace :
Then banish'd faith shall once again return,
And vestal fires in hallow'd temples burn ;
And Remus with Quirinus shall sustain
The righteous laws, and fraud and force restrain.
Janus himself before his fane shall wait,
And keep the dreadful issues of his gate,
With bolts and iron bars. Within remains
Imprison'd Fury, bound in brazen chains ;
High on a trophy rais'd of useless arms
He sits, and threats the world with vain alarms.
The prudent man ought therefore to have, as it
were, two faces ; that, according to his natural sa-
gacity of mind, and ripeness of judgment, observing
both things past and future, he may be able to dis-
cern the causes, beginnings, and progresses of all
events and things.
qUESTIO^^S for EXAMmATION.
Who was Janus, and from what is his name derived ?
Who mentions the place called the Jani at Rome, and for
what was it used ?
What is he named by Virgil and Ovid, and why .?
What happened in the reigns of Romulus and Numa :
Why was he called Claviger ?
Why was he named Janitor .''
Which monCn is said to be named after him
Why is {>3 ceiled Junonius ?
Why tvera i'-^. R.-raan coasi'ls said to open the year?
To what cuslem does Ovid refer 1
What does Pliny say op. this subject .'
Why does he hold a key in his hand 1
What did Janus do ?
What sacrifices were ottered to him ?
Why was he called Patulcius and Clusius ?
132
By whom was the temple of Janus founded ?
In how long was it only thrice shut?
What does the story of Janus teach ? .
CHAPTER III.
VULCAN. HIS SERVANTS AND SONS
Vulcan is both a smith and a god, and had a
shop in the island Lemnos, where he exercised his
trade, and where, though he was a god himself, he
made Jupiter's thunder and the arms of the other
gods. He was born of Jupiter and Juno, some say of
Juno only ; and being contemptible for his deformity,
was cast down from heaven into the island Lemnos,
whence he is called Lemnius : he broke his leg with
the fall, and if the Lemnians had not caught him when
he fell, he had certainly broke his neck : he has ever
since been lame. "^In requital of their kindness, he
fixed his seat among them, and set up the craft of a
smith ; teaching them the manifold uses of fire and
iron ; and from softening and polishing iron, f he re-
ceived the name Miilciber, or Mulcifer. He was the
god of fire, the inventor and patron of the art of
fabricating arms and all kinds of utensils from the
metals. His most celebrated works are the famous
palace of the sun ; the armour of Achilles and Mne-
as ; the beautiful necklace of Hermione, and the
crown of Ariadne. According to Homer, the shield
of Achilles was enamelled with metals of various co-
lours, and contained twelve historical designs, with
Cupid is Vulcan's son, Venus his wife,
No wonder then he goes lame all his life.
\ A mulcendo ferro. Vide Lucan. 1. 1.
// I/. .,. .1,1
TTOL^OOf
rs5
groups of figures of great beauty : the seats which
Vulcan constructed for tlie gods were so contrived,
that they came self-moved from the sides of the
apartment to the place where each god seated him-
self at the table when a council was to be held. He
is described by Homer in the midst of his works :
-the silver footed dame
Reach'd tlie Vulcanian dome, eternal frame ! '
High-eminent, amid the works divine,
Where heaven's far beaming brazen mansions shine.
There the lame Architect the goddess found,
Obscure in smoke, his forges flaming round ;
While bath'd in sweat, from fire to fire he flew,
And, pufl5ng loud, the roaring bellov»s blew.
Then from his anvil the lame artist rose ;
Wide with distorted legs obli»jue he goes,
And stills the bellows, and, in order laid, ,
Locks in their chest the instruments of trade.
Then with a sponge the sooty A\nrkman drest
His brawny arms imbrown'd, and hairy breast:
With his huge scejitre grac'd; and red attire,
Came halting forth the sov'reign of the lire. — Homer.
He obtained in marriage the most beautiful god-
dess Venus ; who behaved treacherously towards
him, as has been already noticed. He desired to
marry Minerva, and Jupiter consented, if he could
overcome her modesty. For when Vulcan made
arms for the gods, Jupiter gave him leave to choose
out of the goddesses a wife, and he chose Minerva ;
but he admonished her at the same time to refuse
him, as she successfully did.
At Rome were celebrated the Vulcania, feasts in
honour of Vulcan ; at which the}- tirrew animals
into the fire to be burnt to death. Tlie Athenians
instituted other feasts to his honour, called Chalsea.
A temple besides was dedicated to him upon the
mountain ^tna, from which he is sometimes named
iEtnaeus. Tins temple was guarded by dogs, whose
sense of smelling was so exquisite, that they could
discern whether the persons that came thither were
chaste and religious^ or whether thev wfre w icked ;
.12
134
they used to meet, and flatter and follow the good,
esteeming diem the acquaintance and friends of Vul-
can their master.
It is feigned, that the first woman was fashioned
by the hammer of Vulcan, and that every god gave
her some present, whence she was called Pandora.
Pallas gave her wisdom, Apollo the art of music,
Mercury the art of eloquence, Venus gave her beau-
ty, and the rest of the gods gave her other ac-
complishments. They say also, that when Prome-
theus stole fire from heaven, to animate the man
which he had made, Jupiter was incensed, and sent
Pandora to Prometlieus with a sealed box, but Pro-
metheus would not receive it. He sent her with the
same box again to the wife of Epimetheus, the bro-
ther of Prometheus ; and she, out of a curiosity na-
tural to her sex, opened it, which as soon as she
had done, all sorts of diseases and evils, with which
it was filled, flew among mankind, and have infest-
ed them ever since. And nothing was left in the
bottom of the box but Hope.
Vulcan's servants were called Cyclops, because
they had but one eye, which was in the middle of
their foreheads, of a circular figure ; Neptune and
Amphitrite were their parents. The names of three
of them were Brontes, Steropes, and Pyracmon :
besides these there were many more, all of whom
exercised the art of smithery under Vulcan, as we
are taught by Virgil. — ^n. 8.
Cacus, so called from his wickedness, tormented
all Latium with his fires and robberies ; living like a
beastJn a dismal cave. He stole Hercules' oxen,
and dragged them backward by their tails into his
cave, tiiat the track of their feet might not discover
this repository of his thefts. But Hercules passing
by, heard the lowing of the oxen in the cave, broke
open the doors, and seizing the villain, put him to
» death.— FzVg-. *^n. 8.
135
His cave was so dark, that it admitted not the
least ray of light; the floor of it was red with the
blood perpetiially shed upon it, and the heads and
hmbs ot the men he had murdered were fastened to
the posts of the doors.
Caeculus also lived by plunder ^nd robbery. He
was so called from the smallness of his eyes • it is
thought the noble family of the CcTcihi at Rome de-
rived then- origin irom him. He was the founder
ot the city Praeneste. Others sav, that the shep-
herds found Cceculus unhurt in the midst of the fire
as soon as he was born ; from which he was thought
to be the son of Vulcan. ^
To these servants and sons of Vulcan, add the
shepherd Polyphemus, a monster not unlike them
oorn of Neptune. For he had but one eve in his
orehead, like the Cyclops, and he procured his
Jiving by murders and robberies, like Cacus and
Caeculus. This monster drew Ulysses and some of
his companions into his den in Sicily, and devoured
them. He thought, too, that the rest of Ulysses'
servants could not escape his jaws. But Ulysses
made him drunk with wine, and then with a fire-
brand qmte put out his sight, and escaped.
« Visceribus miserorum, et sanguine vescitur atro,
Vxcli egomet, duo de numero cum corpora nostro
^rensa manu magna, medio resupinus in antro
±: rangeret ad saxum, sanieque aspera natarent
l^imina: vidi, atro cum membra fluentia tabo
Mauderet, et tepidi tremereut sub dentibus artus.
Haud impune qu.dem : nee talia passus Ulysses,
Oblitusve sui est Tthacus discrimine tanto
rsam simul expletus dapibus, vinoque sepultus
Immen!;?.' ''^"' I'Osuit, jacuitque perantrum
Immensus, saniem eructans, ac frusta cruento
t-er somimm commixta mero ; nos ma^na nrecati
^umma, sortitique vices, una undique Ivcum
Fundimur, et te!o lumen terebramus JZ
Ingens; quod toiva solum sub fronte latebat
Argolic, .lypei aut Phcebea. lampa^is ins^ar ''_
Virg. Mn. 3
. 136
The joints of slaughter'd wretches are his food*
And for his wine he quaffs the streaming blood.
These eyes beheld, when with his spacious hand
He seiz'd two captives of our Grecian band ;
Stretch'd on his back, he dash'd against the stones
Their broken bodies and their crackling bones.
With spouthig blood the purple pavement swims,
While the dire glutton grinds the trembling limba.
Not unreveng'd Ulysses bore their fate,
Nor thoughtless of his own unhappy state ;
For gorg'd with flesh, and drunk with human wiQC,
While fast asleep the giant lay supine.
Snoring aloud, and belching from his maw
His undigested foam and morsels raw ;
We pray, we cast the lots ; and then surround
The monstrous body, stretch'd along the ground >
Each as he could approach him, lends a hand
To bore his eyebald with a fiaming bi-and ;
Beneath his frowning forehead lay his eye,
For only one did this vast frame supply,
But that a globe so large, his front it fill'd.
Like the sun's disk, or like the Grecian shield.
qUESTIOKS FOR EX^MIJYATIOK.
Who was Vulcan, and where did he exercise his trade?
Whose son was he, and what accident happened to him ?
How was his iife saved, and how did he requite the kindness
of his benefactors f
Who did he marry ?
Did he wish to marry any one besides, and was he successful ?
What were the Vulcania, and how were they celebrated ?
What other feasts ; and what temple was dedicated to him **
What is said of the dogs that guarded that temple ?
What story is told of Vulcan with respect to Pandora ?
Who were Vulcan's servants, and what was their business '
What is said of his son Cacus ?
What is said of Cseculus, another son ?
How is Folyphernus described ?
CHAPTER IV.
^OLUS,
He who stands next him is ^ohis, the " god of
the winds," the son of Jupiter and Acesta or Seges-
ta, the daughter of Hippotas, from whom he is na-
137
med Hippotades. He dwelt in one of those seven
islands, which irom him are called ^oliae, and some-
times Vulcanise, He was a skilful astronomer, and
an excellent natural philosopher : he understood
more particularly the nature of the winds ; and, by
observing the clouds of smoke of the ^olian islands,
he was enabled to foretel winds and tempests a
great while before they arose, and it was* generally
believed they were under his power : so that he
could raise the winds, or still them as he pleased.
Hence he was styled emperor and king of the winds,
the children of Astrseus and Aurora. Virgil de-
scribes Juno coming to him, at his palace, of whicli
he gives a description in beautiful verse :
" Nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus Austris,
iEoliam venit. Hie vasto rex ^olus autro
Luctantes ventos, tempestatesque sonoras
Imperio premit, ac vinclis et carcere frcenat.
Illi indignantes magno cum murmure monlis
Circum claustra tVemuiit. Celsa sedet iEolus arce,
Sceptra tenens ; mollitqne aiiimos, et temperat iras.
ISi far.iat, inaria ac terras, c<p}iim(]ue profundum
Quippe forant rapidi secum, verrantque per auras,
Sed pater omnlpoteus speluncis abdidit atris,
Hoc metuei;s ; inoleaKine, et montes insuper altos,
imposiiit ; regemque dedit, qui foedere certo,
Et premere, et laxas sciret dare jussus habenas."
Itius rag^M the goddess, and with fury fraught,
The restless regions of the storms she sougiit.
Where, in a spacious cave of livijig stone,
The Tyrant ^olus, from his airy throne,
With pow'r imperial curbs the struggling winds,.
And sounding tempests in dark prisons binds.
This way and that, th' impatient captives tend.
And, pressing for relief, the mountains rend-
High in his hall th' undaunted monarch stands,
And shakes his sceptre, and their i-age commands^
Which did he not, their unresisted sway
Would sweep the v.orld before them in their way -.
Earth, air and seas, through empty space would roil,
And h«av'n would fly before the driving soul.
Ill fear of this, the father of the gods
Confined their fury to these dark abodes.
And lock'd thera safe, oppressed with mouutain-loads ;
12*
158
Impos'd a king with arbitrary sway,
To loose their fetters, or their force allay.
qUESTIOJYS FOR EXAMINATION.
Who was j5]o1us, and where did he live ?
What was his character as a philosopher ?
What was generally believed of him ?
How was he styled in consequence of this ?
Give Virgil's tine description —
CHAPTER V.
MOMUS.
The name of the god Momus is derived from the
Greek, signifying a jester, mocker, or mimick ; for
that is his business. He follows no particular em-
ployment, but lives an idle life, yet nicely observes
the actions and sayings of the other gods, and when
he. finds them doing amiss, or neglecting their duty,
he censures, mocks and derides them with the great-
.est liberty. .
Neptune, Vulcan, and Minerva, may witness the
truth of this. They all contended for the mastery
as the most skilful artificer : whereupon Neptune
made a bull, Minerva a house, and Vulcan a man :
Momus was appointed judge between them ; but he
chid them all three. He accused Neptune of impru-
dence, because he did not place the bull's horns in
his forehead before his eyes : for then the bull mifrht
give a surer and a stronger blow. He blamed Mi-
nerva, because her house was immoveable ; so that it
could not be carried away, if by chance it was pla-
ced among bad neighbours. But he said that Vul-
can was the most imprudent of them all, because he
did not make a window in the man's breast, that we
^ rf
139
might see what his thoughts were, whether he de-
signed some trick, or whether he intended w hat he
spoke.
The parents of Momiis were Nox and Somnus. It
is a sign of a dnli, drowsy, sottish disposition, when
we see a man satirizing and censuring the actions of
all other men, because none but God is wholly per-
fects some imperfections attaches to every other be-
ing, so that every thnig is defective and liable to.
blame.
QUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMLYATION.
What-does the name of Moinus signify ?
How is he employed ?
. For what did IVeptune, Vulcan, and Minerva contend ?
What was the decision of Momus with respect to their seve-
ral performances ?
Who were the parents of Moraus ? •
What does a satirical temper indicate
CHAPTER Y\. a
OF THE TERRESTRIAL GODDESS VESTA.
Vesta, whom you see sitting and holding a drum
is the wife of Calum, and the mother of Saturn.
She is the eldest of the goddesses, and is placed
among the terrestrial goddesses, because she is the
same with Terra, and has her name from ^clothing ;
plants and fruits being the garments of the earth.
Or, faecording to Ovid, the eaith is called Vesta
from its stability, because it supports itself. She
* Quod plantis frugibusque terra vestiatur.
t " Stat vi terra sua, vestando Vesta: vocatur." Fast. 6.
By its own strength supported Terra stands ;
•Hence it is Veita uamd. ' .
140
^its, because the earth is immo\ eahle, and wa^ sup*
posed to be placed in the cejitre of the world. Ves-
ta has a drum, because the earth contains the bois'
terous winds In its bosom ; and divers flowers weave
themselves into a crown, Avith which her head is
crowned. Several kinds of animals creep about and~
fawn upon her. Because the earth is round, Ves-
ta's temple at Rome was also round, and some say
that the image of Vesta was orbicular in some pla-
ces, but *Ovid says her image was rude and shape-
less. And hence round tables were^ anciently called
vesta, because, like the eartji, they supply all neces-
saries of life for us. It is no wonder that the first
i^blations in all sacrifices were offered to her, since
whatever is sacrificed springs from the earth. And
the Greeks both began and concluded their sacrifi-
ces with Vesta, whom they esteemed as the mother
of all the gods.
There were two Vestas, the elder and the young-
er. The first of whom I have been spealiing was
the wife of Coelum and the mother of Satura.
The second w as the daughter of Saturn hy his wife
Rhea. And?., as the first is the same with Torrei,
so the othe ' is the same with Ignis ; and her power
was exercised about altars and houses. The woi'd
vesta is often put ior fire itself, for it is derived from
a Greek word which signifies a chimney, a house, or
household goods. She is esteemed the president
and guardian of houses, and one of the household
deities ; not without reason, since she invented the
art of building houses : and, therefore, an image of
Vesta, to which they sacrificed every day, was pla-
-ced before the doors of the houses at Rome : and
the places where these statues were set up were call-
ed vesiihula, from Vesta.
* " EJiigiem nullam Vesta nee ignis habet"
No image Vesta's shape can e'er eiprea^
Or $re's ( '' ■ ■'■'
141
Tins goddess was a virgin, and so great an ad-
mirer of virginity, that when Jupiter, her brother,
gave her liberty of asking what she would, she beg-
ged that she might always be a virgin, and have the
first oblations in all sacrifices. She not only ob-
tained her desire but received this further honour
among the Romans, that a perpetual fire was kept
in her temple, among the sacred pledges of the em-
pire ; not upon an altar, or in the chimnies, but in
earthen vessels, hanging in the air ; which the ves-
tal virgins tended with so much care, that if by
chance this fire was extinguished, all public and pri-
vate business was interrupted, and a vacation pro-
claimed till they had expiated the unhappy prodigy
tv'ith incredible pains j and if it appeared that the
virgins were the occasion of its going out, by care-
lessness, they were severely pmiished, and sometimes
with rods.
In recompense for this severe law, the vestals ob-
tained extraordinary privileges and respect : they
had the most honourable seat at games and festi-
vals : the consuls and magistrates gave way when-
ever they met them : their declarations in trials were
admitted without the form of an oath ; and, if they
happened to encounter in their path a criminal go^
ing to the place of execution, he immediately ob-
tained his pardon. Upon the calends of March,
every year, though it was not extinguished, they
used to renew it with no other fire than that which
was produced by the rays of the sun.
It has been conjectured, that when the poets say
that Vesta is the same with fire, the fire of Vulcan's
forge is not understood, nor yet the dangerous flames
of Venus, but a pure, unmixed, benign flame, so ne-
cessary for us, that human life cannot possibly sub-
sist without it ; whose heat being difliised through
all the parts of the body, quickens, cherishes, re-
freshes, and nourishes it ; a llame really sacred, hea-
142
venly, and divine ; repaired daily by die food which
we eat, and on which the safety and welfare of our
bodies depend. This llame moves and actuates the
•whole body ; and cannot be extinguished but when
life itself ceases with it.
qUESTWJVS FOR EXjLMiJVJiTIOK.
Who Avas Vesta ?
Why is she placed among the terrestrial goddesses
What reasons are assigned for the ornaments \ritli which she
is decked ?
Whv is Vesta's temple round ?
What are the Vesta? f
Why were tlie first sacrifices offered to Vesta?
Why did the Greeks begin and conclude their sacriiices wltli
Vesta ?
Who were the two Vestas ?
For what is the word '' vesta" put ?
Why is she esteemed the president and guardian of houses :
and why was her image placed before the doors of the houses
at Rome ?
What favour did she ask of Jupiter ; and what other honour
did she obtain among the Romans ?
What was the dutj'^ 6f the vestal virgins ?
What was the punishment inflicted on them if they suffered
the fire to go out ?
What respect was paid them, by way of recompense for the
.?everity of this law ?
When and how was the vestal fire renewied ?
What is understood by the vestal nre ?
CHAPTER VII.
SEC. 1 — CYBELE. HER IMAGE. HER NAMES.
Cybele is the goddess not of cities only, but of
all things which the earth sustains. She is the
Earth itself. On the earth are built many towers
and casdesT so on lier head is placed a crown of tow-
ers. In her hand she carries a key, for in winter
143
the earth locks up those treasures which she brhigs
forth and, dispenses with so much plenty in summer.
She rides in a chariot, because die earth hangs
suspended in the kir, balanced and poised by
its own weight. But that chariot is supported by
wheels, since the earth is a revolving body, and turns
round ; and it is drawn by lions, because nothing is
so lierce, so savage, or so ungovernable, but a mo-
therly piety and tenderness is able to tame it, and
make it submit to the yoke. I need not explain
why her garments are painted with divers colours,
and figured witli the images of several creatures,
since every body sees that such a dress is suitable
to the earth.
She is called C^bele, and Ops, and Rhea, and
Dindymene, and Berecynthia, and Bona Dea, (the
good goddess,) and Idaea, and Pessinuntia, and
Magna Deoiiim Mater, (the great mother of the
gods,) and sometimes also Vesta. All these names,
for different reasons, were given to the same god-
dess ; who was the daughter of Coelum by the elder
Vesta, and Saturn's wife.
She is called Cybele, from the mountain Cybelus
in Phrygia, where sacrifices were first instituted to
her. Or the name was given her from the behaviour
of her priests, who used to dance upon their heads,
and toss about their hair like madmen, foretelling
things to come, and making a horrible noise. These
were named Galli, and this fury and outrage in pro-
phesying is described by Lucian in his first book.
Others again derive the word Cybele from a cube,
because the cube, which is a body every way square,
was dedicated to her by the ancients.
She is called Ops, because she brings help and
assistance to every thing contained in this world.
Her name ^Rhea is derived from the abundance
* A fcio, fluo, quod bonis omnibus circumfluat.
144
of benefits, which, without ceasing, flow from her
on every side.
Dindjmene and Dindyme, is a name given her
from the mountain Dindymus, in Phrygia.
Virgil calls her mater Berecynthia, from Bere-
cynthus, a castle in that country ; and in the same
pl^ce describes her numerous and happy offspring.
Qualis Berecvntiiia mater
Invehitur curru Phrygice turrita per urbes /
L^ta Deum partu, centum complexa nepotes,
Omnes coelieolas, omnes supera alta tenentes." — Mix. 6.
High as the mother of the gods in places,
And proud, like her, of an immortal race ,
Then, when in pomp she makes the Phrygian round^
With golden turrets on her temple crown'd,
A hundred gods her sweeping train supply,
Her offspring all, and all command the sky.
She was by the Greeks called *Pasithea ; that iSy
as the Romans usually named her, the mother of all
the gods ; and from the f Greek word signifying a
mother. Her sacrifices were named Metroa, and to
celebrate them was called Metrazein, in the same
language.
Her name Bona Dea implies that all good things
necessary for the support of life proceed from her.
She is also called Fauna, Jbecause she is said to fa-
vour all creatures ; and Fatua, because it was
thought that new born children never cried till they
touched the ground. It is said, that this Bona Dea
was the wife of king Faunus ; who beat her with
myrtle rods till she died, because she disgraced her-
self, and acted very unsuitable to the dignity of a
queen, by drinking so much wine that she became
■* Pasitheu, id est, waj* ^lois fznrtjp, omnibus diis maters.
Luc. 1. 2.
t A f^riTfip, mater, derivantur f^ccrpua Cyboles sacra, et ^»j-
rpA^t/v sacra ea celebrare. Ccel. Rhod. 1. 8. c. 17.
i Fauna fjuod animantibus favere, dicattir.
145
drunk. But the king afterwards repenting of his
severit}', deified his dead wife, and paid her divine
honours. This is the reason assigned why it was
forbidden tliat any one sliould bring m^Ttle into her
temple. In her sacrifices, the vessels of wine were
covered ; and wlien the women drank out of them
they called it milk, not wine. "^The modesty of
this goddess was so extraordinary, that no man ever
savv her except her husband ; or scarce heard her
name : wherefore her sacrifices were performed in
private, and all men were excluded from the temple.
" Sacra bonae maribus non adeunda De». — Tib. I. el. 6.
iS'o men admitted were to Cybele"s rites.
From the great privacy observed by her votaries,
the place in wliich her sacrifices were performed was
called Opertum, and the sacrifices tliemselves were
styled Opertanea, for the same reason that Pluto is
by the poets called Opertus. Silciice v/as observed
in a most peculiar manner in the sacrifices of Bona
Dea, as it was in a less degree in all other sacrifices ;
according to the doctrine of the Pythagoreans and
Egyptians, who taught, that God was to be worship-
ped in silence, since from this, at the first creation,
all things took their beginning. To the same pur-
pose, Plutarch says, "fMen were our masters to
teach us to speak, but we learn silence from the
gods : from those we learn to hold our peace, in
their rites and initiations."
She was called Idaea Mater, from the mountain
Ida, in Phrygia, or Crete, for she was at both pla-
ces highly honoured : as also at Rome, whither they
brought her from the city Pessinus in Galatia, by a
Juvenal. Sat. 9.
I Loqnendi magistros homines liabemu?, tacendi Decs: ab
illis silentium accipientes in initiationibus et mysteriis : — Plut
de Loquac.
33
146
remarkable miracle. For when the ship in whicli
she was jcarried, stopped in the mouth of the Tiber,
the vestal Claudia (wliose fnie dress and free beha-
viour made her modesty suspected) easily drew the
ship to shore with her girdle, vvhere the goddess was
received by the hands of virgins, and the citizens
went out to meet lier, placing censers with frankin-
cense before their doors ; and when they had lighted
the frankincense, they pra^^ed that she would enter
freely into Rome, and be favourable to it. And be-
cause the Sybils had prophesied that Ida^a Mater
should be introduced by the " best man among the
Romans, the senate *vvas a little busied to pass a
judgment in the case, and i-esolve who was the best
man in the city : for every one was ombitious to get
the victory in a dispute of that nature more than if
the}" stood to be elected to any connnands or honours
by die voices either of the senate or people. At last
the senate resolved that P. Sci-^ilo, the son of Cneus,
who was killed in Spain, a young gentleman who
had never been quaestor, was the best man in the
whole city."
She was called Pessinuntia f from a certain field
in Phrygia, into which an image of her fell from hea-
ven ; from this the place was called Fessiiius^ and
the goddess Pessinuntia. And here the Phrygrans
first began to celebrate the sacrifices Orgia to this
goddess, near the liver Gallus, from which lier priests
were called Galli. When these priests desired that
great respect and adoration should be paid to any
thing, they pretended that it fell from heaven ; and
* Haud parvae rei judicium senatum tenebat, qui vir oittimus
in civitate esset : vei'um certe victoriam ejus rei sibi quisque
mallet, quam uUa imperia, hoaoresve, suttragio seu Fatrum, seu
Plebis, delates. Patres conscripti P. Sci[»iouem, Cnei filium
ejus, qui in Hispania occidebatur, adolesceutem, nondum Quaes-
torem, judicaverunt in lota civitate virum optimum esse.
t Hesiod. I 1.
they called these images Aistt^th^ ^Diopete^l that is,
" sent from Jupiter." Of wliich sort were the Ancile,
the Palladiiun, aiir! the eiligies of this goddess, con-
cerning which we now speak.
qUESTIOyS FOR EXJMLYJTIOJW
Who was Cybele ?
How Js she represented ? •
Fn what does she ride, and how is she drawn ?
Why are her garments of divers colours?
Why is she called Cybele ?
What were her priests called ?
Why is she called Ops and Rhea ?
Why and by whom is siie called Dindyme and Berecynthia?
What was she called by the Greeks, and why ?
What does the name of Bona Dea imply ?
Who was Bona Dea?
Why is myrtle prohibited from her temple ?
What was observed in her -acrifices, and why?
What was the saying of Plutarch ?
Why was Cybele called Idaea Mater ?
Why was she called Pessinuntia ?
Why were her priests called Galli ; and under what pretence
were they able to get particular respect paid to any thing ?
SEC. 2.— OF THE SACRIFICES AND PRIESTS OF
CYBELE.
Her sacrifices, like the sacrifices of Bacchus, were
celebrated with a confused noise of timbrels, pipes,
and cymbals ; and the sacrificants howled, as if they
were mad ; they profaned both the temple of their
goddess, and the ears of their hearers, with their vile
words and actions. The following rites were pecu-
liarly observed in her sacrifices : her temple was open-
ed, not by hands, but by prayers ; none entered who
had tasted garlic ; the priests sacrificed to her sitting,
and touching the earih, and oiicred the hearts of the
victims. And lastly, among the trees, the box: and
the pine were sacred to her. The box, because the
pipes used in her sacrifices were made of it : the
pine, for the sake of Atys, Attes, or Attynes, a bo3^
that Cybele much loved, and made him "president of
H8
her rites, upon condition that he always pres4>rvtul
his chastity inviolate. But iie forgot ]ii.s vow, and
lost that virtue ; wherefore the ollended goddess
threw him into sucli a madness, that he was about
to lay violent hands upon himself, but.Cybele, in
pity, turned him into a pine.
There was, however, a true Atys, the son of Croe-
sus, king of Lydia. He was born- dumb ; biiJ when
he saw in the fight a soldier at his father's back,
with a sword lifted up to kill him, the strings of his
tongue, which hindered his speech, burst ; and by
speaking clearly, he prevented bis father's destruc-
tion.
The priests of Cybele were named Galli, from a
river of Pln-ygiii. • Such w^as the nature of the wa-
ter of this river, that whoever drank of it immedi-
ately grew mad. The Galli, as often as they sacri-
ficed, furiously cut and slashed their arms with
knives ; and dience all furious and mad people were
called Galantes. Beside the name of Galli, they
were also called Curetes, Corybantes, Telchines,
Cabiri, and Idrei Dactyli. Some say that these
priests were ditlerent from the Galli ; but most peo-
ple believe them to be the same, and say that they
were priests of Cybele.
The Curetes were either Cretans, or iEkoliaus, or
Euboeans : and had their names from shaving ; so
that Curetes and Detonsi signify almost the same
thing. For they shaved the hair of their heads be-
fore, but wore hair behind, that they might not be
taken (as it has often happened) by the forelocks,
by the enemy ; or, perhaps they were called Cure-
tes, ^because they were habited in long vests, like
young maidens ; or lastly, fbecause they educated
Jupiter in his infancy.
^ K-Tto TVii xapij;, a puella, quod puellarum stolam induebant.
t A-ro rvi xaporp'xplcci, ab educatione juvenum, quod Jovem
iwfautem alnisse nerhibentur. Strabo.
149
Her priests were also called Corybantes ; because
in the sacrifices of their goddess they tossed their
heads and danced, and butted with their foreheads
like rams, after a mad fashion. Thus, when they
initiated any one into their sacrifices, "^they, placed
him in a chair, and danced- about him like fools.
Another name of her priests was Telchines.
These were famous magicians and enchanters ; and
they came from Crete to Cyprus, and thence into
Rhodes, which latter island was called Telchines
from them. Or, if we believe others, they were de-
serving men, and invented many arts for the good of
the public, and first set up the statues and images of
the gods.
The Cabiri, or Caberi, so called from Cabiri,
mountains of Phrygia, were either tlie servants of
the gods, or gods themselves, or rather daemons, or
the same with the Corybantes ; for the people's
opinions concerning them are different.
The Idcei Dactyli were the servants and assistants
of Magna Mater ; called Idcci from the mountain Ida,
Vvhere they lived ; and Dactyli from the fingers, for
the priests were ten, like the fingers : they served
Rhea every where, and in every thing, as if they
were finders to her. f Yet many affirm, that there
were more than ten.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATION.
How were the sacriiices of Cybele celebrated ?
What peculiar rites were observed in them ?
W hy were the box and pine sacred to Cybele ?
On what condition was Atys made president of her rites, and
what happened to him on his breaking his vow ?
Who was the ti-ue Atys, and what is his history ?
What property belonged to the river Gallus?
What was the origin of the word " gallantes ?"
Av6 rou KO'.uTTiiv, a cornibus feriendo, et flalmv incedendO>
Strabo. 1. 1. Plato in Eiitliid.
I Qi-a^(
13*
150
What other names have been given to the priests of Cybele ?
From what did the Curetes derive their name ?
From what circumstance were the Corybantes named ?
Who were the Telchines ?
Who were (he Cabiri ?
Who was the Idaei Dactyli ?
CHAPTER VIII.
SEC. 1.— CERES. HER IMAGE AND SACRIFICES.
Ceres is a tall majestic lady; who stands beau-
tified with yellow hair, and crowned with a turban
composed of the ears of corn ; her bosom swells with
breasts as white as snow ; her right hand is full of
poppies and ears of corn, and in her left is a lighted
torch. She is the daughter of Saturn and Ops ;
whose singular beauty made the gods themselves her
lovers and admirers. Her brothers Jupiter and Nep-
tune fell m love with her. She had Proserpine by
Jupiter. And by Neptune it is uncertaian whether
she was the mother of a daughter, or a horse called
Ancn. Upon the mountain -(Eleus, in Arcadia, an
al-n • was dedicated to Ceres ; her image had the
body of a woman, but the head of a horse ; it re-
ma led perfect and entire in the midst of fire. Yet
others have told us that Ceres did not bring forth.
a horse, but a daughter. The Arcadians thought it a
wielded thing to call this daughter by any other
name' than " the lady," or "the great goddess,*'
ivhirh were the usual names of her mother Ceres.
Ctjes was greatly ashamed of this disgrace, an<J
testified her sorrow by the mourning clothes which
she afterwards wore ; ' whence she was named Meloe-
na, MeXsctvfi nigra; she retired into the dark recess-
es'of a cave, where she lay so privately that none of
.CB10J=3
loi
the gods knew where she was, till Pan, the god of the
woods, discovered her by chance, and told Jupiter ;
who, sending the Fates to her, persuaded her at last
to lay aside her grief, and rise out of the cave,
which was a happy and joyfid thing for all the world.
For in her absence a great infection reigned through-
out all sorts of hving creatures, which sprang from
the corruption of the fruits of the earth, and the gra-
naries every where. She is the goddess of the fruits,
and her name is derived *from the care which she
exerts in producing or preserving them. It is sup-
posed that she first invented and taught the art of
tilling the earth, and sowing corn, and of making
bread therewith, v/hen before mankind only ate
acorns.
"Prima Ceres nnco glebam dimovit aratro,
Prima dedit fruges alimeiitaqiie mitia terris,
Prima dedit leges. Cereris sunt omnia munus."
Ceres was ehe who first onr furrows plough'd :
Who gave sweet fruits, and easy food allow'd.
Ceres first tam'd us with her gentle laws ;
From her kind hand the world subsistence draws.
This may be learned from Ovid, who tells us that
Ceres was the first that made laws, provided whole-
some food, and taught the art of husbandry, of
ploughing and sowing.
For, before her time, the eartii lay r<>iigh and un-
cultivated, covered with briers and unprofitable
plants ; when there wej'e no proprietors of land, they
neglected to cultivate it } when nobody had any
ground of his own, they did not care to fix land-
marks ; but all things were common to all men, till
Ceres, who had invented the art of husbandry,
laught men how to exercise it ; and then they began
* Ceres dicitur quasi Ceres a gerendis fmctibus : aut quasi Ser
rens, vel ab antique verbo Cereo, quod idem est ac Creo, quo4
eunc.taruia fruguna ereati'ix sit et. altrix, Cic. JVat. Deo. £.
:*
152
to contciiJ and dispute abont the limits of those
fields fro'.i the culture of which the}' reaped so much
profit ; and hence it was necessary that laws should
be enacted to determine the rights and properties of
those who contended. For this reason Ceres was
named the foundress of laws : and hence she is
crowned with corn.
1. Ceres is beautiful and well shaped ; because
the earth, which she resembles, appears beautilul
and delightful to the beholders ; especially when it
is arrayed with plants, diversified with trees, adorn-
ed with flowers, enriched with fruits, and covered
with greens ; when it displf^ys the honours of spring,
and pours forth the gifts of autumn with a bountiful
hand.
2. Her hair is 3 ellow, and when the ears of corn
are ripe, they are adorned with a golden colour.
3. Her breasts swell with milk, whence she is
styled Mammosa sometimes, ^because, after the earth
is impregnated with seed, and big with the fruit
thereof^ it brings forth all things out of itself in
abundance, and like a mother, feeds and nourishes
us 5 and hence she is called fAlma, and JAltrix
JNostra.
4. She holds a lighted torch, because, when Pro-
serpine was stolen away by Pluto, her mother || Ce-
res was greatly afriicted at die loss of her daughter,
and. being very desirous to find her again, she kind-
led her torches with the flames which burst from the
mountain Mtn^ ; and with them sought her daughter
through the whole world.
5. She carries poppy, because, when through
grief she could not obtain the least rest or sleep, Ju-
piter gave her poppy to eat : for this plant is endu-
ed with a power to cause sleep and forgetfulness.
Her grief was a little allayed by sleep, but she for-
* Cic. Nat. Deor. 2 and 3. t Virg. Geo. 1.
$ Cic. Nat. Deor. 2. 1| Cic. ia Verrem.
153
got not her loss, and, after many voyages and jour-
neys, she at last heard where Proserpine was ; as we
shall hear m its proper place.
We often see a young man sitting in a chariot
drawn by flying serpents. It is TripLolemns, in the
chariot which Ceres gave him. He was the fton of
Celeus, king of Eleusis in Attica. Ceres brought
him up from his infancy, upon this occasion : while
she was seeking Proserpine by sea and land, upon
the way she came into the city Eleusis, where king
Celeus entertained her ; whose kindness she requited
by bringing up his young son, whom, in the day time
she fed with celestial and divine xnilk, but in the
night covered him all over with fire. The child in
a few days became a beautiful 3'oung man by this
extraordinary manner of education. IMeganira,^ his
mother, greatly wondering at this speedy progress, was
very desirous to know how Ceres dealt with her son ;
she therefore looked through a small hole, and saw
Ceres cover her son Triptolemus with burning coal.
This affrighted her so, that she cried out that Ceres
was murdering her son ; and ran into the room to save
him. Ceres punished her imprudent curiosity with
death ; then putting Triptolemus into a splendid cha-
riot, she sent him throughout the world, to show
mankind the use* of corn. He executed her com-
mands so faithfully, and taught men the art of hus-
bandry, of sowing, reaping, and of thrashing the
corn so well, that hence he obtained his name *Trip-
tolemus, Ovid gives us an excellent description of
this in the fifth book of his jMetamorphoses.
Ceres once changed a boy into a lizard : for, be-
ing very weary with travelling, and thirsty, she came
to a cottage, and begged a little water to wash her
mouth, of an old woman that lived there ; the old
woman not only gave her water, but also barley
* Triptolemus dictitur quasi Tpi^xf rxs v>.a.i^ id est, hordeum
terens. Hygiu. fac. 147.
154
broth ; which, wl:en the godtless took greedil}', the
woman's son, Stellio, a saucy bo}, mocked her.
This so raised Ceres' indignation, that in a rage she
flung some of the broth into the boy's face, who was
thereby changed hito an evet, or lizard.
We may notice here Erisichthon, w^io, in con-
tempt of the sacrifices of Ceres, defiled her groves,
and cut down one of her oaks ; for which he was
punished w^ith perpetual hunger : so that, when he
has devoured ail the meat and food which he can by
any means procure, he is forced to eat his own flesh
to support his body ; and to bring upon himself a
horrible death, the better to sustain life.
Among all the Cerealia, or sacrifices instituted to
the honour of Ceres, these which follow are the chief:
1. The Eleusian mysteries Avere of two sorts,*
the greater and the lesser ', one qualification requisite
to both was to be able to keep a great secret. Though
Triptolemus had appointed that no stranger should
be initiated into the great mysteries, yet Hercules,
to whotii they dlirst Jrnise nothing, demanded to be
admitted to them, and upon his account other cere-
monies were instituted, which they called the lesser
mysteries, and these were celebrated afterwards at
Apra and Athens. Those who were ambitious to be
admitted to them, repaired to this place in the month
of iVovember, sacrificed to Jupiter, and kept the
skins of the victims to lay upon their feet when they
w^ere purified upon the banks of the river Ilissus.
We know not exactly what sort of ceremonies were
made use of in those purifications. These lesser
mysteries served as a preparation for the greater
* I\Ir. Tooke is very brief on the subject of the Elensiiilan
mysteries, which were the most important mentioried in the
history of the ancient rites ; and as many fancy that the an-
cient order of free Masonry is a branch of the Elensinian order,^
we have thohtcht proper here to j^ive a more full account of
these rerealia than can be found in any edition of Tooke's Pan-
tfaean heretofore published, jim. Ed.
165
ones, which were celebrated at Eleusis; and by
tlielr means persons were itiitiated into the secret ce-
remonies of Ceres. After having- passed through a
good many trials, the person was Mystes, that is,
qualified for being very soon initiated into the great-
er Mysteries, and to become Epoptes, or the witness
of the most secret mysteries, which were not procu-
red till after five years probation ; durin.g which he
might enter into the vestibule of the temple, but not
into the sanctuary.
When one was initiated, he was introduced by
night ii;to the temple, after having his hands wash-
ed at the entr\', and a crown of myrtle put upon him.
Then was opened a little box wherein were the laws
of Ceres, and the ceremonies of her mysteries ; and
after having given him these to read, he was made
to transcribe them. A slight repast, in memory of
that wiiich the goddess had got from Baubo, suc-
ceeded this ceremony ; after which the IMystes en-
tered into the sanctuary, over which the priest drew
the veil, and then all was in darkness in the twink-
Ihig of ai> eye. A bright light succeeded and ex-
liibited to view the statue of Ceres magnificently
adorned ; and while they were attentive in consider-
ing it, the light again disappeared, and all was once'
more wrapped in profound darkness. The peals of
thunder that were hQard, the lightnings that flashed
from all hands, the thunder that broke in the midst
of the sanctuary-, and a thousand monstrous figures
that appeared on all sides, filled the initiated with
horror and consternation ; but the next moment a
calm succeeded, and there appeared in broad day
light a charming meadow, where all came to dance
and make merry together.
It is probable that this meadow was in a place en-
closed with walls behind the sanctuary of the temple,
which they opened all of a sudden, when the day-
light was let in ; aiid this scene appeared the more
. 156
agreeable, that it succeeded a iilglit wlien nuthing
but doleful and hideous objects were to be seen.
There it»was tliat amidst Jollity and mirth, all the
secrets of the mysteries were revealed. But after all,
we know not well what passed there, these myste-
ries having been long kept an impenetrable secret ;
and had it not been for some libertines, who got
themselves initiated in order to divulge them, they
had never been brought to light. In both the greater
and the lesser, a perpetual and wonderful silence was
observed : to publish any thing concerning them was
a crime, hence came the proverb concerning silent per-
sons, ATr«x.« E^evcriva [^Attico Eleusina,'] and the word
mysterium signifies a " religiqus rite," irom/>cva [muo^
OS claudo. This much is true, that the greatest
modesty, and even a pretty severe chastity was ex-
acted from the mysta:? and women who presided
over the feasts of this goddess. The purifications
and oblation tliat were practised, would make one
imagine they were not so dissolute as some authors
have alleged ; unless we will say that the abuses
which the fathers of the church speak of were not
in the primitive institution, but had only crept into
them afterwards. This night being spent in these
ceremonies, the priest dismissed the assembly with
some barbarous words, which showslthat they had
been instituted by people who spoke another lan-
guage, namely, by the Egyptians.
After having spoke of the initiated, we must, be-
fore we be done, say something of the ministers who
officiated in the festivals. The first was a Hiero-
phantes or a Mystagogos, that is, a man who shows
the sacred things, and the initiated were not per-
mitted to mention his name to the profane. The
second was a Daduchus, or 2'orch-Bearer, The
third a Sacred Htrald. The fourth a Minister of
the Altar ; this was a young man who put up pray-
ers in behalf of the assembly, and was subject to the
157
superior ministers. Besides these four ministers
there were two prophets to do sacrificey and five
delegates, to see that all things were performed in
on-der ; the first was called the king, and the other
four Epimeletes.
The Thesmophoria was instituted by Triptole-
mns ; and those women who vowed perpetual chas-
tity were initiated in them. For some days a fast
was kept ; and wine was altogether banished from
her altar ; whence this expression came, Cereri nujp-
tias fcicere, which (among the ancients) signifies a
feast where there was no wine. Swine were sacri-
ficed to this goddess, because they hurt the fruits of
the earth :
•Prima Ceres avida? gavisa est sanguine porcae,
Ulta suas merita ca^de nocentes opes." Ovid Fast. 1.
Ceres Avith blood of swine we best atone,
Which thus requite the mischief they have done.
And garlands, composed of ears of corn, were of-
fered to her :
' " Flava Ceres, tibi sit nostro de rure corona
Spicea, quae templi pendeat ante fores." Tibullus.
To thee, fair goddess, we'll a garland plait
Of ears of corn, to adorn thy temple gate
Ambarvalia were instituted to purge the fields,
and to beg fi'uitfulness and plenty. They were so
called, because the sacrifices were led about the fields;
as the suburbs \amhurhici\ were esteemea sacred,
because the sacrifice was carried round the city.
These sacrifices were performed by husbandmen,
who carried a sow witJi young, or a cow-calf, through
the corn and the ha\;, in the beginning of harvest,
thrice ; the countrymen following him with dancing
and leaping, and acclamations of joy, till all the
fields rung with the noise. In the mean time, one
14
15a
0f tliem, adorned with a crown, sung the praises of
Ceres ; and after they had offered an oblation of
wine mixed witli honey and milk before the}^ began
to reap, they sacrificed the cow to her. The rites of
the Ambarvalia are beautifully described by Virgil t
" Can eta tibi Cererem pubes agrestis adoret :
Cui tii lacte fav'os, et miti dilue Baccho,
Terque novas circum felix eat hostia fniges ;
Omnis quam chorus ot socii comitantur ovantes,
Et Cererem clamore vocent in tecta : neque ante
Falcem maturis quisqimrn supponat aristis,
Quani Cereri, torta redimitus tempera quercu,
Det motus incompositos, et carmina dicat." Geo:. 1.
Let ev'ry swain adore her power divine,
And milk and honey mix witli sparkling wine:
Let all the choir of clowns attend this show,
In long procession, shouting as they go;
Invoking her to bless their yearly stores.
Inviting plenty to their crowded floors.
Thus in the spring, and thus in summer's heat,
Before the sickles touch the ripning wheat,
On Ceres call ; and let the lab'ring hind
With oaken wreaths his hollow temples bind :
On Ceres let him call, and Ceres praise,
WitlrVincouth dances, and with country-lays.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATWM
How is Ceres represented ?
Who is she, and who were her brothers ?
What kind of altar was dedicated to her on the moUntaib
iEleus ?
What were the usual names of her mother Ceres r
Why wiis she named Melaena?
Where did she conceal herself; wIk) discovered her ; and who
persuaded her to come out of her retirement ?
What happened to the world duriug her absence ?
What inventions are ascribed to her?
In what respects does she resemble the earth ?
Why does she carry a poppy ?
What is the history of Triptolemus ?
What is the history of Stellio ?
What is the history of Erisichthon ?
What were the Eleusinia ''
From what is the word " mystery" derived?
Who instituted the Thesraophoria, and who were initiated 111.
him I
p. I,H*
159
Why were the Ambarvalia iiislitiited ?
Repeat the lines from Virgil in w hi^h these sacrifices are '4e
ifcribed.
CHAPTER IX.
SEC. a.— THE MUSES. THEIR IMAGE, NAMES, AND
NUMBER.
The muses are nine virgins, crowned with palms ;..
their dress is decent and hecoming. They sit to-
gether in the shade of a laurel arbour. Some of them
play on the harp, some upon the cithern, some upon
the pipe, some upon the C3'mbal, and some harmo-
niously sing and play at once. Methinks I hear
them with united minds, voices, and hands, make an
agreeable concord arise from their different instru-
ments, governing their several voices in such a man-
ner as to produce the most noble harmony.
They are the mistresses of all the science!, the
presidents of the musicians and poets, and the go-
vernors of the feasts and solemnities of the gods.
They are the daughters of Jupiter and the nymph
Mnemosyne, and were born on the mountain Pieri-
us. Some affirm that they had other parents, and
ancient writers say, that they lived before Jupiter,
and were the daughters of Coelum. They are call-
ed the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne (which
in Gieek signifies " memory,") because all students
and scholars ought not only to have great ingenuity,
but ready memories.
The MuscC were formerly called Mosae, and
were so named from a ^Greek word that signifies
*• to inquire," because men, by inquiring of them
• 'Aira 7a y.uaa.ty id estj ab inquirendo. Plato in Cratylo.
160
learn the thing's of which they were before ignorant.
But others say, they had their name from *their
resemblance, because there is a similitude, and an
affinity and relation between all the sciences ; in
which they agree, and are united with one another.
Wherefore the Muses are often painted with their
hands joined, dancing in a ring ; in the middle of
them sits Apollo, their commander and prince. The
pencil of nature described them in that manner upon
the agate which Pyrrhus, who made war against the
Romans, wore in a ring ; for in it was a representa-
tion of the nine Muses, and Apollo holding a harp :
and these figures w ere iiot delineated by art, but by
the spontaneous handywork of nature : and the
veins of the stone were formed so regularly, that
every Muse had her particular distinction.
They had each a name derived from some parti-
cular accomplishment of their minds or bodies.
The first, Calliope, was so called from fthe sweet-
ness of her voice ; she presides over rhetoric, and is
esteemed the most excellent of all the nine.
The second, CHo, is so named from Jglory. For
she is the historical Muse, and takes her name from
the excellence of the things she records.
The third, Erato, has her name from §love, be-
cause she sings of amours, or because learned men
are beloved and praised by others. She' is also
called Saltatrix; for she first invented the art of
dancing, over which she presided. She wa« also
the inventress of poetry.
The fourth, Thalia, from ||her gayety, briskness,
* Muffett, quasi e/i.oi'ovffz:, id est similes. Cassiodor.
f 'Arc T»5 xeiXyis oTm a suavitate vocis.
'AW9 r» xXesj, a gloria sc. rerum gestarum quas memo. Scho!.
Ap. 1.
§ 'A^to rv ipuTo?, ab more. Ovid Art. Am. 3.
II 'Awa <r»J9-aAX£«v. id est. virere. gevmiuare ; et florere, Procl-
»n Hesiod.
161
and pleasantry. Some ascribe to her the invention
of comedy, others of geometry.
The fifth, Melpomene, from *ihe excellency of her
song and the melody she makes when she sings.
She is supposed to have presided over tragedy, and
to have invented sonnets.
The sixth, Terpsichore,-f has her name from the
pleasm'e she takes in dancing, because she delights
in balls. Some call her Citharistria.
The seventh, Euterpe, or Euterpia, from {the
sweetness of her singing. Some call her Tibicina,
because, according to them, she presides over the
pipes : and some say logic was invented by her.
The eighth, Polyhymnia, or Polymnia, or Poly-
menia, from §her excellent memory : and therefore
the invention of writing history is attributed to her,
which requires a good memory. It was owing to
her, II that the songsters add to the verses that they
sing, hands and fmgers which speak more than the
tongue ; an expressive silence ; a language witliout
words 5 in short, gesture and action.
The ninth, *f[Urania, was so called either because
^he sings of divine things ; or because, through her
assistance, men are praised to the skies, or because,
by the sciences, they become conversant in the con-
templation of celestial things.
Bahusius, a modern poet, has comprised the names
of all the Muses in a distich ; that is, he has made
the nine Muses to stand, which is something strange,
but upon eleven feet. Perhaps ^^ou-will rememjjer
* A /iciX-srsfAui canto et modalor, vcl xsro m f^iXo? wauv con-
centum facere.
t ' A.'^o TipcTiiv TOii ^opots quod clioreis delectetui*.
t Ab ivripz!Tyi;, jucunda nempe in concentu.
§ AzjoXvi multus et (/.viiu. memoria.
II Quod carminibus addstce sint orchestrarum loquacissimas ma-
nus, linquosi digit!, silentium clamosum, eipositio tacita, imo
verbo gestus et actio.
H Atto tk » «v», a cckIo.
14*
16^
their names better, when they are thus joined tO*
gether m two verses :
" Calliope, Polymneia, Erato, Clio, atque Thalia,
Melpomene, Euterpe, Terpsichore, Urania." /. 4. ep. 1.
The most remarkable of the names which are com-
mon to them all are :
Heliconides, or Heliconiades, from the mountain
Helicon, in Boeotia.
Parnassides, from the mountain Parnassus, in
Phocis, which has two heads, where, if any person
slept, he presently became a poet. It was anciently
called Larnassus, from Larnace, the ark of Deu-
calion, which rested here, and was named Parnassus
after the flood, from an inhabitant of this mountain^
so called.
Citherides, or Citheriades, from the mountain Ci-
theron, where they dwelt.
Aonides, from the country Aonia.
Pierides, or Pieriae, fom the mountain Pierus, oj»
Pieria, in Thrace ; or from the daughters of Pierius
and Anippe, who, daring to contend with the Muses,
were changed into pies,
Pegasides and Hippocrenides, from the famous
fountain Helicon, which by the Greeks is called
*Hippocrene, and by the Latins, f Caballinus, both
which words signify the horse's fountain : it was
also named Pegaseius, from Pegasus, the winged
horse, wliich by striking a stone in this place with
liis foot, opened the fountain, Jand the waters be-
came vocal.
Aganippides, or Aganippeae, from the fountarij
Aganippe.
Castalides, from the fountain Castalius, at the-
foot of Parnassus, .
*» Al) tzB-sros eques, et xpnvn fons,
t Caballinus, a Caballus, id eat, equal!*
i Ovid Met. 6.
163
Some write, that there were but three in the Le'«
^nnmg ; because sound, out of whicli all singing is
^ormed, is naturally threefold : either made by the
voice alone ; or by blowing, as ui pipes, or by
striking, as in citherns or drums* Or it may be.
because there are three tones of tlie voice, or other
instruments, the bass, the tenor, and the treble. Or
lastly, because all the sciences are distributed into
three general parts ; philosophy, rhetoric, and ma-
thematics ; and each of these parts is subdivided
into three other parts ; philosophy into logic, ethics,
and physics ; rhetoric into the demonstrative, de*
liberative, and judicial kind : mathematics into mu-
sic, geometry, and arithmetic : and hence it came
to pass, that they reckoned not only Three Muses,
but Nine.
Others give a diilerei " reason why tiiey are Nine.
When the citizens of Sicyon appointed thiee skilful
artificers to make the statues of the Three Muses,
promising to choose those three statues out of the
jiine which tiiey liked best, they were all so well
made that they could not tell which to prefer ; so
that they bought them all, and placed them in the
temples : and Hesiod afterward assigned to them
the names mentioned above.
Some affirm tiiat they were virgins, and others
deny it, who reckon up their children. Let no per-
son, however, despise the Muses, unless he design
to bring destruction upon himself by the example of
Thamyras or Thamyris ; who, being conceited of
his beauty and skill In singing, presumed to chal-
lenge the Muses to sing, upon condition, that if he
was overcome, they should punish him as they pleas-
ed. And after he was overcome, he was deprived
at once both of his harp and his eyes.
Qf/£5r/0J\'6 FOR EX,9MmATI0JY.
Who are the Muses, and how are they dressed f-
What is their employment ?
164
. Over what do they preside ?
^Vho weie their parents, and why are they called daughters
of Jupiter and Mnemosyne ?
Why were they tornierly called Mosse ?
How were the Muses represented on Pyrrhus' I'ing"
From what were tlieir names derived?
How did Calliope derive her name ?
Who was Clio ?
What does Erato derive her name from ?
Why is Thalia st> called ?
What are the peculiar excellencies of Melpomene and Terpsi
4*,hore ?
In what. does Euterpe excel ?
From what does Polyhymnia derive her name ?
Why was Urania so named?
■Repeat the distich of Bahusias.
Give some account of the names common to all the Muses.
How many Muses were there at first, and how were the three
Convei't?d into iXine ?
What other reason is given ?
What should the exampl9 of Thamyris teach ?
CHAPTER X.
THEMIS, ASTR.i'.A, NEMESIS,
Are three goddesses, who contrive and consult
together on affairs of great moment.
Thernis, the first of them, is the daughter of Coe-
lum and Terra. According to the ^signification of
her name, her office is to instruct mankind to do
things honest, Just, and right. Therefore her images
were brought and placed before those who were
about to speak to the people, that they might be ad-
monished thereby to say nothing in public but what
was just and righteous. Some say she spoke ora-
cles at Delphi, before Apollo ; though Homer says,
that she served Apollo with nectar and ambrosia,
i'here was another Themis, of whom Justice, Law,
* &ift,is enim siguificat fas.
165
and Peace, are said to be born. Hesiod, by way
of eminence, calls her modest, because she was
ashamed to say any thing that was done against
right and equity. Eusebius calls her Carmenta;
^because by Jier verse and precepts she directs eve-
ry one to that which is just. But here he means a
different Carmenta, who was the mother of Evander,
otherwise called Themis Nicostrata, a prophetical
lady. She was worshipped by the Romans, because
she prophecied ; and was called Carmenta, either
from the verse in which she uttered her predictions,'
or from the madness which seemed to possess her
when she prophecied. To this lady an altar was
dedicated near the gate Carmentalis, by the Capi-
tol ; and a temple was also built to her honour upon
this occasion : When the senate forbade the married
women tlie use of litters or sedans, they combined
together, and resolved that they would never bring
children, unless their husbands rescinded that edict ;
they kept to this agreement with so much resolution,
that the senate was obliged to change their sentence,
and yield to the women's will, and allow them all se-
dans and chariots again. And when their wives
conceived and brought f3rth fine children, they
erected a temple in honour of Carmenta.
Astreea, the daughter of Aurora and Astrseus the
Titan, (or, as others say, the daughter of Jupiter
and Themis,) was esteemed the princess of Justice.
The poets feign, that in the Golden Age she de-
scended from heaven to the earth ; and being of-
fended at last by the wickedness of mankind, she
returnt^d to heaven again, after all tlie gods had
gone before her. She is many times directly called
by the name of Justitia ; as particularly by Virgil.
And when she had returned to heaven again, she
was placed where we now see the constellation Virgo.
* Quod carminibus edictisqiie suis pra?cipiat unicuique quod
mstum est. Eusub. Prcep. Evang. I. 3.
156
*rhe parents of Nemesis were Jupiter and Neces-
f;ity ; or, according to others, Nox and Oceanus.
She was the goddess that rewarded virtue, and pun-
ished vice : and she taught rnen their duty, so that
she received her name '^from the distribution that
she made to every body. Jupiter deceived her, as
the story says, in the shape of a goose ; and that
slie b]-ought forth an ec;g, which she gave to a shep-
herd whom she met, to be carried to Leda. Leda
laid up the egg in a box, and Helena was soon af-
ter produced of that G^^g- But others give us quite
diilerent accounts of the matter. The Romans cer-
tainly sacrificed to this goddess, when they went
to war ; whereby the}^ signified that they never took
up arms unless in a just cause. She is called by
another name, Adrastsea, from Adrastus, king of
the Argives, who first built an altar to her ; or, per-
haps from f the difficulty of escaping from her : be-
cause no guilty person can flee from the punishment
due to his crime, though Justice sometimes over-
takes him late. She has indeed wings, but does not
alwa^^s use them ; but then the slower her foot is,
the harder is her hand :
''' Ad scclerum pcenas ultrix venit ira tonantis,
Hoc graviore uiauu, quo graviore pede."
Vengeance divine to punish sin moves slow,
The slower is its pace, the surer is its blow.
Rhamnysia is another name of this goddess ; from
Rhamnus, a town in Attica, where she had a tem-
ple, in \\ hich there was a statue of her made of one
stone, ten cubits high ; she held the bough of an ap-
ple-tree in her hand, and had a crown upon her
* Aw<5 TK utaffTHimnv i/z^ffiui, a distributione qua^ uniculque sit.
Plato de Legilms Dial.
t Ab a non et l.if.rzffx.oj fugio, quod videlicet neiijO noceuotti
e.ffu^ere queat po.'iium suit scele'ibus dcbilam,-
head, in which many images of deer were engraven.
She had also a wheel, which denoted her swiftness
when she avenges.
qUESTWJfS FOR EXAMIKATION.
Who are the goddesses that are consulting together on im-
portant bujwness ?
Who was Themis ; and what was her business ; and why were
her images placed before public speakers ?
Who were the children of the other Themis ?
Why was Themis styled modest by Hesiod ; and Carmenta by
Xusebins ?
Why was a temple erected in honour of Carmenta ?
Who was Astriea ?
Who were the parents of Nemesis ?
What did the Romans sacrifice to her.?
Why was she called Adrastaea ?
Why is she named Rhamnusia ?
CHAPTER XL
THE GODS OF THE WOODS, AND THE RURAL GODS*
PAN. HIS NAMES, DESCENT, ACTIONS, kc.
We are now come to the images of the gods and
goddesses of the woods. Here you may see the
gods Pan, Silvanus, the Faimi, the Satyri, SilenuSj
Priapus, Aristceus, and Terminus.
And there you see the goddesses, Diana, Pales,
Flora, Feronia, Pomona, and an innumerable com-
pany of Nymphs.
Pan is called by that name, either, as some tell
us, because he exhilarated the minds of all the gods
with the music of the pipe, v/hich he invented ; and
by the harmony of the cithern, upon which he play-
ed skilfully as soon as he was born. Or, perhaps,
he is called Pan, because he governs the afiairs of
16«
the universal world by liis mind, as he represents it
by his body.
The Latins called him Iniius and Incubus, the
" nightmare ;" and at Rome he was worshipped,
and called Lupercus and Lyceus. To his honour
a temple was built at the foot of the Palatine hill,
and. festivals called Lupercalia were instituted, in
which his priests, the Luperci, ran about the streets
naked.
His descent is uncertain, But the common opinion
IS, that he was born of Mercury and Penelope.
For when Mercury fell violently in love with her,
and tried in vain to move her, at last, by changing
himself into a white goat, succeeded. Pan, after he
was born, was wrapt up in the skin of a hare, ai;d
carried to heaven.
He is represented as a horned half goat, that re-
sembles a beast rather than a man, much less a god.
He has a smiling, ruddy face, his nose is flat, his
beard comes down to his breast, his skin is spotted,
and he has the tail, legs, and feet of a goat ; his
head is crowned or girt about with pine, and he
holds a crooked stall' in one hand, and in the other
a pipe of uneven reeds, with the music of which he
can cheer even the gods themselves.
When the Gauls, under Brennus, their leader,
made an irruption into Greece, and were just about
to plunder the city Delphi, Pan, so terrific in ap-
pearance, alarmed them to such a degree, that they
all betook themselves to flight, though nobody pur-
sued them. Whence we proverbially say, that men
, are in panic fear, when we see them affrighted with-
out a cause.
Now hear what the image of Pan signifies. Pan
is a symbol of the world. In his upper part he re-
sembles a man, in his lower part a beast ; because
the superior and celestial part of the world is beau-
tiful, radiant, and glorious : as is the face of this
..':>'^^^...-^
^^ ^^.
I"'
"^^^^
i .^ ^^-^-
^^'l-k'^'%
VVn
WWd
.■'^■"..:''v
169
god, whose horns resemble the raj's of the sun, and
the horns of the moon : the redness of his face is
like the splendour of the skj ; and the spotted skin
that he wears, is an image of the starry lirmament.
In his lower parts he is shagged and deformed,
which represents the shrubs and wild beasts, and the
trees of the earth below : his goats' feet signify the
solidity of the earth ; and his pipe of seven reeds,
that celestial liarmony which is made by the seven
planets. He has a sheep-hook, crooked at the top,
in his hand, which signifies tke turning of the year
mto itself.
The nymphs dance to the music of tlie pipe;
which instrument Pan first invented. You will won-
der when you hear the relation wliich the poets give
to this pipe, namely, as oft as Pan blows it, the
dugs of the sheep are filled with milk : for he is the
god of the shepherds and hunters, the captain of the
nymphs, the president of the mountains and of a
country- life, and the guardian of the flocks that
graze upon the momitains :
-'' Pan curat oves, oviumque magistros."
Virg. Eel 2.
Pan loves the sheplierds. and their flocks he feeds.
The nymph Echo fell in love with him, and brought
him a daughter named Irinc^es, who gave Medea
the medicines with which he charmed Jason. He
could not but please Dryope, to gain whom, he laid
aside his divinity and became a shepherd. But he
did not court the nymph Syrinx witli so much suc-
cess : for she ran away to avoid, her lover; till
coming to a river (where her flight was stopped,)
she prayed the Naiades, the nymphs of the waters,
because she could not escape her pursuer, to change
her into a bundle of reeds, just as Pan was layiiig
hold of lier, who therefore caught the reeds in hi?
15
170
arms instead of her. The winds moving these reeds
backward and forward occasioned mournful but mu-
sical sounds, which Pan perceivhig, he cut them
down, and made of them reeden pipes :
" Dumque ibi susplrat, motos in arundine ventos
Eifecisse sonum tenuerU; similemqne querenti.
Arte nova, vocisque Deuin dulcedine captum,
Hoc mihi concilium tecum, dixisse, manebit;
Atque ita disparibus calamis compagine cerae
Inter se junctis nomen tennisse puellae,"
He siglis, his sighs the tossing reeds return
In soft small notes, like one that seem'd to mourn,
The new, but ydeasant notes the gods surprise,
Yet this shall make us friends at last, he cries:
So he this pipe of reeds unecjual fram'd
With wax ; and Syrinx from his mistress nam'd.
But Lucretius ascribes the invention of these pipes
not to Pan, but to some countrymen, who had ob-
served, on another occasion, the whisthng of the wind
through reeds :
" Zepliyri cava per calamorum sibila primura:
Agrestes docuere cavas in flare cicutas ;
Inde minutatim dulces didicere querelas,
Tibia quas fundit digitis pulsata canentum :
Avia per ncmora ac sylvas saltusqtie reperta,
Per loca pastorum deserta atque otia Dia." Lucr. 1. 5.
And while soft ev'ning gales blew o'er the plains,
And shook the sounding reeds, they taught the swains;
And thus the pipe was framd, and tuneful reed:
And while the tender flocks securely feed,
And harmless shepherds tune their pipes to love *
And Amaryllis sounds in ev'ry grove.
In the sacrifices of this god, they offered to him
milk and honey in a shepherd's bottle. He was
more especially worshipped in Arcadia, for which
reason he is so often called Pan, Dcus Arcadise.
Some derive from him Hispania, Spain, formerly
called Iberia ; for he lived there, when he returned
from the Indian war, to which he went with Bacchus
and the Satyrs.
171
qUESTlOSS FOR EXJMLXATIO.Y.
From -wliat does Pan derive iii:> nairve ?
What was lie called by the Latins, and under what title was
lie worshipped at iiome ?
What is the origin of Pan r
How is he represented ?
What is the origin of the phrase " panic-struck?"
What does the image of Pan signify?
What instruments did he invent, and what occurs when he
?)}ows his pipe ?
What do'^s Lucretius say of the invention of the pipes ?
Repeat the lines.
What were used in the sacrifices of Fan ?
W^hence is he derived ?
iM CHAPTER XII.
SILVANUS AND SILENUS.
Although many writers confound Silvanus the
Fauni, Satyri, and Sileni, witJi Pan, yet, as others
distinguish them, we shall treat of them separately^
and begin with Silvanus.
Silvanus, who is placed next to Pan, with the feet
of a goat, and the face of u man, of little stature.
He holds cypress in his hand stretched out. He is
so called from silva, the woods ; for he presides
over them. He loved the boy Cyparissus, who had
a tame deer, in which he took great pleasure. Sil-
vanus by chance killed it ; upon which the youth
died for grief. Therefore Silvanus changed him
into a cypress-tree, and carried a branch of it always
in his hand, in memory of his loss.
Silenus follows next, with a flat nose, bald head,
large ears, and a small flat body ; he derives his
name from his jocular temper, because he perpetu-
ally jests upon the people. He sits upon a saddle-
1T2
backed ass : but when he walks, he leans upon a
staff. He was foster-father to Bacchus his master,
and his perpetual companion, and consequently was
almost always drunk, as we find him described in the
sixth Eclogue of Virgil. The cup which he and
^Bacchus used, was called Cantharus; and a staff
with which he supported himself, Ferula ; this he
7.ised when he was so drunk, as it often happened,
that he could not sit, but fell from his ass.
The Satyrs were not only constant companions of
Silenus, but were assistants to him ; they held him
in great esteem, and honoured him as their father ;
and when they became old, they were called Sileni
too. And concerning Silenus' ass, they say, that
be was translated into heaven, and placed among
the stars ; because in the giant's war, Silenus rode
on him, and helped Jupiter very much.
* When Silenus was asked, " What was the best
ihing that could befall man.^" he, after long silence,
linswered, " It is best for all never to be born, but
being born, to die very quickly." Which expres-
sion Pliny reports nearly in the same words : f There
have been many who have judged it happy never to
have been born, or to die immediately after one's
birth.
QUESTIO.XS FOR EXAMINJITION.
How is Silvanns represented?
From what is his name derived ?
Why is he represented with a branch of cypress in his hand?
How is Silenus represented ?
TVhat are his cap and stalF called ?
Who were his companions ?
What became of his a.se ?
What was the decision of Silenus with respect to the best
thing that can befall man ?
*Rogatus quidnam, esset hominibus optimum : respondit om-
nibus esse optimum non nasci, et natos quam citissime inteire.
Plut in Consolatione Apol.
t Multi extitere qui non nasci, optimum censerunt, aut quara
citissime aboleri. In Prefat. 1. 7
1-73
CHAPTER XIII.
THE SATYRS, FAUNS, PRIAPUS, ARISTiEUS TERMINUS.
Behold ! Those are Satyrs who dance under tlie
shade of that tall and spreading oak ; they have
heads armed with horns, goat's feet and legs, crook-
ed hands, and tails not much shorter than horses'
tails. There is no animal in nature more libidi-
nous than these • gods. Their * name itself shows
their nature.
The Fauns, whom you see joined with the Satyrs,
difler from them in the name only ; at least they are
not unlike them in their looks : for they have hoofs
and horns, and are crowned with the branches of
the pine. When they meet drunken persons, they
stupify them with their looks alone. The boors of
the country call them the " rm-al gods ;" and pay
them the more respect because they are armed with
horns and nails, and painted in terrible shapes.
Faunus, or Fatuellus, was the son of Picus, king
of the Latins. He married his own sister, whose
name was Fauna or Fatuella : he consecrated and
made her priestess ; after which she had the gift of
prophec}'. History likewise tells us that this Fau-
nus was the father and prince of the other Fauns and
Satyrs. His name was given him from his skill in
prophecying ; and thence also fatus signifies both
persons that speak rashly and inconsiderately, and
enthusiasts ; because they who prophecy, deliver the
mind and will of another, and speak things which
themselves, many times, do not understand.
Priapus, painted with a sickle in his hand, was
the son of Venus and Bacchus, born at Lampsacus ;
horn whence he was baiiished, till by the oracle'?
* Satyras derivatur a.To ms 9a9rts a veretro. Euseb. Praep
174
command lie was recalled, and made god. of the
gardens, and crowned with garden herbs. He car-
ries a sickle in his hand, to cut off from the trees all
superfluous boughs, and to drive away thieves and
beasts, and mischievous birds ; whence he is called
Avistupor. His image is usually placed in gardens,
as we may learn from Tibullus, Virgil, and Horace.
He is called Hellespontiacus by the poets ; because
the city Lampsacus, where he was born, was situ-
ate upon the Hellespont. He was very deformed,
which misfortune was occasioned by the ill usage
that his mother suffered while pregnant, from Juno.
He was named Priapus, Phallus, and Fascinum,
from his deformity. All these names have an in-
decent signification ; though by some he is called
Bonus Daemon, or the good Genius.
Aristaeus ; whom 3 ou see busied in that nursery of
olives, supporting and improving the trees, is em-
ployed in drawing oil from the olive, which art he
first invented. He also found out the use of honey,
and therefore, you see rows of bee-hives near him.
For these two profitable inventions, the ancients
paid him divine honours.
He was otherwise called Nomius and Agrseus, and
was the son of Apollo by Cyrene ; or, as Cicero
says, the son of Liber Pater, educated by the nymphs,
and taught by them the art of making oil, honey,
and cheese. He fell in love with Euridice, the wife
of Orpheus, and pursued her into a wood, where a
serpent stung her so that she died. On this account
the nymphs hated him, and destroyed ill his bees to
revenge the death of Euridice. The loss was ex-
ceedingly deplored by him ; and asking his mother's
advice, he was told by the oracle that he ought by
sacrifices to appease Euridice. Wherefore he sacri-
ficed to her four bulls and four heifers, and his loss
was supplied ; for suddenly a swarm of bees burst
forth from, the carcases of the bulls.
175
Another god, greatl}^ honoured in the city of
Rome, is Termmiis, because they imagine that the
boundaries and hmits of men's estates are under his
protection. His name, and the divine honours paid
to him by the ancients, are mentioned by Ovid, Ti-
buUus, and Seneca. The statue of this god was
either a square stone, or a log of wood planed;
which they usually perfumed with ointment, and
crowned with garlands.
And, indeed, the Lapides Terminales (that is,
" land-marks,") were esteemed sacred ; so that who-
ever dared to move, or plough up, or transfer them
to another place, his head became devoted to the
Diis Terminahbus, and it was lawful for any body
to kdl him.
And further, though they did not sacrifice the lives
of animals to those stones, because they though
that it was not lawful to stain them \/ith l;iood; yet
they offered wafer made of flour to them, and the first
fruits of corn, and the like : and upon the last day
of the year, they always observed festivals to their
honour, called Terminalia.
qUESTlO.XS FOR EXAMINATION.
How are the Satyrs represented ?
How are the Fauns represented, and what are they called l^
the country-boors ?
What does history say of Faunus ?
How did he obtain his name ?
Who was Priapus, and where was he born ?
How is he repre?ented, and for what is the sickle in bis hand?
Wh}' was he called Hellespontiacus?
Where is his ima^e placed ?
W^hat is Aristaeus's einployment?
What did he invent ?
Why was he called Nomins?
What is the story of Euridice ?
How did Terminus derive his name '
What was his statue ?
What is said of the Lapides 'x erminales ?
What did tjtie ancients offer as sacrifices to these stones?
176
CHAPTER XIV.
THE GODDESSES OF THE WOODS.
DIANA.
Here comes a goddess, taller than the other god-
desses, in whose virgin looks we may ease our eyes,
which have been wearied with the horrid sight of
those monstrous deities. Welcome, Diana ! your
hunting habit, the bow in your hand, and the quiver
full of arrows, which hang down irom your should-
ers, and the skin of a deer fastened to your breast,
discover who you are. Your behaviour, which is
free and easy, but modest and decent ; your gar-
ments, which are handsome and yet careless, show
that you are a virgin. Your name indicates your
modesty and honour.
Acta?on, the son of Aristaeus, the famous hunts-
man, unfortunately observing jou, whilst bathing,
was changed into a deer, which was afterwards torn
*in pieces by the dogs.
Further honour is due to you; because you repre-
sent the Moon, the glory of the stars, and the only-
goddess who observed perpetual chastity.
Nor am I ignorant of that famous and deserving
action which you did to avoid the fl^iiTies of Alpheus,
when yoti so hastily fled to your nymphs, who were
altogether in one place ; and so besmeared both
yourself and them with dirt, that when he came he
4id not know you : whereby your honest deceit suc-
ceeded according to your intentions ; and the dirt
which injures every thing else, added a new lustre
to your virtue.
Diana is called Triformis and Tergemina. First,
because though she is but one goddess, yet she has
three different names, as well as three diflerent offi-
ces. In the heaven* she is called Luiia> oi^ the
/
)
.-'/*»'-"4fc'v
DXMfA
177
earth she is named Diana ; and in hell she is called
Hecate or Proserpine. In the heavens she enlight-
ens every thing by her rays ; on the earth she keeps
under her power all wild beasts by her bow and her
dart ; and in hell siie keeps all the ghosts and the
spirits in subjection to her by her power and au-
thority. The several names and offices are com-
prised in an ingenious distich :
'' Terret, lustrat, agit ; Proserpina, Luna, Diana ;
Ima, suprenia, feras ; sceptro, fulgore, sagitta."
Dempier in Paralip.
But although Luna, Diana, and Hecate, are com-
monly thought to be only three diiFerent names of
the same goddess, yet Hesiod esteems them three
distinct goddesses. Secondly, because she has, as
the poets say, three heads ; the head of a horse on
the right side, of a dog on the left, and a human
head in the midst : whence some call her three-
headed, or three-faced. And others ascribe to her
the Hkeness of a bull, a dog, and a lion. Virgil
and Claudian also mention her. three countenances.
Thirdly, according to the opinion of some, she is
called Triformis, because the moon hath three phases
or shapes : the new moon appears arched with a
semicircle of light ; the half moon fills a semicircle
with light ; and the full moon fills a whole circle or
orb with its splendour. But let us examine these
names more exactly.
She is named Luna, from shining, either because
she only in the night time sends forth a glorious
light, or else because she shines by borrowed light,
and not by her own ; and therefore the light with
which she shines is always * new light. Her chariot
is drawn with a white and a black horse; or with
two oxen, because she has got two horns ; some-
* Quod luce aliena splendeat, unde Graece dicitur :Ss^»?v57 a
riXai niov^ id est, lumen novum. Id. ibid-.
178
times a mule is added, because she has no children,
and shines by tiie lii^litot'the sun. Some say, that
Luna' oi' both sexes have been worshipped, especial-
ly among the Egyptians ; and indeed they give this
property to all the other gods. Thus both Lunus
and Luna were worshipped, but with this difference,
that those who worshipped Luna were thought sub-
ject to the \\ omen, and those who worshipped Lunus
were superior to them. We must also observe, that
the men sacrificed to Venus, under the name of Luna
in women's clothes, and the women in men's clothes.
'This Luna had a lover who was named Endy-
mion, and he was courted by her, insomuch, that
to kiss him, she descended out of heaven, and came
to the mountain Latmus, or Lathynius, in Caria ;
he lay condemned to an eternal sleep by Jupiter ;
because, when he was taken into heaven, he at-
tempted to make love to Juno. In reality, Endy-
mion was a famous astronomer, wlio first described
the course of the moon, and he is represented sleep-
ing, because he contemplated nothing but the plane-
tary motions.
Hecate may be derived from i>tx6£v \JiekaiJien]
eminus ; because the moon darts her rays or ar-
rows afar off. She Ts said to be the daughter of
Ceres by Jupiter, who being cast out by her mo-
ther, and exposed in the streets, was taken up by
shepherds, and nourished by them j for which rea-
son she was worshipped in the streets, and her
«tatue was usually set before the doors of the houses,
whence she took the name Prop} Isea. Others de-
rive her name from Uarov [hecaioiC\ ccnium, because
they sacrificed a hundred victims to her : or, be-
cause, by her edict, those who die and are not buri-
ed, wander a hundred years up and down hell.
However, it is certain that she is called Trivia, from
triviis, "the streets;" for she was believed to pre-
side over the streets and ways ; so that they sacri-
179
ficed to her in the streets ; and the Athenians, every
new moon, made a sumptuous supper for her there,
which was eaten in the night b}^ the poor people of
the city. They say that she was excessively tall,
her head was covered with fri?^htful snakes instead of
hair, and her feet were like serpents. She was re-
presented encompassed with dogs ; because that ani-
mal was sacred to her ; and Hesychius sa3's, that
she was sometimes represented b}^ a dog. We are
told that she presided over enchantments, and that
when she was called seven times she came to the
sacrifices : as soon as these were finished, several
apparitions appeared, called from her Hecatgea.
She was called by the Egyptians, Bubastis ; her
feasts were named Bubast<ie ; and the city where
they were yearly celebrated was called Bubastis.
She is called Chitone and Chitonia, * because
women after childbirth used first to sacrifice to Ju-
no, and then oiler to Diana their own and their chil-
dren's clothes.
She was named Dictynna, not only from the
f nets which she used, for she was a huntress, and
the princess of hunters (for which reason all woods
were dedicated to her,) but also because Britomar-
tis the virgin, whom she hunted ioil into the nets,
and vowed, if she escaped, to br.rid a temple for
Diana. She did escape, and then consecrated a
temple to Diana Dictynna. Others relate the story
thus • When Britomartis, whom Diana loved be-
cause she was a huntress, fled from Minos her lover;
and cast herself into the sea ; she fell into the fish-
ermen's nets, and Diana made her a goddess. The
ancients thought that Diana left off hunting on the
ides of August, therefore at that time it was not
^ XiTuvn. quasi tunicata a ;^triiv, tunica ; solebant enim fcBmi-
nae partus iaboribus perfunctae Junoni sacriticare ; sues autem fit
infantium vestes Dianae coiisecrare. Flat. 3. Symp. c. ult.
t Retia enim hKurx dicuutur.
IBO
lawful for ail}' one to hunt, but they crowned the
dogs with garlands, and by the light of torches,
made of stub])le, hung up the hunting instruments
near them.
We shall only adjoin, to what has been said, the
-two stories of Chione and Meleager.
Chione was the daughter of D?edalion, the son of
Dsedalus : she was beloved by Apollo and Mercu-
ry, and was the mother of twins ; namely, Philam-
mon, a skilful musician, and Autolychus, who prov-
ed a famous juggler, and an artful thief. Slie was
so far from thinking this a shame, that she grew
very proud ; nay, openly boasted, that her beauty
had charmed two gods. Besides, she was so bold
as to speak scornfully of Diana's beauty, and to pre-
fer herself before her : but Diana punished the in-
solence of this boaster, for she drew her bow, and
shot an arrow through her tongue, and thereby put
her to silence :
Se prieferre Dianae
Sustinuit, facienique Dece culpavit. At illi
Ira ferox mota est, factisque placabimus, inquit,
Nee mora curvavil cornu, nervusque saglttam
Impulit, et ineritam trajecit arundine linguam."
She to Diiuia's durst her face prefer,
And blame her beauty. Wiih a cruel look,
She said our deed shall right us. Forthwith took
Her bow, and bent it ; which she strongly drew,
And through her guilty tongue the arrow flew.
Meleager was punished for the fault of his father
Oeneus, who, when he offered his first fruits to the
gods, wilfull}^ forgot Diana ; therefore she was an-
gry, and sent a wild boar into the fields of his king-
dom of Caledonia, to destroy them. Meleager,
accompanied with many chosen youths, immediately'
undertook either to kill this boar, or to drive him
out of the country. The Virgin Atalanta was among
18X
the hunters, and gave the boar the first wound ; and
soon after Meleager killed him. He valued Atalan-
ta more who wounded him, than himself who killed
him, and therefore oifered her the boar's skin. But
the uncles of Meleager were enraged that the hide
was given to a stranger, violently took it from her ;
upon which Meleager killed them. As soon as his
mother Althaea understood that Meleager had killed
her brothers, she sought revenge like a mad woman.
In Althaea's chamber was a billet, which, when Me-
leager was born, the Fates took, and threw into the
fire, saying. The new-born infant shall live as long
as this stick remains unconsumed :
" Tempora, dixerunt, eadem lignoque tibique,
O modo nate, damns : quo postquam carmine dicto,
Excessere Dex ; flagrantem mater ab igne
Eripuit ramum, sparsitque liquentibus undis ;
Servatusque diu juvenis servaverat annos."
O lately born, one period we assign
To thee and to the brand. The charm they weave
Into his fate, and then the chamber leave.
His mother snatch'd it with a hastv hand
Out of the fire, and quench'd the flaming brand,
This in an inward closet closely lays,
And by preserving it prolongs his days.
The mother snatched it out of the fire and quench-
ed it, and laid it in a closet. But now, moved with
rage, she goes to her chamber, and fetching the
stick, she threw it into the fire :
'' Dextraque aversa tremenfl,
Funereum torrem raedios conjecit in ignes.
With eyes turnd back, her quaking hand
lo trembling flames exposd the fun'ral brand,
As the log burned, Meleager, though absent, felt
fire m his bowels, which consumed him in the same
manner that the wood was consiuned ; and when at
16
182
last the log was quite reduced to ashes, and the fire
quenched, Meleager at the same time expired, and
turned to dust.
QUESTWJVS FOR EXAMIJVATIOJV.
How is Diana described ?
What is said of Actaeon ?
Why does Diana represent the moon ?
What is said of her with regard to Alpheus ?
Why is she called Triformis ?
How is she named in the heavens, in the earth, and in hell J
and why so'^
Repeat the Latin distich.
Why is she named Lunae ?
How was Lunae worshipped among the Egyptians?
What is said of Endymion ?
What is said of Hecute ?
Why was she called Trivia ?
Why is she represented as encompassed with dogs ?
Wliy is she called Bubastae, and why Brimo ?
Why was she called Lucina and Opis ?
Why was sh6 called Chitone ?
Why Avas she named Dictynna ?
Why did the ancients esteem it unlawful to hunt after the first
of August ?
Give some account of the stories of Chione and Meleager.
CHAPTER XV.
PALES, FLORA, FERONIA, POMONA.
That old lady, whom you see surrounded by
shepherds, is Pales, the goddess of shepherds and
pastures. Some call her Magna Mater and Vesta.
To this goddess they sacrificed milk, and wafers
made of millet, that she might make the pastures
fruitful. They instituted the feasts called PaliKa,
or Pariha, to her honour, which were observed upoa
the eleventh or twelftli day of the calends of May
183 .
by the shepherds hi the field, on the same day iu
which Romukis laid the foundation of the city.
These feasts were celebrated to appease this god-
dess, that she might drive away the wolves, and
prevent the diseases incident to cattle. The so-
lemnities observed in the Palilian feasts were many :
the shepherds placed little heaps of straw in a par-
ticular order, and at a certain distance ; then they
danced and leaped over them ; then they purified
the sheep and the rest of the cattle with the fume ot
rosemary, laurel, sulphur, and the like ; as we learn
from Ovid, who gives a description of the rites.
" Alma Pales, faveas pastoria sacra canenti,
Prosequar officio si tua facta meo.
Certe ego de vitulo cinerem, stipulamque fabalem
Saepe tuli, laeva, februa tosta, manu.
Certe ego transilui positas ter in ordine flamma^,
Virgoque rorales laurea misit aquas."
Great Pales help ; the past'ral rites I sing,
With humble duty mentioning each thing. •
Ashes of calves, and bean-straws oft I've held,
With burnt purgations in a hand well fiU'd.
Thrice o'er the flames, in order rang'd, I've leapt,
And holy dew my laurel twig has dript.
Flora, so dressed and ornamented, is the god-
dess and president of flowers. The Romans gave
her the honour of a goddess, but in reality she was
a woman of infamous character, who, by her abo-
minable trade, heaped up a great deal of money,
and made the people of Rome her heir. She left a
certain sum, the yearly interest of which was settled,
that the games called Florales, or Floralia, might
be celebrated annually, on her birth-day. But be-
cause this appeared impious and profane to the se-
nate, they covered their design, and worshipped
Flora under the title of " goddess of flowers ;" and
pretended that they oflered sacrifice to her, that the
plants aad trees might flourish.
li
184
Ovid follows the same fiction, and relates, that
Chloris, an infamous nymph, was married to Ze-
pbyrus, from whom she received the power over all
the flowers. But let us return to Flora, and her
games. Her image, as we find in Plutarch, was
exposed in the temple of Castor and Pollux, dress-
ed in a close coat, and holding in her right hand
the flowers of beans and peas. For while these
sports were celebrated, the officers, or sediles, scat-
tered beans and other pulse among the people.
These games were proclaimed and begun by sound
of trumpet, as we find mentioned in Juvenal. —
Sat, 6.
Feronia, the goddess of the woods, is justly
placed near Flora, the goddess of flowers. She
is called Feronia, from the care she takes in * pro-
ducing and propagating trees. The higher place
is due to her, because fruits are more valuable than
flowers, and trees than small and ignoble plants.
It is said she had a grove sacred to her, under the
mountain Soracte : this was set on fire, and the
neighbours were resolved to remove the image Fe-
ronia thence, when on a sudden the grove became
green again. Strabo reports that those who were
insp.. .d by this goddess, used to walk barefoot
upon burning coals without hurt. Though many
believed, that by the goddess Feronia, that kind of
virtue only is meant, by which fruit and flowers
were produced.
Pomona is the goddess, the guardian, the presi-
dent, not of the f apples only, but of all the fruit
and the product of trees and plants. As you see,
she follows after Flora and Feronia, in order ; but
in the greatness of her merit she far surpasses them ;
and has a priest who serves her only, called Flanien
Pomonalis.
* Feronia a ferendis arboribus dicta.
^ Fomoua a pomis dicitur.
185
Onc€ when Pomona was very busy in looking af
ter her gardens and orchards with great care, and
was wholly employ ed in watering and securing the
roots, and lopping the overgrown branches ; *Ver-
tumnus, a principal god among the Romans, (called
so because he had power to turn himself into what
shape he pleased,) fell in love with Pomona, and
counterfeited the shape of an old grey-headed wo-
man. He came leaning on a staff into the gardens,
admired the fruit and beauty of them, and commend-
ing her care about them, he saluted her. He view-
e<j the gardens, and from the observations he had
made, he began to discourse of marriage, telling her
that it would add to tlie happiness even of a god, to
have her to wife. Observe, says he, the trees which
creep up this wall : how do the apples and plums
strive which shall excel the other in beauty and co-
lour ! whereas, if they had not props or supports,
which like husbands hold them up, they would pe-
rish and decay. All this did not move her, till Ver-
tumnus changed himself into a young man ; and
then she also began to feel the force and power of
love, and tijen received him with favour* — Ovid-
Met. 14,
qUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION.
Who was Pales, and wliat did they sacrifice to her?
Why were these feasts observed ?
What solemnities were observed in the Palilian feasts^
Who w^as Flora?
Was she really a goddess ?
How were tl e Floralia instituted ; when were they celebrated j
«nd under what pretence did they worship Flora ?
How^ is her figure represented ?
Who is Feronia ; what is her occupation ; and why is mOFV
honour due to her than to Flora?
What does Strabo say of Feronia ?
Who was Pomona, and what w as her priest called '
What story is related of Verturanus?
* Vertnmnus a vertendoj quod in qoas vellet ffgnras s«s« rer-
tcse poterat.
16*
186
CHAPTER XVI.
THE NYMPHS.
Now observe that great company of neat, pretty,
handsome, beautiful, charming, virgins, who are
very near the gardens of Pomona. Some run about
the woods, and hide themselves in the trunks of the
aged oaks ; some plunge themselves into the foun-
tains, and some swim in the rivers. They are call-
ed by one common name, nymphs, ^because they
always look young ; or fbecause they are hand-
some : yet all have their proper names beside, which
they derive either from the places in which they live,
or the offices which they perform ; they are espe-
cially distributed in three classes, celestial, terres-
trial, and marine.
The celestial nymphs were those genii, those souls
and intellects, who guided the spheres of the hea-
vens, and dispensed the influences of the stars to
the things of the earth.
Of the terrestrial nymphs, some preside over the
woods, and were called Dryades, from a Greek
word, A^Ss, which principally signifies an oak, but
generally any tree whatever. These Dryades had
their habitations in the oaks. Other nymphs were
called JHamadryades, for they were born when the
oak was first planted, and when it perishes they die
also. The ancients held strange opinion- concern-
ing oaks ; they imagined that even the smallest oak
was sent from heaven. The Druidse, priests of the
Gauls, esteemed nothing more divine and sacred,
than the excrescence which sticks to oaks. Others of
.>■„>
* 'AiTo r3 eiu vitts <pxmir6cn quod semper juvenes appareant.
f 'Afo Ti ^alviir, splendere quod forme (jecore prsefulgewit.
I Ab afitctj simbl, «t ^/p«y» qitereiiSs
18T
those nymphs were called *Oreades, or Onestiades^
because ihcy pivj- led over tlic moantains, f N-^i,vege,
because they had dominion over the groves and val-
leys. Others {Limoiiiades, because they looked
after the meadows and fields. And others, ||Meli«,
from the ash, a tree sacred to them ; and these were
supposed to be the mothers of those chddren, who
were accidentally born under a tree, or exposed
there.
Of the marine nymphs, those which presided over
the seas, were called Nereides or Nereinic, from the
sea god Nereus, and the sea nymph Doris, their pa-
rents ; which Nereus and Doris were born of Tethys
and Oceanus, from whom they were called Oceani-
tides and Oceaniae. Others of those nymphs pre-
side over the fountains, and were called §Naides or
Naiades : others inhabit the rivers, and were called
Fluviales or ITPotamides : and others preside over
the lakes and ponds, and were called Linmades.
All the gods had nymphs attending them. Jupi-
ter speaks of his in Ovid :
"Sunt mihi Sernidei, sunt rustica numina Fauni,
Et Nymphae, Satyrique, et monticolffi Sylvani.
Half gods and rustic Fauns attend my will,
Nymphs, Satyrs, Sylvans, that on mountains dwell.
Neptune had many nymphs, insomuch that Hesi-
od and Pindar call him **Nymphagetes, that is, the
captain of the nymphs : the poets generally' gave him
fifty. Phoebus likewise had nymphs cafled Agan-
nippidae and Musae. Innumerable were the nymphs
of Bacchus, who were called by different names,
* Ab epos, mons.
t A vaTti, saltus vel vallis,
I Axufiuv, pratum.
{I A fAikia, fraxinus.
§ A y«(W, fluo.
IF FIoTa^cf, fluvius.
** Jit/^^<ey6Tijf , id est, Nympharum dui.
188
Bacchae, Bassarides, Eloides, and Thyades. Hunt~
ing nymphs attended upon Diana ; sea nynipns,
called Nereides, waited upon Tethys ; and fourteen
very beautiful nyinpiis belonged to Juno :
" Bis septem praestanti corpore Nymphae."
Virg. JEn. 1.
Twice seven the charming daughters of the main,
Around my person wait, and bear my train.
Out of all which I will only give you the history of
two.
Arethusa was one of Diana's nymphs : her vir-
tue was as great as her beauty. The pleasantness
of the place mvited her to cool herself in the waters
of a fine clear river : Alpheus, the god of the river,
assumed the shape of a man, and arose out of the
water ; he first saluted her with kind words, and
then approached near to her : but away she flies,
and he follows her ; and when he had almost over-
taken her, she was dissolved with fear, into a foun-
tam, with the assistance of Diana, whom she iin
plored. Alpheus then resumed his former shape of
water, and endeavoured to mix his stream with hers,
but in vain ; for to this day Arethusa continues her
flight, and by her passage through a cavity of the
earth, she goes under ground into Sicily. Alpheus
also follows by the like subterraneous passage, till
at last he unites and marries his own streams to those
of Arethusa in that island. Virg. ^n. 2.
Echo was formerly a nymph, though nothing o(
her but her voice remains now, and even when she
was alive, she was so far deprived of her speech,
that she could only repeat tne last words of those
sentences w hich she heard ;
" Corpus adhuc Echo, non vox erat ; ct tamen usum
GaiTula non alium j quam uuuc habet, oris habebat J
Reddere de multis ut verba uovissima posset."
Ovid. Met. 9.
189
She was a nymph, though only now a sound )
Yet of her tongue no other use was found,
Than now she has ; which never could be more,
Than to repeat what she had heard before.
Juno inflicted this punishment on her for her talk-
ativeness : for when, prompted by Jier jealousy, she
came down to discover Jupiter among the nymphs,
Echo detained her very long with her tedious dis-
courses, that the nymphs might have an opportunity
fo escape, and hide themselves :
"Fecerat hoc* Juno, quia cum deprendere posset
Sub Jove seepe suo nymphas in monte jacentes,
nia deam longo prudens sermone tenebat,
Dum fugerent nymphae."
This change impatient Juno's anger wrought,
Who, when her Jove she o'er the mountains sought^
" Was oft by Echo's tedious tales misled,
Till the shy nymphs to caves and grotto's fled.
This Echo by chance met Narcissus rambling in
the woods ; and she so admired his beauty that she
fell in love with him : she discovered her love to him,
courted him, followed and embraced him, but he
broke from her embraces, and hastily fled from her
sight : upon which the despised nymph hid herself
in the woods, and pined away with grief, so that
every part of her but her voice was consumed, and
her bones were turned into stones.
*' Vox tantum, atque ossa supersunt ;
Vox manet : ossa ferunt lapidis traxisse iiguram 3
Inde latet sylvis, nulloque in monte videtur,
Omnibus auditur: sonus est qui vivit in ilia."
Her flesh consumes and moulders with despair,
And all her body's juice is turn'd to air j
So wond'rous are the effects of restless pain,
That nothing but her voice and bones remain ;.
Nay, e'en the very bones at last are -jone,
And metamorphos'd to a thoughtless stone;
Yet still the voice does in the woods survive,
The form's departed, but the sound's alive.
190
Narcissus met .with as bad a fate ; for though he
would neither love others, nor admit of their love,
yet he fell so deeply in love with his own beauty,
that the love of himself proved his ruin. His thirst
led him to a fountain, whose waters were clear and
bright as silver :
" Fons erat illimis nitidis argenteus undis." Ovid Met, 3.
There was by chance a living fountain near,
Whose unpolluted channel ran so clear,
That it seem'd liquid silver.
When he stooped to drink, he saw his own image ,
he stayed gazing at it, insomuch that he fell pas-
sionately in love with it. A little water only sepa-
rated him irom his beloved object :
" Exigua prohibetur aqua"
A little drop of water does remove
And keep him from the object of his love.
He continued a long time admiring this beloved
picture, before he discuvered what it was that he
SO passionately adored ; but at length the unhappy
creature perceived, that the torture he suffered was
from the love of his own self:
" Flammas, inquit, raoveoque, feroque :
Quod cupio mecum est : inopem me copia fecit.
O utinam a nostro secedere corpore possem !
Votum in amante novum est, vellem quod amamus abesset.'*
My love does vainly on myself return,
And fans the cruel flames with which I burn,
The thing desir'd I still about me bore,
And too much plenty has contirm'd me poor.
O that I from my much-lov'd self could go ;
A strange request, yet would to God 'twere so !
In a word, his passion conquered him, and the
power of love was greater than he could resist, so
that, by degrees, he wasted away and consumed, and
191
at last, by the favour of the gods, was turned into a
dajffodil, a flower called by his own name.
qUESTWJ^S FOR EXAMINATION.
Who are the Nymphs ; how are they engaged ; and from
whence do they derive their general name ?
From whom do they get their peculiar names, and into what
classes are they divided ?
Who are the celestial Nymphs ?
Give some account of the terrestrial Nymphs.
Over what dkl the marine Nymphs preside ?
Whom did the Nymphs attend ?
What is said of Arethusa ?
Who was Echo, and what is her history ?
What is the history of Narcissus ?
CHAPTER XVII.
THE INFERIOR RURAL DEITIES.
RusiNA, the goddess to whose care all parts of
the country are committed.
Collina, she who reigns over the hills.
Vallonia, who holds her empire in the valleys.
Hippona, who presides over the horses and sta-
bles.
Bubona, who hath the care of the oxen. '
Seia, who takes care of the seed, while it lies bu-
ried in the earth. She is likewise called Segetia,
because she takes care of the blade as soon as it ap-
pears green above the ground.
Runcina is the goddess of weeding. She is in-
voked when the fields are to be weeded.
Occator is the god of harrowing. He is wor-
shipped when the fields are to be harrowed.
Sator and Sarritor are the gods of sowing and
/Taking.
192
To the god Robigus wt^e celebrated festivals call-
ed Robigalia, which were usually observed upon the
seventh of the calends of May, to avert the blasting
of the corn.
Stercutius, Stercutus, or Sterculius, called like-
wise Sterquilinius and Picumnus, is the god who
first invented the art of manuring the ground.
Proserpine is the goddess who presides over the
corn, when it is sprouted pretty higii above the earth.
We shall speak more of her when we discourse con-
cerning the infernal deities.
Nodosus, or Nodotus, is the god that takes care
of the knots and the joints of the stalks.
Volusia is the goddess who takes care to fold the
blade round the corn, before the beard breaks out,
which foldings of the blade contain the beard, as
pods do the seed.
Patelina, who takes care of the corn after it is
broken out of the pod, and appears.
The goddess Flora presides over the ear when it
blossoms.
Lactura, or Lactucina, who is next to Flora, pre-
sides over the ear when it begins to have milk.
And Matura takes care tliat the ear comes to a
just maturity.
Hostilina w^as worshipped that the ears of corn
might grow even, and produce a crop proportion-
ably to the seed sown.
Tutehna, or Tutuhna, hath a tutelage of corn
when it is reaped.
Pilumnus invented the art of kneading and baking
bread. He is commonly joined with Picumnus, his
brother, whom we mentioned above.
Mellona is the goddess who invented the art of
making honey.
And Fornax is esteemed a goddess ; because, be-
fore the invention of grinding wheat, corn was parch-
ed in a furnace. Ovid makes mention of this goddess :
193
" Facta Dea est Fornax, laeti fornace coloni
Grant, ut vires temperet ilia suas." Fast. 6.
A goddess Fornax is, and her the clowns adore,
That they may've kindly batches by her pow'r.
questiojXs for examlyatiojv.
Who were the Riisina, CoUma, Vallonia, and Hippona?
What were the occupations of Bubona, Seia, Runcingi, and
Occator?
Who were the gods of sowing and raking ?
On what account were the Robigalia instituted ?
Who invented the art of manuring the land ?
Over what does Proserpine preside ?
Who were Nodosus, Volusia, and Patellina ?
Over what does Flora, Lactura, and Matura preside ?
Why was Hostilena worshipped ?
What was the office of Tutelina ?
What did Filumnus invent ?
Who was Mellona ?
Why is Fornax esteemed a goddess ?
17
PART III.
OF THE GODS OF THE SEA.
CHAPTER I.
SEC. 1. —NEPTUNE. HIS NAME AND DESCENT,
ACTIONS AND CHILDREN.
Neptune, the king of the waters, is represented
with black hair and l)lue eyes, holding a sceptre in
his right hand, like a fork with three tines, and
beautifully arrayed in a mantle of blue, clasping his
left hand round his queen's waist. He stands up-
right in his chariot, which is a large escalopshell,
drawn by sea horses, and attended by odd kind of
animals, which resemble men in the upper parts,
and fish in the lower. His name is derived, by the
change of a few letters, from the word nubo, which
signifies " to cover ;" because the sea encompasses,
embraces, and, as it were, covers the land. Or,
as others believe, he is so called from an Egyptian
word (nepthen,) which signifies the coasts and pro-
montories, and other parts of the eardi, which are
washed by the waters. So that Cicero, who de-
rives Neptune from nando (swimming,) is either
mistaken, or the place is corrupt.
NeptiiUo is the governor of the sea, the father of
the rivers and the fountains, and the son of Saturn
by Ops. His mother preserved him from the de-
195
vouring jaws of Saturn, who ate up all the male
children that was born to him, by giving Saturn a
young foal to eat in his stead. In the Greek he is
called nocretjMv \_Posiedon,~\ because he so binds our
feet that we are not able to walk within his do-
minions, that is, on the water.
When he came of age, Saturn's kingdom was di-
vided by lot, and the maritime parts fell to him.
He and Apollo, by Jupiter's command, were forced
to serve Laomedon, in building the walls of Troy ;
because he and some other gods had plotted against
.Jupiter. Then he took ^Amphitrite to wife, who
rejfused a long time to hearken to his courtship ; but
at last, by the assistance of a dolphin, and by the
power of flattery, he gained her. To recompease
which kindness, the dolphin was placed among the
stars, and made a constellation. Amphitrite had
two other names ; Salacia, so called from*aZ?/;n, the
sea, or the salt water, towards the lower part and
bottom of the sea ; and Venilia, so called from veni-
endo, because the sea goes and comes with the tide,
or ebbs and flows by turns.
The poets tell us, that Neptune produced a horse
in Attica out of the ground, by striking it with his
trident; whence he is called Hippius and Hippo-
dromus, and he is esteemed the president over horse
races. At his altar, in the Circus at Rome, games
were instituted, in a^ Inch they represented the an-
cient Romans by violence carrying away the Sabine
women. His altar was under ground, and sacrifi-
ces were offered to him by the name of Consus, the
god of counsel'; which for the most part ought to
be given privately ; and thei*efore the god Consus
was worshipped in an obscure and private place.
The solemn games Consualia, celebrated m the
* DJcitnr af/,(piTpirn -srapx, to »fjc(piTpiSuv B. circumtcrendo, quod
errant mare circumterat.
196
month of March, were instituted in honour of Nep-
tune. At the same time, the horses left working,
and the mules were adorned with garlands of flowers.
Hence it also happens, that the chariot of Nep-
tune is drawn by hippocampi, or sea horses, as well
as sometimes by dolphins. Those sea horses had
the tails of fishes, and only two feet, which were like
the fore feet of a horse, according to the description
given of them in Statius :
"Illic ^geo Neptunus gurgile fessos
In portam deducit equos, prior haurit habenas
Ungula, postremi solvuntur in sequora pisces." Trth. 2.
Good Neptune's steeds to rest are set up here,
In the ^gean gulph, whose fore parts harness bear,
Their hinder parts fish-shap'd.
And this is the reason why Virgil calls them two-
footed horses : Neptune guides them, and goads
them with his trident, as it is expressed in Statius :
" Triplici telo jubet ire jugales :
lUi spuniiferos glomerant a pectore f!uctu?,
Pone natant, deientque pedum vestigia cauda." Achil. 1,
Shaking his trident, urges on his steeds,
Who with two feet beat from their brawny breasts
The foaming billows ; but their hinder parts
Swim, and go smooth against the curling surge.
It was therefore Neptune's peculiar office, not only
to preside ovei", and to govern horses both by land
and sea, but also the government of ships were com-
mitted to his care, which were always safe under his
protection ; for whenever he rides upon the waters,
the weather innnediately grows fair, and the sea
calm.
" Tumida a3quora placat,
^ nmv.u. ,^.m^.^ j..^v^.*>.,
Collectasque fugat nubes, solemque reducil." Virg.JEu. 1.
He smooth'd the sea,
Dispeli'd the darkness, and restor'd the day.
197
" Subsidunt undae, tumidtimque sub axe tonanti
Sternitur aequor aquis, fugiunt vasto eeiheve nimbi."
JEn. 5.
High on the waves his azure car he guides,
Its axles thunder, and the sea subsides ;
And the smooth ocean rolls her silent tides.
j^quora postquam
Prospiciens genitor, ca?loque invectus aperto,
Flectit equos, curruque volans dat lora secundo."
Virg. ^n.
-Where'er he guides
• His finny coursers, and in triumph rides,
The waves unruffle, and the sea subsides
The most remarkable of his children were Triton,
Phorcus or Proteus. Of the first we shall speak in
another place.
Phorcus or Phorcys, was his son by the nymph
Thesea. He was vanquished by Atlas, and drown-
ed in the sea. His surviving friend said, that he
was made a sea god, and, therefore, they worship-
ped him. We read of another Phorcus, who had
three daughters, they had but one eye among tliem
all, which they all coulfl use. When either of them
desired to see any thing, she fixed the eye in her
forehead, in the same manner as men fix a diamond
in a ring ; and havhig used it, she pulled the eye
out again, that her sisters might have it; thus they
all used it, as there w^s occasion.
Proteus, his son by. the nymph Phoenice, was the
keeper of the sea calves. He could convert himself
into all sorts of shapes ; sometimes he could flow
like the water, and sometimes burn like the fire ;
sometimes he was a fish, a bird, a lion, or whatever
he pleased. — Ovid Met. 8.
Nor was this wonderful power enjoyed by Pro-
teus alone ; for Vertumnus, one of the gods of the
Romans, possessed it ; his *name shows it, as we
* Vertumnus dictus est a vertendo
17*
198
observed before in the story of Pomona. From this
god, Vertuniniis, comes that common Latin expres-
sion, bene or male vertat, may it succeed well or ill ;
because it is the business of Vertumnus to preside
over the turn or change of things, which happen
according to expectation, though oftentimes what
we think good is found in the conclusion [^)nale
vertere\ to be worse than was expected ; as that
sword which Dido received from ^neas, with which
she afterwards killed herself.
Neptune ^endued Periclymenus, Nestor's brother,
with the same power ; and he was killed by Hercu-
les when in the shape of a fly : for when Hercules
fought against Neleus, a fly tormented and stung
him violently ; and on Pallas discovering to him
that this fly was Periclymenus, he killed him.
Neptune gave the same power to Metra, Mestra,
or Mestre, the daughter of Erisichthon, by which
fshe was enabled to succour her father's insatiable
hunger.
For the same cause Csenis, a virgin of Thessaly,
obtained the same, or rather a greater power, from
Neptune ; for he gave her power to change her
sex, and made her invulnerable : she, therefore,
turned herself into a man, and was called Ceeneus.
She fought against the Centaurs, till they had over-
whelmed her with a vast load of trees, and buried
her alive ; after which she was changed into a bir^
of her own name. — Ovid Met.
'Ensemque recludit
Dardanium, non hos quaesitum munus m usus.
Virg.Mn ^.
The Trojan sword unsheath'd,
A gift by him not to this use bequeath 'd.
^ Horn, in Odyss. 11.
t " Nunc equa, nunc ales, modo bos, modo serviis obibat.
Prsebebatque avido non justa alimenta parenti." — Ovid Met. 3.
199
q UES Tl OXS FO R E X.^MLY.-^ Tf' ' V.
How is Neptune represented ?
From what is his name derived r
Whose son was Neptune, and how was his life preserved ?
What is his name in Greek, arid why?
What task was imposed on him lor his rebellion against JI^
piter ?
Why was the dolphin made a constellation ?
What were Amphitrite's names, and from what were they
derived ?
Why i? Neptane called Hippius and Hippodromus?
What games were instituted at his altar, and what sacrifices
were offered him ?
What were the Consualia, and how w^ere they kept?
What were the Hi;)pocampi ?
What was Neptune's peculiar office ?
Who were Neptune's children ?
What is the hi.'^tory of Phorcus ?
Wiio was Proteus, and wliat particular power had he?
What is said of Vertumnus ?
What is the history of Periclymenus ?
Who was Mestra, and what did she do ?
What power did INeptune grant to Ctenis ?
CHAPTER II.
TRITON, AND THE OTFIER MARINE GODS.
Triton was the son of Neptune by Amphitrite ;
he was his father's conipanion and trumperer. Half
of hnn resembles a man, hut his other part is like a
fish : his two feet are like the fere feet of a horse, his
tail is cleft and crooked, like a half moon, and his
hair resembles wild parsley. Two princes of Par-
nassus, Virgil and Ovid, give most elegant descrip-
tions of him :
" Hunc vehit imraanis Triton, et caerula concha
Exterrens freta ; cui laterum *.enus hispida nanti
Frons iiominem praefe \ in pristinj desinit alv ;3,
Spumea pestifero sub pectore murmurat unda." — JEii. 10
200
Him and his martial train the Triton bears,
High on his poop the sea-2;reen fiod a|)pears ;
Fi owning, he seems his crooked shell to sound,
And at the blast the billows dance around.
A hahy man above the waist he shows ;
A porpoise tail beneath his body grows.
And ends a /ish : his breast the waves divide,
And froth and foam augment the murm'ring tide.
" Caeruleum Tritona vocat ; conchaque sonaci
Inspirare jubet ; fluctusque et flumina signo
Jam revocare dato. Cava buccina sumitur illi
Tortilis, in latum quaj turbine crescit ab imo :
Buccina, quaj medio concepit ut aera ponto,
Littora voce replet sub utroque jacentia Phcebe." — Met. 1.
Old Triton rising from the deep he spies,
Whose shoulders rob'd with native purple rise,
And bids him his loud-sounding shell inspire.
And give the floods a signal to retire.
He his wreath'd trumpet takes (as given in charge)
That from the turning bottom grows more large ;
This, when the NnnK^n o'er the ocean sounds,
The east and west from shore to shore rebounds.
Oceanus another of the seagods, was the son of
Coelum and Vesta. He, by the ancients, was called
the " Father," not only of all the rivers, but of the
animals, and of the very gods themselves ; for they
imagined that all things in nature took their begin-
ning from him. It is said that he and his wife Te-
thys were parents of three thousand sons, the most
eminent of which was :
Nereus, who was nursed and educated by the
waves, and afterward dwelt in the ^gean sea, and
became a famous prophecier. He was the father of
fifty daughters by his wife Doris, whose nymphs
were called after their father's name, Nereides.
Palsemon, and his mother Ino, are also to be
reckoned among the sea deities. They were made
seagods on this occasion : Ino's husband, Athamas,
was distracted, and tore his son Learchus into pie-
ces, and dashed him against the wall : Ino^saw this,
and fearing lest the same fate should come upon her-
.201
self and her other son, Melicerta, she took her son,
and with hhii threw herself into the sea : where they
were made sea deities. Nothing perished in the wa-
ters but their names. Though their former names
were lost in the waves^ yet they found new ones :
she was called Leucothea, and he Palccmon by the
Greeks, and Portumnus by the Latins.
Glaucus, the fisherman, became a seagod by a
more pleasant w ay : for when he pulled the fishes
which he had caught out of his nets, and laid them
on the shore, he observed that by touching a certain
herb, they recovered their strength, and leaped
again into the water. He wondered at so strange
an effect, and had a desire to taste this herb. When
he had tasted it, he followed his fishes, and, leaping
mto the water, became a god of the sea. — Ovid
Met. 13.
To these we may add the story of Canopus, a
god of the Egyptians, who, by the help of water,
gained a memorable victory over the god of the
Chaldeans. When these two nations contended
about the power and superiority of their gods, the
priests consented to bring two gods together, that
they might decide their controversy. The Chal-
deans brought their god Ignis (Fire,) and the
Egyptians brought Canopus : they set the two gods
near one another to fight. Canopus was a great
pitcher filled with water, and full of holes, but so
stopped with wax that nobody could discern them :
when the fight began. Fire, the god of the Glial-
deans, melted the wax, which stopped the holes ; so
that Canopus, with rage and violence assaulted Ig-
nis with streams of water^ and totally extinguished,
tanquished, and overcame him.
qUESTW.XS FOR EXAMTXATIOK.
Who was Triton, and how is he described ?
Give Virgil's descriptioni
2oa
Give Ovid's account.
Who was Oceanus ?
What is said of Nereus ?
Give the history of Palcemon.
How was GlaucuB transformed to a seagod ?
What story is told of Canopus ?
CHAPTER III.
THE MONSTERS OF THE SEA. -
THE SIRENS, SCYLLA, AND CHARYBDIS.
There were three Sirens, whose parentage is un-
certain, though some say the}^ were the offspring of
the river Achelous, and the muse Melpomene. They
had the faces of women, but the bodies of flying
fishes : they dwelt near the promontory Peloris in
Sicily, (now called Capodi Faro,) or in the islands
called Sirenusse, which are situate in the extreme
parts of Italy ; where, with the sweetness of their
singing, they allured all the men to them that sail-
ed by those coasts : and when by their charms they
brought upon them a dead sleep, they drowned
them in the sea, and afterward took them out and
devoured them. Their names were Parthenope,
(who died at Naples, for which reason that city was
formerly called Parthenope,) Ligae, and Leucosla.
That their charms migsit be more easily received,
and make the greater impression on the minds of
the hearers, they used musical instruments with their
voices, and adapted the matter of their songs to the
temper and inclination of their hearers. With some
•songs they enticed the ambitious, with others the vo-
luptuous, and with other songs they drew on the co-
vetous to their destruction.
203
" Monstra maris Sirenes erant, quae voce canora
Quaslibet admissas detinuere rates." — Ov. Art. Am. 3.
Sirens were once seamonsters, mere decoys,
Trepanning seamen AViih their tuneful voice.
History mentions only two passengers, viz. Ulys-
ses and Orpheus, who escaped. The first was fore-
warned of the danger of their charming voices by
Circe : therefore he stopped the ears of his com-
panions with wax, and. was himself fast bomid to die
mast of the ship, by which means he safely passed
the fatal coasts. But Orpheus overcame them in
their own art, and evaded the temptations of their
murdering music, by playing upon his harp, and
singing the praises of the gods so well, that he out-
did the Sirens. The fates had ordained, that the Si-
rens should live till somebody who passed by heard
them sing, and yet esc<iped alive. When, therefore,
they saw themselves overcome, they grew desperate,
and threw themselves headlong into the sea, and
were turned into stones. Some write, that they
were formerly virgins, Proserpine's companions,
who sought every ^vhere for her when she was sto-
len away by Pluto ; but when they could not find
her, that they were so grieved, that they cast them-
selves into the sea, and iiom that time were changed
into seamonsteis. Odjers add, that by Juno's per-
suasion they contended in music with Muses, wlio
overcame them, raid, to punish their rashness, cut off
their wings, with which they afterward- made for
themselves garlands.
The poets teach b}' this fiction, that the *" minds
of men are deposed from their proper seat and state,
by the allurements of pleasure." It corrupts them ;
and vhere is not a more deadly plague in nature to
mankind than voluptuousness. Whoever addicts
^ Vnluptatum illicebrts mentem e sua sede et statu dimoveri.
Cic.de Sei>ectute.
204
himself altogether to pleasure, loses his reason, and
is ruined ; and he that desires to decline their charms,
must stop his ears and not listen to them ; but heark-
en to the music of Orpheus. Tliat is, he must ob-
serve the precepts and instruction of the wise.
The description of Scylla is very various ; for
some say that she was a niost beautiful woman from
the breasts downward, but had six dogs' heads *
and others say, that in her upper parts she resem-
bles a woman, in her lower, a serpent and a wolf.
But whatever lier picture was, all acknowledge that
she was the daughter of Phorcus. She was court-
ed by Glaucus, and received his addresses ; upon
which Circe, who passionately loved Glaucus, and
could not bear that Scylla should be preferred be-
fore her by Glaucus, poisoned with venomous herbs
those waters in which Scylla used to wash herself:
Scylla was ignorant of it, and accordmg to her cus-
tom, went into the fountain ; and when she saw that
the lower parts of her body were turned into the
heads of dogs, being extremely grieved that she
had lost her beauty, she cast herself headlong into
the sea, where she was turned into a rock, famous
for the many shipwrecks that happen there. This
rock is still seen in the sea that divides Italy from
Sicily, between Messina, a city of Sicily, and Rhe-
gium (now Reggio) in Calabria. It is said to be
surrounded with dogs and wolves, which devour the
persons who are cast away there : but by this is
meant, that when the waves, by a storm, are dashed
against this great rock, the noise a little resembles the
barking of dogs, and the howling of wolves.
There was another Scylla, the daughter of king
Nisus, in love with Minos, who besieged her father
in the city of Megara. She betrayed both her fa-
ther and her country to him, by cutting off the fatal
lock of purple hair, in which were contained her fa-
ther's and her country's safety, and sent it to the
'205
besieger. Minos gained the city by it, but detested
Scylla's perfidiousness, and hated her. She could
not bear this misfortune, but was changed into a lark.
Nisus, her father, was likewise changed into a spar-
hawk, which is called nisus, after his name, and, as
it he still ought to pmiish his daughter's baseness,
pursues the lark with great fury to devour her.
Charybdis is a vast whirlpool in the same Sicilian
sea, over against Scylla, which swallows whatsoever
comes withm its circle, and throws it up again.
They say, that this Charybdis was formerly a very
ravenous woman, who stole away Hercules' oxen :
for which theft Jupiter struck her dead with thun-
der, and then turned her into this gulf. Virgil gives
an elegant description of these tvvo monsters, ScvUa
and Charybdis. *^
" Dextnira Scylla latus, laevnm implacata Charybdis
Obsidet : atqiie iino baratliri ten gurgite vastos
borbet 111 abruptum fliictus, rursusque sub auras
tngit altenios, et sidera verberat u)ida,
At Scyllam ca^cis cohibet spelunca latebris
Ora exsertantem, et naves in saxa trahentem :
Prima hominis fages, et pulcliro peclore virgo
Pube tenus: postrema imniHui corpore pristis,
Delphinum caudas utero commissa luporum/'—^n. 8
Far on the right her dogs foul Scvlla hides:
Charybdis roaring on ihe left presides,
And in her greedy whirlpool sucks the tides;
Then spouts them from below : with fury driv'n
The waves mount up, and wash the face of heav'n.
But Scylla from her den, with open jaws
The sinking vessel in her eddy draw's;
Then dashes on the rocks. A human face
And virgin bosom hide the tail's disgrace:'
Her parts obscene below the waves descend,
With dogs enclosd, and in a dolphin end.
-^The fables of Scylla and Charybdis represent lust
and gluttony, vices which render our voyage through
this world extremely hazardous and perilous. Lust
like Scylla, engages unwary passengers by the beau-
ty and pomp of her outside j and when they are en^
-! 8
206
tangled in her snares, she tortures, vexes, torments,
and disquiets them with rage and fury, which ex-
ceeds the madness of dogs, or the ravenousness of
wolves. Gluttony is a Charybdis, a gulf or whirl-
pool that is insatiable : it buries famihes alive, de-
vours estates, consumes lands and treasures, and
sucks up all things.
QUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMmATION,
Who were the Sirens, and how are they described •*
What were their names ?
How did they entice the unwary ?
Who escaped their machinations, and how did they effect it?
What became of the Sirens afterwards ?
What moral is to be drawn from this story ?
What is the history of Scylla ?
What is said of the other Scylla ?
Give the histor>' of Charybdis.
What is the moral of the fable ?
PART IV,
OF THE INFERMAL DEITIES.
CHAPTER I.
A VIEW OF HELL. CHARON. RIVERS OF HELL,
CERBERUS.
We are now in the confines of hell. Prithe*
come along with me ; I will be the same friend to
you that the Sibyl was to ^neas. Nor shall you
need a golden bough to present to Proserpine. You
see here painted those regions of hell, of which yOU
read a most elegant description in Virgil :
•' Spelunca alia fuit, vastoque immanis hiatu,
Scrupea, tuta lacu nigro nemorumque tenebris ;
Quam super baud ullae poteraut impuiie volantes
Tendere iter pennis : talis sese halitus atris
Faucibus ettundens supera ad contexa ferebat ;
CJnde locum Graii dixerunt nomine Avernum." — Mil 6.
Deep was the cave, and downward as it went
From the wide mouth a rocky rough descent;
And here th' access a gloomy grove defends;
And there th' unnavigable lake extends,
O'er whose unhappy Avaters, void of li^ht,
No bird presumes to steer his airy flight,
Such deadly stenches from the depth arise,
And steaming sulphur, which infects tiie skies ;
Hence do the Grecian bards their legends make^
And give the name Avernus to the lake.
. The passage that leads to these infernal domin^
ions was a wide dark cave, through which you pass
208
by a steep rocky descent till you arrive at a gloomy
grove, and an unnavigable lake, called ^Avernus,
from which such poisonous vapours arise, that no
birds can fly over it ; for in their flight they fall down
dead.
The monsters at the entrance of hell are those fa-
tal evils which bring destruction and death upon
mankind, by means of which the inhabitants of these
dark regions are greatly augmented ; and those
evils are care, sorrow, diseases, old age, fright, fa-
mine, want, labour, sleep, death, sting of conscience^
force, fraud, strife, and war.
* Vestibulum ante ipsum, primisque in faucibus Orcf,
Luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae ;
Pallentesque habitant Morbi tritisque Senectus,
Et Metiis, et malesuada Fames, et turpis Egestas,
(TeiTibiles visu formae) Lethumque Laborque.
ium consanguineus Lethi Sopor, et mala mentis
Gaudia, mortiferunique adverse in limine Bellum.
Ferreique Eumenrdum thalami, et Discordia demens
Vipereum crinem vittis innexa cruentis." «^n. &
Just in the gate, and in tho jaws of Hell,
Revengeful Care and sullen Sorrows dweM ;
And pale Diseases, and repining Age,
Want, Fear, and Famine's unresisted rage :
Here Toil and Death, and Death's half-brother, Sleep-,
(Forms terrible to view,) their sentry keep.
With anxious Pleasures of a guilty mind.
Deep Fraud before, and open force behind ;
The Furies' iron beds, and Strife that shakes
Her hissing tresses, and unfolds her snakes.
Charon h an old decrepid, long-bearded fellow :
be is the ferryman of hell ; his f name denotes the
ungracefulness of his aspect. In the Greek lan-
guage he is called Uopef^sv^ [^Porihmeus,'] that is,
portiior ; " ferryman." You see his image, but you
* Avernus dicitur quasi aopm. id est, sine avibus. Quod nul-
lae volucres lacum ilium, ob lethiferum halitum, pra^tervolare
salvae possent.
i Charon, quasi Acharon, id est, sine gratia ab a non ; et
Xdfts gratia.
209
may read a more beautiful and elegant picture of
him drawn by the pen of Virgil.
'• Portitor lias horrendus aquas et (lamina serva
7'erribili squalore Charon : cui pliirima mento
Canities inculta jacet ; staiit lumiiia flarama,
Sordidus ex humeris nodo deperidet amictus,
Ipse ratem conto subigit, velisqne ministrat,
Et Fermginea subvectat corpora cymba,
Jam senior ; sed cruda Deo viridisque senectus." ^n.Ot
There Charon stands, who rules the dreary coasts ;
A sordid god : down from his hoary chin
A length of beard descends, uncomb'd, unclean ',
His eyes like hollow furnaces on fire ;
A girdle foul with grease binds his obscene attire.
He spreads his canvass, with his poll he steers ;
The frights of flitting ghosts in his thin bottom bearS:
He look'd in years, yet in his years were seen
A youthful vigour, and autumnal green.
He is waiting to take and carry over to the other
side of the lake the souls of the dead, which you see
flocking on the shores in troops. Yet he takes not
all promiscuously who come, but such only whose
bodies are buried when they die ; for the unburied
wander about the shores an hundred years, and then
are carried over.
" Centum errant annos, volitant haec litora circum :
Turn deraum admissi stagna exoptata revisunt." — ,Mn. 6.
A hundred years they wander on the shore,
At length, their penance done, are wafted o'er.
But first they pay Charon his fare, which is at least
a halfpenny.
There are three or four rivers to be passed by the
dead". The first is Acheron, which receives them
when the^' come first. This Acheron was the son
of Terra or Ceres, born in a cave, and conceived
without a father ; and because he could not endure
light, he ran down into hell and was changed into q
river, whose waters are extremelv bitter.
18*
flO
The second is Styx, which is a lake rather than
-a river, and was formerly the daughter of Oceanus,
and the mother of the goddess Victoria by Acheron.
When Victoria was on Jupiter's side in his war
against the Giants, she obtained the prerogative for
her mother, that no oath that was sworn among the
gods by her name, should ever be violated : for if
any one of the gods broke an oath sworn by Styx,
they were banished from the nectar and the table of
the gods a year and nine days. This is the Stygian
lake, by which when the gods swore, they observed
their oath with the utmost scrupulousness.
"Dii cujus jurare timent et fallere numen." Virg. ,^n.Q.
The sacred stream which heaven's imperial jstate
Attests in oaths, and fears to violate.
The third river, Cocytus, flows out of Styx with
a lamentable groaning noise, and imitates the howl-
ing, and increases the exclanaations of the damned.
Next comes *Phlegethon, or Puriphlegeton, so
ealled because it swells with waves of fire, and all
its streams are flames.
When the souls of the dead have passed over these
four rivers, they were afterwards carried to the pa-
lace of Pluto, where the gate is guarded by Cerbe-
rus, a dog with three heads, whose body is covered
in a terrible manner with snakes, instead of hair.
. This dog is the porter of hell, begotten of Echidna,
by the giant Typhon, and h described by Virgil
and by Horace.
*< Cerberus haec ingens latratu regna trifauci
Personal adverse recubans immauis in antro."
Stretch'd in his kennel, monstrous Cerb'rus round
From triple jaws made all these realms resound.
• A tpxtyc^y ardeo, quod uadis intunaeat iguis flauimeogqtuie flac»
tus evolvat.
211
" Cessit immanis tibi hlandlenti
Janitor auloR
Cerberus ; quamvis turiale centum
Muniant ani^ues caput ejus ; atque
Spiritus teter, saniesque maiiat
Ore trilingui." — 1. 3. od. 1 1
Hell's grisly porter let you pass,
And frown'd and listend to your lays;
The snakes around his head grew tame,
His jaws no longer glow'd with flame,
Nor triple tongue was stain'd with blood;
No more his breath with venom flow'd.
qUESTWJVS FOR EXAMINATIOJ^
Give Virgil's description of hell, and the translatioT)
How is it described in the text ?
What is said of the monsters at the entrance ?
Give Virgil's description.
Who is Charon ?
What is his business ?
Repeat Virgil's description.
Does Charon take all, promiscuously ?
What is said of Acheron .''
What is Styx .'
How are Cocytns and Phlegethon described ?
What becomes of the souls of the dead after they have passed
these rivers ?
-Repeat Virgil's description of Cerberus.
Likewise the description by Horace.
CHAPTER II.
PLUTO. PLUTUS.
Pluto is the king of hell, son of Saturn and Ops,
and brother of Jupiter and Neptune. He h^d these
infernal dominions allotted to him, not only be-
cause in the division of his father's kinerdom the
western parts fell to his lot, but ^hcf berause the
invention af burying, and of honouring the dead
212
*vith fiiiierai obsequies, proceeded from him : for the
same reason lie is tliought to exercise a sovereignty
over the dead. Look upon him, he sits on a throne
covered with darkness, and discover, if you can, his
liabit, and the ensign of his majesty, more narrowly.
He holds a key in his hand, instead of a sceptre,
and is crowned with ebony.
Sometimes he is crowned with a diadem ; and
sometimes with the flowers of narcissus, or white
daffodils, and sometimes with cypress leaves ; be-
cause those plants greatly please him, and especially
the narcissus, since he stole away Proserpine, when
she gathered that flower. Very often a rod is put
into his hand in the place of a sceptre, with which
he guides the dead to hell : and sometimes he wears
a head-piece, which makes him ^invisible. His cha-
riot and horses are of a black colour, and fwhen he
carried away Proserpine he rode in his chariot. But
if you would know what the key signifies which he
has in his hand, the answer is plain, that when once
the dead are received into his kingdom, the gates are
locked against them, and there is uo regress thence
into this life again.
-" Facilis descensus Averni :
Noctes atque dies patet atri janna Ditis ;
Sed revocare gradum, superasque evadere ad auras,
Hoc opus, hie Jabor est." Virg. JEn. ft.
To th' shades you go a downhill easy way ;
But to return, and re-enjoy the day,
That is a work, a labour.
His Greek name JPluton or Pluto, as well as his
Latin name Dis, signifies wealth. The reason why
he is so called, is, because all our wealth comes from
the lowest and most inward bowels of the earth ; and
because, as Cicero observes, ||all the natural powers
* Horn. Iliad. 5. t Ovid. Met. 5. X Ukaro? divitiae,
II Terrena vis omiiis ac natura ipsi dicata credebatur. Cic. de
I^at. Deor. 2.
21S
and faculties of the earth are under his direction ;
for all things proceed from the earth, and go thither
again.
The name A^n^ [Hades,'] by which he is called
among the Greeks, ^signifies dark, gloomy, and me-
lancholy ; or else, fas others guess, invisible ; be-
cause he sits in darkness and obscurity : his habita-
tion is melancholy and lonesome, and he seldom ap-
pears to open viev/.
He is likcAvise called JAgesilaus, because he leads
people to the infernal regions ; and sometimes IJAge-
lastus, because it was never known that Pluto
laughed.
His name Februus, comes from the old word fe-
bruo, because purifications and lustrations were used
at funerals : whence the month of February receives
also its appellation : at which time especially, the
sacrifices called Februo were ofiered by tlie Romans
to this god.
He is also called Orcus or Urgus, and Ouragus,
as some say, ^Jbecause he excites and hastens people
to their ruin and death : but others think that he is
so named ITbecause, like one that brings up the rear
of an army, he attends at the last moments of men's
lives.
He is called Summanus, that is, the chief **of all
the infernal deities ; the principal governor of all the
ghosts and departed spirits. The thunder that hap-
pens m the night is attributed to him : whence he is
* A^ng aithi, id est, triste, tenebrosiim.
t A.ut quasi ao^aro,-, quod videri miniine possit, aut ab a, pri-
vante, ets/?s<vvidere. Socr. ap. Plut. Phuruut. Gaza.ap. Lil. Gyr.
X Uapa. TO ecysiv rm X«»j, a ducendis populis ad inferos.
II Ab a non, e ysXaw video, quod sine risu sit.
§ Orcus quasi Urgus et Ouragus ab urgendo, quod homines »r-
geat in interitum. Cic. in Verrem. 6.
TF Oupayes, eutQ sigiiificat qui ashmen claudit ; simili modo Plu-
to postremum humanae vita? actum excipit. Guth. 1. i. c. 4. de
Jur. Man.
** Qua«i summu3 Deorum manium. Aug. de Civ. Di?i. h 4.
^14
commonly styled also, the Infernal Jupiter, the Sty-
gian Jupiter, the Third Jupiter ; as Neptune is the
second Jupiter.
The Fates will tell you that Pluto presides over
life and death ; that he not only governs the depart-
ed spirits below, but also can lengthen or shorten
the lives of men here on the earth, as he thinks fit.
O maxime noctis
Arbiter, umbrarumque potens, cui nostra laborant
Stamina qui liiiein cmictis et semina prcebes,
ISascendique vices alterna morte rependis,
Qui vitam lethumque regis." Claud, de Rap. Proi,
Great prince o' th' gloomy regions of the dead,
From whom we hourly move our wheel and thread.
Of nature's growth and end thou hast the sway,
All mortals' birth with death thou dost repay,
Who dost command 'em both.
Though Plutus be not an infernal god, I joiahim
to Pluto, because their names and office are very si-
milar ; they are both of them goda uC riches, which
are the root of all evil, and which nature, our com-
mon parent, hath placed near hell ; and, indeed,
there is not a nearer way to hell than to hunt gree-
dily after riches.
Plutus was the son of Jason, or Jasius, by Ceres :
he was blind and lame, injudicious, and timorous.
And truly these infirmities are justly ascribed to
him ; for if he were not blind and injudicious, he
would never pass over good men, and heap his trea-
sures upon the bad. He is lame, because great es-
tates come slowly. He is fearful and timorous, be-
cause rich men watch their treasure with a great
deal of fear and care.
^lUESrjOA'S FOR EX.^Mm^TIOJV.
Who is Pluto, and how did he become possessed of bb do-
minion ?
How is he painted ?
215
What does the key signi^ ? •
Wliat does his name Phito signify, and why is be Sd called :
What does the name Hades signify ?
Why is he called Agesilaus ?
From what does his name Februus come ?
Why is he called Orcus ?
Why is he called Summanus, and what else is he styled?
Over what does Pluto preside ?
In what respects is Pliitus like Pluto ?
Who was Plutus, and how is he represented ?
CHAPTER III.
PROSERPINE. THE FATES. THE FURIES.
She who sits next to Pluto is the Queen of hell,
*the infernal Juno, fthe " lady" (as the Greeks com-
monly call her,) and the most beloved wife of Pluto,
the daughter of Ceres and Jupiter. She is. called
both Proserpine and Libera.
When all the goddesses refused to marry Pluto,
because he was so deformed, he was vexed at this
contempt and scorn, and troubled that he was forced
to live a single life ; wherefore, in a rage, he seated
himself in a chariot, and arose on a sudden from a
den in Sicily, Jwhere he saw a company of very
beautiful virgins gathering flowers in the fields of En-
na, a beautiful place, situate about the middle of the
island. One of them, Proserpine, pleased him
above the rest, for she surpassed them all in beauty.
He carried her with him from that place, and on a
sudden sunk into the earth near Syracuse. In the
place where he descended, a lake arose : and Cice-
ro says, the people of Syracuse keep yearly festivals,
to which great multitudes of both sexes resort.
* Virg. JEn. 6.
t Lii<rotva, domina. Paus. ia Aread,.
X Cic. i.R Verrem. 6.
216
The nymphs, her companions, were grievously
affrighted, and fled away. In the mean time Ceres,
the mother of Proserpine, seeks her daughter among
her acquaintance a long time, but in vain. She
next kindled torches by the flames which burst out
from the top of the mountain jEtna, and went with
them, to seek her daughter throughout the world ;
neither did she give over her vain labour, till the
nymph Arethusa fully assured her, that Proserpine
was stolen by Pluto, and carried down into his king-
dom. In great anger, she immediatly hastened and
expostulated with Jupiter concerning the violence
that was oflered her daughter ; and the god pro-
mised to restore Proserpine again, if she had not yet
tasted any thing in hell. Ceres went joyfully down,
and Proserpine, full of triumph and gladness, prepa-
red to return into this world ; when Ascalaphus dis-
covered, that he saw Proserpine, while she walked
in Pluto's orchard, pluck a promegranate, and eat
some grains of it; therefore, Proserpine's journey
was immediately stopped. Ceres being amazed at
this new misfortune, and incensed at the fatal dis-
covery of Ascalaphus, turned him into an owl, a
bird said to be of an ill omen, and unlucky to all
that see it : but at last, by the importunity of her
prayers to Jupiter, she extorted this favour from him,
that he should permit Proserpine to live half the
year, at least with her in heaven, and the other half
b^low in hell, with her husband.
" Et Dea regnorum numen coramune^»duorum,
Cum marte est totidem, totidera "utn conjuge menses."
Ov. Met. 6.
The goddess now in either empire sways,
Six months with Ceres, six with Pluto stays.
Proserpine afterwards loved this disagreeable
husband so much, that jealous of Mentha, she-
changed her into mintj an herb of her own name.
217
Let us now turn our ej ps tvoward the tribunal of
Pluto ; where 3'Ou see, in that dismal picture, con-
tinual trials : and all persons, as well the accusers
as the offenders, who have been Ibrmerly wicked in
their lives, receive their death impartial!}^ from the
three Fates ; after death they receive their sentence
impartially from the three judges; and after condem-
nation, their punishment impartially from the three
Furies.
The Fates are represented by three ladles : their
garments are made of ermine, white as snow, and
bordered with purple. They were born either of
Nox and Erebus, or of Necessity, or of the Sea, or
of that rude and undigested mass which the ancients
called Chaos.
They are called Parcae in Latin ; because, as
■^Varro thinks, they distributed good and bad things
to persons at their birth ; or, as the common and
received opinion is, -j-because they spare nobody.
They are also called Fatum, " fdtQ ;" and are three
in number, because they order, the past, present,
and future time. JFate, says Cicero, is all that
which God hath decreed and resolved shall come to
pass, and winch the Grecians call E^y^ccpf^evi] fEimar-
mene.^ Fatum is derived from the word fari, to
pronounce or declare ; because when any one is
born, these three sisters pronounce what fate will
befall him.
Their names and offices are as follows ; the name
of one is ||Clotho ; the second is called §Lachesis ;
* Parcse dicuntur partu, a quod nascesitilms hominibus bona
malaque cop.ferre censentur.
t Aut a parceudo per Antiphrasin, quod nemini parcant.
Serv. in /En. 1.
t Est autem Fatum id omne quod a Deo constitutum et de-
signatum est ut eveniat, quod Graeci nfxaffAtvyi appellant. De
Fato et Divinat.
Ij A verbo kXoi&m id est, neo.
§ Ab Xfl:7_;^avA', iortioT.
19
218
the third *Atropos, because she is mialterable, un-
changeable. These names the Grecians give them,
Nona, Decima, and IMorta.
To tbem is intrusted the management of the fatal
thread of hfe : for Clotho draws the thread between
her fingers ; Lacbesis tun.s about the wheel ; and
Atropos cuts die thread spun with a pair of scissors.
That is, Clotho gives us life, and brings us into the
world ; Lacbesis determines the fortunes that shall
befall us here ; and Atropos concludes our lives.
fOne speaks, the odier v. rites, and the diird spins.
The Furies have tlie faces of women. Th^ir
looks are full of terror ; they hold lighted torches
in their hands ; snakes and serpents lash their necks
and shoulders. They are called in Lntin sometimes
Furiae ; fbecause they make men mad, by the stings
of conscience which gi'.ilt produces. They are also
called |lDir£e, §Eumeuides, and ITCaiies ; and were
the oiTspring of "^"^Nox aiid ff Acheron. Their
proper names are Alecto, Tisiphone, ond Mageera ;
and they are esteemed virgins; because, since they are
the avengers of all wickedness, nothing can corrupt
and pervert them from inflicting the punishment that
is .due to the oftender.
There are only du-ee Furies^ because there are
three principal passions of the mind, anger, covetous-
ness, and lust, by which mankind are chiefly hurried
into all sorts of wickedness ; for anger begets revenge,
covetousness provokes us to get inmioderate wealth
by right or wrong, and lust pei'suades us to pursue
our pleasures at any rate. Indeed some add a fourth
Fury, called Lisso diat is, rage and madness ; but
* Ab a privativa particula, et -rpi^o verto, quod verti et flecte
nequeat.
t Una loquitur, altera scribit, tertia (ila ducit. Serv. in iEn. 1
X Quod sceleratos in furorem agant.
11 Virg. Mn. 3. § Ibid. 8. IT Ibid. 4. ^'^Ibid. 6.
tt Ibid. II.
219
she is easily reduced to the other three : as also
Erinnys, a name coininou to tliem all.
The office of tlie Furies is to observe and punish
the crimes ot' 'oad men, and to torment the conscien-
ces of secret otfenders ; wlience they are commonly
also entitled ^the goddesses, the discoverei-s and re-
vengers of bad actions. They punish and torment
the wicked, by frightening and following them with
burning torches. Yon see the picture of them there,
and you will find them beautifully described in the
twelfth book of Virgil's jEneid :
'* Dicutitur genniue pestes, cognomine Dirae,
Qiias ot Tartaipam Nox ii2tem{)esta Megffiram
Uiio eodemqiie tiiiit: partu, paribiisque revinxit
Sei'pentum spiris, ventosasqae addidit alas.'
Deep in the dismal region?, void of liglit,
Two daughter.-; at a birth were born to ?Jight:
These their brown mother, brooding on her care,
Eiidu'd with wiiidv wings to Heet in air,
With serpents girt alike, and crowu'd with hissing hah',
Jn heav n the Dirae call'd.
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMmATIOJ^.
Who was Proserpine ?
How did Pluto obtain her for his wife ?
What steps did Ceres take to recover her daughter?
What favour did*Ceres obtain for Proserpine ?
What do the Fates, the Judges, and the Furies determine?
Who are the Fates ?
Why are they called Parc?e ?
What is fate, according to Cicero ?
From what is the word " fate" derived ?
What are the names and offices of the Fates ?
How are the Furies described ?
What are their common and what their proper names?
Why are there only three Furies ?
What is the office of the Furies ?
* Deae speculatrices et vindices Facinorum.
^20
CHAPTER IV.
NIGHT. DEATH. SLEEP. THE JUDGES OF HELL.
Nox is, of all the gods, the most ancient : she was
the sister of Erebus, and the daughter of the first
Chaos; and of these two, Nox and Erebus, Mors
[^deathl was born. She is represented as a skeleton,
dressed usually with a speckled garment and black
wings : but there are no temples nor sacrifices, nor
priests consecrated to M.ors, because she is a god-
dess whom no prayers can move, or sacrifices
pacify.
Somnus [S'/eep] is the brother of Death, and also
hath wings, like her. Iris, who was sent by Juno to
the palace of this god, mentions the great benefits
that he bestows on mankind ; such as quiet of mind,
tranquillity, freedom from care, and refreshment of
the spirits, by which men are enabled to proceed in
their labours :
'' Somnp, quies renim, placidissime Somne Deorum,
Pax aninii, quern cnra fugit, qui corpora duris
Fessa ministeriis mulces reparasque labori." Oik Met. Ill
Thou rest o' th' world, Sleep, the most peaceful god,
Who driv'st care from the mind, and dost unload
The tired limbs of all their weariness,
And for new toil the body dost refresh.
In this palace there are two gates, out of which
dreams pass and repass ; one of these gates was
made of clear ivory, through which false dreams
pass ; the other was made of transparent horn, and
through that gate true visions come to men :
" Sunt gemina^ Somni ports, quarum altera fertur
Cornea, qua veris facilis datur exitus umbris :
Altera cander^tJ perfecta nitens elephanlo ;
Sed falsa ad ccelum mittunt insomnia manes."
Virg.Mn.6.
221
Two gates the silent house of Sleep adorn y
Of. polish'd iv'ry this, that of transparent horn:
True visions through tiaiispiirent horn arise ;
Through polish'd iv'ry pass deluding lies.
*Morpheiis, the servant of Somnus, who can put
on any shape or figure, presents these dreams to
those who sleep ; and these dreams were brought
from a great spreadmg ehii in hell, under whose
shade they usually sit.
Near the three Furies and the three Fates, f you
see the three Judges of hell, Minos, Rhadamanthus,
and iEacus, who are believed to be judges of the
souls of the dead ; because they exercised the offices
of judges ill Crete with the greatest prudence, dis-
cretion, and justice. The first two were the sons of
Jupiter by Europa : the last was the son of Jupiter
by iEgiiia. When all the subjects of queen iEgina
were swept away in a plague, beside jEacus, he
begged of his father, that he would repair the race
of mankind, which was almost exthict ; Jupiter
heard his prayer, aiid turned Ja great multitude of
ants, which crept about a hollow old oak, into men,
who afterward were called Myrmidones, from y.vf)tJi.n^
IMurmex^'] which word signifies an ant.
These three had their particular province assign-
ed by Pluto in this manner : Rhadamanthus was ap-
pointed to jndge the Asiatics, and ^Eacus the Euro-
peans, each holding a staff in his hand ; but Minos
holds a golden Sceptre and sits alone, and oversees
the judgments of Rhadamanthus and ^Eacus ; and
if in their courts there arose a case that was ambi-
guous and difficult, then Minos used to take the cog-
jiizance thereof, and decide it. Cicero adds to these
a fourth judge, Triptolemus ; but we have already
discom-sed of him in his proper place.
-* Ovid. Met. 11. Virg. ^n. 6.
^ Horn. 0dv's?.2-
I Ovid- Met. 7. Plata In Georg
19*
222
QUESTIONS FOR EXAMIKATJON
Who is Nox, and how was Mors produced ?
How is Mors, or Death, represented?
Who is Somnus, and what benefits does he bestow on man-
kind ?
Who is Morpheus and Somnus ?
Who are the judges of hell, and w^hose sons were they ?
What is the origin of the Myrmidones ?
What was the province of the judges ?
CHAPTER V.
THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE CONDEMNED IN HELL
From the judges let us proceed to the criminals,
whom you see represented there in horrid colours.
It will be enough if we take notice of the most cele-
brated of them, and notice their crimes, and the
punishments inflicted on them.
The giants were the sons of Terra [the earth"]
when she received the blood of Coelum, which flow-
ed from that dishonourable wound given him by his
son Saturn. They are all very tall in stature, with
horrible dragon's feet ; their looks and their bodies
are altogether full of terror. Their impudence *was
so great, that they strove to depose Jupiter from the
possession of heaven ; and when they engaged with
the celestial gods, they fheaped up mountains upon
mountains, and thence darted trees, set on fire,
agauist the gods and heaven. They hurled also
prodigious massy stones and solid rocks, some of
which, falling upon the earth again, became moun-
tains ; others fell into the sea, and became islands.
This |battle was fought upon the Phlegraean plains,
near the borders of Campania, ||which country is
* Horn. Odyss. 12. t Ovid. Met. 1.
i r^at. Comes, 1. 6. {[ Horn. Hyma. in ApoUio*
223
called Phle^ra, from (pxtyco [p/i/e^o] wro, for it
abounds in subterraneous fires, and hot baths flow-
ing continually. The giants were beaten and all
cut off, either by Jupiter's thunder, Apollo's arrows,
or by the arms of the rest of the gods. And some
say, that out of the blood of the slain, wliich was
spilt upon the earth, serpents and such envenomed
and pernicious animals were produced. The most
eminent of those giants were,
Typhoeus, or Tjphon, tlie son of Juno, had no
father. So vast was his magnitude, that lie touched
the east with one hand, and the west with the other,
and the heavens with the crown of his head. A hun-
dred dragon's heads grew from his shoulders ; his
body Vras covered with feathers, scales, rugged hair,
and adders ; from the ends of his fingers snakes issu-
ed, and his two feet had the shape and folds of a
serpent's body j his eyes sparkled wltli fir: , and his
mouth belched out flames. He was at last over-
come, and thrown down ; and, lest he should rise
agam, the whole island of Sicily was laid upon him :
" Nititur ille quidem, pugnatque resiirgere saepe :
Dextra sed Ausonio maniis est subjecta Peloro ;
L»va, Pachyne, tibi ? Lilybaeo crura premunturj
Prajgravat ^tua caput." Omd. Met. 5.
He Struggles oft, and oft attempts to rise ;
But on his right hand vast Pelorns lies ;
On's left Pachynus; Liiyba^us spreads
O'er his huge thighs ; and ^tna keeps his heads.
This island was also called Trinacria, because it
bears the shape of a triangle, in the corners of wh'ch
are the three promontories, Pelorus, Pachynus, and
Lilybseus ; Pelorus was placed on his right hand,
Pachynus on his left, and Lilybaeus lay upon his
legs.
^geon was another prodigious and cruel giant :
Virgil tells us that he had fifty heads and a himdred
B24
hands, from which he was called Centumgeminus,
and by the Grecians, Briareus.
" ^geon qualis, centum cui brachia dicnnt,
Centenasque manus, quinquaginta oribiis ignem
Pectoribusque arsisse : Jovis cum fulmina contra
Tot paribus streperet clypeis, tot stringeret enses.^'
JEn. 10.
And as ^geon, when with heav'n he strove,
Stood opposite in arms to mighty Jove,
Mov'd all his hundred hands, provok'd to war,
Defy'd the forky lightning from afar :
At fifty mouths his flaming breath expires,
And ilash for flash returns, and fires for fires;
In his right hands as many swords he wields
And takes the thunder on as many shields.
He hurled a hundred rocks against Jupiter at one
throw ; yet Jupiter dashed him down, bound hiin in
a hundred chains, and thrust him under the moun-
tain jEtna ; where, as soon as he moves his side, the
mountain casts forth great flames of fire.
Tityus was the son of Jupiter and Elara, born in
a subterraneous cave, in which Jupiter hid his mo-
ther, fearing the anger of Juno. She brought forth
a child of so prodigious a bulk that the earth was
rent to give him a passage out of ihe cave ; and
thence he was believed to be a son of the earth*
Juno afterward persuaded this giant to accuse Lato-
na of criminal conduct ; for which Jupiter struck
him with thunder down into hell : there he lies^
stretched out, covering nine acres of ground with
iiis boriy ; and a vulture contiiuially gnaws biff
liver, which grows again every month :
<'Nec non et Tityon, terras omniparentis alumnum,
Cernere erat ; cui tota novem per jugera corpus
Porrigitur, rostroque immanis vultur obunco
ImmoVlale jecur tandens, foecundaque pa?nis
Viscera, riinaturque epulis, habit atque sub alto
Pectore : uec fibris requies data ulla renatis." Virg. JEn. 6,
There Tityus torJuv'd lay, who took his birth
From iieav'n, his nui'sing from the fruitful earthy.
225
Here his gigantic limbs, with large embrace,
Infold nine acres of infernal i^pace :
A rav'nous vulture in his oi)en side
Her crooked beak and crut-l talons try'd ;
Still, for the growing liver digg'd his breast,
The growing liver still supply'd the feast ;
Still are the entrails fruitful to their pains,
Th' immortal hunger lasts, th' immortal food remains.
To tliese we may add the Titans, the sons of Ter-
ra and Cockim ; the chief of whom was Titan as,
Saturn's eldest brother : they made war against Sa-
turn, because the birth of Jupiter was concealed,
and conquered him ; but they were afterward over-
come by Jupiter, and cast down into hell.
Phlegyas, who was the king of the Lapithge in
Thessalia, and the father of the nymph Coronis,
When he heard that Apollo had deceived his daugh-
ter, he went in anger and fired the temple of Apollo
at Delphi : for which the enraged god shot him
through the body with an arrow, and inflicted on
him the following punishment : A great stone hangs
over his head, which he imagines every moment will
fall down and crush him to pieces :
"Quos super atra siles jamjam lapsura, cadentique
Imminet assimilis." Virg. ,^n. §.
•A massy stone,
Ready to drop, Jiangs o'er his cursed head.
Thus he sits^ perpetually fearing what will never
come to pass ; which makes him frequently call out
to men, to observe the rules of justice and the pre^
cepts of religion :
" Discite justitiam moniti, et non temnere Divos."
Learn justice hence, and don't despise the gods.
Ixion was the son of Phlegyas : be killed Ins own
sister, and obtained his pardon from the gods, who
226
advanced him tD heaven ; and his prosperity made
him so arropfant, tjmt lie attempted to make love to
Juno. Tliis insolent attempt was discovered to Ju-
piter, who sent a cloud in the shnp^ of Juno, whicli
the deceived lover embraced, and thence those mon-
sters, the Centaurs, were born : he was then thrown
down to ihe earth again ; where, because he boast-
ed every where that he had gained tlie heart of the
(]ueen of the gods, he was struck with tliundcr down
into hell, and tied fast to a wheel, which continu-
al 1}^ turns about.
Salmoneus was king of Elis ; his ambition was
cot satisfied with an earthly crown, for he desired
divine honours ; and, that the people might esteem
him a god, he built a brazen bridge over the city,
and drove his ciiariot upon it, imitating by this
noise Jupiter's thunder ; he also threw down light-
ed' torches, and those who were struck by them,
were taken and killed. Jupiter would not suffer so
great insolence, and therefore threw the proud man
from his stage into hell, where -^neas, when he
visited the infernal regions, saw him punished as
Virgil relates j
" Vjdi crudeles dantem Salmonea pcenas,
Dum flamraas Jovis et sonitus imitatur Olympi." ^n 6.
Salmonens suffering cruel pains I found,
For emulating Jove ; the rattling sound
Of mimic thunder, and the giitt'riiig b'.aze
Of pointed lightnings, and their forked rays.
Sisiphus was a famous robber killed by Theseus ;
he is condemned in hell to roll *a great and unwiel-
dy stone to the top of a high hill, and as oft as the
atone almost touches the top of the mountain, it
slides down again.
The Belides were fifty virgin sisters, so called
* lo^ens et non exsuperabile saxuniv Virg:
227
from fheir grandfather Belus ; and named also Da-
naides, from their father Danaiis, who married them
to the fifty sons of his brother. The oracle fore-
told, that Daiiaus should be slain by his son-in-law ;
wlierefore he commanded his danghters to provide
dagG^ers, and on their wedding-night to kill their
husbands. The daughters performed their promises,
and killed thei-r husbands, except Hypermnestra, for
she spared Lynceus, her husband, who afterward
killed Danaiis, and took his kingdom. This great
impiety was thus punished : they were condemned
to diaw water out of a deep well, and fill a tub, that
(like a seive) is full of holes; the water runs out as
fast as it is put in, so the}- are tormented wifth a per-
petual and unprofitable labour.
" Assiduas repetunt quas perdunt Belides nndas."
Ovid. Met. 4.
They hourly fetch the water that they spill.
Tantalus, another remarkable criminal, was the
son of Jupiter and the nymph Plota. He invited all
the gods to a feast, to get a plain and clear proof of
their divinity : when they came, he killed and quar-
tered his own son Pelops, and boiled him and set
the joints before them to eat. All the gods abstain-
ed from such horrible diet, except Ceres, who being
melancholy and inattentive from the recent loss of
her daughter, eat one of the child's shoulders. Af-
ter\^ard the gods sent Mercury to recall him to life,
and gave him an ivory shoulder, instead of the
shoulder which Ceres had eaten. This Pelops was
the husband of Hippodamia, who bore him, Atreus,
and Thyestes ; the latter of whom was banished, be-
cause he seduced CErope his brotlier Atreus' wife ;
and when he was recalled from banishment, he eat
up his children ; for Atreus killed them, and had
them served in dishes to the taJ)le, where he and
Tliyestes dined together. It is said, that the sun
^8
could not endure so horrible a sight, and turned his
course back again to the east. But as Tantalus'
crime was greater, so was his piuiishment ; *for he
is tormented with eternal hunger and thirst in the
midst of plent} , both of meat and drink : he stands
in water up to his lips, but cannot reach it; and
fruit is placed just to his mouth, which he cannot
take hold of. Ovid mentions the punishment of Tan-
talus, but assigns aiiot])''i reason for it ; namely, be-
cause he divulged the secrets of the gods to men.
" Qncent aqiiasin aqni?, et poma fugacia capiat
Tantalus, hoc illi gairula lingua dedit."
Now this fable, of Tantalus represents the condi-
tion of a miser, who in the midst of plenty suffers
want, and wants as much the things which he has,
as those which he has not ; as Horace rightly says,
where he applies this fable of Tantalus to the real
wants of the covetous man.
" Tantalus, a labris sitiens fugientia captat
Flumina. Quid rides? mutato nomine, dfr te
Fabula narratur." Serm. 1.1.
Though Tantalus, you've heard, does stand chin deep
In water, yet he cannot get a sip :
At which you smile ; now all on't would be true,
Were the name chang'd, and the tale told of you.
QUESTIOJVS FOR EXMflJVATIOJY.
Who were the Giants ?
How are they and their actions described ?
How were they subdued ?
Who was TyphaMis or Typhon, and how is he described'
What became of him ?
Who was iEgeon, and what were his other names -'
What became of him when he was subdued ?
Who was Tityus ?
What became of him ?
Who were the Titans, and what is said of their chief?
* Horn. Odyss. 11.
229
Who was Phlegyas , what was his crime ; and what his purf
ishment ?
What is said of Ixion ?
What is said of Sahnoneus ?
Who was Sysyphus ; and what his punishment ?
Who were the Belides ?
\V' hat is the history of Tantalus ?
What are the lines of Horace descriptive of Tantalus ?
CHAPTER VI.
MONSTERS OF HELL. ELYSIUM. LETHE.
There are many strange pictures of these infer-
nal monsters, but the most deformed are the Cen-
taurs, who were the ancient inhabitants of Thessaha,
and the first who tamed horses, and used them in
war. Their neighbours, who first saw them on
horseback, thought that they had partly the mem-
bers of a man, and partly the limbs of a horse. But
the poets tell us another story ; for they say that Ixion
begat them of a cloud, whence they are called *Nu-
biginae ; and Bacchus is said to have overcome them.
Geryon, because he was the king of three islands
called Balearides, is feigned to have three bodies ;
or, it may be, because there were three bodies of the
same name, whose minds and afiections were so
united, that they seemed to be governed and to live
by one soul. They add, that Geryon kept oxen,
which devoured the strangers that came to him :
they were guarded by a dog with two heads, and a
dragon with seven. Hercules killed the guards and
drove the oxen away.
The Harpies, so called f from their rapacity, were
born of Oceanus and Terra. They had the faces of
* Virg. Mn. 6.
i Ab tx.f'recluf rapio.
230
virgins and the bodies of birds ; their hands were
armed with claws, and their habitation was in the
islands. Their names were tEIIo, Ocypete, and Ce-
leno ; which last brought forth Zepliyrns, the " west
wind," and Balius, and Xanthiis, {he horse of Achil-
les. Virgil gives us an elegant description of these
three sisters.
" At subitae horrifico lapsu de montibus adsunt
Harpyfe; et magnis qiiatinnt claiigoribus alas :
Sive Dea^, seu smit Dira3, obscoetiaiqiie volucres.
Tristius baud illis monstrum est, nee sacvior uUa
Pestis et ira Deum, Stygiis sese exttjlit undis.
Virginei vobicrura vultus, fcedissitiia ventris
Pro^uvies, uticseque manns, et pallida semper
Ora fame." JEn. 3.
When from the mountain tops, with hideous cry
And clattering wings, the filthy harpies fly :
Monsters more fierce oft'ended hcav'ii ne'er sent,
From heirs abyss, for human punishment.
With virgin faces, but with wombs obscene ;
Foul paunches, and with ordure still unclean ;
With claws for hands, and looks forever lean.
To the three Harpies add the three Gorgons, Me-
dusa, Stheno, and Euryale, who were the daughters
of Phorcus and Cete. Instead of hair, their heads
were covered with vipers, which so terrified the be-
holder, that they turned him presently into a stone.
Perhaps they intended to represent, by this part of
the fable, the extraordinary beauty of these sisters ;
which was such, that whoever saw them were ama-
zed, and stood immoveable like stones. There were
other Gorgons beside, born of the same parents, who
were called Latriae, or Empusre. Tliey had only
one eye and one tooth, common to them all : they
kept this tooth and eye at home in a little vessel,
and which ever of them went abroad, she used them.
They had the faces of women, and also the necks
and breasts ; but below they were covered with
scales, and had the tails of serpents. They used to
entice men, and then devour them.
331
The Chimera *was a iiionster, which vomited
forth fire ; he had the head and breast of a lion, the
body of a poat, and the tali of a dragon, as it is ex-
pressed in a known verse, and described b}' Ovid :
" Prima leo, poslrema draco, media inde capella."
A lion's bead and breast resemble his,
His waist a goat's, his tail a dragon's is,
'■'Quoqiie Chima?ra jago mediis in partibns ignem,
Pectus et ora IciE, caudam serpentis habebat." Met. 9,
, And on the craggy top
Chimaera dwells, Mith lion's face and mane,
A goat's rough body, and a serpent's train,
A volcano in Lycia occasioned this fable ; for
in the top of the mountain v.ere lions ; in the mid-
dle, where was pasture, goats lived ; and the bottom
of it abounded with serpents.. Bellerophon made
:his mountain habitable, and therefore is said to have
killed the Chimsera.
The monster Sphynx was begotten of Typhon and
Echidna. She had the head and breast of a woman,
the wings of a bird, the bod}' of a dog, and the paws
of a lion. She lived in the mountain Sphincius, as-
saulted all passengers, and infested the country
about Thebes ; insomuch that the oracle of Apollo
was consulted concerning her, and answer was made,
that unless somebody did resolve the riddle of
Sphynx, there would be no end to that great evil.
JVlany endeavoured to explain it, but were overcome,
and torn in pieces by the monster. Creon, at that
time king of Thebes, published an edict through all
Greece, in which if any one could explain the riddle
of Sphynx, he promised that he would give him to
wile his own sister Jocasta. The riddle was this ;
f" What animal is that, which walks upon four feet
in the morning, upon two at noon, and upon three
* Horn. Iliad. 24.
t Quidam animal mane quadrupes, meridie bipes, vesperi tri-
Ijos es-et ?
232
at night ?" CEdipns, encouraged with the hopes <tf
the reward, undertook it, and happily explained it ;
so that the Sphynx was enraged, and cast herself
headlong into the sea, and died. He said, that the
animal was a man, who in his infancy creeps upon
his hands and feet, and so may be said to go on
four feet ; when he grows up he walks on two feet ;
but when he grows old, he uses the support of a staff,
and so may be said to walk on three feet.
This CEdipuswas the son of Laius, king of Thebes.
Soon after his birth, Laius commanded a soldier to
carry his son CEdipus into a wood, and then destroy
him ; because it had been foretold by the oracle,
that he should be killed by his own son. But the
soldier was moved with pity toward the child, and
afraid to imbrue his hands in royal blood; where-
fore he pierced his feet with a hook, and hanged
him on a tree to be killed with hunger. One of the
shepherds of Polybius, king of Corinth, found him,
and brought him to the queen, who, because she had
no children, educated him as her own son, and from
^his swollen feet called him (Edipus. When Qi^di-
pus came to age, he knew that king Polybius was
not his father, and therefore resolvexl to find out his
parents : he consulted the oracle, and was told that
he should meet his father in Phocis. In his jour-
ney he met some passengers, among whom was his
father, but he knew him not : a quarrel arose, and
in the fray he by chance killed his father. After
this he proceeded on his journey, and arrived at
Thebes, where he overcame Sphynx, and for his re-
ward married Jocasta, whom he knew not to be his
mother then, but discovered it afterward. He had,
by her, two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two
daugters, Antigone and Ismena. f When afterward
* Puerum (Edipum vovacit a turaere pedum tuha enim turaeo
et jrsj pedem significat.
t Senecae (Edip.
233
he found, by clear proof, that he had killed his fa
ther, and married Lis ni other, he was seized with so
great madness that he pulled out his own eyes, and
w oiild have killed himseir, if his daughter Antigone
(who led him about ailer he was blind) had not hin-
dered him.
Eteocles and Polynices, the sons of CCdipus and
Joeasta, ^succeeded their father in the government ;
and they agreed to reign a year each, in their turns.
Eteocles reigned the first year, and tlien refused to
admit his brother Polynices to the throne ; upon
which a war arose, and the tvvo brothers, in a duel,
killed each other. Their enmity lasted longer than
their lives ; for when their bodies were placed on
the same pile, to be burnt b}^ the same fire, the
flames refused to unite, but divided themselves into
two parts.
There is a place in the infernal dominions abound-
ing with pleasures and delights, which is called the
Elysium ; -j-because thither the souls of the good re-
sort after they are loosed from the chains of the
bod} and have been purified from the light offences
that they had contracted in this world :
" Q;iisque suos patlmur manes ; cxinde per araplum
INIittiiiiur EK sium. et pauci lata arva teiiemus." ^n. 6.
All liav^e their manes, and those manes bare :
The few who're cleans'd, to those abodes repair,
And breathe in ample fields the soft Elysian air.
^neas received this account from one of the hi-
habitants of it, as V'rgil tells us, who describes this
place as abounding with all the delights that the
most pleasant plains, and the finest and most tempe-
rate air, can produce.
* Stat. Theb,
t A<To ms Xtjffius, a solutione ; quod Animae piorum corpo"
reis solutae vlncidis, loca illi petant postquam ptugatae sunt a
levioribus nosis quas contraxerent.
20*
234
Devenere locos laetos, et amaena vireta
Fortunatorum nemorum, sedesque beatas.
Largior hie campos aether et lumina vestit
Purpureo : soiemque suum sua sidera norunt.
These holy rites perform'd, they took their way,
Where long extended plains of pleasure lay.
The verdant fields with those of heav'n may vie.
With ether vested, and a purple sky :
The blissful seats of happy souls below,
Stars of their own, and their own sun they know."*
There is a river in hell called Lethe, f from the
forgetfulness it causes. For if any body drinks this
water, he immediately forgets all things past ; so that
when the souls of the pious have spent many ages in
the Elysian fields, they drink the water of Lethe,
and are believed to pass into new bodies, and return
into the world again : and it is necessary they should
forget both the pleasures they have received in Elysi-
um, and the miseries they did formerly endure in this
life, that they may willingly return into this miserable
ife again. These souls went out from Elysium by
that ivory gate ; which you see painted in the loweir
part of this wall :
-Animae, quibus altera fate
Corpora debentur, Lethsei ad fluminis undam
Securos latices et longa oblivia potant. Virg. ^n. 0.
Souls that by fate
Are doom'd to take new shapes, at Lethe's brink
Quaff drafts secure and long oblivion drink.
* Mr. Cliffton, an American poet, thus beautifully describes the
i^harms of Elysium, in lines which would do honour to Pope.
"There, rage no storms; the sun diffuses there
His temper'd beams, thro' skies for ever fair.
There gentler airs, o'er brakes of myrtle blow;
Hills greener rise, and purer waters flow ;
There bud the woodbine and the jes,mine pale.
With ev'ry bloom that scents the morning gale ;
While thousand melting sounds the breezes bear,
In silken dalliance to the dreaming ear.
And golden fruits, 'mid shadowy blossoms^ ""hine,
In fields immortal and in groves diyinei
> Avo rm >.ti$n$i ab oblivio n€.
235
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATION.
What is said of the Centaurs ?
What is the histoiy of Geryon ?
Who were the Harpies ?
What is said of the Gorgons ?
What is said of the Chimaera, and what was the occasion of this
fable ?
What is the history of Sphynx ?
Who explained it ?
Give the history of (Edipus.
What is the Elysium, and how is it described ?
Repeat the lines from Virgil.
What is said of the river Lethe ?
Repeat the lines from Virgil.
Repeat the lines of Mr. CiifFton, in the note
4
PART V.
OF THE
DII MINORUM GENTIUM;
OR,
THE SUBORDINATE DEITIES.
CHAPTER I.
THE PENATES. THE LARES.
The fifth division of this Fabulous Pantheon coft*
tains the inferior or subordinate gods : the Latins gen-
erally called them Dii Minorum Gentium, and some-
times Semones, Minuti, Plebeii, and Patellarii.
T{)e Penates are so called from the Latin word
j)enus, which word, ^Cicero says, includes every
thing that man eats. Or they have perhaps this name
from the place allotted to them in the heavens, f be-
cause they are placed in the most inward and private
parts of the heavens where they reign : hence they
call them fPenetrales, and the place of their abode
Penetrale. They entirely govern us by their reason,
their heat, and their spirit, so that we can neither
live, nor use our understanding without them ; yet
we know neither their number nor names. T j an-
cient Hetrusci called them Consentes and Compli-
* Est enim penus omne quo vescuntiir homines. De Nat. Deor,
t Quod peiiitufs insideant, ex quo Penctrales a Poetis vocautur,
et locus in quo servabantur eoruna effigies Penetrale dictus. Var-
ro ap. Arnob. 1. 3.
237
ces ; supposing that they are Jupiter's counsellors,
and the chief of the gods ; and many reckon Jupi-
ter himself, together with Juno and Minerva, among
the Penates. But I will give you more distinct and
particular information in this matter.
There were three orders of the Dii Penates :
1. Those who governed ^kingdoms and provinces,
and were absolutely and solely called Penates.
2. Those who presided over cities only ; and these
w^ere called the f " gods of the country," or the " great
gods :" jEneas makes mention of them in Virgil.
" Tu, genitor, cape sacra manu, patriosque Penates."
Our country gods, the reliques and the bands,
Hold you, my father, in your guiltless hands.
3. Those who preside over particular houses and
families, and these were called the f" small gods:"
The poets make frequent mention of them, especially
Virgil, who in one place mentions fifty maid-servants
whose business it was to look after their affairs, and
-^^to offer sacrifices to the household gods : and in ||ano-
ther place he speaks of these household gods being
stained and defiled by the blood of one that was killed
by his brother. But it must likewise be observed
that, among the Latins, the word Penates not only
signifies the gods, of which we have been speaking,
but likewise a dwelling house, of which we have in-
stances in many authors, and among the rest, in
IT Virgil, ^^Cicero, and f f Fabius.
■' Virg. JEn. 1. 5.
t Dii Patrii S-ioi ^xTputot. Macrob. 3. Saturn. 14,
X Parvique Penates. Virg. JEn. 8.
§ Flammis adolere penates. ^n. 1.
II Sparsos fraterna cajde Penates. JEn. 4.
IT Nostris succede penatibus hospes JE.n. 8.
** Exterminare aliquem a suis Diis Penatibus. Pro Sexto.
it Liberos pellere domo, ac prohibere Penatibus. Dec. 260
238
*Timseus, and from him Dionysius, says that
these Penates had no proj3er shape or figure ; but
were wooden or brazen rods, shaped somewhat like
trumpets. But it is ajso thought by others, that
they had the shape of young men with spears, which
they held ajDart from another.
The Liires were children born from Mercury and
the Nymph Lara ; for wlien, by her prating, she
had discovered some of Jupiter's intrigues, he was so
enraged that he cut out her tongue, and banished
her to the Sltygian lake : Mercury, who was ap-
pointed to conduct her thither, made love to her.
She brought forth twins, and named them Lares.
" Fitque gravis Gerainosque parit qui compita servant,
Et vigilant nostra semper in aede Lares. Ovid. Fast. 2
Her twins the Lares called. 'Tis by their care
Our houses, roads, and streets in safety are
They were made domestic gods, and accordingly
presided over houses, streets, and ways. On this
account they were worshipped in the roads and open
streets, called compita in Latin, whence the games
celebrated in honour of them were called Compi-
talitii, Compitalitia, and sometimes Compitalia.
When these sports were exercised, the images of
men and women, made of wool, were hung in the
streets ; and so many balls made of wool as there
were servants in the family, and so man}^ complete
images as there were children. The meaning of
which custom was this : These feasts were dedicated
to the Lares, who were esteemed infernal gods ; the
people desiring by this, that these gods would be
contented with those woollen images, and spare the
persons represented by them. The Roman youths
used to wear a golden ornament, called bulla, about
their necks ; it was made in the shape of a heart,.
* Lib. 1.
239
and hollow within: this they wore till they were
fc '.ieen years of oge, then they put it ofi; and hang-
in : :^ up, consecrated it to the Lares ; as we learn
froiii Fersius.
'•' Bu,]laque succinctis Laribus donata pependit."
When fourteen years are past, the Bulla's laid
Aside, an ottering to the Lares made.
These Lares sometimes were clothed in the skin
of dogs, and sometimes fashioned in the shape of
dogs; whence that creature was consecrated to them.
The place in which the Lares were worshipped
was called Lararium ; and in the sacrifices offered
to them, the first fruits of the year, wine and in-
cense, were brought to their altars, and their images
adorned with chaplets and garlands. *The bri^in-
ning of which worship came hence : that anciently
the dead, f who were buried at home, wej-e wor-
shipped as gods, and called Lares. And besides,
we find in JPliny, that they sacrificed, with wine
and incense, to the images of the emperors while
they yet lived.
QUESTIOA'S FOR EXAMINATION.
How are the inferior gods divided?
V/hat is said of the Penates ?
Into how many orders were they divided, and what was their
Oiiioe r
What signification is given to the word '' Penates" by the
Latuis r ^
What is related of the Penates by Tima?us and Dionysius ?
Who were the Laies ?
Over what did they preside ?
What games were celebrated in honour of them, and how
were tiiey exercised ?
What customs had the Romans with respect to the Lares ?
Where were the Lares worshipped ?
* Juv. Sat. 9, 12.
f Arnob. 5. ex. V'ar
X Epist. ]. 10.
240
CHAPTER 11.
THE GENII. THEIR NAMES, IMAGES, SACRIFICES,
AND OFFICES.
Although the Genii and the Lares sometimes
mean the same deities, yet by Genius is commonly
meant that spirit of nature which produces all things,
from which ^generative power it has its name. The
birth-day had the name f " genial" from him : which
name was likewise given to all days, wherein mirth,
pleasure, and joys did abound. And on the same
account those who live merrily, who deny themselves
nothing that makes for their ease and pleasure, or
that is grateful to their appetite, who entirely follow
the dictates of their sensual desires, are said to live
a genial life, or to indulge their genius.
The Greeks called these Genii " daemons ;'* as
it is thought, from the Jterror and dread they create
in those to whom they appear ; or, as it is more
probable, §from the prudent and wise answers which
they gave when they were consulted as oracles.
Hence some think, that illustrious men, whose ac-
tions in this life gain them universal praise and ap-
plause, do after their deaths become daemons ; by
which daemons is to be understood, as Plutarch
says, beings of a middle kind, of a greater dignity
than man, but of a nature inferior to the gods.
The images of the Genii (according to Persius
and his commentators) resembled for the most part
* A gignendo seu genendo, nam geno pro gigno olim diceba-
tur. Aug. de Civ. Dei. 7. Cic. de Orat. 2. et de Invent. 2.
t Censorin. de Dei. Nat. 3.
j Daemones dicuntur a '^aifAova.u exterreo aut pavefacio. Eu-
sebi'is.
§ Ve! quasi Sa<^jv=j id est, periti rerumque proscii nam res-
pouaa dabant consulentibus. Isidor. 3. Etymol,
241
the form of a serpent. Sometimes also they were
described like a boy, a girl, or an old man ; and
crowned with the leaves of the plane, which was a
tree sacred to them.
Wine and flowers were offered up in the sacrifices
to the Genii, and that, especially by the people on
their birth-days, as we may learn from Persi"'? — '
Horace :
*' Funde merum Genio." Pers.
To Genius consecrate a cheerful glass,
piabant
Floribus et vino Genium memorem bra3vis aevi,
Cum sociis operum e* pueris conjuge fida." Epist. 2.
Their wives, their neighbours, and their prattling boys.
Were call'd ; all tasted of their sportive joys •
They drank, they danc'd, they sun?, made wanton sport.
Enjoy'd themselves, for life they knew was short.
To these flowers and wine they added *ineense
parched bread, and corn strewed with salt, f Some-
times also a swine was sacrificed ; though Censorinus
writes, that it was not usual to sacrifice to the Genii
with the blood and slaughter of any thing, since we
ought not to take life from other creatures on that
day on which we received it.
The Genii were appointed the continual guar-
dians, overseers, and safe keepers of the men fas
the women's guardians and protectors were called
Junones) from their cradles to their graves. They
likewise carried the prayers of men to the gods, and
interceded for them. Whence some call them Prse-
stites, or chief governors, because thev are set over
the management of all things.
To every person Jwere assigned two Genii, a
• Piut. in Aul.
t Palseph. Eel. 5. Hor. Carm. 3.
t Pint de Iside et Osir.
21
242 •
bonus Genius, and a malus Genius : ^Horace calls
them a white and a black one. We are told by
f Valerius Maximus, that when Casslus fled to Athens,
after Anthony was beaten at Actium, there appeared
to him a man of large stature, of a black swarthy
complexion, with long hair, and grisly beard. Cas-
sius a^ed him who he was f and the apparition
answered, " I am your evil Genius." Virgil is
thought, by his Jcommentator, Servius, to mean
these two Genii, by the word manes. Of these two
Genii, the good one, which is given to»^every one at
his birth, constantly incites him to the practice of
virtue and goodness ; whereas the bad one prompts
him to all manner of vice and wickedness.
Nor were they assigned to men only ; for several
countries had their Genii, who therefore were called
§" the deities of the place :" Nay, IJGenii were al-
lotted to all houses, and doors, and stables, and
hearths: and because the hearths were usually co-
vered with slates, therefore the god of the hearths
was called Lateranus.
qUESTlOA'S FOR EXAMINATIOJ^.
Who were the Genii, and from what is the term derived ?
Why were they called Daemons?
How are they represented ?
What were the sacrifices offered to the Genii ?
To whom were the Genii appointed guardians?
How many Genii were appointed to each person, and what
were they ?
What was the office of each ?
Were Genii appointed to countries and places, as well as per-
sons ?
What was the god of the hearths called ?
* Genium album et nigrum Epist. 2.
t Interrogatus quisquam esset respondit se esse K«Ke^aifioy»f.
^ c. 7.
♦ Quisque sues patimur manes. Virg. ^n. 7. Vide Servium
ft r*umen loci. Virg. JEn. 7.
( Prud. in Symm. Laterculis extnii foci solebant. Lil. Gyr
fynt. 1.
243
CHAPTER ID
THE NUPTIAL GODS AND GODDESSES, DEITIES PRE-
SIDING OVER WOMEN IN LABOUR, kc.
Five deities were so absolutely necessary to all
marriages, that none coiild lawfully be solemnized
without tiiem. They were Jupiter perfectus or adul-
ills, Juna perfecta or adulia, Venus, Suada, and
Diana : beside these, several interior gods and god-
desses were worshipped at all marriages.
Jugatinus joined the man and the woman together'
in *the yoke of matrimony.
Domiducus fguided the bride into the bride-
groom's house.
Domitius was worshipped, that the bride might be
Jkept at home, to look after the affairs of the family,
Manturna was worshipped, that the wife might
never leave her husband, but in all conditioii^ of lite
•|abide with him.
Then the goddess Virginensis, and also the god-
dess Cinxia Juno, |Jwere invoked.
Priapus, or Mutinus, was also reckoned one of the
nuptial gods, because in his lap the bride was com-
manded to sit.
irViriplaca reconciles husbands to their wives. A
temple at Rome was dedicated to her, whither the
married couple usually repaired when any quarrel
arose between them ; and there, opening their minds
freely to each other, without passion, they laid aside
all anger, and returned home together friendly.
*" A jugo matrimonii dictus. Aug. de Civ. Dei. 4.
t Quod sponsam in sponsi domum duceret. Idem, ibid*
t Ut sponsam domi teneret.
§ Ut cum marito semper maneret.
II August, ibid. ^ ^, . i
^ A placando viro. V^al. Max. L 2. e. 1„
244
Pilumnus, one of the gods of children, was ^o
called from the ^pestle which tlie ancients pounded
their corn withj before they made their bread ; or,
f because he keeps off those misfortunes which attend
children.
Intercidona was the goddess who first taught the
art {of cutting wood with a hatchet to make iires.
Deverra was worshipped as a goddess, because
she invented brooms, by which all things are brushed
clean, and those distempers prevented that proceed
from uncleanhness.
The Sylvan gods, who were always hurtful to
pregnant women, were driven away by those dei-
ties, and the mischiefs they intended were prevented.
For, as neither the trees, §says St. Augustine, are
cut down without an axe, nor bread made without
a pestle, nor things preserved clean without a brush ;
so, since these instruments are thought signs of good
housewifery, it was supposed that these wild unclean
deities would never enter into the chamber of a
nre^nant woman.
Juno Lucina, the friend of women in labour, is
represented with one hand empty, and ready, as it
were, to receive the new-born babe ; the other hand
holding a lighted torch, by which that light of life
was signified, which all enjoy as soon as they are
born.
qUESTIOJYS FOR EXAMINATION.
Who were the deities necessary in all marriages ?
What was the business of .Tugatinus, Domiducus, and Domi*
tins ?
Why were Maturna, Virginensis, and Priapus, reckoned nup-
tial gods ?
What was the business of Viriplaca ?
* A pile.
i Quod mala ab infantibus pellit. Servius.
\ Ab intercisione securis.
§ De Civ. Dei. 7. ,. .^,,
245
Who was Pilumnus ?
Who was Intercidona ?
Why was Deverra worshipped as a goddess ?
What gods were driven away by these deities ; and what are
the observations of St. Augustine ?
How is Juno Lucina represented ?
CHAPTER IV.
THE DEITIES PRESIDING OVER INFANTS AT THE
TIME OF THEIR BIRTH AND AFTERWARDS.
The chief of these are as follows :
Janus, who opened ^the door of life to them.
Opis, who f assisted them when they came mto
the world.
Nascio, or Natio, a goddess so called from a Latiu
word signifying to be born.
Cunia, who attends the cradle, and watches the
infants while they lie and sleep.
Levana, from lifting them up from the ground,
for when a child was born, the midwife constantly
laid the child on the ground, and the father, or in
his absence, somebody appointed by him, lifted it
from the ground ; and hence tollere liberos signifies
" to educate children."
Carna, or Carnea, {who keeps the inward parts
safe. To this goddess they sacrificed upon the
calends of June, bacon, and cakes made of beans.
Whence those calends were called Fabarise.
The goddess Nundina was so called from the ninth
day of the child's age, which was the day of the pu-
rification : in which the name was given it, if it wa«5
* Qui aperiret vitae januara.
t Quae opem ferret.
t A carne. Vide Macrob. Saturn. 1. 1,
21*
246
a boy; if it was a girl, this ceremony was performed
on the eighth day.
Our several actions are supposed to be under the
protection of divers gods.
Juventus, or Juventas, protects us in the beginning
of our youth, *when we have thrown off the child's
coat.
Horto is the goddess fwho exhorts us to under-
take noble enterprises. Her temple at Rome stood
always open : and some call her Hora.
Quies had her temple without the city : and {was
Apposed to be the donor of peace and quietness.
The goddess Meditrina has her name from §heal-
ing ; and her sacrifices were called Meditrinalia, id
which they drank new and old wine, instead of
physic.
The goddess Vitula is called from leaping for joy :
she is the " goddess of mirth," which mitigates the
toils of life.
Sentia was worshipped, that children might im-
bibe at first just and honourable || sentiments.
Angerona was the goddess that removed the
ITanguish of the mind.
Stata, or Statua Mater, was worshipped in the
Forum, that it should not be burnt, or suffer damage
from the frequent fires, which happened there in the
night.
The goddess Laverna was the protectress of
thieves, who, from her, were named Laverniones :
they worshipped her, that their designs and intrigues
might be successful : her image was a head without
a body.
* August. 4. c. 11.
i Plut. QucEst. Rom. 14.
I Aui^ust. 4. c. 16.
A medendo. Var. et Festus.
A sentieiido. Fest. Jul. ModeStv
Ut pelleret angores ajiimi.
247
Volummis and Volumna were so named, because,
through llieir means, men *\vere willing to follow
things that are good.
Aius Locutius was worshipped on this occasion;
A common soldier reported, that in the night he
heard a voice say, '* tiie Gauls are coming." No-
body minded what he said, because he was a pooF
fellow. After the Gallic war, Camillus advised llie
Romans to expiate their ofi'ence in neglecting this
nocturnal voice, which forewarned them of the Gal-
lic war, and the ensuing destruction ; upon which
a temple was dedicated in Via Nova to Aius Locu-
tius.
A particular god was assigned and ascribed to
every member of the body of man.
The head was sacred to Jupiter, the breast to Nep-
time, the waist to IMars ; the forehead to Genius, the
eyebrows to Juno, the eyes to Cupid, the ears to
Memoria, the right hand to Fides, the back and the
hinder parts to Pluto, the reins to Venus, the feet to
Mercury, the knees to Misericordia, the ancles and
SK)les of the feet to Thetis, and the fingers to Mi-
nerva. #
The astrologers assign the parts of the body to
ihe celestial constellations, in another manner.
Thechief of the funeral deities is Libitina, whom
some account to be the same as Veiuis ; but oiliers
think that she was Proserpine. In her tem[)le all
things necessary for funerals were sold or let. Libi-
tina sometimes signifies the grave, and Libitinarii,
those men who were employed in burying the dead.
Porta Libitina, at Rome, was that gate tlirough
which the dead bodies were carried to be burnt:
-and RatJ^nies Libitinae, in Suetonius, signifies those
accounts viAch we call " the bills of mortahty,'' or
** the weekly bills."
* A volendo, quod ejua consilio bona vellen^
248
qUESTlOJVS FOR EXAMmATlOK.
Who were Janus, Opis, Nascio, and Cunia ?
What was the office of Levana?
What was the business of Carna, and what were the sacrifices
offered to her ?
Who was the goddess Nundina, and why was she so called ?
What is the office of Juventus ?
What are the duties of Horta and Quies ?
Who was Vitula?
Who were Sentia and Angerona ?
Why were Stata and Laverna worshipped ?
From what did Volumnus and Volumna derive their names?
What is said of Aius Locutius ?
What parts of the body were sacred to the gods ?
Who was the chief of the funeral deities ?
-rfT^VKr"rrt;!?i;n
PART VI.
DII INDIGETES AND ADSCRIETITII ;
THE SEMI-DEI AND HEROES.
CHAPTER I.
HERCULES. HIS NAMES ANP LABOURS.
. In the last division of the Fabulous Pantheon, are
described the images of the Indigetes, or Semi-Dei,
and thp Hproes
The .'^^^n • rvi, ll?^iiici fTIcmitr " " <.; Deri;i-
fOd&5 V
lin^s,
world fo.
ITe^hinks that Heros %as\one ot Jmio's <50iis, aiij
tiiiii the name Heros is d« iived fnm Yl x T Hera A
Juno's name in the Greek language. Others think
that the word comes from eox [e; «,] " the earth ;"
because men owe their original to it. Others again
think it conies from f o^« [ero5,] " love ;" for heroes
are the most illustrious product of love, and are
themselves, as Hierocles observes, full of love. But
ethers think that this name is derived from speu ^ereo,']
" to plead," and is given them because heroes are
very elegant, and most powerful, and ski'fnl in rhe-
toric. Or, lastly, it is thought that the word comes-"
250
from etfurti [arete^ " virtue ;" for heroes are endued
with many virtues. But let us speak particularly
concerning some of these heroes, of whom the most
famous was Hercules. .
There were many heroes called Hercules, but (as
* Cicero says) the famous actions of them all are
ascribed to him who was the son of Jupiter, by Alc-
mena, the wife of Amphytrio, king of Thebes.
When Amphytrio was absent, Jupiter put on his
shape and dress, and came to Alcmena ; who, think-
ing that her husband was returned, entertained the
deceitful god, and had by him a son, whose limbs
were extraordinary and wonderfully large, his con-
stitution robust, and his body full of vigor. Before
this, Alcmena had conceived a son by her husband.
This son and Hercules were twins ; his name was
Iphiclus ; he was wonderfully swift in running :
" Nam super extremas segetum currebat aristas,
Nee siccos fructus laedebat pondere plantae."
Orph. in Hymn,
He ov.er standing corn would run, and ne'er
In his swift motion bruise the tender ear.
When Juno had discov^^red the conduct, of Jupi-
ter, she began to hate Hercules so violently, that
she endeavoured to ruin him. First, she obtained
an edict from Jupiter, which she endeavoured to turn
to his utter destruction ; for the wife of Sthenelus,
king of Mycenae, was pregnant with Euristheus, at
the same time when Alcmena was with Hercules.
Jupiter ordained, that whichever of the two children
was born first, he should be superior to the other :
Juno accelerated Euristheus' birth, so that he was
born after seven months, and came into the world
before Hercules. Again, she sent two vipers to de-
stroy him when he lay crying in the cradle : but it
* De Nat. Deor. 2..
251
was in vain ; for the valiant infant griped them in
his hands till they perished by his grasp, as we are
told by Ovid, in his epistles. At length, by the
mediation of Pallas, Juno was reconciled to the no-
ble youth, aiid suckled him, but he drew the milk
with suck violence, that she violently put him away,
and some of her milk was spilt ; falling upon the sky,
it made the Milkyway, which is in Greek r«tA«|<«6
l^Galaxia.'] Some of it passed through the clouds,
and fell on the earth ; and where it fell lilies sprang
up : hence some call these the "roses of Juno."
He had two proper names, Hercules and Alcides ;
but his sirnames are innumerable. His parents call-
ed him * Alcides, . from his extraordinary strength,
in which he greatly excelled all mankind. He was
afterward called Hercules, f from the glory which
Juno caused him : for when she exposed him to the
greatest dangers, she rendered him most illustrious,
and b} enjoining him so many labors, she only ex-
ercised his patience and courage.
Hercules was subjected to Euristheus, not only by
the edict of Jupiter and unkindness of Juno, but also
because the oracle of Apollo at Delphi advised and
persuaded him to submit himself, and obey Euris-
theus' commands ; and especially, to undergo, will-
ingly, the twelve labors which his master should
lay upon him. Hercules obeyed the Fates, and
served Euristheus twelve years : he performed the
most dangerous and difficult commands with a suit-
able courage and success. Some say, that Hercu-
les served him voluntarily, and performed these
difficult tasks, to show how great love he bore Eu-
ristheus.
Though Hercules performed an infinite number
of great and memorable actions, twelve are espe-
cially celebrated : and those twelve are comprised
* Ab aXxn robur.
t Juno Grace dicitur rpa, et kKh; gloria, unde nomen Herciiler.
252
m as many Latin verses, translated out of the
Greek :
" Prima Cleonei tolerata aerumna leonis.
Proxima Lerna^am ferro et face contndit hydram.
Mox Erymantheuni vis tertia perculit aprum.
^ripidis quarto tulit aurea cornua cervi.
Stymphalidas pepulit volucres discrimiiie quinto.
Threiciam sexto spoliavit Amazonabaltheo.
Septima in Augeae stabulis impensa laboris.
Octava expulso numeraf.n-.adorea tauro.
Ifi Diomedis victor jam nona quadrigis.
Geryone extincto deciraam dat Iberia palmam.
Undecimum mala Hesperidum distracta triiimphum.
Cerberus extremi suprema est meta laboris."
-The Cleonian lion first he kills;
With fire and sword then Lerna's pest he quells ;
Of the wild boar he clears th' Er'manthean fields;
The brass-foot stag with golden antlers yields:
He Stympha clears of man-devouring birds ;
And next the bouncing Amazon ungirds:
The stables of king Augeas he cleans;
The Cretan bull he vanquishes and chains:
Diomedes' horses him their conqu'ror own :
Then he brings low three-headed Geryon :
Hesperian apples next his name sustains ;
And his last labour Cerberus enchains.
The particular account of these twelve is this :
The first labour of Hercules. was, that he tore in
pieces, with his nails, the lion in the woods of Ne-
msea, which, some say, fell from the orb of the moon,
and was invulnerable by any weapon. This place
was also named Cleone, from which the lion was
also called Cleoneus. He afterwards skinned the
lion, and with the skin made himself a shield and a
breast-plate.
2. There was a hydra, a serpent in the lake
Lerna, in the field of Argos, that had seven heads ;
some say nine, others lifty. When any of these
heads were cut otf, another presently sprang up in
the place of it : unless the blood which issued from
the wound was stopped.
253
lolaus, the son of Iphiclus, procured for him light-
ed brands from the neighbouring wood, and with
them Hercules stanched the blood issuing from the
wounds he made. This seasonable assistance was
not forgotten ; for when lolaus was grown to decre-
pid age, Hercules, by his prayers, restored him to
his youth again. Ovid. Met. 9.
3. He bound the wild boar, whose fierceness and
bigness were equally admirable, in the mountain
Erymanthus of Arcadia ; and afterwards brought it
to Euristheus.
4. He was ordered to bring to Mycenae a hind,
whose feet were brass, and horns gold. Nobody
dared to wound her, because she was consecrated to
Diana, nor could any body outrun her : yet Her-
cules hunted her a year, on foot, caught her, and
brought her away on his shoulders.
5. He partly killed and partly drove away the
birds called Stymphalides, from lake Stymphalus,
which used to feed upon man's flesh.
6. He defeated the army of the Amazons, and
took from Hyppolite, their queen, the finest belt in
the world.
7. He in one day cleansed the stable of Augeas,
by turning the course of a river into it. This sta-
ble had never been cleansed, although three thou-
sand oxen stabled in it thirty years. Whence, when
we would express a work of immense labour and toil,
in proverbial speech, we call it " cleansing the Au-
gean stable."
^ 8. He tamed a great bull, that did much mischief
111 the island of Crete, and brought him bound to
Euristheus.
9. He overcame Diomedes, the most cruel tyrant ^^'
of Thrace, who fed his horses with the flesh of ^'^^ ' ^^^
guests. Hercules bound him, and threw him where it
eaten by those horses to which the t-
posed others.
22
254
10. He overcame in war Geryon, king of Spain,
who had three bodies, and took his bay oxen that
ate men's flesh, and brought them into Italy, when
he had killed the dragon with seven heads, and the
two-headed dog which guarded him.
11. He killed the dragon that watched, and then
carried away the golden apples in the gardens of the
Hesperides ; whence perhaps he is called ^Melius,
and apples were offered up in his sacrifices. In
Boeotia, when no bull (or sheep) could be procured
at the time of sacrifice, they took an apple, and
stuck into it four straws, which represented four
legs, and two more for horns, with another for a
tail, and ofiered Hercules this apple instead of a
victim.
12. Lastly, he was commanded by Euristheus to
go down into hell, and bring away thence the dog
Cerberus. This he performed without delay, bound
the three-headed monster in a triple chain, and by
force brought him up to the earth. When Cerebus
saw the light, he vomited, and thence the poisonous
herb wolf's-bane, Aconitu?n, sprang. These are the
twelve labours of Hercules.
13. He vanquished the cruel and enormous giant
Antaeus, the son of the earth, who was above sixty-
four cubits high, and who forced strangers to wrestle
with him. Hercules threw this giant down thrice,
and perceiving that he recovered new strength as
oft as he touched the earth, he lifted him in his arms
from the ground, and then despatched him.
14. Busiris, the tyrant, used to sacrifice all the
strangers that he caught to his father Neptune, till
Hercules sacrificed both him and his son upon the
^'^":ame altar.
some .r.^ He killed the giants Albion and Bergeon,
heads wt^^^j^^g^j ^q gtpp his journey : and when in the
the place oi it :
the wound was Stopi^ce gignificat malum vel pomum.
255
fight his arrows were consumed, so that he wanted
arms, he prayed to Jupiter, and obtained from him
a shower of stones, with which he defeated and put
to flight his adversaries. This, they say, happened
in tiiat part of France, anciently called Gallia Nar-
bonensis ; which place is called the Stony Plain,
Campus Lapideus.
16. When Atlas was weary of his burden, Her-
cules took the heavens upon his shoulders. He
overcame the robber Cacus, who spit fire, and
strangled him. He shot the eagle that devoured
the liver of Prometheus, as he lay chained to the
rock. And he slew Theodamus, the father of Hy-
las, because he denied him victuals ; but he took
care of Hylas, and was kind to him.
17. He delivered "^Hesione, daughter of Lao-
medon, king of Troy, from the whale in this manner;
he raised, on a sudden, a bank in the place where
Hesione was to be devoured, and stood armed be-
fore it ; and when the whale came seeking his prey,
Hercules leaped into his mouth, slided down his
throat, destroyed him and came away safe. Lao-
medon, after this, broke his word, and refused to
give Hercules the reward he promised ; therefore
he took it by force, and pillaged the city of Troy ;
giving to Telamon, who first mounted the wall, the
lady Hesione, as a part of the booty.
18. In fighting for Deianira, Hercules overcame
Achelous, the son of Oceanus and Terra, though
Achelous first turned himself into a serpent, then
into a bull. By plucking one of his horns off, he
obliged him to 3'ield ; but Achelous purchased his
horn again ; giving Amalthsea's horn in its stead.
The meaning of which is this : Achelous is a river
of Greece, whose course winds like a serpent ; its
stream is so rapid, that it makes furrows where it
^Ovid Met. 11.
266
flows, and a noise like the roaring of a bull : and
indeed it is common among the poets to compare a
river to a bull. This river divided itself into two
streams, but Hercules forced it into one channel 5
that is, he broke off one of the horns or streams.
The lands thus drained became fertile ; so that Her-
cules is said to have received the horn of plenty.
19. Deianira was daughter of OEneus, king of
(Etolia. Hercules carried her to be married, and
in their way they were stopped b}' a river : but the
centaur Nessus offered to carry Deianira over upon
his back. Nessus, when she was over, insulted her;
which Hercules observing, while he swam, shot him
with an arrow. When Nessus was dying, he gave
Deianira his bloody coat, and told her, if a husband
wore that coat, he would never follow unlawful pur-
suits. The credulous lady soon after experienced
the virtue of it, far otherwise than she expected.
For Hercules, who had surmounted so many and so
great labours, was at length overcome by the charms
of Omphale, queen of Lydia, and, to gratify her,
changed his club into a distaff, and his arrows into
a spindle. His love also to lole, daughter of Eury-
tus, king of Oechalia, brought on him destruction.
For his wife Deianira being desirous of turning him
from unlawful objects, sent him Nessus' coat to put
on when he went to sacrifice ; which drove him into
such distraction, that he burned himself on the pile
be had raised, and was accounted among the num-
ber of gods. The lines of Virgil in praise of the
hero, shall finish my description.
ut prima no\ercai
Monstra manu, geminoscine pvimus ellserit angues;
Ut bello egregias idem disjecerit urbes,
Trojamque (Echaliamque ; ut duros mille labores
Rege sub Eurystheo, fatis Junonis iniqua^,
Pertulerit.^ Tu nubigeuas invicte bimembres,
Hylaeumque, Pholumque, manu ; tu Cressia mactas
Prodigia, et vastura Nemeae sub rupe leonem.
.257
Te Stigii tremuere lacus ; te janitor Orci,
Ossa super recubans antro seraesa cruento.
JVec te ullae facies, non terruit ipse Typhoeus,
Arduus, arma tenens, non te rationis egentem
Lernseus turba capitum circumstetit anguis.
Salve, vera Jovis proles, decus addite Divis :
Et nos, et tua dexter adi pede sacra secundo."
First, how the mighty babe, when swath'd in bands,
The sei-pents strangled with his infant hands ;
Then, as in years and matchless force he grew,
Th' (Echalian walls and Trojan overthrew.
Besides a thousand hazards they relate,
Procur'd by Juno's and Euristheus' hate.
Thy hands, unconquer'd hero ! could subdue
The cloud-born centaurs, and the monster crew;
Nor thy resistless arm the bull withstood;
Nor he the roaring terror of the wood.
The triple porter of the Stygian seat.
With lolling tongue, lay fawning at thy feet,
And seiz'd with fear, forgot thy mangled meat.
Th' infernal waters trembled at thy sight ;
Thee god ! no face of danger could atiVight ;
Not huge Typho3us, nor th' unnumber'd snakes ;
Increas' with hissing heads in Lerna's lake.
Hail, Jove's undoubted son ! an added grace
To heav'n, and the great author of thy race.
Receive the grateful ott''rings which we pay,
And smile propitious on thy solemn day.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMINATIOK.
Who were the Semi-Dei ?
What account is given of the heroes ?
Who was Hercules ?
Who was the twin-brother of Hercules, and for what was he
celebrated ?
How did Juno act with regard to Hercules ?
By whom was she reconciled; and what was the consequence
of the reconciliation ?
What were the proper names of Hercules ; and how did he
dcive them ?
Why was Hercules subject to Euristheus .?
Repeat the Latin lines descriptive of Hercules' labours.
What was his first labour ?
What was his second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth,
ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth ?
What did he do with regard to Antaeus .''
How did he act with Busiris .'
Why did he killthe giants Albion and Bergeon?
■22*
258
What was his conduct with regard to Atlas, Cacus, Pronacr
Cheus, and Theodamus ?
How did he deliver Hesione ?
What is the meaning of the fable of Achelous ?
What is related of Deianira ?
CHAPTER II.
JASON. THESEUS.
Jason, the son of CEson, king of Thessalia, by
Alcimede, was an infant when his father died, so that
his uncle Pelius administered the government.
When he came of age, he demanded possession
©f the crown ; but Pelius advised him to Colchis,
under pretence of gaining the golden fleece thence,
though his real intention was to kill him with the
labour and danger of the journey.
The golden fleece was the hide of a ram, of a
white or purple colour, which was given to Phryxus,
son of Athamus and Nephele, by his mother. Phryx-
us and his sister Helle, fearing the designs of their
stepmother Ino, got on a ram to save themselves by
flight. But while they swam over the narrowest
part of Pontus, Helle, aflfrighted at the tossing of
the waves, fell down ; whence the sea was called
Hellespont. Phryxus was carried over safe ; and
went to -^ta, king of Colchis, a country of Asia,
near the Pontus ; where he was kindly received,
and sacrificed the ram to Jupiter, or Mars, who af-
terwards placed it among the constellations. Only
his hide or fleece was hung up in a grove sacred to
Mars. It was called the Golden Fleece, because it
was of a golden colour ; and it was guarded by bulls
that breathed fire from their nostrils, and by a vast
and watchful dragon, as a sacred and divine pledge,
«nd as a thing of the greatest importattce.
259
Jason went on board a ship called Argo, from the
builder of that name ; and chose forty-nine noble
companions, who, from the ship, were called Argo-
nautae, among whom were Hercules, Orpheus, Cas
tor, and Pollux. In his voyage, he visited Hipsy-
phile, queen of Lemnos, who had twins by him.
Then, after a long voyage, and many dangers, he
arrived at Colchis, and demanded the Golden Fleece
of king jEta, who granted his request, on condition
that he tamed the bulls which guarded it ; killed the
dragon, and sowed his teeth in the ground ; and
lastly, destroyed the soldiers who sprang from the
ground where these teeth were sown. Jason undertook
the thing, and was delivered from manifest destruc-
tion by the assistance of Medea, the king's daughter,
who was in love with him. For, observing her di-
rections, he overcame the bulls, laid the dragon
asleep, carried away the fleece, and fled by night,
carrying Medea with him, whom he afterward mar-
ried.
iEta pursued them, but his daughter, to stop his
pursuit, tore her brother Absyrtus, who went with
her, in pieces, and scattered the limbs on the road ;
that when her father saw the torn members of his
son, he might stop to gather them up. So Jason
and the Argonautte returned to their own country,
where Medea by her charms restored Jason's father,
the old decrepid jEson, to youth again ; though
some say that jEson died before their return. Af-
ter this, Jason divorcing himself from Medea, he
married Creusa, the daughter of Creon, king of
Corinth ; and Medea, to revenge his perfidiousness,
not only murdered the two children that she had by
him in his own sight, but, in the next place, enclosed
fire in a little box, and sent it to Creusa, who opened
the box, and by the fire which burst out of it, was
burnt, together With the whole court. When she
had done this, tiie admirable sorceress flew by magic
260
art to Atheus. S :.ine write that she was reconciled
afterwards to Jmsou. But what has been said is
enough lor this hero ; let us proceed to
Theseus, whose parents were iEthra and iEgeus,
kitig of Athens, Minos, liing of Crete, made war
against iEgeus, because the Athenians had disho-
nourably and bajbarously killed his son, who carried
the prize in the games. When he had banished the
Athenians, he itnposed this severe condition upon
them, that they should send seven of the most noble
youths of their counti'y into Crete by lot every year.
In the fourth year the lot fell upon Theseus, which
mightily grieved and troubled his father iEgeus.
X^eseus went on brjard a ship, whose sails and
taclvle were black, and received this command from
his father : " If by the propitious providence of hea-
ven he escaped the dangers, and did return safe
unto his own country again, that then he should
change his black sails into white ones, that his
father, being assured of his safety by that signal,
might be sensible of his happiness as soon as might
be."
The event was fortunate to Theseus ; but very
unfortunate to his father jEgeus : for when Theseus
came to Crete, he was shut up in the Labyrinth ;
but he slew the Minotaur, and escaped out of that
mextricable prison T3y the help of Ariadne. After
this he set sail for Athens in the same mournful ship
m which he came to Crete, but forgot to change his
sails, according to the instructions which his father
had given him ; so that, when his father beheld
from a watchtower the ship returning with black
sails, he imagined that his son was dead, and cast
himself headlong into the sea, which was afterward
called the ^gean or Black Sea, from his name and
destiny.
Ariadne was the daughter of Minos, king ot
Crete. She having delivered Theseus out of the
261
Lab^Tintb by the means of a thread, followed him in
his return to the island of Naxus^ where he perfidi-
ously and ungratefully left her. But Bacchus, pity-
ing her miserable condition, married her, and gave
her a crown that was illuminated with seven stars,
which he had before received from Venus. This
crown was called Gnossia Corona ; and Ariadne her-
self was surnamed Gnossis, from the city of that
name in Crete. After the death of Ariadne, the
same was carried among the stars, and made a con-
stellation in the heavens. It was thought that Diana
caused the death of Ariadne, because she preserved
not her virginity.
The actions of Theseus were so famous, that they
accounted him a Hercules. For, 1. He killed the
Minotaur. 2. He overcame the Centaurs. 3. He
vanquished the Thebans. 4. He defeated the Ama-
zons. 5. He went down into hell ; and returned
back into the world again.
He and Pirithous, his most intimate friend, the
lawful son of Ixion, agreed never to marry any wo-
men except Jupiter's daughters. Theseus married
Helena, the daughter of Jupiter and Leda, and
none of Jupiter's daughters remained on the earth
for Pirithous ; therefore they both went down into
hell to steal Proserpine away from her husband
Pluto. As soon as they entered hell, Pirithous was
unfortunately torn in pieces by the dog Cerberus ;
but Theseus came alive into the palace of Pluto,
who fettered him, and kept him till Hercules was
sent into hell by Euristheus to rescue him.
The Amazons were women animated with the
souls and bravery of men ; a military ra,ce, inhabit-
ing that part of Scythia which is washed by the
river Tanais. They were called Amazons, ^either
because they cut off one of their breasts, or f because
* Ab a privativo et fjt,a^oi mamma.
* Ab «,«« simul et K^v viver«»
262
they lived together without the society of men
They were a nation of women, who, that the country
might have inhabitants and not be depopulated, when
the present race of women died, admitted the ad-
dresses of the neiglibouring young men. They kill-
ed the boys at their birth, but brought up the girls.
The}^ cut off their right breast that they might more
conveniently use their hands in shooting their ar-
rows, and brandishing their weapons against their
enemy. These female warriors, by their frequent
excursions, became possessors of a great part ot
Asia, when Hercules, accompanied with Theseus,
made war upon them, and defeated them ; and
taking Hippolyte, their queen, prisoner, he gave
her in marriage to Theseus.
Theseus had by Hippolyte his son Hippolytus,
who was very beautiful, and mightily addicted to
hunting, and a remarkable lover of chastity ; for
when ^Phaedra, his step mother, (the daughter of
king Minos, whom Theseus had preferred to her
.sister Ariadne) made love to him, he repulsed her.
This repulse provoked her so much, that when her
husband returned, she accused him wrongfully.
Theseus gave ear to the wicked woman, and believ-
ed her untruth against his son Hippolytus, who per-
ceiving it, fled away in his chariot. In his flight he
met several monstrous sea-calves, which frighted his
horses, so that they threw him out of his seat, his
feet were entangled in the harness, and he was drag-
ged through the thickets of a wood, and torn to
pieces miserably. ^Esculapius afterwards, at the
request of Diana, restored him to life again. But
he however left Greece and came into Italy, where
he changed his name to -j-Virbius, because he had
been a man twice. Phsedra was gnawn with the
stings of her own conscience, and hanged herself.
* Ovid, in Ep. Phaedr.
f Quod, vir bis esset.
♦- ^ *
% ■■ ^ I
I
( ,:.
r
\
x-l
263
And not long after, Theseus, being banished from
his country, ended an illustrious life with an obscure
death.
QUESTIOA'S FOR EXAMINATION.
Who was Jason; and why sent after the Golden Fleece?
What w as the Golden Fleece ?
Whence was the Hellespont named ?
By whose assistance did Jason procure the Fleece?
Who was Medea, and what were her pctions?
Who was Theseus, and what were his actions ?
^gean or Black Sea ; why so called ?
Who was Ariadne, and what happened to her?
Wliat agreement was made between Theseus and Perithoosj
and what became of the latter ?
Who were the Amazons ; and what account is given of them?
What is the story of Hippolytus ?
What became of Phaedra and Theseus ?
CHAPTER III.
CASTOR AND POLLUX.
Castor and Pollux are twin brothers, the sons of
Jupiter and Leda, who was the wife of Tyndarus,
king of Laconia, whom Jupiter loved, but could not
succeed in his amour till he changed himself into a
swan ; which swan was afterwards made a constel-
lation^, Leda produced two eggs, which hatched
the twin brothers. Out of one e^^ came Pollux
and Helena, who sprang from Jupiter, and were
therefore immortal. But out of the other, by Tyn-
darus her husband, came ^Castor and Clytemnes-
tra, who were mortal. Yet both Castor and Pollux
are frequently called Tyndaridae by the poets, as
Helena is also called Tyndaris, from the same king
Tyndarus.
" Hor. Sat. U
264
Castor and Pollux accompanied Jason when lie
sailed to Colchis ; and, when he returned thence,
they recovered their sister Helena from Theseus, who
had stolen her, by overcoming the Athenians that
fought for him, to whom their clemency and hu-
manity were so great after the defeat, that the Athe-
nians called them the sons of Jupiter f and hence
white lambs were offered upon their altars. *But
although they were both at the same birth, and, as
some think out of the same egg, yet their tempers
were different.
Castor being, as some say, a mortal person, was
killed by Lynceus: upon which Pollux prayed to
Jupiter to restore him to life again, and confer an
immortality upon him. But this could not be grant-
ed. However, he obtained leave to divide his im-
mortality between himself and his brother Castor,
and thence it came to pass f that they lived after-
wards by turns every other day, or, as some say,
every other fortnight. After the death of Castor, a
kind of pyrrhickj or dance in armour, was instituted
to his honour ; which was performed by young men
armed, and called {" Castor's dance."
At length they both were translated into heaven,
and made a constellation, which is still called Gemi-
ni. Sailors esteem these stars lucky and prosperous
to them, ^because, when the Argonauts were driven
* " Castor gaudet equis: Ovo prognatus eodem, '
Pugnis : quot capitum vivunt, totidem in studiorura
Millia." Horat. Serm. 2. 1
As many men, so many their delights.
t " Sic fratem Pollux alterna morte redemit,
itque reditque viam." Virg. JEn. 6.
Thus Pollux, offering his alternate life,
Could free his brother. They did daily go
By turns aloft, by turns descend below.
t Plin. I. 7. c. 5. 7. ap. Nat. Cora.
§ Hor. Carm. 3.
265
by a violent tempest, two lambent' flames settled
upon the heads of Castor and Pollux, and a calm
immediately ensued : from which a virtue more than
human was thought to be lodged in these youths.
If only one flame appeared, they called it Helena,
and it was esteemed fatal and destructive to mari-
ners.
There was a famous temple dedicated to Castor
and Pollux in the Forum at Rome ; for it was be-
lieved, that in the dangerous battle of the Romans
with the Latins, they assisted the Romans, riding
upon white horses. x\nd hence came that form of
swearing by the temple of Castor, which women
only used, saying, ^Ecastor : whereas, when men
swore, they usually swore by Hercules, using the
words f Hercule, Hercle, Hercules, Mehercules, Me-
hercule. But both men and women swore by the
temple of Pollux, using the word ^depol, an oath
common to them both.
Clytemnestra was married to Agamemnon, whom,
after his return from the siege of Troy, she kilL-d,
by the help of ^gisthus ; with whom, in the mean
time, she had lived. She attempted also to kill his
son Orestes, and would have done so, Jif his sister
Electra had not delivered him at the very point of
destruction, sending him privately to Strophius, king
of Phocis. After Orestes had lived there twelve
years, he returned to his own country, and slew both
Clytemnestra and iEgisthus. He killed also Pyrr-
hus, in the temple of Apollo ; because he had car-
ried away Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus, who
was first betrothed to Orestes. ^Therefore the Fu-
ries tormented him ; neither could he obtain deli-
verance from them, till he had expiated his crimes
* iEcastor, et iTldepol. id est, per aedem Castoris et PollucI».
t" Passim apud Terent. Plant. Cicer. &,Cv
t Soph, in Eleotr. Eurip. in Orest.
§ Cic. de Amicit. '
23
266
at the altar of Diana Taurica, wliither he was con-
ducted by his friend Pylades, his perpetual com-
panion and partner in all his dangers ; *their friend-
ship was so close and sacred, that either of them
would die for the other.
The goddess Diana, who was worshipped in Tau-
rica Chersonesus, or Cherronesus, a peninsula, so
called from the Tauri, an ancient people of Scythia
Europse. She was worshipped with human victims;
the lives and the blood of men being sacrificed to
her. When Orestes went thither, his sister Iphi-
genia, the daughter of Agamemnon, was priestess to
Diana Taurica : she was made priestess on the fol-
lowing occasion.
Agamemnon, king of the Argives, was, by the
common consent of the Grecians, appointed general
in their expedition against Troy ; and after his re-
turn home, was killed by his own wife Clytemiiestra.
This Agamemnon killed a deer by chance, in the
country of Aulis, which belonged to Diana; the
goddess was angry, and caused such a calm, that
ibr want of wind, the Grecian ships bound for Troy,
were fixed and immoveable : upon this they consult-
ed the soothsayers, who answered, f diat they must
satisfy the winds, and Diana, with some of the blood
of Agamemnon. Therefore Ulysses was forthwith
sent to bring away Iphigenia, the daughter of Aga-
memnon, from her mother, by a trick, under pre-
tence of marrying her to Achilles. While the young
lady stood at the altar to be sacrificed, the goddess
pitied her, and substituted a hind in her stead, and
sent her to Taurica Chersonesus ; where, by the or-
der of king Thoas, she presided over those sacrifices
of the goddess, which were solemnized with human
blood. When Orestes was brought thither by the
inhabitants to be sacrificed, he was known and pre-
* Eurip. in Iphig. in Taur.
t Eurip. in Ipiiip. in Taur.
JS-a^iiJilliJLMm/^
267
served lyy his sister. After which Thoas was kill-
ed, and the image of Diana, which lay hidden
among a bundle of sticks, was carried away ; and
hence Diana was called Fascelis, from fascis, a
" bmidle."
qUESTIOys for EXAMmATIOK,
Who were Cantor and Pollux, and what was their origin ?
Why were white lambs offered upon their altars ?
What became of Castor, and what was granted to him at the
request of his brother .'
What do the Sailors say of the stars Castor and Pollux?
What is related of the temple dedicated to them ?
What is the story of Clytemnestra ?
Who was Diana Taurica ; how was she worshipped ; and who
was her priestess ?
What is related of Agamemnon?
On what account was Diana called Fascelis?
CHAPTER IV.
PERSEUS. iESCULAPIUS.
Perseus was the son of Jupiter and Danse, the
daughter of Acrisius, who was shut up by her father
in a very strong tower, where no man could enter,
because her father had been told by an oracle, that
he should be killed by his own grandchild. But
nothing is impregnable to love : for Jupiter, as we
are told by Horace, by changing himself into a
shower of gold, descended through the tiles into the
lady's apartment.
" Inclusam Danaen turris ahenea
Rolaustaeque fores, et vigilum canum
Tristes excubiae munierant satis
Nocturnis ab adulteris :
Si non Acrisium, virginis abditae
Custodem pavidura, Jupiter et Venus
Risissent: fore enim tutum iter et patens,
Convei-so in pretiura Do© " Carm. 1. 3, fd.
268
Within a brazen tow'r immur d,
By dogs and centinels secur'd,
From midnight revels, and intrigues of love,
Fair Danae was kept within her guardian's pow'r:
But gentle Venus smil'd, and amorous Jove
Knew he could soon unlock the door,
And by his art successful prove,
Chang'd to a golden show'r.
As soon as Acrisius had heard that his daughter
had brought forth a son, he ordered that she and
the infant should be shut up in a chest, and thrown
into the sea : the chest was driven to the island Se-
riphus, where a fisherman found it, took them out,
and presented them to king Polydectes ; who be-
came enamoured of Danae, and brought up her son ;
whom he called Perseus.
Perseus, when he was grown a man, received from
Mercury a scythe of adamant, and wings, which he
fixed to his feet : Pluto gave him a helmet, and
Minerva a shield of brass, so bright, that it reflected
the images of things, like a looking-glass. His first
exploit was the deliverance of Andromeda, the
daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, who was
bound by the nymphs to a rock, to be devoured by
a sea-monster, because her mother Cassiope, or Cas-
siopeia, had proudly preferred her daughter's beau-
ty to theirs ; and when he had delivered her, he
took her to wife. After which, both the mother
and the daughter, and the son-in-law, were placed
among the celestial constellations. His next expe-
dition was against the Gorgons, of whom we have
spoken before : he encountered Medusa, their prin-
cess, whose head was supplied with snakes in the
place of hair ; he saw the image of her head by the
brightness of his shield, and, by the favourable as-
sistance of Minerva, struck it off: he then fixed it
upon a shield, and, by showing it, afterward turned
many persons into stone. Atlas was turned by tht
sight of it, into the mountain in Mauritania of that
269
name : because lie rudely refused to entertain Per*
-eus. When Medusa's head was cut off, the horse
Pegasus sprang from the blood which fell on the
ground, he was so called from TsrviyTi [pege\ " a
fountain," because he was produced near the foun-
tains of the sea. This horse had wings ; and flying
over the mountain Helicon, he struck it with his hoof,
and opened a fountain, which they call in Greek,
Hippocrene ; and in Latin, Fons Cahallinus ; that
is, the " horse fountain." But afterward, while he
drank at the fountain Pyrene in Corinth, where Bel-
lerophon prepared himself for his expedition against
the Chimsera, he was taken by him and kept.
Bellerophon's first name was Hipponus ; because
he first taught the art of governing horses with a
bridle : but when he had killed Bellerus, a king of
Corinth, he was afterward called Bellerophontes.
This Bellerophon, the son of Glaucus, king of
Ephyra, was equally beautiful and virtuous : he re-
sisted all the temptations by which Sthenobaea, the
wife of Praetus, enticed him to love her ; and his
repulses provoked her so, that in revenge she accus-
ed the innocent stranger to her husband. Praetus,
however, would not violate the laws of hospitality
with the blood of Bellerophon, but sent him into
Lycia. to his father-in-law Jobates, with letters,
which desired him to punish Bellerophon, as his
crime deserved. Jobates read the letters, and sent
him to fight against the Solymi, that he might be
killed in the battle : but he easily vanquished them,
and in man}^ other dangers, to which he was expos-
ed, he always came off conqueror. At last he was
sent to kill the Chimaera ; which he undertook, and
performed, when he had procured the horse Pegasus,
by the help of Nep'uoe. Therefore Jobates, ad-
miring the bravery of ihe youti), gave him one of
his daughters to wife, allotting him also a part of
his kingdom. Sthenobcca killed herself when she
2o
27Q
heard this. This happy success so transported Bel-
lerophon, that he endeavoured to fly upon Pegasus
to heaven ; for vi^hich Jupiter struck him with mad-
ness, and he fell from his horse into a field called
Aleius Campus, ^because in that place Bellerophon
wandered up and down blind, to the end of his life :
but Pegasus was placed among the stars. Some say
that this was the occasion of the fable of the Chi-
maera. There was a famous pirate, who used to sail
in a ship in whose prow was painted a lion, in the
stern a dragon, and by the body of the ship a goat
was described ; and this pirate was killed by Belle-
rophon, in a long boat that was called Pegasus.
From the letters which Bellerophon carried Jobates,
f comes the proverb, " Bellerophon's letters ;" when
any one carries letters, which he imagines are wrote
in his favour, but are sent to procure his ruin : and
such letters are frequently called " Letters of Uriah,"
for the same reason.
^sculapius is represented as a bearded old man,
leaning on his jointed cane, adorned with a crown of
laurel, and encompassed with dogs. He is the god
of the physicians and physic, and the son of Apollo
by the nymph Ceronis. He improved the art of
physic, which before was little understood ; and for
that reason they accounted him a god. Apollo shot
the nymph his mother when she was pregnant, be-
cause she admitted the addresses of another young
man after he had become enamoured of her. But
he repented after he had killed her, took out the
child alive, and delivered him to be educated by the
physician Chiron, |who taught him his own art :
the youth made so great a progress in it, that be-
cause he restored health to the sick, and gave safety
* Ab aXivu erro.
f Btx\tpo(povTos <ypeifAft«rai BsUerophontis liUras, usitatlus dicta^
lAlerce UricB.
\ Ovid Met. 1.
271
to those vvhose condition was desporate, he wal
thought to have a power of recalhng the dead to hie
agam Upon this Phuo, the king of hell, *coni-
planied to Jupiter that his revenue was very much
dnmnisned and his subjects taken from him by
means olit^sculapius ; and at length, by his persua-
sion, Jupiter killed him with a stroke of thunder
He wears a crown of laurel, because that tree is
powerful in curing many diseases. By the knots in
his staff, IS signified the difficultv of the study of
phy-sic. He has dogs painted about him, and do^s
m his temple; because many believe that he was
born ot uncertain parents, and exposed, and after-
wara nourished by a bitch. fOthers say, that a
goat which was pursued by a dog, gave suck to the
forsaken infant ; and that the shepherds saw a lam-
bent flame playing about bis head, which was a proff-
nostication of his future divinity. The Cyrenians
used to offer a goat to him in the sacrifices^; eitfier
because he was nourished by a goat, as was said, tor
because a goat is always in a fever; and therefore
a goats constitution is very contrary to health.
^Plato says, that they used to sacrifice dun^r-hill
cocks to him, which are deemed the most vigilant of
all birds ; for of all virtues, watchfulness is chieflv
necessary to a physician. ^
^sculapius was worshipped first at Epidaurus
where he was born ; afterward at Rome, because, on
being sent for thither, he delivered the city from a
dreadful pestilence. For which reason, a temple
was dedicated to him in an island in the mouth of
the Tiber, where he was worshipped under the form
of a great serpent; for when the Romans came to
Lpidaurus to transport the god thence; agreatser-
* Virg. ^n. 7.
t Lactant de fals. Religo, Paean, tn Corinth.
X Didym. 1. 3. Nat. Cam.
§ In Phwdone-
272
pent entered the ship, which they believed was
iEsculapius ; and brought it to Rome with them.
Others tell the story thus : when the Romans were
received by the people of Epidaurus with all kind-
ness, and were carried into the temple of TEscula-
pius ; the serpent, under whose image they worship-
ped that god, went voluntarily into the ship of the
Romans.
I can tell you nothing of the children of jEscula-
pius, except their names. He had two sons, called
Machaon and Podalirius, both famous physicians,
who followed Agamemnon, the general of the Gre-
cians, to the Trojan war, and were very service-
able among the soldiers ; and two daughters,
Hygioea (though some think this was his wife) and
Jaso.
Chiron, his master, was a Centaur, and the son of
Saturn and Phillyra ; lor when Saturn embraced
that nymph, he suddenly changed himself into a
horse, because his wife Ops came in. Phillyra was
born a creature, in its upper parts like a man, in its
lower parts like a horse. She called it Chiron ;
when he grew up, he betook himself to the woods ;
and there, learned the virtues of herbs, he became a
most excellent physician. For his skill in physic,
and for his other virtues, which were many, he was
appointed tutor to Achilles ; he also instructed Her-
cules in astronomy, and taught ^sculapius physic.
At last, when he handled Hercules' arrows, one of
them dipped in the poisonous blood of the Lernaean
hydra, fell upon his foot, and gave him a wound that
was incurable, and pains that were intolerable ; in-
somuch that he desired to die, but could not, because
he was born of immonal parents. Therefore, at
length the gods trar.ilated him into the firmament,
where he now remains ; for he became a constella-
tion called Sagittarius, which is placed hi the zo-
diac.
273
QUESTION'S FOR EXAMINATION.
Who was Perseus ?
What order did Acrisius give with regard to his grandson, and
how was the child saved ?
What were the exploits of Perseus ?
Whof is said of Medusa's head, and what happened when it
was cut off?
How is Pegasus described ?
For what was Bellerophon famous? •
Give the circumstances attending his history.
What is meant by '* Bellerophon's letters;" and what else are
they called ?
Who was jEsculapius?
What became of his mother ?
Under whose care was iEsculapius brought up?
What complaint was made against him ?
Why does he wear a crown of laurel ; and what do the staif
nnd dogs signify ?
Why were goats and cocks sacrificed to him ?
Where was he first worshipped ; and why was he adored U|i-
der the form of a serpent ?
Who were ^sculapius's children ?
What is the history of Chiron ?
f
CHAPTER 11.
PROMETHEUS. ATLAS.
Prometheus, the son of Japetus, and the father
of Deucalion, was the first, as we find in history, that
formed man out of clay ; which he did with such art
and skill, that Minerva was amazed, and proffered to
procure him any thing from heaven ; which would
complete his work. Prometheus answered, that he
did not know what in heaven would be useful to him,
since he had never seen heaven. Therefore Mi-
nerva carried him up into heaven, and showed him
all its wonders. He observed that the heat of the
sun would be very useful in animating the man which
he had formed ; therefore he lighted a stick by the
wheel of the sun's chariot, and carried it lighted with
him to the earth. This theft displeased Jupiter so
much, that he sent Pandora into the world to Pro-
274
iflfietbeus, with a box filled with all sorts of evils.
Prometheus, fearing and suspecting the matter, re-
fused to accept it ; but his brother Epimetheus was
not so cautious ; for be took it and opened it, and
all the evils that were in it flew abroad among man-
kind. Wlien he perceived what he had done, he
immediately shut the box again, and by good for-
tune hindered Hope from flying away, which stuck
to the bottom of the box. You may remember how
sweetly Horace speaks of this theft of Prometheus*.
" Audax omnia pei'peti
Genus hiimana ruit per vetitutn nefas.
Audax Japeti genus
Ignem fraude mala gentibus intulit ;
Post ignem eetherea domo
Subductum, macies et nova febrium
Terris incubuit cohors :
Semotique prius tarda necessitas
Lethi corripuit gradum." Carm. 1. 1.
No pow'r the pride of mortals can control :
Prone to new crimes, by strong presumption driv'n^
With sacrilegious hands Prometheus stole
Celestial fire, and bore it down from heav'n :
The fatal present brought on mortal race
An army of diseases ; death began
With vigour then, to mend its halting pace,
And foixnd a more compendious way to man.
Jupiter punished Prometheus in this manner : he
commanded Mercury to bind him to the mountain
Caucasus ; and then he sent an eagle to him there,
which continually gnawed his liver. Yet some say,
that he was not punished because he stole fire from
heaven, but because he had made a woman, which,
they say, is the most pernicious creature in the
world.
Prometheus had been serviceable to Jupiter, for
he discovered to him his father Saturn's conspiracy,
and prevented the marriage of Jupiter and Thetis,
which he foresaw would be fatal ; therefore Jupiter
sufiered Hercules to shoot the eagle, and set Pro-
metheus at liberty.
275
This perhaps is the meaning of this fable : Pro-
metheus, whose name is derived *from a wvM'd
denoting foresight and providence, was a very pru-
dent person ; and because he reduced men, who be-
fore were rude and savage, to the precepts of hu-
manity, he was feigned thence to have made men
out of dirt : and because he was dihgent in observing
the motions of the stars from the mountain Caucasus,
therefore they said that he was chained there. To
whicii they added, that he stole fire from the gods,
because he invented the way of striking fire by means
of the tlmt ; or was the first that discovered the na-
ture of lightning. And lastly, because he applied
his mind to study with great care and solicitude,
therefore they imagined an eagle preying upon his
liver continually.
We have said that Prometheus was the father of
Deucalion, who was king of Thessaly. During his
reign, there was so great a deluge, that the whole
earth was overflowed by it, and all mankind entirely
destroyed, excepting only Deucalion and Pyrrha his
wife, who were carried in a ship upon the mountain
Parnassus; and when the waters were abated, they
consulted the oracle of Themis, to know by what
means mankind should again be restored. The
oracle answered that mankind would be restored if
they cast the bones of their great mother behind
them. By great mother the oracle meant the earth ;
and by her bones, the stones ; therefore casting the
stones behind their back, a prodigious miracle en-
sued ; for those stones that were thrown by Deuca-
lion became men, and those that were thrown hy
Pyrrha became women.
Saxa
Missa viri manibus faciem traxere verilera;
Et de fcemineo reparata est fceraina jactu.
* Kto rh 'sirfou,i6txi. id est, provideatia. Pausan. in Eliac*
276
Inde genus durnra sumus, experiensque laborum;
Et documenta damus, qua simus origine nati." Ov. Met. 1,
•And of the stones
Those thrown by Ih' man the form of men endue ;
And those were women which the woman thx'ew.
Hence we, a hardy race, inur'd to pain ;
Our actions our original explain.
The occasion of which fable was this : Deucalion
and his wife were very pious, and by the example of
their lives, and the sanctity of their manners, they
softened the men and women, who before were fierce
and hard like stones, into such gentleness and mild-
ness, that they observed the rules of civil society and
good behaviour.
Atlas, king of Mauritania, the son of Japetus, and
brother of Prometheus, is represented as sustaining
the heavens on his shoulders. He was forewarned
by an oracle that he would be almost ruined by one
of the sons of Jupiter, and therefore resolved to give
entertainment to no stranger at all. At last Perseus,
who was begotten by Jupiter, travelled by chance
through Atlas' dominions, and designed, in civility,
to visit him. But the kmg excluded him the court,
which inhumanity provoked him so much, that put-
ting his shield before the eyes of Atlas, and showing
him the head of Medusa, he turned him into the
mountain of his own name ; which is of so great
height that it is believed to touch the heavens. Vir-
gil makes mention of him in the fourth bock of his
Mneid.
' " Jamque volans apicera et latera ardua cernit
Atlantis duri, ca?lum(ine vertice fulcit:
Atlantis, cinctum assidue cui nubibus atris
Piniferum caput, et vento pulsatur et imbri:
Nix humeros infnsa tes;it ; turn flumina mento
Praecipitant senis, et glacie riget horrida barba."
Now sees the top of Atlas as he flies,
Whose brawny back supports the starry skies :
277
Atlas, whose head with piny forests crown'd
Is beaten by the winds, with foge;y vapours bound:
Snows hide his shoulders ; from beneath his chin
The founts of rolling streams their race begin.
The reason why the poets feigned that Atlas sus-
tained the heavens on his shoulders, was this : Atlas
was a very famous astronomer, and the first person
who understood and taught the doctrine of the
sphere ; and on the same account the poets tell us,
that his daughters were turned into stars.
By his wife Pelione he had seven daughters, whose
names were Electra, Halcyone, Celaeno, Maia, As-
terope, Ta^^gete, and Merope ; and they were called
by one common name, Pleiades ; and by his wife
iEthra he had seven other daughters, whose names
were Ambrosia, Euloria, Pasithop, Coronis, Piexa-
ris, Pytho, and Tyche ; and these were called by
one common name, Hyades, from ^a word which in
the Greek language signifies " to rain," because,
when they rise or set, they are supposed to cause
great rain ; and therefore the Latins called diem
Suculce, that is, " swine," because the continual
rain that they cause makes the roads so muddy, that
they seem to delight in dirt, like swine. Others de-
rive their name from Hyas, their brotlier, who was
devoured by a lion : his sisters were so immoderate-
ly afliicted and grieved at his death, that Jupiter in
compassion changed them into seven stars, which
appear in the head of Taurus. And they are justly
called Hyades, because showers of tears flow from
their eyes to this day.
The Pleiades derive their name from a Greek
word signifying f" sailing." From whence these
stars rise, they portend good weather to navigators.
* Asro T8 >Jitv,. id est, pluere.
" Navita quas Hyades Graius ab imbre vocat."
From rain the sailors call them Hyades.
t A?r« T8 zrXtuv a navigando, commodum enim tempus navi*
gationi ostendunt.
24
276
Because they rise in the ^spring time, the Romans
call them Virgiliae. Yet others think that they are
called Pleiades ffrom their number, since they
never appear single, but altogether, except Merope,
who is scarcely ever seen ; for she is ashamed that
she married Sisyphus, a mortal man, when all the
rest of the sisters married gods : others call this ob-
scure star Electra, because she held her hand before
her eyes, and would not look upon the destruction
of Troy. The Hyades were placed among the stars
because they bewailed immoderately the death of
their brother Hyas ; and the Pleiades were trans-
lated into heaven, because they incessantly lamented
the hard fate of their father Atlas, who was convert-
ed into a mountain. But let us speak a little about
their uncle Hesperus.
Hesperus was the brother of Atlas, and because
he lived some time in Italy, that country was called
anciently Hespera from him. He frequently went
up to the top of the mountain Atlas to view the stars.
At last he went up and came down from the moun-
tain no more. This made the people imagine that
he was carried up into heaven ; upon which they
worshipped him as a god, and called a very bright
star from his name Hesperus, Hesper, Hesperugo,
Vesper and Vesperugo, which is called the evening
star, when it sets after the sun ; but when it rises be-
fore the sun, it is called ^a<T<po^o<i \^Phos]jhorus'\ or
Lucifer; that is the morning star. Further, this
Hesperus had three daughters, Egle, Prethusa, and
Hesperethusa ; who in general were called the Hes-
perides. It was said, that in their gardens, trees were
planted that bore golden fruit ; and that these trees
were guarded by a watchful dragon, which Hercu-
les killed, and then carried away the golden apples.
* Virgiliae dictae a verno tempore quod exoriuntur.
t Quasi -aXtiom, hoc est, plures, quod numquam singulse af*
pareant, sed omnes simul.
279
Hence the phrase, "^to give some of the apples of
the Hesperides ; that is, to give a great and splen-
did gift.
qUESTWjXS FOR EXAMINATION.
Who was Prometheus ?
What did he bring from heaven ?
What did Jupiter do in consequence ?
How did Jupiter punish Prometheus?
Why did he set liim at liberty ?
From what is the name of Prometheus derived, and wnat is
the meaning of the fable ?
What is tlie story of Deucalion ?
How is Atlas represented, and how was he changed into a
mountain ?
Why has Atlas the world on his shoulders ?
Who were his daugliters ?
From what do the Hyades derive their name?
Whence are the Pleiades named ?
What is said of Hesperus ?
CHAPTER VI.
ORPHEUS AND AMPHION. ACHILLES.
Orpheus and Amphion are drawn in the same
manner, and almost in the same colours, because
they both excelled in the same art, namely, in music;
in which they were so skilful, that by playing on the
harp they moved not only men, but beasts, and the
very stones themselves.
Orpheus, the son of Apollo by Calliope the Muse,
with the harp that he received from his father, play-
ed and sang so sweetly, that he tamed wild beasts,
stayed the course of rivers, and made whole woods
follow him. He descended with the same harp into
hell, to recover, from Pluto and Proserpine, his wife
Eurydice, who had been killed by a serpent, when
she fled from the violence of Aristaeus. Here he so
* M>jX« 'Ec-jT'/j/jrJwv "^uoftffdt^ id e«t, mala Hesperidiim largipix
280
charmed both the king and queen with the sweet-
lless of his music, that they permitted his wife to
return to hfe again, upon this condition, that he
should not look upon her till they were both ar-
rived upon the earth : but so impatient and eager
was the love of Orpheus, that he could not perform
the condition ; therefore, she was taken back into
hell again. Upon this, Orpheus resolved for the
future to live a widower : and with his example alien-
ated the minds of many others from the love of
women. This so provoked the Meenades and Bac-
chae, that they tore him in pieces : though others as-
sign another reason of his death, which is this : the
women, by the instigation of Venus, were so inflam-
ed with the love of him, that, quarrelling with one
another who should have him, they tore him in
pieces. His bones were afterward gathered by the
Muses, and reposed in a sepulchre, not without tears ;
and his harp was made the constellation Lyra.
Amphion was the son of Jupiter by Antiope. He
received his lute and harp from Mercury ; and with
the sound thereof moved the stones so regularly,
that they composed the walls of the city of Thebes.
" Dictus et Amphion, Thebanae conditor urbis,
Saxa movere soiio testudinis, et prece blanda
Ducere quo vellet." Hor. de Art. Poet.
Amphion too, as story goes, could call
Obedient stones to make the Theban wall.
He led them as he pleas'd : the rocks obey'd,
And danc'd in order to the tunes he play'd.
The occasion of which fable was this : Orpheus
and Amphion were both men so eloquent, that they
persuaded those who lived a wdld and savage life
before, to embrace the rules and manners of civil
society.
Arion is a proper companion for these two musi»
eians, for he was a lyric poet of Methymna, in the
Idand of Lesbos, and gained immense riches by his
281
art. When he was travelling from Lesbos into Italy,
his companions assaulted him to rob him of his
wealth ; but he entreated the seamen to suffer him
to play on his harp, before they cast him into the
sea : he played sweetlj^, and then threw himself into
the sea, where a dolphin, drawn thither by the sweet-
ness of his music, received him on his back, and
carried him to Tenedos.
'^Ille sedet, citharamque tenet, pretiumque vehendi
Cantat, et aequore?s carmine mulcet aquas." — Ov. Fast. 2
He on his crouching back sits all at ease,
With harp in hand, by which he calms the seas,
And for his passage with a song he pays.
The dolphin for this kindness was carried into
beaven, and made a constellation.
Achilles was the son of Peleus by Thetis. His
mother plunged him in the Stygian w aters when he
was an infant, which made his whole body ever af-
ter invulnerable, excepting that part of his foot by
which he was held when he was washed. Others
say, that Thetis hid him in the night under a fire,
after she had anointed him in the day with ambro-
sia ; w hence at first he was called Pyrisous, because
he escaped safe from the fire ; and afterward Achil-
les, *because he had but one lip, for he licked the
ambrosia from his other lip, so that the fire had
power tojburn it oft*. Others again report, f that he was
brought up by Chiron the Centaur, and fed, instead
of milk, with the entrails of hons, and the marrovr
of bears : so that by that means he received immense
greatness of soul, and mighty strength of body.
From him those 'vho greatly excelled in strength,
were called Achilles, Jand an argument is called
Achilleum, when no objection can weaken or dis-
prove it.
* Ab « priv, et x^'^^'h labrum ; quasi sine labro.
t Apoll. 1. 3. Eurip. in Iphig.
i Gell. 1. 2. c. 11.
282
Thetis, his mother, had heard from an oracle, that
lie should be killed in the expedition against Troy»
On the other hand, Calchas, the diviner, had de-
clared, that Troy could not be taken without him.
By the cunning of Ulysses he was forced to go : for
when his mother Thetis hid him in a boarding-school
(in Gynecfeo) in the island of Scycros, one of the
Cyclades, in the habit of a virgin, among the daugh-
ters of king Lycomedes, Ulysses discovered the
trick : he went thither in the disguise of a merchant,
and took with him several goods to sell. The king's
daughters, began to view and handle curiously the
bracelets, the glasses, and necklaces, and such like
women's ornaments ; but Achilles, on the contrary
laid hold of the targets, and fitted the helmets to his
head, and brandished the swords, and placed them
to his side. Thus Ulysses plainly discovered Achil-
les from the virgins, and compelled him to go to
the war : after that Vulcan, by Thetis' entreaty, had
given him impenetrable armour. Achilles at Troy
killed Hector, the son of Priamus ; and was killed
himself by Paris, by a trick of Polyxena : and all
the Nymphs and Muses are said to have lamented
Jiis death.
This Polyxena was the daughter of Priamus, king
•f Troy, a virgin of extraordinary beauty. Achilles
by chance saw her upon the walks of the city, and
fell in love with her, and desired to marry her.
Priamus consented. They met in the temple of
Apollo to solemnize the marriage ; where Paris, the
brother of Hector, coming in privately, and lurldng
behind Apollo's image, shot Achilles suddenly with
an arrow, in that part of his foot in which only he
was vulnerable. After this Troy was taken, and the
ghost of Achilles demanded satisfaction for the mur-
der, which the Grecians appeased by offering th^
blood of Polyxena.
283
quESTro:^s for examijv^tiojv.
Who were Orpheus and Amphion, and in what did they excel'?
What is related of Orpheus ?
Who was Amphion, and what was the occasion of the fable?
Who was Arion, and what is related of him ?
Who was Achilles, and what is reported of him during his in-
fancy ?
In what did Achilles excel ; and what is the nature of the ar-
gument named after him ?
Why and how was he forced into the Trojan war?
What hero did he kill, and by whom was he slain ?
How was he killed, and what did the Grecians do to appease
his ghost?
CHAPTER Vn.
ULYSSES. ORION.
Ulysses was so named, because when his mother
was travelling, as some say, in the island of Ithaca;
as others say, in Boeotia, she fell down on the ^'road,
and brought him into the world. He was the son of
Laertes and Anticlea. His wife was Penelope, a
lady highly famed for her prudence and virtue. He
was unwilling that the Trojan war should part him
and his dear wife ; therefore, to avoid the expedition,
he pretended to be mad, joining the diflerent beasts
to the same plough, and sowing the furrows with
salt. But this pretence was detected by Palamedes,
who laid his infant son in the furrow, while Ulysses
was ploughing, to see whether he would suffer the
plough share to wound him or not. When Ulysses
came where his son lay, he turned the plough, and
thus it was discovered that he was not a madman,
and he was compelled to go to the war. There he
was very serviceable to the Grecians, and was almost
the sole occasion of taking the town. He forced
Achilles from his retreat, and obtained the arrows of
Hercules from Philoctetes, which he brought against
* Graece 'O^utrinvs, B.h ohs via; quod in ipsa via ejus mater iter
facieos lapaa ilium peperit Vide Nat. Com. et Horn, in Odyss
264
Troy. He took away the ashes of LaomedoU;,
which were preserved upon the g^ate Scaea in Troy.
He stole the Palladiiiin from the city ; killed Rhoe-
sus, king of Thrace, and took his horses, before they
had tasted the water of the river Xanthus. In which
things the destiny of Troy was wrapped up : for if
the Trojans had preserved them, the town could
never have been conquered. He contended with
Ajax the son of Telamon and Hesione, who was the
stoutest of all the Grecians except Achilles, before
judges, for the arms of Achilles. The judges were
persuaded by the eloquence of Ulysses, gave sen-
tence in his favour, and assigned the arms to him.
This disappointment made Ajax mad, upon which
he killed himself, and his blood was turned into the
violet.
When Ulysses departed from Troy to return
home, he sailed backward and forward ten years ;
for contrary winds and bad weather hindered him
from getting home. During which time, 1. He put
out the e} e of Polyphenms with a firebrand ; and
then sailing to ^olia, he there obtained from ^Eolus
all the winds which were contrary to him, and put
them into leathern bags. His companions, believ-
ing that the bags were filled with money, and not
with wind, intended to rob him ; therefore, when
they came almost to Ithaca, they untied the bags,
and the winds gushed out, and blew him back to
iEolia again. 2. When Circe had turned his com-
panions into beasts, he first fortified himself against
her charms with the antidote that Mercury had given
him, and then ran into her cave with his sword
drawn, and forced her to restore his companions to
their former shapes again. After which he and
Circe were re2onciled, and he had by her Telego-
nus. 3. He went down into hell to know his fii*
ture fortune from the prophet Tiresias. 4. When
he sailed to the islands of the Sirens, he stopped the
285
ears of his companions, and bound himself with
strong ropes to the ship's mast : by these means he
avoided the dangerous snares, into which, by their
charming voices, they led men. 5. And lastly,
after his ship was broken and wrecked by the waves,
he escaped by swimming ; and came naked and
alone to the port of Phaeacia, where Nausica, the
daughter of king Alci'nous, found him hidden among
the young trees, and entertained him civilly. When
his companions were found, and the ship refitted, he
was sent asleep into Ithaca, where Pallas awaked
him, and advised him to put on the habit of a beg-
gar. Then he went to his neat-herds, where he
found his son Telemachus ; and from them he went
home in a disguise ; where, after he had received
several affronts from the wooers of Penelope, by the
assistance of the neat-herds, and his son, to whom
he discovered himself, he set upon them, and killed
them every one ; and then received his Penelope.
Penelope, the daughter of Icarus, was a rare and
perfect example of chastity. For though it was ge-
nerally thought that her husband Ulysses was dead,
since he had been absent from her twenty years, yet
neither the desires of her parents, nor the solicita-
tions of her lovers, could prevail upon her to marry
another man, and to violate the promises of con-
stancy which she gave to her husband when he de-
parted. And when many noblemen courted her,
and even threatened her with ruin unless she declar-
ed which of them should marry her, she desired that
the choice might be deferred till she had finished a
piece of needle-work, about which she was then
employed: but undoing by night what she had
worked by day, she delayed them till Ulysses re-
turned and killed them all. Hence came the pro-
verb, *'' to weave Penelope's web ;" that is, to
* Peiielqpes telam texere' id est, inanem operam sumeve. VJdr
Rfasra. Adag.
286
labour in vain ; when one hand destroys what the
other has wrought.
Orion, when young", was a constant companion of
Diana : but because his love to the goddess exceed-
ed the bounds of modesty, or because, as some say,
he extolled the strength of his own body, and boast-
ed that he could outrun and subdue the wildest and
fiercest beasts, his arrogance grievously displeased
the Earth ; therefore she sent a scorpion, which
killed him. He was afterward carried to the hea-
vens, and there made a constellation ; which is
thought to predict foul weather when it does not ap-
pear, and fair when it is visible ; whence the poets
call him ^tempestuous, or stormy Orion.
qUESTIOJVS FOR EXAMIKATJON,
From what did Ulysses derive his name ?
How did he excuse himself from going to the Trojau war, and
Jiow was the artifice detected ?
What exploits did he perform at Troy ?
What was the contention between him and Ajax, and what
wajs the consequence of it?
What acts did he perform during his return ?
What happened to him in Ithaca ?
What is said of Penelope, and whence is the origin of the
phrase, " To weave Penelope's web ?"
What is said of Orion ?
What does the constellation predict ?
CHAPTER VIII.
OSIRIS, APIS, SERAPIS.
Osiris, Apis, and Serapis, are three different
names of one and the same god. Osiris was the
* Nimbosns Orion. Virg. IF.i\. nam optuv sip;nificat turbo moviOf
unde etiam ipse iiomen sumpsisse a nonnullis judicatur.
287
son of Jupiter, by Niobe, the daughter of Phord-
neus ; and was king of the Argives ma^iy years*
He was stirred up, by the desire of glory, to leave
his kingdom to his brother iEgialus, and to sail
into Egypt, to seek a new name and new king-
doms. The Egyptians were not so much ov<t*
come by his arms, as obHged to him by his cour-
tesies and kindness. After this he married lo, the
daughter of Inachus, whom Jupiter formerly turn-
ed into a cow ; but, when by her distraction she
was driven into Egypt, her former shape was
again restored, and she married Osiris, and in-
structed the Egyptians in letters. Therefore, both
she and her husband attained to divine honours,
and were thought immortal by that people. But
Osiris showed that he was mortal ; for he was kill-
ed by his brother Typlion. To (afterward called
Isis) sought him a great while ; and when she had
found him at last in a chest, she laid him in a
monument m an island near to Memphis, which
island is encompassed by that sad and fatal lake,
the Styx. And because when she sought him she
had used dogs, who by their excellent virtue of
smelling might discover where he was hidden,
thence the ancient custom came, that dogs went
first in an anniversary procession in honour of
Isis. And the people carefully and religiously
worshipped a god with a dog's head, called Anu-
bis ; which god the poets commonly call ^Barker,
" a god half a dog, a dog half a man." He is also
called Hermanubis ; because his sagacity is so great
that some think him to be the same with Mercury.
But let us return to Osiris and Isis.
After the body of Osiris was interred, there ap-
peared to the Egyptians a stately, beautiful ox ;
the Egyptians thought that it was Osiris, therefore
* Latratorera, semicanem Deum, Vir^. ^n. 8.
288
they worshipped it, and called it Apis, which in the
Egyptian language signifies an " ox." But be-
cause the body, after his death, was found shut up
in a *chest, he was afterward from this called So-
rapis, and by the change of a letter Serapis ; as we
shall see more clearly and particularly by and by,
when I have observed what Plutarch says, that
Osiris was thought to be the Sun. His name conies
from OS, which in tlie Egyptian language signifies
" much," and iris, an " eye ;" and his image was a
sceptre, in which was placed an eye. So that
Osiris signifies the same as '?roXvo(p6uXf^o<i ^poJyoph'
thalmos,^ " many-eyed," which agrees very well to
the Sun, who seems to have as many eyes as he
has rays, by which he sees, and makes all things
visible.
Some say that Isis is Pallas, others Terra, others
Ceres, and many the Moon ; for she is painted
sometimes horned, as the moon appears in the in-
crease, and wears black garments ; because the
moon shines in the night. In the right hand she
held a cymbal, and in her left a bucket. Her head
was crowned with the feathers of a vulture ; for
among the Egyptians that bird is sacred to Juno ;
and therefore tlie}^ adorned the tops of their porches
with the feathers of a vulture. The priests of Isis,
called after her own name Isiaci, abstained from the
fiesh of swine and sheep, and they used no salt to
their meat. They shaved their heads, they wore
paper shoes, and a linen vest, because Isis first
taught the use of ilax ; and hence she is called
Linigera, and also Inachis, from Inachus, her
father. By the name of Isis, is usually under-
Stood " wisdom :" and accordingly, upon th€
pavement of the temple, there was this inscription :
* lope; significat arcam, in qua inventura est illius corpus in-
clusum.
289
*"I am every thing that hath been, and is, and
shall be ; nor hath any mortal opened my veil."
By the means of this Isis, f Iphis, a yomig vir-
gin of Crete, the daughter of Lygdus and Tele-
thusa, was changed into a man. For when Lygdus
went a journey, he enjoined his wife, who was then
pregnant, if she brought a daughter, that she should
not educate her, but leave her exposed in the fields
to perish by want. Telethusa brought forth a
daughter, but was very unwilling to lose her child ;
therefore she dressed it in a boy's habit, and called
it Iphis, which is a common name to boys and girls.
The father returned from his journe}^, and believed
both his wife and his daughter, who personated a
son : and as soon as she was marriageable, her fa-
ther, who still thought that she was a man, married
her to the beautiful lanthe. As they went to the
temple to celebrate the marriage, the mother was
much concerned, and begged the favourable assist-
ance of Isis, who heard her prayers, and changed
Iphis into a most beautiful young man. Now l^t us
come to Serapis and Apis again.
Though Serapis was the god of the Egyptians,
yet he was worshipped in Greece, ^especially at
Athens, and also at Rome. Among the different
nations he had different names : for he was called
sometimes Jupiter Amnion, sometimes Pluto, Bac-
chus, jEsculapius, and sometimes Osiris. His name
was reckoned abominable by the Grecians ; for all
names of seven letters, e-^roty^ot^M.^^Tot Uieptagram,"
rnata] are by them esteemed infamous. Some say
that Ptolemy, the son of Lagus, procured the effi-
gies of him at Pontus, from the king of Sinope, and
* 'Ey&; tif*,i ■arosv to ytyovo? x,ui ov, xxi siro/u,ivov kki to ifAov wsfrXA
li^us Ta>v BvriTuv aTiKocXv^iv. Ego suni quicquid fuit est erit; nec
meum quisquam motalium peplum retexit. Plut in Iside.
t Ovid. Met. 9.
t Pausan. in Attic.
25
290
dedicated a magnificent temple to him at Alexan-
dria. Euscbius calls him the "Prince of evil de-
mons :" a flasket was placed upon his head and near
him lay a creature with three heads ; a dog's on the
right side, a wolf's on the left, and a lion's head in
the middle : a snake with his fold encompassed
them, whose head hung down upon the god's right
hand, with which he bridled the terrible monster.
Apis was king of the Argivi, and being trans-
ported thence into Egypt, he became Serapis, or
the greatest of all the gods of Egypt. After the
death of Serapis, the ox that we mentioned a little
before, succeeded in his place. *Pliny describes
the form and quality of this ox, thus : An ox, in
Egypt, is worshipped as a god: they call him Apis.
He is thus marked : there is a white shining spot
upon his right side, horns like the moon in its in-
crease, and a nose under its tongue, which they call
cantharus. His body, sa3'S Herodotus, was all
black : in his forehead he had a white square
shining figure ; the effigies of an eagle in his back ;
and beside the cantharus in his mouth, he had hair
of two sorts in his tail. But Pliny goes on ; if he
lives beyond an appointed period of time, they
drown him in the priests' fountain ; then the priests
shave their heads, mourn and lament, and seek
another to substitute in his room. When they have
found one, he is brought hy the priests to Memphis.
He hath two chapels or chambers, which are the
oracles of the people ; in one of them he foretels
good, in the ether evil.
Questions for examijvatiojt
What was Osiris; whom did he marry; and what is told of
his wife ?
What wa? fo afterwards called, and why did dogs go £rst tM
the processioa devoted to her ?
•riin. Hist.Jfftt.1. 8. C.40.
291
Who was Anubis?
What was Apis ; why was the name Osiris changed to Sera-
pis-, and what does Osiris signify ?
Who was Isis ; what is said of her ; and what is signified by
the name ?
How was Iphis changed into a man, and what was the cause
of this metamorphosis ?
Under what name has Serapis been worshipped ?
How is he denominated by Eusebius ; and what symbols are
connected with him :
Who was Apis; and how is he described ty Pliny r
APPENDIX.
OF THE VIRTUES AND VICES WHICIJ-
HAVE BEEN DEIFIED.
CHAPTER I.
THE VIRTUES AND GOOD DEITIES.
The ancients not only worshipped the several
species of virtues, but also Virtue herself, as a god-
dess. Therefore, first of her, and then of the others.
Virtue derives her name from vir, because virtue
is the most manly ornament. She was esteemed a
goddess, and worshipped in the habit of an elderly
matron, sitting upon a square stone. *M. Marcel-
lus dedicated a temple to her ; and hard by placed
another, that was dedicated to Honour : the temple
of Virtue was the passage to the temple of Honour;
hence by virtue alone true honour is. attained. The
priests sacrificed to honour with bare heads, and we
usually uncover our heads when we see honourable
and worthy men ; and since lionour itself is valua-
ble and estimable, it is no wonder if such respect is
shown in celebrating its sacrifices.
Fides had a temple at Rome, near the capitol,
which fNuma Pompilius, it is said, first consecrated
to her. J Her sacrifices were performed without
slaughter or blood. The heads and hands of the
^ Liv. 1. 2.
t Cic. de Officiis.
i Dion. Halicarn. 1. 2.
293
priests were covered with a white cloth when they
sacrificed, because faith ought to be close and se-
cret. Virgil calls her *Cana Fides, either from the
candour of tlie mind, whence fidelity proceeds, or
because faith is chiefly observed by aged persons.
The symbol of this goddess was a white dog, which
is a faithful creature, f Another symbol was two
hands joined, or two young ladies shaking hands :
for Jby giving the right hand, they engaged their
faith for their future friendship.
Hope had a temple at Rome, in the herb-market,
which was unfortunately burnt down with lightning.
§Giraldus says, that he has seen her effigies in a
golden coin of the emperor Adrian. She was de-
scribed in the form of a woman standing ; her left
hand lightly held up the skirts of her garments ; she
leaned on her elbow ; and in her right hand held a
plate, on which she was placed a ciberium, a sort of
a cup fashioned to the likeness of a flower, with this
inscription : SPES, P. R. " The Hope of the
people of Rome." We have already related in
what manner Hope was left and preserved in the
bottom of Pandora's box.
Justice was described like a virgin, with a pierc-
ing, steadfast eye, a severe brow, her aspect awful,
noble, and venerable. Alexander says, that among
the Egyptians she had no liead, and that her left
hand was stretched forth, and open. The Greeks
called h^r Astrsea.
Attilius, the duumvir, dedicated a chapel to Piety,
At Rome, in the place where that woman lived, who
fed her mother in prison with the milk of her breasts.
The story is thus : ||the mother was pimished with
* Serv. in 1. et 8. Mn.
t Stat Theb. 1.
t Dextra data fidem futurae amicitiae sancibant. Liv. 1. 21.
§ Syntagm. 1. 1.
p Plin. Hist. Nat. 1. 7. c. 36.
25*
294
imprisonment ; her daughter, who was an ordinary
woman, then gave suck ; she came to the prison
frequently, and the gaoler always searched her, to
see that she carried no food to her mother; at last
she was found giving suck to her mother with her
breasts. This extraordinary piety of the daughter
gained the mother's freedom ; and they both were
afterwards maintained at the public charge ; and
the place was consecrated to the goddess Piety.
There is a like example in the ^Grecian history, of
a woman, who by her breasts nourished Cymon,
her aged father, who was imprisoned, and supported
him with her own milk.
The Athenians erected an altar to Misericordia,
'* Mercy ;" f where was first established an Asylum,
a place of common refuge to the miserable and mi-
fortunate. It was not lawful to force any from
thence. When Hercules died, Jhis kindred feared
some mischief from those whom he had afflicted ',
therefore, they erected an asylum, ortemple of mer-
cy, at Athens.
Nothing memorable occurs concerning the god
dess Clemency, unless that there was a temple
erected to dementia Caesaris, " The Clemency of
Caesar," as we read in §Plutarch.
Two temples at Rome were dedicated to Chastity;
the one to Pudicitia Patricia, which stood in the ox-
market; the other to Pudicitia Plebeia, built by
Virgiuia, the daugliter of Aulus : for when she, who
was born of a patrician family, ||had married a
plebeian, the noble ladies were mightily incensed,
and banished her from their sacrifices, and would
not suffer her to enter into the temple of Pudicitia
» Val, Max. 1. 13.
t Pausciu. in Attic.
} Serv. in JEn. 8.
§ In Vita Caesaris.
ji Liv. I. 10.
295
into which senatorian families only were permittecf
entrance. A quarrel arose upon this among the
women, and a great breach was made between them.
This induced Virginia, by some extraordinary ac-
tion, to blot out the disgrace she had received; and
therefore, she built a chapel in tire long street where
she lived, and adorned it with an altar, to which she
invited the plebeian matrons ; and complaining to
them that the ladies of quality had used her so bar-
barously ; " I dedicate," says she, " this altar to
Pudicitia Plebeia ; and I desire of 30U that you will
as much adore Chastit}^^ as the men do Honour ;
that this altar may be followed by purer and more
chaste votaries than the altar of Pudicitia Patricia,
if it be possible." It is said in history, that the
women, who were contented at one marriage, were
usually rewarded with a *crown of cliastity.
Truth, the mother of Virtue, f is painted iu gar-
ments as white as snow ; her looks are serene, plea-
sant, courteous, cheerful, and yet modest ; she is the
pledge of all honesty, the bulwark of honour, the
light and joy of human society. JShe is commonly
accounted the daughter of Time or Saturn ; be-
cause truth is discovered in the course of time : but
Democritus feigns that she lies hidden in the bottom
of a well.
Good Sense, or Understanding, [mew5,] was made
a goddess by the Romans, §that they might obtain
a sound mind. ||An altar was built to her in the
capitol, by j\I. iEmilins. ^The preetor AttiliuS;^
vowed to build a chapel to her ; which he perform
ed when he was created duumvir.
Corona pucliciti;^^. Val. Max. I. 2.
Phtlost. Jn Herir <?l Amp.
Plat.*^in Quaist
Aug. de Civ Dei. 2.
Cic. IS'at. f^eor. 2.
Liv. 22 fc.. 23.
296
We shall find by *the concurrent testimony of
many, that the goddess Concordia had many altars
at several times dedicated to her ; but she was es-
pecially worshipped by the ancient Romans. Her
image held a bowl in her right hand, and a horn of
plenty, or a sceptre from which fruit seemed to
sprout forth, in her left, f The symbol of concord
was two right hands joined together, and a pome-
granate.
Pax was honoured formerly at Athens with an
altar, Jas Plutarch tells us. At Rome she had a
most magnificent temple in the Forum, begun by
Claudius, and finished by Vespasian; §which was
afterwards consumed by fire under emperor Com-
modus. She was described in the form of a matroii,
holding forth ears of corn in her hands, and crowned
with olives and laurel, or sometimes roses. Her
particular symbol was a caduceus, a white staff
borne by ambassadors when they go to treat of
peace.
The goddess Salus was so much honoured by the
Romans, that anciently several holy days were ap-
pointed in which they worshipped her. There was
a gate at Rome called Porta Salutaris, because it
was near to the temple of Salus. Her image was
the figure of a woman sitting on a throne, and hold-
ing a bowl in her right hand. Hard by stood her
altar, a snake twining round it, and lifting up his
head, tov/ard it. Tbe Augurium Salutis was for-
erly celebrated in tlie same place. It was a kind
f divination, by which they begged leave of the
gods that the people might pray for peace.
Fidelity, ||says St. Augustine, had her temple and
* Liv. 1. 9. Plut. in C. Gracch. Suet in Tib.
t Lil. Gyr. synt. 1. 1. e
X Plut. in Cimon.
Herodot. 1. 2.
De Civ. Dei. 4.
•iJ
// .1/--.. . /
^„ „„...„//.
S^iLU^
297
altar, and sacrifices were performed to her Thev
represented her like a venerable matron sitting upon
a throne holdmgawhite rod in her right hand and
<t great horn ofplentv in her left. '»"", ana
hen- liberty, especially after the expulsion of the
kings, when they set themselves at liberty, so thev
their other goddesses.
The Romans invoked Pecunia as a goddess, that
they might be rich They worshipped the god
^sculanus, the father of Argentinus, that they
might have plenty of brass and silver : and esteem-
ed ^sculanus, the father of Argentinus, because
brass money was used before silver. « I wonder "
says St. Augustine, " that Aurinus was notmade'a
god after Argentmus, because silver money was fol-*'
lowed by gold.' To this goddess, MoneV, O how
many apply their devotions to this day! what vows
do they make, and at what altars do they impor-
tune, that they may fill their cofiers ! "If thev have
those gods," says fMenander, "gold and silver at
home ask whatever you please, you shall have
vke » themselves will be at your ser-
th^nllfT "'"?"'<"'^'y r««d an image among
the JLacedsemomans, to the god Risus. The Thes-
salonians of the city of Hypata, every year sacri-
ficed to this god with great jollity.
,1, Jl f ""^ ^?"" ^'"""' ^""^ « '*'"Vle in the way
that leads to the mountain Mienalus, as says Pau-
sanius. At the end of the supper they oflered a cup
to him, filled with wine and water; vvliich was call-
t Plut. in.Lycurgo
2^o
ed " the grace cup." Some say the cup had more
water than vvhie ; others say the contrary.
qUKSTfOA'S FOR EXAMLYATIOJ^.
From what does the goddess Virtue derive her name '
To what does the temple of Virtue lead ?
In what way did the priests sacrifice to Honour?
Where was the temple of Fides, and how are her sacrifices
^rformed ?
What were the usual symbols of Fides ?
How is Hope described, and where was her temple ?
How was Hope preserved to the iniiabitants of the earth ?
How is justice described ?
Where was there a chapel dedicated to Piety, and what was
the cause of it ?
W^hat temples were dedicated to Chastity ?
How is Truth painted ; whose daughter is she; and why?
Why was mens made a goddess ?
How is Concordia described, and by what symbol is she
known ?
H Where was Pax honoured, how is she described, and what l»
her peculiar symbol ?
What is said of the goddess Salus ?
How is Fidelity represented ?
"What is said of Liberty?
Why did the Romans invoke Pecunia as a goddess ?
What was the saying of Menander ?
Who sacrificed to Risus ?
Where was there a temple dedicated to Bonus Genius, and
what was offered to this god ?
CHAPTER 11.
THE VICES AND EVIL DEITIES.
I CALL those Evil Deities which oppose our hap-
piness, and many times do us mischief. And first,
of the Vices to which temples have been conse-
crated.
That Envy is a goddess, appears by the con-
fession of Pallas, who owned that she was assisted
by her, to infect a young lady, called Aglauros,
with her poison. Ovid describes the house where
29^
she dwells in very elegant verse, and afterward gives
a most beautiful description of Envy herself.
"Protinus Invidiae nigro squallentia tabo
Tecta petit. Domus est imis in vallibiis antri
Abdita, sole carens, nee ulli pervia vento;
Tristis, et ignavi plenissiraa iVigoris ; et quae
Igne vacet semper caligine semper abundet." Met. 2,
Then strait to Envy's cell she bends her way,
Which all with putrid gore infected lay.
Oeep in a gloomy cave's obscure recess,
Vo beams could e'er that horrid mansion bless;
\o breeze e'er fannd it, but about itj^oll'd
^Iternal woes, and ever lazy cold ;
Vo spark shone there, but everlasting gloom,
impenetrably dark, obscur'd the room.
• Pallor in ore sedet ; macies in corpore toto*,
Vusquam recta acies; livent rubigine dentes;
'ectora felle virent ; lingua est suffnsa veneno;
ilisus abest, nisi quern visi movere dolores.
Vec fruitnr sonmo, vigllantibus excita curis ;
Sed videt inG;ratos, intabescitque videndo,
"^uccessus hominum : carpitque, et carpitur una j
Suppliciumque suum est." Met. 2,
V deadlj' paleness in her cheeks are seen ;
ler meager skeleton scarce cas'd with skin;
^ler looks awry, an everlasting scoui
Sits on her brows •, her teeth deform'd and foul ;
Her breast had gall more than her breast co'ild hold;
Beneath her tongue black coats of poison roH'd ;
No smiles e'er smooth'd her furrow 'd brows, but those
Which rise from common mischiefs, plagues, and woes :
Her eyes, mere strangers to the sweets of sleep,
Devourinsr spite for ever waking keep ;
She sees blest men with vast successes crown'd,
Their joys distract her, and their glories wound :
She kills abroad, herself 's consum'd at home,
And her own crimes are her perpetual mai'tyrdom.
The vices Contumely and Tr^ipudence, were both
adored as deities by the Athenians ; and partici^'nr-
ly, it is said, they were represented by a partridge ;
which is esteemed a very impudent bird.
Tlifi Athenians erected an altar to Calumny,
Apelles painted her thus : There sits a man with
300
great open ears, inviting Calumny, with his hand
held out, to come to him ; and two women, Igno-
rance and Suspicion, stand near him. Calumny
breaks out in a fury ; her countenance is comely and
beautiful, her eyes sparkle like fire, and her face is
inflamed with anger ; she holds a lighted torch in
her left hand, and with her right twists a young
man's neck, who holds up his hands in prayer to the
gods. Before her goes Envy, on her side are Fraud
and Conspiracy ; behind her follows Repentance,
clad in mourning and her clothes torn, with her
head turned backward, as if she looked for Truth,
who comes slowly after.
Fraud was described with a human face, and with
a serpent's body : in the end of her tail was a scor-
pion's sting : she swims through the river Cocytus,
and nothing appears above water but her head.
Pretronius Arbiter, where he treats of the civil
war between Pompey and Caesar, has given a beau-
tiful description of the goddess Discordia.
Intremuere tuba?, ac scisso Discordia crine
Exlulit ad superos Slygiuin caput. Hujus in ore
Concj'etus sanguis, comesaque lumina flebant;
Stabant ffirata rubigine deutes,
Tabo lingua fluens, obsessa draconibus ora:
Atque inter toto laceratam pectore vestem,
Sanguineam tremula quatiebat lampada dextra '*
The trumpets sound, and with a dismal' yell
. Wild Discord rises from the vale of hell
From her swell'd ey^s there ran a briny flood,
And clotted gore up-on her visage stood;
Around her head serpentine elf-locks hung,
And streams of blood flow'd from her sable tongue*
Her tatterd clothes her yellow skin betray
(An emblem of the breast on which they lay;)
And brandish'd flames her trembling hand obey.
Fury is described sometimes chained, sometimes
raging and revelling with her chains broke : but
Virgil chooses to describe her bound in chains.
801
-*' Furor impius intus
Saeva sedens super arma, et centum vinctus ahenis
Post tergum nodis, fremit horridus ore cruento." ^n. 1
■Within sits impious Avar
On cursed arms, bound with a thousand chains.
And, horrid with a bloody mouth complains.
Petronius describes her at liberty, unbound.
" Furor abruptis, ceu liber, habenis
Sanguineum late tollit caput; oraque mille
Vulneribus confossa cruenta casside velat.
Haeret detritus lavas Mavortius umbo
Innumerabilibus telis gravis, atque flagranti
Stipite dextra minax terris incendia portal "
bisorder'd Rage, from brazen fetters freed,
Ascends to earth with an impetuous speed :
Her wounded face a bloody helmet hides,
And her left arm a batter'd target guides ;
Red brands of fire supported in her right,
■ The impious world with flames and ruin fright.
^Pausanias and f Plutarch say, that there were
temples dedicated to Fame. She is thus finely and
delicately described by Virgil.
'' Fama, malum quo non aliud velocius uUum,
Mobilitate viget, viresque acquirit eundo ;
P8i-\'a metu primo ; mox sese attollit in auras,
Ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubila condit.
Illam terra parens ira irritata Deorum,
Extremam (ut perhibent) Coeo Enceladoque sororera
Progenuit ; pcdibus celerem et pernicibus alls:
Monstrum horrendum, ingens ; cui quot sunt corpore phimffi.
Tot vigiles oculi subter (mirabile dictu)
Tot lingufe, totidem ora sonant, tot subrigit aures.
Nocte volat coeli medio terra^que per umbram
Stridens, nee dulci declinat lumina somno.
Luce sedet custos, aut summi culmine tecti,
Turribus aut altis ; et magnas territat urbes :
Tarn ficti pravique tenax, quam nuncia veri." jEn. 4«
Fame, the great ill, from small beginning grows,
Swift from the first, and every moment brings
* Pausan. in Atti. t Plut. in Camillo*
26
302
New vigour to her flights, new pinions to her wings.
Soon grows the pigmy to gigantic size,
Her feet on earth, her forehead in the skies
Enrag'd against the gods, revengeful Earth
Produc'd he) last of the Titanian birth.
Swift is her walk, more swift her winged haste,
A monstrous phantom, horrible and vast:
As many plumes as raise her lofty flight,
So many piercing eyes enlarge her sight ;
Millions of op'ning mouths to Fame belong,
And ev'rj^ mouth is furnish'd with a tongue ; •
And round with list'ning ears the flying plague is hung.
She fills the peaceful universe \yith cries ;
^o slumbers ever close her wakeful eyes ;
By day from lofty tow'rs her head she shows,
And spreads through trembling crowds disastrous news.
With court-informers' haunts, and royal spies.
Things done relates, not done she feigns, and mingles truth
with lies:
Talk is her business, and her chief delight
To tell of prodigies; and cause affright.
Why was Fortune made a goddess, says *St. Au-
gustine, since she comes to the good and bad with-
out any judgment? She is so blind, that without
distinction she runs to any body ; and many times
she passes by those that admire her, and sticks to
those that despise her. So that Juvenal had reason
to speak in the manner he does of her.
"Nullum numen abestsi sit prudentia; sed te
Nos facimus, Fortuna, Deam, coeloque locamus." Sat. 20.
Fortune is never worshipp'd by the wise ;
But she, by fools set up, usurps the skies.
Yet the temples that have been consecrated to
her, and the names that she has had, are innumera-
ble : the chief of them I will point out to you.
She was styled Aurea, or Regia Fortuna, and
an image of her so called was usually kept in the
emperor's chamber ; and when one died, it Was re-
moved to the palace of his successor.
* " Aug. de Civ. Dei. 1.
V- ''}:..:v f\^r-\
303
She is also called Caeca, " blind." Neither is
she only, says '^Ciceio, blind herself, but she many
times makes those blind that enjoy her.
She was called Muliebris, because the mother
and the wife of Coriolajius saved the city of Rome.
And when his image was consecrated in their pre-
sence, f it spoke these words twice : " Ladies you
have dedicated to me as you should do."
Servius Tullus dedicated a temple to Fortuna
Obsequens, because she obex's the wisiies of men.
The same prince worshipped her, and built her
chapels ; where she was called Primigenia, jbe-
cause both the city and the empire received their
origin from her ; also Privata or ^Propria, because
she had a chapel in the court, which that prince
used so familiarly, that she was thought to go down
through a little window into his house.
Lastly, she was called Viscata, Viscosa, because
we are caught by her, as birds are with birdlime ; in
which sense Seneca says, *' kindnesses are birdlime."
Febris, Fever, had her altars and temples in the
palace. She was worshipped that she should not
hurt : and for the same reason they worshipped all
the other gods and goddesses of this kind.
Fear and Paleness were supposed to be gods, and
worshipped by Tullus Hostilius ; ||when in the bat-
tle between the Romans and the Vejentes it was told
him that the Albans had revolted, and the Romans
grew afraid and pale, for in this doubtful conjecture,
he vowed a temple to Pallor and Pavor.
The people of Gadara made Poverty and Art
goddesses ; because the first whets the wit for the
discovery of the other.
* Dei Amicitia.
t Rite me, Matronse, dedicatis. Auff. de Civ. Dei. 4. Val
Max. 1. 2.
t Plutarch,
Ibid.
Liv, 1. !. ,
304
Necessity and Violence had their chapel upon th*
mIw .'" •* ^;- " T"" ^^"^ '^ enter K^
M. MarceJhis dedicated a chapel to Tempestas
without the gate of Capena, after he had e S a
Zi"T^' '" ^ "^^'^^^ ^^ ^^- ^^^«^ o^ Sic'?;
lioth the Romans and Egyptians worshipped the
gods and goddesses of Silence. The Latins pa d
cularly worshipped Ageronia and Tacht^^hose
because they who endure their car^s with silence
and patience, do by that means procure to thTm!
selves the greatest pleasure.
ccl^A^ Egyptians woi-shipped Harpocrates, as the
god of Silence," fafter the death of Osiris. He
was the son o 
