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THE

P NTHEON

OB

ANCIENTHISTORY

OF

THEGODS

Of

GREECEANDROME

FORTHEUSE

OF

SCHOOLS,

AND

YOUNG

PERSONS

OF

BOTH

SEXES.

BYEDWARDBALDWIN,

ESQ.

THEFOURTHEDITION.

Thepurposeof this bookis to place the HeathenMytholoirv in

two

points

of

view:

first,

as

it

would

have

struck

a Traveller

in

Greece who

wished

to form a just conception of

the

Reli

gion

of the

country,

free from

either

favour

or

prejudice

secondly

regardingMythologyas

the introduction and hand-'

niajd to the study of

Poetry,

the author

has endeavoured to

VfeeStootnerl6 « P~- ~ice

LONDON:^

PRINTEDFORM.J. GODWIN,

.IT

THEJUVENILE

LIBBARY, WO.

41,

SKINNEBSIet,,;

ANDTOBEHABOPALLaoOKSELLEKS.

1814.



93

tondon

t Piinted by I I .

M*Millan,

2

i>ow

Street,

Covent

Garden, y



TOTHB

REVMATTHEWRAINE,

D.D.

MASTEIlOFTHE

CHARTER-HOUSE

SCHOOL.

SIR,

AS

the

book

[commonlyknown

by

thenameofTooke'sPantheon]theimper

fections

of

which

it is

the

objectof

thisvo

lume

to

remedy,was

publishedaboutone

hundredyearsagoby

oneof

the

Masters

of

the

Charter-House

School,

nothing

ap

pearedtomemoreobviousandnatural

than

toaddressthepresentessay to you. But

though

thisconsiderationunavoidablysug

gesteditself, Ishouldnothaveproceeded

to

carry

it

into

act,were

it

not

for

the

per

sonal

respect

Ientertain

for

your

learning,

yourdispositions, andyourcharacter. I

doubtnot

fromtheequity

ofyour

mind

that, if it shouldappeartoyouuponex-



iv

DEDICATION.

amination,thatIhaveeffectedmy

purpose,

and

produced

a

book

well

calculated

to

prepareyoung

personsfor

understanding

andrelishingthecompositionsofthe

anci

ent poets, youwillhonourmypageswith

your

sanctionandapprobation.

I

am,

Sir,

with

sincererespect,

jourmostobedientservant,

EDWARDBALDWIN.



PREFACE

ITisuniversallyconfessed thatofallsystems

of

my*

thology

and

religion,

that

of

the

Greeks

is

the

mostad

mirablyadaptedtothepurposesofpoetry.The"elegant

forms

and

agreeable

fictions,"

as

Mr.Gibbon so

justly

styles

them,

whichthis

scheme

of

things

exhibit, soothes

the

imaginationandfeeds the curiosityofthereaderwith

endless

variety.

Themultitudeof

theGodsoftheGreeks,

however it mightbecalculated to shock the

reasoning

faca\ty

if

regarded

as

an

object

of

faith, suits

wonderfully

the demands

of

the

composer

in verse, and

from the

majestic

presence

of Jupiter, to the

Dryad

of the

oak,

and the

Nmph

of theneighbouringfountain,

supplies

him on all sides with formsand agents to be brought

forward at his convenience. Theyappearto

have

been

scarcely

ever contemplated

with those

deep emotions

which renderthemindincapableofyielding to the flights

of

fancy

at

the

same

time

that,

as

partaking

of

the

seriousness

and

magnificence

of

a

polished religion,

they

werein nodangerofrankingamong the unsubstantial

creations of

a

fairy

region.

Itwas naturally

to havebeen

expected that a book

containing the

elements

of this system, would have

provedoneofthe mostagreeablepresents that couldbe

put

into

the

hands

of

youth.

This

hasnot

been

the

case.

Thedulness

of

thecompilersin someinstances, and,

still

more

extraordinary,

their malice

in others,

have

com

bined to placePantheonsand

Histories of

the Heathen

Gods

amongthemost repulsive

articles

of

the

juvenile

library. Thebookin particular, written

in

Latinbythe

Jesuit Pomey, and known among us by thenameof

Tooke,

contains

in

everypageanelaborate

calumnyupon

the

Gods

of

the

Greeks,

and

that

in

the

coarsest

thoughts



n

PREFACE.

and

words

that

rancourcould

furnish. The

authorseems

continually

haunted

by

the

fear

that hispupil

might

prefer

the

religion

of

Jupiter tothereligion

of

Christ.

In

writing

this little volume

Iown

I havebeen

im

pressed withnosuchfear. We

have

a religion inwhich

"

life

andimmortalityare brought

to

light," andwhich

inculcates

the

sublimelessons

ofthe unity

ofGod, and

thelove

weshould bear to

" onr neighbours

as

our

selves." This religion

fearsnocomparisonwiththemy

thology

of

ancient

Greece.

It

looks

something

like

blas

phemyfor aChristian to think it necessary to the cause

inwhichhe

is

engaged,

to

inveigh against theamoursof

Jupiter,

and

to

revive all

the

libelsof

the

ancientFathers

against

thereligion

of

the

governmentunder

whichthey

lived.

I feltnoapprehension,that

whileI vindicated

the

Heathenmythologyfrom misinterpretation, andendea

voured

to

conciliate

the

favour

of

young

persons

to

the

fictions of

the

Greeks, 1 should risk

the

seducing one

votary

from

thecross of Christ.

But

while

I

suffered

noapprehension on this side, I

conceived

Ihad

a duty

to

perform to

the other.

The

officeof

the

writer ofsuch

a bookas this, is to prepare

his young

readers to

admire and to enjoytheimmortal

productionsofHomer,HoraceandVirgil. Thereis no

absolute

necessity

that

these

productions

should

be

read

at

all ;

and it is quite

absurd

to

set young

persons

upon

the perusal

ofthem,unless

it

be

to improvetheir taste,

and unlesstheyare toberegarded

as

perpetualmodelsin

the art offinewriting. Iamanxioustherefore thatevery

onewho

reads

thisbookshoulddraw

from

the perusal of

it, notan

aversion

and

contempt

for

the

fictionsofGreece

and

Rome,

but an

eager

anticipation

of

their

beauties,

andaframeofmindpreparedto receive themostagree

able

emotions.

Norcould

there

indeedbeany

occasion

toexaggerate

thelicentiousness

of

the Grecianinventors. Ithaslong

beenacomplaint,thatbooksdetailingtheHistoryofthe

Heathen

Gods

aboundedwith ideas and pictures by

no

means

properto

bepresented

tothe

juvenilemind.

Par



PREFACE.

vii

ticularattentionhasbeengiven

to

thatarticle in thecom

position

of

this

volume.

It

is

expressly

written

for

the

use

of

young

persons

of both sexes,

and

I confidently

trust

thatnothingwill

be

foundin it, to administer

liber

tinism tothefancyofthe stripling, orto sully the white

ness ofmindofthe purest

virgin.

Anothercircumstanceequally calleduponmeforexer

tion and diligence. TheGodsof the Greeks are rec

konedtoamounttonofewerthan thirtythousand. It is

not

much

to

be

wondered

at, that

in discussing

so

mul

tifariousa

polytheism,

the

writers

who

havehitherto

em

ployed themselvesin composing

manuals

ohthe subject

haveproducednothingbutdisorderandconfusion. No

person in reading these books

could

collect anydistinct

andwell-ordered idea of

thehierarchy

ofHeaven; and

accordinglymeninotherrespects

no

contemptiblescho

lars,

will often

be

found

deficient

in

just

notions

on

this

point.

I

have

set myselfwithsomeassiduity

to disem

broil this

chaos;

andthough I havebynomeansdoneit

in

all instances to

my

satisfaction, yet

I

think

it will be

acknowledged that some success

has

attendedmy

en

deavours.

Anxious

to

takeaway

from

the

subject

the

dryandpe

dantic airwhich

has

usually

characterised books

of this

sort,

I

have

further

endeavoured

to

make

my

arrative as

simple

and

direct as

possible.

I havenotbeen

forward

to collate theglosses

of

different commentators,and to

bring

together

the discordant genealogies whichbyone

writer oranotherhave

been

exhibited in so doubtful a

subject. Thisambiguity

has

beencarried the farther by

my

redecessors,fromthe

improperuse

they

havemadeof

Cicero's

Books

on

the

Nature

of

the

Gods.

That

great

Romanhas

putinto

the mouthofCotta, the

Sceptic

in

his

Dialogue,

all the inconsistencies,

real

or

specious,

that couldberakedtogetheras accusations against the es

tablished religion :

no

orthodoxbeliever wouldeverhave

talked

as

hedoes, ofthree Jupiters, fiveMercuries, and

sixDemigodsofthe

nameofHercules; nor is

this

to be

admittedas

a fairandimpartial statement

of

the Grecian



viii

PREFACE.

religion. It is not the

object

of

this book

to make

its

young

reader

an

adept

in

all

the

distinctions

and

contro

versies ofmythology; I shall haremoreeffectually suc

ceeded in

my

design, if I leave upon his

recollection

a

grandpicture of

the

systemof

the

fabulousGods,

and

a

bold

outline

ofthe

properties

andadventuresattributed

to each.

Different writers bothinFranceandEnglandhave

un

dertakentoshow,

thatthewhole

systemofthe

Grecianmy

thology

is

allegorical,

and

that,

however

its

inventors

and

teachers accommodatedthemselvesto the vulgarappre

hensionbya multiplication of theirGods, andassigning

to

every

provinceandenergyofnatureits

separate Deity,

thetrue sense

wasnot

the less

carefully

explained

to

the

refinedandtheliberal; thereal object beingnothingmore

than a

mystical,

butpureandjust, representation ofthe

attributes

of

the

Fatherof

the

Universe.

With

this

dis

quisition

the

present

workhas

no

strict

concern.

Such

enquiries belong

rather to

philosophy,than poetry. It

was

no

part ofmypurpose

(the

purposeofpresenting an

introduction to the studyofthe poets), to strip theGre

cian religion

ofits

beautiful

forms, andpresent it

in the

nakedness

ofmetaphysical

truth

; it

was

ratherincum

bent

uponme

to

drawout thoseformsin their

utmostso

lidity

and

permanence,

and"

give

to

airy

nothing

a

local

habitation"

and substantial character.

Theuses ofthe

study

of ancient mythology are, 1. to

enableyoungpersons to understand the system of the

poets

of

former

times,

as well

as the allusions

so

often to

be

found interspersed in

writers of a

more

recent

date

2. as a collection ofthe mostagreeablefables that ever

were

invented, it is admirablycalculated to awaken the

imagination

;

imagination,

which

it

cannot be

toooften

repeated, is the

great

engineofmorality: 3. it

presents

us

withaninstructive lesson

on the

natureofthehuman

mind,

laying beforeusthe

manners

and prejudices

of a

nationextremely

different

fromourown,andshowingus

world

the mind,

oncebewildered

in

error,

mayinally

be

led.

to

what

andfantastic

notions

ofthe

invisible



CONTENTS

TAOt

Chap.I. Introduction, 1

Chat.II. Genius

of

theGrecian

Religion.

Of

1

3

Abstraction, J

Chap.III. OfAllegory.

Historical

Origin of1

the Godsof

theGreeks, J y

Chap.

IV.

Of

the

Term

God.

Of

Worship,

1

Temples,Sacrifices, Altars

and

Priests, .... J

Chap.

V. Ofthe Religious Ceremonies

of

the\

.

Athenians, X

Chap.VI.

Ofthe moreAncientGods, 32

Chap.

VII. Warofthe

Titans, 36

Chap.VIII. OftheTwelveSuperior Gods, 40

Chap.IX. War

of

the Giants, 69

Chap.X. Ofthe

Family

of Iapetus, and the 1 _4

Creationof

Man,

J

Chap.

XI. OftheRural

Deities, 81

Chap.XII. Of

the

DomesticDeities, 98

Chap.XIII. Of

Monsters, 105

Chap.XIV. Ofthe Godsof the Sea and the\

Winds, J

Chap.XV. Ofthe Gods

of Hell,

119



X CONTENTS.

PAGE

Chap.XVI.

Of

the Gods Representativeof the 1

Faculties

and

Conceptions

of

the

Mind,

..

J

Chap.

XVII. OfDemigods, 159

Chap.XVIII. OfBacchus,Godof

'Wine, 172

Chap.XIX. Of

Minos

and the Minotaur,

186

Chap.

XX. Of

Bellerophon

and Chimaera, .... 192

Chap.

XXI.

Of

Perseus

and

Medusa,

195

Chap.XXII.

Of

the

Family

ofTantalus, .. 200

Chap. XXIII. Lovesof the Gods, 205

Chap.

XXIV. Of

Hercules, 215

Chap.XXV. Ofthe Argonautic

Expedition, .

. 232

Chap.

XXVI. Of

the

Argonauts,

242

Chap.XXVII. OfTheseus, 250

Chap.XXVIII. OfCEdipusKing ofThebes, 1

and his Posterity

j /

Chap.XXIX.

Of

lie CityofTroy, 265

Chap.

XXX.

Of

Romulus,

277



THE

P NTHEON

CHAP,*?

Statues

of

the

GreekfiVVenus

de

Medicis,

Apollo

Bel-

videre, andHercnle Farnese.— Jupiter ofPhidias.

Grecian Games. Beautiful Formsof the Greeks.

Pantheonat Rome. * » i

ONEeasonwhytheGodsoftheGreeks are so

interesting to

us,

is that the Greeks were the

finest

writers

in

the

world;

and

they

have

said

such fine things about theirGods,that

nobody

whois acquaintedwith

theirwritings,

can recol

lect theseimaginary beings without emotions of

pleasure.

TheGreeksarealsosupposed to havebeen

the

finest

statuaries

and

painters that ever existed:

none

of

their

pictures,

and

few

of

their statues,

have

come

downto

us: but

thosewe

have, arc

thewonder

and admiration ofevery bodythat

understands

in

what

the

highestexcellenceofthe

humanform,andthe

imitations

of the

human

form, consists: for all theGodsof the

Greeks

wererepresented underthe forms

of

men;what-

E



2

STATUESOFTHEGREEKS.

ever

of

majestic,

or

beautiful,

or

powerful,

the

Greek

artists

could find

in thefigureof

man,they

gave

to therepresentationsof

their

Gods.

TheVenusdeMedicis, theApollo Belvidere,

andthe

Hercules Farnese are

the finest

statues

nowexisting: everything

that is

enchanting in

the beauty

ofa

woman,

or

nobleand

prepossess

ing

in

the

figure

of a

young

man,

or

muscular

androbustin thefigureof amanwholooksasif

hecould putan

end

toalionwitha blowof

his

fist,

iscomprehendedin thesethree statues:

the

surnames bywhich they are called, they have

received from the

noble

families

or palaces

of

modern

Italy,

by

whom

or inwhichtheyhave

been

preserved.

TheGreeksadmiredmorethan all the

rest

the

JupiterwhichwascarvedbyPhidias: this statue

nolonger exists: therewassomething

so

awful,

so

venerable, somorethan

any

thing

that

you

could conceiveever to

have

belonged toaman,

in thefigureand

countenance

of this statue, that

you

could

scarcely

look

at

it

withoutexclaiming,

This

indeed is aGod

Oneof thereasonswhythe

Greeks

excelled all

othernations in

their

representations of

the

hu

manfigure,

is

thatthey

wereprobably

the

finest

race ofmen

that

everexisted: this theyowed

in

part

to

a

famousinstitutionamongthem

known

by

the

name

of

the

Grecian

games:

these

games

consisted in wrestling,

running,

boxing, throw

ing the

quoit,

and other trials of skill: in con

sequence

of

the

fineness 'of their

climate, they

practised

these

gamesfor the

most

partnaked:

theyrubbed themselveswithoil,

that

theymight

render

their

limbs supple and pliant: they

plunged

inrivers

and

seas,

that

they

might

brace



STATUE*OPTHE

GREEKS. 3

(heir

muscles:

the

garments

they

wore

had

no

ligaturestocompressanddestroy

the

strength

and

grace

and

freeplay

of

the

muscles;

while

modern

nations,bygarters, andbuckles,andwaisthands,

and

kneebands,

and

wristbands,

and

collars,and

fiftybarbarous

contrivances,are

continuallyspoil-

ing

the

flowing

andactive

forms

with which

nature

has

endowed

us:

it

is

not

a

hundred

years

ago, since

a

child,

as

soon

as

it came

into the

world,

was

swaddledandswathedandpinched

withIknownothowmanyyardsofbroad,

strong

binding, sothat

hecould scarcely

move

a

limb

or

a muscleof his wholebody:it is not fifty

years

ago, sincewomen,whattheycalled, laced

for

a

shape:

that

is,

tried to

be

in

figure

as

near as

possible

like

awasp, the

twopartsofthe

bodyofwhicharejoined together as it wereby

a

thread.

It is notwonderfulthattheGreekartists, who

everyday

beheld their

countrymennaked,and

whose

countrymenemployed such powerful

means

for

improving

the

freedom

and

strength

of

theirlimbs, shouldhave

excelled

much

more

in

themanufactureofstatuesthanwedo.

It is

not wonderful, since theGreekartists

madesuchexquisitestatues,andtheGreekpoets,

Homer

and

others, have

written

such

fine

things

about

theirGods,that

a

learned

mancannot re

collect theGreek

mythology,

without the most

delicious

and

animated

emotions.

I

wish I couldlead youinto

thePantheon

at

Rome:Imeansuchas it was in thetimesof

the

Grecian religion, for (he walls of the buildiug

still exist: the Godsof theRomanswere the

same

as

of the

Greeks : the Pantheon

wasa

ro

tunda,

onehundredandsixty feet in diameter,

b2



4; STATUESOP

THE

GREEKS.

and

the

same

in

height;

it

had

no

light

but

what

it receivedfrom a circularaperturein themiddle

of the vaulted

roof: the

rafters werebrass;

the

frontofbrassgilt : theroofof

silver

; and thein

side marble: this templewas dedicated to all the

Gods,

andcontained

in its circumference

thesta

tues

ofthemall:

if

you

could

see it as it was in

the

time

of

the

emperor

Augustus,

youwould

then see the

Grecian religion

in all its glory.



5

CHAP.II.

GENIUS

OFTHEGRECIAN

RELIGION.

OFABSTRACTION.

TheReligion

of

the

Greeks

gives

Sense

and

Life

to

Ina

nimate

Objects.

Personifies

Abstractions.

Nature

ofAbstractionexplained.

Anothercause

of the agreeable

nature of

theGrecian religionwasthat it gave animation

and

life to all

existence:

it

hadits Naiads,Gods

of

the

rivers,

its

Tritons

and

Nereids,

Gods

of

theseas, its Satyrs, Faunsand Dryads, Godsof

the

woodsand

the trees,

andits

Boreas,

Eurus,

AusterandZephyr,Gods

of

thewinds.

Themostimportant

of

thesenses

ofthe

human

bodyare seeing and hearing: welove, as

Pope

says, to seeGodin clouds, and hear himin

the

wind

:"

it

is

a

delightful

thing

to

take

a

walk

in

fields, andlook at theskiesand

the

trees

and

the corn-fieldsand

the

wavinggrass,

to

observe

themountainsand

the

lakes and

the

rivers

and

the seas, to smell thenew-mownhay, to inhale

thefresh

andbalmy

breeze, and

to hearthewild

warblingof

thebirds

: butamandoesnot

enjoy

these

intheir

most

perfect

degree

of

pleasure,

till

his imagination becomes a

little visionary:

the

human

minddoes

not love a

landscape

without

lifeandwithoutasoul:wearcdelighted

to

talk

totheobjectsaround us,andto feel asif they

un

derstood and

sympathised

with us:we create,

bythe

power

of fancy, ahuman

form

and

ahu-

_

o



6 ABSTRACTIONEXPLAINED.

man

voice

in

those

scenes,

which

to

a

man

of

literal understanding

appear

deadand

senseless.

Onefurther sourceof the agreeable natureof

the Grecian

/religion

was, that it not onlygave

sense

and life to all inanimate

objects;

it also

personifiedabstractions.

Abstraction is

a

verycurious operation of the

human

mind,

and

well

worthy

of

consideration:

we

call

thepeopleaboutusby names,JohnWil

liams,

George

Brown,DavidSmith,

and

the

animalswithwhichwearefamiliar, asPompey,

Tray,Carlo, Fidelle, Bijou: there is nothing

abstractin

that.

Butwehaveothernames, notsuitedtoasingle

individual,

but

to

all

individuals

of

the

same

nature,

asman,woman,boy, girl, dog,

horse,

rabbit, partridge: this is

the

beginningof ab

straction:when

I say

man,Idonotmean

a

tall

man,or

a

short

man,afatman,

or

athin

man,

a negro, or aEuropean:nowthereneverwasa

man,

who

was

neithertall

nor

short,

nor

fat,

nor

thin,

nor

black,

nor

white: yet

a

child, when

he is familiar with theword,knowsvery

well

howtoapply it to all thedifferent sorts ofmen

he sees,

andis in

nodanger

of

applying

it toa

cow, a

horse,

orabird.

Thereis another sort of abstractionmorere

finedthan this, as in

the

wordsgrief

fear,war,

peace, life, death, 8fc.: thesewords aredescrip

tiveofnothingthathas

form

orcolour: yetthey

are

words-of very convenient use,

and

greatly

help

us

in reasoningand conversation.

Poetryaffects

thepassions

of

thosewho

read it,

muchmorethan

prose does: for

this plain rea

son,

that

poetry

deals chiefly in

images drawn

from thesight,thehearing,andtheothersenses :



BEAUTYDFTHEGREEKRELIGION'. 7

children

love

to

read

stories

;

for

when

they

read

of a little girl

with

aRedRiding-

Hood,

who

carried

her grand-mamma

a custard, and

was

then eatenupbyawolf, that putonher grand

mamma's

clothes,

andgot

into her bed," they

readwhattheyvery

well

understand : it is

all

as

clearastheday but, if

you

set themdownto a

bookof

moral

philosophyor

political

science,

to

Locke

onHumanUnderstanding, or

Montes

quieu's SpiritofLaws,theycanmakenothing

of

it;

the

words

that

occur

are

all abstractions.

Menare

but

children of

a

larger

growth

:"

they never entirelylose

the

qualitiesthatdistin

guishtheminearly life : theyhavemorepatience

than children

; their

understandings are im

proved

by

books of

moral

philosophy

or

poli

tical science; buttheir passions

and

feelingsare

most

powerfullyaffected bytales, historiesand

poetry; it

is

this love ofhaving

things

actually

presentedbeforethem,thatleadspeopleto plays,

processions, and galleries ofpictures.

Let

us

see

what

we

weretalking

about:

one

cause

of

the

agreeable

nature

of

the

Grecian

reli-

fion is, that it personifies abstractions:" Fate,

(estiny, Fury,

Comedy,

Tragedy,

History,are

abstractions to us, but were real persons with

them: in fact, not only

the

inferior Godsstood

for abstractqualities or

events,

butmanyof the

superior Gods

also:

Mars

wasWar,

Minerva

Wisdom,

Venus

Beauty,

&c:

t is

in

this

sense

thatHomer1

introduces

Minerva, that is, Wis

dom

or

Prudence, as comingto

check

Achil

les, whenhewas

on the

point of drawing

his

* Iliad, a. 194.

B4



8 BEAUTYOFTHEGREEKRELIGION.

sword

in

a

fit

of

rage

at

the

council-table

of

the

Greeks.

Thelanguageof theGreekswasthe language

of

poetry : every

thing

withthemwas

alive

:

a

mancould not

walk

out in the fields, without

being in thepresenceoftheNaiads, theDryads,

and theFauns:hecould not

sit byhis

hearth,

without

feeling

himself

protected

by

his

Hous-

holdGods

he

could

not

be

married,

butHymen

marshalled him

to the ceremonywith his torch

and saffron

robe:

he

could not

die,

but

theFates

cutthethread

of his

life

which

themselves

had

spun :

a nation

could not go

to

war, but

Mars

and Bellonaledthemon

to

thefight.

The

religion

of

the

Greeks

is

perished

and

gone

awayfor ever

:

we

have

areligionofthesublimest

wisdomand the most elevated moralityin the

room

of

thesefables : yet it is

agreeable

toknow

them,

for theyare

atleast

full of

beauty;

and

withoutthis knowledgeweshallneverunderstand

thefinest

writersin

theworld,



CHAP.

III.

of

allegory.Historical

origin

of

the

gods

ofthegreeks.

There

aretwothings

theconsideration

of

whichis necessaryto the

understanding

thereli

gion oftheGreeks.

Thefirst of

these

is allegory,

that is,

the

per

sonifying,

or

giving visible forms

to, abstract

ideas: a greatpart oftheGrecian religion is of

thenature

ofallegory: thus,

whenHomerintro

ducesMinervaas

checking

the

sudden

rage

of

Achilles,

he mayvery

well

be understood as

meaningthattheWisdomorPrudenceofAchil-

les's

ownmindon

second

thoughts produced

this

effect.

Allegory

cannot

be better

understood

than

by

an example I will therefore

present

youhere

with

one

of

the

prettiest

allegories

in

the

world,

theVision

of

Mirza, an Eastern

sage,

writtenby

Addison.

On

he fifth

dayof

the

moon,

which

according

to

the

customofmyorefathers I alwayskept

holy,

afterhaving

washed

myself,

and

offered

upmy

morning

devotions, I

ascended the highhills of Bagdad, in order to pass the

rest

of

the

day

in

meditation

and

prayer.

As

I

was

here

airing myself on the tops

of

the

mountains, I fell into

a

profoundcontemplationonthe vanity

ofhumanlife;

and

passing

from onethought

to

another,

Surely, said

I,

mans

but

ashadow,and life a

dream.

Whilst I was

thus musing,

I castmyeyes

towards

the summit ofa

rock that

wasnot

far from

me, where

I

discovered

one

B

5



10 ALLEGORY.

in the habit

of

a shepherd, witha little musical

instru

ment

in

his

hand.

As I

looked

uponhim

he

applied

it

to his lips and began to play upon it. Thesound

of

it

wasexceedingsweet,

andwroughtinto

a varietyof

tunes

that

were

inexpressiblymelodious, and altogether diffe

rent fromany thing I hadeverheard: Myeart melted

away in secret raptures.

I had

been often told

that the

rock

before

me

wasthe

haunt

of

a

genius;

and

that several

had

been

entertained

withmusic,whohadpassed by it, butneverheard that

the musicianhadbeforemadehimselfvisible. When

he

had raised

mythoughtsby those

transportingairs

which

heplayed, to

taste

the pleasures ofhis conversation, as

I looked uponhim like oneastonished,

he

beckoned to

me, andbythe wavingofhis

hand,

directed n;e to

ap

proach

the

place

where

he

sat. 1

drew

near with

that

reverence

which

is due

to

a

superior nature;

and

as

my

heartwas

entirely subdued

bythe captivating strains I

had heard,

I

fell

down

at his feet

and

wept.Thegenius

smileduponmcwitha lookofcompassionand affability

that familiarized him to myimagination, and at once

dispelled

all

the fears and apprehensions with

which

I

approachedhim. Helifted mefrom the ground,,and

taking

me

by

the

hand,

Mirza,

said

he,

I

have

heard

thee in

thysoliloquies;

follow me.

Hethen

led

meto the

highest pinnacleof

the

rock,

and

placing

me

on

the top

ofit,

Cast

thyeyeseastward,

said he, and tell mewhat thou seest. I

see,

said I, a

hugevalley,

and

a

prodigioustide

of

water

rollingthrough

it. Thevalley that thou seest, said he, is

the

vale of

misery, andthe tideofwaterthat thouseest is partofthe

great

tide

ofeternity. Whatis the reason, said

I,

that

the

tide

I see rises outof a thick mist

at one

end, and

again loses itself

in

a thick mist at

the other' What

thou

seest,

said he, is that portion

of

eternitywhich is called

time, measured

outbythesun, andreachingfrom

the

beginningofthe world to its consummation. Examine

now, said he, this

sea

that is thusboundedwithdarkness

at

both

ends,

and

tell

me

what

thoudiscoverest

in

it.

I

see



ALLEGORY.

11

a bridge, said I, standingin the midstofthetide.The

bridge

thou

seest,

said

he,

is

human

life,

consider

it

atten

tively. Upona moreleisurely surveyof

it,

I found

that

it consisted

ofthreescore and ten entire arches, withse

veral brokenarches

which,

added

to

thosethat

wereen

tire, madeup the numberabout

an

hundred. As I was

counting thearches, the genius

told

methat this bridge

consisted

at

first ofa

thousand

arches: but

that

a great

flood

swept

away

the

rest,

and

left

the

bridge

in

the

rui

nous

condition

I nowbeheld it: but

tell

me

further, said

he, what thou

discoverest

on it.

I

see multitudes of

peoplepassingover

it,

said I, andablackcloudhanging

oneachendofit. As I lookedmoreattentively, I saw

several of the passengers dropping

through

the bridge,

into the

great

tide

that

flowedunderneath

it;

and

upon

further

examination, perceived there

wereinnumerable

trap-doors

that lay

concealed

in

the

bridge,

which

the

passengersno sooner trod upon, butthey

fell

through

theminto the tide

and

immediatelydisappeared.These

hiddenpitfalls wereset verythick at the entranceofthe

bridge,

so that

throngsof people

no

soonerbroke the

cloud but

many

of them fell into them. Theygrew

thinner towardsthe middle,butmultiplied

and

lay

closer

together

towards

the

end

of

the

arches

that

were

entire.

Therewere

indeed some persons, but theirnumber

was

verysmall,

that

continued

a kindofhobbling

march

onthe

broken

arches, butfell throughoneafteranother, *

being

quite tired andspentwithso longa walk.

I passedsometimein

the

contemplationof thiswon

derful structure,

and the

great

variety of objects which

it

presented. Myheart was filled withadeep

melan

choly to

see

several

droppingunexpectedly

in

the

midst

ofmirthand jollity, and

catching

at every

thing that

stood bythem

to

save themselves.

SomeWere

looking

» p

towardstheheavensin

athoughtful

posture,

and in

the midstofa speculation stumbledandfell outofsight.

Multitudeswerevery

busy

in the pursuit

of

bubblesthat

glittered in

their

eyes

anddanced

before them;butoften

when theythought

themselves

within the

reach

ofthem



12

ALLEGORY.

their footing failed and

down

they sunk.

In

this confu

sion

of

objects,

I

observed

some

with

scimitars

in

their

hands,

andothers

withurinals,whoran

to and

fro upon

thebridge, thrusting several personsontrap-doorswhich

didnotseem

to

lie in their way, andwhich theymight

haveescaped

had

theynotbeenthus

forced

upon them.

The

genius seeingmeindulge myselfin this melan

choly

prospect, toldme

I haddweltlong

enough

upon

it:

Take

thine

eyes

off

the

bridge,

said

he,

and

tell

me

if

thou

yet seest

any

thing

thou

dost

not

comprehend.

Uponlookingup,Whatmean, said I, those great flights

ofbirds

that

are perpetuallyhoveringaboutthe bridge,

and

settling

upon

it from

timeto time

I

see vultures,

harpies, ravens,

cormorants,

andamongmany

other

fea

thered creatures several little wingedboys, that perch

in

greatnumbersupon the middlearches. These, said the

genius,

are

envy,

avarice,

superstition,

despair,

love,

with

the

like cares and passions

that infest

human life.

At

length,

said I, shewmenow, I beseechthee, the

secrets that lie hid underthose darkcloudswhichcover

theocean

on theotherside

beyond

theendofthe bridge.

Thegenius makingmeno

answer, I turned about

to

address

myselfto

him a

second

time, but I

found

that

he

had left nie;

I

thenturnedagain

to

the vision which

I

had

been

so

long contemplating;

but

instead

of

the

rolling tide and the arched bridge, I saw

nothing

but

the

longhollow

valley

ofBagdad, with

oxen,

sheep,

andcamelsgrazing

uponthe sides

of

it.

Asecond thing, theconsiderationofwhichis

necessary

to

the

right

understandingof the reli

gion

of

the

Greeks,

is

that

their

theogony,

orthe

generationsoftheirGods, ispartly historical.

Theoldestevents in thehistoryof

nations

are

for

the most

partfabulous;

that

is, the further

mengoback in endeavouring to

tracethe

remote

history of their

national ancestors, the nearer

they

arrive

at timesof

ignoranceandobscurity,



ORIGIN

OFTHE

GRECIAN

GODS. 13

respecting

which

nothing

certain

is known,and

whatever

is

related that

is

true,

is

still

mixed

with

fictionandfable.

Thusthe historyof ourking Arthur, though

nodoubtthere

were

such persons

as Arthurand

his counsellor Merlin, is for themost

part

fabu

lous:

not

to

mention

the history

published

by

Geoffrey of Monmouth,and borrowed bythat

writer

from

some

older

source,

whichrelates

the

adventures

of

the

kings

of

Britain, from Brito,or

Brutus,

whois supposed to havecome

here

from

the siegeofTroy, no oneof whichkings ever

existed.

The ancient Greekhistory is more fabulous

than most others: whatcan

we

think

of Deu-/

calionb,

who, after

a

dreadful deluge,

restored

thepopulation of

his

countrybythrowing stones

over hisshoulder, which

turned

into

men or

ofCadmus0,whoraisedacrop of soldiers fully/

armed for

combat,

bysowing the earth with

dragon's

teeth ? Just

so,

the

historyof

the

expe

dition of the Argonauts, and

of the

sieges of

Thebes

and

Troy

is

filled

with

miraculous

and

impossiblecircumstances.

Exactlythus the

history

of

theGods

of the

Greeks bearseverymarkof being

the

historyof

personswhooncewere

men,and

who,being re

garded

asthebenefactors

of

mankind, werewor

shipped asGodsafter

their

death:

Bacchus,

for

example,

we

know

to

have

been

an

early

con-

/

ueror,whomade

a

successful

expedition

into

ndia.

The

Gods

of

the

Greeks were not Greeks:

their history was imported from some other

k

Ov.

Met.

lib.

i . 411.

« Ov. Met. lib.

i i i .

102.



14

ORIGIN

OF

THE

GRECIANGODS.

country,

fromwhich

theGreeksprobablyderived

the

first

materials

of

their

arts,

their

science,

and

their traditions.

TheGreeks seem

however

to have

misrepre

sented anddisfigured the

history which

was

handeddowntothem theymadeSaturn an in

habitantofItaly, Jupiter

of

Crete, &c.



15

CHAP.

IV.

OFTHETERMGODOFWORSHIP,TEMPLES,

SACRIFICES,ALTARSANDPRIESTS.

Bythe

word

GodI

need

not tell youthat

we

understand a

powerful

being,whomwecan

not see, butwho

nevertheless

is continually in

terfering with our concerns, bestowingupon

us

thevarious blessings of life,

and

sometimes pu

nishing

us

for

our

faults.

When

the

thoughts

of

men

are

turned

to

invi

siblebeingswhohave powerto benefit

or

hurt

them, they unavoidably

become

anxious to ob

tain theirfavour.

Theopinion which different nations entertain

concerning

the

natures

and

characters of their

Gods, constitutes

their

SpeculativeReligion; the

means

they

employto

obtain the

favour of

these

beings,

constitute their

Practical Religion,

or

Worship.

To

obtain the

favour of the

Gods

theGreeks

builtTemples, or

edifices towhichthey resorted

at stated

times,

whentheydesigned to recollect

with

reverence thecharacters

and

power

of

their

Gods.

In these

Temples

they placed Statues of theJ

Gods, that

by

the sight of themtheir fancy

might beawakened,

and

their

mindsheld

atten

tive.

In theseTemplesthey also offered Sacrifices,

that is,

killedsome

of

the

mostbeautiful

of

their

animals,

and presented

the

first fruits of

the



16 WORSHIP,TEMPLES,ALTARS, &c.

earth,

with

costly

gumsandodours, in

honour

of

their

Gods.

In

the

Temple,

andordinarilyimmediatelybe

forethestatueof theGod,was

placed

an Altar,

that

is,

for the most partasquarepillar ofstone

of

inconsiderable

height, butmuchgreater

big

ness,

upon

the top

of

which they lighted a fire,

and thereburned thefruits of theearth,

and

cer

tain

parts

of

the

animals

they

sacrificed,

with

costly

gumsandodours.

For

the

due performances of

theseSacrifices

therewas

abodyofmenset

apart called Priests,

whowereclothed in whiteand otherappropriate

vestments, and wereregardedby

the

people

with

peculiar veneration.

Common

readers

lie

under

a

great

disadvantage

when

they

come

to the historyof

the

Godsof

GreeceandRome in

poemsand songs,

such

as

arenowwrilten, MarsandVenus, and dimpling

Cupids,

and

jolly Bacchusmake so trivial a

figure,that it is

with

difficulty

we

can

bebrought

to thinkofthemseriously, as theelementsof a

national

religion:

Gods

whose

worship

is

obso>

lete, arelike

kings in

exile, andexcitevery

dif

ferent emotions from whatthey did whenthey

werecarried in state,

and

surrounded

witha

regi

mentofguards.

Thatyoumay

have

a

dueconception of

the

seriousness andsincerityof the

religion

of the

Greeks

and

Romans,

it is

proper

I

should

tell

you

that Machiavel, the famousItalian

political

wriler, ascribes the long course

of

theRoman

prosperity in the first placetotheir religion,

and

affirms that for several

ages the fear ofGod

wasnevermore

conspicuous

than

in

thatrepub

lic:"andCicero, thegreatRomanorator, gives



WORSHIP,TEMPLES,ALTARS,Ac. 17

it as bis

opinion,

that*

theSpaniards in num

bers, the Gaulsin bodilystrength, the

Cartha

ginians in subtlety,andthe Greeks in genius, 1/

hadexceededhis countrymen; butthattherewas

one

thing

in which theRomanswentbeyond

all

the

nations of

the

earth,

and that

was,

in piety,

and

religion,

and a

deep

andhabitual persuasion

that

all human

concerns

areregulatedbythedis

posal

and

providence

ofthe

immortal

Gods.

That

theimportance

whichthe Greeksand

Romansannexedto

their

religionmaybe

belter

understood, 1 will

now

give

an account of

this

religion

as

it

was

practised

at Athens,

the most

refinedand

elegant

citythateyerexisted.

*

De

Harutpicum

Resp,

9>



18

CHAP.

V.

OFTHERELIGIOUSCEREMONIES

OF

THE

ATHENIANS.

Their

Temples

described.

Their

Priests.

Their

Pray

ers, Hymns, and Sacrifices. Exercises of the

Sta

dium : Running, Boxing,Wrestling, andLeaping.

Competitions

in

Music,

Singing,

andDancing. Tra

gedy. TheThree Annual Festivals

of

Athens.

TheMysteries. The

Grecian

Games. Divination.

—

The

Sibyls. Oracles. Augursand Aruspices,

As

the

statues

by

which

the

Greek

sculptors

represented their

Gods

were the most beautiful

ever

beheld, sothe

temples,

or

public buildings

inwhichthesestatueswereplaced andtheseGods

worshipped, werenotlessworthyofadmiration.

Ofall the

cities ofGreece,

Athenswas

that in

whichthefinest specimens were to be

found

of

Grecian

statuary

and

Grecian

architecture.

Minervawas thepatron divinityof theAthe

nians : thecitadelof

Athens,

otherwise

called

the

Parthenon,

washertemple:

the

Propylaeum, or

grandentranceofthetemple,was

built

ofmarble,

under

the

administration of

Pericles, thegreatest

oftheAthenian statesmen,and cost

a

sumofmo

ney

equal

to

four

hundred

thousand

pounds

the

interiorwas

filled

with

pictures, statues,

bas

re

liefs, altars, andtrophies

wonby

theAthenians

from theirenemies : the most celebrated of the

statues

was

that

of

the

Goddess

byPhidias,which

was

only surpassed

by

the statue

of.

Jupiter

Olympiusbythesameartist, that

1 have

already







TEMPLES

OFTHEATHENIANS. 19

mentioned,

and

that

was

the

great

ornament

of

thetemple

of

Jupiter

at Elis.

Another

temple at

Athens,

only inferior in

beauty

andgrandeur to

that

of Minerva,was

rectedtoTheseus,anancienthero,whomaybe

considered in

a great measure

asthefounder

of

the state: thetemple

of

Cereswas

enriched

with

three

fine

statues

by

Praxiteles:

that

of

Cybele

hadastatueofthe

Goddess

byPhidias : thatof

Jupiter

Eleutherius

wasornamented with fine

paintings of

the

twelve principal

Gods,

andof

othersubjects,byEuphranor: thatofVenushad

apainting

which

wasthemaster-piece

of

Zeuxis:

thesewere

the most

consummatestatuaries

and

painters

the

world

ever

saw

:

such,

and

many

morewerethe noble

and

splendid temples

that

adornedthecityofAthens.

TheGreekswere

not contented

toenrichtheir

templeswith

a

multitudeofstatues of theGods

they also erected statues in

the

streetsandin

all

public

places: therewas

one

considerablestreet in

particular

in Athens,

which was interspersed

throughits

whole

length

with

statues

of

Hermes,

or

Mercury,consistingofaheadoftheGod

rising

from a square pedestal:

on

the pedestal were

written,

sometimes inscriptions describinga

me

morablefact, andsometimes

moral

precepts for

theinstructionandimprovementofthepeople.

The

priests

ofthese

templesmade

a consider

able

part

of

whatwould

have

struck

your

sight,

ifyoucould havewalked through

the

streets of

Athens:

in country-places sometimes

there

was

but

one

priest to

atemple: but

in Athens

and

other great townstherewerealways

four

at

least,

besides their

attendants;

the

priests were distin

guished

by

theirvestments,theyhadoftenalong



20 PRAYERSANDHYMNS.

beard,

and

they

adorned

their

headswith

fillets

anddiadems: they

made

a

venerableappearance.

The

priests had

apartments to

live in, within

the

vergeofthetemplestowhichthey

belonged

;

arid the temples were kept in repair,

and

the

priests

maintained,

either

bylanded estates set

apart for that purpose, orbyaportion assigned

them

of

the

fines

imposed

upon

delinquents,

and

of the spoils

wonfrom

an

enemy

in war:

the

priestsofthemost

celebrated

templeswerechosen

from thesacred

families of

Athens,

the

Eu nol

pidae, the CerVces, theEteobutadae,and

others.

Ondays

of solemn festival themultitudewas

immensethat

crowded

to the

temple

of theGod

whose

honours were

that

day

to

be

commemo

rated

: they

spread

themselves

about

thedifferent

porticos and approaches of the building : the

high-priest

stood near the

altar in magnificent

robes, and

commandedsilence: he

asked, Who

arethepersonswhocomposethis congregation?"

they answered withonevoice,

Good

men

and

true."

Join

then,"

replied

the

priest,

in

my

prayers "

Afterprayer, they

sanghymns

the

choir of

thetemplewas well instructed in music,and the

words

of

thepoetoften

so well seconded

their

efforls, that the

whole

audience dissolved

into

tears

: at other

times

the

hymn

was

entirely

in a

triumphant

style,

such

as,

Oh,

Bacchus,

son

of Semele, author of our joyous vintage, great

conqueror of theEastern

world

t" andthe con

gregation

becamefull of

gratitude

andexulta

tion.

The

sacrifice

-followed the hymn the

most

beautiful animals, adorned with goldand

rib

bands were

brought

to

the

altar

to

be

killed :

the



EXERCISES

OFTHE

STADIUM. 21

sacrifice

was

a

feast

to

which

the

Gods

were

in

vited, to partake

with their

worshippers

: while

menliveduponthefruits ofthe

earth,

thesecom

posed

the

substanceoftheirsacrifices: whenthey

learned to

ft-ed

uponanimals,then

victims,

bulls,

oxen andsheep, were presented to theGods:

meanwhilethe whole templewas pervaded with

the smell offragrant woods, myrtle, cedar,and

sandal-

wood,

together

with

incense,

burning

on

thealtar.

Nothingcan begayerormorefascinatingthan

the religious ceremoniesof theGreeksappeared

in the

eyes

of the

worshippers:

everyconsider

ablefestival wasadditionally

solemnized

by

a

ge

nerous contention for superiority betweenthedif

ferent

individuals or

tribes

who

resorted

to

the

temple : these cotitentions were either in

what

were called the exercises of thestadium, orin

singing

and

dancing.

Stadiumis a

Greek

word,

signifying a

race-

ground

or area

set apart for exercises :

the

exer

cises of the

stadium

were principallyrunning,

boxing,

wrestling,

leaping,

and

throwing

the

quoit

or

javelin: and, as the Greeks connected

thesecontestsintimately withtheir

religion,

they

entered

into

themwithan

anxiotisness for

supe

riority,

and

ascribed a

species of glory to the

successful

candidate, of

whichwecan with

diffi

culty form an idea

:

theRomanssurrendered

the

contests

of

the

stadium,

or

amphitheatre,

totheir

slaves.

Theother

sort of

contention

whichaccompa

nied theGrecian festivals, wasin music,

singing

and dancing : infinite painsweretaken to arrive

at perfection

in these

three

articles : and

when

theywerejoinedtogether,and exhibited in union,



TRAGEDY.

theyconstituted theGreekchorus : themost ex

cellent

poets werefrequentlyapplied to, tocom

pose thewords of

the

chorus,andthe

best

musi

cianstosetthemto music : thenamesofA.ristides

and

Thernistocles, two

Greeks whoprincipally

contributed

to

defeat

Xerxes

and

the

millionsof

menhe brought withhimout of Asia for the

conquest

of Europe,

were tobereadansomein

scriptions in

the city

of

Athens

in connection

with

that

wonderful military exploit ;

andin

other inscriptions

as

leadersand superintendents

ofthechorusof one or other ofthetribes ofthe

city at the religious

festivals

: theGreekchorus

was

the

foundation,

and

as it

were, thekernel

of

the

Greektragedy.

The

tragedy

of

the

Greeks,

as well as their

contentionsin

muscularexercises,

andin the

gen

tler and morerefined arts ofcompetition, consti

tuted

a part of their religion :

their

theatrical

compositions were

never exhibited but

at the

most

solemn festivals

: the

ceremony

of theday

began

with

sacrifice

: plays

written

for theocca

sion

by

Sophocles, Euripides,

and

other

extra

ordinary geniuses, were then

performed,

anda

select numberof judges pronounced upontheir

comparative claims: immensesumsofmoney

were expendedupon

theexhibitingthesepieces

withasplendourand

magnificence

proportioned

to the occasion : anda questionobstinatelyde

bated

by

the

Athenians

at

different

times,

was

whether their

revenueshould

be

spent

in prefer

enceupontheexhibitionsoftheirtheatre, orthe

maintenance of

their

armiese: it wasgenerally

carried for theformer; the theatre belonged to

'

Donosthen. lit

and3dOlyntb.



THREEANNUALFESTIVALS.

23

theserviceofthe

Gods, the

defenceof

the

coun

trywasa

merely

human

affair.

Thethree grand festivals of Athens

were the

Panathenaea,

sacred

to Athene,

or

Minerva,

and

thesolemnitiesdedicated toCeres,theGoddessof

harvests,

and

to

Bacchus, the

God

of

wine;

the

Panathenaea, because

Minervawasthe

patron-

deity ofthe

city, andthe

feasts

of

Ceres and

Bacchus,

because

corn

and

wine

are

the

grand

sustenance ofman,andthe most iudispeusible

blessings

ofheaven.

The processions whichtook placeattheseso

lemnities

were

exquisitely

beautiful:

a troop of

elders, for the Panathenaea, were chosen

from

thewhole

city,

of themostvenerableappearance

and

of

a

vigorous

and

green

old

age:

these

march

ed first with

olivebranches

in their

hands:

next

followed

a

bandof

strong

and

powerfulmenin

the

vigour

of

maturity,

cladincomplete

armour:

afterthesecameaset ofyouths,eighteenortwenty

years of age, singing hymns

in honour

of the

Goddess:theseyouthsweresucceededby

atroop

of

beautiful

children,

crowned

with

flowers,

wear

ing only a shirt

of

tine muslin,andtaught to

move

with

a

light

andmeasured

step

: the

pro

cessionwasclosedbyabandofhandsomevirgins

of

thebest families in

Athens,

clad in white,

and

with baskets

of

flowerson theirheads : thewhole

escorted

with the

music

of

different instruments,

and

dancing.

Theentertainments of thetheatrewereappro

priatedto

thefestivals

ofBacchus in

theproces

sions

sacred to thisGod

the

Atheniansindulged

a certain licence : theyimitated, sometimeswith

gaiety,

sometimes in a mannerapproaching to



THE

MYSTERIES.

frenzy,

the

gestures

and

actions

of

drunkenness

:

the

triumph

of

Bacchus, ashereturned from the

conquest of India,accompaniedwith

satyrs

and

rustic deities, was represented byhis votaries

alongthestreets which led tohistemple: thepro

cessions of Bacchusalways

took place

bynight,

amidstthesplendourofinnumerabletorches.

The

greatest

of

all

the

solemnities

belonging

to

the religion

of

Athens, was thefestival

of

Ceres :

to

this were

appropriated the Mysteries,

some-

times

celebrated in thetempleof

Ceres

at Athens,

butonly performed in perfectceremonyat amag

nificenttemple

in thelittle

town

of

Eleusis,twelve

miles

from Athens,and

hence

called theEleusi-

nian Mysteries : no person could be

admitted to

this

celebration, without having

first passed

througha noviciateor probation of

one

ormore

years : it wasdeath for a profaneperson to in

trude, and death for onewhohadbeen present

to

reveal

whathe

had

heard

or

seen

;

it is col

lected however

from certain

hintsonthesubject,

that the chief subjectsofexhibitionwereavivid

and

impressive

representation

of

the

painsofthe

condemnedinTartarus,andthejoysoftheblessed

in theElysian fields ; andit has

been

conjectured

that

thedoctrinerevealedbythe

highpriest,

was

the fallacy of the vulgar polytheism,andthe

unity of

thegreat principle

of

the

universe:

thus

the

religion

ofthecommon

people

was left undis

turbed

;

and

theenlightened

were

satisfied,

while

theyjoinedon ordinaryoccasions in theexteriors

of that religion,

secretly to worship one

God

under

theemblemsof the various mannersand

forms

in

which he operates : it has even been

supposed that Virgil,

in the sixthbook

of the



THE

GRECIAN

GAMES. 25

TEneid,

where

he

describes

Hie

passageof

jEneas

into

the regions of

departed

souls,

has given

a

correct outlineoftheEleusinian Mysteries.

Sacrifices

were

not

only

performed bythe

Greeksat

their

solemn festivals and in theirpub

lic temples:it

was

customaryalsoforindividuals

tomakea sacrifice, byway

of obtaining thefa

vour

of

the

Gods

to some

expedition

in

which

theywere engaged, or somevoyageor journey,

that

theypurposed.

Sacrifices,and

libations

(thelatterofthese

con

sistedin

pouring

wineuponthe altaror

the

vic

tim)

werea

part of

the solemnities

observed

at

funerals: and,when

the

person

whose obsequies

were

performed

was

of

great

distinction,

games,

or theexercises

of

the stadium, were also cele

brated

in

honourof

thedeceased

There

were

four

famous

cities

of Greecewhere

gameswere regularlyexhibited once in

four or

five years : the nameof thesegameswere, the

Olympic

in honour

of Jupiter, at the city of

Olympia

in

Elis;

the

Nemaeanin

honour

of

Hercules,

at

the

cityof

Nemsea

in

Argolis

; the

Isthmian in

honourof

Neptune, nearthecityof

Corinth;and

thePythian

in

honour

ofApollo,

nearthe

city

of

Delphiin

Phocis.

Thesegames

had

an

importance of

the most

wonderful

sort in

theeyes

of the Greeks

:

this

celebrated

people

cultivated

with

unremitting

assiduity all kinds of athletic

exercises;

weare

not

therefore to be

surprised,

if

they regarded

with

peculiar

attachment the

scenes wherea

per

fection in

these exercises might

be

exhibited

to

the

greatestadvantage: tothefive combatsofthe

stadium

they

added on

these

occasions

the

cha

riot-race

:

kings

wereeagerto

become

competitor*

C



DIVINATION.

for

the

prize

in this

:

Pindar,

the

sublimest

of

the

Greekpoets,wrotehiscelebrated odes, in honour

of

the

victors

in the

Olympicand

other

games

theAthenians bestowed a

pension

for

life on

any

of

theircitizens

whohadborne off the

prize

in

thesecombats :

the wall of the

city

was broken

down,that hemightenter in his chariot at the

breach,

when

he

returned

home

in

triumph

it

is

related of Diagoras theRhodian,that

when

besawhis three sons crownedin onedayat

Olympia,he expired through excess of joy

:

Herodotus, the great Grecian

historian,

as the

highest

honour he could receive, was permitted

to

recite

thenine

books

of his

immortal

work,

amidst

the

concourse

of

spectators

at

the

Olympic

games

andlastly, to give

the

amplest

idea

of

thevalue

the

Greeksannexedtothese

exhibitions,

all theother eventsandtransactions of theirhis

tory

weredated in, andreferred to, such

or

such

an

Olympiad, or repetition of the Olympic

games.

A

considerable

branch

of

the

religion

of

the

Greeks, as

of

all

other

false religions, consisted

in

Divination, or

an attempt to

foretel future

events.

Everyman

is

anxious to know

what

willbebisownfate for theresidue

of

his life, and

what will

be

the

fate of his

children

andhis

nearestconnections : andin proportion as he is

superstitious,

and

believes in

the

possibility

of

gratifyinghiscuriosity

in

these matters, his

cu

riosity increases : thus

vulgar

and

ignorant

peo

plein thepresentdayconsultgipsiesandfortune

tellers,

whotell servant-maids howmanyhus

bands they shall have,and

such

like

stuff:

the

'

Aul.GelUui,

iii

15.



THE

SIBYLS.

27

same

people

believe

in

omens,

the

spilling

of

salt,

and

the

ticking of adeath-watch,and

unlucky

days, andmakethemselves miserableaboutwhat

the

course

of natureforbids

themtoknowill

the

event: theimagination and taste of the

Greeks

elevated theweakest follies of the humanmind,

and gavethemajestyandsolemnityof

religion

to

the

poorest

dreams

of

superstition.

Thedivinationoftheancientsconsisted oftwo

principal branches,

oracles

and

omens

each of

these they

considered as

a

Tcvelation from

the

Gods,

andreverenced it accordingly.

Anoracle was

where the

revelation from the

Godswasreduced intowords : oracleswereusu

ally

in

verse.

ThereKvas in

Rome

a celebratedcollection of

oracles

called theSibylline

Books

theSibylline

Books

werethecomposition of theSibyls.

TheSibylswereoldwomen,whomlongexpe

rience had broughttotheknowledgeofall things,

past,

present,

and

to come,

or

whowere

inspired

by

Heaven

with

the

gift

of

prophecy

:

there

are

ten of

themon

record,whoresided in

various

quarters oftheworld.

The

most

famous

of

these

is

the Sibyl

of

Cumaein Italy, spoken of in Virgil's*iEneid :

Apollo* is

said

tohavefallen in

love

with her;

and that he might

gain her favour, he

pro

mised

to

grant

her

whatever

gift

she

would

de

mand : sherequested

that

shemight live asmany

'

years

as

she

had

grains

of

sand in

her

hand : the

grains

proved

to be athousand :

butshe

forgot

o ask for perpetual youth, vigour and bloom :

so

she

gfewold and decrepidandshrivelled be-

•

j£ n.

i i i .

445.

iEn.

vi.

36.

*

Ovid.

Met.

lib.

liv.

130

et

seqq.

c2



28

THE

SIBYLS.

yond

any

thing

you

ever

saw

it

was

the

custom

oftheSibylstowritetheir oracles

on the

leaves

of trees, andscatterthembefore theentranceof

thecaves

inwhichthey

lived.

TheSibylof

Cumaehadalready

livedsome

centuries,wheniEneascameintoItaly, andshe

undertooktobehisguidetotheinfernal

regions :

she

had

reached

the

period

of

her

own

death,

whenshe

cametoTarquin

the

Proud',

seventh

kingofRome,bringingwithher in ninevolumes

a

collection

of

propheciesconcerning the future

fortune of

the

Romanstate : these

sheoffered

to

sell totheking ; but thepriceshedemandedwas

threehundredgold Philippics, aboutthreehun

dred

pounds

English

:

Tarquinhaviarefused

thepurchase, the

Sibyl went

away,

ancFburned

threeof the volumes,and

then returned

to the

king, demandingfor

the remaining six three

hundredPhilippics : Tarquin still refused ;

the

Sibyl

burned

three more, and

then

required

for

thethree ontywhich

were

still restraining, three

hundred

Philippics

:

the

king

was

astonished

at

thisbehaviour,

and

somewhatawedatthe

extra

ordinaryprocedureof

theoldwoman hebought

the books,andtheSibyl disappeared,andwas

nevermore

seen

in theworld.

Thesebooks werepreserved withextraordinary

careduring the wholeperiod of

the

Romanre

public:

they

were lodged

in

a

chest

underr

groundin thetemple of JupiterCapitolinus : a

college

ofpriests

wasappointed to

takechargeof

them,

which at first

consisted

of twopersons,

butwasgraduallyincreased to

fifteen

: thebooks

i Aul. Gel.

i .

19. Lactantius i .

6

: the

latter

enumerates the

ten

Sibyl*.



OHACLES.

werenever openedwithout a special decreeof

tbe

senate

for

that

purpose,

which

was

only

passedin

timesofsomegreatdefeat

or other

ter

rible disasterhavinghappenedto

the

republic.

Themostusualmethodrespecting oracleswas

that, whenever

the

state,

or

anindividual

within

the state, desiredtoobtain information as to the

success

which

wouldattendthem

in

anyunder

taking

they

meditated,

they

resorted

to

some

templecelebrated

for

theoracles

whichwere

there

delivered : the

method

of these oracles I shall

explain, whenI cometo describe the oracle of

Delphi underthe

article

of

Apollo :

therewere

1/

Ihreeprincipal

oracles inGreece ; the oracle

of

Jupiter atDodona,

the

oracleof Apollo atDel

phi,

and

theoracle

of

Trophonius.

The

methodof consulting

the oracleof Tro-

phonius was somewhatdifferent

from the

rest:

in the rest there was a priest of either sex, to

whomthe

questionwas proposed,

and

whowas

supposedto be

inspired

by

the

Godwitha

true

prophetic answer : in theoracle of Trophonius

there

was

understood

to

be

no

middle

person

going

between the

person who

came

to consult,

and the supernatural beingbywhomhewasan

swered.

The

oracleof

Trophonius

hadits

seat in acave

at Lebadea

in Bceotia :

the votary

was intro

ducedinto this cave with manyceremonies : he

entered

it

alone

:

he

was

first

seized

witha

der

p

sleep

: hesawterrible

things : these sights pro

duced

such

an effect

upon

his mind,

that

it is

V

said

no

one

was

ever

after

seentosmile,whohad

atanytimevisited thecaveof

Trophonius.

Scarcely

anyprince

or state

ever

undertook

an

expedition, without

having first consulted,and

c3





AUGURS

AND

ARUSPICES. 31

mal

to

be

sacrificed

made

resistance,

or

seemed

to

comewillinglytothealtar, asthesacred firewas

lighted easily,

and

burnedwithapure

and

bril

liant

flame,

or

as the entrails, whenthe victim

was

opened,

appeared

to

bein ahealthful

and

perfectstate, or

the

contrary

1

The

substance

of this chapter

on

the Religious Ceremonies

of

the

Athenians,

is

abridged

from

Abbe

Barthelemy,

Travels

of

AnachaitM.





SATURNANDCYBELE. 33

in themost

ancientof the

Gods,

was

an

unnatu

ral father, and cruellyshutuphis children in

/

caverns

and

subterraneousabodes

:

but

it

unfor

tunately happens

in thehistory of

theGods

o

theGreek,that their actionswerefar from being

constantlyregulatedbytheprinciples

of

goodness

andvirtue.

Tellus

took

the

part

of

her

childrentheTitans,

thechief

of

whom

was

Saturn: Tellusand

Sa

turn

contrived

between them

that

Ceel

us should

havenomorechildren,thatheshouldbedeprived

oftbe

kingdom, and

thatSaturn

should

succeed

him

the

rest

oftheTitans

consented

to this

ar

rangementuponcondition

that

Saturn should

engage

never

to

rear

any

of

his

male

offspring,

and that, whenever his reignshould beatanend

his kingdomshould devolve to his

brothers:

to

this

Saturnagreed.

ThewifeofSaturn is variouslycalledOps,and

Rhea,

aud

Cybele,and

Dindymene,and Berecyn-

'

thia:she

also

sometimes

bears

the/names

of

her

mo

ther

(for

she

was

the

sister

as

well

as

the

wife,

of

Saturn).; like

her, she

seems

likewise to

be

the

Earth,and

in

this

character

was

invoked

bythe

appellations

ofBona

Dea

(theGoodGoddess)

for her fruitfulness, MagnaMater(theGreat

Mother),

and the

MotheroftheGods.

Coelus

andTelluswerenevermadesubjectsof

the

Grecian

statuary.

Saturn

is

represented

by

their sculptors under the

figure of

a very old

man,with a long heard,and

bearing a scythe

in hishand, theinstrumentwithwhichhe gave

a terriblewoundtohis

father :

his appearance

is

similartothat,

under

which

you

seeTimepainted

inGay'sFables and othercommonbooks: they

may

indeed

be

considered

as

the

same

deity,

the





CYBELE. 35

proper

to

the

persons

whom

theywere

required

to

obeyduringtherest oftheyear.

Cybele, themother

ofthe

Gods,

wasofsoex

traordinaryamodesty,

that

it was said nomale*

ever

saw

her, except

her

husband

her

namewas

scarcely

everpronounced :

she

was a pattern for

all matrons:menwereexcludedfromhertemple,

and

she

was

worshipped

in silence'.

This

was

one of the

forms

observed in

the

worshipof Cybele:

another

mode in which

she

wasworshipped, on different occasions, or in

different

countries,was

that

her priests,whowere

of the male sex, were

however eunuchs', and

that

her

worshippers

celebratedher festivals with

a

confused

noise

of

timbrels,

fifes

and

cymbals,

expressed theiremotions byhowlings, andin

dulged in all the extravagant

gesturesofmad

men these ceremonies bore a reference

to the

circumstanceswhicharesaidtohaveattendedthe

birthof

Jupiter.

Another curious particularwhich

belongs

to

the

history

of

Cybele,

is

the

affection

she

is

said

to have

conceived for

Atys',

a

Phrygian

shep

herd-boy,whichwassogreat,

that

shemade

him

her

high-priest,

on condition

that

hewouldnever

allowhimself

to

fall in lovewith

a

mortal: this

condition

he

broke,

and theGoddessas

a

punish

ment, took from

himthe

powerof

everbeing

a

father.

P CiceroDe

Harusp.

v.;

Tib.

lib. i .

El. vi.

22.

1 Virgil.

iEn.iii.

112.

' Juv. Sat. vi. 512. • Ov. Fasti, lib. iv. 221 .

c6



36

CHAP.VII.

WAR

OF

THETITANS.

Birth

of

Jupiter.

Saturn,

defeated

and

imprisoned

by

theTitans, is rescuedby his Son. Plots against the

Life ofJupiter, and is

deprived

of the Kingdom.

WorshipofJanus.

ThatSaturn' might fulfil thetreatyhehad

madewith his brothers, he constantly caused

his

male

children

to

bebrought

to

him

as

soon

as

they were

born,

andbyhimtheyweredevoured

:

Cybele, observing this, and feeling a mother's

kindness for

her offspring, resolved

whenJupiter

wasborn,

to

deceive

her

husband;

sheaccord

ingly dressed a large stone in the swaddling-

clothes of

an infant,and

presented it

to

Saturn,

who deceived by

appearances, swallowed the

stone,

and

thought

it

had

been

hischild :

Cybele

concealed the

infant

JupiteruponmountIda

in

Crete, -where according tosomeaccounts hewas

born,

and

caused

theCuretes

and

Corybantes,

her

priests, to make

a

deafening

noise

with

their

drumsand cymbals, whichprevented theparent

Godfrom hearing

the

babycries of

his

son:

Jupiter

was

nursed

by

the

nymphs,

and

suckled

byagoat : theborn ofthis

goat,

called

Amal-

thaeaV

horn,"

from

the

nameof

one

ofhisnurses,

and Cornucopia,"

because

itwas

endowed

with

the admirable privilege, that whoever possessed

'

Ov. Fasti,

lib.iv.

197

et

seqq. u Ov.Fasti?

lib. v.

115.



WAROP

THE

TITANS. 37

it,

should

find

it

containingevery thing

he

dc

sired,hegave

when

hegrewup, asapresentto

the

nymphs andthe

skin

ofthe

animal

he

converled

into a shield, usually called the iTLgis ofJu

piter : Cybele,bya repetition of thesamestrata

gem, deceived her

husband at thebirth

oftwo

othersons, Neptuneand Pluto.

As

they

grew

up,

il

should

seem

that

Cybele

acquainted

herhusbandwithwhat shehad done,

andpresented

to

him

theyouths,

his offspring,

andthatSaturn wassostruck with their

beauty

and

hopeful qualities, thathe forgave his wife,

and

tooktheminto favour:

for

theTitanshaving

complained

toSaturn of thebreachofhis agree

ment,

the

obvious

remedy

was

for

him

upon

their remonstrance

to have destroyed his

sons:

thishowever herefused, and thereupon ensued a

war.

TheTitans1wereenemies so formidable,

that

to represent the

greatness

of their might, they j/

arefeigned to

have

had fifty headsanduhundred

hands.

The

names

of

the

Titans

T

were

Oceanus,

Cceus,

Creus,

Hyperion, Iapetus, Cottus,Gygesand

Briareus: they hadan equalnumberof sisters

with

whom

they married, Oceanusto Tethys,

Cceus to

Phcebe,

HyperiontoTheia,andIape

tusto

Clymene.

The

Titans

were at first completelysuccessful

against

Saturn

:

they took

him

andhis

wife

pri

soners, bound

them

withchains, and

confined

themin Hell: a

few

years after however, Jupiter

overcamethe

Titans,

andset

his father

andmo

therat

liberty :

the

Titans were then shut

up

in

* Heslod. The. 150.

y

Hesiod.The. 133.



S8

SATURN

DEPOSED.

the

prison

which

they

had

previously

assigned

to

Saturn.

Aprediction hadreached theears of Saturn

thathe

should be deprived

of his

kingdom

by

his

eldest

son : terrified

at

this

menace, Saturn

plotted to takeawaythe

life

of Jupiter :

but

Ju

piter having found out

the

design, andbeing

full

of

resentment

at

the

unkindness

of

a

father

whomhe had soessentially

served,

drove

Saturn

out of his

kingdom,

andthus fulfilled the pre

diction

:

Saturn

took

refuge

in

a part

of Italy,

which

is

said afterwards

to have

been called

Latium* a latendo, from- the God's having

laidhid"

there: the

kingof this country

was

Janus,

who

is

said

to

have

been

like

Saturn,

the

son

of Ccelus, butbya different

mother:

Janus

madeSaturn the

partner of

his throne,andthe

exiled God,

of

whom

so

manyill

things

have

been told, did hereas in hisparentkingdom;re

claimed

the

peoplefrom

theirwild

wayofliving,

andtaught

them

arts, civilizationandhappiness.

Janusk

wasaGodof

some

importancein the

Romancalendar: he was represented with two

faces,

emblematical

ofhisprudence, looking be

fore

and behind: his templewas

open in

war,

and shut in timeof peace0; that is, he was the

GodofPeace, to beinvoked wherepeacewas

not,

butwhomit was

no longer

necessary to

pro

pitiatewhenwarhadceased : theRomanscon

querorsofthe

worldwereincessantlyat

war, and

the

temple ofJanus was only twiceshut during

the

whole

period of

tlte

Roman

republic.

Saturn being expelledfrom the

empire

of the

z Hesiod.The. 463 et seqq. a Virgil, JEa.

viii.

322. Ov.

Fasti,

i .

233. b Ov. Fasti,

i . 65 et

seqq.

c Id.

281

; Virgil.

Mn.

vii.

610.





40

CHAP.VIII.

OF.THETWELVE

SUPERIORGODSS

I.

JUPITER.

,

-0

Residenceof

theGods

of

the Greeks

onMount Olyni-*

pus. — Statueof Jupiter. HisSupreme Government

andAuthority.

Jupiter,as

the Greeks

affirmed, held his

courtregularly

on

thetop

ofOlympus'", amoun

tain

ofThessaly,

and

was

there

principally

sur

rounded by

deities

whoderived their birthfrom

him.

The

most eminent of

theGodspresidingon

mount

Olympus,and which

constituted,

as it

werethe

cabinet-council

of

the

skies,

Dii

majo-

rumgentium, were twelve: six of these were

male, Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Mercury,

Nep

tune

and Vulcan;

and

six

were

female,

Juno,

Minerva,

Diana, Venus,

Vesta,

and

Ceres.

a Theaccount given of someof the Gods

in this

chapter is

brief. Thecause of this i s , that the history ofthe amours of

the

Gods, and

of their

progeny

by

mortal

mothers

andfathers, is re»

served for

the latter part of the

work,

chap.XVII, to the end.

Themotive of this arrangement, as assignedin that chapter, i s ,

that

"

the

amours

of

the

Gods

are

in

reality

no

part of

their

pro

per

andoriginal

character ; the reason

Jupiteris

representedas

fal

ling

in love

with a

multitudeofwomen,

is

not

fromany

licentious

nessin his owndisposition,

but

becauseevery

hero

wasambitious

tobe aDemigod;

the teachers

of this religiondidnot perceive t i l l

too late,

that by

this means they

were ascribing

to the

first

of

their

Gods

an indecent and

libertine disposition:

it

seemed

to

be but justice therefore, toremovethese stories

from this

part

ofthe work, and

assign

themto the place to

whichthey

more

properly

belong.

b

Hesiod.The.

42.



JUPITER.

41

The

statue

of

Jupiter

by

Phidias,

the

best

of

the Grecian artists,

hasalready

been mentioned ;

in

this

the

God

wasrepresented

with

abeard,

and

seated onathrone of ivory andgold

:

hewas

crownedwithan olivewreath : in hisrighthand

he

held

the figureofaVictory, andin his lefta

sceptre,

onthe top

of

which

was perched

an

eagle',

the

emblemof Jupiter,

as being

kingof

the air;

his

robe

was

adorned

with

a

variety

of

figures offlowers and animals : this statuewas

sixty feet

in

height-

Jupiter is for themost represented bythean

cients as

governingtheworld byhisprovidence;

thoughtherewas, they

said, a

powersuperior

to

that of Jupiter,which they called Fate': by

this

perhaps

they

signified

that

it

was

the

na

ture of fire toburn, of

waterto

drown, andof

a

sword towound,and ifamanfell intothefire or

thewater,

andremained

longenough

there,

or

if

aswordwasrun

through

his body, it was

not,

theythought,in thepowerofJupiter

to

prevent

the consequences of dissolution, suffocation, or

a

wound

:

they

also

seem

to

have thought

that

Fate, independently of Jupiter, haddecreed to

everymanthehourhewas to die.

Jupiter is

often

described

asviewingfromsome

eminence

the

pursuits andcontentionsof

man

kind,andweighing in hisscalestheir

fortunes

or

their merits': he is the moderatorof the diffe

rences

of

theGods,

for

theGods

of

the

Greeks

wereaptto attach

themselvesto particular

indi

viduals, andto take opposite sideswhenthese

individuals went to

waror

otherwise

opposed

c Pindar. Pyth. i . 10. d iEschyli.Prorn. v.

518.

e

Homer.

II. 6.

69

; ILX,209.

Virgil,JEa. lii.

735.



42

JUNO.

each

other:

it

was

the

custom

of

Jupiter

when

anyof the inferior deities asked hima favour

he was disposed to grant, to

nod

his

assent :

when

Jupiter nodded, all heaven shook with

terror

f,

and

neither men

nor Gods

from

that

timehad theboldness to opposehiswilL

II.

JUNO.

HerFigureand

Appearance.

Lucina

the

namebywhich

JunoorDiana was

invoked

in

child-birth.

Iris

the

Messenger

ofJuno.

Junowas

the

sister and

the wife

ofJupiter*;

she is

styled the

queen of

Heaven

she

was

usuallyrepresented

as

sitting

in

a

chariot

of

gold,

drawnby peacocks*,

vith

a sceptre in her

hand1, and wearing acrownadorned with roses

and lilies

: all that is

majestic

in

thefemale face

and

figure

was

represented

in

her

statues,

as

all

thatwas

lofty

in the

male

was

given

to

Jupiter:

the peacock is her

emblem,on

account of the

graceful carriage of its neck,andthe magnifi

cenceof its train:Junowasborn at Samos,

or

accordingto

others

at

Argos,

asJupiter

was

born

inCrete.

Lucina,

the

Goddess

who

presided

over

the

birth

ofchildren,wasaccording to

some

accounts

the daughter

of Juno, but

is

more frequently

taken for Junoherself1, or

for Diana, one

or

f

Horn.

I I . K.528. S

Horn. I I . i r .

432.

Virg.

Mn.

i . 46.

Ov.

Fasti,

vi. 27.

h

Ov.

Met.

i i .

531.

i

Ov.

Fasti, vi.

38.

kQv.Fasti,

vi. 39.



pa

At

.

JIT^

O



1



MINEHVA.

43

other

of

whom

was

usually

invoked

by

mothers

underthenameofLucinaon

thatoccasion.

Iris, a

Goddess

sprung

from the deities ofthe

sea1, was

the

favourite messengerof

J

unom: Iris

is understood

tosignify therainbow": it was a

beautiful image,

that

represented

the

messages

of the

queenof Heaven

as

gliding

down

this

splendid

arch

to

earth:

it

was

natural

that

the

coloursof therainbow, aswellasofthepeacock,

should beappropriated to

themajestic

empress

oftheskies.

III.

MINERVA.

TheGoddess

of Wisdom.

Sprung

fromtheHead

of

Jupiter. Her Statue.

She

presides

over

Military

Fortitude

andtheArts

of

Life.

Minervais the

Goddess

of

Wisdom,

and

is

therefore

said

to

have

no

mother,

but

to have

sprung immediately from

the

head

ofJupiter" :

Jupiter

being

grieved that his wife wasbar

ren, smote his forehead with his hand, a vio

lent throbbing

ensued,

and

presently Minerva,

or as she is otherwise called Pallas, rose

to

light,

not a child, but a Goddesscompletely

formed.

Themost

celebrated

of

the

statuesofPhidias,

after that ofJupiter

Olympius,

wasthe

statue

of

Minerva in her temple atAthens: the

height

of

this

figurewas

thirty-nine

feet: Minervawas

1

Hes.

The.266. m

Ov.Met.

xi. 585. n Sen.

(Ed.

315.

•

Hesiod.

The.

923.Lucian.

Dial.Deor.

Pindar.

Olymp.

vii.

67.



44 MARS.

usually

represented

in

complete

armour,

bearing

a shield with

a head on

it,

which

wassupposed

tobeso terrible thateveryonewhobeheld itwas

turned

into

stone

: hercountenance

wascomposed

andawful,and

hereyes

ofcelestial blue: herem

blemswerethecock, theowl,andthebasilisk.

Minervawas themostaccomplished of all the

Goddesses*: shewastheGoddessofwar*;that is,

Minervawasthe

personification

of fortitude;

for

what

is

moreundauntedand

invincible

than wis

domandshewas the

patroness

ofthestratagems

of war

:

she

was

alsothepatroness

of all

thearts

of

life,

particularly of

spinning1,

needle-work,

and

embroidery:

hence

the

distaff waslikewise

oneofheremblems shewas alwaysamaid for

what

can

be

less fitted

for

subjection,

and

the

trivial details

ofhousekeeping

andcookery,

thaji

perfectwisdom

IV.

MARS.

The

GodofWar.

Junodid not always continuebarren :

Mars,

theGodofwar,was

the

son of

Jupiter

and

Juno,

or

according

to

others

ofJuno

only,

withouta

father' : hewasthepatron of all that is furious

and cruel in war, asMinervawasof all thatis

deliberate,

contriving

and

skilful:

the

animals

whichwere sacrificed toMarswerethewolf, the

horse, thevulture,andthecock'.

P Ov.

Fasti,

i i i . 833.Mille

Dea

est operurn. q

Ov. Fasti,

i i i .

5.

' Ov.

Fasti, i i i . 819.

• Ov.

Fasti, v.

231 et seqq.

1 For a description ofMarsandhis attendants, seeVirgil, ./En.

xii.

331.



I





APOLLO.

45

V.

APOLLO.

HisBirth. HisMotherLatonapersecuted by the Ser

pentPython, whichApollo kills. — His Figure. He

is theGodof the

Sun

ofMusicandPuetry

the

Author

of

Plagues

and

Contagious Diseases

and

the

GodofMedicine

and

Prophecy.

Oracleof

Delphi.

— Parnassus, Helicon, Cithaeron, Castalia, Agauippe,

and Hippocrene. Discovery of the Oracle.

The

Pythia,

and

her Tripod.

Style and mannerofthe

Ancient

Oracles.

\ i

Apollo

was

the

son

of

Jupiter

by

Latona",

the

daughter

of

Cceus and

Phocb<

two

ofthe

Titans: theimperious temper of

Juno

rendered

her always extremely jealous wheuherhusband

became

attached to any

other

female :

having

discovered theamourofJupiterand Latona,

she

sent the

serpent

Python, amonsterbred from the

slime

occasioned

by

a

deluge,

to

persecuteher

:

Latona

fled

from place to place to escape this

monster, overcomewithweariness,

and

ready to

fall ill as her lying-in drewnear: at length

Jupiter

turned her

inlo

a quail,and

Neptune

havingstruckthe

islandof

Deloswith

histrident

andrendered it immoveable, whichbeforefloated

about in the Egean

sea, sometimes

above

and

sometimes

below

thesurface

ofthe

water, Latona

flew over to it, and having there resumed

her

original form, becameat onebirththemotherof

Apollo

and

Diana :

one

of the

first actions

of

Apollo,

whenhe

grew

upto man's

estate,

wasto

t

He .

The. 917. w

Hes.

The.404.



46 APOLLO.

kill

with

his

arrow

the

serpent

Python,

that

had

been

thetormentor

of

his mother".

Apollo was

represented

bythe Greeks under

the most beautiful figure they were able to

conceive, young unbearded,

with

graceful

hair, and acountenance,

fair, animated

and

ex

pressive.

Beside

thename of Apollo, bywhichheis

most

commonly

known,this

God

is

oftencalled

by

the

poets Hyperion, and

Titan;

Hyperion

one of theTitanshaving been accordingtosome

accounts the

God

of

thesun,beforethat province

wasconferreduponApollo*.

Apollo

has

various offices.

He is the charioteerof thesun, or

rather

the

sun

itself;

he

drives

his

chariot

every

day

through

the

circuit of

the

heavens,andat night sinks

below the waves to rest : he is drawnbyfour

horses

of the

most extraordinary beauty and

spirit, harnessed abreast: and

when

represented

in this office, his head is surrounded

with

a bril

liant

circle

of

rays

:

thenames

ofhis

horses

are

Pyroeis,

Eous, iEthon,

and

Phlegon*.

Apollo

is also

the

God

of

musicand

poetry :

in

this

character

heis represented with

a

lyreinhis

* Ov.Met. i .

438, rt vi.

1 85, et 332.

Lucian.Dial. Irid.

et Nept.

y It is proper to mention that Homer, particularly in the

celebrated storyof Marsand Venus, clearlymakesApollo a dis.

tinct

person from Helios,

Sol, the

Sun.

The

Sunis

thediscoverer

of the

offence,

and

Apollo

is

one

ofthe

Gods

who

comes

in

with

the

rest,

to

see

whati s the

matter (Odyss.9).

InHesiod, Hyperion

(anothername

whichby

modern

poets has been given

to

Apollo)

is one of the

Titans, andmarries Theia

his sister [see p.

37]

by

whom

he becomes

fatherof

HeXio;and SeXjivh,

the Sun

and

the

Moon, (Theog.371). Thelater classics however, Virgil JEn. iv.

6. Horat, Carrn. i i . 21,

24,

and Ovid.Met. i . 473, i i . 24, with out

accord

ascribe the

attributes

of the

luminary

of

day to

Apollo.

a

Ov.Met. i i . 158.

Vid. ante et seqq.



APOLLO.

47

hand,

and

surrounded

by

the

Nine

Muses,

the

daughters

ofJupiterbyMnemosyne,orMemory

one

of

theTitans.

Apollo

s

theauthorof

plagues

andcontagious

diseases : this is an allegorical conception, as

contagious

diseases are most frequent

anil

fatal

when

the

heat

of the sun

is

at

thegreatest

: in

this

character

he

is

introduced

by

Homer

in

the

first book

of the

Iliad, causing a plague

amongst the

Greeks : Homerdescribes

himon

that occasion, as

shrouding himselfin darkness

(fortheheatoftheseason is

then

mostpernicious,

whentheair is thickaswellassultry),

and

shoot

ing

his

arrows in various directions

atthe de

fenceless

sons

of

men*.

Apollois alsotheGodofmedicine.

Lastly,

Apollo

is supposed tohaveinstructed

mankindin

theart of

foretelling

future

events :

in

allthis

there is

a close

connection: it

is the

sun,

as

he breaks

forthin the

spring, and pours

upon

us the

genial

warmth

of

summer,

that

in

spires themindwith glowing conceptions

and

poetry,

andthesame

turn

ofmindwhich

makes

men

poetical,

imbuesthem withsagacitybeyond

their fellows,

and

leads themwith

daring

pene

tration to anticipate events tocome;insomuch

that in Latin the same word, votes, signifies a

It

wasin his

characterofa

foreteller of

future

events,

that

the celebrated

temple

of

Delphi

was

dedicated

to

Apollo : this wassupposed to

be

the

most perfect

oracle

in

the

world : the Greeks

a I I . a. 44et

seqq. k Ov. Met.

i .

517

et eqq.

where

Apollo is introduced giving

an account

of

tome

of

Jiis attri

bute*.



48 DELPHI,

PARNASSUS,HELICON.

and

Romans

almost

universally

resorted

to

it

when

they meditatedany

arduous enterprise,

to

enquirewhethertheir undertakingwould

succeed.

Oracles

madea very essential

part

ofthereli

gion of the Greeks: they wereplacessupposed

to

be

particularly honoured

with

theresidenceof

someGod,

to whichthe

curiousaddressed

their

questions,

and

where

the

priests

returned

answers,

andsolved their doubts: a description of the

oracle

at

Delphimay

stand

as an

example

of

the

rest.

Delphiwas

the

place where

Apollo

is' said

to

havekilled theserpentPython this placethere

fore, beyond all

othersin the

world,was

srfcred to

the

God

Apollo

:

near

to

the

town

of

Delphi

was

the

mountain Parnassus, withtwotops,and

on

.

that account often called the biforked hill,"

sacred

to

Apollo

and

the

Muses: at thefoot

of

the mountain, and

near

totheoracle, flowed the

Castalian stream,

the

watersof

which

we're

sup

posed to

communicate

inspiration ; in the-same

region

were

two

other

mountains,

Helicerii,and

Citheron, both of them, but the formerespeci

ally, sacred to the

same

divinities: along the

declivityof

mount

Helicon grew

the>

Groveof

the

Muses; at thefootwasthefountainAganippe,

the waters ofwhichhadvirtuessimilar to those

of

theCastalian

stream ;

and

higherup

was

the

fountain Hippocrene, on

aspot

which

Pegasus,

the

winged

horse

of

the

Muses,

having

struck

with his hoof, this fountain

rushed

outc, the

waters

of

whichwere violet-coloured, and

are

represented asendowedwith

voice

and articulate

sound : at Delphi were celebrated oncein every

c Ot.Met. v. 256.



ORACLES

OF

DELPHI.

49

five

years

the

Pythian

games,

in

commemoration

ofthefeastofApollowhen

hekilled

the

Py

thon*:

the

Amphictyonic

council

also,

acouncil

consist

ingofdeputies

fromthetwelveprincipal

states of

Greece,

and

authorisedtodecidein all

differences

whicharosebetween

the

particularslates, held its

session atDelphi.

The

virtues

of

the

oracle

at

Delphi

aresaid

to havebeenthusdiscovered : anumberof goats

were feeding on mountParnassus,

and

happen

ed

to

approach a deep andlongchasmwhich

appeared

in

the

rock : from thischasmavapour

issued ;

and

the goats had

no

sooner inhaleda

portien

of thisvapourythan they

began to

play

and

frisk

about

with

singular

agility

:

the

goat

herd, remarking

this,

andcurious to

discover

the

cause, held

his head

overthechasm

when

in

a

short time, the

fumes

having ascended

into his;

brain,

hewas

seized

withafervourofenthusiasm,

andwasobserved to utterprophecies ; in conse

quenceof

this discovery, atemplewashere

built

to Apollo,andsoon

after

acity in thevicinityof

• the:

temple/

"

TJjeoracles

in

the

temple

atDelphiwerealways

delivered bya priestess, called thePythia :

the

apartment

oftheoraclewasimmediatelyoverIhe

chasmin

the

rock

from

whichthevapour

issued :

the

cliasntwasprobably

artificially

narrowed,

and the Pythia placed herself

on a

tripod, or

three-legged

stool,

made

full

of

holes,

directly

uponthe

chasm:

after atime,herfigureenlarged

ifself,

her mouthfoamed,

and

hereyes

sparkled

as withfire : andin this state shedelivered, with

theutmost earnestness, anumber

of

wild

and

in-

* Ov. Met. i . 446.



50

ORACLE

OF

DELPHI.

coherent

speeches,

which

were

supposed

to

be

dictated bytheGod:

the

questionproposedby

thepersons whocameto consult theGod

were

stated toher

;

heranswers were

writtendownby

thepriest, digested

into

order, arranged in hex

ameter

verse,anddeliveredtothesuppliant*.

The

oracle

ofDelphiin itsinfancycouldonly

be

consulted

on

one

day

in

the

year,-

the

seventh

dayofthemonthMunychion,orMarch,which

wassupposedtobethebirth-dayof

Apollo:

after

ward,onaccount of the multitude

of

votaries,

the

timewas

enlarged,

andthePythiamight

be

consulted onedayin every

month.

Everyonewhocametoproposehisquestions

to

the

oracle

was

obliged

in

the

first

place

to

bring

some

considerable present, so that

the

shrineof ApolloatDelphiwasoneoftherichest

magazines

of

treasurein

the

world.

In thenext placea sacrifice Avas

offeredtothe

deity:

and

accordingly

as

the

priest

pronounced

that it wasfavourably received or rejectedby

Apollo,

the

Pythia

consented

or

refused

to

mount

the

sacred tripod,andto answer

the questions'

which were

proposed to her

: when

Alexander

the Great, previously to hisexpedition against

Darius, consulted the oracle, the priestess

re

fused to enter

uponthe

holy ceremony

but

Alexander, unused tocontradiction, pulled and

pressed

her

towards

the

tripod:

upon

which

the

Pythia at lengthexclaimed, "My

on,

thou art

invincible:" thesewordsfrom thepriestess

Alex

ander accepted as the answerof theGod,and

wentawaysatisfied withhissuccessf.

The

answersof

the

oracle

were generally

deli-

•

Diodorus

Siculus,

xvi.

25.

f

Plut.

de

Alexandre.



BIANA.

51

vered

is

obscure,

sometimes

inambiguous

terms':

thuswhen

Croesuskingof

Lydia

marchedagainst

Cyrus theGreat, theoracleinformed

him

that

in

the

eventofhiscampaignheshould

overturn

agreatempire;" hedid so,

but

the

empire

over

turnedwasnotthatofCyrus,but

his

ownh again,

whenPyrrhusking ofEpirusengaged in

a

con

federacyagainst

the

Romans,

the

oraclethusan

sweredhis

enquiries :

Credo te,

Macida,Roma-

nos

vincere posse'; which,

according

to

the

rules of classical construction, might either

mean, that

heshould

conquer

theRomans,

or

that

the

Romansshould conquer

him: Pyr

rhus understood it in one sense, but thecourse

ofeventsmadeit be finally interpreted in the

other.

VI.

DIANA.

The

Goddess

of

theMoonand

of

Hunting.

HerFigure

andAppearance.

She

is

also

theGoddess

of

Chastity

— and

Magic.

SpartanBoys

whipped at her

Altar.

Dianais thetwin-sisterofApollo,andlikehim

has

various

offices

:

in

heaven

she

is

the

moon,

as Apollo is

the

sun

:

on

earth

sheisthe

Goddess

of

hunters ;

andin

Tartarus

sheis Hecate: it

« jEschyli Prorn. 662.

k

Suidas.

v.

KpoTirof. i

This

is a

Terse of Ennius, mentioned byCicero, togetherwith the oracle

concerning Croesus. DeDiv. i i . 56.

» 2



52 DIANA.

wasalso

her

office

to

watch

overwomen

on

occa

sionsof child-birth;

and

she

was

worshippedin

all cross-ways, from

which

circumstancesheob

tainedthenameofTrivia

(

threeways.

By

the

painters andsculptors shewasmost

frequentlyrepresented in her characterofahun

ter: in this

character

she

was

attendedby

a

bevy

of

nymphs,

beautiful

and

exquisitely

formed,

herselfmoremajestic,and

taller by

the head,

than anyof her followers ; her legs werebare,

well

shaped

and

strong: her

feet were

covered

with

buskins

;

she

had

a

bowin

her

hand,anda

quiver full ofarrows at herback*.

Dianais theGoddess

of

chastity,moreprone

to

the pursuit

of wild beaststhan

theindulgen

ces

of

love

: this is

metaphorical

:

the

silent

moon,withits mild

and

silver

light,

andthat re

freshing coolness which

always

accompaniesa

moon-light scene,wasregarded asthe

very

em

blem ofchastity.

In

hercharacter

of

Hecatesheissometimes

con

founded with

Proserpine, thequeen ofTartarus :

as

Hecate

however

she

is

principally

distinguished

as theGoddessofmagicand

enchantments:

in

reality

the

moon

was

regarded as havinggreat

concern in all enchantments;andit

was

believed

bythe

ancients, that

the

magicians

of

Thessaly

coulddrawdownthemoonfrom heavenbythe

force of their incantations : theeclipses of the.

moon

were

supposed

to

proceed

from

this

cause;

on whichaccount

it wasusual

at

the

time of

the

eclipse to beat

drumsandcymbals,

that

the

incantations

might

not

beheard,and

k Horn.Od. £ . 108. Virg.

J3n.

i . 49S.



TENUS.

that

the

power

of

the

magic

might

be

rendered

ineffectual '.

ThetempleofDianaat Ephesus is mentioned

in theNewTestament, and is regarded asoneof

the seven

wondersof

the world :

atSparta, one

ofthe

cities bestbelovedby

Diana, an

oracle

had

commandedthathumanblood

should

beshedat

her altar

; in

consequenceof

which

it was at first

customary

to

sacrifice

humanvictims

;

bat

Ly-

airgus, the great Spartan lawgiver, abolished

this custom,andsubstituted in theroomof it a

law, thatboys

of

high birth

should be

whipped

at

thealtar

ofDiana, till

blood

followed thelash;

bythis lawhepurposed toenurethemto hard

ship,

and

thewhipping

wassometimes

so

severe,

that

the

boys

expired

under

it

without

a

groan"'

:

in

Taurica, where

there

was

a

celebrated temple

ofDiana, the

rulesof

the worshiprequired, that

every foreigner

whowasfound

in

the country,

from

shipwreck

or

otherwise,

should

be

immo

lated atthealtarofthe

Goddess".

VII.

VENUS.

Her

Origin.

Sheis

the

GoddessofBeautyand

Love.

Her

Figure

and

Appearance.- The

Cestus, or

Girdle

of

Venus.

Cupid

her

Son.

Venus, as I shall presently have occasion to

mention, is described

byHesiodand

theMyco

logists0 asthe

offspring

of

Coelus,andindebted .

1

Hor.

Epod. v. 45 et seqq. m Plut in

Lycurgo.

» Eur.Iph.Taur. 384. ° Chap.ix.

D3



54

VENUS.

for

her

birthto

thewound

inflicted

upon

him

by

Saturn ;

in

thatcaseshe

is

elder

thanJupiter

: by

Homer

and

Virgil howevershe is

repeatedly

broughtforwardaddressing

Jupiter

as

her

father ;

and

sbeis sometimescalledDionaea, from Dione,

a sea-nymph, supposed

to be her

mother*

:

thesedifferentjmethodsofdescribingher, ariseout

ofthe different

views

that aretaken of

hercha

racter:

whenthepoetthinks ofher

in

apersonal

light, astheGoddessof Beauty,andthe roost

beautifulof

femaleforms, it is natural to

figure

herin

the

bloomofyouth;

sbe

is then thedaugh

ter ofJupiter : butsheis very oftenspoken ofin

an allegoricalsense: it

it thus

sheis addressed

by

Lucretius',

one

ofthe finest of the

Latin

poets,

in

his

book

on

the

Universe

:

she

is

then

the

sourceof

activity

and

life throughouttheworld :

she is

God's first

commandtomanandanimals

andthe fruits

of

theearth, Increaseandmul

tiply,"transformed from a literal preceptintoan

ever-moving

impulse

: takenin

this sense,

sheis

ofcourserankedamongsttheeldestof

the

Gods

and,

as

the

ancients

believed

that

water

was

the

origin ofthings,Venus, ortheprinciple

of

com

municatedlife,is

also

figuredasrisingoutofthesea.

Venuswasborn according to somenear the

island

of

Cythera,

andaccording to others,

of

Cyprus:

hermost celebrated

temple

wasthatof

Paphos, acity in thelatter oftheseislands.

Venus

is

the

Goddess

of

beauty

and

love

:

her

person

is endowed

with every

quality that

can

render it

alluringand

attractive:

hercarriage

is

in themost exquisitedegreegraceful : in Venus

thereisno

haughtiness,no

forbiddingexpression

t

Virgil.

iEn.iii.

19,

1 Lib.

i .

l.etseqq,



CUPID.

55

of

majesty; her countenance is adorned with

smiles,

and

expressive

of

the

sweetest gentleness,

andencouragement

; yet in her

most

admired sta

tues sheis represented as modest, consciousand

bashful,semi-reducta, balf-withdrawing;"like

Milton'sEve,with

virgin modesty,

Andconscience

of

herworth,

Not

obvious,

not

obtrusive,

but

retir'd,

Themoredesirable.

Thechariot of

Venus

is drawnby

turtle-doves,

theemblemsofindissolubleaffection

:

she is con

stantly

attended

by

Cupid her son though

it

is

uncertain bywhat father,anda train of little

loves, that is, of

beautiful

boyswithcherubfaces

anddimpled

cheeks,

who

hover

round

her,

buoyedupon silkenwings : themyrtleis parti

cularly sacred to Venus; and sheis famousfor

her

cestus, or girdle,whichhadthis property,

thatbywhateverfemale

it

was

worn, her

charms

weresuretoappear irresistible tothepersonwhose

affection

shedesired to

command.

Cupid,

the

God

of

love,

the

son

of

Venus,

is

always represented

under

the

figureof abeauti

ful

boy, with a how

andarrows

: these

arrows

are

the

shaftsof

love,

and

it is

affirmed

by

the

poets, that neither Godsnor

men

could resist

their

power

Cupid is

extremely

genlle, agree

ableand

caressing

inhis manner, but in his

heart

full of deception and malice: he is oflen re

presented as blind, because the lover does not

see the real qualities of his

mistress,

butonly

those in

whichhis

ownfancy attires

her; and

he

has wings,

because there is no

passion

of

the

mind

moreprecarious than love,andthe

most

' I I . 5. 214.

D4



MERCURY.

vehement

regard

sometimes

afterward turnstothe

bitterest hatred.

VIII.

MERCURY.

The

Messengerof

theGods. HisFigure.

ThePetasus.

—

Talaria

and

Caduceus.

Its

Virtues.

He

is

the

Godof Letters and Eloquence of Traffic — andof

Thieves. HermesTrismegistus,

an

Egyptian Histo

rian.

Mercury

fs

the

son

of

Jupiter,

byMaiathe

daughterofAtlas,andgrand-daughter of Iape-

tus

one

of

the

Titans

:

his

peculiar

office

in

the

council

of

Olympus, is

thathe

is

the

messenger

oftheGods,and

particularly

of Jupiter': for

thispurpose heis furnished witha wingedhat,

called

petasus,andwith

wings tobewornonhis

feet, calledtalaria . - the figure given to himby

thestatuaries is

that

which is bestadapted for

nimblcness

and

celerity

;

and

nothing

is

more

obvious,than thatthosepropertiesof the

human

figurewhicharebest fitted for thesepurposes, are

closely

allied

to

the

perfection of symmetry

and

beauty.

Mercury

alsopossessed

certain

attributes

inti

matelyconnectedwithmagicandenchantment;and

jn

this

character

he

bore

a

wand,

called

caduceus:

thiswand

had

wings at

the

top,

andtwoserpents

wreathed

themselves about thestalk :

it

was

en

dowed

withsuchvirtues,

that

whoever it touched,

if awake, wouldimmediately sink into a pro-

'

Horn.Od.

i .

15, et 44 et seqq.



THE'CADUCEUS. 57

found

sleep,

and, if asleep,

would

startup

full

of

life

and

alacrity:

when

it

touched

the

dying,

their souls

gently

parted from themortal

frame

:

and,

whenit

was

applied

to thedead,

tkedead

returned

to

life :

it

hadalso

sovereign

powerin

appeasingquarrels

and controversies : if

the

God

touched

with

it

two

mortal enemies, they in

stantlybeganto regard each

other

with

eyes

of

affection

:

one

of

the

earliest

experiments

that

wasmade of it in this respect, happenedthus :

two

serpents were fighting with

terrible fierce

ness ; their

eyes

flashed fire, their hissings were

infernal, it seemed asif the

combat

couldend

in

nothing less than thedestructionof both : Mer

cury,happening

tocome

by, touchedthemwith

liis

wand

they

were

immediately

at

peace

;

they

embracedeach

other

; theywreathed themselves

round

theinstrumentof

theirreconciliation,and

remained ever after

theornament

of thecaduceus

oftheGod.

It is in virtue of the caduceus thatMercury

is

represented

not

only

asoneofthe

celestial, but

also

of

the

infernal

deities

:

it

was

his

office

to

conductthe spirits

of

thedepartedtotheboat

of

Charon,

of

whom

I shallhaveoccasion

to

speak

hereafter : and

again,

according

to

the ancient

doctrineof transmigration, orthe

passing

of

the

soul

after deathintothebodies

of

othermenor

of

animals, it

wasMercury

wholed thespirits back,

after

having

resided

forsome

time

in

the

nether

or

lower

world,

torevisit

the

cheerfulbeamsof the

sun. . ,

There are

many

things

related

of this God,

which

forciblysuggest to

us

the

idea

of

aman,

who for his great and

essential services

to his

fellow-beings, was worshipped

asadivinity after

,

d

5



58

MERCURY.

hisdeath.Heis said tobetheinventorofletters;

and

his

Greek name,

Hermes, is

derived

from

st

wordin

that

language

which

signifies to inter

pret" or explain:" in this qualityMercury

is theGodof eloquence, as

Apollo

is theGodof

poetry

:

an ingenious writer of

the present

age

[JohnHomeTooke,in

hisDiversionsofPurlcyJ

has considered thewingswhichthisGodannexes

to

his

feet,

as

emblematical

of

the

wings

which

languagegivestothethoughtsofmen.

Mercury, orHermes,

was

perhaps someglo

rious

characterin

someremoteage

ofthe world,

whoreclaimedmenfrom

theirsavage

wayofliv

ing, and taughtthemthearts ofcivilization: in

allusion to

this

he is styled the Pacificator,"

and

his

caduceus

represents

the

power

which

his

persuasions

hadto appease the angry passions

ofthemind.

Mercuryis furtherrepresented as theinventor

oftraffic, and

is said tohaveintroduced

the

use

of

weights,measuresand

contracts

: this

is oneof

the

fruits of civilization, and, whenmoderately

and

fairly

applied,

has been

of

great

benefit

to

mankind.

Traffichowever is tooapt to degenerateintoa

system

of

fraud : whenmenengage

in

buying

and

selling

and

barfer

as

a

profession, the

more

keenandgraspingamongthemwill endeavour

tobuycheapand sell dear, and cozen and over

reach

those

with

whom

they

have

any

dealings

:

thelicentiousness

of

Greekimagination hastaken

hold of this, and has indecorously represented

Mercury

as

theGod

ofthieves :

whenoncethey

had donethat,

they

proceeded tocomplete the

picture, and madet :c messengerofJupiter

one

of the light-fingered crew within the reach of



NEPTUNE.

59

whom

no

commodity

s

safe:

Apollo,

they

say,

havingonacertain

occasion

assumed theoffice

ofashepherd, Mercurystole awaypart of the

flockwhichhisbrotherGodwastending: Apollo

grewangry,

and

tookuphisbow, thathemight

revenge

himself on

thethief, but

Mercury

made

slight

conveyanceof his quiver, and

all his

ar

rows

along

with

it:

atdifFerent

times

hepurloined

from

Neptune

histrident,

from

Venus

her

girdle,

from Mars

his

sword, fromJupiter his

sceptre,

andfromVulcanavariety ofhis tools'.

Wemustnotconfound Hermes, the Grecian

God,

withHermesTrismegistus, an

ancient

Egyptianauthor, from whomSanctioniat

hon,

a

Phcenician

historian,

drew

part

of

the

mate

rials

of

his work: this Hermes, wholived about

fourhundredyears after thedateofNoah'sflood,

is

representedbyPlatoand

Cicero ashaving in

vented letters, theart

of writing,

and hierogly

phics : Isuspect theyhavetakensomeattributes

from the

original

Mercury or Hermes,andgiven

them

to

the

Egyptian.

IX.

NEPTUNE.

TheGodof the Sea. — His Figure

and

Appearance.

His

Extensive

Authority.

Neptuneis on all hands admitted to be the

son ofSaturn, and the

brother

of

Jupiter: when

the

inheritance

of their father was divided

by lotamonghis

sons,

the

seawas

the

portion

i

Horn.

Hymn,

in

Merc.

Hor.

Od.

i .

10.

1)

G



60

NEPTUNE.

which

fell

toNeptune:

if

you

consider

how

ter

ribleandbeautiful

an

element the sea

is, and

whata vast

portion

the

ocean

occupies

of

the

globeweinhabit,.youwillnotwonderthatNep

tune is considered

as one

of

the

greatestof I be

Gods he

is represented with black hair and

beard,andwith

a

mantleofblue:

one

of

his

prin

cipal

attributes

is

the

trident,

or

fork

with

three

teeth,

whichalways

serves

himfor

a

sceptre.

AstheGodofthesea, Neptunepresided over

the

storms and

the

tempests : Virgil"

introduces

him, in the

midstof

a

tempestwhichthe

Winds

hadexcited without

his

permission, asrising to

the surface of the ocean, driving awaythe

Winds

with

an

awful

rebuke,

opening

the

quick

sands

inwhichcertain ships

were

locked, push

ing off other siiips

from

the rocksuponwhich

theyhadstruck,

andintroducing

a suddenand

universal serenityand calm.

Wehall have

occasion

to talk of Neptune

again,

whenwe

speak of the

Gods

of the sea :

this

was

his

peculiar

dominion:

but

he

was

one

of the membersof the

council

of Olympus

Pluto, though with Jupiter

andNeptune, he

wasthe

third

of

thosewho

dividedtheempire

of

the worldamongthem, yet is not ranked with

the

SuperiorGods,becausehis provincewas the

infernal regions,

and

he

neverquitted hisgloomy

dominions.

■ JEn.

i 124.



VULCAN.

61

X.

VULCAN.

TheGod

of

Vulgarand

Material

Fire, and of theMe

tallic Arts. Cause of

his

Lameness.

He is the

Artificer of Heaven. His UncouthFigure. He

is

theHusband

of

Venus.

Vulcan,

the

Godof fire, or

more

properly

the

presiding divinity

of

thosewhoworkedin

the

metallic arts, is the

son

of Jupiter

and

Juno,

or accordingtoothers,

of

Junowithout

a

father,

as

Minervawas

thedaughter

of

Jupiter

without

a

mother

:

he

was

educated

in

heaven

among-

the

Gods, but

was

thrust

out

of thecelestial

abodes

byJupiter,andthrown

down

toearth:

afterward

he

became

restored to his rank,andwasoneofthe

councilofOlympus.

The

occasion of

his

disgracewas

thus

: Jupiler

and Juno, the kingandqueen oftheGods,had

often

unhappy

misunderstandings

:

in

one

of

these

Jupiter

was

so provoked withthe

perverseness

of

his wife, that he hungher outbyher arms,

suspended

in

agolden chain,

from

thethreshold

of heaven, having

fastened

a

heavy

anvHtoher

feet11:

Vulcanwas movedwith pity to see his

mother in

this

disgraceful

situation,and

secretly

relieved

her

from

it

;

an

act

of disobedience

which so exasperated

Jupiter,

that he kicked

Vulcan

outof

heaven :

Vulcan was ninedays

in

the fall, and atlengthlighted

withsuch

force

on

the island of

Lemnos,

thathebroke his

leg,

and

waslameeverafter*.

1

Horn.

I I .

< r .

17.

y

Horn.

I I .

« .

590.



62

MARRIAGE

OF

VULCAN.

Vulcan

is

the

artificer

of

heaven

:

he

forged

the

armourof the Godsand

Demigods, andthe

thunder of Jupiter:

he constructed

the

golden

chambers in whicheach of thesuperior deities

wereaccustomed to reside:

never

was theresocon

summateaworkman

asVulcan in

Homer'sde

scription

oftheshield hemadefor Achilles,

it ap

pears

that

it

was

enamelled

with

metals

of

various

colours, and

contained at

least twelve

historical

designs, with

groups

of

figures, all

ofadmirable

expressiveness

and

beauty: the seatswhichhe

constructed for theGods, weresocontrived,that

theycameself-moved

from the

sidesof

the

apart

ment,

to theplacewhere

each

Godseated

himself

at

the

table

when

a

council

was

to

be

held1.

Lemnosis

supposed for

this reason to

have

been theearthly residence assigned to Vulcan,

because

it

aboundedin blacksmiths,

andartificers

in different metals:

he

wasalso said to

have

a

forge

where hewas

busy

in formingthe

thun

der,

withintheconcave ofmount

iEtna,

and

in

deed

wherever

a

volcanic

mountain

was

to

be

found.

Vulcanis usually represented, seated at his

anvil, with his fire

andall

histoolsabout him,

holding

a thunderbolt with

a pair

of

pincers in

hisleft hand,andin hisrightahammerraised in

the

act to strike:

he is also supposed to be all

sooty

anddiscoloured

with

thesqualidness inci

dent to his employments.

What,

is

mostextraordinary

is,

that

this

ugly

and

deformed

Godis described

to

bethe

husband

of Venus, Goddessof beauty,and

father

ofthe

lovely,

cherub-faced

boy, Cupid

perhaps

this

z

Horn.

I I .

c r .

369

et

seqq.



pa.63.

YESTA



i

/'

I

/

\

■ ;



VESTA.

is

in

Vulcan's

capacity

of

Godof

fire,

as

love

has

alwaysbeen

representedundertheimage

of

a

flame burningin

the breast of

thelover: thus

allegorically, beauty maybesaid to bethemo

ther,andthe fire lighted

upin the

breast

ofits

admirer*the

father, of

Cupid or

love,

or the

perpetual adoration which

the

lover is repre

sented in poetry

as paying

fo

thelady of

t i is

af

fections :

the

ancients

might

also

conceal

under

this genealogy a

satirical

insinuation againstthe

passion of love, whichwhenit exists purely

and

chastely

between therespectablefather

and

mother

of a family, producing domestic

har

monyand

parental care, is one of

the

bestof

our feelings; butwhenit leadshumanbeingsto

trample

on

all

that

is

honourable

and

well-regu

lated

in

society, asbylicentiouspoetsand

other

writers it is too

frequently described,

it is one

of the deepest blots to

which

our

natureis

ex

posed, k

XI.

VESTA.

The

Goddess of the Refinedand Celestial

Fire.

Her

Origin. Distinguished from

Tellus,

or

the Elder

.

Vesta, MotherofSaturn. The

Vestal Virgins.

*

-/ jaturnhad

by

hiswife,Rhea,

orCybele,three

Sons, Jupiter,

Neptune,

and

Pluto,

andthree

daughters, Juno, Vesta, and Ceresa;

it

remains

to

speakofthe

two last.

Vesta stands for twoof the four

elements,

earthand fire

: this

is most clearlyexplainedby

» Ovid. Fasti, vi. 285. Hes.The.454.



64

VESTA.

referring

the

two

interpretations

to twodifferent

Veslas: the

elder

being

Tellus,thewife

ofCoelus,

and, as

she is

often called, the most ancient

ofthe

Gods:

and

the

younger the daughter of

Saturn, and sister of Jtipiter : it is this latter

deity,that

makes

onein the

councilofOfympus.

Vesta, consideredas thepersonification

of

fire,

Was

a

principalobject ofancient worship : ifwe

regard

Vulcan

as

the

Godof

fire,

the

element

over

whichhepresided was

gross,vulgar,

and

impure,

orwasof thatsortbywhichthemilderandmore

genial

operations

of natureareimpeded

it

Was

the

fire oftheartificer, thefire oflicentious love,

the fire withwhichthe thunderboltsofJupiter

are formed, or that in

which

theuniverse

shall

perhaps

one

day

be

consumed

but

the

fire

of

which

Vesta

wasthedivinity,

was

ofthe

purest

sort, thatbywhichall nature

is

pervaded,which

is

the

element of life,

the

etcmfen yJ

Which

all

thingsgrowand

expand

themselvas; 8(>wl in

virtue

ofwhichthey areendowedwithhealthand;vi

gour:chymistsinformus that flie elenk'rrt ofVflre,

or

heat,

is

to

be

found

inalmost

every

substan'ce

innature, particular

in

every,substance that

has life. Jr . - ' • - ' • ' ' . .

Vesta seems to haveBeentheiayouritesister'of*'

Jupiter,whbhavingproposed

to

her

to

ask

forany'*

privilege she

pleasedand

it

should be granted*

to her, the favour shedemanded

was

thatshe

should

remain

perpetuallya

virgin,

and

that

th<f

first oblationsin all sacrifices should be

presented

toher. ,

Theworship of

Vesta

constituted a

very

emi

nent

branch in

the

religion of

theancient

Ro

mans: her

rites

are said

to

have

been

brought

into

Italy

by

./Eneas

upon

bis

escape'fromthe



THE

VESTAL

VIRGINS.

65

siege

ofTroy

:

Numa,

the

successor

of

Romu

lus,

and

second

king

of

Rome,

founded

her

templein

that

city, and instituted thecelebrated

order

of priestesses, called

theVestals,

toattend

upon

it

: their first dutywas to take

care

of

the

sacred fire; whichwasnotplaceduponanaltar

or a hearth, but was hungupin the air in

earthen

vessels:

it

was

kept

perpetually

burning,

and

was replaced every Marchby

a

fresh fire,

lighted

from thebeamsofthesun : if

ever

it were

extinguished, it was believed thatthe

statewas

threatened

with the greatest calamities:

the

Vestals

also

took

a vowof

virginity,which

if

they broke, theirpunishmentwasto be buried

alive,

being

shut

up

in

a

vault

under

ground,

with a lamp

and

a

smallquantity

ofprovisions,

and

there

left to.perish:

in

recompensefor

this

severe law, theVestals obtained extraordinary

privileges

arid/-res

pect

:

they hadthemost

ho

nourable

sc$tV

at gamesand festivals ; the con

sulsand. pflrtpalVmagistrates gavewaytothem

wherever [bey met them .their declarations in

trial* v?ere

admittciHvitho'ut

the

formality

of

an

oath; arid

if

they

hsfppened

to encounterintheir

-patha

criminal

gaing totheplace

of

execution,

, heimmediatelyobtained

his

pardon.

b Ov.Futi, i i i . 483.



XII.

CERES.

CERES.

The

Goddess

of

Corn

and Harvests. Proserpine,

her

Daughter,

carried

offby

Pluto,

as she wasgathering

Flowers. Ceressearches through

the

World for her.

—

Agreement

between

Pluto

and

Ceres.

Ceres is theGoddessofcornandharvests : and

in

proportion to the

importance

of

corn

for the

subsistence

ofman,was thesolemnitywithwhich

the

religious

rites sacred to Ceres were

comme

morated : 1 havetoldyoubefore of the Eleusi-

nian

Mysteries,

of

which

Ceres

was

the

presiding

divinity.

Ceres hadafavouritedaughter, calledProser

pine,

ofwhom

Jupiter

wagthe

father ;

nothing

can

beprettier than thestoryoftherape(orcar

rying

off, from theLatin rapio, raptus)ofPro

serpine*. • '

' « ,

Pluto, theGodof Tartarus, or the infernal

regions,

was desirous,

like'

his brothers; Jupiter

andNeptune,tomarry he

made proposals to

severalGoddesses,

but

all

refused

him:byliving

in

hell, his

complexion

contracted

thecolourof

the

place,andhis

figure

wasotherwise soun

couth,

and

unlikewhattheladjesare

accustomed

to

admire in a

man,thatnone

of

thelady jpha*

bitants

of

heaven

would

have

any

thing

to sato

him.

Pluto,ashe

could

not

get

awifebyfair means,

determined

to trysuch

as

arefoul

:

thefavourite

residenceofCeresand

her

daughter wasSicily;

e Horn.Hymn,in Cer. Ov. Met. t. 359.



PKOSERPINE. 67

feigned

to

be

so

on

account

of

the

extreme

ferti

lity

of

that

island,

which

made

it

for

a

longtime

thegranaryof Italy

and

Greece:

one

dayPro

serpine,

thinkingnoharm,

wasgathering

flowers,

amidst

her*

attendant

nymphs,

in

the

beauti

ful valeofEnnain

thecentreofthe

island : while

shewasengaged

in this innocent

employment,

Pluto

startedup

through

a

cleft

of

the

earth,

in

a

black

chariotdrawnbycoal-black

horses

: he

no sooner

casthiseyes

upon

Proserpine,than

he

resolvedsheshould behis queen: he caught her

upto

hischariot,

andimmediatelydescended

into

hell : Proserpine was terribly

frightened

:

she

cried because she did not like to berun away

with,and

she

cried because

she lost in

the

strug

gle

the

nosegayshehadbeengathering.

Whilethis was happening,

the

attendants of

Proserpinewerescattered different ways, looking

for

the

finest

flowers; sothat,

as

all

passed in a

moment,

noone

ofthemcould tell

what

wasbe

comeoftheir mistress: Ceres, whoseldomsuf

feredher

daughter out

ofhersight,but

was

now

accidentally

absent,

presently

returned:

never

did

mothergrieve more

constantly

for the loss of

her

child :

she

lighted two

torchesatthe

top of

mount Etna,

andsought her

night

and

day,

throughthe world : at

last

returning indespair

to

Sicily,

shechanced

to

spythegirdle

of

Pro

serpinefloating

onthe

surfaceof a lake, and

the

nymphof

a

neighbouring

fountain

at

the

same

time

informed

her

whither

herdaughterhadbeen

taken.

Ceres, whohadbefore grieved

for the

loss of

Proserpine, now

grieved the

more, when

she

found thatshehadgotso uglya mate,

and

was

gone to

live

inso

frightful a

place: shecom



68

PROSERPINE.

plained

to

Jupiter,

who

sympathised

with

her

grief, and

told her that

she

should have her

daughter back again, if it proved thatshehad

eaten

nothing

in

the

infernalregions :

but ifshe

had,

the

laws

of fate

were

against her., and there

wasnoremedy.

Ceres

was satisfied with this decision:

she

felt

sure

that

Proserpine,

resenting

herbeing

run

away

with,

could not have

been

prevailed

on

to touch

a morselin hell: this wasnearlythefact: ithap

pened however that onedayProserpinewalked

alone

in the

gardens of

Pluto,

and wastempted

withthebeautyof a pomegranate: shegathered

it,

and

thinking nobody

sawher,

picked out

seveu of

the

seeds,

put

them

in

her

mouth,

and

swallowed

them

this

was . ' i l l , but this was

enough thefactwasdiscovered, and

thehopes

ofCeres

were

disappointed : at length

a

compro

misewasmade

between

Pluto, thehusband,and

Ceres,

themotherof Proserpine, that

sheshould

spend

half the

year

in

heavenwith

hermother,

and

halfthe

year

in

Tartarus

with

her

husband.

This

hasbeen

allegoricallyexplained :

Proser

pine is

said 1orepresent

theseed,

and Ceres

the

fertility of theearth:

now

theseedof wheat in

particular, remains during

the wholewinter

hid

in theground, whilein

the

summer,

it

bursts its

concealment, producesthestalkand theear, and

dilates

itself

in

the

face

of

the

skies.



69

CHAP.IX.

WAROF

THE

GIANTS.

Their

Origin.

Tellus

excites

them

to

make

War

upon

Jupiter. Their Figure. Typhon. Tityus. — Othus

and

Ephialtes. EnceladusandBriareus. Theii

Man

ner of Fighting: TheGods betake themselves to

Flight are assisted by

Hercules

are

finally

vic

torious. Punishmentofthe

Giants.

As

under

the

reign

of Saturn

there

was

a

re

bellionof

theTitans,

sounderthereignofJupiter

happenedthewarof

the

Giants. ,

WhenSaturn deposed

his

falherCcelus from

the governmentof-heaven,

in

thescuffle he

gave

Ccelus

awound,

and

cut

awayapart

of

his flesh:

the partwhichwasseparated Saturn threw into

thesea,

andfrom it,

asfrom

a

seed,

sprung

the

GoddessVenus the drops of blood from the

wound,fell

on

the earth,

and

were theparent

source

of

the

Giants*.

There is

somedegree

ofpuzzleand contradic

tion (as

frequently

happensin

the

Grecianmy

thology),

about

the

parentage

of

the

Giants:

if

whatI

havejustsaid is to

be

taken

literally, they

are then entitled to the appellation

commonly

given

them, of Sons

of

the Earth: but, ifwe

recollectthat

the

wifeof Ccelus

their

father was

calledTellus,

Terra, ortheEarth,andtake

the

story

thatway,we

maythen

consider themas

* Hesiod.The.

174

et seqq.



70

WAROFTHEGIANTS.

full

brothers

to

the

Titans

both

by

father

and

mother, only later as totheperiod oftheirbirth :

theywereasortofsecond brood.

Tellusdid notlookwith

a

favourableeyeupon

theusurpation ofJupiter: shesawhimfirst op-

pressingthe

whole

bodyof hersons, under pre

tenceof vindicating the

cause

of

one

of them,

Saturn,

and

afterwards

deposing

Saturn himself

:

atlengthsheexcited

theGiants to

revenge

upon

Jupiter

thecauseoftheir brothers

the

Titans.

The

Giantsare

described as terrible monsters:

liketheformer

brood, theyhad

fifty heads

anda

hundred

hands

a

piecee

:

their stature

was enor

mous, and,

instead

of

two

feet, their lower ex

tremities were

two

amazingserpents' tails,

that

writhed, andfolded,and

beat thegroundasthey

passed

along.

Though

the

Giants arespoken

of collectively

as

Sons

ofthe

Earth,

vet,whentheGreeks

come

todescribethem

separately,

theyascribeto some

of them

a different origin

: Typhceus,

or Ty-

phon,

themost

terrible ofthem, is said bysome

to

be

theson

of

Juno

without

a

father

r

he

was

so

tall thathetouchedtheEastwithhisright

hand,

and

the

Westwith his

left,

and as

he

stood

up

right, his front knocked

against

the stars : a

hundreddragons' headgrewfrom hisshoulders :

his

body

wascoveredwithfeathers, scales,

ragged

hair,and

adders

:

the

ends of his fmgers were

snakes

:

his

eyes

sparkled

with

fire,

and

his

mouth

belched out flames : his voicewasparticularly

terrible,

andwhen

he

pleased,

he

could

makeit

like

theroaring

of awild

bull,

theangry cries of

«

He .

The.

670.



WEAPONSOFTHEGIANTS.

71

alion,andtheyell ofa lion's whelp: theloftiest

mountains

trembled

at

the

sound.

AnotheroftheGiants was

Tityus, the

son of

JupiterandElara : hewasofso vast a size, that

bis

motherdied

at

his birth,and

as she was

broughtto

bed

of

himin

a

cavern,

theearthwas

rent

togivehimwaybefore

he

could seethe

light

ofthesun:whenhe laydown,his bulk

covered

nine

acres

of

ground':

he

was

guilty

of

some

af

front to Latona, themotherof Apollo, and

Ju

piter

sentencedhim

for

it to hell, wherea vulture

continually feeds uponhis

liver,

whichgrows

again as fast as it is devoured.

Two

more

of

theGiants

wereOthus

and

Ephi-

altes* : theygrew

nine

inches every

month,and

were

nine

years

-old

when

they

entered

into

the

waragainstJupiter.

Othersofthe

Giants,

wereEnceladus,

bysome

thought

thesameasTyphon./Egeon,

sometimes

taken for

Briareus:

andPorphyrion:

such were

the

enemies

that conspired against the throne

of

Jnpiter.

The

Greeks

always

transfer

the

geography

of

the

fabulouspersonages they

received into their

creed, -to theirowncountry ; they therefore re

present theGiantsasdwellingin thepeninsulaof

Phlegra,

or

Pallene, at

no great distance from

Olympus,thehabitationof

the

Gods.

TheweaponsoftheGiants

in

this war wereno

less

terrible

than

their

persons:

they

tore up

mountains bythe

roots,

andcast

them

at the

Gods

they

heapedOssaon Pelionh, thatby

his

means

they might scale

Heaven,

or Olympus

;

f Horn.Od. 575. S Horn.Od. 306.

1 1

Ov.Met. i . 151.

Virg. G. i .

278,



72

WEAPONSOFTHE

GIANT*.

they

tossed

about

flaming

forests,

in

the

room

ot

darts : and hurled massystones and solid rocks

against

Heaven, some

of

which

fell

upon

the

earth,and

becamemountains,

and others into the

sea, wheretheybecameislands.

TheGods

themselves were terrified

at

the

strangenessof

this assault, and flyingbefore the

enemy,

took

refuge

in

Egypt,

where

they

hid

themselves in

theformsof

different animals,

Ju

piter

as

aram,

Junoas

a

cow.

Mercuryin

the

form ofabird calledthe

ibis, Apollo in the

form

of a crow,Dianaasa

cat,

Venusasa fish, and

Bacchusasa

goat'.

In all

this

there

issome

allusion

to the

religion

of

the

Egyptians,

who

worshipped

their

Gods

under

the figures of different

animals,

a bull,

a

dog, a

cat,

a crocodile,

and

even of

leeks,

onions, and beans: JupiterAmmann particu

lar,

who

hada famous

oracle in

the Egypiian

province of Lybia,

was

worshipped

under the

form

ofaram

At

lengththe

Gods

resumed

courage,

and

de

termined to

renewthewar :

therewas

a

rumour

in heaven, that Jupiter

could

not

succeed

itt

this

war, unless hecalled

upamortalto

his as

sistance: bythe advice of Minervatherefore,

hesentfor

Hercules, ofwhom

morewill

be

said

hereafter :

it

was

perhaps on

this occasion that

the

Cyclops,

Brontes,

Arges,

and

Steropes,

first

forged

for

Jupiter

histhunderbolts.

All theGodsnowcontributed their strength

for

restoring the tranquillity of heaven, and,

male

and

female,

eachkilled a

Giant: Typhceus

however woundedJupiter,

and

takinghimpri-

i

Ov.

Met.

v.

327.



PEACERESTORED. 73

<soner,

hid

him

in

a

cave

in

Cilicia

:

here

Mer

curyfound theFather of theGods,

andset

him

at liberty: in theconclusion all theGiants were

overwhelmed with the thunderbolts of

heaven:

some

were

buried

under

mountains, othersflayed

alive, and

others

subjected

to

various other pu

nishments:Typhosus

was buried

underthe

island

of

Sicily, which

being

terminated

in

its

extre

mitiesby

threepromontories, Peloruswas

placed

upon

hisrightarm,

Pachynusupon

bis

left, and

Lilybaeumuponhis feet: vEtna is his breathing

hole, andas the

monster

turnsfrom sidetosidc

the

mountain

vomitsup

flames

offire".

k

Ov.

Met.

V.

346.







76

CREATION

OF

MAN.

enemy

to

the

progeny

of

Saturn

:

a

dispute

is

said

to have

arisen,

as towhatpart

of

the

sacrifices

offeredbythesubjectsofJupiterwasto beconsi

dered

as appropriated

to

theGod

at

whosealtar

it was

slain:

for from the first

institution

of

sa

crifices, it was the custom for thevictim to be

amicably shared, according toa fixed rule, be

tween

the

God

and

his

worshipper*

Prometheus

offered'

himself asumpire

in

this

dispute: hewas

always regarded

as the wisest,

or rather

as

the

craftiest

and

most

wily, oftbe

heavenly race:

he

killedtwobulls,

and

skilfully

divided theflesh, thefat, theoffalandthebones:

he

sewed

up

the

flesh

very

neatly

in the

skin

of

one of the bulls, and thebones,

inclosed

in an

envelop of fat, in theother : hethen called upon

Jupiter

to

lookon theparcels,.abd tOsaywhich

of

them

he

chose

for his owriifratie.:

Jupiter

de

ceivedby

the fair

appearagce

of

tbefat which

peeped here

and

there

through'tne-

apertures of

the

skin,

chose

that

parcel,

in

pfeference

to

the

other

which

contained all thatwas most whole

someand

valuable

ofthetwoanimals :

this

is an

ugly

story ; andhepartassignedmt toJupiter

is wholly

unworthy

ofourideaofaGod.

Fromthis momentJupiterbecame

the

bitter

enemyof

Prometheus, andto punish

him

and

his

race,

withheld

from

them

the

use

of

the

celes

tial element of fire :

Prometheus,who

surpassed

the

whole

universe in

mechanical

skill

and

con

trivance, formedamanofclayof suchexquisite

workmanship,that

he

wanted

nothing

but

a liv

ing soul to cause

him

to

be acknowledgedthe

paratronofcreation: Minerva,theGoddessofarts,

b(

held

the

peiformance

of

Prometheus

with

ap

probation, and offered himany assistanceiu

het



CREATIONOFWOMAN. 77

power to complete

hiswork she

conducted

him

to

Heaven,

where

he

watched

his

opportunity

to

carryoffatthetipofhiswandaportion

of

celestial

fire, from the

chariotof

the

sun

: with

this

heani

mated his

image and

theman

of

Prometheus

im

mediately

moved,andthought, and

spoke,

and

becameeverythingthat

the

fondest wishesof his

creator could ask.

Jupiter

became

still

more

exasperated

than

ever with

thisnew

specimen ofPrometheus'sabi

lity and artifice: he orderedVulcan, thegreat

artificer of . Heaven,ytomakeawomanof clay,

that

should be

still

moreconsummateand

beauti

ful

ofstructure

thanPrometheus's

man

withthis

alluring

presentJupiter

determined to

tempt

Pro

metheus

to'

his

ruin;

all

1

he

Gods

of

the

Satur-

nian

race, eagerto' abet the

project

oftheirchief,

gave

hereachone

a

several gift, from

which

r-

cumstancesheo.bt jned thenameofPandora, all

gifts: Venusgary,

her

thepowertocharm

the

Gracesbestowedifpdhhersymmetryoflimb

and

elegance

of m fions; Apollo the accomplish

ments

of

vocal

and

instrumental

music

;

Mercury

the

art of

persuasivespeech;

Juno

amultitude

of

rich

andgorgeous ornaments ; andMinervathe

management

of the

loom

and

the

needle: last

of

all,

Jupiterpresented

herwith

a

sealedbox,

which

she was

to bestowonwhoever becameherhus

band: thus

prepared,

hesentherto Prometheus

by

Mercury,

as

if

he

had

intended

him

a

com

pliment

upon

the

wonders

of his own

perform

ance:

Prometheus

however

saw

through the de

ceit, andrejected her: Mercurythen

presented

her to Epimetheus, Prometheus's

brother,

who

was

less on h

is

guard, receivedtheseemingly

an

gelic creaturewh delight,and

eagerly

opened







80

PROMETHEUS.

thus

the

serpent

obtained

the

gift

of

immortal

life, in consequenceofwhicheveryyearhecasts

his

slough, and comes forth

as

youngand

vigo

rous as ever,

while

theunworthymortals for

whomJupiterdestined it, lost thereward oftheir

treachery.

Thestory of thecreationofmanbythehands

of

Prometheus

was

not

however

universally

re

ceivedinthe

religion ofthe

Greeks : many

deem

ing it moredecent andjusttoascribethis event





pa.Bl.



81

CHAP.XI.

OF

THE

RURALDEITIES.

Pan

the

God

of

Inanimate

Nature

also

of

Shepherds,

Hunters, and Fishermen. His Figure. Festival of

the

Lupercalia.

CuriousOrigin ofhis many-reeded

Pipe. He

is

the

Author

ofPanic Fears. Pales

the

GoddessofShepherds. FloraofFlowers. Pomona,

of

Fruits.

Vertumnus

theGodofOrchards.

Loves

of Vertumnus and

Pomona.

Priapus the Godof

Gardens.

Terminus,

of

Boundaries.

Satyrs,

Fauns

and

Sylvans. TheRiverGods. Storyof Alpheus

and Arethusa.

The

Nymphs. Naiads, Dryads,

Oreads, and Hamadryads.

Story

of

Echo

andNar

cissus. TheCelestial Nymphs.

Having

now

finishedmyaccountofthe

su

perior

Gods,

or

inhabitants

of

mountOlympus,

as well asof

the

otherbranchesofthe

family,

we

come

next

to

that beautiful partof theGrecian

mythology,

which replenished all nature

with

invisible beings, so that whether these ancients

walked in

fields or

gardens, whether

theobject

before them

were a river

or

a

wood,whether

they

travelled

by

sea

or

by

land,

whether

they

visited

the

hospitable

habitations of

others,

or

continued

under

theprotection

of

theirownroofs,

they felt onall occasions surrounded withthe

divine

nature: and, as theseGods,whatever

was

their

particular

province

or department,

were

represented

in

the Grecian

pictures

and

statues

under

the

most

graceful

or

picturesque



S2

FAN.

figures

and attitudes, Iheirworshippershad

con

tinually

presold

to

them

in fancy, linn, airy

and

elegant forms, floatinguponthewinds,

listening

to their ejaculations,

diving

intotheirthoughts,

and

studiousof

their

prosperityand happiness.

Every

onemust feel howsuperior

this state of

mindis

tothatof

theatheist

:

ifthe

Greeks were

unacquainted

with

the

Christian

God,

the

Fa

therAlmighty,makerofheaven andearth," the

omniscient authorof the

universe;

if theirGods

appearlimited,

fantastic,

andin this

tremendous

comparison contemptible; yetthey

had

thehap

piness

to

regard

all

nature, even

themostsolitary

scenes,

as

animatedand alive,

to see

every where

around

them

a

kind

and

benevolent

agency,and

to

find

on

every side

motives for

contentment,

re

lianceand gratitude.

The

most

eminent of

therural

deitieswasPan

:

heis thepresidingGodofinanimate

nature

as it

is seen on thesurface of theearth, ofthetrees,

the fields, the

mountains, and the

vallies :

his

name

is

derived

from

a

Greek

word

which

signi

fies all things," and he is thereforeoften mys

teriously

considered as the

great principleof

ve

getable

and animal life.

Different accounts aregivenof

his

origin : the

most

common

representshim

as

theson ofMer

cury*': someGreek

writers0

ridiculously

make

his

mother

to

have

been

Penelope,

wife

of

IJlysscs,

one of the

Grecian kingsengaged in

the

siegeof

Troy on the

otherhand

theEgyptians

regard

himas one, of the eight deitieswhomtheyhold

entitled

to

a priority ofworship,beforethetwelve

superior

Gods

oftheGreeks*.

»

Horn.

Hymn,

i l l

Pan,

0

Hefod.

Eut.

MS.

»

I(t

4S.



PAN.

t Pan is represented under Hie figure of aman

in

his superior parts, withhornson hishead,and

a long

beard which

covers his breast;

his

skin is

dark-coloured, and his form vigorous

and

mus

cular;

he is clothed withtheskin of a

leopard;

and his lower parts

have

ihe

figure

of

a goat:

this

mixedand

discordant appearance is ex

plained

to

have

been

adopted

in

his

statues,

the

better to represent that universal natureofwhich

heis thesymbol his upper partsarcharmonious

and

maji-slicas

theheavens; his

horns

expressthe

beams ofthe sun, or

the

figureof

thenew

moon

his rubicund face is the image of

the

orb of

day: the

leopard's skin

he

wears

is emblema

tical

of

the

starry

heavens:

and

.the

shaggyap

pearanceof his

lower

membersis expressive of

the fertility

of

the

earth, which is

usually

co

veredwithshrubs,corn

and grass.

Panis especially the

God

ofshepherds, hunt

ers, andfishermenwhodwell

amongthe

cragsof

the

ocean:

as'

the

God

of

shepherds, his worship

was

assiduously

cultivated

in

Arcadia*,

and

in

this characterheis

usually

furnished with apipe

of uneven reeds, called "syrinx:" in

Rome

lie

was worshipped under th,e

nameofthe

Lycaean

Pan

(fromLycams,a mountain in Arcadia, or

from

xvnoi, theGreekname

for a

wolf);

and his

festivals,

in which his priests ran naked through

the streets

with

whips

in

their

hands1, lashing

everyonethey met, were

called Lupercalia: the

womenin particular were eager to receiveeach

oneherlash, believingthatit portended fertility,

and

that

everyone

who

felt

it

wouldprove a

happy

mother'.

»

Ov.

Fasti,

i i .

271.

'

Id.

i i .

287.

s

Id,

i i ,

423.

E

G



Si PAN.

The

ancients

made

an

agreeable

story

ofPanV

many-reeded

pipe; theysaid that the

God

fell

inlovewitha

beautiful nymph,

namedSyrinx

:

the damsel, displeased at theappearanceofhis

goat-likefeet, ran

away

from

him

till,

coming

to

ariver

whereherflight was stopped, she

prayed

tothedeities of the stream to rescue her: they

took

pity

on

her

distress,

andmetamorphosed

her into

a

bundle

ofreeds :

Pan,

whohad

just

overtaken

his

coymistress,

thought

tothrow

his

arms

about her,and

drew

back astonished to

embrace

nothing

butsomanyreeds : as

he

stood

in mournful surprise, the reeds, whichwaved

backwardandforward

with thewind, produced

a

sound

particularly

soothing

to

his

disappoint

ment:

and

struck withwhathe heard,

he

ga

theredthemas

theygrew, and formedthem

into

a

pipewhich,

from

the

nameof thenymphhe

admired, hecalled'

Syrinx'.

All

thestrange, mysterious

andunaccountable

soundswhich

wereheard

in

solitary

places,

were

attributed

to

Pan,

the

God

of

rural

scenery

:

one

story

in particularwastold

of him, thatwhen

the

Gauls,

underBrennus

theirleader*,made

an

irruptionintoGreece,andwereabouttoplunder

the cityof Delphi, Panin

the night haunted

> them

withextraordinary

and appalling

noises,

so

that, heartilysickoftheir enterprise,theyfled to

their

own

country,

with

as

much

speed

and

dis

order

as if

apowerful enemyhad been close

at

theirheels :

from

this attribute of

Pan,

all

un

accountable

fears,

bywhich

t

he minds ofmen

are turned awayfrom

a

spirited enterprise

• Qv.Met. i . 690 et seqq. Y Pausanias.Phoc



PALES FLORA.

85

without

any

apparent

cause,

are

called

panic

fears."

Pales

was

theGoddess, as Panwas the

God,

of

shepherds: nothing is

handed

down

to us

of

her

parentage,

except thatshe

is

sometimescon

sidered as

the

samewithCybele,

the

wifeofSa

turn : theRomanscelebrated her festival every

spring

under

the

name

of

Palilia

:

on

these

occa

sions thepeasants perfumed their

sheep

with the'

fumesofrosemary, laurel and sulphur : the sa

crifices were

milk,and

wafers made of

millet :

and the ceremonyconcluded

with leaping over

fires madeof straw,anddancinground and be

tween them the

worshippers of

Pales

believed

that

thisGoddess

was

able

to

preserve

their

flocks

fromwolvesand from disease".

Flora is the

Goddess

of flowers : shewas

ori

ginally

only

onein the bevy

of

rustic

nymphs

butas theGreeks

express

it

by

a

pleasing

alle

gory, being

married

to Zephyrus,

theGodof

the west

wind, he

gave her empire

over

the

flowers

of

the

field

x

:

Flora

was

represented

under

the figure

of

a

beautiful female, blessedwith per

petual

youth, crowned

with flowers,andbearing

the horn ofplenty in herhand: theRomans,as

the season

offlowers is

the

season

whenall nature

is jocund

and

gay, were accustomed

to celebrate

the

festivals of Flora

with

licentious

rites : Lac-

tantius",

an

ancient Christian

writer,

hastaken

occasion from

this

circumstance,

to

vilify

the

Goddess,

and,

out

of

zeal for his ownreligion,

to pretend that

Flora was

originally a

beau

tiful, but dissolute

woman

ofRome,who

by

her

*Ov.

Fasti, iv. 735,

* Id. v. 195. J Lactantius, i . 20.



86

POMONA.

naughtymanners accumulated a great fortune,

and

bequeathed

it

to

the

stale,

on

condition that

they

should

celebrate an annual

festival in her

honour for ever ; Ihe Romansenate

accepted

the

bequest, but to hide the disgrace, voted that

this naughtywomanshould nowbe proclaimed

Goddessof

flowers

; but

this

is astoryentirely

of

Lactanlius'sown

making:

no

goodcause

however

requires

to

be

supported

by

lies,

and

Christianity

is

not at all obliged to Lactantius fur inventing

so

foolish

a tale.

Pomona

s

theGoddessof fruits: sheis usually

represented underthefigureofarosyandhealth

ful female, resting herself uponabasket filled

with

flowers

and fruit, holding

a bough

in

one

hand,

and

some

of

the

apples

she

has

gathered

from

thebough in the other: thoughshe were

one of the nymphsof the fields, she took no

pleasure in hunting,

and the otheramusements

so frequent in the country ;

but

devoted

herself

entirely to thecultivationof fruit-trees:

she

had

for ever the pruning-hook in her hand

she

taught

the

art

of

ingrafting;

and

she

busied

her

self in hollow

ing

lines

in

the turf, to conduct

along the refreshing

rills

which

madeher

trees

prosperand flourish.

Shewas

sooccupied

with

thesecares, that

she

ueverturned

herthoughts to thepassion of

love:

and,

thoughall theruralGodsadmired her,

and

would

gladlyhavebecomehersuitors, she

looked

upontheir addresses withimpatienceand

dislike:

and, thatthe mightbefreed from their impor

tunities,

surrounded

her

plantation

witha high

• wall,

within which

she

directed

tliat

no

person

ofthemalesex

should

bepermitted to enter.



VERTUMNUSANDPOMONA.

87

Ovid, the Romanpoet1, tells a pleasingstory

of

the

courtship

of

Pomona,

the

Goddess

of

fruits, and

Vcrtumnus,

the Godof

orchards :

Vertumnushad, like Proteus, the seaGod,of

whom shallspeakbyand by [p. 115J, thefa

culty

of

changing himself into what

form he

pleased;and

heused

this faculty for

thepromotion

of his suit

;

he took

in

succession every

different

form

by

which

be thought

he

might intice

the

Goddess, or

win

herattention : whenhis

craft

andhis wiles

had

grown

too notorious

in one

form, he

assumed

another,andthought

by that

meansto

elude

thevigilanceof theguardiansof

the

plantation in

which

Pomona

for

eve' busied

herself: but it was

all

in vain : Pomona'sservants

were

loo

faithful to

be

deceived,

and

V

rtumnus

could

never

gain

entrance

intotheinclosure.

Havingtried every

male form in succession,

Vertumnus

bethought himselfof assuming

that

of

a

decrepidfemale: he had

no

sooner resolved

on

this,

than his smooth visagebecamefurrowed

withwrinkles, hissparkling eyesgrewdim, his

smooth

auburn

hair

was

white

as

snow,

his

erect

andgraceful figure

was

bent toward theearth, his

voicegrewsharp andsqueaking, hetottered as

he

walked,

and

supported his

tremblingsteps

on

a staff : theguardianofthe

orchard

conceivedno

alarm at this figure, and admitted

him.

Heimmediately hobbled toward the place

where

Pomona

was

standing

:

hebegan

praising

her

garden, and

admiring

its productions: he

next

turned

to

commendingher

person,

which,

hesaid,

excelled that

ofothernymphs,

asmuch

asher garden surpassed theirs: hethen

kissed

J Ovid.Met. xiv, 623

etscqq.



88

VERTUMNUSANDPOMONA.

her

againand again : the kisses of Verturanns

were

warmer

and

more

fervent,

than

from

the

ap

pearance hehadassumedmight have been ex

pected.

The

seeming

old beldameproceeded

to read

to

thenymphan ingenious

lecture

in

favour

of

mar

riage: hepointed toa luxuriantvinewhichhad

twined itself rounda tallandsightlyelm : See

here,"

said

he,

the

benefits

of

conjunction

:

the

elm

without the

vine wouldproduce leaves

only, and would be comparatively little valued:

thevine without theelmwould

lie prostrate

on

theearth,and all its beautifulclusterswouldbe

disfigured with dust : see howthey

prosper

by

conjunction:

take

example,

mychild, bythese:

you

cannot

guess

how

superior

the

pleasures

of

love

are

tothoseyoupursue: if youwould

only

give

encouragement

toyouradmirers,you

would

havemoresuitors in your train, thanever Helen

orPenelope

willbe

able

to

boasthereafteramong

mortalmen.

If however,"

continued

thedeceitfulGod,

you

would

take

my

advice

(and

you

cannot

imagine

how

entirely

I

love

you),

you

would

reject all therest, andattachyourself

to

Verlum-

nus

:

j'onr pursuits

are the

same

you

are

the

protectorof

fruits,

andhe of orchards : he can

changehimself

into

all imaginable shapes, and

will

take

every

day

a

newshape toamuseyou

he loves you for that youmaytakemyword,

forVertumnusdoesnotknow

himself

more inti

mately

than

I

know

him other

Godsareincon

stant,

will followotherpleasures,andcourtother

ladies,whenyouhavelostyournovelty tothem:

butVertumnus, though the orchard is his pro

vince,andheloves all

its

productions,

yet

does



PRIAPOS.

89

not

love

apples,

or

strawberries,

or

pine-apples,

theblushing peach, or theyellow apricot, half

so

muchashe

lovesyou.

Vertutnnus felt himself quiteat

home

in his

subject,and

made

a fine speech : but

Pomona

seemed to givenoattention towhathe was

say

ing :

this

was coyness,bywhichayoungmaiden

often

affects

indifference to

what

she

desires

the

most : the Godfelt vexed

at

the

little

progress

hetho jdithemade,and suddenly

putting

offthe

old

belaanie,

resumed hispropershape:

he

deter

mined

nolonger

to be trifled

with, but

to run

awayatoncewiththeidolof

his

heart : but this

was

nolongernecessary : the effect of theyouth

and

beauty

in

which

he

now

appeared

was

asto*

nishing : theGod,bursting

from

his disguise

of

decrepitude,

looked,

says

Ovid, like

the

ra

diant

sun,when

be breaks

forth

at

once

amidst

the

opposition of a

thousand clouds :

Pomona,

half-convinced beforebythearguments shehad

heard,wastotally

subduedby

the

figure

of

her

lover : shefranklygavehimherhand,andthey

became

husband

and

wife.

Priapus is theGodof gardens : heis a deity

ofasingular

sort

:

hewas

theson

of

Venus,and

is said to havehadBacchus, aDemigod,

who

will hereafter be spoken of, for his father1: it

wascustomary to

setuphisimagein

gardens,

to

frightenaway

birds

b and thievishboys, and, as

something

monstrous

and

aggravated

in

limbs

and

featnreswasthought bestcalculated for this pur

pose, Priapus wasusuallyrepresented underan

unsightly figure

: it

was

perhaps

from this

cir

cumstance, that the tale originated that Juno,

»

Diod.

Sic. iv. 5.

> Tib.lib.

i . 17.



90

TERMINUS.

perceiving

that

Venus

was

with

child,

and

bear

ing a

spile

to that beautiful Goddess, attended

under a maskof friendship at thebirth of Pria- '

pus, and

gave

him

for a gift

thathe

should

be

theugliest monsterthateverwasseenc.

Terminuswas

theGod

of boundaries: it was

theprogress of civilization that gavesacredness

and

importance

to

the

worship

of

this

deity;

in

proportion as

the

limits between

different

states

and thelandsofdifferent proprietorsbecamemat

ters

ot

consequence,

the

policyof

nationsand

le

gislators

taughtthemtoinculcatethataviolation

ofboundarieswas a crimeagainst Heaven:Ter

minuswas represented witha humanhead, but

without

legs

or

other

members,

to

express

that

he

was not to

be

removed

;

orsometimes

anunhewn

and fhapelessstone, placed tomarkthelimitsof

different

estates, was held a

sufficient emblem

of

this

GodwhenTarquinthe

Proudlaid thefoun

dation

of the temple ofJupiter Capitolinus

at

Rome,he applied

by

sacrifices to all theGods

who

had

temples

or

shrines

within

the

limitsof

the consecrated spot, for permission to

remove

them, and

all

byfavourable

omenssignified

their

consent,

except

theGod

Terminus'1.

There

were

innumerable

rural deities among

the

Greeks andRomans,

besidethose

whichhave

already been mentioned: the males were distin

guished

by

the

general

names

of

Satyrs.

Fauns,

and

Sylvans:

their figures

were half-man

and

half-goat, likethatofPan, and hence they were

also

sometimes

spoken

of

by

the

appellation

of

Pans": they

were

avery

frisky

species ofdivini-

c

Suidas.

v.

Hpiocvms.

He

makes

Jupiter

to

be

the

father,

d Ov. Fasti, i i . 641 et GS7.

'

Id. i . S9C et seqq.



.RIVERGODS. 91

ties,

continually

engaged

in

gambols

and danc

ing: theydwelt chiefly in forests, and

hid

thorn-

selves in caves or amongthe trees; they were

fond, like Robin

Good-fellow,

Will-uith-a-

Wisp,and

the

fairies and goblins

of

ourSaxon

ancestors, of playing little unlucky tricks upon

their

mortal

neighbours, and of

frightening

the

girls: yet, when

the

imagination

of

a

Grecian

peasantor poetdiscovered

them,

througha visto

of

glabra,

dancing their airy rounds amidst

the

brovvrraiadows

ofthe

woods,

theview

communi

cated

asoothing

sacredncss to thescene,

and

raised

thethoughtsofthebeholder to thecontemplation

of

invisibleand

celestial

natures.

In

addition

to

these

wandering

and

ever

change

ful deities therewere

others,

who

by

heirdistin

guishingattributeswere

fixedtoa

particularspot:

theseweretheGodsprotectorsofriversandtrees

:

every river was supposed to have

its

God,who

in statuary or paintingwas

the

emblematical

re

presentative

of

the

fountain fromwhich

theriver

took

its

rise:

he

was

seen

reclining

upon

an

urn

from

whichthewatercontinuallyflowed ; hehad

alongbeard,was

clothed

in blue garments, and

had

a crowir of

reeds:

his

favourite

dwelling

was

in the caverns

and

deepest recesses ofthe river's

bed:

this

Godwas particularlyinterested in the

prosperityof

thestream

over

which

he

presided :

if

by

along

dry

season

and

a

hot

summerthe

river

shrunk

within

its

banks,

theGodsympathised

with it, languished, and

was lull of distress: if

the riverwasstained with

blood,

choked with

dead bodies, orotherwiseimpeded

in

its course

or robbed

of its

limpid

clearness,hefell thedeep

est resentment against its violators : Homerhas



92

ALFHEUS

ANDARETHUSA.

described

at

full in

the

latter

part

of

the

Iliad'

the resentmentandcontentions of thetwo

cele

brated rivers

of

Troy, Scamanderand Simois,

against Achilles,

when

he

presumptuously pro

faned their

waters.

Manystories are related of the adventures of

theRiver

Gods:

thereis

none

of

themmore

worth

repeating

than

the

loves

of

Alpheus

and

Arethusa':

Alpheus is abeautiful river ofArcadia in Greece:

Arethusa wasone

of

thenymphsattendant)pon

Diana: coming

one

day, much faligutw

with

hunting, to the banksofthe Alpheus,andsmit

withthe

limpidnessof thestream, she threwoff

herclothes, and determined to bathe there:

the

Godobserved her in silence; hethought hehad

never

seen

any

thing

so

handsome,

and

deter

minedto askher tomarry

him:

herose, and

ap

peared

beforeher ;

but

Arethusa,ashamedofbe

ing

caught

naked,andangry

with

theintruder,

instead of listening to his addresses, ran away

from himwith the utmost swiftness: the

God.

pursued, and had nearly overtaken her, when

the

nymph

prayed

to

Diana,

her

mistress,

to

de

liver

her from

the

violence

of

her

lover: Diana

listened

to

her

request,

and

turned

her into a

fountain:Alpheusimmediatelyputoff thehuman

figurewhichhehadhithertoassumed in the

race,

returned to his

characteristic

form

of

ariver, and

soughttomixhis waters

with

those

of thefoun

tain

Arethusa,

the

natural

marriage

of

a

river

God thenymph

still

in hernew

form

shrunk

fromthisfamiliarity,and,aidedbyDiana,escaped

tjiider thebed ofthe sea, androse again a f'oun-

f I I .

p.

i Ov.Met. y. 574 et

seq<$



NYMPHS.

9S

tain

in

the

island

ofOrtygia,

within

the

Acropo

lis ofthe cityofSyracuse: Alpheushoweverwas

too passionate a lover

to

be repulsed by

any

ob

stacles: hetookthesame

course

as

Arethusa,

and

pursued her beneath

the

caverns

of the ocean :

Arethusa,

overcome

by

thepersevering

constancy

of her

lover, perhaps consented to his desires:

they

were

married

;

and

the

proof

of

the

truth

of

this storyaccording to theGreeks is, thatwhat

ever fragment

of wood,

or other

floating

sub

stance was

castinto the

river

Alpheus

in

Arca

dia, wasobserved, after havingbeen sometime

lost, to rise again in thefountain Arethusa

at

Syracuse.

The

nymphs

have

already

been

several

times

mentioned: Jupiter

received

his

early nourish

ment

and education

from

the

nymphs:

Diana

was alwaysattended

by

a

bevy

ofnymphs:and

Flora, Pomona,andotherGoddesses whoafter

wardhada

particular

district andauthority as

signed

them, were

originally

ofthis class.

The

nymphs

were

a

secondary

order

of

deities,

who

hadno temples, but to whom

t

was custo

mary

to

offer an

inferior

species

of

sacrifice,

chiefly milk, honey

and

oil:

they peopled

all

nature with

their

airy, invisible and

beneficent

presence:

they inhabitedthe

woods,

the

moun

tains, the limpid springs, the

rivers,

andthe

seas, and

received

distinctive

names

accordingly

:

theywererepresented

under the

figure

of beauti

ful virgins, in all thebloomof youth, and with

every grace of form andmotion: they made

themselves

grottoes,

adorned

with

stones and

spars,ofallcoloursandthemostromanticshapes,

and

hung

with

flowering

shrubs andevergreens

:

these

were

placed, sometimes in thecaverns of



NAIADS,DRYADS,

the

ocean,

and

sometimes

in

the

wildest

and

most

luxuriant, but solitary, retreats of the forest:

the following is the account of the different

sorts ofrural

nymphs.

Beside

theRiver

Gods,

there

were

otheraqua

tic deities,

whomakeaveryagreeablefigure

in

an

cientpoetry, called theNaiads: theseGoddesses

were

in

an

eminent

degree

endowed

with

the

at

tributesofyouthand beauty

:

they presided over

springs, wells,andfountains,andinhabitedsome

grove or

meadowin the

neighbourhood of

their

charge: it was their province

to preserve

each

her little stream

from

mudand

pollution,

and

maintain its clearnessand translucency : whenthe

Grecian

enthusiast

wandered

in thefields,

and

ob

served the

purling brook murmuring

along

its

pebbly bed, he felt grateful to theNaiad

of

the

fountain,

and

admired

the perpetual assiduity

withwhichshedischarged her office.

Other

femalerural

divinities

were

the

Dryads'"

and

the

Oreads':

the

Dryads

were

the

God

desses of trees, especiallyof the oak,andhad

eacha particular

tree committed to

her

charge:

these deities

were immortal:

there

were

others

calledHamadryads*,whoseexistencewasindis-

solublyboundto that

of the

tree to whichthey

belonged: they lived as long as the tree, and,

when

the

life

of

the

tree

was

gone,

the

nymph

alsoexpired in

the

samemoment:the

deification

of these beings

wasplainly

nothingmorethan

personifying

theprincipleofvegetablelife which

h Dryads, invoked, Virg.G. i . 1 1.

Virg.JEn.

i . 504. Oreads are

mentioned as the

nymphs

at

tendant on Diana.

k

Ov.

Met.

i .

690,

mentions

Syrinx

as

an

Hamadryad,

and

at

the

same

time a Naiad,



DBYADS. 95

appears

and

flourishes

so

wonderfully

in

trees,

that principle

by

whichthey increasein stature,

and

expand

their vegetable

bulk,

and

shoot

forth

a thousand leaves, that principle, which, while

it operates in

inviolable silence, presents

to

the

beholder, asthefanningwest-wind rustlesamong

the foliage, the most perfect

assemblage

of

life

and

health

and

mobility

and

freshness

that the

universe

can

afford.

Everymanloves thetree he has been accus

tomed everydayto behold :

the tree

that

grows

at

my

gate, underwhose

shadowI

have

reposed

a thousand

times,whose

mighty

statureandgi

gantic arms fill

me

with

veneration

and

respect,

I

feel

as

my

friend

:

if

one

of

its

branches

be

comes

withered, 1am

struck with

sorrow; if

its

trunk is attacked with

the

daringaxe, I

appre

hend

it

like

sacrilege:

the ancientmythology

gaveanewsanction

to

this irresistible notion of

sympathy,

by

interesting the

Dryads

in the

life

ofthegrove: sothat,

when

theaudaciouswood

cutter

approached it, thenymphs

were

terrified

at

the

unhallowed

invader

:

they

felt

themselves

rudely

expelled from

their

customary

haunt;

witheverywoundthetree received theygroaned ;

and, as theoak threw its vast bulk along the

plain, adivinityexpired.

The Oreads, called also Orestiades,

were

nymphsof the

mountains:

they were

ofa

more

wild,irregular,

and

fantastic

character

than

those

last

mentioned : thekeen air

and rugged

pathsof

their rockysituationmade

them

hardy: they

de

fied

the

blast

with

bosoms

bare, while

their

long

hairstreamed in thebreeze.

Echowas one of the mountain nymphs,of

whomthe ancientstold severalamusingstories :



96 NARCISSUS,

ANDECHO.

nothing

is

more

famous

than

the

jealous

freaks-

and

fancies ofJuno:she

suspected

that

her hus

bandhad placed his affections uponsomeof the

nymphs,

and

loved

iheir

company

better

than

herown she

went

downto earthto satisfy her

self: Echoengaged her in along

conversation:

this

probablymeans nothing

more,

thanthatJuno

mistook

the

sound

of

her

own

voice

for

the

voice

ofsome

nymph

of whomJupiter perhaps was

fond,

and

thus vexed

herself

with pursuing a

shadow.

Junobelieved thatEchohad held hera

tedious

parley

bydesign, that

while she

was listening,

the

wicked nymph might run away:

You

shall

play

no

one

this trickany

more,"

said

.Juno: henceforth never

speak,

butwhenyou

are

spoken to "

Echoafterward fell in love withNarcissus, a

most beautiful

youth, son of

the riverCephisus

in Bosotia : Narcissus, one dayas hewenta-

hunting, lost his companions, and was left alone

in thewood:

Echohid

herselfamong

the

trees,

andlooked: HowI wish I could

speak

to

him

thought

Echo:

Whois here?" bawled

Narcissus: Here,"answered

Echo:

Come,

spid the boy and Come, replied Echo

Let

us

meet,"

continued Narcissus:

Letus

meet,"answered

Echo,

who

thinking

this

sufficient

encouragement,

came

out

from

her hiding-place,

rushed to

him,and

threw her arms roundhis

neck: Narcissus, not prepared for

sucha

meet

ing, shook

her

off, looked

angry,andbade

her

Begone:"

thepoor

nymphashamedof

her

for

wardness, withdrew: shepined andgrieved so

sadly,

that

at

last

she

wasted

to

nothing

but

a

voice

: in that state she

still frequentsthe soli



CELESTIALNYMPHS.

97

tndes

she

formerly

loved,

and

is

often

to

be

heard,

butnever

seen.

,

Narcissus

afterwards fell

in

lovewith his

own

image in a fountain: it wassopretty, that I be

lieve

hethought it

was

a

girl

: hetried

to kiss it,

but

hecould

not: yet

whenhe

smiled, it

smiled :

whenhe withdrew, it withdrew ; and whenhe

,returned,

it

came

back

again

:

he

visited

the

fountain

everyday hewas

so-

vexedand

wasted

with

his fruitless attempts,

that

at length

the

Godsin pity turned

him

intoaflower,which

still bears

his

name,andis

called

Narcissus1.

Besidethenymphsalready

mentioned,who

are

called terrestrial, there

werealso

other

nymphs,

called

celestial : thej'

presided

over

the

starry

heavens : they

drove

alongthe planets in their

orbits

:

and

as

an

ancientGreek wandered

out

in acalmand brilliant midnight,

every

star

seemed

to

himtohaveaseparate life, aneye,an

ear,

and

a

voice:

he

had

a

thousand witnesses

to

his prayers andhis

gratitude,

and

a

thousand

friends

contributing

to

his

happiness: they

were

the monitors of hisconduct, and thegenii

who

watched overhissteps.

> .

Ov.Met.

i i i .

340

et teqq.



98 .

CHAP.XII.

OFTHEDOMESTICDEITIES.

Gods

Protectors

of

Kingdoms,

Provinces

and

Cities.

ThePenates, or Houshold Gods. Their Import

ance. StoryofHeraclhus. TheLares. TheMa

nes, Gods of

the

Dead.

Ghosts

and

Spirits.

The

Larvae andLemures. The

Lamia?.

TheGenii, or

Daemons. Daemon of

Socrates.

Evil Genius of

Brutus.

Sense

oftheWordGenial.

Anotherclass of divinities of great

im

portance in the Grecian mythologywere*the

Penates or local divinities:

of these

there

are

reckoned threeclasses, the

Gods

ofkingdomsor

provinces,

theGodsofcitiesandtowns, and the

Godsofsinglehouses : thereis someambiguity

as to

the descent

and

character

of

these

Gods:

the inhabitants of kingdomsand cities

seem

to

have chosen their protecting Gods as they

pleased, and

therefore

frequently from among

the superior Gods thusMinervawasthepro

tectingdivinityofAthens,andJupiterofRome.

Butbesides theprotectingGods

of

kingdoms

and

cities,

each

house,

as

1

told

you,

had

its

Penates or Houshold

Gods

these

were

ihepre

sidingdeities of

hospitality :

they

spread

a

sacred-

nessoverdomestic life : everymemberofafamily

wasplaced

under

theguardianship of thesame

friendly

divinity :

nothing

could

be

donecon

trary to

the

great duties of husband and

wife,

parent

andchild, masterandservant, without



STORY

FHERACLITUS.

99

offending

the

Penates:

every

stranger

whoen

tered the housebecame

sacred

and

secure

from

violation

: andnothoughtcould

be

less endured,

than

that themasterofafamilyshould be

affronted

or

assaulted underhis

own

roof: thusThemisto-

cles, when hefled to kingAdmetus ,and Corio-

lanus to theking of the Voisci", immediately

placed

themselves

on

thehearth,

and

claimed

the

sanctuary of this stranger

roof (thehearth

was

peculiarly thealtar of the

Houshold

Gods) it

has become a proverb in this country, that

"

Every

Englishman's

house is his

castle

it

might have

been a

proverb among

the

ancients,

that

Every

Grecian'shousewas his temple."

We

may

judge

of

the

importance

annexed

to

the

worshipof theHousholdGods,

when

we

ob

serve ,tbat ,at the timewhenJEaeas9 fled

from

araids -the

flames

of Troy, whathewascareful

to carryawaywith himwashis ancient father,

his wife,

hisonly

child,and

his

HousholdGods.

There is a beautiful

story

of Heraclitus the

ancient

philosopher,

which

is

connected

with

this

toned to wear meangarments,andtoshowby

their

habitsof living, that

theywere

disdainful

of

the

frivolous

luxuries

ofsociety;yet

theywere

every

where

sought after, andeverywhere

ad

mired

:

certain

strangersof

rank

cameto

Athens,

and

were

desirous

to

visit

the

celebrated

Heraclitus:

they enquired

outwhere

helived:

as they

ap

proachedhis

habitation,

theysawahut, ragged,

narrowanddark: theyknocked at thedoor,and

the philosopheropened: struck withtheappear

ance

of

things,they

shrunkback,

andhesitated

to

■ Thuc.

. 136. n Plut. in Coriolan. o Virg.

jEn.

i i . 70*.

f2



100

LARES

MANES.

enter

:

Heraclitus

observed

their

uncertainty,

re

collected

what

wasdueto his

own

character,

and

with a magnanimous

simplicity said to them,

** Enterboldly, forherealsoare

Gods'

Another class of

the

HousholdGods,distinct

from

thePenates, werethe

Lares*: thesearesaid

tobe the twin-children of thenymph

Laraby

Mercury:

they

presided

not

only

over

single

houses, hut

also over citiesand

streets, country-

scenes andthe

waters

of the

sea:

hence they

werecalled according

to

their respective func

tions,

Lares

Familiares,

Urbani,

Compitales,

Rustici and Marini: and under

each

of these

charactersworship was paid, and sacrifices were

offered,

to

them:

howthe

two

sons

of

Mercury

and Lara could furnish

distinct

deities

for every

street andhousein

Italy

andGreece, is

somewhat

hard

to

explain.

It

is

difficult to distinguish

between

theLares

andtheManes: inmanyrespects theyseem to be

thesame: themotheroftheManes

is

calledMa

nia,

and

Mercury

was

probably

their

father:

theyarereckonedamongtheinfernal deities, and

their

particular province was to

preside over

burial-places,

and the monumentsof thedead:

hence theRomanssuperscribed theirsepulchral

inscriptions

with the

letters D.

M.

that

is,

Diis

Manibus, Tothe

Gods,of the

dead,"

to

re

mind

the

profane

that

they

must

not

look

to

mo

lest withimpunitythe

ashes

of

the

deceased : now,

as

it was the

ancient

custom of the

Romans

and

othernations

toburytheirdead beneaththefloors

of

the

houses in which

they had lived,

hence

the

* Aristot.de Part.Anim.IS.

1

Ov. Fasti, i i .

599.





102 larva:

lemures:lamue.

dants had theconsolation to believe, thatthey

acted in the sight of their progenitors,

were

guarded bytheirlove,andsanctionedand ani

mated with

theirapprobation.

TheLarvae and Lemureswere the spirits of

wicked

mendeceased,who,

as

they hadbrutal-

ised themselves with sensual

indulgences

during

their past

lives,

found it difficult todetach

their

thick

and

half-corporeal

souls

from

their

bodies

after death, and

were

condemnedbyday

to

re

pose

amongrotten

carcasses andputrefaction,

and

bynight

to

wander

the

earth,

totheno

small

terror and injury of

its

inhabitants: they fre

quentlyhaunted the

wicked

and

impious

without

ceasing,

appeared in every

frightful form

that

can be

imagined,

and

never

allowed

them

a

mo

ment

of

tranquillity

and

repose.

TheRomansentertained sogreataweof these

malevolent

beings,that,

by

way

of

avertingtheir

vengeance,

theyinstituted an annual festival in

their honour in themonth ofMay,called Le-

muralia':

during this

solemnity, which

lasted

three

days,

all

the

temples

of

the

Gods

were

shut,

andmarriages were prohibited; they burned

beans

and

other

vegetable

subi-iances,

the

smell

of

which

was

thought

to beinsupportable

to

the

Larvae; and they repeated magical charms,and

beat upondrums

and

kettles, bythesemeans

compelling

theghoststodepart,and

nolongerto

come

and

disturbthe

tranquillity

of

their

relations

on

earth.

Lamia; is anothertermwemeet

with

in ancient

mythology,

and

is nearlyconnected

with

theidea

of

the

Larva?:

theLamia?

were

a speciesof

de-

• Ot. Fasti, 421 et 489.



GENII,

ORDAMONS. 103

mons,

who

assumed

the

formsof

beautifulwomen,

andwhose

favourite

occupation

was

supposed

to

be

first to

enticeyoung

childrenawayby

their

specious

allurements,

and then to devourthem.

The

Lares,

the

Larvae

and

Lemures

were

frequentlyspoken of

by

thegeneral

name

ofGe

nii; thewordGeniusbesidethis is sometimesem

ployed

by

the

classic

writers as

a

general name

forthepower

of

plasticnaturebywhich

allthings

are generated,

and

shaped,

andkept alive:

in

this

sense

it

is to beregarded as a name, sacred

to the trueGodwhocreated theworld, or re

presentativeof hisoperations

in the

act

of

crea

tion.

Butthe most frequentuseofthewordGenius

in

the

ancient

mythology,

is

in

a

sense

somewhat

similar

to

that

of

Guardian Angel

in

Christian

writers: toeverymanwereappointedatthehour

of

his birthtwosupernatural attendants, a

good

andan evilGenius,

or,

accordingto theGreek

wordDaemon:thesetwospirits perpetually con

tended with

each

other for thechiefpossession

of

the

man

to

whom

they

were

addicted:

the

good

Genius

was incessantly

urging

him

forward to

virtue, gloryandprosperity, smoothmgtheob

stacles

whichoccurred, and

keepinguphis cou

rage:

while

the

evil Geniusas

constantlysupplied

himwith treacherous suggestions,andeagerly

pushedhimon

to

vice,infamyand ruin': there

is

a

beautiful

tale,

written

by

Voltaire

on

this

subject,

entitled the

Black

andtheWhite.

Socrates',

the

most

excellent

andvirtuous of

all theancient philosophers, constantlyascribed

all that wasrightandhonourable in his lifeand

' Xen. Cyrop. vi. 1. T Plut.in

Theag.

et

al.

p.

F4



104

GENII.

actions

to

thesuggestions

of

his

gooddaemon

: be

said,

he

felt

the

motions

of

this

friendly

spirit

as

they

rose

in his

mind,

and affirmed that

they

were so

distinct

from

every other sensation to

whichhe

was subject, that

he

was in no

danger

of

evercommitting

anymistake

respecting

them.

Itis related of Brutus, oneoftheRomansena

tors bywhomJulius Caesarwas killed, that, a

short

time

before

his

death,

a

spirit

came

to

him

in

the night in his

tent, having assumedthe

form

of the

dead Caesar,

and

said to

him,

I

am

thy evil

Genius, Brutus " towhich

Brutus,

beingaman

of

greatcourage,rejoined, 'AWhere

fore

dostthoucome?" To

tell

thee, said the

spirit, that I

will

meettheeagain

at Philippi":"

at

which

place

Brutus,

having

been

defeated

in

battle by thetriendsofCaesar, killed himself

with

hisown

sword.

Avarietyof poetical

phrases

have beenbuilt

uponthis

ideaof

every

manbeing attended

by

a

Genius

whofostered

and

protected

him the

day

ofaman's birthis called the genialday," the

marriage

bed

is

styled

the

genial

bed,"

and

wine,

which

maketh

glad the heart ofman,

is

expressed

bythe

genial

bowl

:"

likewise

such

persons

as

live merrily, andfreely partake

of

whatever is grateful to their appetites, aresaid

to

indulgetheirgenius."

w Plut,

vit.

Cesar,

ad

in.



105

CHAP.XIII.

OFMONSTERS.

TheGorgonsdestroyedbyPerseus.TheGraiae. Bel-

lona.

Pegasus

and

Chrysaor.

The

Lybian

Serpents.

—

Geryon

and Echidna. Orthus,

Cerberus,

Hydra,

and Chimaera. Sphinx and the Nemaean Lion.

Scylla.

The

Cyclops.

TheSirens.

The

Harpies.

Onebranchof the

accounts

of the Grecian

mythologyis monsters: theGrecian mythology,

with

its

thirty

thousand

Gods,

was

complete

in

the time ofHomerandHesiod,when

reading

and

writing

were

yet

in

theirinfancy :

andit is

past

a

doubt, that

the

Greeks

did

notinvent

their

mythologythemselves,butborrowed

it

from

other

nations

in remoter ages : toremoteanddarkages

belong the tales

of

ghosts, and

witchcraft,

and

giants,

and

a

thousand

otherstrange

andterrible

things:youneed

not

wonderthen

that

monsters

make

one

chapter in the

history

oftheGodsof

the Greeks.

Nereus,sonofPontus,orthesea, hadabrother

named

Phorcys*,who

according to(the

custom

of

the

Grecian Gods, married his sister, Ceto, and-

byherbecamefatheroftheGorgons.

The

Gorgons,

according

to

some,

were

a

na

tion

ofwomen,just likewhatwe

read

of

the

Amazons, andwere

conquered,

as will be seen

hereafter, byPerseus : themostreceivedaccount

* He .The.233 et seqq.

H5



106

GORGONS.

ofthemhowever is, thattheywere three

sisters,

by

name

Stheno,

Euryale,

andMedusa?:

these

three, particularlyMedusa,whois oftenestmen

tioned,

are saidbysome

writers

to have

been at

first virginsofthe

most

spotless

beauty

: butMe

dusa,

being

seduced byNeptune, andhaving

yielded to

his

willand

becomehismistress, was

immediately

changed

by

Minerva,

the

Goddess

ofwisdomandprudence,intoahorriblemonster:

hermouthwas

wide

likethemouthofalion, her

teeth were

of a

fearful magnitude,

her

great sta

ringeyeshadthepropertyof turning everyone

thatlooked ontheminto stone,andathousand

vipers

writhed

themselves

about

her

brows

instead

of

hair

:

an

allegory

by

which

the

ancients

pro

bably

intended toexpresshow

uglyviceandpro

fligacy

maketheir

votaries

appear in theeyes of

the discerningandthegood: thesamedescrip

tion that

applies to

Medusa, holdsequallyofher

twosisters.

TheGorgonsmadeso wanton

a useof

their

powers,

that

they

turned

all

their

neighbours

into

stone,

andit becamedoubtful whether in

a

short

time the world

would

be

anyotherwise

peopled

thanbya multitude

ofstones

in humanfigure;

Jupiter

in

pitysent his son Perseus to destroy

them

:

he

was

armed

bytheGodsfor

this danger

ous expedition,

and

amongother things, Mer

curygave

him

wings

to

fly,

Pluto

an

invisible

helmet, and

Minerva

a mirror-shield,

by

looking

inwhichhe

could discover howhis

enemywas

disposed, without anydanger of meeting her

eyes: thusaccouteredhemadeterribleworkwith

theGorgons

he

attacked thembefore, and

be-

J

Hes.

The.

274.



GRAia:: bellona.

107

hind,andonevery side,

before

theywereaware:

though

they

felt

the

cuts

and

slashes

of

Perseus,

theycouldbynomeans discoverwhere he was :

and as theycouldnot see him, he

took

special

careneverto

lookat

them

Medusa's

head seems

to havebeen

his

capital

prize: heput

it

care

fully in abag, thathemightnot hurtanybody

with it unawares,andcarried it

as

a presentto

Minerva,

who

fastened

it

ever

after

as

an

orna

ment

in

the

middleofher

shield.

The

Gorgons

hadthree other sisters, called

Graiae

andLamiae

:

theywere monsters not less

frightfulthantheGorgons they

are

said to have

had butoneeyeandonetoothamong

them*;

and

they

carefullylockeduptheir

eyein

abox

when

they

were

at

home,

.only

using

it

when

they

went

abroad: Perseus,whenhe

went

against the

Gor

gons,

called on

the

Graiae

in

hisway,andsteal

ing upon

them

whenthey were

asleep,

took

awaythebox

which

contained

their eye,

and

refused

togive it

uptill

theyhadgivenhimcer

taininstructions

necessary

for

theconquestofthe

Gorgons.

Aseventh

sister

of this hopeful

family,

fully

worthyof the

rest,

was Enyo,or Bellona, the

Goddess

of

war:

like

the Gorgons,

snakes

were

the

locks

that adornedherhead,

insteadof

hair

;

she

has

awhipof

iron

in onehand,andaflaming

torch in theother : all her gestures werefurious

and

frantic, andher garments dripped

with

blood

:

her

priests

expressed

their

devotion

to

herbyrunning about in a sortof frenzy-dance,

and gashing themselves

with

knives1: at Co-

1 -ffischyli. Rom.

792.

a

Lact.

de

Div.

Instit. L21. Tib. i .

lib. vi. 46, Strabo. 12. Val. Flaccus, vii. 636.

F6



108 GERYONANDECHIDNA.

mana

in Asia

Minor, shehad

a

temple

with

a

college

of

no

less

than

three

thousand

priests.

bFrora

the

blood

of

Medusa,

as

it gushed

forth

whenPerseus

smote off her

head,

sprang the

wingedhorse, Pegasus,

and

Chrysaor,

his ori

ginal

rider,

who

rose

to

life

at

first clad in

complete armour, and brandishing a sword of

gold

: beside

thesetwo,the

progeny

ofMedusa's

blood,

some

drops fell

fromthehead

asPerseus

flew

along with

it

over

the

coasts

of

Africa,

and

fromthemwereengenderedtheserpentsofLybia,

so

famed

for their enormous

size and

deadly

venom.

Chrysaor

married Callirhoeone

of the

Oceani-

des,andby

herbecame

fatheroftwoothermon

sters, Geryonand Echidna.

Geryon

was

a

monster

in

human

shape,

but

with

threeheads

: hisresidence was

theisland of

Gadesin Spain: he kept a prodigious number

of oxen, and

killed

all the strangers thatcame

into

his country,giving

their

flesh forfood to

his

oxen:

as these

oxen wereregarded with

horror,

Geryon

found

it necessary

to

plant

over

themas

a

guard

a

dog

with

two

heads,

and

a

dragon

with

seven.

Echidna, thesister

ofGeryon,was

abeautiful

womanin theupperpart of her

body but

in

stead of legsandfeet, shehadfrom the

waist

downward,theformof

a

serpent.

Echidna

became

thewifeofTyphon,themost

terrible

of

the

Giants

who

made

war

uponJupi

ter,

and

between

themtheyhadthe

most

extraor

dinary

progenyever heardof

:

theirnames

were

Orthus, Cerberus, HydraandChinuera.

k

Hes.

The.

280

to 332.



CERBERUS:HYDRA:

CHIHJ2RA. 109

Orthus

wasthe two-beadeddogthatguarded

the

herds

of

Geryon.

Cerberuswasa dogwith threeheads',andin

otherrespectsa

mostformidablemonster: he

was

placed

as a

guard at thegateof the

infernalre-

gions : it is related of thosewhoin their

life-time

visited the

realms

of

Pluto, that

they

appeased

Cerberus

witha

cake

prepared for

thatpurpose4

:

hencetheproverb

to

giveCerberusa

sop,"ap

plied to persons

who

mitigate

with

a

bribesome

dastardly accuser, that barksvery

loud

in hopes

that somebody

will

think it

worth

while

to pur

chasehis

silence.

Hydrawasa furious dragon withahundred

heads, and endowedwiththis peculiarproperty,

that if

any

one

came

against him

with

intent to

destroy

him,

and

cut

off

one

of

his

heads,

two

othersimmediately sprungupin

its

place.

Chimerawasa monsterofa

mixed

form, part

lion,

part dragon,and

part

goat, and had three

heads, the

head

ofa lion, the

head

ofa

dragon,

and

thehead ofagoat.

Chimaerabecamethewife ofOrthus, the

two-

headed

dog

of

Geryon,

and

her own

brother;

the fruits of

this

connection

were

Sphinxandthe

Nemaeanlion: these monsters will be fully

de

scribed,whenIcometo speak of Oedipusand

Herculesbywhomthey weredestroyed.

Scylla

wasamonster,

who

had

for her father

either

Phorcys, the

parent

of the Gorgons, or

Typhon,

the

father

of

Hydra

and

Chimaera

:

like

the

Gorgons,

her original figure

was

that

of a beautiful woman hut, being beloved by

c

Hes.

The.

312,

describeshim

as having

fifty

heads.

*

Virg. En. vi.

420.



110

scylla:

theCyclops.

GIaucusc,one

ofthe

Gods

of

thesea, she

fell a

vic

tim to the jealousy of Circe,whowill hereafter

bementioned

: Circe

poisonedafountain

inwhich

Scylla was wontto

bathe,

sothatas

soon

asthis

lovely

creature

threw herself into the water she

foundtheheadsof

dogs,

barkingandhowling,sud

denlysproutaround

her

waist;she

had

twelvefeet

shaped like serpents,sixheads,and in eachhead

three

rows

of

teeth

:

made

desperate

by

his

fright

ful metamorphosis, shethrewherselfinto

the

nar

rowseawhichdividesSicilyfrom Italy,andever

after becamethe

terror

of mariners, whomas

they passed

near

her

abodein therock, shewas

accustomedbysixatatimetosnatchupand

de

vour:

opposite to

the rock of

Scylla, was a

whirlpool,

called

Charybdis,

so

that

whoever

en

deavoured

to

steer his

vessel

in safety from

the

devouring jawsof Scylla, was

in

themostimmi

nent

danger

ofbeingswallowedup

in

thetremen

dous

and rapideddies ofCharybdis.

TheCyclops

may

withpropriety be reckoned

amongthe monstersof theGrecian

mythology

Hesiodf representsthemas three, bynameArges,

Brontes, and

Steropes,

andmakesthem

full

bro

thers

to

the

Titans,

thesonsof Cceltis

and

Terra ;

but according to

Homer

and Virgil,

they

are

muchmorenumerous : Homeralsospeaksofthem

as

thesonsofNeptune.

The

office of the Cyclops

was to forge the

thunderbolts of

Jupiter

under

the

direction

of

Vulcan

:

the three

abovementioned seem tohave

been constantly

engaged

in this occupation,

and

to haveinhabited thebowelsofmountiEtna : the

rest of the tribe wandered on the

adjoining

'

Ov.Met.

xiv.

1

et seqq.

f

The. 140.



pa.UO

YV.CAN







112 .

HARPIES.

that they shouldbe

seized

withdespair,and

de

stroy

themselves.

TheHarpies

werethe

offspringof

Thaumas

son

of Pontus,

by

Electra one of the Oceanides':

they hadthe

face

of a

woman,

thebodyof a

vulture,andthe claws ofadragon11: theywere

extravagantly voracious

in

theirappetites,and

filthy

in

theirhabits

;

and

whenthe

Godswere

greatly incensed against

any

one

ofmortal race,

they could scarcely imposeuponhima severer

penalty,

than

to

send

these

monsters

to

haunt

his meals, afflicting himwith the plagueof

an

unsatedhunger,anddriving

him

to

madness.

Hes.The.

266.

k

Virg.JEn. i i i . 216 et seqq.



113

CHAP.XIV.

OFTHEGODSOFTHE

SEA

AND

THE

WINDS.

Pontus.

Oceanus

and Tethys,

Parents

of

the Rivers

and the

Oceanides. Nereus,

his Figure, and

the

Shapes

heassumes. Doris,

the

WifeofNereus,

and

Mother of the Nereids. Neptune, his Figure and

Appearance.

Amphitrite

and Triton.

—

The

Winds.

—

iEolus.

— Aurora.

FnoM

a survey of the

inferiorGods,pro

tectors of the scenes of rural

and

domestic life,

we will proceed to the vastest and

mostmagni

ficent object which

the globeof

earthcontains,

the ocean : the sea, as well astheland, was ac

cording to the

Grecianmythology

full ofGods

the

sea,

considered

merely

as

it

strikes

the

organs

of

human

sight,

suggests

principally ideas of

what is barren, wild

andtremendous :

but the

religion of

the refined

ancients

filled it

with

life,

action andhilarity : and theentranced voyager,

broughtupin the

notionsof

this

religion, often

saw

in its most solitary

scenesthe

magnificence

of

the

Gods,

and

heard

the

songs

of

the

Nereids

and theSirens.

Pontus (theGreekname

for

thesea)was the

son

of Tellus withouta

father :

he

was

therefore

half-brother to the Titans: PontusandTellus

were

the

parents

of

Nereus.

Oceanus

(anothernamefor

the

sea)was oneof

*he

Titans

:

Tethys was

his

sister

and

his

wife":



114 NEREUSANDDORIS NEPTUNE,

from

their

marriage

sprang

a

multitude

of

sons,

who

are the rivers, andanumerousfamily of

daughters,

called the Oceanides : these elder

deities

Pontus,

Oceanusand

Tethys, were

never

madethesubjectsoftheGrecian sculpture.

Nereus is represented,

like

most

of

the

male

deities of the

ocean

and the rivers, with a long

flowing

beard

and

sea-green hair

:

the

chief

place

of his

residencewas

the

iEgean

sea:

he

was

en

dowedwith thegift ofprophecy,and

could

as

sumewhatever

form

he pleased: when

Hercules

sought

the golden applesof the Hesperides, be

applied

to

thenymphswhoinhabit thecaverns

of the

Eridanus,

to

know

in

what

part of the

world

theseapplesweretobe

found

:

the

nymphs

senthim

to

Nereus,

who

being

surprised

by

the

hero,

endeavoured

by

a

variety

ot metamor

phoses

toelude

his

enquiries, and

escape

from his

chains1.

Theconsort ofNereus wasDoris, one of the

Oceanides,whobrought him

manydaughters,

called

the Nereids:

these

beautiful

deities

were

accustomed

to

dance

about

the

throne

of

their

father,andthe chariot of Neptune:andthus

the

termNereids hascometobe used to

express

generally the female deities of the

ocean

:

the

most celebratedof the daughters of Nereusand

Doris

are

AmphitriteandThetis.

Neptune,

thebrother of

Jupiter,

became

the

husband

of

Amphitrite:

the

authority

of

Pontus

and

Oceanus

andTethys and

Nereus appears

gradually to havegrownantiquated

:

they re

tired

from

theiroriginalhonours

to

a

condition

of

dignified ease: and

Neptuneis

universally re*

1 Apollod. Biblioth. i i . 5. SchoL inApoIIon. Rhod.iv. 96.







GODSOFTHEWINDS. 115

ceived

in

the Grecian mythologyas theGodof

thesea.

The

appearanceof Neptune, asdescribed

by

the

ancient poets

m,

is

extremelybeautiful :

he

glides

alongthesurfaceofthewaves, in achariot

formed

of a largeand

semi-transparent

sea-shell

ofthe

colour

ofpearl : he

is

drawnby

sea-horses:

Triton,

his

son,

blows

the

trumpet,

which

is

also composed of a

shell,

before him while

other inferior

deities

float

byhis

side, and

guide

the

reins of his

chariot:

the dolphins,whose

scales sparkle with

azure

andgold, play round

his path,

and

seem rejoiced

with his

prese cet

Amphitrite rides along with him the counte

nance

of

the

God

is

majestic,

awful

and

serene

;

and

he

bears in his

handthetrident,

or fork

with

three

teeth, with

which

hedividesthe

waves,

and

levelsthesurface of I hewaters: this gloriousvi

sion

is

a

beautifulemblem

of the

vast

elementof

theseawhencomposed

intoperfect

calm.

One

of

the

Godsof

thesea,

introducedbyHo

mer

in

the

Odyssey, and

after

him

spoken

of

or

alluded to bymanypoets,

ancient

and modern,

is Proteus, famous tor hisconsummatepossession

of

the

art

ofprophecy

: he

wasconsultedbyMe-

nelaus,

king of Sparta, whenuponhis return

from thesiegeofTroy, Menelaus was detained,

wind-bound, for several weeks off the isle of

Pharos

in

Egypt

Proteus,

though

knowing

in

future

events,

was

seldom

willingtocommunicate

whatheknewto inquisitive mortals: Menelaus,

being

secretly

instructed howto deal with this

coyanduncomplyingGod, surprisedhimwhen

asleep,

andboundhimin chains:theGodhadthe

m

Horn.

I I .

v .

23

Virg.

JEn.

v.

818.



116 GODSOFTHEWINDS.

power

of

assuming

any

shape

that

he

pleased,

andby

these

means

thought

toescape

theimpor

tunities of theGrecian

king

:

he

assumed

suc

cessivelytheform ofa lion, ofavoluminousand

glittering

serpent, a leopard, a

boar,

a river,

and

a tree

:

he expected underone

or other of

theseforms to terrify

Menelaus

from his purpose,

or

to

mislead

and

confound

his

ideas:

the

king

however

persisted withundaunted courage,

and

could

never

be induced

to relax his hold

:

and

Proteus,having at lengthexhausted all histricks

ofevasion, yielded

to

the urgencyof Menelaus,

opened to

him

the knowledge

of

futureevents,

and instructedhimhow

to surmount

his

difficul

ties,

and

reach

his

desired

home1.

Nearly

connected

withthe

Gods

of

thesea, are

theGodsof

the

winds

:

these

are

principally

Bo

reas, Auster, Eurus, and Zephyrus in other

words, thenorthwind, thesouth

wind,,

theeast

wind, and

the

west

wind their genealogy

is said

to

havebeen

this; Creus, one

of

theTitans,

was

the

father

of

Astraeus

;

Hyperion,

another

of

the

Titans,

was the

tather

of

Aurora, theGoddess

of

the

morning;Astraeus and Aurora

being

wedded

toeachother,becametheparentsof thestarsand

thewinds".

There aremanyother winds recorded by

the

ancients b<side

those

of the

four

cardinalpoints,

particularly

Caurus and

Argestes,

whose

opera

tion

was exceedingly tempestuous, and whose

attacks

weremightily

dreaded.

JEo\us,whoaccording to somewas a son

of

Jupiter, and according to othersonlyan ancient

king of

iEolia,

or the iEolian islands,

to

the

■ Horn. Od. 3. 385

ct

seqq. Ovid.

Met.

viii. 731.

»

Hesiod.

Theog.

378.



AURORA.

117

north

of

Sicily,now

called

the

islands

of Li

pari,

andeminent for his skill in astronomy

and

navi

gation, is fabled

to

havehad empire over the

winds:

his principal residence

wasStromboli, or

Strongyle, one of the/Eolian islands : therehe

had

a cave

in whichhe.shut up

the

winds

:.

these

boisterous

deities roaredand bellowed within the

cave,

and

sought

every

cranny

by

which

they

mightescape the despotism of their inexorable

jailor, but

in

vain

:

if they

could have

escaped,

we

are

told, they would have

tornupthesea

and

the earthandthe pillars of heaven from their

foundation,

andhave

carried

them

impetuously

along

through the

boundless

regions

of space:

iEolus

however

only

occasionally

let

them

loose

for a very

short

period,which is the

cause

of

ter

rible

tempests, hurricanes

and

shipwrecks:

and,

when

they

b veperformedtheir

destiny,

Neptune

drives

thenfaway , or jEolus

recals

them,and

they areshut

up

again in their strongprison of

Stromboli..

'

Havingjust

spoken

of

Aurora,

the

Goddess

of

themorning,

1

will here

mention such

particu

lars concerningherasarenecessary to beknown

Hesipd

assigns her avery poetical

kindred : she

is

according

to

him,

sister to

the

sun andthe

moon,andmother to the stars and

the

winds :

Hesiod isextremely

allegorical

in his

mythology

the

relationship

of

Aurora

to

the

sun

and

the

moon

is

sufficiently

obvious

:

she

immediately precedes

the

appearance

of thesun ;

andwhen

the

break

of day arrives, themoonis no longer

remarked

:

thewinds are generally

observed

to

fall towards

evening,

and

to

rise again

whenmorningappears:

F

Virg.

JEn.i.141.

*

Theog.

371.



118

AURORA.

thcy

therefore

own

the

Goddess

of

morningfor

their

mother :

Lucifer,

the

morningstar,

is ever

closely connected

with

Aurora

andthe

ancient

roytbologists

were naturally

led to represent all

thestars as brothers,

and

proceeding from the

sameparent-stock.

Theoffice of Aurorais topreparethewayfor

the

sun:

when

she

rises,

the

Hours

unbar

for

her

the

gates

of

theEast

: she

ascends

in

a

chariotof

gold

drawn

by

two

horses, asApollo isdrawn

by

four.

Aglorious

break

ofday

in

a

fine

climate,

orin

themiddleofsummer,is oneof thegrandest

ob

jects

in

creation : the

veil

of night is removed,

and

all

things

assume

to

the

human

eye

their

pro

per figure

and

colour: a rosy blushsuffusesone

half of

the

horizon,

all nature

is

clothed

with

sparklingdrops of dew all

natureis rendered

freshand aliveagain bythe

repose

of

the

night :

thebreezeisyoungand untainted, and thefields

neversmell

sosweet

and

balmyas at this early

hour

of

the

morning:

the

Goddess

Aurora

there

forewasassociated in themindsof theancients

withathousand agreeableimpressions.



119

CHAP.XV.

OFTHEGODSOFHELL.

Tartarus

andErebus. Siteand

Topography

of

Hell,or

the

Regions

of

the

Dead.

Rivers

of

Hell:

Acheron,

Cocytus, Styx, and

Phlegethon.

Swearing

by the

Styx, its

Solemnity, andWhy. Monsters.

Charon,

andhis

Boat.

UnfortunateCondition

of

theGhosts

of

the Uuburied. Cerberus.

Fields

of

Lamentation.

Palace

of Pluto. Hecateand berWorship. Mer

cury. Judgesof Hell : Minos, Rhadamanthus and

iEacus.

Condemned

in Hell

: Tityus,

Ixion,

Tan

talus,

Sisyphus,

and

the

Danaides.

Elysium. Lethe,

the WaterofOblivion. TransmigrationofSouls.

Taiitarusand Erebus, as I beforetoldyou,

were

the sons

of Chaosand

Darkness,

and

the

brothers of

Tellus, or the

elder Vesta,

usually

calledthemost ancientoftheGods in this sense

they

may

be

considered

as

persons,

endowed

with

ahuman

figureandan

intelligent mind.

Butmuchof

theGrecian

mythology,

and

par

ticularlytheremoterbranchesofthegenealogyof

the

Grecian

Gods,

is

plainlyallegorical: Chaos,

and

Darkness,

andHeaven,andEarth,

in

their

most obvious andprimary sense, however the

poetical

imaginationof

the

Greeks

might

have

furnished

them

withlimbsand speechandvolun

tary

action, clearlysignifythings,andnot per

sons : in the

same

manner

Tartarus

andErebus,

though on certain

occasions theywere

spoken

of

as persons,

yetare

moreordinarilyemployed

as

namesof

situation

andplace.



120 TOPOGRAPHY'OFHELL.

The

Greeks

believed

that

the

soul,

or

thinking

principlein man,

survived

the

destructionofthe

body they asserted that the soulsof men

after

deathbecameinhabitantsof a

region

lowerthan

theearth,

hence

calledthe

infernal

region,and

Hell.

TheGreeks, like all other nationswhohave

maintained

the

immortality

of

the

soul,

taught

that the

pleasurable

or painful

state

of

being

uponwhichmenentered afler death, had acon

nection withthe

merits

or demeritsof

their

con

duct

whilethey

livedon earth

:

hence

they

sepa

rated theinfernalregion intotwo principal divi

sions, Tartarus, or

the

abode

of woe,

and

Ely

sium,

or

the

mansions

of

the

blessed

:

Erebus

was

ageneral name for both, or accordingtosome

wasrather appropriated

to the

residenceof the

good deceased.

TheGreeks

were

exceedinglyignorant

ofastro

nomy,thefigureof theearlh, and thesystem

of

the

heavens :

they

for

the

mostpart

regardedthe

earth

as

a

flat

surface,

like

a

round

table,

over

whichthesky stretched itself in themannerof a

grand

hemispherical canopy

America

nothav

ing been

discovered

till

about three hundred

yearsago, the otherthreequarters of theglobe

presented

to

theeyes of men

unaccustomed

to

scientific

and

astronomical observations theap

pearance

of

a

plane

surface,

or

what

mathema

ticians

wouldcall

the sectionof a

cylindermade

at

rightangleswith

its diameter.

Hesiod,

theoldestwriter

upon

the

Grecianmy

thologywhoseworks

have

beenpreserved, says',

that the

distance

between Heavenand earth is

*

The.720etseqq.



TOPOGRAPHYOFHELL. 121

sucb,

that

a

brazen

anvil

let

down

from

Heaven

wouldbenine

days

and nights in

falling

before

it

reached theearth, and thatTartarus or Hell

is

just as distant below,

as

Heavenis elevated

above, the surfaceof theearth: thegreater part

oftheGrecian

poets

however, as

has

been

before

said, placetheresidence of theGodson thetop

of

some

high

mountain,

particularlyOlympus,

and the regionsofthedead

atno

veryconsidera

bledistancebeneaththesurfaceoftheearth.

TheGreek

poets and mythologists represent

several of their heroes

during

their

lives as

pay

inga visit totheregions ofthe

dead,

particularly

Orpheus, Theseus, Pirithous,and

Hercules:

not

to

mention

Ulysses

and

JEneas;

since

the

descent

into

Hell bythetwolast maybesuspected to

havebeenintroduced

by

theirrespective

poets

into

their works, ratherasanornament to their ad

mirablewritings, than as matterof historicalre

lation.

This

descentof living men

intothe

regions

of

the

dead,

has

given

rise

to

various

accounts

as

to

thepartoftheearthfrom whichsucb a descent

might

be

made:Homer'has taken upthesub

jecton thegrandest scale, anddescribes

Ulysses,

when

he

descendedinto

hell,

as

sailing

to

Cim-

meria, acountrysituated at theutmostbounds

oftheocean,andnevervisited by thesun:" this

description

suggests

theidea

ofa

climate,

as

far

remote

as

possible from the equator, or circle

of

greatestheat,andplaced in the domains

of

eternalice: Cimmerias

thenameof

apeninsula

in Asia, themodernappellationofwhich

is

the

Crimea, or CrimTartary; but

the

Cimmerii

• Od.

K3.



122 TOPOGRAPHY

OF

HELL.

who

settled

in

this

place,

were

perhaps a

colony

from

someregion still farthernorth.

Themoreusual accounts howeverof the de

scent into

Hellwere, that it was

from somedis

trict of

Italyor

Greece,

where

thehero

happened

tobeatthetime: Theseus

and

Pirithousfounda

passagenearthe river Acheron

in

Epirus

:

Her

cules

descended

by

the

mountain

Taenarus

in

Laconia; andiEneas nearCnite in Campania;

the watersofthe

Acheron

wereblack

and

bitter;

near

Taenarus there

is a large

anddeep

cleft

of

theearth, outofwhichissued a smotheringand

unwholesomevapour

and

thewatersof

the

Aver-

nus,

near

Cumae

sent

forth

a

putrid

and

offensive

smell:

in fact, to the superstitions eyes

of the

first Greeks

andRomansanypool or

cavern

of

the

earthwhich

wasdistinguishedbya

loathsome

anddisgustful vapour, seemed to beanentrance

to

the

infernalregions.

The

geography, orrathertopography, ofHell

is

particularly

to

be

attended

to,

if

we

would

forma clearideaoftheinfernalregionsaccording

to

the

Grecian

mythology.

Thewhole

region

is surrounded with awall,

constructedbyNeptune, thesubstanceandgates

ofwhichareofbrass: thesegates

areguardedby

certain of the Giantsandby

Briareus

with

his

hundred

hands:

when

youhad

entered

these

gates,

there

still

remained thejourneyofayear

through

awild accumulation of

the

principlesof things

thrown together

in the

utmost disorder, before

youreached the habitabledomain suchis the

description

of

Hesiod*.

The

ancients reckoned four rivers in

Hell

J

9 Tbeog. 781.



STYX.

123

Acheron,

Cocytus,

Styx,

and

Phlegethon

: a

fifth

1 shall speakofhereafter.

TheAcheron, as

1

have

already mentioned,

wasa river in Epirus, the watersofwhichwere

bitterandloathsometo

the

palate:

it

is

difficult

to

say

whethertheriver in Hellreceived

its

name

from, orgaveit to, theriver

which

flowsupon

earth.

Cocytus

wasanother

river

of

thesame

partof

Greece: thewaters, particularly in

the

season of

tempestsandstorms, wereobserved

to

flowwitha

hollowand

howling sound, whichto

a

supersti

tious imagination

resembled

the

groans of a

de

parting

spirit,

or

the

lamentations

of

the

damned.

The

Styxwas

a

small

river, orrather lake,

in

the

province of

Arcadia:

its waters were

said to

be of sodeadly

a

coldness, that

they

proved

a

mortal poison to everyone

who

drankof

them

theyhad

also the

powerof

dissolving iron : the

Styx

wasbythese properties qualified to

be

a

river

in

Hell:

Virgil

says

that

it

makes

nine

times

thecircuitoftheregionsofthe

dead*.

TheStyxis particularlyfamousfor being the

subject

of themostsolemn oath

which

could be

sworn

by

the

Gods

themselves

:

whatever a

God

swore bythe Styx thathewouldperform, he

dared

not

afterward refuse

to execute, however

he

might

repent

of

bis

oath.

Thisriverowedits

peculiar

privilege

to the

fol

lowingcircumstanceT: Styx,whowasanymph,

and oneof the daughtersof

Oceanus, hadthree

daughters of

her own,

Victory,

Valour and

Strength : all three assisted Jupiter in his war

againstthe

Giants,

and

were, aswemight sup-

<

Georg.

iv. 480.

v Hesiod.

Theog.

389.

G2



124

FHLEGETHON.

Eose

from

their

names,

of

the

utmost

service

to

imon that

occasion : Jupiterdemandedofthese

miraculous allies howhecould

remunerate

their

aid,andthey asked, as the greatest favourhe

could

bestow, this

token

of

honour in

behalf

of

their

mother.

Thepunishmentawarded tothatGod

who

vio

lated

his

oath

sworn

by

the

Styx,

was

that

in

the

first

place heshould

drink

of thewaters of that

tremendous

stream

: this draught,whichwascer

taindeath to a mortal, threweven

a

God

into

a

state ofthemostoppressivelethargywhichlasted

a

wholeyear : nordid his punishment end then

:

he

wasdoomedfor nine yearsmoretowander

an

outcast

from

Heaven,

and

to

seek

shelter

as

a

ba

nished

God

where

he

could

in

foreign regions.

The

last of

the

four riversofHell

is

Phlege-

thon : socalledbecause

it

swellswithwavesoffire,

and its streams areflames.

» -

Virgil",

whohas handeddown

to

Usthelast

and

most

complete

description

of the regionsof

the

dead,

says,

that

immediately

on

entering

this

darksomeabode,astrangerwasencotirreredwith

a thousand monstrous and terrific

forms,

Cares,

andMourning,anda

troop

ofDiseases,and

Old

Age:

addedto these were

Fear,

andHunger,

andWant,andLabour, andSleep, and

Death,

withthe dishonest

Joys

of*

thewicked,

andDis

cord,andWar,andtheFuries.

Mingled

withtheseallegorical personages

were

all

theuncouthandhorridshapesthatfancyever

framed,

Centaurs,andScyllas,and

Harpies,

and

thehundred-handed Briareus, andGorgons, and

Hydra,andChimaera; not that this was the

real

habitation of

theseterrible

beings,but

that

their

wJEn.

vi. 273.





126 FIELDS

OF

LAMENTATION.

to

the

fowls

of

the

air,

were

obliged

to

wander

for a

longtime

in wretchedness amidst themad

and

slimeof

the river

: after

a penance

of

one

hundred

years they

became

entitled to the pri

vilegesofCharon's boat : it wasregarded there

fore

bythe ancients

as

thehighest pitchofhard

hearted

ness

orrevenge to

deny

to the dead the

honours

ofsepulture

:

andifa

manwere

drowned

at

sea,

or

by

any

other

means

placed

beyond

the

reach

of

this ceremony, hisfriends still

paid

to

himthe

forms

of burial,

cast

dust

on

hisempty

tomb,invoked his ghostto witnesstheir piety,

andspoke

peace

to his

departed

spirit.

Thefirst

objectwhich

saluted

a stranger'seye*

after

he

hadcrossed theriver,

was

the

tremendous

three-headed

Cerberus,

the

watch-dog

of

Hell,

whoseoffice it wasto preventtheliving fromen

tering,and

the

deadfromescaping: Hesiodgives

him

fifty

heads:

andVirgil describeshimwitha

collar (so to express

it)

of fierce andfrightful

snakes,whichgrew round his neck: whenthe

living

visited theinfernal regions,

they'

were

ac

customed

to

throw

to

Cerberus a

cake

strongly

impregnatedwithsoporific

drugs,

whichhe ate,

andwas silent.

The

first region ofHell that presented itself,

immediately

after

the

traveller hadpassed

the

kennel ofCerberus, was a sort

of

middledistrict

appropriated to

suchas hadneither

merited

the

punishments

of

Tartarus

nor

the

joysof

Elysium

thisregionhoweverwasa

melancholy

abode,and

a partof

it

wasknown

by

thenameof

theFields

of Lamentation: this

portion

of theinfernalre

gionswas inhabited

by

the souls

of

infants

who

haddied assoon as they

wereborn,

of

thoseun

fortunate

persons

who

hadbeen

put to death



HECATE.

12?

wrongfully

upon

accusation

of

some

crime,

of

such

asbad

laidviolent

handsupon

theirownlives,

of

thosewhohad beencrossed in love,and lastly,

of warriorswholaid claim

to

noother meritbut

that

of

valour.

Next

after

this region presented itself thepa

lace

of Pluto: themansion of theGodwas built

like the

heavenly

habitations", underthe direc

tion

ofVulcan,

andbythe

labour

of

the

Cyclops:

it wasextremely

magnificent,

butof a

sad

and

melancholyaspect*.

The

persons

of PlutoandProserpine, theking

and

queenof

Hell,

have

beenformerly

descrihed :

they

are

sometimes

called,

in reference

to

the

su

premepowerthey possessed in theirowndomi

nions, the

infernalJnpiter

and

Juno.

Hecateis one of theprincipal deities efHell

:

Hesiod*makesherthe daughter of Asteria the

sister ofLatona, and thus first cousin

to

Diana :

subsequent writers however have usually

consi

dered

her as

Diana herself,

andin

reference

to

this, Diana

is

frequentlystyledtriformis*, being

the

Moon

in

heaven,

on

earth the

Goddess

of

hunting,andinHell presidingover incantations

and magic.

Whetheror noHecatebethe sameas Diana,

certain

it is

that

asthe

Goddess of magic* she

was represented

undera

form

verydifferent

from

that

whichwasproper toDianaconsidered as

a

member

of

the

Olympian

council

:

her

counte

nancewasof so dreadful an expression, that

scarcely

anymortalcould

dare to

lookupon

it:

snakesandvipersgrew

uponherheadinstead

of

x Horn,

a*. 607.

y Id.

8. IS.

1

Theog.

411.

1

Hor. i i i . 22.

b

Euseb. Pnep. Evang. 5.

c

4





ME

TUMlf



i



JUDGESOF

HELt.

129

talismanhecalleduptheghostsofthe

dead from

theirresidenceintheinfernalabodes.

Within

the

palace

of

Pluto

were

to

be

found

thethreejudgesofHell, Minos,Rhadamanthus,

and Eacus: the

twofirst

of

thesehad

oncebeen

men,

andwere

theauthors

ofthefamous lawsof

Crete: MinosandRhadamanthuswereplaced

by

the

Greeks

as

the

final

judgesofthespirits ofmen

departed, in consequence

ofthe

consummate

ex

cellence

they

had

displayed

as

lawgivers

and

judgeswhilethey

lived

uponearth.

Minosand

Rhadamanthus

were

thesons

of

Ju

piter bya mortal, Europa,

daughter

ofAgenor

kingofSidon :. iEacuswas the

son

of

Jupiterby

jEgina, daughter of

Asopuskingof

theisland

of

iEgina:.JEacus was also the grandfatherofthe

celebratedAchilles.

As

soon'as thevisitor of

the

infernal regions

had

passed

thepalaceofPluto, hisroad divided

into two; that on the left led

to

the inclosure

where those'ytho had committed greatcrimeson

earthwere doomedtosuffer the punishments

of

their.misdeeds',

andthat

on

therighttothe

JJly-

s an fields,

tWrqiidencereserved

forhappysouls

*maMurestated f

Amongthe

condemned

suffering

inTartarus,

themost'remar,kableare

Tityus,Ixion,

Tantalus,

Sisyphusandt7ie*Danaides.

I

Tityusewif|**heson

of

Jupiter and Elara:

he

is

usually

.numbered

among

the

Giants

:

fearless

een of

the

authorityoftheGods,he

ofFeredan

affront to

Latona, themotherof

Apollo :

for

this

Jpdacity

Jupitersentenced

himto Hell, where,

ashelieschained tothe

ground,his

body.covers

Vjrg.

JEa, vi. 540. . e Horn. Od.K75. Virg..En, vi. 595. .

g5



130

TANTALUS.

surface of nine acres : a vulture sits uponhi*

breast,and

gnawshis liver,

andfeasts

upon

his

entrails;

and

that

his

punishment

maybe

eter

nal,

it is decreed

that his

intestines

shall grow

again as fast asthey aredevoured.

Ixion'was

a

mortal,

who

is said to have

been

foolishenoughtopretend to fall inlovewith

the

queenofthe

Gods:

Jupiter

to baffle

his

silly

am

bition shaped acloud into theexact likeness of

Juno

and

sent

it

to

Ixion:

Ixion

was

deceived

:

Ixion

andthe cloud

werethe

parents

ofthe

Cen

taurs: but, not contented withthis, Ixionwent

away,andboastedthathishigh-minded lovehad

not

proved fruitless, as everyhody

supposed

it

wouldhave

done,

butthat

he

had

experienced

all

mannerof kindness andfavour from J.uno,who

assured

him

that

she

loved

hijv

<tio

lesV&icn.

fier

husband:Jupiter, more

than ever

tiVrit&t.ed at

this insult, sentIxion toHell, aiki;A9<ipd

'-Mm

to

befastened to awheel,

wherehe

AidijrU'rotfnd fat

ever

in

incessant

motion.

-'-

The

punishmentofTantalus' is 'still moVe-jer

fined, as

hiscrime

was

morebaseand arx>rnirtet>l f

he

resolved,

he

said,

to

mVk*

Vriol

whether

tne

Godsreally

knew

asmuchlas they pretended:*

with

this

view he

invited thorp' to 'a'Teast he

killed his ownson Pelops,yetajehild, nd cut

tinghim

in

pieces,

caused

theftesh.tobedressed

in various

ways,

and

served

to table: the

Gods

were

not

so

to

be

imposed

upon

C

however,oppressedwithgrieffor the

loss

of]

serpine, did

not

take

noticewhatwas

set

be

her, and atea piece of the shoulderofPelc

Jupiter joined

together

the limbs of the cl

Pindar.Pyth. i i . 39 et seqq. 8 Pindar.Olymp. « .38 et >eqq.



8ISYPHUS.

131

thus unnaturallyand

impiously

murdered,

and

restored himto life: in

place of

the shoulder

which

Ceres

had

eaten,

J

upiter

gave

him

a

shoul

der

of

ivory:and

Pelops

appears

in

thelist ofthe

mosteminent

foundersoftheGrecian

nation.

Allthat remainedwas thepunishmentofTan

talus*: Jupitercondemnedhim

to

Hell,andfur

nishedhim

with

a feast no less painful

to

Tan

talus than

the feast

of

Tantalus

hadbeen to the

Gods:

plagued

with

perpetual

hunger,

a

bough,

loaded withfruit themostdelightful

to

the

senses

of sight andsmell,

hangs

immediately before

him but the

moment

it approaches

his

lips,

ablastofwind

never

fails to

driveit to

adistance

from Ji/mrtormented withthe most intolerable

thirst he

i#plunged

up

to

his

chin

in

a

refresh-

eam

s but

Jufnp

sooner

stoops

to

taste,

than

th wearer

retires

from his lips, which

i So

much

asa

drop.

s1 .was"a famous robber,

who

wasac-

ury.those he plundered undera

yandleave

themto expirein lin-

toriu.f f

:

in Hellhissentence

is

to throw

*

of

vast

welgnyfc

up

to

the

top

of

an

im-

precipice thj^'he is neverableto effect : the

almost

\eaches

the top,

but

never fails

to

'

down ih

poor

Sisyphus, eager to

\sk..

puffs, and

strains,

and

sweats,

but all

in

vfA the misery

to

which he is con*

demnedis, always

to

be engaged in

performing

whathecan nevereffect.

4

Thepunishment

of the

Danaides*is similar to

that of Sisyphus:

Danaus

king of Argos,was

b Homer.Od.

X.581.

i Id.*. 593.

k Hor. 1 . iii.Od. ii. 15 et seqq.

g6



133

THE

DANAIDES.

brother

to

.5gyptus king

ofEgypt an oracle

hadforetold thatDanus should bedeprived of

his

crown

by

a

son

of

Egyptus

to

defeat

the

prediction

he had recourse

to the

following

cruel expedient: iEgyptushadfifty sons,and

Danaus fifty daughters: Danaus

married

his

fifty

daughterstothesons

of

jEgyptus, but

with

this injunction, thateachoneshouldmurderher

.husband

on the

wedding-night, as

he slept

s

forty-nine

of

the

brides

faithfully

performed

the

mandate

of theirfather ; and for this unnatural

action

theywere

condemnedto

Hell

:

each

is fur

nished

with

abucket,

and

thus

they

are

com

mandedto fill alarge tun with water, the

bot

tomof

which

is full of holes:

theil labour

is

incessant; but, however unconqueraflte are

their

exertions,

they

never

approach

an

atom

the

nearer

to

theendof

their

task. _ V

Thescene of punishment in theliitiire world

was

gloomyand

horrible:

Virgil1

says,

it is.not

lawful for

anygood

orinnocent beings ver

(o

pass the

threshold,

and witness themeasures

o

retributionwhichare there carriedon :

Phlege-

thon,the

riveroffire,

flowsround

it: Tisiphpne,"

the most terrible of theFuries, watches perpe

tually

at

the

avenue;

and tire

adamantine walls

are

ofsuch

strength that

neither,

mennor

Gods

areofabilitytodemolishthem.

Theverythought of

this

etejmal

prison

was

enoughto inspire

sadness

into evdry

heart

: but

themortal visitor of theinfernal regions passed

onby

the gatesof

Tartarus,

and

entered

Ely

sium: theair of this delicious retreatwasfresh

and elastic: thelightgaveabrightandsoothing

JEn.

vi.

568.



ELYSIUM.

133

purplish

tint to every thing it fell upon: the

trees wereforevergreen,

the

lawnsforeverfresh,

and

thehearts oftheinhabitantsfor ever

cheer

ful :

they

employedthemselves in athleticexer

cises,

in

dancing, and

in

concerts of

vocal

and

instrumental music, or passedaway

their hours

in notless agreeablecontemplation and repose.

Thepersons for

whom

these

happy

seats were

reserved,

were

such

as

during their abode

on

earth had

shed

their blood

for

their

country,

pious priests whoseconduct throughout had not

been

less exemplary

than

their profession

was

venerable,andmenwhohadembellished human

life

by

theinvention ofuseful arts, orwhohad

left behind

them

the remembranceof actions

which

were

honoured

by

posterity.

It is clearthatneitherTartarus

nor Elysium

wereawarded, according

to

the Grecian mytho

logy, butteethe atrociously criminal orto the

eminentlymeritorious

:

thebulkof ghosts wan

dered

undistinguished in other

tracts of

the in

fernal regions, where their existence seems to

have

been'

joyless

and uncomfortable: IIomerm

makesAchilles in

theregions

belowdeclare

how

gladlyhe

would

exchange his state for that

of

the

poorest

'plougtiboy;"

and Virgil"

remarks

of

the

self-destroyers,

who

he

by

no

means places in

Tartarus, Howgreatlynowdothey wish that

it were permitted themto sustain povertyand

every

earthly

hardship,

in

the

light

of

the

sun

"

Beyondthe

regionsbothof

TartarusandEly

sium is the

last

riverofHell,theriverLethe: the

peculiar virtue of

this

streamwas, thatwhoever

drankof

it forgoteverythingthat had everhap-

»

Od.K488.

n Ji.vi. 436.



134

LETHE TRANSMIGRATION.

penedtohim henceanotherofitsnameswasthe

Water

ofOblivion.

Pythagoras,

Virgil,

and

many

of

the

ancients

inculcated

the

doctrine of

transmigration: that

is, that the souls of thedeceased, after an in

tervalof

athousand years, return

once

moreinto

the

upper world and

are

born: the thousand

years is thetenet ofVirgil0

;

Pythagoras seems

tohave

admitted nointerval: as

it is certain

that

no

one

remembers

any

thing

that

happened

to

himin anypre-existent state, it was supposed

thatthe soulswhich

were

under orders

to revisit

thelight

of thesun, first drank of the

waters

of

Lethe, in consequenceofwhichtheirmindsbe

came a

pure

blank:

Pythagoras

seems

to have

been the onlyone

whoreturned

to life

without

drinking

of

the

Lethe:

for

he

said

he

recollected

having once

been

Euphorbusat the siege

of

Troy*,-andat another time a cock: he forbad

his

scholars

eating

the

flesh of animals, lest

un

awares

theyshoulddevour

theirown

parents.

0 JEn.

vi. 748.

P

Ov. Met.

xv. 160.



135

CHAP.XVI.

OFTHEGODSREPRESENTATIVEOFTHE

FACULTIESANDCONCEPTIONS

OFTHEMIND.

Mnemosyne.

The

Muses.

The

Graces.

Themis,

or

Justice.

The Hours,

or

Seasons. The

Fates.

Their Distaff, Spindle and Shears. Story of

Me-

leager and Althea. Astraca. The

Golden,

Silver,

Brazen, and

Iron

Ages. Nemesis. TheFuries, the

most

Terribleofall SuperhumanNatures. Death.

Sleep.

Dreams. Discord.

Momus

Impotence

of

his

Censures. Prayers. Virtue. Honour. Pru

dence, Justice,

Temperance,

and

Fortitude.

Hope.

—

Tilial Duty. Storyofthe

RomanCharity. Con

tumely,

Impudence

and

Calumny. Fortune. Plu-

tus. Hygeia.

Hebe.

Hymen.

Fame.

Liberty.

Nextto

theGods

already

spoken

of, it

is

proper

weshouldconsiderthosedeities

which

re

present

the

faculties

and

conceptionsof

the

mind:

this

is

anotherofthegreatbeautiesoftheGrecian

mythology it not onlyimparted

life

andjudg

mentand

will

to inanimatenatures, and peopled

the

very deserts

with

divinities : beside this

it

also

substantiated mere

abstractions,

the unreal

and fleeting

ideas

ofthe

soul

:

i t gave

toairynothing

Aocal habitationanda

name:

bymeansof this transformation, the poettalked

tohisMuse,and personified

Health,

andLiberty,



136

THEMUSES.

andJustice,andPrayer:andbyhabitcontracted

a

deep

feelingof

the

reality ofthesethings : ima

gination, the faculty

by

which

men

transport

themselvesinto

thesituationsoftheir

fellows,

and

makethecaseof another theirown,is thevery

soul

of

moral

goodness :

themythology

of

the

ancients therefore, which

awakened

theimagina

tion, must have

had

some

favourable

influence

uponthemoralhabitsofits votaries.

The

most

eminent

of

what

we

may

call

these

abstract deities, are theNine

Muses:

theywere

the

daughters

of Jupiter, the

king

of

the

Gods,

byMnemosyne*(orMemory),oneoftheTitans :

by

his

allegory the

Greeks plainly

signified, that

the

greatest

refinements of

human

intellect

were

modifications

onlyof theoriginal

faculty

of

Me

mory,

cultivated

by

a

devout

and

sedulous

inter

coursewithinvisiblenatures.

TheMuses

were,

Clio, theMuse of History,.

Euterpe, ofMusic, Thalia, of

Comedy,

Melpo

mene, of Tragedy, Terpsichore, of

Dancing,

Erato, of Lyric, Divine, and AmorousPoetry,

Polyhymnia,

of Rhetoric,

Calliope,

of

Epic

Poetry,

and

Urania,

of

Mathematics

and

Astro

nomy:

their

names

are derived from

certain

Greek

words,

signifying respectively

the

attri

butesandprovinceofeach.

TheMuses

were

represented

as

beautiful vir

gins, ofa majesticfigureand anexpressive

coun

tenance,

andApollo ordinarily presided in their

assemblies:

each

of

them

bore

about

her

certain

symbolsemblematicaloftheart towhichshewas

devoted

: Clio,theMuseofHistory,was

crowned

withlaurel ; shehad

atrumpet

in herrighthand,.

i Hes.The.

52

el 77.



THEGRACES.

137

and

abook

in

her

left

:

Euterpe,

the

patroness

of

Music,

hada tiara of flowers, and sustained

a

flute: thegarments of Thalia, theMuseofCo

medy, were

trussed

up

short,

for

theconvenience

ofan unrestrained motion : shewore thesandal,

or

sock, emblematical of comedy,

and

carrieda

maskin her

hand Melpomenewas distinguished

by

the buskin, emblematical of tragedy, and a

gorgeous

sweeping

robe,

splendid

with

purple

andgold

:

in one

hand

she

bore

crowns

and

a

sceptre,andin the

other

a dagger

:

Terpsichore,

theMuseofDancing,wasrepresentedinadancing

attitude, and

exhibited a

musical

instrument:

Erato,

the

Lyric Muse, appeared with

the

lyre,

andwascrownedwith roses andmyrtle:

Poly

hymnia,

the

Muse

of

Rhetoric,

wore

a

flowing

robe

of purest white, asceptre

inher

left hand,

andherrighthandraised in the

attitude

to

speak:

Calliope, theEpicMuse,was represented bear

ingbooks inherhands,andcrowned withlaurel :

and

Urania, the Muse

of

Astronomy,

was

seen

witha tiara of stars,

her

robeofheavenly blue,a

globe

in

her

hand,

and

various

mathematical

instruments

scattered

round

her.

TheGraces' were thedaughtersofJupiterby

Eurynome,one of theOceanides : someof the

ancients

have ascribed

to

them

a different

pa

rentage,and

madethem

thedaughtersofVenus:

their

Latinname

is

derivedfrom

gratus, pleas

ing;"

but

their

Greek

appellation,

Charites,

comes

from

averb

signifying

to rejoice;" thus

reminding usthatwhatever is to giveuspleasure,

must present itself

with smiles andhilarity:

it

was a usual admonitionamongthe ancients

to

1

Hes.The.

906.

y



138 THEGRACES.

personsofa

surly

and

melancholictemper,

Sa

crifice

to theGraces;"

and

Plato

is relatedto

haveaddressed thephrase

in this

sensetoXeno-

crates,

one

ofhis

scholars,who

displayeda re

markablyausterecharacter*.

Thenames

oftheGraceswere

Aglaia, thatis,

splendid,"

Thalia, that

is,

flourishing,"

andEuphrosyne, that is, mirthful;" theywere

represented

under

the

most

beautiful

forms,

naked,

andwiththeirhandsjoined, themiddle

one

turn

ing

herback, and the

two

others their

faces

to

the

beholder: Seneca*,

the

Romanphilosopher,

hasundertaken to give an explanation to these

circumstances:

they

are

naked,"says

he,

be

causekindnessesoughtever

to

beconferred in sin

cerity

and

candour:

they

are

young,

for

the

me

moryofabenefit

ought neverto

grow

old

;

they

are virgins, for kindnesses ought always tobe

pure,

and

without thought

of

a requital; their

hands

are

joined,

forthere shouldbeaperpetual

reciprocation of assistanceamongfriends;and

lastly,

twoof thethreeturntheirfaces

to

the

be

holder,

to

signify

that

every

benefit

received

shouldbetwice thanked,

once when

wereceive

it,

andagainwhen

it is returned:"

the

worship

of theGraceswasthe

same

asthatoftheMuses,

with

whomthey

had

a

templein

common.

Anotherof the

wives

of

Jupiter

wasThemis',

one of theTitans : sheis

understood

to be the

Goddess

of

Justice

and

Righteousness;

she

in

structed Jupiterhow

to

comeofF victorious in

the

warsoftheGiants,andpointed

out

to Deucalionw

the

means

ofrepeoplingthe world after theuni

versal deluge: she

wasworshipped

bytheRo-

* Diog.

Laert. i i i . in vit.

Xenocr.

t

De

Benefic. i . S.

'

Hes.The.

900.

wOt.

Met.

i . 379.



THEHOURS. 139

mans

under

the

name

of

Justitia;

and

in

this

character

has

been

represented

in

later

timeswith

anerectfigure, a bandage over hereyes, a pair

of

scales in

onehand, and

a

sword in the

other.

Theoffspringof the marriageof Jupiterand

Themis

is various: she

first brought himthree

daughters, called

Eunomia, GoodGovern

ment,"

Dice,

Judgment,

and

Irene,

Peace:

taken

in thesenseoftheir names, theyaretheob

viousgrowthandattendants

of

civilised society:

but

theyhadanother

office

in the

Grecian

mytho

logy,

andwerecalled the

Hours

or,

as

perhaps

the

word[fif t]

maybe

more

justly

translated,

the

Seasons : the

connection

between their diffe

rentfunctions

is

this, thatwherever

Good

Govern

ment, Judgmentand

Peace

prevail,

there

the

Seasons, Spring,

Summer,andAutumn,will

ap

pear with all their auspicious characteristics:

theirsymbolswererespectively, a rose, an

ear

of

corn, and

a

cluster of grapes

: they

were the

nurses

of Venus, orTJCauty whetheranimateor

inanimate":

they

were

bornin

theopening ofthe

year,

and

had

their

favourite

haunts

in

the

mea

dows*: they were thedoor-keepers of heaven1;

they harnessed thehorsesof thesun* andthe

varioustemperatureof the

skies depended

upon

their pleasure: theytrod the earth with a soft

and almost imperceptible motion,and

were

the

appropriate bringers of intelligence of every

thing

new

that

happened

in

every

part

of the

universe.

JupiterandThemishadthreeotherdaughters,

called the

Parcae,

the Destinies, or

Fates':"

*

Horn.

Hymn,

in

Ven. y

Orph.

Hymn.

z Horn,

ft ( . 749. a

Ot.

Met. i i . 118.

> >

Theocr,

Syracus. 105.



140

THE

FATES.

this

genealogy

was

assigned

them,

because

the

fates

and fortunesof men,

as

well

as

the regular

return of spring-time and harvest,growoutof

thestate of

society

inwhichthey

are

born.

TheFateshowever

hada vagueand Uncertain

character, proceeding

from

the metaphysicalor

philosophical

conceptions

of

menrespecting

the

order

of

the universe:

one

thing

appears

to

be

foreverconnectedwithanother; ifMilton's

father

had

not

given

him

a

learned

education,

Milton

wouldnever

have

writtenParadise

Lost

: if Mil

ton's

mother,when

shewas

with

child,

had

hap

pened

tohave passed

through

a street

where

a

wild

beastbadbroken loose,shemighthavebeen

frightened,

andMilton

nothave

been born

alive:

if Milton'sfather

and

mother

hadnever

met,

he

wouldnever

have

been bom

at

all:

perhaps

theirmeeting depended uponsomeballtohave

been

given

by

the

ladyofa

manor' Milton'smo

therwouldnothavegoneto the ball, if shehad

not

been

supplied

with

a* £ pbyaFrenchmilli

ner : ifastage-coachhadnot beensettingoutfor

Oxfordshire

at

a

particular

time, the

French

millinerwouldneverhavecomethere: theFrench

milliner

wouldnever

havepassed

over

to

Eng

land,butforthepersecution setupbytheCatho

lics against theHugonotsrthere never would

have

beenHugonotsifHent

VIII.

hadnot

fallen

in lovewithAnneBoleyn at cardinal

Wolsey's

banquet

:

in

this

manner

all

events

seem

to

be

linked together in an indissolublechain: this con

nection ofevent withevent iswhatsomereligious

writershave

calledPredestination.

Taken

in this

senseHomer,

andother Greek

poets

represent

the

power

of the

Fates aspara





142 MELEAGERAND

ALTHEA.

fairies

in

fairy-tales)

were

present

at

themoment

he

came

into

the

world:

Clotho gave him

for

gift that

heshould

be the most

courageous

of

mankind

Lachesis that

he should

excel all

others in feats of activity ; and Atropos,

snatch

inga

brand from

the

fire, said

he should live

as

longas

that billet

remained

unconsumed:Althea,

the

mother

of

Meleager,

heard

these

predictions,

and

carefully

extinguishingthe brand,

kept it

ever

after

ampVig thethingsshewas

most

anxious

topreserve: thVniiost

heroic

of the

actions

of

Meleagerwasthedestruction of tbewild

boar

of

Calydon:

allthe heroes of

Greece:

attended on

this

occasion,but

it

was

Meleager

watstruckthe

ferocious

creature

to

the

.hear :

after

the

hunt

was

over,

thetwq

uncles

ofMeleager, brothersof

Althea, envious of his g\ot , picked

a

quarrel

with

him,and

in defending

bis lifejboth of

them

werekilled

: Althea

hastened

to

the

templeof the

Gods

to return

thankstbr/har

son'ssuccessagainst

the boar: but, as she

returned, she

metthe

corpses

of

her

brothers,

and

becoming

frantic

with

rage,

flew

home,cast

the

fatal

brand

into

theflames, and MjeleagGfexpired*.

Astraea

was

also

the daughterof Jupiterand

Themis her characteafeexactlysimilar to that

of

her

mother

: she

is intimately

connected

with

thebeautiful fiction oftheGoldenAge: In

the

beginningof things," say

the

poets', allmen

were

happy,andall

were

good there

were

no

quarrels,

and

there

needed

no law : allmen

loved

and

assisted

eachother

: none

wandered in

search

of distant climates, orin ships cuttheunknown

sea : thebowelsoftheearth

were

yetunransacked

h Ot.Met. riii. 270 et <qq.

Id.

i .

149.





144 NEMESls.

haunts:

Astraea,

or Justice, lingered the

last:

shewas loth toleave mankind,

who

hadsolong

conformed themselves toherdictates : at length

thesmellof

the

wholesome earthnowsteeped in

humangore,

could

no longerbeendured byher :

she

flew

away

to

heaven,

and took her

place,

under thenameof

Virgo,

amongthesignsofthe

zodiac1.

.Nemesis is a

deity closeUjfcoj)nected in

charac

ter

with Themisand4wr

oflsp i"; :

she is

the

GoddessofVengeance sheis

saicPby

Hesiodm to

bethe

daughter of Night

without

ajather,

but

byPausanias",

a

celebratedancient

historian,

to

be

the

child

of Jupiteran,d.fecessity: the

con

duct

of

Nemesis

is

alwavs,

regulated

by

the

strict

est rulesofjustice:sheijrterrible

only to offeitA rs:

but

sheis severe

and

iifexorable

in

her proceed

ings

:

it

is

her province

to

defendhe

relics

and

the

memory

of the deadlyand topursue

all

sorts

of

crimeswith

a

proportioned punishment:

sheis

represented

witha

fierce countenance,

wfth

wild

and

dishevelled

hair,

and

a

whip

in

her

hand

:

her emblemsare wings and a wheel, todenote

how

swiftly

punishment overtakes the

criminal:

yet

sometimes the ancients, in allusion to

many

notoriousfacts in thehistoryofmankind,observed

of Nemesis,

or

theVengeanc of

Heaven,

that

though

sure

to

overtake

theguiltyhead,

her

arri

valwas tardy, and thedeluded offenderoft-times

promisedhimself thathis sin was forgotten ; the

priest

and

the poet

warnedtheirvotaries, that

Nemesiswasindeed slow of foot, but that her

hand

was heavy, and its inevitableblowcrushed

theguilty

into

dust : oneofthenamesofthisdeity

1 Arat.

Phaenorn.

i . 98 et seqq. ■

Theog.228.

n

Pausauias,

i .

S3.



THEFURIES.

145

was

Rhamnusia0, from

a celebrated statueofher

carved

by

Phidias,andsetupin thetempleof

RhamnusnearAthens.

TheFuries areattendants uponNemesis;and

are said byVirgil* to belike

her

the

daughters

ofNight

; but

Hesiod'

makesthemthesisters

of

the GiantswhowarredagainstHeaven,being,like

them,

sprung

from

the

blood

of

Ccelus

:

they

are

also

called

Eumen ks aiid

Dirac

: they

are

three,

and theirnam

p

AlecCTjTisiphoncandMegaera:

they hadanthernaradf Erinnys,

which

was

commont(f themall: Aesewere the

most de

formed a horrible of all

the Grecian

deities

:

their f;u;es wereempYateti, hastly, and dun, as

if

embrowned

with

smoke:

instead

of

hair,

they

haflr'Sriikes

depending

Jfrom their

heads,

which

lamed

their

necks shoulders, andworked

theln

up

into

rage: Ineir eyes

were

blood-shot

and

flaming,

and

sealed ready

to burst

from

theirsockets:they carriedironchains,andwhips

with lashes of iron, or

sometimes ofscorpions,

in

one

hand,

and

lighted torches

in

the

other:

theirgarments wereofa rusty

black,

stainedwith

freshstreams of blood, and hanging looseand

tattered about their

bony

forms:

theywere

the

bearers

of celestial vengeance

againstoffending

nations, and carried withjBbmwar, pestilence

and

famine: Terror,

Rage/ aleaess

and

Death

followed

in

their

train

:

they

also

struck

remorse

andfrenayintothe heartsof enormousoffenders:

the Furies

constantly

haunted Orestes for having

slain

his

mother,

though

that mother

had

first

proved unfaithful to her

husband

thefather of

Orestes,andhadafterwards treacherously killed

•

Pausanias,

i 33. r Ma.xii. 345. 1 Theog.

184.

H



146 THEFURIE9.

him

when

they

fixed

upon

a

guiltyperson,

they

followedhimnight and day;wakingor sleep

ing,

be

saw

them

theyhauntedhimin solitude;

they

pursuedhimin feasts

;

the

gloomiest

cavern

could not hide, and the mostsumptuouspalace

Could notdefendhimfrom their assaults'.

TheGreeks

regarded

these deities

with

such

insurmountable

terror,

that

they

scarcely

dared

pronounce

their

names; rjwhentheypassed

by

their

temples

they tulied thel* faces another

way,lest the very sigrfc of theOTtfces should

blast

them'.

' tL' :

There

are

several other the

ancient

Gods,

whichwere

theprogenypfSight.

V '

A

Night,

as

has

been

seen,, vas

ope

of

4fe'

*

of the Gods, the daughter of Darknr

Chaos,andthe sister oXTeilus., Tartar

Erebus : it is characterise

thology, oftento

ascribe

tc

lities

of the

parent:

henft

Night

'U.fr

taken asthesamewithChaos;alraMn thi

she

is

styled

by

Orpheus'

the

pajpntof

G*ds

and

men,being

conceived tobeprioVJo

bjfth in

the

orderoftime.

Taken

in theallegorical

meaning,wecannot

be surprised

to

foud Sleep

andDeath ranked

amongthe

children

ofiN

ight.

#1

Sleep and

Deatfrarc

said

to

oe brothers, ex

tremely resembling

each

other,

and

strongly

smitten

witha

mutual

attachment.

Death

howeveris

morefrequentlyrepresented

as a female, the twin-born of Sleep: her gar-

'

.ffischyli

Eumen.passirn. * Soph. (Ed.Col. 123 et

seqq.

In

Noctern.



,DEATHANDSLEEP. 147

ments

are

Hack,

speckled

with

small stars, and

herwingsblackandheavy.

Sleep, aswe

are

told

byOvid",

holdshisper

petualresidence

in

thedeepcavern

ofa

mountain

inthe country

of

the

Cimmerii,

into

which

the

raysof thesun, eithermorning,

noon,

or night,

never

pcuetrate: thewhole

space

is filled witha

thick

and

nagging

vapour:

no

cock,

or

dog,

or

anyanimal accustomed to rousemenfrom their

-*shimbeTs, comes near the place: novoice is

heard

: thevery leaves are

never

movedwith

the

rustlingofthewind onlythe riverLethecreeps

throughthe cave, and with a

dull,

murmuring

sound .

invites and

prolongs

theslumbers of

the

God

'the

cavern

is"

without a

door,

lest

the

creakVigj>fa

hinge

might

disturb

thedeepsilence,

andwKjhouf acentinel,*for in that region it

is

impossible

thaiwakefulness shouldeverbe

main

tained : jileep

hinyjelf

reposesuponadownycouch,

thecovetingof which is black :

a

heavy

weight

, seems4opress down'Tiis eyelids,andhis head,

nodding

and

oppressed,

alternately

falls

on

one

sideandthe other

r heis surrounded withmy

riads of I>reams, his offspring, whosetask it is

to

protect

and

prolongthereposeoftheirfather

:

the chief of these

is

Mornhaus.

who

has the

faculty

of

assuming

the

airaBn

ofevery

mortal

that lives, or that

ever

hlBWved,Icelus,

who

presents

to

monarchs

in

their

sleep

the

shape

of

beast, or bird, oranyliving thing,andPhan-

tasus,who

takesthe

appearance

of

inanimatesub

stances, arock, a

palace,

aforest, orasea.

Discord

is

another of

the

children ofNight;

towhom

Homerwascribes

thispeculiarity,

that

T

Mm.

i.

552.

»

a,

440.

. h2



148

DISCORD.

though

at

first she

is

but

a

dwarf,

yet

being

nourished, she so improves in bigness, that

while she walks

along

on the

earth, her

head

touches the very heavens:

it

was

the

Goddess

Discord* that, at the nuptials of Thetis, ho

noured the

festival, atwhich

all the

deities at

tended,

with

the

gift ofagolden apple,onwhich

was

written,

Let it

be

presented

to

the

fairest

:"

Juno, MinervaandVenusimmediately

advanced

their pretensions ; and as the

Godswere un

willingto interfere in theircontention,Paris,the

shepherd-son

of

kingPriam,

was

appointedum

pire: theGoddesses appeared naked beforehim,

thatthebeautyoftheirproportionsmightbefully

displayed:

each

of

them

offered

a

bribe:

Juno

promisedto reward hisfavour withemgifefMi

nerva engaged

to

makehimthegrcateskfftfmi

litary heroes,

and

Venusto

bestowupon

him

in

marriage

the most beautifulwomanon earth

:

Paris

decided in

favour

of

Ventfs,

and

fromthat

moment

thetwootherGoddesses

became'

his

in

exorable

foes*.

Among

the

children

of

{fight are also

fre

quentlynumberedCare, Fraud, Concupiscence,

Misery,Old

Age,

and

many

the

like

unsubstan

tial

beings*.

Lastly,bya v^ptmetaphor,

Momus1, the

Godof Scoffing TCensoriousness, is univer

sally

stated

to

be

the

progeny

of

Night:

by

this

fiction

the

generous

ancients

fastened

theutmost

degreeof scornupona criticalandcarping

dis

position

:

they

insinuated

to

all their

disciplesthis

gloriouslesson,

that

nothing

ismore

difficult

than

* Lucian

Dialog.

Mar.Panopes et Galenes. T

Ov.

Her.

16.

z

Hei.

Theog.224

»

Id.

214.



MOMUS.

149

to

produce

a

great

and

admirable

work,

in

which

shall

be

at once

displayed

the

skill

and

compre

hensivemindofits author,anda most excellent

andimportant

use for

those

for

whom

it

was

in

tended

;

whilenothing

is

more

easy

thanto

raise

quibbling objections

to

parts

of

such

awork, to

view

everymemberof

it

with a squintanddis

torted

eye,

and

to

hold

up

each

in

turn

to

the

laughter

of

the

empty, the

frivolous

andthe

brutish.

It is

in this

sense

Milton says,

MethinksI

see inmyminda

noble

and puissantnation rous

ing herself

like

the strong man[Samson]after

sleep,

and

shaking

her invincible locks: me

thinks

I

see

her

as

an

eagle

mewing

her

mighty

youth, andkindling herundazzleu eyes at the

fullmid-day

beam:purging andunsealing her

long

abused

sight [this

alludes to the

story

of

St. Paul's conversion] at the fountain itself of

heavenly radiance: whilethe whole noiseof ti

morous and flocking

birds, with those

also

that

love

the twilight* flutter

about

amazed

at what

she

means,

and

in their envious gabblewould

prognosticateayearofsectsandschisms."

Momus

is the satirist of heaven: though all

the

conceptions of the

Godswere

noble, and

all

theirworkswere

admirablAhc

with the

most

impudent fool-hardinessdilBdagainst

them

the

shafts ofhisridicule:

NeptuW,

MinervaandVul

can,

three

Gods

of

the highest

class,

seeing

the

incorrigible folly withwhichhe

laboured,

once

entered into aconfederacy

to

puthimtoshame:

and

all,

producing the

mostadmirable efforts

of

their power, beggedhimwithagrave

air

ofhu

mility to

pointouttothem

the

censures

to

which

they were

liable:

Neptune's workwasa proud



150

CRITICISMS

OF

MOMUS.

and

stately

bull

:

Minerva's

a

spacious

and

splen

did mansion, replete with every grace of art,

and

everyaccommodationthat

convenience

could

suggest

:

Vulcan's

wasa

man,

of erect

front,

the

mostperfectproportions,andamienalikeexpres

sive

ofwisdomandbenevolence: this

must

be

sup

posed

to have passed before thecreation of the

.world,

and

these

three

productions

to

have

been

respectively thefirst specimens in theirkind.

Momusforaninstantstoodiibashed: heforgot

hisnature,

andwas

speechless

with wonder

and

delight:

presently he

reccollected himself, and

thoughthe should

be

for ever disgraced, if he

did

notadhereto

his

characterof

the

satirist

of

the

Gods.

He

lookedat

thebull

:

All

this

is

vastly

well,

vastly well

indeed,

brother

Neptune,

said

he,

this animal is strongandawfulandterrible :jn

manyrespects

nothing

can

be

better:

butlookat

those

eyes:

come,

confess,

myfriend,

you

were

outthere

: why

aretheyso

far

from

each

other?

do

not

you

see

that,

if

they

were

close

under

his

horns, every blow that

he

struck in

his

rage,

would

go

somuch

the

surerto its

aim?

Hethen looked

at

Minerva's

palace:

hestrained

hard

for a fault, andwas almost in despair;

every

thing was#o

complete:

at last

he

said,

What

a clumaltecumbrous

affair

wehave

here

Why,

MineWa,

you

should

have

clapped

wings

to

your

house,

and

madeit

as

lightas a

feather: a house

can never

bewithouta situation,

and

a

neighbourhood: and,

ifyourhouseshould

bein a bad neighbourhood,what-a-devil

is

its

in

habitant

to

do youdonotexpect himtotakeit

upupon

hisback, andrunawaywith

it?"

Momus

next

turned

to

Vulcan's

man

Why,



PRAYERS.

151

this isworstofall," saidbe

(he

knew

inhisheart

that

Vulcan

had

surpassed

both

his

competitors):

amanis

nothing

withouta

woman,

norawo

manwithout children, nor a family without

a

tribe or anation:andthen, whathypocrisyand

duplicity

and

treachery

there

will

be in the

world

now, if you

had

gone

about yourjob

withthe least of the eye of a

workman,

would

not

you

have

made

a

window

in

your

man's bor

som, that

every body

might

see

without any

troublethe verythoughts that wereworkingin

his

heart"

?"

Prayers are reckoned

by

Homer'amongthe

daughters

of

Jupiter:

this is

perhaps to be re

garded ratheras apoetical

allegory, than asec

tion

of

Grecian

mythology

it

is

however

so

beautiful,

that

it is worth

your remembrance

wThoughthus

highly

born,theyare," says

Ho

mer,

lameof their feet, andwrinkled in their

Tisages:

theireyesare dim,

and

their

behaviour

is

dejected:they arethe

constantattendantsupon

Injury:

where

Injurygoesbefore, depressingthe

weak,

and

breaking

the

hearts

of

mankind,

Prayersfollowafter, solicitous to healthewounds

that

he

has inflicted: injury is strongandsound

of

feet,

whilePrayers

arefeeble, totteringandin

firm:

yet

arethey

never far behind:

theyapply

themselves

to soften

the hejht of the injurious

man,that

hemayrepentHbevil

hehas done:

happy

is

he

that

listens

to

theirsuit:

for,

if

any

reject their

modest,

interceding voice, Jupiter

visits

that

man,

for the sakeof his daughters,

with

exemplary

punishment : an Injuryheavier

than

that

which

hehas

committed fallsupon

the

b Lucian.Hrrmotim. •

U.

« .

5Q2.

li

4



152 VIRTUEANDHONOUR.

hard-hearted

:

his

requests

to

the

Father of

the

Godsare

laughed

toscorn :

as

hewould listen to

rto

intercession,

soJupiter pursueshimwith

sor

rowuponsorrow, till the pride of his

heart

is

humbled

in

thedust."

All

theVirtues, which can

inhabitthe

breast

of

man,and

prompthis tongueto

speak,

or his

handto

act,

wereesteemed

Gods,andhadtem

ples

or

altars

erected

to

them

in

some

parts

of

Greeceor Italy:

as

thesehowever

were

plainly

allegorical,

they had nota particularancestry

and

descent

ascribed to

them

like the

otherGods,

but stood alone, and were regarded

as

self-cen

tered

and independent: it was

a beautiful fiction,

bywhich

all

the

great

and

admirable

qualitiesof

the

human

mind

were

represented

with

certain

at

tributesand

under

a certain form, were

elevated

to

the

rank

ofthingsliving and divine,

and

were

deemed

capable

of

actuating

thehearts of

their

votariesandhearingtheirprayers.

Virtus, or Arete, was the

generalnamefor

them

all: MarcusMarcellus*, a

celebrated Ro

man

consul,

built

a

temple

to

Virtue,

and

another

toHonour,and bya contrivance full of moral

andmeaning,

sodisposed the relative

situations

ofthetwo, thatthetempleofHonourcould not

beentered

butthroughthe

templeof

Virtue.

Theancient moralists

in

their reasonings on

Virtue, consideredMfkgood

qualities

of

a

free

agent

as

resting

UPoi1

» our

principal

points5,

Prudence, Justice, Temperance,andFortitude,

whichthey called thefourcardinalor principal

Virtues.

All

the

abstract

qualitiesof themindwere

re-

*

Liv, xxix. 11.

« Cicero

de

Off.



CARDINAL

VIRTUES. 15S

presented underfemale figures: theVirtueswere

necessarily

tall,

graceful,

comely

and

majestic

:

Prudence

was distinguished

by

a carpenter's

square in her handto denote precision, anda

globeather feet expressing thelargeness of her

observation : Temperancecarried abridle; Jus-

tice

a

balance

;

andFortitudestood

in

a firm at

titudeleaning

upon

a

sword,

thepointof which

restedupon

the

ground.

There

were

many

otherGoddesses

of thesame

class,

beside

thesefour : and

from their

rankand

circumstances in theGrecianmythology,and the

statues

of

themwhich

have

beenpreserved,

we

areatthis dayperfectly

familiar

with their

sym

bolsandattributes : who,

for

instance, has not

seen

Hopeleaning

on

her

anchor?

There

arevariousqualitiesof humanactions,

whichare

ordinarily regarded

as the

links

by

whichthemachineof human

society is

held to

gether,andits orderand

sound

constitution pre

served : these

were

particularlyveneratedamong

the

ancients:

such are

Fides, Faith:

Veritas,

Truth

;

Concordia,

Concord

Honestas,

Noble

orLiberal Conduct;Pudicilia, Chastity;and

Pietas, Filial

Duty.

A

emplewas dedicated to

Filial

DutyinRome

on

a

verymemorableoccasion, and the

storyf

is

strongly

illustrative

of

the

ideas

the

Romansen

tertained of the

moral

virtfl : aRomanmatron

ofdistinguished

birth

was

by

the

laws

condemned

to die: wearenot toldwhatwas hercrimel the

jailor

however

receivedawarrant

commanding

him

to put her death

in

prison

: meanwhile

he

bad conceiveda respect for his prisoner,andby

£

Plin. Hitt.

Nat.

vli. 36.

a

5.



154 THKROMANCHARITY.

a singularkind

of

compassion

could

not

prevail

upon

himself

to

put

her

to

death,

but

resolved

that

he

wouldleave her to perish

by

want of

food : thisunhappymatronhadadaughter, that

wasnewly married,andthat hadan infant to

whom

shewasaccustomed to

give suck : the

daughter

came

every

day

tothe

prison,

requesting

thatshemight

bepermitted

to

visit

hermother:

the

jailor

granted

her

desire,

only

on

condition

thatshe

would

allowherself to

be

searched,

that

she

mightconvey

nosustenance

to

her wretched

parent:

still

the jailor expected

when

the un

happy

matronwoulddie:

he wasresponsiblefor

her existence: she

was

dead in law :

bewas

dis

appointed

:

dayafter

day,

and

week

after

week

she

continued

to

live:

the

keeper

was

at

length

convincedthatthere was somemystery

in

this,

which hedetermined to

penetrate:

be

hid

him

self in aconvenientplacetoobserve the nextin

terview: when

to

hisastonishmenthediscovered

thehead

of

themotherreclineduponthearmof

thedaughter,

who

presented her

nipple to

her

parent

to

suck

:

she

had

invented

this

extraordi

naryway

of administering nourishment

to

her

mother,not beingable

to

beartosee herexpire

beforehereyes.

Thejailor, brought

upin the

Romannotions

of the

superlative

meritsofFilialDuty,didnot

hesitate

to disclose

fllfat he

hadseentothejudges;

who

on their

partwere struck with

so

profound

an admiration at the

fact,

thatthey

not

onlyac

quitted

the

daughter of

all

offenceofwhat

she

had

done, but gaveher

the

life

of

her

mother:

this mother,

who

hadlately been

under sentence

ofdeath forsomecapitalcrime,wasnowdecreed

byavote

of

thesenate tobe

maintained

for the



CONTUMELY,

CALUMNY,

IMPUDENCE.

155

rest ofher

life

at

the

public

charge,togetherwith

her

daughter:

the

prison

itself

in

which this

lovely scene hadpassed,was

by

thesamevote

orderedtobe

pulleddown,anda

templetoFilial

Duty

erected on its ruins.

Itmayat first appearsurprising that the an

cientsnot

only

erected

temples

and

altars

tothe

principalvirtueswhich

are

theornamentsofhu

man

nature:

they

also

paid

a

similarhomage

to the vices of

man:such

were

Contumely, Ca

lumny,andImpudence,

each

ofwhichwereho

noured withreligiousworshipbytheAthenians:

youmay

be

sure it wasnot that

they

reallyheld

thesequalities in respectand

esteem.

To

explain

the

riddle, it

should be recollected

that

fear

is

a

main

principle

of

religion

:

The

fear of the

Lord,"

says the

WiseManin

the

Bible,

is

the

beginning

of wisdom

:" pious

persons full as often praytoGodthathewould

not

afflict themwith certain

evils, as that

he

wouldconferonthemcertainbenefits : this sort of

prayer is technicallycalled deprecation."

The

Athenians

therefore

deprecated

the

power

and maliceof thesevices: they prayedthatthey

might escape the

ContumelyandCalumny

of

wicked

men,

and

that

Impudence

might never

become

an

inmate of theirownbreasts: thus

ex

plained, it

appears

thatit

was

anoblebashfulness

andpudency

of

soul

that

first led

mento erect

altars

to

Impudence.

Let

it

suffice forme

toname

afewother

deities

of thisabstractspecies ; for tomakeacomplete

catalogueofthemwouldbe

tedious: thefigure

ofFortune, asspokenofbyiEsopandothers, is

familiar to everyone:

she has a bandage

over

hereyes, to.denotethat she bestows herfavours



156 FORTUNE,

PLUTUSj

HYGEIA.

indiscriminatelyuponthedeservingandtheworth

less;

and

she

stands

upon

a

wheel,

an

emblem

expressingthe

inconstancy

of

hertemper,

andthe

vicissitudes

whichher

followers

mustlook

to

ex

perience.

Plutus*was theGodofWealth like

Fortune

hewas blind :

for

nothing can bemoreindiscri

minately distributedthan thegood thingsof

this

world:

he

was

painted

lame;

for

wealth

is

usu

ally veryslowof acquisition: at thesametime

that

he

hadwings;

for

Riches,"

as

the

wise

mansays,"

make

themselves

wings,and

fly

away.

Hygeia, or

Health, was

aGoddess

always re

presented

under the most engaging forms;

for

health is that

blessing, without whichall other

blessings

areworthless

and

insipid,

and

which

givesa zest

to

themall:

hersmiles were

irresisti

ble: the

colours

in her

cheek

were softer

than

thoseofthepeach,andthe brightnessofhereye

inspired gaietyinto every beholder: thetexture

of her

flesh

was

firm,

andher

light

and

cheerful

motions

weregrace

itself, for theyflowed

from

the

hilarity

ofher

heart.'

Hebe,

the

Goddess

of

Youth,

was the

daugh

ter ofJupiterandJuno:Jupiterwassodelighted

with

herextremebeauty,that

he

made

herhis

cup

bearer:

her cheekswere

fresh as

thenew-blown

roses,

andher flesh was

enchantinglydappled,

whiteandred: sheworeacrownofflowersofthe

mostexquisiterichness

andluxuriance:

onceon

a

time

however,

Hebe

happening

to

fall in

an

aukwardmannerso as to excitea smile at the

celestial

banquet, the

king

of

the

Gods,

like

an

earthlymonarch, offended with what heought

l Lucian. inTimon.

' *



HYMEN.

15T

to

have

deemedaccident, dismissedher

from her

employment,

and

tookGanymed

in

her

stead,

as

will

beseen

hereafter*.

ItwastheprerogativeofHebeto

restoreGods

andmento perpetualyouthat herpleasure: Ju

piter, when

he

took Hercules, his favourite son

byanearthly mother,

up

into Heaven, gavehim

as a

mark

ofhis peculiar

grace

the

GoddessHebe

to

wife

'.

Hymen,

theGodofMarriage, was

the

son of

Bacchubk, and Venus

:

according

to other

ac

counts,

Hymen

wasoriginally the nameof a

young

Athenian

of extraordinarybeauty,

but

ig

noble origin,who

fell in love with one of the

mostillustrious maidens of that

city

: in pursuit

of

the

object

of

his

passion,

he

disguised

himself

in

femaleattire and

joinedaprocession

of

Athe

nian

virginstoEleusis

: apirate-ship touched at

Eleusis,andcarried offmanyofthevirgins,and

among,

themHymen

and his mistress: Hymen

laid

a plan in concert withhis fellow-captives,

to destroy

the

pirates, and deliver the

prisoners

:

he

brought

the

vessel in

triumph

into

the

port

of

Athens:

his citizens

called

uponhimto name

thereward theyshould givehimfor having per

formed so

signala public

service: heasked

their

consenttomarryoneof the

maidens

hehad deli

vered

: thusheobtainedhis mistress'shand and

theirwedlock

wassofortunate,

thatitgrewafterward

into

a

custom

to

invoke

his

name

on

all

occasions

of marriage, and to pray thatthe

couple

now

united

mightbeas

happy

asHymen

andhis bride'.

h

Serv.

in

Virg.

JEn..

i . 28.

i Horn.

Od.

601.

k

Sen.

Med.

110.

1

Serv.

in Virg.JEn. i . 651.Schol.Horn.

I I . < r .

493, represent*

Hymen at an Argive.



158

fame:

liberty.

Theattributes ofHymenwere a garland of

roses

and

marjoram,

a

saffron-coloured

robe,

and

atorchm.

Fame is a

Goddess

beautifully describe by

Virgil": she

is

one of theTitans:

she

is in per

petual motion, andthough of small stature at

first,

grows and

enlargesbygoing,

till

her. head

touches the skies: herbody

is

clothed

with

fea

thers,

and

under

every

feather

she

has

aneye

to

observe,

an

ear

to bear,

andatongueto

repeat

all things:

she

never sleeps: bydayyoumay

often see her percheduponsomehightower,that

she

may

enjoy

themore

extensiveprospect

; and

bynightyoumaybestartled with

the

whizzing

of

herwings,

as

shegoes from town totown

and

fromcountry

tocountry,

spreadingrumours,

some

true,andmany

false.

Liberty,

themountain

nymph,

sweet

Li

berty," as Miltoncalls her, youmaythinkwhe

ther she

was

worshipped by

the ancient

Greeks

andRomans,

who

owed

everything

to her,,

their

courage,

theirvirtues,

their

arts, and

their

glory,

andwhoprized her morethan life : the.figure

under

which

she

was

represented

expressed

every

<hing

frank, ingenuous, and superior to fear:

there wasnothingabout herwild, turbulentand

restless : sheseemed

toknow

herownpowers,and

torepose

in themasoberandenlightened confi

dence: heremblemswere, thewandwith which

the

magistrate

touched

a

slave,

and

thepileus,

or

cap,

so

often

spoken

of

by

the

name

of

the

cap of

liberty,"

which

he

put on his head,

whenhewas admitted

to

hisfreedom.

■ Sen.

Med.67.

Catull, Ix.

7.

» .ffin.iv. 17S.



159

«

CHAP.

XVII.

OF

DEMIGODS.

Recapitulation. Originof

the

Demigods. Inachus.

Io

changed

into a Heifer

and

watched

by

Argus

with a Hundred Eyes. Phaeton falls from

the

Chariot

of

theSun,andis drowned. Ogyges's

Flood.

— Cecrops, Half-Manand

Half-Serpent.

Erichtho-

uius, withDragon's Feet.

Cruel

Treatment

ofPhi

lomela

byTereus. Jealousies

ofCephalus

and

Pro-

cris.

The

Flood ofDeucalion.

Having

finished the

history

of

theGods

of

the

Greeks', strictly socalled, I willnowgiveyou

an

account

of

an

inferior order of personages,

butwhatmakeaconspicuous figurein theancient

mythology, and are

sometimes

called

Demigods,

and

sometimes

Heroes:

these

personages

are

un

derstood

to

have

hadfor their

parents

on

one

side

a

God,*and

on

the

otherside

a

mortal.

TheundisputedGodsof

the

highestorder, or

the remotestantiquity, that weread

of

in

the

Grecian mythology,maybe divided

info

two

classes, theallegoricalandthepersonal.

Itis notto

besupposed

that

the

moreancient

Gods,

as

they

are

called,

such

as

Chaos,

Tellus,

Ccelus,

Tartarus,

Erebus, Darkness

andNight,

ever

were

menandwomen they

seem to

be

merelynames

for

the

conceptions

of the mind,

and

anexplanation, partly poetical, andpartly

philosophical,

of the origin of things:

it is

to

berememberedthat theancients

were

all of ppi



160 DEMIGODSEXPLAINED.

nion, unliketothatwhichwearetaught in the

Holy

Scriptures,

that

the

matter

of

which

the

world

is

framed waseternal.

Aftertheallegorical beingsoftheGrecianmy

thology,

wecome

to

thosethat I

was

calling per

sonal : theaccountshandeddowntousof thefa

mily

of

Salurn, and the family of Atlas, have

strongly

theair, however disfigured byfables, of

having

a

foundation

in

real

history:

Jupiter,.

and

Mercury, and

Prometheus, andthe rest,

in

all

probability'

oncewere

men.

These

personageshowever

were

the foundation

.

of

the Grecian

mythology and, though the

Greeksmade

Jupitera

native

of Crete,and so of

therest,

this

seems to

have

been thefruit of a

national

vanity:

there

is

every

reason

to

believe

that theyreceived t heirnotionsofthehistoryand

attributesof theseGods, together

with

their

ci

vilisation, bytradition

from

somemore

ancient

people: thefamily

of

Saturn and the familyof

Atlas

once

were

men, but

it

is

not possible for

us

to

discover inwhatageorwhatquarter ofthe

world

they

lived.

Of

the

Demigodsthe accounts wehave re

ceived

issomewhatless

obscure:

the

notion ofthis

rank of personages originated in theflattery ad

dressed

bytheGreeks to the

powerfuland

pros

perous, orthegratitudethey felt for certainemi

nent

benefactors

of

mankind

having already

fixed

their

ideas

of

the

familyof

Heaven,

per

sonswho

were

the

proper

objects

of

worshippub

lic and

private, theypretended

that

thehuman

creaturewhomtheychieflyloved orfeared, had

a God, one of theheavenly habitants, for his

father

or

his

mother.

In

ancient times, whensciencewas least

per-





162 INACHUSAND10.

racter

were

corrupted

:

the

reason

that

Jupiter

is

representedasfalling

in

love

with

amultitudeof

women,is

not

from

anylicentiousnessin

hisown

disposition,

butbecauseeveryherowasambitious

to

be aDemigod

the teachers of this religion

did notperceive till

too late, thatbythis

means

they wereascribing

tothe first

of

their

Gods

an

indecent

and

libertine

disposition

:

thoughthis

circumstance

however

has been

much

misunder

stood, it is astrong

argumentof

theimperfection

andweaknessof

the

religion of the

Greeks,

that

itwassusceptibleofsounseemly acorruption.

Theoldestpersonagein theannals

ofGreecebtv

longingto

the

historyoftheDemigods

s

Inachus',

who

founded

the

city

of Argos in

Peloponnesus

according

to

the

most

received

chronology

in

the

year beforeChrist1856: heis said tohave

been

thespn

ofOceanusandTethys,andconsequently

the brother of the rivers, of Doris the wife of

Nereus,andof

theothernymphs

theOccanides :

Inachns

was in fact thenameof the riverwhich

flowedbythe

city

of

Argos,

and this

is

probably

the

origin

of

the

fabulous

parentage

assigned

to

thefounderofthe

city.

Thebeautyof Io , the

daughter

of Inachus,

was

so great

as

to inspire thebosomof

Jupiter

with love: Junodid

not

like that the

king

of

Godsandmenshouldthinkany femalehandsome

but herself: findingthat

he wasabsent

from

his

usual

abode

of

Olympus,

she

suspected

that

beauty

was

the

cause

of his wandering

: she

looked down

through

thetransparent sky of a

summer's

day,andsaw

athickcloud over-hang

inga meadownear

Argos: Jupiter

was

undcr-

t Apollo4.

i i .

1. % Ov.

Met. i .

583

et

seqq.



MERCURYANDARGUS. 163

neath

the

cloud,

paying compliments

to

the

brighteyes

ofIo:Junohastened

tothe

spot,

and

Jupiter hadjust timetochangehismistressinto

abeautiful heifer: Whoseheifer is that?" said

thequeenofHeaven

I

knownot," answered

Jupiter:

Giveit tome,

replied

Juno:Jupi

ter could not refuse her a gift

apparently

of so

little value.

Juno

knew

well

enough

the

nature

of

the

pre

sent

shehad

obtained, and

determined

toprevent

any

futureprivate conversations between

Io

and

her husband : she accordingly committed the

care

of

her beautiful heifer

to

Argus,

a veryex

traordinarysortof

person,who

had

no

less than

ahundred

eyes

;

and

as he

neverslept

with

more

than

twoat

a

time,

Juno

thought

she

could

not

consign her prisoner to a more trust-worthy

keeper : Arguschained her

upevery

night,and

fed her

in

sightalong

thebanks

of

the

Inachusby

day,

where her father, admiring the beauty of

theheifer, wouldoften pat her fair sides, and

feed her

with flowers

out

of his hand, without

suspecting

that

it

was

his

daughter

:

at

length

Jupiter, pityinghermisfortune,

sent

Mercuryto

her relief: Mercurydisguisedhimselflikeashep

herd,andfirst playedArgusa tune, then laid

him

asleep

with his

wand,

and at

last cut

off

his

bead:JunotookthehundredeyesofArgus,and

stuckthemn thetail

of

her

favourite

bird,which

is

now

calledthe

peacock.

Yetnot for this didJunoremither vengeance

against

Io :

she

drove

the

heifer

mad,

and in

her

madnessIo fledintoEgypt Jupiterat last inter

ceded

withJuuo, and

promised

neverto

speakto

Ioagain: she

wasthen permitted to

resume

her



164

PHAETON.

formershape: Epaphuswasthe son of Jupiter

and Io: in EgyptloandEpaphusassumed the

namesofIsisand

Orus.

Therewasafamousdispute',orcontention for

superiorly,between

Epaphus,the

son

of

Jupiter,

andPhaeton, theson of

.A

polio;andthecata

strophe thatensuedon this dispute is of avery

extraordinarynature.

The

parentage

of

Phaeton

is

somewhat

obscure

:

Ovid'

says thathis

motherwas

Clymene,

one

of

the Oceanides :

if Phaeton

was

a

Godboth

by

fatherand mother, it does notseem quiteregular

that

he

should

be

subject

todeath,

aswe

shall

find that

he

was: hisreputed fatherwas

Merops,

kin<r oftheislandofCos.

Phaeton

and

Epaphus

engaged

together

in

the

same

sports : PhaetondidsomethingEpaphusdid

notlike: Thatisnot fair play,"saidEpaphus,

and

I

will

have

nothing

more

to

dowithyou:"

** I insist upont,

it

is," replied

Phaeton

; and

I

will

not giveit up: Iwouldhaveyoutoknow

Iamtheson of Apollo,and

as

goodas

you

at

any

time:"

You

the

son

of

Apollo "

cried

Epaphus yourmothermayhavetoldyouso :

butto

my

knowledgeit is

all

a

lie."

Phaeton wentaway

in

great

dudgeontobear

his mothercalled a liar: Tellme, said

Phae

ton to

her,

the truth, andgivemeproof of

myhighbirth:"

By

his light,"answeredCly

mene,

you

are

the

son

of

Apollo

;

and,

if

I

say

an

untruth, I wish

1maydie,

and never see his

beamsagain:

bul, if

you

do

not

believe

mc, go

and

ask

your father; 1 will point

out

to youthe

road."

•

Ov.

Met,

i .

747 et seqq.

5 Id. i . 756.



PHAETON.

1G5

Phaeton

set

out,

and

soon

arrived

at

the

palace

of the

sun: Apollo

sawhim

coming,

advanced

toward, andembraced him Mydear son,"

said

theGod, childof

promise,sonthat I

shall

never need to be ashamedof "

Alas,"

said

Phaeton, fixinghis eyes

uponihe

ground,

I

am

insultedbymyplay-mates, and

told that

mye

lation

to

you

is

all

an

invention

of

my

mother:

now,oh,

father, light of

the

world

if

you

are

indeed myfather, give

me

demonstration of it,

andgrantmyrequest " Apollo called Styx

to

witness

that

hewould.

All

I

ask,"

said

Phaeton,

is that

for asingle

day,I

may

drivethechariot

of

thesun,and thus

makethe

circuit

of

the

world

:"

Alas,"

replied

Apollo, extremely disturbed, youknownot

wha

youask :

are

your

striplingpowers

equal

to

gliding

the

chariot

upthesteepascent at break

ofday,

and

downprone into

the ocean again in

the

evening?" thefurtherto dissuade

him,

Apollo

describedtheungovernablenessofhis horses,whose

breath

was

fire;

and

the

monsters, the

bull,

the

crab, thelion, and

the

scorpion (signsof thezo

diac)that

would

besethisway

all

was vain.

Phaeton leaped lightly into the chariot,and

seized the

reins: the

chariot carried no weight;

it nolongercontained thegreatauthorof

the

day:

it

jolted

from side

to

side: Phaeton could

scarcely

keep

his

seat.

At

length the

chariotclimbed thehighest

hea

vens:

it

was

noon: Phaeton

saw

the

scorpion

with

claws

extended,

and

blackvenom

pouring

from

hismouth hewas frightened : helooked to

the east

and

the west:

he

was equally remote

-from

theplacehehad set

out

from,and

the

goal

to whichhe was travelling : he looked

to

the



166

fallofphaeton:

cecrops.

earth

:

it

was

at

a

frightful

distance

beneath

his

feet: the

reins

dropt

from

his hand.

The

horses

felt

theyhad

no master,

and

they

ran away they approached theearthJ they set

fire

to the

mountains, with

the

forestsupon

them;

theydried

up

the

rivers:

they

almostdried

up

the

sea:

Earth, the eldest of theGods, complained

to

Jupiter

of

the

universal

destructionthat

was

at

hand:

Jupiter seized a thunderbolt, and

struck

Phaeton

from

thechariot: hefell tothe

ground,

and

was

drownedin theriverPo'.

Phaetonhadthreesisters, Lampetie,Phacthnsa,

and

Lampethusa

thesegrieved

so

incessantly for

his tragical fate, that Jupiter at lengthin pity

turned

them

into

poplars

by

the

river-side, and

their tears

into

amber,

a beautiful,

transparent

andfragrantgum,exuding from the trees,

-and

Ogygeswas

aDemigodwho

s

supposed

to

have

lived 1764

years

before

Christ :

hewas

(Tie son

of

Tellus, or

according to others of

Neptifne,'

and

reigned

in

Bceotia

:

in

his

time

happened

a

de

luge,whichsooverflowed

the

neighbouringcoun

try

of

Attica, that it remained

under water

two

hundredyears".

After a lapse of twohundredyears Cecrops

camefrom Egypt,

and

settled

in

Attica : hewas

the founder oftheimmortalcityof Athens:

we

haveno particular

account

whowerehisparents,

but

in his

form

he

is

said

to

have

been

halfa

man

andhalfaserpent*.

Cecrops hadonly

three

daughters,

Aglauros,

Pandrososand

Herse,

andwassucceeded in

the

throneofAthens, after two shortandtroublesome

dropping

into

thestream".

t

* Ov.

Met.

i i . I et seqq. T Id. i i . 340 et

se<jq.

w

Paus.

ix. 5. * Apollodoru5,iii. 14.





168CRUELTREATMENTOFPHILOMELA.

either

send

me

on

a

visit

to

Philomela,

or fetch

Philomela that she

may

spend a few months

with

me.

Tereus,whowished nothing moreearnestly

than lo give pleasureto his

wife,

set out for the

courtofPandion, to solicit him

to

spare

his

re

maining daughter for ashort

time

on a

visit

to

her

married

sister:

this

was

an

unfortunate

ex

pedition

: Tereus

no

soonersaw

Philomela, than

struckwith herbeauty, hepreferred hera

thou

sand

timesto his wile:

he

madea resolution that

he

wouldputawayProgne,and marryher

sister.

AsPhilomela

travelled

with

TereusfromAthens

toThrace, thinking

noharm,

herbrother-in-law,

when(hey

came

under

the

shadowof a

thick

wood,

judged

that

a

fit

opportunity

to

open

all

hiswicked thoughts to his fair fellow-traveller:

Philomela was rilled

with

astonishmentandanger

at every

wordhe uttered : she

told

hijn ne*was

herabhorrence and aversion: shemadg,a solemn

Oath

that shewould discover the

wljple

tohej

sister and her father: Tereushumbledhimself to

her,

but

in

vain:

if

he

promised

to desist

from

his project, Philomela thoughthe only designed

to

take a moresecret and dangerous

way

to ac

complish

it: Tereus in despair

cut out

the

poor

maiden'stongue,andshutherupin atower,that

shemight not betrayhim hecamehome

tohis

wife, and

told

her a dismal

story

howher sister

had

died

on

the

road.

Despair is often fertile in resources : Philomela

endeavoured

to

amuseher

sad

and

solitaryhours

withcurious

works

in embroidery :

at

lengthshe

made

an

embroidery of herown

story

(this she

could do, though

she could not

speak),

and

bribed

oneofher

jailors

to

deliver

it to thequeen



CEPHALUSANDPROCRIS. 169

of

Thrace:

Progne

became

acquainted

with

the

horrible tale, howTereus hadat

once

abused

her poor sister,

and

deceivedherwithabominable

lies: she loved Philomela

so

much,

shethought

she could not live withoutseeingher:youmay

think then

what

a shock this

storygaveher: she

killed

her only son with herownhand, becausi;

he

was

the

son

of

Tereus:

she

did

a

thousand

mad

things: at

length

Progne

was changed

by

theGods

into

aswallow, Philomela intoa night

ingale, and

Tereusinto alapwing

: in this

form

each

of

themstill sings

of their

pastwoes,

and

repeats

a

patheticormelancholy

noteb.

Ereclheus

was theson and successorof

Pan-

dion

in

the

throne

of

Athens:

he

had

a

daughter

named

Procris,

married

to Cephalus king

of

Thojbajy : they

loved

each other much, and

raignt

have been veryhappy,hadthey notbeen

subject

to

themutualvice

of

jealousy

: Cephalus,

that

hemighttryhis wife's fidelity, came

to

her

in disguis*, and obtained from theGods<hat

he

might

pass

upon

her

for

a

stranger:

as

a

foreign

merchant hetried

upon

hiswife

every

allurement

and art

he

couldinvent, to persuadeherto leave

her

husband, andgoandlive withhim:

all was

fruitless ; till at last he

proffered

to her

accept

ancea casketof jewelsofthemost dazzlingbril

liancy

:

thecourageof Procris wasshaken, and

she

began

to yield:

Cephalus

then

threw

off

his

disguise, and

told

her

who

hewas.

Procris, ashamed,wouldno longer live witha

husband,

who

had discovered herweakness:

she

went to thewoods, andprofessed herself a fol

lowerof

Diana

:

Diana

took pityuponher,asher

b Ov.Met. vi. 424 et seqq.



170 CEPHALUSANDFOCRIS.

offencehad

proceeded no

further

than thoughts,

andcontrived

a

schemefor

Procris

to

make

her

self even with her husband: the Goddess pre

sentedherwithadogthat wasalwayssureof his

prey,andan

arrow

thatwasneverknown

tomiss

its aim:

with

theseshe sent

her in

the

disguise

ofa stranger

to

Cephalus : Cephalus was very

fond

of

hunting:

hewas

exceedingly sorry for

the

loss

of

his

wife,

but

he did

not

believe

she

wouldever comeback

again:

hewas

tempted

with these extraordinary gifts, andat length

consented to

divorce

Procris,

and

live

with

the

stranger.

Cephalus

andProcris, having

seen

and

for

given

theirmutualfrailty,

now

dwelt for some

time

in

harmony

together

:

by

and

by

somebody

brought ProcriswordthatCephalus had_g,#nis-

tress: theywere

sure

of

it,

they said,

forfhey

could

tell

hername,whichwasAura,Andwiiere

theirdailymeetings

were

held : thctrutjiwasthat

Cephalus,

fatigued

with

hunting,

wenvery

day

to

a

particular shadywalk, and called

Aura

(which

is

Greek

for

therefreshing

breeze)

to

come

andcoolhim.

Procris went

where

she

was

directed, and

waited, eager

and

motionless, for her

'husband's

coming:sure

enoughshe saw

himat

the

ap

pointed time, thoughshe

could

notHeehismis

tress :

he

approached the spot : Procris wasall

expectation:

at

length

he

cried

in

a

soft

and

lan

guishing

voice,

Come,

gentle Aura,

howI

pine to

meet

youI" Procris

could

bear this

no

longer:

she made a rustling behind the bushes

thatconcealed her:

Cephalus

thought it was

a

stag

: hecaught up

his arrowthatnever

missed

its aim,andstruck his wife

to the

heart: thus



DEUCALION

AND

PYRRHA.

171

Procris

paid

avery

severe

penalty

for

her

cu

riosity c.

Deucalion

was

aprincewhoreigned

in

Thes-

saly,

about

fifty years later

than the

reign

of

Cecrops in Athens : bothhe and

his

wife

Pyrrha

owed their birth immediately to theGods,he

beingtheson ofPrometheus,andshethedaugh

ter

of

Epimetheus,

first

cousins

to

Jupiter:

the

mother

of Pyrrhawas

Pandora

in

the

time of

Deucalion,

Jupiter,

exasperated

with

thecrimes

and

enormities

ofmankind,

sent

a flood which

destroyedthe

whole

world: DeucalionandPyrrha,

theonly piousandinnocent persons then living,

embarkecVin.a

small

vessel, andalone survived

the

destructionofthehuman

race:

whenthe

flood

Mibsiti « 1, they landed uponmount

Parnassus;

andRtaJckwith their forlorn anddesolate

si-

ttuSion,

they

resorted

to

the oracle ofThemis

whfl|h happenedto be near, humblyenquiring

howty.e destruction thathadtakenplace might

be repairtd, and.the

ungodlygeneration

which

hadpierished replacedbyone more virtuous: the

oracle

commanded

themto

cast

the

bonesof

their

GreatMother overtheirshoulders: theywere

at first puzzled with

this

direction, and

shud.

dered at the thought of violating the remains

of their

earthly

or

imputed

parents:

at length

theydiscovered that bytheirmother theoracle

designedthe earth, and that thebones of their

mother

were

the

pebbles

scattered

upon

the

sur

face:

they

obeyed

thewill

of

theGoddess;

and

the

stonescast

byDeucalionwere

turned

into

men

and

thosethrown

by

Pyrrhainto

women4.

c Ov. Met. vii. 690 et eeqq. i Id. i . 240 et seqq.

i 2



CHAP.

XVIII.

OFBACCHUS,

GOD

OFWINE.

Jupiter

assumes

the

Form

of

a Bull,

and

carries

off

Eu-

ropa.

Cadmus, the

Founder of Thebes.

Semele

consumedby Fire from Heaven. Educationof Bac

chus. Solemnity of his Worship. His Figure.

His

Adventure with

Pirates. Perplexity of theHis

tory

of

Bacchus. Heis thesame

with

Osiris. His

Pacific Conquests in Ethiopia., India,

aBdf'1-

tries.

He

is

attended

by

Satyrs.

Suenl

God,

hisPreceptor. StoryofMidas,whoi i

thinghe

touched

into Gold.rMiJ-

oftri

into those ofanAss. Story oftripfc

ment

ofLycurgus,Kingof

Thrace,-

foi

to

Bacchus.

Punishment

of Peutheus.-

and Palaemon. Actaeon turned,into a I

#

.

*

Cadmus

is

one

of

the

most

c:n int

perso

nages in the early Grecian history:'he passed

over

fromPhceniciaintothatpart

ofGreece

called

Bceotia, ten years after Deucalion's .flood : we

are

not

to

expectconsistency

in the

fat

tory

of

the ancients: accordingly

it

space of time

from

the

universal

d

mankind,

we

rend of

Cadmus'transj

self from

one

civilised country, to

tench

the

arts

oflife to thesavageinhabitants of another: Cad

musis said

to

have first

imported

letters into

Greece,

which

afterwards surpassed all

countries

ofmankindin theuseofletters.

e Herod, i i . 49, et iv. 147.



JUPITER

AND

EUROPA.

173

We

may

well

expect

that

the

Greeks,

who

excelled somuch

in fableand

the brilliancy

of

imagination, would

adorn with a varietyof

fic

tions the history of somemorablea person

as

Cadmus:

and

in this

expectation

weare

not

dis

appointed.

The

following is said

to be

the occasion

of

Cadnius's

passing

over

from

Phoenicia:

Agenor

king of Sidon, his father, had

also

a daughter,

called

Europa:

Jupiter

fell

in love

with this

princess, and

determined 1o

run awaywith her:

to effect this purpose he

turned

himself intoa

mostbeautifulmilk-whitebull, withhornsofthe

finest pearl,

andin this

disguise

mixed

with

the

herds

of king

Agenor:

Europa

exceedingly

ad

miredthenoble animal,whocarried himself to

wardhe

r withtheutmosttamcness, ate theflow

ers pii'lof

h

hand,

andkissed

the

lingers ofthe

givei I'tiropa., charmed

with

his

gentleness,

patted, his-sidesVand atlength ventured to leap

upon aiM)'ack : Jupiterwatched his opportunity:

be

stood

upon

thesea-shore;

and

he

no

sooner

felt

himselfpressed withthedesired

burthen,

than

heplunged intothewaves, andswam

away

with

the affrightedmaiden

tothe

island of

Crete'.

Agenor, afflicted

beyond

measureby

the

loss

of

his

daughter, ordered his

son Cadmus

to set

out in searchofher,andadded tohiscommands

this severe injunction, that his son should never

venture

to

return

till

he

had

found

her:

Cadmus

sought his sister

through

theworld in vain;

who

can expect to find whatJupiter desires to con-

ceal?

at

length, in

Phocis,

near the

oracle

of

Delphi,he

ceased from his

wanderings ; and,not

f Or. Met. i i . 847 et leqq.

i

3



174 CADMUS,FOUNDEROFTHEBES.

daring

to

go

back

tohis

father,

asked

the

direc

tion of Apollo, where he

should

fix his abode:

the oracle told himthat, at going out

of

the

temple, hewouldsee ayoungheifer, and thathe

wasto

follow

this

animal till it lay downof

its

own

accord ; there hewas

to fix

withhis

follow

ers, and

to

call the country Bceoti;i, from

Bos,

the

Greek

name

for

an ox.

Cadmusaccepted

the

omen,andon hisarrival

kissed the earthwhichhewashenceforth to

in

habit: thenextthinghe

thought

of

was to

make

a

sacrifice

toJupiter: hesenthis

followers

toseek

water

for

his sacrifice

: he

waited their return

from morning

till

evening, butnot oneof

them

came

back: he

then hastened himself

to

search

the

cause:

theyhadfoundaspring,but it was

de

fended by

an

enormous dragon vtilh atriplerow

ofteethineither

jaw,

which,

the

moment

anurn

was letdownintothefountain, sprang forth>aiid

destroyed them :

Cadmus killed the1 serpent

:

Minerva

appeared to him,

and directed

him

to

repair

the

loss

of

his

companions

by

sowing

the

earth

with

the

teeth

ofthe

dragon

: from

this

ex

traordinaryseed immediately sprang

upa crop

ofarmedmen, who,retainingthevenomouscha

racter

of thesource

of

their existence, fell toin*

stant

blows,

and were all, except five, killed

on

the spot: thesefive,

warned

bythe

fate of

their

fellows,

struck

up

a

leagueof

amity,

and

became

the

coadjutors

of

Cadmus

in buildingthecity of

Thebes*.

Thewife

of

Cadmus

was Hermione,

or

Harmo-

nia, whowas

according to

some

thedaughter of

MarsandVenus: and according to others sister

S

Ov.

Met.

i i i .

1

ct

seqq.



JUPITER

ANDSEMELE. 175

to

Dardanus,

the

founder

of

Troy:

by

her

he

had

one son

Polydorus,

andfour daughters, Ino,

Agave,

Autonoe

and Semele: Polydorus wasthe

second

king

of

Thebesh.

Semele,

theyoungestof thedaughtersof

Cad

mus, wasthe motherof Bacchus: Jupiter,

they

said,becameenamouredof themaiden: this was

the

usual

fiction

by

which

the

Greeks

sought

to

do honour

totheirfavouriteheroes: byan

obvi

ous

consequence

they

represented

Juno

as

irritated

at the infidelities

of

her husband, full of

rage

against the

favourite

sultana

of the

day,

and

nourishinga furiousanimosity

against

the strip

lingDemigod.

Jupiter

assumed

the

figure

of a

man,and

in

thatdisguisepaid his visits to Semele: thebetter

to secure

her

affections, he

however

confessed to

her

in

privatewhohe was: uponthis circum

stanceJunobuiltherprojectof revenge: sheap

peared

before

theyoung

lady in the

form

ofBeroe,

nernurse,and

pretended

to beherfriend.

How

are

you

sure,"

said

this

treacherous

foe,

thatthepersonwhovisitsyous actually

Jupi

ter? anyaudaciousadventurermightsay that he

wasaGod andtricks anddelusions areabroad

every where

: were1

in your place, Iwouldre

quirehim

to giveme

proof

of his

pretensions:

nay, ifhebeJupiter,

the

thing Iamgoingto re

commend

will

afford

the

most

certain

pledge

that

he

really

loves you: say tohimthe nexttime

he

comes, thatyouaretiredof beingalways visited

thus

in

masquerade,

andbeg

thatat least

for once

he

would

enter

yourchamber

in thesamemajesty

and state, withwhichhepresentshimselftoJuno

his

wife."

k

Paus.

ix.

5.

i

4



176

WORSHIPOFBACCHUS.

Semele

adopted

the

suggestion

of

her

specious

adviser : she

said

toJupiter,

Grantme

a

boon :

tell methatyouwill, before I informyouwhat

it

is

:" theenamouredGodfelt that every

thing

thatSemele saidwasa law tohim

he

sworeby

Styx that

he would comply

with her demand:

shethen

disclosed

her petition: Jupiter

at hear

ing

it

was

struck

with

despair:

he

would have

stopped her mouth but it was too late: hecould

not retracthisoath.

Jupiter

went

away, and presently

returned

in

his

proper

form: the wholeapartmentwasillu

minedwith theGod

lightnings

played

around

him,

andthe roofs

roared

with thunder: the

countenance

of

Jupiter

was

too

bright

and

terri

blefor anymortalto look upon: Semelewas re

duced to

ashes in

a

moment. ,

Though

Semeledied,

Bacchus

was

preserved:

theinfantwas found unhurt amidst the ashesof

his mother,: he was first taken careofbyIno,

his mother's sister, and afterward committed to

thetuition

of

certain

nymphs,

called

the

nymphs

ofNysa: the

place

of hiseducation

was

Naxos,

oneoftheislands

of

the

iEgean

sea'.

Bacchus, in the

Grecian

mythology, was

the

Godof wine: and, though in strictness hewas

onlyaDemigod,oneof his parentsbeingamor

tal, yet the importance of the provincewhich

wasconsigned to

him, breadandwine being

re

garded

as

the

two

great

sustainers

of

human

life,

gavehima

high rank

in the religious

system

of

the ancients:

persons

employed in husbandry,

andwhodepend for their alluponthemercyof

the

seasons, areusually found to be

among

the

' Ov. M t.

m.

259 et

teqq.

-



BACCHUSANDTHEPIRATES. 177

most pious of

mankind:

every nation has its

prayers

for

a

plentiful

harvest,

and

its

thanksgiv

ings whenthefruits of the earth have beenga

thered in

well: it

was thereforeimpossible

that

theGreeks,

amidstthe

cares

ofthevintage,should

notoften calluponBacchus, or

should

not

cele

bratehis praise

in

pompousfestivals

when

those

cares

were

concluded:

theDionysia,

or festivals

of

Bacchus,

as

they

were

solemnised

at

Athens,

have already beendescribedin an earlychapter

ofthisbook.

Bacchus

was

ordinarilyrepresented under

the

naked

figureof a beautifulyoungman,but

con

siderablyplumpin hisfaceand

limbs, as

might

seem best

to befit

thegenerous

livingof

the

pa

tron

of

the

vine,

and

his

countenance

expressed

the

merryandjovial castof thoughtwhich

wine

inspires:'

he was

crowned

with

ivy

andvine-

leaves,

and borein hishandthe thyrsus, adart

twinedroundwiththe

leavesof

the

ivy

and

the

vinek.

Thereis a pleasing

story

related of the early

youth

of

Bacchus:

he

had

alreadyspent

several

years

in the

island

ofNaxos,when

certainTyr

rhenian pirateshappening

to

touchthere, found

himasleep on the

sea-shore,

andbeing struck

with

hisextremebeauty,

determined to

carryhim

off,

and

sell

him

for

a

slave:

theyhad

already

proceeded aconsiderablewayin theirship,when

Bacchus

awoke.

Bacchus, who

was

nowa

bloomingand lovely

boy,

was

conscious,

it

seems, ofhis divine

ori

gin andpower, andresolved to makehimself

k Ipse, racemiferisfrontem circumdatus uv's,

Fampineis

agitat velatam

frondibus

hastarn.

Ov.Metiii. 666..

i5



178 BACCHUSANDTHE

PIRATES.

sportof these audaciousrobbers

:

he askedthem

in

great

apparent

terror,

how

he

came

there,

and

what

theypurposed todo

with bim oneofthe

mostartful ofthe crew replied, Beunder no

terror, sir: you

shall

suffer no

harmfrom

us:

tell uswhereyou

wish

to be,andthitherwewill

conduct

you.

Naxos, replied the God,

**

Naxosis

myhome,andthereI

wish

to be:"

Naxos

lay

to

the

right

hand

of

the

ship:

the

pi

rates

pushedwithall

theirmight

for the

left, and

at lengthmadefor

shore.

„

Theseemingboythenburst into tears: This

is notmy

country,"

said

he:

thesewoodsand

hills and towers are notthewoodsand hills and

towers ofNaxos thebrutal sailors laughed at

his

distress,

and

only

rowed

the

more

eagerly

for

the bay: whatwastheir surprisewhenthey

found

their vessel

asimmoveable

as

if it

hadbeen

on dry land they

plied

their oars incessantly:

suddenly vines

which

seemed to spring out of

the

sides

ofthe

ship,

twined theirbranchesround

theoars, and they becameimmoveabletoo: the

Tines

climbed

themasts,

and

hung

their

luxuri

ant clusters over the sails

:

Bacchus

waved

a

spearheheld in his hand,and

tigers, lynxes

and

panthersappeared toswimround the

ship,

and

play

with

the waves

: the

pirates, seized with

astonishment and

frenzy at what

they beheld,

leapedoverboardintothesea, and bythepower

of

the

God

were

changed

into

dolphins

:

this

done, Bacchuscaused the vessel

once

more to

float uponthe

water,and

presently

arrived,

ac

companiedwithbistrain of tigers, panthers and

dolphins, at

the

place

of

hisresidencei.

i

Ov.

Met.

i i i . 597 et seqq.



CONQUESTSOF

BACCHUS.

179

Thereisnoinstanceinthe history

of

thehea

then

Gods,

where

the

Greeks

have

more

conspi

cuously done

what

I have formerly mentioned,

transplanted

the

Gods

ofsome

foreign nation to

theirownsoil,and

mixed

uphisadventureswith

fictions oftheirown,than this ofBacchus.

Of

the

real

historyoftheGrecian

Bacchus,the

son

of

Semele,we

knownothing :

it

mayeven

be

doubted

whether

there

ever

was

such

a

person

:

though it is perhaps more probablethathehad

an existence,anddid patroniseand

encourage

the

cultivation

ofthevine:

but theGreeks

found

thehistory

ofan

Asiatic

conqueror,

who

extended

his triumphant progress overEgypt,

Ethiopia,

Arabiaandmanyothercountries, whoplanteda

colony

on

the

banks

of

the

Indus,

and

who

intro

duced

civilisation

and

husbandry wherever he

came

andthis

history

they

blended

after

their

mannerwiththeobscuretaleofthe

son

ofSemele.

This conqueror is the most ancient

inthe

re

cords of

mankind,

andhis real transactionsare

sodisguised with

marvellous

narration, thatwe

do

not

even

know

whatcountryman

he

was,

and

whenceheset out : theEgyptians

have

donethe

samething as theGreeks, claimed himfor their

own,

andperhapswithas little

reason:

there

is

anintimateconnection

betweenthis primitive

con

queror

and the geographical

name

of Nysa:

whereversuch

a

town

asNysas found in ancient

story,

it is

supposed

that

it

owed

its

commence

ment to this mightyconqueror, theAsiaticBac

chus

: be is said

to

have set outfrom

Nysa,

a

town ofArabia

nearly

on thesituation

ofthe

pre

sent

Medina,

and to

have

builtNysa

on

theIndus

at thefarthest

extremity

of

his easternconquests.

TheEgyptians

relate

his history

under

the

1

6



180

EFFECTED'WITHOUT

BLOODSHED.

nameofOsiris'": hisconquests are said not to

have

been

the

fruit

of

arms

and

hostility,

like

the

conquests

of

those

whohavetrod

in his steps,

but

of

benefits: hisarmy

consisted,

not

of

soldiers,

but of

men

andwomenin

great multitudes

emi

nentlyaccomplished in thearts ofruralindustry :

wherever hecame,

he

taught menthescienceof

husbandryand

thecultivation

of

the

vine: wbere-

cver

he

came,

he

was

received

with

festivity

and

rejoicings: when

heentered

Ethiopia,

whichwas

one of his first

expeditions, hewas

joined by

a

bandofSatyrs,whoforever after accompanied

him

with songs, with music and

dancing:

he

rode in an open chariot drawn

by

lions: Pan

andSilenus, twooftherural deities, wereamong

his

principal

officers:

Silenus

was

the

guardian

and preceptor ofBacchus, and, while the con*

querorrodemagnificentlyand in triumph,Silenus

attendedhim

mountedon

an ass".

TheGreeks

having

adopted

the

history

ofthis

Eastern conqueror, have

added

to

it

severalad

venturessupposed

to

have happened

to

him

on

or

near

their

native

soil:

while

Bacchus

was

on

hismarchalongtheGrecian

coast

of

Asia

Minor,

Silenus,

they

say,

at

one

time

wandered so

far

fromthehost

thathe

couldnotfind hiswayback:

in this distress hewas encounteredbysomepea

sants,

who

conducted

him

to

thecourt

of

Midas,

king

of

Phrygia :

Midas

receivedhim

with

the

utmost

kindness

and

hospitality,

andBacchus

was

so

grateful

to

the

king

for

this

courtesy

tohis

preceptor, that hebade

thePhrygian

ask what

he wouldasa boon, and it should begranted

:

Midas, in agraspingandfoolishspirit, intreated

m

Herod, i i . 144.

1

Or.

Met.

v. 17 et eqq.



MIDAS'sEARS. 181

theGod

that whatever

he touched should be

turned

into

gold:

Bacchus

granted

his

request:

if Midasputa

bit

of meat to hismouth,

it

be

camegold: if he

attempted to

drink, the liquor

wascbanged

to

solidgold : sothatMidas

was

in

danger of being starved to

death:

he prayed

Bacchusto revoke his gift, whoorderedhimto

bathe in the river

Pactolus,

and he should be

immediately

cured

of

the

horrible

ill

he

had

de

sired: Midasdid

so,

and

fromthat

timethe

Pac

tolusbecamedistinguishedfrom all other rivers

byrollingoversandsofgold0.

KingMidashasbecome

celebrated

for

another

adventure

nearly

connected withthis : whilePan

fesided

at

thecourtofMidas,hefrequentlyenter

tained

the

king

with

the

music

of

his

pipe:

Mi

daswas so

ravished

witli the

performance

that

he

franklytold his guest, hewasconvincedthat his

skill in thatartsurpassedtheskill ofApollo:

this

came

totheears ofthe

God

ofmusic,

whobeing

not

at

all

pleased

with the comparison, con

descended tocomedownfrom Heavento con

vince

Midas

of hismistake: Panplayed

a

volun

tary

before

his

majesty,

and

Apollo

followed

with

another: thewhole

court

were

convinced

of

the

incomparable superiority of Apollo; but Midas

persisted in his opinion.

Apollo

saw

that it

was to

no

purposeto exhi

bit

the

wonders

ofhis

art

to

one

who

would

never

acknowledgehehadbeenin thewrong: topunish

Midas

for

his

obstinacy,

he

took

his

leave,

but

in partingcaused two ass's ears

to

growuponthe

sides ofhis

majesty's

head

:

Midaswas

ashamed

oi

Ihis

ornament,

and contrived to

have

hislocks

• Ov.Met.

xi.

85

et

teqq.



182 TRIPTOLEMUS.

arranged,

and his crown

put

on

so, as

to conceal

his

misfortune

:

he

could

not

however

conceal

it

from

his barber, whomhe

enjoined

under the

mostdreadful penalty1o

keep

his secret :

the

bar

ber was in

thegreatestdistress:

hedid not like

to

be hanged, and he could nothold histongue:

he

went

out

in the

marshes,

and

whenhe

saw

that

no mortalwas

near

him,

hestooped hishead

to

the

ground,

and

whispered

to

the

reeds,

King

Midashastheearsofan

ass:"in this he

thought

he

wassafe; but

strange to

tell,

the reeds

ever

after, whenmovedbytheleast wind,werefound

to repeat theintelligence of

the

barber, King

Midashas

theears

ofan

ass?."

Bythe

story

of thecompetitionbetween

Apollo

and

Pan,

the

Greeks

maybe

supposed

to

express

theirideasofthesuperiorityof elegant andpo

lished

art, as it is

to befound in

themost culti

vated

state

of

society,

over

thoserudebeginnings

and inconditelays,"

which

neverthelessderive

acertain powerof affordingpleasure, from their

wildness,

and

the

artless simplicitywith

which

they

are

conceived.

Anotherof the

companions

ofBacchusin his

marches wasTriptolemus, son ofCeleus king

of

EleusisnearAthens : Triptolemus wasawardof

the

Goddess

Ceres

:

in

her

travels in

search of

Proserpine, shewasreceived with peculiarhos

pitalitybyCeleus,

and

she rewarded thevirtue

of

the

father

by

her

kindness

to

the

son

:

she

saw,

whileshe relieved herfatigue

under

theroof of

Celeus, a fine boy, theonly child of her host,

laid

in

acradle,

and

labouringundera fatal

dis

temper: theGoddess

resolved,first to

restorehim

to health,andthen to

endow

him

with

her

f Ov. Met. » , 146 et seqg.





184

PENTHEUS.

them

theGod,offended

at this instance

of con

tempt,

struck

Lycurgus

with

madness:

in

his

frenzyhecould notdistinguishobjects, and with

the

scythe

in his handhe

wounded

himselfand

destroyed

hisonly

son :

an

oraclehad assured

his

subjects thatthey

should

not taste of thefruit of

thevine as long asLycurguslived : they cast

himinto prison,

and

afterwardcausedhim

to be

torn

to

pieces

by

wild

horses.

It seems to

have

been

on

his return

from

his

victorious expedition, that

Bacchus

found the

government

ofThebesin

thehands ofPentheus,

the

son

ofbisaunt

Agave:Pentheus

was

viceroy

of

Bceotia

underPolydorushisuncle: the

young

governor set himself

in

opposition tothoseim

provements

which

Bacchus

had

been

spreading

all over

the

world : heeven sent outhis officers,

andcommanded

themtolead

theGod

to

prison

l

Bacchus

submitted; but

hewas

no

sooner

lodged

there,

than his chains fell off, andthe prison-

doors burstopen : Pentheus

next

hastened

to

the

spot where the

Bacchanalian

ceremonies

wereto

be

celebrated,

and

determined

to

interrupt

them

in reality itmay

be

suspected that it

wastheex

travagance

of

the

Bacchanals

that

excited

the

vir

tuousdispleasurebothofLycurgusandPentheus:

Bacchus, irritated

at his cousin's

obstinateresist

ance,

struck

hisrelatives witha

sudden

delusion

:

they no longer knewPentheus: they thought

they

saw

a

wild

boar

which

had

broken

into

their

vineyards,

and was

destroying

theirvines: under

the influenceof this infatuation, themotherand

auntsofPetheusmadeafuriousassaultuponhim

they slew

him,

and

tore

him

limbfrom

limb'.

lno, theeldest of the aunts

of

Bacchus, and.

'

Ov.

Met. i i i . 512 et tcqq.









\8ti

CHAP.XIX.

OFMINOSANDTHEMINOTAUR.

Minos,

the

Son

of

Jupiter

and

Europa,

is

chosenKing

ofCrete marries Pasiphae,

Daughterof

the Sun.

Birthofthe Minotaur. Idaei Dactyli. Daedalus,

the AthenianArtificer

murders

hisNephew

flies to

Crete builds the Labyrinthas a Prison for the Mi

notaur.

Atheniansthrown to the Minotaurto be

de

voured.

NisusandScylla.Daedalusshut

up

in

the

Labyrinth

flies away

with

Wings

of

Wax.

Icarus,

his Son,

falls

into

the

Sea, and

is Drowned.

'»

I have already spoken of themannerin

whichEuropawas

carried

offbynJupiter, flhd

conducted totheisland ofCrete:hereshoecame

themotherof

Minos

andRhadamantlms,princes

celebrated

for

their

justice, and

who

were sup

posed after theirdeathsto beappointedjudges of

the

spirits of

thedeparted

in theinfernalregions:

Asterius,

king

of

Crete,

afterward married Eu

ropa,

and,

asshebrought himno

children, he

adopted

thesonsshehad

bornetoJupiter.

Minos, kingofCrete, after thedeath

of

Aste-

, rius,

married

Pasiphae,

daughter

of

the

sun,

or

Apollo,andwas the

father

of Androgeus, Ari

adneandPhaadra : Minos,among

his

other royal

v Apollod.

i i i

I. It is supposed bymanymycologists,

that

there weretwo kings of Crete, of the name of Minos,

he

of

whom

he following adventures are related, being

in

that

case

grandson to the Minos, whowas the lawgiver of Crete andthe

son of Jupiter andEuropa. Thestatement adopted in the text

is

according

to

the

chronology

of

Sir

Isaac

Newton.





188 LABYRINTHOFCRETE.

as

if

they

were

alive,

but

had

actuallythe

power

of

self-motion,andwouldeven fly

away

fromthe

custody

of

theirpossessor

ifthey

werenotchained

to thewall.

Admirable

artists

are accused of

feelingkeen

jealousy against a

rival

; and

accordingly it

is

saidof

Daedalus,

that having a nephewcalled

Talus,

whoinvented

the

compasses,

the

saw,

and

otherinstrumentsof manufacture, and

promised

tobensexcellentanartificer as his uncle, Daeda

lus

conceived an ungeneroushatred against him,

andprivatelymurderedbim tor this

crime

he

was obliged to fly

from

Athens.

FromAthens Daedalus passedintoCrete,

and

wasemployed

by

Minos

to

build

the

famous

la

byrinthof

Crete

:

Minos

wasashamed,

as wellhe

might, of having such a monsteras the Mino

taur

born

into

his

family,

andintended-

thera-

derful structure: it covered several acres off*

ground: it

contained

a multitude

of

apartments,

and

thepassages

metand

crossed

each

other

with

such intricacy, that a

stranger

whohad

once

enteredthe

building,

would

have

been starved to

deathbeforehecould

find

hiswayout.

Androgeus*, theson of Minos,

being

arrived

at

man's

estate,

determined

to

travel

intoforeign

countries for his improvement: amongother

cities

which

he

visited,

he

came

to

Athens

;

and

there,

either

byaccident, or the treachery of

jEgeus

king of Athens,

met with

his

death :

Minos, whowas

much

more

powerful than

iEgeus, madewar uponth#Athenians, nor

would hebe

prevailed

on to

consent

to

any treaty

x

Apollod.



MISUSANDSCYLLA. 189

nf

peace,

but

upon

condition

thatthe

Athenians

should

send

every

year

seven noble

youths and

as

manyvirgins to Crete, to bedevouredbythe

Minotaur:

weshall

see

by

andby

howthis

mon

ster was destroyedby

Theseus

the

sonofiEgeus.

A.

memorable

circumstance

whichoccurred in

Minos'sinvasionof

Attica

was

this: Megara,one

of

the

most

considerable

towns

dependent

on

Athens,

washeldbyNisus,

the

brotherofiEgeus,

withthetitle of

king : Minos

thought it

neces

sary

his

success

to

take

this town,andaccord

inglysat

downwith hisarmy

nnder

the

walls:

Megarahowever held out for a longtime : the

hair

of

kingNisuswas

as

whiteas

snow,

all but

one

lock

which

was

of a

bright

purple

colour

:

an

oracle

had

predicted that

Megara

should

never

betaken, aslongasthepurple lockof the

king

remained inviolate; in its safety both that of

Nisusando bis peoplewereinvolved*.

Scylla, the

daughter

of

Nisus, spentmuch

of

her

limeduringthesiege in an apartment near

the

topof

a tower,

which

overlooked

the

walls

:

in this

apartment Apollo,

having visited

it on

someoccasion,oncelaiddownhis

lute;

and

from

that

time

every

sound uttered

there

acquired

a tone of celestial

melody:from

thewindow,

Scyllaemployedherself at intervals,in surveying

thedisposition of the

field,

thecamp,thearmy,

the

sea

that

almost

dashed

up

against

the

walls,

and

the

Cretan fleet

:

theoftenershelooked, themore

wasshestruck

with

the person

of Minos,

more

beautiful and noblethan

that

of his captains:

whetherhe

appearefl

in completearmour,

or

laid

aside

his

helmet,

whether he drew the bow, or .

y

Or.

Met.

viii.

7

et

seqq.



190 NISUS

AND

SCYLLA.

hurled

the

javelin,

hcwas

still

the

object

of

Scylla's

admiration

: most

of

all, whenslightly

attired,

he

mountedhiswar-horse, splendid with

capari

sonsofscarlet and

gold,

andsubdued to his pur

poses die temper of his foaming steed, Scylla

thoughthimthe

most

lovelyofmankind Minos

must

be

herhusband, orshe

could notendure

to

live.

Assherevolved

thesethoughts

inhermind,

she

sawa

thousand

obstaclesbetween

her

and

the

ac

complishment

of

her

wish : she gazed

on

Minos

everyday,but

she

had

never

beenseenbyhimhow

should shecontrive to

speak

tohim to beloved

byhim?walls of stone,andwatchful centinels

barred

the

path

between

them

he

was

her

coun

try's

enemy at

last shethought

of

one

expedient;

but

from

that,

when

t

first

suggested itfeelf,

She

shrunk

withhorror: this

was

to

cut off

thepurple

lockofherfather,and

lay

it

atthe

tpyaders

ft t,

thuspurchasing his

gratitudebyasacrifice

of'sm

theaffections

of

nature:

the more

shereflected,

the

more

she

became

divided

in

mind

.

on one

sideshesaw despair, and ontheother .impiety

and

sacrilege:

in evil

hour, shedid thehorrid

deed : she went to her father's

chamber*

as he

slept, andcut offthe

sacred

hair.

Withthis pledgeofthecity's

safety, she

pre

sented herself confidently beforeMinos:but

he

drove

her from

his presencewith

horror, asthe

disgraceof her

sex

and

her

species : hesacked

Megara,

and then sailedwithhis fleet

for

Athens:

Scyllasawhisdeparturewitkemotionsoffrenzy :

she leaped

intothe sea,

avmni

after

theCretan

fleet, and seized the stern of the royal vessel

:

Nisusby thepityofthe

Gods

waschangedintoa

hawk

he

pursued theflight ofhisdaughter,and



WINGS

OF

ICARUS.

191

with

the

hard blows

of

his

beak

forced

her

to

leave

holdofMinos'sship:

Scylla

became

a

lark;

andthehawk,feeling

for

evernewtheresentment

ofher

crime,continuesunceasinglytopursueher

through

theworld.

Daedaluswas

so

unfortunateas

by

some

means

toincurthedispleasureof kingMmos,whoshut

him

up

with

his

son

Icarus,

I

suppose

after

the

death of the Minotaur, a

prisoner

in

hisown

labyrinth

: Daedaluswas however too

skilful an

artificer, forthereto beanydanger thatheshould

be

longconfinedanywhere:

he

got feathersand

Wax,

and

made

a

pairof

wings for himself,

and

another for his son,andthus equipped, under

took

to

fly

over

thewalls

of

the

labyrinth,

and

escapeintokaly Daedalus,

a

prudentandex

perienced artificer,

performed this very

well

:

buVTearliswas

thoughtlessandventuresome: he

ws(s.

proud

<rf his

wings,

and

made

too many

flourishesjn hisjourney: in one

of

theseflourishes

he approached so near

to the

sun

asto

meltthe

wax,

and

poor Icarus

was

drowned

in

that part

ofuhe

jgeanea, which

from

hisname

is

called

Maretcarium*.

z

Ov.

Met.viii. 183 et

seqq.

Virg.JQa. vi. 14 et seqq.



192

CHAP.

XX.

OFBELLEROPHONAND

CHIMERA.

Prcetus,

King

of

Argqs.

Bellerophon

takes

Refuge

at

his

Court. Is Beloved by

Stenoboea, theQueen.

She falsely Accuseshim.Proetus orders him to be

putto

Death.

Bellerophon goes, Mounted on

Pe

gasus, to

fight

the

Chimaera. HisSuccess.

The

'story

of Danausking

of

Argoswas

formerly

mentioned

in my

chapter

of

Hell;

Danaus*wasastranger fromEgypt,who

usurped

thethroneof Argos, and deprived thefamilyin

possession; Abas,

his grandson,

hadtwochildren

that

were twins,

bynameProetus and,Acrisius,

who

contended forthe

throne

ofArgos. .

Proetus reigned first, and in his reign hap

pened

the

famous

story

of

Bellerophon

:

Bellero

phon

was

a

prince

of Corinth, but wasso unfor

tunate

as in

a

scuffle to

kill his

brother

Bellerus,

for

which

fact hewas obliged to fly hiscountry,

andcame

to

Argos :

here, as

hewasan exceed

ingly handsomeyoungman,Stenoboea thewife

ofProetus fell in lovewithhim butBellerophon

did

not

think

he

ought

to

payhis

addresses

to

a

lady

who

wasalready married,andslighted her

overtures; Stenoboea felt extremely affronted at

hisneglect, and to be revenajd uponhimwent

and

told

her husbanda

story xactly

opposite

to

the

truth

:

shesaidthat

this

stranger,

in violation

*

Apollodor.

i i .

1 .



BELLEROPHON.

193

ofthe

laws

of

hospitality,

and

in

defiance

of

the

peculiarproprietyand reservednessof herbeha

viour, importuned herto leave Prcetus,andgo

find

livewith

him

as

herhusband.

Prcetus, angrywith the supposedingratitude

of Belleropbon, didnotwait

to

examinewhether

the story

wastrue,butdetermined

immediately

to

send

him

away

from

his

court;

ahd

to

make

his

revengemorecomplete,pretendedthathewanted

to

employ

himin an

honourable

mission,and

gave

himletters, which

he

said

were

letters

of

in

troductionand

embassy

to Jobateskingof

Lycia,

father

of

Stenobcea :

in

these letters Prcetus

de

sired

Jobates, assoon

as

he

hadreadthemto

put

the

bearer

to

death.

Bellerophonaccepted theemploymentwithout

anysuspicion,andwashappy

to

be putin the

wayof rendering

a

serviceto

a

princewhohad

receivedhimso honourably

at

his

court as

Prce

tus: Jobates

felt

somereluctance to,murdera

youngprince,

who

without

apprehending

any

danger,

presented

himself

before

him

and

there

fore thought

it

wouldbeenough

to send

him,

underpretenceof

honour,upon

some

dangerous

expedition,

from which

it wouldbe

impossible

forhimtocome off alive: ithappenedthatthe

borders

of

Lycia

wereat

that

time

infestedwitha

horrible

monster,

which

has

already been de

scribed, of theraceof theGods,part lion, part

dragon,

and

part

goat,

called

Chimaera

:

Jobates

resolved

to

commission

Bellerophon to

destroy

this monster,andwas satisfied thathe couldnot

send

himto

morecertain

death.

Jobates

however was

disappointed: Minerva,

taking pity on the

unmerited

persecutions to

which

Bellerophon was

exposed, furnishedhim

K





195

CHAP.XXI.

OFPERSEUSAND

MEDUSA.

Acrisius, Successor

to

Prcetus.

Jupiter comes to

Da-

naein aShowerofGold. DanaeandherChildPer

seus sent to Sea

in a

Chest arrive

in

the

Dominions

ofPolydectes, whofalls in LovewithDanae. Per

seus sent to fetch the Head

of

Medusa,whichturned

every

one

whoLooked

upon it

into

Stone. Atlas

changed

into

a Mountain.

Perseus

rescues Andro

meda from a

Sea-monster

turns Polydectes into

Stone

accidentally

Kills

his

Grandfather

banishes

himselfto Mycenae.

Onthe

death

ofPrcetus, Acrisius

his

twinr

brother ascended the throne of Argos

: he

had

one beautiful daughter, calledDanae;and an

oraclehad

predicted that

Danaeshould

have

a

son,

by

whose

hands

Iter

father

should

be

de

prived

of

life : to

prevent this, Acrisius built a

lower

of brass, inaccessible

on

every side, and

shutupbis daughter in it: thus guarded, she

wouldperhapshave

remained

childless, had not

Jupiter

conceived

a

passion for her;andby

a

Veryextraordinary

metamorphosis

having

change

ed

himself

intoa

shower ofgold, found

hisway

through

the roof:Danaeboreto

Jupiter

a son,

named

Perseus; and,

this

prince

having after

wardlaidthe

foundation

of the celebratedMy-

ceme, his history has been adorned with many

extraordinaryand

fabulousadventures:

theGre

cian

Perseus,

like the Grecian

Bacchus,

has no



196 HEADOFMEDUSA.

doubt

been

confounded

with

some

Oriental

pro

totype; andthe

feats

oftwo

or

of severalheroes

have

thusbecomeimputed

to

one.

Nosooner

wasPerseus

born,

than

he

and

his

mother bytheorder of

his

grandfatherwere

put

inachest,andcastintothesea : thechestdrifted

upon

the

island

of

Seriphos,

where

Dictys, the

brother

of

the

king

of

the

country,

who

happened

to

be

a-fishing,

took

themto land,

treatedthem

withthegreatest attention,and

committed

them

to

the

care

of

the

priestsofthe

temple

of

Minerva,

by

whom

Perseuswaseducated.

The

youngprince

was

now

grown

up

to

the

statureof

a

man,whenPolydectes kingofSeri

phos

happening

to

see

Danae

his

mother

in

the

temple, fell

in

lovewithher,anddetermined to

marryher:Danae

did

notappjfrve

of

thematch,

andPerseustoldthe

king

hewasresolved never

tosee his

mother

married without herown

con

sent

:

it

was the

fashion

of

these tiroes when

a

crabbedold

tyrantconceiveda

dislike

to

a hero,

just

arrived

at

the

bloom

of

manhood,

that

he

packedoff the objectof his

jealousyupon

some

dangerous adventure, from which the'tyrant

hopedthat he

would

never return

alive

:

Poly

dectesorderedPerseustogoandbring himthe

head ofMedusa,one

of

the

Gorgons,*

fyom

a

cer

tain

district of Asiatic Tartarywhere

she lived

:

Perseus felt no

aversion

to thecommission, but

was

uneasy

at

the

thought

ofleaving

his

mother

all thewhilein thepowerofher

brutal

admirer :

he

darednorhoweverdisobey

the

king

inwhose

countryhedwelt.

I

'have

already

told

youtheprincipal

particu

lars ofPersens'sexpedition againsttheGorgons

it was lucky for theyoung

hero, that, bred

in



PERSEUSANDANDROMEDA. 197

the

temple

of

Minerva,

he

had

that

Goddess

for

hisfaithful

protector: she

lent

himher

shield,

to whichMercury

added

his

wings,

and,

away

the

hero flew

; nordid

he

quit his undertaking,

till

he

hadgot

thehead

of

Medusasafely

pursed

up

in

abagonhis

return

hestoppedonenight

in

the

dominionsofthefamous king

Atlas,

whose

office

it

was

to

support

the

heavens

upon

his

shoulders

; Perseus thought

to

obtain thehospi

tality of this monarch, bytelling himthat he

was the

son

ofJupiter: but Atlas hadalways

been

the

enemyof Jupiter, andtherefore bad

Perseus

go

about

hisbusiness,

for

heshould

have

neither rest nor

refreshment

there

:

provoked at

this

insult, Perseus took

thehead

of

Medusa,

which

had

the

power

of turning every

one

that

lookeduponityrtostone,andshewed it toAtlas:

Atlas

felt the

effects, and

wasimmediately

chang

edfromthehumanfigureintothatofmountAtlas:

in

this shape

he

was

quite

as

well fitted

forsup

portingthe

heavens

ashehadbeenbefore.

Fromhe.countryof

king

Atlas,Perseus passed

over

into

Ethiopia

:

there

the

first

object

that

caughthiseyeasheskimmedalong

through

the

air, wasAndromeda,

daughter

of the

king

of

Ethiopia, chainednaked toa rockon theshore;

shewasa beautiful and admirablecreature: Per

seus

looked

a

little longer,and

sawa

most hor

rible sea-monster,cuttinghiswayrapidly

through

the

waves,

and

hastening

toward

the princess

that

hemightdevourher.

Themeaningof

what

Perseus sawwas this:

Cassiope, the mother ofAndromeda,was of a

most

dazzling fairness; fairwomenwereprobably

scarcein Ethiopia, wherethe

majorityof

the in

habitantsareblacks: in the pride of hex heart

k3



198

PERSEUS

AND

ANDROMEDA.

Cassiope

boasted

that

she

was

fairer

than

the

Ne

reids,

the

nymphs

of

the sea

:

these

Goddesses,

offended at her boast, applied to Neptune to

give

them

their revenge:

Neptune

accordingly

overflowedthekingdomwithhis

waves,

andsent

this

monsterto

devour its

inhabitants

:

theEthio

piansapplied

to

theoracleof JupilerAmmonin

their

distress,

and

received

for

answer,

that

the

wrathofNeptunewouldnever

be

appeased, till

Andromeda,thething in the

world

thatCassiope

loved

best,was

givenupasaprey

to themonster:

the

king

and

queen

refused ; butthepeople

insist

ed:

theywould

notconsentto

beall

devoured in

turns, to savethemost beautiful princess in

the

world

.

It wasfortunateforAndromeda,that Perseus

came

by

just

in time: he

did not hesitateto at

tack the

monster,

and

after

along battle,

killed

it

in

sightof theking, queen and

all

the court

:

he

then

carried

awayAndromeda,andmade

her

hiswife.

When

he

came

back

to

Seriphos, the

first

thing he

saw, was Polydectes leading Danaeto

the altarwhere they

were

tobemarried : Danae

hadbegged off

theevil

day

for

alongwhile,and

intreated that

the

kingwould

spare

her, at least

till herson returned from the expedition upon

whichhehad

sent him:

Polydecteswassatisfied

he

never

would

return,

and

at

last

would

be

put

off

no

more:

in

the

midst of theceremonyPer

seus

arrived:

If," said

the hero,

I

have

happily accomplishedmyadventure, then, O

king, consent to

grant

me

a

boon

in return

:"

You

have

notaccomplished it," said

Polydec

tes: but,

thoughyou

had,

I will still marry

yourmother:"

andso saying, he

rudely

seiied



FOUNDATIONOFMYCEN. 199

herhand PerseusproducedtheheadofMedusa;

and,

Polydectes

andhis

wicked

favourites

look

ing atthe head to see that all was right, they

were

immediately turned into stones: Perseus

having

finished his expedition, returnedtoMi

nerva,

Mercury,

andthe otherGods, thewea

pons

they

hadsupplied

to

him,andgave

to

his

(>atroness besides, the

head

of

Medusa

asanob-

ation,

which

she

ever

after

wore

upon

her

shield,

oraccording

toothers

upon

her

breast-

plate.

Perseus

was

now

eager to returnhometoPelo

ponnesus, thecountry of hismother: helanded

at Larissa

near Argos, where the

principal

per

sonsofthe

city

were

just

thencelebratingcertain

splendid games:

Perseus

joined

in

the games,

and

won

many

prizes : at

length

he

took

up

a

disk,

orquoit,

to

throw

at

amark Acrisius, his

frandfather,

was

present,

thoughboth he

and

erseus wereunknowntoeach other :

the

quoit

struckthefootofAcrisius,andoccasionedamor

tification,

andtheold

king

died

:

thuswasthe

predictionoftheoraclefulfilled : Perseus,though

ne

had

been

cruelly

used

by

his

grandfather

when

born,

could

notbear

to think

that

he

was

theoc

casion of his death : he resigned thecrownof

Argoswhich

nowfell to

him,

to

oneofhis rela

tions, andbecamethefounder

of

thekingdomof

Mycenae'.





PELOPSANDHIPPODAMIA. 301

should

perish

by

the

hands

ofhisson-in-law:

he

determined

therefore

that

he

would

have

no

son-

in-law: but, asall

the

world was in

love

with

Hippodamia,CEnomauswasdriven to contrive

somemeansto baffle

the

importunity of

her

lovers: heissued

a

proclamation

that

whoever

aspiredto

the

handof

hisdaughter, should first

engage

in a

chariot-race with

him if

theycon

quered

in

the

race,

the

hand

of

Hippodamia

was

to

be

theirreward :

if

theywerevanquished,

the

bargainwasthey wereto beputtodeath: CEno

mauswasthebest

chariot-driver,

and his

horses

the

besthorses, in theworld: yet, soirresistible

were

the

charmsof

Hippodamia,that thirteen

illustrious lovershad

alreadyaccepted

theterms,

and

lost

their

lives:

Pelops

offered

himself

the

fourteenth: he however went

cunningly

about

the

business:

he offered a large bribe

to

Myr

tilus, thegroom

of

king

CEnomaus,

who, se

duced

from

his

fidelity,

privately

took out the

pinwhichconfinedoneof the

wheels

of

his

mas

ter's

chariot:

the

wheel

cameoff in thecourse,

and

CEnomaus

was

killed

byhis fall: beforehe

expired however,

hecalledPelops

to

him, and

freely crownedhis marriage with his consent;

but

at

thesame

time

intreatedhim

to punish

the

false

M

rtilus,

andnot

suffer

theexampleof

a

king destroyedbythe perfidy of his servant to

pass

with

impunity : Pelops

listened to

the

re

questofthedyingking,andwith

his

ownhand

threw

Myrtilus

into

the

seae.

Atreus, the

son,

or as I should

rather think

the

grandson,

of

Pelopsand

Hippodamia,

mar

ried iErope,

the

daughter of Eurystheus

the

« Pind.01.

a.

95. Schol.in

Horn.

I I . j9. 10*.

K5



202 ATREUSAND

THYESTES.

grandson

ofPerseus, and

as

Eurystheus had

no

male

issue,

succeeded

him

in

the

throne

of

My

cenae: thequarrelofAtreusandhisbrotherThy-

estes has been rendered

famous bythe

Greek

pools : Thyestes wasfondof hisbrother's wife,

and

Atreus became

jealous : thequeen brought

himason, and Atreusbelieved it tobethesonof

Thyestes: ragerankled in thebreastof thehus

band,

but

he

took

no

notice

to

his

brother:

he

invited himto a feast, andpretended

that

they

were

the

best

friends in theworld: in the

mean

timethe cruel Atreus killed the child

that

was

just born, and causedhimto beserved upin

a

dish

to

Thyestes, whomhebelieved

to

be the

father :

it is said

that

the

sun went

backward,

and

the

day

suddenly

became

as

dark

as

night,

becauseApollo could notendureto witnessso in

famous

aspectacle'.

Pelops

hadalsoa sister

called

Niobe,whois

famous in theGrecianmythology Niobewas

married to

Amphion, the son of Iasus

kingof

Orchomenus,towhom

she

boreseven sonsand

seven daughters,

the

most

promising

youths,

andthehandsomest maidens

ever

seen: who

so

happyas queenNiobe?

she loved

her children,

as

a mother

oughttodo;

but,shewas,

as

perhaps

the

mother

of promising children is apt to

be,

a little too proud of

them prosperity

madeher

haughtyand

vain : herchildren loved

her

;

but

fewother people could bear the

insolence

of

her

manners.

Amongotherthings,shethoughtpropertoin

sult Latona, the mother of Apolloand

Diana:

41 Latona," said

Niobe, we

are always

told

f Lucian. Saturn.

Ov,

Triit. i i . 391.



NIOBEAND

HER

CHILDREN. 205

is

thehappiest

of mothers : whatisher

happi

ness

compared

with

mine?

she

is

the

mother

of

only

twochildren:

I

might

losetwelve

of mine,

and

yet

boast myself theequal ofLatona by

the numerousness ofmy

progeny

Iamsecured

against

theattacksof

fate.'

A

superior

does not

love

to beinsulted

byan

inferior: the

Gods

of the Greeks, as theywere

in

some

things

but

a

little

higher

than

mortals,

were supposed

to be particularly

jealous

of

the

honoursdue to

them:

Latonawas offendedwith

thesenseless speechesof queen Niobe, andcom

plained

of themto

her children: Apollo and

Dianacamedownfrom heaven

to

the

plains

of

Orchomenus,andslew

with

theirarrows

all

the

childrenof

Niobe:

the

unhappy

queen

saw

her

self

bereft

ofherwholefamily at

once.

This means nothing more

than

that queen

Niobe

lost

all

herchildrenby

a

contagious dis

ease

: Apollo, as I

have

beforetoldyou, was

the

Godofpestilences: theGreciangenius

hasdressed

upthestoryin all themagnificenceofpoetry

and

religion: strip

it

of this, andit is nothingmore

than

a

striking

illustration

of

the

uncertainty

of

human

possessions, and

the

follyof

the

prideof

man.

,

What

can

bemoredifferent,

says Ovid,

than

thesameNiobebeforeandafter this event? be

foreit,

she

turned up

her eyes

to

heaven,

she

shookherbeautiful tresses

onher

shoulders in dis

dain,

and

defied

the

Gods:

before

it,

she

was

disagreeable

to

her

ownsubjects andservants :

nowshemight havebeenanobject of pityeven

toanenemy:

one son

did

not

die, ere

another

sickened,andthe daughters, while theytended

their languishingbrothers, or put onmourning



204 ARACHNETURNEDTOASPIDER.

for

their

funerals,

were

seizedwith

the

samedis

temper:

Niobemourned

forever,

and

refused

to

becomforted :

she

movedneither

limb

nor fea

ture: her eyes were fixed; her cheeks became

white

andcolourless: gradually

and

insensibly

shechanged

into

marble, a perpetualmonument

ofhumanvanityandimpiety".

Arachne, the

countrywomanof

Niobe, fell a

victim

to

a

similar

folly

:

she

was

a

most

curious

artificer in

needlework:

she

wrought

figures

in

tapestry:

her

pictures perhapswere

as

exquisite

asthose

which

have

lately

beenexhibited

in

wool

or

in

velvet:she was proudof

her

proficiency;

andas

Minerva

s theGoddess

of

needlework,she

challengedMinerva

tosurpass

her: the

Goddess

condescended

to

the

trial,

and

having

evinced

hersuperior skill,

Arachne

becameso mortified,

that shehangedherself: Minervachangedher

intoaspider: in

this

degraded

condition

theun

happy

artist still pursuesa

similar occupation;

butherworksareuniversallydespised,andevery

housewifesweeps

themaway

with

herbesom*.

t

Ov. Met.

vi.

150

et seqq,

h Id.

vi. 1

et

seqq.



205

CHAP.XXIII.

LOVESOF

THE

GODS.

Apollo andDaphne. Daphneturned into a

Laurel.

Diana

and

Endymion.

Diana

kisses

Endymion

in

his

Sleep. Venus

and

Adonis.Adoniskilled bya Boar

restoredto Life for Six Mouths in everyYear.

Cupid and

Psyche.

Psyche

carried away

to anEn

chanted Palace. Envied byherSisters. Psychere

solves to see her Husband.

Dismal Effects of

her

Curiosity. Sheis takenup to Heaven. Baucis and

Philemon.

Theygive apEntertainmenttoJupiter

and

are

rewarded.

Pyramus

and

Thisbe

forbidden

to meet, makeLovethrougha chinkin the

Wall.

Their

disastrous Fate.

Besidethe

loves

of the

Gods,

whichwere

feigned bythe Greeks for thepurpose of doing

honourto

their favourite

heroes,therewereothers

which

seem

to

have

been

invented

bythem

purely

for

the beaulyandingenuityof the

tale:

when

theyhadonceformed thehabitof describing the

Godsin love, they felt apleasureinmuUiplying

such

stories:

theyproduced

them, not

onlywhen

they

wanted

to composea courtly

compliment,

but sometimes

out

of the mere

wantonness

and

sportof their wit:

a

few of

them,

towhichno

particular

mark

of

the

time

when

they

occurred

is

assigned,

I

will speak

of

here.

Apollo, theGodofpoetry, iscrownedwith

leaves of

laurel

: Apollo, thecharioteer of

the

sun,

is uponill

terms

with the laurel, for

the

laurel flourishes best in theshade:

out

of

these



206 APOLLOANDDAPHNE.

twothoughts theGreekscontrivedapretty tale :

the

Greek

name

for

the

laurel

is

Daphne.

Daphnewas thedaughter of the

river

Peneus,

Peneusthatflowsthroughthedelightfulandfar-

famedvale

ofTern

pe,

andthebanksofwhichare

fringed with laurels: Apollo, just after hehad

killed

the

Python,

met with

Cupid Idle

and

effeminateboy,"saidApollo

in ajering

manner,

what

have

you

to

do

with

the

bow

and

the

quiver? the

quiver is

only fit

for shoulderssuch

asmine:" Yourarrows,"repliedCupid, are

proper enough

for the conquest of

beasts, but

minecanconquer

you

unless

thenyouare

wil

lingtoownyourself a beast, youmustconfess

mysuperior

glories

:" and saying this,

he

let

fly

a

bolt,

and

wounded

the

great

Apollo

:

the

ob

jectofApollo's lovethusproduced,wasDaphne:

but

Daphneentertainedmorerespect for

Diana

than for her brother : sheloved hunting, but

shrunk from men: Apollo found her unawares,

and poured

out

his passion to

her

:

Daphne,

said he, yousurelymistake me, oryouwould

feel

gratified

by

my

ove

:

I

am

no

shepherd,

as

perhaps youthink: I amthe

son

ofJupiter : I

amtheGod

of

poetry

:

I spread lightoverthe

whole world

:

accept

thenmyoffer, andbemy

wife:"Daphnedid not stay to hear theend of

this fine

speech

:

sheslily gotfurtherand further

from theGod,and

at

last took

to

herheels : never

was

nymph

more

nimble-footed

than

Daphne

Apollowasin love, andwouldnotgiveherup

she ran,

and

heran

: he

camesonearher, that

his breath drove

aside

the curls of her hair :

frightened

to

theutmost, shecalled

uponJupiter

forpity,

who

turnedher

into

alaurel:Apollo

from

that

time,since

hecould

not

have the beautiful





V5HTS



VENUSANDADONIS. 207

Daphneforawife,vowedthather tree should at

least

be

his;

and

so

the

laurel

became

sacred

to

Apollo1.

Dianais

said

to

have

fallen in lovelikeherbro

ther, thoughshewere

theGoddess

of

Chastity:

theobjectof herflamewas

Endymionk,

a

shep

herdof

Caria:

shesawhimnaked on thetopof

mount

Latmos,

and

thoughtshe

had never

beheld

sobeautiful

a

creature

:

as

she

was

the

most

bash

fulandmodest of existing beings, shecasthim

into

adeepsleep, thatshe

might

kiss himunseen

and

undiscovered

even byhim

she

loved : every

night she visited the beautiful shepherd, whom

Jupiter

endowedwith

perpetual

youth,and

every

night she

loved

himbetterthan the

night

before:

the

meaning

of

the

fable

is,

thatEndymion

was

a

great astronomer

;

that he passed whole nights

uponmountLatmos, contemplating

the

heavenly

bodies,and

therefore

1 suppose

not asleep}

and

that

he

is said first to haveexplained thepheno

menaof Diana, that is, themoon,and to have

given

ajustaccountoftheir

causes.

Theloves ofVenusand Adonisaresingularly

famous:

hewastheson of Cinyras

king

of Cy

prus:

his

name

is

constantly used

to

this

day,

to

express the perfection of smooth and

polished

beauty in themalesex :

hewas

exceedingly fond

of

hunting,

and as

Venuscould

notleave

the

side

of her charmer, shehuntedwith him she in-

treated

him

however,

if

he

had

theleast valuefor

her,

to

confine

himself

to

hunting

the

hare,

the

foxorthedeer,andto

abstain

from thechaceof

wild

beasts : Adonis, though

delicateof

appear

ance,

hadsomewhatof amanlydisposition :

he

1 Ov.Met. i . 452 et seqq.

k

Apollodorus,

i .

7.

Apollon.Rhod.

it.

£ 7



CUPIDANDPSYCHE.

didnotfmd

in

his

heart

always to complywith

the

timid counsels

ofthe

Goddess

:

once

hunting

awild boar, hewoundedtheferociousanimal ;

but the

boar

turned

upon him,

and

tore

himso

thathe

died:

from hisblood sprangthebeautiful

flower,

called

anemone

Venuswas inconsolable

forhisloss, and at length

obtained fromJupiter

that he should return

to

lite for sixmonthsin

every year;

so that

Adonis

revives

and

dies

in

incessant

succession:

there

were

festivals in his

honour

in Phcenicia,Greece,andothercountries,

expressive of this circumstance : the solemnity

continued several

days; thefirst part beingspent

in

lamentationsfor his loss,andthesecond in joy

for

his

restoration1.

The

story

of

Cupid

and

Psyche

is

more

modern

thanany of these, having been writtensincethe

birthof

Christ :

it is too beautifulhowever

to

be

omitted : Psyche, thedaughter of a king of I

knownotwhatcountry,wassowonderfullyhand

some,thatthe

people

mistookher for Venus,and

almost

adored her : theGoddessofBeautywas

exceedingly

offended

with

the

mistake,

and

de

termined to punish Psyche: shespoketoCupid

herson,

and

commandedhimtomaketheprin

cess

fall

in

lovewith the

most

stupid, deformed

andbase-lookingclown

in

her

father's

dominions :

Cupidset

outon

his

commission;

buthe

no

sooner

sawPsyche,thaninsteadof punishing, hefell in

love

with

her

:

afraid

however

of

his

mother's

dis

pleasure,

heresolved

to

carry

on

theaffair

secretly

:

he

caused the

WestWind

o

take her from

her

father's

house,

and

convey

her

to

anenchanted

palace:

here,as

soon

as it

wasnight,Cupidcame

l

Ov.

Met. x.

515 et seqq. Bion.Epitaph.

Adoru



psyche'srash

curiosity. 209

to

her in

thedark, andwith

all the

ceremonies

compatible

withthe

situation,

madeherhisbride.

Psyche

was

the youngestof threesisters: the

eldest

was

marriedto an-ill tempered tyrant,

and

thesecondtoadriveller:

they

enviedexceedingly

what

their

younger

sister

toldthem

of the

wonders

ofhermarriage: though shehadneverseen her

husband, nor

heard hisname,

yetshe

could

tell

of

the

beauties

of

his

enchanted

palace

(for

if

Cu

pid left

her

beforethedawn,

shestaidas

long

as

she

pleased),of

the

silvervoiceofthebridegroom,

andthemillion passionateand

charming

things

hesaid

to

her.

Toberevenged

uponPsyche, thesisters deter

mined

one

wayorother to putanend toherhap

piness:

they

had

nodoubt

that

the

husband

had

reasons

for his concealment, andbelievedthathe

woulddesertPsyche,ifhefoundhimselfthwarted

in

this

respect: theyreminded

her

of

an

oracle

whichhadsaidthatsheshouldmarryaclown or

a monster: for their partstheyhad

nodoubt

thatthisnew

husband,

though

his lips were

soft,

had

the

fins

of

a

fish,

and

the

tail

ofa

dragon:"

the

pooryoung

princess

couldnot

bear this

thought,

andcould notget

it

outofher

head

: shecried all

daylong: the sisters provided her with

a

dark

lanthorn

thatshemightmake

the

discovery,

and

adagger thatshemightstabhimif heproveda

fiend-likemonster.

The

next

night

Cupid

was

no

sooner

asleep,

thanPsychegotoutofbed, andfetchedherlan

thornanddagger:

what was

her surprize,

and

whatwas herjoy, wheninsteadofa monster,she

saw

ayoungcreaturebeaming

in every part

with

celestial beauty

she

could

nevermakean

endof

admiring: in her transportshe carelessly let fall



210

BAUCISAND

PHILEMON.

a

drop

ofburning

waxuponhispolished

shoulder

:

Cupid

awoke.

The

palace

nowvanished,and Psychewasleft

alone on

adesolate rock

: Venusdiscovered the

secretofCupid,andwasbeyondmeasure exas

perated :

she

directed all

her vengeanceagainst

Psyche,who

had

first

passed for theGoddess

of

Beauty, andnowhad

seduced

herchild from his

obedience:

she

imposed

upon

her

impossible

tasks: she

subjected

herto

unheard-of

torments :

Jupiteratlength

wasmoved

topity: he

tookup

PsychcloHeaven,madeherimmortal,andgave

her

as

awifeto

Cupidin the

faceofthecelestial

inhabitants .

Astoryofanotherkind

respectingtheintercourse

of

Gods

and men,

not

well

knowing

to

what

place

to assi.<rn5

1 will

mention here: Jupiter

hadheard

ofthepride, thetnsolefiCeamilicentiousness ofa

certain district

in Phrygia,

and

determined toob

serve

the

fact

with

his owneyes:

hedisguised

himselfas a

traveller, andtookwithhimMercury,

his confidential

servant

:

alone,

and

unrecom-

mended

by

any

pompons

appearance,they

visited

the house

of many

a richman,

and

knockedat

manya portal: at all theywere

refused

refresh

mentand shelter: neithertherichnor those

who

enjoyedamoderatecompetence,

wouldafford

them

anycivility: at length theycameto a hut, the

poorest

in

all

the

province,

and

knockedthere.

This

cottage

contained

two

inhabitants,

Phile

monandBaucis, an old

labourer

and his wife,

who

had

married young,and

were

nowsinking

into

decrepitude: the good couple saluted the

strangerskindly,and invitedthemin : youcould

m

Apuleii Mat.

iv. et w.



JUPITERINA

COTTAGE.

211

not

enter

the

cottage-door

without

stooping

:

the

old

rustics

stirred

thefire,

and

drew

a

bench : the

tablehadonlythreelegs, and oneofthemwastoo

short; but

Baucis

mendedthatbyputtingashard

underneath

: they

prepared

for

theGods

a

rasher

ofbaconandaBallad, androastedthemsomeeggs:

theyadded a

plate

of

olives, arid

asmall pitcher

of

new-made

wine

:

they

gave

the

best

that

they

had the

Godsate,

and were pleased

with

their

hosts: the

goodman

andhis

wife

were however

surprised

tofind

that, howeveroftenthe

pitcher

wasresorted

to, thequantityof

wine

continued

thesame, whilethequalityevidentlyimproved.

Baucis and Philemoncouldno longer doubt

thattheir

guests

were

more

than mortal: sacrifices

werethemodeof theGrecian religion, and they

hastenedtofetchonepoorsolitaryeoosetheyhad

intheirback-court,

tomake

a

sacrifice

ofher:

the

gooseran fast

for

her life; thefeeble old

couple

could not

overtake

her:

at

lengththepooranimal

took

refuge

in thebosom

of Jupiter,whoforbad

her

to

bekilled : headded, thatheandMercury

had

come

from

Heavento witness

the

guilt

ofthe

district,

andwere

now

resolved to sweepthe

whole

race

from

theearth

:

thetwo

Godsinvitedtheir

hosts to climb theneighbouring mountain,and

aided their

falteringsteps :

Baucis

and

Philemon

had

no

soonerreachedthetop,thanlookinground,

they

sawthat a miraculous torrent had swept

away

all

the

houses

and

their

inhabitants

to

the

sea, whiletheircottageonly remained.

Now,

saidJupiter,

that 1 haveinflicted

justice

on

your

wicked

countrymen, tell

me,

my

good

old delverand

dame,

whatfavour

J

can

bestowon you,

and

it shallbegranted :"

Please

your

Godships,"

answered they,

wedesire

no



212 PYRAMUSANDTHISBE.

thing

more,

than

that

we

may

spend

the

small

remainder of

our

lives in

your

worship, and

in

gratitudefor this signalpreservation

; and

that,

as

wehave lived so

long together,andareof

thesameage,you

wouldbestow

uponus the

mercy,

that

at

last

wemay

die

in

the same

hour."

Jupiter

immediately

turned the cottage in

which

he

had

been

so

hospitably

received

into

a

magnificent temple, in an apartment of which

Philemon

andBaucis

lived

in

quality of priest

andpriestess: someyearsafterward as this good,

oldcouplestood on

each sideof

the

door

of

the

templetalkingoveroldtimes,theybecamerooted

to

the

spot,

andwerebothat

once turned

into

trees,

an

oak and

a lime,

a durable

monument

that hospitality and a liberal treatment toward

the

stranger and thewanderer, is

one of.

those

virtuesby

which

wemaybest

earn

theapproba

tionof Heaven*.

Thereis a story oftwomerelyhumanlovers

which hascommonly

founda

place

in books

of

the

Grecian

Gods,

and

as

it

is

an

interesting

tale,

1

will notleaveit out : PyramusandThisbewere

inhabitants

ofthe

cityofBabylon their parents)

-livednext

doorto

each

other,

andtheyhad

been

accustomed,

whileboy

and girl, to see each

other

everyday at

that

earlyagetheywere very

fond

of

each

other'scompanywhenthey grewup,

they

asked leave

to

marry

the

parents,

either

becausetheythoughtthemtoo

young

orfor

some

other reason

, forbad it

: for

more caution they

would

not

let thelovers see

oneanother

:

Pyra

n Ot.

Met. Ti. 626

et seqq.



THEIRASSIGNATION.

213

musand

Thisbe

were

never

permitted

to

go

out

of

the

housebut incompanywith

their

friends.

Thereis aproverbthat says,

Lovewill

find

out theway:" almost from

the time

that

the

houses werebuiltthatPyramusand

Thisbelived

in, therewasa little chink in thewall between,

hardly

wideenough

to

let

the

light pass,

but

quite

large

enough

to

speakthrough

:

nobody

had

everdiscovered

this

chinkj but theloversfound

it out:

at

night,

and

at all convenient

times, they

would getto

the

chink, oneon oneside, andthe

otheronthe

other,

and

talk for

hours

together :

notadaypassedthatPyramusdid notswearhere

that he

would

have no

otherwife than

Thisbe,

and

Thisbe

that

she

would

have

no

other

husband

thanPyramus.

In

time however

theygrewdiscontentedwith

this slender mdulgence: they thought it hard

that theycouldnot

seeeach

other,

nor

somuch

as

shake

hands: then they could nottalk in secu

rity,

without one or theothersayingeverymi

nute,

M

Hush,I think

I hear somebody

com

ing:" they agreed that at least theywouldhave

oneeveningof moreundisturbed conversation:

they fixed that as

soon

as it

was dark,

each

should steal outof thehouse,andsotheywould

meet : the tomb

of Ninusthe Great,

king

of

Assyria,stooda littlewayoutof thewalls : near

the tombwas a fountain

;

andthefountainwas

shaded

by

a fine mulberry-tree: theyagreed that

they

would

sit

and

have their talk under the

It

so happenedthat Thisbegot

to the

place

first : in theneighbourhood wasa forest oflions :

Thisbe

had

scarcelyseated

herself underthetree



214

THEIR

DISASTROUSFATE.

to

wait

for

Pyramus,

before

by

the

light

of

the

moonshe

saw

a

greatlion :

the

lionhad

just

been

devouringa bull, and cameto the fountain to

drink: Thisbe

jumped

up,and

ran as

hard as

shecould : in her

hurry

she droppedher veil :

the lion drank, andwhenhe haddone,

he

sawthe veil, and

in

mere wantonness

towzled

andtore

it

in a terrible manner he then went

away.

Aminute

after,

Pyramusarrived

: hesaw

theprintof thelion's foot in the sand,andwas

frightened :

he

sawtheveil :

whatwasworse,

the

lion's

lipswere

smeared

withthebloodof the

bull,andhe saw blood uponthe veil

:

heno

longer

doubted

thatThisbe

wasdevoured : inthe

utmost

anguish

he

said,

It

was

I

that

sentyou

tothis

terrible place

:

It

is

I thatsufferedyou

to

getherefirst ; I

have

been the author ofyour

death ; but I

will

not

survive

you" he kissed

the

veil

a thousand

times

:

he

drewhis

sword,

andthrust it to his heart. *

Pyramuswasscarcelystretched

a

corpse

upon

the

ground,

before

Thisbe

returned

:

she

was

afraid

of

the

lion,

but shecould

not

disappoint

her lover

:

shesawhimdying, with her veil

in

his

hand

he

could notspeak,

but

theveil told

thestory sufficiently:

she

killedherself with

the

same

sword that had

killed

her lover:

Cruel

parents,"

said

she with her last breath,

you

could

notjoin

us

in

life,

at

least

bury

us

in

one

tomb:"Ovid

says,that

thefruit ofthe

mulberry-

treehadbeforebeenwhite,butasitsrootswerewa

teredwiththeblood of thesefaithful lovers, the

fruiteverafterbecameofthedeepestblood-colour0.

• Ov. Met. iv. 55 et eqq.



215

CHAP.

XXIV.

OFHERCULES.

Amphitryon

and

Alcmena.

Jupiter

assumes

the

Form

of

Amphitryon, and is

the

Father of Hercules. Am

phitryonbanished toThebes. Birth of

Hercules.

He

is

the

Godof Strength fated to bethe Slaveof

Eurystheus,

his

Cousin.

Strangles two

Serpents in

hisCradle. EducationofHercules.

His

TwelveLa

bours,

h.

TheNemtean

Lion,

2. the Hydra, 3. the

Hind of (Enoe, 4. the Erymanthian Boar, 5. the

Stables

of

Augeas,

6. the

Stymphalian

Birds,

7.

the

Cretan

Bull,

8.-

the

Mares of Diomedes

King of

Thrace, 9. tke*Gi.rdle of Hippolita Queen of the

-Amazons, 10.TheOxenof-Geryon, 11.

the

Apples

o. f

the

Hespeeides,

12. Cerberus. Hercules

wrestles

« jjth

Antaeus.

Wars of

the Pigmies

and Cranes.

H,*rcules kills

Busiris- -and

Cacus. Pillars of Her

cules.

jHe

delivers

.Prometheus

sacks

Troy

sails

Withthe

Argonaut-figures

in theWarof

the

Giants

—

lwvesloleandOmphale is employed

in

spinning

marriesDejanira'. ijhesendshim a poisonedShirt—

Death of

Hercules.

Taken

up into Heaven,

and

marries

Hebe.

Story

of

Philoctetes.

Various

Heroes

namedHercules.

meda,

Electryonthefatherof Alcmena,

Alcaeus

the

fatherof

Amphitryon,and

Sthenelus: Elec

tryon

succeededhisfatheronthethrone ofMy

cenae :

he

engaged

in

warwiththe Teleboans, a

peopleofiEtolia,andintrusted

the

commandof

hisarmytohis sons,whowere all killed : Elec





EXILE

OF

AMPHITRYON.

217

posed)onenight

sooner than

heknewanything

about

the

matter:

Alcmcna

believed

that

her

husbandwas

mad,

so soon to

have forgotten

every

thing

that

hadpassed : she

produced

the

cup,whichAmphitryon

immediately

recognised:

hesearched

amonghis

spoils,

and

found

it

had

been takenaway in his perplexity he applied

toTiresias theprophet,whotold

himthat it

was

Jupiter,

king

of

Gods

andmen,

who

had

con

descended to assumehisshape.

TheprincipaladvantagewhichtheTeleboans

had gained pver>EIectryon,wasthe

takingfrom

himspine(Inc.herds,

of

remarkablecattle : these

Amphitryon

SrougJi.f' back- to him: but, as he

presert&$themtolhe

king, Amphitryon

threw

a

stick

atfcncof

thc/nff'that

strayed

from

the

rest:

;hc stick struck

uppa'

tjie'bull's horn, and

re-

bpurftiedwithsuch-fwee, tHat lightinguponthe

brcasj: of Electryoiv, it killed himon thespot:

SJthenelus', the surviving-

-brother

of the king,

wiyftd notallowthatins

murderershould

succeed

him

jo the thrones

Jitf.drove

Amphitryoninto

rxiliijto

Thebes,

where

.Hercules

was

born

in

the

sa

meatfly

whichhadbeatr

before

the

birth-place

of Bacchus.

Hercules

is

usually considered astheGodof

Strength :

hf is theSamsonof

theGrecianmy

thology

:

and his muscles, as youmaysee them

displayed in the

Farnesestatue,

express a corpo

ral power, such as never resided

in

anyother

man.

Jupiter foresawwhatan extraordinary perso

nageHerculeswould

prove, and,

withthe

fond

ness of a father, boasted in the assembly of the

Gods,that

on

thatdaya child

should be

born

whoshould be paramountto all theDemigods

L



218 HERCULESAMDTHESERPENTS.

that

inhabited

the

earth

:

J

uno

was

always

the

enemy

of the children ofJupiter of

whom

she

was

not

the

mother :

shehad

a

double

advantage

in

this

case,as

Junos

the

Goddess

ofchild-bear

ing :

Swearby

the

Styx," said she, "that it

shall

beas

youhavesaid:"

Jupiter

swore: Juno

immediately quitted

the

Heavens, and by

her

power

put

off

the

birth

of

Hercules

for

a

day,

at

thesame

time

forwardingby

two

monthsthebirth

ofEurystheusthesonofSthenelus,

Amphitryon's

brother : bythis device

Eurystheus, contrary

to

the

intention

of Jupiter,

was

madethemasterof

Hercules

his

illustrious cousin. * .

When

Alcmenabecame

a

jnothe'r, she

hadtwo

children, twins, Hercules the son of fupiter,

and

Iphiclus the son

of

AiiSphitryon :

ajie

chil

dren wereonlyeightTOonthsoldwhenJ*uotff still

urgedbyherformer'

hatred,

rsent

two

monstrous

serpents to destroy Hercules inthecradlewhere

they lay : Iphiclus, terrir? ( T*at thesight,

crept

outofthe

cradle, and

alarmed

the

whole

Jrous-

hold with

his

shrieks:

bfttwhen

the)' cameinfo

see what

was

the

matter

they

found

Herfcules

lying

unmoved,

holdingwith

each

handthe

nexks

ofthe

serpents

in

hisgrasp:*when

he

let go, Uiey

were

dead.

Herculesreceivedavery liberal education,and

this is amongthe

first

examples of refinement

in

Greece

:

weare

told

ofsix

masterswho

instructed

him,

Castor

in

the

art

of

defence,

Eurytus

in

the

use

ofthebow,

Autolycus todrive

a

war-chariot,

Eumolpusin

singing,

Linus

the

son of

Apollo

in

poetry,

music

and

history,

and

Chiron

the

Centaur in astronomy, medicine,andeveryother

< t Ov.Met. ix. 285 et seqq.



THE

NEMJEANLION. 219

art

which

was

then

known:

when

he

was

only

eighteenyearsofage, he killedahugelion that

preyedupon

the

flocks

ofhis

father,

and

distin

guished

himself

by

otherextraordinary achieve

ments.

Herculeswas

nowbecome

completely

aman,

when

Eurystheus,instructed

byJuno,summoned

him

to

appear

before

him

at

Mycenae,

that

he

mightperform thoseactsofsubjectionwhichfate

hadassigned

him:Herculesat first refused; but

Juno

afflicted

himwith

madness,and

in

hislucid

intervals he consulted

the

oracle

of

Apollotow

he

was

to be delivered from this calamity:

the

oracletold

him

there

was

no

other remedy

for

him,

than

to

be

twelve

years

the

slave

of

Eurys

theus, and

to

perform

twelve

labours

whichEu

rystheus should impose

upon

him,: Hercules re

paired

to the

court of

Mycenae, where

he

hada

better right to the throne

than

the

king

that

reigned,

and,

told Eurystheus thathewas

come

to performwhateverhemightthink fit to enjoin:

he

came

crowned

with-

the

gifts

of

all

the

Gods

Minerva

had

given himasuitofarmour,Apollo

abovandarrows, Mercurya

sword,

Neptunea

horse, Vulcan

a

clubofbrass,and

his

father

Ju

pitera

shield.

The

first

labour in

whichEurystheusemployed

him,

was the

destruction of

the

Nemaeanlion:

this

was

a

much

more

terrible

creature

than

that

hehadkilledwhenhewas

astripling

:

the

Ne

maean lion, theoffspringofOrthus

and

Chimaera,

hadbyJuno's

enchantment

fallen from thecircle

of the moon,

and

was invulnerable by

any

weapon

Hercules

tried his divine

arrows

in

vain,and

at

last, having

bruised the,, monster

exceedingly

with

his

club,

he

destroyed

it

by



220

HYDRA,

&c.

hugging

it

in his

arms

:

he

from

that

time

fori

wardwore

the skin of

this lion :

Eurystheuswas

so

terrified at

the

sightofthe

skin,

thatheever

after

forbad Hercules

from entering

the

cityof

Mycenaewhenhereturnedfrom hisachievements,

andspoke to himfrom

a

brazen bastion

in

the

walls.

The

second labour

of

Hercules

was

the

destruc

tion

of

the

Hydra,the daughter ofEchidna,

whichhas

already been

mentioned : thiscreature

inhabitedthe banksof

the

Lerna?anlake

: it

was

shapedlikeadragon,

and

had

a

hundred heads:

beside which, if anyone of

these

headswere

destroyed, it wasthe nature of the animal for

two

others

immediately

to

spring

up

in

its

place:

Hercules attacked the

monster

with his clubof

brass: but finding all

his

efforts ineffectual, he

instructed

hisfriend and charioteer,

Iolas,

set

fire to a

neighbouring

wood, and have/always

ready

a

brand, with

which,

as

soon

as

Hercules'

haddemolishedoneof

theheads,Iolaswas

kysear

the

wound

bythis

contrivanceHercules

k led

theHydra;and dippinghis arrows in

the'

blood,

thewounds

he

gave ever after

were mortal

and

incurable.

His third labour was to catch the hind of

CEnoe, whose

feet

were

brass, and

whose horns

weregold :

this,

like mostofthe

laboursofHer

cules, costhim

a

year

:

the

hind

was

sacred

to

Diana,

and

therefore

Hercules

was forbidden to

woundher:

at

last

he overtookthe

animal,and

brought it

on his shoulders to

the presence

of

Eurystheus.

-

Thefourth labour of Hercules was the con

questoftheErymanthianboar:

thishas

sometimes

been

confounded

with

the

Calydonian

boar

killed



AUGEAS'SSTABLE, &e. 221

by.

Meleager

:

Hercules

took

this

furious

animal

alive.

His

fifth labour

was

cleansing the stables of

Augeas king of Elis, in which threethousand

oxen were

kept,

andwhich

had

not

been

cleansed

for

thirty years :

Hercules undertook todothis

in

a

day Augeasdid not believehim,

but pro

mised

him

a

tenth

part of

the

oxen

as i t

is

re

ward if he

performed it:

Hercules, witha truly

grand conception, turned the river Alpheus

throughthe

mews

of

Augeas Augeas

said this

was

a cheat,

and

withheld the

reward; and

Her

cules killed

thetyrant.

His

sixth

labour

wasto

kill

the

Stymphalian

birds,

whose

pinions,

beaks

and

talons

were

of

iron,

and

whofed uponhumanflesh: these six

labours

were achieved within the

limits of

Pelo

ponnesus.

Th$seventh labour of Hercules

was

to

take

aliveShrill, whichNeptune

had

sentagainstthe

islandof

Crete,

to

punish

Minosfor

having ne

glected

his

sacrifices.

.

The/eighth

labour

of

Hercules

was

to bring

away

the mares ofDiomedes

king

ofThrace,

whose breath

was fire,

and

whowere

fed

with

human

flesh;

Diomedescaused every stranger

whocameinto

his

country

tobe

thrown

to these

mares to

be

devoured

: Herculeshowever

resisted

theofficers of the

king,

andat lengththrew

the

tyrant himself to

be

eaten byhisowncattle:

I

supposeheafterward tamed thesewild

creatures,

andtaughtthemto

be

contentwith

vegetablesand

corn.

* ,

Eurystheus

wasastonishedby

theconstant

suc

cesses

of Hercules,

andwas

tired of the services

of so powerfula subject : heseemstohavebeeu

l3 .



222 HIFPOLITA,GERYON.

almost

at

the

end

of

his

invention

:

he

bad

heard

that Hippolita queen of

the

Amazons

in Asia,

worethe most

beautifulgirdle

in theworld :

he

commanded

Hercules to fetch this girdle, and

daughterofEurystheus

:

Hercules

accomplished

this

task, and is said to havedestroyed thewhole

nation

before

he

could

possess

himself

of the

girdle.

Thetenth

labour ofHercules was

one of the

most terrible

in

which

he

ever

engaged

:

it

was

to

bring

awaythe purple-coloured oxen ofGe

ryon,amonsterwith three heads,

the

brother

of

Echidna, and the uncle

of

Orthus, Cerberus,

Hydra

and

Chimaera: Geryonlived

in

theisland

of Gades

in

Spain, and

he had

Orthus,

his

nephew,

whowas

adog

withtwo

heads,besidea

dragon with

seven heads, to guard bis

cattle':

Hercules

killedGeryon

and

thedog

and the

dra

gon,

and

broughtawaytheoxen : manyattempts

were madeto rob Hercules of his prize, as he

drove themalong through

Spain,

Italy and

Sicily:

somerobbers fellupon

him

in hissleep,

and

others endeavoured to overpowerhimwith

numbers;

buthebaffledanddefeatedthem

all.

Theeleventh

labour of

Hercules was thega

thering thegolden apples in thegarden of the

Hesperides,

and

the killing

of

the dragonwho

was appointed toguardthem Hesiod

says

that

the

garden

of

theHesperides

was

tothenorth

be

yond

thelimits

of

the ocean: along

journey

for

Hercules to perform : he

first applied

to the

nymphsof the

Eridanus

in

Italy

to

know

where

these appleswere to befound : theyreferredhim

to Nereus,

God

of

the

sea,

whom

theherocaught

in

his chains,and

in

spiteofavariety

offorms

makea present of it to



HERCULESINHELL.

223

which

Nereus

successively

assumed,

Hercules

compelled him

to

answer:

Nereus

toldHercules

that

if

he applied to Prometheus,

whomhe

would

find

chained

tomountCaucasus,hewould

be informed

of

every

particular:

Prometheus,

whowasthe

most

crafty,and

if

wemaybelieve

Hesiod', the most faultless of existing beings,

sent

Hercules

to Atlas:

the

site

of

Atlas,

which

isnow

the

nameof

a

mountain in

Africa, seems

once

to

have

been placed far to the north of

mountCaucasus: Atlas informed Hercules, that

ifhe

wouldfor

a

shorttime

take

theweight

of

the

heavens

from

his

shoulders,

who

was

condemned

to bear them, hewould afford his visitor every

assistance

in

his

power:

Atlas

was

the

grand

fatheroftheHesperides,andhisinstructionswere

final: Hercules killedthedragon,and

possessed

himselfof

theapples.

Eurystheus hadbut onemorecommandthat

hewas

permitted toimpose

uponthis extraordi

narymortal

:

theoffice hechosewasthatofbring

ingupto thefaceofthesun,Cerberus thetriple-

headed

dog

that

guarded

the

entrance

of

Hell:

Herculesdescendedbya

cavern

ofmountT

enarus

in

Laconia:

Cerberus no sooner saw

him,

than

he

tookrefuge

beneaththestepsof

Pluto's

throne

:

Hercules castathreefold chain round his three

necks, and dragged him, in spite

of all the

re

sistance

he

could make, to

the

gatesof

Mycenae:

Pluto

at

the

same

time

permitted

this illustrious

sonofJupiter tobringawaywith himthetwo

friends, Theseus and

Pirithous, who

had

been

condemned

for

their

misdemeanourto

sit

forever

upona stoneat theentrance ofPluto's palace-

'

Axaxmx

Ilpopiflnif.

Theog.

613.

L

4



224

HERCULES

ANDANTjBUS.

several

of

the

labours

of

Hercules

remind

us

of

GuyearlofWarwickand certain heroes

in

the

Christianromances, and

are

stronglyrepresenta

tive of

an

uncultivated

age,

whenone

of

the

greatest public services that could be achieved,

consisted in thedestruction ofwild beasts.

Herculeshadnow

completed

his periodofsub

jugation

to

Eurystheus,

and

became

a

free

man

:

buttherest ofhis life was spent in feats of valour

scarcely less desperate than the twelve

labours

I

have

described.

HevanquishedAntaeus,agiantofLybia,sixty-

fourcubitshigh:

Antaeuswas the

sonof

theSea

and theEarth : heforced all travellers to wrestle

with him,andthen killed, and I suppose

ate

them:

whatchance

had

a moderatemanwitha

giantsixty-fourcubitshigh ? Hercules accepted

his

challenge:

three

times

he

threw

Antaeusto

the

groundwithsuch force,

that

he thoughthehad

killed him Hercules however presently per

ceived that, as soon asAntaeus fell

uponhis

mo

ther, the

Earth,

he

derivednew

vigour

from the

contact,

and

returned

to

thestruggle

fresher

than

ever : finding therefore that it

was

necessaryto

change

his

mode

of

attack, Hercules

caught

the

monster

tohisbreast,and

squeezed

himto death

in his arms.

There

is a

pleasantstory

told

byone

ofthe

an

cientauthors',

that

whenHercules fell asleepon

the

sands

after

the

conquest

of

Antaeus,

he

was

set

uponby

an

arrnyof pigmies:

the

pigmies' were

a race

of

men

threeinches high: they built their

houses of egg-shells, and whenthe corn they

had

sown

was ripe

for the

harvest,

they

came

3 Philoitr. Icon. i i . 22.

1 Schol.in I I .

y.

6.



busiris:CACUS.

withaxes

tohew

it

down,

as

men

of

ordinary

sta

turefell trees : theyhadonceayear a

fierce

and

bloodywarwiththecranes,whocomingin bodies

at a

certain

season,andtaking

them

for pismires

or

some

such insignificant

animal,

thought to

makeadelicate

meal

ofthem this gallantnation

howeverpresentlytaught thebirds thedifference

between

a

pismire

and

a

pigmy

how

after

these

battlesthey

ventured

to meddlewith

Hercules

I

knownot: theyshottheirarrows withgreatfury

at hisarms and legs

:

atlength thehero awoke,

andbeing

highly pleased

with their courage,

wrappeda battalion ofhisassailantsin theskinof

the

Nemaeanion, and

carried

them

as

acuriosity

to

Eurystheus.

When

Hercules

passed

through

Egypt,

Busiris

waskingof thecountry : Busiris was

an

intole

rable

tyrant,

and oneinstanceofhis crueltywas,

thathesacrificed

whatever

stranger

cameinto

the

country uponthealtar of Neptune,whohesaid

washis father: BusirisseizedHercules,regardless

of

the

nameof Jupiterwhose

son

he

was,

and

dragged

him

to

the

place

of

sacrifice

:

but

Her

culesburst his chains;andbyhelaw of retali

ation of which thehero was fond, he slewthe

tyrant

hpon

his

own

altar.

Virgil*

has

left us avery fine description of a

combat

between Hercules and

the

robber

Cacus,

who

is

saidto

have

been the

son

of

Vulcan

and

Medusa:

Cacus

attempted

to

steal

from

Hercules

someof the

oxen

of Geryonwhich

thehero was

conductingfrom

Spain : thatHercules might not

findhis lost cattlebytheirfootsteps, Cacusdrag

gedthembackwardsbytheir tails

to

hisden

:

but

r

JExu

viii. 185 et seqq. Ov. Fasti, i . 547.



226 PILLARSOFHERCULES,

&c.

they

betrayed

the

thief

bytheir

lowing

for

the

loss

of

their

companions.

WhenHercules

was

in Spain, he is said to

havetorn asunder

the

promontories

of

Gibraltar

and

Ceuta,whichwerebefore

joined,by

theforce

of

hisarm

andto

have

erected there

certain

pillars,

afterward

called

the

pillars ofHercules,

tomark

what

he

considered

as

the

western

extre

mity

ofthe

world.

He

shot the vulture

whichpreyed

uponthe

liver

of Prometheus,

after that illustrious

perso

nage hadsuffered this torment

for

thirtyyears:

this

wasprobably

whenhewasseekingthe

apples

of the

Hesperides: the early

Greeks

troubled

themselves

but

little

about

chronology;

otherwise

they would surely have interposed ' morethan

thirty

years

betweenthe creationofmanandthe

labours

ofHercules.

Hetookandpillaged thecity

of

Troy

ofthis

morewill be

said

when

Icome

to

speak ofthe

kings

of

Troy.

Hercules

was

oneof theheroeswhoembarked

in

theexpedition of

theArgonauts": he

was

left

however bythe

rest

of the crewontheAsiatic

coast beforethey arrived atColchis : his friend

Hylasbadbeen

drowned,and

whileHerculeswas

in questofhim,the

ship

sailedx.

It hasalreadybeen seenthatHerculesmadea

distinguished

figure

in defending

Jupiterand

the

otherGodsinthe

war

of the

Giants

againstHea

ven

: fate

haddecreedthat the

kingof

Godsand

mencouldnever

succeed

in this war, unlesshe

called

a

mortaltohis assistance: this idea pro

digiouslyexalts our notion ofHercules; at the

vApelLRbod.

a.

129.

*

Id. a. 1861 et wqq.



HERCULESSPINNING. 227

same

time

that

it

lowers

our

conception

of

the

Grecian

Gods,

andshewsthat, in personal

prowess

atleast, theywerelittle superior tothestrongest

men.

Afterhavingconsidered Hercules

as

theindis

pensable

ally

of

the

greatest

of

theGods,it

is

somedescentfrom

thiselevationto relate

thehis

toryofhiswives.

Oneofthefirst personsfor

whom

he

conceived

thepassionoflove

was Iole,

the

daughter

ofEa-

rytus,theherowhohad

first instructedhim

in

the

useof thebow:Eurytus, confidentin his supe

rior

skill,

issued

adeclaration

that,

if anyone

could conquerhim

in this his favouriteexercise,

hewouldgivetothat personhisdaughter'shand

in

marriage:

Hercules

accepted

the

challenge,

andvanquished

hismaster : but

Eurytus,

vexed

toseehimself thusdefeated, refused toabideby

his

engagement.

Oneof theladies that

won

the heart of the

mightyHercules

wasOmphalequeenofLydia.

he

was

so

desperatelyenamouredof this

princess

thatshe

made

him

do

what

she

pleased

:

shecom

mandedhim

todress

himself in femalegarb,and

spin

amongher

women she took pleasure

in

seeming

angrywith

him, and givinghimablow

wheneverhe

handledthe

distaffaukwardly

Her

culesforgot foratimeall

hiswondrous

exploits,,

andwhoeversawhim

in this

degraded situation

would

have

taken

him

for

the

most

effeminate

of

mankind.

Lastly, the lady whomakesthe principal

figure in

the

history of

Hercules,

and who

was

actuallyhisbride,wasDejanirathe sister ofMe-

leager : one

memorable

adventure thathappened

to

him

withDejanira,was

that,

endeavouringto.

l6,

,



228 THEPOISONEDSHIRT.

cross

a

river

in

a

flood,

the

centaur

Nessus,

half

man

andhalf

horse,came

up, and offered

to carry

Dejanira across

on

his

back

: Herculesconsented,

butassoonasthey

had

gotover,observedNessus

behaving

rudelyto his

wife: helet

fly at

him

one

of

his arrows dipped in

the

blood of the

Hydra,

and Nessus waskilled : but before the centaur

died,

being

bent

on

revenge,

he

made

Dejanira

carefully preserve theshirt hewore, assuring the

foolish princessthat it was gifted withsuchvir

tue, that if herhusbandeverabated

in his

affec

tions

to her, hehadbut to puton that

shirt, and

theywouldreturn

as forcibly

as ever:

Nessus

knew

in

hisheart that

the

shirt

was impregnated

with

the

blood

of

the

Lernaean

Hydra

from

the

arrow

thatslewhim, a

poison whidvcgultr'

never

be washed out, and which

would

prove fatal

to

whoever

attempted

to

put

it on.

Sometime

after

this Herculesmet

with

lole, the

object

of

his

first

affections:

her

father was now

dead, and

she

wascompletely her

ownmistress

:

Hercules

was

going

to

perform

a

sacrifice

on

mount GEta on

the borders

of Thessaly, and

begged her

to

goalong withhim: before

hebe

ganthesacrifice, he

recollected that hehad

not

the sacredgarments proper for

the

occasion :

he

senthis servantLichas to fetchthem fromDeja

nira : Dejanira

asked

whoHercules

had

gotalong

with

him: Lichas namedlole: inflamed at the

mention of arivalshe had

always

feared, Deja

nirawent to herwardrobe, and

fetchingoutthe

shirtofNessus, folded

itupwith

the

rest of

the

thingswhich

Hercules

had

sentfor.

Hercules put on

the

fatal shirt, and presently

felt theeffects ofit: it clung to his flesh, and oc

casioned himindescribable

torments

: hecuden



DEATHOTHERCULES. 229

voured

totear

it

off;

he

tore

awaythe

flesh,

but

still the

venomremained: in

the

first

transportof

hisanguishhe caught

upLichas,

the bearer of

thepresent, and who

hadbeen the

causethat it

wassent, and hurledhiminto

the

sea, whereby

thepower

of

theGodshewas

turned

intoarocky.

Seeinghoweverthat his death wasnow

inevit

able,

Hercules

recovered

all

his

magnanimity

and

presenceof mind hehad with himPhiloctetes,

one

ofthe Argonauts1: he

ordered

this

heroand

his

other servants

to

prepare

for hima funeral

pile: he ascended it withno

marks

of

fear and

astonishment: he delivered to Philoctetes as his

last legacy

his quiverandhis arrows,

and

ordered

him

to

set

fire

to

the

pile:

his

last

act

was

to

re

quireao/oathfrom hisattendantsthatthey

should

discover fj>

no

one

theplace where theclosing

sceneof

hip, lifewas

transacted: Homer'says

that

the

siSfcov orshade

of

Hercules

wanders

in

the

in

fernal regions: but his immortal partwas

taken

uptoHeavenbyJupiter,whogavehimHebeto

wife,

the

Goddess

ofperpetual

youth.

Thereis

an

interestingstory

of

theadventures

of Philoctetes with

the

arrows of Hercules : an

oracle hadassured the

chiefs

leagued against

Troy,that theywould

nevertake

thetown, un

less

they

carried

withthemthearrows of

Hercu

les:

Hercules haddisappeared from

the

face of

the

earth,

but

no

one

knew

what

was

become

of

him

some

believedthat

hewasgoneon

a

distant

expedition

tothe

extremities

of

the

earth

:

Ulys

ses,

the

most craftyof

the

chiefs,

went

in

search

ofPhiloctetes,

the

dearestfriend of Hercules:

he

y Ov. Met. ix. 1

et

seqq. 2 Philoctetes is not in the list of

the Argonauts givenbyApollonius Rhodius. He is however

mentioned

by

Valeriu*

Flaccus

and

Hygimu.

a

Od.

601.



230

FRAUD

OF

PHILOCTETES.

found

him

in

a

cavern

of

mount

CEta:

from

his

silenceand

his

sorrowUlysses

became

convinced

that Hercules

was

dead : hedemanded

of

Philoe-

tetes

where

his asheshad been deposited : by

his

artful manners and his insinuationhe

wrung

this

secret

fromPhiloctetes,

notwithstandinghisoath:

Philoctetes ledhimto the spot,

and

thoughhe

would

notspeak

what

he

had

promised

to

conceal,

hepointedouttheplacebystrikinguponit with

his fool.

Philoctetesthen

embarkedwiththe

other

chiefs

againstTroy, carrying

with himthe

arrows of

Hercules:

they

touched

at the

islandof

Lemnos,

and there Philoctetes, attempting

to

shoot

at a

bird, let fall

an

arrowon his guilty foot: it only

rased the skin,

but

the

consequencewas

such

agonies,thatthecriesofPhiloctetesfrightenedthe

wholecampof

the

Greeks, and thestanchofhis

woundwas

intolerable: they left him

for

nine

yearson this uninhabited shore: at

length,

find

ing

that

his

presencewas

still

necessary to them,

they returned : they brought

along

with tbem

Machaon

and

Podalirius,physicians,

who

healed

Philoctetesofhiswound,and

Troysnrrenderedb.

Hercules, likeBacchus, wasnot originally a

nativeof

Greece:

in

other

words,

there

wasa

Hercules,

beforetheexistence

of

the

Theban

Her

cules: it hasbeenremarked,

that

even

thename

is

notanativeof theGreeklanguage,

but

hasbeen

transplanted

from

some

foreign

source

:

the

origi

nal

Hercules

was

probably

a

conqueror and

a

le

gislator, and hisname

was

given to personsborn

inasubsequentage, aswecall ourchildrenAlex

ander,

andAugustus,

and

Arthur, andAlfred

:

»

Horn.

U./3.718. Find. Pyth, i . 92. Soph, in Philoct.



DIFFERENTHERCULESES. 231

the

Greek

story

leads

him

through

many

parts

of

the world, to Spain, toLybia, to

mount

Cau

casus,

andprobably

farnorthof that

mountain :

theEgyptianhistorians

speak

of

a

Hercules,

the

lieutenant

of

Osiris, that

is, of

Bacchus

(of

what

ever

partof

theworld

thetrue

Bacchuswas

ana

tive): the

Greeks

seem tohavejoinedtogether

all

the

exploits

ascribed

to

any

man

whoever

bore

the

nameofHercules,that

they

mightdothegreater

honourtothe

hero

ofThebes'.

c HesiodTheog. et

Scut.

Here.pass. Apollodoros,

i i .

4,

5, 6

et 7. Ov.Ep. iz. Deian.

ad

Here.



232

CHAP.XXV.

OF

THEARGONAUTICEXPEDITION.

Pelias

and

jEsoii,

Kings of

Thessaly.

Jason,

Son

oF

jEson, appears in his Father's Capital withoneShoe.

— DemandsJusticeoftheUsurper. StoryofPhryxus.

and Helle. Jasonundertakes the Voyagein Search

of the

Golden Fleece.

Is accompanied by all the

Heroesof

Greece.

Visits

Hypsipyle,

QueenofLem-

nos.

Deli+ers Phineus, the BlindProphet,

from

the

Persecution

of

the

Harpies. Passes

the

Cyauean

Bocks.

Assisted by

Medea, a Sorceress, he over

comesthe Guardiansof the

Golden

Fleece. Medea

goesoff with him. Tears her

Brother

Absyrtus to

Pieces. Makes old iEsonyoung

again.

HerKettle

for restoring

Youth. Murders

herown

Children.

Escapesthroughthe

Air

in

a

Chariotdrawn

by

Fiery

Dragons.

History

of

Circe.

Fourgreathistoricaleventsform

the

conclu

sion

of

thefabuloushistory

of

Greece: theexpe

dition of the

Argonauts,

the first andsecond

sieges

ofThebes,

and the destruction

of

Troy

these

stories long

occupied

thepens

of

theancient

poetswho

sought for

fame

in

the

compositionof

the

epic,

that

is,

of

a

species

of poetry

treating

at largeofsomememorableevent

in history,and

usually

consisting

oftwelveortwenty

-four

parts,

or

books,and

perhapsoftwenty

thousand verses :

wehave remaining theArgonautics

of

Apollo-

nius Uhodius

in Greek,andof ValeriusFlaccus

inLatin;

the

Thebais

ofStatius, a Latin poet,



BIRTHOFJASON,

233

on

the

first

siege

of

Thebes

;

and

the

Iliad,

or

siegeof

Troy, by

Homer.

The storyof the

Argonautic

expedition is as

follows: Cretheus4, king of Iolchos a town in

Thessaly,

had

a

son

named

jSCson,

who

when

-Cretheus died

ought

to

have

succeeded to

the

Ihrone: but the mother ofiEson

had

a

sonby

Neptune,

called

Pelias,

before

her

marriagewith

Cretheus:

,andat thedeceaseof Cretheus, Pelias

usurped

thecrown,anddrove/Esonintobanish

ment:iEsonhadone

son,calledJason,

ayouthof

thegreatesthopes,whomheprivatelycommitted

to thecare

of

Chiron, the centaur, thepreceptor

of

so

manyheroes

:

when

Jason

grewto

man's

estate, filled-withthestoryofhis

father's

wrongs,

he

left

Chiron,

and

hastened

to

visit

Iolchos,

having

formed a resolution boldly to

demand

from theusurper therestorationofhiskingdom

heexpected

that

his

appearance,

andthe

justice

of

his claim,wouldinterest thecitizens ofIolchos

in hisfavour, andhewasnot

disappointed

:

as

the

gallant stripling,

on

foot and

alone,

ap

proached

his

patrimonial

dominion, he

was

stop

ped bythe courseof

the riverEnipeus

: Juno

saw his

difficulty, and

in

the

shape

of

an

old

woman

transported him

over

the

river through

theair: in thepassageoneofhissandals

dropped

from

his

foot, and

was carried

awayby

the

stream: themind of Jason was full of great

things,

and

suffered

no

disturbance

from

so

trivial

a circumstance: he entered

the

market-placeof

Iolchos, and related to the multitude he found

there,

whohewas, and

wherefore

hecame:his

Story, his nobleappearance, and thecourage of

Apollodorus,

i .

9.



236 HYPSIPVLEANDPHINEUS.

be

related

hereafter

:

the

name

of

the

ship

in

whichthey sailed

was

Argo, and

from

her the

adventurers have received

thename

of theAr

gonauts.

The

first considerable place at which they

touched

was

theisland of

Lemrtos

:

hereHypsi-

pylequeenofthecountry,conceivedapassionfor

Jason,and heand his companionsmadeanabode

of

two

years

in

the

island,

after

which

he

deserted

her: the story of Jason.andHypsipylebears

a

considerable

resemblance to the story of jEneaa

andDido, whichhas

been immortalised in

the.

versesof

Yrirgilc.

The

nextconsiderableadventure of, theArgo

nautswas the

deliveryof

Ph

incus

kiug.g&Sgit.hy-

nia

from

the

persecution

of

the

Ha'tyks

:

neus

the

sonof

Neptunehad

married (jPcVpatra,

daughter of theNorthWind Cleopatra*<tfed,

andthechildren she left

behind

werepersecuted

by

their

step-mother,

the

second

tyife of

VW\.s

shepretended I hat I heyhadformetl.a

pfo| fiiingt

his

life,

andinfluenced

byer,accusi iio7i,

.Ptmieus

ordered

that

they

should

trave

thfck

ey#sJUitout:

to

punish him

tor

this cruelty; theGods.struck,

himwith

blindness, and sent trie

Harpies iBktor

menthim the Harpies were

monsters

witn

the

faceof awoman,thebodyof a vulture, and the

claws

ofa

dragon

: they werein naturefilthyand

voracious; they devoured

the

food ofthe

king

of

liilhynia

as

soon

as

it

was

spread

upon

the

table,

andthey defiled what they did

not

devour : Ze-

thes and Calais, twoof the

Argonauts,

had

the

NorthWind

for

their father, and weretherefore

brothersofthedeadqueen Cleopatra : they how-

L

JEo. IT.



JASONANDMEDEA.

237

ever

thought

that

Phineus

had

suffered

enough,

and took

compassion

uponhim as you

might

expect from the

children of

theWind,

they

were

furnished with wings: they hunted and pursued

the Harpies, till they drove them lo the Stro-

phades, two islandsonthe further side of Pelo

ponnesus,whereiEncasafterward

found them.

Phineus,

in

gratitude

to

the

Argonauts

who

had

done

himthis essential

service,

instructed them

how

to avoid

IWeCyanean

rocks

at

theentrance

oftheEuxinesea

:

theserocks floated loosein the

sea, and if anyvesselattempted tomakeits way

between them, immediately

met together, and

crushedlfhevessel to pieces : themodeof avoid

ing

jhyimn>y

was

to

st

ikI

a

dove

before,

and

if

he

passed tmhiirt

through,

the

opening, thema-

riner-ftyglUffifelyfollow

: Phineus

is one of the

mostcelebfagd prophetsof antiquity.

iEeles,kirtg cj olchisV.

whither

theArgonauts

werebSurrifl was

a child

of

the

Sun, and

was

bro

ther

to Ciic artftrasiphae: whentheArgonauts

arrived

irfColcmVmeirst

objectof

Jason

was to

obtain

th*grfl er fleece,

and

he

remitted the

in

tention, if he

pajfl evefentertained it,

of

puttin'

iEetesto*dcath#

the

enterpriseofthegolden fleeue

however

woulilliavebeen toohard for him, if it

hadnot been for

Medea,

daughter

to

iEetes,

who

no sooner s%w the beautiful Jason, than by the

contrivance ofJunohis protector, sheimmedi

ately

fell

in

%jVewith

him

Medea

was

the

most

powerful sorceress

in the

historyof the

world :

it was easy therefore for her to

enable

Jasonto

accomplish

his

errand.

The

ram

whichhad bornethe

golden

fleece

was

dead,

and having

been taken

up

into heaven,

wasturned iutooneoftheconstellations : but his





MSOSMADEYOUNG

AGAIN. 239

What

was

the

surprise

of

jEeles,

when

the

next

day

hefound that theArgonautshadtaken

the

advantageof

the

night

to depart,

and had

carried

Medea

hisdaughteralongwiththem he

sent hisonly sonAbsyrtus in pursuitofthefugi

tives ; but Medea

was

ableto persuadeherbro

thertojoin in

her

flight :

thedangerhowever

did

not

end

here

:

JEetes

finding

his

son

did

not

re

turn, himself followedthepursuit : sorcerersare

always cruel: Medeaperceiving herselfalmost

overtaken,madeno scruple to4ear herbrother

Absyrtus in pieces,and scatterhismangledlimbs

in

theway:

iEetes

could

not

enduretheagonizing

spectacle: hestoppedto

gather

upthe

limbsof

Absyrtus,

and

the

lovers

escaped.

Atlength, through multiplied dangers, and

aftermany

years

absence,

the

Argonautsreturned

to Thessalywhence

they

set out:

both

iEsonand

Pelias weretiowrownoldanddecrepid: Jason's

first

visifr wa"s tojiis father

iEson,

andobserv

ing his great

infirmities,

he

applied

to

his

con

sort

and

fello\#traveller

Medea

and

asked

her

whether,she

had

ilO harmsby

which

shecould

make

art

okT

man

yo'hng

again :

shereplied

she

had

:

shedrew,the

wasted and

watery

blood from

the

body

of

iEson: sheinfused

the

juiceof

certain

potent

herbs

intohisveins ; and

iEson

rosefrom

theoperation tothe

full

asfresh andvigorous a

man

as his

son,

They

thenwent

tocourtto

demandthe

resigna

tion

ofPelias

:

they

found thehoary usurpersur

rounded with hisdaughters : theseladiesdeclared

that they could notthink

of

resisting so justa

claim;but,whiletheyretiredinto

private

life,they

requested

Medea

todothesamekindness for

their

father

which

she

had

already

done

for

iEson

:

she



240medea's

flight

throughthe

air.

said

she

would:

she

told

them

the

method

was

tocut theoldgentleman in pieces, and boil him

in a kettle, with an

infusion

of certain herbs ;

andhewould

come

outassmooth

and active

as a

child.

Thedaughters

of Pelias

a Utilescrupled the

operation : Medea,seeing

this, beggedthey

would

not

thinkshe

was

deceiving

them

if

however

they

harboured

any

doubts, she desired

(hey

would

bringher

the oldest ramfrom their flocks, and

they

should see theexperiment:

they did

so:

Medea

cutuptheram, cast in certainherbs,and

theold bell-weather

came

out as beautiful

and

in

nocent

a he-lambas

youever

beheld : thedaugh

ters

of

Pelias

were

now

satisfied:

theyvdj yided

(heir

old father in

pieces : but

he

wfsrtever re

storedeither to youthor life. f\

*t

After this Medeaand Jason, driveh\orit By

some rebellion of

the

people, whoafft*not

love

their

new

queen, retired to CuJTntlf? litre they

lived tenyears: Jason howeverVlastgrewtired

of

her

:

he

did

not

like to

have

a<%orccress

for

his

wife: he gave her notice fhat

he would

not

live with her

any longer"; andMedea, to

pu

nish his infidelity, murdered

thetwochildren

she

hadborne

him, before his face: Jason or

dered

her

to belakenintocustody,that shemight

be

brought to justice: but Medealaughed at his

threats,

and

mounting

a

chariot

dra*vn

by

fiery

dragons, flewawayto

Athens

: hereshe is

said

tohavebecomethe wife

of

iEgeusking of that

place .

Circe

wasthe sister

of iEetes and

Pasiphae,

and

was,

like

Medea

herniece, skilful in magic

Eur.

Medea.

Ov.

Ep.

liii. Med.

ad

Jas.



CIRCE.

341

she

had

besides

the

gift

of immortality*:

she

re

tired tojEaea,

an

island of theTyrrhenian sea,

and therelivedlike aqueen: shewasexquisitely

beautiful, but she

employed

the

charmsof her

person, andthe

seducing

graceof

her

manners,

to abad

purpose

: shepresented

toeverystranger

wholanded in her island, an inchanted cup

whichshe

intreated

him

to drink

: henosooner

tasted

it, than he

was

turnedinto

a

hog,andwas

driven

bytheGoddessto

herstyh: theunfortunate

stranger retained underthis filthy figuretheper

fect

consciousnessofwhat

he

was,

and

mourned

for ever

the

easinessof

temperbywhichhehad

been

reduced

to

this melancholy pass : this

is

a

lively

representation of

the

mischievouseffects of

intemperance,

by

which

a

man

makes

a

beast

of

himself.

sHonv

04-

1S6.

>

-

* Id.

i t .

232.



242

CHAP.XXVI.

OF

THE

ARGONAUTS.

Amphion

raises

the

Walls

of

Thebes

by

the

Music

of

his

Lute.

Orpheus,King

ofThrace. The

Wild

Beasts

and

theWoods

follow his

Music. Goes

to

Hell in

Pursuit of

Eurydice,

his Wife. Obtains

her

from

Pluto. — Loses her again.

— His

Tragical

Death.

Arion

saved

by

a Dolphin.

iEsculapius

after his

Deathbecomes

aSerpent. Apollokeeps theFlocks

ofAdmetus,

King

ofThessaly. Alcestis, Queen

of

Thessaly, consents to die for her Husband. Foot

raceof

Hippomenes

and

Atalanta,

wonbymeans of

theGolden

Applesof

theHesperides.

Jupitercourts

Ledain

the

FormofaSwan. Polluxshares

his

Im

mortality withCastorhis Brother.' *

Severalof

theArgonauts

were

famousfor

been doubted

whether

these exploits were per

formed bythe

Argonauts, or

by

other

personsof

thesamename this enquiryis notmaterial; and

where

the

persons

achievingtheseadventures lived

about

theperiodof

the

Argonauticexpedition, I

shall

not

think

it

worth

whiletopreservea

useless

distinction.

Theadventures

of

Herculeshave alreadybeen

related.

Amphion

was

thesonof Jupiterand

Antiope

Antiope

was

the niece

of

Lycus, viceroy

of

Thebes;andbeing cruelly treatedbyheruncle,

Amphion,with

histwin-brotherZethus,setupon

him,

put

him

to

death,

and

delivered

Antiope

some

instances



ORPHEUS

ANDEURYDICE. 243

from

her

dungeon Amphionnow

usurped

the

crown of Thebes :

he

wasa

skilful musician,

and played

admirably

on

the

lute,

inwhich

he

had been instructedbyMercury one extraordi

naryproof

he

gave of

his

skill was, that

being

desirous

tosurround

his

capital With

a

wall,

the

stones weremoved

bythe

sound of his instru

ment,

and

arranged

themselves

in

the

way

he

in

tended,withoutahumanhandbeing

once

applied

in

theerectionofthis miraculousbulwark':Thebes

wasinclosedbyAmphionwithawall,andin the

wall

there

were

sevenfamousgates.

Orpheuswas theson of Apollobyoneof the

Muses : heWasanative of Thrace,andone of

the

sovereigns

of

that

country

:

he

was

the

most

accomplished musician thateverexisted : when

heplayeduponhislyre, thesavagebeasts forgot

theirnature,

and

assembled

roundhim,thewoods

camedownfromthemountainsandfollowed his

steps,andthemostrapid

rivers

ceasedtoflow.

Orpheus

married

Eurydice,

one

of the

wood-

nymphs*,

but

Aristafus,

another son

of

Apollo,

and

whois

theGodsupposed

to

preside

over

the

cultivation

of

olivesand

of

thebee,

fell in

love

withher at

the

same

time,

and endeavoured

to

persuadeher togive himher company Eury

dicedisdained his overtures,andone dayrun

ningawayfrom Aristaeus

that

shemightescape

his

importunities, she

was

stung

by

aserpent

so

thatshedied.

Never

did husband

doat

upon

a

wife

asOr

pheusdoaled

uponEurydice

: confident in the

musicof his lyre, he

set out for

the realms of

Pluto

in pursuitofher

:

whenhebegan his celes

tial strains, all Hellwas suspended at

thesound

:

•

Horn.

A.

959.

PaUs.

ix.

17.

Horat

i i i .

Od.

11.

M2



244

ORPHEUS

MURDERED.

the

wheelof

Ixion

slopped,

the

stone

of

Sisyphus

lay

still,

and Tantalus forgot his raging thirst:

Pluto

and Proserpine

relentedandpermittedEu-

rydice

to

return

to earth,

upon

condition

that

Orpheusshould

walk

before her,andnot once

lookback

till

they werebeyondthelimitsof the

infernalregions: Orpheuspersisted for a consi

derable

time

to

observe

the

injunctions

he

hadre

ceived : hewas

now

inthelast circleof Hell :

at

length

he

stood still ; helistened for the

steps of

Eurydice,

but

could

hear

nothing

;

Eurydice

had

stopped as well as

her husband:

shewasclose

behind

him,

but they wereforbidden to

speak

:

howcould hehelp looking round ?

he

badno

sooner

done

so,

than

she

became

again

a

ghost

:

she flitted along from

field to

field,

and

from

circle to circle :

Orpheushastened

to followher:

butnowthe stern centinels of Hellwouldnot

sufferhimto

proceed*.

Orpheus

returned

toearthalone,andmore

dis

consolate

than

ever: he avoided all

human

so

ciety

as

much

as

he

could

:

he

particularly

re

fused to speak to, orso muchas

to

lookupona

woman:

the Thracian

women,

his subjects, re

sented this contempt:

one

daywhenthey were

celebrating the mysteries of Bacchus, inflamed

with

the

wild

ceremonies of this festival,

they

workedthemselves

up

into

a

fury, andfellupon

the

unfortunate

Orpheus:

they

torehis

body

into

a

thousand

pieces, and cast it with

the

bead

into

the river Hebrus:

to the last Orpheusretained

his unconquerablepassion for Eurydice, andit

is

said that

as his

head

floated

downtheriver,

his

tonguestill repeated

her

belovedname, till it

k Virg.Georg. iv. 454et seqq.



ARION

ANDTHEDOLPHIN. 245

was

lost

amongthe

waves

of

the

ocean,

and

could

beheard nomore1.

In the

expedition

of the

Argonauts,

Orpheus

renderedeminent

serviceto

his

fellow-voyagersas

they passedthe

caves

of Sirens

: he

notonly had

fortitudeenoughto

resistthe

blandishments

ofthese

deities:

healsoexerted

biseloquence

to

that

end

with

his

companions: and

the

persuasions

of

Or

pheus

were

more

seducing, than themagical in

cantationsof thesedangerousdeceivers".

Arion

may

fitly be mentioned

for

his skill

in

music with AmphionandOrpheus, thoughhe

wasno

Demigod,

but apoet of Greececontem

porary

with

Sappho

and

Anacreon: hewas ana

tiveeif*the island of Lesbos, but settled at Co

rinth,

under

the

patronage

of

Periander

king,

or

tyrantasheis called, of

thatplace: having

ac

cumulated considerable wealth, he

was

desirous

of

returning

to

hisown

country,

and

hireda

Co

rinthian vessel forthat

purpose

:

the

mariners re

solved todestroy

him

for thesakeof his riches :

having informed himof

their

determination,

Arion

requested

to

bepermitted

to

playone

more

pieceof music

on

his lyrebefore hequitted the

world : themariners weredesirousof hearing

so

exquisite a performer,

andreadily consented

:

havingfinishedaheavenly air, Arionleaped from

the

poop

of thevessel intothe sea,

where

a

dol

phin, attracted

by

his music, and

unseen

bythe

mariners,

waited

for

him

the

dolphin took

Arion

onhis

back,

and

carried

himsafetoGreece, so

thatthepoet returned on foot

to

the

court

of

Pe

riander: Perianderkepthimsecretly: aftersome

timethe

vessel

cameback,and

Periander,

having

1

Ot.

Met.i et seqq. »

Apoll.Rhod.S.

885 et

>eqq.

,

M

3



jESCULAPICC.

sent for the mariners, demandedofthemwhat

they haddone with Arion

?

they had

left him

safe, theysaid,inLesbos, wherehehad been re

ceivedwith

great

joybyhis

relations

and coun

trymen: as they said this, Arion to theirutter

confusion camein

from an

adjoiningapartment :

and being thus convicted ofconspiracyandfor

gery,

Periander ordered

themall to be putto

death".

- ./Esculapiuswas oneofthe Argonauts:

he

was

the son

of

Apollo

by

one of the

nymphs,

and

was

given,

like

manyother heroes of

that

time,

tothecelebrated Chiron to beeducated : for his

skill in medicine hemaybe considered

as

the

most

eminent

of

thepupilsofChiron :

no

disease

could

resist

the

efforts

of

his

art,

and

he

was

even

said to restorethe dead

to

life

: at

length Plirto #

onunmolested,hisrealmwouldbequjtoepopu-

lated;

andJupiter,

to

please

his

brother suvek

iEsculapius

dead0

witha

thunderbolt

a

strange

treatmentfrom the

father

of theGods'

towardan

eminent

benefactor

of

his

creatures..'.

iEsculapius was

principally

worshipped at

Epidaurus,whichappearstohavebeenhisbirth

place

: theRomansabout three hundred years

before Christ, being

visited

by

a

plague, were

directed

bythe

Sibylline

books

tofetch

iEscula

piusfrom thisplace: they sent an embassyfor

that

purpose:

and

while

the

vessel

lay

in

the

har

bour, ahugeserpentcame

on board the sacred

ship: the

serpent,

whichis themost long-lived

ofanimals, andwhich

by

casting its sloughre

news

its

youth

annually, is theemblemof

Jiscu-

com

plained,

thatif thisman



APOLLOTURNEDSHEPHERD. 847

lapius:

the

ambassadors

therefore

rejoiced

at

the

appearance of this serpent,

andtended

it care

fully, believing it tobenootherthaniEsculapius

himself:

theyconveyed it to

Rome,

builta

tem

ple

for

its habitation, andjEsculapius

wasever

after

worshipped thereunder the form of a ser

pent » .

Admetus,

king

of

Phera?

in

Thessaly,

was

an

otherof

the

Argonauts,

andhis history

is con

nected

with

thatofiEsculapius : Apollo was

ex

ceedingly afflicted at

the

deathof hisson,andto

avengehimself, attacked theCyclops,

the

forgers

of Jupiter's thunderbolts, andkilled someof

them thiswasan

offenceagainstthe

majesty

of

Heaven

to

punish

so

audacious a

proceeding,

JupitercondemnedApollo

to

nine

years'

banish

ment and

the

Godwasreduced

tosuchnecessity

astobeobliged tokeep

theflocksof

Admetusfor

hissubsistence:

here

he

taught

to

the shepherds

of

Admetus

the

useof the

pipeand

other

instru

ments

of music ; andthese

pastoral

people,

who

had

beforeled

a

savage

life,

became

so

happy,

thattheGods,

fearful

lest mortalsshouldbecome

happier

thanthemselves,suddenly

recalled

Apollo

to Heaven.

Duringtheresidenceof

Apollo

inthe

dominions

of

Admetus,

pleased

withthe kind treatmenthe

received, theGodpromised his master that he

should

never

die,

if,

whenever

the

Fates

called

forhim,another

person

couldbefoundwhowould

lay

downhis life

forhis

sake:

Admetusmarried

Alcestis, one

of

thosedaughters

of

Pelias whose

zealfor

the

restoration

of

their

father's

youthhad

turnedoutsounfortunately: thesamecharacter

t EpitomeLiv. i i .

M

4



248 JUPITERAND1EDA.

led

her

with

more

enlightened

affection

to

offer

her

life for her husband:

Hercules in

hisexpe

ditiontotheinfernalregions, is saidonce

more

to

harebroughtherbacktomortalexistence*.

Atalantawas

a

femalewho,from

a

loveofen

terprise, disguised herself in man's attire, and

engaged in the Argonautic expedition : as

she

was

extremely

beautiful,

many

princesdesired

to

marry

her, but she determined

to

lead

a

life of

celibacy : to

get

rid of

their importunities,

she

proposedafoot-race

tothem,

with

thesame

con

dition asthe

chariot-race

ofGEnomausking of

Elis,

thatif theywontheracetheyshouldobtain

her hand,and

if

theywere baffled they should

suffer

death:

Atalanta

was

unequalled

in

swift

ness,

andmany

suitors

lost their

lives

in thishard

competition

: last of all cameHippomenes,the

sonof

Macareus Venus

bestowed

upon

himpre

viously

tothe racethreegolden

apples

fromthe

gardens

of

the

Hesperides

: thesehethrewonthe

groundas he ran ;

and

Atalanta

struck

with

their

beauty, could notrefrain from stoopingto

pick

them

up

thusHippomenes

wonthe race

and thelady'.

Castor

and

Pollux, also Argonauts, werethe

twin-sons

of Leda,

wife

of Tyndarusking of

Sparta: Jupiterbecameenamoured

ofLedaas

he

sawherbathing: hetookthe

form

of

a beau

tiful

swan,

and

soon wonthe fair lady's

heart:

they

had

frequent

conversations,

and

after

a

time

Ledabecame

a

motheroftwins,of

whomPollux

was

the

sonofJupiter,and

Castor

ofTyndarus

as

Jupiterwhenhewas

thefatherofPolluxtook

the

shape

of

a

swan,Pollux is said

to

havecome

1 Eurip. Alccitis.

r Ov.Mett.

x. 560,



CASTOKAND

POLLUX. 249

into

the

world

inclosed

in

an

egg

:

the

common

story is

that

Ledahadtwo

eggs,

oneinclosing

PolluxandHelen, thechildrenofJupiter, and

theotherCastorandClytemnestra,ofwhomTyn-

darus

was

thefather:

Pollux

becameexceedmgly

expert

in

wrestlingandthe

use

ofthe

cestus,

and

Castor in

horsemanship.

ft

is

related

of

Pollux

that

he

received

from

his

father thegift of immortality, thoughmost of

the

Demigods

were subject to death like

mere

men

Castor was killed in battle, andPollux

loved

him

so

tenderly that

he

continuallyimpor

tuned Jupiter to restorehim

to

life: Jupiter

at

length

consentedthattheyshould liveanddie

by

turns, andthusdividethegift ofimmortalitybe

tween

them accordinglythey live anddiealter-

nately

everyday,

or

as

otheraccountssay,every

six

months' :

they

seem

howevertohavfevanished

from the

earth

before the disastrous adventures

of their

sister

Helen

andthesiegeof

Troy',

and

their life

is

therefore

probably as signsin

heaven

underthenameofGemini inthebelt of thezo

diac

they

are

delineated

side

byside,mounted

on

horseback

:

and under this figurethey

arerepre

sented

by

theRomansas

sometimes

appearingin

theirarmies, turningthetideof battle in favour

of therepublicv.

' Horn.Od.

A. 229.

Schol.

in

Od.

297.

Apollodorus, i i i . 10.

Pind.

Nern.

x.

1

13

et

seqq.

1

Horn.

I I .

y.

243.

r Plut.in Coriolan.



250

CHAP.

XXVII.

OFTHESEUS.

Egeus,KingofAthens. The

Pallautides,

hisNephews.

— iEgeus

consul

ts

Pittheus.

Birth

of

Theseus. Bred

at

Troezene.

HisAdventures

with

Coryuetes, Sinnis,

andotherRobhers. The

Bed

of

Procrustes.

Me

dea, attempts to poison Theseus. Theseuskills the

Minotaur,

and

Delivers

his

Country. JEgeus casts

himselfinto theSea.

Rivalship

of

Ariadne

and

Phae

dra for the LoveofTheseus. Ariadnebecomes the

Wife

ofBacchus.

Friendship

of

Theseus

and

Piri-

thous.

MarriageofPirithous.

Battleof

the

Centaurs

and Lapithae. Theseus

and Pirithous

descend into

Hell. PhaedracausesTheseus

to

murderHippolitus,

his Son.

Themosteminentofthe

Demigodsof

Greece

after

Bacchus

andHercules, is

Theseus :

hewas

king

of

Athens,

and

was

the

first

governor

of

that

city

who

divided thepeople

into

tribes, and gave

a

regularand

civilised

form

tothe

state

: the

gra

titudeofhiscountrymenexaltedhimintoaDemi

god,

and

their

refinementandgenius havecon

ferreduncommonlustre uponthe

events of bis

story:

I

havebeforeobserved thatthetempleof

Theseus

was

one

of

the

richest

and

most

magnifi

centthatAthenscontained: heis also

understood

to have

beenoneof

theArgonauts,thoughsome

particulars

ofhis

life

seem

to

beinconsistent

with

that

supposition.

» Plut. iaThes.

Diodor.

iv.

59.



BIRTH

OF

THESEUS.

251

JEgeas, kingof

Athens,

had

a

brother

named

Pallas, thefatherof fifty sons: JEgeashad

him

selfnochildren : thechildrenof Pallas,

as

they

grewup,

hadthe

folly

and

wickednessto

insult

3geusupon

his

misfortunein notbeing

a

father,

and

to

hinttohimthat

they

set nogreatvalueon

his

favour,since,

lethim

thinkofit as

he

would,

Athens andits thronewouldinfallibly be

theirs,

wheneverhedied.

iEgeus

could ill digest

the

rudenessof these

striplings,who

did every

thing

but

shovehim

from his

throne;

andwasverydesirous

to

havea

son

by

whose

means

toquash

their

fondexpecta

tions: he consulted the oracle on the subject,

whichreturnedhim

avery

obscureanswer;and

in

his

way

back

he

visited

the

courtof

Pittbeus

kingofTrcezene,thebrotherof AtreusandThy-

estes:

Pittheus

was supposed to

be thedeepest

politician of his time: lie privately married his

daughter JEthta.

to iEgeus, butwouldnotsend

her

to Athens, lest the impious sons of Pallas

might

findsecretmeansof destroyingthemother

and

her

child

when

born

:

./Egeus,

when

he

took

leave

of

his bride,

led

her

into

a

neighbouring

field,

andplacing a swordanda

pairof

sandals

in aholehehaddugfor that purpose, covered

themwithastone

sohugethatnocommon

man

could

move

it :

hebade

her, if

she

had

ason,

to

send him

to

Athens

with

that

sword and

those

sandals,

as

soon

as

he

should be

strong

enough

to

removethestone that covered them, but in the

mean

time

carefully

to

conceal bis parentage:

this

wasa project

suggested

by

Pittbeus-

Asthe parentage of Theseus (such was the

name

of

the

son

that

was born),

was not

to be

divulged, hismothergaveoutthatNeptune

was

M&



252

ADVENTURESOFTHESEUS.

his

father:

but,

contrary

to

the

custom

of

the

Grecian

heroes, Theseus,

when

hecamehometo

Athens,

laid

aside

this

pretence,

andwascareful

for

the

most part

to call

himself the son

of

iEgeus.

WhenTheseus

wassixteenyearsofage,yEthra

ledhiminto

the

field before

mentioned, revealed

to

him

the

secret

of

his

birth,

and

caused

him

to

remove thestone,

and

to set out

withthe

sword

and sandals for Athens.

Beforehewent, Pittheusgavehimhislast ad

vice: like acarefulgrandfather,herecommended

tohimto

take

thesafest road, whichhesaid

was

bysea:

Hercules,

he

added, had

for

a

time

cleared Greece

of robbers,

monsters,and

wild

beasts : butnowHercules

was

absent, the

roads

wereas muchinfested as ever: at the* nameof

Hercules the youthful courage of T'hescus took

fire: he

intreatedhisgrandfather

4o

lethimgo

by

land: Consider,

sir," saidhe, VI

gotoclaim

a

crown

:

my

birth is unknownmyrights

are

disputed:what

figure shall

I makean

untried

stripling,

before

the

insolent

ffens qf

my

uncle

Pallas? no;mydesire is, tofentfrmyfather's

capital, with trophies in, mynajid Ribreexpres

sive

of

my

birth,

and

affirmativeof

my

pretensions,

thaneven theswordand

sandals

whichmymo

ther

iEthra

has

given

me: Pittheusj

yielded

to

theardentspirit of the

hero.

**

Many

and

critical

were

the

adventures

to

which

Theseuswasexposed

between

Trcezene

andAthens,

but hecameout

victorious

from themall: he

killed

Corynetes, a

robber,

theson of

Vulcan,

famous for

theterrible club

he

bpre,

not far

from

Trcezene: his

next

encounter was withSinnis,

a

cruel outlaw, whotied

all

strangers

he

could



BEDOPPROCRUSTES.

253

catch

to

the

heads

of

two

tall

pines,

which

he

benttogether

for that

purpose

andthen let go,

by

means

of

which

the

unfortunate

victims were

torninpieces: Theseus tiedhimtohisownpines,

and put himto thedeathhehad inflicted on so

many

others: his

third

exploit

was

the

killing

Phaea, thesowof

Crommyon

near

Corinth,

mo

ther

to

the

wild

boar

of

Calydon

according

to

other accounts Phaea

was

a

female robber,

who

first

enticed travellers

by

courtship

into

her

den,

and

then murdered them:

thefourth

adventure

of

Thesenswas the destruction

of

Sciron,

agiant,

whofirst compelled his4Baptivestowash

his feet,

and

then hurled

them

frani a

high

rock

intothe

sea

:

his

fifth

adventure

Washe

death

of

Cercyon,

the

sonofVulcan,andkingofEleusis,whocom

pelled all strangerstowrestlewithhim, andhad

hitherto(ajnq er.ed,

and killed

all heencountered:

These'iui*dWfe ed'ljim in wrestling,

and then

put

himto caln:*be Ia^|t

and

most

celebratedexploit

of the'Atheifim hero

in this

journey,

was

against .Procrii*k* a

cruel tyrant,

whowith

mockhosjtftaUty.lwifed every stranger to sleep

under hiaroof aijrlthen placingthemupon

his

own

bed,

'if' it

pftjed

too

long,

stretched them

with pullie's, an'ct

dislocated

their

joints,

till he

had

drawnthemout to the requisite

stature,

and

if it wa$

tooshort,

chopped

off their

feet,and

partoftheir legs,* till

hehad

broughtthemo his

own

size:

Theseus

destroyed

this

monster.

Withtheclub of

Corynetes,

the

bed of Pro

crustes,and

the.wmer

trophies

of

his

valour,The-

seus

entered

thecity

of

Athens

: it

is said

that

Medea

hadby

this

time married

iEgcus: this

is

inconsistent

with

Theseus's beingone of

theAr

gonauts: bothcannotbetrue.



354

THESEUS

FORCRETE.

Theseus

had

no

sooner

arrived

at

the

end

of

his

journey, thanMedea byher skill in sorcery, or

bysomeother

means, knew

whohe

was: step

mothersaresaid

seldom

tobefondofthechildren

of their

husband

which

are notalso

theirown

Medea,who

hadless of

human

feelings

than al

mostanybodyintherecordsofmankind,

imme

diatelydetermined to

poison

Theseus.

The

young

hero,

as

the

gallant

destroyer

of

robbers andmonsters,wasinvited to feast with

kingiEgeus : Medeaputa poisoned gobletinto

thehandsof

the

king

to

deliver

to

his

guest

:

The-

seus

rosetoreceiveit

: iEgeus

observedthesword

byhis side, andbegged to be favored

with

a

nearer

inspection : he recognised the

strangerfor

his

son

:

whatbecame

of

the

poisoned

goblet,

or

of

theanimosityofMedea,

we

arenot

told

: per

haps, though shewaswilling tp,poisonTheseus

asastranger,shedared

notmakesuchan-attempl

uponhimasTEgeus'sonly son." .

Themostfamousof all

the<id

venturesof

The

seus

is thedestructionoftheMinotaur: thismon

ster

was

described

when

I

gatpan

account

of

the

familyof Minos:

he

wasshuflhip in the famous

labyrinthofCrete: AndrogeuVthcsonof

Minos,

havingbeen killed in a

riot atAthens, this

pow

erfulmonarchimposed as

a

fine upontheAthe

nians, that they should send every year seven

noble

youths,and

as

manyvirgins,

to

bedevour

ed

by

the

Minotaur.

A

This

tribute

had alreadybMbexacted three

years,

whenTheseus arrivedaHicns

hunger

ingandthirstingasthegallantcnampiondid

for

arduous adventures, he

intreatcd

his fatherthat,

superseding theordinary

course

oflot, hemight

be admitted

as one

of

the

seven

noble youthst



THE

MINOTAUR

KILLED. 955

iEgeus

unwillinglyconsented

:

Theseus

took

with

him

two flags,

a

blackand

a

white

one, the

first

underwhichto sail in hisvoyageout, thesecond

tobeunfurled, if he returnedvictorious,

as his

hearttold

himhe

should do,inhisvoyagehome.

Minoshada

favourite

daughter Ariadne* :

Theseus, soon after

hisarrival

inCrete,wasshut

up

with

his

companions

in

the

fatal

labyrinth

;

butnot

so

soon

as

not

to

allowtimetoAriadne

to

fall in

love

with

thegallant

presence

ofthe

youth,

andtocommunicatetohimthenecessaryinstruc

tions for destroying theMinotaur, aswell

asto

present

him

withaclueofthread,by

which

to

findhiswayoutofthelabyrinthwhenhehadac

complishedthe

adventure.

The

Minotaur

being

killed,

Theseus

returned

homein triumphto

Athens

with the

youths

and

virgins

hiscompanions: iEgeus his father,

who

hadbut

just felt

thepleasure

ofhaving such

a

son andbeingdelivered from thetyranny ofhis

graceless

nephews,watcheddayandnight

for

the

arrival of thevesstd inwhichTheseushadem

barked:

for

this

purpose

he

remained

perpetually

oft thetopofahigh?turret,

which

overlooked

the

wavesofthe

sea:

re

at

lengthdiscovered theap

proachofthe

ship: he

watched for the

white

or

black

flag,

whichwas

toannouncehisgood

for

tuneordisaster

:

unhappily in thehurryandtu

mult

oftheirjoy, every

oneon

boardhadforgot*

ten

to

take

down

the

black

flag,

and

rear

the

white:

/ngeus saw

mefatal

signal, and threw

himself from

tHlPFop

ofhis turret into

the

sea,

whichfromhimwas

named

the

/Egean

sea.

Theseusbroughtaway

Ariadne

fromCrete, as

1 Ov.Ep.

z.

Ariadne ad Thes.



256

THESEUS

ANDPIRITHOUS.

Jason

had

brought

away

Medea

from

Colchi's

:

but Ariadnehada sister Phaedra,whohad con

ceived

a passion

forTheseus

not less ardent

than

that

of Ariadne: Phaedra prevailed

upon

her

sister

to

take her

with

her

as thecompanionof

her flight: during the voyage

Phaedra treacher

ouslyemployedall the

iirts

in whichsheabound

ed,

to

supplant

the

unsuspecting

Ariadne

in

the

affections ofthehero:thevessel ofTheseustouch

ed at theisland ofNaxos, and

herePhasdra per

suaded himto leaveAriadne asleepandaloneon

theshore: Naxoswasthe favourite residence

of

Bacchus: he met Ariadne in the midstof her

desperation, first

pitied, and

then loved

her:

Ariadne

becamethewife of Bacchus,andafter

death

was

turned

by

him

into

a

constellation

T.

The

fame ofTheseusbythis time

spread itself

over all

Greece, and

Pirithous, son of Ixion,

kingof the Lapithaein Thessaly, aspiritedand

enterprising

young

prince,wasdesirouslikemany

others to

behold the vanquisher

of

Sinnis,

Pro

crustes,

andthe Minotaur : Jie conceived

an

ex

traordinary

manner

of

gratifying

this

inclination,

but he

held no other

manifer to beworthyof

himselfand

of

the

man

hewished to call

bis

friend

: hecollecteda militaryforce,andinvaded

the

territories of

Athens: Theseus marchedout

agamst

him the

two

heroes

advancedin

the

frontoftheirrespectivearmies: they

weremutu

ally

struck

with

the

open

and

bold

port

and

car

riageofeach

other

: Iheyrushed ntoeach

other's

embrace, and struck upa relgue of endless

friendship ; andfrom thattimeneverwasattach-

r Ov.Art.Arn.

i .

527.



CENTAURS

ANDLAPITHjE.

257

nient

more

sincere,

generous

and

unalterable,

than

thatof

Theseus

and Pirithous.

Pirithous married llippodamia, thedaughter

of

Adrastuskingof

Argos:

his nuptialswerecele

brated

withgreat

pomp,and amongothers the

Centaurs

were

invited

lo

bethere: 1

havealready

frequently

mentioned theCentaurs: they werein

their

form

half-man

and

half-horse

they

were

amongthe most learned and accomplished per

sonsoftheirtimes: theCentaurs aresaid to have

been

the

childrenofIxion,

and

of

the

cloud

whichJupiter

sent

lo Ixion in

likenessof

Juno

sothat theywerehalf-brotherstoPirithous".

Inthe

sacrifices

to theGodswith

which

the

nuptials

of

Pirithous

were

solemnised,

the

hero

weare toldforgotthesacrifice to

Mars:

theGod

of

war

resented theneglect,

and

urgedEurytion

the

Centaur

in the

midst

of

his

wineto

offer

a

gross

affronttothe

bride

: Hercules,Theseus,

and

theother

friendsofPirithousbecame

exasperated

at this behaviour,

and

killed Eurytion

on

the

spot: a general contention ensued, andall or

nearly

all

the

Centaurs

were

slain*.

Aftersometime

Pirithous lost hiswife

Hippo-

damia,

and Theseus lost

Phaedra :

flushed

with

their exploits andtheir fame,

they came

to a

mutual

resolution that

they

would not

marry

againbut tothedaughtersof theGods Theseus

accordinglyseized

Helen,

the sister

of Pollux,

who

was

only

nine

years

of

age,

but

the

valour

of

her brothers soon rescuedher

out

ofhis hands:

it is

to beobserxjflf

that if Helen

wereonly

nine

years

of

age,

Polluxmust

have

been

the

same

:

z Pindar.

Pyth.

i i . 78 et seqq.

Diodorus,

iv.

70.

a Schol. in Pind.

Pyth.

i i . 85. Horn. Od-$.295.

Ov.

Met-

xifc 210et seqq.



THESEUS

IN

HELL.

Pirithous, finding

no

female

on

the

face

of

the

earthwhomhe

deemed

worthy

of his

hand,

formed the

impious

resolution ofgoingdown

to

Hell, and

taking

awayProserpinequeen

of the

infernalregionsfromherhusband : Theseuswould

not

let his friendgoalone on this dangerousex

pedition

:

their

success

was suchasmight beex

pected

:

Plulo

defeated

their

conspiracy,

and

sen

tenced

thembothto sit

forever uponastone

at

the

entrance ofhis palace: at lengthwhenHer

cules camedownintoHell, sent

thither

byhis

task-masterEurystheus,heprevaileduponPluto

toforgivetheir

temerity,and

sufferhimto con

ductTheseusbacktoearthb.

The

other

adventures

of

Theseus

are

less

splen

did

than thosewhichhave

been

mentioned : heis

said to haveaccompaniedHerculeswhenhewent

to

fetch

the

girdle

ofHippolita

queen

oftheAma

zons:andasHercules onlywantedthe

girdle,

he

gave

Theseusthe

queenwhoworeit,

and

Theseus

madeher

his

wife:by

her

he

hada

soii,iaed

Hippolitus.

.

SlW

It is not

easyto

settle theorder

ofthdwivesand

love-adventures

of

Theseus:jjner J

a

famoussto

ry', thatasHippolitusgrewup,i*hedrabecame

jealousofhim and shewhohad

acted

so basely

toher sister, hadnoscrupletoform

a

plan tode

stroyhim: shewrongfully

accusedhim

to

his fa

ther of

disrespectful and

undutiful behaviour;

and

Theseus,

without

making

a

proper

examina

tioninto thecharge, caused hisson tobeputto

death.

b Apollodorus, i i . 5. Schol.inAp.Rh. « . 101.

* Eurip Hippol.



250

CHAP.

XXVIII.

OF

(EDIPUSKING

OF

THEBES,ANDHIS

POSTERITY.

Birth

of

(Edipus.

He

is

Exposed

on

the

Mountains.

Adoptedby

the

King of Corinth. Kills his Father

in

aBroil. Explains the Riddle of the Sphinx.

Marries

his

Mother. -Tiresias, the Blind

Prophet.

CEdipus tears out

his

own

Eyes.

Eteocles succeeds.

—

War,

SevenChiefs against Thebes. Single

Com

batofEteoclesandPolynices:

both

are killed.

The

Flames

of

their

Funeral

Pile

Divide.

Second

Siege

of

Thebesby the Epigoni. Thebes

is Taken.

Thestory

of

the Argonautic

expedition,

whatevermaybethetruemeaningof so

mysteri

ous

a

riddle,

may

be

supposed tobe

the

story

of

somebeneficentadventure: theremaining

stories

oftheheroicages,thesiegesofThebesandTroy,

are

undoubtedly

stories

ofcalamity.

LaiuskingofThebeswasthegreat-grandsonof

Cadmus

he

married

Jocasta,

the daughter of

CreonaneminentTheban,andwas

assured

by

an

oracle

that

he

should lose

hislife

bya

sonwho

was

to beborn of

that

marriage: to

prevent

this

hegaveCEdipus, his child, as soon as he was

Jborn,

to

one

of

his

domestics,

to

be

exposed

on

the mountains

to perish;

the

domestic bored a

hole in

each foot of

the infant,andpassinga

string

through,hanged

himup

ona tree, and left

him from this circumstanceheafterwardobtain

edthenameofCEdipus, swelled feetd."

d Eur.

Ptaa.1

et

seqq.

Soph.CEATyr.civ. 6.



260 CEDIPUSEXPOSED.

In

this terrible

situation

the

poor

child

was

foundbyoneoftheshepherdsofPolybuskingof

Corinth,who

carried

it hometo

his

master:

Po

lybushad no

children:

theinfantwas

exceeding

ly beautiful: andPolybusbred

thelittleOEdipus

as

his

ownson: one day, CEdipus being now

grown

to ayoungman,one

of

his youthfulcom

panions

brutally

insulted

him,

told him

that

he

wasno

son

of

the

kingandqueen

ofCorinth,and

that

no

trueCorinthianwouldbear

to bedictated

tobyabase-born brat.

CEdipusclosely

questioned

king

Polybuson

the

subject,

but could

obtain

no satisfactoryreply :

afflicted withthis uncertainty, herepaired

tothe

oracle

of

Apollo

at

Delphi,

butreceivednoother

answer

than

the advicenevertogo

home,if

he

did not wishto kill

his

father: a crueladvice,

sinceCEdipus knewnothowto makethe right

use

of

it:

hismindrevoltedfrom

all

immorality,

but

most from thatwithwhichhe

wasthreatened

:

he

resolvednever

again

to

set foot

in

Corinth:

he

turned the

direction

of

his

chariot

toward

The

bes

:

he

met

Laius

travelling

privately

in

an

ob

scure

road

: Laiusorhis

companions

calledoutin

a rudemannerto himtomakeway,andretire:

the

pride

of

CEdipus

was

roused: a

scuffle

en

sued :

andthus

CEdipus

slew his father

in the

very

attempt

to

avoid that

crime*.

1

believe

thereasonCEdipushad benthissteps

toward

Thebes,

was

that

he

had

heard

of

Sphinx,

amonsterwhoinfestedtheborderofBceotia,sprung

from themarriage

ofOrthus flhd

Echidna, with

the

head

andbreastsof

a

woman,the

body

of

a

dog, theclawsofalion, thewingsofa bird,and

ahumanvoice: this monster hadstationed her-

e

Soph.CEd.

Tyr.

784

et

seqq.



sphinx'sriddle.

261

self

by

the

road-side,

where

she

stopped

all

tra

vellers,

and proposed

a

riddle

to them, which

if

they

did notsolve

theywere

devoured :

theoracle

onthe

other

handhad declared,

that if

anyone

explained

herriddle, theSphinxwouldimmedi

ately

kill herself for vexation:

CEdipus, who

lived in an age

when

thedestruction of

monsters

was

the

most

admired

of

human

achievements,

wasanxious to put an

end

to theSphinx and

the

Thebans,

understanding.that

Lai

us

was

no

more,

offered their queen

andthe vacant throne

towhoevershould ridthem

ofthis

monster.

CEdipus

presentedhimself fearlessly

before

the

den of the

Sphinx,and

demanded

to hear her

riddle:

What

creature

is

that,"

said

the

mon

ster,uwhich

goes

in themorning

uponfourlegs,

at

noon

upontwo,

and

atnight

upon

three?" It

is aman, repliedCEdipus: ** bymorning, noon

andnight you

meanthe

three great changes to

which

human

natureis

subject

: theimbecilityof

infancy, when

we

crawlon all

fours;

the

vigour

of

manhood,

when

werequire

no

support but

thetwonatural pillars with

which

our

maker

has

furnished

us;

and

the decrepitudeof

age,when

wearefain to call

in

the

assistance

of awalking-

stick

: the Sphinxhadno

sooner

heardthe

an

swer

of

thewiseCEdipus,

than

shethrew herself

froma

rock,onwhichshe hadsat

listening

to

him,andfromwhichshemeditated to dartupon

himin case of his failure,

andwas

dashed to

pieces'.

CEdipusnowasdlhdedtheThebanthrone,mar

ried Jocasta,

and

had

by

hertwosons, Eteocles

and

Polynices : someyears after, Thebes

was

in-

. * Argument,ad Phanist.



262CALAMITOUSFORTUNEOFCQDIPU9.

fested

with

a

terrible

plugue,

and

an

oracle

having

been consulted on the subject, gave for answer,

that

it wouldneverbe well with

Thebes,

till the

murderer of king

Laius

was

banished

fromhis

territories : thedeathof Laiushad

happened

at

a

time

of

so

greatcalamity

that

the

particulars

had

never

been

enquired

into : after alongsearch it

wasproved to theastonishmentofall, thatCEdi-

pus

was

the

murderer

ofLaius,and

that

in so

do

ing

hehadkilled his father:thepersonbywhom

hewas

exposedwhen

an

infant,andthe

personby

whomhehad

been

found, concurred in

proving

his identity:andat length

the

wholewasconfirm

edbythevenerableTiresias,whomtheGodshad

deprived of

sight,

but

had

made

upthis calamity

to

him

byendowing

him

with

the

gift

of

prophecy,

and the

knowledge

ofall hiddenthings

:

theten

derand

honest

heart

ofCEdipus was

struckwith

despair at this

discovery:

he toreout his eyes,

and, retiringtoColone

on

thebordersof

Athens,

was

indebted for

hisexistenceeverafter

tothe

kind

care

ofhis daughterAntigone*.

Eteocles

and

Polynices,

the

sons

of

CEdipus,

succeeded

to thevacant authority

:

and,

as

they

were both

ambitious

andimpatientofasuperior,

theyagreed to reign

in

turns, each

his

year ; a

strange engagement,whichthey

could

scarcely

expect to have fulfilled: Eteocles, asthe

elder,

reigned first

;

but at the

endof

theyear

refused

to

give

up

the

kingdom.

Polynices fled to Adrastus

king

ofArgos,dneof

themostpowerfulmonarchsof%is

time:

andsuch

were

the

prepossessing

manners oftheyouth,that

heeasilyprevaileduponAdrastus toembracehis

8

Soph. CEd.Tyr.

et Col.



SEVENCHIEFSAGAINSTTHEBES. 263

cause: a

marriage

first

took

place

between

the

exiled princeand

thedaughter

ofAdrastus,and

theythen

marched

togetheragainst

Thebes.

This is thefirst siegeofThebes, memorablefor

theobstinacywithwhichit was it carried onand

thecalamitiesthat

attended it:

Adrastus

divided

hisarmyintosevenbodies,

and

planted

them

with

seven

approved

commanders

attheirhead before

the

sevengates

of

Thebes

he

himself

command

ed one;

Polynices another:

the

names of

the

other

chiefs

were Tydeus, Capaneus,Amphia

raus, Parthenopceus andHippomedou:

after a

great

dealoffighting it was

agreed

thatEteocles

andPolynicesshouldmeettogetherin singlecom

bat".

Never

did

two

human

beings

hate

each

other

more

mortallythan EteoclesandPolynices: they

fought

with such

deadly resolution, that the

combat

did

not

endtill both were

killed: the

fashion

of

these

times

wasfor

the

dead bodyof

a

person

of

ranktobeburnedonthefuneralpile: as

Eteocles

and

Polyniceswerebrothers,and

died

in

the

same

hour,

both

parties

agreed

to

place

their

bodiesuponthesamefuneral pile: when, lo, a

miracleensued

the

flameswhich

proceeded

from

these

bitter foes divided in two,

and

even

the

sparkles

and

asheswhich flewupfrom one of

theirbodies

refusedto havecommunicationwith

those

of

the

other'.

Thedeath

of

these

rival

candidates

did

not

put

an

end

to the

siege: Eteoclesleft

a

sonnamedLao-

damas,andPolynicesanothernamed

Thersander;

and

thebesiegedand

the

besiegers set up

the

op-

k JEschyli Sept.ap.

Theb. Eur.

Phoen.

i Stat.

Thebais.

429.

Ov.

Trist. lib. v.

35.



264

. THE

EPIGONI.

posite

prelensions

ofthesechildren tothe

throne

:

Creon,

thebrother of

Jocasta,becamethe

guar

dian

ofLaodamas after

infinite

bloodshed

the

besieged got the better v not one of the Seven

ChiefsagainstThebesreturned

alive,

exceptAd-

rastus

: Creon,

who

was of

abrutaland

insolent

disposition,

having routed

the

besiegers,

would

not

even

grant

thempermission

to bury their

dead:

a

circumstance

held

to

be

of

great

impor

tance

in those

days:

Adrastus

fled toTheseusat

Athens,whojoined hisforceswiththeremainsof

thebesiegingarmy,andcompelledCreon tosuffer

these unfortunatemento paythe last dutiesto

thebodies

of

their

deceased

friends.

Ten

years

after

thefirst

siege

ofThebes,the

sons

of

the

Seven

Chiefswho

had

then

commanded,

being

grownup, began

to

ponderupon

the

cala

mities

and

untimely fate of

their

fathers,

and

resolvedtoavengetheirmisfortunes: theymarch

ed againstthis unhappyctyy: this is thesecond

siege of

Thebes,

frequently called byancient

writers the

warof the Epigoni,

u

after-born:"

a bloody

battle

was

fought,

but

the

Epigoni

were completely victorious, andfinally placed

theirleaderThersanderuponthethrone*.

k Diod. Sic. ir. 66.



265

CHAP.XXIX.

OF

THECITYOF

TROY.

Kings of Troy. Teucer. Succeeded

by

Dardanus,

Prince

of

theSacred

Island of

Samothrace. Erictho-

nius. Tros, theFather of

Ganymed.

Ilus. Lao-

medon. Apollo and Neptune build theWalls of

Troy.

Hesioneexposed

to

a

Sea-monster. Hercu

les Delivers her, andSacksTroy. Tithonus,beloved

byAurora,

is turned

into a Grasshopper. Wonderful

Statue

of

Memnon.

Priam

and

his

Fifty

Sons.

Paris

Exposed onMountIda.

Judgment

ofParis. — Mar

riage

of

Menelaus and Helen. Helen goes

off

with

Paris. Greeks Confederate against Troy. Iphige-

nia

in

Aulis. Achilles

in Petticoats.

—

Death

ofPa-

troclu9. Achilles drags the

Body of Hector

three

timesround theWalls

of

Troy.

Contention

ofAjax

and

Ulysses for the

Arms

of

Achilles. Stratagemof

the

Wooden

Horse.

Pyrrhus

the

Son

of

Achilles.

Troy is Burned. Agamemnon,

Generalissimo

of

the

Greeks,Murdered by hisWife

Clytemnestra.

Ores

tes, his Son, kills her,

and

is haunted by Furies.

Penelope's

Web.

Ulysses

puts to Death

Ihe Suitors

of

Penelope. /Eneas, the Son

of

Venus.

Theast

great

event

of

the

heroic

age

is

the

destruction ofTroyandit is notthe least sin

gular circumstanceattending this subject,

after

theinfinite detailswhichhavebeen handeddown

to

us respecting

it,

and

theincomparable

poems

whichHomerandVirgilhavefoundeduponthis

basis,

added

to the

claims that

the Romans

andother nations have set upto be descended



266 TEUCER,

DARDANUS,TROS.

from

theancient

Trojans,

that

volumes

have

been

written of late years to prove

thatno

such city

everexisted.

'With

critical

enquiries

of this

sort, the

Pan

theonor historyoftheGodsandDemigods,

has

little to

do:

it

is

our business to

recollect,

and

givean account of, theancienthistoryofTroy.

One

of

theremotestsovereigns

of

this

part

of

the

world

upon

record

is

Teucer: he

was

theson

of

the river Scamanderandthe neighbouring

mountain of Ida :

from him

theTrojans are

fre

quentlycalledTeucri1.

Teucer

having

no male issue, married hisonly

daughtertoDardanus, prince

ofthe

little island

of

Samothrace,

and

named

himhis

successor:

Samothraceis represented

by

ancienthistoriansas

the

first seatoftheGrecian religion: for this

rea

son it was held asacred

andinviolable

asylum,

orsanctuary, for fugitives: Dardanustaught his

newsubjectsa multitudeof religious ceremonies,

andbrought

over

withhimfromSamothracethe

Palladium,

a

-smallstatue

of

Minerva

which

was

afterward placedin thecitadelofTroy, andre

specting whichtherewas a prediction that, as

long as

it

remained

there,

Troycould never

be

takenm:

from

Dardanushis subjectsreceived

the

name

of

Dardanians.

EricthoniusDwas

the

son

and

successorof

Dar

danus:

he

is

not

to

be

confounded

with

the

Athe

nian

Ericlhonius.

Tros, the third sovereign of the Dardanian

race, founded the city of Troy,andfrom his

own

namecalled

it- Troja:

(another

nameofTroy

l

Virg.

M.

i i l .

108. m

Dionys.Hal.Ant.

iv.68.

Horn.

1L

v.

216

et

seqq.



ILUS,

GANYMED,

LAOMEDON. 267

wasIlium, from Ilus the son

ofTros): he

ac

cused

Pelops, a

neighbouring

sovereign,

or his

father Tantalus,

of, haying

stolen from

him

his

younger

son Ganymed,ayouthofinexpressible

beauty,

andon

this pretencedeprived

Pelops

of

his

dominions,andcompelled

him

totake

refuge

in Greece: thefactwas,thatJupiter,

struck

with

the

comeliness

ofGanymed,hadtaken himup

' intoHeaven

to

makehim

his

cup-bearer.

Ilus,the

elder

brotherofGanymed,wasfourth

kingof Troy he

distinguished

himselfby

re

scuingwithhisownhandsthePalladiumfromthe

citadel

ofTroy,

which

hadbeen set on

fire with

lightning

:

this

was

a

service

ofsomuchdanger,

that

Ilus

lost

his

sight

in

the

enterprise,

which

wassoon after restored to himbyMinerva ac

cording

to

some

accountsMinerva

first

deprived

him

of

sight

for having

sacrilegiously

touched

her image

onthis occasion0: Ilus hadanother

brother besideGanymed,whose namewas As-

saracus.

Laomedon,

the

son

of

Ilus,

was

fifth

king

of

Troy,

andhis reignwas

rendered

memorableby

many

calamities: hewasanxious,likeAmphion,

to surround with

walls

thecity

which

his

grand

fatherhadbuilt:andApolloandNeptunehap

pening

to bebothofthem

in a

state

of

banish

ment

from Heaven, he engaged with

them

to

com

plete

the

work

he

had

at

heart

:

the

Gods

per

formed their contract

;

but the

narrow

soul

of

Laomedon

stimulatedhim

to

refusethem

the

hire

to

which

theirlabourswereentitled*.

Topunish this perfidy, Apollo

sent

a plague

againsttheTrojans,and

Neptune

commissioned

0

Plut.

in

Parall.

P

Horn.

I I .

< p .

441.

N2



268

HESIONE,LAOMEDON.

a sea-monsterto

devour

them they

consulted an

oraclehow

they wereto be

delivered

from their

calamities:

and

were

told

that nothing

would

suffice, but the

voluntarily

exposing

one noble

Trojan virgin everyyear tobedevouredby

the

monster: after this tributehadbeen repeatedly

paid,the

lot

fell in the

sixth

or

seventh

year

upon

Hesione, Laomedou'sdaughter : Hercules found

Hesione in thesame

situation as

Perseus had

found Andromeda,

and

engaged

to

deliver

her,

on condition

that Laomedon

would

present

him

with

six beautifulhorses ofwhichhewas posses

sor: Hercules killed the monster, but Laomedon

refusedhimthe horses : in resentmentof this re

fusal

Hercules,

at

the

bead

of

a

band

of

Grecian

heroes, tookand pillaged

the

city of

Troy,

put

Laomedonto death, and gavehis daughterHe

sionein marriage toTelamon,oneof the

friends

of Hercules

who

hadbeen thefirst

to

mountthe

breach in

the

walls,andwhowas father to the

ce

lebrated Ajax1.

Laomedon

had

two

sons

by

Strymo

daughter

of the river Scamander, PriamandTitbonus :

/ Tithonus, for hisyouthfuland vigorous beauty,

became

the object of the affections of Aurora,

Goddessof the morning:

the

Goddess

in

the

warmthof her attachment bade Tithonus ask

whatever

gift

he

pleased,

and it

should

be

granted

him

Tithonus

requested that

he

might

never

die:

but,

as

he forgot

to ask for

perpetual youth

andstrength, this prince, oncesomuchadmired

forthedelicatehueandsmoothnessofhis person,

graduallybecameall over wrinkles,andsunkin

q Horn. I I . « . 565. 638, U. v. 145. Schol. in I I . v. 145, who

mentions

the

story as from Hellanicus. Apoilodor. i i . 5. Ov.Met.

li.

199.



BIRTH

OFPARIS.

decrepitude:he

lost his

voice,hissight,hishear

ing,

his

smell,

and

his

taste:

he

prayed

to

be

releasedfrom thatimmortallifehehadso

earnest

lycoveted

;

and

Aurorain

pity

turned

him

intoa

grasshopper'.

Memnonwas

theson

ofTithonusand

Aurora

:

heis alsosaidtohavebeenkingof Ethiopia: he

cameto

the

Trojanwar, the events ofwhich I

shall

presently

relate,

to

the

assistance

of

his

uncle

Priam, and

wasslain in

single

combat

by

Achil

les:

anexquisite

statue

was

erected

to

his

memo

ry

neartheEgyptianThebes;

and,

as

he

was

the

son

of

Aurora, this statue

had

thepeculiarpro

pertyofutteringamelodious sound everymorn

ingwhentouched bythe firstbeamsoftheday,

as

if

to

salutehis

mother;

and

every

night

at

sun

set, it gaveanothersound, low

andmournful,

as

lamenting

the

departure

ofthe

day.

Priam,

theeldestsonof

Laomedon,

was

placed

byHerculesuponthethroneofwhichhehadde

prived his father

:

Priam

was

the last king of

Troy hehad

fifty

sons, the most celebrated of

whom

were

Hector

and

Paris,

beside

a

great

num

ber of daughters: Hector wasan accomplished

soldier,

and

thevaliant defender of

his

native

country : Pariswas

of

a

debauchedandeffeminate

character,

and

by

his

dissolute

conduct proved

theruinof

Troy: a

shorttimebeforehe

was

born,

hismotherHecuba

dreamed

thatshe

was

brought

to

bed

ofa

burning

torch

;

which

was

explained

bythesooth-sayerstosignifythat

the

childwhich

should

beborn

would

be

theoccasion thatTroy

should

beconsumedwithflames : alarmedat this

r Horn.Hymn,in

Ven.

219 et seqq. Schol in I I . y. 151,who

mentions

the story as fromHellanicus. ' Ov.

Met.

xiii. 575.

w3



270 JUDGMENTOF

PARIS.

prediction,

PriamandHecubadirected that the

infant,as

soon

as

born,

should

be

cast

naked

upon

one

of the rocks of mountIda: here he was

foundbycertain shepherds, and educated

as

if

hehadbeenshepherd-born'.

Paris

wasgrownto

man'sestate

in thishumble

condition,whenan

event

happenedof great note

in

thehistory

of the

heroic ages: this was the

marriage

of

Peleus,

son

of

iEacus

and

brother

of

Telamon,toThetisoneof theNereids : all the

Godswere

invited, as

wasthe custom

on

these

occasions, to grace the nuptialswith theirpre

sence: the

Goddess

of DiscordT alone uas omit

ted: and, to

revengeherselffor this neglect,

she

caused

a beautiful

apple

tobe delivered

in the

midst

of

the

festival,

uponwhich

was

inscribed,

Let it begiven to

theFairest:"

Juno,Miner

vaandVenus,withthetruefemalespirit ofrival-

ship,

immediatelyput in their

respectiveclaims

:

nooneof theGodshadthecourage todecidein

suchacontention :

though

perhapseveryone

felt

thesuperior

beauty

ofVenus, noone

was

willing

to

make

Juno,

the

Queen

of

Heaven,

or

Minerva,

theGoddessofwisdom,his

enemy.

The

three

Goddessesatlast agreed

to

bedecided

bythe

judgmentoftheshepherd Paris:ashewas

themost beautifulmalethenexistingonthe

earth,

theyinferred~tb&t~hemust

be the

best judge

of

femalebeauty

: whenthey came

beforehim

how

ever,

all

Goddesses

as

they

were,

they trembled

andshuddered

at

the

thought of being rejected:

eachoffered Paris a bribe:Junoprivately told

him

that

heshould bethemost

powerful

monarch

of

his

time

:

Minerva

thathe

shouldbevictorious

t Schol.

I I . y.

S25. Apollodorw, i i i . 12. v Lueian.Dial.

Mar.Panopei et Galencs.





272 IPHIGENIA.

saw

Helen, than

he

fell

in love

withher,

and like

a

perfidious

villain, stole

her

away

from

the

roof

of her husband:

this

was thewife, withwhich

Venus,

Goddessof

beauty, but

of

beauty

only,

hadpromised to

crown

his

desires.

ThetheftofHelenwastheoccasion of thede

struction

of Troy, of a tenyears'siege, and a

thousand shipsbeing fitted out bytheGreeks to

avenge

suchan

affront

:

all

theprinces

who

had

sworn

to maintain Menelaus in his rights

were

faithful totheiroath: themost eminent of

the

leadersin thisexpedition

were

Agamemnon,com-

maaderin chief, Achilles,

the

sonof

Peleusand

Thetis, Ajax,

thesonofTelamon,

andthe

wise

Ulysses, kingofIthaca\

Theexpedition

was

to

sail

from

Aulis,

a

town

in Bceotia:

but,when

every

thingwas'ready,

it

wasdetained a long time bycontrary winds :

having

enquired

of theGods,they

weretold

that

theyshould neverhavea prosperousvoyage, till

Agamemnon,theirchief,

who

hadoffendedDiana

byunwittingly

having

killed one

of

her

sacred

hinds,

sacrificedhis

daughter

Iphigenia

upon

her

altar: Iphigenia

was

accordingly

brought from

Mycenae,andCalchas the priest had

raised

the

knifeagainst her

bosom,

whenDianarelented,

carriedawaytheroyalmaidenin a cloud, and

madeher

priestess

of hertemple

inTauris

on

the

Euxinesea*.

The

allied

chiefs

against

Troy,

though

they

finally discharged

their

engagements

with

theut

most honour,manyof themat first expressed

aversion to so

distant

an expedition,and

which

promised

to be

so

tedious of execution : Ulysses

*

Horn.

I I . passirn. *

Eur.IphigeniainAulide.



DEATHOFHECTOR.

pretended to

bemad1;andAchilles,

respecting

whom

his

Goddess-mother

knew

that

he

was

des

tinedtoperishinthis

war,

was forsometimehid

in femaleattire in

the

palaceof

Lycomedes,king

oftheislandofScyros: herehewasfoundoutby

Ulysses, by

the

trick of

puttingarmourin his

way,

which

he

couldnot

helphandling,and

ex

ercisinghimself

with, in

amannerthat wasim

possible

to

belong

to

a

woman

.

The

siege

of

Troywasthefertile sourceof

what

has beenstyled

an

Iliad

of

woes:

Patroclus, the

intimate

friend,

andbosom-companionof Achil

les, having been slain

byHector, the

grief of

Achillescould only be

appeased

bythedeathof

the

slayer1":

andwhenhewas killed, thecon

queror

in

his

rage,

forgetting

all

the

refinements

andprincely

..accomplishments of musicand sci

enceinwhichhehad been instructedbyChiron

theCentaur", savagelydragged thedeadbodyat

his

chariot-wheels,thrice

round

the walls of the

city

whichHectorhadsonobly defended*: after

this, Achillesconceived a passion for Polyxena

the sister.

of Hector: by

a stratagem of Paris

he

wasinvited to

meet

herin

the

templeof Apollo,

andwasthere^1>asely

assassinated:

Ulysses and

Ajax,

Whdohthis occasionmaybe

considered

as

the

personincatipns

ofwisdomand

valour,

con

tended for the

armour

of Achilles:

andtheprize

beingawardedtoUlysses, Ajaxslew himself in

despair:

from his blood sprang

the flower we

call

the

violet:

Ulysses

also

distinguished

himself

by

stealing

awaythePalladium from thecitadel

z

Ov.Met. xiii. 308 et seqq. •

Horn.

IL sr. 786 > > Id. < r . 22.

1 Pindar.Nern.

i i i .

73. * Hum.

I .

x-

395

et » eqo,



274

THE

WOODENHORSE.

of

Troy :

Parishimself, thoughlate, wasone

of

the

victims

of

the

war, being

killed in

the

field.

A

ter

tenyears' siege,

andno

decisive

progress

having been made, theGreeksbethought them-

selvesof

a

stratagem

:

they built

awoodenhorse,

of

soenormous

a

sire, that

it could

contain

a

band

of

armedmenin its belly : they left this horse,

concealingwithin

it

many

of

their

most

valiant

leaders,withNeoptolemusorPyrrhus,thesonof

Achilles, at

their head, on theshore: the rest

sailed

away

for

the

island of

Tenedos,

and pre

tended togiveupthesiege: Sinon, aspywhom

theyleft behind, told theTrojans, that if this

horsewere

once

placed within theirwalls,

Troy

would

one

day

reduce

all

Greeceunder

her sove

reignty: actuated

bythis false

intelligence,

the

Trojans werethemselvesmostactiveimintroduo-

ing

ruininto theircity: thefleet returned in the

silence ofnight: thosewhoTOfMm

lased

inVJthe

woodenhorse let themselverjiiif, and; adfijttted -

their

companions

at

the

gales-?

T.roy

wtks

burned,

Priam

was

killed, and

his

'CvpAly

aj)d,

subjects

sold

to slavery : in the siegeof.TravibCGods

took

opposite

sides, astheirrraeptjWnt drpartiali

ties

leathern,and

Neptuneai pq'Lkohjfd finally

the

satisfaction of

demolishing.fye

walls

which

theyhadbeendrawnintore&r.' I ; . v ,

Helenwas

now

restoredtoherfirstbjftbandMc-

nelaus,who

conducted

hertoSparta

in

triumph.

Agamemnon,

thebrother

ofMenelaus,

also re

turnedhome,but theevent ofhisarrival proved

tragical

: Clytemnestra, the sister ofHelen, his

wife, hadforsomeyears lived in adultery with

• Soph.Ajax.Ov. Met. xii. 580 « t seqq. Id. liii. 1 et seqq.

f Virg./En. i i . 57 et seqq.



PENELOPE'S

WEB.

275

jJSgisthus,

the

son

of

Thyestes

:

and

this

wicked

paircontrived,

under

all

theappearance

ofawel

come

reception, to assassinateAgamemnon,and

his most

faithful

friends

in

themidst

of

the

ban

quet:

Orestes,

the son

of

Agamemnon,when

he

grewupto be

a

man,avenged his fatherbythe

doathofiEgisthus

and

his mother: but though

Clytemnestra

was

a

bad

woman,the

Gods

did not

approve

of

amotherperishingbythe

hands

ofher

son,

and.caused

him

tobe

haunted

bytheFuries*.

Laspy,Ulyssesexperienced so

many

disasters

at

sea,- thatten

yearselapsed between

the

burn

ing

of

Troyand his arrival

in

Ithaca: hevisited

the

caverns ofthe

Cyclops, the

island of

Circe,

and

the

infernal

regions,

and

passed

through

.dan

gers surpassing humanbelief: at last whenhe

reached his

native country, hefoundhis palace

and

government in thepossessionofa set ofdis-

solute uilor*who

had

agreed to urge

his

wifeto

quarryone

em

Hnder pretence that Ulysses

wascertainly dead: the nameof the wife of

UJ sses was PeijeLgpe: shewastheniece

of

Tyn-

darus,

andtlie/d'ou'sin

ofClytemnestra

and

Helen

;

'tWf, her conduct was

very

different from that

of

these infamous-jV<mien: she remained faithful to

Ulysses

during-

ilie whole of

his

twenty

years'

absence:

one'expedientby

which

shebaffled

the

importunityofher suitors, was telling

them

that

she

hadvowed

to weavea funeralwebfor Laertes

the

aged

fatherof

Ulysses,beforeshe

would

marry

a second

husband: this

webshe

unravelled

by

night, as fast assheworkeduponit by day: at

the end of ten years' wandering Ulysses came

home,slewthesuitors,

and

rewardedthefidelity

t JEschyl.Agamemnon, Choephorse, Euinenides, pass.

N

0



276

jENEAS,

SOUOF

VENUS.

of

thevirtuous

Penelope

with

uninterrupted

hap

piness11.

Oneotherhero

of

theTrojan

war

remainstobe

mentioned: this

was

JEnens,

the

sonof

Anchises,

descended

from Assaracus thebrother of llus:

the

mother

of

iEneaswasVenus

one

would

think

it

was

morenaturaltogive

out that

a

herohad

a

God

for his

father,

thana

Goddess

for

hismother

for

in

the

latter

case

hemust

have been

born

in

Heaven, or theGoddessmusthave

come

andre

sided

forsomelength

oftime

onearth: butevery

hero,whowasdesirous to passfor aDemigod,

was

notpreparedtodenyhis father: perhaps, in

bothinstances thepretenceofa celestial origin is

thecoverforsome

blemish

: whenaGod

was

saidto

bethefather,the

mother

was

unchaste

;

andwhen

aGoddesswas

feigned

tobethemother, thetrue

motherwasofobscurerank. v.

WhenTroy

was

burned,iEneas escaped

from

theflames,

bearing his old

and

infirm

fatherupon

his shoulders: he is said to have passed into

Italy

:

andtheancientRomansclaimediEneasas

the

founder

of

their

state

:

Virgil

has

consecrated

this claim in asplendid

and

incomparable

poem,

entitled the./Eneid : iEneas was

worshipped at

Rome

underthename

Jupiter

lndigetes.

k

Horn*

04,patsim.



277

CHAP.XXX.

OFROMULUS.

AmuliusUsurps theThroneofAlba. BirthofRomulus

and

Remus,

Sons

of

Mars.

They

are

exposed

on

the

BanksoftheTiber. Suckledbya Wolf. Educated

among

Shepherds.

TheyDiscover

themselves,

and

puttoDeathAmulius. Numitor,their Grandfather,

is

KingofAlba.

Building

of

Rome.

RemusKilled.

The

Asylum. Rapeof the Sabines. Theybreak off

a Battle betweentheirFathersandtheir

Husbands.

Romulus

taken

up

into

Heaven.

Worshipped

by

the

nameof

Quirinus. Final Greatness

of the

Roman

State.

TheRomans,a

moresober

and

plain-spoken

raceof

menthan

the

Greeks,addedonly

oneGod

of

their

owncountrymento

the

fabulousPan

theon,

previously

to

the

sad

period,

when

despo

tism destroyed

in

them

the pride of

integrity,

andevery tyrant becamea God:

this

onewas

Romulus

the founder

of that city,and

in

that

respecthavingthe

same

claim

to

theirregard, as

CadmustothatoftheThebans, orTheseusof

the

Athenians.

Numitor,

the

grandfather

of

Romulus,

was

by

paternal

descent

kingof

Alba :

butAmulius

his

brother,moreambitious

anddaring

than be,

de

privedhim

ofthekingdom,and

reduced him

to

a

private station

: at the

same

time he

put

to

death

the

son of

Numitor,andcompelled his

daughter,

bynameRheaSylvia, totakethe

vows.



278ROMULUSSUCKLEDBYAWOLF.

of virginity asa vestal : thesacred

character of

Rhea

however

was no

obstacle

to

the

love

of

the

GodMars

hegrew

enamouredof

her,

andbe

came

the

fatherofRomulusandRemus,-

the

twin

progeny

of the

vestal.

Amuliusnosooner understood thatshewas a

mother, tban

he

condemnedRheaherself

to

per

petual imprisonment,andordered the infantsto

be

thrown

into

the

Tiber

:

the

Tiber

hadat

that

time

overflowed

its

banks,andthe

servantwho

borethechildren, notbeingabletoreaehthebed

oftheriver, left themin themarshes : herethey

were

found

andsuckled

by

a

she-wolf,

and

in

this

situationwere discoveredbyFaustulus

the

royal

shepherd,whohavingsomesuspicionofthepar

ticulars

of

their

birth,

took

them

home,

and

bred

them

as

his

own

children.

Theseroyalyouths,

as

theygrewup, not

only

delighted

in

hunting

wild beasts,

but

oftenwith

thebands of theircompanionsmade

an

onseton

a

gang

ofrobbers : in

one

oftheseskirmishes

Re-

muswas

taken

prisoner, andbythese bold out

laws accused

of

their

own

crime

:

he

was

given

upto

Numitor

tobepunished,whohavingtried

him

with

various

questions,

began

tosuspect

the

secret

ofhis birth

: Faustulus

at

thesame

time

di

vulged

his thoughts toRomulus:and bothbro

thers, havingcollected a party of armedmen,

besetthe

palaceat once, killed

Amulius,

andre

stored

Numitor

to

the

crown

• »

Romulusand

Remus

were of tooactive and

adventurousa

disposition

tositdowncontentedin

their father's

little

kingdom they expressed

to

himtheir

wish to be

permitted

to build atown

1

Ov.

Fasti, i i .

382,

et

iii.,7

et

seqq.



pa.2







280BOMULUSTAKENUPINTOHEATEN.

Romulusreigned

thirty-nine years:

andsuch

was

the

soundness

of

his

policy,

and

the

wisdom

ofhismeasures, thateven in this first reign from

thebuildingofRome,thefoundationseemed

tobe

laid for all thefuturegreatnessoftheRomanem

pire

:

atlengthRomulussitting

upon

his

throne

inthe

open

field, reviewingthe

military

forceof

hisnewly-created slate, a violentstormof

thunder

and

lightning

suddenly

arose

:

it

enveloped

the

throne,and

when

the

storm

subsided

Romulus

wasnolonger

to

beseen

:

the

nobles who

sur

rounded thethroneaffirmed that

they

hadbeheld

their

king

taken

upinto Heaven the

people

suspected

that

he hadfallen a

victim

to thejea

lousyof the nobles: all doubthowever wasre

moved

the

next

day,

when

Julius

Proculus,

the

gravestand

mostrespected

noblemanof his

time,

publiclydeclared,

that

in themiddleofthenight

Romulushadcometohimin a vision, andbade

himinform his Romans, that the

Gods, into

whose

society

he had just been admitted,

had

decreed,thatRomeshould

hereafter

be

the

me'

tropolis ofthe zeorld, andthat,no sublunary

forceshould

everbe

able

to

resist

'her

prowess

m.

Romulus,as I

have

said, wasoneof theprin

cipalGodsof the Romans:Quirinus wasthe

nameunderwhich hewas

worshipped:

Quirisu

is an

old

Latin word

signifying

aspear :

hence

theceremonial appellation

of

the

Romans

on

so

lemnoccasions

was Quirites,

orspearmen and

the

name

Quirinus

was

probably

formed

by

ana

logy from

these : toshewthedignity

ofRomulus

in the Hornan

Pantheon,

it is sufficient to

men

tion, thattheRomanshadtwoorders of priest-

m

Ov.

Fasti,

i i . 480

et

seqq.

n

Hasta Curis priscis est dicta

Sabinis. Ov. Fasti, i i . 477.



GREATNESSOF

ROME.

281

hood,

the

Pontifex

and

the

Flamen,

and

that

of

Flamens

there were

originally

only

three,

the

Flamen

of

Jupiter,

theFlamenofMars,andthe

Flamen

of

Quirinus0.

Amoral lesson plainly

inculcated

on usbythe

beginningsofRome,andwhichthoughoften re

peated, I will

mention here,

ishowlittle mortals

arequalified to

judge

byappearances,anddive

into

the

secrets

of futurity

: Rome

began

from

an

indiscriminate

concourse

of robbers

and

run

awayslaves: yetRome is

in certainrespects

the

mostmemorablestate

in

thehistoryoftheworld:

no

countrycouldeverboastofpurermannersand

more

virtuous

citizensthan

thoseof

Rome

inher

best days: andtheir virtueandvalour laidthe

foundation

of

thatuniversal

empire,

which

Rome

afterwardextendedoveralmostthewholeknown

world,

and

whichendured for severalcenturies.

•

Ov. Fasti, iv.

910.

THE

END.



INDEX

Abstraction, explanation

of the operation of the mind so

termed, 6.

Absyrtus,

torn

to

pieces

by

his

sister

Medea,

239.

Acheron, one of theinfernal

rivers, 123.

Achilles, disguised

in female

attire is discovered

byUlysses,

273.

— drags

the body of Hector

three

times

round

the walls of

Troy,

i t ,

— i s slain byParis, it. contention of Ajaxand Ulysses

for the arms

of,

i t .

Actseon, story of, 185 is changed into a stag,anddevouredby

his owndogs, i t .

Admetus, king of

Pherae,

receivesApollo, 247.

Adonis, beloved by Venus, 207 slain by a wild boar,

and

e,

208

festiv

.fliacus,

one

of the

judges

of Hell,

129.

changed

into

the

flower

anemone,

208

festivals

in

honour

of

thememory

of,

i t .

JEgeon,

one

of the

Giants, 71.

.flsgeus, king

of Athens,

history

of,

251

the

father'of Theseus,

i t . — casts himself into the sea, whichfromiknwasafterwards

called the

iEgean

sea,

Wi * i

T

'IKH

./Egle, one of

the daughters

of HesperuSj J . ^' r . /

Mneas, his descent andadventures, '2}6.r;"

jEolus,

the

God

of the

winds,

116,

**\

*.-,.

J / .

-/

iEsculapius,

his skill in medicine,

246

&piter, on Pluto/scOm-

plaint,

strikes him

dead withVthunderbolt, worshipped at

Romeunder

the

form of a serpent,24V

. *

.

iEson,

the

father of

Jason, restoredto yeuth'qj

Medea, 235.

'

jEthon, one of

the horses

of the sun,*i*6. Jv- , *

.ffithra,

the wife of

jEgeus, 251. '

Agamemnon, general

ofthe Greeks, at the siege of

Troy,

272

murderedbyhis wife

Clytemnestra,

at his return,

£ 75.#

Aganippe,

the

fountainof

the

Muses,

48.

*.

Agenor, king of Sidon, the fatherofCadmusajJTJEurqpa, 173.

Aglaia, one of the Graces, 138.

Aglauros, one of

the

daughters of Cecrops, 166.

—

i

oWKoy,

jax, one of

the Grecian

chiefs at

the

siege <

tends with

Ulysses

for the

armourof

Achilles, 273 kills him

self, and his

blood

is turned into the violet flower, i t .

Alcestis,

the wifeof

Admetus, her

conjugal affection, 248.

Alcmena,

visited

by

Jupiter in

the shape of

herhusband

Amphi

tryon, 2i G becomes

themother of Herc%>,

218.



INDEX.

283

Alecto, one

of the

Furies, 145.

Allegory

explained,

9.

Alpheus

andArethusa,

the

story

of, 92.

Amalthjea,

one of the nurses of Jupiter, 36.

Amazons, vanquishedbyHercules, 222.

Amphictyoniccouncil, account of the, 49.

Amphion, raises

thewalls

ofThebesbythemusic of his lute, 243.

Amphitrite,

the wife of

Neptune, 114.

Amphitryon, the husband of Alcmena, slays Electryon, and i t

banished Thebes,

217.

Androgeus,

son

of

Minos,

king

of Crete,

killed

at

Athens,

188.

Andromeda,

delivered by Perseusfrom

a sea-monster, 197.

Antaeus, thegiant, overcome byHercules, 224.

Antigone, the daughter of (Edipus, 262.

Apollo, one of the

twelve

superior

Gods, 45 his

birth,

i t .

—

destroys the serpent Python, whichhad tormented his mother,

46 hisfigure, i t . — Godof the sun, i t . — of music and poetry,

i t . — theauthor of plaguesand contagious diseases, 47 Godof

medicine

and

prophecy, i t .

—

his

oracle at

Delphi, account of ,

i t . —

contends

with Pan,

181

— punishes

Midaswith

ass's

ears, i t .

—

slays

the

children

of

Niobe,

203

enamoured

of

Daphne,

206

— keeps the flocks of Admetus

king

of Thessaly, 247.

Apollo Belvedere, celebrated

statue, 2.

Arachne, turned

into

a

spider

by

Minerva,

204.

Arethusa,

courted

byAlpheus, andchanged

into

a

fountain, 92.

Arges, one of the Cyclops, 72.

Argonautic expedition, account of the, 232.

Argus, the story of his hundred eyes, 1

63

is slain byMercury,

andchanged into a peacockbyJuno, i t .

Ariadne,

the

daughter

of

Minos,

instructs

Theseus

how

to

de

stroy

the

Minotaur, 255-r-deserted by

Theseus, 256

—

becomes

the

wife of

Bacchus,

and

after

death is

changed

into aconstel

lation,

i t .

Arion,

an admirable

musician,

cast into

the sea, and

carried safe

to

land

bya dolphin, 245.

Asterope,

one

of the

daughters

of

Atlas, 75.

Astraea,

oneof the daughters of Jupiter, the

Goddess

of justice,

. 142-» .is taken up into Heaven, andmadethe sign Virgo, 144.

Atalanta,

conquered

in

a

foot-race

by

Hippomenes,

248.

Athamas, destroys

his

son, and is changed into a marine deity,

185.

Athens, temple of

Minerva

at, 18.

Athenians,

tharpriests,

19 —

their religious

worship,

20 festi

vals

of

the, 23.

Atlas,

one of

the Titans, 74 condemned

to support the heavens

on his should ,

i t . — explanation of

the fable

of , i t .

— his

pro

geny,

75

cmngedinto a mountainby

Perseus,

197.

Atreus,

storyornis cruelty, 201.



284

INDEX.

Atropos,

one of

the

Fates,

141.

Aty ,

beloved

by

Cybele,

35.

Augeas, kingof Elis, his

stable

containing three

thousand

oxen

cleansedby

Hercules in

one day,

221.

Aurora,

the

Goddessof the

morning, 117

enamoured

of

Titho-

nus,

268

changes

himinto a grasshopper,

269.

Auster, the

Godof

the

south

wind, 116.

Autolycus, one of the preceptors ofHercules, 218.

Bacchus, the

God

of

wine,

his

birth

andeducation, 176 solem

nity

of

his worship,

i t .

— his figure and appearance, 177

adventure with pirates, i t . — his conquests in

Ethiopia, India,

and other countries, 179 is the same with

the

Egyptian

Osiris, ib.

confers

on

Midasthe

powerof

turningevery thing

he

touched

into gold, 181 punishes Lycurgus king of

Thrace

with madness, 183 — causes his cousin Pentheus to be

torn

in

pieces, byhis

mother

and aunts, 184.

Baucis and Philemon, story of , 210 entertain

Jupiter

andMer

cury,

211

—

their

cottage

converted

into

a temple,

212.

Bellerophon, his continency, story of, 192

catches the winged

horsePegasus, and destroys

the

Chimaera, 194.

Bellona, the Goddess of war, 107.

Berecynthia, one ofthenames

ofCybele, 33.

Boar, theErymanthian, tamed

by

Hercules, 220.

Bona

Dea,

one

of

the

names

of Cybele,

33.

Boreas, Godof the north wind, 116.

Briareus, one of the Giants, whohadahundredhands, 71, 124.

Brontes,

one

of

the

Cyclops,

72.

Brutus, the evil genius of, 104.

Busiris, the tyrant

of

Egyptthat

offeredhumansacrifices,

slain

by

Hercules, 225.

Caeus, the robber, slain

by

Hercules, 225.

Cadmus, one of the most eminent personages

in

the early.Grecian

history, 172 lays the foundation of Thebes, 174 sows the

teeth

of

a

serpent

in

the

ground,

from

whicharmed

men

spring

up, i t . — his progeny,

175.

Caduceus,

the

wand

of

Mercury, described, 57 its

virtues, i b .

Calliope, themuseof epic

poetry,

136.

Callirhoe, the wife of Chrysaor,

108.

Calumny,one

of

the deities of the

Greeks,

155.

Calypso, detains Ulysses on his return fromTroJ5.

B

C

Castalianstream, account of

the,

48.



INDEX. 385

Castor

and

Pollux, history of, 248

are made

the constellation

Gemini,

249.

Cecrops, the

founder

of

Athens, 166.

Celasno,

one

ofthe daughters of

Atlas,

75.

Celestial, or

superior

Gods,

40

nymphs,

97.

Centaurs,

halfmenandhalf

horses, 130 and

Lapithx, battle

of ,

257.

Cephalus,

the

son of

Mercuryand

Herse, beloved by Aurora,

167 taken

upby

her

into

Heaven,

i t .

Cephalus,

king

of Thessaly, and Procris, the loves of, 169.

Cerberus,

a

dog with three heads, placed as a

guard

at the

en

trance

of the infernal regions,

126

—

chained

and

brought up

from

Hell,

byHercules, 223.

Ceres,

the Goddess of corn

and harvests, 66

— her

daughter

Pro

serpine,

carried

offby

Pluto, i t .

—

searchesthrough

theworld

for

her,

67 agreement

between

her

and Pluto, 68

explanation

of the

fable,

i t . — festival

of,

commonly called the Eleusinian

mysteries,

24.

Ceryces, one of the sacred families ofAthens, 20.

Ceto, the mother of the Gorgons, 105.

Chaos, the most ancient of the Grecian deities, 32. ,

Chan

n, his

descent,

125-

the

ferryman of

Hell,

i t . — his figure

andmanners

described, i t .

— receives a

small brass coin for the

fare of

each

ghost,

i t .

Caurus, one of the winds, 116.

Charites,

the

three Graces, 137.

Charity,

the

Roman,

story

of ,

1

54.

Charybdis,

account

of,

110.

Chimaera,

descriptionof themonster,

109

killed byBellerophon,

194.

Chiron, the Centaur, one of the preceptors of Hercules, 218

of Jason, 233 and of Achilles, 273.

Chorus of the Greeks, account of the, 22.

Chrysaor, the riderof the horse Pegasus, 108.

Circe,

the sorceress,

storyof, 110, 240.

Cimmeria,representedbyHomeras the country in

which

Hdlis

situated,

121.

Clio, theMuseof history,

1

36.

Clotho,

one

of the Fates,

141.

Clytemnestra, thewife of

Agamemnon,

murdersherhusband, 275

—

is killed by

herownson

Orestes, it.

Cocytus, one of the rivers of Hell, 123.

Ccelus, one of the most ancient deities of the Greeks, 32 de

posedbySaturn, 33.

Contumely, one

ofthe deities ofthe Greeks,

155.

Cumaean

Sybil,

story

of

the,

28.

Cupid,

the

Godof

love,

55

his figure and attributes, i t . —

and

Psyche,

story of, 208.



INDEX.

Cybele

the wife of

Saturn,

33— her figureandappearance,34

modesof worshipping,

35 her

love

for

Atys, i t .

Cyclops,

theservantsof Vulcan,

1

10 forge the thunderbolts

of

Jupiter,

i t .

D

Daedalus, a celebrated artificer,

187

his inventions, i t . — builds

the

famous

labyrinth of

Crete,

188

confined

in

it

with

his

son

Icarus,

191

—

escapes

from

thence

with

artificial

wings,

i t .

—

his

son

Icarus is drowned,

i t . "

Danae,

daughter

of Acrisius, visited

by Jupiter in

a

golden

shower, 1 94 thrown

with her son

Perseus,

in a chest,

into

the sea,

19.5

— arrivesin thedominionsof Polydectes,

who

falls

in love with her, i t .

—

deliveredbyher sonfromthe violence of

Polyuectes,

198.

Danaides, the fifty daughters of Danaus, who killed their hus

bands on thewedding night, their punishment in Hell, 131.

Daphne,

the

nymph,

beloved

by

Apollo,

206

is

changed

into

a

laurel, i t .

Dardanus, king of Troy, 266.

Darkness, one of

the

moreancient Godsof

the

Greeks, 32.

Death,

an allegorical

Deity, 146.

Dejanita,

the wife of

Hercules,

227

sends him the

poisoned

shirt of

Nessus the Centaur,

228.

Delphi,

account

of the

oracle of,

48.

Demigods,

account of the, 159.

Destinies,

or

Fates,

description

of

the,

139.

Deucalion,

king

of Thessaly,

his

descent, 171 restores the race

of mankind

destroyed

bya deluge, i t .

Diana, the Goddess ofthe

moon,

andofhunting,

51 her names,

figure

andappearance, 52 the Goddessof

Chastity,

i t . —

some

times called Hecate,

i t . —

her

magnificent

temple at Ephesus,

53

—

human

sacrifices offered to her at Sparta, it. — tranforms

Actxon into a stag,

185

enamoured of Endymion, 207

explanation ofthe fable of, i t .

Dice,

or

Judgment, one

of the

daughters

of

Jupiter,

139.

Dindymene,

one

of the

names

of

Cybele,

S3.

Diras, a nameof the Furies, 145.

Diomedes, king ofTtirace, vanquishedbyHercules,andgivenfor

food to his horses, 221.

Dionysia, festivals of Bacchus, 23, 177.

Discord,

an allegoricalDeity, 147.

Doris,

a

nymph

of the sea,

114.

Dreams, mythological

beings,

147.

Dryads, the Goddesses of

trees, 94.



INDEX.

287

£ .

Echidna,

the sister of the monster Geryon,

108.

EchoandNarcissus, storyof,

96.

Egyptians,

worshipped

the Gods under the forms of different

animals, 72.

Electra,

one

of the

daughters

of Atlas, 75.

Elysium, the mansions of the blessed, description

of,

133.

Enceladus, one of the Giants, 71.

Endymion,

beloved

by

the

moon,

207

—

explanation

of

the

fable

of, i t .

Enyo,

one of

the names

of

Bellona,

107.

Epaphus,

the

son of Jupiterand Io, 164.

Epigoni, thewar

of

the,

264.

Epimetheus,

the

brotherof Prometheus,

opens

Pandora's box,

77.

Erato, the Museof

lyric,

divine

and

amatory poetry,

136.

Ereobutadx,

one

of the sacred

families

of

Athens,

20.

Eous,

one of the horses of the sun, 47.

Erebus,

one

of

the

more

ancient

deities

of

the

Greeks,

32.

Erichthonius, the

son

of Vulcan, 167,

Erynnis, anameof the Furies, 145.

Erymanthianboar, conquered byHercules, 220.

Eteocles and Polynices,

combat

of, 263 the flames of theirfu

neral piledivide,

i t .

Eumenides, a name

of

the

Furies,

145.

Eumolpidae, one of the

sacred families

ofAthens,

20.

Eumolpus,

one of the preceptors of Hercules,

218.

Eunomia,good

government,

one

of

the

daughters

of

Jupiter,

139.

Euphranor, a Greek

artist,

embellishes the temple of Jupiter

Eleutherius, 19.

Euphrosyne, one of the Graces, 138.

Europa, carried awaybyJupiter in the formof abull, 173.

Eurus,

the

God

of

theeast wind, 116.

Euryale,

one

of the

Gorgons, 106.

Eurydice,

the

wife of

Orpheus, 243.

Eurystheus,

the

master

of

Hercules,

213.

Eurytus,

one

of

the

preceptors

of

Hercules,

218

the

father

of

Iole, 227.

Euterpe,

the

Muse

of

music, 136.

F

Fame,worshipped as a Goddess, 158 mythological personifica

tion of , i t .

Fates,

or

Destinies,

description'

of

the

three,

139

their

names

and

offices,

141.



28$

INDEX.

Fauns, nearly

the

same as satyrs, rural deities, 90.

Filial

duty,

a

temple dedicated

to at Rome, 153

illustrious ex

ample of , i t .

Flora, Goddess of

(lowers, 85 her figure,

i t . — story

related of

by Lactantius,

i t .

Fortitude,

her

figure, 153 one

of the attributes of

Minerva,44.

Fortune, her

figure,

155.

Furies, description

of the

three, 145 theirnames,

i t .

G

Ganymed,

taken

by Jupiter 'up into

Heaven,

and

made

his cup

bearer,

157,267.

Gemini, one

of the constellations

in Heaven, the samewith Cas

torandPollux, '249.

Genial, poetical senses of the word, 104.

Genii, opinions of

the

ancients, respecting, 103.

Genius,

the evil,

of Brutus, 104.

Genius

of

Socrates,

103.

Geryon,

a

monster

with three heads, 108

is

slain

by

Hercules,

222.

Giants,

their

descent, 69 war

of the,

i t .

— are

vanquished,

72

punishment of

the, 73.

Golden

Age,described, 142.

Golden

Fleece,

account

of the,

234.

Gorgons, their

names,

and description of them, 105

destroyed

by

Perseus,

106, 196.

Graces, three, their

names

and descent, 137.

Graise

and

Lamise,

account

of

the, 107.

Grecian artists

the

finest that ever existed, 1

— games,

account of

the, 25.

Greeks,

the excellence

of their statues,

1

—

the

beauty of their

forms, 2 their athletic

exercises,

it.

summary

of

their reli

gion,

5 historical origin

of

the

Gods

of the,

12 their

modes

of

worship, temples,

altars, and priests,

15 were unacquainted

with

the

figure of

the

earth, 120.

Halcyone,

one

of the

daughters of

Atlas, 75.

Hamadryads,nymphsof

trees,

94.

Harpies,

description

of

the, 112 expelled from Bithynia

by

Zethes

and

Calais,

236.

Hebe,

the

Goddess

of youth,

156 herbeautiful form, i t . —

made

cup-bearer

to Jupiter,

i t .

—

but for an

unlucky fall

is

turned

out

of her office, i b . — bestowed in marriageuponHercules, 157.

Hecate, one

ofthe

names

of

Diana,51 — one

of the infernal deities,

127

her

figure

and

appearance,

i t . —

worshipped

with

horrid

rites, 128.



INDEX.

289

Hector,

the

Trojan

hero,

slain

by

Achille ,

and

dragged

three

times round the walls

of

Troy, 273.

Helen, themost

beautiful

woman in the world, married to Me-

nelaus, 271 — goesoff with Paris,, and occasionsthedestruction

of Troy, 272 restored to her first husband, 274.

Helicon Mount,sacred to Apollo,

48.

Hell,

account of

the

Godsof, 1 1

9

site and topography

of,

1 21

rivers of, 123

Judges

of, 129description of,

according

to

the Greekmythologists andpoets, 1 22 -monstrousandterrific

forms

of,

124

visited

by

different

heroes,

121

by

Hercules,

223

Orpheus, 243 Theseus

and

Pirithous, 258.

Helle andPhryius, story of, 234 is drownedin that seawhich

fromher is since called theHellespont, i t .

Heraclitus,

story of

the

philosopher, 99.

Hercules, his descent and birth,

216 usually

considered as

the

God

of strength, 217 fatedbythe contrivance of Juno to be

the

servant

of

his cousin Eurystheus,

218

strangles twoser

pents

in his

cradle,

i t . — is

educated

by

the

best masters of

Greece, i t . — his twelve labours,2191. kills theNenueanlion,

i t .

—

2.

destroys the

Hydra,

220

3.

catches the

hind

of

CEnoe,

i t . — 4. conquers the Erymanthian boar,

i t .

— 5.

cleanses

the sta

bles

of

Augeas, 221 6. kills the Stymphalian birds, i t . —

7. takes

alivethe

Cretan bull,

i t .

— 8. carries away the mares of

Diomedes, king ofThrace, andgives the tyrant himself to be

eaten

by

his owncattle, i t . — 9.

obtains

the

girdle of Hippolita,

queenof theAmazons,22210.kills the monster Geryon, and

brings

awayhis oxen, i t .

— 1 1 . gathers

the apples

of

theHespe-

rides, and kills the

dragon

that guarded them, i t . — 12. chains

thedogCerberus, anddragshim

to

thegatesofMycenx,223.

Hercules,

further

exploits

of,

224

wrestles

with

the

giant

An

taeus, and vanquishes him, i t . — set uponbyan armyof pigmies,

it. — seizesBusiris the tyrant of Egypt, and sacrifices him

upon

his own altar,

225

— destroys

the

robber Cacus,

it. delivers

Prometheus from the vulture that preyed uponhis liver, 225

sacks the city

of

Troy, it. sails with the Argonauts, it.

assists the Godsin thewarof the Giants, i t . — his love for Iole

andOmphale, 227 employed

by

Omphalein female occupa

tions, i t . — marriesDejanira, i t . — shesendshima poisoned shirt,

228

ascends a

funeral

pile

on

mount

CEta,

inThessaly,

and

is

taken

up into

Heaven,

229

marries

Hebe, the

Goddess of

youth, i t .

Hercules,

various heroes

so named, 230.

Hermione,or

Harmonia,thewife

of

Cadmus,174.

Herse, one of the daughters of Cecrops, 166.

Hesiod, his account

of

the distance between Heavenand earth)

andbetween earth and Hell, 120.

Hesione, the daughter of kingLaomedon, delivered from a sea-

monsterbyHercules, 268.

O



290

INDEX.

Hesperus,

the

son

of

Atlas,

the

evening

star,

75.

Hesperides, the three daughters of Hesperus, in whosegarden

were golden apples, guarded by a

dragon,

whichHercules

killed

andtook

away

the

fruit, 75, 222.

Hindof

(Enoe, with

brazen feet and golden horns, hunted and

caught

byHercules, 220.

Hippodamia,

the

daughter

of

CEnomausking of Elis,

won

in

a

chariot-race byPelops,

201.

Hippodamia, the wife of Pirithous, 257.

Hippolita,

queen

of

the

Amazons,

vanquished

by

Hercules,

222

—

marries Theseus,

258.

Honour,the temple of,

only

to be

approached

through that of

Virtue, 152.

-Hope, theemblemof the Goddess, 153 left at the bottom of

Pandora's

box, 78.

Hours, the, 139 attendants ofAurora, 118.

Hydra,

a

monstrous serpent, 109 destroyed by

Hercules, 220.

Hygeia, the

Goddess

of health,

156.

Hymen,

the

Godofmarriage, 157

story

of

the

Athenian

youth,

i t .

—

attributes

of,

158.

Hyperion,

one of

the

namesof Apollo, 46.

I

Janus, his image, 38 his temple shut only twice during the

wholeperiod of the

Roman

republic,

i t .

Iapetus, the family of, 74.

Jason, his descent and youthful adventures,

233

sails onthe Ar-

gonautic

expedition,

accompanied

by

all

the

heroes

of

Greece,

235

visits

Hypsipyle, queen of

Lemnos,

236 delivers

Phineus

the

blind prophet, from

the persecution of

the

harpies,

i i .

—

gains the

golden

fleece bythe

assistance

of thesorceress

Medea,

238 carries

her off,

and marries her, 239 — forsakes her,

240.

Icarus, the son of

Dzdalus,

flies

with artificial

wings,

but

the

sunmelts

thewaxof

them,

so that

he falls

into the sea and is

drowned, 191.

Icelus, one of the offspringof Sleep, 147.

Idaei

Dactyli,

187.

Ilium, one

of

the names

of Troy,

267.

Ilus, one

of the

kings of Troy,267.

Impudence, honoured bythe Athenians

with religious

worship,

155.

Immortality

of the

soul, thedoctrine

of

the,

maintained

by the

Greeks, 120.

Inachus, one of the

demigods, 162 founds

the

city

of

Argos, i t .

Ino,

one of the aunts of

Bacchus, transformed into a marine

deity,

185.





292

INDEX.

Lemures,.

the

spirits

of

wicked

men

deceased,

102.

Lemuralia, the

festival

of,

102.

Lethe,

one of

the

riversof

Hell,

133

the

water

of

oblivion, 1

34.

Leucosia, one

of the Sirens,

111.

Liberty,

worshipped

as a

Goddess by

the

Greeks and

Romans,

156 theemblemsof,

i t .

Lichas, the

servant

of

Hercules,

thrownby

his master

into the

sea,

and

changed intoa rock, 229.

Ligeia, oneof the Sirens, 111.

Lilybceum, the promontory of, placeduponthe feet of the Giant

Typhosus,

73.

Lucifer, the morning star, 118.

Lucina, one of the

namesof

Juno, 42

of

Diana, i t .

Lupercalia, festival ofthe, 83.

Lycurgns, kingofThrace, struckwith madnessby

Bacchus,

183.

M

Magna

Mater, the Great Mother*one of the names of Cybelc,

33.

Maia,one of the daughters

of

Atlas, 75.

Manes, infernal deities, 100.

Mars, the Godof war, 44

the

animals

sacrificed to,

i t .

Medea, a sorceress, assists Jason to obtain

the

golden

fleece,

237

— goes

offwith him, and

tears

her brother Absyrtus in

pieces

to

delay

the

pursuit, 239

—

makes old

.ffison,

the

father

of Ja

son, young

again, i t .

— her kettle for

restoring

youth, 240

murders

her

own

children,

and

escapes

through

the

air

in

a

chariot drawnbya fiery dragon, i t .

Medusa, one of the Gorgons, 106 her head cut off byPerseus,

107 is fixedon the shieldof Minerva, i t .

Megssra, one of the Furies, 145.

Meleager, storyofhisbirth, 141

—

kills theCalydonian boar, 142

— his mother burns the fatal brand onwhichhis life depends,

and he expires, it.

Melpomene,

the tragic Muse,

1

37.

Memnon,

the

son

of

Aurora

and

Tithonus,

slain

in

combat

by

Achilles, 269

wonderful

statue

of,

i t .

Menelaus, the brother of Agamemnon,

marries Helen,

271 —

succeeds to the throne of Sparta,

i t .

— is

deserted

by

his

wife,

272 carries Helenbackin triumph to Sparta, 274.

Mercury,

his

birth,

56

— the

messenger

of the Gods, it. —

his

figureandappearance, it.

supposed to be

the inventor of let

ters, 58 theGodof commerceand thieves,

i t .

—

his

office in

Hell, 128 cuts offthe

head

ofArgusthe keeperof

Id,

163.

Merope,

one

of

the

daughters of

Atlas,

75.



INDEX.

Midas,

obtains

from

Bacchus

the

gift

of

turning

every

thing

he-

touches intogold,

181

—

condemnsthe music of

Apollo,

it.

pu

nished

with the ears

of an

ass, i t .

— his barber, story

of, 182.

Minerva,

temple

of at Athens, 18

the Goddess

ofwisdom,

43 —

the

daughter

of Jupiter,

i t .

— statue

of by Phidias, i t .

—

her

emblems,

44 presides

over military fortitude,

and

the arts

of

life,

ii.

transforms

Arachneintoa spider, 2C4,

Minos,

king

of Crete, 186

—

madeone of the

judges

of Hell, 129.

Minotaur, account of

the, 187

destroyed

by

Theseus,

255.

Mnemosyne,

or

Memory,

tke

mother

of

the

Muses,

136.

.

Momus,the Godof scoffing andcensoriousness, and the satirist

of Heaven, 148 his judgment on the bull of Neptune, the

house of Minerva,

and

themanof Vulcan, 150.

Morpheus,one

of

the

offspringof

Sleep,

147.

Muses, the nine,

their

birth,

names,

characters, and functions,

136.

Myrtilus,

the

groom

of

king CEnomaus, who

betrayed

his

master, 201.

Mysteries, account

of the

Eleusinian, 24.

N

Naiads, the Goddesses of springs, wells, and fountains, 94.

Narcissus and Echo, the story of, 95 falls in love with his own

image,

and is turnedinto

the

flower

which

bears his

name,

97.

Naxos, theisland of,

the nursing place

of

Bacchus, 176.

Nemasan

lion, killed byHercules, 109, 219.

Nemsean

games,

account

of the, 25.

Nemesis,

the

Goddess

of

vengeance,

144

her

fierce

aspect,

i t .

Neptune,

the

God

of the sea, 59

— his figure and appearance, 60

extensive authority,

i t. — description

of his

chariot,

115 his

consort, 1 14 Isthmian

games in honour

of, 25.

Nereids,

seanymphs,

114.

Nereus,

the

father

of the

Nereids,

114.

Nessus, the poisoned shirt of, sent to Hercules occasions his

death, 228.

Night, the daughter of Darkness

and

Chaos, one of the more

ancient

Gods,

32.

Niobe, the

mother

of

seven

sons

and

seven

daughters, offends

Latonaby her

arrogance, 202 her children

slain

by

Apollo,

203 is changedinto a

marble statue,

204.

Nisus,

his purple

lock of hair, 1

89.

Numitor, king

of Alba, the

grandfather

of

Romulus,

277 de

thronedbyhis

brotherAmulius, i t .

— restored to his kingdom

278. '

Nymphs,who,-93 Nereids, 1 14 Naiads, Oreads, Dryads, and

Hamadryads,94 the celestial, 97.

o3



294 INDEX.

O

*

Dceanides,

sea-nymphs,

114.

Oceanus, one of the Titans, amarine deity,

37,

113.

[Edipus,

king

of Thebes, his story, 259 exposedonthemoun

tains, i t .

—

adopted by

the king

of Corinth, 260 kills hisfather

j in a broil, i t . — explains the riddle of the

Sphinx,

261 — mar

ries

his mother, i t .

— madness

of, 264.

(Enomaus,father of Hippodamia,

killed

byfraud in a

chariot-

race, 201.

Ogyges,

the

deluge

of,

166.

Ogygia, the

residence

of Calypso,

75.

Olympus

mount, the

residence

of

the Gods, 40.

Olympic

games,

account of

the,

25.

OmfJhale, queen of Lydia, beloved by Hercules, 227 makes

him

spin,

i t .

Ops,

one of the namesof

Cybele, 33.

Oracles,

account of themost celebrated, 29.

Oracle of Delphi, 47 Dodona, 29 — Trophonius, i t .

Oreads,

or

Orestiades,

nymphs

of

the

mountains,

95.

Orestes,

kills

his

mother Clytemnestra, and i s

haunted

by

the

s

Furies, 275.

Orpheus

the

son

of

Apollo,

thewonderful effects of his lyre, 243

—

descends into the infernal regions to

recover

hiswifeEury-

dice,

but

loses

her again,

244 torn in

pieces

bythe

women

of

. Thrace, 245.

Orthus,

the two-headed dog

that guarded

the

herds

of Geryon,

109.

Orus, one of thenamesof Epaphus, 164.

Osiris

the

same

as

Bacchus,

180.

Ossa,

themountainthrownupon

Pelion,

71.

Othus, one of the Giants that madewaragainst theGods, i t .

P

Pactolus,

a riverwhosesand

is gold,

181

Palladium,

the

image

of Minerva

preserved in the

citadel of

Troy,

266

carried

off by

Ulysses,273.

Pales,

the

Goddess

of

shepherds,

85.

Palilia, festival

of the,

i t .

Pan, theGodofinanimate nature,82 his figure and appearance,

83

the

God of

shepherds,

hunters, and fishermen, i t . — the

inventor

of the uneven-reeded

pipe,

i t .

— enamoured

of

the

nymph

Syrinx,

84

deters

Brennus the

Gaul from

plundering

the city of Delphi, i t . — the author of panic fears, i t . — accom

panies B.iechns in his conquests,

ISO contends

with Apollo

before Midas, 181.

Panathensta, festival of

the, 23.



INDEX.

293

Pandora,

a

woman

of

clay,

formed

by

Vulcan,

77

—

origin

of

her

name,

M.

sent

to

Prometheus

with

a

box

filled

withthe

cala-

mities and evils of

human

life, 77.

Pandrosos, one of the daughters of Cecrops, 166,

Pantheon, description of the, 3.

Parcae,

the Destinies,

or Fates, account of, 139.

Paris, his descent,269

—

is exposed upon

mount Ida,

and brought

up byshepherds,

270

the

Judgment

of ,

148

carries away

Helen, 272 killed

at

the

siege

of Troy, 274.

Parnassus, the seat of the Muses, 48.

Parthenon,

the

temple

of

Minerva

at

Athens,

18.

Parthenope, one of the Sirens, 111.

Pasiphae,

the mother

of

the

Minotaur,

1

86.

Patroclus,

the friendof

Achilles, slain

byHector, 273.

Pegasus,

thewinged

horse,

account of,

108 appropriated tothe

Muses,

48

is caught and

rodeby

Bellerophon, 193.

Pelias,

usurper

of the

throne of

Iolchos, sendsJason to

fetch the

golden

fleece, 233

— cut

in piecesby his

daughters,

240.

Pelopsserved up

to table

by

his fatherTantalus,

130 restored

to life

by

theGods, 131 — his arrival

inGreece, 200

— wins

Hip-

podamia

by

fraud

in

a

chariot-race,

201.

Penates,thehousholdGods,

tits

presidingdeities

of

hospitality,

98.

Penelope, the wife

of

Ulysses, story

of

her conjugal fidelity, 275.

Pentheus,

torn to

pieces

byhis mother and aunts, 184.

Perseus,

the son

of

Jupiter and Danae, 195 is inclosed with

his

mother

in

a

chest,

and

cast

into the sea, 196 — cast onshore

upon

the island

of

Seriphos, and

educated

in

thetemple ofMi

nerva,

i b .

— cuts off the head

of

Medusa, 197

changes

Atlas

into a stone, i b .

—

delivers

Andromeda from

a

sea-monster,

i b .

rescues

his

mother

from

Polydectes,

and

turns

him

into

stone,

198 kills his grandfather Acrisius byaccident, and banishes

himself

toMycena:, 199.

Petasus, thewinged hat of Mercury,56.

Phatdra,

the

wife of

Theseus, 256 — causes

him

to

murderhis

son

Hippolitus, 258.

Phaeton, his descent, 164 obtainsleave to

drive

the

chariot

of

the sunfor

one

day, 165 overturns i t ,

by

which

the

heavens

and

the earth are

set on fire, 166 is struck byJupiterwith

a

thunderbolt into the river Po, i b . — his sisters changed into

poplars,

i d .

Phantasus,

one of

the

offspringof Sleep, 147.

Philoctetes,

story

of, 229.

Philomela,

the story

of, 167 i s changed into a nightingale, 169,

Phineus, the blindprophet,

delivered

from the persecution of

the

.

harpiesby

Jason,

236.

Phlegethon, one of the rivers of Hell, 124.

Phlegon,

one

of

the

horses of the sun, 46.



296

INDEX

Pigmies,

their

assault

upon

Hercules,

224

and

cranes,

war

of

the,

225.

Pileus, the cap of Liberty, 158.

Pirithous, his friendship

for

Theseus, 256

— descends

into

Hell

with the design to carry off Proserpine, 258.

Pleiades,

the

seven daughters of Atlas, 75

Pluto,

the

Godof

Hell,

his descent, 37— seizes Proserpine, and

carries

her off tothe infernal regions, 66 his palace, 127.

Plutus,

the

God

of

wealth, 156.

Pollux and

Castor,

history

of,

248.

1 olydectes,

enamoured

of

Danae,

196

is

changed

by

Perseus

into a stone,

199.

Polyhymnia, the Museof rhetoric, 137.

PolynicesandEteocles, combat of,

26S

the

flames

of their fu

neral pile dividej

i t .

Pomona,

theGoddessof fruits, 86

courted

by

and

marriesVer-

tumnus,

87.

Pontus,

one of the sea Gods, 115.

Prayers, the daughters of Jupiter, 151.

Priam, king

of

Troy,

the

father

of

Paris

and

Hector,

269

—

is

killed,

and

his

family

and

subjects

sold

to

slavery, 274.

Priapus,

the

God

of gardens,

89.

Procris, the wife of Cephalus, 169— accidentally

killed byhim,

170.

Procrustes,

his bed,

account of,

253

is killed

byTheseus,

i t .

Progne, the wifeof

Tereus, destroys

her son, and is changedinto

a swallow, 169.

Prometheus, one of the Titan race, 74 deceivesJupiter at a sa

crifice, 76 forms a manof clay, i t . — assisted byMinerva, he

carries

off

at

the

tip

of

his

wand

a

portion

of the

celestial

fire

from

the

chariot

of the

sun,

and animates hisimage, 77

— re

jects Pandora and her

box, i t . — persecuted by Jupiter,

and

chained to a rock, 78 delivered byHercules, 226.

Proserpine,

the

daughter ofCeres,

66

—

carried

offbyPluto, 67

explanationof the fable of, 68.

Proteus, his

various

metamorphoses, 1

i 5.

Psyche,

story of the

loves

of Cupidand, 208 is

carried

awayto

an enchanted palace, i t . — enviedbyher sisters, 209 — resolves

to

seeher husband,

i t . —

dismal

effects

of

her

curiosity,

210

is

madeimmortal, and becomes the wifeof Cupid, i t .

Pyramus and Thisbc, unfortunate lovers, their story, 212.

Pyrrha,

the

wife ofDeucalion, 171.

Pyroeis, one ofthe horsesof thesun, 46, £ ^

Pythagoras, inculcates

the

doctrineof

transmigration,

13*

Pythia,

the

priesiess of Apollo

at

Delphi, 49.

Pythian

games, account of

the, 25, 49.

Python,

the serpent,

destroyed

byApollo, 46.



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