m m % JAwaaitt^ >&Aavaaii-# - WUNlVEftf//, ,\lOS\s'C[L% ^ OV^ K 9 = ( fi £ 1 •r 1 G [ RY^/r : -N- ^ ^ #' ^Aavaan-^ v>:VOS AS'CFlfj> C5 *iZ3 A %0illVJdO^ — ( .V . .'- -^ > $: <> « 'na JUPITER. JL HE firft of the celeftial Deities was Jupiter, called the King and Father of both Gods and Men. He was the fon of Saturn and Ops. According to the Mythologifts, Jupiter was (ived from deftru&ion by his mother, and en- trufted to the care of the Corybantes. Sa- turn, who had received the kingdom of the world from his brother Titan, on condition of not raifing male children, devoured his fons as foon as born ; but Ops fecreted Jupiter from her hufband's cruelty, and gave a ftone to Sa- turn, which he devoured, fuppofing it to be the child. Jupiter was educated in a cave on Mount Ida, in Crete, and fed, fome fay, upon goats milk, according to others upon honey. That his cries might not reach the ears of Saturn, the Corybantes, by the command of Ops, beat drums and cymbals continually. When Jupiter was very young, he made war againft the Ti- tans, who had imprifoned his father, becaufe he had brought up male children. He was viclo- B rious 2 mythology; or, history rious, and procured Saturn his liberty; but Saturn becoming jealous of the growing power of his fon, confpired againft him, and was, for this treachery, driven from his kingdom, and fled for fafety to Latium. After which, Jupiter divided the empire of the world with his two brothers, Neptune and Pluto, who had, like him, been preferved by Ops. He referved for himfelf the fole dominion of heaven and earth, and gave the empire of the fea to Neptune, and that of the infernal regions to Pluto. The Giants, who were the fons of the earth, rebelled againft Jupiter, in order to avenge the death of the Titans, whom he had flain. They hurled immenfe rocks, and heaped up mountains upon mountains, thinking to fcale heaven. So that the Gods, to avoid their fury, fled to Egypt, and there afiumed the forms of different animals. This tradition was the caufe of the veneration which the Egyptians preferved for fo many animals, and of the adoration which they paid them. Jupiter, however, by the afliftance of Hercules, entirely overpowered the whole race of the Giants, and inflicted on them the feveral punifhments of which we fhall fpeak hereafter. Jupiter had many wives of which the following arc the names j Metis, one of the Oceanides; Themis, Of THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 3 Themis, a daughter of Coelus and Terra, and the mother of Dice ; Irene, Eunomia, the Parca?, &c. Erynome, one of the Oceanides, and mother of the Graces ; Mnemofyne, a daughter of Coelus and Terra, the mother of the Nine Mufes. He likewife efpoufed his filler Juno, and fhe feems to have been the only one of his wives who had any fhare in his power and dignity. Jupiter became fenfible likewife to the charms of many other beauties, as well mortals as divinities. The names of the prin- cipal of thefe were ; Latona, the daughter of Cceus the Titan, or, according to Homer, of Saturn. She was the mother of Apollo and Diana. Ceres, the Goddefs of Corn and of Kar- vefts. She was likewife the daughter of Saturn, and was the mother of Proferpine. Danae, the daughter of Acriflus, king of Argos, and the mother of Perfeus. Danae was confined by her father in a brazen tower, on account of an oracle which had foretold, that his daughter's fon would put him to death. Jupiter eluded the precaution, and introduced himfelf to Danae, by changing himfelf into a fhower of gold. An- tiope, the daughter of Ny&eus, king of Thebes, had twin fons by Jupiter ; thefe were Amphion and Zethus. The God took the form of a fwan, to introduce himfelf to Leda, the wife of B 2 Tyndarus, 4 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY Tyndarus, king of Sparta. Leda brought forth two eggs j from one of thefe fprung Pollux and Helena, and from the other Caftor and Cly- temneftra. The two former were deemed the offspring of Jupiter, and the others claimed Tyndarus as their father. He carried off Eu- ropa, the daughter of Agenor, king of Phenicia, in the form of a bull, and bore her on his back over the fea to Crete. She became the mother of Minos, Sarpedon, and Rhadamanthus. He aflumed the habit of Diana, to feduce one of her nymphs, Califto, daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia. Juno, enraged with jealoufy, changed Califto into a bear ; but Jupiter made her a conftellation of Heaven with her fon Areas, under the name of the Bear. He changed himfelf into a flame of fire, to warm the heart of Afgina, the daughter of Afopus, who was a fon of Neptune, and by her had iEacus. He took the fhape of Amphytrion, to gain the af- fections of his wife Alcmena, who was the mo- ther of the Great Hercules. Eleclra, one of the Oceanides, wife of Atlas, and mother of Dardanus, by Jupiter. Maia, the daughter of Atlas, was the mother of the god Mercury ; fhe was one of the Pleiades, and the mod lu- minous of the feven fifters. Niobs, a daugh- ter of Phoroneus, king of Peloponnefus. She had OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 5 had a fon called Argus, who gave his name to Argla, or Argolis, a country of Peloponne- fus. Laodamia, a daughter of Bellerophon. She had a fon called Sarpedon, who was king of Lycia : he went to the Trojan war, to aflift Priam againft the Greeks, where he was at- tended by his friend Glaucus : he was killed by Patroclus, after having greatly diftinguifhed -fy himfelf by his valour. According to fome Mythologifts, the prince who aflifted Priam, was Sarpedon, the fon of Jupiter, by Europa. Protogenia, a daughter of Deucalion and Pyrrha, had likewife a fon by Jupiter, iEthlius, who was the father of Endymion, Semele, a daughter of Cadmus and of Hermione, the daughter of Mars and Venus ; fhe was tenderly beloved by Jupiter, but Juno, determined to puniih this rival, and the rather, becaufe flie hated all the houfe of Cadmus. She took the form of Boroe, Semele's nurfe, to vifit her. Semele lifttened to her artful fuggeftions, by which flie was perfuaded to entreat her lover, as a proof that he really was Jupiter, to vifit her with the fame pomp and fplendour as when he approached the queen of Heaven. This rafh requeft was heard with horror by the God j but, as he had already fworn by the Styx, to grant whatever (he required, he came to her attended b 3 fa y .6 mythology; or, history by the clouds, the lightning, and thunder-bolts. The mortal nature of Semele could not endure fo much majefty, and fhe was inftantly con- fumed with fire. The child, however, of which fhe was pregnant, was preferved by Mercury, and was called Bacchus. Some fay that Jupi- ter enclofed him in his own thigh, till the time of his birth was accompliihed. Io, the daugh- ter of Inachus, who founded the kingdom of Argos, was prieftefs of Juno. Jupiter became enamoured of her, but Juno, jealous of his in- trigues, difcovered the object of his affection, and furprifed him in the company of Io. Jupi- ter changed his miftrefs into a beautiful heifer ; but the Goddefs, who perceived the fraud, ob- tained from her hufband the animal, whofe beauty fhe pretended to admire, and Juno com- mitted her to the care of Argus, who had an hundred eyes. Jupiter, in the mean time, anxious for the fafety of Io, fent Mercury to ,deftroy Argus, and to reftore her to liberty. Io, though freed from the vigilance of her keeper, was frill perfecuted by Juno, who fent a malicious infect to torment her. She wan- dered over a great part of the earth, and croffed the fea, till at length fhe flopped on the banks of the Nile, ftill expofed to the torments of Ju- no's infect. Here, at her entreaties, Jupiter reftored OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. "J reftored her to her proper form, and {he brought forth Epaphus ; file afterwards married Tele- gonus, king of Egypt, or, according to fome, Oilris, and (he treated her fubjects with fo much mildnefs and humanity, that, after her death, fhe received divine honours, and was worfhipped under the name of Ifis. The power of Jupiter was fuppofed to ex- tend over all the Deities, and every thing was fubfervient to his will, except the Fates. From him mankind received their bleffings and their miferies, and they believed him to be acquainted with every thing pair, prcfent, and to come, The fins of mankind, it is related, were be- come fo enormous, that Jupiter refolved to vifit the earth, in order to punifh wickednefs and impiety. He came to Arcadia, where he was announced as a God, and the people began to pay proper adoration to his divinity. Lycaon, however, the king of that country, who ufed to facrifice all ftrangers to his wanton cruelty, laughed at the pious prayers of his fubjedls, and to prove the divinity of the God, he ferved up human flefli on his table. This impiety fo irritated Jupiter, that he inftantly deftroyed the houfe of Lycaon, and changed him into a wolf, B 4 The 8 Mythology; or, history The worfhip of Jupiter was univerfal, and furpafled that of all the other Gods infolemnity. His altars were not flained with the blood of human vi&ims, like thofe of Saturn and Diana ; but he was pleafed with the facrifice of goats, fheep, and white bulls. The Oak is facred to him, becaufe he firft taught mankind to live upon acorns. He is generally reprefented as fitting upon a golden or ivory throne, holding in one hand thunderbolts, juft ready to be hurled ; and, in the other, a fceptre of cyprefs. His looks exprefs majefty, his beard flows long and neglected, and the eagle ftands with ex- panded wings at his feet. He Is fometimes re- prefented with the upper parts of his body naked, and thofe be]cw carefully covered ; as if to fhew that he is vifible to the Gods above, but is concealed from the fight of the inhabitants of the earth. At Olympia he was reprefented with a crown like olive-branches : his mantle was variegated with different flowers, parti- cularly by the lilly, and the eagle perched on the top of the fceptre which he held in his hand. The Cretans reprefented Jupiter without ears, to fignify, that the fovereign mafter of the uni- verfc ought not to give a partial hearing to any particular perfon, but be equally candid and propitious to all. At Lacedaemon, he appeared with OP THE HEATHEN DEITIES. $ with four heads, that he might feem to hear with greater readinefs the different prayers and folicitations which were daily addrefled to him from every part of the earth. Jupiter had le- veral oracles, the moft celebrated of which were thofe of Dodona, and Ammon in Lybia. It is faid, that haying ordered Vulcan to open his head, Minerva, the Goddefs of Wifdom and of Arms, fprung from his brain. The furnames of Jupiter were numerous, many of which he received from the places or functions over which he prefided. He was fe- verally called Jupiter Ammon, Feretrias, In- ventor, Elicius, Capitolinus, Latialis, Piftor, Sponfor, Herceus, Anxurus, Victor, Maximus, Optimus, Olympius, Fluvialis, &c. but moft commonly he is called Jove or Jupiter. According to Varro, Diodorus, and Cicero, there were many perfons of the name of Jupi- ter; and, it is conjectured, that to him of Crete, who pafTed for the fon of Saturn and Ops, the actions of all the reft have Veen attributed. B 5 APOLLO, £9 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTOR* APOLLO. X^POLLO, fon of Jupiter and Latona, called alfo Phoebus or Sol, which is the fun. Accord- ing to Cicero there were four perfons of this name. The firft was fon of Vulcan, and the tutelary God of the Athenians. The fecond was the fon of Corybas, and born in Crete, for the dominion of which he difputed even with Jupiter himfelf. The third was fon of Jupiter and Latona, and came from the nations of the Hyperboreans to Delphi. The fourth was born in Arcadia, and called Nomion, becaufe he gave laws to the inhabitants. To the fon of Jupiter and Latona, all the actions of the others feem to have been attributed. The Apollo, fon of Vulcan, was the fame as the Orus of the Egyptians, and was the moft ancient ; from him the actions of the three others, who feem to have been of a Grecian origin, have been copied. The tradition, that the fon of Jupiter was born in the floating ifland of Delos, is taken from the Egyptian Mythology, which aflerts,that the fon of Vulcan, which is fuppofed to OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. II to be Orus, was faved by his mother Ifis, from the perfecution of Typhon, and entrufted to the care of Latona, who concealed him in the ifland of Chemmis. When Latona was preg- nant, Juno, ever jealous of her hufband's amours, raifed the ferpent- Python to torment Latona, who was refufed a place where to give birth to her children, till Neptune was moved at the feverity of her fate, and raifed the ifland of Delos from the bottom of the fca, where fhe brought forth Apollo and Diana. The former, as foon as he was born, deftroyed with arrows the ferpent Python, who perfecuted his mother, hence he v/as called Pythius. He was accounted the God of all the fine Arts ; of me- dicine, mufic, poetry, and eloquence; of all which he was deemed the inventor. He had received from Jupiter the knowledge of futu- rity, and he was the only one of the Gods, whofe oracles were in general repute all over the world. When his fon, Efculapiu?, had been killed with the thunders of Jupiter, for railing the dead to life, Apollo, in his refentment, killed the Cyclops who had fabricated the thunder-bolts. Jupiter was incenfed at this violence, and he baniflled Apollo from Heaven, and deprived B 6 him 12 mythology; or history him of his dignity. The exiled Deity came to Admetus, king of Theflaly, and hired himfelf to be one of his fhepherds, in which ignoble employment he remained nine years, and' from which circumftance he was called the God of Shepherds. During his refidence in Theflaly, he rewarded the kind treatment of Admetus. He gave him a chariot drawn by a lion ^nd a bull, with which he was able to obtain in mar- riage, Alcefte, the daughter of Pelias ; and foon after, the Parcae, at the requeft of Apollo, granted that Admetus might be redeemed from death, if another perfon laid down his life for hinu Apollo affifted Neptune in building the walls of Troy; and when Laomedon, the king of the country, refufed him the promifed re- ward, he deftroyed the inhabitants by a pefti- lence : he, with his After Diana, killed in one day,, the feven fons and {even daughters of Niobe, as well as her hufband, becaufe me had the imprudence, not only to prefer herfelf to Latona, whom fhe defpifed on account of her having had only two children, but fhe even infulted her, and ridiculed the worfhip which was paid to her, alledging that me had a better claim to altars and facri rices than the mother of Apollo and Diana. Niobe, ftruck with mor- tal grief at the fudden lofs of all fhe held fo dear, OF THE HEATHEflf DEITIES. i;j dear, wept incefFantly, and was at laft chang'd into a ftone. Marfyas, a celebrated piper of Celaenae, in Phrygia, was flead alive by Apollo* for having dared to challenge him to a trial of his (kill as a mufician. Midas, a king of Phrygia, having had the imprudence to aflert, that the God Pan was fuperior to Apollo in finging and playing on the flute, the offended Deity, for this rafh opinion, changed his ears into thofe of an afs, to (hew his ignorance and ftupidity. Midas endeavoured to conceal this difgrace from his fubjec~ts,,but it was perceived by one of his fervants, who being unable to keep the fecret, yet afraid to reveal it (appre- hending the king's refentment), he dug a hole in the earth, and putting his mouth to it, whif- pered thefe words, " King Midas has ajfes ears" then rilling up the place he left it ; but the poets fay that a number of reeds grew on that place, which, when agitated by the wind, always ut- tered the very words which had been buried beneath, and publifhed to the world, that Mi- das had the ears of an afs. Some have endea- voured to explain the fable of the ears of Midas, by a fuppofition that he kept a number of infor- mers and fpies, who were continually employed in gathering every feditious word which might drop from the mouths of his fubjecls. The 14 mythology; or, history The favourites of Apollo were ; Leucothoe, a daughter of king Orchamus : To introduce himfelf to her with greater facility, he aflumed the fhape and features of her mother ; but Cly- tia, who was herfelf in love with Apollo, prompted by jealoufy, difcovered the whole in- trigue to the father of her rival, who caufed his daughter to be buried alive. The lover, unable to fave her from death, fprinkled Nedlar and Ambrofia on her tomb, which penetrating to the body, changed it into a beautiful tree, which bears frankincenfe. Daphne, a daugh- ter of the River Peneus, or, of the Ladon, by the Goddefs Terra : The pailion of Apollo for her, had been raifed by Cupid, with whom the former, proud of his victory over the Serpent Python, had difputed the power of his darts. Daphne heard with horror the addrefies of the God, and endeavoured to avoid his impor- tunities by flight; Apollo purfued her, and Daphne feeing him ready to overtake her, en- treated the afliftance of the Gods, who imme- diately changed her into a laurel. Apollo af- terwards crowned his head with the leaves of the laurel, and ordained that that tree mould be for ever facred to him. Iffe, a daughter of Ma- careus, the fon of Lycaon : Apollo, to obtain her confidence, took the form of a fhepherd ° to OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES 15 to whom (he was attached. Bolina, a virgin of Achaia, who rejected his addrefles, and threw herfelf into the fea to avoid his importu- nities. The God made her immortal. There is a city which bears her name in Achaia. Coronis, a daughter of Phlegias, a fon of Mars, and king of the Lapithae in Theflaly. She was the mother of Efculapius, but was killed by Apollo, before the birth of her fon, on account of her criminal partiality to Ifchys theTheflalian. Efculapius, however, was taken from his mother when me was on the funeral pfle, and preferved by Mercury. Cyrene, a daughter of the River Peneus, of whom Apollo became enamoured j he carried her to that part of Africa which is called Cyrenaica, where file brought forth Arifbeus. Chione, a daugh- ter of Daedalion, by whom Apollo had a fon, named Philammon, who became an excellent mufician. Acacallis, a nymph, mother of Phi- lander and Phylacis : they were expofed to the wild beafts in Crete, but a goat giving them her milk, preferved them. Calliope, one of the Mufes, daughter of Jupiter and Mnemofyne. She is faid to be the mother of Orpheus, by Apollo. Perfeis, one of the Oceanides, mo- ther of Pafiphae (who married Minos, king of Crete), and of the forcerefs Ciice. Clemene, one l6 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY one of the Oceanides, and the mother of Phae- ton : this young man was of a lively difpofition, and a handfome figure ; he became a favourite of Venus, who entrufted him with one of her temples. Seeing himfelf thus diftinguifhed by the Goddefs, he grew vain and afpiring ; ai>d when told by Epaphus, the, fon of Io, that he ought to check his pride, for that he was not as he imagined, the fon of Phoebus : Phaeton refolved to know his true origin, and, by the advice of his mother, he vifited the palace of the Sun. He begged Phoebus, that if he really was his father, he would give him inconteftible proofs of his paternal tendernefs, and convince the world of his Jigitimacy. Phcebus fwore by the Styx, that he would grant whatever he required j and no fooner had he pronounced that oath, than Phaeton demanded his per<- miflion to drive his chariot for one day. Phoe- bus reprefented the impropriety of fuch a re- queft, and the dangers to which it would expofe him, but in vain ; and as the oath was invio- lable, and Phaeton unmoved, the father inftru- &ed his fon how to proceed in his way through" he regions of the air. His explicit directions were forgotten, or rather not attended to ; and no fooner had Phaeton received the reins from his father, than he betrayed his ignorance and incapacity OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. \J incapacity of guiding the chariot. The flying horfes became fenfible of the confufion of their driver, and immediately departed from the ufual track. Phaeton repented too late of his rafh- nefs, and already Heaven and earth were threatened withan univerfal conflagration; when Jupiter, who had perceived the diforder of the horfes of the fun, ftruck their driver with one of his thunder-bolts, and hurled him headlong from Heaven into the river Po. His body, confumed with fire, was found by the nymphs of the place, and honoured with a decent burial. His fitters, mourning day and night his unhappy end, were at laft changed into poplars by Jupiter. According to thofe who explain this poetical fable, Phaeton was a Li- gurian Prince, who ftudied aftronomy, and in whofe age the neighbourhood of the Po was viftted with uncommon heats. Apollo had a great affe&ion for young Hya- cynthus, whom he killed accidentally with z quoit. He was much affiicled at this misfortune, and changed the blood of his favourite into a flower which bears his name. His body was placed among the conflellations. Cypariffus, another youth, was much beloved by Apollo. Having killed a favourite flag of the God ; 1 be iS MYTHOLOGY ', OR, HISTORY he was fo grieved at it that he pined away, and was changed by Apollo into a cyprefs tree, Apollo is reprefented as a tall, beardlefs young man, with long hair, and a handfome fhape, holding in his hand a bow, and lome- times a lyre, which he is faid to have received from Mercury, and to have given him in re- turn, the famous Caduceus, with which Apollo was wont to drive the flocks of king Adme- tus. His head is generally furrounded with beams of light, and crowned with laurel. He was the Deity, who, according to the notions of the ancients, .inflicted plagues, and his power was univerfally acknowledged. He had temples and ftatues in every country, particu- larly in Egypt, Greece, and Italy. His ftatue, which flood upon Mount Aclium, as a mark to mariners to avoid the dangerous coaft, was particularly famous, and it was feen at a great diftance upon the fea. As he prefided over poetry, Apollo was often ken on Mount Par- naflus with the Nine Mufes. His moft famous oracles were at Delphi, Delos, Claros, Te- nedos, Cyrrha, and Patara. His moft fplendid temple was at Delphi, where every nation and individual made confiderable prefents when they they confulted the oracle. Auguftus, after the battle OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 1$ battle of A&ium, built a temple to this God on Mount Palatine, which he enriched with a valuable library. The famous ColofTus at Rhodes was a ftatue of Apollo : it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The cock, the grafshopper, the wolf, the crow, the fwan, the hawk, the olive, the laurel, the palm tree, &c. were all facred to Apollo; and in his facrifices wolves and hawks were offered, as being the natural enemies of the flocks, over which he prefided. Bullocks and lambs were alfo immolated to him. Apollo, befides the fir-names already mentioned, was likewife called Delius, Synthius, Paean, Delphicus, Ly- cius, Clarius, Ifmenius, Vulturius, Smirw theus, &c. MERCURY. 20 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY MERCURY. Mi .ERCURY, the fon of Jupiter and Maia. He was called by the Greeks, Hermes. There was no lefs than five of this name according to Cicero. A fon of Ccelus and Lux ; a fon of Valens and Coronis ; a fon of the Nile ; the the fon of Jupiter and Maia; and another, a great philofopher among the Egyptians, who was called by them Hermes, and Mercurius Trifmegiftus. To the fon of Jupiter and Maia, the actions of all the reft have been probably attributed, as he is the moft famous of them all. Mercury was the meflenger of the Gods, and of Jupiter more particularly : He was the patron of travellers and of fhepherds. It was his office to conduct the fouls of the dead into the infernal regions ; and he not only pre- prefided over orators and merchants, but he was alfo the God of Thieves, and all difho- neft perfons. He was fuppofed to have been born on Mount Cyllene, in Arcadia, and en- trufted to the care of the Ssafons. Mercury gave OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 11 gave an early proof of his craftinefs and difho- nefty, in ftealing the oxen of Admetus, which Apollo 'tended. He gave another proof of his thievifti propenfity, by taking alfo the quiver and arrows of the divine fhepherd ; and he in- creafed his fame by robbing Neptune of his trident, Venus of her girdle, Mars of his fword, Jupiter of his fceptre, and Vulcan of many of his mechanical instruments. Thefe fpecimens of his art recommended him to the notice of the Gods : he was their ambaflador, and was concerned in all treaties and alliances. As the meflenger of Jupiter, Mercury was entrufted with all his fecrets, and the confident of his amours. He was prefented by him, with a winged cap, called Petafus^ and with wings for his feet, called Talaria. He had alfo a fbort fword, called Herpe^ which he lent to Perfeus, when that hero went to attack the Gor- gons. With thefe he was enabled to go into whatever part of the univerfe he pleafed, with the greateft celerity ; and he had befides the power of becoming inviftble, and of aftuming whatever fhape he thought proper. The in- vention of the lyre and its feven fixings is afcribed to Mercury. This he gave to Apol- lo, and received from him in exchange the ce- lebrated Caduceus, which is a winged rod, en- circled 22 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY circled by a couple of ferpents, and by means of which he was faid to poflefs the faculty of de- ciding controverfies,andcompofing differences. From hence ambafladors, who are fent to make peace, are called Caduceatores. In the wars of the giants againft the Gods, Mercury fhe wed him- felf brave, fpirited, and aclive. He deliver- ed Mars from the long confinement which he fuffered from the fuperior power of the Aloides. He purified the Danaides of the murder of their hufbands. He tied Ixion to his wheel in the infernal regions. He deftroy- ed the hundred eyed Argus. He fold Hercu- les to Omphale, queen of Lydia. He conducted Priam to the tent of Achilles, to redeem the body of his fon, Hector ; and he carried the infant Bacchus to the nymphs of Nyfa. When Mercury was ftealing the oxen of Ad- metus, he was feen by a herdfman whofe name was Battus. The God, on perceiving that his theft was difcovered, gave. Battus acow, who thereupon promifed him fecfecyj but Mercury, foon after, to prove his fidelity, came to him in another fliape, and enquired if he knew who had ftolen the oxen, and which way the thief had led them, promifing him both a bull and a cow if he fhould difcover it. Battus was unable to refill this offer, and he revealed all OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2$ all he knew ; when Mercury, enraged at this double treachery, turned Battus into a pumice ilone. Mercury accompanied Jupiter when he tra- velled in difguife over Afia. The Gods came to a (mail cottage where Philemon, an aged peafant, with his wife, Baucis, lived content- ed and happy in their humble ftation. Thefe good people received their unknown guefts with fuch cheerful hofpitality, that the deities to recompence their virtue, metamorphofed their dwelling into a magnificent temple, of which Philemon and Baucis were made priefts. After they had lived happy to an extreme old age, they died both at the fame hour, ac- cording to their own requeft, that one might not have the forrow of furviving the other. Their bodies were at the fame inftant changed into two yew-trees before the door of the temple. The children of Mercury were numerous, as well as his amours. He was father of Au- tolycus, by Chione; of Myrtilus,by Cleobula; of Lybys, by Lybias ; of Echion and Eurytus, by Antianira ; and of Prylis, by Ifla. He was alfo father of Hermaphroditus, by Venus; of Eudorus, 24 mythology; or, history Eudorus, by Polimela ; of Pan, by Dryope ; and of Cephalus, by Herfe, a daughter of Ce- crops, king of Athens. Mercury difclofed his love for Herfe, to her filter Aglauros/i in the hope of obtaining an eafy admittance to his miftrefs by her means ; but Aglauros, through jealoufy, difcovered the amour. The God was fo incensed at her behaviour, that he ftruck her with his caduceus, and changed her into a ftone. The wormip of Mercury was well efta- blifhed ; particularly in Greece, Egypt, and Italy. He was worfhiped at Tanagra in Bceo- tia, under the name of Criophorus, and repre- fented as carrying a ram on his fhoulders ; becaufe he delivered the inhabitants from a peftilence, by directing them to carry a ram in that manner round the walls of their city. The Roman merchants yearly celebrated a kf- tival on the fifteenth of May, in honour of Mercury, in a temple near the Circus Maxi- mus. A pregnant fow was then facrificed, and fometimes a calf j and particularly the tongues of animals were offered to him by throwing them into the fire, as he was the patron of eloquence, of which the tongue is the or- gan. After the votaries had fprinkled them- felves OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 25 felves with water, with laurel leaves, they of- fered prayers to the Divinity, and entreated him to be favourable to them, and to forgive whatever artful meafures, falfe oaths, or other deceits they had made ufe of in the purfuit of gain. Mercury fometimes appears on monuments, with a large cloak round his arm, or tied un- der his chin. The chief enfigns of his power and offices are his Caduceus, his Petafus, and his Talaria. Sometimes he is reprefented fit- ting upon a cray-fifh, holding in one hand his Caduceus, and in the other the claws of the fifh. At other times he is feen like a young man without a beard, holding in one hand a purfe, as being the tutelar God of Merchants, with a cock on his wrift, as an emblem of vigi- lence, and at his feet a goat, a fcorpion, and a fly. Sometimes he refts his foot upon a tor- toife. In Egypt his ftatues reprefented him with the head of a dog, whence he was often confounded with Anubis, and received the fa- crifice of a ftork. Offerings of milk and honey were made to him, becaufe he was the God of Eloquence, whofe powers are fweet and perfuafive. Sometimes his ftatues reprefent him without arms, becaufe, according to fome, C the 26 MYTHOLOGY; OB, HISTORY the power of fpeech can prevail over every thing, even without the affiftance of arms ; and fometimes to denote his fkill in making peace, he was painted with chains of gold flowing from his mouth, with which he linked together the minds of thofe who heard him. Mercury had many firnames and epithets. He was called Cyllenius, Caduceator, Aca- ceto~, from Acacus, an Arcadian, Acacefms, Tricephalos, Triplex, Chthonius, Camillus, Agoneus, Delius, Areas, &c. MARS. $F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. &7 MARS, lYlARS, the God of War [amongft the an- cients, was the fon of Jupiter and Juno, or of Juno alone, according to Ovid, by the touch of a flower fhewn her by Flora, in the plains near Olenus. The education of Mars was entrufted by Juno to the God Priapus, who inftruc"led him in all the manly exercifes. His trial, before the celebrated court of the Areopa- gus, according to the authority of fome authors, for the murder of Hallirhotius (who had offered violence to his daughter Alcippe), forms an interesting epocha in hiftory. In the wars of Jupiter and the Titans, Mars was feized by Gtus and Ephialtes, and confined during fifteen months, after which Mercury procured him his liberty. In the Trojan war, Mars interefted himfelf on the fide of the Trojans, and de- fended the favourites of Venus with great acti- vity. His amours with that Goddefs have been much celebrated. The God of War obtained her affection j but Vulcan being informed of the intrigue by Apollo, made a net, of which C 2 the IS MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY the workmanfliip was fo fine as to render it imperceptible. In this net he caught the two lovers, and expofed them to the 'ridicule and fatire of all the Gods, till Neptune prevailed upon him to fet them at liberty. This difcovery fo incenfed Mars, that he changed into a cock his favourite Alectrion, whom he had (rationed at the door of the houfe to watch the approach ©f the fun, and Venus alfo fhewed her refent- ment, by perfecuting, with the moft inveterate fury, the children of Apollo. Mars was father of Cupid, Anteros, and Harmonia, by the goddefs Venus. He had Afcalaphus and Ialmenus, who were at the Trojan war, by Aftycche, a daughter of A he was perceived by the Bacchanals, and they all rufhed upon him. His mother was the firft who attacked him, and her example was inftantly followed by her two fitters, Ino and Autonoe, and his body was torn to pieces. Lycurgus, according to the Mythologies, drove Bacchus out of his territories, and aboliihed his worfhip, for which impiety he was feverely punifhed by the God. He put his own fon Dryas OF THI HEATHEN DEITIES. 37 Dryas to death in a fit of frenzy, and he after- wards cut off his own legs, miftaking them for vine-boughs. He was put to death by his own fubjecls, who had been informed by an oracle, that they mould not tafte wine till Ly- curgus was no more. This fable is explained by obferving that the averfion of Lycurgus for wine, over which Bacchus prefided, arofe from the filthinefs and difgrace of intoxication, and therefore the Monarch wifely ordered all the vines of his dominions to be cut off, that him- felf and his fubjects might be preferved from the extravagance and debauchery which is pro- duced by too free an ufe of wine. Another in- ftance of the feverity of Bacchus, to thofe who neglected his worfhip, may be found in the ex- ample of the three daughters of Minyas, king of Bceotia; who defpifing the facrifices of this God, and flaying at home fpinning, while the Orgies were celebrating, were changed into bats. Bacchus went down to Hell to recover his mother, whom Jupiter made a Goddefs, under the name of Thyone. The ftory of Midas, King of Phrygia, who has already been mentioned under the article of Apollo, 38 mythology; or, history Apollo, muft here find a place. The hofpi- tality with wh'ch he had treated Silenus, the Preceptor of Bacchus, was liberally rewarded by the God, who permitted him to chufe what- ever recompence he pleafed. Midas had the imprudence, and the avarice, to demand, that whatever he touched might be turned into gold. His prayer was granted, but he was focn con- vinced of his injudicious choice ; and when the very meats which he attempted to eat, be- came gold in his mouth, he begged of Bacchus to refume a gift, which mufr. otherwife prove fo fatal to him on whom it 'had been bellowed. He was ordered to warn himfelf in the river Pac- tolus, whofe fands were converted into gold by the touch of Midas. The amours of Bacchus were not numerous. He married Ariadne, after foe had been for- faken by Thefeus in the ifland of Naxos, and had by her many children ; among whom were Ce- ranaus, Thoas, CEnopion, Tauropolis, &-c. According to fome, he was the father of Hy- menseus, whom the Athenians made the God of marriage. As Bacchus was the God of Wine and of Drukinj, he is generally reprefented crowned with OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 39 with vine and ivy leaves, with a Thyrfus in his hand. His figure is fometimes that of an ef- feminate young man, to denojte the joys which commonly prevail at feafts, and fometimes that of an old man ; to teach us that wine taken im- moderately, will enervate us, impair our health, render us loquacious, and childifh like old men, and unable to keepfecrets. Bacchus is fome- times reprefented like an infant, holding a Thyrfus and cluflers of Grapes, with a horn. He often appears naked, and riding upon the fhoulde*s of Pan, or in the arms of Silenus, who was his fofter-father. He alfo fits upon a celeftial globe, befpangled with ftars, and is then the fame as the fun, or Ofiris of Egypt. According to Pliny, he was the firft who ever wore a crown. His beauty is compared to that of Apollo, and like him he is reprefented with fine hair, loofely flowing down his fhoulders, and is faid to poffefs eternal youth. Sometimes he has horns, either becaufe he firft taught the cultivation of the earth with oxen, or becaufe Jupiter was faid to have appeared to him in the defarts of Libya, under the fhape of a Ram, and to have fupplied his thirfty army with wa- ter. The feftivals of Bacchus, generally cal- led Orgies, Bacchanalia, or Dionyfia, were in- troduced into Greece, from Egypt, by Danaus, end 40 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY and his daughters. The infamous debauche- ries which aro'e fron the celebration of thefe feftivals are well known. The Egyptians fa- crificed pigs to Bacchus, before the doors of their houfes, and the goat was generally facri- ficed to him, on account of the great propen- lity.of that animal to deftroy the vine. The Panther is facred to him, becaufe in his Indian expedition, he was covered with the fkin of that beaft. The magpie was his favourite bird, becaufe in triumphs, people were permitted to fpeak with boldnefs and liberty. The fir-tree, the yew-tree, the fig-tree, the ivy, and the vine, Were all facred to him. Among the feveral names which Bacchus has received, he is called Liber, Bromius, Lyoeus, Evan, Thyonaeus, Pfilas, &c. which are moftly derived from the places where he re- ceived adoration, or from the ceremonies ob- ferved in his feftivals. CUPID. Or THE HEATHEN DEITIES. CUPID. vjUPID wa* a celebrated Deity among the Antients, God of Love, and Love itfelf. There are are different traditions concerning his parents. Cicero mentions three Cupids ; one, fon of Mercury and Diana ; another, fon of Mercury and Venus; and the third, fon of Mars and Venus. Plato mentions two. Hefiod, the moft antient Theogonift, fpeaks only of one, who, as he fays, was produced at the fame time as Chaos and the Earth. There are, according to more received opinions, two Cupids, one of which is a lively ingenuous youth, fon of Jupiter and Venus ; whilfr. the other, fon of Nox and Erebus, is diftinguiihed by his debauchery and riotous difpofition. Cu- pid is reprefented as a winged infant, naked, with a fillet over his eyes, and armed with a bow and a quiver full of arrows. On gems, and all other pieces of antiquity, he is repre- fented as amuling himfelf with fome childifh di- verfion. Sometimes he appears driving ahoop, throwing a quoit, playing with a Nymph, catching a butterfly, or trying to burn with a torch : 42 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY torch : at other times he plays upon a horn be- fore his mother, or clofely embraces a fwan, or with one foot raifed in the air, he in an amufing pofture, feems meditating fome trick. Some- times, like a conqueror, he marches triumphant- ly with a helmet on his head, a fpear on his fhoulder, and a buckler on his arm j to inti- mate that even Mars himfeif owns the fupe- riority of Love. His power was generally ex- prefled by his riding upon the back of a lion, or on a dolphin, or by breaking to pieces the thunder-bolts of Jupiter. Cupid was wor- fhipped with the fame folemriity as his mother Venus ; and as his influence was extended over the heavensj the fea, and the earth, , and even the empire of Pluto, his divinity was univerfally acknowledged, and vows, prayers, and facri- fices, were daily offered to him. According to fome accounts, the union of Cupid with Chaos gave birth to men, and all the animals which inhabited the earth, and even the Gods them- felves, are the offspring of Love, before the foundation of the world. Cupid is faid by fome to have married the Nymph Pfyche, and to have carried her into a place of blifs, where he long enjoyed her com- pany. Venus put her to death becaufe fhe had robbed OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 43 robbed the world of her fori, but Jupiter, at the requelt. of Cupid granted immortality to Pfyche, The word figniiies the foul, and this perfonifi- cation of Pfyche is poflerior to the Auguftin age, though ftill it is connected with ancient Mythology. CELESTIAl CELESTIAL GODDESSES, JUNO MINERVA VENUS LATONA DIANA AURORA. 46 mythology; OR, history JUNO. «j UNO, as has been already obferved, was the daughter of Saturn and Ops, and the fitter and wifa of Jupiter. She was born at Argos j or, according to others, at Samos, and was entrufted with the care of the Seafons ; or, as Homer and Ovid mention, to Oceanus and Thetis. Some of the inhabitants of Argolis, fuppofed fhe had been brought up by the Three Daughters of the River Afterion ; and the people of Stympholus, in Arcadia, maintained that {he had been educated under the care of Temenus the fon of Pelafgus. Jupiter was not infenfible to the charms of his fifter ; and the more powerfully to engage her confidence, he changed himfelf into a cuckoo, and raifing a great ftorm, made the air uncommonly chill and cold ; under this form he flew to the God- defs all fliivering. Juno pitied the cuckoo, and took him into her bofom. The nuptials of Jupiter and Juno were celebrated with the ~gr<-a;efl folemnity. The Gods, all mankind, and all the brute creatkn, attended. Chelone, a young maj J, was the only one who rcfufed to be \ » OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 47 "be prefent, and who derided the ceremony. For this impiety, Mercury changed her into a tortoife, and condemned her to perpetual filence, from which circumftance the tortoife has al- ways been ufed as the fymbol of filence among the ancients. By her marriage with Jupiter, Juno became the queen of all the Gods, and miftrefs of Heaven and Earth. Her conjugal happinefs, however, was frequently difturbed by the numerous amours of her hufband, and fhe fhewed herfelf jealous and inexorable in the higheft degree. Her feverity to the miftrefTes and illegitimate children of Jupiter, was unpa- ralleled. She perfecuted Hercules and his de- fendants with the moft inveterate fury; and her refentment againft Paris, who had given the golden apple to Venus, in preference to her- felf, was the caufe of the Trojan war, and of all the miferies which overwhelmed the unfor- tunate houfe of Priam, Her feverilies to La- tona, Io, and Semele, have been already taken notice of. Thofe which fhe exercifed upon Ino, the daughter of Cadmus, and her two fons, Learchus and Melicerta, were alfo remark- able. Their crime was being defcended from Venus, v>hom fhe hated. The Goddefs fent Tifiphone, one of the Furies, to the houfe of Athamas, king of Thebes, who was the hufband of Ino, and fhe inflamed him with fuch fudden fury, 48 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY fury, that he took Ino to be a lionefs, and her children to be two whelps. In this fit of mad- nefs, he (hatched Learchus from the arms of his mother, and killed him, by da(hing him againft a wall ; upon which Ino fled, and with Melicerta in her arms, threw herfelf headlong from a high rock into the fea. Neptune, who pitied her fate, transformed her into a Sea- Deity, afterwards called Leucothoe. Melicerta became alfo a Sea-God, known by the name of Palaemon. The repeated infidelities of Ju- piter at laft provoked Juno to fuch a degree, that (he retired to Eubcea, and refolved to fee him no more ; but Jupiter procured a recon- ciliation by means of the following ftratagem. The God, anxious for her return, went to confult Cithaeron, king of Plataea, to find fome effectual means to break her obftinacy. Ci- thaeron advifed him to drefs aftatue in woman's apparel, to carry it with him in a chariot, and publicly to report it was Plataea, the daughter of Afopus, whom he was going to marry. The advice was followed, and Juno being informed of her hufband's intended marriage, repaired in hafte to meet the chariot, when difcovering the contrivance that had been made ufe of, fhewas eafily prevailed upon to forgive, and be re-united to Jupiter. But this reconciliation, however cordial Or THE HEATHEN »EITIED. 49 cordial it might appear, was foon diflblved by new offences ; and to filenc* the complaints of the jealous Goddefs, Jupiter had fometimes re- courfe to violent meafures. He even punifhed the cruelties which (he had exercifed upon his (on Hercules, by fufpending her from the heavens by a golden chain, and fattening a heavy anvil to her feet. Vulcan was punifhed for afiifiing his mother in this degrading fitua- tion ; Jupiter kicked him down from heaven, and he broke his leg in the fall. This punifh- ment rather irritated than reclaimed Juno. She refolved to revenge it, and engaged fome of the Gods to confpire againft Jupiter; but Thetis delivered him from this confpiracy, by . bringing to his afliftance the famous Briareus. Apollo and Neptune were banifhed from heaven for joining in the confpiracy, though fome at- tribute their exile to different eaufes. Juno brought Jupiter fome children, accord- ing to Hefiod (he was mother of Mars, Hebe, Ilithyia, or Lucina, and Vulcan ; and from him we have it, that it was this laft, and not Mars, whom me conceived »by the touch, or fmell of a certain plant or flower. According to others, it was neither Mars nor Vulcan, but Hebe that fhe brought forth in this manner, and they D relate 50 MYTHOLOGY i OR, HISTORY relate that it was after eating fome lettuces at the table of Apollo. . The worftnp of Juno was univerfal, and even more fo than that of Jupiter, according to fome authors. Her facrifices were offered with the greateft folemnity. She was particularly worfhipped at Argos, Samos, Carthage, and afterwards at Rome. Her temples were nu- merous ; the mod famous of which were. at Argos, Olympia, &c. At Rome no woman of bad character was permitted to enter her temple, or even to touch it. Juno protected cleanlinefs, and prefided over marriage and child-birth. She particularly patronized the mod faithful and virtuous of the fex, and fe- verely punifhed incontinence in matrons. She was the Goddefs of all power and empire, and the patronefs of riches. The ancients gene- rally offered on her altars an ewe-lamb and a fow, the firft day of every month. No cows were ever immolated to her, becaufe (he af- fumed the nature of that animal when the Gods fled into Egypt in their war with the Giants-. Among the birds, the hawk, the goofe, and particularly the peacock were facred to her. The dittany, the poppy, and the lilly were her favourite flowers j the latter was faid to have bee a OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 51 been originally of the colour of the crocus ; but Jupiter having placed Hercules, when an infant, at the breaft of Juno while fhe was afleep, fome of her milk fell down upon the earth, and changed the colour of the lillies from purple to a beautiful white. Some of the milk alfo dropped in :hat part of the heavens, which, from its whitenefs, ftill retains the name of the Milky Way. As Juno's power was extended over all the Gods, fhe often made ufe of the God- defs Minerva as her meflenger, and even had the privilege of hurling the thunder of Jupiter when fhe pleafed. She is reprefented fitting x»n a throne, with a diadem on her head, and a golden fceptre in her right hand. Some peacocks generally fit by her, and a cuckoo is often perched on her fceptre, while Iris behind her, difplays the thoufand colours of her beau- tiful rainhow. She is fometimes carried through the air in a rich chariot, drawn by peacocks. The Roman confuls, when they entered upon office, were always obliged to offer her a folemn facrinYe. The Juno of the Romans was called Romana, or Matrona. She was generally reprefented as veiled from head to foot, and the Roman matrons always imitated this manner of drefling, and deemed D 2 it 52 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY it indecent in a married woman to leave any part of her body, except her face, unco- vered. ■ The firnames of Juno are various ; they are derived either from the functions, or things over which fhe prefided, or from the places where her worfhip was eftablifhed. She is called Saturnia, Olympia, Samia, Argiva, Lacedaemonia, Telchinia, Candrena, Refcin- thes ? Profymna, Imbrafia, Acrea, Citheronia, Bunea, Ammonia, Fluonia, Anthea, Migale, Gemelia, Tropeia, Boopis, Parthenos, Teleia, Xera, Egophage, Hyperchinia, Juga, Ufthyia, Lucina, Pronuba, Caprotina, Mena, Populonia, Lacinia, Sofpita, Moneta, Curis, Domiduca, Februa, Opigenia, &c. IRIS. THIS attendant of Juno was a daughter of Thaumas and EledTra, one of the Oceanides. She was the mefienger of the Gods, and more particularly of Juno. It was her office to cut the thread, which feemed to detain the foul in the body ©f thofe who were expiring. She OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. S3 She Is the fame as the rainbow, and from that circumftance, is reprefented with all the va- riegated colours of that beautiful meteor, and fhe appears behind Juno ready to execute her commands. To denote her fwiftnefs, fhe is painted with wings, and is fometimes &e» ridiMg on a rainbow » D 3 MINERVA. 54 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY MINERVA. M, .INERVA, the Gcudefs of Wifdom,War, and of all the liberal arts, was produced from Jupiter's brain without a mother. The God, as it is reported, had married Metis, whofc fuperior prudence and fagacity above the reft of the Gods, made him apprehend, that the off- fpring of fuch an union would he of a more, exalted nature, and more intelligent^than their father. To prevent this, Jupiter^ deuroyctf Metis in her pregnancy, and fometime after, to relieve the pains which he fufFered in his head, he ordered Vulcan to cleave it open, when Minerva fprung, all armed, and grown up from his brain. She was immediately admitted into the aflembly of the Gods, and proved one of the mod faithful counfellors of her father. The power of Minerva was great in heaven. She could hurl the thunders of Jupiter, prolong the lives of men, beftow the gift of prophecy ; and, indeed, fne was the only one of all the Divinities, whofe authority and confequence were equal to thofe of Jupiter, The aftions of OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 55 of this Goddefs are numerous, as well as the kindnefl'es by which {he endeared herfelf to mankind. Her quarrel with Neptune, con^ cerning the right of giving a name to the ca- pital of Cecropia, deferves attention. The af- fembly of the Gods fettled the difpute, by pro- mifmg the preference to whoever of the two gave the rnoftu fef ul prefent to the inhabitants. Neptune then {truck the earth with his trident, and immediately a horfe ifiued from it. Minerva produced the olive, and obtained the viclory by the unanimous voice of the Gods, who obferved, that the olive, whic' 1 is the emlhm of peace, is far preferable to the horfe, which is the fymbol of war and bloodshed. The victorious Deity called the capital Athens, and became the tu- telary Goddefs of the place. Minerva was alio extremely jealous of her power, of which the punifhment fhe inflicted on the prefumptuous Arachne is a proof. Arachne was the daugh- ter of a dyer of Colophon : {lie was fo fkilful in embroidery, that fhe challenged Minerva, the Goddefs of the Art, to a trial of fkill. She represented on her work, the amours of Jupiter with Europa, Antiope, Leda, Afteria, Danae, Aicmena, &c. but though her piece was per- fect and mafcerly, fhe was defeated by the God- defs, and hanging herfelf in defpair, was changed D 4 into 56 MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORY into a fpider by Minerva. Some relate that Tirefias was deprived of his fight by Minerva, becaufe he had feen her bathing in the fountain df Helicon ; but he obtained from the Goddefs, as fome alleviation of his misfortune, the gift of prophecy. She likewife gave him a ftaff, which conducted his fleps with as much fafety as if he had ftiil enjoyed the ufe of his eye* fight. Ovid affigns a different caufe for the blind- nefr of Tirefias, and fays, that Jupiter and Juno, in a difpute which they had, made him judge. The queftion was, which of the two fcxes enjoyed the greateft (hare of happinefs. Tirefias was well qualified to pronounce on it, becaufe, having once killed a fhe-ferpent, he hid thereupon been transformed into a woman, and feven years after, when he killed a he-fer- penr, he had recovered his original fex« He pronounced in favour of Jupiter, who had maintained that the female fex was the bappiefr, and Juno, for this decifion, punifhed Tirefh?, by depriving him of his fight. The refinance which Minerva oppofed to the violence offered her by Vulcan, is a proof of her virtue. Jupiter had fworn by the Styx, to grant OF THE HEATHEN &SITIES 57 grant to Vulcan (who had made him a com- plete fuit of armour) whatever he defired. Vulcan demanded Minerva in marriage, and the father of the Gods, who had permitted hef to live in perpetual celibacy, yet confented on account of his oath, but privately advifed his daughter to make ufe of every effort to fruftrate the attempts of her lover; accordingly both the prayers and force of Vulcan proved inef- fectual, and the Goddefs preferved her chafHty inviolate. Minerva was the firfl: who built a (hip; and it was her zeal for navigation, and her care for the Argonauts, which placed the pro- phetic tree of Dodona behind the fhip Argo when going to Colchis. This Goddefs exerted herfelf ftrongly on the fide of the Greeks, at the fiege of Troy, and protected her favourite hero Ulyfles, through all the dangers which he encountered in his return to his kingdom. The worfhip of Minerva was univerfally eftablifhed. She had magnificent temples in Egyptj Phoenicia, all parts of Greece, Italy, Gaul, and Sicily. Sais, Rhodes, arid Athens, particularly claimed her attention. It was even faid that Jupiter rained a fhower of gold upon the ifland of Rhodes, which had paid fo much veneration, and fjch an. aarly reverence - to the D 5 divinity 53 MYTHOLOGY 5 OR, HISTORY divinity of his daughter. The feftivals cele- brated in honour of Minerva were folemn. and magnificent. She was invoked by every artift, and particularly by fuch as worked in wool, embroidery, painting, and fculpture. Almoft every member of fociety thought it a duty to implore the afBftance and patronage of a Deity who prefided over fenfe, tafte, and reafon. Minerva was represented in different ways, According to the different characters in which fhe appeared.. She had ufually a countenance more exprefiive of mafculine firmnefs and com- pofure, than of foftnefs and grace. She was moil frequently reprefented with a helmet on her head, with a large plume waving in the air j in one hand me held a fpear, and in the other a fhield, with the head of Medufa upon it : this ihield was called the iEgis. Sometimes the head of Medufa was feen on the breafr-plate of the Goddefs, with living fnakes writhing round it, as well as on her fhield and helmet. Medula was one of the three Gorgons, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. She was faid to be the only- one of the three who was fubject to mortality. She is celebrated for her perfonal charms, and particularly for the beauty of her hair ; but having liftened to the pa&on which Neptune hid OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 59 had for her, in the temple of Minerva, the Goddcfs was fo incenfcd at this violation of the fan£tity of her temple, that ftie changed the beautiful locks of Medufa, which had infpired Neptune's love, into ferpents. According to Apollodorus and others, Medufa and her fifters came into the world with fnakes on their heads inftead of hair, with yellow wings and brazen hands j their bodies were alfo covered with impenetrable fcales, and their very looks had the power of killing, or turning to Hones thofc who were fo unfortunate as to meet them. Perfeus rendered his name immortal by the conquefi of Medufa ; he cut ofF her head,, and placed it on the iEgis of Minerva, which he had • ufed in his expedition. The head ftill retained the fame petrifying power as before. In moil of her ftatues, Minerva is reprefented as fitting, and fometimes {he holds in one hand a diiraff inftead of a fpear. When (he appears as the Goddeis of the Liberal Arts, me is arrayed in a variegated veil, which the Ancients called Pep- lam. Sometimes Minerva's helmet was covered at the top with the figure of a cock ; a bird which, on account of his great courage, is properly (acred to the Goddefs of War. Some of her ftatues reprefent her helmet with a D 6 fphfnx 60 MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORY fphinx in the middle, fupported on either fide by griffins. In fome medals, a chariot drawn by four horfes, and fometimes by a dragon, or a ferpent with winding fpires, appears at the top of her helmet. The Palladium was a cele- brated ftatue of this Goddefs ; it was about three cubits high, and reprefented her as fittings and holding a pike in her right hand, and in. her left a diftaff and a fpindle. It was faid to have fallen down from Heaven near the tent of IIus, when that Prince wns building the citadel of Ilium. Some, however, fuppofe that it fell at Pe/finus, in Phrygia ; or, ac- cording to others, Dardanus received it as a prefent from his mother Ele&ra. There are fome authors, who maintain that the Palladium was made of the bones of Pelops, by Abaris ; but Apollodorus feems to fay, that it was no more than a piece of clockwork, which moved of itfelf. However difcordant the opinions of ancient authors may be concerning this famous ftatue, it is univerfally agreed, that on its pre- fervation depended the fafety of Troy. This fatality was well known to the Greeks during 'the Trojan war, and therefore Ulyfles and Diomedes were commifiioned to fteal it away. They effected their purpofe, and, if we rely upon the authority of fome authors, they were directed OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 6l dire&ed how to carry it away by Helenus, the foil of Priam, who proved in this unfaithful to his country, becaufe his brother Deiphobus, at the death of Paris, had married Helen, pf whom he was enamoured. Minerva was dif- pleafed with the violence which was offered to her ftatue, and, according to Virgil, "the Pal- ladium itfelf appeared to have received life and motion j and by the flafhes which ftarted from its eyes, and its fudden fprings from the earth, itfeemed to (hew the refentment of the Goddefs. The true Palladium, as fome authors obferve, was not carried away from Troy by the Greeks but only one of the ftatues of fimilar fize and fliape, which were placed near it, to deceive whatever facrilegious^attempted to fteal it. The Palladium, therefore, as they fay, was conveyed fafe from Troy to Italy by vEneas and it was afterwards preferved by the Romans with the greateft fecrecy and veneration, in the temple of Vefta, a circumftance which none but the veftal virgins knew. Minerva was partial to the olive-tree. The owl, as well as the cock, was her favourite among the birds, and the -dragon among rep- tiles, was facred to her. The functions, of- fices, and aclion.?, attributed to this Goddefs, feem 62 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY feem fo numerous, that they muft have ori- ginated in more than one perfon. Cicero fpeaks of five perfons of the name ; a Minerva, mother of Apollo ; a daughter of the Nile, who was worfhipped at Sais, in Egypt; a third, born from Jupiter's brains; a fourth, daughter of Jupiter and Corophe; and a fifth, daughter of Pallas, generally reprefented with winged fhoes. Minerva was called Athena, from the city of Athens, of which, as it hath been related, fhe was the tutelary Deity, and Pallas, from the giant of that name, whom fhe killed ; Par- thenos, from her remaining in perpetual celi- bacy ; Tritotiia, becaufe worfhipped near the lake Tritonis ; Glaucopis, from the bluenefs of her eyes; Agoria from her prefiding over markets ; Hippia, becaufe flic firft taught mankind how to manage the horfe ; Stratea and Area, from her martial character; Cory- phagenes, becaufe bom of Jupiter's brains; Sais, becaufe worfhipped at Sais, Sec. Some attri- bute to her the invention of the flute, whence fhe was firnamed AnJon, Lufcinia, Mufica, Salpiga, &c. It is faid, that as fhe once amufed herfelf in playing upon this inftru* ment before Juno and Venus, thofe Goddefles ridiculed the diftortion of her features which it ©ccafioned. Minerva was afterwards con- vinced OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. . 63 vinced of thejuftice of their remarks, by looking at herfelf in a fountain near mount Ida while fhe was blowing the flute. - She immediately threw it away, and denounced a melancholy fate to whoever fhould find it. Marfyas was the miferable proof of the veracity of her pre- diction. VENUS. 64 MYTHOLOOY ; OR, HISTORY VENUS. Vi ENUS was one of the mod celebrated De- ities among the Ancients j fhe was the God- clefs of Beauty, the Mother of Love, the Queen of Pleafures, and the Miftrefs of the Graces, Some Mythologifts fpeak of more than one Ve- nus. Plato mentions two ; Venus Urania, the daughter of Uranus, and Venus Popularia, the daughter of Jupiter and Dione. Cicero fpeaks of four; a daughter of Ccelus and Light, one fprung from the froth of the fea, a third daugh- ter of Jupiter and the Nereid Dione, and a fourth born at Tyr, and the fame as the Af- tarte of the Syrians. Of all thefe, however, the Venus fprung from the froth of the fea is moil known, and of her in particular, ancient Mythologifts take notice ; fhe was faid to arife from the fea, near the Ifland of Cyprus, or ac- cording to Hefiod, of Cythera, whither fhe was wafted by the Zephirs, and received onthefhore by the Seafons, daughters of Jupiter and Themis. She was foon after carried to Heaven, where all the Gods we t e (truck with her beauty, and all the .n . the waters of Aret near Sicily. Meleager, fon of CEneus >f Etolia, by Althea, daughter of 1 heftius, v as punifhed b;. Diana for the fault of who had neglected the aitars of. the Gc The Parcae were prcfent at . birth c hero, and predicted his future greatnefs, Ci E 6 and 84 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HTSTOfcT and Lachefis both foretold his uncommon ftrength and valour, and Atropos faid, he ihould Jive as long as a log of wood, which was then on the fire, remained uneonfumed. Althea no fooner heard this, than fhe fnatched the brand from the fire, and kept it with the moft jealous care, as the life of her fon depended upon its prefervation. The fame of Maleagef Cncreafed with his years ; he fignalized himfelf in the Argonaut ic expedition, and afterwards delivered his country from the neighbouring in- habitants, who made war againft his father at the inftigation of Diana. No fooner were they vanquifhed, than the vindictive Deity punifhed the negligence of GEneus, by a greater cala- mity. She fent a huge wild boar, which laid wafte all the country, and feemed invincible on account of its immenfe fize. It foon became a public concern, all the neighbouring Princes afiembled to deftroy this terrible animal,, and nothing is more famous in mythological hif- tory, than, the chace of the Calydonian boar. Among the princes and heroes who afiembled on this occafion, were Meleager, Dryas, a fon of Mars ; Caftror, and Pollux, fons of Jupiter andLeda; Thefeus, and his friend Perithous; Jafon, the leader of the Argonauts ; Peleus and Telamonj Jolas, the friend of Hercules j Neftor, afterwards OF THE HEATHEN DEITTES. 8$ afterwards fo famed for his age and wifdomj, Laertes, the father of UlyfTes j Toxeus and t'lexippus, the brothers of Althea ; and Atalanta, the daughter of Schceneus. This armed troop attacked the boar with uncommon fury, and it was at laft killed by Meleager- ' The conqueror gave the fkin and the head to Atalanta, who had firft wounded the animal. This partiality to a woman, irritated the others, and parti- cularly the brothers of Althea. As they were endeavouring to rob Atalanta of the honourable prefent, Meleager defended a woman of whom he was enamoured, and killed both his uncles; in the conteft.. Mean time the news of this celebrated conqueft had reached Calydon, and Althea haftened to the temple of the Gods, to> return thanks for the vi&ory which her fonhad obtained : As fhe went fhe met the corpfes of her brothers, which were brought from the chace, and at this mournful fpe&acle me filled: the whole city with her cries and lamentations ; but when informed that they had been killed byt Meleager, in the firft transports of her grief and rage, file refolved ,to revenge their death, ; and flying to the place where fhe had laid up the fatal brand, on which her fon's life depended,, fhe feized, and threw it into the fire, and Me- leager died as foon as it was confumed. Homer does. $6 mythology; or, history does not mention the fire-brand, whence fome have imagined that this fable is pofterior to that poet's age. A&aeon, a famous humer, fon of Arifheus, was feverely punifhed by Diana, for having dared to look at her when (he was bathing in a fountain. The Goddefs, exafpe- rated at his boldnefs, threw fome of the water in his face, when he was inftantly transformed into a flag, and was afterwards devoured by his own tlogs. Though Diana was the patronefs of Chaftity, yet fhe forgot her profeffion and her dignity, to enjoy the company of the fhepherd Endymion, with whcfe beauty fhe was ftruck as fhe faw him fleeping on mount Latmos. The fable of Endymion's amours with Diana has been thought to arife from his knowledge of aftro- nomy ; and, as he pafled the night on fome high mountain to obferve the heavenly bodies, it has been faid that he was courted by the Moon. Some authors have likewife aiTerted, that the God Pan, notwithstanding his deformity, had the good fortune to pleafe this Goddefs ; md it has even been faid that Orion was beloved of her ; but that Aurora, who alfo loved him, having carried him away into the ifland of D s, that fhe might enjoy his company with greater fecurity, •F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 87 fecurity, Diana being enraged with jealoufy, killed Orion with her arrows ; but fome relate on the contrary, that the refentment of Diana againft Orion, was occafioned by his having offered violence to Opis, one of her nymphs, and, according to others, it was becaufe he had attempted the virtue of the Goddefs herfelf. Diana is reprefented with a bow in her hand, and a quiver full of arrows hanging from her fhoulder ; and (he is fometimes drawn in a chariot by two white (lags. Sometimes fhe appears with wings, holding a lion in one hand, and a panther in the other, with a chariot drawn by two heifers, or two horfes of different co- lours. She is reprefented tall and robuflr, but beautiful and well fhaped. Her legs are bare, and her feet covered with a bufkin, worn by huntreffes among the ancients, and fhe is ge- generally diftinguifhed in the figures that repre- fent her, by the crefcent on her head, by her hunting habit, and by the dogs which attend her. The m©ft famous of her temples was at Ephefus, and it was one of the Seven Wonders of the World ; fhe was there reprefented with many fymbols, which fignified the Earth or Cybele. Some of her ftatues reprefented her with three heads, that pf a horfe, a dog, and a boar. £5 MYTHOLOGY;- OR, HISTORY koar. This Goddefs received many firnames from the places where her worfhip was efta- blifhed, and from the functions over which fhe prefided.. She was called Lucina Ilythia, or Juno Pronuba, when invoked by women in child-bed; and Trivia, when worfhipped in the crofs-ways, where her ftatues were generally erected. She was alfo called Agrotera, Orthia, Taurica, D ia, Aricia, &c. The inhabitants ©f Taurica were particularly attached to the worfliip of Diana, and they cruelly offered on her altar all the ftrangers that were fhipwrecked on their coafts- Her temple in Aricia was ftrved by a prieft, who had always murdered' his predeceffor, and the Lacedemonians yearly* offered her human victims, till the age of Lycurgas,. who changed this barbarous cuftorrt for the facrifice of flagellation. The Athenians generally offered her goats, and others a white kid, and fornetimes a boar-pig, or an ox. Among plants, the poppy and the dittany were fecred to her. She, as well as her brother Apollo, had Oracles, among which thofe of Egypt, Cicilia, and Ephefus, are the moft known. When the Greeks, going to the Trojan war, "Were detained by contrary winds at Aulis, they were CF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. &f .were informed by one of the foothfayers, that,, to appeafe the Gods, they muft facrifice Iphi- genia, the daughter fc of Agamemnon, to Diana. The father, who had provoked the Goddefs, by killing her favourite flag, heard this with the greateft horror and indignation, and rather than fried the blood of his daughter, he com- manded a herald (as chief of the Grecian forces). to order all the aflfembled troops to depart to their refpe&ive homes ; but Ulyfles, and the other Generals, having interfered, Agamemnon at laft confented to immolate his daughter for the common caufe of Greece. As Iphigenia was tenderly loved by her mother, the Greeks fent for her, under pretext of giving her in marriage to Achilles. Clytemneftra thus de- ceived, permitted her departure, and Iphigenia came to Aulis ; there fhe beheld the bloody preparations for the facrafice, and found that me herfelf was the deftined victim. She im- plored in vain the protection of her father ; Chalcas already held the knife, butjuft as he was about to ftrilce the fatal blow, Iphigenia fuddenly difappeared, and a goat of uncom- mon fize and beauty was found in her place for the facrifice. This fupernatural change ani- mated the Greeks, and the wind becoming fa- vourable, the combined fleet fet fail from Aulis. The 90 mythology; or, history The youth and innocence of Iphigenia had raifed the compaflion of the Goddefs on whofe altar fhe was going to be facrificed. She con- veyed her to Taurica, where fhe entrufted her with the care of her temple. In this facred office, Iphigenia was obliged, by the command of Diana, to facrifice all the ftrangers which came into that country. Many victims had already ftained the bloody altar ; when Oreftes, the brother of Iphigenia, and his friend Pylades, came to Taurica. Oreftes had avenged the death of his father, by that of his mother and Egifthus, and being afterwards perfecuted by the Furies for this deed, he confulted the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, where he was informed that nothing could reftore him to peace, unlefs he could bring into Greece the ftatue of Diana, which was in the Taurica Cherfonefus. The enterprife was arduous, for it was well known that all ftrangers were facrificed on their ar- rival in that country. Oreftes and his friend were immediately carried before Thoas, the king of the place, and they were doomed to bleed on the altar of the Goddefs j but Iphi- genia finding they were Greeks, was touched with their misfortune, and offered to fpare the life of one of them, provided he would convey letters to Greece from her hand. The conteft which OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. $1 which enfued between Pylades and Oreftes, in which each infifted on being immolated in order to preferve his friend, has rendered their friend- ship proverbial, and their names immortal. At laft Pylades yielded with much reluctance ; but when the Prieftefs delivered her letters to his care, he found they were addrefTed to Oreftes, and Iphigenia was informed that the man (he was about to immolate was her brother. She was no fooner convinced of it, than fhe fled with the two friends from Cherfonefus, and they carried away the ftatue of Diana. Their flight being difcovered Thoas prepared to pur- fue them, but Minerva interfered, and told him that all had been done by the approbation and will of the Gods. After thefe adventures, Oreftes afcended the throne of Argos, and married Hermione, the daughter of Menelaus and Helen. AURORA. $2 MYTHOLOGY} 0*, HISTORY AURORA. JnLuRORA, Goddefs of the Morning y daugfc« ter of Hyperion and Thia or Thea. Some fay that Pallas, fon of Crius, and brother to Perfes, was her father, hence theflrname of Pallantias. She married Aitraeus, by whom {he had the Winds, the Stars, &c. Her amours with. Tithonus and Cephalus, are alfo famous ; (he carried them both to Heaven, but Cephalus, who had married Procris, the daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens, remained faithful to his wife, and was impatient to return, where- fore Aurora fent him back to her. Cephalus had been preferred by Procris with an unerring dart, which fhe had received from Diana; and,, as he was fond of hunting, he every morning repaired to the woods, and pafled fo much time there, that Procris, alarmed by jealous fears, one day followed him thither fecretly. Ce- phalus, after much toil and fatigue, laid himfelf down in the cool fhade, and earneftly called for Aura, or the refrefhing breeze ; this ambi- guous word was miftaken for the name of a mutrefc OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 9J miftrefs by the felf-deluded Procris, and {he eagerly raifed her head to fee what {he believed to be a rival j this movement occasioned a ruftling among the leaves of the bufti that con- cealed her. Cephalus liftened, and thinking it was fome wild beaft, he let fly his unerring dart, and it ftruck Procris to the heart, who expired in the arms of her hufband, confefiing the ill-grounded jealoufy which was the caufc of her death. Tithonus was ,the /on of La- omedon, king-of Troy, by Strymo, the daugh- ter of the Scamander j he was fo beautiful, that Aurora became enamoured of him, and car- ried him away j he had by her Memnon. The tOoddefs, at the requeft of Tithonus^ obtained ,of the Pates immortality for him^j but as {he had forgotten to afk them to grant him likewife a continuance of healthy youth, and beauty, he became at laft fo old, infirm, and decrepid, that life became a burthen to him, and he prayed Aurora to remove him from the world ; but as that was.no longer in her power, fhe changed Vim into a grafshopper, which is faid to moult when it is old, and grow young again. Mem- non, their fon, went to the fiege of Troy to affift king Priam ; he was flain by Achilles, and in the place where he fell a fountain arofe, which every year, on the fame day .00 which he 94 mythology; or, history he died, flowed in blood inftead of water ; and, as his body lay on the funeral pile to be burned, it was changed into a bird by his mother Aurora, and many other birds of the fame kind flew out of the pile with him ; thefe dividing themfelves into two troops, and furioufly fight- ing with their beaks and claws, appeafed, with their own blood, the ghoft of Memnon from whom they fprung. There was a flatue of Memnon made of black marble, in the temple of Serapis, at Thebes in Egypt, of- -which an in- credible ftory is related, for it is faid, that the mouth of this ftatue, when flrft touched by rays of the riling fun, fent forth a fweet and harmonious found, as if it rejoiced at the appearance of Aurora j but, at the clofe of the day, it fent forth a low and melancholy tone, as if it lamented her departure. Aurora had likewife an intrigue with Orion, whom flie carried to the ifland of Delos, where he was killed by Diana's arrows. This Goddefs is ufualy reprefented by the poets as drawn in a rofe coloured chariot, and opening with her rofy fingers the gates of the Eaft, pouring the dew upon the earth, and making the flowers grow. Her chariot is ge- nerally THE HEATHEN DEITIES. $£ nerally drawn by white horfes, and flie is covered with a veil. Nox and Somnus fly before her, and the conftellations of Heaven difappear at her approach. She always fets out before the Sun, and is the forerunner of his rifing. The Greeks call her Eos, • TERRESTRIAL GODS. SATURN JANUS VULCAN MOMUS iEOLUS, AND THE WINDS. *MMM 98 mythology; or, history SATURN. OATURN was a fon of Ccelus, or Uranus, by Terra, called alfo Titea, Thea, or Titheia ; he was naturally artful, and, with the afiiftance of his mother, he revenged hhnfelf on his fa- ther, whofe cruelty to his children had pro- voked the anger of Thea. Coelus was muti- lated, and difpoflefled of his kingdom, and his fons, whom he had confined in the infernal re- gions, were reftored to liberty. Saturn ob- tained the kingdom by the confent of his bro- ther Titan, on condition that he fhould not bring up any male children. Purfuant to this agreement, Saturn always devoured his fons as foon as born, and becaufe, as fome obferve, he dreaded from them a retaliation of the ill- treatment he had (hewn his father ; but his wife Rhea, unwilling to fee all her fons perifh, when Jupiter was born concealed him, and wrapped up a large ftone which fhe gave her hufband inftead of the child, and which he immediately fwallowed without perceiving the deception. She likewife preferved Neptune and Pluto in the fame manner. Titan was fome time after informed that Saturn had concealed his male children, OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES, 99 children, whereupon he made war againft him, and having dethroned, kept him in confinement with Rhea. Jupiter, who was fecrctly educate4 in Crete, was no fooner grown up than he flew to deliver them, and replaced his father on his throne. But Saturn, unmindful of his fon's kindnefs, became jealous of his glory, and con- fpired to ruin him j and Jupiter having dis- covered this, depofed and banifhed him from Heaven. The father fled for fafety into Italy, which country had the name of La- tium, from being the place of his conceal- ment. Janus, who was then king of Italy, received Saturn with great hofpitality and kind- nefs ; he even made him his partner on the throne, and the king of Heaven employed him..-' felf in civilizing the barbarous manners of the people of Italy, and in teaching them agricul- ture, and the ufeful and liberal arts. Hi6 reign there was fo mild and popular, fo beneficent and virtuous, that thofe times have been called the Golden Age, to intimate the happinefs and tranquillity which the earth then enjoyed. The Silver Age fucceeded, in which mankind began to degenerate, and their peaceful ftate was dis- turbed by the feuds and diffentions which arofe amongft them. Next came the Brazen Age, in which licentioufnefs and avarice took pofleffion of the human heart, and laftly, the Iron Age, F 2 when 100 mythology; or, history when the world being funk into univerfal de- pravity, war and bloodflied made up the mea- sure of the crimes and miferies of its inhabi- tants. Thefe are the four ages of the world, mentioned by the poets, and followed by the Deluge, which is faid to have happened in the reign of Deucalion, a king of ThefTaly. The impiety of mankind had irritated Jupiter, who refolved to deftroy the whole race of men, and immediately the earth exhibited a boundlefs fcene of waters. The higheft mountains were climbed by the affrighted inhabitants of the country ; but thefe feeming places of fecurity were foon overflowed by the rifing waters, and left no hope of efcaping the univerfal calamity. Deucalion was a fon of Prometheus, and had married Pyrrha, the daughter of Epimetheus. Jupiter fpared this virtuous pair, and Deucalion was directed to embark with his wife Pyrrha in a (hip, which he accordingly did. The veflel was tofled about during nine fucceffive days ; at the end of which it refted on the top of mount Parnaffus, where Deucalion re- mained till the waters had fubfided. As foon as they had retired from the furface of the earth, Deucalion and his wife went to confult the Oracle of Themis, and were dire&ed to reftore the human race, by throwing behind them the bones OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES- 101 tones of their great Mother. After fome he- sitation about the meaning of the Oracle, they obeyed, by carting behind them ftones, which they underftood to be the bones of their Mother,, the Earth. The ftcnes thrown by Deucalion became men, and thofe of Pyrrha women. According to fome writers, this Deluge did not overflow the whole earth, but only the country of ThefTaly ; and they fay it was produced by the inundation of the waters of the river Peneus-, whofe regular courfe was flopped by an earth- quake near mount OfTa and Olympus. Ac- cording to Xenophon, there were no lefs than fiv« Deluges. That of Deucalion, fo much celebrated, happened about 1380, or 90 years before the Chriftian sera. The worfhip cf Saturn was not fo folemn, or fo univerfal as that of Jupiter. It was ufual to offer human victims on his altars ; but this barbarous cuftom was abolifhed by Hercules, who fubftituted finall images of clay. In the facrifices of Saturn, the prieft always performed the ceremonies with his head uncovered, which was ufual at other folemnities. The God is generally reprefented as an old man, bowed with infirmities ; he holds a fcythe in his right hand,, with a ferpent, which bites its its own F 3, fc" 1 * 102 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY tail, and which is an emblem of time, and of the revolution of the year. In his left hand he holds a child raifed up, as if about to devour it. Tatius, king of the Sabines, firft built atemple to Saturn on the Capitoline hill, a fecond was afterwards erected by Tullus Hoftilius, and a third by the firft Confuls. On his ftatues were ufuallv hung fetters, in commemoration of the chains he had worn when imprifoned by Jupiter. From this circumftance all flaves, that obtained their liberty, generally dedicated their fetters to him. During the celebration of the Saturnalia, the chains were taken from the ftatues, to intimate the freedom and inde- pendance which mankind had enjoyed during the Golden Age. One of the temples of this God at Rome, was appropriated for the public treafury, and it was there alfo that the names of foreign ambaflfadors were enrolled. Saturn was fuppofed to be the father of the Centaur Chiron, by Philyra, whom he changed into a mare, to deceive the fufpicions of his wife Rhea. JANUS. QT THE HEATHEN DEITIES. IOJ JANUS. JANUS was the moft ancient king who reigned in Italy. He was a native of ThefTaly, and, according to fome, fon of Apollo j other authors make him fon of Ccelus and Hecate ; and others make him a native of Athens. He came to Italy, where he planted a colony, and built a fmall town on the river Tiber, which he called Janiculum. During his reign, Saturn, as has been related, driven from Heaven by his fon Jupiter, came to Italy, where Janus re- ceived him with hofpitality, and made him his colleague on the throne. After death, Janus was ranked among the Gods for his popularity, and the civilization which he, in concert with Saturn, had introduced among the wild inha- bitants of Italy. Janus is reprefented with two faces, becaufe he was fuppofed to be acquainted with the paft and future ; or, according to fome, becaufe he was taken for the Sun, who opens the day at his rifing, and fhuts it at his fetting. Some ftatues reprefent this Deity with four heads. He was fometimes feen with F 4 a beard, 104 mythology; or, history a beard, and fometimes without. In religious ceremonies, his name was always invoked the firft, becaufe he prefided over all gates and avenues; and it was through him only, that prayers were believed to reach the Celeftial Gods ; from that idea, he often appears with a key in his right hand, and a rod in his left. Sometimes he holds the number 300 in cne hand, and in the other 65, to fhew that he pre- fides over, the year, of which the firft month bears his name. Some fuppofe that he is the fame as the World, or Ccelus ; and, from that fuppofition, they call him Eanus, becaufe of the revolution of the heavens. He was called Quirinius, or Martialis, becaufe he prefided over war ; he was alfo called Patulcius, and Claufius, becaufe the gates of his temples were opened during the time of war, and kept fhut in time of peace ; and it appears that they were fhut by the Romans only three times during more than 700 years ; once by Numa ; the fecond time by the confuls Marcus Attilius, and Titus Manlius, after the Carthaginian war ; and, laftly, by Auguftus, after the victory of AcYmm. This God was chiefly worfhipped at Rome, where he had many temples ; fome erected to Janus Bifrons, others to Janus Quadrifons. The temples of Quadrifons were built with four equal OF THE HEATHEN DETTrES 10$ equal fides, with a door, and three windows on each fide ; the four doors were the emblems of the four Seafons of the year, and the three win- dows in each of the fides, that of the three- months of each feafon, and all together of the twelve months of the year. Janus was gene- rally reprefeiited in ftatues as a young man. F 5 VULCAN, IC6 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY VULCAN. V, ULCAN was, according to Hefiod, the fon of Juno alone ; but Homer makes him the fon of Jupiter and Juno, and fays, that his mo- ther was fo difgufted with the deformity of her fon, that fhe threw him into the fea as foon as born, where he remained nine years. According to the more received opinion, Vulcan was edu- cated in Heaven ; but was kicked down from thence by his father to the earth, when he at- tempted to deliver his mother, whom Jupiter had fufpended from Heaven by a golden chain ; he was nine days in defcending, and he fell in the ifland of Lemnos, where, according to Lucian, the inhabitants feeing him in the air, caught him in their arms; he however broke his leg in the fall, and ever after remained lame of one foot. He fixed his refidence in Lemnos, where he built himfelf a palace, and raifed forges to work metals ; as he prefided over fire, and was the patron of all artifts who worked iron, and all kinds of metals. The inhabi- tants of the ifland became fenfible of the advan- tages OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES, IC7 tages to be derived from the refidence of Vulcan among them, and were taught by him all thofe ufeful arts which could civilize their rude man- ners, and render them ufeful to fociety. The firft work of Vulcan was, according to fome, a throne for his mother, which was of gold, and made with fecret fprings, and he prefented it to Juno, to avenge himfelf for her want of affe&ion towards him. The Goddefs was no fooner feated on this throne, than fhe found herfelf unable to move. The Gods attempted to deliver her, by breaking the chains by which fhe was held, but to no purpofe, and Vulcan alone had the power to fet her at liberty. Bacchus intoxicated, and then prevailed upon him to come to Olympus, where he was recon- ciled to his parents. Vulcan has been cele- brated by the ancient poets, for the ingenious works, and automatical figures which he made, and many fpeak of two golden ftatuss, which not only feemed animated, but which walked by his fide, and even affifted him in working of me- tals. It is laid, that at the requeft of Jupiter, he made the firft woman that ever appeared on earth, well known under the name of Pandora. Jupiter meant to punilh the impiety and' ar- tifice of Prometheus (who had flolen fire from Heaven, to animate the. man which he had F 6 made), I08 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY made), by giving him a wife. When the woman had been made of clay by the artift, and had received life from Jupiter, all the other Gods vied in making her prefents. Venus gave her beauty, and the Graces the power of captivating ; Apollo taught her to fing ; Mer- cury inftru&ed her in eloquence, and Minerva gave her the moft rich and fplendid ornaments* From all thefe valuable gifts which fhe had re- ceived from the Gods, the woman was called Pandora j which implies, that me was en- dowed with every necefiary quality. Jupiter laftly gave her a beautiful box, which (he was ordered to prefent to the man who married her, and A4ercury was commiflioned to conduit her to Prometheus ; but that artful mortal was aware of the danger, and he fent away Pandora with- out fufFering himfelf to be captivated with her charms. His brother, Epimetheus, was not pof- fefTed of the fame prudence and fagacity ; he married Pandora, and when he opened the box which fhe had given him, there iifued from it a multitude of evils and diftempers, which dif- perfed themfelves all over the world, and which, from that fatal moment, have never eeafed to affiicl: the human race. Hope alone remained at the bottom of the box j and it is that only which has the wonderful power of fupporting man OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 105 tnan under his labours, and of alleviating all his pains and forrows. The moft known of the works of Vulcan, which were prefented to mor- tals, are, a collar given to Hermione, the wife of Cadmus, and a fceptre which was in the pofleflion of Agamemnon. The collar proved fatal to all who wore it ; but the fceptre, after the death of Agamemnon, was carefully pre- ferved at Cheronea, and regarded as a Divinity. The amours of Vulcan are not numerous* He demanded Minerva in marriage ; but his addrefles being rejected by that Goddefs, Ju- piter gave him one of the Graces, and Venus is univerfally acknowledged to have been the wife of Vulcan. Some Mythologifts affirm that Vulcan was father of Cupid, who was gene- rally reputed the fon of Mars. He was like- wife by fome faid to be the father of Servius Tulliuf, the fixth king of Rome, by Ocrifia, the wife of Corniculus. Cecrops, Cceculus, Cacus, Perephetes, Cercyon, and others,, have alfo been reputed his children. Cicero fpeaks of more than one Deity of the name of Vulcan; one he calls fon of Ccelus, and father of Apollo, by Minerva; the fecond he mentions, is fon of the Nile, and called Phtas, by the Egyptians ; the third was fon of Jupiter and. no mythology; or, history and Juno, and fixed his refidence in Lemnos ; and the fourth, who built his forges in the Lipari iflands, was fon of Menalius. The worfhip of Vulcan was well eftablifhed, parti- cularly in Egypt, at Athens, and at Rome. It was ufual in the facrifices which were of- fered to him, to burn the whole viclim, and not referve part of it, as in the immolations to the other Gods. A calf, and a boar-pig;, were the principal victims offered to him. Vulcan was reprefented covered with fvveat, blowing with his nervous arm the fires of his forges. Some reprefent him lame and de- formed, holding a hammer raifed ready to {take, while, with the other hand, he turns with pincers a thunder-bo't on his anvil. He fometimes appears with a long beard, dishevel- led hair, half-naked, and a fmall round cap on his head, holding a hammer and pincers in his hand. The Egyptians reprefented him under the figure of a monkey. Vulcan has received the names of Mulciber, Pamphanes, Clytotechnes, Pandamater, Cyllopodes, Cha- laipoda, &c. all expreflive of his iamenefs, and of his profe/Son. THE OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. Ill THE CYCLOPS. THE Cyclops were the minifters and atten- dants of Vulcan ; and with him they fabricated not only the thunder -bolts of Jupiter, but alfo arms for the Gods, and for the moft celebrated heroes. They were fuppofed to be the fons of Ccelus and Terra ; their ftature was gigantic, and they had but one eye in the middle of the forehead. According to Hefiod, the Cyclops were three in number, and called Arges, Brontes, and Steropes ; but according toother Mythologies, their number was greater, and, in the age of UlyfTes, Polyphemus, the fon of Neptune, was their king : they inhabited the weftern parts of the ifland of Sicily, and were fuppofed to have forges under mount Etna. The moil: folid walls and impregnable fortrefles, were faid, by the ancients, to have been the work of the Cyclops, to render them more refpec~tab!e. The Cyclops were reckoned among the Gods, and we find a temple dedi- cated to their fervice at Corinth, where facri- fices were folcmnly offered. The 112 MYTHOLOGY ; O*,. HISTCRtF The poets fpeak of the Cyclops as man- eaters. Some writers are of opinion, that the tradition of their having only one eye, might originate from their wearing fmall bucklers ©f fteel, which covered their faces, and had a fmall aperture in the middle, which cor* refponded exaclly with the eve MOMUS. CF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. II J MOMU&, Mc .OMUS, the God of Pleafantry, was the fon of Nox, according to Hefiod. He was continually fatyrizing the Gods, and whatever they did was freely turned to ridicule by him» He blamed Vulcan, becaufe, in the human form which he had made of clay, he had not placed a window in the breaft, by which means, what- ever was done or thought there, might eafily have been perceived. He cenfured the houfe which Minerva had made, becaufe the Goddefs had not made it moveable ; by means of which a bad neighbourhood might have been avoided. In the bull which Neptune had produced, he obferved, that his blows might have been furer, if his eyes had been placed nearer his horns. Venus herfelf was expofed to his fatire ; and when the fneering God could find no defect in the perfect form of that Goddefs, he obferved, as me retired, that the noife of her feet was too loud, and extremely improper in the Goddefs of Beauty and Gracefulnefs. Thefe illiberal reflections, and impertinent ral- leriesy 114 mythology; or, history leries, were highly difpleafing to all the Gods, and were the caufe that Momus was at length driven from Heaven. This God is generally reprefented railing a mafk from his face, and holding a fmall figure in his hand. JEOLUS OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. - 115 MOLLIS, AND THE WINDS- iE< i that Goddefs j and Diodorus fays, that Ceres G 6 anci i$l mythology; ob, history Proferpine firft appeared to mortals in that ifland, which Pluto received as a nuptial dowry from Jupiter when he married Proferpine. The Sicilians made a yearly facrifice to Ceres, every man according to his abilities; and the foun- tain Gyane, through which Pluto opened him- felf a paflage with his trident, when carrying away Proferpine, was publicly honoured with an offering of bulls, and the blood of the vic- tims was flied in the waters of the fountain. Befides thefe, other ceremonies were obferved in honour of the two Goddefles, who had fo peculiarly favoured the ifland. The comme- moration of the Rape was celebrated about the beginning of the harveft, and the fearch of Ceres, at the time that corn is fown into the earth. The latter feftival continued fix fuc- five days. Ceres performed alfo the duties of a legifiator, and the Sicilians experienced great advantages from her falutary laws, hence htr firname of Thefmophora. She is the fame as the Ifis of the Egyptians, and her worfhip was firft brought into Greece by Erechtheus, about 1426 years before the Chriftian sera, according to fome authors. She met with various ad- ventures in her travels over the earth, and the impudence of Stellio was feverely punifhed, for he was changed into an elf by the Goddefs, for having OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. I35 having derided her. A fow was offered in fa- crifice to Ceres, as that animal frequently in- jures and deftroys the productions of the earth. While the corn was yet in grafs, they offered her a ram, after the vi£tim had been led three times round the field. Ceres was reprefented with a garland of ears of corn on her head, holding in one hand a lighted torch, and in the other a poppy, which was facred to her. She fometimes appears as a country woman, mount- ed upon the back of an ox, carrying a bafket on her left arm, and holding a hoe ; and fome- times fhe rides in a chariot, drawn by winged dragons. She has been fuppofed by fome to be the fame as Rhea, Tellus, Cybele, Bona Dea, Berecynthia, &c. The Romans paid her great adoration, and her feflivals were celebrated an- nually by the Roman matrons, in the month of April, during eight days ; thefe matrons ab- stained at that time from the ufe of wine, and any fenfual enjoyments; they always carried lighted torches, in commemoration of thofe carried by Ceres when in feaxch of her daugh- ter ; and whoever came to thefe feftivals with- out a previous initiation, was puniflied with death. Ceres is metaphorically called bread and corn, as the word Bacchus is fometimes uied to fignify wine. THE J34 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTOUT THE MUSES. X HE Mufes were Goddefles, who prefided ©ver Poetry, Mufic, Dancing, and all the Li- beral Arts. They were daughters of Jupiter and Mnemofyne, and were nine in number* CLIO PRESIDED over Hiftory. She Is repre- fented crowned with laurels, holding in one hand a trumpet, and a book in the other. Sometimes {he holds a quill, with a lute. Her name fignifies Honour and Reputation, and it was her office faithfully to record the actions of brave and illuftrious heroes. She was mother of Hyacintha, by Pierus, fon of Magnes» UTERPE PRESIDED over Mufic, and was looked apon as the inventrefs of the flute. She is re- prefent«d OF T&E HEATHEN DEITIES. 135 prefented as crowned with flowers, and holding a flute. Some Mythologifts have attributed to her the invention of Tragedy, more commonly Juppofed to be the production of Melpomene* THALIA PRESIDED over Feftivals, and over pa£ toral and comic Poetry. She is reprefented leaning on a column, holding a made in her right hand, by which fhe is diftinguiftied from her fitters, as alfo by a fhepherd's crook. Her drefs appears fhorter, and not fo much Orna,-* mented as that of the other Mufes. MELPOMENE PRESIDED over Tragedy. Horace ha* addrefled the fineft of his Odes to her, as to the patronefs of Lyric Poetry. She was generally reprefented with a ferious countenance and fplendid garments. She wore a buikin, and held a dagger in one hand) and in the other a fceptre and crowns. TERPSICHORE, X36 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTOHY TERPSICHORE PRESIDED over Dancing, of which fhe was reckoned the inventrefs, as her name inti- mates. She is reprefented like a young virgin^ crowned with laurel, and holding in her hand a mufical inftrument. ERATO PRESIDED over lyric and tender Poetry. She is xeprefented as crowned with rofes and myrtle, holding a lyre in her hand. She fome- times appears with a thoughtful, and fometimes with a gay and animated, look. She was in- voked by lovers, efpecially in the month of April,' which, among the Romans, was more particularly devoted to love. POLYHYMNIA, or POLYMNIA, PRESIDED over Singing and Rhetoric, and was deemed the inventrefs of Harmony. She was OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. k$f was reprefented veiled in white robes, holding a fceptre in her left hand,, and with her right railed up as ready to harangue. On her head £he wore a crown of jewels. CALUOPE PRESIDED over Eloquence and Heroic Poetry. She is faid to be the mother of Or- pheus by Apollo. Horace fuppofes her to play on all forts of mufical inftruments. She was reprefented with books in her hand, which fig- nified that her office was to take notice of the famous actions of heroes, as Clio was em- ployed in celebrating them. She held the three Well-known epic Poems of antiquity, and ap- peared generally crowned with laurel. She fettled the difpute between Venus and Pro- ferpine concerning Adonis, whofe company theie two Goddefies both wifhed perpetually to. Cn'oy, URANIA J38 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY URANIA PRESIDED over Aftronomy. She was the mother of Linus, and fome fay liicewife of the Gcd Hymenceus. She was reprefented drefTcd in an azure coloured robe, crowned with ftars, holding in her hands a gtobe, and having many mathematical inftruments placed around her* She is fometimes called the Heavenly iVIufe* Some pretend that there were only three Mufes ; Melete, Mneme, and Acede. Others fay there were four j Talxiope, Acede, Arche, Melete : they were, according to fome, daugh- ters of Pierus and Antiope, from which cir- cumftance they are often called Pierides ; but the name of Pierides might as probably be de- rived from Mount Pierus, where they were born. They have liicewife been called Cafta- lides, Aganippides, Lebethrides, Aonides, He- liconides, &c. from the places where they were worfliipped, or over which they prefided. Apollo, who was the patron and conductor of the Mufes, has received the name of Mufa- getes, or leader of the Mufes ; the fame fir- name was alfo given to Hercules. The palm- tree, Or THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 1$$ tree, the laurel, and all the fountains of Pincfus, Helicon, Parnaflas, &c. were facred to the Mufes : they were all fond of folitude, and com- monly appeared in different attire, according to the arts and fciences over which they prefided. Sometimes they were reprefented as dancing- together, or finging in chorus, to intimate the near and indifToluble connection which fubfifts between the liberal Arts and Sciences. Some- times they are feen on mount ParnafTus, or on Mount Helicon, and the horfe Pegafus ap- pears on the fummit, with extended wings, ready to take flight. This horfe is faid to have fprung from the blood of Medufa, when Per- feus had cut off her head ; he was called by this name, from his having received exiftence, according to Hefiod, near the fources of the Ocean, from whence he immediately flew up to Heaven ; or rather, according to Ovid, he fixed his refidence on Mount Helicon, where, by ftriking the earth with his foot, he inftantly raifed a fountain, which has been named Hip- pocrene. He became the favourite of the Mufes, and having been tamed by Neptune or Minerva, he was given to Bellerophon to con- quer the Chimaera. No fooner was this fiery monfter deftroyed, than Pegafus threw down his rider, becaufe he was a mortal ; or rather, according 140 mythology; or, history according to the more received opinion, becaufe he attempted to fly to Heaven. This act of temerity in Bellerophon was punifhed by Jupi- ter, who fent an infect to torment Pegafus, which occafioned the melancholy fall of his rider. Pegafus continued his flight up to Heaven, and was placed among the conftel- lations of Jupiter. Perfeus, according to Ovid, was mounted upon Pegafus, when he deftroyed the fea-monfter which was going to devour Andromeda. The Mufes fometimes appear with wings, becaufe, by the help of wings, they efcaped from Pyrenseus, a king of Thrace, who, dur- ing a fhower of rain, gave them fhelter in his houfe, and then attempted to offer them vio- lence. When the Goddeflefs aftumed wings, and flew away, Pyrenseus attempting to follow them (as if he too had wings), threw himfelf from the top of a tower, and was killed by the fall. The nine daughters of Pierus, the ThefFa- lian, who challenged the Mufes by a trial of (kill in mufic, were conquered by them, and then changed into magpies. It may therefore be fuppofed, that the viftorious Mufes aflumed the name of the conquered daughters of Pierus, and that it was for this reafon they were called Pierides, «F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. Tij-j: L Pierides ; in the fame manner as Minerva was called Pallas, becaufe fhe had killed the giant of that name. The Mufes were likewife chal- lenged to a trial of Skill by Thamyras, a cele- brated mufician of Thrace, and it was mutu- ally agreed, that the vanquished Should be wholly at the difpofal of the victorious adver- fary. Thamyras was conquered, and the Mufes deprived him- of his fight and his melodious voice, and broke his lyre. The worShip of the Mufes was well eflablifhed, particularly in the enlightened parts of Greece, Theflaly, and Italy. "No facrifices were offered to them, though no poet ever began a poem, without a folemn invocation to thefe Goddeffes. FeSti- vals were instituted in honour of them in Several parts of Greece, efpecially among the Thef- pians, every fifth year. The Macedonians alfo obferved a feftival in honour of Jupiter and the Mufes. It had been instituted by king Arche- laus, and it was celebrated with Stage-plays, games, and different exhibitions, which con- tinued nine days, according to the number of the Nine Mufes. • THEMIS, %^% MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY THEMIS, ASTR^EA, NEMESIS, A HEMIS, a daughter of Coelus and Terra, who was married to Jupiter againft her incli- nation. She became mother of Dice, Irene, Eunomia, the Parcae, &c. She was the firft to whom the inhabitants of the earth raifed temples. Her Oracle was famous in Attica, in the age of Deucalion, who confulted it with great folemnity, and was inftrucled how to re« pair the lofs of mankind. Themis was gene- rally attended by the Seafons, Among the moderns fhe is reprefented as holding a fword in one hand, and a pair of fcales in the other. Aftraea, a daughter of Aflraeus, king of Ar- cadia, or, according to others, of Titan, by Aurora. Some make her the daughter of Ju- piter and Themis. She was called Juftice, of which virtue fhe was the Goddefs. She lived upon earth, according to the poets, during the Golden Age ; but the wickednefs and impiety of mankind, in the Brazen and Iron Ages, drove her to Heaven, and fhe was placed among the OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 143 the conftellations in the Zodiac, under the name of Virgo. She is reprefented as a virgin, with a (tern but majeftic countenance, holding, like Themis, a pair of fcales in one hand, and a fword in the other. © Nemefis, the daughter of Nox. She was the Goddefs of Vengeance, always prepared to punifh impiety, and at the fame time liberally to reward the good and virtuous. She is made one of the Parcae by fome Mythologifts. She Was reprefented with a helm and a wheel. The people of Smyrna were the firft who made her ftatues with wings, to fhew with what celerity fhe is prepared to punifh crimes, both by fea and land, as the helm and the wheel in her hands indicate. Her power did not only exift during this life, but fhe was alfo employed, after the death of criminals, to find out the mod effectual and rigorous methods of punifh- ment. Nemefis was particularly worfhiped at Rhamnus, in Attica, where me had a cele- brated ftatue ten cubits high, made of Parian marble, by Phidias ; or, according to others, by one of his pupils. ThcRomans were alfo particularly attached to the adoration of this Deiety, whom they folemnly invoked, and to whom they offered facrifices before they de- clared 144 mythology; or, history clared war againft their enemies, to fhew the world that their wars were undertaken upon juft grounds. Her ftatu« at Rome was in the Capitol. Some fuppofe that Nemefis was- the perfon whom Jupiter deceived in the form of a fwan, and that Leda was entrufted with the care of the children which fprung from the two eggs : others pretend that Leda obtained the name of Nemefis after death. According to Paufanias, there was more than one Nemefis. Goddefs Nemefis was firnamed Rhamnufia, be- caufe worfhiped at Rhamnus; and Adraftia, from the temple which Adraftus, king of Argcs, erected to her when he went againft Thebes, to revenge the indignities which his fon-in- law, Polynices, had fuffered, in being unjuftly driven from his kingdom by his brother Eteo- cles. The Greeks celebrated a feftival, called Nemefia, in memory of deceafed perfons, as the Goddefs Nemefis was fuppofed to defend the relics, and the memory of the dead from all infult. Nemefis, though properly one of the infernal Deities, is generally placed among the Terreftrials, as the third Goddefs who prefided overjuftice. THE THE SYLVAN AND DOMESTIC DEITIES. PAN SYLVANUS SILENUS PRIAPUS VERTUMNUS ARISTiEUS TERMINUS THE SATYRS OR FAUNS THE PENATES AND LARES, THE GENII. ,-jy*-- H T$6 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY PAN. JL AN was the God of Shepherds and Hun- ters, and of all the inhabitants of the country. He was the fon of Mercury by Dryope, ac- cording to Homer. Some give him Jupiter and Califto for parents. Others Jupiter and Ybis or tDneis. Lucian, Huginus, &c. fup- port that he was the fort of Penelope, the daugh- ter of Icarius, and wife of Ulyfles j but I de- cline repeating the fliameful and indecent (lo- ries they relate to the prejudice of a Princefs, whom the authority of Homer induces us to re- gard as a pattern of prudence and chaftity. Pan was a monfter in appearance ; he had two fniall horns on his head ; his complexion was ruddy, his nofe flat, and his legs, thighs, and feet were thofe of a goat, with the tail of that animal. The education of Pan was entrufted to a nymph of Arcadia, called Sinoe ; but the nurfe, terrified at the fight of fuch a monfter, fied away and left him j he was wrapped up in the C in of a beaft by his father, and carried to Heaven, where Jupiter and the Gods enter- tained OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. I47 tained themfelves with the oddity of his appear- ance. Bacchus, who was greatly pleafed with him, gave hfca the name of Pan. The God of Shepherds chiefly refided in Arcadia, where the woods and mountains were his habitation. He was faid to have invented the flute with feven reeds, which he called Syrinx; in honour of a beautiful nymph of the fame name, to whom he attempted to offer violence, and who was changed into a reed. He was continually en- deavouring to deceive the neighbouring nymphs, and frequently his ftratagems proved fuccefsful. Though deformed in his fhape and features, he had the good fortune to pleafe Diana, and to gain her favour, by transforming himfelf into a beautiful white goat. He was enamoured of a nymph of the mountains, called Echo, by whom • he had a fon, named Lynx. Being in love with Omphale, Queen of Lydia, he went in the night to a cave, to which he knew fhe had re- tired with Hercules. As they flept w different parts of the cave, and as Omphale had covered herfelf with the fkin of the lion ufually worn by Hercules, Pan miftook her for that hero, and went to the place where Hercules was fleeping, who had afiumed the drfefs of Omphale, which Pan perceiving, was deceivedj and lay down by his fide; but the hero awaking, kicked him H 2 into 148 mythology; or, history into the middle of the cave. The noife awoke Omphale, and Pan was difcoverecHying on the ground, greatly difappointed, and afhamed at his adventure. The worfhip of Pan was well eftablifhed, par- ticularly in Arcadia, where he gave Oracles en Mount Lycaeus. His feftivals, called by the Greeks Lycae, were brought to Italy by Evander, and they were well known at Rome by the name of theLupercalia. The worfhip,and the different functions, of this Diety were derived from the mythology of the ancient Egyptians. Pan was one of the eight great Gods adored by this people, who ranked him before the other twelve, called Confentes by the Romans. He was wormiped with the greateft folemnity all over Kgypt ; his ftatutes reprefented him as a goat, not becaufe he really was fuch, but this was done for myfterious rcafons. He was the emblem of fecundity, and they looked upon him as the principle of all things. His horns, as fome obferve, reprefented the rays of the fun. The brightness of the Heavens was ex- prefled by the vivacity and the ruddinefs of his complexion. The ftar which he wore on his treaft was the fymbol of the firmament, and his OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. I49 his hairy legs and feet denojted the inferior parts of the earth, covered with woods and plants. Some fuppofe that Pan appeared as a goat, becaufe, when the Gods fled into Egypt, in their war againft the Giants, he transformed himfelf into that animal. This Deity, accord- ing to fome, isthe fame as Faunus, and he is the chief of all the Satyrs. Plutarch men- tions, that in the reign of Tiberius, an extra- ordinary voice was heard near the Echinades, in the Ionian fta, which exclaimed that the Great Pan was dead. This was credited by the emperor, and the aftrologers were con- futed j but they were unable to explain the meaning of fo fupernatural a voice, which pro- bably proceeded from the impofition of one of the courtiers, who wiihed to terrify Tiberius. In Egypt, in the town of Mendes (which word alfo fignihes a goat), there was a facred goat kept with the moft ceremonious fanctity. The death of this animal was always attend- ed with the greateft folemnities, and, like that of Apis, became the caufe of univerfal mourning. As Pan ufually terrified the inha- bitants of the neighbouring country, that kind of fear which fometimes feizes men, and which has no real or juft caufe, has been named from H 3 him I5Q mythology; or, history him panic fear. This kind of terror has been examplified, not only in individuals, but alfo in numerous armies ; fuch as that of JBren- nus, which was thrown into the utmofl con- fternation at Rome, without any caufe or plaufible reafon. SYLVANUS. r OF THE HEATHEN DEITIfcfc I5J SYLVANUS. JVL .ANY authors confound the Sylvan!, Fauni, and Sileni, with Pan ; yet, as others diftinguifh them, it is neceflary to treat of them feparately. To begin with Sylvanus ; he is generally placed near Pan, and like him, re- prefented as half a man, and half a goat. Ac- cording to Virgil, he was the fon of Picus, or, as others report, of Mars. The worfhip of Sylvanus was eftablifhed only in Italy, where fome have imagined he reigned in the age of Evander. This Deity prefided over gardens and limits. He is reprefented as holding a branch of cyprefs in his hand, becaufe he was particularly fond of young Cypariflus, the fa- vourite of Apollo, who was changed into a cy- prefs trep. H 4. SILENU3. 15* MYTHOlOGY; OR, HISTORY SILENUS. s ILENUS was the fofter father, the precep- tor, and conftant attendant of Bacchus. He was, as fome fuppofe, the foil of Pan, or, ac- cording to others, of Mercury, or of Terra. Malca, in Lefbos, is faid to have been the place of -his- birth. After death he received divine honours, and had a temple in Elis. Silenus is ■reprefentexi as a fat jolly old man, riding on an afs, crowned with flowers, and always intoxi- cated. He was once found by fome peafants in Phrygia, after he had loft his way, and con- dueled by them to king Midas, who received him hofpitably, and afterwards reftored him to Bacchus, for which he was rewarded by the God, as has been already related. Some au- thors afTert that Silenus was a philofopher, who accompanied Bacchus in his Indian expedition, and afiifted him by his counfels. From this ciicumflance, therefore, he is fometimes intro- duced fpealcing, with all the gravity of a philofo- pher, concerning the formation of the world, and the nature of things. PRIAPUS. OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 153 PRIAPUS. XRIAPUS prefided over gardens and or- chards. He was Ton of Venus by Mercury or Adonis, or as forne fay, by Bacchus. He was born at Lampfacus, and was fo deformed in all his limbs, by means of Juno, who had affifted at the delivery of Venus, that the mother, afhamed to have given birth to fuch a monfter, ordered him to be expofed upon the mountains. His life, however, was preferved by fhepherds, and he foon became a favourite of the people of Lampfacus ; but he was afterwards expelled by the inhabitants, on account of the freedoms he took with their wives. This violence was pu- nifhed by the fon of Venus ; and after the Lampfaeenians had been afflicted with difeafes, they recalled Priapus and erected temples to his honour. Feflivals were alfo inftituted, and the people, naturally indolent and fond of amufe- me?it, gave thernfelves up to licentioufnefs, and every impurity, during the celebration. His worlhip was alfo introduced at Rome ; but the Romans regarded him rather as the God of H 5 Gardens 154 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY Gardens and Orchards, than as the patron of fenfual pleafures. A crown painted with dif- ferent colours was offered to him in the fpring, and, in the fummer, a garland of ears of corn. An afs was ufually facrrfrced to him, becaufe that animal, by its braying, awoke the nymph "Lotis, to whom Priapus was going to offer violence. This Dejty is generally reprefented with an human face, and the ears of a goat ; he holds a ftick in his hand, with which he ter- rifies the birds, as alfo a club to drive away thieves, and a fcythe to prune the trees, and ■cut down the corn. He was crowned with the 'leaves of the vine, and fometimes with laurel, or rocket ; the laft of thefe plants is facred to liim, as it is faid to raife the paflions, and to excite love. A town of Afia Minor, near Lampfacus, took its name from Priapus, becaufe he was the chief Deity of the place, and becaufe he had taken refuge there, when banilhed from Lamp- facus. VERTUMN US. OF THE HEAT&feN DEITIES. I55 VERTUMNUS. A DEITY among the Romans, who prefided over the Spring, and over Orchards. He endea- voured to gain the affedlions of the Goddefs Pomona ; to effecl: this, he made ufe of the power which he had of afluming many diffe- rent forms. Some authors fay, that it was under that of an old woman, he prevailed on his miftrefs to liften to his addrefles ; but others relate, that having in vain metamorphofed him- felf into a great number of different fhapes, he at laft re-afiumed his own,and Pomona confented to marry him. Vertumnus is reprefented as a handfome young man, crowned with flowers, and holding in his right hand fruit, and a horn of plenty in his left. H 6 ATUSTJEVS. 156 mythology; or, history ARISTiEUS. XxRIST./EUSj fon of Apollo, and the nymph Cyrene, was born in the deferts of Libya. He was brought up by the Seafons, and nouriftied with Nectar and Ambrofia, the food of the Celeftial Gods. His love of hunting procured him the firnames of Nomus and Agreus. Af- ter he had travelled over the greateft part of the world, he came to fettle in Greece, where he married Autonoe, the daughter of Cadmus, by whom he had a fon called Actaeon. He was enamoured of Eurydice, the wife of Orpheus, and purfued her in the fields ; as fhe fled from him, fhe was flung by a ferpent that lay in the grafs, and died, on which account the Gods deftroyed all the bees of Ariftaeus. In this ca- lamity he applied to his mother, who directed him to feize the Sea-God Proteus, and confult him how he might repair the lofs he had fuf- tained. Proteus advifed him to appeafe the manes of Eurydice, by the facrifice of four bulls, and as many heifers. As foon as he had done fo, and left the victims in the open air, fwarms OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES 157 fwarms of bees immediately fprang from the dead carcaffes, which reftored Ariflaeus to his former profperity. Some authors fay, that this Deity had the care of Bacchus when young, and that he was initiated in all his myfteries. Arifbeus went to live on mount Haemus, where he was afterwards worfniped as a Demi -God. He is faid to have learned from the Nymphs the cultivation of olives, and the management of bees, &c. which he communicated to man- kind. TERMINUS. I58 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY TERMINUS, A DIVINITY whom the Romans fuppofed to prefide ever bounds and limits, and to punifh all unlawful uuupation ofland. His worfhip was firft introduced at Rome by Numa, who per- fuaded his fubjedb that the limits of their, lands and eftates were under the immediate infpe&ion of Heaven. His temple was on the Tarpeian Rock. He was reprefented with a human head, without feet or arms, to intimate that he never moved wherever he was placed. The people of the country affembled once a year with their families, and crowned with flowers and gar- lands, the {tones which feparated their different poffeffions, and offered victims to the God who prefided over their boundaries. It is faid, that when Tarquin the Proud wifhed to build a temple on the Tarpeian Rock to Jupiter, the God Terminus refufed to give way, though the other Gods willingly refigned their feats. THE IDF T HE HEATHEN DEITIES. 159 THE SATYRS OR FAUNS. jl HEY were Demi-Gods of the country, whofe origin is unknown. They are repre- fented as men, but with the feet and legs of goats, fliort horns on the head, and the whole body covered with thick hair : they chiefly at- tended upon Bacchus, and made themfelves .known in his Orgies, by their riotous and laf- civious demeanour. The firfl: fruits of every thing were generally offered to them. The Ro- mans promifcuoufly called them Fauni, Panes, Sylvani, &c. It is faid that 2 Satyr was brought to Sylla, as that general returned from Theffaly. The monfter had been furprized afleep in a cave ; but his. voice was inarticulate when he was brought into the prefence of the Roman general, and Sylla was fo djfgufted with it, that he ordered it to be inftantly removed. This monfrer anfwered, in every refpect, the de- icription which the Poets and Painters have given of the Satyrs. THE l6o MYTHOLOGY J OR,. HISTORY THE PENATES AND LARES. JL HE Penates, called Houfhold Gods, pre- fided overhoufes and the domeftic affairs of fa- milies. They were called Penates, becaufe they were generally placed in the innermoft and moft fecret parts of thehoufe ; the place where they flood was afterwards called Penetralia, and they themfelves received the name of Penetrales* It was in the option of every mafter of a family to choofe his houfehold gods, and therefore Ju- piter, and others of the fuperior Gods, are often invoked as patrons of domeftic affairs. Ac- cording to fome, the Penates were divided into four clafles ; the firfl comprehended all the Ce- lestials, the fecond the Sea-Gods, the third the Gods of Hell, and the laft all fuch heroes as had received divine honours after death. The Pe- nates were originally the manes of the dead, but when fuperftition had taught mankind to pay great reverence to the ftatues and images of thr.-ir deceafed friends, this veneration wasfoon exchanged for regular worfhip, and they were admitted by their votaries to (hare immortality and OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. l6* and power over the world with a Jupiter or a Minerva. The ftatues of the Penates were ufually made with wax, ivory, filver, or earth, according to the affluence of the worfhipper ; and the offerings they received, were wine, in- cenfe, fruits, and fometimes ,the faeriflce of Iambs, fheep, goats-, &c. In the early ages of Rome, human facrifkes were offered to them ; hut Brutus, who expelled the Tarquins, abo- lifhed that unnatural cuftom. When offerings were made to the Penates, their ftatues -were crowned with garlands, poppies, or garlick ; and befides the monthly day that was fet apart for their worfhip, their feftjvals were celebrated during the Saturnalia. THE LARES WERE Gods of inferior power, who like- wife prefided over houfes and families. They were two in number, fons of Mercury and the Nymph Lara, who was famous for her beauty and her loquacity ; having revealed to Juno the amours of Jupiter with -Juturna, the God cut off her tongue, and ordered Mercury to conduct l62 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY conduct her to the infernal regions. The Mef- fenger of the Gods fell in love with her by the way, and Lara became, in confequence of this amour, the mother of two children, to whom the Romans have fmce paid divine honours, under the name of Lares. In procefs of time their power was extended not only over houfes, but alfo over the country and the fea ; and we find Lares Urbani, to prefide over the cities ; Familiares, over houfes; Ruftici, over the country ; Compitales, over crofs-ways ; Ma- rini, over the Sea ; Viales, over the roads, &c. According to the opinion of fome, the worfhip of the Gods Lares, whom they fuppofe to be the Manes, arifes from the ancient cuftom among the Romans and other nations, of bury- ing their dead in their houfes, and from the be- lief that their fpirit continually hovered over the houfe for the prote&ion of its inhabitants. The ftatues of the Lares refembling monkies, and covered with the fkin of a dog, were placed in a niche behind the doors of the houfes, or around the hearths. At the feet of the Bares was the figure of a dog barking, to intimate their care and vigilance. Incenfe was burnt on their altars, and a fow was alfo oftererd on particular days. Their feftivals were ob- ferved .OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 163 ferved at Rome in the month of May, when their ftatues were crowned with garlands of flowers, and offerings of fruit were pre- fented to them. The word Lares fignifies Condu&or or Leader. • rm I64 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY THE GENII Wi ERE beings of a middle kind, of greater dignity than man, but of a nature inferior to that of the Gods. According to the Ancients, they were fpirits or Daemons which prefided over the birth and life of every man, gave them their private counfels, and carefully watched over their moil fecret intentions. Some of the ancient Philofophers maintained that every man had two of thefe Daemons, the one good and the other bad. They were fup* pofed to have the power of afluming whatever forms were moft fubfervient to their defigns. At the moment of death, the Daemon delivered up to judgment the perfon with whofe care he had been entrufted ; and, according to the evidence he gave, fentence was paffed upon the deceafed. The Daemon of Socrates is famous in hiftory. That great Philofopher afTerted, that the Genius informed hina when any one of his friends was about to engage in fome unfortunate enterprize, and prevented himfclf OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 165 himfelf from the commiflion of all crimes and impiety. Thefe Genii or Daemons, though at firft reckoned only as fubordinate minifters of the fuperior Deities, received divine ho- nours in procefs of time, and altars and fta- tues were ere&ed to them, THE SYLVAN GODDESSES, PALES I TERONIA FLORA I FOMONA THE NYMPHS AND THE SIBYLS. J68 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY PALES. J. Hi Goddcfsof fheep-folds and of paftures among the Romans. She was worfhipped with great folemnity, and her feftivals, called Palilia, were celebrated the very day that Romulous be- gan to lay the foundation of the city of Rome. Thefe feafts were inftituted to engage the God- defs to make the paftures fruitful, and to pre- serve the flocks from wolves, and from the difeafes incident to cattle. They offered to her milk, and wafers made with millet. Pales is reprefented as an aged woman, furrounded by ihepherds. FLORA. OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 169- FLORA. X HE Goddefs of flowers and gardens among the Romans. She is the fame as the Chloris of the Greeks- Some fuppofe that (he was originally a courtezan, who left to the Rd- mans the immenfe riches which fhe had ac- quired by her irregularities, in remembrance of which a yearly feftival was inftituted in ho- nour of Flora ; but fhe was worfhiped among tb* Sabines long before the foundation of Rome, and Tatius was the firft who raifed her a temple in that city. It is faid that fhe mar- ried Zephyrus, and received from him the pri- vileges of prefiding over flowers, and of en- joying psrpetual youth. She was reprefented as. crowned with flowers, and holding in'her •hand the horn of plenty. FERONJA. 170 mythology; or, history FERONIA. JHl Goddefs at Rome, who prefided over woods and groves. The name is perhaps derived from the town Feronia, near Mount Sora&e, where flse had a Temple. It was ufual to make a yearly facrifice to her, and to wafti the face and hands in the waters ©f the facred fountain which flowed near her Temple. It is faid that thofe Jailed with the fpirit of this Goddefs could walk ^are-footed oyer burning coals without receiv- ing any injury. It has been Iikewife related, that the facred grove in which her Temple flood having been fet on fire, the votaries of Feronia were about to remove her image from thence, when on a fudden the grove became green as before. POMONA. «F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. i;i POMONA. XX Nymph, fuppofed by the Romans to pre- fide over gardens, and to be the Goddefs of all forts of fruit-trees. She had a Temple at Rome, and a regular Prieft, who offered facri- fices to her divinity rfor the prefervation of fruit, She was reprefented fitting on a bafket full of flowers and fruits, holding a bough in one hand, and apples in the other. Pomona was fond of the cultivation of the earth, and difregarded the fports of the field. Many of the rural Gods endeavoured to gain her affec- tion, but'fhe received the addrefTes of them all with equal coldnefs, till Vertumnus, by affum- ing different fhapes, introduced himfelf into her retreat, and prevailed on her to efpoufe him. This Deity was unknown among the Greeks. I a THE 172 mythology; or, history - 1 THE NYMPHS. V-jERTAIN female Deities among the an- cients. They were generally divided into two claiu,*?, Nymphs of the Land, and Nymphs of the Sea. Of the Nymphs of the Earth ; Come prefided over the weeds, arrd were ca Idc Dryades, and Hamodryades ; others prefided over mountains, and were called Oreades ; and others over hills and vallies, and were called Napasae, Szc. The Sea-Nymphs were the Oceanides, and Nereides ; and thofe who prefided over rivers, fountains, ftreams, and lakes, were called Naiades, Potamides, Sec. The Nymphs of the Waters generally inhabited the element to which 4hey belonged, and thofe of the land fixed their refidence on rocks, or mountains, in woods or caverns, and their grottos were beautified by evergreens, and de- lightful romantic fcenes. The Nymphs were immortal according to fome Mythologies; others fuppoftd that they were fubje& to mor- tality, but that their life was of long duration. According to Hcfiod, they liyed feverai thou- fand OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. , i;j fend years ; and Plutarch feems obfcurely to in- timate, that the term of their fife was about 9720 years. The number of the Nymphs is not precifely known ; there were above 3000 according to Hefiod ; whofc power was ex- tended over the different parts of the earth, and over the different fun&ions and occupations of mankind. They were worlhiped by the An- cients, though not wich To much folemnity as the fupexicr Deities. They had no temples raifed to their honour, and the only offerings they received were milk, honey and oil, and fometimes the facrifice of a goat. They were reprefented as young and beautiful virgin*, veiled up to the middle ; they fometimes held a vafe, from which they feemed to pour water. Sometimes they held graft, leaves, and {hells inftead of vafes. It was deemed unfortunate to fee them naked, and fuch a fight was ufually attended by an immediate delirium. The Nymphs were generally diftinguifhed by an epi- thet which denoted the place of their refidence: Thus the Nymphs of Sicily were called Sici- lides, thofe of Corycus, Corycides, &c. Echo is faid to have been formerly one of the Nymphs, though nothing but her voice now re- mains,, and even while fhe lived, fhe was fo I 3 far 174- MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY far deprived of the ufe of fpeech, as not to be able to repeat the laft words of any fcntence. Juno had inflicted this punifhmcnt on her for h.er loquacity. Echo "accidentally met in the woods, NarcifTus, a beautiful youth, fon of Cephifus and the Nymph Liriope, and fell paf- fionately in love with him. She difcovered her fondnefs to him, but he defpifed her and fled from her fight, at which the Nymph was fb much afflicted, that me pined away with grief, till every part of her was confirmed except her voice, which flill haunts the woods and moun- tains which me once frequented, and repeat?, though imperfectly, the founds which are heard among them. NarcifTus, after he had fled from Echo, flopped to repofe himfelf by the fide of a fountain, where feeing his own image re- flected, he became deeply enamoured of it, • taking ft for the Nymph of the place ; his fruit- Id's attempts to approach this beautiful object \n enraged him, that he grew defperate and killed himfelf, and his blood was changed into ' a flower, which lHU bears his name. ■ ■ THE OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 175 ft) - THL SIBYLS. X HE Sibyls were certain women, infpired by Heaven, who flourifhed in different parts of the world. Their number is unknown. Plato fpeaks of one only, others of two, Pliny of three, ./Elian of four, and Varro of ten j an opinion which is univerfally adopted by the learned. Thefe ten Sibyls were believed to re- fide in the following places, Perfia, Libya, Del- phi, Cumae, in Italy, Erythraea, Cumae, in iEolia, Marpeffa on the Hellefpont, Ancyra, in Phrygia, and Tiburtis. The meft celebrated of the Sibyls was that of Cumse, in Italy,- who J has been called by the different names of Amal- thaea, Demophile, Herophile, Daphne, Manto, Phemonoe, and Deiphobe. It is faid that Apollo became enamoured of her ; and that to make her fenfible to his paflion, he offered to grant her whatever fhe fhould afk. The Sibyl demanded to live as many years as fhe then held grains of fand in her hand, which was full of them ; but fhe forgot to afk, at the fame time, for the continuance of the health, vigour, and I 4 bloom .176 mythology; or, history bloom of which (he was then in pofleffion. The God granted her requeft ; but me (till refufcd to gratify his pafTion, though he even offered her perpetual youth and beauty on that condi- tion. She became at length old and decrepit ; her form decayed, melancholy palenefs,. and haggard lcoks, fucceeded to bloom and cheer- fuinefs. She had already lived about 700 years when /Eneas arrived jn Italy j and, as fome jhave imagined, fhe had three centuries more to live, before her years became as numerous as the grains of iknd which had been contained in her hand. This Sibyl inftructed ./Eneas how .tp find his father in the infernal regions, and even conducted him to the entrance of Hell. It was .ufua! for the Sibyl to write her prophecies on leaves, which fhe placed at the entrance of 4ier cave j and it required particular care in ♦&ofe who confulted her to take up thefe leaves 'before they were difperfed by the wind, as their rmeaning then became incomprehenfible. Ac- cording to the cooir. authentic hiftorians of the Roman Republic, one of the Sibyls came to the palace of Tarquin the Second with nine i -volumes* which ihe offered to fell for a very high . price. The monarch difregarded her, and fhe immediately difappeared ; but foon after, having burned three of the volumes, fhe afked the price OF THE HEATHEN b-eiflES. ffj price for the remaining fix books ; and when Tarquin refufed to buy them, (he burned three more, and (till perfifted in demanding the fame fum for the three that were left. This extra- ordinary behaviour afronifhed Tarquin ; he purchafed the books, and the Sibyl inftantly va- turned, and never more appeared to the world. Thefe books were preferved with great care, and called the Sibylline verfes. A college of priefts was appointed to have the care of them ; and fitch reverence d^d the Romans entertain for thefe prophetic books, that they were con- sulted" with the greater! folemnity, and only when the ftate feemed to be in danger. When the capitol was burnt in the troubles of Sylla, the Sibylline verfes, which were depofited there, perrfhed in the conflagration ; and to repair the ?ofs which the' Republic was thought to have fuftained, commifTioners were fen't immediately to different parts of Greece, to collect whatever verfes could be found of; the infpired writings of the Sibyls. The fate of thefe Sibylline verfes, which were collected after the conflagration of the capitol, is unknown. There are now many Sibylline verfes extant, but they are univerfally accounted fpurious \ and, it is evident, that they were compofed in the fecond century, by fome of the followers of Chriftianity, who I 5 wiflhed 178 mythology; or, hjstojly wished to convince the Pagans of their errors, by aflifting the caufe of truth with the arms of pious artifice. There were many inferior Gods and God- defles adored by the Ancients, befides thofe which have been here mentioned ; in effect they are almoft. innumerable, as almoft every part of the world invoked a great number of Divi- nities which were unknown among other na- tions. The lame Deities were indeed acknow- ledged in many different countries, but under different appellations, and different powers and functions were afcribed to them ; but fome of thofe functions were fo abfurd, and others fo indecent, that I have thought it beft to pafs many of them over in filence, and proceed to thofe whofe actions make a more efTential part of the fabulous hiftory. IM " *■' - TOE » . •: 1 _, ( 7HE MARINE DEITIES. ■ NEPTUNE i TETHYS AMPHITRITE DORIS THETIS LEUCOTHEA And PALjEMON, TRITON OCEANUS NEREUS, PROTEUS GLAUCUS MONSTERS OF THE SEA, THE SIRENS, SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS. H 6 NEPTUNE. MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORY NEPTUNE. EPTUNE, fon of Saturn and Ops, and :her to Jupiter and Pluto. He was pre- ferved in the fame manner with them from be- ing devoured by his father, on the day of his birth. Neptune {bared with his brothers the empire of Saturn, and received as his "portion the dominion of the fea. This, however, did not feem to him equivalent to the empire of Heaven and Earth, of which Jupiter had taken pofferlion, he therefore | confpired, with others of the God?, to dethrone him. The conip:racy was difcovered, and Neptune was condemned by Jupijer to build the walls of Troy. A re- conciliation, however, foon took place, and Neptune was re-inftated in all his rights and privileges._ His diipute with the Goddefs Minerva has been already taken ' notice of. The decifion which was given in her favour, had highly offended Neptune, and he after- wards contended with her for Trcezene, .but Jupiter compofed that difference, by permitting them to be^ conjointly worfhiped there, and by giving OF THE HEATHEtf DEITIES. ifa giving the name of Polias, or Prote&refs of the city, to Minerva, and that of king of Troezene, to the God of the Sea. He likewife- difputed for the Iftmus of Corinth with Apollo j ancj Briareus, the Cyclop, who was mutually chofeq umpire, gave the Iftmus to Neptune, and the promontory to Apollo. Neptune, as being God of the Sea, was entitled to more power than any of the other Gods, except Jupiter, Not only the ocean, rivers, and fountains, were fubje&ed to him, but he could alfo raife earth-, quakes at his pleafure, and bring up iflands from the bottom of the fea, with a ftrojce of his trident. i • The worfhip of Neptune was eftablifhed in almoft all. parts of the earth, and the Lybians in particular venerated him above all other na- tions, and even confidered him as the firft and greateft of the Gods. The Greeks and Ro- mans were alfo much attached to his worlhip^ and they celebrated their Iftmian games and confualia with the greateft folemnity. Nep- tune was generally reprefented fitting in a cha- riot made of a ihell, and drawn by fea-horfes or dolphins. Sometimes he is drawn by winged- horfes, and ftands up holding his trident, while his chariot flies over the furface of the waves.. Homer iSl MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY Homer reprefents him as ifluing from the fea, and in three fleps croffing the whole horizon. The mountains and the forefts, fays the poet, in his defcription, tremble as he walks ; the whales, and all the fifhes of the fea appear around him, and even the fea herfelf feems to feel the pre- fence of her God. The Ancients generally fa- crificed a bull and a horfe on his altars, and the Roman foothfayers always offered to him the gall of the victims, which, in tafte, refembles the bitternefs of the fea -water. - The amours of Neptune were numerous. He obtained, by means of a dolphin, the favour of Amphitrite, who had made a vow of perpe- tual celibacy, and he placed among the con- ciliations the fifh which had prevailed upon the Goddefs to become his wife; he alfo married Venilia and Salacia, but thefe, according to fome authors, are only the names of Amphi- trite ; they obferve that the former word is de- rived from Venire^ alluding to the continual motion of the fea. Salacia is derived from Sa- luntj which fignifies the fea, and is applicable to> Amphitrite. Neptune aflfumed the form of the river Enipeus, to gain the confidence of Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, by whom he had Pelias and Neleus 3 he was alfo fatter of Pho- resis CF THE HEATHEN" DEITIES. 183 reus and Poliphemus, by Thooffa ; of Ly- cus, Ny&eus and Euphemus, by Celenoj of Chryfes, by Chryfogenia; of Anceus, by Afty- paliaj ofBoeotus and Hellen, by Antiope ; of Lucanoe, by Themeftd ; of Agenor and Bel- lerophon, by Eurynome, the daughter of Ny- fus ; of Antas, by Alcyone, the daughter of Atlas j of Abas, by Arethufa; of A&or and DicSlys, by Agemede, the daughter of Augias ; of Megareus, by CEnope, daughter of Epo- peus ; of Cyncnus, by Harpalyce j of Tarus, Otus, Ephialtes, Dorus, Alefus, &c. Neptune was likewife faid to be father of the horfe Arion, which had the power of fpeech, by Ceres ; and of the ram with the golden fleece, which car- ried Phryxus to Colchis, by Theophane, a daughter of Bifaltus. . The word Neptune is often ufed metapho- rically by the poets, to fignify fea-water. In the Confualia of ths Romans, horfes were led through the ftreets richly caparifbned, and crowned with garlands ;• as the God, in whofe honour thofe feftivals were inftituted, had pro- duced the horfe, an animal Co beneficial to mankind. TRITON. f&J. MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY TRITON, . i - OOK of Neptune, by Amphltrite, or, accord- ing to fome, by Celeno, or Salacia. He was very powerful among the Sea-Deities, and could calm the fea, and abate ftorms at pleafure. He is generally reprefented as blowing a fhell. His body above the waift is like that of a man, and below like a dolphin. Some reprefent him witfi the fore-feet of a horfe'. Many of the Sea- Deities are called Triton*, but the name is ufually applied to thofe only \vho are half men, and half fifhes. ■ - I j. . GCEANUS jM the HEATHEN DEITIES. l$$ OCEANUS W AS another powerful Deity of the fea* fon of Ccelus and Terra. He married Tethys, by whom he had the rivers Alpheus, Peneus, Strymon, &c. with a great number of daugh- ters, who were called from him Oceanides- According to Homer, Oceanus was the father of all the Gods, and, on that account, he re- ceived frequent vifits from them. He is repre- fented as an old man with a long flowing beard> and fitting upon the waves of the fea j he often holds a pike in his hand, and fliips under fail appear at a diftance, or a fea-monfter is feen near him. Oceanus prefided over every part of the fea ; and even the rivers were fubje£c. to his power. The ancients were fuperftitious in their worftiip of Oceanus, and revered with great fo- lemnity a Deity, to whofe care they entruftei themfelves when going on any voyage. NEREUS* 186 mythology; or, history NEREUS, OON of Oceanus. and Terra. He married Doris, by whom he had fifty daughters, which were the Nymphs called Nereides. Nereus was reprefented as an old man with a long beard, and hair of an azure colour. The chief place of his refidence was in the /Egean Sea, where he was furrounded by his daughters, who often formed dances around him. He had the gift of prophecy, and informed thofe who con- fulted him with the fates that attended them. He acquainted Paris with the confequence of his elopement with Helen, and it was by his directions, that Hercules obtained the golden apples of the Hefperides ; but the Sea- God often evaded the importunities of enquirers, by afTuming different fhapes, and efcaping from their grafp. The word Nereus is fometimes taken for the fea itfelf. Nereus is called by fome the mod ancient of all the Gods. PROTEUS, L. • »-V»» 3 •F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 187 PROTEUS, uON of Oceanus and Tethys, or, according to fome, of Neptune and Phcenice. He had received the gift of prophecy from Neptune ; and from his knowledge of futurity, mankind derived the moft important advantages. He ufually refided in the Carpathian fea, and fre- quently repofed himfelf upon the fea-fhore, where fuch as wifhed to confult him reforted. He was difficult of accefs, and when confulted, frequently eluded giving the anfwers required, by immediately afTuming, like Nereus, different forms, and making his efcape, if not well fe- cured by fetters, during his repofe. Arifbeus was in the number of thofe who confulted him, asalfowas Hercules. Somefuppofe that Proteus was originally a king of Egypt, known among his fubje&s by the name of Cetes ; and they afTert that he had two fons, Telegonus and Po- lygonus, who were both killed by Hercules. He had alfo fome daughters, among whom were Cabira, Eridothea, and Rhetea, GLAUCUS. m l86 MYTHOLOGY ', OR, HISTORY GLAUCUS' W AS a fifhcrman of AnthecTon, in Bceothu. He was by fome, reputed the fon of Neptune arid Nais, and by others, of Mercury. As he was fifhing, he obferved that all the fifties which. he laid on the grafs received frefh vigour a9 they touched the ground, and immediately efcaped from him, by leaping- again into the fea i he attributed the caufe of thfs to the-gra£,. ftml by tafting it, he found himfelf fuddenly -moved with a defire of living in the fea, upon which he leaped into the water, and was made a Sea-Deity by Oceanus and Tethys. After this transformation he became enamoured of the Nereid Scylla, who was fo feverely puniftied by Circe. Glaucus is reprefented like the other Sea-Deities, with a long beard, difhevelled hair,. and fhaggy eye-brows, and with the tail of a fifh. He received the gift of prophecy from Apollo, and he was, according to fome, the interpreter of Nereus. He amfted the Argonauts in their expedition, and foretold to them that Hercules and OF THE HEATHEN I1EITIES. l8g and the two fons of Leda would one day re- ceive immortal honours. The fable of his metamorphofis has been explained by fome au- thors, who obferve, that he was an excellent unt up, and wafh the face of heaven: ButScylla, from her den, with open jaws The finking veffel in her eddy draws, Then dailies on the rocks :^a human face, And virgin-bofom, hides the tail's difgrace. . Her parts obfeene belo\v the waves defcend, With dogS inclos'd, and in a dolphin end. «• ■ , EbYDIJJj's ViRGlL, JExttV, BoOK III. \ K 4 5&VL&2 ■ tHE INFERNAL DEITIES. PLUTO PLUTUS PROSERPINE THE FATES THE FURIEfr NIGHT DEATH AND SLEEP- JUDGES OF HELL, THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE CONDEMNED IN HELL, MONSTERS OF HELL, CHARON AND CERBERUS. RIVERS OF HELL r TARTARUS, ELYSIUM. I fcs 102 mythology; or, history PLUTO. — P. LUTO, fon of Saturn and Ops, inherited his father's kingdom with his brothers Jupiter and Neptune. He received, as his lot, the em- pire of Hell, and whatever lies under the earth ; he was therefore called the God of the Infernal Regions, of death and funerals. From his functions, and the place which he inhabited, he received different appellations- He is com- monlyftiled the Infernal Jupiter j he is alfo called Dis, Hades or Ades, Clytopolon, Agelaftus, Orcus, &c. . As the place of his refidence was obfcure and gloomy, all the GoddefTes refufed to marry him ; but he determined to obtain by force, what was denied to his folicitations. As he once vifited the ifland of Sicily, after a vio- lent earthquake, he faw Proferpine, the daugh- ter of Ceres, gathering flowers in the plains of Enna, with a crowd of female attendants j he became enamoured of her, and immediately carried her away in his chariot, drawn by four black horfes. To conceal his retreat the more «ffeclually, he opened himfelf a paflage through the Of THE HEATHEN bElTIES. 203 the earth, by ftriking it with his trident, in the lake of Cyane, in Sicily ; or, according to others, on the borders of the Cephifus, in At- tica. Proferpine called upon her attendants for help, but it was in vain : they were unable to afford her any, and fhe became the wife of her raviflier, and the queen of Hell. Pluto is generally reprefented holding a trident with two teeth ; he has alfo keys in his hands, to inti- mate, that whoever enters his kingdom, can never return from it. He is looked upon as a cruel and inexorable Deity, and therefore ap- pears with a grim and difmal afpecl: : for this reafon no temples' were raifed to his honour, as to the reft of the fuperior Gods. Black vic- "tims, particularly a bull, were the only facri- fices which were offered to him, and their blood was not fprinkled on the altars, or received in veflels as at other facrifices ; but it was per- mitted to run down into the earth, as if it were to penetrate as far as the realms of the God. The Syracufans yearly facriFxed black bulls to him near the fountain of Cyane - r where, ac- cording to the received traditions, he had dis- appeared with Proferpine. ' Among plants, the cyprefs, the narcifius, and the maiden-hair, were facred to him, as alfo every thing which was deemed inaufpicious, particularly, the number K 6 two. 204 " MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY two. According to fome of the Ancients, Pluto fat on a throne of fulphur, from which iiTued the rivers of Lethe, Cocytus, Phlegethon, and Acheron. The dog Cerberus watched at his feet.. The Harpies hovered around him. Pro- ferpio an bum: rioinV'jnoii . PLUTUS. ■ . X LUTUS> fon of Jafion, or Jafius, by Ceres, has "been confounded with Pluto by many Mythologifts, though plainly diftinguUhed from him, as being the God of Riches. He was brought up by the Goddefs of Peace ; and on that account Pax was reprefented at Athens as holding the God of Wealth in her lap. The Greeks regarded him. as a capricious Deity ; they reprefented him as blind, becaufe he diC- tributed riches indifcriminately ; he was lame, becaufe he arrived by flow and gradual degrees ; but he had wings, to intimate that he flew away with more velocity, than he approached. Plutus is placed among the Infernal Gods, be- caufe the riches which men fo eagerly defire, muft be fought for In the bowels of the earth.; and becaufe in the purfuit of them, they are frequently induced to commit, crimes, which condudt them finally to the Infernal Regions.. PROSERPINE. p. 20$ MYTHOLOGY j OR, HISTORY PROSERPINE. j ROSERPINE, the daughter of Ceres, By Jupiter } ihe is called by the Greeks, Perfe- phone ; (he was extremely beautiful, and was, as been related, carried away by Pluto into the infernal regions, of which fhe became the queen ; as fuch, and as the wife of Pluto, Pn>- ferpine prefided over the death of mankind, and, according to the opinion of the Ancients, no one could die unlefs the Goddefs herfclf, or Atropos her minifter, cut off one of the hairs from the head. From this fuperftitious belief, it was ufual to cut off fome of the hair of the deceafed, and to ftrew it before the door of the houfe, as an offering to Proferpine. The Sicilians were very particular in their worfhip to this Goddefs ; and, as they believed that the fountain Cyane had rifen from the earth at the very place where Pluto had opened himfelf a paf- fage, thty annually facrificed there a bull, of which they fuffered the blood to flow into the waters. Proferpine was univerfally worfhiped by the Ancients, and fhe was known by the dif- ferent OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 10J ferent names of Core, Theogamia, Libitina, Hecate, Juno Inferna, Anthefphoria, Cotyto, Deois, Libera, &c. It is faid that Proferpine loved her difegreeable hufband fo much, that (he was jealous of Mentha, who was his miftrefs, and changed her into an herb called Mint, from her name. - ■ i 1 ■ • s TH£ 20$ MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORY THE FATES. J. HE Fates were powerful Goddefle*, wJio prefided over the birth, life, and death, of man- kind. Tney were three in number, Clotho,. Lachefis, and Atropos, daughters of Nox and Erebus, according to Hefiod ; and of Jupiter and Themis, according to the fame poet in another poenvj and (bme make them daughters of the Sea. Clotho, the youngeft of the fitters, pre- fided over the moment of birth, and held a dif- taff in her hand. Lachefis fpun out all the events and actions of human life ; and, finally, Atropos cut the thread of it with a pair of fcif- fars. The power of the Parcae was great and ex- tenfive. Some fuppofc that theywere fubjecled to> none of the Gods except Jupiter ; while others maintain, that even Jupiter himfelf was obe- dient to their decrees j and, in effect, we fee the father of the Gods, in Homer's Iliad, un- willing to fee Patroclus perifh, yet obliged by the fupcrior power of the Fates to abandon him to his deftiny. According to the moft received /opinions, they were the arbiters of the life and- death • F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2C$ death of mankind, and whatever good or evil befel them in the world, immediately proceeded? from the Fates. Some make them the m'rnifters of the king of Hell, and re- prefent ihem fitting at the foot of his throne. Others reprefent them as placed on radiant thrones amidft the celefrial fpheres, cloathed in robes fpangled with {tars, and wearing crowns oa their heads. According to Paiifanius, the names of the Parcae were different from thofe already rrientionecr. The molt ancient of all, as the Geographer obferves, was Venus Ul- rania, who prefided over the birth of men ; the fecond was Fortune ; and Ilithyia was the third. To thefe fome add a fourth, Profer- pina, who often difputes with Atropos the right of cutting the thread of human life. The wor- Ihip of the Parcae was well eftablifhed in fome cities of Greece, and though mankind believed them inexorable, and that it was impoflible to mitigate them, yet they were willing to {hew a proper refpe£t, of their Divinity, by raifing them temples and ftatues. They received the fame worfhip as the Furies, and their votaries annually facrificed to them Waek fheep j dur- ing which folemnity, the priefts were crowned with garlands of flowers. The Parcae were generally reprefented as three old women, with chapleU 210 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY chaplets made of wool, and interwoven with the flower called narcifius: they were feen cloathed in white robes, but their drefs is dif- ferently defcribed by different authors. Ac- cording to fome, Clotho has a variegated robe, and on her head a crown of feven ftars. She holds a diftaff in her hand, reaching from Heaven to Earth. The robe worn by Lachefis is variegated with a great number of itars, and near her are placed a variety of fpindles. Atro- pos is cloathed in black, and holds fciflars in her hand, with clues of thread of different fizes, according to the length of the lives whofe def- tinies they feem to contain. The Fates are called the Secretaries of Heaven, and the guar- dians of the archives of Eternity. I THE • ■ ©F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 211 THE FURIES. - — HE Furies were called Eumenides by the Ancients: they were faid to fpring from the blood of a wound which Ccelus received from his fon Saturn. According to others, they were daughters of the Earth, and conceived from the blood of Saturn j and fome make them daughters of Acheron and Night, or of Pluto and Proferpine. According to the moft re- ceived opinions, they were three in number, Tifiphone, Megara, and Ale#o, to which fome addNemefis. Plutarch mentions only one called) Adrafta, daughter of Jupiter and Neceffity : they were fuppofed to be the minifters of the vengeance of the Gods ; they were ftern and inexorable, and were conftantly employed in puniftiing the guilty upon earth, as well as in the infernal regions ; they inflicted vengeance upon earth by wars, peftilence, and diflentions, and by the fecret ftings of confeience j and in in Hell they punifhed the guilty by continual flagellation and torments ; they were alfo called Furiae and Erinuyes : their worihip was al- mofl: 212 • MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY moft univerfal, and people dared not to men- tion their names, or to fix their eyes upon their temples : they were honoured with facrifices and libations ; and in Achaia they had a temple, which, when entered by any criminal perfon, fuddenly rendered him furious, and deprived him of the ufe of his reafon. In the facriflces, the • votaries ufed branches of cedar, and of alder, hawthorn, faffron, and jvnir.er ; and t^e victims were generally turtle ■ doves r.nd fheep, with libations of wine and honey, The Furies were reprefented with a grim and hideous afpect, with black and bloody garments, and with ferpents wreathing round their heads in- ftead of hair : they held a burning torch in one hand, and a whip of fcorpions in the other, and were always attended by terror, palenefe, rage, and death. In Hell they were feated around the throne of Pluto, as the minifters of bis vengeance. NIGHT, mT THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 213 NIGHT. - 1 — N. OX, or Night, one of the moft ancient Deities among the Heathens, daughter of Chaos. From her union with her, brother Erebus, by which is underftood Darknefs, or Hell itfelf, (he gave birth to the day and the light ; fhe was alfo called the mother of the Parcae, Hef- perides, Dreams, of Difcord, Momus, Fraud, &c. She is called by -Come of the poets the mother of all things, of Gods as well as of Men, and fhe was worlhiped with great fo- lemnity by the Ancients. She had a famous ftatue in the temple of Diana, at Ephefus. It was ufual to offer her a black fheep, as to the mother of the Futies. The cock was alfo of- fered to her, as that bird proclaims the approach of day during the darknefs of the night. Nox Is reprefented on a chariot, and covered with a veil befpangled with ftars. The conftella- tions generally went before her as her conftant meflengers. Sometimes .fhe is feen holding two children in her arms ; one of which is black, reprefenting death, and the other white, reprefentina 214 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY reprefenting deep. Some of the moderns have defcribed her as a woman veiled in mourning, and crowned with poppies, in a chariot drawn by owls and bats. i DEATH. MORS, or Death, the daughter of night, without a father. She was worfhiped by the Ancients with great folemnity, yet fhe was not regarded as an actual exifting power, but as aa imaginary being. Euripides introduces her in one of his tragedies upon the ftage. The mo- derns reprefent her as a (keleton, armed with a fcythe and a fcymetar. SLEEP. SOMNUS, fon of Erebus and Nox, pre- fixed over fleep. His palace, according to fome mythologifts, is a dark cave, where the f*n never penetrates. At the entrance is a quantity OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. * IS quantity of poppies and fomniferous herbs. The God hirnfelf is reprefented as fleeping on a bed of down, with black curtains. The Dreams ftands around him, and Morpheus, his principal minifter, watches to prevent the in- trufion of any thing that might difturb his re- pofe. Morpheus is likewife fometimes hirnfelf called the God of fleep; but he is more pro- perly the God of dreams, and the attendant of Somnus. Virgil makes mention of two gates in the houfe of Sleep; one of clear ivory, through which falfe dreams pafs ; the other of tranfparent horn, and through which true vi- J&ons come to men. JUDGES ai6 mythology; or, history JUDGES OF HELL. MINOS. JVJLlNOS, once king of Crete, fon of Jupi- ter and Europa. He flourifhed about 1432 years before the Chriftian asra. He gave Jaws to his fubjects, which ft ill remained in full force in the age of the philofopher Plato, about a thoufand years after the death of the legiflator.. his juftice and moderation procured him the appellation of the favourite of the Gods, the confident of Jupiter, the wife legislator m every t:ity of Greece ; and, according to the poets, he was rewarded for his equity, after death, with the office of fupreme and abfolute judge in the Infernal Regions. In this capacity, he is reprefented fitting in the midft of the {hades, and holding a fceptre in his hand. The dead plead their different caufes before him, and the impartial judge fhakes the fatal urn which contains the deftinies of mankind. Minos married Ithona, by whom he had Lycaftes, who was the father of Minos the fecond. JEACXJS. OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES-. 21? JEACUS. ^ACUS, the fon' of Jupiter and MjjftttiL was king of the ifland of CEnopia, which he called by his mother's name. A peftilence having dcftroyed all his fubjedrs, he entreated Jupiter to repeople his kingdom, and in com- pliance with his requeft, all the ants which were in an old oak, were changed into me ri, and called by ^Eacus, Myrmidons, which fi£- nifies an ant. iEacus married Endeis, by whom he had Telemon and Peleus, He 'afterwards had Phocus by Pfamathe, one of the Nereids. He was a man of fuch integrity, that the An- cients have made him one of the judges ef Hell, with Minos and Radamanthus. L &HADA? ?,l8 mythology; or, history RHADAMANTHUS. RH AD AM ANTHUS, a /on of Jupiter and Europa, -and brother of Minos. He was born in Crete, which he abandoned when he was about thirty years old ; he pafTed into fome of the Cyclades, where he reigned with fo much juftice and impartiality, that the Ancients have faid, he likewife became one of the judges of Hell, and that he was employed in the Infernal Regions, in obliging the dead to confefs their crimes, and in punifhing them for their offences.. Rhadamanthus reigned not only over fome. of the Cyclades, but alfo over many of the Greejc cities of Afia. THE OF TH8 HEATHEN DEITIES 21$ The most Famous of the Condemns* in Hell. THE GIANTS. X HE Giants were fons of Coelus and Terra : they were defcribed as men of uncommon fta- ture, with ftrength proportioned to their gi- gantic fize. Some of them, as Cottus, Bria- reusj and Gyges, had each fifty heads, and an hundred arms, and ferpents inftead of legs. Their afp'ect was terrible, their hair hung loofe about their (boulders, and their beard" was dif- fered to growunrtjplefted. Pallene, and its neigh - bourhood, was the' pjace of their refidence. The defeat of the Titans, to whom they were nearly related, incenfed them againft Jupiter, and they all confpired to dethrone him. The God was alarmed, and called all the Deities to aflift him. againft a powerful enemy, who made ufe of rocks, oaks, and burning wood for their wea- pons, and who had already heaped Mount Offa upon Pelion, in order to fcale the walls of L 2 Heaven* H£> MYAOiOCY} or, history Heaven. At the fight of fuch dreadful adver- saries, the Gods fled with the utmoft confter- uation into Egypt, where they affumed the form of different animals, to fcreen themfelves from their purfuers. Jupiter, however, remembered that thefe enemies were not invincible, provided he called a mortal to his afliftance ; and, by the advice of Pallas, he armed his fon Hercules in his caufe. With the aid of this celebrated hero, the Giants were foon put to flight and defeated. Some were crufhed to pieces under mountains, or buried in the fea, and others were Head alive, or beaten to death with clubs. Briaieus, who had hurled an hundred rocks againfr Jupiter at one throw, was bound with an hundred chains, and thruft onder Mount ./Etna, where* as often as he moves, the mountain cafts forth flames and fmoke. To thefe Giants, fons of Ccelus and Terra, may be added Typhosus, or Ty- phon, fon of Tartarus and Terra, according to fome, he was produced by Juno's ftriking the earth ; and Tityus, the fon of Jupiter and Elara, the daughter of Orchomenos. Typhosus had an hundred heads like thofe of a ferpent or a dragon; flames of devouring fire darted from his mouth and from his eyes, and he utter- ed horrid yells, like the diffonant flpu-jeks of different animals. He was no fooner born, thaxj OT THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 221 than to avenge the death of his brothers, the Giants, he made war againft Heaven ; but the father of the Gods ftruck him with his thunder-bolts, and overthrew' him, and, left he fhould rife again, he laid the whole ifland of Sicily upon him. The Egyp- tians called him Typhon. They looked upon- him to be the eaufe of all evil, and on that ac~ count generally reprefentedhim as a wolf or a crocodile. Tityus attempted to offer violence to Latona ; but the Goddefs delivered herfelf from his importunities, by calling her children to her affiftanco, who killed the Giant with their arrows. He was afterwards placed in Hell, where a vulture perpetually fed upon bis en- trails, which grew again as foon as devoured. It is faid that Tityus covered nine acres when ftretehed on the ground. r ■ THE TITANS. ■ 1 TO thefe may be added the Titans, the fons of Titan, who" was the eldeft of the children of Ccehis, They are fametimes reckoned among the Giants, as they were lrkewife of a L 3 gigantic 222 MYTHOtOGV; OR, HISTORY gigantic ftature, .and with proportionable ftrength. The wars of the Titans againft the Gods, are much celebrated in mythology : they are often confounded with thofc of the Giants ; but it is to be obferved-, that the war of the Titans was againft Saturn, and that of the Giants againft Jupiter. The number both of the Giants and Titans feems to be very uncer- tain. PHLEGYAS. PHLEGYAS, a fon of Mars, King of the Lapitha; in Theflkly ; he was the father of Ixion, and of Coronis, to whom Apollo offered violence. When the father heard that his daughter had been thus abufed, he marched againft Delphi, and reduced the temple of the God to afhes." This fo highly incenfed Apollo, that he put Phlegyas to death, and placed him in Hell, where a huge ftone hangs over his head, and keeps him in continual dread, by its appearance of being ready to fall, and crufh him every moment* IXION. OF THE HEATHEN- DEITIES. 22% I \ IXION. i — . , - IXION, (on of Phlegyas, according to fq'ms, but others make him forv of Leqntes, or of An- tion. He married Dia, daughter of Einoncut or Dcioneus, and promifed his father-in-law a valuable prefent of horfes, for the choice he had made of him to be his daughter's hufband. His unwillingnefs, however, to fulfil his promife, or induced Deioueus to have recourfe to violence to obtain ft, and he ftole a-way feme of his horfes. Ixion concealed his refentment uhder the mafk of friend/hip, and invited his father- in-law to a feaft, where he murdered him. Thrs premeditated treachery fo irritated all the neigh- bouring Princes, that Ixion was univerfai'y fliunned and delpifed. Jupiter at length took: compaflion on him, carried him to Heaven, and there placed him at the table of the Gods. Such a favour, which ought to have awakened the gratitude of Ixion, ferved only to make him forget himfelf. He became enamoured of Juno, and attempted tofeduceher; but flie having informed Jupiter of his infolence, the God made L 4 a cloud 124 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY a cloud in the fhape of Juno, and fent it to the place where Ixion expected to find the Goddefs. The deceived lover embraced it, and to this adventure the Centaurs were faid to owe their origin. Ixion was immediately after this ba- niihed from Heaven, and having had the im- pudent rafhnefs toboaft that he had feduced the wife of Jove, the God ftruck him with his thunder, and precipitated him into Hell, where he was fattened to a wheel, which continually whirls round. SALMONEUS. SALMONEUS, the fon of Molus and Enaretta, whomarried Alcidice, by whom he had Tyro. Salmoneus wished to be thought a God, and to receive divine honours from his fubjecb, he therefore imitated the thunder of Jupiter, by driving his chariot over a brazen bridge, which he htd caufed to be built over his city, and he darted burning torches on every fide to imitate the lightning. Jupiter provoked at this impiety, ftruck Salmoneus with a thunder- bolt, and hurled him headlong into the Infernal Region?, where he was placed near his brother Sifyphus. SISYPHUS, XTfr THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2%$ ■ SISYPHUS. — — - SISYPHUS, a brother of Salmoneus and Athamas, the moft crafty Prince of the heroic ages. He married Merope, the daughter of Atlas,- or, according to feme* of Pandareus, by whom he had feveral children. He built Ephire* called afterwards Corinth. He fedueed Tyro, the daughter of Salmoneus, becaufe he had been told by an oracle, that his children by his- brother's daughter, would avenge fome injuries which he had fufFered from the malevolence of Salmoneus. Tyro, however, as Hygynus fays/ deftroyed the two fons whom (he had by her. uncle. After his death, Sifyphus was con- . demned in Hell, to roll to the top of a hill a> large ftone, which had no fooner reached the lummit than it fell back into the plain with im- petUofity, and rendered his puniQiment eternal. The caufes of this rigorous fentence are vari- oufly reported. Some attribute it to his conti- nual depredations in theneighbouringcountry, and his cruelty in laying heaps of Hones upon the bodies of thofe whom he had plundered, and fuffering thsm to expire in the moft agonizing' X, 5 tocments. 226 MYTHOLOGY j OR, HISTORY torments. Others, to the infult which he of- fered to Pluto, in chaining Death in his palace, and detaining her till Mars, at the requeft of the King of Hell, went to deliver her from her confinement. Others fuppofe, that Jupiter in- infli&ed this punifhment upon him, becaufe he told Afopus where his daughter iEgina had been carried by her raviflier. The more received opinion, however, is, that Sifyphus, on his death-bed, entreated his wife to leave his body unburied, and when he came into the kingdom of Pluto, he obtained per- miffion to return upon earth, to punifh this feeming neglect of his wife, but, however, on promife of immediately returning. He was no fooner out of the Infernal Regions, than he vio- lated his engagements ; and when he was at laft brought back to Hell by Mars, Pluto, to punifh his want of fidelity and honour, condemned him to roll a huge ftone to the top of a moun- tain, as has been faid. - TANTALUS. •F THE HEATHEN DEITIES, 227 ! ■ TANTALUS. TANTALUS, a King of Lydia, fon of Jupiter, by a nymph called Plota. He was father of Niobe, Pelops, &c. by Dione, one of the Atlantides, called by fome Euryanafia. Tantalus is reprefented by the Poets, as pu- nifhed in Hell, with an infatiable third:, and placed up to the chira in the midft of a pool of water, which, however, flows away as foon as he attempts to tafte it. There hangs alfo above his head, a bough richly loaded with delicious fruit, which, as foon as he attempted to feize, is carried away from his reach by a fudden blaft of wind. According to fome mytholifrs, his punifhment is to fit, like Phlegyas, under a huge ftone which is hung at fome diftance over his head j and as it teems every moment ready to fall, he is Icep't in perpetual terrors and never- ceafing apprehenfions of being crufhed by it. This eternal punifhment is faid to have been inflicled on Tantalus, for his cruelty and im- piety in -killing his fon Pelops, and in ferving him up zs focd before the Gods, whofe divinity and power he wifhed to prove, when they had L 6 (topped 5U8 mythology; or, history flopped at his houfe in pafling over Phrygia* others fay, that it was becaufe he ftole away the nectar and ambrofia from the tables of the Gods, when he was admitted into the aflem- blies of Heaven, and gave.it to mortals on earth. ■i THE DANAIDES. • THE Danaides were the fifty daughters of Danaus, _King of Argos. When their uncle ./Egyptus came from Egypt with his fifty fons, they were promifed in marriage to their coufins, and before the celebration of the nuptials, Da- naus, who had been informed by an oracle that he was to die by the hands of one of his fons-in- law, made his daughters folemnly promife, that they would deftroy their hufbands : They were provided with daggers by their father, and all, except Hypermneftra, ftained their hands with the blood of their coufins the firft night of their nuptials ; and as a pledge of their obedience to their fathers injunctions, they prefented him with the heads of the murdered fons of ^gyp-» tus t>? THB HEATHEN DEITIES. TX<± tus, Hyper mneftra was fumrrtoned to appear before her father, and anfwer for her difobedi- ence, in fuffering her hufband Lynceus to ef- cape ; but the unanimous voice of the people declared her innocent, and fhe dedicated a tem- ple to the Goddefs of Perfuafion.. Some au- thors fay, that the fifters were purified of this murder, by Mercury and Minerva, by order of Jupiter ; but according to the more received opinion, they were condemned to a fevere pu- nifhment in Hell, and were compelled to fill with water a veflel full of holes ; fo that the water ran out as faft as poured into it, and therefore their labour was infinite, and their punifhment eternal. The Denaides were alfo called Belides, from their grandfather Belus. - MONSTERS,. 33» mythology; or, history MONSTERS OF HELL. ■ • ■ THE CENTAURS. JL HERE are many ftrange pictures of thefe infernal monfters, among which are the Cen- taurs, who were the ancient inhabitants ofThef- falia, and the firft'who tamed horfes, and made ufe of them in war. Their neighbours, who firft faw them on horfebaclc, thought that they had partly the members of a man, aud partly the limbs of an horfe ; but the Poets fay, that they were produced from the cloud which Ixion miftooic for Juno, and that they were monfters, half man and half h'orfe. Bacchus is faid by fome to have overcame them ; but ac- cording to others, they were extirpated by Her- cules, when he was going to hunt the boar of Erymanthis. GERYON. OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES, 2JI GERYON. ■ GERYON was a famous monfter, bom from the union of Chryfaor with Callipkoe. He is reprefented by the Poets as having three bodies, and three heads. He lived in the Ifland of Gadcs, where he kept numerous flocks, which were guarded by a two-headed dog, called Orthos, and by Eurythion. Hercules, by order of Euryftheus, went to Gades and deftroyed Geryon, Orthos, and Eurythion, and carried away all the flocks and herds to Tirynthus. ... THE HARPYES. THE Harpyes were fo called from their ra. pacity. They were winged monfters which had the faces of women, the bodies of vultures, and had their feet and fingers armed with iharp — • ' > 'claws, 2J2 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY claws. They were three in number, Aello, Ocypete, and Celeno, daughters of Neptune and Terra. They were fent by Juno to plun- der the tables of Phineus ; whence they were driven to the iflands. called Strophades, by Zethes and Calais. They emitted an infec- tious fmell, and fpoiled whatever they touched by their filth and excrements. They made war againft iEneas during his voyage towards Italy, and predicted many of the calamites which at- tended him. THE GORGONS. THE Gbrgons were three celebrated fillers,, daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. Their names were Stheno, Euryale, and Medufa. They were all immortal, except Medufa. According to the Mythologifts, theichairs were entwined with ferpents, their hands were brafs, their bo- dies were covered with, impenetrable fcales v their teeth were as long as the tufks of a wild- boar, and they turned to ftones all thofe on whom they fixed their regards. According to Ovid OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES 23$ Ovid, however, Medufa alone had fnakes ift her hair, and he fays that this was occafi- oned by the refentment of Minerva, in whof# temple Medufa had gratified the paffion of Nep- tune, who was enamoured of her on account of the beautiful colour of her hair, which the Goddefs changed intoferpents. jEfchylus fays, that thefe three fitters had only one tooth and one eye between them, of which they had the ufe each in her turn ; and he afierts, that it was at the time they were ^exchanging the eye, that Perfeus attacked them, and cut off Medufa's head. According to fome authors, Perfeus, when he went to the conqueft of the Gorgons, was armed with an inftrument Jike a fcythe by Mercury, and provided with z looking-glafs by Minerva ; befides winged fhoes, and the helmet of Pluto, which render- ed the wearer invifible. With thefe weapons, Perfeus obtained an eafy victory ; after which he reftored his arms to the different Deities whofe favour and affiftance he had fo happily ex- perienced. The head of Medufa remained in his hands, and after he had finifhed all his la- borious expeditions, he prefented it to Minerva, who placed it on her -dEgis, with which fhe turned to ftones all fuch as fixed their eyes upon it. It was kid, that after the conqueft of the Gorgon Sj 234 MYTHOLOGY; OR, H*9TORY r Gorgons, Perfeus took his flight in the air to- wards ./Ethiopia, and that the drops of blood "which fell to the ground from Medufa's head, ' produced all thofe ferpents which have ever fince infefted the fandy deferts ofLybia. The horfe Pegafus alfo was faid to arife from the blood of the Gorgon, as well asChryfaor, with his golden fword. The refldencejof the Gor- gons was beyond the ocean, towards the Well-, according to Heuod. iKfchylus makes them inhabit the Eaftern parts of Scythia ; and Ovid, as the more received opinion, maintains, that they dwelt in the inland parts of Lybia, near the lake of Triton, or the gardens of the Hef- perides. Diodorus, and others, explain the fable of the Gorgons, by fuppofing that they were a warlike race of women near the Ama- zons, whom Perfeus, with the help of a large army, totally deftroyed, ■ ■ THE CHIMERA. THE Chimaera, a celebrated monfter, fprung from Echidna and Typhon : it had three heads, that OF the heathen deities. 1^1 that of a Hon, a goat, and a dragon, and con- tinually vomited flames : the foreparts of its body were thofe of a lion, the middle like thofe of a goat, and the hinder parts were thofe of a dragon. It ufually inhabited Lycia, about the reign of Jobates ; by whofe orders . Bellerophon, mounted on the horfe Pegafus, is faid to have overcome it. This .fabulous .tradition is ; explained by the recolle&ion that there, was a burning mountain in Lycia, whofe top was the refort of lions, on account of its defolate wildernefs. The middle which was .fruitful, was covered with goats; and, at the bottom, the marfhy ground abounded with ferpents. Bellerophon is {aid to have con- quered the Chimaera, because he firft made his habitation on that mountain. Plutarch fays, that it was the captain of fome pirates, who adorned their (hips with the images of a lion, a goat, and a dragon. ■ " - £3^ MYTHOLOGY ; OE, HISTORY THE SPHINX; THE Sphinx a monfter, which had the- head and bofom of a woman, the body of a dog T the tail of a ferpenr, the wings of a bird, the paws of a lion, and a human voice. It fprang from the union of Othos with the Chimaera, or of Typhon with Echidna. The Sphinx had fceen fent into the neighbourhood of Thebes by Juno, in order to punifti the family of Cadmus r which fhe persecuted with immortal hatred, and it kept all that part of Baeotia under continual alarms, by propofing enigmas^ and devouring the inhabitants who were unable to explain Hhem. In the midft of their confternation, the Thebans were told by the oracle, that the Sphinx would deftroy herfelf, as foon as the enigma which fhe then propofed was explained. She demanded, What animal walked on four legs in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening ? Upon this Creon, King of Thebes, promifed his crown, and his filler Jocafta in marriage, to him who could deliver his country from the monfter, by a fuccefsful explanation r OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 237 explanation of her enigma. It was at lafl hap- pily explained by GEdipus, who obferved, that this animal was man, who walked on his .hands and feet in his infancy, the morning of his life ; at the noon of life he walked erect on two leo-s. and in the evening of his days, he fupported his infirmities upon a ftafF. The Sphinx no fooner heard this folntion, than fhe dafhed her head againft a rock, and inftantly expired. Some mythologifts endeavour to unriddle the fabulous traditions concerning the Sphinx, by the fup- pofition, that one of the daughters of Cadmus, or of Laius, inferred the country of Thebes by her continual depredations, becaufe fhe had been refufed a part of her father's poffefljons. The lions paw expreffed, as they obferve, her cruelty. The body of the dog her lafciviouf- nefs. Her enigmas, the fnares which fhe laid •for ftrangers and travellers ; and her wings th« difpatch which fhe ufed in her expeditions. Having mentioned GEdipus, his flory is too remarkable to be omitted. He was a fon of Laius, King of Thebes, by Jocafta, becaufe defcended from Venus by his father's fide :. CEdipus was born to. be expoied to all the dan- gers and calamities which Juno cowld inflict* ■Laius had been warned by- an oracle, thathe- muft 23S mythology; or, hi muft perifh bythfe hands of his own fon ; and, therefore, when CEdipus was born, Jocaftawas commanded by her hufband to deftroy him im- mediately, but fhe, unable to obey, gave the chiid to one of her domeftics, with orders to expofe him on the mountains. This man bored the feet of the infant, and fufpended him with a twig, by the heels, to a tree on Mount Ci- thaeron, where he was foon found by one of the fhepherds of Polybus, King of Corinth, who carried him to Peribaea, the wife of Polybus. He was kindly received by her ; and as fhe had no children, fhe educated him as her own fon, and named him CEdipus, from the fwelling of his feet. He foon became, on account of his extraordinary accomplifhments, the admiration of the age. His companions envied his fupe- rior ftrength and addrefs; and one of them, to mortify his rifing ambition, told him that his birth was illigitimate. This raifed his doubts, • and he applied to the Queen to refolve them, who tenderly anfwered, that his fufpieions were ill-founded. CEdipus, however, was not fa- - tisfied, and he went to confult the oracle at Del- phi. He was then warned not to return to his- • country, and told, that if he did fo, he muft neceffarily become the murderer of his father, and the hufband of his mother. Filled with horror • OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 23} horror at this anfwer of the oracle, and looking upon Corinth as his country,, he refolved never to return thither, where fuch calamities ap- parently awaited him. He travelled towards Phocis, and, in his journey, met in a narrow road, a majeftic ftranger, on a chariot, who haughtily ordered GEdipus to. .make way for him. CEdipus refufed, and a conteft enfued, in which the ftranger was killed, and this ftranger was Laius. The unhappy fon, igno- rant of the name and quality of the man whom he had flain, purfued his journey, and was at- tracted to Thebes, by the fame of the Sphinx. He overcame her, married his mother, and thus innocently, though fatally," accornplifhed the .dreadful oracle. He had by Jocafta two fons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two -daughters, Ifmene and Antigone. Some years after, the TJieban territories were vifxted with a plague, and the oracle declared, that it mould ceafe only, when the murderer of Laius was ba- nifhed from Boeotia. As the death of Laius had never been examined into, and the circum- ftances that attended it, never known, this an- fwer of the oracle gave the greateft concern to the Thebans ; but CEdipus, the friend of his people, refolved to overcome every difficulty by the ftri£teft enquiries. His refearches proved but too 240 mythology; or, history too fuccefsful for his peace, and he foon fount! that he himfelf was the murderer of Lai us, and that Laius was his father. This ^dreadful dif- coverey, joined to that of his having committed inceft with his mother, plunged CEdipus into fc ftate of fuch defperation, that he put out his own eyes as unworthy to fee the light, and ba- nifhed himfelf from Thebes, or as fome fay, he was banifhed by his own fons. He retired to- wards Attica, led by his daughter Antigone. He approached Colonos, where there wa» a grove facred to the Furies. Here he remem- bered that he was doomed by the Oracle, to die irr fuch a place, and to become the fource of profperity to the country where his bones fhould be interred. A meilenger was lent to Thefeus, King of that country, to inform him of the refolution of CEdipus. When Thefeus arrived, CEdipus, with a prophetic voice, de- declared to him, that the Gods had called him to die in that place, and to convince him of the truth of this aflertion, he walked himfelf with- out a guide, to the fpot where he was fated to expire, when immediately the earth opened, and CEdipus difappeared. Some fuppofe that CEdipus had no children by Jocafta, and that fhe murdered herfelf as foon as fhe knew the inceft which (he -had committed. According to thefe writer?, •F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 24I writers, the four children of CEdipus, were by Euriganea, the daughter of Periphas, whom he was faid to marry after the death of Jocafta. His tomb was near the Areopagus, in the age of Paufanias. After the voluntary ba- nifhment of CEdipus, his two fons, Eteo- cles and Polynices, ageeed that they would both fhare the royalty, arid reign alternately, each a year. Eteocles by right of feniority, firfl: afcended the throne j but after the firft year of his reign was expired, he refufed to yield the crown to his brother, according to their mutual agreement. Polynices therefore refolved to punifh fuch an open violation of a folemn en- gagement, implored the alMance of Adraftus, king of Argos, who gave him his daughter in marriage, and fupplied him with a powerful army, headed by feven famous generals : Eteo- cles on his part did not remain inactive j he chofe feven brave chiefs to oppofe the feven leaders of the Argives, and ftationed them at the feven gates of the city. Much blood had been Ihed in flight and unavailing fkirmifties ; when it was at length agreed between the tfro brothers, that the war fhould be decided by them in fingle combat. They both fell in an en- gagement conducted with the moil inveterate fury on either fide ; and it is even lad, that the afliec u 24^ MYTHOLOGY; OR HISTORY afhes of thefe two brothers, who had been fo inimical to each other,, feparated themfelves on the funeral pile which had been raifed for them in common, and that two diflindt flames were feen to afcend from it, as if to prove that they were ftill feniible to reienttnent, and hoftile to reconciliation. The two daughters of CEdi- pus, Antigone and Ifmena, both periflied by the cruelty of their uncle Creon, who had again fuccesded to the throne of Thebes, after the death of Eteocles and Polynices. The death of Antigone -is the fubject of one of the trage- dies of Sophocles. CHARON, ©F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2tf - CHARON* A SON of Erebus and Nox. He conducted the fouls of the dead, in a boat over the rivers Styx and Acheron, to the Infernal Regions. Such as had not been honoured with a funeral were not permitted to enter his bark, till they had wandered on the fliore for one hundred years. If any living perfon prefented himfelf'to crofs the Stygian Lake, he could not be admit- ted j unlefs he could fliow Charon a golden bough, which could only be obtained from the Sibyl who was a Prophetefs of Apollo ; and Charon was imprifoned a year becaufe he had ferried over (though againft his will) Hercules, without this paflport. Charon is reprefented as a robuft old man, with a hideous countenance, ong white beard, and piercing eyes. His -gar- • ment is ragged and filthy, and his forehead is covered with wrinkles. As all the dead were fuppofed to pay a piece of money to this grim ferryman j it was ufual among the An- cients to place a piece of money under the tongue of the deceafed for Charon. This fable of Charon and his bark feems to be borrowed M 2 from 244 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY from the Egyptians ; who had a cuftom of car- rying their dead acrofs a lake, to a place where fentence was paffed over them, and, according to their good or bad actions, they were honoured with a fplendid burial, or left unnoticed in the open air. -" ! ■ I - - CERBERUS. OF THE HEATHEN DEITI&S. 245 .. orfw j : noi? ■■ ■. . • 1 1 ■ ■ A DOG of Pluto, called the Porter of Hell, the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. He had fifty heads according to Hefiod, and three ac- cording to other Mythologifts, He was {ra- tioned at the entrance of Hell, as a watchful keeper, to prevent the living from entering the Infernal Regions, and the dead from efcaping from their confinement. It was ufual for thofe heroes who during their lifetime vifited the kingdom of Pluto, to appeafe the barking mouths of Cerberus with a cake, but Orpheu? lulled him to fleep with his lyre, and Hercules dragged him from Hell when he went to re- deem Alcefte. M 3 RIVERS 346 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HlfiTOR"^ - RIVERS OF HELL, ACHERON. ACHERON was a fon of Ceres, without a father, fie concealed himfelfin Hell for fear of the Titans; and was changed into a bitter ftream, over which the fouls of the dead are firft conveyed. It receives departed fouls, be- caufe a dead languor feizes them at the hour of diflblution. Some make Acheron a fon of Titan, and fuppofe that he was plunged into Hell by Jupiter, for fupplying the Titans with water. Acheron is often taken for Hell itfelf. STYX. •F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 247 STYX. THE mofl celebrated river .of Hell, round which it flows nine times. According to -Tomer writers, the Styx was a fmall river of Nonacris in Arcadia, whofe waters were fo cold and poi- fonous, that they proved fatal to all thofe who tarred them : they even confumed iron, and broke all vefTels. The wonderful properties of this water, fuggefted the idea that it was a river of Hell ; efpecially as it difappeared in the earth, a little below its fountain head. The Gods held the waters of Styx in fuch venera- tion, that they always fwore by them, an oath which was inviolable. If any of the Gods had perjured themfelves, Jupiter obliged them to drink the waters of the Styx, which lulled them for one whole year in a ftate of infenfibility ; for the nine following years they were deprived of the ambrofia and nectar of the Gods ; and after the expiration of the term of their penance, they were re-admitted into the afiembly of the Deities, and reftored to all their former privi- leges. It is faid that this veneration was paid to the Styx, becaufe it received its name from the Nymph Styx, who with her three daughters af- fifted Jupiter in his war againft the Titans. M 4 .COCYTUS. * 24 8 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY COtYTUS. THE unwholefomenefs of its waters, and its vicinity to the Acheron, have given oc- cafion to the poets, to call it one of the riven of Hell. - . mmmmmmmmmmmmm PHLEGETHON, WHICH fwells with waves of fire, and aU its ftreams are flames. LETHE. -#F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 24J LETHE, OR the River of Oblivion ; whofe waters the dead were faid to drink after they had hecri confined for a certain fpace in Tartarus. It had the power of making them forget what- ever they had done, feen, or heard before their drinking it. There is a river of Africa called Lethe, near the Svrtes,- which flows under the ground, and fome time after rifes again ; whence it is thought originates the fable of the Lethean Stream of oblivion. . M $ TARTARUS, 250 toYTffOIOfeYj OR, HISTORY TARTARUS, V^NE of the regions of Hell, where, accord- ing to the Ancients^ the moft, impious and guilty among mankind were punifhed. It was f'urrounded with a brazen wall, and its entrance was continually hidden from the fight by a cloud of darknefs, which Is reprefented as' three times more gloomy than the obfcureft night. Accord- ing to Hefiod, it was a feparate prifon, at a greater diftance from the earth than the earth is from the heavens. Virgil fays that it was fur- rounded by three impenetrable walls, and by the impetuous and burning ftreams of the river JPhlegethon. The entrance was by a large and lofty tower, whofe gates were fupported by co- lumns of adamant, which neither Gods nor men could open. Here were punifhed fuch as had been difobedient to their parents, traitors, adulterers, faithlefs minifters, and fuch as had undertaken unjuft and cruel wars, or had be- trayed their friends for intereft. It was alfo the place where Ixidn, Tityus, the Danaides, Tan- talus, Sifyphus, &c. were tormented, accord- ing to Ovid. ELYSIUM, tfF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 251 ELYSIUM, . \_JR the Elyfian Fields,, a place or ifland in the Infernal Regions, where, according to N the mythology of the Ancients, the fouls of the vir- tuous were placed after death. Their happi- nefs was fuppofed to be complete, their plea- fures innocent and refined. Bovvers for ever green, delightful meadows, with pleafant ftreams, were the moft ftriking objects. The air pure, ferene, and temperate : the birds conti- nually warbling in the groves. Another fun and other {tars gave light to thefe bleft abodes. The employments of the inhabitants were va- rious. The manes of Achilles are defcribed as waging war with the wild-beafts, while the Trojan chiefs are innocently exercifing them- feives in managing horfe-s, or in handling arms. To thefe amufements fome poets have added continual feafting and revelry ; and they pre- tend, that the Elyfian Fields were filled with all the incontinence and voluptuoufnefs which could gratify the defires of the fenfual. The M 6 Elyfium 252 mythology; or, history Elyfium was, according to fome, in the For- tunate iflands on the coafts of Africai } n ^ c Atlantic ; others place it in the ifland of Leuce. According to the authority of Virgil, it was (i- tuate in Italy, and according to Lucian, it was near the moon, or if we believe Plutarch, in the centre of the earth, ^ ^Q. 2U3cJ5 > 1 ■- ■ orb ni «3moi 01 gflilno • rnuBviSJ ' 7. • ■ ' ■ ■■■■'> ■ 'frail** ir'-.K^Jlq bmsfu ■ DEM/ GODS ^Atf) HEROES. JESCULAPIUS HERCULES JASON THESEUS PERSEUS ULYSSES ACHILLES ^NEAS CADMUS, CASTOR AND POLLUX. ORPHEUS AND AMPHION. 254 mythology; or, histoid? - jESCULAPIUS. M /SCULAPIUS was called the God of Me- dicine, yet he was mortal. As he was the friend of mankind, he feems to claim a place among thofe who were ftiled the patrons and prefervers of them. He was the fon of Apollo and Coronis. The God, in a fit of Jealoufy, destroyed his miftrefs with his arrows ; but pre- ferved the infant, and entrufted his education to Chiron the Centaur, who taught him the art of medicine. Some authors fay, •; that Coronis fled from her father, to avoid the difcovery of her pregnancy, and that fhe expofed her child near Epidaurus. A goat of the flocks of Aref- thanas, gave him her milk, and the dog which kept the, flock„ flood by. to fheker him from in- jury. He was found by Arefthanas, who went in fearch of his ftray goat, and who faw his head furounded with refplendent rays of light. iEfculapius .was Phyfician to the Argonauts. He faved the lives of fo many by his art, that Pluto complained of it to Jupiter, who jftruck iEfculapius with thunder. H: received divine honours 07 THtf'HEXfH&'N- DEITIES, 255 honours after his death, chiefly at Epidaurus, Per- gamus, Athens, Smyrna, &c. Goats, bulls, lambs, and pigs were facrificed to him, and the cock and the ferpent were fa'cred ta him. Rome having been delivered from a plague, built a temple to the God of Medicine ; who, as was fuppofed, had come thither in the form of a fer- pent, and hid himfelf among the reeds, in an iflandofthe Tyber. . iEfculapius is reprefented with a large beard, holding in his hand a flatty round which wreathed a ferpent. His other hand is fometimes fupported on the head of a ferpent. This reptile is more particularly fa- cred to him, bccaufetheantientPhyficians ufed it in their prefcriptions. He had married Epione, by whom he had two fons, famous for. their fkill in medicine ; Machaon, and Poda- lirus ; and four daughters, of whom Hygiea, the Goddefs of Health, is mofl known. Some have fuppofed that iEfculapius lived a fliort time after the Trojan war. t Cicero fays there were three of this name; the firft a fon of Apollo, worfhipcd in Ar- cadia i the fecond, a brother of Mercury j and the third a man who firft taught irndicine. ■ -■ . j ' HERCULES. 25% MYTHOLOGY i OR, HISTOR* to 3££lr; j HERCULES. JH ERCULES was the moft celebrated of aH the heroes of antiquity, and after his death was ranked amon . the Gods, and received divine honours. According to the Ancients, there were many perfons of the fame name. Dio- •dorus mentions three, Cicero fix } and fome au- thors extend the number to no lefs than forty- three. Of all thefe, the fon of Jtrpiter and Alcmena, generally called the Theban, is the moft known ; and to him, as may eaftly be imagined, the actions of the others have been attributed. The birth of Hercules is thus re- lated ; ElecTxyon, King of Mycense, had pro- mifed his crown and his daughter Alcmena to him who could revenge the death of his £bns, who were all killed in a battle by the Tele- boans, a people of iEtoha. Amphitrion> a Theban Prince, offered himfelf, and was ac- cepted, on condition that he fhould not ap- proach Alcmena till he had obtained a complete victory. Jupiter, in the mean time, who was captivated with the charms of Alcmena* taking advantage OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 1$J advantage of the abfence of Amphitrion on this expedition, afTumed his form and features, and introduced hirafelf to the daughter of Electryon, as her hufband returned victorious. Soon after Amphitrion himfelf, having fulfilled his en- gagements, returned, and learned the deception which had been pra&ifed upon his wife ; but being convinced of the purity of her intentions, and perhaps proud of the dignity of his rival, he teftified no refentment on the occafion. Alcmena became pregnant of Hercules, by Ju- piter, and of Iphiclus, by Amphitrion. When fhe was near her term, Jupiter having boafted in Heaven that a child would be born to him that day, to whom he would give abfolute power over his neighbours, and even all the children of his own blood. Juno, who was jealous of her hufband's amour with Alcmena, made him fwear by the Styx, and then exerted her power to prolong the travails of Alcmena, haftening, at the fame time, the bringing forth of the wife of Sthenelus, king of Argos, who, at the term of feven months, had a fon called Euryftheus ; Hercules was therefore fubje&ed to the power of Euryftheus. The young hero was brought up at Tirynthus ; or, according to Diodorus, at Thebes ; and before he had completed his eighth month, the jealoufy of Juno, 258 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY Juno, intent upon his deftruetion, fent two fqakes to devour hjrn j but the child, unterrified at the fight of the ferpents, boldly feized them in both his hands, and fqueezed them to death, while his brother Iphiclus alarmed the hcufe with his fhrieks. Hercules was early inftrueted in the liberal arts, and Cafior, the fon of Tin- darus, taught him the manly exercifes j of Ery- tus, he learned the ufe of the bow; and of Autolychus, how to drive a chariot ; of Linus, how to play upon the lyre ; and of Eumolpus, to fing. He, like the reft of his illuftrious con- temporaries, foon after became a pupil of the Centaur, Chiron, and under him, he perfected, and rendered himfelf the moft valiant and ac- complifhed perfon of the age. In his eighteenth year, he refolved to deliver the neighbourhood of Mount Cithaeron, from a huge lion, which- preyed on the flocks of Amphitrion, his fup- pofed father, and which laid wafte the adja- cent country. He went to the court of Thef- pius, king of Thefpis, who fhared in the ge- neral calamity. He was there well received, and entertained during fifty days, in which time he is faid to have gained the love of the fifty daugh- ters of the king. After he had deftroyed the lion of Mount Cithaeron, he delivered his country from the annual tribute of an hundred oxen, which Or THE HEATHEN DEITIES I59 which is paid toErginus ; and afterwards killed Erginus himfelfj who had invaded Bceotia, to avenge thedeathF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. years in the raoft abject ftate, before he could recover from his diforder. He complied, and Mercury, by order of Jupiter, conducted, him to Omphale, queen of Lydia, to whom he wa* fold as a Have. Here he cleared all the country from robbers. Omphale, who was aftonifhed at his exploits, reftored him to liberty, and mar- ried him. Hercules had Agelaus, or Lamon according to others, by Omphale, from whom Crcefus, king of Lydia, was defcended. He became alfo enamoured of one of Omphale's female attendants, by whom he had Alceus. After he had completed the years of his flavery, he returned to Feloponnefus, where he re-efta- blifhed on. the- throne of Sparta, Tyndarus, who had been expelled by Hippocoon. He be- came one of the fuitors of Dejanira, the daugh- ter of CEneus, king iEtolia, and married her, after he had. overcome all his rivals ; among whom was Achelous, the fon of Oceanus and Terra, or Tethys, God of the river of the fame name in Epirus. Finding himfelf inferior in flrength to Hercules, he changed himfelf into a ferpent, and afterwards into an ox. Hercules broke off one of his horns, and Achelous be- ing defeated, retired into his bed of waters. Hercules was obliged to leave Calydon, his father-in-law's kingdom, becaufe he had inad- N 3 vertently 270 mythology; or, history vertently killed a -man with a blow of his mt, and.it was on account of this expulfion, that he was not prefent at the chace of the Calydo- man boar. From Calydon, he retired to the court of Ceyx, king of Trachinia ; in his way he was flopped by the fwollen itreams ot the Evenus, where the Centaur, Neffus, at- tempted to offer violence to Dejanira, under the perfidious pretence of conveying her over the river. Hercules perceived the diftrefs of Dejanira, and killed the Centaur with an arrow which had been dipt in the blood of the Lernaean Hydra. Neffus, as he expired, in order to avenge his death, gave Dejanira his tunic, which was covered with blood, poifoned and infecled by the arrow; obferving, that it had the power of reclaiming a huibund from unlawful love. Ceyx received Hercules with great marks of friendfhip, and purified him of the murder which he had committed at Caly- don. Hercules was (till mindful that he had been refufed the hand of Iole, and he therefore made war againft her father Eurytus, and killed him with three of his fens. Iole, who fell into the hands of the viclor, found that me was beloved by him as much as ever. She accompanied him on Mount CEta, where he was. going to raife an altar, and offer a folemn facrifice to Jupiter. OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2fl .Jupiter. As he had not then the tunic in which he arrayed himfelf on thefe occafions,he fentLichas to Dejanira, in order to provide himfelf with a Suitable drefs. Dejanira informed of her huf- band's attachment for Iole, fent him the tunic which (he had received from Neffus, and Hercu- les had no fooner put it on, than he found the poifon of the Lernaean Hydra penetrate through his bones. He attempted to tear off the fatal drefs, but it was already incorporated with his flefh, and in the midft of his pains and tortures, he uttered the mod bitter imprecations againft the Credulous Dejanira, the cruelty of Euryftheus, aim the jcabufy and hatred of Juno.. He feized the unfortunate Lichas, who had brought him the tunic, and threw him into the fea with great violence, where he was changed by the Gods into a rock. As the difteniper of Her- cules was incurable, he commended himfelf to Jupiter, and giving his bow and arrowy to his friend Philocletes, he erected a large pile on the top of Mount CEta j then fpreading on the pile the fkin of the Nemaean lion, he laid him- felf down upon it as on a bed, leaning his head upon his club. Philocletes, or, according to others, Paean, or Hyllus, was ordered to fetfire to the pile, and the hero faw himfelf on a fudden furrounded with the flames, without betraying any marks of fear or aftonifhment. Jupiter N 4 beheld %J2 . MYTHOLOGY > OR, HISTORY beheld him, and announced to the unrounding Deities, that he was about to elevate to the Ikies, the immortal parts of a hero, who had cleared the ^a'rth of fo many monflers and ty- rants. The Gods applauded Jupiter's refolu- tion ; the burning pile was fuddenly encom- pafied with a thick fmoke, and after the mortal parts of Hercules were confumed, he was car- ried up into Heaven, in a chariot drawn by four horfes. Some loud claps of thunder ac- companied his elevation, and his friends, unable , to find his afhes, fhewed their gratitude to his 'memory, by raifing an altar where the pile had itood. Mencetius, the fon of Aclor, offered him a facrifice of a bull, a wild boar, and u goat,, and enjoined the people of Opus, yearly, to obferve the fame religious ceremonies. His worfhip foon became as univerfal as his fame, and Juno, who had once perfecuted him with fuch inveterate fury, forgot her refentments, and gave him her daughter Hebe in marriage. Hercules has received many firnames and epi- thets, either from the place where his worfhip was eftablifhed, or from the labours which he atchieved. He was called Alcides, from Al- caeus, the father of Amphitrion j he was like- wife called Amphitryonides. His temples were numerous and magnificent, and his di- vinity OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2\ J vinity revered. No dogs or flies ever en- tered his temple at Rome ; and that of Gades, according to Strabo, was always forbidden to women, and to pigs. The Phoenicians offered quails on his altars ; and as it was fuppofed he prefided over dreams, the Tick and infirm were fent to fleep in his temples, that they might receive in their dreams, the agreeable prefages of their recovery. The white poplar was particularly dedicated to his fervice. Hercules is ufually reprefentcd with ftrong and well-proportioned limbs; he is fometimes co- vered with the fkin of the Nemaean lion, and holds a noted club in his hand, on which he leans j fometimes he appears crowned with the leaves of the poplar, and holding the horn of plentyunder his arm ; at other times, he is re- prefentcd ftaading with Cupid, who infolently breaks to pieces his arrows and his club, to in- timate the power which the paffion of love had ever this hero, who fubmitted to be beaten and ridiculed by Omphale, who dreffed herfelf in his armour, while he was fitting to fpin with htv female feFvants; Hercules was- faid to have fupported, for a while, the weight »f the Heavens upon his fhoulders, and to have feparated, by the force of his arm, the two celebrated moun- tains of Abyla, on the coaft of Africa, and N 5 Calpe, 274 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY Calpe, on the coaft of Spain, which were fup- pofed to have been formerly united, and placed them at^eighteen miles diftance, oppofite each other ; which reparation made a communica- tion between the Mediterranean and the At- lantic Ocean. Thefe two mountains are called the columns of Hercules, and were looked upon as the boundaries of his labours. This hero is held up by the Ancients as a model of virtue and piety; and as his whole life had been em- ployed for the common benefit of mankind, he was thought to be defervedly rewarded with immortality. His judicious choice of virtue, in preference to pleafure, as defer ibed by Xeno- phon, is well known. The children of Her- cules were as numerous as the labours and dif- ficulties which he underwent, and they became fo powerful, foon after his death, that they alone had the courage to invade all Peloponnefus : they were called Heraclidae, from their father ; and this name was common to all their defendants. Hyllus, a fon of Hercules and Dejanira, foon after his father's death, married Iole : he, as well as all his family, was perfecuted by the envy of Euryftheus, and obliged to fly from Peloponnefus. The Athenians gave a kind re- ception to Hyllus, and the reft of the Hera- clidae, and marched againft Euryftheus.. Hyllus obtained OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 275 obtained a victory over his enemies ; killed, with his own hand, Euryfttheus, and Tent his head to Alcmena, his grandmother. Some time after he attempted to- recover thePelopon- nefus, with the Heraclidae, and was killed in fingle combat by Echemus, king of Arcadia. The defcendants of Hercules, -after. 'many un- fuccefsful attempts for the recovery of the P«- ponnefus, became at laft matters of, all the pe- ninfula. This conqueft makes an interesting epoch in ancient biftory: it was finally at- chieved about 120 years after the firft attempt of Hyllus, who was killed about twenty years before the Trojan war. . - ■ 1 N 6 JASON J 2176 MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORY «*&V lb* o) gniUivvnu ' H\ iciad s*s!l«mrni aril ^vomai oJJrfgwl JASON. j J3 5K -it bsw&tfnft -vlnfifaud iiAH. ASON, a celebrated hero, fon of Alcimede, daughter of Phylacus, by iEfon, the fon of Cretheus, and Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus. Tyro, before her connection with Cretheus, the fon of iEolus, had two fons, Pelias and Ne- leus, by Neptune. iEfon was king of Iol- chos, and, at his death, the throne was ufurped by Pelias, on account of the tender years of Ja- fon, the rightful fucceflbr. The education of young Jafon was entrufted to the Centaur Chi- ron, and he was removed from the prefence of the ufurper, who had been infofmed by an Oracle, that one of the defendants of iEolus would dethrone him. After Jafon had made the raoft extraordinary progrefs in every branch of fcience, he quitted the Centaur, and, by his advice, went to confult the Oracle, where was ordered to return to his native country. He obeyed, and repairing to Iolchos, boldly de- manded of Pelias, the kingdom which he had unjuftly ufurped from him. Pelias was intimi- dated by the fpirit and intrepidity of the young heroi OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 277 hero ; yet unwilling to refign the crown, he fought to remove the immediate claim of" Jafon, by exciting his thirft of glory, and reminded him, that jEetes, king of Colchis, had in- humanly murdered their common relation, Phryxus ; he obferved, that fuch an action called aloud for punifhment, and that the un- dertaking would enfure immortal fame; he added, that his age and infirmities had alone prevented him from avenging the death of Phryxus, and that if Jafon would undertake the expedition, he would refign to him the crown of Iolchos, when he returned victorious from Coichis. Phryxus was fon of Athamas, King of Thebes, in Bceoria : he was a fon of iEolus, and had married Nephele, and fome time after, on pretence that fhe was fubjedl to fits of mad- nefs, he married Ino, who became jealous of tkje children of Nephele, becaufe they were to afcend their father's throne in preference to her own, and (he refolved to deftroy them* Phryxus was apprized of Ino's intentions ; and having fecured part of his father's treafures, privately left Bceotia, with hi*fifter Helle, to go to their friend and relation, iEetes, King of Colchis : they embarked on board a fhip, or, according to the more fabulous accounts of fome mythologifts, they mounted on the back of »&•}$ mythology; or, histort of a ram, whofe fleece was of gold, and pro- ceeded on their journey through the air. The height to which they were carried, made Helle giddy, and flie fell into that part of the fea which is called Hellefpont, from her name. Phryxus continued his flight, and arrived fafe in the kingdom of iEetes, where he offered the ram on the altar of Mars. The king received him with great kindncfs, and gave his daughter Chalciope in marriage. She had by him two fons, Phrontis Melas, and Argos Cylindrus, whom fome call Cytorus. Phryxus was, however, fome time after, murdered by his father-in law, who envied him the pofTeflion of the golden fleece and Chalciope; who, to pre- vent her children from fharing the fate Vith their father, fent them privately to Boeotia, as they had not then any thing to fear from the jealoufy of Ino, who had been changed into a Sea-Deity. The fable of the flight of Phryxus to Colchis, on a ram, has been explained by fome, who obferve, that the fhip on which he embarked, was either called by that name, or carried on her prow the figure of that animal. The fleece of gold is explained by the treafures which Phryxus carried away from Thebes. Phryxus was faid to have been placed among the conftellations of Heaven after his death. The ■OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 279 The ram which carried him to Afia, was faid to have been the fruit of Neptune's amour with Theophane.. This ram, fay the Poets, had been prefented to Athamas, by the Gods, to reward his piety towards them, and Nephele procured it, to a/lift her children in their efcape from the jealous rage of Ino. •1 To return to our hero ; he readily accepted a propofal which feemed to promife fuch mi- litary fame, and his intended expedition was no fooner made public, than all the youngeft and braveftef the Greeks aflembled to accompany him, and to fhare his toils and glory. Among thefe were Hercules, Caftor and Pollux, fons of Jupiter. Acaftus the fon and Neleus, the brother, of Pelias, with Afterius, fon of Neleus ; Orpheus and Amphion ; Meleager and Ata- lanta, the daughter of Schceneus ; Neftor, fon of Neleus, and Oileus, the father of Ajax ; Phi- loctetes, the friend of Hercules j Thefeus, and his friend Pirithous; iEfculapius, fon of Apollo; Zethes and Calais, fons of Boreas ; Deucalion, fon of Minos ; Peleus and Telemon, fons of iEacus ; Laertes, fon of Arcefius, and father of Ulyfles ; and Argus, the builder of the fhip Argo, in which Jafon and his companions em- barked, and from which they were called Ar- gonauts. aSo mythology; or, history gonauts. In their voyage they encountered various and extraordinary adventures. They flopped at the ifland of Lemnos, where they remained fome time, and rai fed a new race of men, from the Lemnian women, who had murdered their hufbands, in revenge for their infidelity. Jafon had by Hypfipyle, the queen of the country, twin fons, Euneus and Nebro- phonus. After the Argonauts had left Lemnos, they vifited Samothrace, where they offered fa- crifices to the Gods, and then paffed to Troas, and to Cyzicum. Here they met with a fa- vourable reception ; but Jafon inadvertently killed Cyzicus, the king of the country. To expiate this murder, he buried Cyzicus with great magnificence, offered a facrifice to the Mother of the Gods, to whom he built a temple on Mount Dyndimus. From Cy- zicum they vifited Bithynia, where Pollux accepted the challenge of Amycus, king of the country, in the combat of the Ceftus, and flew him : they were afterwards driven by a ftorm to Salmydeffa, on the coaft of Thrace, where they delivered Phineus, the king of the place, from the perfecution of the Harpyes. In the country of the Mariandini- ans they loft two of their companions, Idmon and Typhis, their pilot. After they had left this Or THE HEATHEN DEITIE8 iff this coaft> they were driven upon the ifland of Arecia, where they found the children of Phryxus:> who had been fent by their mother into Greece. From this ifland the Argonauts arrived fafe in ./Ea, the capital of Colchis, Ja- fon explained the caufe of his voyage to iEetes, but the conditions on which he was to recover the golden fleece, were fo hard, that he muft have perifhed in the attempt, had not Medea, the king's daughter, become enamoured of him. She met the leader of the Argonauts in the temple of Hecate, where they exchanged mu- tual oaths of fidelity, and Medea promifed to deliver Jafon from her father's hard conditions, while he on his fide, engaged to marry, and carry her with him to Greece. He was to tame two bulls, which breathed flames, and which had feet and horns of brafs, and to plough with them a field facred to Mars. After this, he was to fow in th« ground the teeth of a fee- pent, from which armed men would arife, whofe fury would inftantly turn againft him who had ploughed the field. He was alfo to kill a mon- ftrous dragon, which watched night and day at the foot of the tree on which the golden fleece was fufpended. Medea, who was fkilled in the knowledge of herbs, enchantments, and incan- tations, provided her lover with whatever herbs and ,*82 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY and inuruments could protect him in the dangers to which he was going to be expofed. Thus prepared, he appeared in the field of Mars ; he tamed the fury of the oxen, ploughed the plain, and fowed the ferpent's teeth. Immediately an army of men fprung from the earth, and ran ■ towards Jafon ; he threw a ftone among them, and they fell upon each other, till all were to- tally deftroyed. The vigilance of the dragon was lulled to fleep by the power of herbs, and Jafon took from the tree the celebrated golden fleece, which was the fole object of his voyage. Theie actions were all performed in the prefence of ^Eetcs and his people, who were ail equally aftonifhed at the boldnefs and fuccefs of Jafon. The hero, immediately after this conqueft, fet fail for Europe with Medea, who had been fo instrumental in his prefervation. JEetes, de- firous to revenge the perfidy of his daughter, fent his fon Abfyrtus to purfue the fugitives. Medea killed her brother,and ftrewed his limbs in her father's way, that (he might more eafily cfcape, while he was employed in collecting the mangled members of his fon. The Argonauts, on their return, came to the ifland of Peuceftes, and to that of Circe, daughter of the Sun, who refined to purify them of the murder of Abfyr- tus. They afterwards pafled the Straits of .Scylla and Charybdis, where they muft have perifhed, OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES 283 periflied, had not the Sca-Goddefs, Thetis, pre- ferved them $ on account of her hufband Peleus, .who was one of the companions of Jafon : they were delivered from the Sirens, by the melo- dious voice and lyre of Orpheus, and arrived in the ifland of the Phaeacians, where they met ■ the enemy's fleet, which had continued the purfuit by a different courfe ; it was therefore refolved, that Medea fhould be refrored, if fhe had not been actually married to Jafon j but ;the wife of Alcinous, king of the country, be- ing appointed umpire between the Colchians and Argonauts, had the marriage privately ce- lebrated, and declared that the claims of JEetes tQ Medea were now void. From Phseacia, the Argonauts came to the Bay of Ambracia, whence they were driven by a ftorm upon the coaft of Africa ; and, after many difafters, at laft came in fight of the promontory of Malea, in the Peloponnefus, where they were purified .of the murder of Abfyrtus, and foon after ar- rived fafe in Thefialy, where their return was ■ Celebrated with univerfal feftivity. Some my- thologifts fay, that iEfon, the father of Jafon, was not dead, when his fon undertook the Ar- gonautic expedition ; but that he had been dif- poffeffed by Pelias, and that he was ftill alive when Jafon returned, victorious. Thefe authors add, 284 MYTHOLOGY r OR, HISTORY add, that Medea, by her art, reftored JEfon, who was grown old and infirm, to the vigour and fprightlinefs of youth. Pelias wifbing like- wife to fee himfelf reftored to the flower of youth, his daughters, perfuaded by Medea, who was deftrous of avenging her hufb2nd's wrongs, put him in a cauldron of boiling water. Their credulity was feverely punifhed ; Medea fuffered the flefh to be confumed, and Pelias was never reftored to life. This inhuman action drew the rcfentment of the populace upon Medea, and fhe fled with Jafon to Corinth, where they re- mained fome years ; but their conjugal felicity was at length difturbed, by a paffion which Jafon conceived for Glauce, daughter of the king of the country ; and in order to marry her, he divorced Medea, who, in revenge for her hufband's infidelity, prefented Glauce with a poifoned garment, which fhe had no fooner put on, than it fet fire to her body, and fhe expired in the moft excruciating torments. This victim, however, could not fatisfy the jealous rage of Medea ; and, in her mad tran- sports, fhe killed two of her own children, in the prefence of their father ; and when Jafon attempted to punifh her for this barbarity, fhe fled from him through the air, on a chariot drawn by winged dragons. Jafon, fome time after OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 2%$ after his reparation from Medea, w?.s one day repofing bimfelf by the fide of the {hip which had carried him to Colchis, when a beam fell upon his head, and crufhed him to death. This tragical event had been predicted to him long before, by Medea, according to fome authors ; but others fay, that Jafon returned to Golchts, where he again met with Medea, and was re- conciled to her, and that they reigned there to- gether in peace and fecurity. The Argonautic expedition, according to the beft calculations, was atchieved about thirty-five years before the Trojan war. It has employed the pen of many of the writers of antiquity ; among the hifto- rians, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Apollodorus, and Juftinj and among the Poets, Onama- critus, more generally called Orpheus, Apol- lonius Rhodius, Pindar and Valerius Flaccus, have all related its moil remarkable particulars. ' THESEUS. 286 MYTHOLOGY; -OR, HflSTOHY i ■ THESEUS. THESEUS, king of Athens, and Ton of j^Egeus, by iEthra, the daughter of Pittheus, was one of the mod celebrated of the heroes of antiquity. He was educated at Traezene, in the houfe of Pittheus, and, and as he was not publickly acknowledged to be the fon of the king of Athens, he pafTed for the fon of Nep- tune. When he came to years of maturity, he was fent by his mother to Athens, and a fwGrd was given him; by means of which he might privately make himfelf known to his father. On the road Thefeus met with many perilous adventures, "occafioned by the robbers and wild beafts with which thofe parts were in- fefted, but all thefe obftacles were furmounted by the intrepid hero. He deftroyed Corynetes, Synnis, Sciron, Procuftes, Cercyon, and the ce- lebrated Phaea, from whom the boar of Calydon was faid to fpring. Thefeus, however, did not meet with a cordial reception at Athens. Me- dea, who had taken refuge at that court, after fhe had fled from the refentment of Jafon, had great OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 28? great influence over the mind of v iEgeus, which" ihe feared to lofe, if Thefeus was acknow- ledged his Ton ; fhe therefore attempted todeftroy this unwelcome heir, before his arrival was' made public. ./Egeus himfelf was to give the' cup of poifonto the unknown gueft at the- feaft, but the fight of his fword by the fide of Thefeus, reminded him of his amours v.itrr* JEihra, with whom he had left this fword, and enjoined her, if fhe had a fon, to give it to him when he fhould be of a proper age, and fend him to Athens. iEgeus, by this token, knew his fon, and publicly acknowledged him ; and his people rejoiced to find that this illuftrious hero, who had cleared Attica from robbers and pirates, was born to reign over them. The Pallantides, who had expected to fucceed their uncle ./Egeus on the throne, attempted to af- faffinate Thefeus; but they fell in their own fnares, and were all put to death by the young prince. The bull of Marathon next en- gaged the hero's attention ; the labour feemed arduous, .but he caught the anirhal alive, and after he had led it throhgh the ftreets of Athens, he facrificed it to Minerva, 'or the God of Del- phi. After this, Thefeus Went to Crete, among the feven chofen youths, whom the Athenians 188 MYTHOLOGY; OR, HISTORY were obliged to fend thither every year, to be devoured by the Minotaur. The wifh to de- liver the country from fo dreadful a tribute, en- gaged him to undertake this dangerous expe- dition. Minos, fecond king of Crete, had im- pofed this hard condition upon the Athenians, after having obtained a vi&ory over them, be- caufe his fon Androgeus had been flain in the battle ; he likewife obliged them to fend yearly feven young virgins, who were facrificed at the fame time, to the monfter. The Minotaur was half a man and half a bull, faid to he the fruit of the indecent amours of Pafiphae, the wife of Minos. The king had received from Neptune a beautiful white bull, with orders to facrifice it on his altar. Minos, pleafed with the animal, refolved to preferve it, and the God, to punifh his difobedience, eaufed Pafiphae to be enamoured of this fine bull. The fabulous tradition of the poets, who pretend that the Minotaur was the fruit of this infamous con- nection, is refuted by fome writers, who fup- pofe that the infidelity of Pafiphae to her huf- band, was occafioned by an affection which me had conceived for one of his officers, named Taurus, and that Daedalus, who built the fa- mous labyrinth of Crete, by permitting his houfe to be the afylum of the lovers, was looked upon OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 289 upon as acceflary to the crime of Pafiphas. Mi- nos confined him in the labyrinth which he had conftru&ed. Here he made wings with fea- thers and wax, and fitted them to his body, and that of his fon Icarus, who was the companion of his confinement. They took their flight in the air, from Crete, but the heat of the fun, melted the wax on the wings of Icarus, whofe flight was too high, and he fell into that part of the ocean, which from him, has been called the Icarian fea. The father, by a proper manage- ment of his wings, alighted Cumae, where he built a temple to Apollo, and thence directed is courfe towards Sicily j where he was kindly received by Cocalus, who reigned over part of the country. Thefeus, on his arrival in Crete, was fhut up in the Labyrinth where the Minotaur was kept, to be devoured by him, but having the good fortune to pleafe Ariadne, the King's daughter, he killed the monfter, and efcaped from me La- , byrith, by means of a clue of thread, which fhe gave him, and without which it was impoffible to find the way through the perplexed windings of the edifice. Thefeus immediately failed from Crete, with his companions, whom he had re- deemed from death by this victory. Ariadne O like wife 290 mythology; or, history likewife accompanied him in his flight, but he had the cruelty to abandon her to whom he owed his fafety, and left her, while (he was afleep, in the ifland of Naxos, where they had been driven by contrary winds. In this difcon- folate fituation fhe was found by Bacchus, who married her, and gave her a crown of feven ftars, which was placed among the concilia- tions, after the death of Ariadne. The fhips . in which Thefeus had failed from Athens, had black fails, and he had promifed his father to change them for white ones, if he returned vic- torious ; he had, however, forgotten to take this precaution, and iEgeus, who watched con- tinually for the return of the veffel, no fooner beheld the black fails, which he regarded as the certain fignal of ill-fuceefs, than he threw him- felf in difpair, from a high rock into the fea. Thefeus afcended the throne, and was adored by his fubjects, for the equity and mUdnefs of his reign. The fame which he had acquired by his victories and policy, made his alliance courted by the neighbouring princes, but Piri- thous, fon of Ixion, and king of the Lapithae, wifhed to meet him in the field of battle. He accordingly invaded Attica, and' when The- feus had marched out to meet him, the two ene- mies, ftruck at the fight of each other, rufhed between OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 20,1 between their two armies, to; embrace in the moll cordial and affectionate manner, and from that time began the moft fincere and admired fi iendfliip, which has become proverbial The- feus was prefent at the nuptials of his friend, and he was the moft eager and courageous of the Lapithae in the defence of Hippodamia, and her female attendants, from the brutal at- tempts of the Centaurs. Hercules was like- wife prefentj and did not fail- to diftingum him- felf on this occafion, on behalf of the women. This is the famous battle of the Centaurs with the .Lapithae, which is elegantly defcribed by Ovid, and has likewife employed the pen of He- fiod, Valerius Flaccus, &c.' The Centaurs were defeated, and obliged to retire into Ar- cadia, where their infolence was a fecond time punifhed by Kercules, when he was going to hunt the boar of Erymanthus. Thefeus mar- ried Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons, by whom he had a fon, named Hippolitus. After her death he married Phaedra, the lifter of Ariadne, by whom he had Acamas and Demophoon. They had long lived in conjugal felicity, when Venus, who hated all the descendants of the fun, infpired Phaedra with an unconquerable paflion for Hippolytus, whom fhe addrefled on the fubje£r. of this criminal fondnefs. The O 2 young 292 mythology; or history prince, filled with horror, rejected her with dii- dain, and Phaedra, incenfed beyond meafure at this reception, refolved to punifli his coldnefs and refufal ; fhe therefore accufed him to The- feus of having attempted her virtue. The credulous father believed the accufation, and without hearing the defence of Hippolytus, he banifhed him from his kingdom, and implored Neptune, who had promifed to grant him three requefts, to punifli him in fome exemplary manner ; accordingly, as the unfortunate Prince fled from Athens, his horfes were fuddenly ter- rified by a huge fea-monfter, which Neptune had fent on the fhore. He was dragged through precipices, and over rocks, and was trampled under the feet of his own horfes, and crufhed by the wheels of his chariot. When the tragical fate of Hippolytus was known at Athens, Phaedra confefled her crime, and killed herfelf, unable to furvive him whofe death her guilt had occafioned. The death of Hippolytus, and the inceftuous paflion of Phaedra, is the fub- ject. of one of the tragedides of Euripides, and of Seneca. Helen, according to fome writers, was carried away, when very young, by Thefeus aided by Pirithous, and they even add, that fhe had a daughter by him ; but the refentment of Caftor and Pollux foon obliged him to re- flore OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES, 293 ftore her into their hands ; all this ftory is how- ever confuted by other Mythologifts. Some Some fay that Thefeus and his friend defcended into the Infernal Regions, with an intention to carry away Proferpine j but Pluto, apprized of their defign, prevented them. To punifh their bold attempt, Pirithous was placed on his fa- ther's wheel, and Thefeus was fattened to a huge ftone, on which he had fat to repofe him- ft;lf. Some time after, Hercules delivered the two friends from their confinement and tor- ments, and they were permitted to return upon earth with him, when he came to fetch the dog Cerberus ; and he redeemed likewife Alcefte, the daughter of Pelias, who had voluntarily fubmitted to death herfelf, to fave the life of herhufband Adntetus. During the captivity of Thefeus in the kingdom of Pluto, Mneftheus, a defcendant of Ereilheus, ingratiated himfelf into the favour of the people of Athens, and obtained the crown in preference to the chil- dren of the abfent monarch. Thefeus, at his return, endeavoured in vain to eject the ufurper. The Athenians had forgotton all his benefits, and he was obliged to retire to the court of Lycomedes, king of the ifland of Sciros. Lycomedes, after paying him much attention, growing jealous of his fame, or bribed by the O 3 prefents 2- fterus, they became enamoured of the two women whofe nuptials they came to celebrate, and refolved to carry them away by force. This -violence provoked Lynceu's and Idas, a battle enfued, and Caftor killed Lynceus, and was killed byldas. Pollux revenged the death of his brother by that of Idas; but the lofsof his beloved Caftor was Co infupportable to him, that he entreated Jupiter to reftore his brother to life, or to deprive himfelf of immortality. Jupiter at length confented that Caftor fhould fhare it with him, and confequently, fo long as the one was upon earth, fo long was the other detained in the Infernal Regions, and they al- ternately lived and died every day ; or, accord- ing to ibme ; every fix months. This act of fraternal 0* THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 315 fraternal love Jupiter rewarded, by making the two brothers conftellations in Heaven, under the name of Gemini, which never appear to- gether, but when one rifes, the other fets, and fo on alternately. Caftor had a fon named Anogon, by Talaira j and Phoebe had Mnefi- leus, by Pollux. The brothers received divine honours, and white lambs were ufually offered on their altars : they were generally called Diofcuri, fons of Jupiter, and the Ancients fre- quently fwore by their divinity. Among the Romans there prevailed many reports at dif- ferent times that Caftor and Pollux had made their appearance in the armies of that people ; and, mounted on white fteeds, at the head of their troops, had furioufly attacked the enemy: they were generally reprefented mounted on white horfes, armed with fpears, and riding fide by fide, with their heads covered with a bonnet, on whofe top glittered a ftar. ■ — - ■ £ » ORPHEUS, 3l6 MYTHOLOGY J OR, HISTORY ORPHEUS. ORPHEUS, the fon of Apollo and the Mufe Calliope ; though, by fome, he is faid to be the fori of CEager, a king of Thrace. He received a lyre from Apollo, or from Mercury, upon which he played with fuch a mafterly hand, that even the moft rapid rivers ceafed to flow, the favage beafts of the foreft forgot their fero- city, and the mountains came to liften to his fong. All nature feemed charmed and ani- mated. Orpheus was beloved and followed by all the Nymphs ; but Eurydice alone had been able to make an impreffion on his heart. He married her, but their happinefs was of fhort duration. Ariftaeu3 became enamoured of Eu- ridice, and as me fled from his importunities, a ferpent, which was lurking in the grafs, bit her foot, and me died of the poifoned wound. Her lofs was feverely felt by Orpheus, and he re- folved to recover her, or periih in the attempt. With his lyre in his hand, he entered the In- fernal Region?, and gained admiflion to the palace of Pluto, who was charmed with the . . melody •F THE HEATHEN DEITIES. 317 melody of his ftrains ; and, according to the beautiful expreflions of the poets, the wheel of Ixion ftopped > the ftone of Sifyphus flood flill ; Tantalus forgot -his perpetual thirft, and even ,the Furies relented. Pluto and Proferpine were moved with his forrow, and contented to re- ft ore him Eurydice, provided he forbore look- ing behind him, till he had pafled the extremeft borders of HelL The conditions were gladly accepted, and Orpheus was already in fight of the Upper Regions, when he forgot his pro- mifes, and turned back to look at his long loft Eurydice. He faw her, but fhe inftantly va- nished from his eyes. He attempted to follow her, but he was refufed admiilion, and the fole confolation he could find, was to footh his grief by the found of his mufical inftrument in grot- toes, or on the mountains. He totally fepa- ratedhimfelf from the fociety of mankind, and the Thracian women, whom he had offended by his negle£t and coldnefs towards them, at- tacked him, while they were celebrating the Orgies of Bacchus; and, after they had torn his body in- pieces, they threw his head into the Hebrus, which ftill articulated the words Eu- rydice ! Eurydice ! as it was carried down the ftream into the iEgean Sea. Orpheus was. one of the Argonauts, of which celebrated ex- pedition 318 MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORY pedition he wrote a poetical account, flil! ex- tant. This is doubted by Ariftotle, who fays, according to Cicero, that there never exifted an Orpheus, but that the poems which pafs under his name, are the compofitions of a Py- thagorean philofopher, named Cercops. Ac- cording to fome of the Moderns, the Argonau- tica, and the other poems attributed to Or- pheus, are the production of the pen of Ono- macritus, a poet, who lived in the age of Pifif- tratus, tyrant of Athens. Paufanias, however, and Diodorus Siculus, fpeak of Orpheus as a great poet and mufician, who rendered himfeif equally celebrated by his knowledge of the art of war, by the extent of his underftanding, and by the laws which he enacted. Some main- tain that he was killed by a thunder-bolt. He was buried at Pieria, in Macedonia, according to Apollodorus. The inhabitants of Dion boafted that his tomb was in their city, and the people of Mount Libethrus, in Thrace, claimed the fame honour. Orpheus, as fome report, after death, received divine honours. The Mufes gave an honoutable burial to his remains, and his lyre became one of the conftellations in the Heavens, AMPHION. OF THE HEATHEN DEITIES". 3«$ •X9 Ilifi Jnyooir, i/oijooq R stovw <*rf ndtjlteq AMPHION. '-^ •' •" - » A- MPHION, another raufician, much cele- brated by the Ancients, was the fon of Jupiter and Antiope, the daughter of Ny&eus, who had married Lycus, and had been repudiated by him when he married Dirce. Amphion was born at the fame birth with Zethus, on Mount Cytheron, where Antiope had fled to avoid the refentment of Dirce, from whom (he experi- enced the moft barbarous treatment. The two children were expofed in the woods, but pre- fer ved by a fhepherd, Amphion, as he grew up, cultivated Poetry, and made fuch an un- common progrefs in mufic, that he is, by fome, faid to be the inventor of it, and to have built the walls of Thebes at the found of his lyre. Mercury taught him to play on this inftrument, which he gave him, and Amphion was the firft wbo raifed an altar to this God. Zethus and Amphion united to avenge the wrongs which their mother had fufFered from the cruelty of Dirce. They befieged Lycus in his palace, took him, and put him to death, and tied Dirce to $20 MYTHOLOGY} OR, HISTORIC to the tail of a wild bull, which dragged her through precipices till fhe expired. 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