"one of the ancient ways of divination: Ulyffes understands "it as fuch, and accepts the omen. It was in use among "the Romans, as appears from Tully on divination*: When "P. Æmilius was going to war with Perfeus, King of the "Macedonians, he found his little daughter in tears: 0 "Father, fays fhe, Perfeus is dead! meaning her little dog, "named Perfeus; Æmilius immediately replied, O Daughter, "I embrace the omen, applying it to Perfeus, King of the "Macedonians; who was afterwards conquered by him, and "died a Captive in Rome. The fame practice was used by "the Hebrews; it was called Bath Kol; this is an instance "of it: Two Rabbis defiring to fee Samuel a Babylonish "Doctor, let us follow, faid they, the hearing of Bath Kol: 6 Travelling therefore near a school, they heard a boy read"ing thefe words out of Samuel ", " And Samuel died." "They obferved it, and found that their Friend was dead. "The Sortes Virgiliane afterwards were much of this kind." We may add to the above entertaining anecdote the ridicu lous jeft of the young Iulus in the feventh Æneid, which folved the prophecy of the Harpies in the third ', and confirmed the arrival of the Trojans in the promised land of Italy This trifling witticifm of the Roman Poet was built on the fober record of Hiftory; for Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus in his first book of the Roman Antiquities relates, "that 8 4 Atque his fuperftitionibus non dubitâfti etiam omina adjungere: Emilia Paulo, Perfam periffe; quod pater omen accepit. (L. 2. c. 40.) 5 B. 1. c. 25. V. I. • Heus! etiam menías confumimus, inquit Iulus; Nec plura alludens, ea vox audita laborum Prima tulit finem. (V. 118.) 8 Αλλ ̓ ἡμῖν γε ἤδη καὶ ἡ τράπεζα κατεδηδοίαι ἀνεθορύβησαν, ὡς τὰ πρῶτα τὸ μανεύματος ήδη σφίσι Antiquit. Roman. I. 1. c. 55. 7 V. ὡς δε τᾶτο ήκεσαν, ἅπαλες τέλος ἔχοι. ed. Reifke, vol. 1. p. 140. when one of the Company of Æneas happened to exclaim, "Behold, we have eaten even the table!" as foon as they all heard it, they cried out with joy, "that the first part of the oracle was now fulfilled." This conformity of Virgil with ancient tradition in this fabulous prophecy is elegantly illuftrated by Addison in one of his Spectators. If the foundation of the Roman Empire had fuch an omen as this in the opinion of Antiquity for its bafis, we shall not wonder, that the catastrophe of this drama is here made to depend on an accidental fpeech, uttered at a banquet. When Ancient Authors are tried by Modern Criticks, they have an undoubted privilege of pleading the prevailing fentiments of their own times, and the code of the reigning Religion. But Milton appears to have imitated this fuperftition, when he makes Manoah fay to Sampfon, "These words "I as a prophecy receive." Verfe 1192. Σπονδας Θε8. N° LVII. (Samf. Agonif. 473-) 1234. A libation to the God. HENCE it appears, that the Græcians, after their entertainments, were accustomed to make libations to their Gods. Thus Athenæus' obferves, "that Homer describes the Græcians, after regaling themselves, performing this ceremony, 9 N° 351. 1 L. 4. c. 27. p. 179. The latter part of this paffage is cited by Brodæus, and inserted in the edition of Barnes. The The youth with wine the facred goblets crown'd, He adds, "that Plato in his symposium has preserved this custom; for after the repast he afferts, that they made libations, and celebrated the God with his cuftomary honours: In the fame manner, continues he, Xenophon: But with Epicurus there was no libation nor offering of the first fruit to the Divinities." This obfervation fhews the deep sense and facred regard, entertained in thofe Countries of the enlightened Ancients, of the obligation of Religion and Gratitude. N° LVIII. Verfe 1197. Κώμος πελειῶν. 1236. A troop of doves. DIODORUS SICULUS obferves, "that doves were fed and kept in the temple of Delphi; and he mentions a prodigy arifing from this circumstance." Brodæus in his annotations on the Ion refers us to this paffage. 2 L. 16. p. 103. 2 P. 115. No LIX. Verse 1222. Пegoppion. N° LIX. From the rock 1265. Caft headlong. ACCORDING to this expreffion the judgment, decreed by the unanimous voice of the Tribunal at Delphi against Creufa, is Precipitation: Ion afterwards alludes to this mode of punifhment, where he mentions the περαῖον άλμα ', As down the craggy precipice fhe bounds. 3 I (V. 1314.) But the Meffenger, in the beginning of the fcene, uses the term of πelpeμém2, which implies Lapidation, as defined by the Scholiaft on our Author's Oreftes, nibois Cannóμevos: Thus the Chorus, by the expreffion of Asúpos twice * repeated, understands the judgment, as I fhall fhew in my. fubfequent Note. Perhaps both thefe different modes of ancient punishment were confiftent with each other; for it might be customary to throw ftones over the body of the Criminal after his precipitation from the rock: If not, we must acknowledge, that our Poet is unguarded and inaccurate in his expreffion, fince the variation cannot be attributed, as Barnes' imagines, to the meer apprehenfions of the Chorus; because I have proved, that the Meffenger himself is guilty of the fame difference in the phrafe. There are hif4 V. 1236 & 1240. 3 V. I V. 1268. 2 V. 1112. N · 944. torical 8 6 9 torical testimonies, which confirm the ancient ufage of both thefe modes of penal execution: I fhall illuftrate that of Precipitation in the prefent Note, and leave that of Lapidation for the next. Amphitryon in the Hercules Fürens of our Poet alludes to the former, when he declares himself ready to be hurled from the rock: And in the Troades' Aftyanax is ordered to be precipitated from the Trojan towers: Thus Plutarch informs us," that the Priests of Delphi, accufing Efop of facrilege, killed him by pushing him from a rock called Hyampeia; and he adds, that the punishment of facrilegious Perfons was changed from the rock of that name to one called Nauplia." The fame Author alfo records another correfponding inftance, which happened at Delphi; Orgilaus having refufed from a fuperftitious omen to efpoufe the daughter of Crates, he revenged the affront by conveying to him and his brother, when facrificing, a little golden veffel belonging to the fanctuary; and then accufing them he caufed them unheard to be precipitated from a rock." This mode of execution feems to have been practifed in the Oriental Countries; fince we read in St. Luke, “ that all they in the Synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and led JESUS unto the brow of the hill, whereon their City was built, that they might caft him down headlong." (C. iv. v. 29.) 66 6 Ιεναι πέτρας ἄπο. ν. 320. 7 V. 720. 8 De his qui ferò a Numine puniuntur. ed. Xylan. vol. 2. p. 557. 9 Reipub. Geren. Præcep. ed. Xylan. vol. 2. p. 825. N° LX. |