Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

tence, which opens with the admiration of the stately columns and the altars, appears more naturally to allude to the architecture than to the ftatues of the Temple: I do not therefore object to this acceptation of the phrafe, propofed by Dr. Mulgrave; but I cannot admit his conftruction, because it appears from the whole fcene, that the Chorus was near enough to the grand front of the Delphick Temple to difcern the objects, then reprefented in the Portico; and confequently, as their eye was then fituated, two different fronts of the fame edifice could not prefent themfelves to their contemplation. I proceed therefore to offer the following explication. There is no authority, fo refpectable in the illustration of Ancient Authors, as the teftimony of their Contemporaries; if this be derived from thofe, who have exprefsly treated the fame fubject, the evidence becomes impreffed with an additional fanction: Hence it follows, that Efchylus, Sophocles, and Euripides are certainly the ablest Commentators reciprocally of each other: Now the Eumenides of Æfchylus open with the same scenery, as the Ion of Euripides; and both present the vestibule of the Delphick Temple: The Pythian Priestess in the former, after having folemnly addreffed the Prophetick Powers, who had there prefided, invokes Apollo himself, as the object of her adoration, and then immediately adds,

Παλλας Προνάια δ' ἐν λόγοις πρεσβεύεται. (ν.21.)

Nor lefs Pronæan Pallas

Demands her meed of praife.

(Potter, Æfch. vol. II. p. 229.)

Hence

Hence we collect, that at Delphi there was either a temple or ftatue of Minerva Pronæa; which expreffion implies the veftibulary Goddess, or the Goddess before the temple: The Scholiaft, confirming this idea, cites a correfponding line from Callimachus, which proves, that the Delphians erected a temple or statue in honour of Minerva Pronæa:

Χ Παλλάς Δελφοι νὶν ὅθ' ιδρύοντο Προνάκην.

12

The facred enclosure of this Goddess at Delphi under the fame appellation is alfo mentioned by Hefychius ; which is rather in favour of a temple instead of a ftatue: but the Author of another Lexicon, the Etymologicum 13, alludes to a ftatue of Minerva Pronæa at Delphi: Having therefore established this hiftorical fact on the basis of such respectable authority, I proceed to apply the inference: The Chorus of thefe Athenian Women, having their minds naturally impreffed with the magnificence of their native Athens, and particularly with the celebrated temple of their tutelary Deity, the Parthenion of Minerva, are astonished on their arrival at Delphi with the superb edifice of Apollo, and with the corresponding fhrine of their own favourite Deity; or with the refpective ftatues of Apollo and Minerva. It appears from Paufanias 14, that there was a ftatue of the Pythian Apollo at Athens; he alfo mentions, that behind the Parthenion there stood a ftatue of Minerva, made of ivory and gold, and just behind it an Apollo of brafs by the famous Phidias: The fame Author also enumerates among the ftatues at Delphi ", one of Apollo near Minerva; and im·

[ocr errors]

12 Προναίας Αθηνᾶς τέμενος ἐν Δελφοῖς. 13 Προναία ̓Αθηνᾶ, ἀγάλματος ὄνομα 14 L. I. c. 24. P. 57 & 58.

15 L. 10. c. 18. p. 840.

mediately

mediately after he mentions an image of Hercules in brafs, engaged with the Hydra: It is remarkable, that this is the next object specified in the following lines of Euripides: Here therefore the Chorus compares either the temples or the ftatues by the expreffion of διδύμων προσώπων ; which literally implies either the two fronts or the two faces: If the former, the allufion refers to the architecture of the Delphick temple of Apollo, and the Delphick fhrine of Minerva Pronæa; if the latter, then any of the two correfponding ftatues of these Divinities, juft mentioned, are the two objects which now engage their attention: In both cafes the comparison is derived from their fudden recollection of the local beauties of their native Athens, contrafted with thofe of Delphi now before their eyes: Such is my interpretation of this difficult paffage, which the local knowledge both of Athens and Delphi could alone unravel. It would here be my inclination to conclude my remarks on this fubject; but to remove any future objection of Criticism against this conftruction, I feel myself under the neceffity to annex the fubfequent obfervations. The very derivation of the word IIpovala Pronæa, implying the Goddess before the shrine, afcertains the precise fituation of this temple, or ftatue of Minerva at Delphi, as immediately before, or oppofite to the temple of Apollo: But there was alfo at Delphi another temple of the fame Goddess Minerva, adored under a title, extremely fimilar in found, but very different in fignification; I mean that of Пgovola, Pronca, the Goddess of Providence: Since this circumstance has occafioned a confufion among the most eminent Criticks for many centuries, perhaps unparalleled in any other inftance, left any error, arifing from them, fhould hereafter

G

17

hereafter be produced to affect my interpretation, it becomes effential to collect the whole evidence together. We read in Herodotus, that when the Barbarians under Xerxes, who was marching to deftroy the temple of Delphi, advanced to the fhrine of Minerva Пpovolns, Pronca, the Goddess of Providence, thunder fell from heaven, and acclamations were heard from the fhrine of the Proncean Goddefs. The original expreffion of Igovos, correfponding to my tranflation, was erroneously rendered into Latin by Laurentius Valla " in the fifteenth century, as the Veftibulary Goddefs: But this error is ftill more remote, for Harpocration afferts, that Herodotus in his eighth book calls Minerva IIgovning Pronæa: and he defines the word Пgovoice as the Minerva at Delphi, fo denominated from her fituation before the temple, or from her forefight at the parturition of Latona: The former part of this derivation is evidently abfurd; for that must apply to Пgovala, Pronea; and the latter only to Пgovoía, Pronœa; fince Minerva could never be called the Goddefs of Providence from standing before the temple. The chief substance of the article in Harpocration is copied by Suidas 18, and inferted into two paragraphs, retaining the fame abfurdity in

16 L. 8. c. 37 & 39.

17 Ubi Barbari properantes pervenere ad phanum Minervæ, quod eft ante templum, (Herod. 1. 8. ed. 1494. Ven. p. 112.) I call it an error in Laurentius Valla, becaufe his Tranflation departs from the Greek text; and in Harpocration (vox Пgovóia) because he cites it erroneously: But in the edition of Herodotus by Gronovius in 1716, it is printed Igoráras, (1. 8. c. 37. p. 471.) and in the edition of Weffelingius gowning and govxins, (1. 8. p. 636.) This Editor, and alfo Gronovius, has again inferted the word in the first book of Herodotus; where, according to their readings, a large fhield is fufpended in the temple of Minerva Pronæa at Delphi, ἐν δε Προνηΐης τῆς ἐν Δελ Coo, (p. 47. and p. 39.) But this paflage, as printed in the edition of Gale, only alludes to the Veftibule of Delphi, without any fpecification of the title of the Divinity, ἐν δε προνηΐοις τοῖσι ἐν Δελφοῖσι. (1. 1. c. 9. p. 39.)

18 Vox Пgovora.

herent

19

herent in the definition; but with this variation, that Herodotus is more justly, though not correctly, cited, as having written Пpovolny: Harpocration alfo obferves, that other Hif torians, as well as Staphylus in his work regarding the Æolians, had written concerning the veftibulary Goddess Пpovnin; and he cites Æfchines in his oration against Ctefiphon, as an authority for the Goddefs of Providence Ipovola. It is true, that the paffage is thus to be found, as printed in Æschines 20: And Stanley is certainly mistaken, when he imagines, in his note on the line of Æschylus, before cited from the Eumenides, that, instead of IIgovoía in this paffage of Æfchines, we ought to read Пgovaía: Because Demofthenes expressly informs us, that in all cities there are altars and temples of all the Gods, and among them that of Minerva Пgovoía, the Goddefs of Providence, as a great and excellent Deity; that near Apollo at Delphi there is a most beautiful

121

Hence

and spacious temple of her, as you enter siç rò isgo into the temple; but, continues he, there is no temple of the Goddess Impudence, 'Azovola, which, as put in oppofition to IIgovoía, establishes the genuine reading of that word in this paffage, and as we may fairly infer in that also of Æfchines. it appears, that at Delphi Minerva had her temple, as adored under the title of Пgovoía Pronca; but it has already been fhewn, that she had also one under her other title of Пpovalo Pronæa confequently there were two diftinct fhrines in honour of this Goddefs; and the fcite of the former according to Demofthenes was at the entry of the Delphick Tem

19 It ought to be Пporony.

21

[ocr errors]

20 Ed. Taylor, vol. I. p. 406.

Παρὰ τῷ ̓Απόλλωνι ἐν Δελφοῖς κάλλισος καὶ μέγισος νεως εὐθὺς εἰσιόνι εἰς τὸ egy, (Orat. cont. Arift. 1. ed. Taylor, vol. 2. p. 476.)

[blocks in formation]
« AnteriorContinuar »