Delphi, who officiated alternately; and a third was admitted, as an affeffor; but in his time there was only one: she was elected by lot, for Efchylus' fays of Titanis, that fhe was ev til λax, or in the third lot: And the Pythia in this play tells us, that fhe was felected from all the Delphian Dames. In the first establishment of the oracle, virgins prefided over this facred department: On account (fays Diodorus Siculus) of the purity of their nature, and their correfpondence with Diana; for fuch are well difpofed to preferve the fecrets of the fhrine; but afterwards they report, that Echecrates the Theffalian, vifiting the oracle, and beholding the oracular virgin, became enamoured with her beauty, and by force compreffed her: The Delphians in confequence of this event enacted a law, that no virgin for the future fhould deliver the refponfes, but a woman advanced in life to the age of fifty years: fhe was however adorned in the garb of a virgin in commemoration of the original Prophetefs. The Scholiaft on the Plutus of Ariftophanes corresponds with this story in regard to Echecrates; and Plutarch and Ælian 10 both mention antient women, as Propheteffes Thus in Æfchylus the Pythia fpeaks of her "age-en"feebled steps ":" And the Priestess of this play must have been ancient, fince the found the infant Ion before the veftibule of her temple 12, who calls her mother 3: To execute her office, fhe feated herself on the hallowed tripod; and in 9 8 13 4 Archbishop Potter was not aware of this paffage in Plutarch, when he endeavours to refute the affertion of Venerius (De Divin. et Orac. Antiq.) who advanced that there was more than one Pythia at the fame time, (Archæol. B. II. c. 9. p. 277.) 7 L. 16. vol. II. p. 102. 5 Eum. v. 5. 8 V. 9: V. 1323. 9 Numo, vol. I. p. 66. ed. Xylan. 10 De Anim: 1. 11. c. 10. 12 V.42. 1324. 1339. C 2 P. 231. this 16 18 this attitude fhe is painted by Euripides, as delivering her oracles 14. An hiftorical anecdote, related by Diodorus Siculus, demonftrates the importance of this circumftance: When Philomelus confulted the Pythia on the Phocian War, he compelled her, afcending the tripod, to give him an oracle; and when the answered him from the tripod, afferting this mode to be the cuftom of the country, he obliged her with threats to afcend the tripod 1. This proves the ancient idea that the posture of the Priestess on this occafion was suppofed extremely effential. The part of the tripod on which she fat was called the "os", through which the facred blast was communicated from the earth. Thus Strabo 1 informs us, that they report the oracle to be a cave hollow at the bottom with an inconfiderable orifice; and from that an enthufiaftick spirit arose; he adds, that over the mouth of the orifice was placed an elevated tripod, which the Pythia afcending, after receiving the blaft, prophefied. An influence arifing from the earth (fays Cicero 19), excited the Pythia at Delphi; and in another 20 paffage of his treatife on divination he observes, that there was a certain exhalation of the earth, in confequence of which the inflated mind became oracular. Thus Diodorus Siculus exprefsly afferts, that there was a chafm in the place called the inmost recefs of 14 V.91. 21 15 L. 16. vol. II. p. 1ot. 16 Id. p. 102. Thus Ariftophanes & móda eilía, (Equit. v. 1013.) where the Scholiait fays, that the Priestess fat upon the tripod. 17 Scholiaft on Ariftophanes, Plutus, v. 9. This orifice may be feen engraved in a tripod of Apollo in Montfaucon, though the Author has taken no particular notice of it, but only obferves of this figure in general, Les Phoebades ou les Pythiennes fe tenoient pour y rendre des oracles. (Antiq. Expl. tom. III. 1. 3. c. 3. pl. 52. fig. 1.) is L. 9. p. 642. 19 De Divin. 1. r. c. 36. f. 79. and c. 19. f. 38. 21 L. 16. vol. II. p. 102. the the fhrine: He alfo informs us, that from its miraculous effect the oracle was called that of the Earth: And Plutarch 22 relates, that the fhrine was faid to belong to her: Hence Æfchylus 23 addreffes Earth under the title of the first Prophetefs, and our Poet in the play calls the Earth Phoebean24. This idea correfponds with the original discovery of the Oracle; which Diodorus 25 Siculus, Lucan 26, and Plutarch 27, attribute to this enthusiastick exhalation. The effluvia arifing was the real or imagined fource of all that violent frenzy, which agitated the minds of the prophets; and compelled them (fays Juftin 28) when filled by the God to deliver their refponfes Hence the holy vapour afcended, and in the words of Longinus 29, impregnated the Priestess with the divine energy, who then became inftantly infpired: The whole God, or "the incola 3° Pythius," took poffeffion of her enraptured mind: 30 Sic plena laborat 31 Phemonoe Phœbo. Lucan, 1. V. v. 186. From 23 Eum. v. 2. 22 De Pyth. Orac. vol. II. p. 402. ed. Xylan. 26 24 V. 461. L. V. v. 82. 29 Sect. 13. p. 86. ed. Pierce. 30 (Hor. 1. i. Od. 16. v. 6.) 3. Hence were derived the epithets of σερνόμαις and ἐγγασρίμυθος ; the former of these words occurs in Sophocles, as mentioned in Julius Pollux, (1. 2. c. 4. fec. 162.) and the latter in Plutarch, who remarks that these. yyargiulo were in his time called Pythons, though they formerly derived their name from Eurycles (De Orac. Defectu, vol. II. ed. Xylan, p. 414.) He does not inform us who this Eurycles was, but we collect from Ariftophanes, (Vefp. v. 1014.) that he was a celebrated Jugler at Athens: The C 3 Scholia 32 From this moment her enthusiasm was of the most elevated nature: neither the ardour of imagination could conceive, nor the compass of language exprefs, a fublime idea beyond it: The nobleft comparison in all antiquity is built upon it: for Longinus compares the effect produced from the emulation of the works of the most exalted geniufes on the minds of thofe, who are not themselves fufficiently animated, to this divine effluvia, which breathed the infpiration into the Prophetess on her approach to the tripod through the fiffure of earth. It is no wonder therefore, if this animated Lady dif dained Profe, and delivered her Oracles in Verfe. Paufanias 33 relates, that Phemonoe, the most celebrated Priestess, was the first who fung in Hexameters: And Pliny 34 allows, that we are indebted to the Pythian Oracle for Heroick Verfe: Indeed the firft line of this noble measure, ever Scholiaft here obferves, that he was called by this name yyargiulos from having prophecied truth at Athens in confequence of the Deity being within him; and that all prophets were hence denominated ἐγγαςρῖται καὶ Εὐρυκλεῖται, The word iyyasgiuos is alfo to be found in the Septuag. (Levit. c. 19. v. 31.) and in the Sibylline Oracles, (1. 3. p. 235. ed. Opfop. 1599.) There is neither in Latin, English, or probably in any other language an analagous term to exprefs this, except in the French, whofe ventriloque exactly tranflates it: And the Author of the article under the word in the Encyclopedie there gives a very plaufible folution of the ancient impofition practifed under this pretended mode of divination. I had the opportunity at Paris, in the year 1771, of hearing a Ventriloque: his hollow voice whispered in my ear, as proceeding from a great distance; nor was there any poffibility of difcovering by the external motion of his lips, or by any other vifible fign, whence it iffued. Monfieur de la Chapelle published in 1772 two little volumes upon this fubject, entitled, "Le Ventriloque ou l'Engaftrimythe," and he has there given an account of feveral perfons, who poffeffed this extraordinary power. 34 De Sublim. fect. 13. ed. Pearce, p. 86. 33 L. 10. c. 5. See alfo Proclus in his Chreftomathia preserved in Photius (Bibliot. p. 982.) 34 Hift. Nat. 1. 7. c. 57. P. 417: heard, she metre are ftill extant; and 40 heard, is preferved in Plutarch 35, as reported to have been uttered at Delphi: And Daphne, daughter of Tirefias, according to Diodorus 36 Siculus, had fo fine a genius, that the wrote many oracles in different modes of compofition; fo that Homer was reported to have borrowed many lines from her to adorn his own Poetry. Among the records of ancient history many Oracles in Cicero 37 declares that under this form of fong the fecrets of Apollo were difclofed: but he obferves 3 that the God ceased to deliver verfes in the time of Pyrrhus; and he confeffes 39 that the Oracle of Delphi had funk into the utmost contempt long before his own age; the caufe 4° of which was imputed to the lofs of the effluvia having vanished from the fpot. The idea of this original poetical faculty was fo deeply riveted in the opinion of antiquity, and fo acknowledged a truth,- that it became a celebrated problem in the time of Plutarch, "Why the Pythian Prieftefs had then "ceafed to deliver her oracles in verfe:" On which question he compofed a differtation *1. He afferts however that many ancient Oracles had been delivered in profe 2, and that even in his days fome ran into verfe. Thefe Delphick Refponfes had often another very Pindarick quality, which was their induftrious obfcurity: Hence Apollo derived the title of Loxias in allufion to the obliquity and myfterious terms under which his oracles were couched; fo that the In c. 6. 4 35 De Pyth. Orac. vol. II. p. 492. ed. Xylan. See alfo Paufanias, 1. 10. 38 De Divin. 1. 2. c. 56. f. 116. 41 Ed. Xylan, vol. II. p. 394. 4z id. p. 403. f. 115. C 4 terprets |