62 hundred more, being persons, who were some how obnoxious, yielded themselves voluntarily, and were put to death with the "others. The neglect, of which they accused themselves, consisted in sacrificing children, purchased of parents among the poorer sort, who reared them for that purpose; and not selecting the most promising, and the most honourable, as had been the custom of " old. In short, there were particular children brought up for the altar, as sheep are fattened for the shambles : and they were bought, and butchered in the same manner. But this indiscriminate way of proceeding was thought to have given offence. It is remarkable, that the Egyptians looked out for the most specious and handsome person to be sacrificed. The Albanians pitched upon the best man of the community, and made him pay for the wickedness of the rest. The Carthaginians chose what they thought the most excellent, and at the same time the most dear to them: which made the lot fall heavy upon their children. This is taken notice of by Silius Italicus in his fourth book: Mos erat in populis, quos condidit advena Dido, Poscere cæde Deos veniam, et flagrantibus aris, Infandum dictu! parvos imponere natos. 61 Diod. Sic. lib. 20. pag. 756. 62 Καθοσον εν τοις εμπροσθεν χρονοις θυοντες τετῳ τῷ θεῷ των ύιων της 63 Kronus, to whom these sacrifices were exhibited, was an oriental deity, the god of light and fire; called by the Greeks Koronus; and therefore al+ ways worshipped with some reference to that ele ment. The Carthaginians, as I have observed, first introduced him into Africa. He was the same as the Orus of the Egyptians, and the Alorus of the eastern nations. That the name given him originally by the Greeks was Koronus, is manifest from a place in Crete, which was sacred to him, and is mentioned by the name Coronis. It is said, that both the chief city, and the adjacent country, were thus denominated; and that these sacrifices were there offered, which we know were peculiar to Kronus. 64 Εν δε τη νυν Σαλαμίνι, προτερον Κορωνίδι ονομαζόμενη, μηνι κατα Κυπριας Αφροδισίως εθνετο άνθρωπος Αγραυλῳ, τῇ Κέκροπος και νύμφης Αγραυλίδος. If this place, which was consecrated to him (as is apparent by these offerings) was called Koronis ; it is plain, that his name must have been rendered by the Greeks Koronus: and both are a transposition for Kon-Orus, or Chon-Orus," the lord "Orus," or ". He was universally adored in Cyprus; but particularly in this part, which Por κρατιςες, ύτερον ονεμενοι λαθρά παιδας, και θρέψαντες, επεμπον επι την Suorav. Diodorus Sic. lib. 20. pag. 756. 63 Εςι δε Κορώνη μοιρα της Σαλαμίνος της εν Κύπρῳ. Steph. Byzant. It seems to have been an appendage to the city. 64 Porphyr. de Abstinen. lib. 2. pag. 222. phyry supposes to have been Salamis. This is evident from 65 Diodorus Siculus, who mentions a city Ouranie here. He makes it indeed distinct from Salamis: but places it hard by, between that city and Carpasia; where the river Chour (the Ouc Our of the Phenicians, and the Courium, Kagiov, of the Greeks) runs at this day. The Greeks thought Kronus was the same as Xgovos: but it was an oriental name; and the etymology was to be looked for among people of those parts. 66 67 Βηλος επ' Ευφρηταο, Λιβυς κεκλημενος Αμμων, 1 Απις έφυς Νείλωος, ΑΡΑ ΚΡΟΝΟΣ, Ασσυρίοις Ζευς. The Greeks, we find, called the deity, to whom these offerings were made, Agraulos; and feigned that she was a woman, and the daughter of Cecrops. But how came Cecrops to have any connection with Cyprus? Agraulos is a corruption, and transposition of the original name, which should have been rendered Uk El Aur, or Uk El Aurus; 65 He mentions, that Demetrius took by storm Carpasia and Ouranie. They lay beyond Salamis towards the eastern point of the island. 66 There was another place called Courium, mentioned by Stephanus, Strabo, and Aristotle de mirabilibus. It was not far from Amathus: and near the spot, where it stood, there is a cape, still called Canourie. See Pocock, vol. 2. pag. 218. 67 Nonni Dionysiaca. XL. but has, like many other oriental titles and names, been strangely sophisticated; and is here changed to Agraulos. It was in reality the god of light; the Orus and Alorus, of whom I have said so much, who was always worshipped with fire. This deity was the Moloch of the Tyrians and Canaanites, and the Melech of the east; that is, the great and principal god, the god of light, of whom fire was esteemed a symbol; and at whose shrine, instead of viler victims, they offered the blood of men. 68 Such was the Kronus of the Greeks, and the Moloch of the Phenicians: and nothing can appear more shocking, than the sacrifices of the Tyrians and Carthaginians, which they performed to this idol. In all emergencies of state, and times of general calamity they devoted, what was most necessary and valuable to them, for an offering to the gods, and particularly to Moloch. But besides these undetermined times of bloodshed, they had particular and prescribed seasons every year, when children were chosen out of the most 69 noble and 68 Φοινικες δε εν ταις μεγαλαις συμφοραίς, η πολεμων, η αυχμών, η λοιμων, εθύοντο των ΦΙΛΤΑΤΩΝ τινα επιψηφίζοντες Κρονῳ. Porph. lib. 2. pag. 224. 6ο Εθος ην τοις παλαίοις εν ταις μεγάλαις συμφοραις των κινδύνων, αντι της παντων φθορας, τον ΗΓΑΠΗΜΕΝΟΝ των ΤΕΚΝΩΝ τους κρατούντας, η πολεως, η εθνους, εις σφαγήν επιδίδοναι, λυτρον τους τιμωροίς Saspoo. Philo de Phoenic. Historiâ, apud Euseb. Præp. Evang. lib. 4. cap. 16. If reputable families, as I have before mentioned. a person had an only 70 child, it was the more liable to be put to death, as being esteemed more acceptable to the deity, and more efficacious of the general good. Those, who were sacrificed to Kronus, were thrown into the arms of a molten "idol, which stood in the midst of a large fire, and was red with heat. The arms of it were stretched out, with the hands turned upwards, as it were to receive them; yet sloping downwards, so that they dropt from thence into a glowing furnace below. To other gods they were otherwise slaughtered; and, as it is implied, by the very hands of their parents. What can be more horrid to the imagination, than to suppose a father leading the dearest of all his sons to such an infernal shrine? or a mother, the most engaging and affectionate of her daughters, just rising to maturity, to be slaughtered at the altar of Ashteroth or Baal? Justin de 7ο Κρόνῳ γαρ Φοίνικες καθ ̓ ἑκασον ετος εθυον τα ΑΓΑΠΗΤΑ και MONOTENH Twy waida. Euseb. in laud. Constantini. 7. Ην δε παρ' αυτοις [Καρχηδόνιοις] ανδρίας Κρον χαλκες, εκτετακώς τας χείρας ύπτιας, εγκεκλιμένας επι την γην, ωςε τον επιτεθεντα των παιδων ἀποκυλιεσθαι, και πίπτειν εις τι χασμα πληρες πυρος. Είκος δε Ευριπίδην εντευθεν ειληφέναι τα μυθολογέμενα παρ' αυτοις περὶ την εν Ταύροις θυσιαν, εν οις εισαγει την Ιφιγενειαν ύπο Ορεσε διε ρωτωμένην και τον Ορες. Ταφος δε ποιος δέξεται μ ̓, ὅταν θανω ; Diod. Sic. lib. 20. pag. 756. |