paffage, that an excellent report being spread in all places in regard to this heroe no perfon oppofed him, as an enemy, but all, fubmitting voluntarily, honoured him as a God, with praises and facrifices: That in this manner he was reported to have travelled over the whole inhabitable earth, civilizing each country with his plantations, and binding nations under the everlasting obligations of gratitude: Hence all men, however entertaining different fentiments of the other Gods, displayed in regard to Dionufus alone one concurrent teftimony of his immortality: For no individual, either among the Greeks or Barbarians, was deprived of his grace and bounty; fince even the Inhabitants of uncultivated regions, or of those unsuited to the plantation of the vine, learned from him to produce a liquor from barley, little inferior to wine itself in the excellence of its tafte ""." The name of this liquor was by fome called Zythus, as he informs us in another paffage 58, where he beftows the fame compliment upon it And the invention of it is equally attributed by him to Ofiris 59 as to Dionufus : This Hiftorian likewife records, "that many Græcian cities contended with each other for the

57 Πάντη δὲ διαδιδομένης περὶ αὐτῷ φήμης ἀγαθῆς, μηδένα καθάπες πρὸς πολέμιον ἀντιτάσσεσθαι, πάντας δὲ προθύμως ὑπακέοντας ἐπαίνοις καὶ θυσίαις ὡς θεὸν τιμάν τῷ δ ̓ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ ἐπελθεῖν φασὶ τὴν οἰκεμένην, ἐξημερῶντα μὲν τὴν χώραν ταῖς φυτείαις, εὐεργετῶντα δὲ τὸς λαὸς μεγάλαις τιμαῖς καὶ χάρισι πρὸς τὸν αἰῶνα· διὸ καὶ πάντας τὰς ἀνθρώπες ἐν ταῖς πρὸς τὰς ἄλλες θεὸς τιμαῖς ἐχ ̓ ὁμοίαν ἔχονίας προαιρεσιν ἀλλήλοις, σχέδον ἐπὶ μόνο το Διονύσω συμφωνημένην ἀποδεικνύειν μαρτυρίαν τῆς ἀθανασίας· ἐθένα γὰρ ἔθ ̓ Ἑλλήνων ἔτε βαρβάρων άμοιρον εἶναι τῆς τέτε δωρεάς και χάριτος· αλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἀπηγριωμένην ἔχοντας χώραν, ἢ πρὸς φυτείαν ἀμπέλε παντελῶς ἀπηλλοτριωμένην μαθεῖν τὸ κατασκευαζόμενον ἐκ τῶν κριθῶν τόμα, βραχὺ λειπόμενον τῆς περὶ τὸν οἶνον εὐωδίας. (L 3. C. 72. P. 242.)

58 Το προσαγορευόμενον μὲν ὑπ ̓ ἐνίων ζύθος. (L. 4. C. 2. p. 248.)

59 L. 1. c. 20. p. 23.

are enumerated in the Prologus of the Play. We learn from Diodorus Siculus, "that the third Bacchus, Son of Jupiter and Semele, contributed much towards the Orgies and Initiations, which he partly improved and partly invented ??" And this Hiftorian in another paffage records that the Bæotians with the other Græcians and Thracians in order to preferve the memory of his Indian Expedition, in which he fpent three years, inftituted triennial feftivals in honour of Dionufus, and fuppofed that the God at that time made his appearance among men ":" Hence the title of Terlepidum ?^, Τριπερίδων or the Trieterica 75, annexed to thefe Bacchick Ceremonies, in allufion to their triennial celebration. Thefe rites bore a remarkable resemblance to thofe of Cybele and Rhea, the mother of the Gods, and are twice mentioned by Euripides in this play 76 as connected together, and equally facred: According to Apollodorus, Bacchus having visited Cybala, a city of Phrygia, there received expiation from Rhea, and learned the rites of Initiation ". The time of performance of thefe Bacchick Orgies was generally by night; and the reafon, affigned by the God himself, is from the veneration attached to darkness 78: Hence, among the titles of this

77

** Ενεργῆσαι δ ̓ ἐπὶ πλεῖον καὶ τὰ περὶ τὲς ὀργιασμὸς καὶ τελετὰς, ἃς μὲν μεταθεῖναι πρὸς τὸ κρεῖτίων, ἅς δ' ἐπινοῆσαι, (L. 3. c. 73. vol. I. P. 243.)

83 Τὺς μὲν Βοιωτὲς καὶ τὰς ἄλλες Ἕλληνας καὶ Θρᾷκας ἀπομνημονεύοντας τῆς κατὰ τὴν Ἰνδικὴν σφαλείας, καταδεῖξαι κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τῶ τον ποιεῖσθαι τὰς παρὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπιφανείας. (Σ. 4. c. 3. vol. 1. p. 248.) Τριετᾶς δὲ διαγεγενημένε το σύμπαν τος χρόνος. φασὶ τὰς Ἕλληνας ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς αἰτίας ἄγειν τὰς τριετερίδας (L. 3. c. 64, vol. 1. p. 235.) 74 V. 133. & Hymn of Orpheus (v. 8. p. 109. ed. H. Stephens.) 75 Cic. de Nat. Deor. 1. 3. c. 23. Virg. Æn. v. sar. Lucan. L. 5. v. 74. Statius Theb. L. 2. v. 661. Hyg. Fab. 131.

76 V. 78 & 128.

77 Αὖθις δὲ εἰς Κύβαλα τῆς Φρυγιάς ἀφικνεῖται, κακῖς καθαρθεῖς ὑπὸ Ῥέας, καὶ Tás Te Texelds izpadá. (L. 3. p. 94. Ed. Eg. Spolet, 1555.)

V.486.

Divinity,

81

82

79

84

Divinity, occurs that of 'Eixos", Nyctelius", or the Noc turnal God: And Paufanias mentions a temple of Dionufus under this character 32. The fuppofed advantages,, refulting to the Votaries from the initiation in these Pagan ceremonies, were guarded with a most folemn and awful fecrefy: When Pentheus demands of Bacchus in the Play, "what were the appearances in these Orgies "3," he replies, "that they are not to be communicated to those uninitiated 4 :" And when he again asks him, "whether they contribute any utility to those who facrifice to them "," he repeats the prohibition of revealing them 6: Thus Diodorus Siculus afferts, "that it is unlawful to relate individually to the uninitiated the things exhibited in the celebration of the myfteries":" Hence Aristophanes calls them folemnities unutterable *: And Sophocles mentions, "that a golden key was upon the tongue of those Priests of Ceres, who prefided over the Eleufinian rites ""." We may collect too, from that awful prohibition in Horace, that the act of disclosing these antient and

89

86

79 Anthol. 1. 1. c. 38. ep. 11. V. 14.

Ed. Xylan. vol. 2. p. 389.

88

And Plutarch E ap. Delph.

o Óvid. Met. 1. 4. v. 15. & De Art. Aman. (1. 1. v. 568.) 81 See my Note on the Ion. (V. 1077.) No 38. p. 139.)

32 ’Esì μiv Aiovúos vads Nuxlnie. (L. I. c. 40. p. 97. Ed. Kuhn.)

83 V. 471.

85 V. 473.

84" Αῤῥητ ̓ ἀβακχεύτοισιν. (V. 472.)

86 V.

474.

87 Καὶ τὰ παρεισαγόμενα κατὰ τὰς τελετάς, περὶ ὧν & θέμις τοῖς ἀμυηλοῖς ἱσορεῖν τὰ κατὰ μέρος. (L. 3. c. 62. vol. 1, p. 231.) Ων ἐ θέμις ἀκᾶσαι πλὴν τῶν μεμνημένων. (ch. v. c. 48. p. 370.) Καὶ τὰ μὲν, καλὰ μέρος τῆς τελετῆς ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις τελέμενα μόνοις παραδίδοται τοῖς μνηθεῖσι, (Id. c. 49.) See allo 1 crates (Panegyr. vol. 1. p. 132. Ed. Battie.) 88 Αρρήτων ἱερῶν. (Ran. v. 3or.)

19 Ων και χρυσέα

Κληὶς ἐπὶ γλώσσα βέβακιν

Προσπόλων Εὐμολπιδᾶν. (V. τιο8.)

See alfo the Scholiaft upon the paffage.

religious

religious ceremonies was held in the greatest abhorrence, and deprived the Offender from every communication of society : Vetabo, qui Cereris facrum

Vulgârit arcanum, fub iifdem

Sit trabibus, fragilemve mecum
Solvat phafelum.

(L. 3. Od. 2. v. 29.)

And we fhall fee in the Play, that Agave fires the Mænades to revenge against the disguised Pentheus, left he should reveal their mysterious dances on the mountain Cithæron: Thus far however we are able to penetrate into the dark recess of thefe Pagan Solemnities as to affert, that the original idea of their inftitution was founded on religion, and was supposed to produce a purifying effect in the human foul: For according to the teftimony of our Poet, applied to the Votary,

By these his life he fanctifies,

And, deep imbib'd their chafte and cleanfing lore,
Hallows his foul for converfe with the skies.

(Potter, v. 89.)

Thus Demofthenes afferts, "that the Initiated were purified and cleanfed from the filth and bran of their former ftate; and after expiation these words were repeated, I have escaped the bad, and have found the better "." Thus Diodorus Siculus proclaims, "that the prefence of thefe Divinities, and their peculiar affiftance to those of the Initiated, who invoke them in the moment of danger, is publickly reported: For they affert, that the Partakers of thefe

90 Καὶ καθαίρων τὰς τελυμένες καὶ ἀπομάτων τῷ πηλῷ καὶ τοῖς πιτύροις· καὶ ἀνατὰς ἀπὸ τὸ καθαςμᾶ, καὶ κελεύων λέγειν, Ἔφυγον κακόν, εὗρον ἀμεῖνον. De Corona, p. 150. Ed. Foulkes & Freind.

myfteries

92

myfteries increase in piety and righteousness, and become superior to themselves in every respect: The most distinguished therefore of the ancient Heroes and Demigods were extremely defirous of initiation ":" But the most flattering encomium in honour of these ancient rites occurs in Cicero, who obferving the propriety of their appellation of Initia adds, "Thus in reality we discover the first principles of life, and not only receive instructions for increafing the pleasures of it, but for fupporting death with better hope ":" Hence it appears, that the great and important doctrine of the immortality of the foul was contained in the fyftem of these Pagan Inftitutions. Our Poet alfo informs us, "that the Orgies of the God deteft the Impious "3;" and these, according to the teftimony of Theocritus 94 and Catullus "", were excluded from them: Thus Diodorus Siculus afferts," that Dionufus taught the rites of initiation, and communicated his mysteries to men of distinguished piety and righteousness ":" The very oath of extraordinary purity, which was tendered to the Priesteffes of Bacchus at Athens, is ftill extant, as recorded in Demofthenes : Yet notwithstanding the original innocence of the defign perhaps of these rites, it was impof

97

95

,

96

οι Διαβεβόηται δ ̓ ἡ τέτων τῶν θεῶν ἐπιφάνεια, καὶ παράδοξος ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις βοήθεια τοῖς ἐπικαλεσαμένοις τῶν μυηθέντων γίνεσθαι δὲ φασι καὶ ἐυσεβεστέρες καὶ δικαιοτέρες καὶ κατὰ πᾶν βελτίονας ἑαυτῶν τὰς τῶν μυσηρίων κοινωνήσαντας· διὸ καὶ τῶν ἀρχαίων ἡρώων τε καὶ ἡμιθέων τὰς ἐπιφανεσάτες πεφιλοτιμῆσθαι μεταλαβεῖν τῆς τελετῆς. (L. 5. c. 49. vol. 1. p. 370)

92 Initiaque ut appellantur, ita re verâ principia vitæ cognovimus; neque folum cum lætitiâ vivendi rationem accepimus, fed etiam cum fpe meliore moriendi. (De Leg. 1. 2. c. 14.) See alfo Ifocrates Panegyr. vol. 1. p.132. Ed. Battie. 93 V. 476. 94 Idyl. 25. v. 14. 95 Car. 63. v. 263.

96 Καλαδεῖξαι δὲ καὶ τὰ περὶ τὰς τελείας, καὶ μεθαδέναι τώη μυτηρίων τοῖς εὐσεβέσι τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ δίκαιον βιον ἀσκῶσι. (L. 3. c. 64. vol. 1. p. 233.)

97 Αγιςευω καὶ εἰμὶ καθαρὰ καὶ ἁγνὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐ καθαρευόντων καὶ ἀπ ̓ ἀνδρὸς συνεσίας. Orat. in Neæram. vol. 2. pars 2. p. 1371. ed. Reitke. The Englith Reader may fee it tranflated in Archbishop Potter's Archæol. (B. 2. c. 4. p. 220. ed. 1728.)

fible