Τρὶς περιτελλομένης ἠοῦς, χειμῶνα δοκεύειν. parum cautus virorum opera acce- Οστ ̓ εἶσ ̓ ὑόμενος καὶ ἀήμενος• &c [Homer. Odyss. 3. 130.] Cf. Eustath. ad h. 1. Theophrastus Sign. Temp. Λύκος ωρυόμενος χειμῶνα σημαίνει. Addit; Λύκος τρίων ἡμέρων ὅταν πρὸς τὰ ἔργα ὁρμῷ ἢ εἴσω, χειμῶνος ὁρμα, χειμώνα σημαίνει εὐθύς. [Theoph. Sign. Temp. Heins. edit. p. 439.] Elian. in Hist. Anim. Λύκοι δὲ φεύγοντες ἐρημίαν καὶ εὐθὺ τῶν οἰκ ευμένων ἴοντες χειμῶνος ἐμβολὴν μέλλοντος ὅτι πεφρίκασι μαρτυροῦσι δι' ὧν ἐρῶσι. Addit prognosticum de Leonibus: Λέοντες δὲ ἐν τοῖς καρπίμοις χωρίοις ἐπιδης μία αὐχμὸν δηλοῖ. [lian. Hist. Anim. vii. 8.] Buhle refert ad Oppian. Cyn. τος ώρη Ναίει δ ̓ οὔρεα μακρά· τάδ' ὅπποτε χείμα- Δὴ τότε καὶ πόλιος πέλας ἵκετο θὴρ ολοόφρων, 397-399. Sic etiam prioribus in signis conjecturam facito futurorum ventorum, aut tempestatis aut 400 405 410 pluviæ, ad præsentem, vel post præsentem, vel ad tertiam denique au roram. 400-402. Prognosticum e muribus-At vero neque mures vociferantes, si quando frequentius sereni saliunt, similes tripudiantibus, sine significatione habiti sunt veteribus hominibus. Aliud prognosticum e muribus notavit Theophrastus: Καὶ τὸ πανταχοῦ δὲ λεγόμενον σημεῖον δημόσ στον χειμέριον ὅταν μύες περὶ φορυτοῦ μάχε ωνται, καὶ φέρωσιν. [Theoph. Sign. Temp.] 403-404. Præsagium tempestatis e canibus terram effodientibus Neque canes; etenim fodere solet pedibus ambobus tempestatem instantem sentiens. T. Forster olim canem habebat qui certis temporibus effodiebat cava tam profunda et spatiosa ut non tantum unum sed plures canes contineret. Hoc præcipue faciebat ante pluviam. 405-406. Quin ex aqua cancer aggredi solet terra e tempestate futura accingendo se itineri. 407-410. Prognosticum e muribus. Etiam mures domestici lectulum sternentes cubitum desiderant, quum pluviæ signum appareat, et illi tempestatem mures tunc vaticinantur. Σκέπτεσθαι, μᾶλλον δὲ δυοῖν εἰς ταὐτὸν ἰόντοιν 415 420 ON THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE GREEKS. PART 11.—[Continued from No. XLV. p. 41.] HAVING premised thus much concerning the fables of the Greeks, and the design of Homer in the Iliad and Odyssey, I shall now proceed to the developement of some of his principal fables, epitomizing and endeavouring to elucidate, for this purpose, what is said by Proclus, in his admirable Apology for the fables of the greatest of poets. In the first place therefore, let us direct our attention to the occult meaning of the battles of the Gods, as these may be justly ranked among the most paradoxical of the Homeric figments. Of the battles then, which are celebrated by theological poets, we may perceive two concep 410-492. Quorum nullum fastidito; bonum vero est cum signo signum observare, magis vero duobus in unum tendentibus (convenientia signa) spes esto ; tertio confidas licet: semper item prætereuntis numerare poteris anni signa, conferens sicubi etiam sub stella talis Aurora exoriente transeat vel occidente quale etiam signum nunciat. Impense vero idoneum fuerit contemplari dependentis instantisque mensis quartas utrasque; hæ enim simul coëuntium mensium terminos habent, quum maxime dubius æther octo noctibus est defectus pulchrz adspectu lunæ. Quæ simul omnia contemplatus ad annum, haud umquam leviter super æthera significabis. V. 411. Ex. Arato Geop. Ὅταν δὲ ἅμα πλείω σημεῖα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ συντρέχει βεβαιότερα τὰ ἐλπιζόμενα. [Geop. i. S. cit. Buhle.] V. 417. Geop. Μάλιστα δὲ παραφυ λάττειν χρή, αὐξούσης καὶ φθινούσης τῆς σελήνης τὰς τετράδας, τὴν τοῦ ἀέρος κίνησιν τρεπούσας. Cf. Theophr. Sign. Plur. Ptolem. Indic. Astrolog. ii. [Ibid.] 'This Apology forms a part of the fragments of his Commentary on the Republic of Plato, at the end of his Commentary on the Timæus. tions, one of which considers the well-ordered division of the divine genera about those two principles, the immediate progeny of the one, the exempt cause of all things, and which according to the opposition of these principles, represents the Gods as acting contrary to each other. For whether it be proper to call those first natures bound and infinity, or monad and indefinite duad, they will entirely appear to be oppositely divided with respect to each other, conformably to which the orders of the Gods are also separated from each other. But the other conception arises from considering the contrariety and variety about the last of things, and referring a discord of this kind to the powers that proximately preside over them, and thus feigning that the Gods, proceeding into a material nature and distributed about it, war with each other. For since the inferior orders are suspended from the government of the more excellent genera of Gods, and preserve the characteristics of their leaders, though in a partial and multiplied manner, they are called by their names; and as they subsist analogously to the first Gods, they appear in their progressions to be the same with their more total causes. And this not only the fables of the Greeks have occultly devised-I mean that leading Gods and their attendants should be called by the same names-but this is also delivered in the initiatory rites of the barbarians. For they say, that attendants suspended from the Gods, particularly rejoice when invoked, to be called by the appellations, and to be invested with the vehicles, of the leaders of their series, and exhibit themselves to theurgists in the place of these leading deities. If, therefore, we refer Minerva, Juno, and Vulcan, when engaged in war below in the sublunary region, and likewise Latona, Diana, and the river Xanthus, to other secondary orders, and which are proximate to divisible and material natures, we ought not to wonder on ac count of the communion of names. For each series bears the appellation of its monad or principle, and partial spirits love to receive the same denomination with wholes. Hence there are many and all-various Apollos, Neptunes, and Vulcans; and some of them are separate from the universe, others have an allotment about the heavens, others preside over the whole elements, and to others the government of individuals belongs. It is not there These principles were symbolically called by Orpheus, ether and chaos, enigmatically by Pythagoras, monad und duad, and scientifically by Plato, bound and infinity. See the notes to my translation of the Philebus and Parmenides of Plato. fore wonderful, if a more partial Vulcan, and who is allotted a dæmoniacal order [or an order pertaining to dæmons], possesses a providential dominion over material fire, and which subsists about the earth, or that he should be the inspective guardian of a certain art which operates in brass. For if the providence of the Gods has a diminution according to an ultimate division, being allotted a well-ordered progression supernally from total and united causes, this Vulcanian dæmon also will rejoice in the safety of that which he is allotted, and will be hostile to those causes which are corruptive of its constitution. War therefore in such like genera, a division of all-various powers, mutual familiarity and discord, a divisible sympathy with the objects of their government, verbal contentions, revenge through mockery, and other things of this kind, are very properly conceived to take place about the terminations of the divine orders. Hence fables in representing such powers as these discordant with and opposing each other, on account of the subjects over which they providentially preside, do not appear to be very remote from the truth. For the passions of the things governed are proximately referred to these. This being premised, Homer, to those who consider his poems with attention, will appear to speak about the former mode of divine contention when he says, "When Saturn was by Jove all-seeing thrust and in another place respecting Typhon, "Earth groan'd beneath them; as when angry Jove On Arime when he the thunder throws, And fires Typhæus with redoubled blows, Where Typhon, prest beneath the burning load, For in these verses he obscurely signifies a Titanic war against Jupiter, and what the Orphic writers call precipitations into Tartarus, (xararaρragwoes). But he particularly introduces the Gods warring with each other, and dissenting about human affairs, according to the second conception of divine battles, in which the divine and intellectual disposition of the figments, adopted by the poet, is worthy of the greatest admiration. For * In the original, οτε τε Κρόνον ευρύοπα ζευς γαιης νερθε καθιζε. But this at present is not to be found in Homer. 2 Iliad. lib. ii. ver. 288, &c. in describing their battles (who though they are allotted a subsistence at the extremities of the divine progressions, yet are suspended from the Gods, and are proximate to the subjects of their government, and are allied to their leaders), he indicates their sympathy with inferior natures, referring a divided life, battle, and opposition from things in subjection, to the powers by which they are governed; just as Orpheus conjoins with Bacchic images, compositions, divisions, and lamentations, referring all these to them from presiding causes. But Homer represents the alliance of these divisible spirits with the series from which they proceed, by the same names through which he celebrates the powers that are exempt from material natures, and employs numbers and figures adapted to their whole orders. For those who engage in battle are eleven in number, imitating the army of Gods and dæmons following Jupiter, and distributed into eleven parts. Of these, those that preside over the better coordination are contained in the pentad; for the odd number, the spheric, and the power of leading all secondary natures according to justice, and of extending from the middle to every number, are adapted to those who desire to govern more intellectual and perfect natures, and such as are more allied to the one. But those of an inferior destiny, and who are the guardians of material natures, proceed according to the hexad, possessing indeed a perfective power over the subjects of their providential care through a proper number; but in consequence of this number being even, and co-ordinate with a worse nature, they are subordinate to the other powers. Nor is it wonderful if some one should call these genera Gods, through their alliance to their leaders, and should represent them as warring through their proximate care of material natures. The opposition therefore of Neptune and Apollo, signifies that these powers preside over the apparent contrariety of all sublunary wholes: and hence these Gods do not fight with each other. For parts are preserved by their containing wholes as long as they subsist. But the ' Vid. Iliad. xx. v. 31, &c., and my translation of the Phædrus of Plato. 2 Five is not only an odd, but also a spheric number: for all its multiplications into itself, terminate in five; and therefore end where they began. For six is a perfect number, being equal to the sum of all its parts, which are 3, 2, and 1, the first of these being the half, the second the third, and the last the sixth part of 6. And besides these, it has no other parts. |