grown rich: Whence Chryfes in Homera offers for the Redemption of his Daughter depsiri axowa, an infinite Price; and Dares, the Priest of Vulcan, is by the fame Poet faid to have been a wealthy Man: b These are the most general Orders of Priefts; others were appropriated to certain Gods, and fometimes certain Feafts, of which I fhall have Occafion to speak hereafter, as likewise of those that attended the Ora cles, and thofe that were any way concern'd in the Art of Divination. CHAP. IV. Of the Grecian Sacrifices, facred Presents, and Tythes. IDYMUS, in his Annotations on Pindar, reports, that one DIDYMUS, in his on the Gods, and invented religious Rites and Ceremonies, and that Amalthea and Meliffa, who nurs'd Jupiter, and fed him with Goats-milk and Honey, were his Daughters. Others relate, that Phroneus, fome that Merops, was the first who erected Altars and Temples, and offer'd Sacrifices And others will have the Ufe of (inapai Ducías) propitiatory Sacrifices to have been firft begun by Chiron the Centaur. But paffing by thefe and the like fabulous Narrations, I fhall endeavour to describe the Cuftoms in Ufe amongst the ancient Greeks at their folemn Sacrifices. In doing which, I fhall firft treat of the Occafion and End of them. 2. Of their Matter. 3. Of the Preparations requir'd before them, with all the Ornaments both of the Sacrifices, Victims, and Altars. 4. Of the facred Rites us'd at, and after their Celebration. As to the Caufes and Occafions of them, they seem to have been chiefly four. For Sacrifices were, 1. Euxrata, or Xapishpia, Vows, or Free-will Offerings; fuch were thofe promis'd to the Gods before, and paid after a Victory: As alfo the Firft-fruits offer'd by Husband-men after Harveft, being grateful Acknowledgments to the Gods, by whofe Bleffing they had receiv'd a plentiful Reward for their Labour and Toil in tilling the Ground. Thefe are by Suidas call'd Oveías daro Popinai, because they were Free-gifts; and Asia, because thereby they fulfill'd fome Vow made to the Gods; both which being Effects of Gratitude, I have reduc'd under one Head. It may not be improper here to correct the Miftake of Saubertus, who takes sixraia for airtina, petitionary Sacrifices: Whereas the proper Meaning of εὐκταῖον is according to Hefychius, τὸ κατ' εὐχὴν ἀποδιδόμενον, that which is paid to difcharge a Vow. • Iliad. ú. 13. Alex. Protrept. p. 28. & Libro de Sacrificiis. & Clemens bIliad. i. v.9. : 2. Inasına, or diaλarina, propitiatory Offerings, to avert the Anger of fome offended Deity: Such were all the Sacrifices us'd in Expiations. 3. Airnrxa, petitionary Sacrifices, for Success in any Enterprize. So religious were the Heathens, that they would not undertake any thing of Moment, without having firft ask'd the Advice, and implor'd the Affiftance of the Gods by Sacrifices and Presents. 4. Τὰ ἀπὸ μαντείας, fuch as were impos'd and commanded by an Oracle, or Prophet. Some others have been added, which I have purpofely omitted, as reducible to fome of these four. I come now in the fecond Place to treat of the Matter of their Oblations. In the most ancient Sacrifices there were neither living Creatures, nor any thing coftly, or magnificent; no Myrrh, or Frankincenfe, or other Perfumes were made ufe of; but instead of them all h Herbs and Plants, pluckt up by the Roots, were burnt whole with their Leaves and Fruit before the Gods; and this was thought a very acceptable Oblation. The like Cuftoms prevail'd in most other Nations, and particularly amongst the primitive Italians, of whofe Sacrifices Ovid has left us the following Defcriptioni. Ante, Deos homini quod conciliare valeret, Nec fuerant rubri cognita fila croci. Ara dabat fumos herbis contenta Sabinis, Some report, that Cecrops introduc'd the Cuftom of facrifing Oxen *; but Paufanias making a Comparison between Cecrops and his contemporary, Lycaon, King of Arcadia, affirms, that whereas the latter of these facrific'd a Child to Jupiter Lycaus, and polluted the holy Altar with human Blood; the former never facrific'd any thing endu'd with Life, but only the Cakes us'd in his own Country, and there call'd shares. Some Ages after the Athenians were commanded by one of Triptolemus's Laws to abftain from living Creatures m. And even to Draco's Time the Attick Oblations confifted of nothing elfe but the Earth's Beneficence. This Frugality and Simplicity had in other Places been laid afide before his Time, and here not long after; for no fooner did they leave their ancient Diet of Herbs and Roots, and begin to use living Creatures for Food, (which the Ancients are faid to have thought altogether unlawful) but they alfo began to change their Sacrifices; it being always ufual for their own Feafts, and the Feafts of the Gods, (fuch they thought the Sacrifices) to confift of the fame Mater rials. The folemn Sacrifices confifted of thefe three Things, Exordy, Ouviaja, and Ispov. This Hefiod" feems to intimate in the following Verses: Καδδύναμιν δ' έρδειν ἱερ ̓ ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσιν Αγνῶς καὶ καθαρῶς, ἐπὶ δ ̓ ἀγλαὸ μηρία και η H. H.. Where it may be obferv'd, that tho' the more folemn Sacrifices confifted of all these three Parts, yet it was lawful to ufe fome of them by themfelves. Whence Euftathius tells us, it was not only ufual to offer Drink-offerings of Wine at Sacrifices, but alfo at the beginning of a Journey by Land, or Sea, before they went to fleep, when they entertain'd a Stranger, and at any other time. In fhort, in all the fmaller Affairs of Life, they seem to have defired the Protection and Favour of the Gods, by Oblations of Incenfe, or Drink-offerings; whereas the more folemn Sacrifices were only us'd upon fet Times, and weighty Occafions, both because of the Expenfiveness, and Trouble of them. The Cafe feems to have been this: The Oblations of the Gods, as hath been before obferv'd, were furnish'd after the fame manner with the Entertainments of Men. Hence as Men delight in different forts of Diet, fo the Gods were thought to be pleas'd with feveral forts of Sacrifices. Some with human Victims, others with Beafts of various Kinds, others with Herbs only, and the Fruits of the Earth. All requir'd Salt and Drink: whence there was fcarce any Sacrifice without Salt, and an Oblation of Drink. And the latter of thefe was frequently offer'd without Victims, though Victims were rarely, if ever, facrific'd without Oblations of Drink: It being the Custom of Men to drink without eating, but very feldom to eat a Meal without drinking. Enid, and Ae, amongst the Greeks have the fame Signification as Hefychius and Phavorinus have obferv'd, and imply no more than to pour forth, which is alfo the proper Senfe of the Latin Word libare, faith Ifidorus P; but because of their conftant Ufe at the Drink-offerings of the Gods, they came at length to be appropriated to them. The fame may be obferv'd of their Derivative σord, oh and libatio, which Words differ not at all from one another. The Matter in the ozonda's was generally Wine. Of Wine there were two forts, the one vorder, the other order, the former was fo call'd, because it was lawful, the latter, because it was unlawful to make use of it in these Libations ; ↑ Egg⋅ mai Huép, v. 334. Biln. a. d. •Il. á. p. 102. Edit. Bafil. Origin. lib. VI.c. 191 P 2 fuch fuch they accounted all Wine mix'd with Water; whence spare, i. pure and unmix'd Wine, is so often made mention of by ancient Writers. And, tho' fometimes mix'd Wine is mention'd at Sacrifices, yet, if we may believe Euftathius, this mixture was not made of Wine and -Water, but of different forts of Wine. Pliny alfo tells us, that it was unlawful to make an Oblation of Wine, prefs'd from Grapes cut, par'd round, or polluted with a Fall on the Ground; or fuch as came out of a Wine-prefs trodden with bloody and wounded Feet, or from a Vine unpruned, blafted, or that had a Man hanged upon it. He fpeaks alfo of a certain Grape call'd Afpendia, whofe Wine it was unlawful to of fer upon the Altars. But tho' thefe Libations generally confifted of Wine, yet they were fometimes made of other Ingredients, and call'd Ny06 Juridi, A TY mody, from being sober. Such as these were offer'd to the Eumenides; for which Suidas gives this Reason, viz. that divine Juftice ought always to be vigilant. He likewife adds, that at Athens fuch Oblations were made to the Nymphs, to Venus, Urania, Mnemofyne, the Morning, the Moon, and the Sun; and there feems to have been a particular Reafon, why every one of these were honoured with fuch Oblations. For Inftance, Euftathius tells us, that Honey was offered to the Sun, but Wine was never used upon any Altar dedicated to him; because he, by whom all Things are encompaffed, and held together, ought to be temperate. Plutarch " fays, that thefe paio duoia were often performed to Bacchus for no other Reason, than that Men might not be always accustomed to ftrong and unmixed Wines. Paufanias af firms, that the Eleans never offered Wine to the Aérona, i. e. Ceres and Proferpina, nor at the Altar dedicated to all the Gods. To Pluto inftead u of Wine, Oil was offered, as Virgil witneffeth; and Homer * brings in Ulyffes telling Alcinous, that he had made an Oblation to the infernal Gods, in which he poured forth firft Wine mixed with Honey, then pure Wine, and after all, Water: His Words are thefe, ་ ἐγὼ δ' ἄορ ὀξὺ ἐρυσσάμενα του μικρού, Βόθρον ὄρυξα ὅσοντε πυγέσιον ἔνθα καὶ ἔνθα Τὸ τρίτον αὖθ ̓ ὕδατι· ἐπὶ δ ̓ ἄλφιτα λουκα πάλυνον. Strait from my Side I drew my fharp'n'd Blade, } H. H. But concerning the Oblations of the infernal Gods, I fhall difcourfe in another Place. be There were also other Gods, to whom in certain Places they facrificed without Wine; fuch was Jupiter xar, the Supreme, upon whofe Altar the Athenians never offered Wine, or living Creatures. The pai ip, fober Sacrifices, are divided into four forts, 1. ra dagarovda, Libations of Water. 2. T'he puεdé avondα, Libations of Honey. 3. ra yaλaxróarovda, Libations of Milk. 4. racóvoda, Libations of Oil. Which Liquors were fometimes mix'd with one another. If Porphyry may credited, moft of the Libations in the primitive Times were pa. And of thefe, Water was first us'd, then Honey, which is eafy to be had, afterwards Oil, and in latter Ages Wine came to be offer'd. It is very probable, whether this Order was observed, or not, that the most primitive Oblations, like the Way of living in those Ages, were exceeding fimple, and confifted of fuch Materials as were moft eafy to be provided. Laftly, it must be farther observed, that Libations were always offer'd in Cups full to the Brim, it being a fort of Irreverence to the Gods to prefent any thing, which was not redesov nai öλor, whole and perfect. Thus to fill the Cup was term'd sew xparige, to crown it; and the Cup fo fillud, ἐπιτεφῆς ὀνοιο, crown'd with Wine, ήτοι υπερχειλής ποιεῖται ὡσε καὶ τοῦ ποτοῦ ἐςεφανοῦς, the Liquor appearing above the Cup in the Form of a Crown, according to Athenæus. The Poets often exprefs this Cuftom. Hence the following Verfe of Homer: Κοῦροι 5 κρητῆρας ἐπεσέψαντο ποτοίο. And that Allufion of another Poet cited by Athenæus: Αλλὰ Θεὸς μορφὴν ἔπεσι σέφει. And Vina coronare, to crown the Wine, is an Expreffion us'd by Virgil. The fecond Thing to be confider'd in the Sacrifices is the Suffitus, in Greek call'd ou, which Word doth not originally fignify the Victim, but ra asa, i. e. broken Fruits, Leaves, or Acorns, the only Sacrifices of the Ancients; whence in Suidas ra Sun are expounded para, or Incenfe. In like manner the Verb 9ú is never ufed by Homer to fignifie the offering of the Victim, (for in this Sense he has made use of PC and d) but only of thefe ausa, fays Athenæus ; which Signification was afterwards chang'd, and almoft appropriated to Animals . If Aldrovandus may be credited, there were no Sacrifices in the pri mitive Times, in quibus arbores, earumque partes, partem baud exiguam fibi non vendicabant; whereof Trees, or fome Parts of them, were not made a confiderable Part of the Oblation. Thefe were chiefly odoriferous Trees, fome Parts whereof πολλοὶ καὶ νῦν ἔτι θύεσι, many do even in this Age offer, faith Porphyry. But the moft primitive Offerings were only xóa, green Herbs, as we are informed by the fame Author. In latter Ages, they commonly made ufe of Frankincense, or fome Per c y De Abftinent. lib. II. z Lib. I. cap. 11. Item. lib. XV. cap. lib. XIV. C b Porph. lib. II. de abftinent. Dendrolog. lib. I. P 3 |