of Treachery and Perfidioufnefs; infomuch that Graca Fides came to be proverbially applied to Men, that were wavering, inconfiftent, and unfit to be trufted, or relied upon. Plautus, in his Play call'd Afinaria, by Graca fide mercari, means to buy with ready Money, as tho without that a Grecian was not to be meddled with; his Words are thefe, Diem, aquam, Solem, Lunam, noctem, hac argento non emo, I buy not Day, nor Water, nor the Night, E. D. Tully likewife, in his Oration for Flaccus, fpeaks after the fame manner, "That Nation (fays he) never made any confcience of obferving their "Oaths." And their own Country-man Euripides affirms no less : Πισὸν Ἑλλὰς οἶδεν ἐδέν. No Sparks of Honefty Greece ever had. And Polybius yet more fully in the fixth Book of his Hiftory, "Amongst the Greeks (fays he) if you lend only one Talent, and for fecurity "have Ten Bonds, with as many Seals, and double the number of "Witneffes, yet all thefe Obligations can fcarce force them to be honeft." Yet Aufonius had a better Opinion of them, unless his Words were Irony and Ridicule, when he said to Paulus, Nobifcum invenies natvora, fi libet uti, At my Houfe too, promife you'll honeft be, E. D. The Theffalians in particular, were infamous for this Vice; whence, as Zenodotus hath inform'd us, by Θεσσαλῶν νόμισμα, is meant Fraud and Deceit ; and the other Proverb, viz. Oerranav copioua, feems to have had its rife from the treacherous and double Dealing of the Theffalians with their Confederates; a memorable inftance of which we have in the Peloponnesian War, where in the midst of a Battel they turn'd Sides, and deferting the Athenians, went over to the Lacedemonians which reafon feems more probable than that mention'd by Zenodotus, viz. Their folemn Vow of an Hecatomb, of Men, made every Year to Apol lo, without any Defign of ever paying it; which they did in imitation of their Fore-father Theffalus, who made fuch a Vow to Apollo, but confidering how impious and unpleafing to the God it was like to be, neglected the Performance of it. The Locrians were no lefs infamous on the fame account, whence thofe proverbial Sayings, Aoxegi Tas ouvon yas, and Aongav ovenua, do ufually denote fraudulent Perfons and Practices, as we learn from Zenodotus. And the Lacedemonians, as they were the most renown'd of all the Grecians for their Valour, Temperance, S2 rance, and other Virtues, fo were the moft fcandalous for their Treachery, and Contempt of Oaths; whence they are by Lycophron (a) call'd Aiuúnor, which the Scholiaft upon that Place expounds, feusar, nai Sónio, i. e. lyars, and deceitful; and by Euripides (b), Σπάρτης ένοικοι, δόλια βολεύματα. Spartans, fam'd ever for base Treacheries. Ariftophanes fpeaks yet more fully, when he tells us, they neither ac counted Altars, Promises, nor Oaths, facred. His words are these, Οἷσιν ἔτε βωμοί, ἔτε πίσις, ἔθ ̓ ὅρκο μένει Who neither Altars, Oaths, nor Trust revere. And that this was no Calumny, may farther appear from the Aphorifm of Lyfander, one of their moft eminent Generals, Εξαπατᾷν χρὴ παῖδας μὲν αςραγάλοις, πολεμίες δὲ ὅρκοις. Boys, faid he, are to be deceivd with Dice, but Enemies with Oaths. Tho others will have this to be the faying of Dionyfius the Tyrant (c). However that be, 'tis certain the Lacedemonians, tho perhaps more juft and punctual in private Affairs, had very small regard for Oaths in publick Bufinefs. Their great Agefilaus feems to have thought it but a weak Obligation, whenever it ftood in competition with the Publick Good, that great Mark, to which they thought all their Actions were to be directed: infomuch that. as Plutarch (d) affirms, to ferve their Country was the Principle and Spring of all their Actions; nor did they account any thing juft or unjust, by any Measures but that. The Athenians feem to have had a greater regard for Honefty, as may appear from the Story of Themistocles in Plutarch: for he telling the People he had form'da Defign, which, if accomplish'd, would be very advantageous to the Common-wealth, but might not, at this time, be communicated to the whole Affembly; they order'd him to impart it to Ariftides in private; who having heard the Matter, came and reported to the People, that it was indeed a very beneficial Contrivance, but withal the most unjuft in the World: whereupon they immedi ately commanded Themiftocles to defift from his Intention. Diogenian, in his Book of Collections, tells us, that Arlinds μágrus, was taken for a fincere and uncorrupt Witness; as alfo Arlinn isis, for a true, honeft, and untainted Faith: And, tho fome would have this Proverb taken from the Goddess Fides, who had a Temple at Athens, mention'd by Plautus (e); and others, not from the Manners of the People, but the Nature of their Soil, which was fo unfruitful that it brought forth juft as much as was fown, and no more; whence Attica fides, is applied to any Man that restores all that he was entrusted with; yet Velleius Paterculus (f) affures us, it was taken from their Faithfulness, and unfhaken Loyalty to the Romans; whence Attica fides, is by Flaccus (g) call'd certa; by Horace (h) impolluta; and by Silius (i) Pura. Not withstanding this, their Honefty was not fo firm, but that it might (a) Caffandr. v. 1124. (b) Andromach. v. 445. (c) Alex. ab Alex. lib. V. cap. X (d) Vita Agefilai. (e) In Aulul. (f) Hiftor. lib. I. (g) Argon. lib. IV. (h) Lib. IlI. Od. XVI. () Bell, Punic. lib. XIII. fome 261 fometimes be fhaken by the alluring and fpecious Temptation of the Publick Good. I will conclude this Chapter with an Inftance of this, taken out of Plutarch (a), which is the more remarkable, and more clearly evidences the Difpofition and Temper of that State, because it was approv'd by the Confent of the People, and put in Execution by Ariftides, a Man of greater renown for Juftice and upright Dealing, than any that City ever brought forth. He, when the Grecians (after they had utterly routed all the Remainders of Xerxes's numerous Army) defign'd a common Invasion upon Perfia, took a folemn Oath in the Name of the Athenians, to obferve the League; but afterwards, when things were brought to fuch a pafs, as conftrain'd them to govern with a stronger Hand than was consistent with it, advis'd them to throw the Perjury upon him, and manage Affairs, as their Convenience required. Upon the whole Matter, Theophraftus tells us, (faith Plutarch) that this Perfon was in his own private Affairs, and those of his Fellow-Citizens nicely juft, but in publick Matters did many things according to the State and Condition of his Country, for whofe fake he frequently committed Acts of Injustice. Then he adds, that it was reported of him, that to one who was in debate, Whether he fhould convey a certain Treasure from Delos to Athens, contrary to the League, at the Perfuafion of the Samians, he should fay, That the thing was not just, but expedient. CHAP. VII. Of the Grecian Divination, and Oracles in general. T was a receiv'd Opinion in all Ages, that the Gods were wont to traordinary Powers, and admitted to the Knowledge of their Counfels and Defigns. Thefe are by the Greeks call'd uvres, and paven is a general Name for all forts of Divination, and fignifies the knowledge of Things obfcure, or future, which cannot be attain'd by any ordinary or natural Means. It is divided by (b) Plato (who is follow'd herein by Ariftotle, Plutarch and Cicero) into two Species, one of which is call'd arexv, adidantos, and naturalis, i. e. unartificial, or natural Divination, as not being attain'd by any Rules, Precepts, or Obfervations, but infpir'd into the Diviner, without his taking any far, ther Care about it, than to purify and prepare himself to receive the Divine Afflatus. With this fort were all thofe endued, who deliver'd Oracles, and fore-told future Events by Infpiration, without obferving external Signs or Accidents: Such were the Sibyls, and other Enthufiafts. Some there are that reduce Divination by Dreams under this Species, because in them Revelations were made without any Pains or Art of the Dreamers: but herein lies the mistake of this Argument, that not the Dreamers, but the Interpreters of Dreams (a) Vit. Ariftides. (b) Phadro, 93 were were the Diviners; and that their Skill was the Effect of Art and Obfervation, is evident from the many Books written upon that Subject, and the various Signs deliver'd in them to make Conjectures by. In like manner, it was not fo much the Bufinefs of an Augur to fee the Birds of Divination, which might cafually happen to any rude and unskilful Perfon; but after he had seen them, to interpret what was por tended by them. Thefe, therefore, with others of the like Nature, are to be referr'd to the fecond Species of Divination, call'd Texvxn, or Artificial, becaufe it was not obtain'd by immediate Infpiration, but was the Effect of Experience and Obfervation; as Sooth-faying: Or depended chiefly upon human Art, Invention, or Impofition; which nevertheless was not fuppos'd to be altogether deftitute of Divine Direction and Concurrence; fuch was Divination by Lots. I fhall begin with the first fort of Divination, as having a more immediate Dependance on the Gods; and firft, with the nobleft part of it, I mean Oracles, which are call'd in Greek Xenopoi, Xenoμgdiar, xenoμῳδήματα, μαντεύματα, θεοπρόπια, θεσπίσματα, θέσφατα, &c. The Interpreters, or Revealers of Oracles, xenoμsó201, &c. The Confulters, Seowe, &c. The Places, in which they were deliver'd, xenshea, parreia, &c. Some of which Names were alfo applied to other forts of Divination. Of all the forts of Divination, Oracles had always the greatest Repute, as being thought to proceed in a more immediate manner from the Gods; whereas others were deliver'd by Men, and had a greater Dependance on them, who might either out of Ignorance, Miftake, or out of Fear, Hopes, or other unlawful and bafe Ends, conceal, or be. tray the Truth; whereas, they thought the Gods, who were neither obnoxious to the Anger, nor ftood in need of the Rewards, nor car'd for the Promifes of Mortals, could not be prevail'd upon to do either of them. Upon this Account, Oracles obtain'd fo great Credit and Efteem, that in all Doubts and Difputes their Determinations were held facred and inviolable: Whence, as Strabo (a) reports, vaft numbers flock'd to them, to be refolv'd in all manner of Doubts, and ask Counfel about the management of their Affairs: infomuch, that no Business of great Confequence and Moment was undertaken, fcarce any Peace concluded, any War wag'd, any new Form of Government inftituted, or new Laws enacted, without the Advice and Approbation of an Oracle : Cræfus (b) before he durft venture to declare War against the Perfians, confulted not only all the most famous Oracles in Greece, but fent Ambaffadors as far as Libya to ask Advice of Jupiter Hammon, Minos, (c) the Grecian Law-giver, convers'd with Jupiter, and receiv'd Infructions from him, how he might new model his Government. Ly curgus alfo made frequent Vifits to the Delphian Apollo, and receiv'd from him that Plat-form, which afterwards he communicated to the Lacedemonians. Nor does it matter whether thefe things were really true or not, fince 'tis certain they were believ'd to be fo; for hence appears what great Efteem Oracles were in, at least amongst the Vulgar fort, when Law-givers, and Men of the greatest Authority were forc'd (a) Lib. XVI. (b) Herodot, lib. I. (c) Strabo loc. cit. to 263 to make use of these Methods to win them into Compliance. My Author goes yet higher, and tells us, that infpired Perfons were thought worthy of the greatest Honour and Trufts; infomuch that fometimes we find them advanc'd to the Throne, and invefted with Regal Power; for that being admitted to the Counfels of the Gods, they were beft able to provide for the Safety and Welfare of Mankind. This Reputation ftood the Priefts (who had their Dependance on the Oracles) in no fmall ftead; for finding their Credit thus thorowly eftablish'd, they allow'd no Man to confult their Gods, before he had offer'd coftly Sacrifices, and made rich Presents to them: Whereby it came to pafs, that few befide great and wealthy Men were admitted to ask their Advice, the reft being unable to defray the Charges required on that account; which contributed very much to raife the Efteem of Oracles among the common People: Men generally being apt to admire the things they are kept at fome distance from; and, on the other hand, to contemn what they are familiarly acquainted with. Wherefore to keep up their Efteem with the better fort, even they were only admitted upon a few stated Days; at other times neither the greatest Prince could purchase, nor Perfons of the greatest Quality any ways obtain an Anfwer. Alexander himself was peremptorily denied by the Pythia, till fhe was by down-right Force compell'd to af cend the Tripus, when finding her felf unable to refift any longer, fhe cry'd out Avian, Thou art invincible; which Words were thought a very lucky Omen, and accepted inftead of a further Oracle. As to the Caufes of Oracles, it has been difputed whether they were the Revelations of Damons, or only the Delufions of crafty Priests. Van Dale has wrote a large Treatife in Defence of the latter Opinion ; but his Arguments are not of fuch force but that they might without Ditficulty be refuted, if either my Defign requir'd, or Time permitted me to answer them. However that be, it was the common Opinion, that Jupiter was the first Cause of this and all other forts of Divination; 'twas He that had the Books of Fate, and out of them reveal'd either more or lefs, as he pleas'd, to inferior Damons; for which reafon he was firnam'd Пavougai, as Euftathius tells us in his Comment upon this verfe of Homer (a), Ενθα πανομφαίῳ Ζηνὶ ῥέζεσκον Αχαιοί. Then at the holy Fane To mighty Jove was the glad Victim slain, H. H. Of the other Gods Apollo was reputed to have the greatest Skill in making Predictions, and therefore it was one of his Offices to prefide over, and infpire all forts of Prophets, and Diviners; but this was only in fubordination to Jupiter, and by Converfe with, and Participation from him, as Afchylus (b) gives us to understand, when he faith, |