According to Julius Pollux, when the veil was removed from the Bride, the Bridegroom presented her with an orgio, as a Græcian compliment. (1.2. c. 59. & 1. 3. c. 36.) N° XL. Verfe 1145. 'Αμαζόνων σκυλεύματ'. 1176. Which from the Amazonian spoils. THE History of the Amazons may be seen in Diodorus Siculus: He mentions in his third book, "that the most ancient Nation of this name inhabited Libya, and was extinct many generations prior to the Trojan War: But that, which lived about the river Thermodon, flourished just before: That Pofterity had confounded the actions of the former with thofe of the latter:" He then relates from the Hiftorian Dionyfius the inftitutions and conquests of these Amazonians of Africa; and at laft obferves, "that they were entirely destroyed by Hercules 3, when travelling into the Western parts, he erected the pillar in Libya: For this Hero, whose object it was to be an univerfal Benefactor to Mankind, thought it an infufferable thing for him to overlook any Nation, governed by Women." In his fecond book he treats of the Amazons near the river Thermodon, whose military policy and favage inftitutions are reprefented, as fimilar to the former; and confifted in inverting the order of nature in regard to the different occupations of Men and Women: I L. 3. c. 52. p. 220. vol. 1. ed. Weffe!. 4 2 See alfo Bryant's Anal, of Ant. Mythol. vol. 2. p. 66. "They "They mutilated the limbs of the former, and cut off the right breast of the latter; from which circumstance they are generally understood to derive their name." He adds, "That after many generations, the renown of these Amazons being extended over the whole globe, Hercules, Son of Jupiter and Alcmena, received the injunction of Euryftheus to procure the belt of their Queen Hippolyta : This he accomplished, and entirely enervated the whole force of the Nation; so that they became an easy prey to the Barbarians; and their name was at laft annihilated. Hence it appears, that, according to the exprefs teftimony of this Historian, Hercules was the Conqueror of both the Nations of these Amazons, who flourished in different ages and different countries: Unless therefore we attribute thefe events to dif ferent Heroes of the name of Hercules, one of these fabulous ftories, as proved by internal evidence, must be erroneous. Those near the river Thermodon are probably the Amazons here alluded to by the Poet; fince thefe are most frequently mentioned, as by Æfchylus in his Prometheus, and by Dionyfius in his description of the globe: And our Poet, in his Hercules Furens, evidently alludes to them, 7 O'er the black Euxine's hoarfe-refounding wave He fought the Amazonian hoft. (v.467.) An engraving of Hercules, in the act of divefting the Amazon of her girdle, may be seen in the Polymetis3: And in the defcription of the temple of Olympian Jupiter at Elis Paufanias men S L. 2. p. 157. 6 V.724 7 V. 774. See lfo the Comment of Euftathius on p. 156 & 157. ed. Hill, 1688. • Pl. 8. Fig. 10. 9 L. 5. c. 10. p. 400. tions, "that Hercules was there reprefented in a fimilar attitude." There is alfo in the first Volume of the Greek Antiquities by Grævius an engraving of the engagement of Hercules with the Amazon. N° XLI. Verfe 1150. Μελάμπεπλος δὲ Νύξ. 1183. Meanwhile the Night, robed in her fable stole. Thus Silius Italicus dreffes the Night, And Fulgentius, Nox atro circumdata corpus amictu (L. 15. v. 285.) Tum nox ftellato mundum circumlita peplo. (Auct. Myth. ed. Stav. 1. 1. p. 617.) Perhaps Milton, from this epithet in Euripides, borrowed his correfponding expreffion of "fable-vefted Night." But the exclamation of Shakespeare's Juliet has alfo a natural resemblance, Come, civil Night, Thou fober-fuited matron, all in black. (A. 3. f. 2.) Here we must acknowledge, that Genius was indebted to Nature, and not to Imitation. * Par. Loft. B. 2. v. 962. N° XLII. N° XLII. Ασείρωτον ζυγοῖς Verfe 1151. Ὄχημ' ἔπαλλεν· ἄφρα δ' ὡμάζει θέα. Her unrein'd Car advances; on her state 1185. The stars attend. 2 I Have proved in a preceding Note, that the quadriga, or chariot drawn by four horfes, was the poetical prerogative of the Sun; and have there mentioned, that the Goddess Night was only honoured with the humbler biga, or the car drawn by two horfes: To this I imagine Euripides here alludes under the expreffion of ασείρωζον ζυγοῖς, or her unrein'd car: But, in order to demonstrate it, we must analyze the term, and illuftrate the Græcian cuftom. Our Poet in his Iphigenia3 in Aulis has been very circumftantial as to the horses of the quadriga; for he tells us, that those in the middle were called ζύγιοι, and the extreme ones σειρα φόροι : The first of these words implies, that the two in the middle were yoked; but the latter imports, that the other two car-ried reins: Thus Julius Pollux correfponds with our Poet, and defines the expreffions in the fame manner, concluding that their reins are called regal. When Oreftes in the Pythian Games of Sophocles approaches the goal, he is de 3 On V. 82. p. 35. Τὰς μὲν μέσως ζυγίες, Τὰς δ ̓ ἔξω σιραφόρες. σειραὶ. 2 P. 37. (V. 223.) 4 4 Ων οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ τῷ ζυγῷ ζύγιοι· οἱ δὲ ἑκατέρωθεν, παρήωροι, καὶ παράσειροι, καὶ σειραφόροι, καὶ σειραῖοι, καὶ αἱ τόυτων ἡνιαι, σειραν. (1. 1. c. 10. p. 141. vol. 1. p. 97. ed. Hemiter.) 6 fcribed in his Electra, as flackening the extreme horse, or the σειραῖον ἵππον 5 : And #fchylus in his Agamemnon twice ufes the expreffion of σigao pópos in a metaphorical sense: In the first inftance, to exprefs a faithful and united Affociate, the King bestows this epithet on Ulyffes: Here the learned Stanley in his note remarks, "that in the quadriga to each horse, which was yoked, was added a σspoo popos, or a horse governed by reins only, funalis; and he adds, that this custom was inftituted by Clifthenes: For according to Ifidorus the chariots of the quadriga were formerly with a double pole; and the connected yoke was thrown over all the horses: But Clifthenes the Sicyonian was the first, that yoked only the middle ones; and to each of them applied on each fide by a fimple attachment, what the Greeks termed σagapópor, and the Latins funarii." In the other paffage of this play, where the word occurs, it is ufed with the negative particle' · το 5 V. 724. 6 Ζευχθεὶς ἔτοιμος ἦν ἐμοὶ σειρασφόρος. (V.851.) Yoked in his martial harness from my fide Swerv'd not. (Potter. Agam. vol. 2. p. 68.) The English Tranflator is here inaccurate; for the capac@ogos was never yoked, but only reined: Yet it is remarkable, that Stauley, notwithstanding his excellent explication, immediately fubfequent, has himself fallen inad vertently into this error: for he fays that Agamemnon by a metaphor extremely elegant calls Ulyffes his ougzopógov, as bearing with him for his part the yoke. 66 Agamemnon Ulyffem ougaopógov fibi effe dicit metaphorâ ele gantiffimâ, quafi pro fuâ parte jugum fecum ferentem: Etenim in quadrigâ utrique equo jugali Ci adjungebatur funalis çao Pógos; idque ex inftituto Clifthenis. Ifidorus, Quadrigarum vero currus duplici temone olim erant, perpetuoque & quod omnibus equis injiceretur jugo. Primus Clifthenes Sicyonius tantum medios jugavit, eifque fingulos ex utrâque parte fimplici vinculo applicuit, quos Græci opadóges Latini, funarios appellant." 7 Τον δε μὴ πειθάνορα Ζεύξω βαρείαις, ουτὶ μὴ σειρασφόρον, U |