fuch alfo were the Eumolpide, who enjoy'd a Priesthood at Athens by Inheritance, being either defcended from King Eumolpus, or inftituted in Memory of him. The Ceryces, as Anthemio the Comedian in Athenaus (e) tells us, were the first that taught Men to boil their Victuals, as the Flesh of Sheep and Oxen, which before they devour'd raw. They were had in great Honour at Athens, infomuch that Athenæus endeavours to prove that the Trade of a Cook was a creditable Calling, from the Refpect paid to thefe Ceryces, who were Cooks at Sacrifices, and likewife feem to have perform'd those other holy Offices, which belong'd to the Kuguxes in other Places. Diodorus Siculus (ƒ) resembles them to the Egyptian Paftophori, and thinks they had their Original from them; indeed fome Parts of their Office were much alike, for both of them kill'd the Victim, and attended on their Sacrificers. Newxón91, call'd by Nicander Zanbeg(g), fo nam'd from xopev, which fignifies to keep neat and clean, or to adorn; for it was their Duty to adorn the Temples, and look after the Furniture of them; but they fubmitted not to fuch mean Offices, as the sweeping of them, as Suidas (b) would have it; but herein he contradicts Euripides (i), who brings in lon, the Newness, or Edituus of Apollo, telling Mercury, that he swept the Temple with a Becfom of Laurel. There were alfo Naoguanes, whofe Charge it was to take Care of the holy Utenfils, and fee that Nothing was wanting, and to repair what went to Decay, faith Ariftotle (k). Sometimes the Parafiti are faid to have been entrusted at Athens, that whatever they expended this Way fhould be repaid them. There were alfo other Priests, one of which Ariftophanes (1) callsПpóToxos, which is a general Name for any Servant, and therefore to reftrain it he adds 9, calling him powoλos des. These were Priefts waiting always on the Gods, whofe Prayers the People defired at Sacrifices, at which thefe feem to have perform'd fome other Rites diftinct from thofe which belong'd to the Ceryces; their Share in the Sacrifices was the Skin and Feet; the Tongues were the Fees of the Ceryces. Indeed, all that ferv'd the Gods were maintain'd by the Sacrifices, and other holy Offerings. To which there is an Allufion in Ariftophanes(m), where Cario thus fpeaks to the Priest: Οὐκῖν τὰ νομιζόμενα σὺ τελων λαμβάνεις; Why don't you take the Part allotted you by Law? Where the Scholiaft obferves, there was a Law, τὰ ὑπολειπόμμα τῆς θυσίας τὸν ἱερέαλαμβάνειν. That the Remains of Sacrifices fhould belong to the Priefts, and that these were deepala nana, the Skins and Feet. Which he has repeated in another Place("). Thus likewife Apollo in Homer (0) promises the Cretians, whom he had chofen to be his Priefts, that they should have a Maintenance out of the Sacrifices. Hereby, together with other Advantages, the Priests in the primitive Times feem generally to have (e) Lib. XIV. (f) Lib. I. (g) Alexipharm. (b) In voce Newxóp. (i) In Ione v. 121. (k) In Politic. (1) Pluto A&t. III. Scen. II. (m) Pluto A&. V. Scen. II. () In Vefpaf, (9) Hymno Apollinis, v. 535. grown grown rich: Whence Chryfes, in Homer(a), offers for the Redemption of his Daughter spesiarova, an infinite Price; and Dares, the Priest of Vulcan, is, by the fame Poet (b), said to have been a wealthy Man : Ην δὲ τις ἐν Τρώεσσι Δάρης, ἀφνειός, αμύμων, Ιρεύς Ηφαίτοιο These are the most general Orders of Priefts; others were appropriated to certain Gods, and sometimes certain Feafts, of which I shall have Occafion to speak hereafter, as likewife of those that attended the Oracles, and those who were any way concern'd in the Art of Divination. CHA P. IV. Of the Grecian Sacrifices, facred Prefents, and Tythes. IDYMUS, in his Annotations upon Pindar (c), reports, that one the Gods, and invented Religious Rites and Ceremonies, and that malthea and Melissa, 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 Use of (inapai Juoia) propitiatory Sacrifices to have firft begun by Chiron the Centaur (e). But paffing by thefe and the like fabulous Narrations, I fhall endeavour to defcribe the Customs in Ufe amongst the ancient Greeks at their folemn Sacrifices. In doing which, I fhall first 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 used at and after their Celebration. As to the Causes and Occafions of them, they seem to have been chiefly four. For Sacrifices were, 1. Eintala, or Xagisnpia, Vows, or free-will Offerings; fuch were those promised to the Gods before, and paid after a Victory: As alfo the Firft-fruits offer'd by Husbandmen after Harvest, 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. These are, by Suidas (f), call'd Ourian Swegpogixai, because they were Freegifts; and TOTλnsinal, because thereby they fulfill'd fome Vow made to the Gods; both which, being Effects of Gratitude, I have reduced under one Head. It may not be improper here to correct the Mistake of Saubertus(g), who takes euxlaua for antina, petitionary Sacrifices: Whereas the proper Meaning of eTalon is, according to Hefychius, To καλ ̓ εὐχὴν ἀποδιδόμενον, that which is paid to difcharge & Vow. (a) Iliad. d. 13. (b) Iliad, é. v. 9. (c) Cal. Rhod. lib. XII. cap. 1. (d) Clemens Alex. Protrept. p. 28. (e) Idem. Strom. I. p. 306. (ƒ) In voce Ouria. (g) Libre de Sacrificiis, P 2. Inasıxà, or fiannaxtınà, propitiatory Offerings, to avert the Anger of fome offended Deity. Such were all the Sacrifices ufed in Expiations. 3. AiTnTixà, petitionary Sacrifices, for Success in any Enterprize. So religious were the Heathens, that they would not undertake any Thing of Moment, without having first ask'd the Advice, and implored the Affiftance of the Gods by Sacrifices and Presents. 4. Ta drò parlelas, fuch as were impofed 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 (6) Herbs and Plants, pluck'd 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 moft other Nations, and particularly amongst the primitive Italians, of whofe Sacrifices Ovid has left us the following Defcription (i): Ante, Deos homini quod conciliare valeret, Qui poffet violas addere, dives erat. Some report, that Cecrops introduced the Cuftom of facrificing Qxen(); but Paufanias (1) making a Comparison between Cecrops and his Contemporary Lycaon, King of Arcadia, affirms, that whereas the latter of thefe facrificed a Child to Jupiter Lyceus, and polluted the holy Altar with human Blood; the former never facrificed any Thing endued with Life, but only the Cakes used in his own Country, and there call'd avor. 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 else 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 ufe living Creatures for Food (which the Ancients are faid to have thought altogether unlawful) but they also began to change their Sacrifices; it being always ufual for their own Feafts, and the Feafts (b) Cal. Rhod. lib. XII. cap. 1. (i) Faftor. lib. I. (k) Eufebius Chron. pag. 361. (1) Arcadicis. (m) Porphyr, de Abstinent. ab Animal. of of the Gods (fuch they thought the Sacrifices) to confift of the fame Materials. The folemnSacrifices confifted ofthefe threeThings,Σπονδὴ,Θυμίαμα, Offer to Jove with an untainted Mind, H. H. Till Where it may be observed, that tho' the more folemn Sacrifices confifted of all these three Parts, yet it was lawful to use some of them by themfelves. Whence Euftathius (0) 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 smaller Affairs of Life, they feem to have defired the Protection and Favour of the Gods, by Oblations of Incenfe, or Drink-offerings; whereas the more folemn Sacrifices were only used 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 observed, were furnished after the fame Manner with the Entertainments of Men. Hence, as Men delight in different Sorts of Diet, fo the Gods were thought to be pleased with several Sorts of Sacrifices. Some with human Victims, others with Beafts of various Kinds, others with Herbs only, and the Fruits of the Earth. All required Salt and Drink; whence there was scarce any Sacrifice without Salt, and an Oblation of Drink. And the latter of these was frequently offer'd without Victims, tho' Victims were rarely, if ever, facrificed without Oblations of Drink; it being the Custom of Men to drink without eating, but very feldom to eat a Meal without drinking, Evde, and Aeiße, amongst the Greeks, have the fame Signification as Hefychius and Phavorinus have obferv'd, and imply no more than to pour forth, which is also the proper Sense of the Latin Word li-. bare, faith Ifidorus (p) ; but because of their conftant Ufe at the Drinkofferings of the Gods, they came at length to be appropriated to them. The fame may be obferv'd of their Derivatives ovd, 201ßǹ, and libatio, which Words differ not at all from one another. The Matter in the oval was generally Wine. Of Wine there were two Sorts, the one tvarovov, the other ovdov; the former was fo call'd, because it was lawful, the latter, because it was unlawful to make Use of it (*) Epyx Hμép. v. 334. C,Cλ.ź. (0) Il. ά. p. 102. Edit. Bafil (p) Origin. 1. VI. c. 19. in these Libations; fuch they accounted all Wine mix'd with Water; whence angalov, i. e. pure and unmix'd Wine, is fo 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 Sorts of Wine. Pliny(q) also 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-press trodden with bloody and wounded Feet, or from a Vine unpruned, blafted, or that had a Man hang'd upon it. He speaks alfo of a certain Grape call'd Afpendia (r), whose Wine it was unlawful to offer upon the Altars. But tho' thefe Libations generally confifted of Wine, yet they were fometimes made of other Ingredients, and call'd Nnpários Ducía, and vnpe, from being fober. 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 likewise adds, that at Athens fuch Oblations were made to the Nymphs, to Venus Urania, Mnemosyne, the Morning, the Moon, and the Sun; and there feems to have been a particular Reason, why every one of these were honour'd with fuch Oblations. For Inftance, Euftathius (t) tells us, that Honey was offer'd 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 (4) fays, that thefe vedno uria were often performed to Bacchus, for no other Reason than that Men might not be always accustomed to strong and unmixed Wines. Paufanias affirms, that the Eleans never offer'd Wine to the Alva, i. e. Ceres and Proferpina nor at the Altar dedicated to all the Gods. To Pluto, instead of Wine, Oil was offer'd, as Virgil (w) witneffeth; and Homer (x) brings in Ulyffes telling Alcinous, that he had made an Oblation to the infernal Gods, in which he pour'd forth, first, Wine mixed with Honey, then pure Wine, and, after all, Water. His Words are these ; ἐγὼ δ ̓ ἄος ὀξὺ ερυσσάμΘ παρά μηρές Straight from my Side I drew my fharpen'd Blade, (9) Nat. Hift. lib, XIV. cap. 19. (*) Nat. Hift. lib. XIV. 18. Düstaı. (1) Odyff. x'. (~) Le fanitate. (w) Æn. VI, v. 154. (≈) H. H. |