is also call'd the Coptick Year is four whole months and three days before the Kalends of January which is the first day of the Roman Year The Persians count their Years as the Aegyptians do ever since Cambyses became Master of Aegypt For having ransack'd the Sepulchre of Simandius he found a Circle of 365 Cubits round every Cubit representing a day of the year which was graven and mark'd by the rising and setting of the fix'd Stars which made them fix their year to 365 days without mentioning the hours Quintus Curtius tells us that the Persians adore the Sun and have an holy Fire kindled by its Rays to be carry'd before their King who is follow'd by 365 young Lords cloath'd with yellow Robes to represent the 365 days of the Year The Arabians Saracens and Turks at this day reckon their Year by the Course of the Moon making it to consist of twelve Moons whereof some have thirty and some twenty nine days alternatively one after the other which make all together but 354 days so that the Duration of time being less than the Solar Year by about eleven days it follows that their Month Muharran which they count for their first place in the whole Course of the Solar Year which it precedes 11 days every year and more than a month in 3 years so that in less than thirty four years it runs through all the season of the Solar Year and returns to the Point from which it first began And since the exact time of the 12 Moons besides the 354 whole days is about 8 hours and 48 minutes which make 11 days in 30 years they are forc'd to add 11 days extraordinary in 30 years which they do by means of a Cycle of 30 years invented by the Arabians in which there are 19 years with 354 days only and 11 intercalary or Embolismical which have every one 355 days and these are they wherein the number of hours and minutes which are Surplus to the whole days in every year is found to be more than half a day such as 2 5 7 10 13 16 18 21 24 26 and 29 by which means they fill up all the Inequalities that can happen The Greeks consider the Motions of the Sun and Moon in their Year and as they suppos'd in antient times that the Moons Course was exactly 30 days they made their Year to consist of 12 Moons and by consequence of 360 days but quickly perceiving their error they took out 6 days to bring it to the Lunar Year of 354 days which being less than the Solar Year by 11 days they found it convenient for reconciling the Inequalities in the Motions of these two Luminaries to insert at the end of every second year an intercalary month of 22 days which they call'd upon that account 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est a Month added or inserted They understood afterwards that the 6 hours they had omitted which yet are a part of the time of the Solar Year above the 365 days and make one whole day in four years were the cause that their Year anticipated the true Solar Year one day at the end of four years which oblig'd them to change their Intercalation and put it off to the fourth year and then leaving only 354 days to the 3 first under the name of the Common Year they reckon'd 399 days to the fourth by the addition or intercalation of one month and an half consisting of 40 days arising from the 11 days by which every Solar Year exceeds the Lunar being four times counted and the day which arises from the adding of the six hours in four years And to render the Intercalation more remarkable they made a noble Consecration of it by instituting the Olympick Games in the time of Iphitas at which all Greece met together every fourth year and hence came the Computation of time by Olympiads every one of which consisted of four years and are so famous in History Nevertheless they found at last that this space of four years did not rectifie all the Irregularities that happen'd in the Courses of the Sun and Moon which oblig'd them to double 'em and make a Revolution of 8 years and because they were not hereby yet fully satisfy'd they introduc'd another of 11 years Notwithstanding this the Athenians did not receive such satisfaction as they hop'd for by this last Period of 11 years but they had still remain'd in a perpetual Confusion had not one of their Citizens nam'd Meto an Astronomer of very profound Judgment at last discover'd that all these different Changes which happen'd betwixt the two Motions of the Sun and Moon would be accommodated by a Period made up of the two former of 8 and 11 years i. e. in the space of 19 years after which those Stars return again to the same place where they were at first This Period of XIX Years of Meto was ordinarily call'd The Enneadecas eterais and was receiv'd with so great Applause among the Athenians that they would have it written in large Characters of Gold and set up in a publick Place which gave it the Name of the Golden Number and the use of it became common not only in Greece but also among the Jews who made use of it to regulate their years afterwards among the Romans and lastly among the Christians The Athenians began their Year at the New-Moon after the Summer Solstice in the Month call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. between the months of June and July All the Magistrates says Pluto must meet in the same Temple the day before the Kalends of the Summer Solstice when the New-year begins Some made their Year to consist only of three Months others of four as we read in Macrobius his first Book of his Saturnalia Chap. 12. The Carians and Acharnanians made their Year to consist of six months and Justin tells us That they reckon'd but fifteen days to their Month. The Romans had three sorts of Years 1. That of Romulus which contain'd but ten months beginning with March whence it comes that December is call'd the last Month. 2. Of Numa which corrected the gross Mistake of Romulus and added two months to the year viz. January and February making it to consist of 355 days only which makes 12 Lunar months 3. Of Julius Caesar who discovering a further Error in the Calculation viz. That there were ten days more than Numa reckon'd made a Year of 365 compleat days and reserving the six hours to the end of four years made a whole day of 'em which he inserted before the 6th of the Calends of March so that in that year they counted the 6th of the Calends twice Bis sexto Calendas whence came the word Bissextile and the year had 366 days and was call'd Bissextile And this way of computation has continued to our time and from its Author is named the Julian Year Now the 10 days which Caesar added to the year were thus distributed to
the Secrets of Nature and Pythagoras taught them a sort of Philosophy which he call'd Divine and is the same with the Talismans or Rings made under a certain Constellation The Gods of Samothrace were those who presided over the Talismans Tertullian mentions three Altars dedicated to three sorts of Deities Magnis Potentibus Valentibus and adds 'T is credible that these were the Gods of Samothrace who were potent for the Execution of difficult Designs and who presided over great Undertakings Varro calls them Divi Potentes and supposes 'em to be Heaven and Earth ANNUS the Year 'T is properly speaking that Time which the Sun takes in passing through the 12 Signs of the Zodiack After several Observations Astronomers having determin'd That the several Recesses of the Sun have certain Periods after which that Planet seems to return to the same Points in respect to us and much about the same time makes the same Alteratoins of Seasons and Temperature of the Air call'd the Year that Number of Days which the Sun is passing through those several differences of Distances and Recesses Those who observ'd these things with greater Exactness did first acknowledge That the Sun did run from East to West round the Earth in twenty four Hours by the swift Motion of the Primum Mobile or Highest Orb. Then they observ'd That the Sun besides this Motion which is common to all the Planets had another also proper to it self which was from West to East round the same Globe of Earth in the Ecliptick which cutting the Aequator obliquely rises on both sides towards the Poles as far as the Tropicks And lastly That the Sun running in one Year through the full Extent of this great Circle of the Ecliptick which they have divided into twelve Parts or Signs by its Motion causes two very different Seasons viz. Summer and Winter when it arrives at the Tropicks that is to say at the two Points of the Solstices and two other more temperate viz. Spring and Autumn when the Sun cuts the Aequator or the Aequinoctial The Year is call'd in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say Returning into it self whence it is that the Egyptians have represented the Year by a Serpent turning round and biting its Tail which made Virgil say in his Georgicks lib. 2. v. 402. Atque in se sua pervestigia volvitur annus The Year is either Natural which is otherwise call'd Tropical or Civil The Natural or Tropick Year is that exact Space of Time which the Sun takes in passing through the Ecliptick which is not always the same because of the Inequality of the Sun's Motion which seems to have been observ'd in the most antient Times by the Aegyptian Priests and Sacrificers to Jupiter Ammon by means of the different Quantity of Oyl which was burnt continually before the Statue of that God for measuring with all the exactness possible what they spent in the whole year they found that there was a considerable Difference between one Year and another and from thence infer'd that the Years were not exactly equal Astronomers have since by the Exactness of their Calculations and Observations proved that the Mechanical Conjecture of the Aegyptians for the Term of the Solar Year observ'd in the time of Hipparchus and Piolemy and about 750 years after by Albategnius was still found very different in the time of Alphonsus King of Castile which was about 400 years after and the Modern Discoveries that have been made from the most curious and diligent Observations have no Agreement with the Antients And as the Duration of the Solar Year which we have from Ptolemy's Observations is the greatest of all that in Albategnius the least so that in Alphonsus's time is in some sort a Mean between both but that of our time seems to come near the greatest Copernicus who liv'd about the end of the last Age but one took occasion to conjecture that these tho different Inequalities had their determin'd Periods and that in a certain Revolution of time they pass'd through all these Differences and then return'd to the same Posture they were in before He has found out by a laborious Computation that the Term of this Period is about 1716 years in which time the Solar year runs through all these several Changes But because it would be very hard to fix upon a Computation of Years according to such nice Differences which consist in some few Minutes for each year the Astronomers have for that reason made use of a mean Duration between the greater and the less which contains 365 days 15 hours and about 49 minutes The Civil Year which is commonly us'd by all Nations is very different both as to its Beginning and Duration which nevertheless may be refer'd to three different Heads for they either follow the Course of the Sun or of the Moon or of both The Hebrews had two sorts of Years the Secular or Natural Year and the Sacred or Ecclesiastical The Secular had respect to the Civil Government for buying and selling and began at the Autumnal Aequinox in the month called Tisri which answers to our September because they believed that God created the World at that time The Sacred Year had reference to their Religion and began at the Vernal Aequinox in the month called Nisan which answers to our April at which time they kept their Passover The Aegyptians Chaldaeans and Assyrians were the first that measur'd their Year by the Course of the Sun and they thought at first that the Solar Year had 360 days only which they divided into twelve months containing thirty days each at the end of which as we may conjecture by the Story which Plutarch relates concerning Rhea and Saturn Mercury added five days which he called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Added by which means the year became 365 days long without counting the six hours or thereabouts by which the Solar Year exceeds that number of days and which making one day in four years is the cause that Thot i. e. the Aegyptian year has no determin'd and fix'd place in any part of the Solar Year which it anticipates one day every four years and one month in 120 years running through its whole Course in the space of 1440 years after which it returns to the same point from which it first began This way of reckoning the Years has been a long time in use among the Aegyptians till after the defeat of Mark Anthony by Augustus at the Battel of Actium their Country was made a Province of the Roman Empire and they were forced to submit to the Laws of the Conquerours and their Computation of years which was the Julian keeping only the Names of the months which answer'd after such a manner to the Roman Months that their Thot the first day of the Year always happen'd upon the 29th of August whence it comes to pass that the first day of the Aegyptian Year which
Senate perceiving the Abuse which that Custom had brought in ordered that notwithstanding these Notices an Assembly summoned in due form should not desist from sitting This Sort of Augury which they called Augurium de Caelo or servare de Caelo was taken from extraordinary and sudden Signs which they observed in the Heaven Now among these Signs there were some called Bruta or Vana which soreshewed nothing others were called Fatidica which portended Good or Evil and of these last some were called Consiliara which happened when they were deliberating about any Affair and seemed to advise it others Auctoritativa or Authoritatis which came after the thing done and confirmed or approved it Lastly there were others called Postularia which obliged to repeat the Sacrifices and other Monitoria which admonished what to avoid All times and every Day of the Year were not proper to take Auguries Plutarch tells us that Metellus the Chief-Priest forbad to take Auguries after the Month of August because the Birds shed their Feathers at that time Or in any Month of the Year immediately after the Ides because the Moon then began to decrease or on any Day after Noon The Place on which an Augary was taken was a rising Ground and for that Reason was called Templum Arx or Auguraculum according to Festus There was a Field set apart for it a little distance from Rome called Ager effatns as Servins upon Virgil observes When all things were fitly disposed to take an Augury and after all Ceremonies were performed the Augur entred into his Tent or Pavilion cloathed with his Augural Robe called Laena or Trabea holding in his right Hand his Augural Staff called Lituus crooked at the top much like a Bishops or Abbots Crosier where being ser down he casts his Eyes round him and divides the Heaven into Four Parts with his Staff drawing a Line from the East named Antica to the West named Postica and another Cross it from South to North called Dextra and Sinistra This Ceremony being performed he sacrificed to the Gods making this Prayer to them as it is related to us by Livy at the Election of Numa Jupiter Pater si est fas hunc Numam Pompilium cujus ego caput teneo Regem Romae esse ut tua signa nobis certa clara sint inter eos fines quos feci This Prayer being made the Augur returned to his Seat and â—ooked about very attentively to observe from what Part and in what manner the Sign from Heaven appeared There was a deep Silence for that time every one joining his Prayers and Vows to the Prayers and Vows of the Augur This shews us the meaning of that Latin Expression sedere Augurem which is as much as to say to attend the Augury or some sign from Heaven to know the Will of the Gods about any undertaking When he saw any Lightning appear or heard any Clap of Thunder from the left Side that was taken for a favourable Presage as Virgil teaches us Audiit Coeli genitor departe serenâ Intonuit Laevum Aeneid lib. IX v. 630. Donatus explaining these Verses assures us that what they heard from the left side came from the right of the Gods Quia sacrificant is Latus laevum dextrum est ejus qui postulata largitur If there appeared nothing but a Wind they took notice from what Quarter it came supposing that the Winds were the Messengers of the Gods which discovered their Will to Men as Statius teaches us c. Ventisque aut alite visa Bellorum proferre diem Which is confirmed by Luctatius who tells us that the Augurs knew future things by the blowing of the Wind. Solent Augures ventorum flatibus futura cognoscere When the Augur had received some favourable Presages he came down from the Place on which he stood and declared it to the People in these Words Id aves addicunt the Gods approve it the contrary is id aves abdicunt the Gods disallow it They observed that the Gods confirmed a Presage by some new Sign as Virgil makes Aeneas speak to Anchises Da deinde auxilium Pater atque haec omnia firma Aeneid Lib. II. v. 691. All that we have said about taking Auguries from the Signs of Heaven is likewise practised in the Auguries taken from the chirping or flight of Birds The Augur distinguishes with his Augural Staff the Regions of the Heaven and Earth in which compass he intends to take an Augury having first made a Prayer to the Gods This Augury is called Oscinum and they that take it Oscines The different manner of the flying of Birds makes them sometimes be called Sinistrae an ill Omen sometimes Funebres or Arculae Fatal and which prohibit any Action sometimes Deviae which shew a Difficulty in the Execution sometimes Romores which hinder it and sometime Inebrae which betoken some Impediment and lastly sometimes Alterae when a second Presage destroys the first The Ancients were so much addicted to these Superstitions that they never would undertake any thing without taking a sign from the Birds In the great Affairs of the Common-wealth they consulted the Signs of the Heavens in those of Wars the chattering and flight of Birds and their manner of eating their Meat and for that end they fed Poultry in Coops which they called holy Pullen and which they fetched commonly from the Island of Eubaea and he that had the keeping of these Poultry was called Pullarius saith Cicero The Consul gave him Notice who had the Care of this Poultry to get all things ready to take the sign then he flung Corn to the Poultry if they eat it greedily moving fast with their Feet and crowding about this was a favourable Omen but if on the contrary they refused to eat or drink it was an unfortunat Sign This is the Form which they used in taking a Sign They always consulted some skilful Persons in those sorts of Divinations Quinte Fabi te volo mihi in Auspicio esse or in Auspicium adhibere dicito si silentium esse videtur Quintus Fabius I desire that you would assist me in taking a Sign tell me if all the Ceremonies used in the like Case have been exactly observed and if the Sign be not defective He answered Silentium esse videtur nothing is wanting DICITO si pascuntur Aves quae aut ubi Attulit in cavea pullos Pullarius Tell me whether the Birds eat or no They eat and the Poultry keeper hath brought the Pullen into the Coop The Veneration for Auguries was so strongly imprinted on the Minds of the Romans that they looked upon them as Impious Persons who contemned or derided them attributing the Misfortunes which happened to Claudius Pulcher to the Anger of the Gods who seeing that the Poultry would not eat threw them into the Sea saying in Raillery They 'l drink at least if they will not eat There was a College of 300 Augurs at Lyons AUGUSTUS Octavius Caesar surnamed
Justice to him that the Senate decreed that in grateful Acknowledgment a Temple should be built to Clemency his Device was Veni Vidi Vici i. e. I came I saw I conquered CAESAR OCTAVIUS surnam'd Augustus the Nephew of Julius and adopted by him His Stature was tall and proper he had a comely Face a sweet and modest Look a Nose gently rising near the Forehead his Hair somewhat curâ—'d He succeeded Julius Caesar and was Heir to his Name as well as his Vertues and happily finish'd those Designs of Monarchy the other had laid He reveng'd his Death upon his Murderers who died all a violent Death and some of them by the same Dagger wherewith they had assassinated him This Prince had a generous Soul and a charming and insinuating Wit He was prudent and brave without Ostentation His Eye-brows joining over his Nose according to some Physiognomists signified his Inclination to Vertue others thought that this was a Sign of his Inclination to Study because it denotes Melancholy and there must be a little of that or Study He was a Lover of Learning and had a pleasant Way of Writing both in Prose and Verse from whence it was that in his Time there were such able Men as Virgil Horace and Mecanas The Teeth of this Prince being small and thin set according to Suetonius progâ—osticated short Life in the Judgment of Hippocrates and some Physicians But perhaps his Sobriety made amends for this Defect since he liv'd to 76 Years of Age although he was often troubled with Rheum the Seâ—â—tica the Gout and Gravel Suetonius also remarks that he commonly fell sick about his Birth-day See Auguâ—lus CAESTUS a large Gantlet made of a raw Hide adorned with Lead which the ancient Wrestlers made use of when they fought at Fifty-cuffs in the publick Games Calepin is mistaken when he says that it was a kind of Club for it was only a Strap of Leather strengthned with Lead or Plates of Iron wherewith after the Manner of Chains lying a-cross they encompass'd the Hand and also the Wrist and part of the Arm to guard them from Blows left they should be broken or dislocated by them CAESTUS or CESTUM a Girdle which the Poets and Painters have given to Venus and Juno Thus Pallas in Lucian advises Paris to take away Venus's Girdle that he might the better judge of the Beauty of the Three Goddesses because adds she Venus is a Magician who keeps some Charm conceal'd within her Girdle This Word comes from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Girdle or any other Work embroider'd with the Needle which was commonly were by Women It was a large Strap which serv'd for a Girdle made of Wool and which the Husband untied for his Spouse the first Day of their Marriage before they went to Bed as we learn from Homer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Ovid Castáque fallaci zona recincta manu And this relates to the Girdle of Venus which Juno borrow'd of her to entice Jupiter to Love for this Girdle says Homer B. 14. Of the Iliads contains the Passion Wishes and Charms by which Venus unites the Hearts of new-married People which made Martial say Vt Martis revocetur amor summique Tonantis A te Juno petat ceston ipsa Venus Lib. 6. Epig. 13. Some Authors say that this Caestus of Venus was a little â—illet or Diadem wherewith the Heads of Deities were encompass'd which had a Point in the middle CAEYX King of Taracinia the Son of Lucifer or the Morning-Star and Husband of Alcione who going to consult the Oracle about the Government of his Kingdom was Shipwreck'd at Sea which so sensibly touch'd his Wife that for Grief she threw her self Head-long into the Sea But the Gods having Compassion on them chang'd them both into Birds call'd Haleyons i. e. Kingsfishers who make the Sea calm when they harth their young ones in the Sea-rushes during the sharpest Storms of Winter Lucian in his Dialogue entituled Alcyon relates the Fable after another manner for he introduces Socrates speaking thus to Cherephon whose pleasant Sound had struck his Ear from the other side of the River 'T is Alcyon says Socrates to him who is so much exâ—oll'd of whom this Fable is told That the Daughter of Eolus having left the brave Caeyx her Husband the Son of the Morning-star wasted her self with fruitless Complaints until the Gods mov'd with Compassion chang'd her into a Bird which still searches on the Waters for him whom she cannot meet with upon Earth And to recompense her Love while she makes her Nest and hatches her Young the Winds are still and the Sea is calm even in the sharpest Weather of Winter And so to this Day these fine Days are call'd from her Name Halcyon-Days CAIUS or GAIUS a Surname given to many illustrious Romans upon the Account of the Joy their Parent felt at their Birth à gaudio parentum CAIUS surnam'd Octavius the Father of the Emperor Augustus who defeated the Fugitive Slaves and destroy'd those that remain'd of Catiline's Conspiracy CAIUS MEMMIUS a Curule Edile who first celebrated the Feast Cerealia or the Festival of Ceres as appears by this Motto Memmius aedilis Cerealia primus fecit CALABRA CURIA the Calabrian Court built by Romulus upon Mount Palatine near his own Habitation according to Varro or according to others near the Capitol in the Place where the Magazine of Salt now is It was call'd Calabra from the Latin Word Calare which signifies to call together because Romulus design'd this Place for the general Assemblies of the People but since that time the Rex sacrorum summons the Senate and People to meet there to give them Notice of the Days for Games and Sacrifices You may consult Macrobius about this Word Lib. 1. Saturnal and Festus CALANTICA a Kerchief the ancient Head-dress of the Roman Women CALARE from the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Voco signifies to call together or assemble the People from whence comes the Word Calendae which is as much as to say the first Day of each Month because he who presided at the Sacrifices assembled the People in the Capitol after he had observ'd the New Moon to signifie to them the Feasts and Games of that Month. CALATA COMITIA an Assembly of the People who were call'd together for the Election and Consecration of Priests and for Wills which were made in the most ancient Times of the Commonwealth in the Presence of the People as Theophilus says in Book 2. Instit See Comitia CALCEAMENTUM the Shoe of the Ancients which was different from ours both in Matter and Form It was made at first of a raw Hide with all the Hair on which they call'd Carbatinas crepidas But in succeeding Times the Hides were prepared curried and steep'd in Allom-water Shooes were made of the Skins of Cows Calves Deer Goats c. from whence comes the Raillery used by Martial of one who had a
except at some religious Solemnity or in the Time of some publick Calamity for we learn from History that when the great Mother of the Gods was wash'd the People went in Procession barefooted and that the Roman Dames put off their Shoes at the Sacrifices of Vesta Tertullian relates that the Pagan Priests very often order'd Processions to be made barefooted in a Time of Drought Cùm tupet caelum aret annus nudipedalia denuntiantur The principal Roman Knights at the Death of Julius Caesar gathered up his Ashes and being clad in white Tunicks they walked barefoot to signifie at once both their Respect and Sorrow Lycurgus and the Lacedemonian young Men went always barefoot and the Aetolians and Hernicians a People of Italy had one Foot shod and the other naked as also the Magicians in their Magical Mysteries Virgil and Ovid tell us Vnum exuta pedem vinclis 4. Aeneid Horace speaking of Canidia that famous Magician acquaints us that she went barefooted Pedibus nudis passoque capillo CALCULUS this Latin Word signifies a Stone because the Ancients made use of little Flint-stones instead of Counters for reckoning up any Sums whether multiplied or divided in their Computations either in Astronomy or Geometry The Kings of Lacedemonia gave their Suffrages with Two small Stones and the Romans marked their fortunate Days with a white Stone and unfortunate with a black Stone Albo aut nigro notanda lapilio CALENDAE the Calends The Romans called the first Day of each Month by this Word which comes from the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voco because reckoning their Months by the Moon there was a Priest appointed to observe the New Moon who having seen it immediately gave notice to him who presided over the Sacrifices and he presently called the People together in the Capitol and declared unto them how they must reckon the Days until the Nones pronouncing Five times this Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they happen'd on the Fifth Day or Seven times if they happen'd on the Seventh Day These Calends or first Day of each Month were consecrated to Juno upon which Account she was surnam'd Calendaris Juno The Greeks had no Calends as the Romans had and therefore when one would signifie a Time that should never happen they made use of that Expression ad Graecas Calendas i. e. at latter Lammas or never Augustus was the first who brought this way of Speaking into Fashion as Suetonius relates upon the Occasion of certain Debtors who were become insolvent Cùm aliquis nunquam exsoluturos significare vult ad Calendas Graecas soluturos ait Instead of the Name of Calends the Geeeks made use of the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. the Day of the New Moon which was the same thing with the Calends among the Romans as this Passage of Plutarch in the Life of Galba plainly proves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Calends of January were more considerable than the Calends of the other Months because they were particularly consecrated to Juno and the God Janus upon which Account the Romans then never fail'd to offer Vows and Sacrifices to these Two Deities and the People being clad in new Gowns went in Crouds to the Tarpeian Mount where Janus had an Altar Although the Calends of January was a Festival Day for them yet they did not fail then to begin any new Work every Man according to his Profession that they might never be idle the rest of the Year having begun it with Working The Magistrates entered upon their Office on this Day and Feasts were kept everywhere and Presents exchang'd between them in Token of Friendship The Feasts of the Calends says Matthew Balastris was kept on the first Day of January and there was great Rejoycing because the New Moon happen'd on that Day and it was commonly believ'd that if they diverted themselves well at the Beginning they should pass the whole Year the more merrily This Day brought no Sorrow to any but only to Debtors who were oblig'd to pay their Interest and Arrears upon which Account Horace calls them tristes Calendas CALENDARIUM a Calendar an Almanack which contains the Order of the Days Weeks and Months and shews the Festivals which happen during the Year The Roman People at first had no Calendar for it was only in the Hands of the Priests from whom they learned the Festivals and the other Solemnities of a civil Life They took great care to write down in it every Thing that happened each Year and marked moreover the Days on which there were Pleadings and on which there were none And therefore this Calendar was called Fastus or in the Plural Number Fasti and also Annales publici because in it were set down the most considerable Actions of the Great Men of the Commonwealth And from hence come these ordinary Forms of Speech Conscribere nomina fastis or Referre in fastos in annales publicos i. e. to transmit your Memory to Posterity Cn. Flavius Secretary to Appius Clandius gave the People a Calendar in Despite of the Priests and Senate Romulus was the first who divided Time by certain Marks to serve for the Use of the People that were subject to him and being much more skilful in Military Affairs than in Astronomy he made the Year commence with the Spring and gave it only Ten Months whereof the first was the Month of March and next after that was April May June Quintilis Sextilis September October November December He gave 31 Days to each of these Four Months March May Quintilis and October and only 30 to each of the other Six so that they made altogether 304 Days which was that Duration of Time wherein as he imagin'd the Sun run through all the differed Seasons of the Year as may be seen in the following Calender But as to the Division of Months into Calends Nones and Ides and the Manner of reckoning their Days see hereafter the Seventh Paragraph before the Calendar of Julius Caesar The CALENDAR of Romulus containing 10 MONTHS and consisting of 304 DAYS March April May. June Quintilis Sextilis September October November December 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 1. Kalend. 2. VI 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. IV 3. V 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. III 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. Prid. 5. III 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. Non. 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. VIII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. VII 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VL 8. VI 9. VII 9.
Kalend. 2. IV 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. IV 2. VI 2. IV 2. IV 3. III 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. III 3. V 3. III 3. III 4. Prid. 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. Prid. 4. IV 4. Prid. 4. Prid. 5. Non. 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. Non. 5. III 5. Non. 5. Non. 6. VIII 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. VIII 6. Prid. 6. VIII 6. VIII 7. VII 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. VII 7. Non. 7. VII 7. VII 8. VI 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VI 8. VIII 8. VI 8. VI 9. V 9. V 9. VII 9. V 9. VII 9. V 9. VII 9. V 9. V 9. VII 9. V 9. V 10. IV 10. IV 10. VI 10. IV 10. VI 10. IV. 10. VI 10. IV 10. IV 10. VI 10. IV 10. IV 11. III 11. III 11. V 11. III 11. V 11. III. 11. V 11. III 11. III 11. V 11. III 11. III 12. Prid. 12. Prid. 12. IV 12. Prid. 12. IV 12. Prid. 12. IV 12. Prid. 12. Prid. 12. IV 12. Prid. 12. Prid. 13. Id. 13. Id. 13. III 13. Id. 13. III 13. Id. 13. III 13. Id. 13. Id. 13. III 13. Id. 13. Id. 14. XVII 14. XVI 14. Prid. 14. XVII 14. Prid. 14. XVII 14. Prid. 14. XVII 14. XVII 14. Prid. 14. XVII 14. XVII 15. XVI 15. XV 15. Id. 15. XVI 15. Id. 15. XVI 15. Id. 15. XVI 15. XVI 15. Id. 15. XVI 15. XVI 16. XV 16. XIV 16. XVII 16. XV 16. XVII 16. XV 16. XVII 16. XV 16. XV 16. XVII 16. XV 16. XV 17. XIV 17. XIII 17. XVI 17. XIV 17. XVI 17. XIV 17. XVI 17. XIV 17. XIV 17. XVI 17. XIV 17. XIV 18. XIII 18. XII 18. XV 18. XIII 18. XV 18. XIII 18. XV 18. XIII 18. XIII 18. XV 18. XIII 18. XIII 19. XII 19. XI 19. XIV 19. XII 19. XIV 19. XII 19. XIV 19. XII 19. XII 19. XIV 19. XII 19. XII 20. XI 20. X 20. XIII 20. XI 20. XIII 20. XI 20. XIII 20. XI 20. XI 20. XIII 20. XI 20. XI 21. X 21. IX 21. XII 21. X 21. XII 21. X 21. XII 21. X 21. X 21. XII 21. X 21. X 22. IX 22. VIII 22. XI 22. IX 22. XI 22. IX 22. XI 22. IX 22. IX 22. XI 22. IX 22. IX 23. VIII 23. VII 23. X 23. VIII 23. X 23. VIII 23. X 23. VIII 23. VIII 23. X 23. VIII 23. VIII 24. VII 24. VI 24. IX 24. VII 24. IX 24. VII 24. IX 24. VII 24. VII 24. IX 24. VII 24. VII 25. VI 25. V 25. VIII 25. VI 25. VIII 25. VI 25. VIII 25. VI 25. VI 25. VIII 25. VI 25. VI 26. V 26. IV 26. VII 26. V 26. VII 26. V 26. VII 26. V 26. V 26. VII 26. V 26. V 27. IV 27. III 27. VI 27. IV 27. VI 27. IV 27. VI 27. IV 27. IV 27. VI 27. IV 27. IV 28. III 28. Prid. 28. V 28. III 28. V 28. III 28. V 28. III 28. III 28. V 28. III 28. III 29. Prid. Â Â 29. IV 29. Prid. 29. IV. 29. Prid. 29. IV 29. Prid. 29. Prid. 29. IV 29. Prid. 29. Prid. Â Â Â Â 30. III Â Â 30. III Â Â 30. III Â Â Â Â 30. III Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 31. Prid. Â Â 31. Prid. Â Â 31. Prid. Â Â Â Â 31. Prid. Â Â Â Â And to add the greater Weight and Authority to this Law he appointed the High-priests to put it in Execution and enjoyn'd them to signifie to the People the Time and Manner in which this Intercalation of extraordinary Days must be made But these Priests either thro' Ignorance or Malice brought the Account of Time and other Matters depending upon it into so great Confusion that the Festivals happen'd at such Seasons as were directly opposite to the Times of their Institution and the Feasts of Autumn fell out in the Spring and those of Harvest in the Middle of Winter This Disorder came to so great a Height that when Julius Caesar was Dictator and High-priest after the Battle of Pharsalia he thought the Reformation of the Calendar to be a Thing well worthy of his Care and necessary for the good Government of the Empire And for this purpose he fetch'd one Sosigenes from Alexandria who was esteemed the best Astronomer of that Time and he by the Order of the Emperor after he had several times corrected it himself declared that the Destribution of Time in the Calendar could never be settled as certain and unalterable unless a principal Regard was had to the Annual Course of the Sun and that it was necessary for the Future by a Method contrary to that which had been hitherto practised to adjust the Lunar Year by the Motion of the Sun rather than accommodate the Course of the Sun to the unequal Laws of the Moon 's Motion And because it passed then for a thing certain among A stronomers that the Annual Period of the Sun's Course was predsely 365 Days and Six Hours therefore he resolved to give the whole Time of 365 Days to the Year in his Calendar reserving the Six Hours to the End of Four Years when they made a whole Day which he then added to the rest by way of Intercalation so that this Year did not consist of 365 Days as the other Years did which he called common but of 366 Days And since according to the Institution of Numa Pompilius the Intercalation of the Month Merâ—edonius was made towards the End of February the same Sosigenes by order of the Emperor used the same Time for the Intercalation of this Day which happened to fall out on that Day which they called Regifugium because the Romans in ancient Times had drove their Kings out of Rome on that Day and on the Day which follows another Festival called Terminalia i. e. on the 24th Day of February or to speak in the Language of the Romans on the Sixth of the Calends of March and because this Day was called the second Sixth of the Calends which in Latin is Bissâ—xius therefore the Year in which this Intercalation was made was called Bissextile or Intercalary He chang'd nothing in the Order nor Names of the Months nor yet in the Number of Days in these Four viz. March May Quintil is and October which had each 31 Days in Numa's Calendar but to make room for the Ten Days whereby the Solar Year exceeded that of Numa he added Two Days to each of these Three Months January Sextilis and December which had only 29 Days before and so he made them equal to the other Months which had 31 but he added only
opinion of some Writers was the same as Osiris the Father of Harpocrates Others represent him with a glittering head some have dress'd him in a Gown which hangs down to the heels carrying on his Head a branch of a Peach-tree which was a Tree consecrated to Harpocrates because the Fruit thereof resembles the Heart and its Leaves are like the Tongue as Plutarch has observed whereby old Writers signified the perfect correspondency that should be between the Tongue and the Heart Some others figure him with a particular Ornament on his Head having the badges of Harpocrates Cupid and Esculapius for he holds his Finger on his Mouth he carries Wings and a Quiver with Arrows and a Serpent twisted about a stick The union of Harpocrates with Cupid shews that Love must be secret and the union of Harpocrates with Aesculapius gives us to understand that a Physician must be discreet and not discover the secrets of his Patient The Pythagoreans made a Virtue of silence and the Romans a Goddess called Tacita as 't is related by Plutarch HARPIAE The Harpyes fabulous Birds only mentioned by Poets who describe them with the face of a Virgin and the rest of the body a Bird with crooked feet and hands Virgil's description of them runs thus in the third Book of his Aeneid v. 213. Quas dira Celaeno Harpyae colunt aliae ....... Tristius haud illis monstrum nec saevior ulla Pestis ira Deûm Stygüs sese extulit undis Virginei volucrum vultus foedissima ventris Proluvies uncaeque manus pallida semper Ora fame The truth of the Story is that Phineus King of Paeonia having lost his sight and his Sons being dead the Harpyes his Daughters were spending his Estate till Zethes and Calais his Neighbours Sons of Bordas drove these Ladies out of the City and re-establish'd Phineus in possession of his Estate HASTA signifies all kind of offensive Arms that have a long staff or handle as Pike Spear Javelin c. 'T was said in the Roman Law Hastae subjicere to signify thereby to confiscate or to sell by publick sale and sub hastâ venire to be sold by Auction for Romulus had order'd that this Pole should be set before the place where the confiscated Goods were sold HASTA PURA A Half-pike without Iron at the end us'd for a Scepter and a badge of Authority and not a Pike armed with Iron used in the war HEBDOMADA A Week the numof seven days Four Weeks make up a Month because of the four chief and more apparent Phasis of the changes of the Moon And as these four changes of the Moon are in a manner the space of seven days one from another 't is very likely that from thence the first Egyptians and Assyrians have taken occasion to divide time by intervals of seven days which therefore were called Weeks As for the Hebrews their way of reckoning the time by weeks has a most august Origine and the Law commanded them to forbear from all kind of work the seventh day to imprint in their memory the great Mystery of the Creation of the World in which God had wrought during six days and rested the seventh whereupon it was called the Sabbath-day which in their Language signifies a day of rest The other days took their name from that day for the following day was called by the Jews prima Sabbati the first day of the Sabbath the next day the second of the Sabbath then the third and fourth c. till the sixth called otherwise Parasceve which signifies the day of preparation for the Sabbath This way of reckoning by Weeks was properly speaking used only by the Eastern Nations for the Greeks reckoned their days from ten to ten or by decads dividing each month in three parts the first part was reckoned from the beginning of the Month the second was the middle of the Month and the third was the rest of the Month from the middle to the end thereof And thus the Romans besides the division of the Month by Kalends Nones and Ides made use also of a political distribution of a series of eight days distributed from the beginning of the year to the end thereof The names of the days of the week used by the Primitive Christians were founded on a more holy principle viz. the resurrection of our Lord which has given the name of Dominica or the Lord's-day to the day called the Sabbath by the Jews And because they to shew their joy in the celebration of the Feast of Easter i. e. of the Resurrection were used to keep the whole week holy resting from all servile work which is called in Latin Periani therefore they called the day following immediately after the Holy Sunday Prima Feria and the second day Secunda Feria the third day Tertia Feria and so forth and from thence the days of all the weeks were afterwards improperly called Foriae in practice of the Church The Origine of the names commonly given to the days of the week being names of Divinities ador'd by superstitious Antiquity comes from a more remote principle for 't is likely that these names passed from the Assyrians to the Greeks and from the Greeks to the Christians And we may reasonably presume that the Chaldeans who were esteemed the first Men who addicted themselves to study Astronomy have also given the name of their Gods to the Planets or at least the same names which they have afterwards ascribed to the Gods whom they ador'd and that they might give more authority to that art which they profess and by which they foretold things to come by the observation of the Stars They attempted to ascribe them an absolute Empire over the nature of Men allowing to each of them several Offices and Employments to dispense good and evil and that lest that dreadful power which they ascribed to them should be kept in the only extent of their spheres they had very much enlarg'd the bounds of their Dominions submitting to them not only the several parts of the Earth and the Elements not only the Fortunes Inclination and Secrets of the most close Men overthrow of States Plagues Deluges and a thousand other things of that nature but endeavoured also to set them up for the absolute Masters of time allowing a Planet to preside over each year another to each month to each week each day each hour and perhaps to each moment From thence each day of the week has took the name of the Planet ruling over it and Monday which is in Latin dies Luna i. e. the day of the Moon was so called because the Moon presides that day dies Martis i. e. the day of Mars which was under the direction of Mars dies Mercurii ruled by Mercury dies Jovis under the conduct of Jupiter dies Veneris under the direction of Venus dies Saturni under that of Saturn dies Solis ruled by the Sun 'T is true that the order that the Planets
Kings of Egypt And this shews us that Men pass'd from the worship of the true God to that of the Stars and Nature as seeming to be his most perfect Images then they came to worship Animals as emblems of the Stars and when Carving was found our they substituted the figures of Animals instead of the Animals themselves but came to the worship of Men and Images thereof but very lately In fine Herodotus-speaking of the Scythians Religion having mentioned the Earth Jupiter Venus Apollo Mars he tell us that this worship was perform'd without either Altars or Temples or Statues only they erected a kind of a Statue to Mars which was only a Sword of Steel And the Scythians had only an Idol of Mars but none of other Gods because the Idol of Mars was but a Sword and this warlike Nation was not ignorant of the art of making Swords but being Barbarians they had no skill to carve true Statues Justin affirms that Antiquity ador'd Spears instead of Statues and that in remembrance of that practice the Gods were always represented in their Statues with Spears But if the Scythians represented Mars by a Sword the other Nations represented commonly their Gods by Stones Pausanias reports that in a place of Greece near a Statue of Mercury there was thirty square stones called by the name of several Gods Then this Another tells us that formerly all the whole Nation of Greeks used unpolished Stone instead of Statues to represent their Gods for the art of melting Metals came very late to the Greeks and other remote Nations Wherefore at first they used Stones without form for Idols then they polished Stones and made Figures of them at last the art of melting Metals was found out and then they made Statues thereof In short we learn of this Author that the Inhabitants of Chaeronea had a very particular veneration for a Scepter or Spear that Vulcan had forg'd for Jupiter as it is reported by Homer Straba tells us that Moses blamed the custom of the Egyptians who represented their Gods by the figures of Beasts and condemned the Greeks who ascrib'd them the figure of Men shewing that the Divine Nature can't be represented by corporal Images but that they should build him a Temple without Idols The Author of the Dea Syria says plainly that the ancient Temples of the Egyptians had no Statues that the first Statues were of their invention and that they had communicated all this superstitions policy to the Syrians and the Greeks He adds still that it was not allowed to make any Statue either of the Son or the Moon because they may always be seen in the brightness of their own light Plutarch assures us that Numa settled Religion at Rome upon the same Maxims that were afterwards put forth by Pythagoras viz. that God was invisible and immaterial that it was impossible to represent him by any Image and for that reason the Temples of the City of Rome were one hundred and therescore years and more without any Statues Varro the most learned of the Romans tells us that the ancient Romans ador'd the Gods near two hundred years without making any Images to them And if this says he was still observ'd the Service of the Gods would be more pure and brings the example of the Jews and says that those who first taught Men to represent the Gods by Images have taken away reverence and increased error fancying that it was easie to be inclined to despise the Gods by the consideration of the impotency of their Statues IDUS The Ides a word used by the Romans in their Calendar to distinguish the days of the Month. They commonly fell out the 13 of every month except in the months of March May July and October for in these the Ides were the 15th of the Month. This word is said to be derived from the Hetrurian word Iduare i e. to divide because the Month is in a manner equally divided in two parts by the Ides and that the Nones were perhaps called from Nono Idus the ninth of the Ides because they were in the room of the ninth of the Ides Some others observing that there were three considerable different varieties in the motion of the Moon the first when she is quite hid under the beams of the Sun the second at the first day of her appearing when we see her in an Evening with her Hornâ—â— proceeding out of his Rays and the third when she is in her full light The common opinion was that from thence Romulus had took occasion to divide the days of the months which he began always by the Calends in the time that the Moon sub radiiâ— Solis celaretur was hid under the beams of the Sun and then gave the name of Nonae or Nevae Lunae to the day of the first appearing of the new Moon and Idus when she was full and appeared in her beauty from the Greâ—â— word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. from Beauty From thence they draw an Argument for the inequality of the days of the Nones for as it falls out by the composition of the motions of the Sun and the Moon that the Moon comes out of the beams of the Sun sometimes sooner and sometimes later and that this diversity is commonly included in the space of two days 't is likely say they that in the time that Romulus instituted his Calendar the Moon was kept a longer time hid under the beams of the Sun in the month of March May July and October wherefore he allowed seven days to the Nones in these four Months and five days only to the others during which it may be the Moon got off from these beams and appear'd sooner Others draw the word Idus from Idalium which was the name of the Victim offered to Jupiter the day of the Ides that was consecrated to him Some derive this word from the Tuscan word Itis which signifies amongst that Nation the same that Idus amongst the Romans IGNIS Fire The Chronicle of Alexandria assures us that Nimred who was Ninus the first King of the Assyrians ordain'd the worship and the Religion of Fire And as the City of Ur was famous in the Province of Babylon and that Ur signifies fire they fancied that the worship of fire was first instituted in this City Eupolemus reports that Ur was accounted to be the same that Camarina which took its name from the Hebrew word Camar i. e. Flagrarae astuare And her Priests were also called Camarins The Hebrews themselves as Hieronymus says feigned that these words of the Scripture saying that Abraham came out of Ur of the Chaldeans shew'd that he came miraculously out of the Fire where the Chaldeans had cast him because he refus'd to adore it Lucac's opinion is that the Chaldeans worshipp'd Fire Chaldaeos culture focos Herodetus affirms that the Persians ador'd Fire as a God wherefore they made scruple to burn the Corps of their dead lest they should
a Name the Greeks had but one Name but the Romans had sometimes Three or Four which they called Praenomen Nomen Cognomen and sometimes Agnomen The Praenomen is that which belongs to every Person in particular the Name is that which denotes the House from whence one is descended and the Surname is that which belongs to a particular Family or to a Branch of that House It was a Custom among the Romans to give to their Children the Name of the Family to Boys on the 9th Day after their Birth and to Girls on the 8th But according to Festus and Plutarch the Praenomen was not given them before they put on the Virile Robe that is at the Age of 17. Thus Cicero's Children were always called Ciceronis pueri till those Years after which they called them Marcus filius and Quintus filius As for the Slaves they had no other Name than that of their Master as Lucipor Lucius his Slave Lucii puer Marcipor Marcus his Slave Marcipuer But yet afterwards they gave them a Name which generally was that of their Country as Syrus Geta Davus and when they were made free they took the Praenomen and Name of their Master but not the Surname in the room of which they retained their own Name Thus that learned Freedman of Cicero was called M. Tullius Tyro and this was also observed with Respect to Allies and Strangers who took upon them the Name of the Person by whose Favour they had obtained the Priviledge of being Citizens of Rome Varro says that the Women formerly had their own proper and particular Names as Cala Caecilia Lucia Volumnia and those Names as Quintilian observes were distinguish'd by Letters inverted thus C. L. M. However afterwards they gave them no Names but if there was only one Girl they did no more than give her the Name of her Family and sometimes softened the same by the Way of a Diminution as Tullia or Tulliola But if they were two they called one Major the other Minor and if more they were named according to their Age Prima Secunda Tertia Quarta Quinta c. or they made a Diminutive of the same as Secandilla Quartilla Quintilla c. NOMENCLATOR He was a Person among the Romans who accompanied those who laboured under-hand to be made Magistrates and who told them the Names of all the Citizens they met with that they might salute them and call them by their Names which was a very civil Custom and much in use at Rome NONAE the Nones quasi Novae being as much as to say new Observations tho' its more likely the Name came because that from the said Day to the Ides there were always Nine Days They computed Six Days in the Nones of May October July and March and in the other Months only Four Some believe that Romulus began the Month on the First Day of the Moon 's appearing in the Evening on which the Country People were obliged to come to Town in order to know of the Pontiffs the Time when the Feasts and other Ceremonies were to be celebrated and in short whatever they were to do or let alone during the whole Month. And as the Sacrificer was on the same Day wont to cry the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a loud Voice Five times successively if the Nones contained but Five Days or Seven times if they comprehended Seven so the Nones perhaps got their Name in that at first they were called Nono Idus the 9th of the Ides as they are put indeed in the place of the IX of the Ides Besides seeing there were Three different Variations and such as are very considerable in the Course of the Moon the 1st When she is entirely hid by the Sun-beams 2d On the first Day of her appearing when she rises at Night and appears with Horns at her coming forth from under the said Beams 3d When she is at the Full 't is thought that Romulus from thence took occasion to divide the Days of his Months which he began always with the Calends at the time when the Moon sub radiis Solis celaretur was hid by the Sun-beams and afterwards gave the Name of Nonae or Novae Lunae to the Day whereon the New Moon appear'd and that of the Idus when she was at the Full or appear'd with a beautiful Face the same Word coming from the Greel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idus which signifies as much from whence they give a Reason for the Inequality of the Days of the Nones For as it happens by a Composition of the Sun and Moon 's Motions that the Moon comes forth sometimes sooner from under the Beams of the other and sometimes latter and that this Difference is usually confined within the Space of Two Days It s very likely say they that at the Time when Romulus instituted this Calender the Moon continued longer hid by the Sun-beams in the Months of March May July and October and that upon this Occasion he allowed Seven Days to the Nones of these Four Months and only Five to the rest during which the Moon got sooner from under the said Beams and was visible NOVEMBER 't was formerly the 9th Month of the Year instituted by Romulus which consisted of Ten in all and now 't is the 11th The Emperor Commodus called it Exuperatorius but after his Death it reassumed its former Name In this Month the Sun enters into Sagitarius and it was under the Protection of Diana On the first Day thereof they made a Feast to Jupiter and performed the Circensian Games On the Day of the Nones or Fifth were the Neptunalia celebrated which lasted Eight Days On the 7th was held the Show of Ornaments On the 3d of the Ides the Inclosure of the Sea On the Ides the Feast called Lectisternia On the 18th of the Calends the Trial of Horses On the 17th of the Calends the popular Plays in the Circus for Three Days On the 14th the Traders Feast lasting Three Days On the 13th the Pontiff's Supper in Honour of Cybele On the 11th the Liberalia On the 10th they offered Sacrifice to Pluto and Proserpina On the 8th were the Brumalia celebrated which lasted for Thirty Days On the 5th were performed the Mortuary Sacrifices to the frighted Gauls and Greeks NOVENSILES were Heroes newly received into the Number of the Gods or the Gods of the Provinces and Kingdoms which the Romans had conquered and to which they sacrificed under the Name of Dii Novensiles NOX the Night the Daughter of Terra and Chaos which the Poets represented in the Form of a Woman in Mourning crowned with Poppies and having black Wings and riding in a Chariot drawn by Two Horses surrounded with Stars which served as her Guides They sacrificed a Cock unto her Cic. L. 3. de Nat. Deor. Says her Children were Love Deceit Fear Old Age Miseries Distinies c. The Night is part of the Natural Day during which the Sun is not above
what is said concerning Nestor that he lived Three some believe an Age was Thirty Years others with more Reason take it to be an Hundred Ovid was of this Opinion when he made Nestor say Vixi annos bis centum nuneteria vivitur atas The same Poet in another place seigned that Sybilla Cumaea was 700 Years old when Aeneas came to consult her and that she was to live 300 Years longer Nam jam mihi secula septem Acta vides superest numeros ut pulveris aquem Tercentum messes tercentum musta videre It was a Request she had made and obtained that she should live as many Years as she held Grains of Sand in her Hand We do not know from whence Ovid had this Fable but he allows her above 1000 Years to live In the Argonauticon attributed to Orpheus we have an Account given of a People called Macrobii that comes near unto that of our Age of Innocence and Terrestrial Paradice The Length of their Lives from which they derive their Names is no less than 1000 Years Omnique exparte beatos Macrobios facilem qui vitam in longa trabentes Secula millenos implent feliciter annos Horace attributes the shortening of Men's Lives only to Prometheus his stealing Fire from Heaven and the Vengeance of God that has poured an Infinity of Evil upon us Post ignem athereâ domo Subductum macies nova febrium Terris incubuit cohors Semotique priùs tarda necessitas Lethi corripuit gradum Silius Italicus tells us of an ancient King of Spain called Arganthonius who lived 300 Years Herodotus speaks of the Aethiopians of Africa who were called Macrobii and says they commonly lived 120 Years and 't was believed the Length of their Lives proceeded from the Water they drank which was lighter than Wood it self Lucian gives the Title of Macrobii that is of Long livers to one of his Dialogues He does not only make an Enumeration of particular Persons but also of Nations famous for their being long-lived he says it was reported that some People in the Country of Seres that is China lived 300 Years Diodorus Siculus relates the Account given by the Egyptians of their Gods or rather Kings some of whom had reigned 300 Years and others 112 but 't is believed their Years were lunar and no more than a Month Others are of Opinion that they confounded their History with Astronomy and attributed to their Kings the Names of the Stars and the Length of their Revolutions and so that they are rather Astronomical Computations which they have made than the Dynasties and historical Successions of their Kings Eusebius relates a Passage out of Josephus which shews that prophane Authors have in their Writings acknowledged and bore Testimony to the Truth of the Length of Mens Lives in the first Ages Josephus says that the first Men were permitted to live thus so extraordinarily long not only upon the Account of their Piety but out of a Necessity that the Earth should be peopled in a short time and Arts invented especially Astronomy which required the Observations of several Ages to make it perfect These Two Reasons discover the Falsity of their Opinion who thought that the Years which made up the first Mens long Lives consisted of no more than One Month or at the most Three but the most convincing Proof of any is that the Year of the Deluge is so well circumstanciated in the Book of Genesis that the 12 Months and 365 Days are there exprest Neither would Moses in Five or Six Chapters successively have given such different Significations to this Term Year St. Augustine has very vigorously pushed on this Argument concerning the Year of the Deluge Lactantius tells us that Varro was so confident that Men in ancient Days lived even to be a Tousand Years old that in order to facilitate the Understanding of a Truth that was so universally received he instanced in the lunar Years that consisted of one Month only in which time the Moon ran thro' the Twelve Signs of the the Zodiac VITELLIUS a Roman Emperor that succeeded Otho Johannes Baptista Porta in his Treatise of Physiognomy observes he had an Owl's Face His thick short Neck reddish Complexion and a great Belly as Suetonius describes him threatned him with an Apoplexy if a violent Death had not shortened his Life as well as his continual Debaucheries Of the most sumptuous Feasts where with he was treated that which his Brother Lucius made for him is taken Notice of where there were 2000 Fishes and 7000 Fowls served to the Table He made one Feast wherein he was not so profuse but more dainty and wherein one Course consisted of the Livers of a sort of rare Fishes called Seari Pheasants and Peacocks Brains the Tongues of Phoenicopteri which are very rare Birds and the Rows of Lamprey's All these Dainties were brought from the Carpatbian Sea Straights of Gibraltar and other remote Parts of the World In short his whole Reign was but one continued Debauch and Profuseness which made Vibius Crispus say who had the good Fortune to fall sick at that Time and so to avoid those Excesses that had it no been for his Illness he must infallibly have burst Vitellius was slain by the Soldiers who advanced Vespasian to the Throne and after he had been dragged through the Streets of Rome with a Rope about his Neck and his Body run through in several Parts he was with his Brother and Son thrown into the Tiber having reigned but Eight Months VITRUM Glass The Invention of Glass is very ancient and 't is long ago since they have made very fine Things of it nevertheless the Art of making Glass for Windows did not come in use till a long time after and the same may be looked upon as an Invention of latter Ages Indeed Marcus Scaurus in Pompey's Time made part of the Scene of that stately Theater which was built at Rome for the People's Diversion of Glass but in the mean time they had then no Glass Windows to their Houses and if any great Men and of the richest sort had a mind to have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Houses and to which the Light might come they closed up the Passage with Transparent Stones such as Agates Alabaster and Marble finely polished but when they came afterwards to know the Use of Glass for that Purpose they used it instead of these sorts of Stones ULYSSES Prince of Ithaca and the Son of Laertes and Anticlea he had Penelope to Wife whom he loved so entirely that to the end he might not leave her and not be obliged to go to the Trojan War he pretended himself mad and tied his Plough the wrong way to Two Animals of a different Kind with which he ploughed but Palamedes making a Shew as if he went about to kill his Son or rather laying him in the Furrow that so the Coulter of the Plough might kill him as 't was drawn along Vlysses that knew the Danger
Man who should hold in his left Hand a great City and in his right Hand a Cistern which should receive the Waters of all the Rivers which fell from that Mountain and to convey them into the Sea Alexander commended his curious Design but did not allow of the Place because there were no Fields about the City to furnish the Inhabitants with Corn for their Subsistance ATIS a Young Man of Phrygia of extraordinary Beauty who was passionately loved by Cybele the Mother of the Gods The Poets make her run in a Fury to Mount Ida being transported with Love and searching the Forests and Rocks for him riding in a Chariot drawn by Lions and followed by the Corybantes who make the Mountain resound her Cries and Revellings she made him Overseer of her Sacrifices upon condition that he should preserve his Virginity but having violated it Cybele to punish him for it made him so mad that he wounded and would have slain himself if that Goddess had not changed him into a Pine-tree There is a Temple in Syria saith Lucian dedicated to Rhea or Cybele by Atis who first taught Men her Mysteries for all that the Lydians Phrygians and Samothracians knew of them came from him who was a Lydian After Rhea had made him an Eunuch he lived like a Woman and assumed that Habit and in this Garb he went over the World and divulged her Ceremonies and Mysteries When he came into Syria and saw that the Temple on this side of Euphrates would not entertain him he stayed there and built a Temple to the Goddess as is to be observed from many things for her Statue stands upon a Chariot drawn by Lions she holding a Drum in her Hand being adorn'd with Towers as the Lydians paint her By the Fable of Atis the Favourite of Cybele who was afterwards made an Eunuch died and was raised again Julius Finicus understands Corn and the other Fruits of the Earth which are cut with an Hook or Sickle die in the Granary and rise again by the Seed which is sown in the Earth ATIS or CAPETUS SYLVIUS or AEGYPTUS Dionysius named him Capetus Eusebius and Livy call him only Atis and Cassiodorus terms him Aegyptus a King of the Latins over whom he reigned 39 Years ATLAS King of Mauritania who because he was much addicted to Astronomical Observations gave occasion to the Fables which will have Atlas hold up the Heaven and that Hercules took his Place for a Day to ease him because Atlas being the first who taught the Course of the Sun and Moon the setting and rising of the Stars and all the Motion of the Heavens which he had discover'd with much Ingenuity and Labour The Painters and Carvers in Memory of it have represented him as holding up the Heavens upon his Shoulders Ovid tells us that Atlas was changed into a Mountain by Perseus at his Return from his Expedition against the Gorgens for refusing to entertain him but Hyginus says that Atlas having sided with the Giants in the War against Jupiter when he had overcome them the God constrained Atlas for favouring them to bear the Heavens upon his Shoulders Indeed there were 3 Atlas's the 1st King of Italy the Father of Electra the Wife of Corytus The 2d was of Arcadia the Father of Maia of whom Mercury was born The 3d. of Mauritania Brother of Prometheus of whom we have already spoken Herodotus knew no other Atlas but a Mountain in Africa which seemed to touch the Heavens by its heighth so that the neighbouring People called it the Pillar of Heaven and derived their Name from it But Diodorus Siculus tell us that in the furthermost Parts of Africk Hesperus and Atlas two Brothers had Flocks of Sheep with red Wooll from whom the Poets took occasion to make these red Sheep to pass for golden Apples because the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies Sheep and Apples Hesperides gave his Daughter Hasperis in Marriage to Atlas who had 7 Daughters by her who were called Hesperides or Atlantiades who Busiris King of Aegypt stole but Hercules travelling through Africk conquered Busiris recovered Atlas's Daughters and restored them to their Father Atlas to require this Favour taught Hercules Astrology in which he grew famous and gave him a Celestial Globe Hercules carried this Science and Knowledge into Greece and the Greeks feigned that Atlas supported the Heavens and was released from it by Hercules ATLANTIDES the Daughters of Atlas whom the Greeks call'd Pleiades and the Latines Vergiâ—â—ae were plac'd among the Stars They shew the convenient time for putting to Sea and are a sign of the Spring ATREUS the Son of Pelops King of Mycenae and Argos He made his Brother Toyestes eat two of his Children at a Feast viz. Tantalus and Plisthenes to be avenged of him Tayestes made an escape fearing the Cruelty of his Brother Aireus The Poets tell us that the Sun abhorring so great a Wickedness hid himself and retreated back into the East Aegysthaeus the natural Son of Thyestes revenged the Death of his Brother upon Atreus whom he slew with his Son Agamemnon at his Return from the Siege of Troy by a correspondence with Clytemnestra his Wife ATRIUM is generally taken for all the inward parts of the House Virgil uses this Word in the same Signification as Vitruviâ—s when he writes Porticibus longis fugit vacua atria lustrat Aeneid lib. II. v. 528. Apparet Domus nitus atria long a patescunt Ibid. v. 483. For 't is easy to see that Virgil in that Place understands by Atria all that can be seen within the House through the Gate when it is open as the Courts and Porches Vitruvius applies to all the kinds of Atriums two Ranks of Pillars which make two Wings that is to say three Walks one large One in the middle and two narrow Ones on each side ATROPOS one of the three Destinies which cut the Thread of Mans Life See PARCAE ATTALUS King of Pergamus who at his Death made the People of Rome Heirs of his Kingdom and of all his Wealth by Will which raised a great Disturbance at Rome and caused a war in Asia for Tiberius Gracchus Tribune of the People demanded that the Goods of Attalus might be distributed among the People The Senate opposed this Demand and ordered the Consul to put Gracchus to Death which he refused to execute but Scipio Nassica Chief Priest of Jupiter throwing his Garment upon his Head said they that love the Good and Preservation of the Common-wealth let them follow me and going immediatly up to the Capitol he was followed by the Senators who slew Gracchus and all his Parties in their Seats in the Capitol Aristonicus who affirmed himself to be the Son of Attalus and in that Quality thought to enjoy the Estare which the Romans claimed as Legatees of the King was an occasion of a 2d war in Asia ATTELLANAE See ATELLAAe ATTILIUS REGULUS a Roman Consul who won many Victories against
one Day to these Four Months April June September and November and so made them consist of 30 Days and to the Month of February he left 28 Days for the common Years and 29 for the Year called Bissextile that so there might be no Change made in the Ceremonies of the Sacrifices which were offered in this Month to the Infernal Gods As soon as these Things were thus order'd and Sosigenes had finished his Work the Emperor publish'd an Edict wherein he set forth the Reformation he had made of the Calendar and commanded it to be used through all the Roman Empire And because of the Negligence of those to whom the Care was committed of distributing the Intercalatory Months the Beginning of the Year was then found to anticipate its true Place 67 whole Days therefore this Time must be some way spent to restore the first Day of the next Year to its due Place at the Winter-â—oâ—stice and to this end Two Months were made of these 67 Days which were ordered to be intercalated between the Months of November and December from whence it came to pass that the Year of the Correction of the Calendar by Julius Caesar which was called the Julian Correction consisted of 15 Months and of 445 Days and upon this Account it was called the Year of Confusion because in it that great Number of Days was to be absorbed which brought so great Confusion into the Account of Time But to accommodate the Matter in some measure to the Genius of the Romans who had been so long accustomed to the Lunar Year the Emperor would not begin his Year precisely on the Day of the Winter solstice but only on the Day of the new-New-Moon which followed next after it which happened by Chance at the time of this Correction of the Calendar to be about Eight Days after the Solstice from hence it comes to pass that the Julian Year in all succeeding Times hath still preserved the same Beginning i. e. the first Day of January which is about Eight Days after the Solstice of Capricorn Julius Caesar drew a great deal of envy upon himself by this Correction of the Calendar of which we have an Instance in that picquant Raâ—llery of Cicero upon this Occasion One of his Friends discoursing with him happen'd to say that Lyra was to set to Morrow Cras Lyra occidit said he to whom Cicero immediately reported Nempe ex Edicto yes quoth he by vertue of an Edict Yet this did nowise hinder this Reformation from being generally received and observed after the Death of Caesar which happened the next Year after it And to give the greater Authority to this Usage it fell out also that Marcus Antonius in his Consulship order'd that the Month called Quintilis which was that in which Julius Caesar was born should bear his Name and for the Future be called Julius as it happened afterwards to the Month Sextilis to which was given the Name of Augustus both which Names are still continued down to our Time 'T is true the Priests by their Ignorance committed a considerable Error in the Observation of the first Years for not understanding this Intercalation of a Day was to be made every Four Years they thought that the Fourth Year was to be reckoned from that wherein the preceeding Intercalation was made and not from that which follow'd next after it by which means they left only Two common Years instead of Three between the Two Intercalary Years from whence it came to pass that they intercalated Twelve Days in the Space of 36 Years whereas Nine only should have been intercalated in that Space and so they put back the Beginning of the Year Three Days Which being observ'd by Augustus Successor to Julius Caesar he presently caused this Error to be amended by ordering that for the first Twelve Years no Intercalation should be made that by this means these Three superfluous Days might be absorbed and Things might be restored to their first Institution which continued eversince without any Interruption until the End of the last Age when some thought themselves oblig'd to take Pains in making another Correction of the Calendar Here follows the Copy of an ancient Roman Calendar which some curions Antiquaries have gathered together out of divers Monuments that it might be published There are Six different Columns in it the first contains the Letters which they called Nundinales the Second notes the Days which they called Easti Nefasti and Comittales which are also signified by Letters the Third contains the Number of Meto which is called the Golden Number the Fourth is for the Days in Order which are marked with Arabick Figures or Characters the Fifth divides the Month into Calends Nones and Ides according to the ancient Way of the Romans and the Sixth contains their Festivals and divers other Ceremonies of which we shall treat more largely hereafter In this Calendar to which we have given the Name of the Calendar of Julius Caesar although it appears to have been made since Augustus's Time is to be seen 1. The same Order and Succession of the Months which was instituted by Numa Pompilius and such as we have set down before 2. These Seven Months January March May Quintilis or July Sextilis or August October and Decembor have each of them 31 Days and these Four April June September and November have only 30 but February for the common Years has only 28 Days and for the Intercalary or Bissextile it has 29. 3. This Series of Eight Letters which we have called Literae Nundinales is continued without Interruption from the first to the last Day of the Year that there might always be one of them to signifie those Days of the Year on which those Meetings were held that were called by the Romans Nundinae and which returned every Ninth Day to the end that the Roman Citizens might come out of the Country to the City to be informed of what concerned either Religion or Government These Letters are so placed that if the Nundinal Day of the first Year was under the Letter A which is at the 1st the 9th the 17th the 25th of January c. the Letter of the Nundinal Day for the next Year must be D which is at the 5th the 13th the 21st of the same Month c. for the Letter A being found at the 27th of December if from this Day we reckon Eight Letters besides the Letters B C D E which remain after A in the Month of December we must take Four other Letters at the Beginning of January in the next Year A B C D and so the Letter D which is first found in the Month of January will be the 9th after the last A in the Month of December preceeding and consequently it will be the Nundinal Letter or that Letter which notes the Days set apart for these Meetings which may be also called by the Name of Faires or publick Markets Thus by the same way of
A F I 1 Kalen. Sacred to Janus to Juno to Jupiter and Aesculapius B F  2 IV An unfortunate Day Dies Ater C C IX 3 III Cancer sets D C  4 Prid.  E F XVIII 5 Non. Lyra rises Aquila sets at Night F F VI 6 VIII  G C  7 VII  H C XIV 8 VI Sacrifices to Janus A  III 9 V The Agonalia B EN  10 IV The middle of Winter C NP XI 11 III The Carmentalia D C  12 Prid. The Compitalia E NP XIX 13 Id. The Trumpeters make Publications thro' the City in the Habit of Women F EN VIII 14 XIX Wicked Days by Order of the Senate G   15 XVIII To Carmenta Porrima and Postverta H C XVI 16 XVII To Concord Leo begins to set in the Morning A C V 17 XVI The Sun in Aquarius B C  18 XV  C C XIII 19 XIV  D C II 20 XIII  E C  21 XII  F C X 22 XI  G C  23 X Lyra sets H C XVIII 24 IX Festi Sementini or the Feast of Seed-time A C VII 25 VIII  B C  26 VII  C C XV 27 VI To Castor and Pollux D C IV 28 V  E F  29 IV Equiria in the Campus Martius The Pacalia F F XII 30 III Fidicula sets G F I 31 Prid. To the Dii Penates The CALENDAR of Julius Caesar FEBRUARY Vnder the Protection of Neptune Nundinal Letters Days Golden Number    H N IX 1 Kalen. To Juno Sospita to Jupiter to Hercules to Diana The Lucaria A N  2 IV  B N XVII 3 III Lyra sets and the Middle of Leo. C N VI 4 Prid. The Dolphin sets D   5 Non. Aquarius rises E N XIV 6 VIII  F N III 7 VII  G N  8 VI  H N XI 9 V The Beginning of the Spring A N  10 IV  B N XIX 11 III Genialic Games Arcturus rises C N VIII 12 Prid.  D NP  13 Id. To Faunus and Jupiter The Defeat and Death of the Fabii E C. XVI 14 XVI The Rising of Corvus Crater and the Serpent F NP V 15 XV The Lupercalia G END  16 XIV The Sun in the Sign Pisces H NP XIII 17 XIII The Quirinalia A C II 18 XII The Fornacalia The Feralia to the Gods Manes B C  19 XI  C C X 20 X  D F  21 IX To the Goddess Muta or Laranda The Feralia E C XVIII 22 VIII The Charistiae F NP VII 23 VII The Terminalia G N  24 VI The Regifugium The Place of the Bissextilo H C XV 25 V Arcturus rises at Night A EN IV 26 IV  B NP  27 III Equiria in the Campus Martius C C XII 28 Prid. The Tarquins overcome The CALENDAR of Julius Caesar MARCH Vnder the Protection of Minerva Nundinal Letters Days Golden Number    D NP I 1 Kalen. The Matronalia to Mars the Feast of Ancylia E F  2 VI To Juno Lucina F C IX 3 V The second Pisces sets G C  4 IV  H C XVII 5 III Arcturus sets Vindemiator rises Cancer rises A NP V 6 Prid. The Vestaliana On this Day Jul. Caesar was coeated High-Priest B F  7 Non. To Ve-Jupiter in the Wood of the Asylum Pegasus rises C F XIV 8 VIII Corona rises D C III 9 VII Orion rises The Northern Pisces rises E C  10 VI  F C XI 11 V  G C  12 IV  H EN XIX 13 III The Opening of the Sea A NP VIII 14 Prid. The second Equiria upon the Tyber B NP  15 Id. To Anna Parenna The Parricide Scorpio sets C C XVI 16 XVII  D NP V 17 XVI The Liberalia or Bacchanalia The Agonalia Milvius sets E C  18 XV The Sun in the Sign Aries F N XIII 19 XIV The Quinquatria of Minerva which last 5 Days G C II 20 XIII  H C  21 XII The 1st Day of the Century Pegasus sets in the Morning A N X 22 XI  B NP  23 X The Tubilustrium C QR XVIII 24 IX  D C VII 25 VIII The Hilaria to the Mother of the Gods The Vernal Equinox E C  26 VII  F NP XV 27 VI On this Day Caesar made himself Master of Alexandria G C IV 28 V The Megalesia H C  29 IV  A C XII 30 III To Janus to Concord to Salus and Pax. B C I 31 Prid. To the Moon or Diana upon the Aventine Mount The CALENDAR of Julius Caesar APRIL Vnder the Protection of the Goddess Venus Nundinal Letters Days Golden Letters    C N IX 1 Kalen. To Venus with the Flowers and Myrtle To Fortuna Virilis D C  2 IV The Pleiades set E C XVII 3 III  F C VI 4 Prid. The Megalesian Games to the Mother of the Gods for the Space of 8 Days G   5 Non.  H NP XIV 6 VIII To Fortuna publica primigenia A N III 7 VII The Birth of Apollo and Diana B N  8 VI Plays for Caesar's Victory Libra and Orion set C N XI 9 V  D N  10 IV Cerealia Ludi Circensis the Circensian Games E N XIX 11 III  F N VIII 12 Prid. The Mother of the Gods brought to Rome Plays in honour of Ceres for 8 Days G NP  13 Id. To Jupiter Victor and Liberty H N XVI 14 XVIII  A NP V 15 XVII Fordicidia or Fordicalia B N  16 XVI Augustus saluted Emperor The Hyades set C N XIII 17 XV  D N II 18 XIV Equiria in the Circus Maximus The Burning of the Foxes E N  19 XIII Cerealia The Sun in the Sign Taurus F N X 20 XII  G NP  21 XI Paliliana or Pariliana The Nativity of Rome H N XVIII 22 X The second Agoniana or Agonalia A NP VII 23 IX The first Vinalia to Jupiter and Venus B C  24 VIII  C NP XV 25 VII Robigalia Aries sets The middle of the Spring D F IV 26 VI The Dog-star rises The Goat rises E C  27 V Latinae Feriae on the Mons sacer F NP XII 28 IV The Floralia for the Space of 6 Days The Goat rises in the Morning G C I 29 III The Dog-star sets at Night H F  30 Prid. To Vesta Palatina The first Larentalia The CALENDAR of Julius Caesar MAY. Vnder the Protection of Apollo Nundinal Letters Days Golden Number    A N IX 1 Kalen. To Deu bona To Lares praestites Ludi Floria for the Space of the 3 Days B F  2 VI The Compitalia C C XVII 3 V The Centaar and the Hyades rise D C VI 4 IV  E C  5 III Lyra rises F C XIV 6 Prid. The Middle of Scorpio sets G N III 7 Non. Virgiliae
out of the Isle of the Blessed Vlysses took him aside and gave him a Letter to Calypso without the Knowledge of his Wife and that he arriving within Three Days after in the Isle of Ogygia broke open this Letter for fear lest this crafty Knare should put so me Trick upon him and he found written in it what follows I should not have left you before but that I inffer'd Shipwrack and hardly escaped by the Help of Leucotheus in the Country of the Phaeaces When I returned home I found my Wife courted by a sort of People who consumed my Goods and after they were killed I was assassinated by Telemachus whom I had by Circe At present I am in the Isle of the Blessed where I remember with Grief the Pleasures we enjoy'd together and wish that I had always continued with you and had accepted the Offer you made me of Immortality If I can therefore make an Escape you may rest assured that you shall see me again Farewel He delivered this Letter to Calypso whom he found in a Grotto such as Homer describes where she was working Hangings with Figures in them CHAM or CHAMESES the Son of Noab who brought upon himself his Father's Curse by his Reproaches although he had for his Share the rich Countries of Syria and Egypt and all Affrica as we read in Genesis yet he made Inroads into the Countries possessed by his Nephews and planted there such Vices as were not known before He continued Ten Years in Italy and was driven thence by Janus Fuctius does not reckon him among the first Founders of the Italians CAMILLA the Queen of the Volsci who was much addicted to Hunting and was never so well pleased as in shooting with a Bow She came into the Help of Turnus and the Latins against Aeneas and signalized herself by many brave Exploits She was treacherously killed by Arontius as we learn from Virgil in L 11. of the Aeneids CAMILLUS Camillus Furius an illustrious Roman who was called a second Romulus for restoring the Roman Commonwealth He vanquished the Antiatae in a Naval Fight and caused the Prows of the Ships to be brought into the Place of the Assemblies at Rome which were afterwards called Rostra being the Tribunal for Orations When the Capitol was besieged by the Gauls he was chosen Dictator although he had been banished by his ungrateful Country-men Assoon as he heard this News he solicited the Ardeatae to come in to the Assistance of Rome and invited all Italy to oppose the Invasion of the Gauls He arrived at Rome in that very Moment when the Citizens were weighing 2000 Pounds of Gold in Performance of a Treaty they had made with the Gauls to oblige them to raise the Seige But he charging them on a sudden forced them by this Surprize to draw off with Shame and Loss After this Defeat and Deliverance of Rome he made a Model of a Temple for that Voice which had given Notice to the Romans of the Arrival of the Gauls and which they had slighted He instituted Sacrifices to it under the Name of Deus Locutius He caused also a Temple to be built to Juno Moneta and the Goddess Matuta The Romans in Acknowledgement of so many Benefits erected to him an Equestrian Statue in the Market-place of Rome which was an Honour that was never done to any Citizen before He died of the Plague at Eighty Years of age CAMILLUS or CASMILLUS was the Minister of the Gods Cabiri Thus Plutarch says that the Romans and Greeks gave this Name to a young Man who served in the Temple of Jupiter as the Greeks gave it to Mercury Ministrantem in ade Jovis puerum in flore aetatis dici Camillum ut Mercurium Graecorum nonnulli Camillum à ministerio appellavêre Varro thinks that this Name comes from the Mysteries of the Samothracians Macrobius informs us that the young Boys and Maids who ministred to the Priests and Priestesses of the Pagan Deities were call'd Camilli and Camillae Romani quoque pueros puellasve nobiles investes Camillos Camillas appellant Flaminicarum Flaminum praeministros Servius says that in the Tuscan Tongue Mercury was call'd Camillus as being the Minister of the Gods This Word Camillus obtained among the Tuscans Romans Greeks Samothracians and the Egyptians and came from the East into the West Bochart thinks that this Word might be deriv'd from the Arabick chadamae i. e. ministrare And 't is well known that the Arabick has much Affinity with the Phoenician and Hebrew Tongues Grotius derives Camillus from Chamarim Writings wherein this Term signifies Priests or Augurs CAMOENAE the Nine Muses the Daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne so call'd from the Sweetness of their Singing CAMPANA SUPELLEX an Earthen Vessel which was made in Campania CAMPANA alone or NOLAE Bells Pancirollus says expresly that they were not invented until about the Year of J. C. 400 or 420 when they were first found out by the Bishop of Nola in Campania call'd Paulinus And that for this Reason they were call'd Campanae from the Country or Nolae from the City where they were first used But Salmuth upon this Passage of Pancirollus tells us that it was an ancient Error to think that Paulinus first invented the Use of Bells since they were in use from the Times of Moses for the High-Priest among the Jews had a great many little Bells of Gold at the lower part of his Garment to give Notice to the People when he entred into and when he came out of the Sanctuary The Priest of Proserpina among the Athenians call'd Hierophantus rung a Bell to call the People to Sacrifice The Romans likewise had a Bell in the publick Baths to give Notice of the Time when they were open'd and shut up as may appear from these Verses of Martial L. 14. Epigr. 163. Redde pilam sonat aes thermarum ludere pergis Virgine vis solâ lotus abire domum Plutarch in his Book of Symposiacks speaks of certain Greeks who assembled at the Ringing of a Bell to go and sup together Adrianus Junius assures us that the Ancients used Bells for the same End as we do that they rung them at the Death of any Person as is done to this Day out of a superstitious Opinion which was then generally receiv'd that the Sound of Bells drove away Devils They made use of them also against Enchantments and particularly after the Moon was eclipsed which they thought came to pass by Magick Thus we must understand these Verses of Juvenal Jam nemo tubas atque aera fatiget Vna laboranti poterit sucurrere Lunae CAMPESTRE the Lappet of a Gown or lower part of a Cassock that went round the Body a sort of Apron wherewith they girded themselves who perform'd the Exercises in the Campus Martius which reach'd from the Navel down to the middle of their Thighs to cover their Privy Parts CAMPUS MARTIUS a large Place without Rome between the City and
There are yet three Medals to be seen where Cybele is otherwise represented One is of the Emperor Severus where she is represented holding with one hand a Scepter and with the other a Thunder-bolt and her Head covered with a Turret She rid upon a Lyon flying through the Air. The other Medal is of the Emperor Geta stampt after the same manner with this Inscription Indulgentia Augustorum The third is of Julia who represents the Mother of the Gods crown'd with Turrets attended by two Lions and sitting upon a Throne she holds with her right hand a branch of Pine-tree and lays her left hand on a Drum with this Motto Mater Deum This Goddess is also represented with a great many Breasts to shew that she feeds Men and Beasts and carries Turrot on her Head and has two Lions under her Arms. CYCLOPES The Cyclopes a race of fierce and haughty Men who have but one Eye in the middle of their Forehead Poets have given this Name to some Inhabitants of Sicily whom they feign'd to be Vulcan's Assistants in the making of Jupiter's Thunder-bolts they made also the Arms of Achilles and Aenca◠They were so named because they had but one round Eye in the middle of their Forehead They are the Sons of Heaven and Earth as Hesiod tells us or of Neptune and Amphitrits as Euripides and Lucian say Those of most note among them are Polyphemus Brontes Steropes and Pyracman Apollo kill'd them with his Arrows to revenge the death of his Son Aesculapius whom Jupiter had kill'd with a Thunderbolt made by these Cyclopes Poets say also that Polyphemus was Shepherd to Neptune and Galatea's Lover and that Ulysses put out his Eye with a Fire-brand to revenge the death of his Companions whom the Cyclopes had eaten CYCLUS SOLIS The Cycle of the Sun or of the Dominical Letters is a revolution of 28 Years which being expired the same Dominical Letters return again in the same order To understand this well it must be observed that the Year being composed of Months and Weeks every Day of the Month is markt in the Calendar with its Cypher and one of these seven Letters A B C D E F G. The first Letter begins with the first Day of the Year and the others follow in a perpetual Circle to the end Wherefore these Letters might be unalterable to denote every Holy-day or every Day of the Week as they are in respect to the Days of the Months if there was but a certain and unvariable number of Weeks in the Year and as A marks always the first of January B the 2 C the 3 so A should mark always Sunday B Munday c. But because the Year is at least of 365 Days which make up 52 Weeks and a Day over it happens that it ends with the same day of the Week with which it began and so the following Year begins again not with the same Day but with the next to it And from thence it follows that A which answers always the first of January having noted the Sunday for one Year for which reason 't is called the Dominical Letter it will note the Monday in the following Year and G will note the Sunday and so forward 'T is plain by what has been said that if the Year had but 365 Days this Circle of Dominical Letters should end in seven Years by retrograding G F E D C B A. But because every four Years there is a Leap-Year which has one Day more two things must needs happen First That the Leap-Year has two Dominical Letters one of which is made use of from the first of January to the 25th of February and the other from that Day till the end of the Year The reason of it is plain for reckoning twice the 6th of the Kalends the Letter F which notes the Day is also reckoned twice and so fills up two Days of the Week From whence it follows that the Letter that till then had fallen upon Sunday falls then but upon Monday and that the foregoing Letter by retrograding comes to note Sunday The second thing to be observed is that that having thus two Dominical Letters every fourth Year the Circle of these Letters doth not end in seven Years as it would do but in four times seven Years which is 28. And this is properly called the Cycle of the Sun which before the correction of the Kalendar began with a Leap-Year whereof the Dominical Letters were G F. CYCLUS LUNARIS The Cycle of the Moon It was no less difficult to determine by a certain Order the Days of the New Moons in the course of the Year To this purpose a great many Cycles were proposed which afterwards Experience shewed to be false and they were obliged to receive this Cycle of 19 Years Invented by Methon of Athens called the Golden Number to make the Lunar Year agree with the Solar for at the end of them the New Moons returned again on the same Days and the Moon began again her course with the Sun within an Hour and some Minutes or thereabouts This Number was called the Golden Number either for its excellency and great use or because as some say the Inhabitants of Alexandria sent it to the Romans in a Silver Calendar where these Numbers from 1 to 19 were set down in Golden Letters This Number has been called the great Cycle of the Moon or Deceunovennalis and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 19 Tears or Methonicus from the Name of its Author This Golden Number has been of great use in the Calendar to shew the Epacts and New Moons ever since the Nicene Council ordered that Easter should be kept the first Sunday after the Full Moon of March However this Cycle was not settled every where according to the same manner in the Calendar for the Western Christians called Latins imitating the Hebrews reckon'd the Golden Number 1. on the first day of January of the first Year But the Christians who Inhabited Asia under the name of Christians of Alexandria placed the Golden Number 3. at the same day CYCNUS A Swan a Bird living in or about the Waters very fine to behold with a long and straight Neck very white except when he is young Ovid in the 12th Book of his Metamorphosis says that Cycnus was King of Liguria and kin to Phaeton who for the grief of his death was changed into a Bird of his name 'T is said that Swans never sing but when they are at the point of death and then they sing very melodiously Tully in his Tusculans tells us that Swans are dedicated to Apollo the God of Divination who being sensible of their approaching death rejoice and sing with more harmony than before I ucian on this account laughs at the Poets in his Treatise of Amber or the Swans I also expected says he to have heard the Swans warbling all along the Eridanus having learn'd that the Companions of Apollo had been there changed into Birds who
he says the Furies of Hell are walking that day upon the Earth wherefore Virgil tells us in the first Book of his Georgicks Quintam fuge pallidus Orcus Eumenidesque satae tum partu Terra nefando Caeumque Japetumque â—reat saevumque Typhoea Et conjuratos caelum rescindere fratres The opinion of Plato was that the fourth day of the month was lucky Hesiod assures that it was the seventh day was fortunate because it was Apollo's Birth-day and that the 8th 9th 11th and 12th days were also lucky The Romans accounted also some days lucky and others fatal And the following days after the Kalends Nones and Ides were reckoned fatal and unfortunate And this opinion was grounded upon the answer of a Southsayer For the Military Tribunes Vigilius Manlius and Caelius Posthumius seeing that the Common wealth suffered always some loss presented a Petition to the Senate in the year 363 desiring them to enquire about the cause of these misfortunes The Senate sent for a Southsayer called L. Aquinius who being come into the Assembly they asked him his opinion about the same he answered that when Q. Sulpitius one of the Military Tribunes engaged the Gauls with so bad success near the River Allia he had offered Sacrifices to the Gods the next day after the Ides of July that the Fabians were killed at Cremera because they engaged the Enemy upon the like day After this answer the Senate referred the consideration of the whole Affair to the Colledge of the Pontiffs and desired them to give their opinion therein The Pontiffs forbad to engage the Enemy or to undertake any thing upon the next day after the Kalends Nones and Ides as Livy reports Besides these days that were accounted unlucky there were also some other days that every particular man esteemed unfortunate in respect to his own person Augustus never attempted to perform any thing upon the day of Nones others upon the fourth of Kalends Nones and Ides Vitellius having obtained the dignity of the high Pontiff made Ordinances concerning Religion upon the 15th of the Kalends of August which were ill received because of the loss they had suffered upon that day at Cremera and Allia as Suetonius relates in the life of that Emperor and Tatitus in the second Book of his History c. 24. They took for a bad omen that being made High Priest he ordained something concerning Religion upon the eighteenth day of July which is fatal because of the Battles of Allia and Cremera There was also many other days accounted fatal by the Romans as the day that they offered Sacrifices to the Ghost of deceased persons the day following after the Feasts called Volcanalia the fourth before the Nones of October the sixth of the Ides of November the Holyday called Lemuria in May the Nones of July called Crapotinae the Ides of March because Julius Caesar was killed that day the fourth before the Nones of August because of the defeat of Cannae that happened upon that day the Holydays of the Latins called Saturnalia and many others recorded in the Kalendar However some Romans slighted those ridiculous and superstitious observations for Lucullus answered to those who endeavoured to dissuade him from engaging Tigranes because upon the same day the Cimbri had routed the Army of Caepio I said he I will make it of a good omen for the Romans Julius Caesar transported his Forces over into Africa tho the Augurs opposed his design Dion of Syracusa engaged Dyonisius the Tyrant and overcame him one day when the Moon was eclipsed And so did many others DIES FESTI Holydays See after Festum DIESIS The quarter of a Tone This word is derived from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to pass and run through something the Diesis among Musicians are the lesser parts of a Tone Wherefore Aristotle says that the Diesis are the Elements of the Voice i. e. of Tones However the Pythagoreans who are thought to be the inventers of the name Diesis do not make it so small they divided the Tone in two inequal parts the lesser which we call the Semi-tone minor was called Diesis and the greatest which is our Semi-tone major was called Apotome DII Gods The Romans made two classis or orders of their Gods in the first were ranked the Gods called Dii majorum gentium in the second were the Gods called Dii minorum gentium The Gods of the first order were the most powerful nobiles potentes and were called upon under great exigencies They were twelve in number six Males and six Females Neptunus Mars Mercurius Vulcanus Apollo Jupiter Juno Minerva Ceres Vesta Diana Venus The Gods of the second order whom Ovid comprehends under the word Plebs were of a much lesser consideration and had no power but from the great Gods wherefore they were called upon but in affairs of less moment Tully l. 2. de legibus makes three orders of Gods The first order is of Celestial Gods the second of Demi-Gods or Hero's who were carried up into Heaven on account of their atchievements and in the third order were those who gave men the power to become themselves Gods They divided also the Gods into Gods of Heaven Gods of the Earth Gods of the Sea in Gods of Forests Gods of Rivers and Gods of Gardens There is still another division of Gods into Gods called Consentes and Gods elected in Deos Consentes Electos The Gods called Consentes are the twelve Gods mentioned before They had their share in the Government of the Universe and the chiefest employments in the administration thereof The Gods elected were eight whom the Gods called Consentes had chosen and entrusted with a share of the government relying so far upon them And these twenty Gods viz. twelve Males and eight Females were adored as the Soveraigns of all the little Gods who had but small and limited employments in the government of the Universe are the names of the Gods called Consentes and Gods called elected JANUS JUPITER SATURN GENIUS MERCURY APOLLO MARS VULCANUS NEPTUNE The SUN HELL or PLUTO LIBER TELLUS CERES JUNO The MOON DIANA MINERVA VENUS VESTA The Names of the Gods of the Sea NEPTUNE SALACIA VENILIA EGERIA JUTURNA PORTUNA The names of the Gods of Hell PLUTO ACHERON and STYX his Wife PROSERPINA AEACUS MINOS RHADAMANTHUS CHARON The Three PARCAE the FURIES The names of the Gods called Indigites or of the Heroes or Demi-gods as HERCULES AESCULAPIUS FAUNUS CARMENTA CASTOR POLLUX ACCA LAURENTIA QUIRINUS or ROMULUS The names of the Gods called Semones or Semi-homines who had the protection of men during the course of their life Those that presided at Births were the Goddess MENA or LUNA for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the Moon or PRIVIGNA JUNO and JUNO FLUONIA LUCINA or DIANA LATONA or PARTUNDA and EGERIA who assisted Women in their Labour After a Woman was delivered of a Child three Gods were called upon to preserve the Woman lying in
the Son of Priam to be judged by him who gave it for Venus the Goddess of Beauty whereupon Juno grew angry and in revenge thereof destroyed Troy and the Trojans together Saevae memorem Junonis ob iram Who remembred the judgment that Paris had pronounced in the behalf of Venus DISCUS A quoit which Gamesters used in ancient exercises It was a round thing of Metal or Stone a foot broad which they threw into the air to shew their skill and strength Discus was also a round consecrated Shield made to represent a memorable deed of some of the Heroes of Antiquity and to keep it in remembrance thereof in a Temple of the Gods where it was to be hung up DIVORTIUM Divorce between a Husband and his Wife At first Divorce was rare among the Romans Romulus says Plutarch made many Laws but the most rigorous of all was that which forbad the Wife to forsake her Husband and allowed the Husband the liberty of forsaking his Wife in this three cases If she has made use of Poyson to kill the Fruit of her Womb if she has put another Child upon him instead of his own and in case of Adultery If the Husband dismissed his Wife upon any other account he was bound to give her part of his Estate and the other part was consecrated to Ceres and then he was obliged to offer a Sacrifice to the Gods called Manes Leges etiam quasdam tulit Romulus inter quas vehemens est illa quâ mulieri maritum relinquendi potestas adimitur viro autem ejicere uxorem conceditur si veneficio circa prolem usa fuerit aut alienam pro suâ subdidisset aut adulterium commississet Si quis aliâ de causâ repudiasset conjugem ejus mariti bona partim uxori cederent partim Cereri sacra forent atque Diie Manibus rem sacram facere tenebatur The Law of the twelve Tables permits Divorce upon the fore-mentioned causes and prescribes some rites that are to be observed in that case the neglect whereof made it void It was to be made in the presence of seven Roman Citizens all men of ripe age Divortia septem civibus Romanis puberibus testibus adhibitis postea faciunto aliter facta pro infectis habentor says the Lex Julia. The Husband took the Keys of his house from the hands of his Wife and sent her back with these words Res tuas tibi habeto or Res tuas tibi agito i. e. what is your own take it again Tully says in his Phillippick Frugi factus est mimam illam suas sibi res habere dixit ex duodâ—cim tabulis clavis ademit exegit He is become an honest man he has bid this lewd Creature to take what was her own again and has took the Keys from her and put her away Though the Laws allowed Divorce yet it was not put into practice at Rome till the year 70 when a certain person named Spurius Carvilius Ruga in the time of the Consulship of M. Pomponius and Caius Papyrius or of M. Attilius and P. Valerius put away his Wife for barrenness DODONA A Town of Chaonia famous for the Forest where the Oaks spoke by the Oracle of Jupiter called Dedonaeus Aristotle as Suidas relates says that there were two Pillars at Dodona and upon one thereof a Bason of Brass and upon the other a Child holding a Whip with Cords made of Brass which occasioned a noise when the Wind drove them against the Bason Demon as the same Suidas relates says that the Oracle of Jupiter called Dodoneus is compassed round about with Basons which when they are driven one against the other communicate their motion round about and make a noise that lasts a while Others say that the noise proceeded from a sounding Oak that shook its Branches and Leaves when it was consulted and declared its Will by the Priests called Dodonaei Poets tell us that the Ships of the Argonauts were built with Timber fetched out of the Dodonaean Forest wherefore they spoke upon the Sea and pronounced Oracles There was in the Town of Dodona a Fountain the Waters thereof though very cold yet would light a Torch lately put out when dipt in ' em Lucretius ascribes this effect to the hot Vapours that issued from the great quantity of Brimstone which is in the veins of the Earth and some others ascribe it to the Antiperistasis of the great cold that condensed the heat remaining still in the Torch and thus lighted it again DOLABRA The Pontifical Ax to knock down the Victim in Sacrifices DOMITIANUS The twelfth Emperor of Rome Son to Vespasian and Titus's Brother During his Father's life he gave himself to Poetry and made great progress in it and Quintilian Pliny and Silius Italicus commend him for the same At his first coming to the Empire he shew'd much modesty and justice making many good Laws and forbad the making of Eunuchs He renewed the Lex Julia against Adulterers forbad the use of litters to publick Women and deprived them of the right of Inheriting To these Vertues was joined a great Magnificence and Liberality giving to the People several very costly Games and Shews but soon after he discovered his cruel and lascivious temper which he had hitherto hidden For he kept company with his Niece as if she had been his lawful Wife His Vanity was not less than his Incontinence he took upon him the Name of God and Lord and was proud of having that Title given to him in all Petitions presented to him The People were obliged to comply with the fantastical Impiety of a Man who was not then capable of hearing reason The Poets of his time and especially Martial were not sparing of his Praises and their Verses are still shameful Testimonies of their Flatteries of a Prince who deserved so little the name of God that he was unworthy of bearing the Name of Man He renewed the Persecution that his Father had begun against Philosophers who were obliged to disguise themselves and fly away into Foreign Countries As for the Christians he cruelly persecuted them and banished St John the Evangelist into the Isle of Pathmos after he was miraculously come out of a great Kettle full of boiling Oyl wherein this Tyrant had ordered him to be cast His design was to ruin utterly the Christian Religion but a Man named Stephen made free by Clemens the Consul delivered the Church and Empire of this cruel Persecutor Suet onius relates that the day before his Death he said that the next day the Moon should be bloody for him in the Sign of Aquarius The Senate pull'd down his Statues and razed out all the Titles he had usurped and Men out of a base compliance had bestowed upon him The greatest part of the day he passed in his Closet killing Flies with a golden Bodkin Wherefore it was said that he was always alone and that there was not so much as a Fly with him He built a
they made them Children of Uranus and Titea i. e. of Heaven and Earth Diodorus Siculus tells us also that Phrygia Macedonia and Italy had their Giants because of the Fires that are burning in those Countries The occasion seem'd very fair to the contrivers of Fables to say that in all these places the Giants were still burning in those Flames that Thunder to revenge Heaven had kindled there to punish their Crimes Justin speaking of the Tartesians of Spain shews there the place where the Titans engaged the Gods Pausanias confirms this opinion speaking of Arcadia and of a place where the Fire comes out of the Earth and tells us that the Arcaaians affirm'd that the Giants had engaged the Gods in that very place wherefore they offered there an Anniversary Sacrifice to Thunder and Storms Then this Historian examining the opinion of Homer and Hesiod upon the subject of Giants says that Homer has not mentioned the Giants in his Illiads but only in his Odysses where he represents the Nation called Lestrygones like Giants attacking the Fleet of Ulysses Hesiod in his Theogonia speaking of the Chaos and producing out of it not only all the Bodies of the Universe both Beasts and Men but even Gods themselves then he mentions the Children of Heaven and Earth Virgil in the first Book of his Georgicks imitates Hesiod holding the fifth day of the Moon fatal because upon that day the Earth brought forth the Giants He has also imitated him when he has ascribed to each of these Giants an hundred Hands an hundred Shields and fifty Mouths to blow out torrents of Fire In another place he represents the violent efforts and motions of Enceladus who lies buried alive under Mount Aetna Horace has left us a very fine description of the war and defeat of the Giants and Claudian says that the shakings and Flames of Mount Aetna are glorious and eternal proofs of the triumphal Power and Justice of God over the Giants Aetna Giganteos nunquam tacitura triumphos Enceladi bustum Bochart and Vossius are of opinion that the Giant Og recorded in Scripture whom I have mentioned before is Typhon or Typhaeus described by the Poets the Hebrew word Og and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 having the same signification i. e. to burn And Virgil affirms that Typhon was struck with Thunder in Syria Durumque cubile Inarime Jovis imperiis imposta Typhaeo Aeneid lib. 9. Virgil follows Homer's opinion who says that Typhaeus was struck with Thunder in Syria called in the Scripture Aram and by profane Writers Aramaea These are Homer's words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Aremis ubi dicunt Typhaei esse cubilia GLADIATORES The Gladiators who fought in the Circian Games and at the Funerals of the great Men of Rome one against the other even to the loss of their Lives to give this cruel Diversion to the People or to pacifie the Ghosts of their Kindred The origine of these bloody Fights came from the Ancient Inhabitants of Asia who fancied that they very much honoured their Relations by spilling humane blood with a brutish diversion This superstition grew so great among the Trojans that Women cut themselves to get our some blood to sprinkle upon the Graves or the Wood-pile of the Dead Junius Brutus was the first Man among the Romans who performed these barbarous Duties to his Father and we learn from Tacitus that Tiberius to honour the memory of his Ancestors ordered two Fights of Gladiators one in the great publick place and the other in the Amphitheater Those who made a trade of that brutish fury were always esteem'd of no worth for besides that these Fights began at first by Slaves who were miserably wretched and left to their ill destiny those Men who were taught that Art and were brought to it never got any reputation by it and to their great shame Malefactors were brought among them as Victims devoted to the diversion of the People and sacrificed to their Madness as to the fury of Wild-Beasts But tho the Infamy was equal yet the fortune was very different for the Slaves made by War had no hopes left them Malefactors were still used worse for they were expos'd to the wild Beasts and sometimes tied to posts to feed the Lions and to secure their punishments against the hazards of a vigorous defence Men brought up and chosen for Gladiators because of their good meen and strength were not only well used but also well taught in the Science of Defence and nothing was spared to keep them in good health and strength to contribute the better to the diversion of the people Pliny tells us that they were fed with Barly-Bread wherefore they were called in jest Hordiarij and that their Drink was Water with Ashes mixt with it but this is not probable There were many Families of these Gladiators Some were called Sequatores Retearii Threces Myrmillones Hoplomachi Samnites Essedarii Andabatae Dimachaeri Meridiani Fiscales Postulatitij The first were armed with a Sword and a Club in the end whereof was Lead The second carried a Net and a Trident and endeavoured to enclose their Antagonist with it The third had a kind of a Hanger or Scymetar and were called by the name of their Country The fourth called Mermillones instead of Mermidones were the Heroes of Achilles whom the Romans accounted to be Gauls wearing a Fish on the top of their Helmet The Gladiator Retiarius or Net-bearer pursuing him cried out non te peto Galle sed piscem peto The fifth were armed all over as the Greek word signifies The sixth had their name from their hatred to the Samnites who armed the Gladiators according to their fashion The seventh fought riding in Chariots and were called Essedarii The eighth fought on Horseback and blindfold and took their name from their way of Fighting The ninth fought holding two Swords in their hands from whence they are called Dimacheri a Greek word which signifies two Swords The tenth were those who had been expos'd to wild Beasts and having got clear of them were obliged to kill one another to divert the People The eleventh had their name from Fiscus the Exchequer because they were maintained at the publick charges The twelfth were the most valiant of all and appointed for the Emperor's diversion wherefore the people beg often that they might be ordered to fight All these Gladiators did their best to kill their Adversary or to dye valiantly and bravely defended their life After they had well acquitted themselves of their duty they obtained of the Emperors and those who gave the Games either their discharge or freedom or some considerable reward The discharge granted unto them was only a dispensation from fighting or serving otherwise but willingly or out of compliance and for a Token thereof they gave them a Switch called Rudis Rudae dmobantur They gave them also a kind of a Hat called Pileatie for a badge of their freedom granted to them Constantius and
follow in the week is quite different from that which they observe in Heaven for according to the disposition of their Spheres Jupiter is immediately below Saturn Mars below Jupiter the Sun under Mars Venus according to the vulgar opinion beneath the Sun Mercury below Venus and in fine the Moon the lowest of all beneath Mercury But in the order of the week Sunday called the day of the Sun comes after Saturday which is the day of Saturn in the room of Thursday the day of Jupiter and Monday the day of the Moon follows the day of the Sun instead of Friday the day of Venus likewise instead of Saturday or the day of Saturn which according to the Planets order should follow the Munday or the day of the Moon they reckon Tuesday the day of Mars and after Tuesday comes Wednesday the day of Mercury instead of Thursday the day of the Sun and so forth Whereby it doth appear that the disposition of the Planets in the days of the week is very different from the order and situation of their Orbs. But the Ancients having not only committed the days but also the hours of each day to the care of some Planet 't is very likely that the day was called by the name of the Planet that had the direction of the first hour Wherefore Saturday or the day of Saturn was thus called because the first hour of that day was under the direction of Saturn and as the following hours came on successively under the power of the following Planets the second hour was for Jupiter who immediately followed Saturn the third was for Mars the fourth for the Sun the fifth for Venus the sixth for Mercury and the seventh for the Moon and afterwards the eighth hour return'd under the power of Saturn and according to the same order the same Planet Saturn had still the fifteenth and the two and twentieth hours under his direction and by consequence the three and twentieth hour was under the command of Jupiter and the four and twentieth viz. the last hour of the day was found under the direction of Mars So that the first hour of the following day came under the dominion of the Sun who consequently gave his name to the second day and following always the same order to the eighth the fifteenth and the two and twentieth hour did always belong to the Sun the twenty third to Venus and the last to Mercury wherefore the first hour of the third day appertained to the Moon called for that reason the day of the Moon to which also was referr'd the eighth the fifteenth and the two and twentieth hours of the same day and therefore the twenty third hour was ascribed to Saturn for from the Moon we must return again to Saturn and the last to Jupiter from whence the first hour of the fourth day was found under the direction of Mars who gave also his name to the day as also the eighth the fifteenth and the two and twentieth and consequently the twenty third hour belonged to the Sun the twenty fourth to Venus and the first of the fifteenth day to Mercury and so forth following the same order whereby we see the origine and the necessary series of the names given to the days of the week and the reason why the day of the Sun comes after the day of Saturn viz. Sunday after Saturday the day of the Moon after the day of the Sun or Monday after Sunday the day of Mars after the day of the Moon or Tuesday after Monday Wednesday after Tuesday then Thursday Friday and at last Saturday and so of all the rest There is still another ingenious reason that might be given for these denominations of days for the names of the Planets given to the days of the week follow one another in proportion with the musical harmony called in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was the Origne and principle of all the good harmony of the Antients the nature whereof consists betwixt two tones of four voices or three intervals or sounds different one from another wherefore there are always two silent tones betwixt both And 't is likely that the Ancients to leave us some idea of this admirable Musick have disposed the days of the week which follow one another according to their musical harmony wherefore the Planet which comes immediately after another leaves two others behind which are silent viz. after Saturn comes the Sun leaving Jupiter and Mars and after the Sun follows the Moon over-running Venus and Mercury after the Moon appears Mars after Mars Mercury without mentioning either the Sun or Venus after Mercury Jupiter without reckoning either the Moon or Saturn next to Jupiter Venus leaving Mars and the Sun and the last of all next to Venus comes Saturn and by this perpetual revolution we know why Sunday the day of the Sun follows Saturday the day of Saturn and why after Sunday comes Monday c. HEBDOMAS The name of an Orator mentioned by Lucian who once a week gave a play-day to his Scholars and play'd himself wanton tricks among the people as School-boys do upon Holy-days HEBE The Daughter of Jupiter and Juno or of Juno alone without the knowledge of a Man for Apollo having once invited her to a Feast the Fable tells us that she eat such a quantity of Lettice to cool her self that she got a great Belly and was brought to bed of Hebe a Girl of an extraordinary beauty who was in Heaven Jupiter's Cup-bearer After Hercules was taken up among the Gods he married her The Ancients took Hebe for the Goddess of Youth and consecrated to her several Temples The Corinthians offer'd her Sacrifices in a Grove which served for a place of Refuge to all the Malefactors who repaired thither and freed men tied to the Trees their chains and other marks of bondage This Goddess was represented by the Image of a young Girl crowned with Flowers HECATE A Divinity of Hell Writers report her birth variously Orpheus tells us that she is the Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres others say that she is the Daughter of Jupiter and Asteria and Apollodorus's opinion is that Hecate Diana the Moon and Proserpina are all one and the same wherefore they call her triple Hecate or the Goddess with three heads being the Moon in Heaven Diana on Earth and Proserpina or Hecate in Hell She was called Trivia because her Image was set up in cross-ways either because of the noise that was made in the night to imitate the howling of Ceres seeking after Proserpina or because she was the Moon in Heaven and Diana on Earth and Proserpina or Hecate in Hell as the Scholiast of Aristophanes reports Hecaten coluere antiquitus in trivies propterea quod eandem Lunam Dianam Hecaten vocarent Servius tells us the same thing upon this Verse of Virgil Nocturnisque Hecaten triviis ululata per urbes She was represented with a dreadful countenance her Head attired
of the Truth of this Report yet retain the same Etymology tho' they deduce it from Mount Fourviere's being opposite to the Sun-beams when it rises As the Romans were the Fathers of this City they also were the People who from Time to Time took Care for the Beautifying of it Augustus who saw it begin to flourish in the Time he was projecting to set up his Monarchical Authority resided there for Three Years during which Space it's Inhabitants received many Favours from him as well as the rest of Gaul who as a Mark of their Acknowledgement built him a Temple at the Joint-charge of Sixty Gaulish Nations with as many Statues appertaining thereto as bore the Titles of each of the said Nations and this Temple according to Strabo was scituated before the City of Lyons at the Place where the two Rivers meet Three Hundred Augurs and Sixty Haruspices or South-sayers served there as may be gathered from the ancient Inscriptions still remaining It was in this Temple that the Emperor Caligula set up those Academick Plays of which Suetonius makes mention whither so many Orators and Poets came from several Parts of the World to set forth their Eloquence It was ordered that he that did not win the Prize should be plunged into the Saone if he had not rather chuse to blot out his Writings with his Tongue This gave Juvenal Occasion to make the Fear of an Orator who went to make an Harangue before the Altar at Lyons to be exceeding great Palleat ut nudis pressit qui calcibus anguem Aut Lugdunensem Rhetor dicturus ad aram In this City was established not only the Exchequer of the Gauls but almost of all the Roman Empire and there was a Mint for the Coining of Money set up there that circulated through the whole Empire LUNA the Moon according to the Fable Here take what Lucian writes concerning her in one of his Dialogues entituled Icaromenippus he brings in Menippus saying that having been one Day transported into the Globe of the Moon she called to him with a clear and feminine Voice and desired him to make a Representation unto Jupiter of the impertinent Curiosity of the Philosophers who would know all she had within her and give a Reason for her various Changes For one said She was inhabited as the Earth was another That she hung in the Air like unto a Mirrour a third That all her Light was borrowed from the Sun Nay they were so bold as to go about to take Measure of her as if they would make her a Suit of Cloaths The same Lucian tells us in another Place That the Moon is a round and bright Island hung in the Air and is inhabited of which Endymion is King Apuleius calls the Moon the Sun of the Night Lunam solis aemulam noctis Decus and says She shines in the midst of the Stars as their Queen whence comes that Saying of Horace Syderum Regina bicornis The Scripture says God made Two great Lights or Luminaries the one to rule the Day and the other the Night Aristotle tells us the People honoured the Moon as if she were another Sun because she participates and comes most near unto her And Pliny informs us that Endymion spent Part of his Life in observing this Luminary from whence sprung the Fable of his being enamoured on her Vossius sets forth at large that the Moon is the same as Venus Vrania or Venus Caelestis that was first famous amongst the Assyrians afterwards the Worshipping of her was introduced into Phaenicia and Cyprus from whence it was brought to Greece Africa Italy and the remotest Nations of Europe Diana was also the Moon for the Name Diana seems to have come from Diva Jana Thus the Sun was called Janus and the Moon Jana according to Varro Nunquam audivisti rure Octavo Janam Lunam c. Et tamen quaedam melius fieri post octavam Janam Lunam Diana was made to preside over the Exercise of Hunting because she chased away the Night by the Favour of the Moon 's Rays St. Jerome says Diana of Ephesus was pictured with many Breasts which is proper enough for the Moon in order to the common Nurture of Animals Diana presided over Child-bearing because 't is the Moon that forms the Months and regulates the Times of Women's Lying-in Thus Cicero speaks of it Lib. 2. de Nat. Deor. Alhibetur ad partus quod ij maturescunt aut septem nonnuquam aut plerumque novem Lunae cursibus Plutarch says The Elizian Fields were the upper part of the Moon that that Part of the Moon which looked towards the Earth was called Proscrpina and Antichthon that the Genii and Doemons inhabit the Moon and come down to deliver Oracles or to assist at Festival Days that the Moon does upon no other Account incessantly turn about in order to rejoyn the Sun but from a Motive of the Love she bears this common Father of Light and that undefiled Souls fly about the Globe of the Moon which is the same as Lucina and Diana The Moon at Caran in Mesopotamia was esteemed for a God and usually called Lunus and not Luna Thus Spartian speaks of it As we have made mention says he of the God Lunus you must know that the Learned have left it to us upon Record and that the Inhabitants of Caran think to this very Day that such as believe the Moon is a Goddess and not a God will be their Wives Slaves as long as they live but that those on the Contrary who esteem her to be a God will ever be Masters of their Wives and will never be overcome by their Artifices Wherefore continues the same Author tho' the Assyrians and Egyptians call her by a Feminine Name yet in their Mysteries of Religion they take Care to reverence her continually as a God And there are still remaining several Medals of the Nysaeans Magnesians and other Greek Nations who represent the Moon to us in the Dress and under the Name of a Man and covered with an Armenian Bonnet The Moon is one of the Seven Planets and the nighest to the Earth She goes round the Zodiack in 27 Days 7 Hours and 41 Minutes and does not overtake the Sun in less than 29 Days 12 Hours and 44 Minutes The first Motion is her Periodical Course the second is the Synodical or Course of Conjunction there is a third they call a Course of Illumination during which she appears to us which is for 26 Days and 12 Hours The Moon is a spherical and dark Body which has no other Light than what is reflected upon her from the Sun Her Spots proceed from the Unevenness of her Surface The Arabians and Egyptians attributed 28 Houses to her which are explained in the Oedipus of Father Kircher The different Appearances of the Moon 's Light according to the Scituation thereof in respect to the Earth and Sun are called Phases She is called the new Moon when she proceeds
Account of the Chymerical Divinity of Mars in Assyria and Persia The Egyptians placed him in the second Degree among the Demi-Gods that reigned with them and this may be observed from the Dynasties related by Syncellus Julian the Apostate makes mention of Mars of Edessa who was called Azizus Now all the Nations of the Earth having a not be without one History and the Greek Fables tell us that Mars having killed Halirrhothius Neptune's Son for having violated the Chastity of his Daughter Alcippe Neptune accused him before the Tribunal of Twelve Gods where he was acquitted The Place in Atheus where this Judgment was pronounced has been since called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because 't was an Eminence or a Rock and the Judges from thence took the Name of Areopagites This Action of Mars might very well induce the Greeks to attribute unto him what the most Ancient and Eastern Nations had already published concerning the God of War Dionysius of Halicarnassus says that the Sabins and the Romans gave the Name of Quirinus to the God Enyalius being in some doubt whether he were God Mars himself or another God who presided over Military Adventures MARS in Astrology is the Fifth Planet being between the Sun and Jupiter it s a mischievous Planet which the Astrologers call Little Misfortune she finishes her Course in a Revolution of 322 Days and goes round about the Sun Fontana has observed a Spot in the middle thereof which he believes to be a Satellite as in Jupiter MARTIUS March the Third Month in Year according to our Way of Reckoning It was formerly the First amongst the Romans and is still so in use in some Ecclesiastical Computations It s no longer than since the Edict of Charles IX in the Year 1564 that they have used in France to reckon the Year from the Beginning of January for before it began with March Astrologers make it also the first because 't is then that the Sun enters into Aries by which they begin to reckon the Signs of the Zodiac The Calends of this Month was anciently very remarkable because of its being the first Day of the Year whereon divers Ceremonies were performed They kindled a new Fire upon the Altar of Vesta with the Sun-beams by the Help of a Burning-glass in the same Manner almost as they kindle it in the Popish Church on Easter-Eve Hujus diei primâ ignem novum Vestae aris accendebant ut incipiente anno cura denuò servandi novati ignis inciperet Macr. L. 1. C. 12. Saturn They took away the old Lawrel-branches and Crowns as well from the Door of the King of the Sacrifices as from the Courts and Houses of the Flamines and the Axes of the Consuls and put new in the room of them and this was called Mutatio laurearum And this Macrobius also informs us Tam in Regiâ curiisque atque Flaminum domibus laureae veteres novis laureis mutabantur Ovid tells us the same Thing in Lib. 3. Fast Laurea Flaminibus quae toto perstitit anno Tollitur frondes sunt in honore novae Adde quòd arranâ fieri novus ignis in aede Dicitur vires flamma refecta capit The Magistrates took Possession of their Places which continued says Ovid till the Carthaginian War for then they altered the Custom and enter'd thereon the First of January The Roman Ladies celebrated a particular Feast then which was instituted by Romulus and called Matronalia of which by and by On the Calends of this Month of March began the Feast of Shields or Sacred Bucklers Ancyliorum dies which continued Three Days whereat the Salii carried small Bucklers This Festival ended with splendid Feasting and great Merriments which is the Reason of giving the Name of Coena Saliaris to sumptuous Entertainments See Ancylia On the 6th which is the Day before the Nones in Latin called Pridie Nonas there were some Solemnities performed in Honour of Vesta On the 7th or Day of the Nones called Nonis was celebrated the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Temples consecrated on such a Day to Ve-Jupiter in both the Woods of the Asylum as also a Feast to Juno called Junonalia See Junonalia On the 13th there was an Horse-race near the Tiber or upon Mount Caelius when that River overflowed On the 15th or the Day of the Ides came on the Feast of Anna Perenna of which I have spoken in its proper place This Day was called Parricidium because Julius Caesar was then assassinated by Brutus and the rest of the Conspirators On the 16th was another Feast called Liberalia for then it was that Children took upon them the Virile Robe On the same Day also they made Processions called Argei or Argea in some Places the which had been consecrated by Numa in Commemoration of some Grecian Princes that had been buried there See Argei and Argea On the 19th or 14th of the Calends of April began the great Festival of Minerva called Quinquatria either because it fell out on the Fifth Day after the Ides of March or because it lasted Five Days See Quinquatria The 24th was marked with those Letters in the Calender Q. R. C. F. Quando Rex Comitiavit Fas it being as much as to say 'T is lawful for the Praetor to keep his Seat as soon as the King of the Sacrifices has done his Business in the Assembly and is withdrawn On the 25th was held the Feast called Hilaria which was instituted in Honour of the Mother of the Gods and of Atys On the 26th came on the Feast of Washing the Grand-mother of the Gods Lavatio Matris Deûm being instituted in Commemoration of the Day wherein she was brought from Asia and washed in the River Almo Vid. Lavatio There were several Feasts kept on the 30th viz. to Janus Concord Health and to Peace and next Day there was one to the Moon celebrated on Mount Aventine to which they sacrificed a Bull. MARSYAS the Son of Oeagrus who was a Shepherd and one of the Satyrs and having taken up a Flute which Minerva had made of a Deer's-Bone and thrown away in Anger he learnt of himself to play upon it insomuch that he adventured to challenge Apollo the God of Hermony to play with him The Muses were the Judges of this Tryal of Skill between them and they gave the Victory to Apollo who presently caused Marsyas to be tied to a Tree and stead alive by a Scythian and cut into Pieces MATRIMONIUM Marriage there was a formal Betrothing and Contract went before it as may be seen in Plautus and Terence for he that was minded to have a Virgin in Marriage made his Application to her Relations and demanded their Consent to it Quid nunc etiam mihi despondes filiam illis legibus Cum illâ dote quam tibi dixi M. Sponden ' ergo spondeo Then the Contract was drawn and signed with the Relations Seal wherein the Terms and Articles of Marriage were writ which
some to the Girls to drink but reserves the best Part for her self wherewith she makes her self drunk and so sends them Home saying She has stopt the Mouths of Slanderers Fast 2. V. 571. Ecce anus in mediis residens annosa puellis Sacra facit Tacitae vix tamen ipsa tacet Et digitis tria tura tribus sub limine ponit Quà brevis occultum mus sibi fecititer Tum cantata tenet cum rhombo liciafusco Et septem nigras versat in ore fabas Quodque pice astringit quod acu trajecit abenâ Obsutum menthâ torret in igne caput Vina quoque instillat vini quodcunque relictum est Aut ipsa aut comites plus temen ipsa bibit Hostiles linguas inimicaque vinximus ora Dicit discedens ebriaque exit anus MYAGROS otherwise called Achor and Beelzebuth by the Hebrews the God of Flies to whom the Elaans offered Sacrifice that he might drive away the Flies See Achor MYODES see Achor MYRINUS an Epithet given to Apollo and taken from the City of Myrina in Eolia where he was worshipped MYRMIDONES the Myrmidons a People of Thessaly who followed Achilles to the Trojan War The Poets feigned that they were Ants which at the Request of King Eacus were changed by Jupiter into Men because the Greek Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies an Ant. MYRON an excellent Statuary who amongst others of his Pieces made a Cow of Copper so like unto the Life that the Bulls took her to be so and this has rendered him famous among the Poets and all the Ancients MYRRHA the Daughter of Cinirus King of Cyprus who falling in Love with her Father deceived him by the Artifice of her Nurse to gratifie her Lust Cinirus coming to know it endeavoured to kill her but she fled into Arabia where she was transformed into that Tree which bears Myrrh She was the Mother of Adonis MYSTRUM a kind of Measure among the Greeks that held about a Spoonful N. N Is the Thirteenth Letter of the Alphabet and a Liquid Consonant which is called Iinniens because of its having a clearer and plainer Sound than others the same sounding against the Roof of the Mouth And this appears in that it has the same Pronunciation in Manlius as in the Word An a Year in Menses as in en Tho' sometimes it loses much of its Strength in particular Words and forms a midling Sound between it self and the G which gave the Greeks Occasion to change the N into P before these Greek Letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tho' many are of Opinion that this was the Transcriber's Faults in lengthning out the v too much and making a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it The Latins had also somewhat of the like Nature in their Language for they put Two gg together as the Greeks did writing Aggulus for Angulus c. The Greeks often changed this Letter into an L in the Midst of Words as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was put for Manlius or else they left it out altother as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for Hortensius which made Lambinus falsly believe that the true Name of that Roman Orator was Hortesius contrary to the Authority of Ancient Books and Inscriptions besides which we find by a great many Examples that it was usual with the Greeks to leave out the N. when it came not in the End of Words This Letter was also sometimes lost in the Latin as when from Abscindo they made the Preterperfect Tense abscidi The N moreover had an Affinity with the R from whence we find Aeneus put for Aereus Cancer for Carcer Carmen from Cano Germen for Genimen according to Joseph Scaliger upon Varro And N was put for S whence it is that Cessores was found for Censores in Varro and Sanguis for Sanguen N among the Ancients was a Numeral Letter signifying 900 and when a Line was drawn above it it implied 90000. N and L being put together with the Lawyers signified as much as non liquet the Cause did not yet appear clear enough for Sentence to pass NAIADES they were false Goddesses which the Heathens believed did preside over Fountains and Rivers The Poets often make mention of them It 's a Word that comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to flow NAPAEAE were false Goddesses which the Pagans believed did preside over Forests and Hills In the mean while Servius in explaining this Verse in Virgil Faciles venerare Napaeas says That the Napaeae or the Naiades were the Nymphs of Fountains It s plain that the Word is derived from the Hebrew Nouph or Noup And the said Servius upon another Line in Virgil says That the Napaeae were the Nymphs of Fountains and the Nereides of the Seas In the mean time if the Greek Etymology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be given this Word we must say that the Napaeae are the Nymphs of Forests NARCISSUS the Son of Cephisus a River in Boeotia and of Lyriope the Daughter of Oceanus who was exceeding beautiful His Parents having one Day consulted the Prophet Tiresias concerning the Fate of their Son he answered That if he lived he ought not to see his own Face which they did not at first understand He was courted by all the Nymphs of the Country because of his handsome and good Mein but he slighted them all and even made the Nymph Eccho languish and die for Love of him insomuch that she had nothing left her but a weak Voice her Body being transformed into a Rock The Gods were not willing to let such disdainful Arrogance go unpunished and therefore one Day as he returned weary and faint from Hunting he stopt upon the Brink of a Well to quench his Thirst and seeing his own Face in the Water he grew so desparately in Love therewith that he wasted away upon the Place with Love and Languishment but the Gods in Compassion to him changed him into a Flower of his Name Pausanias in his Boeotica contradicts this Fable and says That Narcissus was in Love with his Sister that was born after him and that when she died he also pined away and perish'd NAVIS a Ship it s a Vessel built with high Sides in order to sail upon the Sea Many are of Opinion that Janus was the first Inventer of Shipping because the Figure of one was impressed upon the Reverse of the most ancient Coins of the Greeks of Sicily and Italy according to Atheneus And Phaedrus L. 4. F. 6. speaks of the first Ship in this manner I wish to God the Thessalian Ax had never hewn down the lofty Pines growing on the Sides of the Forest of Peleon and that subtil Argus who was desirous to trace out a bold Course and such as was exposed to the Dangers of apparent Death upon the Waters had not built a Ship by the Art and Direction of Pallas This Ship I say first opened the Passage
is most concerned with Fortune Clemens Alexandrinus say there were some who confined Destiny so much to the Moon that they said if there were Three of them it was because of the Three most remarkable Days of the Moon Parcas allegorice dici partes Lunae trigesimam quintam decimam novam lunam ideo candidatas dici ab Orpheo qua fuit partes lucis Varro says and we ought to believe him that formerly they used Parta instead of Parca This Word answers the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and comes a Partiendo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to divide because 't is Fate that makes a Division and Lot for every Body But in respect to that Universal Chain of all natural Causes which produce all sensible Effects and form as I may say the Fate of our Bodies the Moon without doubt is one of the most considerable and efficatiousof any as she is also nearest to the Earth The Moon was one of the Destinies in the Opinion of those who gave this Quality to Ilithyia which is known to be the Moon and to preside over Nativities Pausanias tells us that Venus Vrania was also accounted one of the Destinies and that she was even the Eldest of the Three Sisters Epigramma verò indicat Venerem Caelestem earum quae Parcae vocantur natu maximam PARENTALIA they were Solemnities and Banquets made by the Ancients at the Obsequies of their Relations and Friends PARIS the Son of Priamus King of Troy and of Hecuba His Mother being with Child of him saw in her Dream that she was brought to Bed of a Burning-torch which would set all Asia on fire And having consulted the Augurs thereupon they made answer That that Child one Day should be the Cause of the Ruine of his Country Priamus being informed of it exposed him to be destroy'd but his Wife Hecuba being touch'd with Compassion delivered him privately to the King's Shepherds to bring him up on Mount Ida in Phrygia where he grew up and became Valiant and expert at all bodily Exercises wherein he exceeded Hector whom he threw in Wrestling Dares the Phrygian who had seen Paris gives us an Account of his Person in his Book concerning the Destruction of Troy where he says He was tall and well proportioned of a fair Complexion had very good Eyes and a sweet Voice that he was Bold Couragious Forward and Ambitious And this is confirmed by Dion Chrysostom and Cornelius Nepos in their Translation of Dares into Verse Hector upbraids him for his very Beauty as if he were fitter for Love than War Homer gives him the Title of being Valiant and among others names Diomedes and Machaon's being wounded by him to which Dares adds Menelaus and Palamedes Antilochus and Achilles whom he slew Hyginus relates the Fight he had with his Brethren whom he overcame while he was a Shepherd As to the Contest between the Three Goddesses viz. Juno Venus and Pallas to know which was the fairest of them Dares in his Poem concerning the Destruction of Troy recites the Words which they spoke to Paris in order to engage him to give Sentence in their Favour as well as Lucian does in his Dialogue concerning the Judgment of Paris Venus wanted not Reasons to gain the Opinion of amorous Paris and to oblige him to declare in her Favour for as his Reward she promised him one of the finest Women in the World which was Helen Menelaus his Wife and she was so constant to her Word that she favoured him to carry her off which occasioned the fatal War made by the Grecians against the Trojans Some Commentators upon Homer and Spondanus among others believe this pretended Sentence of Paris was not known to Homer Plutarch himself favours this Conjecture when he maintains that the 3 Verses of the 24th Iliad where he speaks of it are Supposititious and inserted by some other and that 't is an unbecoming thing to believe the Gods were judged by Men and that Homer making no mention thereof any other where there was Reason to believe these Lines were foisted in But a Medal of Antoninus Pius gives us to understand that this Action was believed to be true by the Ancients and we may farther oppose against Plutarch the ancient Statue of Paris done by Eupbranor whereby as Pliny says it might be known that he was a Judge between the Goddesses the Lover of Helen and the Person that killed Aahilles Other Authors have thought that Paris himself feigned his having been a Judge between the Goddesses and that he did this in Opposition to Hercules who renounced Vice in favour of Vertue how difficult soever it appeared since Paris despised the Riches and Honours promised him by Juno and the Knowledge profferred him by Pallas and abandoned himself to his Pleasures Eusebius treats of the History and not the Fabulous part for he writes that the City of Troy was destroy'd for the Rape of Helen one of the Three Grecian Ladies that contended for Beauty PARNASSUS a Mountain in Phocis consecrated to Apollo and the Muses whence arise the Fountains of Custalins Hippocrene and Aganippe so famous in the Poets At the Foot of this Mountain stood the City of Cyrrha and the Temple of Apollo of Delphos The Muses took their Epithers from these Places for in the Poets they are called Parnassides and Castalides PARRICIDA a Parricide the Murderer of his Father or Mother The Romans made no Law against Parricides because they did not think there could be a Man so wicked as to kill his Parents L. Ostius was the first that killed his Father 500 Years after Numa's Death even after the Time of Hannibal And then the Pompeian Law was made which ordained that the Person who was convicted of this Crime after he had been first whipped till the Blood came should be tied up in a Leathern Sack together with a Dog an Ape a Cock and a Viper and so thrown into the Sea or next River PARTUNDA a Goddess that assisted at Child-bearing PASIPHAE the Daughter of the Sun and Wife to Minos King of Creet The Fable tells us she fell in Love with a Bull whom she enjoy'd by Daedalus his Contrivance who by his Skill made a Cow wherein Pasiphae being inclosed she conceived by this Bull a Creature that was half Man half Bull which was shut up in the Labyrinth and with the Assistance of Ariadne killed by Theseus Servius informs us that this Taurus was one of Minos his Captains who by the Procurement of Daedalus enjoy'd Pasiphae and because the Child she bore was like unto Taurus and Minos he was called Minotaurus Lucian says that Pasiphae hearing Daedalus discoursing of the Coelestial Sign Taurus she became in Love with his Doctrine which she learnt from him and this gave the Poets occasion to feign that she fell in Love with a Bull. PASSUS a Pace a Measure taken from the Space that is between the two Feet of an Animal the common Pace is that Space we
second and third Hour of the Day the Sun being in Taurus the Moon in Libra Saturn Mars Venus and Mercury in Scorpio and Jupiter in Pisces according to the Testimony of Solinus Pliny and Eutropius Titus Terentius Firmianus a learned Astrologer rejects the foresaid Time and according to his Computation makes it to be on the 21st of April at full Moon and when the Sun Mercury and Venus were in Taurus Jupiter in Pisces Saturn and Mars in Cancer about the third Hour and Plutarch observes that the Moon on the said Day suffered a great Ecclipse Romulus divided the Inhabitants of his City into Three Tribes or Classes under Tribunes or Collonels and each Tribe into Ten Curiae or Parishes and each Curia into Ten Decuriae the first being under the Command of an Officer named Curio as the other was under one called Decurio he picked out of all the Tribes such Persons whose Birth Age and Vertue made them remarkable and called them Patricii or Patres and the rest of the People Plebeians This City was governed by Seven Kings for the Space of 243 Years and became afterwards a Republick which was sometimes governed by Consuls and other whiles by Decemviri Tribunes Dictators and lastly by Emperors The Ancients represented Rome in the Form of a Goddess clad like Pallas with a youthful Air to intimate that Rome was always in the Vigour of her Youth and did not grow old They put an Helmet on her Head and a Pike in her Hand with a long Robe to denote that she was alike prepared for War and Peace since she was drest like Pallas whom they represented with a Helmet and Pike and like Minerva who was habited with a long Robe This Head of Rome is very often found on the Consulary Medals and even on some Greek ones the Inscriptions that are on the Greek Medals for Rome and the Senate are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Goddess Rome and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The God of the Senate or the Sacred Senate They also erected Temples throughout the Empire to the Honour of the Goddess Rome and at last the meanest flattering Titles they used were Roma Victrix Victorious Rome Roma invicta Invincible Rome Roma Aeterna Eternal Rome and Roma Sacra Sacred Rome The Medals of Maxentius represent Eternal Rome fitting upon Military Ensigns armed with an Helmet and holding a Scepter in one Hand and a Globe in the other which she presents the Emperor who is crowned with Lawrel to let him know that he was the Master and Preserver of the whole World with this Inscription Conservatori Vrbis aeternae The Medals of Vespatian represent her with an Helmet on her Head and lying upon the Seven Hills of Rome with a Scepter in her Hand and the Tiber in the Form of an old Man at her Feet but upon the Medals of Adrian she holds a Lawrel-branch in her Left-hand and Victory upon a Globe in the Right as being victorious over all the World The People of Smyrna were the first who erected a Temple to the City of Rome under the Consulship of Cato Major when she was not yet come to that Pitch of Grandeur she afterwards attained to before the Destruction of Carthage and the Conquest of Asia See Regio ROMULUS the Son of Mars and the Vestal Rhea otherwise called Silvia and Ilia Lucius Terentius Firmianus a Person well skilled in the curious Sciences of the Chaldaeans having exactly observed the Life and Death of Romulus says He was born the 21st Day of Thoth which is our August at Sun-rising and that he was begot the 23d of Cheac which is our November at Three in the Afternoon in the first Year of the second Olympiad Plutarch says that the Sun on the Day of his Conception suffered a great Ecclipse from Eight to Nine in the Morning Ant. Contius will have him to be born in the first Year of the first Olympiad and Fuccius asserts he was born in the 3d Year of the second Olympiad He with his Brother were by Amulius his Command exposed to be drowned in the Tiber but Faustulus who was Numitor's Shepherd saved him and his Brother Remus and they were both nursed by his Wife The Story is that they were suckled by a She-wolf because of the Leudness of Laurentia Faustulus his Wife which gave occasion to the Fable but the Thing has been even so represented on the Consulary Medals where you have a She wolf and Two Twins sucking her Romulus traced out the Plan of his new City and prescribed Laws to his People who coalesced together from all Parts into a Body for he made an Asylum of a Vale lying at the Foot of Mons Capitolinus for all those that came thither which increased the Number of his Subjects in a very little time He regulated Matters of Religion dividing his People into Three Tribes and each Tribe into Curiae or Parishes Each Curia chose it 's own Priests Priestessess Augurs and Camillae who were to supply what was requisite for the Charge of the Sacrifices and sacred Feasts that were solemnized throughout a Curia at certain Times Pliny speaks of a Society instituted by Romulus somewhat like unto the Knights of the French King's Order and they were called Fratres Arvales Romulus was the Sovereign or Grand-master of the Order the Ensigns of which was a Crown of Ears of Corn tied with a white Riband and this Dignity they held for Life He was killed in a Scufflle others will have it that he was cut in Pieces by the Senate who gave out that the Gods had carried him into Heaven he was deified and worshipped under the Name of Quirinus according to the Relation of Proculus Dionysius of Hallicarnassus says he lived 55 Years and Plutarch 54 and that he reigned 37. We have Medals of the Emperor Antoninus Pius where Romulus is represented habited like Mars with a Javilin in one Hand and with the other holding a Trophy on his Shoulders with this Inscription Romulo Augusto Gronovius excepts against all that has been said by such a Multitude of Authors concerning the Origin of Romulus for near 2500 Years He pretends that a Greeck named Diocles was the first who invented the Fable of the She-wolf's suckling Romulus and Remus who were exposed by Amulius his order to be destroyed and begotten by Mars upon Rhea Silvia a Vestal and he is so assured that there is no need to refute this Fable that he lays it down as an established Principle that Romulus was not born in Italy but that he came thither from another Country and the Proof he gives for it is That no People of Italy would supply the first Inhabitants of Rome with Wives But 't is by no means to be thought in case Romulus was owned to be the Grandson of Numitor after his expelling of the Usurper Anulius and re-establishing his Grandfather upon the Throne but that he would have found the Albans inclined
Difficulties that might happen And so the same Plato places Minos above his Two Brothers and represents him with a Golden Scepter in his Hand whereas he makes the other Two to carry a Rod only Minos autem considerans sedet solus aureum babens sceptrum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 RHAMNUSIA Vltrix Dea a Name given to the Goddess Nemesis and taken from the Town of Rhamnus in Attica RHEA Numitor's Daughter whom Amulius Silvius made a Vestal some call her Ilia but most Authors name her Rhea and Silvia this Vestal was got with Child in a Wood dedicated to Mars wherein she offered Sacrifice by her self and where an armed Man enjoy'd her She was delivered of Two Children whom Amulius exposed to be destroy'd and put those Laws in Execution that were made against the Vestals who prostituted their Virginity Rbea was called also Astarte Ops Pessinuntia c. as Apuleius says who confounds several Goddesses in the Person of Rhea 't was therefore rather a Multitude of Names than a Multiplication of Deities according to his Opinion and she was in reality Isis Queen of Egypt on whom all these Names were conferred at divers times and in divers Countries and whom they represented under the Notion of so many Deities Strabo also mentions this multiplying of Names Et Berecynthes omnes Phryges qui Idam accolunt Troës Rheam colunt eique orgia celebrant Vocatur ab eis Mater Deorum magna Dea à locis autem Idaea Dindymene Pessinuntia Cybele But how ancient soever Rhea might have been in Phrygia she was much more so in Egypt where Diodorus Siculus makes Osir is and Isis to descend from her and Saturn or more immediately Jupiter and Juno and from them Osiris and Isis We have an Account in the Phanician Theology of Sanchuniathon who was more ancient that Saturn having married his Two Sisters Astarte and Rhea he had Seven Daughters by the first and as many Sons by the other And thus you see from whence it is the Greeks have derived the whole Fable of Rhea or Cybele Livy gives us the History at large of the Transportation of the Goddess Rhea from Pessinuntia to Rome Plato in his Timaeus says that Saturn and Rhea his Wife were the Children of Oceanus and Tethys RICA a Vail where with the Roman Ladies covered their Heads RICULA a little Vail for the same use RIDICULUS and AEDICULA RIDICULI the Temple of Laughter built at Rome 2000 Paces without the Gate Capena in Commemoration of Hannibal's Flight from before that City because of the Rains and Storms that fell during his besieging of it which made the Romans laugh and fall to ridicule him The Romans were not the first who deified Laughter seeing we are informed by Plutarch in the Life of Lycurgus that the Laecedaemonians erected him a Statue and the Hypataeans of Thessaly annually offered Sacrifice to him as also the Romans did in the Spring accompanied with loud Laughter Pausanias mentions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a God of Laughter ROBIGO or ROBIGUS a Deity worshipped by the Romans for driving away the Blast which happened to the Corn in the Ear occasioned thro' too much Drought Numa Pompilius instituted a Feast in Honour of him about the Month of April called Robigalia ROGATIO LEGIS the Proposing of a Law to pass which was made to the Romans for their Approbation thereof from whence came those Expressions so frequent in Cicero Rogationem ferre ad populum to propose a Law to the People and Rogator legis he that proposes the Law ROMA Rome tho' the Founding of this City be attributed to Romulus because he enlarged it and founded a Monarchy there yet it may be proved by divers Authorities that there was a City in Italy called Roma before Romulus was born Solinus will have this City to have been founded near Mount Esquiline by Roma the Daughter of Kittim to which she gave her Name but other Authors there are who attribute the Foundation thereof to Roma the Daughter of Ascanius Sabellicus confirms this Proposition of Plutarch by a Quotation out of one Cephon Gergetius who attributed the Founding of Rome to Romus the Son of Aeneas Plutarch speaks of another Foundress of Rome named Roma and says that after Aeneas had landed at Laurentum a Trojan Lady whose Name was Roma took the Opportunity in the Absence of Aeneas and the other Trojans to perswade the Women to burn the Ships that so they might be no longer exposed to the Dangers of the Sea and this necessitated them to build a City at the Foot of Mount Palatine which from the Name of the said Lady they called Roma Caius Sempronius in his Division of Italy proves that Romulus was not the Founder of Rome but that it was the Daughter of Italus for he says that he was called Rumulus and his Brother Rumus and not Romulus and Remus as is commonly thought Rome when built or enlarged by Romulus was divided into Four Parts one called Roma the second Germalia the third Velia and the fourth comprehended Romulus his House It is plain that Roma was that little City built by Italus his Daughter Velia was that Part of Mount Palatine that looked towards that Place called Locus Romanus and was so named from Vellus a Fleece because the Shepherds were wont to shear their Sheep there Germalia was a low Place that looked towards the Capitol where the Twins Cradle was found under a Fig-Tree called Ruminal from the Word Rumo to give suck because it was under this Tree the She-Wolf gave suck to Romulus and Remus From the House of Romulus who was first King of Rome built upon Mount Palatine they call Princes Houses Palatia Romulus made Three Gates to his New City viz. Carmentalis Romana and Pandana to which some have added Janualis The Gate Carmentalis took its Name from Carmenta Evander's Wife who was buried there the same was since called Porta Scelerata because the Fabii went out at it when they were defeated at Cremera Porta Romana took its Name from Romulus says Livy but I rather believe it came from the Village Roma it was also named Mugonia because of the Lowing of the Cattle sold at this Gate and Trigonia for being fortified with Three Angles Pandana came from the Verb Pando because it lay open to let in the Provisions that were continually brought into the City the same was also called Libera and Romulida and this confirms the Opinion which I have advanced that Porta Romana did not take its Name from Romulus for 't is not very likely that of but Four Gates Romulus would have called Two according to his own Name Porta Janualis was so named from the Temple of Janus that stood near it Rome was founded in the 3961. Year of the Julian Period Anno Mund. 3301. 753. Years before our Saviour's Nativity in the third Year of the sixth Olympiad on the 11th and 12th of May the Day after the Feast of Pales between the