surprised, that so many, such reasonable and concurring intimations, can be picked up, to fix with any appearance of probability, the epoch of a man, whose whole life and actions have been for ages disguised, by an almost infinite heap of fable blended with them; not to mention the defects of the ancient profane history, and the thousands of years between us and him. I know nothing which can be objected to the placing Jupiter in this age; but some accounts we have in the mythological writers of persons said to be descended from him, who lived in ages later. Thus Jupiter is said to be the father of Hercules, born of Alcmena wife of Amphitryon ;* of Castor and Pollux born of Leda wife of Tyndareus; of Perseus born of Danae daughter of Acrisius; of Eacus the father of Telamon and Peleus; of Arcesius the ancestor of Ulysses, and of many others. Now, if he really was the father of any of these persons, he must have lived about three generations only before the Trojan a Perseus was indeed about five descents before that expedition; but the other heroes I have named, were grandfathers or contemporaries with the grandfathers or fathers of the warriors at Troy. But let us observe, that the mythologists recorded many of their heroes as being descended of the gods, though other persons were their real parents. Thus Autolycus was said to be the son of Mercury, when in truth Dæda Hyg. Fab. et al. y Id. ibid. a Apollod. lib. 3. Ovid. Metam. * Id. ibid. с lion was his father; and this happened either, 1. When a hero had borne the name of one, who had lived ages before him. In length of time, the father of the former came to be reputed the father of the latter; both being taken for but one and the same man. This was the case of Hercules: there were two of that name, one indeed a son of Jupiter; who lived ages before the son of Alcmena. But the latter Hercules having copied after the illustrious actions of the former, in length of time both were taken for one and the same person; and the history and parentage of both ascribed to him, and a fable was easily invented for the wife of Amphitryon being with child by Jupiter." Or, 2. When Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury, and the other persons ranked with them, came to be deified ; princes and rulers thought it not only an honour, but good policy, and conducive to the management of their affairs, to derive their pedigree from some of them. Alexander the Great would have done it in f - Αυτόλυκος λεγόμενος δ' Έρμε παις είναι, Δαιδαλίωνος δε ων τῳ αληθεί λόγῳ. Pausan. in Arcad. d Diodor. lib. 5, p. 236. e ‘Ηρακλεα εκ Διος γενεσθαι παμπολλοις έτεσι προτερον το γεννα JETOS ε& Aλxμns. Id. ibid. f Τον δε εξ Αλκμηνης Ηρακλέα παντελως νεωτερον ονία, και ζηλωτην γενόμενον της το παλαιό προαιρέσεως, δια τας αυτάς αιτίας τυχείν τε της αθανασίας, και χρονων εξγενομένων, δια την ομωνυμίαν τον αυτον είναι, και τας τε προτερο πράξεις εις τόξον μεταπεσειν, αγνό ενίων των πολλων τ' αληθες. Id. ibid. * Vid. Apoll. Bibl. lib. 2, c. 4. his day," and reasons of state were his motives for it.' Arrian thought he had as good a title to it as the more ancient heroes; and if the matters were rightly considered, not to be blamed for attempting it.' It raised them high in the common estimation; and they were reputed to have the greater influence, powers, and protection, the greater the god was from whom they could derive their descent." Thus Pausanias thought he might assert, that the son of Phoroneus would never have been esteemed equal to the son of Niobe, upon a supposition that Jupiter was Niobe's son's father;" and this was Homer's reason for Asteropaus Arrian. de Expedit. Alexand. lib. 4. Plutarch. in Alexand. Quint. Curt. lib. 5. Illud penè dignum risu fuit, quod Hermolaus postulat à me, ut aversarer Jovem, cujus oraculo agnoscor.-Obtulit nomen filii mihi: recipere ipsis rebus quas agimus haud alienum fuit: Utinam Indi quoque Deum esse me credant: famâ enim bella constant, et sæpe etiam, quod falsò creditum est, veri vicem obtinuit. Curtius lib. 8, § 8. * Arrian. lib. 7, p. 504. 1 Ότι δε εις Ear την γένεσιν την αυτό ανέφερεν, εδε τας το εμοί δοχει είναι πλημμέλημα, ει μη και σοφισμα την τυχον ες τας ύπήκους τη σεμνα ενεκα. Arrian. ibid. m ....... χαλεπον τοι εξισθέντος Κρονίωνος Παισιν εριζέμεναι Ποταμοιο, περ εκγεγαώτι. Iom. I. p. v. 184. Εγω δε εν ο ίδα ως εκ έμελλεν ο παις αυτώ Νιόβης παιδί στα otodai, Aios Te ei vai Soxeyri. Pausan. in Corinthiac. c. 34. not being able to cope with Achilles. Asteropæus was said to be only the descendant of a river-god, but Achilles' pedigree was deduced from Jupiter. It is easy to suppose, that when these opinions were in repute, kings and governors would be fond of ennobling themselves by the divinity of their ancestors; and they might find it no hard matter to succeed in their claims, when their statesmen and officers in the highest employments might think pretences of this sort, how illgrounded soever, yet capable of promoting the public good, by the effect they might have upon both prince and people. Their vates or their oracles could secure them their title ;a or history and genealogies being but little known in these times, it was easy to insert a god at the head of a family. There might be no necessity of going far back to do this with security; and some families were so fortunate, as to be divine this way by both parents; Ulysses' descendants shone with this • Homer ubi sup. P Utile esse civitatibus, ut se viri fortes, etiamsi falsum sit, ex diis genitos esse credant : ut eo modo animus humanus, velut divinæ stirpis fiduciam gerens, res magnas aggrediendas præsumat audaciùs, agat vehementiùs, et ob hoc impleat ipsas securitate feliciùs. Varro in Fragment. p. 45. Λεγει δε και νυν ετος ο λόγος αληθεια χρωμενος, ως όσων αν πολεων μη θεος αλλά τις αςχη θνητος, εκ εςι κακων αυτοις εδε πονων αναψευξις. Plato de legib. lib. 4, p. 830. Edit. Ficin. 4 Ουδε ζωντι Ηρακλεί θείαι τιμαι εγενοντο, εδε τελευτησαντι προσθεν η πρός τε θες το εν Δελφοις επιθεσπισθηναι ως θεον τιμαν Ηρακλέα. Arrian. de Expedit. Alex. lib. 4. double lustre. Or, 3. The gods were introduced into families, to preserve their honour, to prevent the infamy of their ancestors coming down to posterity. Thus Tyro the daughter of Salmoneus had two children before she married, namely Pelias and Neleus the father of Nestor. She loved to walk upon the banks of Enipeus; but we are not told, who the gallant was, whom she so often met there. When she came to be delivered, she took care to be in private," and got rid of the children in the best manner she could ;* and was afterwards reputably married. Thus she behaved in every step, like a person sensible of having exposed herself to infamy, but desirous to avoid it. Posterity derived honour to her descendants from the accident. Neptune was said to have been in love with her, and in the shape of the river Enipeus to have been the father of her two children. Thus again Danae the daughter of Acrisius played the harlot with Prætus; and her ather enraged at the dis honour done his family. ld admit of no excuse for xy sed at sea both her and the her misbehaviour, Nam mihi Laertes pater est, Arcesius illi, Est quoque per matrem Cyllenius addita nobis Altera nobilitas: Deus est in utroque parente. |