DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5674#0137
great inssuence upon the fecundity of all the Vines that
were in sight of them {a). The festival finished with a re-
past-, after which, each person returned to his own home.
The Romans celebrated the same festival*, and Virgil gives
a very fine description of it in the second book of his
Georgicks.
The cup which the matter has in his hand , is in-
tended to make the libation when he returns to the altar
of the God, where, he will probably deposite the crown,
which he holds in the other hand, as an offering vowed
to Bacchus. The 1 eason of his being preceeded by a man,
disguised like Pan, playing on the ssute of sevenpipes and
carrying a bell, is, that Pan was much loved by Bacchus-,
and probably, because his ssute was thought to possess the
faculty of filling the dugs of animals, it was supposed, that
it might also fill the grapes with juice. As to the bell, the
ancients believed , that it purified such obje&s, as were
struck with its sound, for which reason they made use of
it in purifications or lustrations {b). This is probably the
motive for which in placing of this God in the ceremony
of the lustration of the Vines, they represented him with
a bell.
Plate 44. ) This plate represents the finishing of the lus-
tration of the vineyard, and the return to the altar , in
order to perform the ceremony , which has been spohen
of in the explanation of the preceeding plate. The master
is going to make a libation, w hile his servant, masked as a
Genius, holding in one hand the Cista Mystica,and a Boetyle
in the other w ith a crown, is making some observation to
him. The dress of the servant is the same as that repre-
sented
(a) Natalis L. V. Ch. XIII (b) The Scholiaft os the u Uylle os Theveril,
were in sight of them {a). The festival finished with a re-
past-, after which, each person returned to his own home.
The Romans celebrated the same festival*, and Virgil gives
a very fine description of it in the second book of his
Georgicks.
The cup which the matter has in his hand , is in-
tended to make the libation when he returns to the altar
of the God, where, he will probably deposite the crown,
which he holds in the other hand, as an offering vowed
to Bacchus. The 1 eason of his being preceeded by a man,
disguised like Pan, playing on the ssute of sevenpipes and
carrying a bell, is, that Pan was much loved by Bacchus-,
and probably, because his ssute was thought to possess the
faculty of filling the dugs of animals, it was supposed, that
it might also fill the grapes with juice. As to the bell, the
ancients believed , that it purified such obje&s, as were
struck with its sound, for which reason they made use of
it in purifications or lustrations {b). This is probably the
motive for which in placing of this God in the ceremony
of the lustration of the Vines, they represented him with
a bell.
Plate 44. ) This plate represents the finishing of the lus-
tration of the vineyard, and the return to the altar , in
order to perform the ceremony , which has been spohen
of in the explanation of the preceeding plate. The master
is going to make a libation, w hile his servant, masked as a
Genius, holding in one hand the Cista Mystica,and a Boetyle
in the other w ith a crown, is making some observation to
him. The dress of the servant is the same as that repre-
sented
(a) Natalis L. V. Ch. XIII (b) The Scholiaft os the u Uylle os Theveril,