DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5675#0030
(28)
country of the enemies of the Pigmies; he remarks, that
the ssorks often bring from the countries abovemention'd
the points of the arrows with which they had been woun-
ded, and which remain fixed in their bodies{a).
Shou'd it be found, that I have dwelt too much on
this matter, there is a pasfage taken from Buffons natural
History, which will plead my excuse: „ They will say,
„ that these fables are absurd, I agree that they are so, but
„ accustomed to find in thefe fables hidden truths, and fa6ts,
„ of which we have no better authority, we ought to be
„ cautions of giving this judgement too agreable to the love
„ of variety, and too natural to ignorance. We shou'd rather
„ believe, that some Angular particularities in the History
of these birds gave rise to an opinion so general in An-
„ tiquity, since new discoveries often force us to stamp a
„ degree of truth on what had been long looked upon as
„ merely fabulous w,
Plate 8.) An ancient Author in a Poem entitled the
Theseid , gives as the motive of the invasion of Attica
by the Amazons, the resentment of Antiope on being
abandoned by Theseus . When she saw , that he had
married Phaedra, the Princess returned to her own country,
and obtained of the Queen of the Amazons , her sister,
that she should arm to revenge the injury, which he had
done her {c). Probably a passage of the Poem described
Theseus overthrown by Antiope , who in the moment
of her jealous fury, was going to pierce the heart of her
Betrayer 5 when the blow was turned aside by the prayers of
Hyppolita*, It is this aftion, which is represented in the Plate-,
the head of Medusa painted on a shield, points out a Queen
of the Amazons. The dress of the other female warriour,
announ-
(a) L,XV, p.?li. (c) Plutarch in Theseus XXFUL eiit,
(b) Tome Vlll s . 291 • in 4«
country of the enemies of the Pigmies; he remarks, that
the ssorks often bring from the countries abovemention'd
the points of the arrows with which they had been woun-
ded, and which remain fixed in their bodies{a).
Shou'd it be found, that I have dwelt too much on
this matter, there is a pasfage taken from Buffons natural
History, which will plead my excuse: „ They will say,
„ that these fables are absurd, I agree that they are so, but
„ accustomed to find in thefe fables hidden truths, and fa6ts,
„ of which we have no better authority, we ought to be
„ cautions of giving this judgement too agreable to the love
„ of variety, and too natural to ignorance. We shou'd rather
„ believe, that some Angular particularities in the History
of these birds gave rise to an opinion so general in An-
„ tiquity, since new discoveries often force us to stamp a
„ degree of truth on what had been long looked upon as
„ merely fabulous w,
Plate 8.) An ancient Author in a Poem entitled the
Theseid , gives as the motive of the invasion of Attica
by the Amazons, the resentment of Antiope on being
abandoned by Theseus . When she saw , that he had
married Phaedra, the Princess returned to her own country,
and obtained of the Queen of the Amazons , her sister,
that she should arm to revenge the injury, which he had
done her {c). Probably a passage of the Poem described
Theseus overthrown by Antiope , who in the moment
of her jealous fury, was going to pierce the heart of her
Betrayer 5 when the blow was turned aside by the prayers of
Hyppolita*, It is this aftion, which is represented in the Plate-,
the head of Medusa painted on a shield, points out a Queen
of the Amazons. The dress of the other female warriour,
announ-
(a) L,XV, p.?li. (c) Plutarch in Theseus XXFUL eiit,
(b) Tome Vlll s . 291 • in 4«