DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9260#0119
84 P.OVIDII METAMOR-
Is fua jecit burnt', monitu l^ritonidis} arma >
Fraternaeque fdem pacts fetittque, deditque.
Hos operis comites habuit Sidonius hofpes,
Cum pojuit jtijfam Phoebeis fortibus ur-
bem. 13°
P.OVID'S METAMOR-
Echion One, at Pallas's Command,
Let fall the guiltlefs Weapon from his Hand,
And with the Reft a peaceful Treaty makes,
Whom Cadmus as his Friends and Partners takes:
So founds a City on the promis'd Earth,
And gives his new Baotian Empire Birth.
EXPLICATION OF THE SECOND FABLE.
AGenor having loft his Daughter , commands a
diligent Search to be made for her in all Places,
and orders his Sons to embark immediatly, and never
to return again until! they had found their Sifter. The
young Princes, either not being able to learn what
was become of her, or, rather, being too weak to
recover her by Force out of the Hands of the King
of Crete, durft not go back to their Father, but efta-
blifhed thcmfelves in different Countries} Cadmus fixed
himfelf in Borotia-, Cilix in Cilzaa, to which he gave
his Name-, and Phenix fettled in Africa, as Hygin
(i) tells us. If we give Credit to what Conon'fays
in Photius (zj, the Hopes which Cadmus had to con-
quer fome Country in Europe, and to cftablifh a Co-
lony there, was the true Ground of his Voyage j the
Rape of his Sifter being only a Pretence for his De-
parture. Whatever was the Occafion of it, that Prince
having run over a Part of Greece fettled at laft in Bceo-
tia, where he built the famous City of Thebes after
the Model of That in Egypt, of which he originally
was ; or, to {peak more properly, he only built a
Citadel, called, from his Name, Cadmea, and laid
the Foundation of the City of Thebes , which was
built by his SuccefTors, and enclofed with Walls by
Amphion. The 7. Epoch of the 'Parian Marbles con-
firms what I have juft faid y we read there that Cad-
mus , the Son of Agenor , having confulted the Ora-
cle, went and fettled in Bceotia, where he built the
Citadel named Cadmea, in the time that AmphicTyon
reigned at Athens. Cadmus Agenoris Filius Thebas
advenit fecundum Oraculum, & Cadmcam condidit....
regnante Athenis AmphiSlyone. For which we may
confult the Commentators upon thole Marbles.
It is faid that Cadmus having fent his Compa-
nions to draw Water at the Fountain of Mars they
were all devoured by the Dragon that guarded it > that
he killed the Dragon, and then fowed his Teeth,
which immediatly became armed Men j that he threw
a Stone amongft them , which put them into fuch
Diforder and Confufion that they quarrel'd together,
and all killed one another, except Five Perfons, who
entering into an Alliance with the Hero, aillftcd him
in building the Citadel I have mentioned.
Thofe who will not give thcmfelves the Trouble of
a thorough Enquiry into Matters of this nature ,
either fay5after Palefatus (3) and fome other Authors,
that this'Dragon was a King of the Country, named
Draco, the Son of Mars; that his myftenous Teeth
v, ere his Subjects who rallied again after his Defeat,
and that Cadmus put them all to the Sword, except
Ectonius, Edeus , Hiperenor, Pelorus , and Echion
who went over to his Party; or elfe follow Heracli-
tus , who tells us that Cadmus really killed a Ser-
pent which was very troublefom in Bwotia, a Thing
not uncommon in thofe Countries where any new
Colony was to be cftabhlhed. But the famous Bochaft
and , after him, Monfieur Le Clcrc in his Re-
marks upon Hcliod, arc of Opinion that the Fable
has quite another Foundation: The fame Word in the
Phenician Language lignifies cither the Teeth of a
Serpent, or fliort Javelins pointed with Brafs; and
the Word which fignifies the Number Five lignifies
(1) Fab. 178. (2) Nar. 37. (3) Li. cit. (4) Chan Ltb.I.Cap. 19.
likewife an Army, and from hence they think the Fable
may have taken its rife: For the Greeks,who followed
the Phenician Annals in writing the Hiftory of their
Founder, inftead of defcribing Cadmus's Soldiers with
Helmets on their Heads, with Back and Breafl>Plates>
and with Darts in their Hands pointed with Brafs, which
Equipage was then altogether new in Greece, chofe
rather to follow the equivocal Expreffion, as being
more to their Humour, and fay that he had five
Companions produced from the Teeth of a Serpent j
for the learned Author, whom I have cited, further
obferves, that the fame Phenician Phrafe may either
fignify a Company of Men fprung from the Teeth of
a Serpent, or a Company of Men armed with Brazen
Darts. This Explication is certainly very ingenious
and may be confirmed by a Piece of Hiftory which
refembles it very much. Pfammitichus, fays Herodo-
tus ( 5-), being driven to the Marlhy Parts of his
Kingdom, fent to conmlt the Oracle of Latona ,
which anfwer'd that he fhould be re-eftablifhed by
Brafs Men come from the Sea. Such an Anfwer ap-
pear'd to him, at that time, to be a mere Chimera;
but certain Ionian Soldiers being obliged, fome Years
after, to put into Egypt, and appearing on the Shore
with their Weapons and Armour all of Brafs, Thofe
who perceived them run immediatly to inform the
King, that Men in Armour were plundering the Coun-
try. That Prince then fully comprehended the mea-
ning of the Oracle, and, making an Alliance with
them, recover'd his Throne by the Afliftance they
gave him. Thofe Brafs Men come from the Sea ,
and thofe Men fprung from the Earth were no other
than Soldiers that aflifted Pfammitichus and Cadmus
to re-eftabliih their Affairs : And, to ftrengthen
Bochart's Conje&ure, Cadmus was either the Inven-
tor of the Cuirafs and Javelin, or thefirft that brought
them into Greece. Neverthelefs, without refining fo
far upon the Matter, we may fuppofe that the Men,
fprung out of the Earth from the Dragons Teeth ,
were People of the Country, whom Cadmus found
means to bring over to his Intereft; that they firft hel-
ped him to clear himfelf of his Enemies, and afterwards
to build the Citadel which protected him from any
further Infults. Thus when Apollodorus fays that Cad-
mus, to expiate the Murther of the Dragon, was ob-
liged to ferve Mars a whole Year, and that the Year
at that time contained Eight Years, it is becaufe that
Hero, very probably, rendefd important Services to
his new Allies before he received any from them (6).
It is ufual, in reading the Poets, to find Dragons
the Guardians of fuch Things as were mod precious
fuch as the Golden Fleece, the Apples of the Hef-
perides, the Fountain of Mars, &c. The greateft part
of the Mythologifts pretend that they were Men of
that Name, who had the keeping of thofe precious
Treafures ; but this Notion is a new Fable added to
the old Ones. It is much more natural to think, that
the Dragon being a Creature as dreadfull as quick
lighted, his very Name feeming to be derived from
that of cSgaw.eTi',perfpicere, it was no wonder that Things
of fuch ineftimable value were always committed to
the Care of fo terrible and vigilant a Keeper.
(f) Lib. II. (6) Apollod. Lib. III.
Fab. III.
Is fua jecit burnt', monitu l^ritonidis} arma >
Fraternaeque fdem pacts fetittque, deditque.
Hos operis comites habuit Sidonius hofpes,
Cum pojuit jtijfam Phoebeis fortibus ur-
bem. 13°
P.OVID'S METAMOR-
Echion One, at Pallas's Command,
Let fall the guiltlefs Weapon from his Hand,
And with the Reft a peaceful Treaty makes,
Whom Cadmus as his Friends and Partners takes:
So founds a City on the promis'd Earth,
And gives his new Baotian Empire Birth.
EXPLICATION OF THE SECOND FABLE.
AGenor having loft his Daughter , commands a
diligent Search to be made for her in all Places,
and orders his Sons to embark immediatly, and never
to return again until! they had found their Sifter. The
young Princes, either not being able to learn what
was become of her, or, rather, being too weak to
recover her by Force out of the Hands of the King
of Crete, durft not go back to their Father, but efta-
blifhed thcmfelves in different Countries} Cadmus fixed
himfelf in Borotia-, Cilix in Cilzaa, to which he gave
his Name-, and Phenix fettled in Africa, as Hygin
(i) tells us. If we give Credit to what Conon'fays
in Photius (zj, the Hopes which Cadmus had to con-
quer fome Country in Europe, and to cftablifh a Co-
lony there, was the true Ground of his Voyage j the
Rape of his Sifter being only a Pretence for his De-
parture. Whatever was the Occafion of it, that Prince
having run over a Part of Greece fettled at laft in Bceo-
tia, where he built the famous City of Thebes after
the Model of That in Egypt, of which he originally
was ; or, to {peak more properly, he only built a
Citadel, called, from his Name, Cadmea, and laid
the Foundation of the City of Thebes , which was
built by his SuccefTors, and enclofed with Walls by
Amphion. The 7. Epoch of the 'Parian Marbles con-
firms what I have juft faid y we read there that Cad-
mus , the Son of Agenor , having confulted the Ora-
cle, went and fettled in Bceotia, where he built the
Citadel named Cadmea, in the time that AmphicTyon
reigned at Athens. Cadmus Agenoris Filius Thebas
advenit fecundum Oraculum, & Cadmcam condidit....
regnante Athenis AmphiSlyone. For which we may
confult the Commentators upon thole Marbles.
It is faid that Cadmus having fent his Compa-
nions to draw Water at the Fountain of Mars they
were all devoured by the Dragon that guarded it > that
he killed the Dragon, and then fowed his Teeth,
which immediatly became armed Men j that he threw
a Stone amongft them , which put them into fuch
Diforder and Confufion that they quarrel'd together,
and all killed one another, except Five Perfons, who
entering into an Alliance with the Hero, aillftcd him
in building the Citadel I have mentioned.
Thofe who will not give thcmfelves the Trouble of
a thorough Enquiry into Matters of this nature ,
either fay5after Palefatus (3) and fome other Authors,
that this'Dragon was a King of the Country, named
Draco, the Son of Mars; that his myftenous Teeth
v, ere his Subjects who rallied again after his Defeat,
and that Cadmus put them all to the Sword, except
Ectonius, Edeus , Hiperenor, Pelorus , and Echion
who went over to his Party; or elfe follow Heracli-
tus , who tells us that Cadmus really killed a Ser-
pent which was very troublefom in Bwotia, a Thing
not uncommon in thofe Countries where any new
Colony was to be cftabhlhed. But the famous Bochaft
and , after him, Monfieur Le Clcrc in his Re-
marks upon Hcliod, arc of Opinion that the Fable
has quite another Foundation: The fame Word in the
Phenician Language lignifies cither the Teeth of a
Serpent, or fliort Javelins pointed with Brafs; and
the Word which fignifies the Number Five lignifies
(1) Fab. 178. (2) Nar. 37. (3) Li. cit. (4) Chan Ltb.I.Cap. 19.
likewife an Army, and from hence they think the Fable
may have taken its rife: For the Greeks,who followed
the Phenician Annals in writing the Hiftory of their
Founder, inftead of defcribing Cadmus's Soldiers with
Helmets on their Heads, with Back and Breafl>Plates>
and with Darts in their Hands pointed with Brafs, which
Equipage was then altogether new in Greece, chofe
rather to follow the equivocal Expreffion, as being
more to their Humour, and fay that he had five
Companions produced from the Teeth of a Serpent j
for the learned Author, whom I have cited, further
obferves, that the fame Phenician Phrafe may either
fignify a Company of Men fprung from the Teeth of
a Serpent, or a Company of Men armed with Brazen
Darts. This Explication is certainly very ingenious
and may be confirmed by a Piece of Hiftory which
refembles it very much. Pfammitichus, fays Herodo-
tus ( 5-), being driven to the Marlhy Parts of his
Kingdom, fent to conmlt the Oracle of Latona ,
which anfwer'd that he fhould be re-eftablifhed by
Brafs Men come from the Sea. Such an Anfwer ap-
pear'd to him, at that time, to be a mere Chimera;
but certain Ionian Soldiers being obliged, fome Years
after, to put into Egypt, and appearing on the Shore
with their Weapons and Armour all of Brafs, Thofe
who perceived them run immediatly to inform the
King, that Men in Armour were plundering the Coun-
try. That Prince then fully comprehended the mea-
ning of the Oracle, and, making an Alliance with
them, recover'd his Throne by the Afliftance they
gave him. Thofe Brafs Men come from the Sea ,
and thofe Men fprung from the Earth were no other
than Soldiers that aflifted Pfammitichus and Cadmus
to re-eftabliih their Affairs : And, to ftrengthen
Bochart's Conje&ure, Cadmus was either the Inven-
tor of the Cuirafs and Javelin, or thefirft that brought
them into Greece. Neverthelefs, without refining fo
far upon the Matter, we may fuppofe that the Men,
fprung out of the Earth from the Dragons Teeth ,
were People of the Country, whom Cadmus found
means to bring over to his Intereft; that they firft hel-
ped him to clear himfelf of his Enemies, and afterwards
to build the Citadel which protected him from any
further Infults. Thus when Apollodorus fays that Cad-
mus, to expiate the Murther of the Dragon, was ob-
liged to ferve Mars a whole Year, and that the Year
at that time contained Eight Years, it is becaufe that
Hero, very probably, rendefd important Services to
his new Allies before he received any from them (6).
It is ufual, in reading the Poets, to find Dragons
the Guardians of fuch Things as were mod precious
fuch as the Golden Fleece, the Apples of the Hef-
perides, the Fountain of Mars, &c. The greateft part
of the Mythologifts pretend that they were Men of
that Name, who had the keeping of thofe precious
Treafures ; but this Notion is a new Fable added to
the old Ones. It is much more natural to think, that
the Dragon being a Creature as dreadfull as quick
lighted, his very Name feeming to be derived from
that of cSgaw.eTi',perfpicere, it was no wonder that Things
of fuch ineftimable value were always committed to
the Care of fo terrible and vigilant a Keeper.
(f) Lib. II. (6) Apollod. Lib. III.
Fab. III.