DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9260#0162
PHOSEON. Lib. IV.
Jamque dies exaBus erat, tempusque fubibat,
Quod tu nec tenebras , nec pojjis dkere lu-
cem i 400
Sed cum luce tamen dubiae confinia notfis.
^Tetfa repent e quatiypinguesque ardere •videntur
Lampades, & rutilis collucere ignibus aedes:
Falfaquefacvarumfimulacra ululare ferarum.
Tumida jamdudum latitant per teffa Joro-
res s 405
Diverfaeque locis ignes ac lumina 'vitant.
Dumque petunt latebras; par'vos membrana
per artus
Torrigitur, tenuique inducit brachia penna.
Nec qua perdiderint 'veterem ratione jiguram
Scire fmunt tenebrae. non illas pluma leva-
mt: 410
Suflinuere tamen fe perlucentibus alis.
Conataeque loqui, minimam pro corpore vocem
Emittunt: peraguntque levi firidore querelas.
Tetfaque, non fdvas ? celebrant : lucemque
perofae
Nocle 'volant: feroque trahunt a vefpere no-
men. 415
PHOSES. Book IV. 127
Now from the Skies was ftiot a doubtful Light,
The Day declining to the Bounds of Night.
The Fabrick's firm Foundations-fliake all o'er,
Falle Tigers rage, and figur'd Lions roar.
Torches, aloft, feem blazing in the Air ,
And angry Flames of red Light'nings glare.
To dark Recefles, the dire Sight to flum,
Swift the pale Sifters in Confufion run.
Their Arms were loft in Pinions, as they fled,
And fubtle Films each (lender Limb o'er-ipread.
Their alter'd Forms their Senfes foon reveal'd j
Their Forms, how alter'd, Darknefi ftill conceal'd.
Clofe to the Roof each, wond'ring, upwards fprings,
Born on unknown, transparent, plumelefs Wings,
They ftrove for Words ■, their little Bodies found
No Words, but murmur'd in a fainting Sound.
In Towns, not Woods, the footy Bats delight,
And never, till the Dusk, begin their Flight;
Till Vefper rifes with his Ev'ning Flame -y
From whom the Romans have deriv'd their Name.
EXPLICATION OF THE VII,VIII,IX, X, XI, and XII. FABLES.
VII.
IT fometimes happens that Ovid , to make a
fort of Connexion in his Metamorphofes,
relates feveral Things, as little known as they are far
from being curious j and of this Kind are Thofe with
which the Mineides divert themfelves. It would be al-
together ufelefs to dwell long upon this Subje£t;for what
can we fay more of the Fable of a Shepherd turned
into a Stone for despifing a Nymph, than that it was to
fliew us his Infenfibility; or elfe that his Wife gave him a
Philter that render'd him Stupid,as fome Mythologifts
pretend without giving us any one Reafon for that
Conjecture.
VIII. It was publiflied, in like manner, that Scy-
thon changed Sexes, becaufe Thrace, which took the
Name of a famous Sorcerefs named Thracia} was be-
fore that Time called ScythomthMs^^sit loft one Name
of the Mafculin Gender for another of the Feminine,
fome Falfe - Wit or other faid that Scython had
changed Sexes.
IX. For what relates to the Metamorphofls of Cel-
mis , Pliny fays he was a young Man very moderate
and very wife, upon whom the Paflions made no man-
ner of lmpreflion, arid, upon that Account, was faid
to be changed into a Diamond : Neverthelefs there
are Authors who pretend that Celmis was Fofter- Fa-
ther to Jupiter, and , for revealing that he was
Mortal, was fliut up in an impenetrable Tower, and
for that reafon was called the Diamond. Others pre-
tend tha the was faithfull to Jupiter, and that the God,
to recompence him , loaded him with Favours and
Riches.
X. To explain the Fable of Crocus and Smilax, it
is faid that this Married Couple were changed into
Flowers, for having led a chaft and innocent Life.
XI. As our Poet, in the Fable of Celmis fpeaks of
the Curetes who brought up Jupiter, it is neceflary
to enlarge a little concerning them. If we believe
Dionyfius Halicarnaflus CO 3 the Curetes were the
ancient Inhabitants of the Island of Crete : According
to P. Dom Pezron CO tneY were tne Prices and
(1) Lib. II. (2) Ant. de la Langue des Cthcs.
Aftrologers of the Titan Princes, who were very much
given to fpeculative Sciences , particularly Aftrology ,
as appears by the Hiftory of Prometheus and Atlas,
Two great Aftrologers of thofe Days. They frequently
confulted the Augures, and, upon that Account, had
recourfe to the Curetes. In a Word , thofe Curetes
were to the Titans what the Druids were to theGaules,
the Magi amongft the Perfians, and the Salieres
amongft the Sabines. They were alfo frequently em-
ployed in educating the Children of the Pnnces , in
which they fucceeded very well j teaching them Phy-
fick, Aftrology, Religion, and War, to which they
always went in Perfon, and, to diftinguilh them-
felves from the reft of the Army , had a particu-
lar fort of Arms , with which they made a certain
Mufical Noife, ftriking their Lances very dextcroully
againft their Bucklers (3 ) , dancing and f kipping
about with a great many Contortions to animate and
encourage themfelves to fight, and to excite others to
do fo likewife j from whence they had the Name of
Curetes and Corybantes : It was with the Noife of
that Symphony that they brought up and educated the
young Jupiter to keep him from being known. That
Dance, of which they were the Inventors, was called
Daftyl; and it was, perhaps, upon that account, that
they themfelves were named Dactyls} tho' feveral an-
cient Authors pretend that, Dactyl being as much as to
fay Finger, they took that Name to themfelves, be-
caufe, like the Fingers of the Hand, they were Ten
in Number.
We learn Two Things from Apollodorus (4) One
is that the Curetes were killed by Jupiter for having
concealed Epaphus; the other, that they discover'd
to Minos the Place where his Son Glaucus was. As
to the reft , the Fable which fays that they were
produced from the Rain and the Earth, has no
Foundation , except , that the Curetes were of the
Race of the Titans , and that they descended from
Ourarius and Tityus,whofe Names are the fame with
thofe
(3) A^alhd. Lib. I. (4) Lib. II.
Jamque dies exaBus erat, tempusque fubibat,
Quod tu nec tenebras , nec pojjis dkere lu-
cem i 400
Sed cum luce tamen dubiae confinia notfis.
^Tetfa repent e quatiypinguesque ardere •videntur
Lampades, & rutilis collucere ignibus aedes:
Falfaquefacvarumfimulacra ululare ferarum.
Tumida jamdudum latitant per teffa Joro-
res s 405
Diverfaeque locis ignes ac lumina 'vitant.
Dumque petunt latebras; par'vos membrana
per artus
Torrigitur, tenuique inducit brachia penna.
Nec qua perdiderint 'veterem ratione jiguram
Scire fmunt tenebrae. non illas pluma leva-
mt: 410
Suflinuere tamen fe perlucentibus alis.
Conataeque loqui, minimam pro corpore vocem
Emittunt: peraguntque levi firidore querelas.
Tetfaque, non fdvas ? celebrant : lucemque
perofae
Nocle 'volant: feroque trahunt a vefpere no-
men. 415
PHOSES. Book IV. 127
Now from the Skies was ftiot a doubtful Light,
The Day declining to the Bounds of Night.
The Fabrick's firm Foundations-fliake all o'er,
Falle Tigers rage, and figur'd Lions roar.
Torches, aloft, feem blazing in the Air ,
And angry Flames of red Light'nings glare.
To dark Recefles, the dire Sight to flum,
Swift the pale Sifters in Confufion run.
Their Arms were loft in Pinions, as they fled,
And fubtle Films each (lender Limb o'er-ipread.
Their alter'd Forms their Senfes foon reveal'd j
Their Forms, how alter'd, Darknefi ftill conceal'd.
Clofe to the Roof each, wond'ring, upwards fprings,
Born on unknown, transparent, plumelefs Wings,
They ftrove for Words ■, their little Bodies found
No Words, but murmur'd in a fainting Sound.
In Towns, not Woods, the footy Bats delight,
And never, till the Dusk, begin their Flight;
Till Vefper rifes with his Ev'ning Flame -y
From whom the Romans have deriv'd their Name.
EXPLICATION OF THE VII,VIII,IX, X, XI, and XII. FABLES.
VII.
IT fometimes happens that Ovid , to make a
fort of Connexion in his Metamorphofes,
relates feveral Things, as little known as they are far
from being curious j and of this Kind are Thofe with
which the Mineides divert themfelves. It would be al-
together ufelefs to dwell long upon this Subje£t;for what
can we fay more of the Fable of a Shepherd turned
into a Stone for despifing a Nymph, than that it was to
fliew us his Infenfibility; or elfe that his Wife gave him a
Philter that render'd him Stupid,as fome Mythologifts
pretend without giving us any one Reafon for that
Conjecture.
VIII. It was publiflied, in like manner, that Scy-
thon changed Sexes, becaufe Thrace, which took the
Name of a famous Sorcerefs named Thracia} was be-
fore that Time called ScythomthMs^^sit loft one Name
of the Mafculin Gender for another of the Feminine,
fome Falfe - Wit or other faid that Scython had
changed Sexes.
IX. For what relates to the Metamorphofls of Cel-
mis , Pliny fays he was a young Man very moderate
and very wife, upon whom the Paflions made no man-
ner of lmpreflion, arid, upon that Account, was faid
to be changed into a Diamond : Neverthelefs there
are Authors who pretend that Celmis was Fofter- Fa-
ther to Jupiter, and , for revealing that he was
Mortal, was fliut up in an impenetrable Tower, and
for that reafon was called the Diamond. Others pre-
tend tha the was faithfull to Jupiter, and that the God,
to recompence him , loaded him with Favours and
Riches.
X. To explain the Fable of Crocus and Smilax, it
is faid that this Married Couple were changed into
Flowers, for having led a chaft and innocent Life.
XI. As our Poet, in the Fable of Celmis fpeaks of
the Curetes who brought up Jupiter, it is neceflary
to enlarge a little concerning them. If we believe
Dionyfius Halicarnaflus CO 3 the Curetes were the
ancient Inhabitants of the Island of Crete : According
to P. Dom Pezron CO tneY were tne Prices and
(1) Lib. II. (2) Ant. de la Langue des Cthcs.
Aftrologers of the Titan Princes, who were very much
given to fpeculative Sciences , particularly Aftrology ,
as appears by the Hiftory of Prometheus and Atlas,
Two great Aftrologers of thofe Days. They frequently
confulted the Augures, and, upon that Account, had
recourfe to the Curetes. In a Word , thofe Curetes
were to the Titans what the Druids were to theGaules,
the Magi amongft the Perfians, and the Salieres
amongft the Sabines. They were alfo frequently em-
ployed in educating the Children of the Pnnces , in
which they fucceeded very well j teaching them Phy-
fick, Aftrology, Religion, and War, to which they
always went in Perfon, and, to diftinguilh them-
felves from the reft of the Army , had a particu-
lar fort of Arms , with which they made a certain
Mufical Noife, ftriking their Lances very dextcroully
againft their Bucklers (3 ) , dancing and f kipping
about with a great many Contortions to animate and
encourage themfelves to fight, and to excite others to
do fo likewife j from whence they had the Name of
Curetes and Corybantes : It was with the Noife of
that Symphony that they brought up and educated the
young Jupiter to keep him from being known. That
Dance, of which they were the Inventors, was called
Daftyl; and it was, perhaps, upon that account, that
they themfelves were named Dactyls} tho' feveral an-
cient Authors pretend that, Dactyl being as much as to
fay Finger, they took that Name to themfelves, be-
caufe, like the Fingers of the Hand, they were Ten
in Number.
We learn Two Things from Apollodorus (4) One
is that the Curetes were killed by Jupiter for having
concealed Epaphus; the other, that they discover'd
to Minos the Place where his Son Glaucus was. As
to the reft , the Fable which fays that they were
produced from the Rain and the Earth, has no
Foundation , except , that the Curetes were of the
Race of the Titans , and that they descended from
Ourarius and Tityus,whofe Names are the fame with
thofe
(3) A^alhd. Lib. I. (4) Lib. II.