DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9260#0258
PHOSEON Lib. VII.
Nbn exempt a foret poenae. fugit alt a; Ju*
perque
Pelion umbrojum, Philjreia teBa, fuperque
Othrjn, & eventu ceteris loca not a Cerambu
Hie ope Nympharum fublatus in a'era pennis,
Cum gravis injufo tellus foret obruta pon-
to, 355
Deucalioneas effugit inobrutus undas.
Aeoliam Pitanen a laeva parte relmquit,
PaBaque de Jaxo longi Jimulacra draconis:
Idaeumque nemus : quo, natifurta ,jwvencum
Occuluit Liber falfi fub imagine cervi. g6o
neighb'rmg
PHOSES. BookVII. 1223
Then, dreading the Revenge that mitft imue,,
High-mounted on her Dragon-Carr (he flew j
And in her (lately Progrefs thro' the Skies , -s
Beneath her fhady Pelion firft ihe ipies, £
With Othrys, that above the Clouds did rife -y
With skilful Chiron's Cave , and
Ground ,
For old Cerambus' ftrange Efcape renown'd,
By Nymphs deliver'd, when the World was j
drown'd ^
Who him with unexpected Wings fupply'd,
When delug'd Hills a late Retreat deny'd.
ALolian Pitane on her Left Hand
She (aw, and there the ftatu'd Dragon (land j
With Ida's Grove, where Bacchus to difguife
His Son's bold Theft, and to fecure the Prize, >
Made the ftoln Steer a Stag to cheat the Eyes. J
EXPLICATION OF THE II. III. & IV. FABLES.
JAfon, having brought away the Treafures of
^Eeta, was immediatly purfued by an Army under
the Command of Abfyrtus, the Brother of Me-
dea, and upon the very point of abandonning that
Princefs for fear of falling into their Hands} but fhe
thought upon a Stratagem which fucceeded to her Wifh.
She fent fome Prefents to the young Prince, and let him
know Ihe had come off with the Greeks very contrary
to her Inclinations that they carried her away by
Force;and that if he would come the following Night
to a certain Place, which me had order'd her Mef-
fengers to name to him, fhe would be indebted to
him for her Liberty. The too credulous Prince went
to the Place appointed , without having taken any
Precaution for his own Safety , and was there af-
faffinated. His Limbs were icatter'd in the Road j
and the purfuing Army, being ftopp'd by that Means,
gave the Greeks time to imbark with Safety.
This Circumftance is found in the Verfes of an ancient
Author, quoted by Cicero in his Third Book de
Natura T>eorum. It is added that Jafon and Medea
arriving at the Ifland of r^Eaa went to the Court of
Circe, who was Queen of it, to undergo bxpiation for
the Murder of Abfyrtus , and that this Princefs,
Sifter to the King of Colchis and Aunt to Medea,
performed the Ceremony, not knowing who they
were ; but that having learned their Names fome
time after, fhe forbid them her Court with Marks
of the higheft Refentment.
The Author of the Poem on the Argonauts gives
too inftruttive a Detail of that famous Expiation to
be pafled over here unmentioned. Jafon and Medea,
fays that Author,upon their Arrival at the Court of Circe,
moved flowly forward, with down-caft Looks, and a
profound Silence,according to the Cuftom of Suppliants,
as far as the Hearth, where Jafon ftuck that Sword
into the Earth with which he had killed his Brother
in Law. By their Silence and their dejedled Air Circe
eafily knew that they were Fugitives and guilty of
Murder , wherefore fhe prepared for their Expiation.
She immediatly order'd a fucking Pig to be brought,
and, having cut the Throat of it, fhe rubbed the Hands
both of Jafon and Medea with the Blood. 'I hen
fhe made Libations to Jupiter Expiator; and, ordering
the reft of the Sacrifice to be call out of the Palace ,
burn'd Cakes upon the Altar made of Meal, Salt and
Water , accompanying thefe Atlions with proper
Prayers to avert the Anger of the Eumenides. When the
Ceremony was over, the Queen placed her Guefts on
magnificent Seats to entertain them with the greater
Splendor.
The Argonauts leaving the Court of Circe made
fome Stay in Thrace, to perform a Vow made by
Caftor and Pollux when they were in great Diftrels
by a Storm in their Voyage to Colchis. In the mean
Time , Pelias imagining that they had been really
fhipwreckt made JEfon and Promachus , Jafon's
Brother, take a Draught of Bulls blood of which
they died upon the Spot. Ovid feems to have followed
another Tradition, when he relates in what manner
Medea, at her arrival in Iolcos, reftored Youth and
Vigour to that Prince, whofe great Age and Feeblenefs
prevented his being prefent at the Rejoicings that
were made for the happy Succefs of his Son's Voyage.
The Authors, who have endeavoured to explain the
Hiftory of that Operation, are very much divided in
their Opinions concerning it. Some think that it points
at the Myftery of the Transfufion of Blood: A Remedy
that has been feveral times attempted but has always
fucceded very ill. For my part I am perfwaded that
Medea , who was called a Sorcerefs for no other
Reafon than that her Mother had taught her the
Vermes of feveral Plants, made y£fcn take a Drink
which furniflied him with new Spirits and Strength:
Upon which Pliny, Servius and ^Elian may be con-
fulted. The Daughters of Pelias being alfo defirous
to obtain the fame Favour of Medea for their Father, fhe,
to revenge the Evils which that Prince had brought upon
her Husband and his Family, mixed fome venemous
Herbs in the Drink, which immediatly killed him,
F A
B.
Nbn exempt a foret poenae. fugit alt a; Ju*
perque
Pelion umbrojum, Philjreia teBa, fuperque
Othrjn, & eventu ceteris loca not a Cerambu
Hie ope Nympharum fublatus in a'era pennis,
Cum gravis injufo tellus foret obruta pon-
to, 355
Deucalioneas effugit inobrutus undas.
Aeoliam Pitanen a laeva parte relmquit,
PaBaque de Jaxo longi Jimulacra draconis:
Idaeumque nemus : quo, natifurta ,jwvencum
Occuluit Liber falfi fub imagine cervi. g6o
neighb'rmg
PHOSES. BookVII. 1223
Then, dreading the Revenge that mitft imue,,
High-mounted on her Dragon-Carr (he flew j
And in her (lately Progrefs thro' the Skies , -s
Beneath her fhady Pelion firft ihe ipies, £
With Othrys, that above the Clouds did rife -y
With skilful Chiron's Cave , and
Ground ,
For old Cerambus' ftrange Efcape renown'd,
By Nymphs deliver'd, when the World was j
drown'd ^
Who him with unexpected Wings fupply'd,
When delug'd Hills a late Retreat deny'd.
ALolian Pitane on her Left Hand
She (aw, and there the ftatu'd Dragon (land j
With Ida's Grove, where Bacchus to difguife
His Son's bold Theft, and to fecure the Prize, >
Made the ftoln Steer a Stag to cheat the Eyes. J
EXPLICATION OF THE II. III. & IV. FABLES.
JAfon, having brought away the Treafures of
^Eeta, was immediatly purfued by an Army under
the Command of Abfyrtus, the Brother of Me-
dea, and upon the very point of abandonning that
Princefs for fear of falling into their Hands} but fhe
thought upon a Stratagem which fucceeded to her Wifh.
She fent fome Prefents to the young Prince, and let him
know Ihe had come off with the Greeks very contrary
to her Inclinations that they carried her away by
Force;and that if he would come the following Night
to a certain Place, which me had order'd her Mef-
fengers to name to him, fhe would be indebted to
him for her Liberty. The too credulous Prince went
to the Place appointed , without having taken any
Precaution for his own Safety , and was there af-
faffinated. His Limbs were icatter'd in the Road j
and the purfuing Army, being ftopp'd by that Means,
gave the Greeks time to imbark with Safety.
This Circumftance is found in the Verfes of an ancient
Author, quoted by Cicero in his Third Book de
Natura T>eorum. It is added that Jafon and Medea
arriving at the Ifland of r^Eaa went to the Court of
Circe, who was Queen of it, to undergo bxpiation for
the Murder of Abfyrtus , and that this Princefs,
Sifter to the King of Colchis and Aunt to Medea,
performed the Ceremony, not knowing who they
were ; but that having learned their Names fome
time after, fhe forbid them her Court with Marks
of the higheft Refentment.
The Author of the Poem on the Argonauts gives
too inftruttive a Detail of that famous Expiation to
be pafled over here unmentioned. Jafon and Medea,
fays that Author,upon their Arrival at the Court of Circe,
moved flowly forward, with down-caft Looks, and a
profound Silence,according to the Cuftom of Suppliants,
as far as the Hearth, where Jafon ftuck that Sword
into the Earth with which he had killed his Brother
in Law. By their Silence and their dejedled Air Circe
eafily knew that they were Fugitives and guilty of
Murder , wherefore fhe prepared for their Expiation.
She immediatly order'd a fucking Pig to be brought,
and, having cut the Throat of it, fhe rubbed the Hands
both of Jafon and Medea with the Blood. 'I hen
fhe made Libations to Jupiter Expiator; and, ordering
the reft of the Sacrifice to be call out of the Palace ,
burn'd Cakes upon the Altar made of Meal, Salt and
Water , accompanying thefe Atlions with proper
Prayers to avert the Anger of the Eumenides. When the
Ceremony was over, the Queen placed her Guefts on
magnificent Seats to entertain them with the greater
Splendor.
The Argonauts leaving the Court of Circe made
fome Stay in Thrace, to perform a Vow made by
Caftor and Pollux when they were in great Diftrels
by a Storm in their Voyage to Colchis. In the mean
Time , Pelias imagining that they had been really
fhipwreckt made JEfon and Promachus , Jafon's
Brother, take a Draught of Bulls blood of which
they died upon the Spot. Ovid feems to have followed
another Tradition, when he relates in what manner
Medea, at her arrival in Iolcos, reftored Youth and
Vigour to that Prince, whofe great Age and Feeblenefs
prevented his being prefent at the Rejoicings that
were made for the happy Succefs of his Son's Voyage.
The Authors, who have endeavoured to explain the
Hiftory of that Operation, are very much divided in
their Opinions concerning it. Some think that it points
at the Myftery of the Transfufion of Blood: A Remedy
that has been feveral times attempted but has always
fucceded very ill. For my part I am perfwaded that
Medea , who was called a Sorcerefs for no other
Reafon than that her Mother had taught her the
Vermes of feveral Plants, made y£fcn take a Drink
which furniflied him with new Spirits and Strength:
Upon which Pliny, Servius and ^Elian may be con-
fulted. The Daughters of Pelias being alfo defirous
to obtain the fame Favour of Medea for their Father, fhe,
to revenge the Evils which that Prince had brought upon
her Husband and his Family, mixed fome venemous
Herbs in the Drink, which immediatly killed him,
F A
B.