DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0284
262
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE
TifAX; /j.ty g-ct; wa/>' Ot£*j/a tekvok \a.%o!sv.
Then shall my husband, whom, a captive bride,
I now obey as my superior lord,
By subtle crafty Spartans Jove be call'd,
And worship'd so, from their posterity
Receiving greatest honours.- e. d.
Which words Cassandra speaks of Agamemnon, whose captive and con-
cubine she was after the destruction of Troy.
This oracle came first into repute on this account ; on a tiaie, when,
for the space of two years, there had been no rain in Boeotia, all the ci-
ties of that country, with a joint consent, appointed chosen persons to go
to Delphi, there to pay their devotiuns to Apollo, in the name of their
country, and desire his advice and assistance : the god accepted their pie-
ty, but returned them no other answer than that they should go home and
consult Trophonius at Lebadea. The ambassadors immediately obeyed',
and repaired to Lebadea, still remainipg as much in the dark as at first;
there being not the least sign or footstep of any oracle in that place : at
length, when they had searched a long time to no purpose, and began to
despair of success, one Saon, an Acrephian, the senior of all the ambas-
sadors, espied a swarm of bees, and immediately took up a resolution to
follow them ; by this means he came to a cave, into which he had no soon-
er entered, but, by some evident tokens, perceived, that in that place was
the oracle Apollo had commanded them to enquire of. Upon this he paid
his devotion to Trophonius, and received from him a welcome and satis-
factory answer, together with instructions in what manner, and with what
rites and ceremonies, he would have those that should come for advice,
to approach him ()).
The place of this oracle was under the surface of the earth, and there-
fore it was commonly called jc«<ra§atf»ov, and the persons that consulted it
xaraSai'vovTSff, because the way to it was a descent. Concerning it there
are innumerable fables, which it would, not be worth the while to mention
in this place ; I shall therefore pass them by, only giving you the ac-
counts Pausanias and Plutarch have left of it : the former of whom con-
sulted it in person, and thereby had opportunity of being an eye-wit-
ness of what he reports. His words are thus translated by Mr. Abel.
' Whosoever's exigencies oblige him to go into the cave, must, in the
first place, make his abode for some set time in the chapel of Good Ge-
nius and Good Fortune ; during his stay here he abstains from hot baths,
and employs himself in performing other sorts of atonement for past of-
fences ; he is not wholly debarred bathing, but then it must be only in
the river Hercynna, having a sufficient sustenance from the leavings of
the sacrifices. At his going down he sacrificeth to Trophonius and his
sons, to Apollo, Saturn, and Jupiter, (who hath the title of king), to Juno
Heniocha, and Ceres, called Europa, reported to be Trophonius's nurse,
There is a priest stands consulting the bowels of every sacrifice, who, ac-
cording to the victim's aspects, prophecies whether the deity will give an
auspicious and satisfactory answer. The entrails of all the sacrifices con-
fer but little towards the revealing of Trophonius's answer, unless a ram,
which they offer in a ditch to Agamedes, with supplication for success.
(1) Pausanias Bceoticis.
OF THE RELIGION OF GREECE
TifAX; /j.ty g-ct; wa/>' Ot£*j/a tekvok \a.%o!sv.
Then shall my husband, whom, a captive bride,
I now obey as my superior lord,
By subtle crafty Spartans Jove be call'd,
And worship'd so, from their posterity
Receiving greatest honours.- e. d.
Which words Cassandra speaks of Agamemnon, whose captive and con-
cubine she was after the destruction of Troy.
This oracle came first into repute on this account ; on a tiaie, when,
for the space of two years, there had been no rain in Boeotia, all the ci-
ties of that country, with a joint consent, appointed chosen persons to go
to Delphi, there to pay their devotiuns to Apollo, in the name of their
country, and desire his advice and assistance : the god accepted their pie-
ty, but returned them no other answer than that they should go home and
consult Trophonius at Lebadea. The ambassadors immediately obeyed',
and repaired to Lebadea, still remainipg as much in the dark as at first;
there being not the least sign or footstep of any oracle in that place : at
length, when they had searched a long time to no purpose, and began to
despair of success, one Saon, an Acrephian, the senior of all the ambas-
sadors, espied a swarm of bees, and immediately took up a resolution to
follow them ; by this means he came to a cave, into which he had no soon-
er entered, but, by some evident tokens, perceived, that in that place was
the oracle Apollo had commanded them to enquire of. Upon this he paid
his devotion to Trophonius, and received from him a welcome and satis-
factory answer, together with instructions in what manner, and with what
rites and ceremonies, he would have those that should come for advice,
to approach him ()).
The place of this oracle was under the surface of the earth, and there-
fore it was commonly called jc«<ra§atf»ov, and the persons that consulted it
xaraSai'vovTSff, because the way to it was a descent. Concerning it there
are innumerable fables, which it would, not be worth the while to mention
in this place ; I shall therefore pass them by, only giving you the ac-
counts Pausanias and Plutarch have left of it : the former of whom con-
sulted it in person, and thereby had opportunity of being an eye-wit-
ness of what he reports. His words are thus translated by Mr. Abel.
' Whosoever's exigencies oblige him to go into the cave, must, in the
first place, make his abode for some set time in the chapel of Good Ge-
nius and Good Fortune ; during his stay here he abstains from hot baths,
and employs himself in performing other sorts of atonement for past of-
fences ; he is not wholly debarred bathing, but then it must be only in
the river Hercynna, having a sufficient sustenance from the leavings of
the sacrifices. At his going down he sacrificeth to Trophonius and his
sons, to Apollo, Saturn, and Jupiter, (who hath the title of king), to Juno
Heniocha, and Ceres, called Europa, reported to be Trophonius's nurse,
There is a priest stands consulting the bowels of every sacrifice, who, ac-
cording to the victim's aspects, prophecies whether the deity will give an
auspicious and satisfactory answer. The entrails of all the sacrifices con-
fer but little towards the revealing of Trophonius's answer, unless a ram,
which they offer in a ditch to Agamedes, with supplication for success.
(1) Pausanias Bceoticis.