DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.13851#0612
534
OF THE MISCELLANY CUSTOMS OF GREECE,
The infernal gods were called upon for assistance, as may be learned
from Virgil's Dido, who signifies her pretended design to dispel the re-
mains of love for iEneas, in these words (1) :
Sacra Jovi Stygio, quae, rite incepia paravi
Per/icere est animus. Jinemque imponere curis,
Dardaniiqiu rogum capitis permitfereJlammve.
Thus will I pay my vows to Stygian Jove,
And end the cares of m; disastrous, love ;
Then cast the Trojan image on the lire,
And as that burns my passion siiall expire. i* r \ d en .
Silius introduces Anna, Dido's sister, telling bow she had endeavoured
to render the same gods propitious (2) :
JVigro forte Jovi, cvi tertia regna lab or ant,
■Atque atri socix th-ilami nova sacraparabam,
Queis ccgram mentem, et trepidantia corda levarel
Infehx germana tori--
To grisly Jove of hell 1 nff'rirgs paid,
And to the swarthy consort of his bed,
In pity of my love sick sister's grief,
And in assurance of a bless'd relief,
To chaim her cares to sleep, her fears to rest,
And still the tumults of her troubled breast. j. a.
Not long before, the same person, relating how the diviners essayed to
restore Dido to her right mind, says they invoked the gods of night
(whereby she means the shades below) to aid them :
Heu ! sacri vaium errores, dum nomina noctis
Eliciunt, spo> dentque novis medicamina curis.
O soothing priestcraft ! O the close disguise
Of cheat, imposture, and well-varnish*d lies!
The shades with zeal pretended they implore,
The ecdsof night demurely they adoie,
With promis'd cures they gull our easy t/iinds,
A solemn vow their holy knav'ry binds J# A
1 shall only mention one expedient more, whereby they cured them-
selves of love ; it is iu the water of Se.lemnus, a river that falls into the
sea near Argyra in Achaia. The story is thus : Selemnus, a beautiful
young shepherd in those parts, was beloved by Argyra, the nymph from
whom the town and fountains of that name were called ; bu' the flower
of his age being over, the nymph deserted him, upon which he pined
away, and was transformed into a river by Venus ; after this he still re-
tained bis former passion, and (as the Patrensians report) for some time
conveyed his waters through a subterraneous passage to Argyra's foun-
tain, in the same manner that Alpheus was said to join himself with Are-
thusa, till by Venus's favour, the remembrance of her was caused to va-
nish quite out of his mind. Hence it came to pass, that as many as
washed themselves in this river, were made to forget that passion ; thus
Pausanias (3).
Thus much concerning their love. I am not ignorant that enlarge-
ments might be made in every part of this chapter ; but what has been
said will (I hope) be sufficient to satisfy the reader's curiosity, without
trespassing too far upon his patience.
(1") .Eneid. iv. v. 638. (2) Lib. viii. (3) Achajcis. p. 442. et 445. edit. Hanov
OF THE MISCELLANY CUSTOMS OF GREECE,
The infernal gods were called upon for assistance, as may be learned
from Virgil's Dido, who signifies her pretended design to dispel the re-
mains of love for iEneas, in these words (1) :
Sacra Jovi Stygio, quae, rite incepia paravi
Per/icere est animus. Jinemque imponere curis,
Dardaniiqiu rogum capitis permitfereJlammve.
Thus will I pay my vows to Stygian Jove,
And end the cares of m; disastrous, love ;
Then cast the Trojan image on the lire,
And as that burns my passion siiall expire. i* r \ d en .
Silius introduces Anna, Dido's sister, telling bow she had endeavoured
to render the same gods propitious (2) :
JVigro forte Jovi, cvi tertia regna lab or ant,
■Atque atri socix th-ilami nova sacraparabam,
Queis ccgram mentem, et trepidantia corda levarel
Infehx germana tori--
To grisly Jove of hell 1 nff'rirgs paid,
And to the swarthy consort of his bed,
In pity of my love sick sister's grief,
And in assurance of a bless'd relief,
To chaim her cares to sleep, her fears to rest,
And still the tumults of her troubled breast. j. a.
Not long before, the same person, relating how the diviners essayed to
restore Dido to her right mind, says they invoked the gods of night
(whereby she means the shades below) to aid them :
Heu ! sacri vaium errores, dum nomina noctis
Eliciunt, spo> dentque novis medicamina curis.
O soothing priestcraft ! O the close disguise
Of cheat, imposture, and well-varnish*d lies!
The shades with zeal pretended they implore,
The ecdsof night demurely they adoie,
With promis'd cures they gull our easy t/iinds,
A solemn vow their holy knav'ry binds J# A
1 shall only mention one expedient more, whereby they cured them-
selves of love ; it is iu the water of Se.lemnus, a river that falls into the
sea near Argyra in Achaia. The story is thus : Selemnus, a beautiful
young shepherd in those parts, was beloved by Argyra, the nymph from
whom the town and fountains of that name were called ; bu' the flower
of his age being over, the nymph deserted him, upon which he pined
away, and was transformed into a river by Venus ; after this he still re-
tained bis former passion, and (as the Patrensians report) for some time
conveyed his waters through a subterraneous passage to Argyra's foun-
tain, in the same manner that Alpheus was said to join himself with Are-
thusa, till by Venus's favour, the remembrance of her was caused to va-
nish quite out of his mind. Hence it came to pass, that as many as
washed themselves in this river, were made to forget that passion ; thus
Pausanias (3).
Thus much concerning their love. I am not ignorant that enlarge-
ments might be made in every part of this chapter ; but what has been
said will (I hope) be sufficient to satisfy the reader's curiosity, without
trespassing too far upon his patience.
(1") .Eneid. iv. v. 638. (2) Lib. viii. (3) Achajcis. p. 442. et 445. edit. Hanov