50

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Ver. 5. She faid, &c.] There can be no doubt, but that Callimachus borrowed this from the history recorded in the Old Teftament, of the like miracle performed by Mofes, or at leaft, that the ftory, if traditional, which I rather incline to believe, was originally derived from thence. 66 Mofes took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Mofes and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he faid unto them, hear now ye rebels, muft we fetch you water out of this rock? And Mofes lift up his hand, and with his rod he fmote the rock twice; and the water came out abundantly— -" Numb. xx. 9-11: See alfo Exod. xvii. 6. It is obferveable, that St. Paul particularly applies this to Chrift: They did all drink the fame fpiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that Rock was Chrift ;" 1 Cor. x. 4.

60 Neda,

And this confideration will be pleafing to the fcriptural reader, that Rhea fhould (according to the heathen mythology) require water from the rock, to wash her new-born infant." Such remarkable particulars in the blind devotion of the idolatrous nations must give great evidence to the truth of that fyftem, which in its purity can alone account for, and folve these strange, and otherwife inexplicable circumftances in their practice: And my defign is to fuggeft fuch hints as may easily be carried on by perfons tolerably fkilled in these matters. It is remarkable, that Apollonius, the cotemporary of Callimachus, in his Argonautics, mentions this fame miracle of Rhea's, done in Cyzicum; and fomething of the fame kind Paufanias tells us of Atalanta, who, when hunting, being a-thirst, ftruck a rock with her hunting-ftaff, and thence flowed water.

:

Ver. 61. Neda, &c.] Callimachus mentions here but three of Jupiter's nurses (for that is, I think, beyond doubt the meaning of pawcao, in the original, and not-quæ ipfi obftetricate funt-who were midwives to Rhea; the fcholiaft well explains the word by Ɖge↓αv, nutriebant)-That there were more than three, contrary to the opinion of fome, the original plainly declares, by informing us, that Neda was youngest of all the nymphs engaged in this care, fave Styx and Philyre-had there been no more than thefe three--fhe was, in one word, the youngest of all. Paufanias, in his Arcadics, mentions three nurfes of Jupiter, "The Arcadians, fays he, call Thifoa, Neda and Agno the nurses of Jupiter; the firft of which gave name to a city, the fecond to a river, the third to a fountain." Ithome, Adrafte and Ida are alfo left upon record as honoured with the Office: Adrafte is afterwards mentioned by our author (ver. 75)-all which fhew the truth of what I have advanced. Hoelzlinus reads this line in the author

Πρωτίση γεννηση με τα Στύγα το Φιλυρηντε. So Homer γενεηι νεωτας-μετα is exceptive here, Ajax was the belt of the Grecians, fays Ho

65

70.

To

mer, s'apupora wλeva." This Philyre was the mother of the Centaur Chiron, fprung from her and Saturn: Chiron is often from her called Phillyrides; and Achilles is faid to have been educated at her house. So Pindar ξανθος Ακιλευς ταμεν μενων φιλύξας εν Δομοις. Nem.iii. 76.We may obferve, that the Poet has addreft himfelf to Jupiter thus far; and afterwards continues to do fo, but here he fays, as μ TOTE μarwaarTo-quæ ipfum tunc nutriebant; and this is no impropriety. For he turns, as it were, from addreffing his deity to inform the people of Neda and the other nurfes of Jupiter, and fettles the age and authority of Neda, no trivial matter amongst the zealous worshippers of this god:-fo that I cannot approve a reading once offered, αι την τοτε, quæ fe tibi nutrices præbuerunt. Dr. Bentley, the younger, would have μ refer to Rhea, and in the true spirit of criticism, cries out, "Verte, quæ ipfam (Rheam) tunc parturientem curabant; perperam, ipfum, cum Jovem alloquitur." But he does not feem to have attended diligently to the true fenfe of μαιωσανό in this place.

Ver. 69. And to Callifto's race, &c.] The original is υιωνοι λυκαονίης Αρκτοιο - Arcas was the fon of Callifto and from her it is, that the author here

thy houfhould, and the life of thy maidens. Paulus Egineta obferves, that, Lac muliebre eft temperatiffimum-mex Caprillum, hinc afininum, ovillumque & poftremò vaccinum. Woman's milk is moft temperate and wholfome, then goats, then affes, and sheep's, and laftly cows." And hence the fupreme of the Gods, Jupiter (or more probably fome prince of Crete about the time of Abraham) was faid to be brought up with goats milk, and the aftronomers gave the goat a place amongst the stars. They, who know how frequently the letters N and L are changed one for the other, will eafily perceive that Amalthea came from the Phoenician, & Amantha, which comes from the Hebrew N Amanth, which is used for a nurse both in Ruth iv. 16. and in the 2d book of Samuel iv. 4. - Galen obferves, Non tuto Lac caprarum efferri abfque Melle, cum multis qui folum fumpferant, in ventre fit coagulatum, quod hominem mire gravat atque fuffocat. That goats milk is not taken fafely without honey, &c.-; with which they were not unacquainted, who in antient times affigned Jupiter two nurses; one Amalthea (the goat) who fed him with goats milk, the other Meliffa (the bee) who fed him with honey. Didymus in his book Εξηγήσεως Πινδαρικης, fays, Melifea Gretenfium regem primùm, &c. That Meliffeus the king of the Cretans first facrificed to the Gods, and introduced new rights and facred ceremonies. He had two daughters Amalthea and Meliffa, which nurfed the child Jupiter, and fed him with goats milk and honey: Whence arofe that fable of the poets, that bees flew to him, and filled the child's mouth with honey. Some of the antients tell us, that infants are first fed with milk and honey: Barnabas in his epiftle, fays, "Why then fhould I mention milk and honey, fince an infant is first nourished with honey, then with milk?" See Bochart de Anmialibus, Sf. 1. 2. c. 51.-It is fomewhat very remarkable that this divine infant fhould be nourished with the fame food, that the celebrated prophecy of Ifaiah appoints for the Son of the Virgin: "Butter and honey fhall he eat, that he may know to refufe the evil, and to choose the good, ch. vii.

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ver. 15. Butter is milk with this addition, that it is by great hat and violence coagulated and coagmentated; and therefore the Hebrew word for it ND Ham e is derived from Hame the Sun or folar heat, from whence alfo this fame Jupiter takes one of his names, Hammon or Ammon. The Son of the Virgin was to eat of this milk and this butter, thus prepared by fire and violence: Out of himself alfo, the true Rock, he eat the fpiritual honey. See Deut. xxxii. 13. and Pfal. lxxxi. 16. Hence he fays of himfelf, I have eaten my honey comb with my honey. I have drunk my wine, with my milk." Song of Solomon v. 1. and of his fpoufe the Church, Thy lips, oh my fpoufe, drop as the honey-comb; honey and milk are under thy tongue iv. II. And as thefe were found in his spouse, the church, fo were they promifed to the Ifraclites in their Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. These fed and

nourished the Son himself, these muft feed and nourish every believer, every member of that church, every feeker after that heavenly Canaan where they richly flow and abound, if they would like their mafter, " encrease in wifdom and ftature, and in favour with God and man.”

Ver. 78. Hence fame, &c.] The fable that Jupiter was fed by bees, and that they therefore were particularly protected by him, was very univerfal: Virgil, who has done them and himself fo much honour, fpeaks thus in his 4th GEORGIC.

Proceed my mufe the wond'rous talents fhew,
Which grateful Jove did on the bees bestow:
Since they by Cretan fwains, and cymbals led,
In Dice's cave heaven's infant monarch fed.
LAUDERDALE.

"Nay the cave itself where Jupiter was thus fed by the bees, was afterwards made facred to them, and fo facred, that as the fable goes, fome who difregarded the religion of the place, covered all over with armour entered into it, and stole honey; for which presumption Jupiter turned them into birds." Thus Antonin. Liberalis. And in the fame place he tells us, “That

thefe