"And when his long-fpun thread the Fates. fhall cut, 160 When lo, the mighty Theban I behold: Milton Speaking of himself says, Mr. Pope obferves on the first lines above, That Tirefas was to be confulted by Ulyffes rather than any other ghoft, because, according to Homer, Τε σε φρενες εμπεδοι εισι, This expreffion is fully explained, and the notion of the foul after death, which prevailed anongst the antients, is fet in a clear light, ver. 92. and 122 of the 23d Iliad. But whence had Tirefias this privilege above the rest of the dead? Callimachus afcribes it to Minerva. And when, &c. as in the text. v. 160. Tully mentions th's pre-eminence of Tirefias in his first book of Divination, &c. But I ought not to fuppress what Diodorus Siculus relates, To concerning Tirefias, Biblioth. 4. he tells us, that he had a daughter named Daphne, a priestefs at Delphi:" from whom it is faid, that the poet Homer received many (of the Sybils) If this be true, there lay a debt of gratitude verfes, and adorned his own poetry with them." upon Homer, and he pays it honourably by this diftinguishing character, which he gives to the Father," &c. See the note. Ver. 164. Since Jove, &c.] Hence fhe is faid to fit at the right hand of Jupiter, as well as Apollo. See hymn to Apollo, notes 41, 47. Whence Ariftides, in his hymn to her, fays, Thirdapos d'av Ono, &c. But Pindar fays, " that fhe, fitting at the right hand of the Father, receives his commands which are to be carried to the other Gods." And again, "For fhe is greater than the angels; and delivers to them the different commands which the receives from her father." Which words Spanheim observes are very like what we find in the SS. concerning the divine and only begotten Son" being made fo much better than the angels, &c. Heb. i. 4.. He is alfo of opinion, that thefe opinions were taken by Callimachus from the LXX tranflation of the Old Teftament. See his note on hymn to Apollo, ver. 29. One would rather imagine, that these general notions of Apolio's and Minerva's feffion at the right hand of their father, proceeded from far more antient tradition concerning the divine mystery of the glory of the Father and of the Son: fince we find it mentioned long before the days of Callimachus. Pindar, as you have feen above, from Ariftides fpoke of the fame thing: and Homer fpeaks of the joint power of Jupiter and Minerva in Odyff. II. ver. 264.. Sophocles addreffes her as the firft in power, ΠΡΩΤΑ TO PALLAS only granted, that his pow'r, Even all her father's glories fhe might bear. No mother bore the Goddess: but the head 165 of And Horace fpeaks of this as a well known article in the heathen creed, Proximos illi tamen occupavit Lib. 1. ODE 12. And Apollo and Minerva both shared the fame honours, and were both equal in glory, because they were both representatives of the fame thing, the folar light; which, as has been often obferved, being the emblem of the divine Son of God, the heathens affigned his honours to thefe natural emblems and having fome traditions of the true and divine light, forgot him, while they applied their traditions to the material light. The expreffion which Callimachus ufes, Пaтpara warrα Pipiodas, to bear all her father's honours, is remarkably fcriptural: all things that the Father hath are mine, fays the Son of God, John xvi. 15. And as the poet fays, that Jupiter Awner Alavara, gave to Minerva warpwia warra, fo the Son of God fays, " for as the Father hath life in himself, fo hath he given to the Son to have life in himfelf, and hath given him authority to execute judgment alfo, because he is the Son of man, John v. 26. and, all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them, John xvii. 10." agreeable to which Arif tides fays of Minerva, "So alfo fhe is venerable in the fight of the father, and made partaker of all things with him, arta xxwwxnxE." And the fame antient writer tells us, that he was called the Auvaus To As, the power of Jupiter; and that the works of Jupiter were faid, Kona TH Dios evval xas Tns Alnas, to be the common works of Jupiter and Minerva; which, as Spanheim conceives, may be referred to the myftery in the New Teftament, imperfectly known by antient traditions; and when the true light was deferted by idolaters, thefe honours, peculiar to παντα κεκοινώκηκε. him, were impiously transferred to the creature,' the material light, which St. Paul affures us was worshipped more than the Creator, namely Chrift, the true light, who is bleffed for ever and ever, Amen. Rom. i. 25. John i. 3. Spanheim observes in the conclufion of his note on this paffage, Mitto quod ficut adducto paulo ante loco, Ariftides Minervam Jovis parentis Avvaju vocat: ita ab impio Ario unigenitus Dei Filius ejus Avvaμis xai Expia, fed non opostos, feu eidem coeternus, ftatueretur, juxta Athanafium." In 1 Cor. i. 24. Chrift is called the power of God, and the wif dom of God: the Holy Ghoft is called also, the power of the Moft High, Luke i. 35. nay, and Chrift himself faith, Hereafter fhall ye fee the Son of Man fitting on the right hand of POWER, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Matt. xxvi. 64. where cannot be meant either Himself or the Holy Gheft, but the Father, as it is faid elsewhere, Sit thou on my right hand, Pfalm cx. So that we fee each perfon in the Trinity is called Avvaus, Power, wherefore we must conclude against Arius, and all his followers, that they are all equal in power: fince to all without any limitation the fame name is given. As to Chrift's coeffentiality qua, he declareth it in St. John as fully and clearly as words can do it, • poroyang VIOS, O NN EIS TO NORTON TO WATPOS. John i. 18. And whofoever will confider the nature of the light which thefe heathens deified, and which. is the fcripture emblem of Chrift the Power and Glory of God, he will not longer doubt of his coeffentiality or coeternity with the Father. See profeffor Franck's Chriftus S. Scripturæ nucleus, or Chrift the fum and fubftance of all the holy Scriptures, &c. rendered into English, p. 46, a book deferving the attention of every chriftian, and excellently calculated for the conviction of every one, who doubts or difbelieves that fundamental article of Christianity, the true and effential divinity of Jefus Chrift, Ver. 167. No mother, &c.] The poet goes on to account for this peculiar honour which was Of fov'reign Jove, oh virgins: to whate'er The head of JOVE fhall give the awful nod, The nod of PALLAS is the ftamp of fate: SHE comes, the Goddess comes: ye Argive maids, To whom your country's beft concerns are dear, With gratulating fongs, with chearful vows, 1 170 was paid to Minerva, and he affigns it to her birth, observing that she was born out of the head of Jupiter, and fo from thence obtained thefe diftinguishing privileges. The nod of Jupiter is univerfally known, and the fine defcription of it in Homer admired by all: fo that I have no need to speak of it here. The ftory of Minerva's birth, to which the poet alludes, has occafioned great enquiries amongst the mythologifts and many learned men have been of opinion that it veiled the fublime myfteries of the divine word and light, whereby all things were created: but I am apt to conceive it had a philofophical reference, and that, all which is faid of Minerva can only be applied to facred things through the veil of that material light, which the represented in the heathen fyftem, and which was the known and acknowledged emblem of the true and fpiritual light. Macrobius fays, p. 243. Minerva folis virtus eft: ficut & Porphyrius teftatur Minervam effe virtutem folis, que humanis mentibus prudentiam fubminiftrat : nam ideo hæc dea Jovis capite prognata memoratur, id eft, de fumma atheris parte edita, unde origo folis eft. "Minerva is the virtue of the Sun: as alfo Porphyry witneffes, that Minerva is that virtue of the Sun which minifters prudence to human minds: for therefore this Goddefs is faid to be born out of Jupiter's head, that is, iffing forth from the highest part of the ather, whence the origin of the Sun is." Hence Phurnutus fays, Kapton de sur, &c. But the head of the Gods, according to Euripides, is the shining ather which furrounds the earth." But what fhall And we make of the peculiar circumftance in this story concerning Vulcan, who, with his axe cleft the skull of Jupiter, whence leaped out this Pallas in compleat armour? Turner gives a full explanation of this matter, as you may read in his book, p. 233, &c. at large. Having proved that Vulcan and Prometheus (for Prometheus, by fome, is faid to have done this office for Jupiter) were the fame, and no other than the Sun, he goes on, p. 237. Now the true explication of this fable in Apollodorus, that Vulcan or Prometheus cleft the head of Jupiter, to make a more eafy paffage for the birth of Pallas, is this: Jupiter in this cafe is the whole ather, whofe head is the body of the Sun, whose rays are here compared to axes or hatchets, by which the ather is pierced and cleft, as to our outward fenfe it seems to be: and that from this cleaving, Pallas was born, the meaning is no other than this, that the Sun or rays of the Sun do at least enliven and invigorate, if not create and caufe that agility and motion which is to be found in Pallas or Jupiter, or the wide fpacious ather, whofe parts all about, though they are of a finer confiftence, and more agil nature than thofe of which this earth and its atmosphere are compofed; yet they themselves, as they are nearer to the Sun, or at a farther diftance from it, fo they partake more or less of that influence, that warmth, and heat, and brifkness of activity and motion, which is communicated and imparted by him; as may be feen by that part of the æther, which, being mingled and interfperfed with this atmosphere And acclamations joyful, hafte, receive 175 Th' approaching Goddess: hail, Minerva, hail, Still let Inachian Argos claim thy care:: Hail or retiring hence, or to our state In all profperity old Danaus' race. which we inhabit, is in the winter comparatively ftagnant, to what it is found by experience to be in the fummer feafon, when the fun fhines upon us with a direct influence, and with rays more piercing and vigorous than at other times." Thus we have a clear explication of this matter, confiftent with all that is related of Pallas, who is no other than the folar light, giving light, and wisdom, and life, proceeding from the ather cleft by the Sun for the paffage of this armed Goddefs of Wisdom and War. And hence he had her name Pallas, which is of Hebrew original from, PALL, to Separate, divide, and to act, as an agent, in an invifible manner; and hence it is referred to the mind, knowing and judging, and fo to what exceeds all human knowledge and comprehenfion. And hence Chrift, Ifai. ix. 6. is called 5, PaLA, wonderful, from the action of his emblem the light, which acts in an hidden, high, and wonderful manner. See Leigh on the word. Her other Greek name AOHNH, Athene, which has perplext all the Greek etymologists, is alfo of Hebrew origin, and comes primarily from Nor AN, ATH or ATHE, come, approach, and fignifies the fire or light darting forth from the folar focus, where it had been before formed. So is the daughter of Jupiter, &c. Attis, or Atthis, arow, asong, alws, (a mountain often ftruck with lightning) are all doubtless derivatives of the fame Hebrew word. I have fometimes been apt to think, that AOHNH, was a compound word of ♫ and 1, ATH and The NeN, a ferpent, dragon, &c. fo Athene; for the ferpent is the known and acknowledged emblem of the light in this condition, which it particularly reprefents in its darting motion; as alfo by its drawing in itself in its motion, it reprefents the influx of the fpirit, whereby the efflux or darting out of the light is continued. And hence 180 Athene or Pallas is fcarcely ever represented without ferpents, which are always found round her agis, as you may read in the defcription given of it, note 51. Nay, and these ferpents, to fhew the degrees of heat and violence in the light, are fometimes defcribed as more, fometimes less fierce; and hence in the Orphic hymn to her, fhe is even called, Αιολόμορφε Δράκαινα. - And Pallas, See headpiece to this hymn. Many other proofs might be produced in confirmation of what I have advanced, wherein the reader will obferve, I have only fuggefted the fentiments of able and learned men; but I have already gone beyond my author, and almoft forgot that I was writing annotations only, while I had well nigh expatiated into a differtation on this Goddefs: but I muft here ftop, and refer the reader to the hymn of Orpheus following. End of the Hymn to PALLAS. HE Calathus descending, its approach The passing pomp view only, ye profane, Ver. 1. The Calathus, &c.] The fcholiaft informs us, that "Ptolemy Philadelphus, in imitation of the Athenians, established fome certain ceremonies at Alexandria, in which was this of the facred basket or Calathus. For it was the custom at Athens, on a certain day, to carry upon a chariot a basket to the honour of Ceres." So that this hymn of our poet's was not written, 5 as fome have conjectured, at Argos, or for the ufe of the Eleufinian myfteries as performed in Greece, but on account of a ceremony of the like nature established by Ptolemy at Alexandria. Concerning this Calathus, which was brought forth on the 4th day in the Eleufinian mysteries, you may read a full account in Potter's Ent. vol. 1. p. 392. Caniftra, Ava, as our au hor U 2 calls |
