Volume I Part 6 (1/2)

F??s?? ??es????s?----

??es???? signified a person, who lived in a mountain habitation; whose retreat was a house in a mountain. Co, and Coa, was the name of such house.

Strabo says that this term is alluded to by Homer, when he styles Lacedaemon [426]?a?eda???a ??t?essa?, _for it was by many thought to have been so called on account of their caverns._ From hence we may fairly conclude, that ??t?essa was a mistake, or at least a variation, for [427]?a?etaessa, from Cai-Atis; and that Co, [428]Coa, Caia, were of the same purport.

But this term does not relate merely to a cavern; but to temples founded near such places: oftentimes the cave itself was a temple. Caieta, in Italy, near c.u.ma, called by Diodorus ?a??t?, was so denominated on this account. It was a cave in the rock, abounding with variety of subterranes, cut out into various apartments. These were, of old, inhabited by Amonian priests; for they settled in these parts very early. It seems to have been a wonderful work. [429]??e??et' e?te??e? sp??a?a ?pe?e?e??, ?at????a?

e?a?a?, ?a? p???te?e?? dede?e?a. _In these parts were large openings in the earth, exhibiting caverns of a great extent; which afforded very ample and superb apartments._ Diodorus informs us, that, what was in his time called Caiete, had been sometimes styled [430]Aiete: by which we may see, that it was a compound; and consisted of two or more terms; but these terms were not precisely applicable to the same object. Ai-Ete, or Ai-Ata, was the region of Ait, the Deity to whom it was sacred. Colchis had the same name; whence its king was called Aietes: and Egypt had the same, expressed by the Greeks [431]?et?a, Aetia. Aiete was the district: Caiete was the cave and temple in that district; where the Deity was wors.h.i.+pped.

In Botia was a cavern, into which the river Cephisus descended, and was lost. It afterwards emerged from this gulf, and pa.s.sed freely to the sea.

The place of eruption was called An-choa, which signifies Fontis apertura.

The later Greeks expressed it Anchoe[432]. ?a?e?ta? d' ? t?p?? ?????? est?

de ???? ??????. The etymology, I flatter myself, is plain, and authenticated by the history of the place.

From Cho, and Choa, was probably derived the word ??????, used by the apostle. [433]? p??t?? a????p?? e? ??? ??????? ? de?te??? a????p?? ? ??????

e? ???a???. ???? ? ??????, ?a? t??a?t?? ?? ??????. Hesychius observes, ??????, p??????, ??????. From hence we may perceive, that by Cho was originally meant a house or temple in the earth. It was, as I have shewn, often expressed Gau, and Go; and made to signify any house. Some nations used it in a still more extended sense; and by it denoted a town or village, and any habitation at large. It is found in this acceptation among the antient Celtae, and Germans, as we learn from Cluverius. [434]Apud ipsos Germanos ejusmodi pagorum vernaculum vocabulum fuit Gaw; et variantibus dialectis, gaw, gew, g?w, gow, hinc--Brisgaw, Wormesgaw, Zurichgow, Turgow, Nordgaw, Andegaw, Rhingaw, Hennegow, Westergow, Oostergow. The antient term ??????, Purgos, was properly Pur-Go; and signified a light-house, or temple of fire, from the Chaldaic Pur.

PARTICLES.

Together with the words above mentioned are to be found in composition the particles Al and Pi. Al, or El, for it is differently expressed in our characters, is still an Arabian prefix; but not absolutely confined to that country, though more frequently there to be found. The Sun, ???, was called Uchor by the people of Egypt and Cyrene, which the Greeks expressed ????, Achor. He was wors.h.i.+pped with the same t.i.tle in Arabia, and called Al Achor. [435]Georgius Monachus, describing the idolatry which prevailed in that country before the introduction of the present religion, mentions the idol Alachar. Many nations have both expletives and demonstratives a.n.a.logous to the particle above. The p.r.o.noun Ille of the Romans is somewhat similar; as are the terms Le and La of the French; as well as Il and El in other languages. It is in composition so like to ??, the name of ?????, the Sun, that it is not always easy to distinguish one from the other.

The article Pi was in use among the antient Egyptians and Cuthites, as well as other nations in the east. The natives of India were at all times wors.h.i.+ppers of the Sun; and used to call themselves by some of his t.i.tles.

Porus, with whom Alexander engaged upon the Indus, was named from the chief object of his wors.h.i.+p, ???, Pi-Or, and P'Or; rendered by the Greeks ?????, Porus. Pacorus the Parthian was of the same etymology, being a compound of P'Achorus, the Achor of Egypt: as was also the [436]city Pacoria in Mesopotamia, mentioned by Ptolemy. Even the Grecian p?? was of Egyptian or Chaldac original, and of the same composition (P'Ur) as the words above; for [437]Plato informs us that p??, ?d??, ???e?, were esteemed terms of foreign importation. After the race of the Egyptian kings was extinct, and that country came under the dominion of the Grecians, the natives still continued to make use of this prefix; as did other [438]nations which were incorporated with them. They adapted it not only to words in their own language, but to those of other countries of which they treated. Hence there is often to be found in their writings, [439]???e??, ??a?t??, ??a??t??, p?s?a, p??a??, Pidux, Picurator, Pitribunus; also names of persons occur with this prefix; such as Piterus, Piturio, Pionius the martyr; also Pior, Piammon, Piambo; who are all mentioned by ecclesiastical [440]writers as natives of that country. This article is sometimes expressed Pa; as in the name of Pachomius, an abbot in Egypt, mentioned by [441]Gennadius. A priest named Paapis is to be found in the Excerpta from Antonius [442]Diogenes in Photius. There were particular rites, styled Pamylia Sacra, from [443]Pamyles, an antient Egyptian Deity. We may infer from Hesychius that they were very obscene: ?aa????, ????pt??? Te??

???ap?d??. Hades, and Pi-Ades, was a common t.i.tle of the Sun: and the latter, in early times, was current in Greece; where I hope to give ample testimony of the Amonians settling. He was termed Melech Pi-Adon, and Anac Pi-Adon: but the Greeks out of Pi-Adon formed ?a?d??: for it is inconceivable how very ignorant they were in respect to their antient theology. Hence we read of pa?d?? ??t???, pa?d?? ?????, pa?d?? ?p???????; and legends of pa?d?? a?a?at??; and of pa?d??; who were mere foundlings; whose fathers could never be ascertained, though divine honours were paid to the children. This often puzzled the mythologists, who could not account for this spurious race. Plutarch makes it one of his inquiries to sift out, [444]??? ? ?a?d?? taf?? pa?a ?a???de?s?; Pausanias mentions, [445]?f??????

pa?d?? ???: and, in another place, [446]???? de Te?? te ???a??e???

a???st??, ?a? ?????, ?a? ????O? t?? T?se??, ?a? Fa?????. From this mistake arose so many boy-deities; among whom were even Jupiter and Dionusus: [447]??t?? t?? ??a, ?a? t?? ?????s?? ?a?da?, ?a? ?e???, ? ?e?????a ?a?e?.

_According to the theology of the Greeks, even Jupiter and Dionusus are styled boys, and young persons._ One of the most remarkable pa.s.sages to this purpose is to be found in the antiquary above quoted; who takes notice of a certain mysterious rite performed by the natives of Amphissa, in Phocis. The particular G.o.ds, to whom it was performed, were styled ??a?te?

pa?de?. [448]????s? de ?a? te?et?? ?? ?f?sse?? t?? ??a?t?? ?a???e???

?a?d??. ??t??e? de Te?? e?s?? ?? ??a?te? ?a?de?, ?? ?ata t' a?ta est??

e???e???. _The people of Amphissa perform a ceremony in honour of persons styled Anactes Paides, or Royal Boys: but who these Anactes Paides were, is matter of great uncertainty_. In short, the author could not tell; nor could the priests afford him any satisfactory information. There are many instances in Pausanias of this nature; where divine honours are paid to the unknown children of fathers equally unknown.

Herodotus tells us, that, when he discoursed with the priests of Thebes about the kings who had reigned in Egypt, they described them to him under three denominations, of G.o.ds, of heroes, and of men. The last succeeded to those above, and were mere mortals. The manner of succession is mentioned in the following words: [449]?????? e? ??????? ?e???e?a?--?a? ??te e?

?e??, ??te e? ???a a?ad?sa? a?t??? (?? ????pt???). There are many strange and contradictory opinions about this [450]pa.s.sage; which, if I do not deceive myself, is very plain; and the purport of it this: _After the fabulous accounts, there had been an uninterrupted succession of Piromis after Piromis: and the Egyptians referred none of these to the dynasties of either the G.o.ds or Heroes, who were supposed to have first possessed the country_. From hence I think it is manifest that Pi-romis signifies _a man_. Herodotus, indeed, says, that the meaning of it was ?a??? ?a?a???, _a person of a fair and honourable character_: and so it might be taken by implication; as we say of a native of our own country, that he is a true and staunch [451]Englishman: but the precise meaning is plain from the context; and Piromis certainly meant _a man_. It has this signification in the Coptic: and, in the [452]Prodromus Copticus of Kircher, ?????, Piromi, is _a man_; and seems to imply a native. Pirem Racot is an Alexandrine; or, more properly, a native of Racotis, called Raschid, and Rosetta. Pirem Romi are [453]Romans.

By means of this prefix we may be led to understand what is meant by Paraia in the account given by Philo from Sanchoniathon: who says, that Cronus had three sons in the region of Paraia: [454]??e?????sa? de ?a? e? ?a?a?? ?????

t?e?? pa?de?. Paraia is a variation of P'Ur-aia; and means literally the land of Ur in Chaldea; the region from whence antient writers began the history of mankind. A crocodile by the Egyptians was among other names called [455]S?????: and the name is retained in the Coptic, where it is expressed [456]Pi-Souchi.

This prefix is sometimes expressed with an aspirate, Phi: and as that word signifies a mouth, and in a more extensive signification, speech and language, it sometimes may cause a little uncertainty about the meaning.

However, in most places it is sufficiently plain. Phaethon, a much mistaken personage, was an antient t.i.tle of the Sun, a compound of Phi-Ath-On.

Bacchus was called Phi-Anac by the Mysians, rendered by the poets [457]Phanac and Phanaces. Hanes was a t.i.tle of the same Deity, equally reverenced of old, and compounded Ph' Hanes. It signified the fountain of light: and from it was derived Phanes of Egypt: also fa???, fa?e??, fa?e???: and from Ph'ain On, Fanum. In short, these particles occur continually in words, which relate to religious rites, and the antient adoration of fire. They are generally joined to Ur, by which that element is denoted. From P'Ur Tor came Praetor and Praetorium, among the Romans: from P'Ur-Aith, Purathi and Puratheia among the Asiatics. From P'Ur-tan, p??ta?e??, and p??ta?e?a among the Greeks of h.e.l.las: in which Prutaneia there were of old sacred hearths, and a perpetual fire. The antient name of Latian Jupiter was P'ur, by length of time changed to Puer. He was the Deity of fire; and his ministers were styled Pueri: and because many of them were handsome youths selected for that office, Puer came at length to signify any young person. Some of the Romans would explain this t.i.tle away, as if it referred to Jupiter's childhood: but the history of the place will shew that it had no such relation. It was a proper name, and retained particularly among the people of Praeneste. They had undoubtedly been addicted to the rites of fire; for their city was said to have been built by Caeculus, the son of Vulcan, who was found in the midst of fire:

[458] Vulcano genitum pecora inter agrestia Regem, Inventumque focis.

They called their chief G.o.d Pur: and dealt particularly in divination by lots, termed of old _Purim_. Cicero takes notice of this custom of divination at Praeneste; and describes the manner, as well as the place: but gives into the common mistake, that the Purim related to Jupiter's childhood. He says, that the place, where the process was carried on, was a sacred inclosure, [459]is est hodie locus septus, religiose propter Jovis _Pueri_, qui lactens c.u.m Junone in gremio _Fortunae_ mammam appetens, castissime colitur a Matribus. This manner of divination was of Chaldac original, and brought from Babylonia to Praeneste. It is mentioned in Esther, c. 3. v. 7. They cast Pur before Haman, that he might know the success of his purposes against the Jews. _Wherefore they call these days Purim after the name of Pur_[460]. c. 9. v. 26. The same lots of divination being used at Praeneste was the occasion of the G.o.d being called Jupiter Pur. This in aftertimes was changed to Puer: whence we find inscriptions, which mention him under that name; and at the same time take notice of the custom, which prevailed in his temple. Inscriptions Jovi Puero, and Fortunae Primigeniae Jovis [461]Pueri are to be found in Gruter. One is very particular.

[462]Fortunae Primigeniae Jovis Pueri D.D.

Ex _SORTE_ compos factus Nothus Ruficanae L. P. Plotilla.

That this word Puer was originally Pur may be proved from a well known pa.s.sage in Lucretius: