Addentur, accendere jamjam furibun- ad libitum infundatur potio Manip: ij. Crin: e tonfura Ducis elegantiffime select :---- Axung: bovin: ex renibus & omento quam delicatiffime exfciffæ Ceti Sebac: malefuaviter olentis, cum rarum fordibus ftudiofe compost.----- a. a. oz. iv. Hæc omnia conglomeratim, attamen caute, ne frangatur vas, in vetufto & rimofo quodam Cranio commifce & contunde, donec excitetur efferv: violentiss: Misturam denique totam, ne prius refpuatur, per infundibulum ftomacho fortiter ingere, prout potentius excitetur Naufea. Die Jejunii Politico-religiofi, Chapter Coffee-house. X. X. Extra Licent : Coll: Med: Lond. [Chronicle.] ODE ON WESTMINSTER ABBEY. WRITTEN BY COLLINS; NOT PUBLISHED IN HIS WORKS. ERE fleep the brave, who fink to reft, HE By all their country's wifhes bleft! By Fairy hands their knell is rung, ORIGIES I Learn from your paper, that an expreffion in Mr. Frend's Pamphlet, "the orgies of Bacchus," has been much bandied about. As I apprehended that many of your readers may be in as great doubt as I was concerning these fame orgies of Bacchus, I hope the following brief sketch will not displease them. In drawing up this account, I have had recourfe to my two excellent friends, the Rev. Thomas Kipling, wouldbe Profeffor of Divinity to his Majefty, and Thomas Taylor, felf-created Polytheift of Great-Britain. These two amazing men, quos longe fequor et veftigia femper adoro, have kindly condefcended to chalk out the plan of the following Differtation, and to furnish me with feveral valuable hints for its conduct. Let me here indulge myself in giving a fhort character of these two worthies.The one, by the mere force of genius, without the flighteft tincture of learning, has founded all the depths and fhoals of Chriftian theology; the other, without ftaying to learn even the inflexions of Greek words, has plunged to the very bottom of Pagan philofophy, Taught by the heavenly mufe to venture down the dark defcent, and up to reafeend, though hard and rare. But to bufinefs. There are fome rumours, indeed, of Bacchus being an Egyptian, but I fhall lay no ftrefs upon them. What gave rife to these humours, is probably the fact which Apollodorus relates, that he fojourned fome time in Egypt. The common opinion is, that he was the fon of Jupiter, King of gods and men, by Semele, a mortal female of Thebes. This fyftem, while it was defended by his difciples and followers, was denied or ridiculed by the profane. In this latter number were fome of his own family, who afferted that Bacchus was no more a child of Jupiter than themselves; but that "Semele "Semele (a), having been too well acquainted with fome mortal man, dignified her difgrace by calling Jupiter the father of the child." Of this injury Bacchus complains in very pathetic terms, and threatens to make them finart for their incredulity. "For (b) which reafon," fays he, "I have put on a mortal appearance, and have changed my form into the nature of a man," or, as he expreffes it elsewhere," I have changed myself to an human form from a god." Among the obftinate unbelievers were Alcithoë and her fifters, who denied that Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, and had the impudence to work, after the prieft had given orders for a general holiday (c). Ovid as rather too luxuriant in his defcription for an hiftorian; fo he tells us, in his allegorical ftyle, that these unfortunate fifters were changed into bats; other authors fay, into owls and bats (fee Antoninus Liberalis, in his tenth story); but take either account, the meaning is equally clear. These poor girls, for daring to speak their minds, were fo perfecuted by the drunken mob, who called themfelves Bacchanalians, that they were fain to fhun the haunts of men, and hide themfelves from the light, in holes and corners. But neither did this ftop the mouths of the fcoffers. Pentheus derided the claims of this new god, and denied the divinity of his coufin. You may eafily guefs the (α) Διόνυσον οὐκ ἔφασκον ἐκφῦναι Διός. Σεμέλην δὲ συμφευθεῖ σαν ἐκ θνήίμου τινός, Το Ων ούνεκ εἶδος θνητον ἀλλάξας ἔχω, Μορφὴν ἀμείψας ἐκ θεοῦ βρολησίαν. Eurip. Bacch. 26. (c) At non Alcithoe Minyeïas orgia cenfet Accipienda Dei; fed adhuc temeraria Bacchum Progeniem negat effe Jovis Jufferat feftum celebrare facerdos Z Bacch. 53. Bacch. 4. Ovid, Metamorph. IV. init. fate fate of fuch an unbeliever; for the fect of Bacchanalians, while they were weak, were perfecuted, and when they grew ftrong, perfecuted others; which is perfectly natural. Indeed, Tirefias, the wizard, (who, by the bye, was as blind as a beetle) foretold as much to the young man. "Unless," (d) quoth he, "you honour this Bacchus with temples, your mangled limbs fhall be fcattered in a thousand places, and your mother and aunts shall be stained with your blood." Grandfire Cadmus, too, gave found advice to the headstrong young man; but he was refolute, and would not be ruled. It will do your heart good to hear the old gentleman's arguments in behalf of occafional conformity. "Suppofing," (e) fays he, " that this perfon is not a god, as you fay that he is not, let him pafs for one with you, and tell a fplendid lie, that he is; partly for Semele's credit, that the may have the reputation of being brought to bed of a god; partly for our's, that honour may redound to the whole clan." But all these reasonings were thrown away upon Pentheus. Wherever the fpirit of enthusiasm takes poffeffion of the human mind, it extinguifhes all fentiments of mercy, and all the charities of relationship. Pentheus was torn in pieces (according to the prophecy of Pirefias, which probably was the caufe of its own completion) by a gang of female devotees, and his mother and her fifters were in at the death. It is fcarcely worth while to obferve, that Bacchus recommended to his followers to take now and then a fup of the juice of the grape. (d) Quem nifi templorum fueris dignatus honore, Mille lacer fpargere locis; et fanguine filvas Fœdabis, matremq; tuam, matrifque forores. Ovid. Met. III. 521. (ε) Κεἰ μὴ γαρ ἐςιν ὁ θεὸς οὗτος, ὡς σὺ φής, Eurip. Bacch. 333. In the mean time, the worship of Bacchus throve mightily. The frifks and gambols of his votaries were called orgies; which fignifies, that paffion had a greater fhare in them than reafon; and myfteries, that is to fay, fecrets, which could only be understood by the initiated. From Greece thefe myfteries paffed to Rome, concerning which hear Dr. Taylor (f).--"The Bacchanalian myfteries, a fcheme of Greek extraction, had lately made their way into Rome. The main ingredient in them, in order to practife upon the weaknels and curiofity of the vulgar, was the poffeffion of a fecret, communicable to none but the initiated. They were gilded over with profeffions of a religious worship, to fupport their credit, and in a fhort time became the fafhion; and that perhaps prevailed over every other confideration befide," &c. &c. Livy (g), whom Dr. Taylor quotes on this occafion, tells us, that very fevere laws were made by the Romans against those who frequented the orgies of Bacchus. Pafs we now to a grand, a leading, I may fay, a neceffary feature in the character of Bacchus---his descent into hell. For, as John Beaumont obferves, in his Gleanings of Antiquities (b), "no great man occurs in the poets, but he fometime defcended into hell." Now all your authors are unanimous that Bacchus defcended into hell. The mere defcent, to be fure, is a trifle. "Eafy," fays Virgil (i), " is the defcent of Avernum; all nights and days is the portal of gloomy Dis open; but to return and view the chearful skies, in this the taík and mighty labour lies. A few, for whom Jupiter has fhewn a diftinguished affection, or whom glowing virtue has exalted to heaven; a few, born of the gods, have enjoyed this privilege." Ariftophanes, in his Frogs, gives a particular account (f) Elements of Civil Law, p. 549, ed. 3. (g) XXXIX. 13. |