the States presided in them; and, so long, they safe from notorious abuses. But in aftertimes it happen, that a little priest, who had borne an share in these rites, would leave his society untry, and set up for himself; and in a clanmanner, without the allowance or knowledge Magistrate, institute and celebrate the Mysteprivate Conventicles. From rites so managed asy to believe, many enormities would arise. as the original of those horrid impieties comin the Mysteries of Bacchus at Rome; of he historian Livy has given so circumstantial unt: for, in the beginning of his story, he tells mischief was occasioned by one of these priests

the Mysteries into Etruria, on his own head, issioned by his superiors in Greece, from e learnt them; and unauthorized by the State, ch he had introduced them. The words of ew that the Mysteries were, in their own navery different affair; and invented for the ment of Knowledge and Virtue. "A Greek an extraction (says he *) a little priest and ayer, came first into Etruria, WITHOUT ANY

OR WISDOM IN MYSTERIOUS RITES, MANY OF WHICH, THAT MOST IMPROVED PEOPLE BROUGHT IN AMONGST US, FOR THE RE AND PERFECTION BOTH OF MIND

BODY ." It is farther observable, that this priest

is ignobilis in Etruriam primum venit, NULLA CỤM UM, QUAS MULTAS AD ANIMORUM CORPORUMQUE OBIS ERUDITISSIMA OMNIUM GENS INVEXIT, sed & vates. Hist. lib. xxxix.

Livy means by the culture of the body, will be seen hen we come to speak of the probationary and toile 6

some

priest brought the Mysteries pure with him out of Greece, and that they received their corruption in Italy; for, as Hispala tells the story to the Consul, at first WOMEN only celebrated the Rites; till Paculla Minia Campana became priestess; who, on a sudden, as by order of the Gods, made a total alteration in the Ceremonies, and initiated her sons; which gave occasion to all the debaucheries that followed*. The consequence of this discovery was the abolition of the Rites of Bacchus throughout Italy, by a decree of the Senate t.

However, it is very true, that in Greece itself the Mysteries became abominably abused: a proof of which

some trials undergone by those aspirants to the Mysteries, called the SOLDIERS OF MITHRAS.

"

* Hispala's confession will fully instruct the reader in the nature and degree of these corruptions.-" Tum Hispala originem sacrorum expromit. Primo sacrarium id fœminarum fuisse, nec 66 quemquam virum eo admitti solitum.-Pacullam sacerdotem "omnia, tanquam Deum monitis, immutâsse: nam & viros eam primam suos filios initiasse : & nocturnum sacrum ex diurno, & pro tribus in anno diebus quinos singulis mensibus dies initiorum "fecisse. Ex quo in promiscuo sacra sint, & permisti viri fœmi"nis, & noctis licentia accesserit; nihil ibi facinoris, nihil flagitii "prætermissum; plura virorum inter sese, quam fœminarum esse "stupra. Si qui minus patientes dedecoris sint, & pigriores ad "facinus, pro victimis immolari: nikil nefas ducere. Hanc summam inter eos religionem esse; viros velut mente capta cuni "jactatione fanatica corporis vaticinari-Raptos a Diis homines "dici, quos machinæ illigatos ex conspectu in abditos specus abripiant; eos esse, qui aut conjurare, aut sociari facinoribus, "aut stuprum pati noluerint Multitudinem ingentem, alterum jam prope populum esse: in his nobiles quosdam viros, fœminasque. "Biennio proximo institutum esse, ne quis major viginti annis initiaretur; captari ætatis & erroris & stupri patientes."

66

+ See note [N] at the end of this Book.

↑ See Clemens Alexandrinus, in his Admonitio ad Gentes

which we have even in the conduct of their Comic writers, who frequently lay the action of the Drama (such as the rape of a young girl, and the like) at the celebration of a religious Mystery; and from that Mystery denominate the Piece *. So that, in the time of Cicero, the terms mysteries and abominations were almost synonymous. The Academic having said they had secrets and Mysteries, Lucullus replies, "Quæ sunt tandem ista MYSTERIA? aut cur celatis, quasi TURPE aliquid, vestram sententiamt" However, in spite of all occasions and opportunities, some of these Mysteries, as the ELEUSINIAN particularly, continued for many ages pure and undefiled. The two capital corruptions of the Mysteries were MAGIC and IMPURITIES. Yet, so late as the age of Apollonius Tyan; the Eleusinian kept so clear of the first imputation, that the hierophant refused to initiate that impostor, because he was suspected to be a Magician ‡. And, indeed, their long-continued immunity, both from one and the other corruption, will not appear extraordinary, if we consider, that, by a law of Solon, the senate was always to meet the day after the celebration of these Mysteries, to see that nothing had been done amiss during the performance §. So that these were

* See Fabricius's Notitia comicorum deperditorum, in his first volume of the Bibl. Græc. lib. ii. cap. 22.

+ Acad. Quæst. lib. i.

† Ὁ δὲ Ιεροφάνης ἐκ ἐβόλειο παρέχειν τὰ ἱερὰ, μὴ γὰρ ἂν πολε μυήσαι γόηλα, μὴ δὲ τὴν Ἐλευσῖνα ἀνοίξαι ἀνθρώπῳ μὴ καθαρῷ τὰ Japóna, Philost. lib. iv. cap. 18.

§ ἡ γὰρ βελὴ ἐκεῖ καθεδεῖσθαι ἔμελλε, κατὰ τὸν Σόλωνω νόμον, ὃς κελεύει, τῇ ὑσεραίᾳ, τῶν μυσηρίων ἔδραν ποιεῖν ἐν τῷ Ελευσινίῳ. Andoc. Orat.

VOL. II.

F

the

the very last that submitted to the common fate of all human institutions *.

It is true, if uncertain report were to be believed, the Mysteries were corrupted very early: for Orpheus himself is said to have abused them. But this was a figment which the debauched Myste of later times invented to varnish over their enormities; as the detestable Pæderasts of after-ages scandalized the blameless Socrates. Besides, the story is so ill laid, that it is detected by the surest records of Antiquity : for, in consequence of the crime which they fabled Orpheus committed in the Mysteries, they pretended, that he was torn in pieces by the women: whereas it appeared from the inscription on his monument at Dium in Macedonia, that he was struck dead with lightning, the envied death of the reputed favourites of the Godst.

And here the christian FATHERS will hardly escape the censure of those who will not allow high provocation to be an excuse for an unfair representation of an adversary. I say, they will hardly escape censure, for accustoming themselves to speak of the Mysteries as gross impieties and immoralities in their very original §. Clemens Alexandrinus, in a heat of zeal, breaks out, "Let him he accursed, who first infected the world with these impostures, whether it was Dardanus—or -&c. These I make no scruple to call wicked "authors of impious fables; the fathers of an exe"crable superstition, who, by this Institution, sowed

* See note [O] at the end of this Book.
+ See Diog. Laert. Prooemium, Segm. 5.
✰ Idem, ibid.

§ See note [P] at the end of this Book.

human life the seeds of vice and corruption *.".
he wisest and best of the pagan world invariably
that the Mysteries were instituted pure; and
sed the noblest end, by the worthiest means. And
though the express testimony of these writers,
rted by the reason of the thing, should be
ed insufficient, yet the character and quality of
Institutor must put the matter out of all doubt.
nstitutor, as will be seen presently, was no other
he Lawgiver, or CIVIL MAGISTRATE himself.
ver the Mysteries found public admittance, it
his introduction; and as oft as ever they were
ated, it was under his inspection. Now virtue
essential to the preservation, and vice to the
tion of that Society, over which he presides,
dience and disobedience are to his office and
ty. So that to conceive him disposed to bring
to encourage, immoral practices under the
f Religion, is the same thing as to suspect the
an of mixing Poisons with his antidotes.
ruth of the matter was this: the Fathers bore
grudge to the Mysteries for their injurious
nt of Christianity on its first appearance in the
We are to observe, that ATHEISM, by which
int a contempt of the Gods, was reckoned, in
teries, amongst the greatest crimes. So, in the
k of the Eneis (of which more hereafter) the
eats in Tartarus are allotted to the Atheist,
Salmoneus, Tityus, and the Titans, &c. Now
tians, for their contempt of the national Gods,

ἦν ὁ τῆσδι ἄρξας ἀπάτης ἀνθρώποις· εἴτε ὁ Δάρδανο · ἐγώγ ̓ ἂν ἀρχικακὸς φήσαιμι μύθον ἀθέων, καὶ δεισιδαιμονίας ας, σπέρμα κακίας καὶ φθορᾶς ἐγκαίαφυλεύσαντας τῷ βίῳ τα dmonitio ad Gentes, pag. 8. A. B. Edit. Sylburg.