7 thence navigated to Colchis. I shall hereafter shew the improbability of this story: and it is to be observed, that this very harbour, where it was supposed to have been constructed, was called the port of Deucalion. This alone would be a strong presumption, that in the history of the place there was a reference to the Deluge. The Grecians placed every antient record to their own account their country was the scene of every 8 action. The people of Thessaly maintained that Deucalion was exposed to a flood in their district, and saved upon mount Athos: the people of Phocis make him to be driven to Parnassus : the Dorians in Sicily say he landed upon mount Etna. Lastly, the natives of Epirus suppose him to have been of their country, and to have founded v. 18. Νηα μεν εν οι προσθεν ετι κλεισσιν αοιδόν Αργον Αθηναίης καμεειν ὑπο θημοσύνησε. Apollon. Rhod. 1. 1. 7 Hence many Deucalions. See Schol, in Apollon. Rhod. 1. 3. v. 1085. Deucalion is esteemed an Argonaut. Hygin. c. 14. p. 50. Here also were the islands of Deucalion and Pyrrha in the bay. Strabo. 1. 9. p. 665. 9 Servius in Virg. eclog. 6. v. 41. 10 Pausan. 1. 10. p. 811. "Qui (Deucalion et Pyrrha) in montem Etnam, qui altissi mus in Siciliâ esse dicitur, fugerunt. Hygin. c. 153. p. 265. the antient temple of " Dodona. In consequence of this they likewise have laid claim to his history. In respect to the Argo, it was the same as the ship of Noah, of which the Baris in Egypt was a representation. It is called by Plutarch, the ship of Osiris; that Osiris, who, as I have mentioned, was exposed in an ark to avoid the fury of Typhon : " Και το πλοίον, ὁ καλεσιν Έλληνες Αργώ, é της Οσίριδος νεως επι τιμη κατηςερισμενον. The vessel in the celestial sphere, which the Grecians call the Argo, is a representation of the ship of Osiris, which out of reverence has been placed in the heavens. The original therefore of it must be looked for in Egypt. The very name of the Argo shews, what it alluded to; for Argus, as it should be truly expressed, signified precisely an ark, and was synonymous to Theba. It is made use of in that sense by the priests and diviners of the Phi 14 Plutarch. in Pyrrho. The people of Megara supposed the person saved in the deluge to have been Megarus, the son of Jupiter, who swam to the summit of mount Gerania. Pausan. 1. 1. p. 96. * p. 359. 13 Plutarch. Isis et Osiris. v. 2. 14 A Deluge of this nature was supposed to have happened in Egypt. Νειλον φασι φαγεντα κατακλύσαι πολλην της Αιγυπτε μα λίγα τετο μέρος επελθειν, ὁ Προμηθευς είχε την επιμελειαν, διαφθαρεντων σχεδόν άπαντων των κατα ταυτην την χωραν. Diodor. Sicul. 1. 1. p. 16. To attribute this Deluge to the Nile is idle. A Deluge of the Nile happened every year. This related to Prometheus, or Noah. 15 listim; who, when the ark of God was to be restored to the Israelites, put the presents of atonement, which were to accompany it, into an Argus, 18, or sacred receptacle. And as they were the Caphtorim, who made use of this term, to signify an holy vessel; we may presume that it was not unknown in Egypt, the region from whence they came. For this people were the children of " Mizraim, as well as the native Egyptians, and their language must necessarily have been a dialect of that country. I have mentioned that many colonies went abroad under the title of Thebeans, or Arkites; and in consequence of this built cities called Theba. In like manner there were many cities built of the name of " Argos; particularly in Thessaly, Bootia, Epirus, and 18 Sicily: whence it is that in all 15 1 Samuel. c. 6. v. 8, 11, 15. The word occurs only in the history of this Philistine transaction; and in the Alexand. MSS. is rendered Agyos. 16 Genesis. c. 10. v. 13. And Mizraim begat Ludim—and Pathrusim, and Casluhim (out of whom came Philistim), and Caphtorim. Deuteron. c. 2. v. 23. The Caphtorim, which came forth out of Caphtor. Jerem. c. 47. v. 4. The Philistines, the remnant of the country of Caphtor. Amos. c. 9. v. 7. Have not I brought the Philistines from Caphtor? 17 Αργος Πελοποννησος. Αργείοι· οι Ελληνες. Hesych. 18 Cluverii Sicilia. p. 394. 19 these places there is some tradition of Deucalion, and the ark; however it may have been misapplied. The whole Peloponnesus was once called both Apia, and Argos. As there were many temples called both Theba and Argus in memory of the ark, they had priests, which were denominated accordingly. Those who officiated at the shrines termed Argus, were called Argeiphontai, from the Egyptian phont, which signified a priest. But the Greeks, interpreting this term by words in their own language, supposed what was a priest, to have been a slayer, or murderer. They accordingly turned the Argo into a man, whom, from a confused notion of the starry system, they supposed to abound with eyes, and made Hermes cut off his head. People styled Argeiphontes, Cresphontes, Hierophantes, Leucophontes, Citharaphontes, Deiphontes, were all originally priests. The Scholiast upon Sophocles calls Argus, 20 Tow Κυνα, τον Αργον, τον πανοπτην, Argus, Ku, or Canis, is precisely of the same purport, as Argeiphontes : a priest of the ark. Τον The constellation of the Argo, as it is delineated, represents the hinder part only of a ship; the forepart being hid in clouds. It was supposed to 9 See Jablonsky Pantheon Egypt. Pars prima. p. 139. 20 Schol. in Sophocl. Elect. v. 5. have been oracular, and conducted at the will of the Deity. Upon the temo or rudder is a very bright star, the chief in the asterism, which was called Canopus. It lies too low in the southern hemisphere to be easily seen in Greece. It was placed on the rudder of the ark, to shew by whose influence it was directed. Yet in doing this they lost sight of the great Director, by whose guidance it had been really conducted; and gave the honour to a man. For under the character of Canopus, as well as Canobus, is veiled the history of the patriarch Noah. There was a city, or rather a temple, towards the most western outlet of the Nile, which was denominated in the same manner, and gave name to the stream. It was expressed Canopus, Canobus, Canoubis; and is mentioned by Dionysius, who speaks of it as a place of great fame: ** Ενθα βορειοτατος πέλεται μυχος Αιγύπτοιο, "Dionys. Perieg. v. 12, Of the idle pretensions of the Greeks, and their giving the honour of this place to a pilot of Menelaus, I have spoken before: and of the story being confuted by a priest of Egypt. See Aristid. Orat. Ægyptiaca. The story of Menelaus and Proteus was borrowed from that of Hercules and Nereus; as may be seen in Schol. |