guage to begin hymns of praise to this Deity, who was the principal God of prophecy. We have one instance of it in the Nubes of Aristophanes : 61: Periander is mentioned as beginning a hymn with a like exordium : Αμφι μοι αυθις ανακτα: And Terpander has nearly the same words: Αμφι μοι αυθις ανακθ ̓ ἑκατηβόλον. Apollo was so frequently called Αμφι αναξ, that it was in a manner looked upon as a necessary prooemium. Suidas observes, Αμφιανακτίζειν προοιμιάζειν: And Hesychius, Αμφιάνακτα, αρχη νομα Κιθαρωδικε. Much the same is 'told us in the Scholia upon the passage above from Aristophanes : Μιμείται δε (Αριςοφάνης) Διθυραμβων τα προοιμια συνεχως γαρ χρωνται ταύτη λέξει διο αμφιανακτας αυτες καλεσι. However, none of these writers inform us why this word was so particularly used; nor tell us what was its pur port. 62 των In the short hymns ascribed to Homer to Aristophanes. Νεφέλαι. ν. 595. 62 · Ibidem. this term is industriously retained; and the persons who composed them have endeavoured to make sense of it, by adopting it according to the common acceptation. 63 Αμφι μοι Ερμειας φίλον γονον εννεπε, Μεσα. Μνησομαι. These hymns were of late date, long after Homer; and were introduced in Ionia, and also in Cyprus and Phenicia, when the Grecians were in possession of those parts. They were used in the room of the antient hymns, which were not understood by the new inhabitants. One of them is confessedly addressed to the Goddess called Venus Ourania, in Cyprus; and was designed to be sung by the priest of that Goddess upon the stated festivals at Salamis. 63 We meet with the like in the Orphica. Αμφι δε μαντειας εδαην πολυπειρονας όρμες Θηρών, Οιωνων τε. Argonautica. v. 33. So in Pindar: Kadori noi aμp. Kivugav. Pyth. Ode 2. p. 203. We have the same from the Tripod itself. Αμφι δε Πυθω, και Κλαρίς μαντεύματα Φοιβε. Apollo de defectu Oraculor. apud Eusebium. Præp. Evang. 1. 5. c. 16. p. 204. 64 Χαίρε, θεά, Σαλαμινος εύκτιμένης μεδεσσα, Αυταρ εγω κεν σειο και αλλης μνησομ' αοιδης. We may perceive, from what has been said, that the word Amphi was a term of long standing, the sense of which was no longer understood: yet the sound was retained by the Greeks, and used for a customary exclamation. In respect to the more antient exordia above quoted, especially that of Terpander, I take the words to be an imitation, rather than a translation, of a hymn sung at Delphi in the antient Amonian language; the sound of which has been copied, rather than the sense, and adapted to modern terms of a different meaning. I make no doubt but that there were many antient hymns preserved in those oracular temples, which were for a long time retained, and sung, when their meaning was very imperfectly known. They were, for the most part, composed in praise of Ham, or the Sun; and were sung by the Homeridæ, and 64 Hymn to Venus of Salamis. See Homer Didymi. vol. 2. p. 528. The names of the sacred hymns, as mentioned by Proclus.in his Χρησομάθεια, were Παιανες, Διθυραμβος, Αδωνις, το Βακχον, Υπαρχη Photius. c. 236, P: 983. ματα, Εγκωμια, Ευκτικα. Iämidæ. They were called after his titles, Ad, Athyr, Amphi, which the Grecians expressed Dithyrambi. They were strains of joy and exultation, attended with grand processions: and from the same term, dithyrambus, was derived the Ogos of the Greeks, and the triumphus of the Romans. We are informed that We are informed that triumphs were first instituted by "Bacchus, who was no other than 'Chus: the history, therefore, of the 'term must be sought for from among the Cuseans. That it was made up of titles, is plain, from its 'being said by Varro to have been a 67 66 name; and one that was given by the Amonians among other personages to Dionusus: for they were not in this point uniform. Diodorus takes notice that it was a name, and conferred upon the person spoken of: " Θριαμβον δε αυτον ωνομασθηναι φασι: They say, that one of the titles given to Dionusus was Thriambus. Ham, in the very antient accounts of Greece, is called Iämus, and his priests Iämidæ. His oracle, in consequence of this, was styled Tämphi, and Tämbi, which was the same term as Amphi, of which we have been treating. From 65 Diodorus. 1. 5. p. 213. 66 6 Idque a 9gpow Græco, Liberi Patris cognomento. Varro de linguâ Lat. 1. 5. p. 58. 67 Diodorus Siculus. 1. 5. p. 213. the name Iambi came the measure Iaubos, Iambus, in which oracles were of old delivered. Ham, among the Egyptians, was called 68 Tithrambo, which is the same name as the Ditherambus of Diodorus. There is a remarkable passage in the Scholia upon Pindar concerning Ham, under the name of Iamus, and also concerning his temple, which is represented as oracular. 69 Μαντείον ην εν Ολυμπια, ο αρχηγος γεγονεν Ιαμος, τη δια εμπυρών μαν τεια, ή και μεχρι τε νυν δι Ιαμιδαι χρώνται. There was in Olympia an antient temple, esteemed a famous seat of prophecy, in which Iamus is supposed to have first presided; and where the will of the Deity was made manifest by the sacred fire upon the altar this kind of divination is still carried on by a set of priests, who are called Iamida. Ιαμός αρχηγός was in reality the Deity; and his attendants were 7° Iamidæ, persons of great power 70 63 Epiphanius-adversus Hæres. 1. 3. p. 1093. 69 Pindar. Olympic Ode vi. p. 53. Tämus, supposed by Pindar to have been the son of Apollo; but he was the same as Apollo and Osiris. He makes Apollo afford him the gift of prophecy: Ενθα οι ωπασε Θησαυρον δίδυμον μαντοσύνας (Απολλων). Ibid. p. 53. 70 Of the Iamidæ, see Herodotus. 1. v. c. 44. 1. ix. c. 33. Καλλιον των Ιαμιδιων μαντιν. |