: FAWKES'S APOLLONIUS RHODIUS. PREFACE. The author of this poem was the fon of Silleus claim to their father's inheritance. Refolved on, and Ileus. He was born at Alexandria in their deftruction, the concerted the following plan, Egypt, and educated under Callimachus: He reas most likely to effect it. A grievous famine ceived the name of Rhodius, or the Rhodian, ei-laying waste the country, it was judged expedient ther from his mother, whofe name was Rhoda, or, more probably, from the city Rhodes. During his ftay in this place, he finished his Argonautic poem, and founded a school of rhetoric. Ptolemy Energetes, in whofe reign our poet flourished. two hundred and forty-four years before Chrift, recalled him from his retirement at Rhodes, and appointed him fucceffor to Eratosthenes in the care of the Alexandrian library. The favours which had been conferred on Callimachus in the court of Ptolemy Philadelphus, were continued to him by his fucceffor Ptolemy Euergetes. So that Callimachus, no left than his fcholar, was protected and patronized by his prince. This circumftance, among others, gave occafion to thofe jealoufie and diffentions which fubfifted between thele rival poets. Callimachus is fupposed to have alInded, in the following lines, to that invidious fpirit which prevailed in his scholar. Ο φθόνος ̓Απόλλωνος ἐπ ̓ ἕκτα λάθριος εἶπεν, to confult the oracle about the means of fuppreffing it. Ino having gained over the priests to her intereft, prevailed on them to return this answer; that the ravages of famine could no otherwife be fuppreffed, than by the facrifice of Nephele's children. Phrixus, who was macquainted with the cruel purpose of Ino freighted, his veffel with his father's treafures, and embarked with his filter Helle for Colchis. The voyage proved fatal to her; and the fea, into which the fell, was named from her the Helle-. fpont. But Parixus arrived faf at Colchis; and was protected from the cruelties of his Aep mother Ino, at the court of etes his kinfan, who bestowed on him his daughter Chale ope in marriage. Upon his arrival, he confecrated his fhip to Mar on whofe prow was reprefen ed the figure of a ram. This embellishment, it is fuppofed by fome of the hittians, gave rife to the fiction, of his having fwam to Colchis on the back of that animal, of his hating facrificed it to Mrs, and hung up its fleece in the temple of that god. It is this imaginary fleece which is celebrated by the poets for having given birth to the expedicion of the Argonauts. A variety of whitical cen Call Hymn. ad Ap v. 105. For Apollonius, anxious to establish his own reputation, and jealous of his matter's, had deprecared those more numerous, but lighter produc-jectures have been formed concerning it. Soute tions, in which the mufe of Callimachus excelled; grams, hymns, and elegies. It will be no improper introduction to the following poem, to trace the fubject of it to its fource: nor can we expect to be guided through its intricacies by a fafer clue, than that which the arcients have afforded us. are of opinion, that it was a book of sheep ikins, containing the mysteries of the chemic art Others have affured us, that it fignified the riches of the country with which their rivers, that abounded in gold fupplied its inhabitants: and that, from the theep-fkins made uie of in collecting the golden dut, it was called the Golden Fice. For a further illuftration of the fubj t of this. poem, it will be neceffary to intort the toll wing hiftory. ino was the wife of Athamas, king of Orchomeros: from whom he was foon after divorced, and married Nephele. But the incurring his difpicafure, he restored the repudiated Ino to his Tyro, the daughter of Salmoncus, had wo d. By her he had two children, Learchus and fons by Nepture. Nelens and Pare: by Ches Miceria; by Nephele he had Phrixus and Helle.theus he had fen, Pheres and Vi Da91 laebeld the children of her rival with a jealous city of olcos in Theffaly, which Cr this bit, se. For they, being the eldest, had a prior was the capital of his deminions. He lef kingdom at his death to Æfon his eldest fon; but out hesitation, or exception to any particular part, made no provifion for Pelias. Pelias, however, have prefumed to fix the time of this transaction. growing every day more powerful, at length de- | And having fatisfied themselves in this point, they' throned Afon. And hearing that his wife Al have prefumed to make use of it for a stated era. cimeda was delivered of a fon, he was refolutely Mr. Bryant is of opinion, that this hiftory, upon bent on his deftruction. For he had been fore- which Sir Ifaac Newton built fo much, did cerwarned by the oracle that he must be dethroned tainly not relate to Greece; though adopted by by a prince, defcended from Eolus, and who the people of that country. He contends, that fhould appear before him with one foot bare. Sir Ifaac's calculation refted upon a weak founfon and Alcimeda being informed of the ty- dation. That it is doubtful, whether fuch perfons rant's intention, conveyed their lon to mount as Chiron or Mufæus ever exifted; and still more Pelion, where he was educated by Chiron. doubtful, whether they formed a sphere for the Having attained to maturity, he consulted the Argonauts. He produces many arguments to oracle; who encouraged him to repair to the convince us, that the expedition itself was not a court of lolcos Pelias, hearing of the arrival of Grecian operation; and that this fphere at any this ftranger, and of the circumftance of his ap- rate was not a Grecian work: and if not from pearance with only one fandal, concluded that Greece, it must certainly be the produce of Egypt. this must be the perfon, whom the oracle had For the aftronomy of Greece confeffedly came foretold. Having made himself and his fituation from that country: confequently the history to known to his uncle, Jason demanded of him the which it alludes, must have been from the fame crown, which he had fo unjustly ufurped. Pelias quarter. Many of the conftellations, fays our was greatly alarmed at this requifition. But author, are of Egyptian original. The zodiac, knowing that a thirst for glory is the darling which Sir Ifaac Newton fuppofed to relate to the paffion of youth, he contrived to appeafe his Argonautic expedition, was, he afferts, an affemnephew's refentment by disclosing to him the blage of Egyptian hieroglyphics. means of gratifying his ambition He affured him, that Phrixus, when he failed from Orchomenos, had carried with him a fleece of gold, the poffeffion of which would at the fame time enfich and immortalize him. The propofal had its defired effect Jafon fignified his acceptance of it, and collected fpeedily the moft illuftrious princes of Greece, who were eager to embark in a caufe, that was at once advantageous and honourable. Who thefe heroes were, the route they took, the dangers with which they encoun. tered, and the fuccefs they met with, are particulars recorded by Apollonius, and on which he has lavished all the graces of poetry. Such is the hiftory of the Golden Fleece, as de livered down to us by the ancient poets and hiftorians. This celebrated expedition' is generally fuppofed to be the first era of true hiftory. Sir Ifaac Newton places it about forty three years after the death of Solomon, and nine hundred and thirty-feven years before the birth of Chrift. He apprehends, that the Greeks, hearing of the diftractions of Egypt, fent the most renowned heroes of their country in the fhip Argo, to perfuade the nations on the coaft of the Euxine fea to throw off the Egyptian yoke, as the Lybians, Ethiopians, and Jews had before done. But Mr. Bryant has given us a far different account of this matter in his very learned system of mythology: whofe fentiments on this head I have endeavoured to collect, and have ventured to give them a place in this preface. For the novelty of his hypothe fis, and the learning and ingenuity with which it is fupported, cannot fail to entertain and instruct us. The main plot, fays the learned and ingenious mythologift, as it is tranfmitted to us, is certainly a fable, and replete with inconfiftencies and contradictions. Yet many writers, ancient and mo. dern, have taken the account in grofs; and with. After having enumerated all the particulars of their voyage, the different routes they are fupposed to have taken, and the many inconfiftencies with which the whole story abounds, Mr. Bryant proceeds to obferve, that the mythology, as well as the rites of Greece, was borrowed from Egypt, and that it was founded upon ancient hiftories, which had been tranfmitted in hieroglyphical reprefentations. Thefe, by length of time, became obfcure; and the fign was taken for the reality, and accordingly explained. Hence arofe the fable about the bull of Europa, and the like. In as thefe is the fame history under a different allegory and emblem. In the wanderings of Rhea, lis, Aftarte, lona and Damater, is figured out the fe paration of mankind by their families, and their journeying to their places of allotment. At the fame time, the difperfion of one particular race of men, and their flight over the face of the earth, is principally defcribed. Of this family were the perfons, who preferved the chief memorials of the ark in the Gentile world. They reprefented it under different emblems, and called it Demater, Pyrrha, Selene, Meen, Árgo, Argus, Archas, and Archaius, or Archite. The Grecians, proceeds the learned writer, by taking this ftory of the Argo to themselves, have plunged into numberlefs difficulties. In the account of the Argo, we have undeniably the history of a facred fhip, the firft that was ever conftructed. This truth the beft writers among the Grecians confefs, though the merit of the performance they would fain take to themselves. Yet after all their prejudices, they continually betray the truth, and show that the history was derived to them from Egypt. The caufe of all the miftakes in this curious piece of mythology arofe from hence. The Arkites, who came into Greece, fettled in niany parts, but especially in Argolis and Theffalia; where they introduced their rites and worship. In the former of these re |