OLYMPIA N or PYTHIAN (0) Games; others curb fiery Steeds, or draw up Chariots and Troops in Form of Battle: As when, to give Warning to proud Cities, there appears War in the troubled Sky, and Armies rush to Battle in the Clouds, before the Van the airy Knights fpur on and level their Spears, 'till thick Legions clofe; and the Firmament feems to be on Fire with warlike Apparitions. OTHERS of the Fallen Spirits, with Rage like that of TYPHON, and more fierce, tear up the Rocks and Hills, and ride the Air in Whirlwinds, fo that Hell the fecond Month after the 4th Year, every fifth Year, or every fiftieth Year monthly for five Days together; because the Dactyli were five Brothers, who fettled in Elis, and instituted the Solemnity. In these the valiant Youths exercifed themselves, at Running, Whirlbating, Quoit ing, Jumping, and Wrestling; for high Rewards: but Women were not fuffer'd to be at them. They were very famous, and more manly (abating the Immodefty of the Players, who were all naked) than the cruel Diverfions of the Romans, who pleaf ed themselves with tearing Men and Beasts into Pieces, upon their Theatres; and became their Epocha or Date of Time. The Olympiads were the first certain Periods of Chronology among the Greeks. The first Olympiad began in the 35th Year of Uzziab, King of Judah, on the 11th of our June, A. M. 3174 or 3228. After the Deluge, 1518 Years, 400 after the Deftruction of Troy; 30 Years before the Building of Rome; 730 before the Incarnation; and continued in Ufe to the Reign of Conftantine; foon after the Chriftian Era took Place. (o) Pythian, of Python; Heb. Pethen, i. e. An Afp or Cockatrice, Gr. i. e. Corruption. These Games were inftituted in Honour of Apollo, who shot a huge Serpent called Python: (0thers fay, it was fome cruel Tyrant whom he flew,) because it was generated of the impure Mud of the Earth after the Deluge, by the River Cephifus, near Parnafus: therefore he was called Pythius, thefe Games Pythici, the City of Delphi (where his Oracle was kept) Pythia; the Priefteffes, Pythia or Pytho nie. They were celebrated every 9th Year at first, but afterward on every 5th Year, according to the Number of the five Nymphs, that went to congratulate Apollo on his Victory over the Python; and the Conquerors were rewarded with Fruits confecrated to him. Apollo is the Sun, who by his fcorching Rays destroyed this dreadful Monster. Hell fcarce holds the wild Uproar: As when HERCULES, (p) Crown'd with Conqueft from THESSALY, (q) after he had put on the poifon'd Robe, through Pain tore up Pines by the Roots, and threw LICHAS (r) from OETA (s) into the Black Sea. Others more mild retreated into a filent Valley, and fung to Harps in Angelical Notes their own heroick Deeds and unhappy Fall, by Chance of War, and complain that Fate fhould enflave free Virtue: Their Song was partial, but the Melody fufpended the Pains of Hell, and gave a great Delight to the thronging Audience; what lefs could be, feeing that they were immortal Spirits that fung? (P) Hercules, the Son of Jupiter and Alcmena, and Grandion of Alcaus. After many mighty Deeds, called his twelve Labours, he ran mad, by putting on a poisoned Veft, itained with the Blood of Neffus the Centaur, whom he had kill'd with a poifon'd Arrow, for a foul Affront offer'd to his Wife: Neffus in Revenge perfuaded her to put it upon Hercules, as an Antidote to the Love of other Women: When he put it on he ran mad, burnt himlelf to Death, and was afterwards deified. (q) Theffaly; Lat. Gr. i. e. Situated upon the Sea; or from The alus, one of the antient Kings; and Pelafgia, when the Pelafgi fettled there. A Country of Greece, having Achaia on the South, Epirus on the Weft, and a Part of Macedonia; very woody and fruitful. The People were given to Horfemanship and the Knowledge of poisonous Herbs, which abounded in it. (r) Lichas; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Man of Lychia; i. e. A Stature: Because it was the Country of the Giants, Men of a large Stature. He was the Servant of Hercules, by whom Dejanira fent him that poifon'd Garment, which made him fo outragious, that he threw Lichas headlong into the Sea, where he perished. (s) Oeta: Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Deftruction: From Oetus, a Giant, who dwelt on it, and deftroyed all before him; a very high Mountain, dividing Thef faly from Macedonia, whereon Hercules burnt himself to Death: Hence the Poets call him Otta. us, and from which he threw Lychas into the Sea, tho' many Miles diftant from it; now Bannia. Near it are the famous Straits, call'd Thermopyla, 25 Foot broad. IN Difcourfe ftill more sweet (for Eloquence charms the Soul, and Song only the Senfe) others fat apart retir'd upon a Hill, in Thoughts more elevated, and they reafon'd high of PROVIDENCE, of FOREKNOWLEDGE, WILL, and FATE; FIX'D FATE, FREE WILL, and ABSOLUTE FOR E-KNOWLEDGE; and in thefe perplexing Contemplations were loft in wandering Mazes, and found no End: Then they argu'd much about Good and Evil, of Happiness, and of eternal Mifery, of the Paffions, of Apathy, and Glory, and Shame; all which was vain Wifdom, and falfe Philofophy; yet with a pleafing Sorcery it could charm Pain and Sorrow of Mind for a Time, and raife deceitful Hope, or arm the harden'd Heart with stubborn Patience, as it were with Steel. ANOTHER Part bend their flying March four Ways in Squadrons and great Bands, upon a bold Adventure, to make fresh Discoveries in that difmal World, if peradventure any Part of it might yield them a happier Habitation: Their Way was along the Banks of the four Rivers of Hell, that difcharge their deadly Streams into the burning Lake; abhorred STYX, (t) the River of Hatred; fad ACHERON; (u) COCYTUS, (x) the River of Lamentation; and fierce PHLEGETON, (t) Styx; I. Lat. Gr. i. e. Hatred and Horror. The Poets feigned four Rivers in Hell, to whom they gave Names from fuch horrible poisonous and deadly Springs as were known to them, to fet forth the Dreadfulness of future Torments. They day, this River ran nine Times round Hell. (u) Acheron, or Acherus; II. Lat. Gr. i. e. Sad, forrowful, and comfortless; Heb. i. e. Out most. A poisonous Spring in rors. (a) Cocytus; III. Lat. Gr. i. e. Lamentation, Weeping; for it is faid to have fwell'd with the Tears of the Tormented. Homer places it in Cimmeria (which is Scythia, now Tartary) and makes Hell to be there; because of the Blackness and Darkness of that Country. PHLEGETON, (y) whofe Waves boil with raging Fire. Not far from thefe runs a flow and filent Stream in a watry Labyrinth, (z) call'd LETHE, (a) the River of Oblivion, whereof whoever drinks forgets all his former State and Being, both Joy and Grief, Pleasure and Pain. Beyond this Flood lies a frozen Continent, dark and wild, beat with continual Storms of Whirlwind and Hail, which not thawing on the firm Land, gathers to a Heap, and feems like the Ruins of fome old Building, all befides being deep Snow and Ice; a Gulph as deep as that SERBONIAN (b) Bog, betwixt DAMIATA G 2 (3) Phlegeton, or Phlegethon; IV. Lat. Gr. i. e. Burning; for the Waters of it are faid to boil for ever. This is the last of the Rivers of Hell, as the Poets reprefented it. (x) Labyrinth; Teut. Dut. Fr. Lat. from the Gr. i. e. Not having a Door, receiving or devouring. A Building full of Turnings and Windings, fo that it was very difficult for one to get out of it. A Maze. Pliny reckons four of them. The first and greatest was built in Egypt by Menis, an antient King, to be a Funeral Monument for himself, confifting of 12 Palaces, 1500 Rooms, and 12 Halls. The fecond in Crete, made by Dedalus, by the Order of Minos, from a Model of that, and for the fame End, or rather for a Prifon. The third in Lemnos, having 150 Pillars of Marble: It is under the whole Con cavity of Mount Ida, and ftill to be feen. The fourth in Italy, by the Order of Porfenna, King of Tuscany. (a) Lethe; Lat. Gr. i, e. For getfulness. A River of Africa, which after a long Course hides itself under Ground, and ap pears again; wherefore Antiqui ty feigned that all the Dead drank a Draught of its Waters before they enter'd Hell, which made them forget all their past Sorrows. The Fable is Death, when all the Pleafures and Pains are quite forgotten. (b) Serbonian; of Serbon, or Sirbon: Strabo calls it Serbonis; Ptolomy and Pliny, Sirbonis. Arab. i. e. The Lake; tho' Strabo ignorantly takes this for the Lake of Sodom. A Bog or Lake upon the utmost Borders of Palefine and Egypt, fifty Miles from Arabia; now Lagos di Tevefo, by the Italians, Bayrena by the Natives, and Barathrum, by the Latins, i. e. a deep Gulph. It was Fifty-two Miles in Length, one Thousand Furlongs in Compafs, narrow and very deep, furrounded with Hills of loofe Sands, which thickened and difcoloured the Waters; that Paffengers did not difcern them from the dry Sands, and H DAMIATA (c) and Mount CASIUS, (d) where whole Armies have funk: The parching Air burns in Froft, and Cold performs the Effect of Fire: Thither at certain Revolutions all the Damn'd are dragg'd by their Tormentors, and by Turns feel the bitter Change of fierce Extreams, which by Change are made more fierce; their foft etherial Warmth forc'd from Beds of raging Fire, to ftarve in Ice, there to pine immoveable, fix'd in and frozen round for Periods of Time, and from thence be hurried back to Fire. They pass over this River LETHE, both to and fro, to heighten their Sorrow, and wish and struggle as they pass to reach the much defir'd Stream; with one Drop of its Water, to lofe in fweet Forgetfulness all Sorrow and Pain in one Moment, being fo near the Brink: But Fate oppofes, and Spirits of Horror, like MEDUSA, (e) with GORGONIAN (f) Terror guard and fo were swallowed up therein and loft. Indeed that large Tract of Land abounds with Quickfands, Mountains and Heaps of Sands, wherein many Travellers have been buried alive, as Cambyfes loft 50,000 Men in the Sands of Lybia. This Lake has been filled up long ago, and is not to be found now. the (d) Cafius, or Caffius; Syr. i. e. A Boundary; because it parts Egypt and Palestine: A fandy Mountain on the farther Side of Pelufium, near the Serbonian Bog, between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, extending Southward to Arabia Petræa: At the Foot of it flood once a Town called Cafium, fa(c) Damiata, or Damieta; mous for the Temple of Jupiter Heb. i. e. Dirt or Mud. A Cafius, wherein ftood a Statue Town in Egypt upon the Mouth of him in full Proportion, of the Miditerranean Sea, and ftretching out his Right Hand the moft Eafterly Bank of the with a Pomegranate, the EmNile, near Old Pelufium, which blem of his being the Terminal fignifies alfo Dirt; becaufe both God, defending the Borders of are fituated in a dirty, Clay that Nation. Soil. Thefe Cities were the Key and Bulwark of Egypt. Damiata was founded by Ifs, and deftroyed by the Saracens, in the Holy War; but is now a Place of great Trade. (e) Medusa; Lat. Gr. i. e. An imperious Queen, the Daughter of Ceto Phoreas, a King of Corfica and Sardinia; very beautiful, having golden Hair; of which he was exceeding proud, and |