In the mean time, the worship of Bacchus throve mightily. The frifks and gambols of his votaries were called orgies; which fignifies, that paffion had a greater fhare in them than reafon; and myfteries, that is to fay, fecrets, which could only be understood by the initiated. From Greece thefe myfteries paffed to Rome, concerning which hear Dr. Taylor (f).--"The Bacchanalian myfteries, a scheme of Greek extraction, had lately made their way into Rome. The

main ingredient in them, in order to practife upon the weakness and curiofity of the vulgar, was the poffeffion of a fecret, communicable to none but the initiated. They were gilded over with profeffions of a religious worship, to fupport their credit, and in a fhort time became the fashion; and that perhaps prevailed over every other confideration befide," &c. &c. Livy (g), whom Dr. Taylor quotes on this occafion, tells us, that very fevere laws were made by the Romans against those who frequented the orgies of Bacchus.

Pafs we now to a grand, a leading, I may fay, a neceffary feature in the character of Bacchus his defcent into hell. For, as John Beaumont obferves, in his Gleanings of Antiquities (b), "no great man occurs in the poets, but he sometime defcended into hell." Now all your authors are unanimous that Bacchus defcended into hell. The mere defcent, to be fure, is a trifle. " Eafy," fays Virgil (i)," is the descent of Avernum; all nights and days is the portal of gloomy Dis open; but to return and view the chearful skies, in this the talk and mighty labour lies. A few, for whom Jupiter has fhewn a diftinguished affection, or whom glowing virtue has exalted to heaven; a few, born of the gods, have enjoyed this privilege.'

Ariftophanes, in his Frogs, gives a particular account

(f) Elements of Civil Law, p. 549, ed. 3.

(g) XXXIX. 13.

(b) Jortin's Tracts, Vol. II. p. 506.

(i) Æneid. VI. 126.

of the circumftances of Bacchus's defcent; which, I muft confefs, is rather comical. Bacchus difguifes himfelf like Hercules, and is by the inhabitants of the infernal regions taken for Hercules. Perhaps Virgil's Mufe (4) faw Bacchus in this dress, and miftook him for that hero; and, indeed, there is a confiderable likenefs between Bacchus and Hercules. Hercules was begotten by Jupiter, upon the wife of a mortal man. Amphitryon, to wit. Only obferve how exactly the defcription correfponds. " Át thy approach the ftygian lakes and the porter trembled." Now that you mention Amphitryon, it is curious to fee into what a pasfion the poor man put himself, upon learning that fome ftranger had made his wife a mother, till he was informed that the ftranger was Jupiter. The whole matter is related by that accurate hiftorian, Plautus. See particularly Act IV. Sc. I. Horace tranfiently mentions this expedition of Bacchus; but he only fays, that Cerberus behaved very gently, and crouched to him with the most abject fubmiffion. Apollodorus informs us, that men, finding Bacchus to be a god, wor fhipped him. His fame penetrated even into India;. and pillars have been found there which record his exploits. Apollodorus adds (1), that when he vifited hell, he rescued his mother, and carried her up to heaven.

Here, Sir, I finish my fcrap of mythology. In these ticklish times, when to look or think awry is an unpardonable crime, which can be expiated only by fine, banifhment, or durance, we are not yet, I truft, prohibited from the difcuffion of philological queftions. Talk of religion, it is odds but you have infidel, blafphemer, atheift, or fchifmatic, thundered in your ears; touch upon your politics, you will be in luck if you are only charged with a tendency to treafon. To wifh

(k) Æneid. VIII. 296. Te Stygii tremuere lacus, te janitor Orci.

(1) Ὁ δέ, ἀναγαγὼν ἐξ ἄρου τὴν μητέρα---μελ ̓ αὐτῆς εἰς οὐδανὸν ἀνῆλθεν. Apollodor III. 5. 3 that

that things may be better, is to affert, by innuendo, that they are bad; and whoever dares to difapprove of the prefent war, is a devifer of fedition, and ought to have his right hand ftruck off, pursuant to an Act of Parliament made in the reign of Edward I. a ftatute which is not yet repealed (m). Nor is the innocence of your intention any safeguard. It is not the publication that fhews the character of the author, but the character of the author that shews the tendency of the publication. I have therefore endeavoured to fteer clear of all these rocks. I have fent you a fimple recital of an ancient fable, and, if it be received with approbation, shall perhaps from time to time tranfmit fimilar communications. If my paper is dull, it is at the fame time fectly harmless; if it is not recommended by the elegancies of compofition, it is at leaft free from the contagion of pernicious opinions; and though it may fail of conveying amufement or inftruction, it cannot poffibly give offence or fandal.

per

ORGIES OF BACCHUS.

PART II.

MYTHOLOGUS..

P

SIR,

ERHAPS you may remember, or perhaps you may have forgotten, that fome time ago I fent you a fhort account of the Orgies of Bacchus. I chofe this fubject for two reafons; firft, because it had of late been frequently mentioned; fecondly, becaufe I thought it totally unconnected with any public question, religious or political. But I begin now to perceive, that I reckoned without my hoft. The principle Nofcitur a focio has been applied to my innocent lucubration with a vengeance. Though I knew that the

(m) An infamous paragraph to this purpoft lately appeared in one of the public papers,

Morning

Morning Chronicle was by many reputed a feditious, Jacobinical paper; I never dreamed that this character pervaded the whole of the work, but that it affected fuch parts only as might feem to animadvert on the fuppofed defects and abuses of the conftitution. Suppofed, I repeat; for I believe there are no real defects or abuses. I and Mr. Dymock defy to equal combat all malcontents who find flaws in the British Government and the British King's title. Yet all this availeth me nothing, fo long as I have fent an article to that factious Journal, the Morning Chronicle. Who can touch pitch and not be defiled? Accordingly, the defenders of liberty and property (of their own, I mean) took the alarm. Mr. Chairman Reeves found out that the differtation aforefaid did, by dangerous infinuations, hint doubts concerning the Prince of Wales's hereditary right to the Crown, and even glanced here and there at CESAR himself. Is not this a brave fellow to see through a mill-stone? If these charges could be made good by evidence, I dare fay, this champion of the best poffible fyftem of government would fhower down his tender mercies plentifully upon the offender's head. But my Lord Chief Juftice of Newfoundland's reafoning is fo humorous and diverting, that I fhall give you a taste of it for your entertainment. I had obferved from the legend, that "Bacchus was the son of Jupiter, king of gods and men."-" Here," fays this able expounder, "Jupiter plainly fignifies his most gracious Majefty George the Third, (whom God long preferve!) For mark the next words" King of gods and men."--Can any good subject doubt, that by "King of gods and men," this rafcal means, The Supreme in Church and State, the legal title of the Kings of England? But as if this were not enough, the libeller proceeds, and adds, "by a mortal female." Here he drops the mafk, and difclofes the Jacobinical fentiments in all their virulence. Here that horrid and diabolical position stares you full in the face, with all its native uglinefs,

uglinefs, *That a Queen, Heavens blefs us! is no more than a woman---A MORTAL FEMALE. Here is no

need of innuendoes, implications, parallels, conftructions, double meanings, &c. engines which we lawyers are fometimes obliged, in default of evidence, to employ for the public good. Here is treafon in terms. Oho! Mr. Mythologus, you must not think of infulting with impunity whatever is great and venerable. But hear the libeller again--" When he vifited hell, he rescued his mother, and carried her up with him to heaven," i. e. during our amiable Sovereign's malady, the Prince of Wales and the Queen were affociated in the Regency." But I dare fay you have had enough of this learned Judge and his comments. Let me now

proceed in my defence.

There are so many authors who have written concerning Bacchus, (and they differ fo widely with refpect to his birth, parentage, education, and the circumstances of his life in general) that if I had engaged to repeat every thing that has been faid of him, Imuft have written a large book instead of a fhort letter. I endeavoured to avoid prolixity, and was therefore content with selecting fome few of the most important particulars. If, then, any other perfon, more fagacious or malignant than ufual, fhould be able to fqueeze a dangerous meaning out of my first part, he will be utterly foiled, if he tries to wreft the additional circumftances to his purpose. I hope that you will infert this fupplement as foon as you can, fince Bishop Horsley, I am told, declares, that the firft part is an infamous attack on the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England.

I. I omitted to obferve, (for I was unwilling to be perfonal) that the main objection of the governing powers to the Orgiafts of Bacchus, was, that their meetings were by night. From this they argued, that

* On this scheme of things, a king is but a man; a queen is Burke's Reflections, p. 114.

but a woman.

they