AN GAODHAL
727
THE NEW PANTHEON,
The reputation of Saturn grew so famous in
Latium, that the mountain, afterwards named Cap¬
itoline Hill, was called Saturnius. From him, all
Italy was sometimes called Saturnia: and the
festival of the Saturnalia was instituted in honor of
him, and of the happy state of things which pre¬
vailed, during his reign, in Italy, emphatically call¬
ed the golden age.
Janus received divine honors; but neither Sat¬
urn, nor he, was ever ranked among the Deities of
the first class. Janus must be reckoned among
those gods called Indigetes. Besides his having
two faces, he was represented with a wand in his
hand, as inspector of public roads, and with a key
as being the inventor of doors. Numa Pompilius
erected a temple to him, which was open in time
of war, and shut during peace. The invention of
crowns and boats was attributed to him; he was the
the first who coined copper money. This Prince
came from Perhibea, a town of Thessally into
Italy. He there civilized the manners of the peo¬
ple, who were living in a wild and savage state, and
when success had crowned his efforts, gratitude
raised altars to his memory.
The ancient statues of Saturn wear chains, in re¬
membrance of those with which his son loaded him.
These were taken off during the festival of the
Saturnalia, to show that his reign had been
that of happines and liberty, He is frequently rep¬
resented under the form of an old man, armed with
a scythe, to imply that he presided over the times
and seasons. Under this form he was called Chro¬
nos or time.
Cybele was generally regaded as the mother of
the gods, and on that account, was called Magna
Mater — the Great Mother. She had many names.
mos tcommon of which are Dindymene, Idӕa, and
Berecynthia, from different mountains, where she
was worshiped. She was likewise called Ops and
Tellus, as presiding over the earth; and Rhea
from a Greek word signifying to flow: because all
plants, trees and animals proceed from the earth.
The box and pine trees were esteemed sacred to her.
History informs us, that Cybele was the daughter
of a king of Phrygia, who came from her own coun¬
try into Italy, where she married Saturn. She was
the first who fortified the walls of cities with tow¬
ers, and she is therefore despicted with a crown
of towers on her head.
Cybele is generally represented sitting, to denote
the stability of the earth; and bearing a drum or
disk emblematical of the wind confined in the bow¬
els of the earth. She wears a crown of towers as
before mentioned. She has keys in her hand, to
signify her keeping locked up in her bosom, the
seeds of every sort of fruit. Her temples were
round, in imitation of the form of the earth. The
feast of Cybele were called Megalesia, and her
priests Galli, from a river of Phrygia; or Coryban¬
tes, from their striking themselves in their dances;
or Curetes, from the island Crete where they
brought up Jupiter, or Dactyli, from the Greek
word signifying fingers, because they were ten in
number, like fingers. The feast of this goddess
were celebrated with the noise of drums and cym¬
bals, and with frightful yells and cries.
She had a temple at Rome, called Opertum, into
which men were never admitted.
CHAP. IV.
Vesta was the daughter of Saturn; the goddess
of fire; emblematical of that pure vital heat, which
being diffused through the frame of Man, enlivens
and cherishes him. Numa Pompilius raised an al¬
tar to her, and instituted those celebrated priest¬
esses who bore the name of Vestals or Vestal Vir¬
gins.
At first there were only four of these Priest¬
esses, but were afterwards increased to seven.
The Roman virgins, destined for the service of
Vesta, were chosen between the ages of six and ten
years. The time of their consecration to the god¬
dess lasted thirty years, and it was not til after
this term that they were free from their priesthood
and at liberty to marry. During the first ten years
they were instructed in the duties of their profes¬
sion, practised them during the second ten, and in
the last ten years, instructed the novices.
The chief employment of the Vestals consisted in
constantly maintaining the sacred fire, which burn¬
ed in honor of Vesta. This fire was renewed by
the rays of the sun, yearly, during the kalends of
March or the latter part of February.
The preservation of this fire was so important,
that when it happened to expire, all public specta¬
cles were forbidden till the crime was expiated.
This event was the subject of general mourning
and considered a most dreadful presage. In either
of the Vesta Virgin had neglected her duty or vio¬
lated her vows, nothing could save her from the
dreadful death of being burned alive.
The temple of Vesta was said to contain, besides
the sacred fire, the Palladium, or sacred image of
Minerva, and the Lares and Penates, or household
gods, which Æneas saved from the destruction of
Troy, and brought to Italy.
It is certain that the worship of Vesta, or of fire,
was brought by Æneas from Phiygia, but the
Phrygians received it originally from the East.
The Chaldeans held fire in great veneration, and
worshiped it as an emblem of the Deity: Zoroaster
taught the Persians to venerate the Sun as the most
glorious image of the Supreme Being, and to re¬
gard fire as the most striking emblem of his bene¬
ficient influence. The sacred fire, drawn from the
sun-beams, accompanied the Persian Monarch in
their wars: and their utter abhorrence of any other
representation of the Divinity, instigated them to
demolish the Grecian temples and statues of the
Gods. The worship of Vesta was peculiar to the
Romans.
CHAP. V.
The generality of the Pagan philosophers
supposed Jupiter the greatest of the Gods, to be the
purest air, the ӕther; and Juno his wife, the grosser
air which surrounds the earth.
Those who looked upon him as an animated God,
as one of those men whose illustrious actions had
procured him devine honors, contradicted themsel¬
ves egregiously; sometimes descriding him as ab¬
solute sovereign of Gods and men: as the principle
of all justice; and not unfrequently as the weak¬
est and most criminal of mortals. He was suppos¬
ed to be the master of the air, the clouds, the thun¬
der and lightening: the God of foresight; the pa¬
tron of strangers; the guardian of the rights of
hospitality; the peculiar judge and protector of
soveriegns and magistrates.
(To be continued.)
