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to acquire this applause, it was necessary to brighten the lustre of martial spirit, by the more valuable virtues of justice and humanity.-Hesiod marks this change of manners, "It happened between the Argonautic expe"dition and the siege of Thebes, since the latter was "the first enterprise, in which his new race of men— « ΓενΘ δικαιότεξον na agerov, were engaged."*—In fact, the Argonautic expedition may be considered, as the crusade of ancient times. It has been observed, by various writers, what an advantageous change in society and manners was induced by the crusades; what a commercial spirit, what a refinement of the human understanding, what a noble courtesy, a superior degree of heroism and gallantry, were disseminated by those romantic enterprises. The early enterprises of the heroic ages, had similar beneficial effects. I speak here on a supposition, that the groundwork of the mythical narratives was reality, though the superstructure was much changed and embellished by fancy.

The chief points of the Grecian mythology and religion, and the principal events of their early history, were collected into uniform and compacted structures, forming great and solid monuments in honour of their gods; all the scattered legends of their bards and poets were arranged and digested, and made to form a regular series of poetic or fabulous history-the groundwork of this was truth, however it might be disguised by inventive embellishments-the vanity of the Greeks made them receive these stories with fond admiration

* Hesiod, Op. et Dier. 1. 155.

næum,

+ Salmasius, in Solinum, p. 597.-Casaub. in AtheLib. VII. 4. -And Heyne, Excursus I. ad Lib. II. Æneid.-And De Fontibus Diodori Bipontine, edit. of that author.

these

these collections were called Cycles, and the authors, who related them, either in prose or song, cyclic writers.-There two cycles are particularly distinguished-the Mythic Circle, comprehending a complete body of fable, derived from the genealogy of the gods down to the destruction of Troy-the other the Trojan Cycle, consisting wholly of legends concerning the Trojan war, or arising out of it.--The Mythic Cycle contained the Theogony, or generations of the gods-the Cosmogony, or formation of the universe-the Titanomachia, or wars of the Titans the Gigantomachia, or wars with the giants-the Phoronis-Danais-Eaa-Nau

pactica--Heraclea-Argonautiea-Theba-Epigoni Alemaonis-Minya-Egimius-Capture of Echaliathe Marriage of Ceyx-the Amazoniad-the Theseidcontaining, in short, a complete body of mythology, from the marriage of Calum and Terra, to the end of the wanderings of Hercules, all in a chain, and regular connected series; as we find the exploits of the times of chivalry and romance collected by Turpin, and formed into heroic song by Boiardo, Ariosto, and others. Respecting the affairs of Troy, besides the poems of Homer, there were, many others, called "Nosti," or Returns. The writers of the Mythic Cycle in verse, were Arctinus, Milesius, author of the Hiopis, Lesches, Stasinus Cyprius.-The writers of the Trojan cycle, were the same Arctinus, Milesius, Eumelus, Lesches, the Cyprian verses, to which catalogue some add Stesichorus and Antimachus.--Others-other names.- -Besides these, there was the Epic cycle, formed by the Alexandrine grammarians, who collected into a body the chief ancient epic poets, as Homer, Hesiod, Pisander, Panyasis, Antimachus.

* See Heyne, ubi supra.

When

When the use of prose composition came to prevail, and be generally cultivated, among the Greeks, there were many, who set themselves to collect the ancient fables, and historic legends of the country-partly, from traditions, that were remembered and handed down, in particular cities-from hymns, and religious rites and ceremonies from monunients, and consecrations in temples, which preserved some record and memory of past events-partly, from ancient songs and rhapsodies of bards; reduced by them into regular histories and treatises. The first, among these, were Pherecydes Syrius, who wrote a sort of poetical prose, Pherecydes the Athenian, Acusilaus of Argos, Hecateus the Milesian-and, after them, other authors of Theogonies, distinguished themselves by composing genealogies of the gods, and Cosmogonies, or theories of the formation of the earth.* These were succeeded by others, who took up the Gre cian story, after the Mythic time, or age of the demigods, and even carried it down to the destruction of Troy: the æra, at which the sober and unadulterated history of Greece began to commence.-Hellanicus the Lesbian was among the first of these; but the chief place seems to be due to Dionysius the Milesian, who was somewhat more ancient than Herodotus. Mene crates Xanthicus, and Callisthenes, were also famous, among these writers of early Grecian story. From the latter, Apollonius appears, by the testimony of his scholiast, to have borrowed much of the materials for his poem.

What has been remarked by the great philosophical historian of England, with respect to Arthur, and his legendary exploits, will apply with singular propriety to the

* See Heyne, ubi suprá.

story

story of the Argonautic enterprise." This is that "Arthur so much celebrated by the songs of Thaliessin, "and the other British bards, whose military atchieve"ments have been blended with so many fables, as to

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give occasion for a doubt of his real existence; but "poets, though they disfigure the most certain history, "with their fictions, and use strange liberties with "truth, where they are the sole historians, as among "the Britons, have commonly some foundation for "their wildest exaggerations."*This is a strong testimony in favour of poetical tradition, from a writer by no means credulous or enthusiastic.

It were easy to enlarge, on this topic, but it may be now proper to call back the reader, who may be disposed to think, that too much time has already been employed by him, in this Argonautic expedition, from his wanderings, on the deceitful and uncertain waves, of fable and mythology.

*See Hume's England, Vol. I. c. i. p. 23.

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