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were invented, and the pofition of the equinoxes and folftices at that period, let us enquire what conftellations announced, by their rifing or fetting, firft the commencement of the year, and afterwards each of the months fucceffively. If we find that the celeftial Hercules marked, by his rifing or fetting, the departure of the fun in his annual course, and that the paffage of the fun, and of the genius (Hercules) that feemed to conduct his chariot, was announced by conftellations represented by the fame kind of animals with those over which the terreftrial Hercules is faid to have triumphed, and placed in an order fimilar to that of his famous labours, it is manifeft that the ftory of the Twelve Labours is one of thofe fables, which the Egyptian priests tell us were derived from the twelve figns of the zodiac and the stars, cum his in confpectum venientes. Now, that this is the cafe, we fhall fee immediately. We shall employ (it is our author that speaks) no effort of fancy to create the hero, or the monsters he fubdued, or the fucceffion of his triumphs. The fphere will furnish us with all that we want; even etymology, that fallacious guide, is useless here. The globe, and an observation of the fucceffive rifings and settings of the ftars, when the fun enters upon each fign, are fuffi

cient.'

Our author supposes that the commencement of the year, and the fetting out of the fun and his genius (Hercules), were fixed at the fummer folftice: he proves, with his usual erudition, that there is nothing improbable in this fuppofition; and he continues thus: Let us then place the fun in the first degrees of the Lion (Leo), or at the folftitial point, and fink this point about 15 degrees below the horizon eaftward, that the twilight may be weak enough to render vifible ftars of the fecond magnitude; then let us examine what conftellations, at their setting or rifing, might fix, in the morning, the folftitial point, and the departure of the fun for his annual courfe. The refult of this enquiry will be, that for feveral years the setting of the stars of the celestial Hercules answered perfectly well this purpose. This conftellation was therefore connected with the fun as first genius, or as fuppofed to direct his course, and prefide over his motions. Hence feveral ancient authors have confounded Hercules with the fun; though there is a great difference between the fun and the folar genius, or ftar which fixes his departure, and marks the most important period of his motion. This diftinction is neceffary to the explication of the folar fables. It is true, the honour of the Labours of the Sun was attributed to the genius that announced his course at his fetting out. The ancients, however, have made a distinction; and fome authors tell us, that Hercules is the Intelligence that

conducts

conducts the fun, and feems to travel with him in the zodiac *.'

In applying all this to the Labours of Hercules, our author fhews a spirit of arrangement, and a knack of exhibiting conformities, that all the preceding hierophants of mythology will behold with refpect, if not with envy. It would be a rude task for us to follow our literary Hercules in his explication of the Twelve Labours of the ancient one: we fhall therefore confine ourselves to the two first. These will afford a fufficient fpecimen of M. DUPUIS's abilities; and the fecond labour, more ef pecially, will discover the most ingenious efforts of (what fhall we call it?) fancy or inveftigation, that we have met with of a long time.

First Labour.

The first animal which the fun meets with at the entrance on his courfe (from the folftitial point) is Leo, the famous Nemæan lion of antiquity. The paffage of the fun, through this fign, is a kind of triumph over this monster, and he is indebted for it to Hercules, as the conducting genius who directs his motion. This, then, is the firft conqueft; and it is, accordingly, this which mythology places at the head of the labours of Hercules, who wore all his life the fkin of the animal, and ufed it as a buckler in all his combats. Our author employs an abundance of erudition to fhew the fallacy of thofe explications of the ancient traditions, which induced many to believe that the Nemean lion had a real exiftence upon earth, and that it was by vanquishing this monfter that Hercules obtained a place in the firmament. Among other things he obferves, that the fign of Leo was known by the Egyptians, Perfians, and Indians many ages before the Grecian Hercules, the pretended fon of Alcmena, is fuppofed to have lived. This hero, according to the received chronology, must have lived, at most, but about 1300 years before the Chriftian Æra; but the fables here explained, fuppofe that the lion was a folftitial fign, and confequently carry us back to the year 2500 before Chrift. Again, if the fymbol in queftion had been a monument of the victory of the pretended Grecian hero, the afterifms, which bear the denomination of leo, or the lion, must have been de noted by another emblem, and must have borne another name, before the birth of the fon of Alcmena. But we find this aftronomical fymbol among the moft ancient Egyptian monuments: we find it in the Zodiac of the Indians; and its name is given to one of the twelve figns by the ancient Perfians.

*Egyptii fabulantur Herculem in fole pofitum una cum illo circumferri. Plutarch, de lid, et Orif

Second

1.

Second Labour.

The explication of this Second Labour, which answers to the fign of Virgo, and is the triumph of Hercules over the Lernæan Hydra, is ftil more ingenious. This fabulous Hydra had one body and a hundred necks, each terminated by the head of a ferpent. When one of thefe heads was cut off, another fprouted in its place. It was, according to the fable, by the affiftance of fire, that Hercules fubdued this monfter.--Now for the explication, nearly in our Author's own words.

The fun, after having pafled through the stars of the Lion, arrives at the sign of the Virgin. His entrance into this latter fign was marked by the fetting (or rather occultation, we think) of the laft ftars of the celeftial Hydra, which difappeared at the approach of the folar beams, or fire. Here then we have the aftronomical phenomenon, which was defigned to be celebrated and fung in the fecond triumph of Hercules, who, by the affiftance of fire, killed the Lernæan Hydra. The heliac setting of that conftellation was flow and fucceffive. The ftars, in the head of the hydra, began to difappear, when the fun had proceeded towards the middle of the conftellation of Gemini or the Twins; and it was neceffary that the fun fhould pafs through Cancer, Leo, and arrive at Virgo, before the laft ftars of the tail fet, or the occultation of that long conftellation was entirely completed. Add to this another confideration-that when the fun came near to Leo, the stars, in the head of the Hydra, rose with a heliac appearance, and difengaged themfelves from the folar rays with the fign of cancer; fo that the head was restored while the stars of the body were fucceffively difappearing, and thofe of the tail were fill visible above the horrizon. This fingular circumstance of the apparition of the firft ftars, before the setting or ocultation of the laft, feemed to render the victory of the fun impoffible; and fo, in fact, was the matter confidered. However, in one fenfe, he had really conquered, when all the ftars had iet heliacally, and had all fucceffively difappeared; and this happened in the fecond month, in Virgo, the fign to which this fecond Labour correfponds. As the re-production of the head, or the heliac rifing of the ftars of the first hydra, which seemed to raise it from its afhes, always accompanied the heliac rifing of the fign of cancer, under which it is placed; the fable fays, that the Grecian hero was particularly molefted in the combat by a crab, which pricked him in the foot, and that this crab was placed among the twelve figns of the Zodiac. The fame honour was conferred upon the Hydra of Hercules, or that which is placed among our conftellations.'

Thefe two Labours will ferve as a fpecimen of our Author's manner of explaining the ancient fables, and of his ingenious application of aftronomical fcience to this object. The other

ten

ten Labours are explained by the fame method, and on the fame principles. M. DUPUIS acknowledges that the application of aftronomy to this purpose is not a new idea; he observes, however, that it was never demonftrated before he took it up. It is mentioned, by the fcholiaft on Hefiod, and Eufebius in his Praparatie Evang. Book III. chap. 11. expreffes himself in the following manner, Solem Heraclea aut Herculem appellarunt, quem etiam duodecim certaminum labore defunctum effe fabulantur, cœleftis orbis in duodecim Signa divifionem fymbolo hoc declarare cupientes. This relation of the labours of Hercules to the figns of the Zodiac, was placed among the other hypothetical conjectures of the ancients concerning the fabulous or allegorical hiftory of that hero; but it was reserved for our Author to prove the point by aftronomical principles; with this difference, however, that the ancients attributed to the fun, what he attributes to his genius, or to the intelligence that was fuppofed to accompany and direct his course.

So then Hercules, the laborious Hercules, is reduced to a conftellation, and was fung and celebrated as fuch above 2000 years before Herodotus, and more than 1200 before the period in which the son of Alcmena is fupposed to have lived.

This Memoir of M. DUPUIS is followed by the fupplements, which the progrefs of aftronomy, daily enriched with new obfervations and curious refearches, has induced M. DE LA LANDE to add to his work published in 1771, in order to render it ftill more complete. He oblerves juftly, that a treatise of aftronomy, which contained an accurate account of that science, as far as it had advanced in the year 1771, might, at the end of ten years more, betray into mistakes those who should confide in it with fecurity, as comprehending the present state of astronomical science. And, as the recent improvements that are difperfed in a multitude of journals, academical memoirs, and particular works, are collected here, thefe fupplements will be well received.

AR T. X.

Cours complet d'Agriculture Theorique, Pratique, Oeconomique, &c. i. e. A complete Courfe of Theoretical, Practical, and Economical Agriculture, and of rural and veterinarian Medicine; or a Univerfal Dictionary of Agriculture, followed by a Method of Hudying Agriculture by fcientific Principles. By a Society of Hufbandmen, and digefted by the ABBE ROZIER. Vol. I. 4to. Paris. 1781.

THE name of the Abbé ROZIER will naturally raise the

expectations of the Public pretty high with refpect to the merit of this work; and, if we may judge by the volume be

fore

fore us, thefe expectations will not be disappointed. There is a common defect among the writers on gardening and the different parts of agriculture, that they always fpeak of the diftrict or province they inhabit, as if the method obferved there was practicable and advifeable every where elfe. Our Author or Compiler has avoided this, as far as was poffible, and has taken great pains to render this work of univerfal utility, by fhewing how the Georgical precepts in each article may be modified, and accommodated to different foils and circumftances. Each article in this first volume is a complete treatise upon its fubject. The articles Abeille, Agriculture, Air, and Amendement, are the most important, and deserve to be perused with particular attention.

ART. XI.

Verbandeling van het Bataviaach Genootschap des Conften en WetenSchappen, &c. i . Memoirs of the Society of Arts and Sciences of Batavia. Vol. I. Printed at Batavia. Large Octavo.

A

1779.

Society of arts and Sciences in the island of Java is certainly a new phenomenon that muft naturally excite an agreeable furprize. The communication of the European nations with the East Indies has not hitherto enriched the annals of history with many relations honourable to humanity. Gain, plunder, defpotifm, wars, artifice, and injustice, make up more than two-thirds of the hiftory of the European fettlements in India; and, if we except fome improvements in aftronomy, and natural history, it may be affirmed, that navigation, which has been the means of our connection with thefe diftant regions, has been little better to humanity than a fecond box of Pandora, with fome feeble hopes, perhaps, left at the bottom. However that be, we are glad to fee a literary fociety erected at Batavia; whether or not it will contribute to enlighten the Indians, we cannot tell, but it will naturally produce good effects in various ways. It will, at least, dignify the paltry afpect of mere commerce, which, when undignified with morals, tafte and knowledge, is a very forry bufinefs, though in a certain degree it may be neceffary to give us conveniently, meat, drink, and clothing.

The fociety under confideration was founded at Batavia under the adminiftration of the late Governor General De KLERK, and has great obligations to its prefident Mr. RADERMACHER, who has generoufly furnished it with a valuable library, and a great variety of mathematical inftruments. The end propofed by its founders, is to encourage the arts and the branches of induftry that may be of the greateft utility in that part of the globe; and all the fubjects and questions, to which the fociety have annexed prizes, are conformable to this pur

pofe

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