Romanæ historiæ anthologia An English exposition of the Romane antiquities, wherein many Romane and English offices are paralleld and divers obscure phrases explained. By Thomas Godwyn Master of Arts: for the vse of Abingdon Schoole.

CHAP. 14.

De Cybelle, & sacerdotibus eius.

THis goddesse Cybele, or rather Cybelle was in her infan∣cie exposed vnto wilde beasts vpon the hill Cybellus, where shee being nourished by the wilde beasts afterward became a woman of admirable beauty, & being found by a shepheards wife was brought vp by her as her own child, and called Cybelle from the hill Cybellus. Shee excelled in all naturall gifts, and was the first that vsed a taber, & pipe, and cymbals among the greekes. Moreover shee tenderly loved children, and therefore was called magna ma••er: shee was also called mater deorum, the mother of the Gods:

Ipsa deûm fertur genetrix Berecynthia. Virg.

Shee was called Rhea à 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, to flow, because shee doth flow and abound with all kinde of goodnesse. Shee was also na∣med Pessinuntia frō the city Pessinus a Mart-towne in Phry∣gia, where shee had a temple. Moreover shee was called Berecynthia from the hill Berecynthus in Phrygia, where shee was worshipped. Her priests were calleds 1.1 Galli, and their chiefe governour Archi-gallus: they took their name from a certaine river in Phrygia called Gallus: of which whosoever dranke, he became so mad, that he would pre∣sently geld himselfe: (as in truth all her Priests were inioy∣ned to geld themselues with a fish shell.) The originall of which custome is rendred thus: Cybelle loved a

young man of Phrygia called Atys: and him she appointed ••hiefe overseer for her sacrifice vpon condition that hee would keepe himselfe chast perpetually: But he not long after deflowred a nymphe, for which fact Cybelle bere••t him of his wits and vnderstanding, so that hee in his mad∣nesse did geld himselfe, and would haue killed himselfe al∣so, t 1.2 had not the Gods in their commiseration towardes him turned him into a pine-tree. In remembrance of him, ever after her Priests were gelded. Every yeare the Praetors did sacrifice vnto this goddesse. But the performance of the holy and religious tites at that time did belong vnto a Phrygian man, and Phrygian woman chosen for that pur∣pose: which according to the manner of their country be∣ing apparelled with a party coloured garment called in Latine Synthesis, or amictus variegatus, and carying the picture of their goddesse about with them in the streetes, they stroke their breasts with their handes, keeping tune with the tabers, pipes, and cymbals, which other people following plaied vpon: and they were called Corybantes from one Corybantus, which was one of her first attēdants. And herevpon we call the cymbals aera corybantia. In this manner dancing about the streets they begged mony of the people whom they met: and hence were they named Cybelle her collectors, or her circulatores .i. iuglers. Some calleth them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 which in this place sig¦nifieth Cybelle, called the great mother, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a beg∣ger or gathere•• of almes.u 1.3 Others haue called them Mi∣triaci: But by what name soever they were called the place was so infamous by reason of their drunkennesse, and vn∣civilitie vsed at these times, that when they would point out a notorious naughtie fellow, they would call him c••r∣culatorem Cybelleium. Cybelle her iuggler. Neither was it lawfull for any free borne to vndertake that office.

Notes

• s 1.1

  Pomp. Lae∣••us de sacerd.
• t 1.2

  Cybelêius A∣tys Exuit hac hominem trun∣co{que} induruit illo. Ov. Me••.
• u 1.3

  Rosin. an∣tiq. li. 3. c. 27.