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. 3.

De Potitijs, & Pinarijs, Herculis sacerdotibus.

HErcules had an altar erected in the memorial of him neere vnto Tiber by Evander, vpon occasion of the heards-mens complaint brought vnto Evander of him, whom they accused to haue slaine their chiefe heards∣man Cacus, the history beingm 1.1 thus. Hercules after his cō∣quest over Geryon brought away with him certaine good∣ly Oxen, and as well to rest himselfe, as to pasture his oxen, he laid him downe to sleepe in a greene field neere the ri∣ver Tiber. In the meane while a certaine heards-man cal∣led Cacus happened to come that way, & perceiving Her∣cules to be in a sound sleepe, he stole away two of his oxen, which he hid in a caue, or hollow rocke, pulling them in by the taile back ward, thinking that Hercules whē he should looke his oxen, and see the print of the footsteps, would easily beleeue, that his oxen had rather gone out from that rocke, then into it, as indeed he did for a time beleeue: but afterward by the bellowing of the oxen within, answering their fellowes without, Hercules entred the rocke, & fin∣ding the theefe Cacus there with his oxen, he killed him, by reason of which murder he was brought before Evan∣der, and after a while knowne to be the Hercules, of whō the prophetesse Carmenta had foretold vnto Evander, that he should be a God. Wherevpon Evander presently salu∣ted

him by the name of Hercules the sonne of Iupiter, and in honour of him caused an altar to bee built there in that place: vpon which yeerely was to be offered vp an heifer which had never borne yoke; and that this sacrifice might be had in the more esteeme, two noble men well stroken in yeares, and of good repute among the Romanes, one of them being called Potitius, and the other Pinarius were ap∣pointed as the Priests to performe these sacrifices; from whom ever after Hercules his Priests were called Potitij, and Pinarij. Where by the way we must obserue, that Pina∣rius was not the sur-name of this old noble-man, but a name added vnto him, intimating his, and his successours punishment for not comming soone enough according to the time appointed by Hercules. For, asn 1.2 diverse wri∣ters testify, the entrals of the hoast were almost eaten vp by the family of Potitius, before Pinarius, & his familie came; and in punishment of their negligence Hercules enioy∣ned the Pinarij never after to eate of the entrals, giving thē this name Pinarij at that time, from the greeke word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, signifying hunger.

Notes

• m 1.1

  Serv. Aen. lib. 8.
• n 1.2

  Serv. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 lib. 8.