LUPERCI
and Lupercalia: The Luperci were the Priests of Pan, God of the Arcadians, surnamed Lycaeus, the Son of Mercury and Pene∣lope, and God of Shepherds. Authors do not agree concerning the Manner of instituting these Priests, nor their Sacrifices and Ceremonies ob∣served at Rome in Honour of God Pan. Some refer it to Romulus, and others with more Like∣lihood to Evander King of Arcadia, who having been miserably driven out of his Country, came into the Territories of the Latins, where he was not only favourably entertained by Faunus, who was then King there, but also received Part of his Territories from him, so as that he was free to settle himself towards Mount Palatine, where he built a small City and Temple, which he dedicated to Pan the Lycaean, at the Foot of the said Mountain, with a Statue erected in Honour of him, which was covered with a Goat's skin, like the Dress of the Shepherds of those Times: There he appointed Sacrifices to be offered, and constituted a Number of Priests called Luperci from Lupus, Lycaeus being the same thing as Lupus with the Latins. And this makes it evidently appear that the instituting of those Priests and Festivals, is to be attributed to none but Evan∣der; and not to Romulus: Thus when Numitor's Men seized on Remus, they surprized him, as he was offering Sacrifice to the God Pan, at the Foot of Mount Palatine, according to the Re∣port of Dionysius of Halicarnassus, and Aelius Tubero, L. 1. of the Roman Antiquities; which also does suppose, that the said Sacrifices were before instituted by Evander, unless any should say, that Romulus increased the Ceremonies and Magnificence of these Feasts (after he had built Rome) the Foundations whereof had been laid by Evander. And here note, that in the Solemni∣ties used at this Feast, which was celebrated at Rome February 15th, the Priests met together early in the Morning in the Temple of this God; where after they had made the usual Prayers, they sacrificed white Goats to him, in whose Blood when they had dipt two Knives, they marked two young Men in their Faces therewith, then they wiped them with Wool steeped in Milk; after which they provided themselves with Thongs made of these Goat-skins, and run stark naked about the City, slapping the Wo∣men with them, who willingly received them, because they had an Opinion these Blows would make them fruitful: Some have held, that this Ceremony was added by Romulus, because that finding the Sabin Women which he had ravished, became barren, he consulted the Au∣gurs thereupon, and they made answer, that in order to remedy the said Evil the Woman must offer Sacrifice to Juno on a Mountain of Rome called Esquiliae, each being covered with a Goat∣skin, which is interpreted to be the Skins of the Goats the Luperci sacrificed.