A complete dictionary of the Greek and Roman antiquities explaining the obscure places in classic authors and ancient historians relating to the religion, mythology, history, geography and chronology of the ancient Greeks and Romans, their ... rites and customs, laws, polity, arts and engines of war : also an account of their navigations, arts and sciences and the inventors of them : with the lives and opinions of their philosophers / compiled originally in French ... by Monsieur Danet ; made English, with the addition of very useful mapps.

PARIS;

the Son of Priamus, King of Troy, and of Hecuba: His Mother being with Child of him, saw in her Dream that she was brought to Bed of a Burning-torch, which would set all Asia on fire: And having consulted the Augurs there∣upon; they made answer, That that Child one Day should be the Cause of the Ruine of his Country. Priamus being informed of it, exposed him to be destroy'd, but his Wife Hecuba being touch'd with Compassion, delivered him pri∣vately to the King's Shepherds, to bring him up on Mount Ida, in Phrygia, where he grew up, and became Valiant and expert at all bodily Exercises, wherein he exceeded Hector, whom he threw in Wrestling. Dares the Phrygian, who had seen Paris, gives us an Account of his Per∣son, in his Book, concerning the Destruction of Troy; where he says, He was tall, and well pro∣portioned, of a fair Complexion, had very good Eyes, and a sweet Voice; that he was Bold, Couragious, Forward and Ambitious: And this is confirmed by Dion Chrysostom and Cornelius Nepos, in their Translation of Dares into Verse. Hector upbraids him for his very Beauty, as if he were fitter for Love than War. Homer gives him the Title of being Valiant, and among o∣thers names Diomedes and Machaon's being wounded by him; to which Dares adds Menelaus and Palamedes, Antilochus and Achilles, whom he slew. Hyginus relates the Fight he had with his Brethren, whom he overcame, while he was a Shepherd. As to the Contest between the Three Goddesses, viz. Juno, Venus and Pallas, to know which was the fairest of them; Dares in his Poem concerning the Destruction of Troy, re∣cites the Words which they spoke to Paris, in

order to engage him to give Sentence in their Favour, as well as Lucian does in his Dialogue concerning the Judgment of Paris: Venus want∣ed not Reasons to gain the Opinion of amorous Paris, and to oblige him to declare in her Fa∣vour; for, as his Reward, she promised him one of the finest Women in the World, which was Helen, Menelaus his Wife; and she was so con∣stant to her Word, that she favoured him to carry her off; which occasioned the fatal War made by the Grecians against the Trojans.

Some Commentators upon Homer, and Spon∣danus among others, believe this pretended Sen∣tence of Paris was not known to Homer. Plu∣tarch himself favours this Conjecture, when he maintains that the 3 Verses of the 24th Iliad, where he speaks of it, are Supposititious, and in∣serted by some other; and that 'tis an unbeco∣ming thing to believe the Gods were judged by Men, and that Homer making no mention there∣of any other where, there was Reason to be∣lieve these Lines were foisted in: But a Medal of Antoninus Pius gives us to understand, that this Action was believed to be true by the An∣cients; and we may farther oppose against Plu∣tarch, the ancient Statue of Paris done by Eupbra∣nor, whereby, as Pliny says, it might be known, that he was a Judge between the Goddesses, the Lover of Helen, and the Person that killed A∣ahilles. Other Authors have thought that Paris himself feigned his having been a Judge be∣tween the Goddesses, and that he did this in Opposition to Hercules, who renounced Vice in favour of Vertue, how difficult soever it appear∣ed, since Paris despised the Riches and Honours promised him by Juno, and the Knowledge prof∣ferred him by Pallas, and abandoned himself to his Pleasures. Eusebius treats of the History, and not the Fabulous: part; for he writes, that the City of Troy was destroy'd for the Rape of Helen, one of the Three Grecian Ladies that contended for Beauty.