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.

BACCHUS,

the Son of Jupiter and Semele. Apollodorus in his third Book of the Original of the Gods, gives us this Relation of the Nativity of Bacchus.

Cadmus, says he, had Four Daughters, Antinoe, Ino, Semele, and Agave, with a Son named Polydorus. Ino married Athamas, Antinoe Aristaeus, and Agave Eehion. As for Semele, Jupiter was in Love with her, and withdrawing him∣self from the Embraces of Juno, he gained the Favour of his Mistress. Juno envying the Happiness of her Rival, disguised her self to cheat her, and taking the Shape of Beroc Semele's Nurse, she informed her that to be assured of the Love of Jupiter, she ought to pray him to shew himself to her, in all his Glory. Jupiter having consented to it, Semele was not able to endure his Splendor and Majesty, but the Fire of his Lightning laid hold on the Roof of the Chamber, and consumed it. All that could be done in this Surprize, was to save the Child (for she had been big some Months) and to put him very hot into Jupiters Thigh, where he fulfilled his time, at the end of which he came out, and was put into the Hands of Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods, and the Confident of their Love, who carried him first to Ino his Aunt, and to her Husband Athamas, to take care to nurse him and bring him up, but Morose Juno, resolving to shew her Displeasure to them, caused Athamas to slay his eldest Son Lear∣chus as he was a hunting, taking him for a Deer, whereupon Ino cast her self into the Sea with her Son Melicerta. Then Jupiter to free little Bacchus from the Fury and Per∣secutions of Juno changed him into an Hee-Goat

for a certain time. When he recover'd his first Form, Mercury carried him to the neighbouring Nymphs of the City Nysa in asia to compleat his Education, who na∣med him Dionysius from the Name of his Father and of his Country.

Lucian says, that Bacchus assumed the Shape of an Hee-Goat, to surprize Penelope, the Daughter of Icarus, whom he forced in Arcadia, and had Pan by her.

The Theology of the Aegyptians, and an∣cient Greeks teaches us, that Bacchus or Diony∣sius is an Emanation or divine Power, and confounds him with Phaebus, Apollo, Pluto, Apis, Anabis, and Osyris.

It also confounds him with Janus, and Noah, and represents him by a Triangle, which is a Figure of the Divinity according to the Ancients; and Plutarch undertakes to prove, that Bacchus is the God of the Hebrews, and that all the Observations of the Jews are nothing else but the Ceremonies of Bac∣chus.

Homer as well as all the rest of the Greek Poets makes Bacchus the Son of Jupiter and Se∣mele; but Pausanias delivers the rest of his Story after a different manner.

The Inha∣bitants, saith he, of the City of Brasias hold that Semele having brought forth Bacchus, Cadmus her Father being angry at it shut up both the Mother and the Child into a Chest, and threw them into the Sea, which cast them upon the Coast of the Brasians, who taking it out of the Water, opened it, and found that the Mother was already dead, but the Infant being alive, they cau∣sed it to be nourished and brought up. They add, that Ino wandring at that time was his Nurse, and they shew a Cave, where she nursed him, which to this Day is called Bacchus's Cave.

U••pian in Athe∣naeus's Dipnosophistes, after Euhemerus of the ••sle of Coos, in Book 30. of his History, re∣lates that Cadmus the Grandfather of Bacchus, was Cook to the King of the Sidonians, and having debauched a dancing Maid of that Kings, named Harmonia, he had by her Semele the Mother of Bacchus.

Lucian in his Dialogue between Jupiter and Juno makes them speak thus. Juno.

I am ashamed, O Jupiter, to have such a drunken and effeminate Son, as this of thine is, who is always in the Company of certain mad Women, and who are more masculine than he. Jupiter. But this effeminate Man has conquered Thrace and Lydia, and subje∣cted the Indies to himself, having made the King Prisoner with all his Elephants; and which is most strange, he did all this with his leaping and dancing among the Wo∣men, at the sound of the Drum and Flute, and for the most part drunk. If any One dare speak of his Mysteries, he will take them in his Chains, and Agave herself, has torn in Pieces her Son Penthius. Is not this Great and Worthy of Jupiter? What will he not do when he is sober, since he does so great things when he is drunk.

The same Lucian in Bacchus, relates his Expedition to the Indies thus: Bacchus says he, attempted the Indies, notwithstanding the Raillery of some, and Compassion of others who believed that he would be crush∣ed by the Elephants, if he escaped the Fury of their Arms, for his Army was only made up of Women moved with divine Fury, who instead of Bucklers carried Drums, and Cymbols; for Javelins, Staves twisted a∣bout with Ivy; for Arms, Garlands of the same Tree, and for Armour, Skins of Hinds and Panthers. They were attended with a Troop of Satyrs, who did nothing but leap, and skip like Kids, whose Tails and Horns they have. Bacchus also had Horns and was without a Beard, cloathed with Purple, and gilded Buskins, and ha∣ving Vine Branches loaden with Grapes, woven between his Locks of Hair. He rode in a Chariot drawn by Tygers, which was all he had terrible; his Two Lieute∣nants were, the One a little old Man with a flat Nose, trembling all over, cloathed in Yellow, with large upright Ears, and a great Belly, riding for the most part of his time upon an Ass, and for want of that supported by a Staff, but in all things else a great Captain; the other a Satyr with Horns, his Thighs hairy, with the Beard and Feet of an Hee-Goat, holding in his left Hand a Flute, and in the other a crook∣ed Staff, and runs through all the Plain, leaping and dancing, and much terrifying the Women, for he was hasty and passio∣nate, and when he came near them, they ran with their Hair flying about their Shoulders, crying, Evohe, as acknowledg∣ing him for their Master: Nevertheless these mad Women, among their other ex∣ploits, tore Flocks in pieces and eat their Flesh raw.

The Indians seeing such a ridiculous Crew, more fit for a Ball than for a War∣like Encounter, disdained at first to take Arms, and thought to send their Women to fight them, for fear they should disgrace their Valour by such an unworthy Vi∣ctory, but when they understood, that that Army, though ridiculous, kindled a, Fire every where (for Fire is the Dart of Bac∣chus,

which he hath borrowed from the Thunder of his Father) they armed them∣selves in hast, and mounting upon their Elephants came full of Rage and Anger to encounter these Incendiaries.

When they came in sight of them, they put themselves in order for Battel, cove∣ring the Front of their Troops with their Elephants.

Bacchus also mustered his Army, and set Silene on his right Hand, which is that great flat Nos'd Captain above mention'd; and Pan on his left, and plac'd himself in the middle, after he had dispersed the Sa∣tyrs every where, as many Officers, and Captains, and given them for their word, Evohe. Immediately the Bacchae sounded a Signal with their little Drums and Trum∣pets, and a Satyr having blown his Horn, the Ass of Silene began to bray so terribly, that being joyned with the howling of the Bacchae (who then discovered the Iron of their Thyrses, and the Serpents they were gir∣ded withal) the Indians and their Elephants sied before they were within reach of their Spears, and so they were defeated, and subdued.

Diodorus in his second Book of his Antiqui∣ties gives an historical Relation of Bacchus, and tells us, that the most wise of the Indians say, that Bacchus invaded their Country with a great Army from the Western Parts, and that he over ran all the Indies, not finding any City that dare oppose him; but the great Heats of the Country much incommoding his Army, he left the Plains, and retired with his Army into the hollow of the Moun∣tains, which he called the Thigh, which gave an occasion to the Greeks to feign, that Jupi∣ter put him into his Thigh. He taught them afterward how to plant, and dress a Vine∣yard, caused several Cities to be built among them, and furnished them with Laws, and died after he had reigned over them 52 Years.

Antiquity has given Bacchus several Names. He is called BIMATER, that is to say, One who had Two Mothers, viz. Semele and Jupi∣ter, in whose Thigh he fulfilled his Time, after he was taken out of the Belly of his Mother. He was named Dionysius, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from Jupiter his Father, and the City Nysa, where he was nursed. Diodorus places this City in Arabia, or in Aegypt on the Con∣fines of Arabia. Arrian, and Quintus Curtius say 'tis in the Indies, of whose Opinion is Pomponius M••la, thus speaking of it.

The fairest and largest of all the Cities in the Indies, is Nysa, where Bacchus was nursed, which gave occasion to the Greeks to feign that he was shu•• up in Jupiter's Thigh.

Pliny speaks of another City called Nysa, which is in Caria. Stephanus reckons Ten of the same Name in several Kingdoms.

Some give him the name of Liber, either because he rejoices, and frees the Mind from the Troubles of Life, or because he obtained Liberty for the Country of Baeotia.

He is also surnamed BROMIUS 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from Fear or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from Thunder, being born of a Mother, who was consumed by Jupiter's Thunder.

He is called LYAEUS from the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to drive away, or because Wine excels Grief.

Lastly, some give him the Epithet of Evan, which in the Indian Tongue signifies Ivy, which is consecrated to him. We see him sometimes represented to us in the Shape of a Child, holding in his Arm a Bunch of Grapes, and sometimes in the Form of a Man carrying a Pine-branch. We have a reverse of a Medal of Severus, and Julia, where is the Figure of a Chariot drawn by Two Panthers, in which is set a Young Man holding a Pot in his left Hand, and in the other a Tygers Skin, to shew us, that Bacchus was the Conqueror of the Indies, and other Eastern Countries, because he is pictured in a Tri∣umphal Chariot with a Dart in his Hand. and his Enemy prostrate at his Feet. The Philo∣sopher Albricus tells us, that some have pain∣ted Bacchus with the Face of a Woman, with naked Breasts, and Horns on his Head, crowned with Vine-leaves, and riding upon a Tyger, carrying a Pot in his left Hand, and a Bunch of Grapes in his right.

Some picture Bacchus both Male and Fe∣male, as is visible on the Consular Medals of the Cassian Family, which shew us the Fi∣gures of Liber, and Libera, i. e. Bacchus both Male and Female. Orpheus in his Hymn a∣gainst Masae has positively asserted, that Bac∣chus was ever thought to be of both Sexes; as the greatest part of the Gods are. He had a Magnificent Temple at Rome, in which they sacrificed to him Hee-Goats, because they destroy the Vine-branches, and eat the Grapes, as Virgil teaches us.

—Baccho Caper omnibus aris Caeditur, Georg. II. v. 380.