The two first books of Philostratus, concerning the life of Apollonius Tyaneus written originally in Greek, and now published in English : together with philological notes upon each chapter / by Charles Blount, Gent.

Illustrations on Chap. 2.

[1] PRometheus was there bound, &c. This Prometheus is by the Poets feign'd to be the Father of Deucalion, and Son of Iapetus and Clymenes, or Asia, as Herodotus calls her, lib. 4. Prometheus is said to have been the first that made Man of Clay, and therefore called the Father of Men.

Fertur Prometheus addere Principi Limo coactus particulam undiq, Desectam, & insani Leonis Vim Stomacho apposuisse nostro. Horat.

Having artificially composed Man of certain parts taken from other Creatures, and Minerva being delighted with his Invention, promis'd to grant him any thing that was in Heaven, for the perfection of his Work: whereupon, Prometheus being by her means convey'd up into Heaven, and there observing how all things were animated with Souls of heavenly

Fire, did with a bundle of Sticks which he kindled at the flames of the Sun, bring down Fire upon Earth, and therewith infused Life and Soul into the man that he had form'd of Clay.

That crawling Insect which from mud began, Warm'd by my beams, and kindled into man.

This Robbery is often mention'd in the ancient Writers of Poetical Fictions; as Horace, Lib. 1. Od. 3.

Post ignem aethere â domo Subductum, &c. —

Also Virgil in Sileno:

Caucaseas{que} refert volucres, furtum{que} Promethei.

After this, it is said, that Iupiter being offended at Prometheus for his Theft, thought to be revenged on him, by laying some grievous affliction upon Mankind, in the forming of which, he so much boasted; for which purpose, Iupiter commanded Vulcan to frame a beautiful Woman; which being done, every one of the Gods bestow'd a Gift on her, who thereupon was call'd Pandora: to this Woman they gave in her hand a goodly Box full of all Miseries and Calamities, only in the bottom of it they put Hope; with this Box she went first to Prometheus, thinking to catch him, if peradventure he should accept the Box at her hands, and so open it; which he nevertheless with good providence and foresight refused. Whereupon she goes to Epimetheus, (the Brother of Prometheus) and offers this Box to him, who rashly took it and opened it: but when he saw that all kind of Miseries came flut∣tering about his ears, being wise too late, he with great speed and earnest endeavour clapt on the Cover, and so with much ado retained Hope, sitting alone in the bottom. At last, Iupiter laying many and grievous Crimes to Prometheus his charge, cast him into Chains, and doom'd him to perpetual Torment; whereupon by Iupiter's Command, Prometheus was fast bound, and fetter'd to a Pillar of the Mountain Caucasus; as our Author here men∣tions: Also that there came an Eagle every day, who sate feeding upon his Liver, which as it was devoured in the day, so grew again in the night, that matter for Torment to work upon might never decay: nevertheless 'tis said, there was an end of his punishment; for Hercules crossing the Ocean in a Cup which the Sun gave him, came to Caucasus, and set Prometheus at liberty, by shooting the Eagle with an Arrow. Moreover, in some Nations there were instituted certain Games of Lamp-bearers, in honour of Prometheus, in which they that strove for the Prize, were wont to carry Torches lighted, which who so suffer'd to go out, yielded the place and victory to those that follow'd; so that whosoever came first to the Mark with his Torch burning, won the Prize.

Now concerning the Theogeny and Parallel of Prometheus, Vossins makes him to be the same with Noah; De Idololat. lib. 1. ch. 18. The Patriarch Noah (says he) is adumbrated to us, not only in Saturn, but also in Prometheus, &c. 1. Because as under Noah, so also under Prometheus, the great Floud was supposed to happen; for so saith Diod••rus, lib. 1. That Nilus having broken down its bounds, overwhelm'd a great part of Aegypt, especially that part where Prometheus reign'd, which destroy'd the greatest part of men in his Terri∣tory; nevertheless if the Floud were universal, this Parallel holds not. 2. Prometheus is said to restore Mankind after the Floud; which (say they) exactly answers to Noah, the Father of Mankind, &c. 3. Herodotus (lib. 4.) tells us, that Prometheus's Wife was called Asia; and indeed Noah's Wife was no other than Asia, or Asiatica, an Asiatick. Again, Bochartus makes Prometheus to be Magog, the Son of Iapetus, or Iaphet: 1. In that he is styled the Son of Iapetus; as Magog was the Son of Iaphet. 2. From the eating of Prome∣theus's Heart; which Fable sprang from the Name, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Magog; which being applied to the Heart, implies its consumption, or wasting away. 3. Prometheus is said to have his Seat in Caucasus; because Magog and his Posterity planted themselves there. 4. They feign, that Fire and Metals were invented by Prometheus, as well as by Vulcan; because there are many subterraneous Fires and Metals in these places. Boch. Phaleg. lib. 1. Of this see more in Stillingfleet's Origin. S••c. lib. 3. ch. 5. and in Gale's Court of the Gentiles, lib. 2. ch. 6. part 1.

[2] Not that Hercules that was born at Thebes; there were several men of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Name,

the Ancients using to call all men of wonderful strength, Hercules: Diodorus (lib. 4.) reckons up three of this Name; Arnobius, six; and Cicero (de Nat. Deor.) as many▪ but Varro saith, there were forty three several men so call'd; whereof the most famous was Hercules of Thebes, the Son of Iupiter and Alcmena: for Alcmena his Mother having married Am∣phitrion, a Theban Prince, upon condition that he would revenge the Massacre of her Bro∣ther; whilst Amphitrion was imploy'd in a War for that purpose, amorous God Iupiter gave a Visit to Alcmena in Amphitrion's shape; and that he might enjoy the satisfaction of her company the longer without discovery, he made that night to continue longer than any other. Alcmena was then big with Iphiclus, she did nevertheless conceive Hercules from Iu∣piter's Acquaintance, and was brought to bed of them both together; but notwithstanding Amphitrion was not the Father of Hercules, yet is he by the Poets call'd Amphitrioniades.

Thus when Alcmena did her Bed defame, The lech'rous God bely'd bore all the shame; Cuckold or Bastard was a glorious Name.

Some say, that Iuno being earnestly solicited by Pallas, was so far reconciled to her Husband, Iupiter, that she gave his spurious Son Hercules suck with her own Milk; and that the little Hercules having spilt some of her Milk out of his mouth, he whited all that part of the Sky, which we call, The milkie way. Afterwards, when Hercules was come of age, the Oracle inform'd him, it was the will of the Gods that he should pass through twelve eminent Dangers or Labours; which were these: 1. He slew a great Lion in the Wood Nemoea▪ whose Skin he ever after wore. Theocrit. Idys. 25. And 2. he slew the monstrous Serpent Hydra in the Fens of Lerna near Argos, whose many Heads he cut off, and then burnt his Body: lib. 2. Apollod. 3. He slew the wild Boar of Erymanthus, which had wasted Arca∣dia. 4. He slew the Amaz••nian Centaurs. 5. He took a Stag running on foot in the Moun∣tain Men••laus, after a whole years pursuit, the Deer's Feet being made of Brass, and Horns of Gold. 6. He slew the Birds Stymphalides, which were so numerous, and of so prodigious greatness, that they darken'd the Air, and hinder'd the Sun from shining upon men, where∣ever they flew•• nay, they did often devour men. 7. (As Virgil informs us) he cleans'd the Stables of Augeas, King of Elis, wherein many thousand Oxen had dung'd continually a long time together; for turning the Current of the River Alpheus, and causing it to pass through the Stables, he by that means carried away the filth all in one day. 8. He brought a Bull from Crete into Greece, drawing him along the Sea; which Bull breath'd nothing but flames of Fire, and was sent by Neptune as a punishment amongst them. 9. He took Diomedes, King of Thrace, Prisoner, giving him to be eaten of his own man eating Horses, and after∣wards breaking the said wild Horses, he brought them to Eurystheus. 10. He took Priso∣ner Geryon and his Cattel, who was King of Spain, and reported to have three Bodies, be∣cause he had three Kingdoms. 11. He went to Hell, and brought thence with him Theseus and Pyrithous, as also the Dog Cerberus. And 12. he took the golden Apples out of the Garden of the Hesperides, and kill'd the Dragon that kept them from him. All which Acti∣ons rendred him terrible to the Tyrant Eurystheus, for whose sake he had perform'd them. Now concerning these Labours of Hercules, mention is made in Lucret. lib. 5. Ovid. Me∣tam. 9. Senec. Agamemn. 806. Hercul. Fur. 214. and 526. Herc. Oet. 15. Silius, 3, 333. Sidon, Carm. 9. Boet. lib. 4. Met. 7. Claud. praef. in lib. 2. de Raptu Pros. Moreover, from hence arose these Proverbs, Herculei Labores, signifying a Work impossible to be atchiev'd; Herculis Cothurnos; Frustra Herculem; Hercules & Simia; and Hercules Hospitator. Sui∣das interpreteth Hercules's Club to be Philosophy, whereby he slew the Dragon, i. e. Na∣tural Concupiscence. Lastly, For his Death, it happen'd, A. M. 2752. Ant. Christ. 1196. The learned Jesuit Galtru••bius (who writes his Life more at large than any one I have met with) supposes this Hercules of Thebes to have been the same that releas'•• Prometheus, con∣trary to what Philostratus here asserts; and this may proceed from the obscure Records of those Times, which attribute the Actions of all others of that Name to this Hercules the Theban, or Lybian, as call'd by some, because he conquer'd Lybia.

[3] Eagles; Amongst all Fowls the Eagle only can move her self strait upward and downward perpendicularly, without any collateral declining: Munster. This Bird is com∣mended for her faithfulness towards other Birds in some kind, though she often shews her self cru•••••••• They all stand in awe of her, and when she hath gotten meat, she useth to com∣municate

it only to such Fowls as accompany her; but some affirm, that when she hath no more to make distribution of, then she will attack some of her Guests, and for lack of food dis-member them. Her sight is sharp and quick, in so much that being in the highest part of the Air, she can easily see what falleth on the Land, and thereupon the sooner find her prey. It is said, that she can gaze upon the Sun, and not be blind, and will fight eagerly with the Dragon, who greedily coveting the Eagles Eggs, causeth many Conflicts to be between them. The Poets have call'd her Iove's Bird, and Iupiter's Armour-bearer, be∣cause she is never hurt with Lightning. She has great affection towards her young, in so much that she will endanger her own Body to secure them, bearing her young ones on her back, when she perceiveth them to be assaulted with Arrows. She usually preyeth on Hares, Geese, Cranes, and Harts; as for her practice in killing the Hart, Munster saith, it is thus: When she laboureth to destroy the Hart, she gathereth much dust as she flyeth, then sitting upon the Hart's Horns, shaketh it into his eyes, and with her wings beateth him about the mouth, till she makes him fall fainting to the ground. The Eagle buildeth her Nest-upon high places, as Rocks and Mountains; and the property of the young Eagle is, when she findeth a dead Carkass, first of all to pick out his eye. Now although the Eagle be very ten∣der over her young, yet when they be able to fly of themselves, she casteth them out of her Nest, because she would have them shift for themselves, and no longer depend upon their Dam. Moreover, Aristotle writeth, that when the Eagle waxeth old, the upper part of her Bill groweth so much over the under, that she dieth of Famine. But Augustine observ∣eth further, that when the Eagle is thus overgrown, she beateth her Bill upon the Rock, and so by striking off her cumbersom part, she recovereth her strength and eating: to which the Psalmist alludeth, Psal. 103.5. Which makes thee young and lusty as an Eagle. Swan's Specul. Mund.

[4] So great was his Stature. As for the bigness and stature of mens Bodies, it decreas∣eth nor by succession of Off-spring; but men are sometimes in the same Nation taller, some∣times shorter, sometimes stronger, and sometimes weaker; as the Times wherein they live, are more temperate or luxurious, more given to labour or to idleness. And for those Narrations which are made of the Giant-like statures of men in former Ages, (such as the Poets and Philostratus here mention of Prometheus) many of them were doubtless meerly Po∣etical and Fabulous. I deny not, but such men have been, who for their strength and sta∣ture were the Miracles of Nature, and the World's Wonder; yet may we justly suspect that which Suetonius writes, That the Bones of huge Beasts, or Sea-monsters, both have, and still do pass currant for the Bones of Giants. When Claudius with great strength entred this Island, (as Dion▪ Cass. speaks, l. 60.) he brought with him a mighty Army both of Horse and Foot, as also Elephants in great number, whose Bones being since found, have bred an er∣ror in us, supposing them to be the Bones of Men and not of Beasts, as Speed our Chroni∣cler doth. A notable Story to this purpose Camerarius reports of Francis the first, King of France, who being desirous to know the truth of those things spread abroad, touching the strength and stature of Rowland, Nephew to Charlemain, caused his Sepulchre to be open'd, wherein his Armour being found, and the King putting it on his own Body, found it so fit for him, as thereby it appear'd, that Rowland exceeded him little in bigness and stature of Body, though himself were no•• extraordinary big or tall. Likewise I have often heard my Father say, that the Coffin or Tomb-stone he saw in one of the Egyptian Pyramids, wherein it is thought one of their ancient Kings were buried, is of no greater length than his own Coffin must be. If men have decay'd in their stature since the first Ages, then by consequence the first Man Adam must have been a Giant of Giants, the highest and most monstrous Giant that ever the World beheld; whereof we have no account in Scripture. Holy Writ makes mention of Giants in the 6th. of Genesis, not long before the Floud, but long after the Creation; Ther••••••••e Giants in the Earth in those days, saith the Text. Nevertheless it is the phrase of holy 〈◊〉〈◊〉, to call such Giants as are in behaviour wicked, rude, or barbarous; And so speaks the Prophet Isaiah of the Medes and Persians, ordain'd for the laying waste of Iude••, Giants shall come, and execute my fury upon you. So that if we rest in this Interpreta∣tion, there is no necessity we should conceive these Giants to have exceeded other men in stature. Of the same opinion is St. Chrysostome, who says, Gigantes à Scriptura di••i opinor non inusitatum hominum genus, aut insolitam formam, sed Heroas & viros fortes & bellicosos, However, that some few men there have been of a prodigious stature, cannot be deny'd;

such in the Times of Abraham, Moses, Ioshua and David, are registred under the Names of Rephaim••, Zuzims, Zanzummins, Emims, and Anakims. Also the Prophet Amos found among the Amorites men of Giant-like stature, whose heighth is compared to the Cedars, and their strength to O••ks. Such also were Og, the King of Basan, and Goliah, the Phili∣stin of Gah. The like hath been found in all succeeding Ages: Florus (lib. 3. ch. 3.) men∣tions a Giant named Theut••bocchus, King of the Teutones, in Germany, (vanquish'd by Ma∣rius, the Roman Consul, about 150 years before Christ) as a spectacle full of Wonder, be∣ing of so excessive an height, that he appear'd above the Trophies themselves, when they were carried on the tops of Spears. Pliny tells us, that during the Reign of the Emperor Claud••us, was brought out of Arabia to Rome, a mighty man named Gabbara, who was nine foot and nine inches high. There were likewise in the time of Augustus Caesar two other, named Pusi•• and Secondilla, higher than Gabbara by half a foot, whose Bodies were preserv'd, and kept for a Wonder within the Salustian Gardens. Maximinus the Emperor, as Iulius Capitolinus affirms, exceeded eight foot; and Andronicus Comninus, ten, as Nice∣tas writes. Melchior Nunnez in his Letters of China reports, in the chief City call'd Pagvin, the Porters are fifteen foot high. In the West-Indies, in the Region of Chica, near the mouth of the Streights, Ortelius describes a people, whom he terms Pentagones, from their huge stature, being ordinarily seven foot and an half high; whence their Countrey is known by the Name of the Land of Giants. Of this Subject see more in Hackinit's and Smith's Voyages, and Pureas's Pilgrims; as also in Hakwil's Provid. of God.

[5] Five Cubits; A Cubit is commonly held to be the length of the Arm, from the El∣bow to the end of the middle Finger; or (after the Anatomists) to the Wrist of the Hand. Of this s••e all Authors that treat of the Weights and Measures used among the Ancients.

[6] Mimas, a Mountain of Ionia, call'd at this day, Capo Stillari; it is situate near the City Colophon, and over against the Isle Chius.

[7] Thales the Milesian, Son of Examius and Cleobulina, was the first Founder of ancient Philosophy in Greece. He was born at Miletus, the chief City of Ioni••, in the 35th. Olym∣piad, as Laertius informs us out of Apollodorus; yet others make him to be not a Milesian, but Phaenician by birth: T••ste Euseb. lib. 10. pr••par. ch. 2. and Hornius Histor. Philos. l. 3. ch. 12. Pliny (lib. 2.) says, that he lived in the time of Alyattis; and Cicero (lib. 1. de Divinat.) tells us, that he lived under As••y••ges; both of which Relations agree, in as much as these two Kings wag'd War each against other: as Vossius de Philosoph. sectis, lib. 2. ch. 5. Hyginus (in his Poetico Astronomico) treating of the lesser Bear, speaks thus: Thales, who made diligent search into these things, and first call'd this lesser Bear, Arctos, was by Nation a Phaenician, as Herodotus says; which well agrees with these words of Herodotus Halicar∣nass▪ 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, &c. This was the opinion of Thales the Milesian, by his Ancestors a Phaenician, i. e. He himself was born at Miletus, but his Ancestors were Phae∣nicians. So V••ssius de Histor. Graec. l. 3. That Thales was of a Phaenician Extract, is also af∣firm'd by Di••genes, Laertius, and Suidas. So in like manner Vossius (de Philosoph. Sect. lib. 2. ch. 1.) says, that Thales who founded the I••nick Philosophy, drew his Original from the Phaenicians, whither he travell'd from Phaenicia to Miletus with Neleus, and there was made a Citizen of that place. Some say, that Thales travell'd into Phaenicia, and brought from thence his knowledge of Astronomy, particularly his Observations of the Cynosura, or lesser Bear, as Pliny, lib. 5. ch. 17. That Thales travell'd into Asia and Aegypt, to inform himself in the Oriental Wisdom, he himself affirms in his Epistle to Pherecydes: Laert. lib. 1. That the Grecian or Ionick Philosophy owes its Original to Thales, is generally confess'd▪ for he travelling into the Oriental Parts, first brought into Greece Natural Philosophy, the Ma∣thematicks, Geometry, Arithmetick, Astronomy, and Astrology: whereupon was conferred on him that swelling Title of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. The wise man. About which time, the same Title was conferred on six others, for their more than ordinary skill in Moral Philosophy▪ and Politicks; viz. on Chilo the Lacedemonian, Pittacus the Mitylenian, Bias the Prienean, Cle∣obulus the Lindian, Periander the Corinthian, and Solon the Athenian; who with Thales made up the seven wise men of Greece, of whom see Diogenes Laertius. The Wisdom of these 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, was for the most part Moral, tending to the government of humane Conversa∣tion, which they wrapped up in certain short Aphorisms or Sentences, as appears by Quin∣tilian, l. 5. ch. 11. These Sentences that they might have the greater Authority, and seem to be derived from God rather than from men, were ascribed to no certain Author.

Whence that famous Sentence, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Nosce teipsum, was ascribed by some to Chilo, by others to Thales. Concerning Thales, Apuleius (18. Flor.) gives this honourable Cha∣racter: Thales the Milesian, of those seven wise men mention'd, will easily be granted to have the pre-eminence; as being the first inventer of Geometry amongst the Greeks, the most certain finder out of the nature of things, and the most skilful contemplator of the Stars▪ by small Lines he found out the greatest things, the Circumferences of Times, the Fl••tus, or blowings of Winds, the Meatus, or small passages of the Stars, the miraculous sounds of Thunder, the oblique courses of the Stars, the annual Returns or Sol••tices of the Sun, the Increases of the new Moon, and Decreases of the old, also the Obstacles which cause the Eclipse. He likewise in his old age found a divine account of the Sun; how often (i. e. by how many degrees) the Sun by its magnitude, did measure the Circle it passed thorow: thus Apuleius. See more of the same in August. de Civit. Dei, lib. 8. ch. 2. and Lud. Vi••es.

Now to come to the particulars of Thales's Philosophy: 1. In his disquisition of the na∣tural Causes of things, he conceiv'd Water to be the first principle of all natural Bodies, whereof they consist, and into which they resolve: see Stobaeus placit. Philosoph. 2. He ac∣knowledg'd God the first of Beings, and Author of the World; asserting according to Laer∣tius, that the most ancient of all things is God. 3. He affirm'd, (as Stobaeus hath it) that the World is full of Daemons, which Daemons were spiritual Substances, and the Souls of Heroes departed: whereof there are two sorts, the good and bad; the good Heroes are the good Souls, and the bad, the bad. 4. Plutarc•• affirms, that Thales first held the Soul to be a self-moving Nature. 5. He said, there was but one World, which being form'd by God, was most beautiful; that Night is elder than Day; that the World is animated, and that God was the Soul thereof, diffused through every part of it; that the World is con∣tain'd in place; that in the World there is no Vacuum; that Matter is fluid and variable; that the Stars are earthly, yet fiery; and that the Moon is of the same nature with the Sun, being illuminated by him. 6. Thales was the Inventer of Geometry amongst the Gr••cians: 7. That he took the height of the Egyptian Pyramids, by measuring their shadow. 8. That he was the first of the Grecians that was skilful in Astronomy. 9. That he first observ'd the Tropicks. 10. That he first made known the apparent Diameter of the Sun. 11. That he first foretold Eclipses. 12. That he first distinguish'd the seasons of the year, dividing it in∣to 365 days. Lastly, He was no less famous for his Astrological Predictions, moral Senten∣ces▪ judgement in civil Affairs, and his Writings to Solon; of which see more in Laertius, Plutarch, Stobaens, and Stanly. As for his Chronology, he receiv'd the title of wise, (as Demetrius Phal. saith) when Damasias was Archon. He travell'd into Aegypt in the Reign of Amasis, and being of a great age, died in the first year of the 58th. Olympiad, when (ac∣cording to Pansanias) Erxyclides was Archon▪ He was 92 years old when he died. The most eminent of his Auditors were Anaximander, and Anaximen••s.

[8] Pang••••um, a Mountain of Thrace in the Confines of Macedonia, called at this day, Malaca, and C••stagua, Alta{que} Pang••a, &c. — Virg. Georg. ••.