Archæologiæ Græcæ, or, The antiquities of Greece by John Potter ...

CHAPTER XIX. Of the Grecian Festivals in general.

FESTIVALS were instituted upon four Accounts; First, in ho∣nour of the Gods, to whom, besides the Worship every Day pa•••• them, some more Solemn Times were set apart. Especially, if they had conferred any signal Favour upon the Publick, or upon Private Per∣sons, had assisted them in Defending their Countrey, had given the•• Victory over their Enemies, had delivered them out of any apparen•• Danger, or blessed them with Success in any Undertaking, it was thought but reasonable to set a part some Time for offering Sacri∣fices, and Praises to them, as grateful Acknowledgments for the Be∣nefits received at their Hands.

Secondly, in order to procure some especial Favour of the Gods; for (as you may learn from the following Chapters) several of the Festivals were instituted with a Design to render the Gods propitio••s, and willing to grant some particular Blessings, as Health, Children, and such like. And in Times of Famine, Pestilence, or other p••b∣lick Calamities, the Oracles usually advised their Consultants to institute Solemn Festivals, as the only Method to appease the angry Gods, and obtain of them Deliverance from the Evils they groaned under.

Thirdly, in Memory of Deceased Friends, of those that had done any remarkable Service for their Countrey, or died valiantly in the Defence of it. This was no small Encouragment to Men of Gene∣rous

and Noble Dispositions to enter upon honourable Designs, when they saw that the Brave Actions of the Virtuous did not perish with them, but their Memories were ever held sacred by Succeeding Generations.

Fourthly, Festivals were instituted, as Times of Ease, and Rest to Labourers; that amidst all their Toil, and Sorrow, and as it were a Recompense thereof, some Days of Refreshment might be allowed them. And for some one, or more of these Ends, most Festivals seem to have been first instituted.

(a) 1.1 Aristotle reports, that amongst the Ancients they had few, or no Festivals, besides those after Harvest, or Vintage; for then they used to meet, and make merry with the Fruits they had gathered, Eating, and Drinking plentifully; for they esteem'd this a sort of offering their First-fruits to the Gods, whom they thought ho∣noured by so doing; and therefore Feasts were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, q. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, i. e. because they thought they were obliged, in duty to the Gods, to be drunk. And Seleucus, in the same Author, tells us, That the Words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, were derived from the same Original, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 i. e. Banquets were called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, from 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, or God; because it was usual at those Times to consume great quantities of Wine, and other Provisions in honour of the Gods.

In later Ages, when the Gods were encreased almost to the num∣ber of Men, and the old frugal way of Living was laid aside, the number of Festivals was enlarged, and the manner of them quite altered: for whereas formerly the Solemnities consisted in little or no∣thing, besides offering a Sacrifice to the Gods, and after that making merry themselves; now a great many Games, Processions, and ten thousand Superstitious Observances, in imitation of the Fabulous Actions of the Gods, were introduced, and practised, to the vast charge of the Publick.

The Athenians, as they exceeded all other People in the number of their Gods, so they outdid them in the number of their Fe∣stivals; which, as (b) 1.2 Xenophon reports, were twice as many, as any other City observed: Nor did the Number, and Frequency of them abate any thing of the Solemnity, Splendour, and Charges at their Observation. The Shops, and Courts of Judicature were shut up, on most of those Days; the Labourers rested from their Works, the Tradesmen from their Employments, the Mourners in∣termitted their Sorrows; it was unlawful for a Cry, a Groan, or a sorrowful Expression to be heard; and nothing but Ease and Pleasure, Mirth and Jollity were to be found amongst them.

Most of them were celebrated at the Publick Charge; and lest their Treasury should be exhausted by so frequent Evacuations, seve∣ral means were contrived to supply and replenish them. For Instance, after Thrasybulus had deposed the Tyrants, their Estates were confiscated for this use, as Harpocration observes out of Philochorus: And when the State was reduced to it's old Democracy, if any of the Citizens, through too much Wealth, became formidable to the poorer sort, and objects of their Envy, it was customary to compel them to contribute towards the defraying of the Expences at Publick Fe∣stivals; and so by conferring upon them a great (tho' chargeable, and dear-bought) Honour, at once sweeten the Imposition, (if not also oblige those on whom it was impos'd) and rid themselves of those Fears, and Jealousies, which the Immoderate Opulency of private Persons might reasonably give to a Popular State.

Thus much of Festivals in General: as to the Particulars, I have omitted very little that is material in the Tracts of Meursius, and Castellanus, upon this Subject; and some things not taken notice of by either of them, and perhaps not unworthy your Observation, I have added. Yet I do not pretend, that this is a complete, or en∣tire Collection of the Graecian Festivals; for that would be endless, (seeing almost every Man of Repute, and that had done any Notable Service for the Publick, had his Anniversary Day) and impos∣sible, since hundreds of them (especially those that were observed by the less considerable Cities) are not so much as mentioned in any Author at this Day extant; or but barely mentioned, without any Account of the Persons, to whom they belonged, or the Cere∣monies used at their Celebration: However, as much as is necessary to the Understanding of the Ancient Greek Writers, the following Chapters will furnish.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  Ethic. ad Nicomach. lib. VIII. c. IX.
• (b) 1.2

  De Repub. Athe••iens.