This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. Searching, reading, printing, or downloading EEBO-TCP texts is reserved for the authorized users of these project partner institutions. Permission must be granted for subsequent distribution, in print or electronically, of this text, in whole or in part. Please contact project staff at eebotcp-info@umich.edu for further information or permissions.
AMong men, if Persians of equal Degree, did meet, they Kissed one anothers Lips. If a Superior met an Inferior, he gave the Inferior his Cheeks to kisse. But a meane Persian, falling down did worship the Better, or more Ronowed; (saith Brissonius, pag. 241. as he is cited by Drusius.)
The story of Polyperchon falleth in here very fittly: A Persian worshipping Alexander, fell on his face before him, and with his chin touched the ground:
Polyperchon in a floute, exhorted the Persian to shake his chin lustily against the ground: Alexander thereupon drew Polyperchon from the banqueting bed, and tumbled him down, and arietated him to the earth, and made his head knock the ground: and bitterly taunted him saying: Now Polyperchon, thou seest thy selfe do that, which even now thou didst laugh at in another. See Curtius, 8. pag. 245.
Mr. Selden very probably addeth, It was called Adoration, or they were said to Adore; Quòd ad Ora, sive ad Os manum admovebant; because they moved their Hands to their Mouths; or rather the Fore-finger joyned to the Thumb, as he before explained it. His proofe from S. Hierom, is most punctuall; who do Adore, do Kisse their Hands, and Bow down their Heads, (saith Hierom;) And in the propriety of the Hebrew tongue, Kissing is used for Worship or Adoration. Psal. 2.12. The vulgar of Cajetan, Hentenius, and Santandrianus, have it, Ap∣prehendite disciplinam, Apprehend discipline, agreeing with the Chaldee. The 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Lay holdfast on Discipline. Osculamini Filium, saith the He∣brew; which Vatabus doth well inlarge, saying, Osculo manuum testamini vos Dei Filium habere pro Rege: By Kissing the Hands, that is, by Adoration, wit∣nesse that ye esteem the Son of God as King. Geverard Elmenhorst in his notes on Minutius Foelix, citeth to the same purpose both Pliny and Apuleius: whom Mr. Selden insisteth in.
One reason, why they did both Bend and Kisse, may be, because both Head, and Mouth with it, did stoop down toward the Hand; and the Hand did mount up to meet the Mouth. The joynt correspondence, the concurring to the same a∣ction, maketh the Sense appliable, either to Hand, or Lips. Perhaps, the reason why they put their Hands to their Mouths in Adoration, might grow from hence.
When they worshipped the Sun and Moon, and the Host of Heaven, or Coele∣stem Africae Deum; The heavenly God of Africa, as Tertul. Apologet. 33. or ra∣ther Coelestem Illum, That heavenly One, as Salvianus, lib. 8. They had not al∣ways their Images below to Kisse them, and Worship them, and therefore looking up and kissing their hands they so adored them.
Tertullian contra Nationes, 1.13. thus expresseth it, Pleri{que} affectione Adoran∣di, aliquando etiam Coelestia, ad Solis initium labra vibratis. Most of you, when you meane to Adore things heavenly, move your Lips toward the rising of the Sun, or rather you shake, quaver, and often move your Lips Forward, and Backward.
Indeed the Romans had an house dedicated to the Sun: Tacitus toward the end of the 15. Book of his Annals saith, Proprius honor Soli, cui est vetus aedes apud Circum: Especiall honors were decreed to the Sun, in the house dedicated to him of old. Solis Effigies de Fastidio Aedis emicat, saith Tertullian de Specta∣culis, cap. 8. yea they placed it above the Top of the house. And indeed an Huge great Obcliske was sacred in his honor: Obelisci enormitas Soli prostituta, was consecrated to the Sun, saith Tertullian ibid. And this was a very High one. Cas∣siodorus lib. 3. Epist. 51. speakes of more Obeliskes. A greater was dedicated to the Sun; a meaner to the Moon. Ammianus lib. 17. addeth, That which was devoted Deo Soli, to God the Sun, had in it the Rayes gracilescentes, growing lesse and lesse, and did resemble the Sun.
That the Heathen worshipped or kissed, or fell down before the Images of the Sun, Moon, or Stars, Before Kings were Adored, I remember not to have read. The Persians worshipped the Sun, as he was pictured, or painted on Napery, and Linning, or their Banners, whom we behold in his Buckler (saith Tertullian Apo∣logetic. cap. 16.) Many mistake what the Buckler is. I take it to be his round Circle, Orbe, or Globe; He remaining, or residing bodily within the compasse of his Orbe, or Round-Buckler, as the Poët cals it. Ovid Metamorph. 15. vers. 193, &c.
Ipse Dei Clypeus terrâ cum tollitur imâ, Mane rubet, terrâque rubet cum conditur imâ.
The Buckler of the Sun looks red, When he doth rise, and go to bed.
Dei Clypeus, the Buckler of the Sun; that is, Solis orbis, the round Circle of the Sun, as Greg. Bersman, hath expounded it in his Marginall Annotation, on that place.
But in the Houses of the Sun, no doubt he was Adored with Divine Worship. Servius Tullus also built a Temple in honour of the Moon (saith Tacitus, Anna∣lium, 15.9.) And in it, no doubt but She also was honored, as the Sun was in the House to Him dedicated.
Augustine Tom. 6. pag. 75. Contra Faustum Manichaeum, 20.2. The Mani∣chees Adored the Sun; Ad cujus gyrum oratio eorum circumvolvitur; They tur∣ned their Prayers to Him, and to the Moon (as they moved any where in their Orbes) upon two false suppositions, or rather misinterpretations, that the vertue of God did dwell in the Sun; and wisdome in the Moon; and the holy Ghost in the Aire; and that God dwelleth in the Light, as all confesse, Faustus little remembred that God said He would dwell in the thicke Darkenesse, 2 Chro. 6.••. And 1 King. 8.12. And not only said so, but Darknesse was under his Feet. Psal. 18.9. And he made Darkenesse his secret place: his pavilion round about were Dark waters and thick clouds, vers. 11. Soli huic Genu flectitis, saith Augustin, de Moribus Manichaeorum, 2.8. Tom. 1. pag. 164.