gus, who exterminated Bacchus and his associates, is veiled the true history of the just judgments of God upon Chus and his family, who fled every way from the place of vengeance, and passed the seas to obtain shelter. The sacred writings mention only a confusion of tongues: but all Pagan accounts allude to some other fearful judgment, with which this people were pursued till they were totally dissipated. Homer, speaking of Lycurgus, mentions this pursuit; but, by a common mistake, introduces Dionysus instead of Bacchus. 100 ος ποτε μαινομένοιο Διωνύσοιο Τιθήνας So also Lycoreus, in Callimach. Hymn. in Apoll. v. 19. Lycurgus is Lycorus with a guttural; which manner of pronunciation was very common among the antients. So Reu, or Rau, is styled Ragau: the plains of Shinar, Singar and Singara: Schor, Segor: Aza, Gaza: Nahum, Nachum: Isaac, Ischiac: Urhoe, the land of Ur, Urchoe, and Orchoe. The same place, styled Spa, is by the LXX always rendered Xapa. The rites of fire were originally called Opia, but were changed to Opya; aia to yria. As Lycurgus was a title of the Deity, they sometimes gave it, which is extraordinary, to Bacchus himself, or at least to Dionusus. Και τον δε Διονυσον και τον Ηδωνων Λυκέργον συναπτοντες εις εν, των ἱερων ὁμοιοτροπίαν αινιττονται. Strabo of the Thracians, and also of the Phrygians. 1. 10. p. 722. 100 cmer. Iliad. Z. y. 133. Σευε κατ' ηγαθεον * Νυσσηιον αι δ' άμα πασαι Δυσεθ' άλος κατα κύμα· Οετις δ ̓ ὑποδέξατο κολπῳ In a mad mood, while Bacchus blindly rag'd, By the τιθήναι, or nurses, of Bacchus are meant the priests and priestesses of the Cuthites. I make no doubt but the story is founded in truth; that there was some alarming judgment; terrified with which the Bacchians, or Cuthites, fled different ways; that their priests, in consternation, threw away what Hestiæus styles * ἱερώματα Ζηνος 2 μεν Νύσσα εν τισι χώραις ορος, ώς εν Βοιωτία, και Θρακη, και Αραβία, και Ινδικῃ, και Λιβύη, και Ναξῳ, ὅπε δε πολις, ὡς εν Καρία, και εν τῷ Καυκασιῳ ορει· όπε δε νησος, ὡς εν Νειλῳ τῷ ποταμώ. Evanie, all their implements of false worship. In short, the hand of heaven hung heavy upon their rear, till they had totally quitted the scene of their apostasy and rebellion, and betaken themselves to different quarters. The reason why the Cuthites combined in a strong body, and maintained themselves in their forbidden territory, was a fear of separation. Let us build us a tower, and make us a sign, lest we be scattered abroad. It was their lot to be totally dissipated; and they were the greatest wanderers of all nations; and the titles of αληται and αλημονες are peculiar to their history. They seem to have been in a roving state for ages. sense. I have often taken notice of a custom which prevailed among the Grecians, and consisted in changing every foreign term that came under their view to something of similar sound in their own language, though it were ever so remote in A remarkable instance, if I mistake not, may be found in this passage from Homer. The text manifestly alludes to the vengeance of the Deity, and the dispersion of the sons of Chus. The term Bou, Bou, in the Amonian language, signified any thing large and noble. The God Sehor was called Bou-Sehor. This was the Busiris (Brigis) of the Greeks, who retained this term in their own language, and used it in the same sense. Accordingly, Baas was a jolly fine boy: Baturia, a great sacrifice: Barenoves, vast rocks: Beyalos, a great boaster: Beλos, great hunger or famine. Hence Hesychius tells us, Βου, το μέγα και πολυ nho. By Bou is signified any thing great and abundant. The term Pleg, or Peleg, related to separation and dispersion: and when Homer mentions Jewova any, the original word was Bou-pleg, or Bou-peleg, which means literally a great dispersion. In the Hebrew tongue, of which the Amonian was a collateral branch, n, Pelach is to separate; and, 5, Peleg to sever, and divide. The son of Heber was named Peleg, 3 because in his days the earth was divided: and his name accordingly signified division, and separation. But the poet, not knowing, or not regarding, the true meaning of the word Pleg, or Peleg, has changed it to an instrument of husbandry. And instead of saying, that the Deity pursued the rebels, and scattered them with (Boupleg) a great dissipation, he has made Lycurgus follow and beat them, Barany, with an ox-goad. The city of Babel, where was the scene of those great occurrences, which we have been mentioning, was begun by Nimrod, and enlarged by his posterity. It seems to have been a great seminary of idolatry and the tower, a stupendous build 3 Genesis. c. 10. v. 25. ing, was erected in honour of the sun, and named the Tower of Bel. Upon the confusion of speech, both the city and tower were called Babel; the original appellation not being obliterated, but contained in the latter. And as the city was devoted to the worship of the sun, it was also called the city of Bel-On, sive civitas Dei Solis: which was afterwards changed to Babylon. From these terms, I think, we may learn the nature of the judgment inflicted at the time of the dispersion. It did not consist in an utter change of language; but, as I have said before, it was a labial failure; an altera ion in the mode of speech. It may be called the prevarication of the lip; which had lost all precision, and perverted every sound that was to be expressed. Instead of Bel, it pronounced Babel; instead of Bel-on, Babylon: hence Babel, amongst other nations, was used as a term to signify a faulty pronunciation, Εβραιοι γαρ την συγχυ σιν Βαβελ καλεσι, The Hebrews, says Josephus, by the word Babel denote confusion of speech, These terms seem ever afterwards to have been retained, even by the natives, in confirmation of this extraordinary history: and the city, as long as it existed, was called Babylon, or the City of Confusion. Ant. 1. 1. c. 4. |