An Account of the remains of the worship of Priapus : lately existing at Isernia, in the kingdom of Naples; in two letters : one from Sir William Hamilton ... to Sir Joseph Banks ... : and the other from a person residing at Isernia : to which is added, A discourse on the worship of Priapus : and its connexion with the mystic theology of the ancients / By R.P. Knight.

Date:
1786
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An Account of the remains of the worship of Priapus : lately existing at Isernia, in the kingdom of Naples; in two letters : one from Sir William Hamilton ... to Sir Joseph Banks ... : and the other from a person residing at Isernia : to which is added, A discourse on the worship of Priapus : and its connexion with the mystic theology of the ancients / By R.P. Knight. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    [ 3^ ] inert matter by neceflity. Hence the purity and fan(flity always attributed to light by the Greeks.* He thought would depreciate the old religion, or recommend the new; whilft the Heathen Priefts revealed whatever they thought would have a contrary tendency ; and endeavoured to Ihow, by publifhing the real . myftic creed of their religion, that the principles of it were not fo abfurd as its outward ftrufture feemed to infer j but that, when dripped of poetical allegory and vulgar fable, their theology was pure, reafonable, and fublime. (Gesner. Proleg. Orphica.') The colledlion of thefe Poems now extant, being probably compiled and verfified by feveral hands, with fome forged, and others interpolated and altered, mull be read with great caution more efpecially the fragments preferved by the Fathers of the Church and Ammonian Platonics; for thefe writers made no fcruple of forging any monuments of antiquity which fuited their purpofes ; particularly the former, who, in addition to their natural zeal, having the interefts of a confederate body to fupport, thought every means by which they could benefit that body, by extending the lights of revelation, and gaining profelytes to the true faith, not only allowable, but meritorious. (See Clementina, Horn. VII. fefb. lo. Recogn. Lib. I. feft. 65. Origen. apud Hieronom. Apolog, i contra Ruf. et Chrysostom, de Sacerdot.\Ah,\. Chrysostom in particular, not only juftifies, but warmly commends, any frauds that can be prac- tifed for the advantage of the Church of Chrift.) Pausanias fays, (Lib. IX.) that the Hymns of Orpheus were few and fhort; but next in poetical merit to thofe of Homer, and fuperior to them in fandtity, (9so>,o7»/.wT£po»). Thefe are probably the fame as the genuine part of the colledtion now extant; but they are fo intermixed, that it is difficult * See SoPHOCL. Oedip.Tyr. Ver. 1436.