to prove it, he published a differtation, wherein he metamorphofed Hercules into a Phoenician merchant, who had done great things, eftablished great fettlements, made great voyages, and carried on great commerce. This long differtation was neither worthy of the Author nor of the fubject. Without critical tafte, uninterefting and infipid, it served only to make the reader difgufted with mythology in general: nor fhould we be surprised at this. By detaching the feveral parts of the fable, and not comprehending the whole, it was impoffible he should fee it in its original magnificence, or rife to the allegorical meaning, fo complicated and fo diverfified. The harmony of the feveral parts alone could have directed him to the fenfe; but what could appear more deftitute of fuch harmony than mythological fables ? The Abbé BANIER, a great advocate for the hiftorical sense, looks upon Hercules as a hero, who was certainly born at Thebes, and who had rendered great fervices to Greece by his exploits; he fets afide none of his labours on a fufpicion of fable: it is true, he diftinguishes five or fix of the name of Hercules, an Egyptian, a Phoenician, an Indian, &c. and allows that the exploits of the whole may have been afcribed to one. In later times we have returned to the allegorical fenfe. The Author of the history of Heaven has fet us the example. Agreeably to his favourite fyftem, he changes Hercules into an enfign, on which was painted HORUS, with a club in his hand, and which was conftantly exhibited in public, on the commencement of a military expedition. • We must not omit to mention here, that a learned modern, explaining the fhield of Hercules, in Hefiod, has entered into a large detail, to demonftrate that Hercules was not a man; but that by this appellation was meant any mound, dyke, or dam, for conveying, ftopping, or turning off water. These remarks make part of a work which the learned writer has published on the origin of the Gods. The work is new, and but little known. · The principles on which the allegorical fenfe of mythology is eftablished are well inveftigated and properly deduced; and if the Author, with refpect to Hercules, has had only a partial view of the allegory, if he has left the fenfe too limited, and has been thereby frequently reduced to the application of etymological proofs, it is not because his principles were falfe, but it is owing to the effect of those narrow bounds to which he confined himself. Having made the neceffary comparisons in a partial manner, the refult was of courfe imperfect. One great proof of the goodness of his principles, is that he has advanced nothing contrary to truth, in confidering the labours of Hercules relatively to the conftruction of dykes for the purpose of containing and conveying water: for this is one of the first operations neceffary for the clearing of lands, and putting them in a ftate of cultivation. Mr. BRYANT, a learned Englishman, already known by his profound researches in antiquity, published in French the preface to a confiderable work on mythology and the origin of mankind, which was to follow foon after*; and in which he declares ftrongly for the allegorical fenfe of the ancient fables, perfuaded that the heroes of mythology, fuch as Hercules, never existed. Here he treads in the fteps of his countryman Blackwell, of whom more hereafter. On thefe attempts to difcover the concealed fenfe of mythology, the pretended historical fense which could never have been countenanced but for want of better explications, will be abolished for ever.' M. De Gebelin now proceeds to his arguments in proof that the Allegory of Hercules relates to agriculture. 'It will no doubt, fays he, occafion fome furprise that we should refer to agriculture the hiftory of Hercules, that hero, who was confidered as the fubduer of monsters, the redreffer of wrongs, the demolisher of giants; for what have the labours of husbandry to do with exploits to which they have, feemingly, no relation? However, if we confider, in the first place, that it is impoffible the life of Hercules fhould be a real hiftory; that no hero could ever execute what has been attributed to him; that the feveral parts of the history are too clofely connected to leave us room to believe that it has been altered imperceptibly, or that it is not now what it was originally; that Hercules indenticates with Saturn or Ofiris, and that the contour of his life, exhibited in a manner fo fingular, muft have had its precife archetype in nature, which gave birth to all the illufions his history impofes upon us; if, above all, we confider the number XII. to which his labours are limited, as correfponding with the months of the year, and with the rural operations; that none of the explications hitherto given of this hiftory could poffibly be fupported; it may be fuggefted that we may poffibly be in the right, and that we have fome claim to attention. With this view, we promife ftriatly to adhere to the letter; not to lead the reader through a feries of etymologies, in which, however happy they might appear, he would place but little confidence; nor to give ourselves up to any of those extravagances of imagination, into which the mere pursuit of systematic ideas is but too apt to betray us. Whatever explications we offer fhall be drawn from the fubje&t itfelf: following the order of the atchievements as it ftands in the fable, our illustrations will carry nothing arbitrary along with them, and we flatter ourselves they will be found fecure from any effential objection. Agriculture having been invented by Saturn, Chronus, or Ofiris, and the calendar having been regulated by Thot, Hermès, or Mercury, in favour of agriculture, the first object was to encourage the purfuit of thofe arts among the people, who were to profit fo greatly by fuch precious discoveries. The people, at the fame time, were too fenfible of the advantages they should derive, to be inattentive to the purfait. Obedient to the benevolent voice that inftructed them, they applied themselves immediately to enjoy its good effects, • See Review for June, 1774. • The The earth, however, was not yet in a proper flate for the exercife of the agricultural arts. The low grounds were covered with moraffes, and immenfe lakes, whofe waters confined by rocks, overgrown woods and hills, had no outlet. The uplands left to all the activity of nature, who in her productions had never been tamed or reftrained by art, yielded nothing but the briary race, deep, dark woods which the light of the day never penetrated, the haunts of vaft multitudes of ferocious and deftructive animals. • Man conceived that the earth was intended for his use, but he had little advantage from it. Every thing feemed to dispute with him the poffeffion of it. The fubjection, therefore, of that earth which was the allotted habitation of man, was the firft object. A place of horror was now to become a happy abode; but this was to be effected at the price of human labour, and that labour, without affociated efforts, would have been ineffectual. Above all it was neceffary to difembarrass the course of the waters, to dry the moraffes, to carry off the lakes, to dig canals, make dykes, clear the woodlands, and deftroy or banish the noxious animals. These were the first efforts of men, and of the heads of fociety: efforts by which the earth itfelf was fubdued, which formed the most illuftrious of all heroes, the benevolent friends of human kind, the only objects worthy of immortal glory, worthy to be recorded in the annals of the mufes.' Hercules is reprefented as the general of Ofiris, the conqueror of the lion, and armed with a club. He is reprefented as conqueror of the lion, becaufe, in cultivating the ground, he banished the ferocious animals. He is armed with a knotty club, the first and fimpleft of fceptres, to fignify that by agriculture, he reigns over the earth and the animals; that he is thus virtually the governor of the world, which yields to his power; and that through him mankind are civilized.' Amongst the oriental nations, Hercules was the name of the fun, whom that people, devoted to Sabeifm, or the worship of the heavenly bodies, confidered as the divinity of agriculture, as the principle of all vegetation, the foul of the world. It is no wonder, therefore, that his name became the bafis of allegory, relative to the improvement and cultivation of the earth, which, without him, would have been nothing. It is no wonder that his name was transferred to thofe heroes, whofe atchievements owed their fuccefs to his primary influence; or that those atchievements were limited to the number twelve, as the fun makes his annual revolution through the twelve figns, which regulate the calendar of the husbandman, and direct his operations. The proofs that Hercules originally fignified the fun, are chiefly th:fe: The Phoenicians worshipped this univerfal divinity originally under that title. • The • The facred writers have not difdained to admit this fynbol of divinity: God, fay they, hath fet his tabernacle in the fun.' Jefus Chrift is called the day fpring from on high,' the fun of righte oufnefs.' In process of time, the fymbol took place of the being it reprefented; the fun was then the phyfical God of the univerfe, because he was the principle of heat and life. Hence the origin of Sabeism! that firft fyftem of idolatry, which literally fignifies the worship of the Sun. Thus names were given him correspondent to the ideas that were entertained of him SAB, the exalted. ADAD, the only. BEL, the shining. MELCARTHE, or MELICERTE; the king of the earth; or fimply, MELCH-CHARTE the king of the city. 'Towns too were ambitious of being called from him. Hence fo many cities of the names of Herculea, Herculaneum, Heraclea, &c. &c. fo called not because they were built by Hercules, or because they honoured Hercules the hero of Greece, but because the colonies that founded them worshipped the fun under that name. We find from MACROBIUS that the Egyptians called Hercules, Helion, or the Sun, which is in all, and for all, and this name equally fignified, originally, the Supreme Being. PLUTARCH in his treatife on Ifis and Ofiris, tells us that, according to the Egyptians, Hercules placed in the fun made with that luminary the tour of the universe. This idea Apollodorus expreffes poetically, faying that Hercules arrived at the extremities of the world in a vessel of the Sun. This was an Egyptian expreffion, which deceived Le Clerc, and wrefting it from its proper fenfe, he thought he had discovered an excellent proof of his fyftem, which was that Hercules was nothing more than a merchant, who was faid to fail in the fun's veffel, either because his fhip was called the Sun, or because he carried the figure of the fun for a flag. How could it escape him, that this was perfectly conformable to the Egyptian Theology, which conftantly placed the fun and the moon in thips, as the pilots of the univerfe? The hymns of antiquity, addressed to the fun, ordinarily reprefented him under the title and attributes of Hercules. This proof of the identity of the two perfonages is fo ftriking, that it is aftonishing it should hitherto have efcaped thafe who have employed themselves in Itudies and researches of this nature. We fhall produce two inftances of this kind, one taken fron the Dionyfiacs of Nonnus, the other from the Hymns of Orpheus. • The first is an invocation of Bacchus to the fun, in which he calls him Hercules, with reference to the deitinies of Tyre, the country of the ancestors of Bacchus. Thus it begins, Αεροχίτων ΗΡΑΚΛΕΣ, αναξ πυρός, όρχαμε κοσμου, that is, " Ο fare mantled Hercules, king of fire, ruler of the world !” L14 The The hymn of Orpheus thus: ΗΡΑΚΛΕΣ οβριμοθυμε, μεγασθενές, Αλκιμε Τίτα», that is, « Ο potent magnanimous Hercules, mighty Titan!" This hymn is exceedingly fublime. O high-foul'd Hercules, O mighty Titan! Father of time eternal! changing oft In afpect, not in glory; amiable, And evermore defired, and powerful ever! Thine the unconquer'd breaft, the conquering baw. And all-producing, all-commanding-aiding! M. De Gebelin has properly enough remarked that this hymn, addreffed to a mortal being would be extravagant and abfurd; but, addreffing Hercules in the character of the fun, it abounds with beauty and propriety. The titles and the feafts of Hercules, moreover, (continues oar Author) evince that he represents the fun. The Romans celebrated the eve of the calends of July, the laft day of June, as the feaft of Hercules Mufagetes, that is, the leader of the mufes. This fingular title given to a hero, who was never imagined to have the leaft commerce or connection with the mufes, but which the Thebans had, nevertheless, given to Hercules long before the time of the Romans, fhews how futile the general idea hitherto formed of him has been, and that he was to the Phonicians what Apollo was afterwards to the Greeks. The fame conclufion may be drawn from the fable, which says that Hercules difputed with Apollo the right of the tripod. This tripod, over which Apollo prefided, was no ordinary tripod. It was the year divided into three feafons, according to the oriental calendar, and which was thus faid to march upon three feet. Thus calendars were made with three legs, which proceeded from the fame center, and formed a kind of wheel. On each leg food the account of one feafon or four months; the like are to be seen on Runic monuments, This again proves that Apollo was fubftituted by the Greeks for the Phoenician Hercules; and from hence the primary idea of the latter funk out of remembrance. ? The |