Gleanings of antiquities / By John Beaumont, Gent.

  • Beaumont, John, -1731.
Date:
1724
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Gleanings of antiquities / By John Beaumont, Gent. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    150/226 (page 138)
    ceived the prophetick Breath, were feiz’d with the Spirit of Divination. And whereas the Temple of Delphos was five times built, as Paufanias tells us, L. 10. the laft of which Temples was ftanding in his Time, we find, that under the third Temple, which he fays was made of Brafs (the firft being only of Laurels, and the fecond of as poor Materials) no ‘Tripod was ufed ; of which Temple, Licetus, in his Book entitled, Anti qua Schemata Gemmarum Annula- rium, p. 185. has given us a fine Cut; w'here the Brafs Temple hands on a Rock, having a large Lau¬ rel Branch ifiuing from the top of its Roof, and fpreading itfelf obliquely over the Entrance, the Pythia ftanding in view within the Entrance of the Temple, no Tripod appearing, and giving an anfwer to one w ho comes to confult the Oracle ; her Body being naked from the Navel upwards, and fhe having a loofe Garment, which hangs on her right Shoulder, and covers alfo the low;er Parts of her Body to her Feet; which Garment fhe holds together with her right Hand, and has a Harp in her left. This Tem¬ ple is built in a round Form, with Pillars, and has a wrought Roof in the form of a Dome or Cupula. And tho* Licetus does not fay it was made of Brafs, yet the Cut could not be taken from any other ,• the Make of it, and its Antiquity, as being before the life of Tripods, being confidered : which Tripod, with all its Circumftances, feems to me to have added lit¬ tle or nothing to the divinatory Faculty; but wras introduced partly for the conveniency of the Pythia, that the Breath immediately received from the Mouth of the Cave might not offend her; partly as a Type of the three Succefiions of Time, all known to Apollo, and partly as a theatrical Amufement for the People ; as we know, in a few Centuries after Chrift, fuch Amufements w7ere introduced into the Chriftian Church, which in fome fort feem a Revival of Ju- daifm. As