1806. J 



On the Poetical Oracks of the Greeks. 



QiB 



«vor, of wliat Is now known by tJie name 

 vt' King Johu's Court, llauds one ot' the 

 abbe^'-gates. 



Of" the iiiteratil (late and liiltory of the 

 foaiulatiou we know little or nothing, 

 the aaiuils of the houl'e hnvlng periflied in 

 the general wreck of its foituaes. The 

 Court, however, appears ocealionally to 

 liave made ui'e of it for their meetings on 

 atlairs of f.atc. At Chrifimas, 1154, 

 lleni-y II., immediucely after his firll co- 

 ronation, treated hcie with iiis nobles on 

 liie iiate of tlie kiugdon). In the reiij;n of 

 Henry III., many of the nobility luiving 

 taken the crofs upon them, met at tliis 

 houfe to delibej'atc on the order of 

 their journey. Cachcrine, the Queen of 

 Henry \'., either for devotion or fatcty, 

 retired here, where flie died January 3, 

 i4'^7. Elizabeth, alfo, the Queen of 

 Edward IV., was contined to this houfe 

 by lier fon-in-law, King Henry \'II., 

 ill 1-J86, where (lie died foon after. — 

 (See Manning's liiliory of Surrey.) 



ST. BENNET, CUACECHUKCn. 



In the church-wardens' account of pa- 

 riiii-expences here, for 1553, I\lr. Mal- 

 colm found this fmgular entry. 

 " I'iiid upon May lafi:, to a 

 prielte and lix (-leiks, for 

 fuiging of Te Dcu/n, and 

 playing upon the organs, ■ 

 fortl'.e birth of the Prince, ll. 8s. 

 '\Vhcnce we gather that Queen Mary's 

 ideal ]jregiKUicy not only coft t!ie purilh 

 of St. ]3euuet, Gracechurch, a confide- 

 rable fum, but that the very fex of tiie 

 iufant was deteruiined on. 



POPli's-IlEALl-ALI.EY. 



When Peacham publiflied his Corn- 

 pleat Gentleman, in 1G2'>, this place ap- 

 pears to have been celebrated for print- 

 Ihops. Speaking of iliibert Goltzius, he 

 •bierve^, "His printes are commonly to 

 be had in Pope's-Head-alley. 



For the Monihli/ Magazine. 

 On the roETiCAi. ohacles of the 



Cl'.LEK';. 



rr'^HT'' origin and progrcfs of the Greek 

 X epjgittm has been explained iu fome 

 former papers tb.at have ocealionally ap- 

 peared i'l ttiis Magazine. The term was 

 liili apjiropriuted to the infcriptions ae- 

 compauying olferings made in the tem- 

 ples of ti;c god'. Tiius tiiC Athenians, 

 havnig taken a fcv( re revesigc on the I'.u- 

 btrans and Chalcidians, (as mentioned in 

 tlic 5ihbook of lierodotu.'-,) eonfecrated 

 to Vlini-iTu a brazen chariot in the Pio- 

 pyJaea with ibis Imiple " Eju^raw" in 

 iotii lines, " Tuc youlli of Aitica, liav- 



ing overcome the nations of tlic Bofo- 

 tians and Chalcidians in the Ja'oours «f 

 war, and iiaviug broken their pride by 

 iron fetters, the tenth of tlie fpoil is cou- 

 fecrated to Pallas in this chariot." 



It was afterwards transferred to tlw 

 infcriptions on the gates of templca; 

 thence to thofe on other public edifices, 

 on the llatues of gods, and Iveroes, (ivlie- 

 tlier dead or living,) am] on tombs ;* 

 neither did it iignit'y whether in verfc or 

 profe : it was flill an epigram. Such was 

 the very ancient iufcription on the tom3» 

 of Cyrus -. 



^utviursi^ TB /x.H)j«.aTi);, 



The brevity of thefe infcriptions.^ 

 which rendered it fo ealy to jiin[)rc:(s oji 

 the memory any particidar eveiat, anj 

 rule of action, or any general feeJiiig, 

 ioon reconnnended it for otl>er pxirpofes. 

 'I'he lawgiver tidopbed it to convey a me* 

 ral |)recept, and the lover to txprcfs a 

 tender lentiment ; and hence, in proccfs 

 of tinie, almoil eveiv little poem whicij 

 concifely reprefented (»ne diitinci jd«a, 

 or purfued one fimple argomeut, acquired 

 the title of epigram. 



Nc\t of kin to thefe infcriptions, or 

 epigrams, we/e the oracular refpoidi's of 

 the gods. 1-ike them they are ainoug 

 the earliell poems of which we J)ave any 

 notice ; they are contained iu a very 

 few words, and exprefl"i;d in a very 

 limple manner, uotwithftanding the ofj- 

 leure, and fometiines impejietrable, 

 meaning which they convey. 



The high repatation to wliicli oracles 

 attained in the carlieft ages of Greece, is 

 eafily accounted for from the fupcrftition 

 which attributed them immediately to 

 the Gods theinfelves ; " whereas (fays 

 Potter,) other forts of diviruuion were de- 

 livered by men, and had a greater de- 

 pendance on them, who might either out 

 of ignorance, miftake, or out of fear, 

 hopes, or other unlawful and bale ends, 

 conce-il or betray the truth ; whereas 

 they thought the gods, who we e neither 

 obnoxioas to the auger, nor liood in need 

 of the re vaids, nor eared for the pro- 

 mifes of mortals, could not be prevailed 

 upon to do either of them. \J\ym this 



* An ej>itaph is merely an (.-pigram or ;n. 

 fciiption cut on a tomb. 



+ Mi'.ny epigrains were fAovog-ip^ci, i. e., of 

 a fingle line. Such is that by Admctus, who 

 lived in Trajjn'o time : 



r«ia Kat' aSjWbtb t^vTfSV ^k S's.'t fftsv avro;. 



account 



