CAB 



178 



CAB 



Cabin", ja, or king of justice, is Cashmala, who drags the 

 wicked with ropes about their necks, and throws 

 them into hell. 



Axieros, the name of one of the Cabirian gods, is 

 obviously derived from Asyoruca, or rather from A- 

 ayoru, or Asyonis, which signifies literally, she whose 

 face is most beautiful. 



Axiocersa is derived from Asyotcersa, a word of 

 the same import with the former, and was the sacred 

 name of Proserpine. The word Proserpine is obviously 

 derived from the Sanscrit Prasarparni, or she mho is 

 surrounded by large snakes. Nonnus represents her as 

 surrounded by two enormous snakes, who constantly 

 watched over her. Her consort is Vishnu, who, ac- 

 cording to the Puranas, rules in the west, and du- 

 ring the greatest part of the night. In this sense, 

 Vishnu is the Dis of the western mythologists, the 

 black Jupiter of Statins ; for Vishnu is represented as 

 of a black or dark azure complexion. The titles of 

 Dis and Ades appear to be derived from A'di or 

 A 'din, one of the names of Vishnu. When Cicero 

 says, Terrena autem vis omnis atque natura, Did pa- 

 tri dedicata est, that is, nature and the powers or 

 energy of the earth are under the direction of Dis, 

 this has no reference to the judge of departed souls, 

 but belongs solely to Vishnu. 



Cashmala', or Cashmala's, is obviously the Casmil- 

 lus of the western mythologists. The appellation of 

 Cabiri, as a title of these gods, is unknown to the 

 Hindoos. But the Cuveras, or Cuberas, as it is ge- 

 nerally pronounced, are a tribe of inferior deities, 

 whose history is given in the Puranas, possessed of 

 immense riches, and who are acquainted with all pla- 

 ces under or above ground, abounding with precious 

 metals and gems. In this respect, their functions 

 seem to correspond with the name of Pluto, if we 

 suppose him to have had his name from WXTJ, di- 

 vitice. 



There can now be no doubt, that we are to look 

 to the East for the origin of some of the most mys- 

 terious rites of the western heathen. At the con- 

 elusion of the mysteries of Eleusis, the congrega- 

 tion was dismissed with these words, Koy| Ctyt n| ; 

 COHXJ Om, Pax. These mysterious words were till 

 lately considered as inexplicable : they are now, how- 

 ever, found to be pun; Sanscrit, and to be used to 

 this day by the Bramins, at the conclusion of religi- 

 ous ceremonies. They are thus written in the lan- 

 guage of the gods, as the Hindoos call the language 

 of their sacred books, Canscha, Om, Pacsha. The 

 6rst signifies the object of our most ardent desires ; 

 the second is the mysterious monosyllable, used both 

 at the beginning and conclusion of a prayer ; and the 

 third seems to indicate the termination of the religi- 

 ous rites. It answers to the obsolete Latin word, 

 vix, a change, alternation, ivc. intimating, that the 

 course of religious observances is accomplished. See 

 Asiatic Researches, vol. v. 



But hough we ;nay perhaps thus trace the Cabi- 

 rian worship to India, we are still as much in the 

 dark as ever, with regard to its real origin and sig- 

 nification. By some the Cabiri are reckoned eight 

 in number ; and Shuckford supposes them to be the 

 eight immediate descendants of Misraim, compre- 

 hending his seven sons, and Philistin. Were we to 



admit this interpretation, we should then be enabled 

 to trace the current of mythology from Egypt east- 

 ward to India. But we have, at present, no suffi- 

 cient authority for such a conclusion See Shuck- 

 ford's Connect, vol. ii. 



Others understand by them the eight persons sa- 

 ved in the ark, and commonly denominated the sa- 

 cred ogdoad of Egypt. See Faber's Mysteries of 

 the Cabiri. (g) 



CABLE. See ROPE-MAKING. 



CABOT, SEBASTIAN, an eminent navigator, flou- 

 rished in the beginning of the sixteenth century. 

 His father, John Cabot, merchant and pilot, was by 

 birth a Venetian ; but, recommending himself, by his 

 address and enterprise, to the notice of King Henry 

 VII., he came to settle in England, under the pa- 

 tronage of that politic prince. Where Sebastian 

 was born is a subject of dispute between the English 

 and Italians ; the former asserting, that he was born 

 at Bristol about the year 1477 ; while the latter con- 

 tend, that he was by birth, as well as extraction, a 

 Venetian. One thing is certain, that in the oldest 

 documents, written, it is true, by foreigners, he ia 

 constantly spoken of as born at Venice, and only 

 brought to this country when a boy. In the re- 

 port of the pope's legate, to whom Cabot had given 

 a colloquial narrative of his voyages and discoveries, 

 that navigator himself is made to say, that his fa- 

 ther, on a mercantile expedition, had brought him 

 from Venice to London when very young, " having 

 neverthelesse some knowledge of letters of humani- 

 tie, and of the sphere." Be this, however, as it 

 may, young Sebastian received a thorough educa- 

 tion suitable to his intended profession, combining at 

 once a knowledge of mathematics and astronomy 

 with early application to the practice of seamanship. 

 He had already, it is said, made several voyages be- 

 fore the age of seventeen. 



The whole world at this time resounded with the 

 discoveries of Columbus, who returned from his first 

 expedition in 1493. The skilful and enterprising of 

 all descriptions, were, as is generally the case r seized 

 with a universal frenzy for discovery, in consequence 

 of his success ; and merchants and private citizens 

 staked the whole of their fortunes on the chance of 

 discovering lands abounding with gold and spices. 

 John Cabot, who seems to have been nothing infe- 

 rior in abilities to his son, representing- to King Hen- 

 ry the wealth, conquest, and glory which might ac- 

 crue to England from a successful voyage of the 

 same kind, that monarch granted letiers patent, da- 

 ted the eleventh year of his reign, 14-95, to John Ca- 

 bot, citizen of Venice, and his three sons, Lewis, 

 Sebastian, and Sancius, for the discovery of new and 

 unknown lands. In this deed, preserved in Hakluyt, 

 the king gives full and free authority, leave and power, 

 to sail to all parts, countries, and seas of the east, of 

 the west, and of the north, unde? our banners and 

 ensigns, with five ships. All the countries disco- 

 vered were to be taken possession of in the king's 

 name; but to be settled and governed by Cabot, 

 his sons, and heirs, in quality of vassals, or lieutenants, 

 who were to enjoy a kind of feudal authority over the 

 population and traffic of such regions. They were 

 subjected to the restriction of importing the mer- 



CaMe, 

 Cabot. 



