BAY. Ill 



given in verse, until it was sarcastically ob- 

 served, that the god and patron of poetry was 

 one of the worst poets in the world, which 

 induced the priestess to deliver her answers 

 in prose. It was customary for all that con- 

 sulted the oracle to make rich presents to the 

 god of Delphi ; and no monarch distinguished 

 himself more by his donations than Croesus. 



There were also diviners called Daphne- 

 phagi, laurel-eaters, because they chewed lau- 

 rel leaves, pretending thereby to be inspired 

 by Apollo. The bay-tree was also employed 

 in other kinds of divination and religious 

 cheats, such as throwing them into the fire ; 

 when to draw a good augury the leaves must 

 crackle. They put them also beneath their 

 pillows at night, to obtain prophetic dreams ; 

 and they were planted around their dwellings 

 to bring good luck. 



The origin of the Daphnephoria, a festival 

 in honour of Apollo, which was held every 

 ninth year, will show how sacredly the bay- 

 tree was considered to belong to that god. 

 An oracle advised the ^Etolians, who inha- 

 bited Arne and the adjacent country, to leave 

 their own country and go in quest of a settle- 

 ment ; they therefore invaded the Theban 

 territories, which at that time were pillaged 

 by an army of Pelasgians. 



