112 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



When the celebration of Apollo's festivals 

 arrived, both nations, who religiously observed 

 them, laid aside all hostilities, and, according 

 to custom, cut down branches of the bay-tree 

 from Mount Helicon, and in the neighbour- 

 hood of the river Melas, and walked in pro- 

 cession in honour of the divinity. The day 

 that this solemnity was observed, Polemates, 

 the general of the Boeotian army, saw a youth 

 in a dream that presented him with a com- 

 plete suit of armour, and commanded the 

 Boeotians to offer solemn prayers to Apollo, 

 and walk in procession, with laurel-boughs in 

 their hands, every ninth year. Three days 

 after this dream the Boeotian general made a 

 sally, and cut off the greatest part of the be- 

 siegers, who were compelled by this blow to 

 relinquish their enterprize ; Polemates, from 

 this, instituted a novennial festival to the god 

 who seemed to be the patron of the Boeotians. 



By the manner in which this festival was 

 kept, we may trace their religion from the 

 eastern nations, where the sun was the pri- 

 mary object of adoration ; for in this festival it 

 was usual to adorn an olive-bough with gar- 

 lands of the laurus and other flowers, and place 

 on the top a brazen globe, on which were 

 suspended smaller ones. In the middle were 

 placed a number of crowns, and a globe of 



