SIBYLS. 



of tlieir enterpnfe, and who lived, according to Eufebius, 

 not in the time of the Trojan war, as Varro believes, but 

 under the reign of Romulus ; Samian, called, according to 

 Suidas, Pitho, or Perfuafion, and according to Eufebius, 

 Eriphile ; Cumaean, named Amahhasa by fome authors, and 

 by others Demophile or Hieropliyle, who is faid to have 

 offered to Tarquin the Elder a coUeftion of Sibylline verfes, 

 in nine books ; Hellefpontic or Troiad, born at Marpefus, 

 near the town of Gorgi:, in Troas, who lived, according to 

 Heraclides, in the time of Cyrus and Solon ; Phrygian, 

 who gave her oracles at Ancyra, the place of her refidence ; 

 and Tiburtine, named Albmijea, and honoured as a divinity 

 in the vicinity of the river Anio. Of thefe, the mod cele- 

 brated are, the Erythrxan, Delphic, and Cumaean Sibyls. 



Some modern authors, without regarding the authority 

 of Varro, or that of the other ancients, are for uniting all 

 the Sibyls in one ; fo that, according to them, difterent 

 names were given to one and the fame Sibyl from the 

 different places where (he uttered her oracles. She firlt 

 publilhed her predidions in the city of Erythrsea, the 

 place of her nativity ; then rambled about the world ; 

 and clofed her life at Cumx, in Italy. Dr. Hyde (De 

 Relig. Perfar.), (liocked at the contradiftions and fabu- 

 lous adventures with which the Pagans filled the hillory 

 of the Sibyls, accounts for them in the following manner. 

 He obferves in the conftellation Virgo a bright Itar, which 

 the Perfians called Sambula, denoting, in their language, 

 fpica, or an ear of corn ; and remarks, that the Perfians, 

 who were fond of judiciary aftrology, looked on the fign 

 of the Virgin as havmg a greater power than all the other 

 celellial bodies, for difcovering future events. The Greeks, 

 having learnt the fciences of the eailern nations, foon 

 adopted thefe trifling opinions, and, agreeably to their 

 genius, embellifhed them with ther fiflions. Their poets 

 foon invented a Sibyl virgin, in allufion to the term Sam- 

 bula, carried her into feveral countries, and made her adl the 

 part of a prophetefs. So that, according to this eminent 

 writer, whatever has been faid both by the ancients and 

 moderns of the Sibyls and their prophecies, is entirely fabu- 

 lous. This conjedture, though ingenious, is contradidled 

 by the teftimony of antiquity, which allows that there were, 

 in different times and countries, fuch extraordinary pcrfons, 

 who were reputed to have a particular fore-knowledge of 

 futurity, and whole predictions, carefully coUefted, were 

 confulted upon important occafions. The Perfian Sibyl 

 might, indeed, owe her original to the circumltance above- 

 mentioned, but that is no fufficient argument againll the 

 exidence of other Sibyls. The Romans had the highcil 

 poflible veneration for the Sibyls ; and if they did not 

 always regard them as divinities, they at leaft reputed them 

 of a middle nature between gods and men ; and fome of 

 them received divine honours. Laftantius fays, with con- 

 fidence, that the Tiburtine Sibyl was worfhipped as a 

 goddefs at Tibur. Some of them alfo had temples. Judin 

 Martyr mentions that of the Sibyl of Cum^, in Italy, 

 built over the cave where flie delivered her oracles. Virgil 

 mention? this temple, or rather he confiders as a temple the 

 grotto wliere the Sibyl delivered her oracles, becaule in 

 after-times tliere was one aftually built there. " Vocat alta 

 in Templa Sacerdos," jEn. 1. 6. We may here add, that 

 the inhabitants of Gorgis, in the LefTer Phrygia, hadacullom 

 of reprefenting upon their mtdals the Sibyl who was born 

 in that city, as being their great divinity. As a farther 

 proof of the worfliip paid to the Sibyls, they had Itatues 

 erecled to them, which were placed in the tcmpleii. 



The S'ibylliiie oracles were held in great veneration by tlic 

 more credulous among the ancients ; but thi-y were much 



fufpefted by many of the more knowing. The book*; 

 in which they were written were kept by the Romans 

 with infinite care ; and nothing of moment was undertaken 

 without confulting them. Tarquin firll committed them 

 to the cuftody of two patrician prieils, initituted for that 

 purpofe. (See Duumviri Sacrorum.) How, when, or 

 by whom this coUeftion was made, are circumllances which 

 authentic hiltory has not afcerlained. It is not likely 

 that the Sibyls prophefied in verfe, far lefs that they them- 

 felves kept their prediftions, and digelled them into order. 

 All that we know concerning them is, that a woman came 

 to Tarquin the Elder, as Varro fays, or, according to 

 Pliny, to Tarquin the Proud, offering him a coUeAion of 

 thefe verfes in nine books, or three according to Phny ; 

 and that fhe demanded for them 300 pieces of gold ; that 

 when the prince refufed to give that fum, (he threw three 

 of them into the fire, and afked the fame fum for the re. 

 maining fix, which being refufed, (he burned three more, 

 and perfilled in adding the fame fum for thofe that were 

 left : at length the king, fearing that (he would burn the 

 other three, gave her the fum which (he demanded. Al- 

 though this itory has very much the air of a romance, it is 

 attelted by many authors ; and it is certain that the 

 Romans had in their poffeffion a coUeAion of the Sibylline 

 verfes. 



Thefe books were carefully kept till the civil wars of 

 Sylla and Marius : when the Capitol being accidentally 

 fct on fire, and burnt down to the ground, thefe books 

 were burnt with it. This happened in the year before 

 Chrilt 83. But the Capitol being again rebuilt about 

 feven years after this period, the fenate determined to re- 

 ilore the Sibylline oracles ; and having procured many that 

 were faid to be of this kind, laid them up in the Capitol, in 

 order to fupply the place and office of thofe that were loft. 

 However, the books thus obtained had been difperfed iu 

 the hands of many, and were, therefore, by being thus vul- 

 garly known, unfit for the ufe which the Romans propofed 

 to make of them. On this account a law was paffed, 

 which required the furrender of them, and prohibited any 

 from retaining copies of them, under pain of death. 

 Augulhis, when he affumed the high-priellhood of Rome, 

 revived this law, and dellroycd a great multitude of copies 

 which were brought in. Tiberius caufed m.iny more to be 

 burnt, and preferved only thofe which were found molt 

 worthy of approbation for that fervice of the ilate for 

 which they were originally intended ; and to thefe, as long 

 as Rome remained heathen, they had conftant recourfe ; 

 till at length Honorius the emperor, A. D. 399, iilued an 

 order for dcllroying them ; in purfuance of winch, Stilico 

 burnt all thefe prophetic writings, and demolilhed the 

 temple of Apollo, in which they were repofitcd. Never- 

 thclefs, there is Hill preferved, in eight books of Greek 

 verfe, a coUeftion of oracles, pretended to be the Sibylline. 

 Dr. Cave, who is well fatisfied that this colleftion is a 

 forgery, fuppofes that a large part of it was compofed in 

 the time of Adrian, about t!ie year 130 ; that others were 

 added in the time of the Antonines ; and the whole work 

 completed in the reign of Commodus. Dr. Prideaux fays, 

 that this collection mull have been made between the year 

 of our Lord 138, and the year 167. It could not be earlier, 

 for mention is made of tlie next fuceellor of Adrian, ;'. e. 

 Antoninus Pius, who did not fucceed hin\ till the year 138; 

 and it could not be later, beeaufe Jullin M.utyr, in hii 

 writings, often quotes it, and appeals to it ; and he did not 

 outlive the year 167. Fabiicius fuppoles that this col- 

 leAion does not contain all the Sibylline oracles which 

 were ufed by the ancieut fathers ; and that the molt ancient 



Chrillian 



