﻿10 
  H. 
  A. 
  Newton 
  — 
  -The 
  Worship 
  of 
  Meteorites. 
  

  

  in 
  case 
  of 
  stonefalls, 
  religious 
  exercises 
  during 
  nine 
  days 
  were 
  

   ordered. 
  The 
  Senate 
  after 
  careful 
  deliberation 
  selected 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  Scipios, 
  deciding 
  that 
  he 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  good 
  men 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  

   was 
  the 
  best, 
  and 
  they 
  deputed 
  him 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  stone. 
  The 
  

   whole 
  city 
  went 
  out 
  to 
  meet 
  the 
  goddess. 
  Matrons 
  and 
  daugh- 
  

   ters, 
  senators 
  and 
  knights, 
  the 
  vestals 
  and 
  the 
  common 
  people 
  

   all 
  joined 
  the 
  throng. 
  But 
  a 
  drought 
  had 
  reduced 
  the 
  water 
  

   of 
  the 
  Tiber 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  vessel 
  grounded 
  upon 
  the 
  bar. 
  All 
  

   the 
  efforts 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  pulling 
  upon 
  the 
  ropes 
  failed 
  to 
  move 
  

   it. 
  A 
  noble 
  matron 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  slandered 
  stepped 
  forward 
  

   into 
  the 
  water. 
  Dipping 
  her 
  hands 
  three 
  times 
  into 
  the 
  waves 
  

   and 
  raising 
  them 
  three 
  times 
  to 
  heaven, 
  she 
  besought 
  the 
  god- 
  

   dess 
  to 
  vindicate 
  her 
  good 
  name 
  if 
  she 
  had 
  been 
  unjustly 
  slan- 
  

   dered. 
  She 
  laid 
  hold 
  of 
  the 
  rope 
  and 
  the 
  vessel 
  followed 
  her 
  

   slightest 
  movement, 
  amid 
  the 
  plaudits 
  of 
  the 
  multitude. 
  

  

  Scipio, 
  as 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  ordered 
  by 
  the 
  Senate, 
  waded 
  out 
  into 
  

   the 
  water, 
  received 
  the 
  stone 
  from 
  the 
  priests, 
  carried 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  

   land, 
  and 
  delivered 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  principal 
  matrons 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  a 
  

   band 
  of 
  whom 
  were 
  in 
  waiting 
  to 
  receive 
  it. 
  They, 
  relieving 
  

   each 
  other 
  in 
  succession 
  and 
  handing 
  it 
  from 
  one 
  set 
  to 
  another, 
  

   carried 
  it 
  to 
  the 
  gates 
  of 
  the 
  city, 
  and 
  thence 
  through 
  the 
  

   streets 
  to 
  the 
  temple 
  of 
  Victory 
  on 
  the 
  Palatine 
  Hill. 
  Censers 
  

   were 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  doors 
  of 
  the 
  houses 
  wherever 
  the 
  procession 
  

   passed, 
  and 
  incense 
  was 
  burned 
  in 
  them, 
  all 
  praying 
  that 
  the 
  

   goddess 
  would 
  enter 
  the 
  city 
  with 
  good-will 
  and 
  a 
  favorable 
  

   disposition. 
  The 
  people 
  in 
  crowds 
  carried 
  presents 
  to 
  the 
  

   temple. 
  A 
  religious 
  feast 
  and 
  an 
  eight 
  days' 
  festival 
  with 
  

   games 
  were 
  established 
  to 
  be 
  celebrated 
  thereafter 
  each 
  year 
  in 
  

   the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  April. 
  

  

  Before 
  another 
  year 
  had 
  passed 
  Hannibal, 
  after 
  having 
  

   maintained 
  his 
  army 
  in 
  Italy 
  for 
  fifteen 
  years, 
  was 
  forced 
  to 
  

   withdraw 
  again 
  to 
  Africa. 
  From 
  the 
  liberal 
  offerings 
  of 
  the 
  

   people, 
  in 
  gratitude 
  for 
  deliverance, 
  a 
  temple 
  was 
  erected 
  to 
  

   Cybele, 
  long 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Temple 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Mother 
  of 
  the 
  

   Gods, 
  so 
  that 
  twelve 
  years 
  after 
  its 
  arrival 
  at 
  Kome 
  the 
  stone 
  

   was 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  Temple 
  of 
  Victory 
  and 
  set 
  up 
  in 
  its 
  new 
  

   home. 
  A 
  silver 
  statue 
  of 
  the 
  goddess 
  was 
  constructed, 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  stone 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  serve 
  in 
  place 
  of 
  a 
  head. 
  Here, 
  

   in 
  public 
  view, 
  for 
  at 
  least 
  five 
  hundred 
  years 
  that 
  stone 
  was 
  a 
  

   prominent 
  object 
  of 
  Roman 
  worship. 
  Its 
  physical 
  appearance 
  

   is 
  described 
  by 
  several 
  writers. 
  It 
  was 
  conical 
  in 
  shape, 
  end- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  a 
  point, 
  this 
  shape 
  giving 
  occasion 
  to 
  the 
  name 
  Needle 
  of 
  

   Cybele. 
  It 
  was 
  brown 
  in 
  color, 
  and 
  looked 
  like 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  

   lava. 
  Arnobius, 
  a 
  Christian 
  writer 
  just 
  before 
  the 
  accession 
  

   of 
  Constantine, 
  and 
  over 
  five 
  hundred 
  years 
  from 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  

   its 
  arrival 
  at 
  Rome, 
  says 
  erf 
  the 
  stone 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  If 
  historians 
  speak 
  the 
  truth 
  and 
  insert 
  no 
  false 
  accounts 
  

  

  