﻿12 
  H. 
  A. 
  JVewton 
  — 
  The 
  Worship 
  of 
  Meteorites. 
  

  

  This 
  Sun-god 
  was 
  named 
  Heliogabalus, 
  and 
  before 
  the 
  altar 
  

   a 
  boy 
  of 
  nine 
  years 
  of 
  age 
  began 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  priest. 
  Such 
  a 
  

   Syrian 
  service 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  the 
  boy 
  grow 
  manly 
  nor 
  virtuous, 
  

   and 
  when 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  fifteen 
  he 
  became 
  emperor 
  through 
  

   the 
  money 
  and 
  intrigues 
  of 
  his 
  grandmother, 
  and 
  the 
  murder 
  

   of 
  the 
  Emperor 
  Macrinus, 
  we 
  have 
  for 
  three 
  years 
  at 
  Rome 
  

   the 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  sorriest 
  scrapegrace 
  that 
  ever 
  sat 
  on 
  a 
  throne. 
  

   He 
  assumed 
  with 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Antoninus 
  also 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  his 
  

   god 
  Heliogabalus. 
  To 
  the 
  great 
  disgust 
  of 
  the 
  Roman 
  Senate 
  

   and 
  people, 
  he 
  brought 
  with 
  him 
  from 
  Syria 
  the 
  image 
  of 
  his 
  

   god, 
  the 
  sacred 
  stone, 
  and 
  himself 
  continued 
  before 
  it 
  his 
  

   priestly 
  service 
  with 
  all 
  its 
  fantastic 
  forms 
  and 
  gesticulations. 
  

   He 
  built 
  within 
  the 
  city 
  walls 
  a 
  grand 
  and 
  beautiful 
  temple, 
  

   with 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  altars 
  around 
  it; 
  he 
  repaired 
  thither 
  

   every 
  morning, 
  and 
  sacrificed 
  hecatombs 
  of 
  bulls 
  and 
  an 
  

   infinite 
  number 
  of 
  sheep, 
  loading 
  the 
  altars 
  with 
  aromatics, 
  

   and 
  pouring 
  out 
  firkins 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  and 
  richest 
  wines. 
  He 
  

   himself 
  led 
  the 
  choruses, 
  and 
  women 
  of 
  his 
  own 
  country 
  

   danced 
  with 
  him 
  in 
  circles 
  around 
  the 
  altars, 
  while 
  the 
  whole 
  

   Senatorian 
  and 
  Equestrian 
  orders 
  stood 
  in 
  a 
  ring 
  like 
  the 
  audi- 
  

   ence 
  of 
  a 
  theater. 
  

  

  But 
  now 
  he 
  must 
  have 
  a 
  wife 
  for 
  his 
  god. 
  So 
  he 
  broke 
  

   into 
  the 
  apartments 
  guarded 
  by 
  the 
  vestals 
  and 
  carried 
  to 
  the 
  

   palace 
  the 
  Trojan 
  Palladium, 
  or 
  what 
  he 
  supposed 
  was 
  that 
  

   object, 
  and 
  was 
  intending 
  to 
  celebrate 
  the 
  nuptials 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  

   images. 
  His 
  god, 
  however, 
  he 
  concluded 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  pleased 
  

   with 
  a 
  warlike 
  wife 
  like 
  Pallas, 
  therefore, 
  he 
  ordered 
  brought 
  

   from 
  Carthage 
  an 
  ancient 
  image 
  of 
  Urania, 
  or 
  the 
  Moon, 
  

   which, 
  had 
  been 
  set 
  up 
  by 
  Dido 
  when 
  she 
  first 
  built 
  old 
  Car- 
  

   thage. 
  With 
  this 
  image 
  he 
  demanded 
  the 
  immense 
  treasures 
  

   in 
  her 
  temple, 
  and 
  he 
  also 
  collected 
  from 
  every 
  direction 
  im- 
  

   mense 
  sums 
  of 
  money 
  to 
  furnish 
  to 
  the 
  Moon 
  a 
  suitable 
  mar- 
  

   riage 
  portion 
  when 
  married 
  to 
  the 
  Sun. 
  

  

  He 
  built 
  another 
  temple 
  in 
  the 
  suburbs 
  of 
  Rome, 
  to 
  which 
  

   the 
  Emesa 
  stone, 
  the 
  god 
  (?) 
  was 
  carried 
  in 
  procession 
  every 
  year, 
  

   while 
  the 
  populace 
  were 
  entertained 
  with 
  games, 
  and 
  shows, 
  

   and 
  feastings 
  and 
  carousings. 
  Herodian 
  thus 
  describes 
  this 
  per- 
  

   formance 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  god 
  was 
  brought 
  from 
  the 
  city 
  to 
  this 
  place 
  in 
  a 
  

   chariot 
  glittering 
  with 
  gold 
  and 
  precious 
  stones, 
  and 
  drawn 
  by 
  

   six 
  large 
  white 
  horses 
  without 
  the 
  least 
  spot, 
  superbly 
  har- 
  

   nessed 
  with 
  gold 
  and 
  other 
  curious 
  trappings 
  reflecting 
  a 
  vari- 
  

   ety 
  of 
  colors. 
  Antoninus 
  himself 
  held 
  the 
  reins 
  — 
  nor 
  was 
  any 
  

   mortal 
  permitted 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  chariot 
  ; 
  but 
  all 
  kept 
  attendant 
  

   around 
  him 
  as 
  charioteer 
  to 
  the 
  deity, 
  while 
  he 
  ran 
  backward 
  

   leading 
  the 
  horses, 
  with 
  his 
  face 
  to 
  the 
  chariot, 
  that 
  he 
  might 
  

   have 
  a 
  constant 
  view 
  of 
  his 
  god. 
  In 
  this 
  manner 
  he 
  performed 
  

  

  