On the Ancient HELLENES. 145 



imported much the fame idea with the term Zabian ; that in 

 Egypt in particular there was a race of priefts denominated 

 Hellenes. —Let us now fee to what purpofe we mean to apply 

 the foregoing obfervations. 



We have already (hewn from Herodotus, that the oracle 

 of Dodona was an Egyptian erection ; that the Helli or Sellt 

 were the minifters of the Deity ; that thefe Helli, afterwards 

 Hellenes, were originally worfhippers of the Sun, this planet 

 being the primary Jupiter of the Greeks and Romans; that 

 there was in the neighbourhood of that temple, a city called 

 Hellas, the capital of a diitrict called Hellopia ; that the inha- 

 bitants of this canton were the original Hellenes of Greece ; 

 and, laftly, that the TheiTalian Hellenes were a colony of emi- 

 grants from the laft mentioned people. I fhould now proceed 

 to investigate by what means the Hellenes of Theflaly grew fo 

 confiderable, as to communicate their name to all the other 

 communities of Greece. But before I enter upon this part of 

 the fubject, I {hall take the liberty to hazard a few etymologi- 

 cal conjectures, which, if admitted, will operate as collateral 

 proofs of the hypothefis. 



I observed in that part of this difquifition where I treated 

 of the emigration of the Dodonean Helli, that, though the 

 leaders of the colony were undoubtedly Egyptians, yet a num- 

 ber of Phoenicians were probably mingled with thefe emi- 

 grants. I lhall now {how, that moft of the names connected 

 with the temple and oracle, were actually Phoenician. Hello- 

 pia, the name of the canton around the temple, fignifles a ter- 

 ritory facred to the fun and the moon. I have lhewn above, 

 that El or Hel was a name of the fun. Ops, Opis, Upis, was a 

 Pelafgic name of the moon. In the Egyptian language, Ob 

 was a name of the fun, and of courfe Ob a became a title of 

 his filter divinity. The confonants b and p being'both labials, 

 naturally pafs into each other. Hence Oba or Uba became Opa 

 and Upa. From Hel and Opa combined originates Hellopa j 



Vol. III. t whence 



