154 APPENDIX concerning 



the brother of the far-famed Hellen, though fome pretend 

 that he was his fon. The Athenians, who arrogate every thing 

 to themfelves, aflert, that he was one of their Sovereigns. 

 They tell us, that he came to Athens, and married the daugh- 

 ter of Cranaus, the fecond King of Athens *. This unna- 

 tural Prince dethroned his father-in-law, and ufurped the 

 Crown. He reigned eleven, fome fay twelve years f, and was 

 in his turn expelled by Erichthonius. According to Apollo- 

 dorus, fome were of opinion, that this fame Amphictyon 

 was not the fon of Deucalion, but a native of Attica J ; and 

 if ever fuch a perfon did actually exift, I fhould imagine the 

 latter opinion by far the mod probable. But in either cafe, 

 nothing can be more abfurd than to fuppofe, that a petty fove- 

 reign of a territory, fituated at a considerable didance from the 

 centre of union, and unconnected with all the other dates en- 

 gaged in the confederacy, fhould have been pofTeffed of fuffi- 

 cient influence and authority to accomplish an enterprife of 

 fuch magnitude and importance. The very idea carries incon- 

 fiftency in its afpect. This claim we mud therefore place to 

 the account of Athenian vanity. 



Some have afcribed the inditution to Acrisius, King of 

 Argos §, a pofition dill more improbable, if poflible, than the 

 former. That Prince was too inconsiderable, and lived at too 

 great a didance, to have projected fuch a plan, or, if he had, 

 he could never have carried it into execution. What could 

 have induced a Sovereign of Argos to intered himfelf in the 

 concern of a temple fo remote from his own dominions ? What 

 motive can we imagine could have engaged acrisius to pro- 

 ject an inditution calculated to promote the union and fecurity 

 of a number of tribes with which he was altogether uncon- 

 nected ? — an inditution from which neither himfelf nor his 



fubjects 



* Apollod. Bib. cap. iii. p. 221. Pausan. in Att. cap. 2. p. 7. bottom, 

 f Id. ib. % Id. ib, § Strabo, lib. ix. p. 420. 



