WISDOM OF THE //Ar/A 7tf. 447 



the person of Actcon, and the other in that of Pentheus. Acteon, 

 undesigncdly chancing to sec Diana naked, was turned into a stag, 

 and torn to pieces by his own hounds. And Pcntheus, desiring to 

 pry into the hidden mysteries of Bacchus s sacrifice, and climbing a 

 tree for that puqwse, was struck with a phrensy. This phrensy of 

 Penlhcus caused him to see things double, particularly the sun, and 

 his own city Thebes, so that running homewards, and immediately 

 espying another Thebes, he runs towards that ; and thus continues 

 incessantly tending first to the one, anil then to the other, without 

 coming at cither. 



EXPLANATION. The first of these fables may relate to the secrets 

 of princes, and the second to divine mysteries. For they who are not 

 intimate with a prince, yet, against his will have a knowledge of his 

 secrets, inevitably incur his displeasure ; and therefore, being aware 

 that they are singled out, and all opportunities watched against them, 

 they lead the life of a stag, full of fears and suspicions. It likewise 

 frequently happens that their servants and domestics accuse them, and 

 plot their overthrow, in order to procure favour with the prince; for 

 whenever the king manifests his displeasure, the person it falls upon 

 must expect his servants to betray him, and worry him down, as Acteon 

 was worried by his own dogs. 



The punishment of Pentheus is of another kind ; for they who, 

 unmindful of their mortal state, rashly aspire to divine mysteries, 

 by climbing the heights of nature and philosophy, here represented 

 by climhing a tree, their fate is perpetual inconstancy, perplexity, 

 and instability of judgment. For as there is one light of nature, and 

 another light that is divine, they sec, as it were, two suns. And as the 

 actions of life, and the determinations of the will, depend upon the 

 understanding, they are distracted as much in opinion as in will ; 

 and therefore udge very inconsistently, or contradictorily ; and sec, 

 as it were, Thel&amp;gt;cs double : for Thebes being the refuge and habitation 

 of Pentheus, here denotes the ends of actions : whence they know 

 not what course to take, but remaining undetermined and unresolved 

 in their views and designs, they arc merely driven about by every 

 sudden gust and impulse of the mind. 



XX. THE FABLE OF THE KIVER STYX. 



EXPLAINED OF NECESSITY, IN THE OATHS OR SOLEMN LEAGUES 

 OF FRINXES. 



THE only solemn oath, by which the gods irrevocably obliged 

 themselves, is a well-known thing, and makes a part of many ancient 

 fables. To this oath they did not invoke any celestial divinity, or 

 divine attribute, but only called to witness the river Styx; which, with 

 many meanders, surrounds the infernal court of Dis. Fur this form 



