470 E L E 
of poods from upper'ftories in cafies>of conflagration; 
high elevation and fpeedy exchange of lignals; thefe 
being light may be raifed three hundred feet, and above 
interjacent hills; elevation of a.perfon for taking views, 
and quick defcent when required; as on reconnoitring an 
enemy vyithin fliot: a'machine calculated for lifting him 
at lead one 'hundred feet by eight men can be light enough 
for carrying on a waggon by two horfes. 
ELE'EE, f [Fr.] Difciple.—He attached himfelf to 
fir Robert Walpole, and was one of his ableft eleves. 
Cheflerfield's Characters. . 
ELE'VEN, adj. [senblepen, Sax.] Ten and one; one 
more than ten.—Had I a dozen fons, and none lefs dear 
than Marcius, I had rather eleven die nobly for their 
country, than one voluptuoufly forfeit out of a£tion. 
Shakefpeare. 
ELE'VENTH, adj. The next in order to the tenth.— 
In the eleventh chapter he returns to fpeak of the building 
of Babel. Raleigh. 
ELEU'SINE,yi in botany. See Cynosurus. 
ELEUSI'NIA,/; A celebrated feftival obferved every 
fourth year by the Celeans, Phliafians, as alfo by the 
Pheneatae, Lacedaemonians, Parrhafians, and Cretans; but 
more particularly by the .people of Athens, every fifth 
year, at Eleufis in Attica, where it was introduced by 
Eumolpus, B. C. 1356. It was the mod celebrated of all 
the religious ceremonies of Greece, whence it is often 
called by way of eminence, p.vdrrijgia, the myderies. It 
was fo fuperditioufly obferved, that if any one ever re¬ 
vealed it, it was fuppofed that he had called divine ven¬ 
geance upon his. head, and it was unfafe to live in the 
fame houfe with him. Such a wretch was publicly put 
to an ignominious death. This feftival was facred to 
Ceres and Proferpine; every thing contained a myftery, 
and Ceres herfelf was known only by the name of cc-^na, 
from the forrow and grief («%So;), which the fuffered for 
the lofs of her daughter. This myfterious fecrefy was 
folemnly obferved, and enjoined to all the votaries of the 
goddefs; and if any one ever appeared at the celebration, 
either intentionally, or through ignorance, without pro¬ 
per introduction, he was immediately punithed with death. 
Perfons of both fexes and all ages were initiated at this 
Solemnity, and it was looked upon as fo heinous a crime 
to negleft this facred part of religion, that it was one of 
the heavieft accufations which contributed to the con¬ 
demnation of Socrates. The initiated were under the 
more particular care of the deities, and therefore their 
life was fuppofed to be attended with more happinefs 
and real fecurity than that of other men. This benefit 
was not only granted during life, but it extended beyond 
the grave, and they were honoured with the firft places 
in the Elyfian fields, while others were left to wallow in 
perpetual filth and ignominy. As the benefits of expia¬ 
tion were fo extenfive, particular care was taken in exa¬ 
mining the character of fuch as were prefented for initia¬ 
tion. Such as were guilty of murder, though againft 
their will, and fuch as were convifted of witchcraft, or 
any heinous ct'inre, were not admitted, and the Athenians 
fuffered none to be initiated but fuch as were members 
of their city. This regulation, which compelled Her¬ 
cules, Caftor, and Pollux, to become citizens of Athens, 
was briefly obferved in the firft ages of the inftitution, 
but afterwards all perfons, barbarians excepted, were 
freely initiated. The feftivals were divided into great 
and lefs myderies. The lefs were inftituted from the fol¬ 
lowing circumftance: Hercules palled near Eleufis while 
the Athenians were celebrating their myderies, and de- 
fired to be initiated. As this could not be done, becaufe 
lie was a ftranger; and as Eumolpus was unwilling to 
difpleafe him on account of his great power, and the fer- 
vices which he had done to the Athenians, another fefti¬ 
val was inftituted without violating the laws. It was 
called //. lyga., and Hercules was folerpnly admitted to the 
celebration, and initiated. Thefe lefs myfteries were ob¬ 
ferved at Agrae near the tliffiis. The greater were cele- 
E L E 
brated at Eleufis, from which place Ceres has been called 
Eleufmia. In later times the fmaller feftivals were prepa¬ 
ratory to the greater, and no perfon could be initiated at 
Eleufis, without a previous purification at Agrae. This 
purification they performed by keeping themfelves pure, 
chafte, and unpolluted, during nine days, after,which 
they came and offered facrifices and prayers, wearing gar¬ 
lands of flowers, called icqu.E«a,‘Or ipetfia., and haying un¬ 
der their feet A to; y.ahov, Jupiter’s (kin, which was the 
Ikin of a viffim offered to that god. The perfon who 
affifted was called v^avoe, from water, which was 
tiled at the purification, and they themfelves were called 
iy.va-ra.i, the initiated. A year after the initiation-at the 
lefs myfteries, they facrificed a fow to Ceres, and were 
admitted in the greater, and the fecrets of the feftivals 
were folemnly revealed to them, from which they were 
called zlpoooi, and Enwrai, infpeftors. The inftitution 
was performed in the following manner: The candidates, 
crowned with myrtle, were admitted by night into a place 
called (xvri no; tnjswfy the myftical temple, a vaft and ftu- 
pendous building'. As they entered the temple, they 
purified themfelves by wa filing their’hands in holy water, 
and received for admonition that they were to come with 
a mind pure and undefiled, without which the cleannefs 
of the body would be unacceptable. After this, the holy 
myfteries were read to them, from a large book, called 
becaufe made of two ftones, < 7 nrgea, fitly ce¬ 
mented together. After this, the prieft, called 
propofed to them certain queftions, to which they readily 
anfvvered. After this, ftrange and amazing objects pre¬ 
fented themfelves to their fight, the place often feemed 
to quake, and to appear fuddenly refplendent with fire, 
and covered with gloomy darknefs and horror. Some¬ 
times thunders were heard, or flaflies of lightning appeared 
on every fide. At other times hideous noifes and bowlings 
were heard, and the trembling fpeftators were alarmed 
by hidden and dreadful apparitions. This was called 
cevroil'ix, intuition. After this, the initiated were dif- 
miffed with the barbarous words of y.ofig, o//.iree%. The 
garments in which they were initiated were held facred, 
and of no lefs efficacy to avert evils than charms ,and 
amulets. From this circumftance, therefore, they were 
never left off before they were totally unfit for wear, af¬ 
ter which they were appropriated for children, or dedi¬ 
cated to the goddefs. The chief perfon that attended afi 
the initiation was called jegopamif, the revealer of facred 
things. He was a citizen of Athens, and held his office 
during life, though among the Celeans and Phliafians it 
was limited to the, period of four years. He was obliged 
to devote himfelf totally to the fervice of the deities; 
his life was chafte and fingle, and he ulually anointed his 
body with the juice of hemlock, which is faid,.hy its ex¬ 
treme coldnefs, to extinguifli the carnal appetite. The 
hierophantes had three attendants; the fit ft was called 
'oa.oovvai;, torch-bearer, and was permitted to marry. The 
fecond was called y.rgvij, a crier. The third adminiftered 
at the altar, and was called 0 ett: (i u\j.u. The hierophantes 
is faid to have been a type of the powerful Creator of all 
■things, of the Sun, xjipvf of Mercury, and 0 ztti 
(iufj.ee of the Moon. There were, befides tliefe, other in¬ 
ferior officers, who took particular care that every thing 
was performed according to cuftom. The firft, called 
/ ia.at’kivc , was one of the archons ; he offered prayers and 
facrifices, and took care that there was no indecency or 
irregularity during the celebration. Befides him there 
were four others called ett^zeAvjtoi, curators, eleited by the 
people. One of them was chofen from the facred family 
of the Eumolpidse, the other was one of the Ceryces, 
and the reft were from among the citizens. There were 
alfo ten perfons who affifted at tjiis,and every other fefti¬ 
val, called lepovroiot, becaufe they oftgred facrifices. This 
feftival was obferved in the month Boedromion or Sep¬ 
tember, and continued nine days, from the 15th till the 
23d, During that time it was unlawful toarreft any man, 
or prefent any petition on pain of forfeiting a thoufand 
drachmas. 
