G R E 
^varioiis comi'nunities formed from their promifcvious 
conilii nation. Each independant date had a rigiit to 
fend two members, the Pylagoras and Hieromnemon, 
refpedtively entrufled with the civil and religious con¬ 
cerns of their condituents. The abolition of royalty 
rendering the independent communities more numerous, 
increafed the Amphiftyons to about an hundred per- 
fons. The central city of Delphi w as chofen as a conve¬ 
nient place for holditig their vernal alTembly 5 the au¬ 
tumnal was dill Iield at Tliermopyla::. An oatli, guard¬ 
ed by the mod folemn imprecations, was adminillered 
to eacli member, “that he would never fubvert any 
Amphidyonic city, nor dop the courfes of its running 
water, but piuiidi to the utmod of his power thofe who 
committed fuel) outrages.” Hence tliis refpe 61 :ed tri¬ 
bunal, though it was deficient in coercive power, had a 
confiderable eff'ed to fupprefs internal difeord, and re¬ 
drain tlie barbarities of war. 
The Amphidyons gained much confideration by de- 
.daring themfelves protedors of the Delphic oracle, 
which had acquired an extraordinary influence on the 
.affairs of Greece. It is feldom poliible to explain the 
rife of inditutions derived from the natural padions of 
men, or founded on piejudices as ancient as the world. 
The mod probable information concerning the origin of 
Grecian oracles was conveyed to Herodotus, in a thin 
allegorical veil, by the prieds of Dodona, and explained 
to that inquifitive traveller by the prieds of Jupiter in 
Egypt. In tlie allegorical dyle of antiquity, a black 
pigeon flew from the temple of Egyptian Thebes, to 
.Thefprotiar in Epirus, perched'bn a fpreading oak, pro¬ 
claimed with a human voice, that an oracle of Jupiter 
fliould be eftablifhed ; and the inhabitants of the neigh¬ 
bouring hamlet of Dodona obeyed the divine admoni¬ 
tion. In plain language, it was a female attendant be¬ 
longing to tlie temple of Thebes on the Nile, who w'as 
tranfported to Epirus by Phoenician pirates, and there 
fold as a flave. Her Egyptian complexion deferved the 
epithet of black among the mountaineers of Thefprotia, 
who were remarked by the Greek hidorians for their 
blooming complexions, adlive vigour, and longevity. 
She was faid to fpeak the languages of birds, before 
die underdood the Grecian tongue, often didinguifhed 
by the appellation of human fpeech. This enterprifing 
female, though reduced to captivity among thofe whom 
die mud have regarded as barbarians, did not yield to 
defpair, but dexteroufly availed herfelf of the advan¬ 
tages which die derived from her education and her 
country. In Egypt, fuperftition had been reduced into 
fyftem ; and a pretenfion to propliecy was one of the 
mod fuccefsful artifices by which the prieds of Tliebes 
long governed the refolutions both of prince and peo¬ 
ple. Her attendance on the temple had taught her 
fome of the arts by wliich this pretenfion was maiatain- 
.,ed. She chofe tlie dark fhade of the venerable oak ; 
delivered myderious anfwers to the admiring multi- 
tilde; her reputation increafed; fuccefs gained her af- 
fociates; a temple rofe to Jupiter, and was furrounded 
by hoiifes for his miniders. Thi.s fingular inftitution 
was imitated, at a very early, period, in many provinces 
of Greece. The various and inconfident accounts of 
fimilar edablilhments abundantly confirm the antiquity 
of their origin, and the multiplicity of temples^ groves, 
grottos, and cavei ns, in which the favourites of innii- 
merable divinities declared their will to men, proves 
them not lefs univerfai than ancient. During the he¬ 
roic age, indeed, as illiidrious and pious men believed 
themfelves, on important occafions, honoured with the 
prefence and advice of their heavenly proteHors, the 
fecondary information of prieds and oracles was lefs ge- 
iierally regarded and edeeined. But in proportion as 
the belief ceafed that the. gods appeared in a human 
form, or the fuppofed vifits of tliefe celedial beings 
feemed lefs frequent- and familiar, the office of pricll 
VoL. Vlll. No. 548, 
E C E. 837 
. became more refpeflable, and the confidence in oracles 
continually gained ground. At lengtli, thefe inftiiu- 
tions, being confidered a.s the cltief and almoft only 
mode of communication with fupernatural powers, ac¬ 
quired a degree of influence capable to controul every 
other principle of authority, whether civil or facred. 
Bitt thefe various oracles, though alike founded on ig¬ 
norance, and raifed by deceit, were not equally fup- 
porte.d by power and policy. The crafty Cretans, who 
infittuted the worfliip of the Delphian Apollo, gradu¬ 
ally procured the credit of fuperior veracity to the pre- 
didtions of the god whom they ferved. Favourable 
circiimfiances concurred; tite central fituation of Del¬ 
phi ; the vernal feflion of the Amphidlyons ; the luftre 
derived from the immediate proteftion of that afTein- 
biy ; above all, the uncommon and awful afpecl of the 
place itfelf, fitted to excite wonder in ages lefs addifted 
to fuperfiition. See thearticle Delphi, voI. v. p. 681, 
The fubfequent hifiory of Greece attefts the impor¬ 
tant influence of the Delphic oracle, which no fooner 
attained fplendour, titan it confirmed, by its powerful 
fanftion, two inftitutions, the firft religious, the fecond 
civil, and both accompanied with very extraordinary 
confequences. The Olympic games, and Spartan laws, 
were relpedlively efiabliflied by Iphitiis and Lycurgus, 
contemporaries, friends, botii animated by tlie true fpi- 
rit of patriotifm, and unqueftionably the moft illuftri- 
ous charafters of the age in which they lived ; yet the 
roads which they piirfued for reaching the fame goal, 
the fafety of their refpeftive territories, were .fo widely 
different, that, while the Olympic games rendered Elis 
the moft pacific, the laws of Lycurgus made Sparta the 
moft warlike, of all the Grecian communities. 
It was held an ancient and facred ciiftom, in the he¬ 
roic ages, to celebrate the funerals of illuftrious men 
by fuch fliows and ceremonies as feemed moft pleafing 
to their fliades. The tombs, around wliich the meian- 
choly manes were fuppofed to hover, naturally became 
the feene of fuch folemnities. There the fleeting ghofts 
of departed heroes were entertained and honoured by 
exhibitions of ftrength and addrefs ; while the gods, 
though inhabiting the broad expanfe of heaven, were 
yet peculiarly worfliipped, by prayers and facrifices, in 
the feveral places,' wliich fometimes the wildnefs, and 
fometimes the elegance of fancy, had affigned for their 
favourite, though temporary, refidence on earth. The 
lofty chain of Olympus, feparating the barbarous king- 
dom'of Macedon from the fertile plains of Tiieffaly, is 
diftinguiftied by feveral circuinftances, which feemed 
juftly to entitle it to that honour. This long and lofty 
ridge afeends above the regions of ftorms and tenipefts. 
Its winding fides are diverfified by woods, and inter¬ 
fered by torrents. Its fantaftic lops, towering above 
the clouds, refle6t, during day, the rays of the fun, and 
fometimes brighten the gloom of night with the lam¬ 
bent fplendonrs of the Aurora Borealis. This extraor¬ 
dinary mountain began naturally to be regarded as the 
principal terreftrial habitation of the gods; along tJie 
recefles of Olympus each divinity had his appropriate 
palace; on its higheft funimit Jupiter often affembled 
the heavenly council; and from thence, veiled in a 
white gleam, the proteiftors of mankind defeended, and 
were vifibly manifefted to mortal eyes. 
While Olympus was confidered as the general ren¬ 
dezvous of thefe fanciful beings, it was natural to iina- 
gine that the partiality of particular divinities might 
felect other favourite lpot.s of the earth for their fepa- 
rate abode. The lingular afpctbl: of Delphi, or Pytho, 
which recommended it as the feat of the oracle of Apol¬ 
lo, and afterwards of the Pythian games, was under the 
fame influence. The Corinthian territory was particu- 
larly confecrated to Neptune ; for where could the god 
of the Tea be mere properly worlhipped, than on a nar¬ 
row iftlimus, whofe ftiores were adorned by grateful mo- 
jo D . auuieats 
