H7S G R A 
«a. knowledge apparently beyond the fcope of human abi¬ 
lity was difplayed. The machinery at Delphos was well 
calculated to operate on the vulgar; while enlightened 
princes and ftatefinen knew how to avail themfelves of its 
alfiftance. Thofe twoinftances which the preacher quotes 
from Rollin, of the fagacity and fuperhuman knowledge 
of the oracle, are only evidences of the contrivance and 
out-door agency which the priefts employed, and may be 
explained without fuppofing that the prieftefs or her tri¬ 
pod was in either inftance aided by demons. 
“ There were (fays Dr. C.) two memorable trials made 
of the veracity of oracles, and admitted by no lefs an 
hiftorian than Rollin, whofe depth of refearch, accuracy 
of ftatement, and fidelity of narration, (land unrivalled. 
Crcefus commanded his ambaflador to afk the oracle, at 
a dated time determined between them, what the monarch 
was doing. The oracle of Delphos replied, that “ he was 
caufing a tortoife and a lamb to be drefl'ed in a velfel of 
brafs,” which was the fa6l. At Heliopolis a fimilar trial 
was made by the emperor Trajan. lie fent a letter fealed 
up, to which he demanded an anfwer without its being 
opened. The oracle commanded a blank paper to be 
folded, fealed, and delivered to him ; to the no fmall fur- 
prife of the emperor, who had written nothing in the let¬ 
ter which he had fent to the. oracle. It is not neceflary 
to fuppofe that in general demons have a knowledge of 
futurity; but in fome infiances it might be permitted, 
as a punilhment for the blindnefs and idolatry, the pride 
and fuperftition, of the heathen world. The early fathers 
have generally maintained this fentiment; and their opi¬ 
nion ought to have fome weight, as they lived near the 
fcene of action, and on the brink of the time in queftion. 
Nor is a partial impulfe upon the minds of men by evil 
fpirits more extraordinary or unreafonable, than th epof- 
J'eJfion w'hich in the time of our Lord prevailed over the 
bodies of men ; and the doctrine of aitual polfelTion has 
never in my mind been overthrown.” To this the 
Monthly Reviewers anfwer, that the admiflion of Rollin 
refpe&ing oracles, that they fometimes difplayed a know¬ 
ledge beyond the compafs of human ability, is not fup- 
ported by the cafes here quoted, and is very far from juf- 
tifying the high praife which the lecturer has laviflied on 
the French hifiorian. The two kings concluded the 
whole eftablilhment at Delphos and Heliopolis to be a 
fyftem of trick and delufion ; but it was no eafy matter 
to deteft the roguery, on account of the numerous fpies 
and emiflaries which were employed by the oracularyiVm. 
In the two experiments made by Crcefus and Trajan, the 
oracles gained credit by means of confidants. Crcefus, 
it may be fuppofed, a£ted under the advice of a friend 
who had his leffon from Delphos; and Trajan admitted a 
friend alfo to his fecret, which was of courfe duly con¬ 
veyed to the oracle. Why fuppofe the agency of demons 
in this bufinefs, when our modern fortune-tellers manage 
their trade, by the help of fpies and agents, with equal 
dexterity, and often produce as much aftonilhment in 
thofe who confult them as was ever excited by a Delphic 
reply ? The teftimony of the fathers may be ealily over¬ 
rated in this affair, efpecially by one who contends for 
the exifience of real demoniacal poffelfions in the time of 
our Lord : but we are furprifed that any divine who has 
perufed Mr. Farmer’s luminous work on the Demoniacs 
Jhould cherifli fuch an opinion. Monthly Review , Feb. 
1811. 
II. Refpe&ing the ceffation of profane oracles, there 
have been a variety of opinions. It has been generally 
held, indeed, that oracles ceafed at the birth of Jefus 
Chrift. Suidas, Nicephorus, and Cedrenus,. relate, that 
Auguftus, having confulted the oracle of Delphos, could 
obtain no other anfwer but this: “ The Hebrew child, 
whom all the gods obey, drives me hence, and fends me 
back to hell; get out of this temple without (peaking one 
word.” Suidas adds, that Auguftus dedicated an altar 
in the capitol, with this infeription, “ To the eldeft Son 
of God.” Notwjthftanding tliefe teftimoMes* the anfwer 
C L E. 
of the oracle of Delphos to Auguftus feems very fufpi- 
cious. Cedrenus cites Eufebips for this oracle, which is 
not now found in his works ; and Auguftus’s peregrina¬ 
tion into Greece was 18 years before the birth of Chrift. 
Suidas and Cedrenus give an account alfo of an ancient 
oracle delivered to Thulis, a king, of Egypt, which they 
fay is well authenticated. The king, having confulted 
the oracle of Serapis, to know if there ever was, or would 
be, one fo great as himfelf, received this anfwer : “ Firft, 
God, next the Word, and the Spirit with them. They 
are equally eternal, and make but one, whofe power will 
never end. But thou, mortal, go hence, and think that 
the end of the life of man is uncertain.” 
On the other hand, Van Dale, in histreatife of oracles* 
does not believe that they ceafed at the coming of Chrift. 
He maintains that they were in being in the days of Ju¬ 
lian, commonly called the Apoftate, and that this empe¬ 
ror himfelf confulted them. Fie alfo makes mention of 
feveral laws publilhed by the Chriftian emperors Theo- 
dofius, Gratian, and Valentinian, to punifh perfons who 
interrogated them, even in their days ; and that the Epi¬ 
cureans were the firft who made a jeft of this fuperftition, 
and expofed the roguery of its priefts to the people. 
It was Eufebius who firft endeavoured to perfuade the 
Chriftians, that the coming of Jefus Chrift had ltruck 
the oracles dumb ; though it appears from the laws of 
Theodofius, Gratian, and Valentinian, that the oracles 
were Hill confulted as low as the year 358. Cicero fays* 
the oracles became dumb, in proportion as people, grow¬ 
ing lefs credulous, began to fulpeft them for cheats. Plu¬ 
tarch alleges two reafons for the ceafing of oracles : the 
one was Apollo’s chagrin, who, it feems, took it in dud¬ 
geon to be interrogated about fo many trifles. The other 
was, that in proportion as the genii, or daemons, who 
had the management of the oracles, died, and became 
extinct, the oracles mull neceflarily ceafe. He adds a 
third and more natural caufe for. the ceafing of oracles ; 
viz. the forlorn ftate of Greece, ruined and defolated by 
wars : for hence the fmall.nefsof the gains let the priefts; 
fink into a poverty and contempt too bare to cover th@ 
fraud. 
That the oracles were filenced about or foon after the 
time of our Saviour’s advent, may be proved, fays Dr. 
Leland, in the firft volume of his learned work on “ The 
Neceflity and Advantage of Revelation, &c.” from ex- 
prefs teftimonies, not only of Chriftian, but of Heathen 
authors. Lucan, who wrote his Pharfalia in the reign of 
Nero, fcarcely 30 years after our Lord’s crucifixion, laments 
it as one of the greateft misfortunes of that age, that the 
Delphian oracle, which he reprefents as one of the choi- 
cell gifts of the gods, was become filent: 
• ■ ■ - --— Non ullo fascula dono 
Noftra carent majore Deum, quam Delphica Sedes 
Quod fileat. Pliarfal. v. in. 
In like manner Juvenal fays: 
*---Delphis oracula cedant, 
Et genus humanum damnat caligo futuri. Sat. vi. 
Lucian fays, that when he was at Delphi, the oracle 
gave no anfwer, nor was the prieftefs infpired. See his 
Phalaris, Oper. tom. i. This likewife appears from Plu¬ 
tarch’s treatife, (Why the oracles ceafe to give anfwers ?) 
already cited ; whence it is alfo manifeft, that the moll; 
learned heathens were very much at a lofs how to give a 
tolerable account of it. Porphyry, in a paflage ufed 
from him by Eufebius (Praep. Evang. lib. v.) fays, “The 
city of Rome was overrun with licknefs, ASfculapius 
and the reft of the gods having withdrawn their converfe 
with men, becaufe, lince Jefus began to be worlhipped, 
no man had received any public help or benefit from the. 
gods.” See the articles Daemon, Demoniac, Demono¬ 
logy, Juggling, and Magic. 
To OR'ACLE, to utter oracles. A word not received. 
Dr. Johnfon obfervesj citing only the paftage from Mil- 
son. 
