ORPHEU S. 791 
ferred him to Our Saviour rand, according to Suidas, Or¬ 
pheus the Thracian was the firft inventor of the religious 
myfteries of the Greeks; and that religion was thence 
called 0 £r,r xtia, as if a Thracian invention. On account 
of the great antiquity of Orpheus, there have been num- 
berlefs fables intermingled with his hiftory ; yet there ap¬ 
pears no reafon that we (hould difbelieve the exiftence of 
fuch a man.” 
Cudworth isalfo of opinion, that the poems afcribed to 
Orpheus were either written by him, or that they were 
very ancient, and contained his doftrines. He farther 
argues, that, though'Orpheus was a polytheift, and a fi¬ 
le rted a multiplicity of gods, he neverthelefs acknow¬ 
ledged one Supreme Unmade Deity, as the origin of all 
things ; and that the Pythagoreans and Platonifts not only 
had Orpheus in great efteem, being commonly called by 
them the T/tcoIoger, but were alfo thought in great mea- 
fure to have owed their theology and philofophy to him, 
deriving it from his principles and traditions. 
Warburton, bifbop of Gloucefter, fpeaks no more 
doubtfully of the exiftence of Orpheus than of Homer 
and Hefiod, with whom he ranks him, not only as a 
poet, but alfo as a theologian and founder of religion. 
He is allowed by moft ancient authors to have excelled 
in poetry and muiic, particularly the latter; and that to 
fuch a degree, that he is reprefented as taming the moft 
ferocious animals, changing the courfe of the winds by 
his melody, and as caufingthe trees of the foreft to dance 
in concert with his lyre. This account, though we muft 
fuppofe it fabulous, yet proves his excellence to have 
been great before he could have given rife to fuch fiflions. 
Muiic was fo clofely connefted in ancient times with the 
moft fublime fciences, that Orpheus united it not only 
with philofophy, but with theology and legiflation. He 
abftained from eating animal food ; and held eggs in ab¬ 
horrence as aliment, being perfuaded that the egg fubfifted 
before the chicken, and was the principle of all exiftence : 
both his knowledge and prejudices, it is probable, were 
acquired in Egypt, as well as thofe of Pythagoras many 
ages after. 
With refpeft to his abftaining from the flefti of oxen, 
Gefner fuppofes it may have proceeded from the venera¬ 
tion {liown to that animal, fo ufeful in tillage, in the 
Eleufinian myfteries, inftituted in honour of Ceres, the 
goddefs of agriculture. He might have added, that, as 
thofe myfteries were inftituted in imitation of thofe efta- 
bliflied in Egypt in honour of Ofiris and His, this abfti- 
nence from animal food was of the like origin, and a 
particular compliment to Apis. But the abbe Fragnir, 
in an ingenious differtation upon the Orphic Life, gives 
ftill more importance to the prohibition ; for, as Orpheus 
was the legiflator and humanizer of the wild and favage 
Thracians, who were cannibals, a total abolition of eat¬ 
ing human flefli could only be eftablifhed by obliging his 
countrymen to abftain from every thing that had life. 
With refpeift to theology, Diodorus Siculus tells us, 
that his father Oeagrus gave him his firft inftrudlions in 
religion, imparting to him the myfteries of Bacchus, as 
they were then prafiifed in Thrace. He became after¬ 
wards a difciple of the Idaei Daffylirin Crete, and there 
acquired new ideas concerning religious ceremonies. 
But nothing contributed fo much to his fkill in theologi¬ 
cal matters, as his journey into Egypt; where, being ini¬ 
tiated into the myfteries of His and Ofiris, or of Ceres and 
Bacchus, he acquired a knowledge concerning initiations, 
■expiations, funeral rites, and other points of religious 
•worfhip, far fuperior to any one of his age and country : 
and, being much comietfted with the defeendants of Cad¬ 
mus, the founder of Theues in Boeotia, he refolved, in 
order to honour their origin, to transport into Greece 
the whole fable of Ofiris, and apply it to the family of 
Cadmus. The credulous people eafily received this tale, 
j;nd were much flattered by the inftitution of the cere¬ 
monies in honour of Ofiris. Thus Orpheus, who was 
Held in great veneration at the Grecian Thebes, of which 
he was become a citizen, admirably adapted this fable, 
and rendered it refpedfable, not only by his beautiful 
verfes and manner of finging them, but by the reputa¬ 
tion he had acquired of being profoundly (killed in all re¬ 
ligious concerns. Diodorus Siculus alfo fays, that he was 
a moft attentive ftudent in all kinds of literature, whether 
facred or profane. 
At his return into Greece, according to Paufanias, he 
was held in the higbeft veneration by the people, as they 
imagined he had difeovered the lecret of expiating crimes, 
purifying -criminals, curing difeafes, and appeafing the 
angry gods. He formed and promulgated an idea of a 
hell from the funeral ceremonies of the Egyptians, which 
was received throughout all Greece. He inftituted the 
myfteries and worfhip of Hecate among the Eginetes, 
and that of Ceres at Sparta. Juftin Martyr fays, that he 
introduced among the Greeks near 360 gods: Hefiod and 
Homer purfued his labours, and followed the fame clue, 
agreeing in the like deftrines, having all drunk at the 
fame Egyptian fountain. 
By all accounts he was an admirable mufician : he is 
faid to have received a lyre from Apollo, or, according to 
fome, from Mercury, upon which he played with fuch a 
mafterly hand, that even the moft rapid rivers ceafed to 
flow, the favage beafts of the foreft forgot their wildnefs, 
and the mountains came to liften to his feng. All nature 
feemed charmed and animated, and the nymphs were his 
conftant companions. Eurydice was the only one who 
made a deep impreflion on the melodious mufician ; and 
their nuptials were celebrated. Their happinefs how¬ 
ever was but fhort; for Ariftasus became enamoured of 
her; and, as lhe fled from her purfuer, a ferpent that 
was lurking in the grafs bit her foot, and fhe died of the 
poifoned wound. Herlofs was feverely felt by Orpheus j 
and he refolved to recover her, or perifli in the attempt. 
With his lyre in his hand, he entered the infernal regions, 
and gained admiffion to the palace of Pluto. The king of 
hell was charmed with the melody of his drains; and, ac¬ 
cording to the beautiful expreftions cf the poets, the 
wheel of Ixion (topped ; the ftone of Sifyphus ftood ftill; 
Tantalus forgot his perpetual third ; and even the Furies 
relented. Pluto and Proferpine were moved with his 
forrow ; and confented to reftore him Eurydice, provided 
he forbore looking behind him till he had come to the 
extremeft borders of hell. The conditions were gladly 
accepted ; and Orpheus was already in fight of the upper 
regions of the air, when he forgot his promife, and turned, 
back to look at his long-loft Eurydice : 
All dangers paft, at length the lovely bride 
In iafety goes, with her melodious guide ; 
Longing the common light again to (hare, 
And draw the vital breath of upper air : 
He firft, and clofe behind him follow’d (he; 
For fuch was Proferpine’s fevere decree. 
When ftrong defires th’ impatient youth invade j. 
By little caution, and much love, betray’d : 
A fault which eafy pardon might receive. 
Were lovers judges, or could hell forgive. 
For, near the confines of etherial light, 
And longing for the glimm’ring of a fight, 
Th’ unwary lover calt a look behind. 
Forgetful of the law, nor mailer of liis mind. 
Straight all his hopes exhal’d in empty fmoke. 
And his long toils were forfeit for a look. Dryden. 
He faw her, but (he inftantly vanifiied from his eyes. 
He attempted to follow her, but he was refufedadmiffion ; 
and the only comfort he could find, was to footh his grief 
at the found of his mufical inftrumeht in grottoes or on 
the mountains. He totally feparated himfelffrom theJo- 
ciety of mankind ; and the Thracian women, whom he 
had offended by his coldnefs to their amorous pafflon, or, 
according to others, by his unnatural gratifications and 
impure indulgences, attacked him while they celebrated 
the orgies of Bacchus; and, after they had torn ins body 
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