INTRODUCTION. 
are natives, would be a talk too difficult 
to accompliffi, and the refult of the moft 
affiduous inquiry, would, in all proba¬ 
bility, in the end amount to little more 
than conjeUure; fo divided are authors 
in their opinions on the fubjeU, and fo 
enveloped in obfcurity are the ideas of 
ancient writers, particularly with refpefi 
to the Hyacinth, that inftead of commu¬ 
nicating any ufeful information, they tend 
rather to confound and bewilder the 
inquirer. 
It muft therefore fuffice, juft to point 
out the moft natural and reafonable 
conclufions on this head, and limply to 
ftate what are the moft generally received 
opinions of latter times on the fubjeU; 
in doing which it would be improper to 
extend the difcuffion beyond the narrow 
limits to which a ftrifit attention to 
authenticity will neceflarily confine it. 
The 
