Vol. WI.] 
In the affemblages of the people on 
occafion of the folemn feftivals, tradef- 
men expofed to fale, much as is done 
now, a number of childrens’ trinkets, &c. 
thus, in ¢he Clouds, we find Strepfiades 
making mention of a little chariot which 
he had purchafed at a feaft of Ju- 
piter, for his fon, who was fix years ot 
age. ; 
It is now time to {peak of the Sacri- 
fices, after having noticed the gods and 
their feftivals. Che firft remark which 
here offers itfelf is, that the trade of 
making nofegays and garlands muit have 
been, at that time, very lucrative, as very 
few’ days paffed wherein there was not 
octafion for crowns, feftoons, nofegays, 
&d, Not only all who facrificed, or who 
allifted at the facrifice, were obliged to 
Wear crowns, but it was cuftomary to be 
crowned with flowers even at debauches, 
and alfo to adorn, by way of devotion, 
the doors with feftoons of flowers and 
branches of olive. ‘Thefe crowns, efpe- 
cially thofe which were brought from 
the facrifices, were effectual fafeguards, 
infomuch that it was not lawful to mal- 
treat any perfon that was crowned, al- 
though it were a flave. When they were 
minded to punifh a flave, they firft pulled 
off his crown, in the manner of the 
Mufcovites of our days, who refpeftfully 
take off the head covering of their papas 
before they fall to beating them. 
The furniture required for immola- 
tion, was a bafket, which contained the 
falted barley, the fillets, and the knife ; 
fome fire; an ewer filled with. luftral, 
or holy water, and a brufh, which was 
dipped into the water, to make an afper- 
fion about the altar, and on the ftanders- 
by. Salted barley was afterwards {cat- 
tered over all the perfons prefent at the 
facrifice. Next followed the prayer, which 
began with thefe confecrated words : Who 
are the perfans here attending ? to which 
anfwer was made, The Good. After this 
preface, the god to whom they were {a- 
crificing, was invoked, and in the prayer, 
after naming the Athenians, a formula 
was always added : Aud for chofé. of Chio; 
as there was a community of prayers be- 
tween the Athenians and the people of 
Chio. Before pronouncing the prayer, a 
herald cried out: Peace, attention, filence. 
The libations were then made, which, 
when ended, they exclaimed: she Uiba- 
tion 1s made, invoke the God. There Only 
xemained to cut the neck of the victim, . 
to carve it, and to offer certain members 
of it. 
drought to cut upon, and the tongue was 
A fire was made, a table was 
Sacrifices of the Athenians according ta Ariftophanas.”. 53% 
cut out, and appropriated to the herald 
or cryer. ‘The entrails were offered to. 
the god, after having been roafted with 
che other parts. . 
The quarters, alfo deftined for the god, 
or for his priefts, were then offered, and 
new libations’ were made, unlefs it be 
thought that thofe already fpoken: of 
were made here. Salt was not forgor-. 
ten in the facrifices, as Mofes enjoined 
the ufe of it in the worfhip ordained. 
by the true God. As every thing was 
not burnt, it may be eafily imagined, 
that the facrifice was followed by a 
feftival, wherein wine was not {pared. 
Cne of the moft effential. ceremonies of 
the facrifice was, eating the entrails of 
the victims, and the greateft impreca- 
tion which could be uttered againtt any 
one was to fay to him, may/? thou never 
have a part in the facred entrails of the 
victims. Meilieurs the facrificers mutt 
have had ftomachs not over delicate, to 
cleanfe the tripes of fo many animals. A 
black fheep was facrificed to appeafe a 
tempeft. A milk fow was offered at 
the opening of the aflembly in whick 
they treated of public affairs. 
The Athenians often went to facri- 
fice at Delphi. As it was neceffary to 
pals through Beeotia, the Athenians pur- 
chafed of the Beeotians the liberty of 
paflage. os 
It was not lawful to facrifice an ani- 
ma! without a tail; and Mofes, who bor- 
rowed many of his rites. from the Pagan. 
worfhip, has made exprefsly a law of 
the fame kind in his ceremonial. The 
myftics account for this prohibition, by 
pretending that the tail is the fymbol 
of perfeverance*; the true reafon, how, 
ever, is, that in Egypt, Syria, and other 
Oriental countries, the tail of the leffer 
kinds of cattle is fo fat and flefhy, that 
it may pafs for a fifth quarter of the 
beaft, and is the moft delicate. part of all. 
The people of Athens were not only 
religious but fuperftitious to excefs, if 
we may credit certain paflages in Ari- 


* This admirable difcovery was lately 
adopted by a venerable capuchined Cynic, who 
thus addrefled a young Our/eline, about to enter 
by folemn vows into the regiment of the eleven ° 
thoufand virgins: You are at prefont, my dear 
Sifter, only a little fhe-bear,an Oxr feline, a deformed 
mafs; but the ereat mother-bear will, in times 
lick you inte fhafie ; will form in you the eyes of 
fenctration, the nofe of fagacity, the cars of ate 
tention, the cheeks of medtefly, the fhoulders of fas 
tiente, the hands of indufiry, the feet of readinefs 
to obey, and the gail of perjeverance, ail whick 
ZL wilh you. 3 
frophanes, 
