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afking pardon for what had been done amifs, or with Thanks for favours receiv'd. The manner of their facrificing is largely defcribed by Dionyfius Halicarnaffenfis, "Their Hands being washed, fays he, and the Victims being purified "with clear Water, and having sprinkled upon their Heads the fruits of Ceres, [i. e. the Salted Meal,] then having Prayed, they at laft ordered the proper "Officers to flay the Sacrifice." Every thing here is fignificant, or expreffive of Purity and Goodness. Their Hands were to be clean washed in token of Honesty and Uncorruptednefs, that they would take no Reward for Juftice, nor would they offer violence to any man. The Sacrifice itself was to be purified; and they were to offer up their Prayers. Dionyfius juftly obferves, that thefe Ceremonies were derived from the Greeks; and he fhews that the Herces in Homer obferved the fame Rites in "washing their Hands †

* Περισψάμενοι γὰρ ἀνοι, καὶ τὰ ἱερὰ καθαρῷ περιαγνίσαντες ὕδατι, καὶ Δήμηρος καρπὲς ἐπιβράναντες αὐτῶν τῶις κεφαλάις, ἔπειτα κατευξάμενοι, θύειν τότε τοις ὑπηρέταις ἀνὰ ἐκέλευον, Dionyf. Halic. I. vii.

† Χερνίψαλο δ' ἔπειτα καὶ ἐλοχύτας ἀτέλειο. Homer. A fim.

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and

"and fprinkling Barley Meal upon their "Sacrifices": The meaning of which will be explained more largely hereafter.

Lucian has mentioned the Ceremonies which attended Sacrifices very particularly. He firft obferves that several Sorts of men brought their refpective Sacrifices, according to their Profeffions: † "The

Husbandman, fays he, brought an Ox "that worked at the Plough; the Shep"herd brought a Lamb; the Goat-herd

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brought a Goat: Some offered Incense, or only a Cake. But as to the Poor, they appeafed God by kiffing only his Right-hand." He then takes notice, that the Table which gave notice of what was to be done, declared || "that no one "of impure hands should be within the "place where the Holy Veffels were." The Public Crier called upon all that were prefent, and bad them, favete Linguis, take care of their Words, and not say any

† Βῶν μὲν ἀρδιῆρα ὁ γεωργός, ἄρνα δὲ ὁ ποιμὴν, καὶ ἄιγα ὁ ἀιπόλος : Ὁ δὲ τις λιβάνιλον ἢ πόπανον. Ὁ δὲ πένης ἱλάσατο τὸν θεὸν φιλήσας μόνον τὴν ἀυιδ δεξιάν. Lucian. de Sacrificiis

Η Και τὸ πρόγραμμα φησί, μὴ παριέναι ἔσω περιρραντηρίων, ἕξις μη καθαρός έσι τας χείρας. Ibid,

thing that was ominous or bad. The Old Gloffary interprets this phrafe, uponμÈITE ; and we shall fee inftances hereafter, where the Sacrificers, or the People that were present, are forbid fo much as to name fuch words as might feem ominous. When the Priest was going to do his Office, all profane people were bid to depart. Virgil expreffes it by, Procul efte Profani. Lucian has it, Jupàs Béßnλo. When none but fuch as were luftrated or purified were present, the Prieft went to Prayers, and he that offered the Sacrifice* repeated the words put into his Mouth by the Priest.

Another Rite among the Romans was, that He that made the Sacrifice was to lay hold of the Altar; nor did they think that they should, litare, fucceed in their Sacrificial Requests, unless they did fo. To lay hold of the Altar, was to fignify their dependance on, and expectation of help from Him to whom they applied: it fignified a giving themselves up to his Protection whofe Altar they held so fast.

Dictaque verba

Protulit, ut mos eft.

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Juven. Sat. vi. 1. 390.
Virgil

Virgil has mentioned this Custom several times.

Talibus orantem dictis, Arafque tenentem

Audiit omnipotens.

Æn. iv. 1. 219.

An. vi. l. 124. † ·

Talibus orabat di&tis, arafque tenebat.

And Servius tells us

"This was the man

"ner of making requests to the Gods, by "laying hold of the Altars." Every thing then concurr'd to make Sacrifices as folemn as was poffible, and to fhew Him who offered them to be rightly difpofed to Moral Honefty. The Washing of the Hands; the command to all profane people to be gone; the laying hold of the Altar; the Solemnity of Prayer; pure Garments, pure Veffels,-Thefe were all Indications of an Upright good Behaviour, agreeable to the nature of things, and to what those ought to be who appeared in the prefence of God.

It may not be perhaps amifs, if here I digrefs a little, to try to explain another

*Rogabant enim Deos ararum anfas tenentes. Servius in Virg. En vi. And upon the other place of the Eneid, Neceffe enim erat a Sacrificantibus teneri, [aras] quod fi non fieret, diis Sacrificatio grata non effet. Servius.

Cuftom

Custom which was not unusual among the Romans. Propertius tells us of a Woollen Crown, or Circle, that went thrice about the Hearth or Altar.

Terque focum circa laneus Orbis eat.

Prop. 1. iv. Eleg. 6. Pafferatius interprets this of a woollen Fillet that was drawn round the Altar; a Cuftom which Scaliger owns he knows nothing of, as I find it taken notice of by *Janus Broukhufus, who has not likewife attempted to account for this Cuftom. Virgil, if I mistake not, feems to have alluded to this practice, when he says,

Molli cinge hac Altaria Vitta.

Eclog. ix.

That is, fays Servius, Laneâ, with a Woollen Fillet. And fo likewise, when fpeaking of the Temple where Sichaus's Image was kept, he fays it was

Velleribus niveis, et fefta fronde revinctum.

Æn. iv. 1. 459.

*Pafferatius vittam laneam in orbem circumactam exponit, quâ ara fuerit circumcincta.

ritum effe penitus incognitum fatetur.

Scaliger hunc fibi

Broukhufius in loc.

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