The Mystical Hymns of Orpheus - Platonic Philosophy

OF ORPHEUS, 43
Thou joy'st in mountains and tulnultuous fight,
And mankind's horrid howlings thee delight.
heals the disordered passions of the soul, changes the tem-
peraments or dispositions of the body, and by some melodies
causes a Bacchic fury, but by others occasions this fury to
cease ; and lilcewise how the differences of these accord
with the several dispositions of the soul, and that unstable
and variable melody is adapted to ecstasies, such as are
the melodies of Olympus, and others of the like kind ;
all these appear to me to be adduced in a way foreign to
enthusiasm. For they are physical and human, and the
work of our art ; but nothing whatever of a divine nature
in them presents itself to the view.
" We must rather, therefore, say that sounds and melodies
are appropriately consecrated to the Gods. There is also
an alliance in these sounds and melodies to the proper
orders and powers of the several Gods, to the motions in
the universe itself, and to the harmonious sounds which
proceed from the motions. Conformably therefore to such
like adaptations of melodies to the Gods, the Gods them-
selves become present. For there is not any thing which
intercepts ; so that whatezer has but a casual similitude to
directly pa~ticipates of them. A perfect possession likewise
immediately takes place, and a plenitude of a more excel-
lent essence and power." In Cap. 10, also he observes,
"that since the power of the Corybantes is in a certain
respect of a guardian and efficacious nature, and that of
Sabazius appropriately pertains to Bacchic inspiration, the
purifications of souls, and the solutions of ancient divine
anger, on this account the inspirations of them entirely
differ from each other. With respect, however, to the
Mother of the Gods, those who are precedaneously inspired
by her are women ; but the males that are thus inspired
are very few in number, and such as are more effeminate.
This enthusiasm, however, has a vivijc and replenishing
power, on which account also it in a remarkable degree