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A new edition of Toland's History of the druids: - Free History Ebooks

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284 NOTES.iEneas, by <strong>the</strong> guidance <strong>of</strong> two doves, discovers this golde*branch, which is thus described.Quale Solet SylvisBrnmalifrigore visciim,Froude virere nova,Talis erat species auri frondcntis, opacaliice.i. e." Such [vras <strong>the</strong> [appearance <strong>of</strong> this golden branch on <strong>the</strong>dark oak, as when <strong>the</strong> Misletoe uses to flourish with <strong>new</strong> vigourin <strong>the</strong> woods, during <strong>the</strong> winter-cold."There were ten Sybills, viz. <strong>the</strong> Persian, <strong>the</strong> Lybian, <strong>the</strong> Delphian,<strong>the</strong> Cumosan, <strong>the</strong> Erythrosan, <strong>the</strong> Samian, <strong>the</strong> Cumanian,or Eolian, <strong>the</strong> Hellespontlan, <strong>the</strong> Phrygian, and <strong>the</strong> Tiburtinian.— Vide Calepin iiin .Gellius, lib. 1. cap. 19. relates <strong>the</strong> manner in which <strong>the</strong>sebooks called <strong>the</strong> Sybilline^ were sold toan old woman, supposed <strong>the</strong> Cumanian Sybill.Tarquimus Priscus, byThey were keptin <strong>the</strong> capitol with <strong>the</strong> greatest care, and consulted as an oracleon all emergencies.These books were burnt by Siilico^ whenhe rebelled against Honorious and Arcadlus.These Sybills areso famous in Roman history, that I shall only endeavour to analyze<strong>the</strong> name.Syhill has been uniformly derived from <strong>the</strong> Greek Theobule^ i.c. " <strong>the</strong> council <strong>of</strong> God." There are, however, only two <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong>se Sybills, to whom <strong>the</strong> Greeks can have even <strong>the</strong> slightestclaim. Had <strong>the</strong>se Sybills been <strong>of</strong> Grecian origin, we mighthave expected, to have found at least <strong>the</strong> Delphic one, mentionedby Potter in his antiquities, when treating <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Delphic oracle.The fact is, Apollo himself is not a Grecian god, but borrowedfrom <strong>the</strong> Celts, as I shall presently shew.Suadh or Suidh (<strong>the</strong> radix <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Latin Suadeo) is pronouncedSui^ and signifies counsel or advice,Suulh.Bhcil, pronoun./ced Sui.Beil^ signifies <strong>the</strong> counsel ef Bel, at)d determines that<strong>the</strong>se Sybills were exclusively prophetesses <strong>of</strong> Bel or Apollo^whereas tlie Greek Tlieohule^ besides its utter incongruity ia<strong>the</strong> word Sybill, would make <strong>the</strong>m prophetesses at large withoutastrictirg <strong>the</strong>m to any particular deity, and mus^ <strong>the</strong>refow b«

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