the golden bough-第4章

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ed　the　mills　of　the　modern　village　of　Nemi。　The　purling　of　the　stream　as　it　ran　over　the　pebbles　is　mentioned　by　Ovid；　who　tells　us　that　he　had　often　drunk　of　its　water。　Women　with　child　used　to　sacrifice　to　Egeria；　because　she　was　believed；　like　Diana；　to　be　able　to　grant　them　an　easy　delivery。　Tradition　ran　that　the　nymph　had　been　the　wife　or　mistress　of　the　wise　king　Numa；　that　he　had　consorted　with　her　in　the　secrecy　of　the　sacred　grove；　and　that　the　laws　which　he　gave　the　Romans　had　been　inspired　by　communion　with　her　divinity。　Plutarch　compares　the　legend　with　other　tales　of　the　loves　of　goddesses　for　mortal　men；　such　as　the　love　of　Cybele　and　the　Moon　for　the　fair　youths　Attis　and　Endymion。　According　to　some；　the　trysting…place　of　the　lovers　was　not　in　the　woods　of　Nemi　but　in　a　grove　outside　the　dripping　Porta　Capena　at　Rome；　where　another　sacred　spring　of　Egeria　gushed　from　a　dark　cavern。　Every　day　the　Roman　Vestals　fetched　water　from　this　spring　to　wash　the　temple　of　Vesta；　carrying　it　in　earthenware　pitchers　on　their　heads。　In　Juvenal's　time　the　natural　rock　had　been　encased　in　marble；　and　the　hallowed　spot　was　profaned　by　gangs　of　poor　Jews；　who　were　suffered　to　squat；　like　gypsies；　in　the　grove。　We　may　suppose　that　the　spring　which　fell　into　the　lake　of　Nemi　was　the　true　original　Egeria；　and　that　when　the　first　settlers　moved　down　from　the　Alban　hills　to　the　banks　of　the　Tiber　they　brought　the　nymph　with　them　and　found　a　new　home　for　her　in　a　grove　outside　the　gates。　The　remains　of　baths　which　have　been　discovered　within　the　sacred　precinct；　together　with　many　terra…cotta　models　of　various　parts　of　the　human　body；　suggest　that　the　waters　of　Egeria　were　used　to　heal　the　sick；　who　may　have　signified　their　hopes　or　testified　their　gratitude　by　dedicating　likenesses　of　the　diseased　members　to　the　goddess；　in　accordance　with　a　custom　which　is　still　observed　in　many　parts　of　Europe。　To　this　day　it　would　seem　that　the　spring　retains　medicinal　virtues。

The　other　of　the　minor　deities　at　Nemi　was　Virbius。　Legend　had　it　that　Virbius　was　the　young　Greek　hero　Hippolytus；　chaste　and　fair；　who　learned　the　art　of　venery　from　the　centaur　Chiron；　and　spent　all　his　days　in　the　greenwood　chasing　wild　beasts　with　the　virgin　huntress　Artemis　（the　Greek　counterpart　of　Diana）　for　his　only　comrade。　Proud　of　her　divine　society；　he　spurned　the　love　of　women；　and　this　proved　his　bane。　For　Aphrodite；　stung　by　his　scorn；　inspired　his　stepmother　Phaedra　with　love　of　him；　and　when　he　disdained　her　wicked　advances　she　falsely　accused　him　to　his　father　Theseus。　The　slander　was

believed；　and　Theseus　prayed　to　his　sire　Poseidon　to　avenge　the　imagined　wrong。　So　while　Hippolytus　drove　in　a　chariot　by　the　shore　of　the　Saronic　Gulf；　the　sea…god　sent　a　fierce　bull　forth　from　the　waves。　The　terrified　horses　bolted；　threw　Hippolytus　from　the　chariot；　and　dragged　him　at　their　hoofs　to　death。　But　Diana；　for　the　love　she　bore　Hippolytus；　persuaded　the　leech　Aesculapius　to　bring　her　fair　young　hunter　back　to　life　by　his　simples。　Jupiter；　indignant　that　a　mortal　man　should　return　from　the　gates　of　death；　thrust　down　the　meddling　leech　himself　to　Hades。　But　Diana　hid　her　favourite　from　the　angry　god　in　a　thick　cloud；　disguised　his　features　by　adding　years　to　his　life；　and　then　bore　him　far　away　to　the　dells　of　Nemi；　where　she　entrusted　him　to　the　nymph　Egeria；　to　live　there；　unknown　and　solitary；　under　the　name　of　Virbius；　in　the　depth　of　the　Italian　forest。　There　he　reigned　a　king；　and　there　he　dedicated　a　precinct　to　Diana。　He　had　a　comely　son；　Virbius；　who；　undaunted　by　his　father's　fate；　drove　a　team　of　fiery　steeds　to　join　the　Latins　in　the　war　against　Aeneas　and　the　Trojans。　Virbius　was　worshipped　as　a　god　not　only　at　Nemi　but　elsewhere；　for　in　Campania　we　hear　of　a　special　priest　devoted　to　his　service。　Horses　were　excluded　from　the　Arician　grove　and　sanctuary　because　horses　had　killed　Hippolytus。　It　was　unlawful　to　touch　his　image。　Some　thought　that　he　was　the　sun。　But　the　truth　is；　says　Servius；　that　he　is　a　deity　associated　with　Diana；　as　Attis　is　associated　with　the　Mother　of　the　Gods；　and　Erichthonius　with　Minerva；　and　Adonis　with　Venus。　What　the　nature　of　that　association　was　we　shall　enquire　presently。　Here　it　is　worth　observing　that　in　his　long　and　chequered　career　this　mythical　personage　has　displayed　a　remarkable　tenacity　of　life。　For　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　Saint　Hippolytus　of　the　Roman　calendar；　who　was　dragged　by　horses　to　death　on　the　thirteenth　of　August；　Diana's　own　day；　is　no　other　than　the　Greek　hero　of　the　same　name；　who；　after　dying　twice　over　as　a　heathen　sinner；　has　been　happily　resuscitated　as　a　Christian　saint。

It　needs　no　elaborate　demonstration　to　convince　us　that　the　stories　told　to　account　for　Diana's　worship　at　Nemi　are　unhistorical。　Clearly　they　belong　to　that　large　class　of　myths　which　are　made　up　to　explain　the　origin　of　a　religious　ritual　and　have　no　other　foundation　than　the　resemblance；　real　or　imaginary；　which　may　be　traced　between　it　and　some　foreign　ritual。　The　incongruity　of　these　Nemi　myths　is　indeed　transparent；　since　the　foundation　of　the　worship　is　traced　now　to　Orestes　and　now　to　Hippolytus；　according　as　this　or　that　feature　of　the　ritual　has　to　be　accounted　for。　The　real　value　of　such　tales　is　that　they　serve　to　illustrate　the　nature　of　the　worship　by　providing　a　standard　with　which　to　compare　it；　and　further；　that　they　bear　witness　indirectly　to　its　venerable　age　by　showing　that　the　true　origin　was　lost　in　the　mists　of　a　fabulous　antiquity。　In　the　latter　respect　these　Nemi　legends　are　probably　more　to　be　trusted　than　the　apparently　historical　tradition；　vouched　for　by　Cato　the　Elder；　that　the　sacred　grove　was　dedicated　to　Diana　by　a　certain　Egerius　Baebius　or　Laevius　of　Tusculum；　a　Latin　dictator；　on　behalf　of　the　peoples　of　Tusculum；　Aricia；　Lanuvium；　Laurentum；　Cora；　Tibur；　Pometia；　and　Ardea。　This　tradition　indeed　speaks　for　the　great　age　of　the　sanctuary；　since　it　seems　to　date　its　foundation　sometime　before　495　B。C。；　the　year　in　which　Pometia　was　sacked　by　the　Romans　and　disappears　from　history。　But　we　cannot　suppose　that　so　barbarous　a　rule　as　that　of　the　Arician　priesthood　was　deliberately　instituted　by　a　league　of　civilised　communities；　such　as　the　Latin　cities　undoubtedly　were。　It　must　have　been　handed　down　from　a　time　beyond　the　memory　of　man；　when　Italy　was　still　in　a　far　ruder　state　than　any　known　to　us　in　the　historical　period。　The　credit　of　the　tradition　is　rather　shaken　than　confirmed　by　another　story　which　ascribes　the　foundation　of　the　sanctuary　to　a　certain　Manius　Egerius；　who　gave　rise　to　the　saying；　There　are　many　Manii　at　Aricia。　This　proverb　some　explained　by　alleging　that　Manius　Egerius　was　the　ancestor　of　a　long　and　distinguished　line；　whereas　others　thought　it　meant　that　there　were　many　ugly　and　deformed　people　at　Aricia；　and　they　derived　the　name　Manius　from　Mania；　a　bogey　or　bugbear　to　frighten　children。　A　Roman　satirist　uses　the　name　Manius　as　typical　of　the　beggars　who　lay　in　wait　for　pilgrims　on　the　Arician　slopes。　These　differences　of　opinion；　together　with　the　discrepancy　between　Manius　Egerius　of　Aricia　and　Egerius　Laevius　of　Tusculum；　as　well　as　the　resemblance　of　both　names　to　the　mythical　Egeria；　excite　our　suspicion。　Yet　the　tradition　recorded　by　Cato　seems　too　circumstantial；　and　its　sponsor　too　respectable；　to　allow　us　to　dismiss　it　as　an　idle　fiction。　Rather　we　may　suppose　that　it　refers　to　some　ancient　restoration　or　reconstruction　of　the　sanctuary；　which　was　actually　carried　out　by　the　confederate　states。　At　any　rate　it　testifies　to　a　belief　that　the　grove　had　been　from　early　times　a　common　place　of　worship　for　many　of　the　oldest　cities　of　the　country；　if　not　for　the　whole　Latin　confederacy。

2。　Artemis　and　Hippolytus

I　HAVE　said　that　the　Arician　legends　of　Orestes　and　Hippolytus；　though　worthless　as　history；　have　a　certain　value　in　so　far　as　they　may　help　us　to　understand　the　worship　at　Nemi　better　by　comparing　it　with　the　ritual　and　myths　of　other　sanctuaries。　We　must　ask　ourselves；　Why　did　the　author　of　these　legends　pitch　upon　Orestes　and　Hippolytus　in　order　to　explain　Virbius　and　the　King　of　the　Wood？　In　regard　to　Orestes；　the　answer　is　obvious。　He　and