Epimenides

Came to Athens in the 46th Olympiad. It has been pretended that he slept in a cave fifty-seven years; and that he lived 154, or as some say 157» or according to others 298 years.

Epimenides of Gnossus flourished in the Island of Crete, at the time that Solon was in the zenith of his reputation at Athens. He was a man of exemplary piety, and was supposed to be the son of the nymph Baelte. It was generally believed in Greece that he was inspired by some celestial deity, and that he was often favoured with Divine revela^ tions. He applied himself solely to poetry, and to things connected with Divine worship. He was the first who introduced the consecration of temples, and the purification of countries, cities, and even private houses. He did not hold his countrymen in much estimation. St. Paul, in his epistle to Titus, quotes one of his verses, wherein he expresses his opinion of them:

<' One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said. The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies." C. i. v. 12.

The father of Epimenides sent him one day into

EPlMBNIDBft. im the country, io seuch of a ewe. As he retarned, he diverged a short distance from the hitf^way towards the south, and went into a ca?e to take a Uttile rest, until the heat should be abated. He there fdl in|o a sle^ which lasted fiity-seven years. When lie awoke he looked about for his ewe, hav^ ing.no nto that he had been a^lejep for any long tine. His search, however,. was in vain; he Ihen caiBe out of tiiecave, and was surprised to see the floe iof the country entirely chiingedt All astonishUieikt* hf went to the place where he had caught the ewe, but he found that the house had got another master, and that no one knew any thmg about either him or his erraud. He ran in a state of great alarm to Opossus: but 9t every step be took in the eity, he «j3t,«ome face he had never seeu before, aud his eOBSterxmtion eversy moment. increMed. As he was giMng into his father's house, he was stopped with an- inquiry Into his name and busiuess; and, at lustf with great iHfficulty he made.himsdf known t» his younger brother, whom he had left a mere child, and now found wrinkled wi4i age. So extraordinary an adventure made a great.noise throughout the country^ and Epimenidea was miii^enaUy regarded as one peculiarly favoured by the deities. Those who are not willing to tend their credence to this long ale^.of Epimenides, endeavour to explain it, by imagining that he passed these flfty-fleveu years in privately exploring foreign countries, and s|>ply|&g himself to t^e study of botany* i m^egacles haidng cruelly massacred, even at the very altai-s, all such citizens as had adhered to the ivterests of Solon, the Athenians were seized with k3 a terror which aagmented every day. In additiou to the affliction of the plague, which was at that time depopulating the country, a belief was entert^ed that the city was infested with evil spirits. Sootiisayers were consulted; and they pretended to discover by their divmations, that the city was in a state of pollution, owing to certain abominations which had been committed in it. The citizens hearing tiiis, resolved to fiimish Nicias with a yessel to tsike him to Crete, in order to bring away Epimenides, whose reputation was now blazoned throughout Greece. As soon as Epimenides arrived at Athens, he took a number of sheep, of whidi some were blaclE, and others white, and led them tQ the Areopagus, where he left them to wander as they would. He appointed persons to follow them; and instructed those whom he selected, whenever one of the sheep should lie down, to sacrifice it on the same spot, in honour of some one of the deities. Several altars, dedicated to gods whose names were not known, were to be seen around Athens, in the time of Diogenes Laertius, by whom they are described, and which probably owed their origin to the event we are now I'dating. llie directions of Epimenides were punctually attended to; the plague ceased almost instantaneously, and the repose of the citizens was no longer disturbed by phantoms.

On his arrival at Athens, Epimenides contracted, an intimate friendship with Solon, and contributed greatly to the establishment of his laws. He convinced the people of the folly of the barbarous ceremonies which were practised at that time by

BPIMBNIDE8. 10:)

the women at fimerals; he accustomed the AtheiiianB, by degrees, to habits of prayer and sacrifice, and inelined then- minds by these means to the practioe of equity, and to obedience to the civil power. One day, attentively considering the port of Munichia, he exdaimed to those around him, " The future is hidden in thlcls clouds of darkness from the eyes of men. Alas! could the Athenians foresee the calamities which this harbour is destined to bring upon their country, they would dismantle it, even if they brolte the stones in pieces with their teeth." After remaanmg some tune at Athens, Ephnenides began to make preparations for his return. The Athenians fitted out a vessel for him, and presented him with a talent of gold for his trouble. Epunenides thanked them warmly for the kindness of their intention, but would not accept of their money; contenting himself with asking their friendship, and establishing a dose alliance between the Athenians and the inhabitants of GnoBSus. Before he left Athens, he built a beautifhl temple in diat dty, and consecrated it to the Furies.

Epimenides endeavoured to persuade the people that he was iBaeus, and that he frequently revisited the earth. No one ever saw him eat. It was said, that he was fed by the Nymphs, who brought him manna, whidi he kept in a bullock's hoof; and that this manna was converted into the substance of his botdy, without any portion of it being lost by excrement. He predicted to the Athenians the severe bondage in which they would be held by the Area-* dians. It is related, that one day, whUst he was bi^lding a temple which he meant 'to,comecmtt to the NymphS) a voice from heav^i was heard to aay, ** O Epimeaides! dedicate this temple not toihe.Njrmpfas, but to Jupiter himself/' As.soeu as he heard that Solon had withdrawn himself ftom Athens, he sent him the following letter, ti) console him, and to endeavour to draw him to the island of Crete: " Be of good courage, my dear friend. Had Pisistratus brought under his yoke a people accustomed to servitude, or who had never lived under the influence of wholesome laws, then his poinrer might have endured for a length of time: but he has to deal with freemen, who am also men ofoourage. They will not long lose sight of the preeepta of Solon: they will learn to blush on bdbolding themselves in chains, and will not suffer a tyrant toretidnthem in bondage. Even should Fisistra^ tus keep his authority the.whole of his life, he could never bequeath it to his. children; lor it is an impossibility that men^ accustomed 1i> live in a free45tate and under the regulation of mild and impartial laws, can ever rBcondle themselves to the prospect of perpetual slavery. As to youraeSf, I entreat you not to waste your life in wandering from place to place. Come whii aU speed to Crete* where you will find no tyrants to torment yOn; fov I greatly fear, that should you by any accident fail In with the partisans of Pisistratus, (a thing no wajr unlikely to happen,) you would not reoeive any very courteous treatment at their hands."

Epimenides passed the whole of his life in employments connected with religion. He loved poetry, and composed many works in verse. Among

Others, he wrote a poem on the origin of the Curet&t and Corybantes, and another on the expedition to Colchis. He also composed a Treatise in prose on Sacrifices, and on the Cretan Republic; and another work, which had for its subject Minos and Rhadamanthas.

Epimenides died at the age of one hundred and fifty-seren, or, as some midntain, at two hundred and ninety-eight years. His life was a succession of wonders; and it is on that account, perhaps, that it has been related of him, that he kept awalce as many days as he had slept years. The inhabitants of Crete offered sacrifices to him as a god; and in the language in general use, he was styled the Curetes. The Lacedemonians preserved his body with great care, in obedience to an ancient oracle, which admonished them to do so.