To Our Readers.

TO OUR READERS .

ZOJYDOir , SATUZDAY , AUGUST 4 , 1800 .

This week ( August 4 ) , our Publishing Office will te remoA'ed to ISTo . 5 , Salisbury Street , Strand , ( W . C ) , in order to bring the whole of our business arrangements under one roof . We shall , shortly , introduce various new features in the literary portion of the MAGAZINE , which we hope -will meet "with the approbation of our Subscribers .

Classical Theology.—Xxvii.

CLASSICAL THEOLOGY . —XXVII .

Till . —JiAItS AND OCTOBEB . AMONG the nine Archons , six of whom were especiallj known as the Tliesmotlielce , the no \ ey . apxos had under hit especial care the protection of all strangers and sojourners in Athens . It was also one of his chief official duties to administer a solemn sacrifice to Enyalhxs , who by some is supposed to haA ^ e been Mars under another name

, others think that this was one of the attendants of the god or his son by Bellona . To the Polemarchos also was entrusted the sacrifice in honour of Diana , who was named from a district of Athens , Ayporepa . He was also charged with the celebration of honorary exequies ofthe renowned patriot hero , Harmodius ; and it was his duty

to take care that the children of those famous men , who had lost then * lives for the welfare , or in the service of , the commonwealth , should duly receive a just and competent maintenance out of the exchequer of the state . It is somewhat strange that the hardy Greeks although constantly engaged in war , should have raised in honoiu * of Mars so few temples , and bestowed such little homage on him as a god . His name of Ares appears to be of Thracian origin ; and the Scythians

worshipped him under the emblem of a iron scimitar . But then with the Grecians as with the Latins , Apollo , Minerva , and many other deities , were considered more eminently martial . It was a usual custom with the Lacedemonians when engaged in battle to fetter the feet of the image of Mars , lest , as they imagined , he should depart from them ; since he was found to be of a temper

so inconstant and flighty as sometimes to be on one side , and sometimes on the other . Eor the same reason the ancient Latins bestowed on him the title of fSalisubuliis , or the Dancer . Amongst the Romans the priestly order of the Salii was ordained to perform the sacrifices to Mars , going about the city dancing

to the clash of their falchions and bucklers ; their office was thought highly honourable . The old poets relate of this god of battle , only one individual action which , had not the sun brought it to light , might ever have remained veiled in darkness without much loss . We allude to his amour with Yenus . We have already made mention of this intrigue , as a fruit of which the tutelar goddess Hermione was born , a story so widely known that Ovid concluded every body must have heard of it .

" Fabnla narratur toto notissima ccelo , Ifulciberis capti Marsqne Yeiinsque dob ' s . " " Through heaven is told this fable far and wide , How Mars and Yenus ivere by Yulcan tied . " There remains but little more to be said about it worth y of notice . Their chains being unloosed at the request ° f Neptune , Mars would not allow what he called " the crime '' of his favourite Aleetryon to remain long unpunished , because instead of keeping his appointed

watch , he had fallen asleep , and so gave no warning of the sun ' s approach . In his wrath the god changed his gobetween into a cock ; whence the name ( ahctorid ) of the curious stone like crystal , which is sometimes found in the gizzarcTof a cock , a bird to this day , as feigned by the fable , so conscious of his fault as to give constant

notice of Sol ' s early advance by his crowing . A further explanation of this fable seems to imply that there is nothing hid that shall not be made manifest , or can escape the perspicacious eye of the Sun of Righteousness . In whatever way , either by the utmost care or the nicest inventions of mana crime may be thought securely

, guarded or concealed , it will in the course of time , sooner or later , in this world or hereafter , be tested by a li ght from which there is no escape or chance of its not being discovered . Thus it Avas said to David " Thou didst this thing secretly , but I will raise up evil against thee in the sight of all Israeland before the sun . "

, The proverb says that a bad father makes a bad son , and undoubtedly this would generally be the ease had the son also a bad mother , whicli , by the care of Providence , is amongst tlie rarest of occurrences ; the iniquitous example of one parent occasioning disgust in the other . In the instance of Tereus there maybe some

assumptive and positive evidence of this kind . He was the son of Mars ancl the nymph Pistonis , and the story of his life may point a moral , if it cannot adorn a tale . Pandion . king of Athens , had two lovely daughters , Progne and Philomela ; the former became the wife of Tereus , then King of Thrace , the latter , who was the younger , growing up in virgin modesty , beauty , and accomplishments , inferior to none , nay , peerless among the fair . At the royal palace of Athens she resided with

her father , the light [ oi his eyes and joy of Jus heart . These sisters lead always tenderly loved each other , and Progne had long been desirous again to see Philomela , she therefore besought her husband to fetch her to his court . He was not long in complying with her wishes , and set out himself to meet Philomela and her f , ther at A . thenswhereon her arrivalhe found no difficulty in

, , , obtaining the consent of King Pandion . At this interview Tereus fell desperately in love with bis sister-inlaw , or rather , we would say , became possessed by a violent and reckless passion for her , such as appertains more to the brute than the human being , With the existence of such desire there can exist no real

tenderness of feeling . The monster Tereus , on his way to Thrace , violated by force tlie innocent and beautiful girl who had been , in all confidence , intrusted to his care . Having thus overpowered her , the devilish feeling of malice ancl baffled vanity because she had refused to comply with his requestsand the no less selfish dread of

, the consequences of his crime , took tlie place of lust , and changed in consequence his natural nature into a brutality still lower . Lest she should make known the outrage , he cut out her tongue , and had her cast- into one of his dungeons for criminals . Such is the mockery of profligate power . Returning to his palace , he

hypocritically assured his consort , with the deepest show of apparent grief and pretended tears , that Philomela had died on her journey . But silenced injuries brood on the mind and fledge the wits . Cunning inventions are devised and nurtured on the milk of revenge , ivhich is thought sweet , " Grande doloris , Ingcnium est misorisquo vonic soiortia

robussays Ovid , upon this occasion , in his " Metamorphoses . " and which has been thus rendered : — " Desire by vengeance makes the invention keen ; When miserable , for help on craft we lean . "