A description of the first discoveries of the antient city of Heraclea, found near Portici, a country palace belonging to the king of the Two Sicilies. In two parts.. online

called by Nonnus Tiwio? ; which agrees with Hefiod^
who makes him to be the Son or Climene^ and of
Japet, the fifth of the Titani. Now without en-
tering into any Argument in Defence of Sancho-
niathon, and pafTing by all other fabulous Stories ;
we fhall only fay, that Atlas was the Father of
Maja ", and that, of Jupiter and Maja^ Mercury
was born d. If by Mercury is meant Eliezer « ;
then he is not the Son of Aio? or Ifaac, but lived in
his Time, or a little before. On the other hand,
Hercules afllfted Atlas : Who would not imagine it
to be Lot, or in the Phoenician Language Lota, and
corruptly Oihlah? Such Tranfpofitions are very
common, and in the Time of the Ammonites^
which were the Defcendants of Lot ^ ; the Name

* Eufeb. praep. lib, 9. cap 20. ^ Metamor. lib. 4. ^ Efiodi
Theog. "^ Ibid. pag. 129. 13. *= Vid. Fourmont Reflexions
Critiq. lib. 2. fee. 3. cap. 29. ^ ]^^%- x« i-

of



Antient C/(y ^ H E R ACL E A. 5

of Jhola^ which is the fame as Jtlas^ was much ia
\]^t. But Atlas was attacked by the Titanic be-
caule he was of the Party of Jupiter and Kronos :
In this you may difcern the Hiftory of Lot or
Lota ; Abraham is Kronos^ and his Enemies are the
Titani* It is faid, that Atlas was well verfed in
Aftronomy, and here we muil not omit telling
you J that Lot^ or as the Ammonites call him,
'^fola^ Otla^ was a Chaldean : But have not all the
Antients mentioned that Abraham^ being a great
Traveller, brought the Ufe of Aftronomy out of
Chaldea into Egypt ^ ? Therefore it was Lot^ or
Lota^ or Othlah^ that cultivated that Science.

It may pofTibly be objeded, that Atlas v/as
King of that Part of Mauritania^ which is near
the Mountain of that Name ; and that Abidems
takes Atlas'to be the Enoch mentioned in Scripture,
namely, the Father of Methufalem ". But it is
very likely the Ammonites may have given it that
Name, among their Conquefts in the Time of the
Judges ^ The Manner in which Naas^ the King
of the Ammonites fpcaks ^^ The War which David
waged againft them % The Alliances \ and their
Forces g ; fhew them to have been a very formida-
ble Nation.

But, not to fay any thing of the other Reafons,
by which we might prove the Coherence that is
between Atlas ^ and the Carthaginian Names ^ ; the
Story goes, that the Tyrant Buftris ordered his
People to ravifh the Neices of Atlas^ viz. the
Hefperides, and that this was done without the
Affiftance of Hercules ; but with refpedt to^this
Fadl, there are two Stories confounded together,

" Vid. Polyhiftor. ex Artapano. apud Eufeb. lib. 9. cap. 18.
& idem ex Eupolemo apud eundem Eufeb. lib. 9, cap. 16. Nico-
laus Damafcenus apud eundem Eufeb. cap. 16. ^ Genef. iv.
*^ Judg. xi. 32, '^ I Reg. xi. 11. â– = 2 Reg. xiii. ^ Pfalm
Ixxw. 6, 7, g, B Jerem. xlix. 4. ^ Vid. Fourmont loco citato.

fc, pf



6 u4 DESCRlTTlOfJ of thg

fc. of BufiriSy and of Oftris^ and which feem to
mean the Difpatching of Efcol againft Amrafhely
who {EJhcol) joined himfelf with Abraham^ to de-
liver the Daughters of Lot or Othlah^ from Servi-
tude.

The Greek word jtxrjAou denoting the Efperian Ap-
ples, fi gni lies a I fo C Gen. xxxvi. 3. ^ Dc Etruria Regali, Tab. U. & VI.

changed



^Antient C/// ?^ H ER A CL E A. 9

changed into Hercules ; the Tufcans frequently
•iifing the Letter R : Tho' many Authors deny
them the Ufe of it. And as we have derived the
Name of Hercules from the Goddefs Ju?:o, it wiii
not be improper to mention, that there is in being,
another facrificing Cup, on which ^;^7^ is call'd
SIQH • ^^^> reading it from the Right to the
Left, as it is the Cuftom in the Eaftern Countries.
I add further, that it is a very difficult, and next
to impoflible Undertaking, clearly to reconcile the
Identity of Perfons, the Hiftories of whom are
obfcured by fo m.any different Interpretations, in-
fomuch as, on a great Number of Wild Beads be-
ing gathered together, or when any noted Villain
armed himfclf to difturb the Peace of the People,
it was neceflTary that fome expert Warrior fhould
be fent to tame, and root out fuch Plagues -, in the
like Cafe, this Hero, who by the Antients was
called Horus^ being armed with a Club, one Day
overcame the moft diftinguilhed Warriors, and
thence was called Heracles or HerccUj, t. e. a Man
expert or famous in War ; for in the Hehew
Tongue Horim ^ fignines iiluftrious Perfons, and
Kelt, fignifies a Club, or any Kind of Arms \ I
fhall conclude this Chapter (for the Confolation of
the Learned,) with this Paflage out of Cicero:
Magnam raoieftiam fufcepit^ t^ minime necejjariam
primus Zeno^ foft Cleanthes^ deinde ChryfippuSy com-
mentitiarum fahularurrt redder e rationem \

CHAP. II.

Of the Coming of Hercules Phoenicius into Italy.

AN Y one who underftands but a little of the
Hiftory of the fabulous Age, call'd 'A