The native American., 1837-09-09
THE sYBELLrNE oRAcLEs.

THE SYBELLTNE ORACLES.
Ara recent meeting Of the Royal Society OF Litera-
lure the Secretary read a learned and admirably
eued memoir, by the Rev. G. s. Faber. On the
Origin OF the Latin oracle, first produced in the year
I63 before the Christian Era.-Thai nature about
TO bring forth King to the Roman People-Regem
popuO Romano Naturam payturiere. Suction, in Wit.
Aug 1t is admitted that such oracle had become
current in Italy than sixty years b. G. II is ad-
mtted, also, that il had its immediate origin from the
|sibyllne books. Bishop Horsely believed that the
collection from which it was derived, was that which
Tarqu:n is said to have obtained from the Cumean
Sbyl; and the learned prelate concluded from con
sderaiion Of dates and other circumstances that the
oraces contained in III books were other than
corrupted fragments OF the most ancient prophecies OF
the patrarchal ages. Those earlier sibyllne books,
however, persisted in the conagraon Of the Capitol,
eighty years before the christian era; have any
reason to suppose that the oracle in question, was
really contained in them. To remedy the loss of the
volumes of arquin, deputies sent by decree Of
the senate, to various parts OF Italy, Greece, Africa,
and Asia, for the purpose of making new collection;
from the result of whose inquiries and labors in
scribing from the original documents existing in all
the most ancient cities Of the empire, the Capitol,
when rebuilt and consecraed, was furnished with a
collection OF sibyline oraces totally different from the
former This took place in the year 66 B. c., and in
tho 63 the oracle of the great kings approaching
birth first makes its appearance When this oracle
was once known in Rome, it was found too well 10
serve the purposes of ambition, courty fattery to
BE- forgotten Immediately after its appearance, Len
tulus on the authority of the sbylline books, pretend
ed that the kingdom of Rome was destined to three
Cornelii; that Sylla and China the two first and
that he himself the third of these predicted SOW
eregns. Alter Lentulus the oracle, in form modified
according to the existing circumstances, employed
ny his fialterng friends to further the aspiring designs
OF julius Cesar. But the most obvious and best
known application Of this oracle that which di-
rected 1t to Augustus. Augustus, it happened, was
born Immediately after the production of the oracle;
and it was equally natural for admirers see and for
his hatterers 10 eign they saw, the undoubted
pshment of it in his becoming in reality king
peror OF the Romans.-fhe question now presents
itself-how an oracle that precisely accords with
the opinion which was at that, somewhat subse-
quent period prevalent in the East found its way
into the latter collection Of sibylne verses preserved
In tie Roman Capitol! In answer to this, the writer
adduced what he deemed "a sufhciency OF at least
moral evidence to prove that both the western
Gle and the opinion which pevaded the East sprung
from the same source, viz. from the sacred books OF
the Jews, through the medium of Greek translation;
various fragments of that version, learn from Dio-
nysius, having been conveyed into Italy, oracles
delivered by some one of The reputed ten sibyls.
This conclusion appears TO he strenght ned by the
singular resemblance of the Polls Of Virgil, both in
thought and phraseoegy, to various Hebrew prophe
cies .: the Messiah general idea of the contents
of the oracle being at that time familiar it is probable
that the learned poet was induced to obtain sight,
either OF the transcripts, of the original documents
That he must have had some such means Of anthem
tic information is clear from the fact that the Polio
is other than poetical exhibition of the grand out
lines of the prophecy, Of which the article is ep
tome, set forth in style little agreeing with the
general spirit ofheathen writer's that it might be taken
for true prophecy Of the Messiah, or least for
poem on that subject, in express imiation of the pro-
phets of the Jewish ma. Lastly and as key to
the whole my scly, Mr. Faber adduced persuasion
that prevailed subsequently to the time of the later
collection of the sbyllne oracles. That collection
was thought to have been made from the writings not
Of one siby only, but Of many These mysterious fe-
males were originally repnlrd to have been four in
number; but the list afterwards augmented to ten.
Now of the latter six sibyls, who added to
the original FOUR was said to have been Jewess who
was enrolled among the sbyls Of the Hebrews Of
Palestine --2thenaum.