took with him fuch new Affociates, as had a mind to accompany him from the Places where he had laft refided. By these means the Company he commanded, would in a few Years be a mixed Multitude gathered out of different Nations: And his Followers having been of this Sort, feemed to Strabo, to be the Reafon for the Greeks calling him Lelex, and them Leleges (b): It was found in Writing in the Times of the Maccabees, that the Lacedæmonians and the Jews were Brethren, and that the Lacedæmonians were defcended of the Stock of Abraham (i): I should imagine, that this Lelex was an Ifraelite, and that as divers eminent Persons of the Egyptians, upon the Conqueft the Paftors made of their Country, fled with as many as would follow them into foreign Lands (k); fo fome of the Hebrews, when they were preffed with Slavery, might do the fame thing, and this Lelex might be one of them, and when he had obtained a Settlement in Laconia, both what we find in Paufanias of his coming out of Egypt (1), and this Hint of his Relation to the Hebrews might be recorded of him. Some of the Greek Writers mistake the Time of his coming into Greece: They report it to have been about thirteen Generations after Phoroneus King of Argos (m), but we must not imagine it fo late; for from Menelaus who warred at Troy up to 21. (b) Vid. Strab. lib. 7. p. 322. (k) See Vol. II. B. 8. (m) Id. ibid. (i) 1 Maccabees chap. xii. (4) Paufan. in Attic. c. 39. : Lelex, we find ten fucceffive Kings of this Country exclufive of Menelaus (n), and in Caftor's Lift we have but fourteen Succeffions from Phoroneus down to Agamemnon the Leader of the Greeks, contemporary with Menelaus (0); fo that Lelex cannot have been at most above three or four Reigns later than Phoroneus. We find an Hint in Strabo, which may well fix for us the Time of Lelex's entring Laconia: He records, that the Leleges were in Baotia, when Cadmus came thither, and that Cadmus expelled them that Country (p) They were hereupon compelled to a further Travel, and therefore at this time, they and their Leader marched to Laconia, and began the Kingdom of Lacedæmonia. Cadmus came into Baotia, A. M. 2486 (q), and therefore to this Year I fhould fix Lelex's going into Laconia; and according to this Computation he came into Laconia in the Reign of Triopas or Crotopus the fourth or fifth King of (r) Argos from Phoroneus; and agreeably to this Computation, we may well fuppofe ten Kings of Lacedæmonia from Lelex to Menelaus; but if we place Lelex lower, there can be no room for fuch a Succeffion. I might add, that it further appears, that Lelex lived about these Times, from what Paufanias records of Polycaon his young (n) Id. in Laconic. Geog. 1. 9. p. 401. was noted by the ancient crops. See Vol. II. B. 8. (0) Eufeb. in Chronico. (p) Strab. (r) Triopas Times of Ce. er er Son, that he married Melene the Daughter of Triopas (s); fo that Lelex and Triopas were about Contemporaries: I fuppofe Lelex fomewhat elder than Mofes; his coming into Laconia after fo many Travels, must have been towards the End of his own Life; but the Year 2486 in which he entred that Country, falls about the middle of Mofes's Days, in Mofes's 53d Year, 27 Years before he led the Ifraelites out of Egypt: We are no where told how long Lelex governed his new Settlement; his eldeft Son Myles fucceeded him (t), and at Myles's Death, Eurotas Son of Myles became King (u): Eurotas at his Death left no male Heirs (w), and Polycaon the younger Son of Lelex was fettled in another Country (x); and hence it happened at the Demife of Eurotas, that the Crown of Laconia went into another Family, and Lacedæmon Son of Jupiter and Taygete was promoted to it (y). Paufanias has recorded the Names of the Lacedæmonian Kings (≈), and from Lelex to Menelaus who warred at Troy, they are as follows; Lelex, Myles, Eurotas, Lacedamon, Amyclas, Argalus, Cynortas, Oebalus, Hippocoon, Tyndareus and Menelaus. Caf tor and Pollux were the Sons of Tyndareus (a), and engaged in the Argonautic Expedition (b); but they were never Kings of Lace (s) Paufan. in Laconic. c. 1. et in Meflenic. c. 1. (t) Id. in Laconic. ubi fup. (u), Id. ibid. (w) Id. ibid. (x) Id. (y) Id. in Laconic. (≈) Id. in Laco(6) Apollon. Argon. in Meffenic. ubi fup. nic. (a) Apollod. Bibl. L. 3. c. 9. et Val. Flacc. dæmonia, damonia, but died before their Father (c); and upon their Deaths Tyndareus fent for Menelaus to fucceed him in his Kingdom (d). The famous Jupiter of the Greeks was also contemporary with Mofes. He was Son of Saturn, a King of Crete (e): The Remains we now have of the ancient Writers feem to give but a confufed Account of the early Hiftory of the Cretans, tho' it is remarkable, that the Cretans were formerly fo famous for their History, as to have the wifest of Men think it worth while to travel to them to peruse their Records (f): But of what now remains about them, almost all is Fable; tho' I cannot but think, a careful Inquirer may ftill collect Particulars, and give them more Light, than they are generally thought ca-. pable of receiving. Cres was King of Crete, about the 56th Year of Abraham (g), Talus was Son of Cres, Vulcan of Talus, and Rhadamanthus of Vulcan (h): About the Times of this Rhadamanthus (1), we may place the Dactyli Idai (k): They were five Brothers, as many in Number as the Fingers of a 'Man's Hand, and for that reafon called Dac (d) Id. ibid. (c) Apollod. 1. 3. c. 10. (e) Diodor. Sic. 1. 5. p. 232. Apollod. Biblioth. 1. 1. (f) Εγώ τε καὶ Σόλων ὁ ̓Αθηναῖος πλώσαντες μὲν εις Κρήτων κατὰ τὰ καθι ἱςορίαν· Diogen. Laert. in vit. Thalet. (g) Eufeb. in Chronic. (b) Cinathon. in Pausan. Arcad. c. 53. (i) We are not to Suppofe the Rhadamanthus here Spoken of, to be the fame Perfon with one of that Name, who was Brother of Minos; nor the Vulcan bere mentioned to be the fame with Vulcan Son of Jupiter: Perfons of later Ages frequently had the Names which their Ancestors had born Ages before them. (k) Diodor. Sic. p. 230. tyli (1). One of thefe Dactyli was probably named Jupiter; for there was a more ancient Jupiter than the Son of Saturn (m), who was Father of the Curetes (n), and Brother of Ouranus (0); fo that Ouranus might be another of the Dactyli: Saturn was Son of Ouranus (p), and Jupiter was Son of Saturn (q): From Abraham to Mofes are feven Descents; Abraham, Ifaac, Jacob, Levi, Cobath, Amram, Mofes; and there are about as many from Cres to Jupiter, namely, Cres, Talus, Vulcan, Rhadamanthus, Ouranus, Saturn, Jupiter: If Ouranus and the reft of the Dactyli were of the fame Defcent with Rhadamanthus, we have but fix: But if they were in the Descent next after him, we have exactly seven, as in the Family of Abraham. Diodorus Siculus mentions no Kings of Crete between Cres and the Dactyli; but it is obfervable, that he does not say that the Dactyli flourished in or next after the Times of Cres: Diodorus reckoned up the Worthies that lived between Cres and Saturn, whom the Ages which fucceeded, had mentioned with Honour; and it is easy to imagine, that there might be two or three Descents between the Times of Cres and the Dactyli, in which nothing memorable was done, in the way of either great Actions or useful Inventions, to bear their (4) Id. ibid. Strabo Geog. 1. 10. p. 437.. 3. p. 136. (n) Id. ibid. (0) Id. ibid. 231. Apollod. Biblioth. 1. 1. ubi fup. (4) Diodor. (m) Diodor. 1: (p) Id. 1. 5. P. p. 233. Apollod. Fame |