A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology | Page 7

[Greek:
Kunodôn], and styled his votaries [68]Cunodontes.
The Greeks pretended, that they had the use of the sphere, and were
acquainted with the zodiac, and its asterisms very early. But it is plain
from their mistakes, that they received the knowledge of these things
very late; at a time when the terms were obsolete, and the true purport
of them not to be obtained. They borrowed all the schemes under which
the stars are comprehended from the Egyptians: who had formed them
of old, and named them from circumstances in their own religion and
mythology. They had particularly conferred the titles of their Deities
upon those stars, which appeared the brightest in their hemisphere. One
of the most remarkable and brilliant they called Cahen Sehor; another
they termed Purcahen; a third Cahen Ourah, or Cun Ourah. These were
all misconstrued, and changed by the Greeks; Cahen-Sehor to Canis
Sirius; P'urcahen to Procyon; and Cahen Ourah to Cunosoura, the dog's
tail. In respect to this last name I think, from the application of it in
other instances, we may be assured that it could not be in acceptation
what the Greeks would persuade us: nor had it any relation to a dog.
There was the summit of a hill in Arcadia of this [69]name: also a
promontory in [70]Attica; and another in [71]Euboea. How could it
possibly in its common acceptation be applicable to these places? And
as a constellation if it signified a dog's tail, how came it to be a name
given to the tail of a bear? It was a term brought from [72]Sidon, and
Egypt: and the purport was to be sought for from the language of the
Amonians.
The antient Helladians used upon every promontory to raise pillars and
altars to the God of light, Can-Our, the Chan-Orus of Egypt. But

Can-Our, and Can-Ourah, they changed to [Greek: kunosoura], as I
have shewn: yet notwithstanding this corruption, the true name is often
to be discovered. The place which is termed Cunosoura by Lucian, in
his Icaromemenippus, is called Cunoura by Stephanus Byzant, and by
[73]Pausanias. Cunoura is also used by Lycophron, who understood
antient terms full well, for any high rock or headland.
[74][Greek: En haisi pros kunoura kampulous schasas] [Greek: Peukês
odontas.]
[Greek: Pros kunoura, pros tracheias petras.] Scholiast. ibid.
We find the same mistake occur in the account transmitted to us
concerning the first discovery of purple. The antients very gratefully
gave the merit of every useful and salutary invention to the Gods. Ceres
was supposed to have discovered to men corn, and bread: Osiris
shewed them the use of the plough; Cinyras of the harp: Vesta taught
them to build. Every Deity was looked up to as the cause of some
blessing. The Tyrians and Sidonians were famous for the manufacture
of purple: the die of which was very exquisite, and the discovery of it
was attributed to Hercules of Tyre; the same who by Palæphatus is
styled Hercules [75]Philosophus. But some will not allow him this
honour; but say, that the dog of Hercules was the discoverer. For
accidentally feeding upon the Murex, with which the coast abounded,
the dog stained his mouth with the ichor of the fish; and from hence the
first hint of dying was [76]taken. This gave birth to the proverbial
expression, [77][Greek: Heurêma kunos ên hê sebastê porphura.]
Nonnus mentions the particular circumstance of the dog's staining his
mouth:
[78][Greek: Chioneas porphure parêïdas haimati kochlou.]
Such is the story, which at first sight is too childish to admit of credit. It
is not likely that a dog would feed upon shell-fish: and if this may at
any time have happened, yet whoever is at all conversant in natural
history, must know, that the murex is of the turbinated kind, and
particularly aculeated; having strong and sharp protuberances, with
which a dog would hardly engage. The story is founded upon the same

misconception, of which so many instances have been produced.
Hercules of Tyre, like all other oriental divinities, was styled Cahen,
and Cohen; as was allowed by the Greeks themselves. [79][Greek: Ton
Hêraklên phasi kata tên Aiguptiôn dialekton CHÔNA legesthai.] We
are told, that Hercules in the language of the Egyptians is called Chon.
This intelligence, however, they could not abide by; but changed this
sacred title to [80][Greek: kuôn], a dog, which they described as an
attendant upon the Deity.
The Grecians tell us, that the Egyptians styled Hermes a dog: but they
seem to have been aware, that they were guilty of an undue
representation. Hence Plutarch tries to soften, and qualify what is
mentioned, by saying, [81][Greek: Ou gar kuriôs ton Hermên KYNA
legousin (hoi Aiguptioi)]: by which this learned writer would insinuate,
that it was not so much the name of a dog, as the