Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/665

655 Ogyges. 655 certain acknowledged premises. We begin by inquiring what it is that Ogyges is renowned for in the mythical story of Attica. The great event with which his name is there con- nected is the most ancient deluge, long preceding that of Deucalion, and placed by those chronologers who contended that the most ancient epochs in Greek history were later than Moses, at the time of the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt : some Christian writers, who adopted the state- ment of Theopompus that the Athenians were an Egyptian colony, saw in the Attic deluge a visitation, by which the people of Attica suflPered for the sins of their kinsmen in Egypt (Syncell. i. p. 121. Bonn.) With the nature, causes, and extent of this calamity however we have here no concern ; there are only two points which we have to observe in it. In the first place this ancient flood seems to belong as much to Attica as to Boeotia, and there is no need for the hypothesis that it was strictly speaking confined to the Boeotian plains, but compelled their inhabitants to take refuge in the Attic highlands. In the next place, as indeed follows from the preceding remark, Ogyges in both countries is one and the same person : he is very correctly described as an ancient king of Attica, who gave his name to the Ogygian gate at Thebes, (Etym. M. Eudoc.) And this again ought not to tempt us to undertake accurately to define the extent of his dominions. It is not the land, but the water which covered it in his time that has made him known to us. Still we must not suppress a fact which is recorded of his reign, and which affords more countenance to J. K'^s hypothesis than some which he has produced for that purpose. According to some accounts Ogyges himself founded Eleusis. (SyncelL p. 119. Bonn.) We have however already stated the reasons which prevent us from laying any stress on this statement, which we conceive was only meant to enhance the glory of Eleusis, and not to unfold anything as to the character of Ogyges. At the same time it is proper to remark, for the sake of those persons who take an interest in this portion of ancient history, and who may be perplexed by the discrepancy of traditions relating to it, that the account which makes Ogyges founder of Eleusis is perfectly consistent with that mentioned by Pausanias. The king himself may have founded