Vestiges of ancient manners and customs, discoverable in modern Italy and Sicily / By the Rev. John James Blunt.

  • Blunt, John J. (John James), 1794-1855.
Date:
1823
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Vestiges of ancient manners and customs, discoverable in modern Italy and Sicily / By the Rev. John James Blunt. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    49/318 (page 31)
    ‘represents him cast ashore, together with the gods which the tempest had dashed from the stern— ‘ Jacet ipse in littore, et und Ingentes de-puppe Dii.’ 6. 30. From the casual manner in which these in- signia are mentioned by Ovid, in his narra- tive of the foul weather which he encountered on the voyage to the place of his exile, it may be fairly inferred that they formed an esta- blished part of a Roman ship : Me miserum, (says he), quantis increscunt squora ventis ; Erutaque ex imis fervet arena vadis! Monte nec inferior prore puppique recurve Insilit, et pictos verberat unda Deos. Pest LIS Te O’er the rough sea the mad@’ning tempests sweep, The sand in eddies rushes from the deep, Leaps the huge mountain-wave o’er stern and prow, And lashes fierce the painted gods below. Indeed, it seems probable that vessels took their names from their tutelar deities ; and consequently, that they were of a sacred cha-