ore of antient
history, than I dare venture to acknowledge. Of the mythic age I suppose
almost every circumstance to have been imported, and adopted; or else to be
a fable. I imagine, that Chiron, so celebrated for his knowledge, was a
mere personage formed from a tower, or temple, of that name. It stood in
Thessaly; and was inhabited by a set of priests, called Centauri. They were
so denominated from the Deity they worshipped, who was represented under a
particular form. They styled him Cahen-Taur: and he was the same as the
Minotaur of Crete, and the Tauromen of Sicilia; consequently of an
emblematical and mixed figure. The people, by whom this worship was
introduced, were many of them Anakim; and are accordingly represented as of
great strength and stature. Such persons among the people of the east were
styled [344]Nephelim: which the Greeks in after times supposed to relate to
[Greek: nephele], a cloud. In consequence of this, they described the
Centaurs as born of a cloud: and not only the Centaurs, but Ixion, and
others, were reputed of the same original. The chief city of the Nephelim
stood in Thessaly, and is mentioned by [345]Palaephatus: but through the
misconception of his countrymen it was expressed [Greek: Nephele], Nephele,
a cloud. The Grecians in general were of this race; as will be abundantly
shewn. The Scholiast upon Lycophron mentions, that the descendants of
Hellen were by a woman named Nephele, whom Athamas was supposed to have
married. [346][Greek: Athamas ho Aiolou tou Hellenos pais ek Nepheles
gennai Hellen, kai Phrixon.] The author has made a distinction between
Helle, and Hellen; the former of which he describes in the feminine. By
Phrixus is meant [Greek: Phrux], Phryx, who passed the Hellespont, and
settled in Asia minor. However obscured the history may be, I think the
purport of it is plainly this, that the Hellenes, and Phrygians were of the
Nephelim or Anakim race. Chiron was a temple, probably at Nephele in
Thessalia, the most antient seat of the Nephelim. His name is a compound of
Chir-On, in purport the same as Kir-On, the tower and temple of the Sun. In
places of this sort people used to study the heavenly motions: and they
were made use of for seminaries, where young people were instructed; on
which account they were styled [Greek: paidotrophoi]. Hence Achilles was
supposed to have been taught by [347]Chiron, who is reported to have had
many disciples. They are enumerated by Xenophon i