h he had killed, or from a Greek word, that
signifies to inquire, {~GREEK SMALL LETTER PI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER EPSILON WITH OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER SIGMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER THETA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER IOTA~}, because people came thither to consult
him. From thence the Delphic priestess was called Pythia, and the games
there celebrated, the Pythian games.

Delphi was an ancient city of Phocis in Achaia. It stood upon the
declivity, and about the middle, of the mountain Parnassus, built upon a
small extent of even ground, and surrounded with precipices, that
fortified it without the help of art.

Diodorus says,(87) that there was a cavity upon Parnassus, from whence an
exhalation rose, which made the goats dance and skip about, and
intoxicated the brain. A shepherd having approached it, out of a desire to
know the causes of so extraordinary an effect, was immediately seized with
violent agitations of body, and pronounced words, which, without doubt, he
did not understand himself; but which, however, foretold futurity. Others
made the same experiment, and it was soon rumoured throughout the
neighbouring countries. The cavity was no longer approached without
reverence. The exhalation was concluded to have something divine in it. A
priestess was appointed for the reception of its effects, and a tripod
placed upon the vent, called by the Latins Cortina, perhaps from the
skin(88) that covered it. From thence she gave her oracles. The city of
Delphi rose insensibly round about this cave; and a temple was erected,
which, at length, became very magnificent. The reputation of this oracle
almost effaced, or at least very much exceeded, that of all others.

At first a single Pythia sufficed to answer those who came to consult the
oracle, as they did not yet amount to any great number: but in process of
time, when it grew into universal repute, a second was appointed to mount
the tripod alternately with the first, and a third chosen to succeed in
case of death, or disease. There were other assistants besides these to
attend the Pythia in the sanctuary, of whom the most considerable were
called prophets;(89) it was their business to take care of the sacrifices,
and to inspect them. To these the demands of the inquirers were delivered
by word of mouth, or in writing; and they returned the answers, as we
shall see in the sequel.

We must not con