blind
reverence. I have shewn, that of El-Uc they formed [Greek: Lukos], Lucus,
which was acknowledged to be the name of the Sun: of El-Uc-Aon, Lycaon: of
El-Uc-Or, Lycorus, and Lycoreus:

[333][Greek: E kitharin, e toxa Lukoreos entea Phoibou.]

So from Uc-Ait, another title of the God, they formed Hecatus, and a
feminine, Hecate. Hence Nicander speaks of Apollo by this title:

[334][Greek: Ezomenos tripodessi para Klariois Hekatoio.]

And Herophile the Sibyl of the same Deity:

[335][Greek: Moiran echous' Hekatoi tes tot' Anaktories.]

The only person who seems knowingly to have retained this word, and to have
used it out of composition, is [336]Homer. He had been in Egypt; and was an
admirer of the theology of that nation. He adhered to antient [337]terms
with a degree of enthusiasm; and introduced them at all hazards, though he
many times did not know their meaning. This word, among others, he has
preserved; and he makes use of it adverbially in its proper sense, when he
describes any body superlatively great, and excellent. Thus he speaks of
Calchas as far superior to every body else in prophetic knowledge, and
styles him [Greek: och' aristos]:

[338][Greek: Kalchas Thestorides oionopolon och' aristos,]
[Greek: Hos eide ta t' eonta, ta t' essomena, pro t' eonta.]

So on the Trojan side Helenus is spoken of in the same light:

[339][Greek: Priamides Helenos oionopolon och' aristos.]

So [340][Greek: Phokeon och' ariston,] [341][Greek: Aitolon och' aristos,]
and [342][Greek: Tuchios--Skutotomon och' aristos.]

In these and in all other instances of this term occurring in Homer, it is
observable, that it is always in the same acceptation, and uniformly
precedes the same word, [Greek: aristos]. It is indeed to be found in the
poetry ascribed to [343]Orpheus: but as those verses are manifestly
imitations of Homer, we must not look upon it as a current term of the
times, when that poetry was composed: nor was it ever, I believe, in common
use, not even in the age of Homer. It was an Amonian term, joined
inseparably with another borrowed from the same people. For [Greek:
aristos] was from Egypt, and Chaldea. Indeed, most of the irregular degrees
of comparison are from that quarter; being derived from the Sun, the great
Deity of the Pagan world, and from his titles and properties. Both [Greek:
areion] and [Greek: aristos] were from [Greek: ares], the Arez of the east.
From Bel, and Baaltis, came [Gr