a famous seer of antiquity, was the son of Everes and the nymph Charicleo. Pherecydes says, that Minerva being accidentally seen by Tiresias, as she was bathing with Charicleo in the fountain of Hippocrene, the goddess was enraged, and declared that he should see nothing more; on which he instantly lost his sight; but afterwards received from the goddess superior endowments. Others say, that Juno struck him stone-blind for deciding a case between Jupiter and her, to her dissatisfaction; for which Jupiter gave him the faculty of divination. He was the most celebrated prophet in the Grecian annals. Ulysses is ordered by Circe to consult him in the shades.

There seek the Theban bard deprived of sight, Within irradiate with prophetic light.

But, besides the honour done to him by Homer, Sophocles makes him a venerable and capital part in his tragedy of Oedipus. Callimachus attributes to Minerva the gift of his superior endowments; the pre-eminence of his knowledge is likewise mentioned by Tully in his first book of Divination. And not only Tiresias is celebrated by Diodorus Siculus, but his daughter Daphne, who, like her father, was gifted with a prophetic spirit, and was appointed priestess at Delphi. She wrote many oracles in verse, from whence Homer was reported to have taken several lines, which he interwove in his poems. As she was often seized with a divine fury, she acquired the title of Naias, which signifies "enthusiast." She is the first on whom it was bestowed; in aftertimes this denomination was given to several other females that were supposed to be inspired, and who uttered and wrote their predictions in verse; which verse being sung, their function may be justly said to unite the priesthood with prophecy, poetry, and music.