in pagan antiquity, certain women faid to have been endowed with a prophetick spirit, and to have delivered oracles, showing the fates and revolutions of kingdoms. Their number is unknown. Plato speaks of one, others of two, Pliny of three, Aelian of four, and Varro of ten; an opinion which is universally adopted by the learned. Thefe ten Sibyls generally re-fided in the following places, Perfa, Libya, Delphi, Cumae in Italy, Erythræa, Samos, Cumae in Æolia, Marpefca on the Hellefpon, Ancyra in Phrygia, and Tiburtis. The moft celebrated of the Sibyls is that of Cumae in Italy, whom fome have called by the different names of Amalthæa, Demiphile, Herophile, Daphne, Manto, Phemonoe, and Deiphobe. It is faid, that Apollo became enamoured of her, and that to make her fenfible of his paflion he offered to give her whatever thefhould afk. The Sibyl demanded to live as many years as the had grains of fand in her hand, but unfortunately forgot to afk for the enjoyment of the health, vigour, and bloom, of which the was then in pofteffion. The god granted her request, but she refufed to gratify the paflion of her lover though he offered her perpetual youth and beauty. Some time after he became old and decrepit, her form decayed, melancholy palenefs and haggard looks succeeded to bloom and cheerfulness. She had already lived about 700 years when Aeneas came to Italy, and, as fome have imagined, had the three centuries more to live before her years were as numerous as the grains of fand which the had in her hand. She gave Aeneas instructions how to find his father in the infernal regions, and even conducted him to the entrance of hell. It was usual for the Sibyl to write her prophecies on leaves, which fhe placed at the entrance of her cave; and it required particular care in fuch as con-fulted her to take up thefe leaves before they were dif-perfed by the wind, as their meaning then became incomprehenfible. According to the moft authentic hi-torians of the Roman republic, one of the Sibyls came to the palace of Tarquin the Second, with nine volumes, which he offered to fell for a very high price. The monarch difregarded her, and the immediately difappeared, and foon after returned, when he had burned three of the volumes. She afked the fame price for the remaining fix books; and when Tarquin refufed to buy them, he burned three more, and still perfifted in demanding the fame fum of money for the three that were left.—This extraordinary behaviour affonifhed Tarquin; he bought the books, and the Sibyl instantly vanished, and never after appeared to the world. Thefe books were preferved with great care by the monarch, and called the Sibylline verfes. A college of priests was appointed to have the care of them; and fuch reverence did the Romans Romans entertain for these prophetic books, that they were consulted with the greatest solemnity, and only when the state seemed to be in danger. When the capitol was burnt in the troubles of Sylla, the Sibylline verses which were deposited there perished in the conflagration; and to repair the loss which the republic seemed to have sustained, commissioners were immediately sent to different parts of Greece to collect whatever verses could be found of the inspired writings of the Sibyls. The fate of these Sibylline verses which were collected after the conflagration of the capitol is unknown. There are now many Sibylline verses extant, but they are reckoned universally spurious; and it is evident that they were composed in the second century by some of the followers of Christianity, who wished to convince the heathens of their error, by affixing the cause of truth with the arms of pious artifice.