M N I
JE N I
tine, again ft Maxentius may be taken for the fubje& of an Mnigma^ to reprefent the game of chefs : the iign which appeared in the heavens with the words, in hoc f.gno v'mees, may properly enough reprefent the fecret of this game, which confifts in raving the king ; it is much eafier to turn mythology mto Mnigma's, than hiftory. Accordingly feveral have imagined, that the conqueft of the golden fleece, was no other than the tranfmutation of metals ; and that the fable of Circe, was the art of cbemiftry in /Enigma. /Enigma's of pure invention are a kind of poetry, and more fubtle than thofe drawn from mythology ; fince here the matter itfelf is to be created ; inftead of adopting fome hif- tory or received fable, fomcthing probable is feigned, the chief action whereof is known, e. gr. a Ihip wreck, a con- flagration, an amphitheatre, or the like. It is eflential to Mnigma's, that the hiftory or fable, under which they are prefented, be known to every body ; other- wife it will be two Mnigma's inftead of one ; the firft of the hiftory or fable, the fecond of the fenfe it is to be taken in. There are few fubjedts more proper for /Enigma's, than the hiftories of the old teftament, e. gr. the creation of the world, the formation of Eve, the facrifices of Abel or Abra- ham, the deftrudtion of Sodom, and the like. Prints of the metamorphofes, and other fables, may alfo faniifhJEnigma's. Another eflential rule of the Mnigma is, that it only admit of one fenfe. Every /Enigma which is fufceptive of different interpretations, all equally natural, is fo far imperfect. What gives a kind of erudition to an /Enigma, is the invention of figures, in fituations, geftures, colours, &c. authorized by pafTages of the poets, the cuftom of artifts in ftatues, baflb relievo's, inferiptions, and medals.
In foreign colleges, efpecially thofe of the Jefuits, the expli- cation cf Mnigma's makes a confiderable exercife, and that one of the molt difficult and amufing, where wit and pene- tration have the largeft field. By explaining an Mnigma, is meant the finding a motto correfponding to the action and perfons reprefented in a picture, taken either from hiftory or mythology. The great art of this exercife confifts in the choice of a motto, which either by itfelf, or the circum- ftances of time, place, perfon who fpeaks, or thofe before whom he is fpeaking, may divert the fpectators, and funufti Dcccafion for ftrokes of wit; alio in fhewing to advantage, the conformities between the figure and things figured, giving ingenious turns to the reafons employed to fupport what is advanced, and in artfully introducing pieces of poetry to d- luftrate the fubject, and awake the attention of the audience. F. le Jay has given a difiertation exprefs on the rules and method of explaining Mnigma's in painting, in Bibl. Rhetor. See Mem. de Trev. 1716. p. 1212.
I 1 or the folution of Mnigma's, it may be obferved, that thofe are cafieft gueilcd, which confift only of fome letter of the al- phabet, difpofed in feveral words ; fince, if they be of any length, by examining the oppofite terms, we readily find out the letter intended. But 'tis otherwife with Mnigma's founded on the properties, motions, and qualities of a fubject, which muft be well known to folve them.
Mnig?na's expreffed by figures are more difficult to explain than thofe confifting of words, by reafon images may fignify more things than words can ; fo that to fix them to a par- ticular fenfe, we muft apply every fituation, fymbol, &c. and without omitting a circumftancc.
As there are few perfons in hiftory, or mythology, but have lome particular character of vice or virtue, we are, before all k" 1 ?' t0 a " end t0 this chara< ^er, in order to divine what the figure of a perfon reprefented in a painting figniSes, and to find what agreement this may have with the Tubicct whereof we would explain it. Thus, if Proteus be repre- fented in a picture, it may be taken to denote inconftancy, and applied cither to a phyfical or moral fubject, whofe cha- racter is to be changeable, e. gr. an almanac, which exprefles the weather, the feafons, heat, cold, ftorms, and the like. 1 he colours of figures may alfo help to unriddle what they mean : white, for inftance, is a mark of innocence, red of modefty, green of hope, black of forrow, &c. The number may alfo contribute to afcertain the meaning of an Mnigma ; fince there are fome things which are fingle in their kind, as the phoenix, fun, world ; which therefore be- come proper to fignify monarchy. There are other things which are of fome determinate number, e. gr. the four ele- ments, five faries, feven planets, nine mufes, twelve apoftles, % ■ 1 ieU the f:Une numi3ers are f° u » d in the natural, or artificial things, to which the figures of an /Enigma are ap- phed, 'tis a ftrong indication of the juftnefs of the folution. When figures are accompanied with fymbols, they are Iefs precarious ; tliefe being, as it were, the foul of Mnigma's, and the key that opens the myftery of them. Of all the kinds of fymbols which may be met with in thofe who have treated profclTedly on the fubjea, the only truly enigmatical are thofe of Pythagoras, which, under dark proverbs, hold forth, leiions of morality ; as when he fays, Jiateram ne tran- Jihas, to fignify, do no injuftice. Vid. Menejlr. Philof. des Xmag Enigmat. 121110. Paris 1694.
But it muft be added, we meet with fome Mnigma's in hi- ftory, complicated to a degree which much tranfeends all
thefe rules, and has given great perplexity to the interpreters of them. Such is that celebrated antient one, Mlia, Lalia Crifpis, about which many learned have puzzled their heads. There are two examplars of it; one found 120 years ago, on a marble near Bologna ; the other in an antient MS. written in Gothic letters, at Milan. 'Tis controverted between the two cities, which is to be reputed the more authentic.
The Bononian Mnigma. D. M
Mli'a Lalia Crifpis,
Nee vir, nee ?mdier,
Nee androgyna,
Nee puella, nee juvenis,
Nee anus,
Nee eafla, nee meretrix 9
Nee pudiea,
Sed omnia ;
Sublata
Neque fame, neque ferro,
Neque veneno,
Sed omnibus :
Nee caelo, nee terris,
Nee aquis,
Sed ubique jaeet.
Lucius Agatha Prifeius,
Nee marhus, nee amator,
Nee neeeff'arius ;
Neque meerens, neque gaudens,
Neque fens t _ . .
i Hanc, t.
Nee molem, nee pyramidem, Nee fcpulcbr-um, Sed omnia - Seit Cjf nefcit, cut pofuerit.
That is to fay, To the gods manes, Mlia Leslia Crifpis, nei- ther man nor ivoman, nor hermaphrodite, neither girl, nor young zuoman, nor old, neither ehafle, nor a whore, but all thefe ; tilled neither by hunger, nor fieel, nor poifon, but by all thefe : neither rejls in heaven, nor on earth, nor in the waters, but everywhere. Lucius Agatho Pri fetus, neither her hufband, nor lover, nor friend; neither for row ful, nor joyful, nor weepings certain, or uncertain, to whom he rears this monument, neither creels her a temple, nor a pyramid, nor a tomb, but all thefe. In the MSS. at Milan, inftead of D. M. we find A. M. P. P. D. and at the end, the following addition.
Hoc efl fepulehrum intus cadaver non habens,
Hoe ejl cadaver fepulehrum extra non habens,
Sed cadaver idem ejl IS fepulehrum.
We find near fifty feveral folutions of this-- Mnigma ad- vanced by learned men. Marius Michael Angelus maintains, Mlia L&lia Crifpis to fignify ram-water falling into the fea. Ri. Vitus firft explained it of Niobc turned to a ftone, afterwards of the rational foul, and afterwards of the Platonic idea; Jo. Turrius, of /the materia prima; Fr. Schottus, of an eunuch ; Nic. Bernandus, of the philofophers ftone, in which he is followed by Borrichius ; Zach. Pon- tinus, of three human bodies in the fame fituation, and buried by three different men at the fame time ; and Nefmondius, of a law-fuit ; Jo. Gaf. Gerartius, of Love ; Zu. Boxhor- nius, of a fhadow a ; P. Terronus, of mufic ; Fort. Licetus, of generation, friendfhip, and privation; M. Ov. Montal- banus, of hemp ; Car. Casf. Malvafia b , of an abortive girl promifed in marriage ; Fr. Maftrius, of an hermaphrodite ; Pet. Mengulus, of. the rule of chaftity, prefcribed by the founder of the military religion of St. Mary ; M. de Ciconia, of pope Joan; fdeumannus, of Lot's wife d j and.laftly, J. C. S. an anonymous writer in the Lipfic Acts, of the Chriftian church c . — [ 3 Alregoria Peripatetica de Generatione Amicitia & Privatione in Ariftotel. iElia Lselia Crifpis, Patav. 1630. 4-to. fa iElia Laelia Crifpis non Nata refurgens, Bo- non. 1683. 4to. Extracts of it may be feen in Act. Erud. Lipf. 1684. p. 263. feq. Giorn. de Lettr. de Parm. T. r. p. 68. Jour, des Scav. T. 13. p. 192. c Monum. TEHa Lselia Crifpis, five Celeber. /Enigmatis Bononienfis. Hiftoria Explicat. Bonon. 1706 & 1717- 4 to -' Extracts -of which are given in Act. Erud. Lipf. 1706. p. 88. feq. Nov. Liter. T. 2. p. 225. d Diff. de Fato Uxor. Loti. V. Aft. Erud. Lipf. 1720. p. 7. feq. c Act. Erud. Lipf. an. 1727. p. 332. See alfo Mifjon, Nouv. Voy. d'ltal. T. 3. p. -270. Kuft. Bibl. Nov, Libror. 1698. p. 636- feq.] ;
In imitation of this, we find another JEnigma propofed in the Journal of Parma, which has exercifed feveral of the wits of Italy, and given occafion to many philofoph ical and philo- logical fpeculations. Giorn. de Letter, de Farm. an. 1690. p. 193. feq.
Hie
Terra jacet & cask manet ■
Fir non vir
Qui
Mare barrens 6f mart barem
Nomen
