ings, which they took great care to conceal,
and covered with a veil of purple. This ceremony represented the basket
into which Proserpine put the flowers she was gathering when Pluto seized
and carried her off.

The fifth day was called the day of "the Torches:" because at night the
men and women ran about with them in imitation of Ceres, who having
lighted a torch at the fire at mount AEtna, wandered about from place to
place in search of her daughter.

The sixth was the most famous day of all. It was called Iacchus, which is
the same as Bacchus, the son of Jupiter and Ceres, whose statue was then
brought out with great ceremony, crowned with myrtle, and holding a torch
in its hand. The procession began at the Ceramicus, and passing through
the principal places of the city, continued to Eleusis. The way leading to
it was called "the sacred way," and lay across a bridge over the river
Cephisus. This procession was very numerous, and generally consisted of
thirty thousand persons.(76) The temple of Eleusis, where it ended, was
large enough to contain the whole of this multitude; and Strabo says, its
extent was equal to that of the theatres, which every body knows were
capable of holding a much greater number of people.(77) The whole way
reechoed with the sound of trumpets, clarions, and other musical
instruments. Hymns were sung in honour of the goddesses, accompanied with
dancing, and other extraordinary marks of rejoicing. The route before
mentioned, through the sacred way, and over the Cephisus, was the usual
one: but after the Lacedaemonians, in the Peloponnesian war, had fortified
Decelia, the Athenians were obliged to make their procession by sea, till
Alcibiades reestablished the ancient custom.

The seventh day was solemnized by games, and the gymnastic combats, in
which the victor was rewarded with a measure of barley; without doubt
because it was at Eleusis the goddess first taught the method of raising
that grain, and the use of it. The two following days were employed in
some particular ceremonies, neither important nor remarkable.

During this festival it was prohibited, under very great penalties, to
arrest any person whatsoever, in order to their being imprisoned, or to
present any bill of complaint to the judges. It was regularly celebrated
every fifth year, that is, after a revolution of four years: and history
does not mention that it was ever interrupted, except upon the taking of
Thebes by Alexand