ry of the place affords
us a reason why it was imposed. For this we are obliged to Solinus, who
calls the city with the Grecian termination, Carystos; and says, that it
was noted for its hot streams: [707]Carystos aquas calentes habet, quas
[Greek: Ellopias] vocant. We may therefore be assured, that it was called
Car-ystus from the Deity of fire, to whom all hot fountains were sacred.
Ellopia is a compound of El Ope, Sol Python, another name of the same
Deity. Carystus, Cerastis, Cerasta, are all of the same purport: they
betoken a place, or temple of Astus, or Asta, the God of fire. Cerasta in
the feminine is expressly the same, only reversed, as Astachar in
Chusistan. Some places had the same term in the composition of their names,
which was joined with Kur; and they were named in honour of the Sun, styled
[Greek: Kuros], Curos. He was worshipped all over Syria; and one large
province was hence named Curesta, and Curestica, from [Greek: Kur Hestos],
Sol Hestius.

In Cappadocia were many Puratheia; and the people followed the same manner
of worship, as was practised in Persis. The rites which prevailed, may be
inferred from the names of places, as well as from the history of the
country. One city seems to have been denominated from its tutelary Deity,
and called Castabala. This is a plain compound of Ca-Asta-Bala, the place
or temple of Asta Bala; the same Deity, as by the Syrians was called
Baaltis. Asta Bala was the Goddess of fire: and the same customs prevailed
here as at Feronia in Latium. The female attendants in the temple used to
walk with their feet bare over burning [708]coals.

Such is the nature of the temple named Istachar; and of the caverns in the
mountains of Chusistan. They were sacred to Mithras, and were made use of
for his rites. Some make a distinction between Mithras, Mithres, and
Mithra: but they were all the same Deity, the [709]Sun, esteemed the chief
God of the Persians. In these gloomy recesses people who were to be
initiated, were confined for a long season in the dark, and totally
secluded from all company. During this appointed term they underwent, as
some say, eighty kinds of trials, or tortures, by way of expiation.
[710]Mithra apud Persas Sol esse existimatur: nemo vero ejus sacris
initiari potest, nisi per aliquot suppliciarum gradus transierit. Sunt
tormentorum ij lxxx gradus, partim intensiores.--Ita demum, exhaustis
omnibus tormentis, sacris imbuuntur. Many [711]died in the trial: a