Lycophron mentions Typhon’s watch-towers in Arimis, which probably is the Peræa of Sanchoniathon, the east part of Syria, where Homer says the ευνη, or bed of Typhon was, in a field abounding with oaks. ’Tis not unusual for Apollo to be represented in the character of a military captain. Hygin. fab. 140. And he really was a leader of a vast colony of his people into Egypt, then possess’d by his elder brother Misraim. Of this more hereafter. Of him speaks Seneca in Medea,
Ausus Tiphys pandere vasto
Carbasa ponto, legesque novas
Scribere ventis——
Again,
Tiphys in primis domitor profundi.
Jerem. xlvi. 9. the Libyans of Africa are in the original Phut. The Lydians there are the people or posterity of Lud, Thoth, his brother.
Apollodorus I. 4. writes, that Elios, our Phut, married Rhode daughter of Neptune, who was really Tarshish son of Javan, son of Japhet. From her he denominated the celebrated island, where, to his honour, was erected by posterity, the most stupendous statue in brass that ever was in the world, in any metal or other matter; being seventy cubits in height, whence all great statues have been call’d Colosses. The Argonauts in Apollonius I. sacrifice to Apollo the patron of navigation; in Artemidorus, Oniro II. 35. call’d Apollo Delphinius; that author says it means long voyages. Pausanias in Bœoticis gives him the same sirname. Hence, I apprehend, the dolphin, his cognizance, was plac’d in the heavens.
In face, he was like to Augustus. I have several Rhodian coins in silver and brass, of different sizes, in all which he is pictur’d. Nor need we be scrupulous in thinking them a good resemblance. For the Telchines, inhabitants of Rhodes, are said to be the first makers of images. And we may at this time of day, have the satisfaction of seeing an infinite number of representations of him, in the coins, busts, and images of Augustus, particularly the famous statue of Apollo in the Vatican garden at Rome, made from the emperor’s face. Therefore we may well admit of it for the heroical effigies of Phut.
Bochart thinks, he fixt his habitation first at Delos, and his family, and thence the fable of his being born there. I have an ancient brass coin, with the heroical effigies of his mother Latona. Her head in the adverse ΙΕΡΑ ϹΥΝΚΛΕΙΤΟϹ, reverse, the goddess sitting, a hasta pura held oblique in her right hand. ΛΗΤΩΤΡΙΠΟΛΕΙΤΩΝ.