Difference between revisions of "New System, or, an Analysis of Ancient Mythology"

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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology''}}
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{{DISPLAYTITLE:''A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology: Wherein an Attempt is Made to Divest Tradition of Fable and to Reduce the Truth to its Original Purity''}}
 
===by Jacob Bryant===
 
===by Jacob Bryant===
__NOTOC__
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{{BookPageInfoBox
"It is my purpose in the ensuing work to give an account of the first ages; and of the great events, which happebned in the infancy of the world. In consequence, I shall lay before the reader, what Gentile writers have said upon this subject, colaterally with the accounts given by Moses, as long as I find him engaged in the generally history of mankind." <ref> Bentley, ''Blake Books'' 439B: </ref>
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|imagename=BryantNewSystem1775.jpg
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|link=https://catalog.libraries.wm.edu:443/01COWM_WM:01COWM_WM_ALMA:01COWM_WM_ALMA21561281080003196
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|shorttitle=A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology
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|vol=volume two
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|author=[[:Category:Jacob Bryant|Jacob Bryant]]
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|edition=Second
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|lang=[[:Category:English|English]]
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|publoc=[[:Category:London|London]]
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|publisher=Printed for T. Payne, P. Elmsly, B. White, and J. Walter
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|year=1775-1776
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|set=3
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|desc=[[:Category:Quartos|4to]] (30 cm.)
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|shelf=A-4
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}}[[File:BryantNewSystemOrAnalysisOfAncientMythology1775plateII.jpg |left|thumb|250px|<center>Temple of Mithras and Temple in the rock, plate II, volume one.</center>]][[wikipedia:Jacob Bryant|Jacob Bryant]] (1715 &ndash; 1804) was born in England, where he was a respected scholar and mythographer.<ref>S. Foster Damon, ''A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake'' (Providence: Brown University Press, 1965), 61.</ref> In his first book, ''Observations and Enquiries Relating to Various Parts of Ancient History'' (1767), Bryant attacked selected opinions in the works of such celebrated antiquarian scholars as Theodore Beza (1519 &ndash; 1605), Hugo Grotius (1583 &ndash; 1645), Samuel Bochart (1599 &ndash; 1667), and Richard Bentley (1662 &ndash; 1742). His work was favorably received. Suitably encouraged, he next published the book for which he is most often remembered, ''A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology''. Bryant believed all mythology came from the Hebrew Scripture. He used ''A New System'' to link mythology to the Book of Genesis,<ref>John Charles Whale and Stephen Copley, ''Beyond Romanticism: New Approaches to Texts and Contexts, 1780-1832'' (Routledge, 1992), 92.</ref> and explained how contemporary society arose from ancient civilizations. "It is my purpose in the ensuing work to give an account of the first ages; and of the great events, which happened in the infancy of the world. In consequence, I shall lay before the reader, what Gentile writers have said upon this subject, collaterally with the accounts given by Moses, as long as I find him engaged in the generally history of mankind." <ref>Jacob Bryant, ''A New System, or An Analysis of Ancient Mythology'' (London: Printed for T. Payne, P. Elmsly, B. White, and J. Walter, 1775), 1:v.</ref>
  
<blockquote>  In his first book, Observations and Enquiries Relating to Various Parts of Ancient History (1767), Bryant attacked selected opinions in the works of such celebrated antiquarian scholars as Theodore Beza (1519–1605), Hugo Grotius (1583–1645), Samuel Bochart (1599–1667), and Richard Bentley (1662–1742). His work was favourably received. Suitably encouraged, he next published the book for which he is most often remembered, A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology, with plates (3 vols., 1774–6). This work, according to its subtitle, was ‘an attempt … to divest tradition of fable, and to reduce the truth to its original purity’, a goal in which he always believed, but the actual result was simply a fantastic hodgepodge of spurious etymology (in the manner of Bochart) and riotous imagination. <ref> Dennis R. Dean, ‘Bryant, Jacob (bap. 1717, d. 1804)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3795, accessed 11 June 2013] </ref> </blockquote>
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''A New System'', according to its subtitle, was "an attempt … to divest tradition of fable, and to reduce the truth to its original purity;" the actual result was simply a fantastic hodgepodge of spurious etymology (in the manner of Bochart) and riotous imagination.<ref>Dennis R. Dean, "[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3795 Bryant, Jacob (bap. 1717, d. 1804)]" in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed October 27, 2013.</ref> The work opened conversation between world scholars, as several writers publicly opposed Bryant’s ideas and encouraged him to respond through further writing.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
  
==Bibliographic Information==
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==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
'''Author:''' Jacob Bryant, (bap. 1717, d. 1804)
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George Wythe definitely owned this title. A copy of the 1775-1776 edition at the Library of Congress has "a number of manuscript notes and corrections" made by Wythe.<ref>E. Millicent Sowerby, ''Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson'', (Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress, 1952-1959), 1:21-22 [http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015033648091;view=1up;seq=52 [no.43]].</ref> [[Thomas Jefferson]] listed the title in his [[Jefferson Inventory|inventory]] of [[Wythe's Library]] as ''Bryant’s Mythology. 3.v. 4to.'' He sold it to the Library of Congress in 1815. All four of the [[George Wythe Collection|Wythe Collection]] sources (Goodwin's pamphlet<ref>Mary R. M. Goodwin, ''[http://research.history.org/DigitalLibrary/View/index.cfm?doc=ResearchReports\RR0216.xml The George Wythe House: Its Furniture and Furnishings]'' (Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, 1958), li.</ref> Dean's Bibliography<ref>[[Dean Bibliography|Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean]], Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 2 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).</ref>, Brown's Bibliography<ref>Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433.</ref> and [http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe George Wythe's Library]<ref>''LibraryThing'', s. v. [http://www.librarything.com/profile/GeorgeWythe "Member: George Wythe"], accessed on June 28, 2013.</ref> on LibraryThing) list the 1775-1776 edition of Bryant's ''Mythology.'' The Wolf Law Library purchased a copy of the same edition.
  
'''Title:''' A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology: Wherein an Attempt is Made to Divest Tradition of Fable and to Reduce the Truth to its Original Purity : in this work is given an history of the Babylonians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Canaanites, Helladians, Ionians, Leleges, Dorians, Pelasgi : also of the Scythae, Indo-Scythae, Ethiopians, Phenicians
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[[File:BryantNewSystemOrAnalysisOfAncientMythology1775plateVII.jpg |left|thumb|250px|<center>"Juno Samia Selenitis," plate VII, volume two.</center>]]
  
'''Published:''' London: Printed for T. Payne, P. Elmsly, B. White, and J. Walter, 1775-1776.  
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==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
 +
Bound in contemporary calf with gilt panelled backstrips and red and green labels.  
  
'''Edition:'''
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Images of the library's copy of this book are [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wolflawlibrary/sets/72157635360766397 available on Flickr.] View the record for this book in [https://catalog.libraries.wm.edu:443/01COWM_WM:01COWM_WM_ALMA:01COWM_WM_ALMA21561281080003196 William &amp; Mary's online catalog.]
  
==Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library==
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===Full text===
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<div style="overflow: hidden;">
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*[http://lawlibrary.wm.edu/wythepedia/library/BryantNewSystem1775Vol1.pdf Volume I] (25MB PDF)
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*[http://lawlibrary.wm.edu/wythepedia/library/BryantNewSystem1775Vol2.pdf Volume II] (27MB PDF)
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*[http://lawlibrary.wm.edu/wythepedia/library/BryantNewSystem1776Vol3.pdf Volume III] (29MB PDF)
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</div>
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==See also==
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<div style="overflow: hidden;">
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*[[George Wythe Room]]
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*[[Jefferson Inventory]]
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*[[Wythe's Library]]
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</div>
  
==Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy==
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==References==
Bound in contemporary calf with gilt panelled backstrips and red and green labels.
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<div style="overflow: hidden;">
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<references/>
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</div>
  
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
[http://books.google.com/books?id=Qz2ne__FHZYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+New+System,+or,+An+Analysis+of+Ancient+Mythology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=SIrlUeuJONLd4AO8rIDgCA&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=A%20New%20System%2C%20or%2C%20An%20Analysis%20of%20Ancient%20Mythology&f=false Google Books]
 
  
===References===
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*Read volume one of this book at the [https://archive.org/details/newsystemoranaly01brya Internet Archive.]
<references/>
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*Read volume two of this book at the [https://archive.org/details/newsystemoranaly02brya Internet Archive.]
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*Read volume three of this book at the [https://archive.org/details/newsystemoranaly03brya Internet Archive.]
  
[[Category:Books]]
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__NOTOC__
[[Category:Titles in Wythe's Library]]
 
 
[[Category:George Wythe Collection at William & Mary's Wolf Law Library]]
 
[[Category:George Wythe Collection at William & Mary's Wolf Law Library]]
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[[Category:Jacob Bryant]]
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[[Category:Jefferson's Books]]
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[[Category:Known Surviving Wythe Volumes]]
 
[[Category:Religion]]
 
[[Category:Religion]]
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[[Category:Titles in Wythe's Library]]
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[[Category:English]]
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[[Category:London]]
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[[Category:Quartos]]

Revision as of 10:10, 27 October 2020

by Jacob Bryant

A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology
BryantNewSystem1775.jpg

Title page from A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology, volume two, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.

Author Jacob Bryant
Editor {{{editor}}}
Translator {{{trans}}}
Published London: Printed for T. Payne, P. Elmsly, B. White, and J. Walter
Date 1775-1776
Edition Second
Language English
Volumes 3 volume set
Pages {{{pages}}}
Desc. 4to (30 cm.)
Location Shelf A-4
  [[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]
Temple of Mithras and Temple in the rock, plate II, volume one.
Jacob Bryant (1715 – 1804) was born in England, where he was a respected scholar and mythographer.[1] In his first book, Observations and Enquiries Relating to Various Parts of Ancient History (1767), Bryant attacked selected opinions in the works of such celebrated antiquarian scholars as Theodore Beza (1519 – 1605), Hugo Grotius (1583 – 1645), Samuel Bochart (1599 – 1667), and Richard Bentley (1662 – 1742). His work was favorably received. Suitably encouraged, he next published the book for which he is most often remembered, A New System, or, An Analysis of Ancient Mythology. Bryant believed all mythology came from the Hebrew Scripture. He used A New System to link mythology to the Book of Genesis,[2] and explained how contemporary society arose from ancient civilizations. "It is my purpose in the ensuing work to give an account of the first ages; and of the great events, which happened in the infancy of the world. In consequence, I shall lay before the reader, what Gentile writers have said upon this subject, collaterally with the accounts given by Moses, as long as I find him engaged in the generally history of mankind." [3]

A New System, according to its subtitle, was "an attempt … to divest tradition of fable, and to reduce the truth to its original purity;" the actual result was simply a fantastic hodgepodge of spurious etymology (in the manner of Bochart) and riotous imagination.[4] The work opened conversation between world scholars, as several writers publicly opposed Bryant’s ideas and encouraged him to respond through further writing.[5]

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

George Wythe definitely owned this title. A copy of the 1775-1776 edition at the Library of Congress has "a number of manuscript notes and corrections" made by Wythe.[6] Thomas Jefferson listed the title in his inventory of Wythe's Library as Bryant’s Mythology. 3.v. 4to. He sold it to the Library of Congress in 1815. All four of the Wythe Collection sources (Goodwin's pamphlet[7] Dean's Bibliography[8], Brown's Bibliography[9] and George Wythe's Library[10] on LibraryThing) list the 1775-1776 edition of Bryant's Mythology. The Wolf Law Library purchased a copy of the same edition.

"Juno Samia Selenitis," plate VII, volume two.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Bound in contemporary calf with gilt panelled backstrips and red and green labels.

Images of the library's copy of this book are available on Flickr. View the record for this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

Full text

See also

References

  1. S. Foster Damon, A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake (Providence: Brown University Press, 1965), 61.
  2. John Charles Whale and Stephen Copley, Beyond Romanticism: New Approaches to Texts and Contexts, 1780-1832 (Routledge, 1992), 92.
  3. Jacob Bryant, A New System, or An Analysis of Ancient Mythology (London: Printed for T. Payne, P. Elmsly, B. White, and J. Walter, 1775), 1:v.
  4. Dennis R. Dean, "Bryant, Jacob (bap. 1717, d. 1804)" in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004- ), accessed October 27, 2013.
  5. Ibid.
  6. E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, (Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress, 1952-1959), 1:21-22 [no.43].
  7. Mary R. M. Goodwin, The George Wythe House: Its Furniture and Furnishings (Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, 1958), li.
  8. Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 2 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).
  9. Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433.
  10. LibraryThing, s. v. "Member: George Wythe", accessed on June 28, 2013.

External Links