Upon which Eustathius thus remarks: Δοκεῖ γαρ ἀλεξίκακος εἶναι ἡ λίθος ἅυτη, καὶ ἀποτροπιαςτικὴ φασμἀτων, ὧν ἕν ἐςτι καὶ ἡ Ἔμπουσα, δαιμονιόν τι τερί τἰὼ Ἑκάτην, ἑνὶ ποδὶ δοκοῦν δἰήκεσθαι· (_fortè_ διερείδεσθαι _Steph._) ὄθεν καὶ παρονομάζεται, ὡς ἔι τις ἔιπη μονόπους ποδι ζωοῦ· ὡς τοῦ ἑτέρου ποδος χαλκοῦ ὄντος, κατὰ τὸν μῦθον. This testimony doth not prove anything of _hopping_, and, as to the derivation, I cannot but say that Eustathius had too much of the grammarian in him, and this is not the first time, neither in this book, nor elsewhere, wherein he hath trifled. It is observable out of the place, that there were more _Empusas_ than one, as, indeed, the name is applied by several men to any kind of frightful phantasm. And so it is used by several authors, and for as much as phantasms are various, according as the persons affrighted have been severally educated, &c. every man did impose this name upon his own apprehensions. This gave men occasion to fain _Empusa_ as such--for who will believe that she was not apprehended as having four legs, when she appeared in the form of a cow, dog, &c.--but, as apprehended by _Bacchus_ and his man at that time. I do not find that she appeared in any shape but such as made use of legs in going, whence I imagine that _Empusæ_ might be opposite to the θεοὶ νεποδες, which appellation was anciently fixed upon the gods, (_propitious_) upon a two-fold account; first, for that they were usually effigiated as having no feet, which is evident from ancient sculpture, and secondly, for that they are all said not to walk, but rather swim, if I may so express that _non gradiuntur, sed fluunt_, which is the assertion of all the commentators I have ever seen upon that verse of Virgil:-- “Et vera incessu patuit dea”---- This whole discourse may be much illustrated from a passage in Heliodorus, Æthiop. lib. iii. sec. 12, 13. Calasiris told Cnemon that the Gods Apollo and Diana did appear unto him; Cnemon replied, Ἀλλὰ τίνα δὴ τρόπον ἒφασκες ἐνδεδεῖχθαἱ σοι τοῦς θεοῦς ὅτι μὴ ἐνύπνιον ἦλθον, ἀλλ’ ἐναργῶς ἐφᾶνησαν; upon this the old priest answered, that both gods and demons, when they appear to men, may be discovered by the curious observer, both in that they never shut their eyes, καὶ τῳ βαδίσματι πλέον, οὐ κατὰ διάστησιν τῶν ποδῶν οὐδέ μετάθεσιν ἀνυομένω, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τινα ρὕμην ἀέριον, καὶ ὁρμὴν ἀπαραπόδιστον, τεμνόντων μᾶλλον τὸ περιεχον ἢ διαπορευομένων. Δὶο δὴ καὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα τῶν θεῶν Ἀιγύπτιοι τὼ πὸδέ ζευγνύντες καὶ ὥσπερ ἑνοῦντες ἵστᾶσιν. ἅ δὴ καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐιδῶς, ἅτε Ἀιγύπτιος, καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν πάιδευσιν ἐκδιδαχθείς, συμβολικῶς τοῖς ἔπεσιν ἐναπεθετο, τοῖς δυναμένοις συνιέναι γνωριζειν καταλιπών, ἐπι τοῦ ποσειδῶνος, το Ἴχνια γὰρ μετόπισθε, ποδῶν ἠδέ κνημάων Ῥεῖ ἔγνων ἀπιὸντος.