w<^' 
 
 11^^. 
 
 This book 
 
 is the gift of 
 
 three lovers of books 
 
 and of Petersburg 
 
 » 
 
 Margaret B. Monahan 
 
 Fay H. Laighton 
 Alberta W. Laighton 
 
% * 
 
 
o 
 
 ''ty^TXrrUi^/hcecc^ . 
 
ANEW 
 
 PANTHEON: 
 
 Fabulous Historyq- 
 
 O F T H E * 
 
 HEATHEN GOD 5, ' 
 
 Heroes, Goddesses, &^c. 
 
 Explained in a Manner intirely New, 
 
 And render'd much more ufeful than any hitherto publlfh'd 
 
 on this Subjedl. 
 
 ADORN'DWITH 
 
 Figures depicted from ancient Paintings, Medals and Gems, 
 for the uie of thofe who would underftand History, Poetry, 
 Painting, Statuary, Coins, Medals, (sfc» 
 
 To which is added, 
 
 A Difcourfe on the Theology of the Ancients, wherein the 
 Manner of their Worftiip, and the Rifs and Progrefs of Ido- 
 dolatry are confidered. 
 
 AS ALSO 
 
 An Explanation of their ancient Mythology from the Writ- 
 ings of Mo/esj the Egyptian ^ Grecian, Roman, and Eaftern 
 Hiftorians, Philofophers, Poets, &c. 
 
 J5y SAMUEL BOYSE, ^. M. 
 With an APPENDIX, 
 
 CONTAINING 
 Some Account of their various fuperftitious Obfervances by 
 Aftrology, Prodigies, Auguries, Arufpices, Oracles, &c. in 
 which the Origin of each are pointed out. As alfo a Ihort hifto» 
 rical Account of the Rife of Altars, facred Groves, Priells 
 and Temples. 
 
 By a Gentleman of CA MBRIDGE. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for J. Neweery, at the Bible and Sun oppofite the North 
 Door in St. Paul's Church-Tard', aud B. Collins, Bookfeller, 
 Qiith^ Ne%v Canal in Salijhury, M.DCC.LIU, 
 
^^h^ 
 
 /^i¥- 
 
«71W 
 
 THE 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 E have here no Defign to raife the Re- 
 putation of this Work, by depreciat- 
 ing the many others that have already 
 been pubHfh'd on this Subje6b; it is 
 fufEcient for us to fay, that we have followed a 
 Plan entirely new, and at the fame Time fuch a 
 one as has appeared to us much more ufeful, more 
 rational, and lefs dry than any that has gone be- 
 fore it. 
 
 As all Works of this Kind mull neceffarily con- 
 fifl of Materials colleded from other Authors, no 
 Expence, no Labour has been fpared, the moft 
 celebrated Works on this Subjeft have been con^ 
 fulted and compared with each other, and it has 
 frequently happen' d, that fcattered Hints widely 
 difperfed have ferved to clear up the moft difficult 
 and intricate Meanings, to a Degree of Demon - 
 ftration -, but amongft all the Authors to which we 
 have had Recourfe, we muft here particularly ac-^ 
 A 2 knowledge 
 
IV 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 knowledge the great Advantage we have re-' 
 ceived from that ingenious Gentleman the Abbe le 
 Pluche, in his Hiftory of the Heavens, and our 
 having received fome ufeful Hints from Banier's 
 Mythology. 
 
 Some Acquaintance with the Heathen Gods and 
 the ancient Fables, is a neceflary Branch of polite 
 Learning, as without this it is impofTible to obtain 
 a competent Knowledge of the Claflics, impofTible 
 to form a Judgment of Antique Medals, Statues 
 or Paintings •, or even to underftand the Perfor- 
 mances of the Moderns in thefe polite Arts. 
 
 From hence thefe Studies have been generally 
 efteemed neceflary for the Improvement of Youth j 
 but in Works of this Kind fufficient Care has not 
 been taken, to unfold the Origin of the Heathen 
 Gods, which has generally been miflaken. Some 
 imagining that they had been Kings and Princes j 
 others, that they were the various Parts of Nature. 
 And others, that they were the Patriarchs and He- 
 roes of the Jewifh Nation. But each of thefe 
 have been found equally contrary to Truth, when 
 applied to the Pagan Theology, though fome of 
 their Fables have been imbellifhed with many Cir- 
 cumftances related in the Mofaic Hiftory. In 
 Works of this Kind, no Care has hitherto been 
 taken to give the leaft Intimation of abundance of 
 Circumftances neceflary to be known ; and a Per- 
 fon reads the Hiftory of the Gods without finding 
 
 any 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 any Thing added, that can help them to entertain 
 the ieafl Idea of the Religion of their Worfhippers. 
 The Greeks were entirely ignorant as to the 
 Origin of their Gods, and incapable of tranfmit- 
 ting their Hiftory to Poflerity. Herodotus informs 
 us, that the Gods of the Greeks were originally 
 brought from Egypt and Phsenicia, where they had 
 been the Objeds of religious Worlhip long before 
 any Colonies from thefe Countries fettled in Greece. 
 We ought then to fearch in Egypt for the Origin 
 of the Gods, for the Gods invented by the Egyp- 
 tians, and carry'd by the Phaenicians over all the 
 Coafls of the Mediterranean. The firft Egyptians, 
 unacquainted with Letters, gave all their Informa- 
 tions to the People, all the Rules of their Condud, 
 by erecting Figures, eafily underllood, and which 
 ferved as Rules and Orders neceffary to regulate 
 their Behaviour , and as Advertifements to provide 
 for their own Safety. A very few Figures diver- 
 fified by what they held in their Hands, or carried 
 on their Heads, were fufficient for this Purpofe. 
 Thefe were ingenious Contrivances, and fuch as 
 were abfolutely neceffary in a Country, where the 
 leaft Miflake in Point of Time was fufficient to 
 ruin all their Affairs. 
 
 But thefe Egyptian Symbols, giving Way to 
 the eafy Method of reaping Inflrudion from the 
 Ufe of Letters, which were afterwards introduced, 
 fQon became obfolete, and the Memory of fome 
 
 particular 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 particular Virtues flili remaining, they were revereci 
 as the Images or Reprefentations of fuperior and 
 friendly Beings, who had frequently delivered them 
 from impending Dangers, and foon were wor^ 
 fhipped as the Gods of their Fathers. Their Hif- 
 tories were wrote in Verfe, and imbellifh'd with 
 Fidtions founded on ancient Traditions. The 
 Priefts of different Countries increafed the Delu-r 
 fion ; they had read the Mofaic Hiftory, or at leaft 
 had heard that the Sons of God had Converfation 
 with the Daughters of Men •, and from hence, in- 
 fluenced by Luft or Avarice, cloak' d their own 
 Debaucheries, and fometimes thofe of Princes and 
 great Men, under thofe of a God ; and the Poets, 
 whenever a Princefs fail'd in Point of Modefty, 
 had recourfe to the fame Method, in order to fhel- 
 ter her K eputation from vulgar Cenfure. By this 
 Means the Deities in after Times were faid to live 
 in various Countries, and even in far diftant Ages. 
 Thus there became three hundred Jupiters, an 
 Opinion derived from there being a Number of 
 Places in which, in different Ages, Jupiter was 
 faid to have lived, reigned and performed fome 
 extraordinary Adlions, which antient Fables, the 
 Fictions of the Poets, and the Artifices of Priefls 
 had render'd famous. But notwithflanding all 
 thefe Fables, Jupiter was always acknowledged by 
 the wifefl Heathens to be impeccable, immortal, 
 
 the 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 the Author of Life, the univerfal Creator, and 
 the Fountain of Goodnefs. 
 
 This Scheme is here carried on and explained 
 with refpedb to each Heathen Deity, and added to 
 the common Hiftories and Fables of the Gods and 
 Goddefles. 
 
 In the fhort Differtation on the Theology of the 
 Ancients, we have fhewn the Rife of Idolatry, and 
 its Conne(5lion with the ancient Symbols, which 
 gave Names to the Planets, and the Signs of the 
 Zodiac. We have there exhibited the Sentiments 
 of the Pagans with regard to the Unity of the 
 Deity, and the Perfedions they afcribe to him, 
 from the concurrent Teftimony of the Philofo- 
 phers in various Ages, amongft the Greeks and 
 Romans. And the whole is concluded with a 
 fhort Account of the Progrefs of Idolatry. 
 
 In the Differtation on the Mythology of the 
 Ancients, we have endeavoured to account for the 
 Rife of a Variety of Fables from the Licence of 
 Poetry, imbellifhing the common Incidents of Life 
 by perfonating inanimate Beings, introducing fidli- 
 tious Charaders and fupernatural Agents. We 
 have given the Hiftory of the Creation of the 
 World, the State of Innocence, the Fall of Man, 
 the univerfal Deluge, &c. according to the Tra- 
 ditions of different Nations, and the Opinions of 
 the Poets and moft eminent Philofophers, and 
 compared them with the Account given by Mofes; 
 
 In 
 
viii PREFACE. 
 
 In fhort, we have here given a View of their reli- 
 gious, as well as moral Sentiments; 
 
 To the Whole is added, by Way of Appendix, 
 a rational Account of the various fuperllitious 
 Obfervances of Aflrology, and the Manner by 
 which Influences and Powers became afcribed to 
 the Signs and Planets, of Prodigies, Auguries, the 
 Arufpices and Oracles -, of Altars, facred Groves^ 
 and Sacrifices; of Priefts and Temples, &c. In 
 which the Origin of each is pointed out, and the 
 Whole interfperfed with fuch moral Refledions, as 
 have a Tendency to preferve the Minds of Youth 
 from the Infedlion of fuperflitious Follies, and to 
 give them fuch fundamental Principles, as may be 
 of the greateil Service in helping them to form 
 juft Ideas of the Manners, Principles, and Con- 
 duct of the Heathen Nations. 
 
 ^M^ 
 
 THE 
 
tojace^ C^kap.. 
 
 
 T. Irtfint ^i'. f/^i/^// 
 
 /r.JL . Jr,u/A t/^/^/ 
 
THE 
 
 Theology and History 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 HEATHENS, 
 
 Explain'd and Illuftrated. 
 
 C H A P. I. 
 
 Of CHAOS. 
 
 E S I O D the firft Author of the fabulous 
 Syftem of the Creation, from whom Ovid 
 derived all his Knowledge that way,, begins 
 his Genealogy of the Gods with Chaos^ (i) 
 unacquainted with the Light of Revelation, 
 and incapable of conceiving how fomething could be pro- 
 duced from nothing, he afferted the Eternity of Matter, and 
 imagined to himfelf a vaft confus'd Mafs lying in the Womb 
 of Nature, which contain'd the Principles of all beings, and 
 which afterwards rifing by Degrees into Order and Harmony, 
 at length produced the Univerfe. Thus the Heathen Poets 
 
 (i) According to Heftod, Chaos was the Original of all Things, and 
 produced 'Terra, or the Earth, and Erebus, or Night, 
 
 B endeavoured 
 
2 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 endeavoured to account for the Origine of the World, of 
 which they knew fo little, that it is no Wonder they difguis'd 
 rath^ than illuftrated the Subjed in their Writings. We 
 find Virgil reprefenting Chaos as one of the infernal Deities, 
 ( z) and Onjid at his firft fetting out in the Metamorphofeos^ or 
 Transformation of the Gods, gives a very poetical Picture 
 of that diforderly State in vi'hich all the Elements lay blend- 
 ed and intermixed without Order or Diftindlion. Laaantius 
 informs us, that the Father of all Nature was call'd Demi- 
 gorgon^ or God of the Earth, (by which the Heathens meant 
 no doubt the Anima Mundi) and affigns him Eternity for his 
 Companion. It is eafy to fee, under all this Confufion and 
 Perplexity, the Remains of Truth : The antient Tradition 
 of the Creation, being obfcur'd with a Multiplicity of Ima- 
 ges and Allegories, became an inexhauftible Fund for Fic- 
 tion to improve upon, and fwell'd the Heathen Theology 
 into an unmeafurable Compafs ; fo that in this Senfe Chaos 
 may indeed be properly ftil'd the Father of the Gods. 
 
 Though it does not feem eafy to give a Picture, or 
 graphical Reprefentation of Chaosy 2l modern Painter (3) has 
 been fo bold to attempt it. Beyond the Clouds, which com- 
 pofe the Body of his Piece, he has reprefented an immenfe 
 Abyls of Darknefs, and in the Clouds an odd Medley of 
 Water, Earth, Fire, Smoke, Winds, ^c. But he has un- 
 
 (2) To introduce the Defcent of his Hero to Hell, the Poet invokes th« 
 infernal Powers. 
 
 Di, quibus Imperium eft animarum, umbrasque filentes 
 Et Chaoiy & Phlegethon. En;eid VI. 
 
 TTe fuhtcrranean Gods ! ivbofe aivful Siuay 
 
 *I be gliding Ghofli and Ji lent Shades obey ; 
 
 Chaos i'oar, and ?h\t^e\.hon profound ! Pitts. 
 
 And in his Fourth Book he makes the Maflylian Prieftefs commence her 
 Rites by calling on Chaos, Erebus and triple Hecate, or Diana. 
 
 (3) The Painter's Name was Abraham Diepenbeke. He was born at 
 Boti le Due, and for fome Time ftudied under Peter-Paul Rubens. M. 
 Meijftm in his Book entituled Des Images des Peintres, gives him the Cha- 
 rader of a great Artift, efpecially in Painting on Glafs. The Piece above- 
 mentioned has been confider'd by moft People as a very ingenious Jumble, 
 and 'tis plain the Painter himfelf was fond of it 3 for he has wrote his 
 Name in the Mafs to complete the Confufion, 
 
 luckily 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 3 
 
 luckily thrown the Signs of the Zodiac into his Work, and 
 thereby fpoird his whoJe Defign. 
 
 Our great Milton has yet exceeded the Latin Poet in the 
 noble and mafterly Manner in which he has painted the 
 State in which Matter lay before the Creation. 
 
 On hea<venly Ground they Jioody and from the Shore, 
 7hey njienjSd the <vajl unmeafurahle Abyji 
 Outrageous as a Sea, dark^ ^wajieful nxjild: 
 Up from the Bottom turnd by furious Winds 
 And furging Waives, as Mountains^ toajfault- 
 Hean/ns Height, and' ivith the Centre mix the Foli, 
 
 BookVn. 1. 21^ 
 and yet more particularly in another Place, 
 Before their Eyes in fudden Vieiv appear, 
 The Secrets of the hoary deep — a dark 
 Illimitable Ocean luithout Bounds 
 
 Without Dimenfon—^where Lengthy Breadth and Height^ 
 And Time and Place are loft : Where eldeft Night 
 And Chaos Ancejiors of Nature, hold 
 Eternal Anarchy, amid ft the Noife 
 Of endlefs Wars— and by Confufion ftand, BookL 1. 890.. 
 
 C H A P. II 
 Of CiELUS and TERRA. 
 
 CE L U S, or Uranus, as he was call'd by the Greeks, is 
 faid to be the Son of jEther and Dies, according to 
 Hefiod he married Terra, (the fame as Gaia or Vefta). This 
 Goddefs before this Union, had given him Birth, that (he 
 might be furrounded and covered by him, and that he might 
 afford a Manfion for the Gods. She next bore Ourea, or 
 the Mountains, the Refidence of the Wood Nymphs, and 
 Laftly fhe became the Mother of Pelagus, or the Ocean. 
 After this (he married her Son Uranus, and had by him a 
 numerous Offspring, among whom were Oceanus, C^eusy 
 Creus^ Hyperion^ Japhet^ Theia, Rlna, Themis, Mnemofyne, Ph^bcy 
 
 B 2 Tethysy 
 
4 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 TethySf Saturn^ the three Cyclops, n;iz.. Brontes, Steropes and 
 Jrges ; and the Giants, Cottusy Gyges, and Briareus, Terra^ 
 however, was not fo ftridly bound by her conjugal Vow, 
 for by 'Tartarus {lie had T^ypheeus^ or Typhon^ the great Enemy 
 of Jupiter. C^Ius, having for fome OfFence, imprifon'd the 
 Cyclops^ his Wife to revenge herfelf incited her Son Saturn, 
 who by her Affiftance took the Opportunity to caftrate his 
 Father with an Inftrument (he furnifh'd him with. The 
 Blood of the Wound produced the three Furies, the Giants, 
 and the Wood Nymphs. The Genital Parts, which fell 
 into the Sea, impregnating the genial Power of the Waters, 
 formed Venus^ the moft potent and charming of the Goddefles. 
 According to LaSlantius^ Caliis was an ambitious and 
 mighty Prince, who affecting Grandeur, call'd himfelf the 
 Son of the Sky, which Title his Son Saturn alfo aflum'd in his 
 Turn. But Diodorus makes Uranus the firft Monarch of the 
 Atlantides^ a Nation inhabiting the Weftern Coaft of Africa^ 
 and famous for Commerce and Hofpitality. From his Skill 
 in Aftronomy, the Starry Hea'vens were called by his Name, 
 and for his Equity and Beneficence he was denominated King 
 of the Vni'verfe, Nor was his Queen 'Titea lefs efteem'd for 
 her Wifdom and Goodnefs, which after her Death procured 
 her the Honour of being deify' d by the Name of Terra. She 
 is reprefented in the fame Manner as Vefla^ of whom we 
 ihall have Occafion to fpeak more particularly. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 Of HYPERION and THEIA. 
 
 TH E I A or Bafileia fucceeded her Parents C<£lus and 
 Terra in the Throne; (he was remarkable for her 
 Modefty and Chaftity ; but being defirous of Heirs, (he 
 married Hyperion her Brother, to whom fhe bore Helios and 
 Sekngy (the Sun and Moon) as alfo a fecond Daughter, call'd 
 
 Aurora > 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 5 
 
 Aurora\ (or the Morning) but the Brothers of Thet a con- 
 fpiring againft her Hulband caufed him to be affaiTinated, 
 and drown'd her Son He/ios in the River ErUanus ( i ). Selene 
 who was extremely fond of her Brother, on hearing his 
 Fate, precipitated herfelf from a high Tower. They were 
 both rais'd to the Skies, and T^beia after wandering diftra6i:ed, 
 at laft difappear'd in a Storm of Thunder and Lightning, 
 After her Death the Confpirators divided the Kingdom. 
 
 Hiftorians fay, that Hyperion was a famous Artronomer> 
 who, on Account of his difcovering the Motions of the ce- 
 leftial Bodies, and particularly the two great Luminaries of 
 Heaven ; was called the Father of thofe Planets. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 Of OCEANUS and TETHYS. 
 
 THIS Deity was one of the eldeft Sons of C^lus and 
 Terra, and married his Sifter Tethys^ befides whom he 
 had feveral others, each of them pofTefs'd a hundred Woods, 
 and as many Rivers. By his Wife he had Ephyre, who was 
 match'd to Epimetheus and Pleione the Wife of Atlas. He 
 had feveral other Daughters and Son§ mentioned by Hefady 
 whofe Names would be endlefs to enumerate, and indeed 
 are only thofe of the principal Rivers of the World. 
 
 Oceanus had two other Wive-^, Pamphyloge and Parthenope^ 
 By the firft he had two Daughters Jfta and Lybia ; and by 
 the laft two more call'd Europa and Thracia^ who gave their 
 Names to the Countries fo denominated. He had alfo a 
 Daughter call'd Cephyra^ who educated Neptune and three 
 Sons, <viz. Triptolemus, the Favourite of Ceres^ Nereus^ who. 
 prefided over Salt- Waters, and Achelous the Deity of Foun- 
 tains and Rivers. 
 
 The Antients regarded Oceanus as the Father of Gods and 
 
 (i) This feems copied from tl;e Story of Pbauon^ 
 
 Men» 
 
6 Fabuhui HISTORY 
 
 Men, on Account of the Ocean's encompafllng the Earth 
 with his Waves, and becaufe he was the Principle of that 
 radical Moifture difFufed through univerfal Matter, without 
 which, according to Thales^ nothing could either be produced 
 or fubfift. 
 
 Homer makes Juno vifit him at the remoteft Limits of the 
 Earth, and acknowledge him and Tethys as the Parents of the 
 Gods, adding that flie herfelf had been brought up under 
 their Tuition. 
 
 Oceanus was depi(9:ured with a Bull's Head, to reprefent 
 the Rage and Bellowing of the Ocean whea agitated by 
 Storms. This Image gives a ftrong Sufpicion, that he is no 
 other than the Ojlris of the Egyptians^ 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 Of AURORA and TITHONUS. 
 
 WE have already obferved, that this Goddefs was the 
 youngeft Daughter of Hyperion and Theia, By the 
 Greeks ihe was llil'd E^c ; and by the Latins Aurora^ on Ac- 
 count of her bright or golden Colour, { i ) and the Dew 
 which attends her. Orpheus calls her the Harbinger of fitan^ 
 becaufe the Dawn befpeaks the Approach of the Sun, others 
 make her the Daughter of Titan and the Earth. Sjie feU \j\ 
 Love with a beautiful Youth named Ccphalusy (whom fome 
 fuppofe to be the fame with the Sun) by whom fhe had 
 Phaeton. She had alfo an Amour with Orion^ whom fhe 
 firft faw a Hunting in the Woods, and carried him with her 
 to Delos. By AJireaj her Hufband, one of the Titans^ fhe 
 had the Stars, and the four Winds Argejies^ Zephyrus^ Boreas 
 ;jnd Notus. But her greateft Favourite was 7V/^;?»/, (2) to 
 whom fhe bore j£matbion and Memnon (3). This youjig 
 
 (i) From Aurea, or Golden ; and Ros, Dew. 
 
 (2 ) Son of Laomedon King of Troy, by Rhea the Daughter of Scamander, 
 
 (3) He was kill'd by AchiUei at the Siege of Troy. Some fay that 
 *Tit bonus grew weary of Life for ^he Lofs of this Favourite Son. 
 
 Prince 
 
J . 6rrt t>n T'Tlyf. f^^y^'/^^ny. 
 
Of the Heatmei^ Gods. 7 
 
 f rince {he tranfported to Deloi^ thence to ^Ethiopia, and laft 
 into Heaven, where (he obtain'd for him from the Deftinies, 
 the Gift of ImmortaUty ; but at the fame Time forgot to add 
 Youth, which alone could render the prefent valuable. 
 7ithonus grew old, and fo decriped as to be rock'd to Sleep 
 like an Infant. His Miftrefs not being able to procure Death, 
 to end his Mifery changed him into a Grafshopper; an In- 
 fedl: which by cafting its Skin renews its Youth, and in its 
 chirping ftill retains the Loquacity of old Age. 
 
 The Hiftorians fay that Tithonus was a great Improver of 
 Aftronomy, and ufed to rife before Morning to make his 
 Obfervations. They add, that his Vigilance and Tempe- 
 rance were rewarded with a long Life ^ but when the Inlir- 
 mities of old Age came on at laft, Aurora by the Help of ori- 
 ental Drugs, reftor'd him to Health and Vigour. This 
 Prince is faid to have reign'd in Media, where he founded the 
 City of Sufa on the River Choafpes^ which became afterwards 
 the Seat of the Perfian Empire. 
 
 The Story of Cephalus is related differently. He was the 
 Son of jEolus, and had married Procris Daughter of Erich- 
 theui King of Athens, Aurora feeing him often early in the 
 Woods, intent on his Sport, conceiv'd a violent Pallion for 
 him, and carried him with her to Heaven, where flie in vain 
 ufed all her Arts to engage him to violate his conjugal Vow. 
 The Prince, as fond of his Wife as the Goddefs was of hini, 
 remain'd inexorably faithful. Aurora therefore to undeceive 
 him fent him to Procris in the Difguife of a Merchant, to 
 tempt her Conftancy by large Prefents : This Artifice flic- 
 ceeded, andjuft when his Spoufe was on the Point of yield- 
 ing, the unhappy Hufband difcovered himfelf, and Procris 
 fled to the Woods to hide her Shame. But being afterwards 
 reconciled, fhe m?ii\t Cephalus aPr fent of an unerring Dart- 
 A Prefent like this increafed his Inclination to Hunting, and 
 prov'd doubly fatal to the Donor. It happen'd the young 
 Prince, one Day wearied with his Toil, fat down in the 
 Woods and call'd for Aura^ or the gentle Breeze to cool 
 
 him; 
 
8 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 him ; (4) this being over-heard was carried to Procns, who 
 though inconftant, was Woman enough to be jealous ; influ- 
 enc'd by this Paffion (he followed her Hufband, and conceal'd 
 herfelf in a Thicket, where fhe could obferve his Motions, 
 Unluckily the Noife fhe made alarm'd her Hufband, who 
 thinking fome wild Beafl lay conceal'd, difcharged the infal- 
 lible Arrow, and pierced her to the Heart. OwV has related 
 this Story in that maflerly Manner which is peculiar to him. 
 There is no Goddefs of whom we have fo many beautiful 
 Defcriptions in the Poets as Aurora ; Homer reprefents het 
 with that Majefly which is confpicuous in all his Writings ; 
 VirgilMxs great SuccefTor falls little fhort of him; Indeed it 
 is no Wonder they are luxuriant on this Subje6t, as there is 
 perhaps no Theme in Nature, which affords fuch an exten- 
 live Field for Poetry or Painting as the varied Beauties of the 
 Morning, whofe Approach feems to exhilerate and enliven 
 the whole animal Creation. 
 
 Ihe Saffron Morn nx:ith early BluJIjes fpread, 
 Nouj roje refulgent from Tithonus' Bedy 
 With new-born Day to gladden mortal Sight j 
 And gild the Courts of Heavn ifjith facred Light, 
 
 Mr. Pope. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 Of A T L A S. 
 
 ATLAS was the Son of Japetus and Clytnene, and the 
 Brother of Prometheus. In the Divifion of his Father's 
 Dominions, Mauritania fell to his Share, where he gave his 
 own Name to that Mountain, which flill bears it. As he 
 was greatly fkill'd in Aftronomy, he became the firfl In- 
 
 (4) In a Capital Pi<Eture near the Jiagucy this Goddefs is reprcfented in 
 a golden Chariot drawn by wliJte Horfes wing'd 5 on her Head is the 
 Morning Star, and Ihe is attended by Phtsbui and the Dawn^ 
 
 ventor 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 9 
 
 Ventor of the Sphere, which gave Rife to the Fable, of his 
 fupporting the Heavens on his Shoulders. He had many 
 Children. Of his Sons the moft famous w^as He/perus, Tooke 
 calls him his Brother, p. 325, who reign'd fome I'ime ia 
 Jtaly^ which from him was call'd Hefperla. It is faid, this 
 Prince being on Mount Atlas to obferve the Motion of the 
 Stars j was carried away by a Tempeft, and in Honour to 
 his Memory the Morning- Star was afterwards call'd by 
 his Name. He left three Daughters, ^gle^ Arethufa and 
 Hefperithufa^ who went by the general Appellation of He/pe- 
 rides^ and were pollefs'd of thofe famous Gardens which bore 
 golden Fruit, and were guarded by the Vigilance of a formi- 
 dable Dragon. 
 
 Atlas had feven Daughters, call'd after his own Name 
 Atlantides, viz. Maia, Eledra, Taygetey Afterope, Merope, 
 Haylcyone and Celceno. All thefe were match'd either to Gods 
 or Heroe?, by whom they left a numerous Pofterity. Thefe 
 from their Mother Pleioncy were alfo ftyled Pleiades (i)» 
 Bujiris King of Egypt carried them ofF by Violence; but 
 Hercules travelling through Africa conquer'd him, and deli- 
 vering the PrincelFes, reftor'd them to their Father, who to 
 requite his Kindnefs taught him Allronomy, whence arofe 
 the Fable, of that Hero's fupporting the Heavens for a Day 
 to eafe Atlas of his Toil. The Pleiades however, endured a 
 new Perfecution from Orion^ who purfued them fne Years, 
 till Jo^e prevailed on by their Prayers took them up into the 
 Heavens, where they form the Conftellation, which bears 
 their Name. 
 
 By j^thra. Atlas was the Father of Seven Daughters, 
 call'd Amhrofia^ Endora^ Pafitkoey Coronis, Plexaris^ Pjtho and 
 ■ fykiy who bore one common Appellation of thef/>Wtv (2), 
 
 (i) So caird from a Greek Word, which fignifies Sailing j becaufe they 
 were reckon' d favourable to Navigation. 
 
 (2) From the GreekVzxb to Rain, the Latins calPd them Suculce, from 
 the Gretk Word v kj ©r Swine, becaufe they feem'd to delight in wet 
 and dirty Weather, 
 
 C Thefe 
 
lo Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Thefe Virgins griev'd fo immoderately for the Death o^ 
 their Brother Hyas, devour'd by a Lion, that Jupiter out o* 
 Companion changed them into Stars, and placed them in 
 the Head of Taurus^ where they ftill retain their Grief, their 
 Rifmg and Setting being attended with extraordinary Rain . 
 Others make thefe laft the Daughters of Lycurgus^ born in the 
 Ifle of NaxoSf and tranflated to the Skies, for their Care in 
 the Education of Bacchus^ probably becaufe thefe Showers 
 are of great Benefit in forwarding the Vintage. 
 
 According to Hyginus^ Atlas having aflifted the Giants in 
 their War againft Jupiter^ was by the vi6lorious God doom'd 
 as a Puniftiment, to fuftain the Weight of the Heavens. 
 
 O^vid gives a very different Account of Jtlas^ who, as he 
 fays, was the Son of Japetus and JJia. He reprefents him as 
 a powerful and wealthy Monarch, Proprietor of the Gardens 
 which bore golden Fruit; but tells us, that being warn'd by 
 the Oracle of Themis ^ that he (hould fufFer fome great Injury 
 from a Son of Jupiter^ he ffrittly forbid all Foreigners ac- 
 cefs to his Court or Prefence* Per/eus, however, had the 
 Courage to appear before him, but was ordered to retire, 
 with ftrong Menaces in Cafe of Difobedience. But the 
 Hero prefenting his Shield with the dreadful Head of Medufa 
 to him, turn'd him into the Mountain which ftill bears hi* 
 Name. 
 
 The Abbe La Pluche has given a very clear and ingenious 
 Explication of this FabJe. Of all Nations the Egyptians 
 hud with the greateft Affiduity cultivated Afirommy. To 
 point out the Ditriculties which attend the Study of this Sci- 
 ence, they reprefented it by an Horus^ or Image, bearing a 
 Globe or Sphere on its Back, and which they call'd Atlas^ a 
 ^ Vord fignifying ( 3 ) great Toil or Labour. But the Word aifo 
 Signifying y^//?«?r/, (4) the Phcenicians^ led by the Reprefenta- 
 
 (3) From Tclaab, to ftrive, ccmes Atlab Toil ; whence the Greeks ds- 
 rived their a J TA05, or Labour, and the Romam exant/o to furmount great 
 DifficultieE. 
 
 (4.0 From Tclab, to fufpend, is derived A:Iah, fopport, whence thg 
 Cretk Wcrd Sr>;A for a Column or Pillar. 
 
 tion. 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. ii 
 
 tion, took it in this laft Senfe ; and in their Voyages to 
 Mauritamaf feeing the high Mountains of that Country co- 
 vered with Snow, and lofing their Tops in the Clouds, gave 
 them the Name of Jtlas^ and fo produced the Fable, by 
 which the Symbol of Aftronomy ufed among the Egyptians^ 
 became a Mauritanian King, transform'd into a Mountain, 
 whofe Head fupports the Heavens. 
 
 The reft of the Fable is equally eafy to account for. The 
 annual Inundations of the 'Nile obliged that People, to be very 
 exadl in obferving the Motions of the heavenly Bodies. The 
 Hyadcs or Uuades^ took their Name from the Figure V which 
 they form in the Head of Taurus. The Pleiades were a re- 
 markable Conftellation, and of great Ufe to the Egyptians in 
 regulating the Seafons. Hence they became the Daughters 
 of Jtlas: and Orio?7^ who rifes juft as tliey fet, was call'd their 
 Lover. The golden Apples which grew in the Gardens of 
 the He/perides^ was only an allegorical Way the Phenicians 
 had of expreiling the rich and beneficial Commerce they 
 carried on in the Mediterranean ; which being carried on dur- 
 ing three Months of the Year only, gave Rife to the Fable 
 of the Hefpcrian Sifters (5). 
 
 Of all the Poets, Virgil has given us the moft exa6l and 
 noble Reprefentation of Atlas in the Fourth Book of his 
 ^neid\ which would furniih fufficient Materials to the 
 Painter. 
 
 CHAP VI. 
 
 Of JAPETUS and his Sons Epimetheus and 
 Prometheus ; of Pandora'j Box^ and the Story 
 of Deucalion and Pyrrha. 
 
 JAPETUS was the Offspring of Crrlus and Terra, and 
 one of the Giants who revolted againft Jupiter. He was 
 a powerful and haughty Prince, who liv'd fo long, that his 
 
 (5) From Ef^er, the good Share, or the beft Lot. 
 
 C 2 age 
 
12 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Age became a Proverb. Before the War he had a Daughter 
 call'd Anchiale^ who founded a City of her own Name ia 
 Cilicia, He had feveral Sons, the chief of whom were 
 Jtlasy (mention'd in the preceding Chapter) Btiphagusy Prome-. 
 theus ( I ) and Epimetheus. Of thefe, Prometheus became remar- 
 kable, by being the Object of Jupiter s Refentment. The 
 Occafion is related thus : Having facrificed two Bulls to that 
 Deity, he put all the Flefh of both in one Skin, and the 
 Bones in the other, and gave the God his Choice, whofe 
 Wifdom for once fail'd him fo, that he pitch'd upon the 
 worft Lot. Jupiter incenfed at the Trick put upon him, 
 took aw^ay Fire from the Earth, 'till Prometheus, by the Af- 
 fiftance of Minerva, ftole into Heaven, and lighting a Stick 
 at the Chariot of the Sun, recovered the BlelFmg, and 
 brought it down again to Mankind. Others fay the Caufe 
 of Jupiter's Anger was different, Prometheus being a great 
 Artift had formed a Man of Clay of fuch exquifite Work- 
 manfhip, that Pallas charm'd with his Ingenuity, offered 
 him whatever in Heaven could contribute to finifn his De- 
 fign : For this End ihe took him up with her to the celeftial 
 Manfions, where, in a Ferula, he hid fome of the Fire of 
 the Sun's Chariot Wheel, and ufed it to animate his Image 
 (2). Jupiter, either to revenge his Theft, or the former 
 Affront, commanded Vulcan to make a Woman, which, 
 when he had done, fhe was introduced into the Affembly of 
 the Gods, each of whom bellowed on her fome Additional 
 Charm or Perfeftion, Venus gave her Beauty, Pallas Wif- 
 dom, Juno Riches, Mercury taught her Eloquence, and 
 Jpollo Mufick : From all thefe Accomplifhments fhe was 
 ftil'd Pandora (3), and was the lirfl of her Sex. Jupiter, ta 
 complete his Defigns, prefented her a Box, in which he had 
 inclofed Age, Difea/es, War^ Famine, Pejiilence, Dijcordt En'vy, 
 (i) So call' d from r^c, yi^c^/t^tic..^ or Providence, that is, his Skill in 
 Divination. 
 
 (2) Some fay his Crime was not the enlivening a Man of Clay j but 
 the Formation of Woman. 
 
 (3) So call'd from 'na.</ cojfo" {. e. loaded with Gifts or Accomplifh- 
 snents. Hefted has given a fine Defcription of her in his Tbeogony, Cooke ^ 
 ?• 770- 
 
 Calumnvy 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 13 
 
 Calumny^ and, in fhort, all the Evils and Vices v/hich he in- 
 tended to afli6i: the World with. Thus equipped, fhe was 
 fent down to Prometheus^ who wifely was on his Guard 
 againft the Mifchief defign'd him. Epimetheus his Brother, 
 though forewarn'd of the Danger, had lefs Refolution ; for 
 enamour'd with the Beauty of Pandora^ (4) he marrried her> 
 and opened the fatal Box, the Contents of which foon over- 
 fpread the World. Hope alone refted on the Cavity entire 
 from Evaporation. But Jupiter not yet fatisfy'd difpatch'd 
 Mercury and Vulcan to feize Prometheus^ whom they carry'd to 
 Mount Caucafusy where they chain'd him to a Rock, whil^ 
 Jo^ve fent an Eagle or Vulture, the Daughter of fyphon and 
 Echidna, to prey on his Liver, which every Night was re- 
 newed in Proportion as it was confum'd by Day. But Her" 
 cules foon after kill'd the Vulture and delivered him. Others 
 fay Jupiter reftor'd him his Freedom for difcovering his Fa- 
 ther Saturn s Confpiracy, (5) and diffuading his intended 
 Marriage with Thetis. Nicander, to this Fable of Prometheus^ 
 lends an additional Circumftance. He tells us feme ungrate- 
 ful Men difcovered the Theft of Prometheus firft to Jupiter^ 
 who rewarded them With perpetual Touth, This prefent they 
 loaded on the Back of an Afs, who flopping at a Fountain 
 to quench his Thirll, was hinder'd by a Water Snake, who 
 would not let him drink 'till he gave him the Burthen he car- 
 ried. Hence the Serpent renews his Youth upon changing 
 his Skin. 
 
 Prometheus had an Altar in the Academy at Athens^ in 
 common with Vulcan and Pallas. His Statues are repre^ 
 fented with a Sceptre in the Fland. 
 
 There is a very ingenious Explanation of this Fable; it is 
 faid Prometheus was a wife Prince, who reclaiming his Sub« 
 jeds from a Savage to a fecial Life, was faid to have ani- 
 
 (4) Others fay Pandora only gave the Box to the Wife of Epmetheui, 
 who open'd it from a CurioHty natural to her Se'x. 
 
 (5) Luctan haa a ver)' fine Dialogue between Frometbeui and Jupiter oi\ 
 this Subjeft, 
 
 mate4 
 
H Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 mated Men out of Clay : He firft inftituted Sacrifices ^ac- 
 cording to (6) Pliny) which gave Rife to the Story of the 
 two Oxen. Being expeli'd his Dominions by Jupiter he 
 fled to Scythia, where he retir'd to Mount Caucafus^ either to 
 make Aftronomical Obfervations, or to indulge his Melan- 
 cholly for the Lofs of his Dominions. This occafion'd the 
 Fable of the Vulture feeding upon his Liver. As he was 
 alfo the firft Inventor of forging Metals by Fire, he was faid 
 to have ftole this Element from Heaven. In (hort, as the 
 firft Knov/ledge of Agriculture, and even Navigation, is 
 afcribed to him, it is no Wonder if he v.'as celebrated for 
 forming a living Man from an inani mated Subftance. 
 
 Some Authors imagine Prometheus to be the fame with 
 Noah, The learned Bochart imagines him to be Magog. 
 Each Opinion is fupported by Arguments, which do not 
 'want a Shew of Probability. It is evident, however, that Ovid 
 underftood Prometheus^ forming Man in the literal Senfe. 
 
 Horace has given a very ftrong Pidlure of Prometheus\ 
 Crime and its fatal Confequences, and the Story of 
 Pandora affords very diftin6l Traces of the Tradition of the 
 Fall of our firft Parents, and the Sedudion of Adam by his 
 Wife E've, 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 Of DEUCALION and PYRRHA. 
 
 DEUCALION was the Son of Prometheus^ and had 
 married his Couun German Pyrrha the Daughter of 
 Epimetheusy who bore him a Son called Helenes^ who gave 
 his Name to Greece. Deucalion reigned in TheJ^aly, (i) which 
 he govern'd v/ith Equity and Juftice ; but his Country, for 
 
 ^6) P/Vwy, Book 7, cap. 56. 
 
 (j) By the AmrdeUan Marbles, DeucaUcn rul'd at lycereoy in the 
 Xei};hhourhood of Parnajfus^ about the Beginning of the Reign of 
 Curtis Kirg of Atbim, 
 
 the 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 15 
 
 the Wlckediiefs of the Inhabitants, being deflroyM by a 
 Flood, he and his Queen only efcaped by faving themfelves 
 on Mount ParnaJ/us. After the abating or Decreafe of the 
 Waters, this illuftrious Pair confulted the Oracle of Themis 
 in their Diftrefs. The Anfwer was in thefe Terms, ' Depart 
 ' the Temple^ cueii your Heads and Faces ^ unloofeyour Girdles y and 
 ' throiv behind your Backs the Bones of your Grandmother^. 
 Pyrrha was fhock'd at an Advice, which her Piety made her 
 regard with Horror : But Deucalion penetrating the myftical 
 Senfe reviv'd her, by telling her the Earth was their Grand- 
 mother, and that the Bones were only Stones. They imme- 
 diately obey the Oracle, and behold its EfFe6l. The Stones 
 which Deucalion threw became living Men : Thofe call by 
 Pyrrha rofe into Women. With thefe returning into Thef- 
 faly, that Prince repeopled his Kingdom, and was honour'd 
 as the Rejlorer of Mankind. 
 
 To explain this Fable it is ncceflkry to obferve, there were 
 five Deluges, of which the one in Queftion was the Fourth^ 
 in order of Time, and lafted according to ^riJiotU\ Account, 
 the whole Winter. It is therefore needlefs towafteTime 
 in drawing a Parallel between this Story and the Mofaic Nar- 
 rative of the Flood. The Circumftance of the Stones (2)' 
 feems occafioned by the fame Word bearing two Significa- 
 tions ; fo that thefe myfterious Stones are only the Children 
 of fuch as efcap'd the general Inundation. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 Of SATURN. 
 
 ALL the poetical Writers agree, that Saturn was the 
 younger Son of C^lus and Tena^ and tliat he married 
 his Sifter Vejia. Under the Article of C^Aa, we have taken 
 
 (^) The Phenician Word Aben, or Eben, fignifies 'ooth a Stone and a 
 Child ; and the Creek Word AiS^j or Asio? denotes either a Stone or a 
 
 People. 
 
 Notice- 
 
16 Pabukus History 
 
 Notice how he treated his Father. We find a new Proof of 
 his Ambition in his endeavouring, by the Affiftance of his 
 Mother, to exclude his elder Brother Titan from the Throne^ 
 in which he fo far fucceeded, that this Prince was obHged to 
 refign his Birthright, on thefe Terms, that Saturn fhould 
 not bring up any Male Children, that fo the Succellion 
 might devolve or revert to the right Male Line again. 
 
 Saturn, it is faidj obferved thefe Conditions fo faithfully, 
 that he devour'd all the Sons he had by his Wife, as foon as 
 born. But his Exactitude in this Point was at laft fruftrated 
 by the Artifice of Fejia. Having brought forth the Twins 
 Jupiter and Juno, fhe prefented the latter to her Hufband* 
 and concealing the Boy, fent him to be nurfed on Mount 
 Ida in Crete, committing the Care of him to the Curetes and 
 Corybantcs, the Priells of Cyhele. Saturn, however, getting 
 fome Intelligence of the Afi^air, demanded the Child, in 
 whofe Head his Wife gave him a Stone fwaddled up, which 
 he fwallow'd. This Stone had the Name oi Ab-addir (oi the 
 Potent Father^ and receiv'd divine Honours. 
 
 This FicSlion, of Saturn's devouring his Sons, according to 
 Mr: Le Clerc, (8) was founded upon a Cuftom which he had of 
 banifiiing or confining his Children, for fear they fhould one 
 Day rebel againft him. As to the Stone which Saturn is faid 
 to fwallow, this is another Fiction founded on the double 
 Meaning of the Word Ebfn, which fignifies both a Stone and 
 a Child, and means no more than, that Saturn was deceived by 
 Rhea's fubftituting another Child in the Room of Jupiter. 
 
 Titan findii]g the mutual Compaft made between him and 
 his Brother thus violated, took Arms to revenge the Injury, 
 and not only defeated Saturn, but made him and his Wife 
 FeJia Prifoners, whom he confin'd in Tartarus, a Place fo 
 dark and difmal, that it afterwards became one of the Apel- 
 lations of the infernal Regions, In the mean time Jupiter 
 being grown up, rais'd an Army in Cnte for his Father's 
 
 (8) Remaiks upon Ihfiod. 
 
 beins 
 
^a^t 
 
 T. f'/i/w J /If, I'^^/t'/tn 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 17 
 
 Deliverance. He alfo hired the Cecrops to aid him in this 
 Expedition j but on their Refufal to join him, after taking 
 the Money, he turned them into Apes. After this he mar- 
 ched again ft the 'Titans, and obtain'd a complete vidory. 
 The Eagle which appeared before the Engagement, as an 
 aufpicious Omen, was ever after chofen to carry his 1 hun- 
 der. From the Blood of the Titans flain in the Battl«, pro^ 
 ceeded Serpents, Scorpions, and all venomous Reptiles. 
 Having by this Succefs freed his Parents, the young Prince 
 taufisd all the Gods aflembled to renew their Oath of Fide- 
 lity to Saturn, on an Jltar^ which on that Account has been 
 rais'd to a Conjiellation in the Heavens. Jupiter after this 
 married Metis Daughter of Oceanus^ who it is reported gave 
 Saturn a Potion, which caufed him to bring up Neptune and 
 Pluto^ with the reft of the Children he had formerly de- 
 vour'd (i). 
 
 The Merit of the Son, (as it often happens) only ferv'd 
 to increafe the Father's Jealoufy, which received new 
 Strength from an antient Oracle or Tradition, that he 
 fhould be dethron'd by one of his Sons. Jupiter therefore 
 fecretly inform'd of the Meafures taken to deftroy him, fuf- 
 fer'd his Ambition to get the Afcendant over his Duty, and 
 taking up Arms, depofed his Father, whom by the Advice 
 of Prometheus he bound in woollen Fetters, and threw into 
 Tartarus with Japetus his Uncle. Here Saturn fufFered the 
 fame barbarous Punil'hment of Caftration he had infli(£led 
 on his Father C^elus. 
 
 Macrobius fearches into the Reafon why this God was 
 bound with Fetters of Wool, and adds from the Teftimony 
 of Jpolidorus^ that he broke thefe Cords once a Year at the 
 Celebration of the Saturnalia. (2] This he explains by fay- 
 ing, that this Fable alluded to the Corn, which being fhut 
 up in the Earth, and detain'd by Chains, foft and eafily 
 broken, fprung forth and annually arriv'd at Maturity, The 
 
 (i) By this Jupiter fhould be thoyoungefl Son of Saturn, 
 (2) Sat. Lib. 1. c. 8. 
 
 D ^hhg 
 
i8 Fabuhus HISTORY 
 
 Jbbe Banter fays, ( 3 ) that the Greeks look'd upon the Places 
 fituated to the Eaft, as higher than thofe that lay weftward ; 
 and from hence concludes, that by Tartarus^ or Hell^ they 
 only meant 5/m>. As to the Caftration of Saturn^ Mr. ir 
 Clerc conje<£lures, (4) that it only means that Jupiter had 
 corrupted his Father's Council, and prevailed upon the moft 
 confiderabie Perfons of his Court to defert him. 
 . The Manner in which Saturn efcaped from his Prifon is 
 not related. He fled to Italy^ where he was kindly receiv'd 
 by Janus then King of that Country, who afTociated him in 
 the Government. From hence that Part of the World ob- 
 tained the Name of Satumia Tellusy as alfo that of Latium 
 from Lateo to lie hid, becaufe he found a Refuge here in his 
 Diftrefs. On this Account Money was coin'd with a Ship 
 on one Side, to fignify his Arrival, and a Janus with a dou- 
 ble Head on the other, to denote his fharing the regal 
 Authority. 
 
 The Reign of Saturn was fo mild and happy, that the 
 Poets have given it the Name of the Golden Age, and 
 celebrated it with all the Pomp and Luxurlancy of Imagi^ 
 nation (5). According to Farro this Deity, from his in- 
 ftru£i:ing the People in Agriculture and Tillage, obtain'd his 
 Name (6) of Saturn, The Sickle which he ufed in reaping 
 being caft into Sicily^ gave that Ifland its antient Name of 
 Drepanon^ which in Greek fignifies that Inftrument. 
 
 The Hiftorians give us a very different Picture of Saturn, 
 Viodorus reprefents him as a tyrannical, covetous, and cruel 
 Prince, who reign'd over Italy and Sicily^ and enlarged his 
 Dominions by Conqueil: He adds, that he opprefs'd his 
 Subjects by fevere Taxes, and kept them in Awe by ftrong 
 Garrifons. This Account agrees very well with thofe who 
 make Saturn the firft who inftituted human Sacrifices, which 
 
 (l) Bafiier''s Mythology, Vol. 2. 185. 
 (4.) Remarks upon Hrf.od. 
 
 ('^) The Reader wiJl fee more on this Head under the fucceeding 
 Article. 
 (()) From Satu!, that is, Sowine or Seed-Time. 
 
 probably 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 19 
 
 probably gave Rife to the Fable of his devouring his own 
 Children. Certain it is, that the Carthagimam (j) ofFer'd 
 young Children to this Deity ; and amongft the Romans his 
 Priefts vi^ere cloath'd in Red, and at his Feftivals Gladiators 
 were employed to kill each other. 
 
 The Feafts of this Deity were celebrated with great 
 Solemnity amongft the Romans about the Middle of Decern^ 
 her. They were firft inftituted by fullus Hoflilius^ though 
 Li'vy dates them from the Confulfhip of Manilius and Semp- 
 ronius. They lafted but one Day till the Time of Julius C^/ar^ 
 who ordered them to be protra6led to three Days j and in 
 procefs of Time they were extended to five Days. During 
 thefe, all publick Bufinefs was flopp'd, the Senate never af- 
 fembledj no War could be proclaimed, or Offender exe- 
 cuted. Mutual Prefents of all Kinds, (particularly Wax 
 Lights) were fent and receiv'd. Servants wore the Pileus or 
 Cap of Liberty, and wtxe. waited on by their Maffers at 
 Table. All which was defign'd to fhew the Equality and 
 Happinefs of Mankind under the golden Age. 
 
 The Romans kept in the Temple of Saturn the Lihri Ele~ 
 phantinij or Rolls, containing the Names of the Rotnan Citi- 
 zens, as alfo the Publick Treafure. This Cuftom they bor- 
 row'd from the Egyptians^ who in the Temple of Sudec or 
 Chrone depofited their Genealogies of Families and the pub- 
 lick Money. 
 
 Saturn like the other Heathen Deities had his Amours. He 
 fell in Love with the Nymph Phyliyra the Daughter of 
 Oceanus, and was by his Wife Rhea fo near being furpris'd in 
 her Company, that he was forced to afTume the Form of a 
 Horfe. This fudden Transformation had fuch an Effe6l on 
 his Miftrefs, that fhe bore a Creature whofe upper Part was 
 
 (•]) Mr. SeUcn in his Treatife of the Syrian Gods, fpeaking of Mofoc.k, 
 imagines from the Cruelty of his Sacrifices, he was the fame as Saturn. 
 In the Reign of Tiberius, that Prince crucify'd the Priefts of Saturn for 
 offering young Infants at his Altars. This Idea of Saturn's Malignity is, 
 perhaps, the Reafon why the Planet, which bears this Name, isfo inaufpi- 
 cious and unfriendly to Mankind. 
 
 D 2 like 
 
20 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 like a Man, and the reft like a Horfe. This Son of Saturn 
 became famous for his Skill in Mufick and Surgery. 
 
 A modern Author, M. La Pluche^ has veryjuftly accounted 
 for this fabulous Hiftory of Saturn^ which certainly deriv'd 
 its Origine from Egypt. The annual Meeting of the Judge^ 
 in that Country was notify'd by an Horus, or Image, with a 
 long Beard and a Scythe in his Hand. The firft denoted 
 the Age and Gravity of the Magiftrates, and the latte^ 
 pointed out the Seafon of their affembling, juft before the 
 firft Hay-making or Harveft. This Figure they call'd 
 by the Names of Sudec, (8) Chrone, (gj Chiun, (lo) and 
 Saterin ; fii) and in Company with it always expofed 
 another Statue reprefenting Jfis, with feveral Breafts, and 
 furrounded with the Heads of Animals, which they call'd 
 M/jea (12) as thefe Images continued expofed till the Begin- 
 ning of the new Solar Year, or the Return of OJtris ^the 
 Sun^ fo Saturn became regarded as the Father of Time, 
 Upon other Occafions the Egyptians depictured him with 
 Eyes before and behind, fome of them open, others afleep j 
 and with four Wings, two fhut and two expanded (^13^, 
 The Phceniciansy who communicated all this to the Greeks^ 
 took thefe PicSlures in the litteral Senfe, and turn'd into fabu- 
 lous Hiftory what was only allegorical. 
 
 Bochart, and fome other learn'd Antiquaries, conceived 
 Saturn to be the fame with Noah, and drew a Parallel in ma- 
 ny Inftances, which feem to favour their Opinion. 
 
 ^^/i/r^wasufually reprefented as an old Man, bare-headed 
 and bald, with all the Marks of Age and Infirmity in his 
 Face. In his right Hand they fometimes plac'd a Sickle or 
 Scythe, at other's a Key, and a Serpent biting its own Tail, 
 
 (%) From Tjadick^ or Sudec, Juftlce, or the Juft. 
 ((j) From Keren, Splendour, the Name given to M.ojes on his Defcent 
 ^om the Mount ; hence the Greek Xf'i"'?. 
 
 ^10^ From Cohen a Prieft, is deriv'd Keunah, or the facerdotal Office. 
 (11) from Setery a Judge, is the Plural .St-rfr/ffj, or the Judges. 
 (l^) From Rahab, to feed, comts Rcbea, or Rhea, a Nurfe. 
 (11 J This Figure feems borrow 'd from the Cherubim of the liebreivi, 
 
 and 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. i\ 
 
 and clrcumflex'd in his Left. He fometimes was piclur'd 
 with fix Wings, and Feet of Wool, to fhew how infenfibly 
 and fwiftly Time pafTes. The Scythe denoted his cutting 
 down and impairing all Things, and the Serpent the Revo, 
 lution of the Year. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 0/ /y^^ G O L D E N A G E. 
 
 DIFFICULT as it is, to reconcile the Inconfiftencie 
 between the Poets and Hiftorians in the preceding Ac. 
 count of Saturn^ yet the concurrent Teftimony of the for- 
 mer in placing the Golden Age in his Times, feems to deter- 
 mine the Point in his Favour ; and to prove that he was a 
 Benefactor and Friend to Mankind, fmce they enjoy 'd fuch 
 Felicity under hib Adminiftration. We can never fuffici- 
 ^ntly admire the mafterly Defcription given by Firgil of 
 thefe Halcyon Days, when Peace and Innocence adorn'd the 
 World, and fweeten'd all the Bleilings of untroubled Life. 
 0<vid has yet heighten'd the Picture with thofe Touches of 
 Imagination peculiar to him. Amongll the Greek Poets, 
 fleJiod\\?iS touch'd this Subjec!:^ with that agreeable Simplicity 
 which diftinguifhes all his Writings. 
 
 By the Golden Age might be figured out the Happinefs of 
 the primaeval State before the firft and univerfal Deluge, 
 when the Earth remaining in the fame Pofition in which it 
 was firft created, flourifh'd with perpetual Spring, and the 
 Air always temperate and ferene, was neither difcompos'4 
 by Storms, nor darkened by Clouds. The Reafon of aiHx- 
 ing this Time to the Reign of Saturn^ was probably this : 
 The Egyptians held the firft annual AfTembly of their Judges 
 in the Month of February^ and as the Decifions of thefe 
 Sages were always attended with the higheft Equity, fo the 
 People regarded that Seafon as a Time of geneial Joy anci 
 
 Happinefs^ 
 
22 Fabulous H I S T O RY 
 
 Happinefs, rather as all Nature with them was then in Bloom, 
 and the whole Country looked like one enamell'd Garden 
 or Carpet, from one End of the Kingdom to the other. 
 But after all it appears, that thefe halcyon Times were but 
 of a fhort Duration, fince the Chara6ter P/«/o, Pythagoras^ 
 and others give of this Age can only relate to that State of 
 perfeft Innocence which ended with the Fall. 
 
 CHAP. X. 
 Of the GIANT S. 
 
 TH E Giants were produced (as has been already ob- 
 ferv'd) of the Blood which flow'd from the Wound of 
 Saturn^ when caftrated by his Son Jupiter. Proud of their 
 own Strength, and fir'd with a daring Ambition, they en- 
 ter'd into an AlTociation to dethrone Jupiter, for which pur- 
 pofe they pilM Rocks on Rocks, and from thence darted 
 Trees fet on Fire againft the Heavens, in order to fcale the 
 Skies. This Engagement is differently related by Authors, 
 both as to the Place where it happen'd and the Circum- 
 ftances which attended it ; feme Writers laying the Scene 
 in Italy ( I) others in Greece (2). It feems the Father of the 
 Gods was appriz'd of the Danger, as there was a prophe- 
 tical Rumour amongft the Deities, that the Giants fhould 
 not be overcome, unlefs a Mortal affifted in the War. For 
 this Reafon Jon^e^ by the Advice of Pallas^ call'd up Herculesy 
 and being aflilfed by the reft of the Gods gain'd a complete 
 Vicl:ory over the Rebels, moft of whom perifh'd in the Con- 
 flicl:. Hercules firft flew j^hyon with an Arrow, but he ftill 
 reviv'd and grew ftronger, till Minerva drew him out of the 
 Moon's Orb, when he expir'd. This Goddefs alfo cut off 
 
 (i) In the Pbkgraan Plains, in Camparia, near Mount Vefwvius^ 
 which abound with fubterraneous Fires, and hot Mineral Springs. 
 
 (?) Where they fet Mount OJfa on Fdicnt in order to afcendthe Skies, 
 
 the 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 23 
 
 the Heads of Encehdus and Pallantes^ and afterwards encoun- 
 tering Alcyomus at the Corinthian Ifthmus, kill'd him in Spite 
 of his monftrous Bulk. Porphyris^ about to ravifti Juno, fell 
 by the Hands oi Jupiter and Hercules, Apollo and Hercules dif- 
 patch'd Ephialtes^ and Hercules flew Eurytus^ by darting an 
 Oak at him. Clytius was flain by Hecate^ and Polybotes flying 
 through the Sea, came to the Ifle of Coos^ where Neptune 
 tearing off Part of the Land, hurl'd it at him, and form'd 
 the Ifle of Nifyros, Mercury flew HyppolituSy Gratian was van- 
 quifh'd by 'Diana, and the Faroe claim'd their Share in the 
 Vi6lory, by the Deftrudion of Agryus and Thoan, Even 
 ^ilenus his Afs by his opportune braying, contributed to put 
 the Giants in Confuflon, and compleat their Ruin. Dur- 
 ing this War, of which O'vid has left us a fliort Defcription, 
 Pallas difliinguifh'd herfelf by her Wifdom, Hercules by his 
 Strength, Pan by his Trumpet, which ftruck a Terror in 
 the Enemy, and Bacchus by his A6livity and Courage. In- 
 deed their Afliftance was no more than feafonable ; for when 
 the Giants firft made their audacious Attempt, the Gods 
 were fo aftonifh'd they fled into Egypt , where they conceard 
 themfelves in various Shapes. 
 
 But the moft dreadful of thefe Monfters, and the mcft 
 difliicult to fubdue, was Typhon or Typhcsus^ who according to 
 Hefiod was the Son of Erebus and Terra, When he had al- 
 moft difcomfited all the Gods, Jupiter purfued him to Mount 
 Caucafus^ where he wounded him with his Thunder; but 
 Typhon turning upon him took him Prifoner, and after cut- 
 ting with his own Sickle the Nerves of his Hands and Feet, 
 threw him on his Back and carried him into Qlicia^ and im- 
 prifon'd him in a Cave, from whence he was deliver'd by 
 Mercury^ who reftor'd him to his former Vigour. After this, 
 Jo've had a fecond Engagement with Typhon, who flying into 
 Sicily^ was overwhelm'd by Mount ^tna. Onjid has given 
 a Defcription of this Accident, and of his Puniibmentf 
 
 The Giants are reprefented by the Poets as Men of huge 
 Stature and hoxrible Afpea, their lower Parts being of a Ser- 
 pentine 
 
24 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 J^entine Form. But above all, Typhon^ or Typhous, was de* 
 pidlur'd in the moft fhocking Manner. Nothing can ex-» 
 ceed the dreadful Defcription we find of him in Hejtod^ 
 who makes him the Father of the Winds. Others fay, that 
 by his Wife Echidne he had the Gorgon^ Scylla^ Cerberus the 
 infernal MaftifFj Hydra, Sphynx^ and the two Dragons who 
 Watched the Golden Fleece^ and the Hefperian Gardens, 
 
 Hiftorians fay T^yph^sus was the Brother of Ofiris King of 
 ^gypt^ who in the Abfence of this Monarch on fome Expe- 
 dition, formM a Confpiracy to dethrone him at his Return, 
 for which End he invited him to a Feaft, at the Conclufion 
 of which a Cheft of exquifite Workmanftiip was brought in, 
 and ofFer'd to him who lying down in it fhould be found to 
 fit it beft. OJiris not diftrufting the Contrivance, had no 
 fooner got in but the Lid was clos'd upon him, and the un- 
 happy King thrown into the Nile. Ifis his Queen, to revenge 
 the Death of her belov'd Hufband rais'd an Army, the Com- 
 mand of which fhe gave to her Son Orus^ who after van- 
 quifhing the Ufurper, put him to Death. Hence the Egyp- 
 tians^ who detefted his Memory, painted him in their Hie- 
 roglyphic Chara6ters in fo frightful a Manner. The length 
 and Multiplicity of his Arms denoted his Power : The Ser- 
 pents which form'd his Hair fignify'd his Addrefs and Cun- 
 ning : The Crocodile Scales which cover'd his Body ex- 
 prefs'd his Cruelty and DiiHmulation j and the Flight of the 
 Gods into Egypt, fhew'd the Precautions taken by the great 
 Men to fhelter themfelves from his Fury and Refentment. 
 
 It is eafy in this Story of the Giants to trace the Mofaic 
 Hiftory, v/hich informs us how the Earth was afflided with 
 Men of uncommon Stature and great Wickednefs. l^he 
 Tradition of the Tower of Babel, and the Defeat of that 
 impious Defign by the Confufion of Languages, might na- 
 turally give Rife to the Attempt of thefe Monfters, to in- 
 fult the Skies and make War on the Gods. 
 
 But there is another Explication of this Fable, which 
 feems both more rational and curious. Amongll the Names 
 
 of 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 25 
 
 bifthe Giants we find thofe of Briareus ( i), Roechus (2), Othus 
 (3), Ephialtes (4)5 Porphyrion (5), Enceladus (6), and M/w^j {7). 
 Now the literal Signification of thefe leads us to the Senfe o^ 
 the Allegory, which was defign'd to point out the fatal Con- 
 fequences of the Flood, and the confiderable Changes it in- 
 troduced with Regard to the Face of Nature. This is fur- 
 ther confirm'd by their Tradition, that their OJiris (xho, fame 
 with Jupiter) vanquifh'd the Giants, and that Orus his Son, 
 in particular, ftopp'd the Purfuit of Rcechus^ by appearing 
 before him in the Form of a Lion. By which they meant, 
 that that induftrious People had no Way of fecuring them- 
 felves againft the bad EfFe6ts of the vernal Winds, which 
 brought on their annual Inundation, but by exadly obferv- 
 ing the Sun's Entrance into Leo^ and then retiring to the 
 high Grounds, to wait the going off of the Waters. 
 
 Hejjed in his Enumeration of the different Ages of the 
 World has given us that of the Heroes or Giants* which 
 he places the third in his Order, immediately after the Silver 
 Age. It may not be improper to add, that from the Blood 
 of the Giants defeated by Jupiter^ were produc'd Serpents 
 and all Kinds of venomous Creatures. 
 
 (i) YxomBeri, Serenity 5 znd Harcus, Loft, to (hew the Temperature 
 of the Air deftroy'd. 
 
 (2) From Reuach, the Winds. 
 
 (3) From Ouitta, or Otbus, the Times, to tipify the Viciffitude of 
 iSeafons. 
 
 (4.) From Evi, or Ephi, Clouds j and Alt ah, Darkncfs, /. e. dark 
 gloomy Clouds. 
 
 (5) Vrom Phaur, to hr^zk, corr\t% Pharpher to feparate minutely: to 
 denote the general DlfTolution of the primoeval Syftem. 
 
 (6) From Encekdy violent Springs or Torrents. 
 
 (7) From Maim, great and heavy P.ains. Now all thefe were Phaeno- 
 mena new, and unknown before the Flocd. See La P/uchc's Hiftory of 
 the Heavens, Vol. i. p. 60. 
 
 E CHAP. 
 
26 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 CHAP. XI. 
 Of JANUS. 
 
 TH E Connexion between Saturn and Janus^ renders the 
 Account of the Latter a proper Supplement to the Hi- 
 ftory of the Former. Writers vary as to the Birth of this 
 Deity, fome making him the Son of Coelus and Hecate^ others 
 the Offspring of Apollo, by Creufa Daughter of Erictheus^ King 
 of Athens. Hejtod'is filent about him in his Theogony^ and in^ 
 deed Janus was a God Uttle known to the Greeks. Accord- 
 ing to Cato^ he was a Scythian Prince, who at the Head of a 
 victorious Army, fubdued and depopulated Italy. But the 
 moft probable Opinion is, that be was an Etrurian King, and 
 one of the earlieft Monarchs of that Counti7, which he 
 govern'd with great Wifdom, according to the Teftimony 
 of Plutarch^ who fays, ' whatever he was, whether a King 
 
 * or a God, he was a great Politician, who tempered the 
 
 * Manners of his Subjeds, and taught them Civility, on 
 
 * which Account he was regarded as the God of Peace, and 
 
 * never invoked during the Time of War.' It was doubtlefs 
 on Account of the Equity of his Government, he had the Ti- 
 tles of Deus Deorum f the moft antient of the Gods^ and 
 Janus Pater given him by the Romans^ who had him in pecu- 
 liar Veneration. 
 
 From Fabius Picior^ one of the oldeft Roman Hiftorians, we 
 learn, that the antient Tufcans were firft taught by this good 
 King to improve the Vine, to fow Corn, and to make 
 Bread, and that he firft rais'd Temples and Altars to the 
 Gods, who were before worfhipp'd in Groves. We have 
 already mention'd Saturn^ as the Introducer of thefe Arts 
 into Itaiy^ where Ja?ius aflbciated him into a Share of his 
 Power. Janus firft confecrated the Bounds of Cities (i) 
 and Invented Locks and Keys; (z) he alfo regulated 
 
 (i) When Romul-Ji founded the Walls of Romty he fent into I'ufcany to 
 be exa(£Liy inform' d of the Ceremonies on that Occafion prcfcrib'd by 
 ^fjnuSj 
 
 (2) Hence Doors receiv'd the Name of ^^ nr^f . 
 
 the 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 27 
 
 tlie Months ('},). Some fay he was married to the youngeft 
 Vejia^ the Goddefs of Fire-, others make his Wife the God- 
 defs Carna, or (^) Carma, 
 
 It is certain that he early obtained divine Honours at Rome, 
 v/hevQ Numa Pompilius inftituted an annual Feftival to him in 
 January^ which was celebrated with manly Exercifes. 
 Romulus and Tatius had before ere£led him a Temple upon 
 Occafion of the Union of the Romans with the Sabims. 
 Numa ordain'd it fhould be open'd in Time of War, and 
 fhut in Time of Peace, f 5 j which happen'd but thrice for 
 feveral Centuries, i. in the Reign of Numa. 2. In the Con- 
 fulate of Attilius Balbus, and Manlius Torquatus ', and, 3. By 
 Augufius Cafar^ after the Death of Anthony^ and Redudion 
 of Egypt, 
 
 Janus was the God who prefided over all new Undertak- 
 ings. Hence in all Sacrifices the firft Libations of Wine and 
 Wheat were offered to him, as likewife all Prayers were pre- 
 fac'd with a fhort Addrefs to him. The peculiar Offerings 
 at his Feflival were Cakes of new Meal and Salt, with new 
 Wine and Frankincenfe (6). Then all Artificers and Tradef- 
 men began their Works, and the Roman Confuls for the 
 New Year folemnly enter'd on their Office. All Quarrels 
 were laid afide, mutual Prefents were made, and the Day 
 concluded with Joy and Mirth. 
 
 Some imagine a Refemblance between Janus and Noahy 
 but Parallels of this Kind, though they open a large Field to 
 Fancy, and may be fupported with a great Oftentation of 
 Learning, contribute little to inform the Reafon or dired 
 the Judgment. 
 
 (3) The firft of which is from him call'd January. The firft Day of 
 every Month was alfo facrcd to him. 
 
 (4) Ccirr.j, or Carma, was a Goddefs who prefided over the vital Parts, 
 arid occafion'd a healthy Conftitution of Body. 
 
 (5) Hence Janm took the Names of Patulcim and Chi/ius. 
 
 (6) Tcoke contradifts O'vidy and fuppofes Pliny to prove, that the Anti- 
 cntsdid not ufe this Gum in their Sacrifices, but the Hafl*age of that Author, 
 only fays it was not ufcd in the Time of the Trojan War. 
 
 E 2 Janui 
 
28 Fabulous H I STORY 
 
 Janus was reprefented with two Faces on one Neck (•}). 
 either to denote his Prudence, or thathe views at oncethepaft 
 and approaching Year. He was feated in the Centre of twelve 
 Altars, to mark the Divifion he had made of it into fo many 
 Months. He had a Key in his right Hand, and a Sceptre in 
 his left, to fignify his Invention of Locks, and his extenfive 
 Authority. Sometimes his Image had four Faces, to exprefs 
 the four Seafons of the Year over which he prefided. 
 
 Thouo-h Janus be properly a Roman Deity, yet it is amongft 
 the Egyptians we muft feek for the true Explanation of his 
 Hiflory. That Nation reprefented the Rifmg of the Dog- 
 Star, which opened their Solar Year by an Horus, or Image, 
 with a Key in its Hand, and two Faces, one old and the 
 other young, to tipify or mark the old and new Year. King 
 Picus with a Hawk's Head, who is ufually drawn near Janus-, 
 leaves no Doubt biit that the Symbol of this Deity was bor^ 
 row'd from that mylHcal People (%), They call'd this dou- 
 ble-fac'd Horus by the Name of Jnuhis. 
 
 (7) Whence the Jarus Bifrom of Ovid^ and Biceps of ViryiU 
 
 (8) See La Pluche's Hiftory of the Heavens, Vol. I. p. 160. 
 
 CHAP. XII. 
 
 Of the Elder VESTA, or Cybele the Wife of 
 
 Saturn. 
 
 IT is highly neceflary, in clalTing the Heathen Divinities, 
 to diftiRguith between this Goddefj, who is alfo calFd 
 Khea (\) and Ops (z) from another F^« their Daughter, 
 becaufe the Poets have been faulty in confounding them, and 
 afcribing the Attributes and Actions of the one to the other. 
 The elder Vejia (i) was the Daughter of C^tus and 
 
 (i) So the Greeks C2i\V -A. her, as aKo Pafuhea, to denote the Blefilngs 
 vyhich flow from her. 
 
 (a) From opcm ferre, becaufe (he afiifts Mankind. 
 
 (3) Either denominated from Veftioy to cloath, becaufe (he cloathsthe 
 Earth with the annual and vegetable Produ^ions, or from Vi Stando, i. e^ 
 p^eding no Support. Ovid gives his Opinion for tliis .'art Etymology. 
 
 Stat vi Terra fua, vi flando P''e!}a vocatur. Oiv^ifarti, Lib. VI. 
 
 0*1 the firm Bafii of this Earthly frame. 
 Fair Vefta f-ar.'Jr, and thence dent'cs her Nam:. 
 
 Ttrra^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 29 
 
 ^erra^ and married to her Brother Saturn^ to whom fhe bore 
 a numerous Offspring. She had a MultipHcity of Names, 
 (^) of which the principal were Cybele^ Magna Mater, or 
 the Great Mother of the Gods ; .and Bona Dea, or the good 
 Goddefs . Under thefe different Characters Ihe had different 
 Reprefentations, and different Sacrifices. 
 
 As Vejia, (he is reprefented fitting, to denote ^he Stability 
 of the Earth, fhe carries a Drum in her Lap, to fignify the 
 Earth's Cavity, and the Winds imprifon'd in it. Her Head 
 is crown'd with Towers, and fne is furrounded with Ani- 
 mals of Afferent Kinds, who fport around her to exprefs her 
 Fruitfulnefs and Bounty. 
 
 Under the Character oiCyhele fhe makes a more magnifi- 
 cent Appearance, being feated on a lofty Chariot drawn by 
 Lions, crown'd with Towers, and having a Key extended in 
 her Hand, agreeably to the pompous Defcription of /^Vr^;7( 5). 
 
 Some indeed make the Phrygian Cyhele a different Perfon 
 from Vejla : They fay flie was the Daughter of M^ones an 
 antient King of Phrygia and Dyndimay and that her Mother 
 forfomeReafons, expos'dheron Mount Cy^f/w^, where fhe was 
 nourifh'd by Lions. Her Parents afterwards own'd her, and 
 fhe fell in Love with j^tys, by whom conceiving, her Father 
 caus'd her Lover to be (lain, and his Body thrown to thd 
 wild Beafls ; Cybele upon this ran mad, and fill'd the Woods 
 with her Lamentations. Soon after a Plague and Famine 
 laying wafte the Country, the Oracle was confulted, who 
 advifed them to bury Jtys with great Pomp, and to worfhip 
 Cybele as a Goddefs. Accordingly they eredl:ed a Temple to 
 her Honour at PeJJinus, and plac'd Liens at her Feet, to denote 
 her being educated by thefe Animals. 
 
 (4) As Dyndimine, Dea PaJJinuvtia, Idea, and Magna Pale:. Dec^ 
 Phrygia & BerecynthiUy Fauna., Fatua, &c. 
 
 (5) Proud as the mighty Moti^er of the Sky, 
 
 When o"" er the Phrygian Toiv'' r% jublime tn Air, 
 
 She rides triumphant in her gddcn Car ; 
 
 Croivn''d with a nodding Diadem of Te,':v''rSy 
 
 And counts her Offspring, the celefiial Poiv^ rs I 
 
 A frimng Train ! IVhofll the blejl Ahode, 
 
 A hundred Sons — and every Son a God I Mr. PiftS. 
 
30 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 0<vid relates the Story a little more in the marvellous Way; 
 \/Jtys was a Boy fo call'd by Cybeky that fhe appointed him to 
 prefide in her Rites, enjoining him inviolate Chaftity 5 but 
 the Youth happening to forget his Vowr, in Refentment the 
 Goddefs depriv'd him of his Senfes: But at laft pitying his 
 Mifery, fhe turned him into a Pine Tree, which as well as 
 the Box Tree, were held facred to her. The Animal moft 
 commonly facrificed to Cybele was the Sow, on Account of 
 its Fruitfulnefs. 
 
 The Priefts of this Deity were the Corybantes^ Curetes, 
 Idcet^ Dafiyli and Telchinesy all originally of Crete, and who in 
 their myftical Rites made great Ufe of Cymbals and other 
 Inftruments of Brafs, attended with extravagant Cries and 
 Howlings. They facrificed fitting on the Earth, and oiFer'd 
 only the Hearts of the Victims. 
 
 The Goddefs Cybele was unknown to the Romans till the 
 Time of Hannibal^ when confulting the SybilUjie Oracles 
 they found that formidable Enemy could not be cxpell'd till 
 they fent for the Idaan Mother to Rome. Attains then King 
 of Phrygia^ at the Requeft of their Embafladors, fent her 
 Statue, which was of Stone. But the Veflel which carried 
 it arriving in the Tyber, was miraculoufly ftopp'd, till Claudia 
 one of the Veftal-Virgins drew it afliore with her Girdle. 
 
 It is not difficult to difcover from the Name (6) and Attri- 
 butes of this Goddefs, that Cybele is no other than the Ifa or 
 Rhea of the Egyptians. The Adventures and Death of Atysy 
 which fo nearly refemble thofe of Ofiris^ add great Weight 
 to the Conjedlure. What puts the Matter beyond Doubt, 
 is the Reprefentation of the Phrygian Cybele. Now IJis is al- 
 ways drawn with a Crown of Turrets, and bore a Key 
 with a Lion at her Foot, to mark that the principal Fcftival 
 of Egypt was juft fix'd at the Time the Sun enter'd Leo. 
 
 As to the Priefts of Cybele^ the Corybantes^ Curetes^ ^c. they 
 are of the fame Original. Crete was a Colony of the Egyptians ^ 
 
 f6) Cyhe'eh deriv'd from Cape! in Uebrciv, a Chain or Tyej whence 
 our Word Cnupk, 
 
 Confiflins 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 3 r 
 
 CDnfiftlng of three Clafles of People, i. The Coryhantes or 
 Priefts (7). 2. Th^Cureies^ f 8^ or Hufbandmen, and In- 
 habitants of Towns. ^. The DaiSytiy (g) or Artificers and 
 kbouring Poor. All which Names are of Egyptian Deri- 
 vation. 
 
 CybeU was honoured at Rome by the Title oi Bona Dea^ or 
 good Goddefs. But this Devotion was only paid her by the 
 Matrons, and the Rites were celebrated in fo fecret a Man- 
 ner, that it was no lefs than Death for any Man to be prefent 
 at the Aflembly f lo^. Whence they were call'd Opertoria, 
 
 The Roman Farmers and Shepherds worfhipp'd CybeU or 
 Vejia, by the Title of Magna Pales^ or the Goddefs of Cattle 
 and Paftures. Her Feftival was in ^pril^ and at which Time 
 they purify'd their Flocks and Herds with the Fumes of 
 Rofemary, Laurel and Sulphur, offer'd Sacrifices of Milk 
 and Millet Cakes, and concluded the Ceremony by dancing 
 round Straw- Fires. Thefe annual Feafts were call'd Paiilia, 
 and were the fame with the Q)i'^i^o(po(ix of the Greeks^ and 
 probably of Vhanklan or Egyptian Original (w). 
 
 The great Feftival of Cybele^ call'd Megalefia^ was always 
 celebrated in Apfil^ and lafted eight Days at Rome, 
 
 (7) From Coriflw, a Sacrifice or Oblation. 
 
 (8) From Kerety a City or Town, comes the Plural AT^rfr/w, to fignify 
 the Inhabitants. 
 
 (9) From dac^ poor ; and tul or tyly a Migration : Hence our ultima 
 Thule. The Greeki for the fame Reafon call the Fingers ZJtf^;?//, becaufe 
 they are the Inftruments of Labour. 
 
 (10) So we learn from Tjbullus, Eclogue VI. 
 
 Sacra Bona marihus non adeunda Deae. 
 
 (11) The Name Falil.t feems derived Uom pelil, which fignifie* the pub- 
 lick Order. 
 
 CHAP. XIII. 
 Of V E S T A, the younger, 
 
 THIS Goddefs was the Daughter of Saturn, and the 
 yejia mention'd in the preceding Article, and the Sif- 
 ter of Ceres. She was fo fond of a fmgle Life, that when 
 
 her 
 
32 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 her Brother Jupiter afceiided the Throne, and ofFer'd td 
 grant whatever ihe afk'd, fhe defir'd only the Prefervation of 
 her Virginity, and that fhe might have the firft Oblation in 
 all Sacrifices, (i) which fhe obtained. According to Lac- 
 tantius, the Chaftity of Vejia is meant to exprefs the Nature 
 of Fire, which is incapable of Mixture, producing nothings 
 but converting all Things into itfelf. 
 
 Numa Pompilius^ the great Founder of Religion among the 
 ^omansj is faid firft to have reftor'd the antient Rites and 
 Worihip of this Goddefs, to whom he ere6led a circular 
 Temple, which in fucceeding Ages, was much embellifh'd. 
 He alfo appointed four PrieftelTes to be chofen out of the no- 
 bleft Families in Romej and of fpotlefs Character, whofe Of- 
 fice was to attend the facred Fire kept continually burning 
 near her Altar. Thefe Vejial-Virgins continued in their 
 Charge for Thirty Years, and had very great Privileges an- 
 nex'd to their Dignity. This Fire was annually renew'd 
 with great Ceremony, from the Rays of the Sun, on the Ka- 
 lends of March, It was preferv'd in Earthen Pots fufpended 
 in the Air, and efteem'd fo facred, that if by any Misfor- 
 tune it became extinguifh'd, (as happened once) a CelTation 
 enfued from all Bufinefs, till they had expiated the Prodigy. 
 If this Accident appear'd owing to the Negle6l of the Vejials* 
 they were feverely punifhed ; and if they violated their VoW 
 of Chaftity, they were interr'd alive. 
 
 As VeJia was the Goddefs of Fire, the Romans had no 
 Images in her Temple to reprefent her, the Reafon of which 
 we learn in O-vid (z). Yet as fhe. was the Guardian of 
 
 (i) It is a Queftion if this Privilege did not rather belong to the elder 
 Vefla, in common with Janus, 
 (2) His Words are thefe. 
 
 EfEgiem nullam VeJla rtec Ignis habeti Frf/?/, Lib. VI. 
 
 iV<j Image Vefta'j Semblante can exprefs. 
 
 Fire is toojubtile to admit cfDreJs, 
 
 Houfcs 
 
Of the Heathen Gods* 33 
 
 Houfes or Hearths, (i) her Image was ufually placM in the 
 Porch or Entry, and a daily Sacrifice ofter'd her. 
 
 It is certain nothing could be a ftronger Or more lively 
 Symbol of the Supreme Being, than Fire. Accordingly we 
 find this Emblem in early Ufe throughout all the Eaft. The 
 Ferjians held it in Veneration long before Zoroafter^ who, in 
 the Reign of Darius Hyjiafpes reduced the Worfhip of it to a 
 certain Plan, The Prytanei of the Greeks were perpetual an^i 
 holy Fires. We find jEneas bringing with him to Italy his 
 Penates (or Houfhold Gods) the Palladium and the /acred 
 Fire. The Vejia of the Etrurians^ Sabines^ and Romans was 
 the fame. 
 
 (3) Hence the Word Vefiibulunty for a Porch or Entry j and the Romavs 
 call'd their round Tables F'ejia, as the Greeks us'd the common Word 
 Er»* to fignify Chimneys and Altars. 
 
 CHAP. XIV. 
 Of JUPITER. 
 
 WE come now to the great King, or Mafler of the 
 Gods, This Deity was the Son of Saturn^ and Rhea 
 or Vejia^ at leaft this is that Jupiter to whom the Actions of 
 all the others were chiefly afcribM. For there were fo many 
 Princes call'd by his Name, that it feems to have been a 
 common Appellation in early Times for a powerful or vidlo. 
 rious Prince ( i ). The mod confiderable of thefe was cer- 
 tainly the Cretan Jove above-mention'd, of whofe Education 
 we have very various Accounts, as well as the Place of his 
 Birth. The MeJJenians pretended to fhow in the Neigh- 
 bourhood of their City a Fountain call'd Clep/ydra, where 
 Jupiter was educated by the Nymphs Ithome and tseda \ others 
 fay he was born at T^hebes in Baotia\ but the moft general 
 and receiv'd Opinion is, that he was brought up near Mount 
 
 (i) Varro reckon'd up 300 Jupiters, and each Nation feems to have had 
 
 one peculiar to itfelf, as the AJjyian Bel, or Eelui, and the Lytian Hirmr.on. 
 
 F Ida 
 
34 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Ida in Crete, Virgil tells US he was fed by the Bees, out of 
 Gratitude for which he changed them from an Iron to a gol- 
 den Colour. Some fay his Nurfes were Amalth^a and 
 MeliJJa^ Daughters of MeliJJeus King of Crete^ who gave him 
 Goats Milk and Honey ; others, that Amalth^a was the 
 Name of the Goat who nurfed him, whofe Horn he pre- 
 fented to thofe Princefe with this Privilege annexed, that 
 whoever pofleiTed it fhould immediately have whatever they 
 defired 3 whence it came to be call'd the Bom of Plenty, After 
 this the Goat dying, Jupiter plac'd her amongfl: the Stars, 
 and by the Advice of Themis cover'd his Shield v/ith her Skin 
 to ftrike Terror in the Giants, whence it obtain'd the Name 
 of uEgis. According to others, he and his Sifter Juno fuck'd 
 the Breafts of Fortune. Some alledge his Mother Vefia, or 
 the Earth, fuckled him j fome that he was fed by wild Pi- 
 geons, who brought him Afnhrof.a from Oceanus^ and by an 
 Eagle, who carried NeSiar in his Beak from a fteep Rock ; in 
 Recompenfe of which Services, he made the former the 
 Fore-tellers of Winter and Summer, and gave the laft the 
 Reward of Immortality, and the Office of bearing his Thun- 
 der. In fhort, the Nymphs and the Bears claim a Share in 
 the Honour of his Education, nor is it yet decided which 
 has the beft Title. 
 
 Let us now come to the A6lIons of Jupiter. The firft? 
 and indeed the moft memorable of his Exploits, was his 
 Expedition againft the Titans^ for his Father's Deliverance 
 and Reftoration, of which we have already fpoken under 
 the Article of Saturn. After this he dethroned his Father, 
 and having poflefsM himfelf of his Throne, was acknow- 
 ledge by all the Gods in Qi^iality of their fupreme Head- 
 Jpollo himfelf crown'd with Laurel, and rob'd with Purple, 
 Gondefcended to fing his Praifes to his Lyre. Hercules, in or- 
 der to perpetMjate the Memory of his Triumphs, inftituted 
 the Olympic Games, where it is faid that Phoebus carried oiF 
 the firft Prize, by overcoming Mercury^ at the Race. After 
 this, Jupiter being fully Icttled, divided his Dominions with 
 
 his 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 35 
 
 his Brothers Neptune and Pluto^ as will be (hewn In the 
 Sequel. 
 
 Jupiter f however, is thought to ufe his Power in a little 
 too tyrannical a Manner, for which we find Juno, Neptune-, 
 and Pallas confpir'd againft, and actually feiz'd his Perfon. 
 But the Giants, Cottus^ ^yg^^ ^nd Briareus^ who were then 
 his Guards, and whom T^hetis calPd to his Aiiiftance, fet him 
 at Liberty. How thefe Giants, with others of their Race 
 afterwards revolted againft him, and were overthrown, has 
 been already mention'd in its Place. 
 
 The Story of Lycaon is not the leaft diilinguifhing of his 
 A£lions. Hearing of the prevailing Wickednefs of Man- 
 kind, Jonie defcended to Earth, and arriving at the Palace of 
 this Prince, King oi Arcadia^ declar'd who he was, on which 
 the People prepar'd Sacrifices, and the other Honours due to 
 him. But Lycaon^ both impious and incredulous, kill'd one 
 of his Domeflicks, andferved up the FlejQi drefs'd at the En- 
 tertainment he gave the God, who detefting fuch horrid In- 
 humanity, immediately confum'd the Palace with Lighten- 
 ing, and turn'd the Barbarian into a Wolf. Q'vid has re- 
 lated this Story with his ufual Art. 
 
 But as Ambition, when arriv'd at the Height of its Wifhes, 
 feldom ftri6fly adheres to the Rules of Moderation, fo the Air 
 of a Court is always in a peculiar Manner fatal to Virtue. 
 \i any Monarch dfferv'd the Character of encouraging 
 Gallantry by his Example, it was certainly Jupiter^ w^hole 
 Amours are as numberlefs as the Metamorphofes he aflum'd 
 to accomplifh them, and have afforded an extenfive Field of 
 Defcrlption, to the Poets and Painters, both antient and 
 modern. 
 
 Jupiter had feveral Wives, Metis his firft he is faid to have 
 devour'd, when big with Child, by which himfelf becom- 
 ing pregnant, Miner-va ifTued out of his Head completely 
 arm'd and fully grown. His fecond was T^hemis^ tlie Name 
 of his third is not known, only Ihe is faid to be a Cretan 
 born near Gnojfus^ His fourch was th€ celebrated Juno, his 
 X 2 Sifter, 
 
36 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Sifter, whom it is reported he deceived under the Form of a 
 Cuckoo^ who, to fliun the Violence of a Storm, fled for 
 Shelter to her Lap ( i ). 
 
 Of his Intrigues we have a pretty curious Detail. One of 
 his firft Miftrefles was Calijio the Daughter of Lycaon^ one of 
 the Nymphs of Diana. To deceive her he aflum'd the 
 Form of the Goddefs of Chaftity, and fucceeded fo far as t» 
 make the Virgin violate her Vow. But her Difgrace being 
 reveal'd, as fhe was bathing with her Patronefs, the incens'd 
 Deity not only difgrac'd her, but (2) turn'd her into a Bear. 
 Jonje in Companion to her Punifhment and Sufferings, raisM 
 her to a Conftellation in the Heavens (3). Califio, however, 
 left a Son call'd Arcas^ who having inftrufted the Pelafgians 
 in Tillage and the Social Arts, they from him took the 
 Name of Arcadians ^ and after his Death he was by his divine 
 Father, allotted alfo (^) a Seat in the Skies. 
 
 There is fcarce any Form which Jupiter did not at fome 
 Time or other aflume to gratify his Defires. Under the 
 Figure of a Satyr he violated Antiope the Wife of Lycus King 
 of Thebes^ by whom he had two Sons, Zethus and Amphion, 
 In the Refemblance of a Swan he corrupted Leda the Spoufe 
 of Tyndarus^ King of Lacojiia. Under the Appearance of ^ 
 white Bull he carried off Europa, Daughter of Agenor King 
 of Ph^nieia, into Crete, where he enjoy'd her. In the Shape 
 of an Eagle he furpris'd Afteria the Daughter of Cceus^ and 
 bore her away in his Talons in Spite of her Modefty. Aided 
 by the fame Difguife, he feizM the beauteous Ganymede Son 
 of T^ros as he was hunting on Mount Ida^ and rais*d him to 
 the joint Fun6tions of his Cup-bearer and Catamite. 
 
 It was indeed difficult to efcape the Purfuits of a God, 
 who by his unUmited Power made all Nature fubfervient to 
 his Purpofes. Of this we have a remarkable Inftance in 
 
 (i) At a Mountain near Corinth y thence call 'd Coceyx.' 
 
 (z) Some (ay it was Juno turn'd lier into that Animal. 
 
 tl) Caird Urfa ma';or by the Latins f and He lice by the Greeks. 
 
 (4.) The L'WJ Mi'^.cr of tl)e Latim, and Cynofura of the Creeks. 
 
 Danaf* 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 37 
 
 Danae^ whofe Father Acrifms jealous of her Condu£^, had 
 fecured her in a Brazen Tower ; \)vxjupiter defcending in a 
 golden Shower, found Means to elude all the Vigilance of 
 her Keepers. He found Means to inflame jEgina the Daugh- 
 ter of j^fopus^ King of Baotia^ in the Similitude of a lam- 
 bent Fire, and then carried her from Epidaurus to a defert 
 Ifle call'd OEnope^ to which fhe gave her own Name (5}. 
 Clytoris^ a fair Virgin of TheJJ'aly, he debauch'd in the Shape of 
 an Ant ; but to corrupt Alcmena the Wife of Amphytrion^ he 
 was oblig'd to aflume the Form of her Hufband, under which 
 the fair one deceiv'd, too innocently yielded to his Defires. 
 By Thalia he had two Sons call'd the Pal lad, and two by 
 Frotogenia, 'viz. Mthlius the Father oi Endyinion, and Epaphus 
 the Founder of Memphis in Egypt, and Father of Libya^ who 
 gave her Name to the Continent of AfricL Ekdra bore 
 him Dardanus^ Laodamia^ Sarpedon and Argus y Joda7na^ Deu^ 
 calion ; with many others too tedious to enumerate though 
 mention'd by the Poets. 
 
 It is very evident that moft, if not all the Stories relating 
 to the Amours of the Gods, were invented by their refpec- 
 tive Priefts, to cover their Corruption or Debauchery. Of 
 which this of Danae feems at leaft a palpable Inftance, and 
 may ferve to give fome Idea of the reft : Acrijius was informed 
 by an Oracle, that his Grandfon would one Day deprive 
 him of his Crown and Life ; on which he {hut her up in a 
 Brazen Tower of the Temple of Apollo at Delphos^ the Priefts 
 of which Oracle probably gave him this Information, with 
 no other view than to forward their Scheme, which tended 
 to griitify the Luft of Pratus the King's Brother, who being 
 let through the Roof, pretending to be Jupiter^ and throwing 
 large Quantities of Gold amongft her Domefticks, obtained 
 his Wifhes. 
 
 Two particular Adventures of his are too remarkable to 
 be pafii'd in Silence. He had deluded by his Arts Scmels 
 
 (5) The Ifle of JEgina in i\iQ Archipelago. 
 
 Daughter 
 
38 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Daughter of Cadmus^ King o^Thehes^ who proved with Child. 
 Juno hearing of it, and intent on Revenge, under the Dif- 
 guife of Beroe^ Nurfe to the Princefs, was admitted to her 
 Prefence, and artfully infinuating to her that Ihe might not 
 be deceiv'd in her Lover, fhe advis'd her the next Time he 
 vifited her, to requeft as a Proof of his Love, that fhe might 
 fee him in the fame Majefty with which he embraced Juno* 
 Jupiter granted, not without Reludance, a Favour he knew 
 would be fo fatal to his Miftrefs. The unhappy Fair-one 
 unable to bear the dazzling Effulgence perifh'dinthe Flames, 
 and with her, her Offspring mufl have done fo too, if the 
 God had not taken it out and inclos'd it in his Thigh, 
 where it lay the full Time, when he came into the World 
 by the Name of Bacchus. 
 
 Jupiter next fell enamour'd with lo the Daughter of 
 Jnachusy and, as forae fay, the Prieftefs of Juno ; having one 
 Day met this Virgin returning from her Father's Grotto, he 
 endeavour'd to feduce her to an adjacent Forefl; but the 
 Nymph frying his Embraces, he involv'd her in fo thick a 
 Mift, that fhe loft her Way, fo that he eafily overtook and 
 enjoy'd her. Junoj whofe Jealoufy always kept her watch- 
 ful, mifling her Hufband, and perceiving a thick Darknefs 
 on the Earth, defcended, difpell'd the Cloud, and had cer- 
 tainly difcover'd the Intrigue, had not Jupiter fuddenly tranf- 
 form'd lo into a white Heifer. Juno pleas'd with the Beauty 
 of the Animal, begg'd her, and to allay her Jealoufy, he 
 was oblig'd to yield her up. The Goddefs immediately gave 
 her in Charge to -^rgus^ who had a hundred Eyes, two of 
 which only flept at a Time: Her Lover pitying the Mifery 
 of lo in fo ftridt a Confinement, fent Mercury down difguis'd 
 Jike a Shepherd, who with his Flute charm'd Jrgus to fleep, 
 feaPd his Eyes with his Caduceus or Rod, and then cut off his 
 Head. Junoy in regard to his Memory, plac'd his Eyes in 
 the Tail of the Peacock, a Bird facred to her, and then turn- 
 ing her Rage againft lo^ fent the Furies to purfue her where- 
 
 ever 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 39 
 
 ever {he went ( i ) ; io that the wretched Fugitive weary of 
 Life, implor'd Jonje to end her Mifery. Accordingly the 
 God intreats his Spoufe to (hew her Compaflion, fwearing 
 by StyXf never to give her further Caufe of Jealoufy. Juno 
 on this becomes appeas'd, and /o being reftor'd to her former 
 Shape, is worfhipp'd in Egypt by the Name of Ifu, 
 
 The Fable of h and Argus is certainly of Egyptian Birth, 
 and the true Mythology is this : The Art of weaving firfl: 
 invented in Egypt^ was by Colonies of that Nation carried 
 to Greece and Cbolcis, where it was pra6lifed with this Diffe- 
 rence, that the Seafons for working were varied in each 
 Country according to the Nature of the Climate. The 
 Months of February^ March^ April and May they employ'd 
 in Egypt in cultivating their Lands; whereas thefe being 
 Winter Months with the Greciansy they kept the Looms bufy, 
 Nov/ the IJiSt which pointed out the Neomenia or Monthly 
 Feftivals in Egypt^ was aUvays attended with an Horus or Fi- 
 gure expreflive of the Labour peculiar to the Seafon. Thus 
 the Horus of the weaving Months, was a little Figure ftuck 
 over with Eyes, to denote the many Lights necefTary for 
 working by Night. This Image was call'd Argos (2)^ to 
 fignify his Intention. Now the vernal IJis being depiilur'd 
 with the Head of a Heifer^ to exemplify the Fertility and 
 Pleafantnefs of Egypt on the Sun's Entrance into Taurus^ at 
 the Approach of Winter fhe quitted this Form, and fo was 
 faid to be taken into Cuftody of Argos, from whom fhe was 
 next Seafon deliver'd, by the Horns reprefenting Anubis, (ox 
 Mercury) that is the riling of the Dog Star. The taking 
 
 (i) Dr. King relates this Srory a little differently, lo purfued by 77/?- 
 fhijne (one ot the Fuiies) fell into the Sea and was carried firft to the 
 I'bracian Bofpborus, and thence into if^^-^r, wliere the Monrter ftill puf- 
 fuing her, was repelTd by the Ni/c. After this (he was deify'd by Jupiter 
 and appointed to prellde over Winds and Navigation. It is eafy to fee this 
 agrees better with the Egyptian Mythology. 
 
 (2) From Argoth, or Argos, Weaver's Work ; whence the Greeks bor- 
 row 'd their Ejv ov. Opus, or a Work. Hence the Iile of Amorgos, one of 
 the JEgean Ides, derives its Name from An:, Mother ; and Orgin, Wea- 
 vers, or the Mother or Colony cflVi-ai'crs, being firft planted from Egypt. 
 
 theie 
 
40 Fakilous HISTORY 
 
 thefe Symbolical Reprefentations, in a litteral Senfe, gave 
 Rife to the Fable. 
 
 It is no Wonder if the Number of Jupiter's Gallantries 
 made him the Subject of Deteftation among the primitive 
 Chrijiians^ as well as the Ridicule of the v^^ifer amongft the 
 Heathens. Tertullian obferves with Judgment, " That it 
 *' was no way ftrange to fee all Ranks fo debauched, when 
 *' they were encouraged in the moft infamous Crimes by 
 " the Example of thofe they worfhipp'd, and from whom 
 '' they were to expe61: Rewards and Punifhments." Lucian 
 in his Dialogues introduces Momus pleafantly rallying Jonje 
 with regard to his amorous Metamorphofes. I have often 
 trembl'd for you, fays he, " Leafl when you appear'd like a 
 *' Bull, they fhould have carried you to the Shambles, or 
 *' clappM you in the Plough ; had a Goldfmith catch'd you 
 ** when you vifited Danae, he would have melted down 
 " your Godfhip in his Crucible. Or when you courted 
 ** Leda like a Swan, what if her Father had put you on 
 « the Spit?" 
 
 Jupiter had a Multiplicity of Names, either from the 
 Places where he was worfhipp'd, or the Attributes afcrib'd 
 to him. The Greeks gave him the Name of Ato?, and Die- 
 fpiter^ or the Father of Light : They alfo gave him the Epi- 
 thets of Xenius, or the Hofpitable. E/icius on account of his 
 Goodnefs and Clemency ; and Dodon^us on Account of the 
 oracular Grove at Dodona, confecrated to him, and famous 
 thro' all Greece. 
 
 Amongft the Rojnans he had the Apellatlons of optimut 
 maximus^ on Account of his Beneficence and Power : Almus^ 
 from his cherifhing all Things ; Stabilitor, from his fupport- 
 ing the World ; Opitulator from his helping the diftrefs'd ; 
 ^tator from his fufpending the Flight of the Romans at the 
 Prayer of Romulus ; and Predator on account of Part of the 
 Plunder being facred to him in all Victories. From his 
 Temple at tlie Capitol, on the Tarpeian Rock, he was call'd 
 Capitolims and Tarpeius, When a Roman King or General 
 
 flew 
 
u 
 
 Of the Heathen Gods. ^i 
 
 flew an Enemy of the fame Quality, the Spoils were ofFcr'd 
 to him f^J by the Name of Feretrius. To conclude with 
 the Words of Orpheus ^ '* Jo^e is omnipotent, he is the firft 
 *' and the lafi, the Head and the Middle, the Giver of all 
 
 Things, the Foundation of the Earth and i^arry Heavens i 
 
 he is both Male and Female, and immortal. Jupiter is 
 *' the fource of enlivening Fire, and the Spirit of all Things.'* 
 
 Though the Power of Thunder feems aflign'd to Jupiter^ 
 yet according to the antieht Etrurians it was committed tc> 
 nine Gods (^). The Romans took Notice only of two Sorts 
 of Thunder, tjiz. the Diurnal^ which they afcrib'd to J<n>e^ 
 and the No^umalf which they thought owing to Summanus or 
 Piuto» With regard to the firft, all Perfons kill'd by it were 
 deprived of Funeral Rites, and the Places where it fell puri- 
 fy'd by Sacrifice. 
 
 Jupiter is very differently reprefented, according to the 
 Places where he was worfhipp'd. The Lacedemonians depic- 
 tur'd him without Ears to exprefs his Impartiality, whereas 
 the Cretans painted him with four, to denote his Omnifcience j 
 and knowing all Things. Thie Greeks gave him the Title of 
 ^riophthalmus or Three-Ey'd, becaufe he furveys all Things 
 ^t one View. Homers Defcription of him is fo majeftick, 
 that it is laid a famous Statuary copied it in his Work. 
 
 The ufual Style in which this Deity is figur'd, i , feated on 
 a golden Throne, furroun.'ed with Clouds, vcfted in a pur- 
 ple Robe, grafping his Thunder, and having the Eagle at 
 liis Feet. Some place a Sceptre in his Right-Hand with an 
 Eagle at the Top. 
 
 (3) Hiftory mentions three Inftaiices of thcfc SpoKa Ofima. i. When 
 Romului flew Acton King of the Ccnir.enfes. 2. When Cornelius Callus 
 kili'd Tolumniui King of Etruria. 3. When M. Marcellus vanquifli'd 
 Virid«marui King of Caul. 
 
 (4) AmoBgft whom were Fuhah, Mintria, Junof Mars, and the South 
 mnds. 
 
 CHAP, 
 
42 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 CHAP. XV. 
 Of the SILVER AGE- 
 
 1HAVE already obfervcd howcontradidory theHiflorians 
 and Poets are in their Accounts of the golden Age, and 
 the Reign oi Saturn ; they are not more confonant with Regard 
 to Jupiter and the Age of Silver. If we credit Diodorus^ Saturn 
 Tvas a Tyrant, who by his Cruelty and Severity rendered him- 
 felf fo unpopular and odious to his Subje6b, that they readily 
 affifted his Son in dethroning him. How ihall we reconcile 
 fuch an Adminiftration with the Pi£ture the Poets give (i) 
 us of the golden Age in his Time ? On the other Hand the 
 fame Hiftorian reprefents Jupiter as a wife and good Prince 
 who for his Equity and Clemency was fo beloved by his 
 People, that they deify'd him after Death : How does this 
 agree with the Poets Account of his Debaucheries, and an 
 Age of Iron ? Some fay, to confirm this, that his Reign was 
 not fo agreeable to his Subjedls as that of Saturtt, either on Ac- 
 count of the Rigour of his Government, or that having af- 
 cended the Throne by Force, he maintained himfelf in it by 
 the Help of a ftanding Army. This Change gave Rife to 
 the; Notion of the Silver Age, by which is meant an Age 
 inferior in Happinefs to that which preceded it, though fu- 
 perior to thofe which followed after. 
 
 , Of this Age the Poets have given us feveral Defcrlptions, 
 that of Hejiod is the molt antient one we have, and ac- 
 cording to the Genius of that Poet very plain and fimple. 
 O'viiTs Pi6lure of it is more luxuriant and embelliih'd, 
 though fufficiently concife. 
 
 A C») -Perhaps a Conjecture may be ofFer'd to folve this Difficulty. Saturn 
 while he reign'd in Crete, before his Depofition, was probably a fevere and 
 arbitrary Prince, which contributed not a little to his Expulfion j but after 
 his Flight to Italy ^ and being aflbciated with Janus in the Kingdom, he 
 was taught Wifdom by his Misfortunes, and applying himfelf to gain the 
 Love of the People by Mildnefs and Equity, became an excellent Prince. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
J>afe.4-3- 
 
 I. Ort/t-t/i2m//e^^^/e/» 
 
 i> L. ^f/nt^i^cul 
 
J 
 
 Of the Heathen Gods. 43 
 
 CHAP. XVI. 
 0/ J U N O. 
 
 UNO the Sifter and Confort of Jupiter , was on that 
 Account ftyl'd the Queen of Heaven, and indeed we 
 iind her in the Poets fupporting that Dignity with an Ambi- 
 tion and Pride fuitable to the Rank fhe bore. 
 
 Though the Poetical Hiftorians agree fhe came into the 
 World at a Birth with her Hufband, yet they differ as to 
 the Place, fome placing her Nativity at Argos^ others at 
 Samoi near the River Imbrafus, Some fay fhe was nurs'd by 
 Eubaa^ Por/ymna zndJr^ea Daughters of the River JJierioni 
 others by the Nymphs of the Ocean, Otes^ an antient Poet, 
 tells us fhe was educated by the Uora or Hours : And Homer 
 affigns this Pofl to Oceanus and Tethys themfelves. 
 
 It is faid that this Goddefs, by bathing annually in the 
 Fountain of Canatho near ArgoSf renew'd her Virginity. The 
 Places where fhe was principally honour'd were Sparta^ 
 Mycene and Argos, At this Place the Sacrifice offered to her 
 confiftedof 100 Oxen. 
 
 Juno in a peculiar Manner preflded over Marriage and 
 Childbirth ; on the firfl Occafion, in facrificing to her, the 
 Gall of the Vidim was always thrown behind the Altar, to 
 denote no Spleen fhould fubfift between married Perfons. 
 Women were peculiarly thought to be under her Protedlion, 
 of whom every one had her Juno^ as every Man had his 
 Guardian Genius. Numa order'd, that if any unchafte Wo- 
 man fhould approach her Temple, fhe fhould offer a Female 
 Lamb to expiate her Offence. 
 
 The Lacedemonians ftyl'd her Mgophaga^ from the Goat 
 which Hercules facrificed to her. At Elis fhe was call'd Hop- 
 lofmia, her Statue being completely arm'd. At Corinth fhe 
 was term'd Buneea^ from Buno who ere£led a Temple to her 
 there. She had another at Euhaa^ to which the Emperor 
 Adrian prefented a magnificent Offering, confifting of a 
 
 G z Crowft 
 
44 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Crown of Gold, and a purple Mantle embroider'd with the 
 Marriage of Hercules and Hebe in Silver, and a large Peacock 
 whofe Body was Gold, and his Tail compos'd of precious 
 Stones refembling the natural Colours. 
 
 Amongft the Romans^ who held her in high Veneration 
 file had a Multiplicity of Names. The chief were, Lucina 
 from her firft fhewing the Light to Infants ; Fronuha^ be- 
 caufe no Marriage was lawful without previoufly invoking 
 her ; Socigena and Juga from her introducing the conjugal 
 Yoke, and promoting matrimonial Union. Domiduca on 
 Account of her bringing home the Bride ; Unxia from the 
 anointing the Door Pofts at that Ceremony. Cinxia from 
 her unloofing the Virgin-Zone, or Girdle ; PerfeSIa^ becaufe 
 Marriage completes the Sexes ; Opigena and Ohjletrix fromher 
 afiifting Women in Labour; Populofa^ becaufe Procreation 
 peoples the World ; and So/pita from her preferving the Fe- 
 male Sex. She was alfo nam'd ^iritis or Curitis, from a 
 Spear reprefented in her Statues and Medals j Kalendaris^ be- 
 caufe of the Sacrifices ofFer'd her the firft Day of every 
 Month ; and Moneta from her being regarded as the Godded 
 of Riches and Wealth. 
 
 It is faid when the Gods fled into Egypt^ Juno difguisM her 
 felf in the Form of a white Cow, which Animal was, on 
 that Account, thought to to be acceptable to her in her 
 Sacrifices. 
 
 Juno^ as the Queen of Heaven, preferv'd a good deal of 
 State. Her ufual Attendants were Terror and Boldnefs, 
 Caftor and Pollux^ and fourteen Nymphs ; but her moil 
 faithful and infeparable Companion was Iris the Daughter of 
 *rhaumasy who for her furprifing Beauty was reprefented with 
 Wings, borne upon her own Rainbow to denote her Swift- 
 nefs. She was the MefTenger of Juno (i)^ as Mercury was 
 of Jcve ; but with this Variety, that the latter was always 
 employ'd on peaceful Errands, and by his Office was ap- 
 
 (i) This is not rtriftly true; for we fir\A\r> Homer , /;7j employ'd by 
 Ji'titcr 10 forbid H<:nor from engaging with Ackilks. 
 
 pointed 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 45 
 
 pointed to releafe the Souls of Men from their Bodies, 
 -whereas hu was commonly fent on Meflages of Difcord, 
 and at Death feparated the Souls of Women from their cor- 
 poreal Chains (2). 
 
 This Goddefs was not the moft complaifant of Wives. 
 We find in Homer, that Jupiter (3) was feme times oblig'd to 
 make ufe of all his Authority to keep her in due Subjeftion. 
 When fhe enter'd into that famous Confpiracy againft him, 
 the fame Author relates that by Way of Punilhment, fhe had 
 two Anvils tied to her Feet, golden Manacles faften'd to her 
 Hands, and fo was fufpended inthe Air or Sky, where fhe ho- 
 ver'd on Account of her Levity, while all the Deities look'd 
 on without a poflibility of helping her. By this the Mytho- 
 logifls fay is meant the Harmony and Connexion of the Air 
 with the Earth, and the Inability of the Gods to relieve her 
 fignifies, that no Force, human or divine, can diflblve the 
 Frame or Texture of the Univerfe (4). According to Pau- 
 fanias the Temple of Juno at Athens had neither Doors nor 
 Roof, to denote that Jum being the Air in which we breathe, 
 •<!an be inclos'd in no certain Bounds. 
 
 The implacable and arrogant Temper of Juno once made 
 her abandon her Throne in Heaven and fly into Euhesa^ 
 Jupiter in vain fought a Reconciliation, till he confulted 
 Citheron King of the Plat^ans, then accounted the wi fefl of 
 Men. By his Advice the God drefs'd up a magnificent 
 Image, feated it in a Chariot, and gave out it was Plat^a the 
 paughter of jEfopus whom he defign'd to make his Queen. 
 Juno upon this refuming her antient Jealoufy, attacked the 
 mock Bride, and by tearing off its Ornaments, found the 
 Deceit, quieted her ill Humour, and was glad to make up 
 the Matter with her Hufband. 
 
 Though none ever felt her Refentment more fenfibly than 
 Hercules^ he was indebted to her for his Immortality ; for 
 
 (2) So in Virgil, Juno fends Irii to releafe the Soul of Didc. after (ht 
 bad ftabb'd herfelf. 
 
 (3) There are feveral diverting Inftances of this in Homer particularly. 
 
 (4) Thcfe Interprrtaticns fcem to be conftrain'd and forc'd. 
 
 Pallas 
 
46 Fabulous H I S T O R Y 
 
 Pallas brought him to Jupiter while an Infant, who, while 
 Juno was afleep, put him to her Breaft. But the Goddefs 
 waking haftily feme of her Milk falling upon Heaven form'd 
 the Milky Way. The reft dropp'd on the Earth, where it 
 jRiade the Lillies white, which before were of a Saffron 
 Colour. 
 
 Juno is reprefented by Homer as drawn in a Chariot adorn'd 
 with precious Stones, the Wheels of Ebony nail'd with Sil- 
 ver, and drawn by Horfes with Reins of Gold; but moft 
 commonly her Car is drawn by Peacocks, her favourite Bird. 
 At Corinth {he was depidur'd in her Temple as feated on a 
 Throne, crowned, with a Pomegranate in one Hand, and in 
 •the other a Sceptre with a Cuckoo at Top, This Statue 
 was of Gold and Ivory. 
 
 This Goddefs was no other than the Egyptian Ifis, the 
 Wife oiOJiris^ whom the Greeks and Romans t on Account of 
 the various Figures under which ihe was reprefented, fplit 
 into three or four Deities. 
 
 CHAP. XVII. 
 Of N E P T U N E. 
 
 THIS remarkable Deity was the Son of Saturn and 
 Vejia, or Ops and the Brother of Jupiter, Some fay 
 he was devour'd by his Father. Others alledge his Mo- 
 ther gave him to fome Shepherds to be brought up amongft 
 the Lambs, and pretending to be delivered of a Foaly gave it 
 inftead of him to Saturn. Some fay his Nurfe's Name was 
 Jrno ; others, that he was brought up by his Sifter Juno, 
 
 His moft remarkable Exploit was his affifting his Brother 
 Jupiter in his Expeditions, for which that God, when he ar- 
 rived at the fupreme Power, aflign'd him the Sea and the 
 Iflands for his Empire. Others imagine he was Admiral of 
 
 Saturn''^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. ^7 
 
 Saturn's Fleet, or rather according to Pamphus^ Generaliflimc* 
 of his Forces by Sea and Land. 
 
 The favourite Wife of Neptune was Amphltrite^ whom he 
 courted a long Time to no Purpofe, till he fent the Dolphia 
 to intercede for him, who fucceeding, the God in Acknow-^ 
 ledgment plac'd him amidft the Stars. Neptune had two other 
 Wives, the one call'd Salacia^ from the Salt-JVater, the othec 
 Venilia, from the Ebbing and Flowing of the Tides. 
 
 Neptune is faid to be the firft Inventor of Horfemanlhip 
 and Chariot -Racing. Hence Mithridates King of Pontus 
 threw Chariots drawn by four Horfes into the Sea in Honour 
 of him, and the Romans inftituted Horfe-Races in the Circut 
 during his Feftival, at which Time all Horfes left working^ 
 and the Mules were adorn'd with Wreaths of Flowers. 
 Probably this Idea of Neptune arofe from the famous Contro- 
 verfy between him and Minewa^ when they difputed who 
 fhould give Name to Cecropia. The God by ftriking the 
 Earth with his Trident produced a Horfe. Pallas rais'd an 
 Olive-Tree by which fhe gain'd the Victory, and the new 
 City was from her call'd Jthens. But the true Meaning of 
 this Fable is a Ship, not a Horfe ^ for the Queftion really was, 
 whether the Athenians fhould apply themfelves to Navigation 
 or Agriculture, and as they naturally inclined to the firft, it 
 was neceflary to fhew them their Miftake, by convincing 
 them that Hulbandry was preferable to failing. However, it 
 is certain Neptune had fome Skill in the Management of 
 Horfes ; For we find in Pamphus^ the moft antient Writer of 
 divine Hymns, this Encomium of him, ' That he was the 
 ' Benefa6lor of Mankind in beflowing on them Horfes, 
 * and Ships with Decks refembling Towers.' 
 
 When Neptune was expell'd Heaven for his Confpiracy 
 againft Jupiter ^ he fled with Apollo to Laomedon King of Troy ; 
 but he treated them differently : For having employed them 
 in raifing Walls round this City, in which the Lyre oi Apollo 
 was highly ferviceable, he paid that Deity divine Honours, 
 whereas he difmifs'd Neptune unrewarded, who, in Revenge, 
 
 fent 
 
48 Pabuious HISTORY 
 
 fent a vaft Sea Monfter to lay wafte the Country, to ajipeafe 
 which Laomedon was forc'd to expofe his Daughter Heftom, 
 
 On another Occafion this Deity had a Conteft with Vulcan 
 and Miner'va in regard to their Skill. The Goddefs as a 
 Proof of her's made a Houfe, Vulcan eredled a Man, and 
 l^eptune a Bull ; whence that Animal was us'd in the Sacri- 
 fices paid him. But it is probable, that as the Vidlim wars 
 to be black, the Defign was to point out the raging Quality 
 and Fury of the Sea, over which he prefided. 
 
 Neptune fell little fhort of his Brother Jupiter In Point of 
 Gallantry. Ovid in his Eplftles has given a Catalogue of his 
 MiftrefTes- By Venus he had a Son call'd Eryx. Nor did he af- 
 fume lefs different Shapes to fucceed in his Amours. Ceres fled 
 him in the Form of a Mare j fie purfued in that of a Horfe; 
 but it is uncertain whether this Union produced the Centaur,' 
 call'd Orion^ or a Daughter. Under the Refemblance of 
 the River Enipeus he debauch'd Tyro the Daughter of Salmo^ 
 neus, who bore him Pelias and Neleus. In the fame Difguife 
 he begot Othus and Ephialtes^ by Ephi media Wife of the Giant 
 Moees, Melantho Daughter of Proteus often diverting hcrfelf 
 by riding on a Dolphin^ Neptune in that Figure fupriz'd and 
 enjoy'd her. He changed Theophane^ a beautiful Virgin, into 
 an Ewe, and afluming the Form of a Ram, begot the golden 
 Fleec'd Ram, which carried Phryxus to Cholcis, In the Like- 
 nefs of a Bird he had Pegafus by Medufa, 
 
 He was not only fond of his Power of transforming him- 
 felf but he took a Pleafure in beftowing it on his Favourites ; 
 Froteus his Son poflefs'd it in a high Degree. He conferr'd it 
 on PericUmenus the Brother oiNefior^ who was at laft kill'd by 
 Hercules^ as he watch'd him in the Form of a Fly. He eveii 
 oblig'd his MiftrefTes with it. We find an Inflance of this in 
 Metra the Daughter of Eriftchton. Her Father for cutting 
 down an Oak-Grove confecrated to Ceres^ was pimiih'd with 
 fuch an infatiable Hunger, that to fupply it he was forc'd to i€^ 
 all he had. His Daughter upon this intreated of her Lover 
 the Power of changing her Form at Pleafure -, fo that becom- 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 49 
 
 ing fometimes a Mare, a Cow, or a Sheep, her Father fold 
 her to reheve his Wants, while the Buyers were ftill cheated 
 in their Purchafe. Having ravifh'd Canis^ to appeafe her he 
 promis'd her any Satisfaction, on which fhe defir'd to be 
 turn'd intb a Man, that fhe might no more fufter the Hke 
 Injury. Her Requeft was granted, and by the Name of 
 C^neus fhe became a famous Warrior. 
 
 Neptune W2is a confiderable Deity amongft the Greeks, He 
 had a Temple in Arcadia by the Name of Proclyjiius ; or, 
 the O'verfo^er ; becaufe at Juno's Requeft he deliver'd the 
 Country from an Inundation. He was cali'd Hippius^ Hippo- 
 courius and Taraxippus, from his Regulation of Horfeman- 
 fhip. The Places moft celebrated for his Worfhip were 
 T^narusy Corinth and Calabria, which laft Country was pe- 
 culiarly dedicated to him. He had alfo a celebrated Temple 
 at Rome enrich'd with many naval Trophies ; but he receiv'd 
 a fignal Affront from Augujius Ccsfar^ who pull'd down his 
 Statue, in Refentment for a Tempeil, which had difpers'd 
 his Fleet and endanger'd his Life. Some think Neptune the 
 fame with the antient God Cenjus worfhipp'd at Romey and fo 
 cali'd from his advifmg Romulus to the Pvape of the Sabines, 
 
 Let us now examine the mythological Senfe of the Fable. 
 The Egyptians to denote Navigation, and the annual Return 
 of the Phanician Fleet which vifited their Coaft, us'd the 
 Figure of an Ofiris carried on a winged Horfe, or holding a 
 three-fork'd Spear or Harpoon in his Hand. To this Image 
 they gave the Names of Pofeidon ( i ) or Neptune (2), which the 
 Greeks and Romans afterwards adopted j but which fuiliciently 
 prove this Deity had his Birth here. Thus the Maritime 
 Ofiris of the Egyptians became a new Deity with thofe who 
 knew not the Meaning of the Symbol. 
 
 Neptune reprefented as God of the Sea, makes a confide- 
 
 (1) From P^/), Plenty or provifions, and Jedaim, the Sea Coaft j or 
 the provifion of the Maritime Countries. 
 
 (2) From Noiiphy to difturb or agitate \ and oni a Fleet, which forms 
 Neptoni, the Arrival of the Fleet. 
 
 H rab!e 
 
so Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 rable Figure. He is defcrib'd with black or dark Hair, mi 
 Garment of an Azure or Sea-Green Colour, feated in a large 
 Shell drawn by Whales or Sea Horfes, with his Trident in 
 his Hand (3)5 attended by the Sea Gods Palamon^ Glaucus 
 and Phorcys ; the Sea GoddefTes, Thetis^ Melita and Panopaa^ 
 and a long Train of Tritons and Sea Nymphs. ■ In fome 
 antient Gems he appears on Shore; but always holding in 
 his Hand the three-fork'd Trident, the Emblem of his 
 Power, as it is call'd by Homers and Virgil^ who have 
 given us a fine Contraft with regard to its Ufe. The antient 
 Foets all make this Inftrument of Brafs ; the modern Pain- 
 ters of Silver, 
 
 (3) Some by a far-fetch'd Allufion, imagine the triple Forks of the 
 Trident reprefent the three- fold Power of Neptune in difturbing, moderat- 
 ing^ or calming the Seas. Others his power over Salt Water, trelh Water, 
 and that of Lakes or Pools. 
 
 CHAP. xvin. 
 Of PLUTO. 
 
 WE now come to the third Brother of Jupiter, and not 
 the leaft formidable, if we confider his Power and 
 Dominion. He was like him the Son of Saturn and Ops, 
 and when his vi6torious Brother had eftablifti'd himfelf in 
 the Throne, he was rewarded with a Share in his Father's 
 Dominions, which as fome Author's fay, was the Eajlern 
 Continent and lower Part of Jfia, Others make his Divi- 
 fion lie in the Weft, and that he fix'd his Refidence in Spain, 
 which being a fertile Country and abounding in Mines, he 
 was efteem'd the ( i ) God of Wealth. 
 
 Some imagine that his being regarded as the Ruler of the 
 Dead and King of the infernal Regions, proceeded from his 
 
 (i) The Poets confound Pluto the God of Hell with Pluttn the God of 
 Riches ; whereas they are two very diftinit Deities, and were always fo 
 confider'd by the Antients. 
 
 firft 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 51 
 
 firfl teaching Men to bury the deceased, and Inventing Fu- 
 neral Rites to their Honour. Others fay he was a King of 
 the MoloJJians in Epirus, call'd Jidoneus or Orciis, that he ftole 
 Proftrpinas Wife, and kept a Dog call'd Cerberus^ who de- 
 vour'd Pirithous^ and would have lerv'd Thejem in the fame 
 Manner, if Hercules had not timely interpos'd to fave him. 
 
 The Poets relate the Matter differently : They tell us that 
 Pluto chagrin'd, to fee himfelf childlefs and unmarriedj 
 while his two Brothers had large Families, mounted his 
 Chariot to vifit the World, and arriving in o/cZ/y, chanc'd 
 to view Proferpine^ with her Companions, gathering Flow- 
 ers (2). Urged by his Paffion he forc'd her into his Chariot, 
 and drove her to the River Chemarus^ through which he 
 open'd himfelf a Paffage back to the Realms of Night. Ceres 
 difconfolate for the Lofs of her loved Daughter, lighted two 
 Torches at the Flames of Mount jEtna^ and wander'd 
 through the World in Search of her; till hearing at laft 
 where fhe was, fhe carried her Complaint to Jupiter^ who 
 on her repeated Sollicitations, promis'd that Proferpine fliould 
 be reflor'd to her^ provided fhe had not yet tafted any Thing 
 in Hell. Qr^j joyfully bore this CommiiTion, and her Daugh- 
 ter was preparing to return, when Jfcalaphus^ the Son 
 of Acheron and Gorgyra gave Information, that he faw 
 Profperine eat fome Grains of a Pomegranate fhe had gathered 
 in Pluto ?> Orchard, fo that her Return was immediately 
 countermanded. Afcalaphus was for this malicious Intelli- 
 gence transform'd into a Toad. But Jupiter^ in order to 
 mitigate the Grief of Ceres^ for her Difappointment, granted 
 that her Daughter fnould half the Year refide with her, and 
 the other Half continue in Hell with her Hufband. It is 
 eafy to fee, that this Part of the Fable alludes to the Corn, 
 which muft remain all the Winter hid in the Ground, in 
 order to fprout forth in the Spring and produce the Harveft. 
 
 Pluto was extremely rever'd both amongfl the Greeks and 
 Rofnatis. He had a magnificent Temple at Pjhs^ near which 
 
 (2) In the Valley of Enna near Mount Mtna, 
 
 H 2 waa 
 
jz- Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 was a Mountain, that derlv'd its Name from the Nymph 
 Menthe^ whom Proferpine out of Jealoufy at Pluto's FamiU- 
 arity with her, changed into the Herb call'd Mint. Near 
 the River Corellus in Baotia this Deity had alfo an Altar in 
 common with Pallas^ for fome myftical Reafon. The 
 Greeks call'd him A^elejius, becaufe all Mirth and Laughter 
 were banifh'd his Dominions j as alfo Hades, on Account of 
 the Gloominefs of his Dominions. Among the Romans he 
 had the Name of Februus from the Luftrations ufed at Fune- 
 rals, and Summanus becaufe he was the chief of Gholls, or 
 rather the Prince of the Infernal Deities. He was alfo call'd 
 the Terreflrial or Infernal Jupiter. 
 
 His chief Feftival was in February^ and call'd Charijiia, 
 becaufe Oblations were made for the Dead, at which Rela- 
 tions affifted, and all Qiiarrels were amicably adjufted. 
 Black Bulls were the Vidtims ofFer'd up, and the Ceremo- 
 nies were perform'd in the Night, it not being lawful to fa- 
 crifice to him in the Day-time (3). 
 
 Pluto is ufually reprefented in an Ebony Chariot drawn by 
 Four Black Horfes, whofe Names the Poets have been care- 
 ful to tranfmit (4) to us. Sometimes he holds a Sceptre to 
 denote his Power, at others a Wandwixh. which he commands 
 and drives the Ghofts, Homer fpeaks of his Helmet, as 
 having the Quality of rendering the Wearer invifible ; and 
 tells us that Minernja borrow'd it when fhe fought againfl the 
 Trojans^ to be conceal'd from Mars. 
 
 Let us now feek the Mythology of the Fable in that 
 Country where it firft fprung, and we fhall find that the my- 
 fterious Symbols of Truth became, in the Sequel through 
 Abufe, the very Sources of Idolatry and Error. Pluto was 
 indeed the Funeral Ofiris of the Egyptians. Thefe People ( 5 ) 
 every Year, at an appointed Seafon, aflembled to mourn 
 
 (3) On Account of his Averfion to the Light. 
 (4.) Or-phnaui, JEthon, NyBeus, and Alaflor. 
 
 (5) The Jeius retain'd this Cuftom, as we find by the annual Lamen- 
 tations of the Virgins over Je^tka'z Daughter. 
 
 over 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 53 
 
 over and offer Sacrifices for their Dead. The Image that 
 was expos'd, to denote the Approach of this Solemnity, had 
 the Name of Pelouta (6) or the Deliverance, becaufe they re- 
 garded the Death of the Good, as a Deliverance from Evil. 
 This Figure was reprefented with a radiant Crown, his Body 
 being entwin'd with a Serpent, accompanied with the Signs 
 of the Zodiack^ to fignify the Duration of one Sun, orSoiar 
 Year. 
 
 (6) VxomValat, to free or deliver, comes Pi?/oar<2£> Deliverance, \vhich 
 is eaiily by Corruption made Pluto, 
 
 CHAP. XIX. 
 Of PROSERPINE, 
 
 THIS Goddefs was the Daughter of Jupiter and Ceresy 
 and educated in Sicily ; from whence fhe was ftole by 
 Pluto, as is related in the preceding Article. Some fay fhe 
 was brought up with ]\Iiner'va and Diana^ and being ex- 
 tremely beautiful was courted both by Mars and Apollo ^ who 
 could neither of them obtain her Mother's Confent. Jupiter y 
 it is faid, was more fuccefsful, and ravifh'd her in the Form 
 of a Dragon. The Ph^nicians on the other Hand affirm 
 with more Reafon, that fhe was earlier known to them 
 than to the Greeks or Romans \ and that it was about 200 
 Years after the Time of Mojes, that fhe was carried off by 
 Aidoneus or Orcus King of the MoloJ/ians. 
 
 Jupiter on her Marriage with Pluto gave her the Ifle of 
 Sicily as a Dowry ; but fhe had not been long in the infernal 
 Regions, when the Fame of her Charms induced Thefeus and 
 Pirithous, to form an Affociation to carry her off. They 
 defcended by Way of Tanarus, but fitting to reft themfelves 
 on a Rock in the infernal Regions, they could not rife again, 
 but continued fixed, till Hercules deliver'd Thefeus, becaufe 
 his Crime confifted enly in afTifting his Friend, as bound by 
 
 Oath 
 
54 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Oath (0; but Pirithouswz^ left in Durance, becaufe he 
 had endanger'd himfelf through his own Wih'^ulners and 
 Rafhnefs. 
 
 Others make Proferpine the fame with Luna, Hecate and 
 Diana^ the fame Goddefs being call'd Luna in Heaven* 
 Diana on Earth, and Hecate in Hell, when fhe had the Name 
 of Tri/ormis or Tergatnina. The Greeks call'd her Defpoina^ or 
 the Lady^ on Account of her being Queen of the Dead. 
 Dogs and barren Cows were the Sacrifices ufually ofFer'd to 
 her. 
 
 She is reprefented under the Form of a beautiful Woman 
 enthron'd, having fomething ftern and melancholy in her 
 Afpedt. 
 
 The mythological Senfe of the Fable is this : The NaYne 
 oi Proferpine^ ox For feph one zmong^ iht' Egyptians, was ufed 
 to denote the Change produc'd in the Earth by the Deluge 
 (2)5 which deftroy'd its former Fertility, and render'd Til- 
 lage and Agriculture necefTary to Mankind. 
 
 ( i) They agreec^ to affift each other in gaining a Miftrefs. Pirtthous had 
 helped Tbefeus to get Helena, who in Return attended him in this Ex- 
 pedition. 
 
 (a) From Peri, Fruit ; and Patat, to perifti ; comes Perepbattab, or 
 the Fruit loji. From Peri, Fruit ; and Sapbon, to hide, comes Perfe- 
 pkonab, or the Corn deftroy'd or hid. 
 
 CHAP. XX: 
 
 Of the Infernal Regions, 
 
 IT is evident that the Heathens had a Notion of future 
 Puniftiments and Rewards, from the Defcriptions their 
 Poets have given of Tartarus and Elyjium, though the whole 
 is overloaded with Fidlion. According to Plato, Jpallo and 
 Ops brought certain Brazen Tablets from the Hyperboreans to 
 Delos, defcribing the Court of Pluto as little inferior to that 
 of Joije ; but that the Approach to it was exceeding difficult 
 on Account of the Rivers Acheron^ Cocytus, Styx and Phlege- 
 
 thon^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 55 
 
 ihon, which it was neceffary to pafs in order to reach thefe 
 infernal Regions. 
 
 Acheron was, according to fome, the Son of ^itan and 
 T^erray or as Others fay, born of Ceres in a Cave without a 
 Father. The Reafon aflign'd for his being fent to Hell is, 
 that he furnifli'd the T^itam with Water, during their War 
 with the Gods. This fhews it was a River, not a Perfon ; 
 but the Place of it is not afcertain'd. Some fixing it amongft 
 the Cimmerians near Mount Circe ( i ), and in the Neighbour- 
 hood of Cocytus ; others making it that fulphurous and ftink- 
 ing Lake near Cap Mijenum in the Bay of 'Naples (2), and 
 not a few tracing its Rife from the Jcherujian Fen in Epirufy 
 near the City of Pandofia ; from whence it flows till it falls 
 into the Gulf of Atnbracia, 
 
 The next River of the Plutonian Manfions is Styx^ though 
 whether the Daughter of Oceanus or T^erra^ is uncertain. 
 She was married to Pallas or Piras^ by whom fhe had Hydra. 
 To Acheron fhe bore ViSlory^ who having aflifted Jupiter 
 againft the Giant s^ he rewarded her Mother {3) with this 
 Privilege, that the moft folemn Oath amongft the Gods 
 fhould be by her Deity ; fo that when any of them were 
 fufpe»5led of Falfhood, Iris was difpatch'd to bring the Stygian 
 Water in a Golden Cup, and if the Perfon prov'd perjur'd he 
 was depriv'd for a Year of his Neflar and Amhrofia \ and 
 for nine Years more, feparated from the celeftial AfTembly. 
 Some place Styx near the Lake of A-vemus in Italy, others 
 make it a Fountain near Nonacris in Arcadia, of fo poifon- 
 ous and cold a Nature, that it would difTolve all Metals (4), 
 and could be contain'd in no Veflel. 
 
 Cocytus and Phlegethon are faid to flow out of Styx by con- 
 trary Ways, and re unite to increafe the vafl: Channel of 
 
 (i) On the Coaft of Naples. 
 
 (2) Near Cuma. 
 
 (3) Some fay it was on her own Account, for difcovering the Combi- 
 nation of the Giants againft Jupiter. 
 
 (4) It is reported Alexander was poifon'd with it at Bahylon, and that it 
 was carried for this Purpofe in an Afs's Hoof, 
 
 Acheror., 
 
56 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Acheron, The Waters of Fhkgethon were reprefented as 
 Streams of fire^ probably on Account of their hot and ful- 
 phurous Nature, 
 
 CHAP. XXI. 
 
 Of the Farca or Bejlinies, 
 
 THESE infernal Deities who prefided over human 
 Life, were in Number Three^ and had each their pe- 
 culiar Province aflign'd, Clothos held the DiftafF, Lachefis 
 drew or fpun oiF the Thread, and Jtropos flood ready with 
 her SciiTars to cut it afunder. 
 
 Thefe were three Sifters, as fome fay, the Daughters of 
 Jupiter and Themis^ and Sifter to the Horte or Hours ; or ac- 
 cording to others the Children of Erebus and AW. They 
 were Secretaries to the Gods, whofc Decrees they wrote. 
 
 We are indebted to a late ingenious Writer for the true 
 Mythology of thefe Characters. They were nothing more 
 originally than the myftical Figures or Symbols, which repre- 
 fented the Months of January^ February^ and March amongft 
 the Egyptians, They depi6tur'd thefe in Female Drefles, 
 with the Inftruments of Spinning and Weaving, which was 
 the great Bufmefs carried on in that Seafon. Thefe Images 
 they call'd (i) Parc^ which fignifies Linticn Cloth ^ to denote 
 the Manufacture produc'd by this Induftry. The Greeksy 
 who kacw nothing of the true Senfe of thefe allegorical 
 Figures, gave them a Turn fuitable to their Genius, feitile 
 in Fiction. 
 
 The Parcce were defcrib'd or reprefented in Robes of 
 White, border'd with Purple, and feated on Thrones, with . 
 Crowns on their Heads, compos'd of the Flowers of the 
 l^arctjffus, 
 
 (i) From P^rf, or Parokett, a Cloth, Curtain or Sail, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
r^^j^' 
 
 2- O/ir'f'/ //rr',-/^,/>/ 
 
 ir.Z,. t frn///l l'.W . 
 
Of the Heathen Gods.' £7 
 
 CHAP. XXII. 
 Of the HARPIES. 
 
 THE next Group of Figures we meet In the Shadowy 
 Realms are the Harpies^ who were Three in Number, 
 Ceimo, Jello and Ocypete^ the Daughters of Oceams and 
 Terra. They Hv'd in Thrace^ had the Faces of Virgins, the 
 Ears of Bears, the Bodies of Vultures, with human Arms 
 and Feet, and long Claws. Phmeus King of Arcadia, 
 for revealing the Myfteries of Jupiter^ was fo tormented by 
 them, that he was ready to perifh for Hunger, they devour- 
 ing whatever was fet before him, till the Sons oi Boreas, who 
 attended Jajon in his Expedition to Colchis, delivered the 
 good old King, and drove thefe Monffers to the Illands 
 call'd Echinades^ compelling them to fwear to return no more. 
 This Fable is of the fame Original with the former one. 
 During the Months of April^ May, and June, efpecially the 
 two Latter, Egypf was greatly fubjecl to ftormy Winds, 
 which laid wafte their Olive Grounds, and brought nun:ie- 
 rous Swarms of Grafhopers and other troublefome Infects 
 from the Shores of the Red Sea, which did infinite Damage 
 to the Country. The Egyptians therefore gave the ///es, or 
 Figures which proclaim'd thefe three Months, a Female 
 Face, with the Bodies and Claws of Birds, and ca I'd them 
 Harop (2) a Name which fufficiently denoted the true Senfe 
 of the Symbol. All this the Greeks realiz'd, and embcllifh'd 
 in their Way. 
 
 (2) From Hjrcpb^ or Harcp, a noxious FJy j or from Aroeb, a Lcc;//?, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
58 
 
 Fabulous H ISTORY 
 
 CHAP. XXIII. 
 Of CHARON and CERBERUS. 
 
 CHARON, according to He/tod* s Theogony, was the 
 Son of Erebus and Nox^ the Parents of the greateft 
 Part of the infernal Monfters. His Poft was to ferry the 
 Souls of the deceas'd over the Waters of Acheron. His Fare 
 was never under one Half-penny, nor exceeding Three, 
 which were put in the Mouths of the Perfons interr'd; 
 for as to fuch Bodies who were denied Funeral Rites, their 
 Ghofts were forc'd to wander a hundred Years on the Banks 
 of the River, VirgiPs u£neidy VI. 330, before they could 
 be admitted to a PafTage. The Hermonienfes alone claim'd a 
 free PafTage, becaufe their Country lay fo near Hell. Some 
 mortal Heroes alfo, by the Favour of the Gods, were allow'd 
 tovifit the infernal Realms, and return to Light j fuch as- 
 Hercules^ Orpheus , Vlyjfes^ Thejeus, and ^neas. 
 
 This venerable Boatman of the lower World, is repre- 
 fented as a fat fqualid old Man, with a bufhy grey Beard and 
 rheumatick Eyes, his tatter'd Rags fcarce covering his Na- 
 kednefs. His Difpofition is mention'd as rough and morofe, 
 treating all his PalFengers with the fame impartial Rudenefs, 
 without Regard to Rank, Age or Sex. We fhall in the Se- 
 quel fee that Charon was indeed a real Perfon, and juflly me- 
 rited this Chara6ter. 
 
 After crolnng the Acheron, in a Den adjoining to the En- 
 trance of Pluto's Palace, was plac'd Cerberus, or the three- 
 headed Dog, born of Typhon and Echidna, and the dreadful 
 Maftif, who guarded thefe gloomy Abodes. He fawn'd upon 
 all who enter'd, but devour'd all who attempted to get back ; 
 yet Hercules once mafter'd him, and dragg'd him up to Earth, 
 where in ftruggling, a Foam dropp'd from his Mouth, which 
 produc'd the poifunous Herb, call'd Aco?nte or Wolf-Bane. 
 
 Hefiod 
 
r^^3s- 
 
 JZ. Ort^//i i/n^ : 'el- //^/i 
 
 (^.Z.Jr,u^ -J^u^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. ^9 
 
 Eefiod gives Cerberus 50, and fome 100 Heads; but he is 
 more commonly reprefented with Three. As to the reft he 
 had the Tail of a Dragon, and inftead of Hair, his Body- 
 was cover'd with Serpents of all Kinds, The dreadfulnefs 
 of his Bark or Howl, VirgH\ JEneid VI. 416, and the intol- 
 lerable Stench of his Breath, heighten'd the Deformity of the 
 Pidure, which of itfelf was fufficiently difagreeable. 
 
 CHAP. XXIV. 
 0/" N O X and her Progeny^ Death, Sleep, &c. 
 
 NO X was the moft antient of the Deities, and Orpheus 
 afcribes to her the Generation of Gods and Men. 
 She was even reckon'd older than Chaos. She had a nume- 
 rous Offspring of imaginary Children, as LyJ/a^ or Madnefs, 
 Erys^ or Contention, Death^ S/eep and Dreams^ all which fhe 
 bore without a Father. From her Marriage with Erebus 
 proceeded Old Age^ Labour , LtO<ve^ Fear^ Deceit^ Emulation^ 
 Mijery^ Darknefs^ Complaint^ Objlinacy^ and Partiality, Want^ 
 Care, D if appointment, Difeafe, War and Hunger. In fhort, all 
 the Evils which attend Life, and which wait round the Pa- 
 lace of Tluto to receive his Commands. 
 
 Death brings down all Mortals to the infernal Ferry. It is 
 faid that her Mother Nox beftow'd a peculiar Care in her 
 Education, and that Death had a great AfFe£lion for her 
 Brother Somnus, or Sleep, of whofe Palace Virgil has given 
 us a fine Defcription, JSneidVl- 894. Somnus had feveral 
 Children, of whom Morpheus was the moft remarkable for 
 his fatyrical Humour, and excellent Talent in mimicking 
 the Actions of Mankind. 
 
 Amongft the Eleans, the Goddefs AW, or Night, was re- 
 prefented by a Woman holding in each Hand a Boy afleep, 
 with their Legs diftorted ; that in her Right was White, to 
 I 2 fignify 
 
6o Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 fignify Sleep, that in her Left Black, to figure or reprefent 
 Death. The Sacrifice ofier'd to her was a Cock^ becaufe of 
 its Enmity to Darknefs, and rejoicing at the Light. Somnus 
 was ufually reprefented with Wings, to denote his univerfal , 
 Sway. 
 
 CHAP. XXV. • * 
 
 Of the Infernal Judges^ Minos, Rhadamanthus, 
 and ^acus. 
 
 AFTER entering the Infernal Regions, juft at the 
 Separation of the two Roads which lead to Tartarus 
 and Elyfium, is plac'd the Tribunal of the three inexorable 
 Judges, w^o examine the Dead, and pafs a final Sentence 
 on departed Souls. The chief of thefe was Minos the Son 
 of Jupiter by Europa, and Brother of Rhadamanthus and 
 ■ Sarfedon. After his Father's Death the Cretans would not 
 admit him to fucceed in the Kingdom, till praying to Nepr 
 tune to give him a Sign, that God caufed a Horfe to rife out 
 of the Sea, on which he obtained the Kingdom. Some 
 think this alludes to his reducing thefe Iflanders to Subjection, 
 by Means of a powerful Fleet. It is added, that Jo've kept 
 him nine Years conceal'd in a Cave, to teach him Laws and 
 the Art of Government. 
 
 Khadamanthus his Brother was alfo a great Legiflator. It is 
 faid that having kill'd his Brother, he fled to OEchalia in 
 Baotia^ where he married y^/fw£«<2 the Widow of Amphytrion, 
 His Province was to judge fuch as died impenitent. 
 
 j^acus was the Son of Jupiter by Mgina. When the Ifle 
 of ^^gina (focall'd from his Mother) was depopulated by a 
 Plague, his Father in Compailion to his Grief, chang'd all 
 the Ants there into Men and Women. The Meaning of 
 which Fable is, that when the Pyrates had depopulated the 
 Country^, and forced the People to fly to Caves, Macus en- 
 
 courag'd 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 6i 
 
 courag'd them to come out, and by Commerce and Induftry 
 recover what they had loft. His Charader for Juftice was 
 fuch, that in a Time of univerfal Drought, he was nomi- 
 nated by the Delphic Oracle to intercede for Greece ^ and his 
 Prayer was anfwer'd. 
 
 Rhada?7ianthus and Macus were only inferior Judges, the 
 firft of whom examin'd the Jftaticks^ the latter the Europeans^ 
 and bore only plain Rods as a Mark of their Office. But 
 all difficult Cafes were referr'd to Minos, who fat over them 
 with a Sceptre of Gold. Their Court was held in a large 
 Meadow, calFd the Field of Truth. Plato and TuUy add 
 Triptolemus to thefe as a Fourth Judge. 
 
 CHAP. XXVI. 
 Of TARTARUS, and the Eumenides or Furies. 
 
 IN the Recefles of the Infernal Regions lay the Seat or 
 . Abode of the wicked Souls, cali'd Tartarus, reprefented 
 by the Poets, as a vafl deep Pit furrounded with Walls and 
 Gates of Brafs, and totally depriv'd of Light. This dread- 
 ful Prifon is furrounded by the Waters of Phlegethjn, which 
 emit continual Flames. The Cuftody of the unfortunate 
 Wretches, doom'd to this Place of Punifhment, is given to 
 the Eumenides, or Furies, who are at once their Gaolers and 
 Executioners. 
 
 The Names of thefe avengeful Sifters were Tijiphone, JkBo, 
 and Meg^ra ; but they went by the general Apellation of 
 the Furi^y on account of the Rage and Diftra6lion attending 
 a guilty Confcience : Of Erynnice or Erynnis, becaufe of the 
 Severity of their Punifhment; and Eumenides, becaufe though 
 cruel they were capable of Supplication, as Orejles found by 
 following the Advice of Pallas. Their Birth is fo differently 
 related, that it is impoffible to fix their Genealogy or Paren- 
 tage. Indeed the Theogony of the Greeks and Romans requires 
 
 an 
 
6i Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 an uncommon Clue to get out of the Labyrinth, which Fic- 
 tion has contriv'd. 
 
 Though the Furies were implacable, they were fufcepti- 
 ble of Love. We find an Inftance of this in Tijiphone^ who 
 growing enamour'd with Cjth^ron an amiable Youth, and 
 fearing to affright him by her Form, got a third Perfon to 
 difclofe her Flame. He was fo unhappy to reject her Suitf 
 on which (he threw one of her Snakes at him, which twin- 
 ing round his Body ftrangled him. All the Confolation he 
 had in Death was to be changed into a Mountain, which 
 ilill bear3 his Name. 
 
 Thefe Goddeffes were fo terrible, that it was in fome De- 
 gree facrilegious to invoke their Name. Yet however the 
 Obje6ts of Terror, they had their Temples, as at Athens 
 near the Areopagus, at Cafina in Arcadia, and at Carmia in the 
 Pelopomfus. But their higheft Solemnities were at Telphufia in 
 Arcadia^ where their Prieilefles went by the Name of Hefy- 
 chyd^y and the Sacrifices were perform'd at Midnight, amidft 
 a profound Silence, a black Ewe burnt whole being the 
 Vidim. No Wine was us'd in the Libations, but only 
 limpid Water, or a Liquor made of Honey ; and the Wreaths 
 us'd, were of the Flowers of the NarciJ/us and Crocus in- 
 termix'd. 
 
 The Mythologifts have aflign'd each of thefe Tormen* 
 treffes their particular Department. Tijjphone is faid to punifh 
 the Sins arifing from Hatred and Anger^ Megeera thofe oc- 
 cafion'd by Envy ; and Ale^o the Crimes owing to Ambition 
 and Luft. Some make but one Fury, call'd Adraftia, the 
 Daughter of Jupiter and Necejftty^ and the Avenger of all 
 Vice. 
 
 The Furies are depl£l:ur'd w^ith Haircompos'd of Snakes, 
 and Eyes infiam'd with Madnefs, carrying in one Hand 
 Whips and Iron Chains, and in the other flaming Torches, 
 yielding a difmal Light. Their Robes are black, and their 
 Feet of Brafs, to fhew their Purfuit though flow, is fleddy 
 and certain. 
 
 Is 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 63 
 
 Is it pofTible to conceive, that after this folemn and horrid 
 Reprefentation, the Eumenides^ or Furies^ (hould be quite 
 harmlefs Beings ? And the very Deformities afcrib*d to them 
 the Symbols of national Joy and Repofe. The Egyptians 
 us'd thefe Figures to denote the Three Months of Autumn, 
 The Serpents wa« with that People, the Hieroglyphic of Life 
 and Happinefs, the Torch was the publick Indication of a 
 Sacrifice, and they plac'd two Quails at the Feet of the Fi- 
 gure to fignify, that the general Security was owing to the 
 Plenty of the Seafon. All this is elucidated by the Names 
 of thefe vifionary Beings, Tifiphone (i), Jhao (2), and Me- 
 gara ( 3 ) ; which are all deriv'd from Circumftances relating 
 to the Vintage. 
 
 (i) From Tfaphan to inchfc or to bide, and Tfeponeb, the Time of put- 
 ing the Wine into Pitcher*. 
 
 (2) From Leket, to gather. 
 
 (3) From Migera the linking of the Dregs, or the clarifying the Wine. 
 
 CHAP. XXVII. 
 
 Of the fabulous Perfons punifh'd in Tartarus. 
 
 TH E Poets, In order to people this difmal Region, 
 have plac'd here the Giants or Titans^ who rebell'd 
 againft Jupiter^ and who are bound in everlafting Chains. 
 They alfo mention feveral other notorious Criminals con- 
 demn'd to fuffer here, the chief of whom follow : 
 
 Tityus was the Son of Jupiter and Elara, Daughter of the 
 River Orchomenius in Thejfaly, His Father apprehenfive of 
 'Juno\ Jealoufy, it is faid, conceal'd him in the Earth, where 
 he grew to a monftrous Bulk- He refided in Pampaa, where 
 he became formidable for Rapine and Cruelty, till Jpollo 
 kill'd him for endeavouring to raviih Latona^ though others 
 fay he was flain by Diana for an Attempt on her Chaftity. 
 He was next fent to Tartarus., and chain'd down on his Back, 
 his Body taking up fuch a Compafs as to cover nine Acres, 
 
 In 
 
64 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 In this Pofture two Vultures continually prey'd on his Li\'er, 
 which ftill grew again as faft as it was confum'd. 
 
 Fhlegyas was the Son of Mars^ and King of the Lapitha^ a 
 People of Thejfaly : JpoUo having debauch'd his Daughter 
 Coronisy to revenge the Injury he fet Fire to the Temple of 
 Delphos, for which Sacrilege that God killed him with his 
 Arrows, and thruft liim into Tartarus^ where he is fentenc'd 
 to fit under a huge Rock, which hanging over his Head 
 threatens him with perpetual Deftruftion. 
 
 Ixion was the Son of" Mars and Pijldice^ or as others fay of 
 jEthon and Pijione. Having married Dia the Daughter of 
 Dioneus^ he promisM very confiderable Prefents to her Father 
 for his Confent; but to elude the Performance, he invited 
 him to a Feaft, and murdered him. Stung with Remorfe 
 for the Crime he run mad, fo that Jupiter in Compaflion not 
 only forgave him, but took him up into Heaven, where he 
 had the Impiety to endeavour to corrupt Jum. Jupiter to be 
 the better afTur'd of his Wickednefs, form'd a Cloud in the 
 Shape of his Wife, upon which Ixion begot the Centaurs, 
 But boafting of his Happinefs, Jo^e hurl'd him down to 
 Tartarus^ where he lies lix'd on a Wheel encompafs'd with 
 Serpents, and which turns without ceafmg. 
 
 Sijiphus was a Defcendant of JEolus^ and married Merope^ 
 one of the Pleiades^ who bore him Glaucus. His Refidence 
 was 'dtEpyra in Pehponefus^ and he was a crafty Man. The 
 Reafons given for his Punifhment are various, though all the 
 Poets agree as to its Nature, which was to roll a great Stone 
 to the Top of a Hill, from whence it conftantly fell down 
 again, fo that his Labour was incefiantly renewed (i). 
 
 Tantalus a Phrygian Monarch, the Son of Jupiter^ and the 
 Nymph Plata, had the Impiety, in an Entertainment he 
 gave the Gods, to kill his Son Pelops and ferve him up as one 
 of the Difhes. All the Deities percciv'd the Fraud but 
 Ceres^ who eat one of his Shoulders ; but in Compaliion to 
 
 (i) Some make Syfv^hus a Trojan Secretary, who was punifh'd for dif- 
 covering Secrets of ijtate. Others fay he was a notorious Robber kill'd by 
 Thefeus. 
 
 his 
 
Of the Heathen Gcds.^ 65' 
 
 his Fate, fhe leftorM him to Life by boiling him in a Caul- 
 dron, and gave him an I'vory Arm to fupply the Defe6l. 
 The Crime of the Father did not pafs unpunifh'd. He was 
 plac'd in Tartarus, where he was afflidled with eternal Thirft 
 and Hunger, having Water and the moft delicious Fruits 
 ftill within his Reach ; but not being able to tafte either, 
 becaufe they vanifhM before his Touch. O^id IV. 445, 
 
 Salmoneus^ King of Elis^ Virgil^ /En VI. i;Si;. had thePre- 
 fumption to perfonatc Jupiter^ by driving a Chariot over a 
 Bridge of Brafs, and cafting flaming Torches amongft the 
 Spe6tators, to imitate Thunder and Lightning. For this he 
 was doom'd to the Tortures of this infernal Dungeon. 
 
 The Belides complete ,this fabulous Catalogue. They were 
 the Daughters of Danaus the Son of Belus who was cotem- 
 porary with Cecrop King of Athens. This Prince who 
 came from Egypt into Greece^ expell'd Sthenelus King of the 
 Jrgi'ves out of his Kingdom, and by different Wives had 
 thefe fifty Sifters. His Brother Egyptus, with whom he had 
 fome Difference, propofed a Reconciliation, by marrying 
 his Fifty Sons with their fair Coufin Germans. The Wed- 
 ding was agreed, but Danaus perfidioufly diredled each of his 
 Daughters to murder their Hufbands on the Marriage Night. 
 IJypermneJlra alone fuffer'd Lynceus to efcape to Lyrcea near 
 Argos (2). The Belides, for this unnatural Crime, were 
 condemn'd to draw Water out of a Well with Sieves, and 
 pour it into a certain Veflel ; fo that their Labour was with- 
 out End, or Succefs. 
 
 (2) He afterwards dethron'd Danaus. 
 
 CHAP. XXVIII. 
 
 Of the Elyfian Fields^ and Lethe. 
 
 BY Way of Contrail to Tartarus^ or the Prifon of the 
 Wicked, let us place the Elyfian Fields, or the happy 
 Abodes of the Jufl and Good, of which Virgil^ of all the 
 
 K antient 
 
66 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 antlent Poets, has given us the moft agreeahle Picture, HrgiPs 
 ^neidVl, 635. It were endlefs to give all the Variety of 
 Defcriptions, which a Subjed of this Nature affords Room 
 for. An eternal Spring of Flowers and Verdure, a Sky- 
 always ferene, and fann'd by ambrofial Breezes, an univerfal 
 Harmony and uninterrupted Joy embalm'd thefe delightful 
 Regions. But at the End of a certain Period, the Souls plac'd 
 here return'd to the World to re-animate new Bodies, before 
 which they were obliged to drink at the River Lethe (i), 
 whofe Waters had the Virtue to create an Oblivion of all 
 that had pafs'd in the former Part of their Lives. 
 
 To illuftrate all this complex'd Chaos of Fable, let us once 
 more have Recourfe to the Egyptian Mythology, where we 
 {hall find the whole Secret of Tartarus and the Elyfian Fields 
 unravelled. There was near each of the Egyptian Towns a 
 certain Ground appointed tor a common Burial-Place. That 
 at Memphist as defcrib'd by DiodaiiSy lay on the other Side 
 of the Lake Achemfia (z) to the Shore of which the deceased 
 Perfon was brought, and fet before a Tribunal of Judges 
 appointed to examine into his Conduct. If he had not paid 
 his Debts his Body was deliver'd to his Creditors, till his 
 Relations releas'd it, by collecting the Sums due. If he 
 had not faithfully obferv'd the Laws, his Body was left un- 
 buried, or probably thrown into a Kind of common Shore 
 call'd Tartarus f^J, The fame Hiftorian informs us, that 
 near Memphis there was a leaking Veflel into which they in- 
 ceflantly pour'd Ni/e Water, v/hich Circumftance gives 
 ground to imagine, that the Place where unburied Bodies 
 were cait out, was furrounded with Emblems exprellive of 
 Torture or Remorfc, fuch as a Man tied on a Wheel always 
 in Motion ; another vi^hofe Heart was the Prey of a Vulture ; 
 and a Third rolling a Stone up a Hill with fruitlefs Toil. 
 Hence the Fables of Ixion^ Prometheus and Syftphus, 
 
 (i) Az-o Trj? Ayj^/j;, or Ohii-vion. 
 
 (2) From Ackarci, after ; and ijh, Man 5 comes Achariijhy or the laji 
 State of Men, or Acheron, that is, the ultimate Condition. 
 
 (3) From the Chaldaick Tarah^ Admonition, doubled Comes Tartar ah y 
 OV 'Tartarus, that is, an cxtraordirary JVarning, 
 
 When 
 
Jh^^ ^y. 
 
 Z. ^n/i 
 
 i/r/L i^*tv. e-ra^uf? 
 
 '/-c/^/^': 
 
 ^.Jj. J'mieA^t^ct//^- 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 67 
 
 When no Accufer appear'd again ft the DeceasM, or the Ac- 
 cufer was conviiled of P'alfhood, they ceafed to lament him» 
 and his Panegyrick was made ; after which he was delivered 
 to a certain fevere Ferryman, who by Order of the Judges, 
 and never without it, receiv'd the Body into his Boat (4) and 
 tranfported it a-crofs the Lake, to a Plain embellifh'd with 
 Groves, Brooks, and other rural Ornaments. This Place 
 was call'd Elizout (5), or the Habitation of Joy. At the En- 
 trance of it, was pofited the Figure of a Dog with three 
 Pair of Jaws, which they call'd Cerberus (6) -, and the Cere- 
 mony of Interment was ended by thrice (7) fprinkling Sand 
 over the Aperture of the Vault, and thrice bidding the 
 Deceas'd JJieu All thefe wife Symbols addrefs'd as fo 
 many Inftruilions to the People, became the Sources of end- 
 lefs Ficliion, when tranfplanted to Greece and Rome, The 
 Egyptians regarded Death as a Deliverance ( 8). The Boat of 
 Tranfportation they call'd ^mj (9), or Tranquility j and the 
 Waterman, who was impartial in the juft Execution of his 
 Office, they ftyl'd Charon which fignifies Inflexibility or 
 AVrath. 
 
 (4) Sometimes the Judges denied even their Kings Funeral Rites on 
 account of their Mif- government. 
 
 (5) From Elixout, full Satisfa£lion, or a Place of Repofe and Joy. 
 
 (6) They plac'd this Image on Account of that Animal's known Fide- 
 lity to Man. The three Heads denoted the three Funeral Cries over the 
 Corpfe, which is the Meaning of the Name, from Cert or Criy an Excla- 
 mation j and Ber the Grave or Vault, comes Cerber or Cerieru:, the 
 Cries of the Grave. 
 
 (7) Jnjeffo ter ful'vere. Horace^ Book I. Ode 28. 
 
 (8) They call'd it Feloutab, Alleviation or Deliverance. Horace has 
 the fame Thought. 
 
 Lev are funElum pauper em Labor i bus. 
 
 (9) From Beriy Quiet, Serenity j whence Diodorus Siculus calls Cbaron^s 
 Bark Ben's. 
 
 CHAP. XXIX; 
 Of APOLLO. 
 
 THIS Deity makes one of the moft confpicuous Fi- 
 gures in the Heathen Theology, indeed not unjuftly, 
 from the glorious Attributes afcrib'd to him of being the God of 
 
 K 2 Li^bty 
 
68 - Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Light t Medicine^ Verfe and Prophecy, Tally mentions four ofthiS 
 Name, the moft antient of whom was the Son of Vulcan^ and 
 tutelary God of the Athenians J the Second a Son of Corybas^ 
 and born in Crete ; the Third an Arcadian call'd Nomion^ from 
 his being a great Legillator ; and the laj}^ to whom the 
 greateft Honour is afcrib'd, the Son of Jupiter and Latona(ij9 
 whofe Beauty having gain'd the AfFe6tion of the King of 
 the Gods, Juno^ on her difcovering her Pregnancy, drove 
 her out of Heaven, and commanded the Serpent Pytho to 
 deftroy Her, from whofe Purfuit Latona fled to the Ifle of 
 Delos in the Shape of a Quail (z)^ where fhe was deliver'd 
 of Twins, caird Diana and Apollo^ the latter of whom foon 
 after his Birth, deftroy'd the Monfler Pytho with his Arrows 
 (^3^, though fome defer the Time of this Vidory till he 
 came to riper Years. But Latona's Troubles did not 
 end here, for flying into Lycia with her Children, fhe was 
 denied the Water of the Fountain I^ela^ by the Shepherd 
 Niocles and his Clowns, upon which fhe turn'd them into 
 Frogs, After fettling her Son Apollo in Lycia^ fhe return'd 
 to Delosy and Diana went to refide in Crete, 
 
 The Adventures of Apollo are pretty numerous. The moft 
 remarkable are, his Quarrels with Jupiter on account of the 
 Death of his Son Mfculapius,, kill'd by that Deity on the 
 Complaint of Pluto^ that he decreased the Number of the 
 Dead by the Cures he performed. Apdlo to revenge this In- 
 jury kill'd the Cyclops^ who forg'd Jonje's Thunderbolts, for 
 which he was banifti'd Heaven, and endur'd great Sufferings 
 on Earth, being forc'd to hire himfelf as a Shepherd to (d^) 
 Admetus King of Thejaly^ during his exercifmg which Office 
 he is faid to have invented the Lyre or Lute, to footh his 
 
 (i) The Daughter of Cau% the T/V<r«, and Vhcehe. 
 
 (2) W^ hence the Ifle was calPd Ortygia\ though fome fay that AV/>/««e 
 rais'd it out of the Sea to give her Refuge. 
 
 (3) Some alTert that Diana afiTifted him in this Fight. 
 
 (4) Some give this Hiflory another Turn, and tell us that Apol/o being 
 King of the Arcadians, and depos'd for his Tyranny, fled to Admetus , 
 who gave him the Command of the Country lying near the River yf«- 
 fbrypsj inhabited by Sbe^berds, 
 
 Trouble, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. (J9 
 
 Trouble. In this Retirement an odd Incident happen'd ta 
 him ; Mercury was born in the Morning, by Noon he had 
 learn'd Mufick, and compos'd the Tejiudo, and in the Even- 
 ing coming to Jpollo he fo amus'd him v/ith this new Inftru- 
 ment, that he found an Opportunity to fteal bis Catde. 
 Jpollo difcovering the Theft, and infifting on Reftitution, the 
 ily Deity ftole his Bow and Arrows j fo that he was forc'd 
 to change his Refentment into Laughter (^5^. 
 
 From T^hejfaly, Jpollo remov'd to Sparta^ and fettled near 
 the River Eurotas, where he fell in Love with a fair Boy 
 cali'd Hyachithus, with whom being at Play, 7,ephyrus through 
 Envy blew Apollo's Quoit at his Head, and kill'd him on tho 
 Spot. To preferve his Memory, the God from his Blood 
 rais'd the Flower which bears his Name (6). Though ac- 
 cording to others he only ting'd with it the Violet (which 
 was white before) into a Purple. O'vid has given us this 
 Story with his ufual Art (7). 
 
 CypariJJus a beautiful Boy, a Favourite of Jpollo, being 
 excellively griev'd for the Death of a Fawn or Deer he lov'd^ 
 was chang'd by him to a Cyprefs Tree, which is frnce facred 
 to Funeral R.ites. 
 
 Apollo next vifited Laomedon King of Troy, where finding 
 ^eptune in the fame Condition with himfelf, and exil'd from 
 Heaven, they agreed with that King to furnifh Bricks to 
 build the Walls of his Capital ; but being cheated of their 
 promis'd Reward, Jpollo fent a Peftilence, which made great 
 Havock. He alfo aififted Akathons in building a Labyrmth« 
 
 (5) Te Bovei oliniy niji reddidijfes 
 Per dolum amotas, puerum minaci 
 Voce dum terrety Viduus Pharetra 
 
 Rifit Apollo. Horat. Lib. I. Ode X. 1. 10. 
 
 (6) The Hyacinth or Violet. 
 
 (7) lalia dum vera msmorantur Apollinis orSf 
 
 Ecce CruoKy qui fujus hutr.i Jigna-verat Her bam, 
 
 Deftnit ejfe Cruor > Tirtoque mtentior OJiro 
 
 Flos oritur ; formamque capit ^ quam Lilia : Si ron 
 Furjfureui color huic, Argenteus ejfet in illis. 
 
 Ovid Metamorph, Lib, X. 209,. 
 
70 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 in which was a Stone on which he us'd to repofit his Lyre^ and 
 which emitted an harmonious Sound on the flighteft Stroke. 
 
 Though Apollo was diftinguifh'd for his Excellency in 
 Mufick, yet he was extremely jealous of Rivalfhip on this 
 Head. It was on this Account the Mufes were under his 
 immediate Prote£lion (^), and the Grafhopper was confe- 
 crated to him by the Athenians on account of its Harmony 
 ((^). We find Midas King of Phrygia being conftituted Judge 
 between him and Pan^ who pretended to vye with him for 
 Harmony, and giving Judgment for the latter, rewarded 
 with a Pair of Afles Ears, to point out his bad Tafte ^io>^. 
 0<vid has defcrib'd this Story in an agreeable Manner. Linuj^ 
 who excell'd all Mortals in Mufick, prefuming to fmg with 
 Apollo^ was punifti'd with Death -, nor did Marfyas the Satyr 
 efcape much better, for having found a Flute or Pipe which 
 Miner'va threw away (\\) he had the Vanity to difpute the 
 Prize with Apollo, who being decreed Victor, hung up his 
 Antagonift on the next Pine Tree, and flea'd him alive- 
 but afterwards changed him into a River, which falls into 
 the Meander. 
 
 This Deity was fo fkill'd in the Bow, that his Arrows 
 were always fatal. Python and the Cyclops experienc'd their 
 Force. When the Giant ^ityus endeavour*d to ravifh Diana, 
 he transfix'd and threw him into Hell, where two Vultures 
 prey on his Liver. Niobe the Daughter of Tantalus and Wife 
 of Amphion, being happy in feven Sons, and as many Daugh- 
 ters, was fo foolifh as to prefer herfelf to Latona, This fo 
 cnrag'd Apollo and Diana, that the former flew her Sons with 
 his Darts, and the latter kill'd her Daughters in the Embraces 
 of their Mother, whom Jupiter in Compaflion to her incef- 
 
 (8) He was the Prefident of the Mufes, as the God of Poetry. 
 
 (9) The Grecian Poets celebrate the Graftiopper as a very inufical In- 
 fe(5i, that fings amongft the higheft Branches of the Trees ; fo that it muft 
 have been a very different Creature from the Grafhopper known to us. 
 See the Notes in Cooke's Hefiod. 
 
 (10) Ow^ Book XI. Fab. III. 1. 90. 
 
 (11) Becaufe as (he blew it, feeing herfelf in a Fountain, (he found it 
 deform'd her Face, 
 
 fant 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. ji 
 
 fant Grief, turn'd into a Stone^ which ftill emits Moifture 
 inftead of Tears ("izj. 
 
 The true Meaning of the Fable of Niobe is this ; it figni- 
 fy'd the Annual Inundation of Egypt, The Affront fhe of- 
 fered to Latona was a Symbol, to denote the Neceffity (he 
 laid that People under of^retreating to the higher Grounds. 
 The 14 Children of t^iobe are the 14 Cubits, that mark'd the 
 Increafe of the l<lile (13). Apollo 2ind Diana killing them 
 with their Arrows, reprefents Labour and Induftry overcom- 
 ing thefe Difficulties, after the Retreat of the Flood. Niobe^s 
 being turn'd to a Stone, was owing to an Equivocation . 
 The Continuance of Niobe was the Prefervation of Egypt, 
 But the Word Se/au, which fignify'd Safety, by a fmall Al- 
 teration (SelanAj) exprefs'd a Stone. Thus Niobe became a 
 real Perfon metamorphos'd to a Rock. 
 
 JpoIIo refembled his Father Jupiter, in his great Propenfity 
 to Love. He fpent fome Time with Fe/iuj m the Ifle of 
 Rhodes, and during their Interview it is faid the Sky rain*d 
 Gold, and the Earth was cover'd with Lillies and Rofes. His 
 moft celebrated Amour was with Daphne, (the Daughter of 
 the River Peneus) a Virgin of TheJ/aly, who was herfelf pre- 
 pofTefs'd in Favour of Leucippus, a Youth of her own Age. 
 Jpolloy to be reveng'd on his Rival, put it in his Head to dif- 
 guife himfelf amongft the Virgins who went a Bathing, 
 who difcovering the Deceit, ftabb'd him. After this the 
 God purfued Daphne , who flying to prefer ve her Chaftity, 
 was, on her Intreaties to the Gods, changed into a Laurel 
 (i^^t whofe 'Ltzx^s Apollo immediately confecrated to bind 
 his Temples, and made that Tree the Reward of Poetry. 
 The Nymph BoUna^ rather than yield to his Suit, threw 
 
 (12) OwVBookVI. 1.310. 
 
 (13) The Statue of Nile in the Tuilleries zt Par:'s, has 14 Children 
 plrtc'd by it, to denote thefe Cubits. 
 
 (14) Ovidy Book I. 556. 
 grafping at empty Praife 
 
 He fnatcb" d at Love, andjUVd h'n Armi nvitb Bays. 
 
 Waller. 
 
 herfelf 
 
72 F(^iuIous HISTORY 
 
 herfelf into the Sea, for which he render'd her immortal : 
 Nor was he more fuccefsful in his Courtfhip of the Nymph 
 Cajialia, who vanifh'd from him in the Form of a Fountain, 
 which was afterwards facred to the Mufes (i^). He de- 
 bauch'd Leucothoe Daughter of Orcamus^ King of Babylon^ m 
 the Shape of her Mother Eurynome^ Clytie her Sifter jealous 
 of her Happinefs difcover'd the Amour to their Father, who 
 order'd Leucothoe to be buried alive. Her Lover, in Pity to 
 her Fate, pourM Nectar on the Grave, which turn'd the 
 Body into the Tree, which weeps the Gum calPd Frankin- 
 cenfe. He then abandon'd Clytie who pinM away» continu- 
 ally looking on the Sun, till fhe became the Heliotrope or 
 Sun-Flower (i6). 
 
 Of the Children oi Jpello we fliall fpeak more at large in 
 the following Se6lion. 
 
 Jpollo had a great Variety of Names, either taken from 
 his principal Attributes, or the chief Places where he was 
 worfhippM. He was call'd Phabin on account of his Splendor, 
 and Deliusj either for his revealing Things conceal'd, or his 
 being born at Delos, He was ftil'd Peean from his killing the 
 Python (17). Nomixs and Agraus^ from his feeding of Cattle 
 and making Laws j Cynthius from Mount Cynthius in Delos, 
 The Latins call'd him Sol. 
 
 The principal Places where he was worfhipp'd were Chry- 
 fus^ Tenedosy Cylla^ Cyrrha, Patraa^ Claros^ Ahaa^ a City in 
 Lycia^ at Miletus, and amongft the M^onians^ from all which 
 Places he was denominated. He had an Oracle and Temple 
 at T^egyra^ near which were two remarkable Fountains, call'd 
 the Palm and the Oli've^ on account of the Sweetnefs and 
 Tranfparency of the Water. He had an Oracle at Delos for 
 Six Months in the Summer Seafon, which for the reft of the 
 Year was remov'd to Patara in Lyciuy and thefe Removals 
 
 (it;) Thence call'd CaPalian Sifters. 
 
 (16) O-vjd, Book IV. 205. 
 
 (17) During this A(f>ion, it is faid his Mother Latotia and Diar.a encou- 
 rag'd him with crying out lo Paan ! lo Paan ! which Words became after- 
 wards us'd in all Triumphs and Ovations, 
 
 were 
 
Of the Heathen Gods." 73 
 
 Were made with great Solemnity. But his moft celebrated 
 Temple was at Delphos (i8), the Original of which was 
 thus : Jpolh being inftru6led in the Art of Divination by 
 Pan the Son of Jupiter, and the Nymph Thymbris^ went to 
 this Oracle, where at that Time Themis gave her Anfwers ; 
 but the Serpent Pytho hindering him from approaching the 
 Oracle, he flew him and fo took Pofleflion of it. His Tem- 
 ple here, in Procefs of Time, became fo frequented, that 
 it was call'd the Oracle of the Earth, and all the Nations and 
 Princes in the World vied with each other in their Munifi- 
 cence to it. Crajus, King of Lydia gave at one Time a 
 Thoufand Talents of Gold to make an Altar there. Vha- 
 laris the Tyrant of j^grigentum prefented it a brazen Bull, a 
 Mafter-piece of Art. The Refponfes here were delivered 
 by a Virgin Prieftefs (19) calPd Pythia, or Phcebas, plac'd on a 
 Tripos (20), or Stool with three Feet, call'd alfo Cortina from 
 the Skin of the Python with which it was cover'd. It is un- 
 certain after what Manner thefe Oracles were deliver'd, 
 though Cicero fuppofes the Pithonefs was infpir'd, or rather 
 intoxicated by certain Vapours which afcended from the 
 Cave, In Italy, Apollo had a celebrated Shrine at Mount 
 Sora^e, where his Priefts were fo remarkable for Sandity, 
 that they could walk on burning Coals unhurt. The Romans 
 ere<S^ed him many Temples. After the Battle of Aaium, 
 which decided the Fate of the World, and fecur'd the Em- 
 pire to Augujius, this Prince not only built him a Chapel on 
 that Promontary, and renew'd the folemn Games to him ; 
 but foon after rais'd a moft magnificent Temple to him on 
 Mount Palatine in Rome, the whole of Clarian Marble. The 
 
 (18) In Baoti'a, fuppos'd by the Antients to lye in -the Centre of the 
 World, becaufe Jupiter having at one Time fent out two Eagles, one to 
 the Weft and the other Eaftward, they met here, in Memory of which a 
 golden Eagle was depoflted in the Temple. 
 
 (19) Some fay that the Pytbonefs being once debauched, the Oracles 
 were afterwards delivered by an old Woman in the Drefs of a young 
 Maid. 
 
 (20) Authors vary as to the Tripos, fome making it a Veflel in which 
 the Prieftefs bath'd, 
 
 L Great 
 
74 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Gates V7cre of Ivory exquifitely carved, and over the Frors- 
 tifpiece was the Solar Chariot and Horfes of maffy Gold.' 
 The Portico contain'd a noble Library of the Greek and 
 Latin Authors. Within, the Place was decorated with noble 
 Paintings, and a Statue of the God by the famous Scopas, at- 
 tended by a Gigantic Figure in Brafs Fifty Feet high. . In 
 In the Area were four Brazen Cows, reprcfenting the Daugh- 
 ters of Pr^tus King of the Arginjes^ who were changed into 
 that Form for prefuming to rival Juno in Beauty. Thefe 
 Statues were wrought by Myron, 
 
 The ufual Sacrifices to Apollo ^ were Lambs, Bulls and Oxen» 
 The Animals facred to him were the IVolf^ from his acute- 
 iiefs of Sight ; the Croiv from her Augury, or foretelling the 
 Weather ; the S^van from its divining its own Death ; the 
 Jianvk from its Boldnefs in Flight; and the Cock from its 
 foretelling his Rife. The Grojhofper was alfo reckon'd agree- 
 able to him on account of its Mufick. Of Trees, the Laurel^ 
 Palm, Olive and Juniptry were moll in Efteem with him. 
 All young Men, v/hen their Beards grew, confecrated their 
 Locks in his Temple, as the Virgins did theirs in the Tem- 
 ple of Diana. 
 
 The four great Attributes of Apollo were Divination, Heal- 
 ing, Mufick, and Archery ; all which manifelHy refer to the 
 Sun. Light difpelling Darknefs is a llrong Emblem of Truth 
 diliipating Ignorance : What conduces more to Life and 
 Health than the Solar Warmth ? Or can there be a jufter 
 Symbol of the Planetary Harmony than Apollo's (21) Lyre? 
 As his Darts are faid to have deftroy'd the Monfter Python^ 
 fo his Rays dry up the noxious Moiflure, which is pernici- 
 ous to Vegetation and Fruitfulnefs. 
 
 The Perfi.ans^ who had a high Veneration for this Planet, 
 ador'd it by the Names of h'ithra and Orojmanes. The 
 Egyptians worfhipp'd him by thofe of Ofiris and Orus^ and 
 from their Antiquities, let us now feek fome lUuflration of the 
 pirth and Adventures oi Apollo. 
 
 {-zi) The feven Strings of which are faid to reprefent the feren Planets. 
 
 The 
 
Of the Heathen Gops. 7^ 
 
 The /yf>, which pointed out the Neomenia or Monthly Fef- 
 tival before their annual Inundation, was the fymbolical Fi- 
 gure of a Creature with the upper Part of a Woman, and 
 the hinder of a Lizard plac'd in a reclining Pofture. This 
 they caird Leto (22), and us'd it to fignify to the People the 
 Neceffity of laying in the Provifions of 0//t'^;, parch'dCorn, 
 and fuch other Kinds of dry Food, for their Subfiftence dur- 
 ing the Flood. Now when the Waters of • the Nile decreas'd 
 time enough to allow them a Month, before the Entrance of 
 the Sun into Sagitarius^ the Egyptian Farmer was fure of Lei- 
 fure enough to furvey and fow his Ground, and oi remain- 
 ing in abfolute Security till Harvcft. This Conqueft of the 
 Nile was reprefented by an Orus^ or Image arm'd with Ar- 
 rows, and fubduing the Monfter Python. This they cali'd 
 Ores (23), or Jpjllo (2^). The Figure of ^j above-men- 
 tion'd, they alfo ftyl'd Deione^ or Diana ^25^, and they 
 plac'd in her Hand the ^ail^ a Bird, which with them was 
 the Emblem of Security (zd), 
 
 Thefe Erhblems carried by the Ph^nicians into Greece, 
 gave Rife to all the Fable of Latona^ perfecuted by the Python^ 
 and flying to Delos in the Form of a Quail, where fhe bore 
 Orus and Dione^ or Apollo and Diana. Thus (as on former 
 Occafions) the Hieroglyphicks, only defign'd to point out 
 the regular Feftivals, and to inftru6t the People in what they 
 were to do, became in the End the Objects of a fenfelefs and 
 grofs Idolatry. 
 
 When T^yre was befieged by Alexander., the Citizens bound . 
 the Statue of Apollo with Chains of Gold; but when that 
 Conqueror took the Place he releas'd the Deity, who thence 
 obtain'd the Name of Philaxandrus^ or the Friend of Alex^ 
 ander. At Rhodes^ where he was worfhipp'd in a peculiar 
 
 (22) From LetOf or Letoah, a Lizard. 
 
 (23) From Hores the Deftroyer or Wafter. 
 
 (24) Apollo fignifies the fame. 
 
 (25) From Dci, Sufficiency j comes DcionCf Abundance. 
 
 (26) Selave in the Phanician lignifies Security, as alfo a ^ail '^ hence 
 they us'd the Quail to fignify the Thing. The Latin Words Saius and 
 Saho are deriv'd from hence. 
 
 L 2 Manner, 
 
76 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Manner, there was a Coloflal Image of him at the Mouth 
 of the Harbour feventy Cubits high f 27 j. 
 
 Fhcehm (2%) was very differently reprefented in different 
 Countries and Times according to the Characler he alTum'd, 
 To depidiure the Sun the Perfians us'd a Figure with the 
 Head of a Lion, cover'd with a Tiara^ in the Perfian Garb, 
 and holding a mad Bull by the Horns ; a Symbol plainly of 
 'Egyptian Original. The latter People exprefs'd him fome^ 
 times by a Circle with Rays \ at other Times by a Sceptre,, 
 with an Eye over it. 
 
 Under the Charader of the Sun, Apollo was depi£ted in a 
 Chariot drawn by four Horfes, whofe Names the Poets have 
 taken Care to give us as well as thofe of Pluto (^29 j. The 
 Poets feign'd each Night, that he went to Reft with T^hetis 
 in the Ocean, and that the next Morning the Hours got 
 ready his Horfes for him to renew his Courfe, (^fee Cambraf^ 
 Telemaque for a Pidure j and unbarr'd the Gates of Day. It 
 is no Wonder they have been lavifh on a Subje6t, which 
 affords fuch extenfive Room for the Imagination to difplay 
 itfelf, as the Beauties of the Sun-rifmg. When reprefented as 
 Liber Pater f^ojy he bore a Shield to fliew his Protection of 
 Mankind. At other Times he was drawn as a beardlefs 
 Youth, his Locks difhevell'd, and crown'd with Lawrel, 
 holding a Bow in his Right-Hand with his Arrows, and the 
 Lyre in his Left. The Palace of the Sun has been admi, 
 rably defcrib'd by 0<t;;V, as well as his Car, in the fecond 
 Book of his Metamorphcjis, 
 
 (27) We (hall fpeak of this hereafter, 
 
 (28) From Fheoby the Source, and ob the Overflowing, or the Source of 
 the Inundation, the Egyptians exprefling the annual Excefs of tha Ni/e by 
 a Sun with a River proceeding from its Mouth. 
 
 ■ (29) Pyroeiiy Eouit jetton , and Pblegon. 
 (30) Virgil givps him this Name in his firft Georgic 5 
 ' " • ■ Voiy clarijpma Mundi 
 Luminoy labentem calo qui ducitis annum ^ 
 Liber fif alma Ceres, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 77 
 
 CHAP. XXX. 
 
 Of the Sons or Offspring of Apollo, iEfculapius, 
 Phaeton^ Orpheus, Idmon, Arillasus, Cs?c. 
 
 AS JpoUo was a very gallant Deity, fo he had a very nu- 
 merous IfTue, of which it is neceflary to give fome 
 Account, as they make a confiderable Figure in poetical 
 Hiftory. The firft and moft noted of his Sons was jEfcu^ 
 lapiusj whom he had by the Nymph Coronis. Some fay that 
 Jpollo fhot his Mother, when big with Child of him, on ac- 
 count of her Infidelity ; but repenting the Fa6l fav'd the In- 
 fant, and gave him to Chiron to be inftru(Sled (i) in Phyfick. 
 Others report, that as King Phlegyas her Father was carry- 
 ing her with him into Peloponnefusy her Pains furpriz'd her on 
 the Confines of Epidauria^ where to conceal her Shame fhe 
 expos'd the Infant on a Mountain. However this be, under 
 the Care of his new Mailer, he made fuch a Progrefs in the 
 Medical Art, as gain'd him a high Reputation ; fo that he 
 was even reported to raife the Dead. His firfl Cures were 
 wrought upon Afiles King of Epidaurus^ and Junes King of 
 Daunia, which laft was troubled with fore Eyes. In fhort, 
 his Succefs was fo great, that Pluto who faw the Number of 
 his Ghofts daily decreafe, complained to Jupiter^ who kill'd 
 him with his Thunder-bolts, 
 
 Cicero reckons up three of this Name. Thefirft the Son of 
 Jpollo worlhipp'd in Arcadia^ who invented the Probe, an(J 
 Bandages for Wounds i the Second the Brother of M^rrary, 
 kiird by Lightning ; and the Third the Son of Jrjippus and 
 Jrjtone, who firft taught the Art of Tooth-drawing and 
 Purging. Others make uE/cuLpius an Egyptian King of 
 Memphis antecedent by a thoufand Years to the JEfculapius of 
 
 (0 Onjidy who relates the Story of Coron/j his fanciful Way, tells us, 
 that Corvusy or the Ra-ven, who difcover'd her Amour, had by ApollOf his 
 feathers chang'd from Black (o White, 
 
 the 
 
^3 Fabuhtis HISTORY 
 
 the Greeks: The Romans number'd him amongft the Dii 
 Adfcitttii^ or fuch as were rais'd to Heaven by their Merit, 
 as Hercules^ Cafior and Pollux, t^c, 
 
 , vS/culaptushd.d firft divine Honours aflign'd him in Greece * 
 His c|iief Temples were at Pergamus^Smyrna, at Tric;a a City of 
 Jofiia, and the Ifie of Coos 3 in all which votive Tablets were 
 hung up fzj^ {hewing the Difeafes cur'd by his Alliftance; 
 but his moft famous Shrine was at Epidaurus^ where every 
 five Years in the Spring, folemn Games were inftituted to. 
 him in his natal Grove, exadly nine Days after the Ifthmian 
 Games at Corinth, 
 
 The Romans grew acquainted with him by an Accident ;, 
 A Plague happening in Italy^ the Oracle was confulted, and 
 the Reply v/as, that they fhould fetch the God jEfculapius 
 from Ep'idaurus. An Embafly was appohited of ten Senators, 
 at the Head of whom was i^ Ogulnius. Thefe Deputies on 
 their Arrival, vifiting the Temple of the God, a huge Ser- 
 pent came from under the Altar, and croiling the City, went 
 dire6Hy to their Ship and lay down in the Cabbin of Ogul- 
 mus, upon which they fet fail immediately, and arriving in 
 the Tiber, the Serpent quitted the Ship, and retir'd to a 
 little Ifland oppofite the City, where a Temple was ereded 
 to the God, and the Peftilence ceas'd. 
 
 The Animals facrificed to JEfculapius were the Goat, 
 fome fay on account of her nurfmg him 5 others, becaufe 
 this Creature is unhealthy, as labouring under a perpetual 
 Fever. The Dog and the Cock were facred to him on ac- 
 count of their Fidelity and Vigilance. The Ra'ven was alfb 
 devoted to him for its Forecaft, and being fkill'd in Divina- 
 tion. Authors are not agreed as to his being the Inventor of 
 Phyfick, fome affirming he only perfeded that Part, which 
 relates to the Regimen of the Sick. 
 
 Let us now feek for the Origin of this Fable. The pub- 
 lick Sign or Symbol expos'd by the Egyptians in their Aflem- 
 
 (2) From there Tablets, or votive Infcriptions^ Hippocrata is faid to 
 kavs colledled his Aphorifms. 
 
 biles 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 79 
 
 biles to warn the People to mark the Depth of the Inunda- 
 tion» in order to regulate their Ploughing accordingly, 
 was the Figure of a Man with a Dog's Head carrying a Pole 
 with Serpents twifted round it, to which they gave the 
 Names of Anubis ( 3 j, Tahant f 4J, and jEfculapius f^J, In 
 Procefs of Time they made ufe of this Reprefentation, for a 
 real King who by the Study of Phyfick fought the Preferva- 
 tlon of his Subjects. Thus the Dog and the Serpent became 
 the Charzi£i:erifticks of jEfadapius amongft the Romans and 
 Greeks^ v/ho were entirely Strangers to the original Meaning 
 of thefe Hieroglyphicks. 
 
 jEjcidapiui had by his Wife Epione two Sons, Machaon and 
 Podaliriusy both Ikill'd in Surgery, and who are mention'd 
 by Homer as prefent at the Siege of Troy, and were very fer- 
 viceable to the Greeks, He had alfo two Daughters call'd 
 Hygifea and Jafo* 
 
 This Deity is reprefented in different Attitudes. At Epi- 
 daurus his Statue was of Gold and Ivory f6j, feated on a 
 Throne of the fame Materials, his Head crown'd with Rays, 
 and a long Beard, having a knotty Stick in one Hand, the 
 other entwin'd with a Serpe?tt^ and a Dog lying at his Feet, 
 The Phliafians depi6lur'd him as beardlefs j and the Romans 
 crown'd him with Lawrel, to denote his Defcent from Jpollo, 
 The Knots in his StafF fignify the Difficulties that occur in 
 the Study of Medicine. 
 
 Phaeton was the Son of JpoUo, and the Nymph Clymene, 
 Having a Difpute v/ith Epaphus the Son of Jupiter and lo, 
 the latter upbraided him, that he was not really the Son of 
 his Father, and that his Mother only made \i{q of that Pre- 
 tence to cover her Infamy. The Youth fir'd at this Re- 
 proach, by his Mother's Advice carried his Complaint to hfs 
 
 (3) From Hannohcach, which in Pbanician fignifies the Barker^ or 
 TVitrner. — Anubii. 
 
 (4) The Word Tayant, fig;nifies th« Xto^. 
 
 (5) From Jijh Man j and Calepb, Dog, comes Mfcalepb the Man-Dog, 
 or yEj'cuIapius, 
 
 (6) This Image was tlie Work of Tlrafj^r.ides the Son of Arigrotus, a 
 Native of Pares. 
 
 Father 
 
So Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Father Ph^ehus, who receiv'd him with great Tenderners, 
 and to allay his Difquietude, fwore by Styx to grant what- 
 ever he requefted, as a Mark of his acknowledging him for 
 his Son. Phaeton boldly ask'd the Direction of the Solar 
 Chariot for one Day, The Father at once griev'd and fur- 
 prizM at the Demand, us'd all Arguments in vain to difTuade 
 him from the Attempt j but being by his Oath reduc'd to 
 fubmit to his Obftinacy, he gave him the Reins, with the 
 beft Direftions he could how to ufe them. The Ambition 
 of our young Adventurer wa? too fatal to himfelf. He loft 
 his Judgment and Way together, and Jupiter, to prevent 
 his fetting the World on Fire, was oblig'd with his Thun- 
 derbolts to hurl him from his Seat into the River Eridanus^ 
 or Po, His Sifters Phaethufa^ Lampetia and Ph^be lamented 
 his Lofs fo incefTantly upon the Banks, that the Gods chang'd 
 them into Black Poplar Trees^ whofe Juice produces the Elec 
 trum, or Amber, Cycnus King of Liguria, no lefs griev'd for 
 his Lofs, was changed into a Snvan^ a Bird which became 
 after facred to Jpollo, This Story makes a very confiderable 
 Figure in O'Vid(j), who has out-done himfelf on this Subjedt. 
 A late Author offers an ingenious Conjecture, with Re- 
 gard to this Fable (8). Linnen-CIoth was the great Manu- 
 facture of Egypt, and the Bleaching of it confequently of 
 great Importance. The Horusy or Image, expos'd for direct- 
 ing this, was a Youth with Rays round his Head, and a 
 Whip in his Hand, feated on an Orb, to which they gave 
 the Name of Phaeton (9,^, and Ben Climmah (10). Probably 
 the Months of May^ June^ and July^ were the three Sifters 
 of Phaeton, becaufe during thefe Months they waflied their 
 Linnen white, of which Cycnusy or the Swan, the Friend of 
 Phaeton, is a further Symbol. Now as the Word Albanoth 
 
 (7) Ovid Met amor ph. Lib. II. in incipio. 
 
 (8) La P/a<:/?)e Hift. de-Cieux. 
 
 (9) From Vha the Month j and Eton Linnen, is VMk6& Fhaeton j that is 
 the Indidion of the Linnen-works. 
 
 (10) Bcn-Cllmmah, the Son of Hot-weather. Hence the Story of 
 Phaeton i burning the World, 
 
 applied 
 
Of the Heathen Ggds; 8i 
 
 applied to thefe Months (ii)^ fignifies alfo Poplar Trees ^ it 
 gave Rife to this Metamorphofis. 
 
 Orpheus was the Son oi Ph^bus^ by the Mufe Calliope (iz). 
 He was born in Thrace, and refided near Mount Rhodope^ 
 where he married Eurydke a Princefs of that Countryj Arijleus 
 a neighbouring Prince who fell in Love with her, attempted 
 to furprize her; and in her Flight, to efcape his Violence, 
 (he was kill'd by the Bite of a Serpent. Her difconfolate 
 Hufband was fo afFeiled at his Lofs, that he defcended by 
 the Way of Tanarus to Hell, in order to recover her. As 
 Mufic and Poetry were to him hereditary Talents, he ex- 
 erted them in fo powerful a Manner, that Pluto and Prefer- 
 fine were fo far touch'd, as to reflore him his belov'd Con- 
 fort on one Condition, that he fhould not look back on her, 
 till they came to the Light of the World. His impatient 
 Fondnefs made him break this Article, and he loft her for 
 ever. Griev'd at her Lofs he retir'd to the Woods and Fo- 
 reftsj which it is faid were fenfible of his Harmony (I'i), 
 But the Manades or Baccha^ either incens'd at his vowing a 
 widow'd Life, or as others fay, inftigated by Bacchus^ whofe 
 Worfhip he negle6led f 14J, tore him in Pieces, and fcat- 
 terM his Limbs about the Fields, which were collected and 
 bury'd by the Mufes. His Head and Harp, which were caft 
 into the Hebrus^ were carried to Lejbos^ and the former in- 
 terr'd there. His Harp was tranfported to the Skies, where 
 it forms one of the Conftellations. He himfelf was chang'd 
 into a Swan, and left a Son call'd Methon^ who founded 
 in Thrace a City of his own Name. Ovid has given us this 
 whole Story (i^), but contrary to his ufual Method, has 
 
 (11) Alhan^thy or Lebanothy fignifies the whitening Fields, or Yards 
 for Bleaching. 
 
 (12) Some make him the Son of Oeagrus and Calliope, 
 
 (13) Olid Metam. Lib. XI. in incipio. 
 
 (14) Others fay by Venus, on account of his d'efpifing her Rites, and 
 thar the Nymphs, excited by her, tore him in Pieces, in ftrugi^hng who 
 Ihould have him. 
 
 (15) In his Xth and Xlth Books. 
 
 M broke 
 
82 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 broke the Thread of it, by interfperfing it in different Parts 
 of his Work. 
 
 It is certain that Orpheus may be plac'd as the earlieft Poet 
 of Greece^ where he firft introduc'd JJironomy^ Di'vinity, Mur 
 Jick and Poetry^ all which he had learn*d in Egypt, He wrote 
 many Volumes in natural Philofophy and Antiquities (i())* 
 of which only a few imperfeft Fragments have efcaped the 
 Rage of Time. In his Book of Stones he fays of himfelf, 
 
 * he could underftand the Flight and Language of Birds, ftop 
 
 * the Courfe of Rivers, overcome the Poifon of Serpents, 
 
 * and even penetrate the Thoughts of the Heart (ij)* 
 Let us feek the Origin of this Fable once more in Egypt^ 
 
 the Mother Country of Fidtion. In July, when the Sun 
 enter'd Leoj the Nile overflowed all the Plains. To denote 
 the publick Joy at feeing the Inundation rife to its due Height, 
 they exhibited an Horus^ or Youth playing on the Lyre or 
 Sijirum, and fitting by a tame Lyon. When the Waters did 
 not increafe as they fhould, this Horus was reprefented 
 ftretch'd on the Back of a Lyon as dead. This Symbol 
 they caird Oreph, or Orph^j fiS-J^ to fignify that Agricul- 
 ture was then quite unfeafonable and dormant. The Songs 
 they amus'd themfelves with at this dull Seafon, for Want 
 of Exercife, were calPd the Hymns of Orpheus, and as Huf- 
 bandry reviv'd immediately after, it gave Rife to the Fable of 
 Orpheus returning from Hell. The IJts plac'd near this Horus , 
 they caird Euridyce fig), and as the Greeks took all thefe 
 Figures in the literal and not the Emblematical Senfe, they 
 made Eurydke the Wife of Orpheus, 
 
 (i6) He wrote a Book o( Hymr.! and Treatifes on the Generation of the 
 Elements j on the Giants War j on the Rape of Prefer pine ; on the La- 
 bours of Hercules j of Stones j on the Rites and Myileries of the 
 Egyptians. 
 
 (17) This probably gave Rife to the Fable of his making Rocks and 
 Forefts move to his Lyre. 
 
 (r8) From Orephy Occiput, or the back Part of the Head. 
 
 (19) From Eriy a Lyon ; and Dacay tamed, is formed Eridaca^ Eury- 
 dice, or the Lyon tamed, i, e. the Violence, or Rage of the Inundation 
 evercome. 
 
 Idmon 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 8^ 
 
 Idmon was the Son of Jpollo by JJierie, and attended the 
 Jrgonauts in their Expedition to Colchos, being fam'd for his 
 Skill in Augury ; but wandering from his Companions, as 
 they occafionally landed, he was kill'd by a wild Boar. 
 
 Another of the Children oi Apollo was Linus, whom he had 
 by the Nymph Terpjichore, He was born at Thebes, and emi- 
 nent for Learning, if it be true that Thamyris^ Orpheus^ and 
 Hercules^ were*all his Scholars. Some fay he was flain by 
 the latter for ridiculing him j but if Orpheus (as others af- 
 firm) liv'd ICO Years before Hercules, it is rather probable 
 that Linus was the Difciple of Orpheus. However this be, 
 Linus wrote on the Origin of the World, the Courfes of 
 the Sun and Moon, and the Production of Animals ; but 
 of thefe not the leaft Fragments remain. 
 
 After all, Linus was only an Horus, or Symbol of the Egyp- 
 tiansy which the Greeks^ according to Cuftom, perfonated. 
 At the End of Autumn or Harveft, the Egyptians fell to their 
 Night-work of making Linnen-Cloth (20), and the Figure 
 then expos'd was call'd Z/»aj {21), and denoted the fitting 
 up or watching during the Night. 
 
 Arijlaus was the Son of Apollo by Cyrene, a Virgin Nymph, 
 who us'd to accompany him in hunting, and whom he firll 
 fell in Love with on feeing her encounter a Lyon. He was 
 born in Lybia. He received his Education from the Nymphs, 
 who taught him to extradl: Oil from Olives, and to make 
 Honey, Cheefe and Butter; all which Arts he communi- 
 cated to Mankind. On this account he was regarded as a 
 rural Deity. From Africa he pafs'd into Sardinia and Sicilyy 
 from whence he travell'd into Thrace, where Bacchus initiated 
 him in his Myfteries. We have already mentioned how his 
 Pallion occafion'd the Death of Eurydice, to revenge which 
 the Wood-Nymphs deftroy'd his Bee-Hives. Concerned at 
 this Lofs he advis'd with his Father, and was told by the 
 Oracle, to facrifice Bulls to appeafe her Shade 3 which Coun- 
 
 (20) This was theli chief Manufad^ure. 
 
 (21) Linus, from Lyn, to watch, whence our Word Linnen, that is, the 
 Work, for the lime of doing it. 
 
 M2 id 
 
84 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 fel following, the Bees which iflued from the Carcafles fully 
 fupplied the Damages he had fuftain'd (zz). He died near 
 Mount Eamuiy and was deify'd on account of the Services 
 he had done to Mankind by his ufeful Inventions. He was 
 alfo honour'd in the Ifle of Coos^ for his calling the Etejian 
 Winds to relieve them in an excefTive Time of Heat. Hero- 
 dotus fays, that he appeared at Cyzicum after his Death, and 
 three Hundred and forty Years after, was feen in Italy at 
 Metapontum^ where he injoin'd the Inhabitants to ered a 
 Statue to him near that of /Apollo, which on confiilting the 
 Oracle, they performed. 
 
 Circe was the Daughter of ?halus by Perfis^ the Child of 
 Oceanus, and a celebrated Sorcerefs. Her firft Hufband was 
 a King of the Sarmatte^ whom (he poifon'd, for which flie 
 \vas expeird the Kingdom, and fled to a Promontory on the 
 Coaft of T^ufcanyy which afterwards took her Name. Here 
 Ihe fell in Love with Glaucus^ one of the Sea Deities, who 
 preferring Scylla to her, fhe chang'd her into a Sea Monfter. 
 Picus^ King of the Latins^ her next Favourite, for rejeft- 
 ing her Addrefles, was metamorphofed into a Woodpecker. 
 
 The moft remarkable of Circe\ Adventures was with 
 JJlyJfes. This Prince returning from Troy^ was caft away on 
 her Coaft, and his Men, by a Drink fhe gave them, trans^ 
 form'd to S^xine and other Beafts. UlyJJes was preferv'd by 
 Mercury^ who gave him the Herb Moly, to fecure him from 
 her Inchantments, and inftruci:ed him when fhe attempted to 
 touch him with her Wand, to draw his Sword, and make 
 her fwear by Styx fhe would ufe him as a Friend, otherwife 
 he would kill her. By this Means he procur'd the Liberty 
 of his Companions, and continued a Year with Circet who 
 bore him two Children, 'viz, Jgrius and Latinus. Circe had 
 a Sepulchre in one of the Ifles call'd Pbarmacu/^ n^TivSalamis. 
 
 Circe was no other than the Egyptian IJis^ whofe Horus, or 
 attending Image, every Month afTuming fome different 
 
 {%%) Virgil has introduced this Story with great Elegance and Propriety, 
 in his IVth Ceorgick, 1, 314.. 
 
 Form, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 8^ 
 
 Form, as a human Body, with the Heads of a Lyon, Dog, 
 Serpent, or Tortoife, gave Rife to the Fable of her chang- 
 ing Men by her Inchaiitments into thefe Animals. Hence 
 the Egyptians gave her the Name of Circe ^ which fignifies the 
 JEnigma^ or myfterious Wrapper. 
 
 Jpollo had many other Children, j^thufa the Daughter of 
 Neptune bore him Elutherus, Ey E<vadne he had Janm : By 
 Jtria^ Miletus^ Oaxes and Arahus^ who gave his Name to 
 Arabia ; By Melia he had IJmenius and Ta^narus. By Aglaia^ 
 ^heftor ; by Manto^ Mop/us ; by Anathrippe^ Chius ; by Achalidt 
 he had Delphus^ and many others too tedious to enumerate. 
 
 CHAP. XXXI. 
 
 Of the Mufes, and Pegafns, the Graces and the 
 Syrens, 
 
 THESE celebrated GoddefTes, the Mu/es^ were the 
 Daughters of Jupiter and Mnemofyncy though fome 
 think them born of Calus. Their Number at firft was only 
 three or four (i)^ but Homer and ///f/Fo^ have fixed it at 
 Nine (z)t which it has never fmce exceeded. They were 
 born on Mount P/Vm, and educated by the Nymph Eupheme, 
 They had many Appellations common to them all, as 
 Pierides from the Place of their Birth. Heliconides from Mount 
 Helicon mB^otia: ParnaJJides^ from the Hill of ParnaJ/usm 
 Phocis : Cither ides from Mount Cither on ^ a Place they much 
 frequented : Aonides from Aonia ; Hippocranliles^ Agannipides and 
 Cajialidesy from different Fountains confecrated to them, or 
 to which they were fuppofed to refort. 
 
 (i) Mneme^ AedCi Mclete, that \% Memory y SIngir.g and Aleditatiott, to 
 which fome add Thelxicpe. 
 
 (2) Some aflign as a Reafon for this, that when the Citizens of Sicyott 
 dire(^ed three flcilful Statuaries, to make each three Statues of the three 
 Mufes, they were ail fo well executed, that they did not know which to 
 chufe, but eredled all the Nine, and that HeJiodoT\\y gave them Names. 
 
 In 
 
86 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 In general they were the tutelar Goddefles of all facred 
 Feftivals and Banquets, and the PatroneiTes of all polite and 
 ufeful x\rts. They fupported Virtue in Diftrefs, and pre- 
 ferv'd worthy A6tions from Oblivion. Homer calls them the 
 MiJireJJes and CorreSreJJis of Manners f^). With Regard to 
 the Sciences, thefe Sifters had each their particular Province 
 or Department, though Poetry feem'd more immediately 
 under their united Protedion. 
 
 Calliope (fo call'd from Xh^ fweetnefs of her Voice) prefided 
 over Rhetorick^ and was reckon'd the firft of the Nine Sifters* 
 
 Clio the Second (4), was the Mufe of Hiftory, and takes 
 her Name from her immortalizing the Adions (he records. 
 , Erato f^Jy was the Patronefs of elegiac, or amorous Po- 
 etry, and the Inventrefs of Dancing. To Thalia (6) be- 
 long'd Comedy, and whatever was gay, amiable, and plea- 
 iant.- Euterpe^ (nam'd from her Love of Harmony J had the 
 Care of Tragedy. 
 
 Melpomene f ({o ftyl'd from the Dignity and Excellency of 
 her Song J was the Guardian Mufe of Lyric and Epic 
 
 Poetry r?;. 
 
 Terpfichore was the Prote6lrefs of Mufick, particularly the 
 Flute (%), The Chorus of the antient Drama was her 
 Province, to which fome add logick. 
 
 To Polyhymnia fgj belong'd that Harmony of Voice and 
 Gefture, which gives a Perfection to Oratory and Poetry, 
 and which flows from juft Sentiments and a good Memory. 
 
 Urania was the Mufe whofe Care extended to all divine or 
 celeftial Subjeds, fuch as the Hymns in Praife of the Gods, 
 
 (3) Hence of old Bards and Poets were in fuch high Efteem, that when 
 Agamemnon went to the Siege of Tro^, he left one with Clytemncjira^ to 
 keep her faithful, undEgijibui could not corrupt her, 'till he had deftroy'd 
 this Counfellor. 
 
 (4) From KAs©', Glory (5), from £§«i'?, Love (6), from^«?vX«»>9, to 
 flourifti or revive (7), from f*=Ao? irtdtv, to make a Concert or Symphony 
 
 (8), rtpzuv Tot? xo^oic^ to delight in Chorufes. 
 (9) From zchvi and fcvjja, 3 great Memory. 
 
 The 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. ^j 
 
 the Motions of the heavenly Bodies, and whatever regarded 
 Philofophy or Aftronomy ("lo;. 
 
 The Mufes, though faid to be Virgins^ were no Enemies to 
 Love (ii)' We have already taken Notice of Calliope and 
 Terpfichore yielding to the AddrefTes of Apollo. If their Com- 
 plaifance v/as folely owing to the Refentment of Venus^ who 
 infpir'd the Flames of Love, to revenge the Death of her 
 Favourite Adonis ; it muft be own'd that the Mufes have 
 fmce been fufHciently devoted to her Service. 
 
 The Mufci were themfelves not wholly free from Revenge, 
 as appears in the Story of ^hamyris. This Perfon was the 
 Son of Philammon, and the Nymph Agriopa^ and born at 
 OderJ^^ once a famous City of Thrace. He became fo excel- 
 lent a Proficient in Mufick, that he had the Courage, or 
 Vanity to contend (\z) with the Mufes; but being over- 
 come, they not only punifhed him with the Lofs of Sight 
 and Memory, but caus'd Jupiter to caft him into Hell, to ex- 
 piate his Impiety. 
 
 The Mufes were reprefented crown'd with Flowers, or 
 Wreaths of Palm, each holding fome Inftrument or Token 
 of the Science, or Art over which fhe prefided. They were 
 depiftur'd as young, and the Bird facred to them was the 
 Znioan (l^J. 
 
 To trace the Origin of thefe fabulous Deities, it is necef- 
 fary to obferve, that the Nine JJ/es or emblematical Figures^ 
 which were exhibited amongft the Egyptians, to denote the 
 Nine Months, during which that Country was free'd from 
 the Inundation, had each fome Inftrument, or Symbol pe- 
 culiar to the Bufinefs of the Months, as a Pair of Compafles, 
 a Flute, a Mafk, a Trumpet, &c. All thefe Images were 
 purely hieroglyphical, to point out to the People what they 
 
 (lo) From n^ay'^. Heaven. 
 
 (i i) The Virginity or Chaftity of the Mufes, is a Point di'fputed by the 
 antient Writers, though the Majority inclines in their Favour. 
 
 (12) Thamyris wrote a Poem on the Wars of the Gods with the 'Jitar.s, 
 which exceeded every Thing that had appeared of the Kind before. 
 
 (13) Perhaps becaufe it was confecrated to their Mafter Apollo. 
 
 were 
 
88 mulous HISTORY 
 
 were to do, and to afcertain their Ufe, they were call'd the' 
 NineMo/^j (i^). The Greeks, who adopted this Groupeof 
 Emblems, as fo many real Divinities, took Care to give 
 each a particular Name, fuited to the Inftruments they 
 bore, and which threw a new Difguife over the Truth. 
 
 Th^ Graces properly are Attendants of the ik/i(/^j, though 
 they are often plac'd in the Train of Venus (n^). Some 
 make them the Daughters of Jupiter and Eurynome^ others of 
 Bacchus and Venus, They were Three, Aglaia^ Thalia and 
 Euphrofyne, Names relative to their Nature fi6j. The 
 Lacedemonians and Atheniatis knew but two, to whom they 
 gave different Appellations (ij)^ Eteocles^ King of the 
 Orchomenians^ was the firfl who ereded a Temple to them. 
 
 Pegafus was a winged Horfe produced by the Blood which 
 fell from Medufa's Head, when fhe was kill'd by Perfeus. He 
 flew to Mount Helicon^ the Seat of the Mufes^ where, with a 
 Stroke of his Hoof, he open'd a Fountain call'd Hippocrene, 
 
 or the Horfes Spring { 1 8 ). 
 
 The unravelling thefe Figures, will convince us how juftly 
 they belong to this Article, as they compleat its Illuftration; 
 Near the Nine Ififes^ which betoken'd the dry Seafon, were 
 plac'd three others reprefenting the three Months of Inunda- 
 tion, and were drawn fometimes fwath'd, as incapable of 
 ufmg their Hands and Feet. Thefe were call'd Chantout 
 (19), or the Di^vorce. The Refemblance of this Word to 
 
 (14) From the Word Mofe, that is, fav'd or difengag'dfrom the Wa- 
 ters ; whence the Name of Mofes given to the Hebreiu Lawgiver, fo near 
 did the Pbam'cian and Egyptian Languages agree, though the Difference of 
 Pronunciation made ttiem two diltindl Tongues. 
 
 (15) I chufe to place them here on account of the Explanation of the 
 Fable under one View. 
 
 (16) jlglaia^ or Honefty, to (hew that Benefits (hould be beftow'd 
 freely: Tbalia, or fiourifliing, to denote that the Senfe of Kindnefs ought 
 never to die j and Euphrofyne, or chearfulnefs, to fignify that Favours 
 fliould be conferr'd and received with mutual Pleafufe. 
 
 (17) The iS/>ur/;2n Graces were C///0 and Pi)rf^Kd 3 thoiQoiAtkem, Auro 
 and Hegemo. 
 
 (18) For.s Cahallinus. SeePerJius, Satyr I. 
 
 (19) From Char at, to divide, comes Cbaritout the Separation of 
 Commerce. 
 
 the 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 89 
 
 the ^reek Charites, which fignifies Thankfgivings or Favours^ 
 gave Rife to the Fable of the Graces, or three GoddefTes pre* 
 liding over Benefits and outward Charms. 
 
 Yet, as during the Inundation, all Parts could not be fo 
 fully fupply'd, but that fome Commerce was neceflary, they 
 had recourfe to fmall Barks, to fail from one City to the 
 other. Now the emblematical Figure of a Ship or VefleU 
 in Egypt and Phceniciay was a winged Horfe (20), by which 
 Name the Inhabitants of Cadiz^ a Phoenician Colony, call'd 
 their Veflels. Now if the Mu/es and Graces are the Goddefles 
 which prefide over Arts and Gratitude, this Emblem be* 
 comes unintelligible. But if we take the Nine Mufes for the 
 Months of Adion and Induftry, and the Three Graces for 
 the three Months of Inundation and Reft, the winged Horfe, 
 or Boat with Sails, is a true Pidlure of the End of Navi- 
 gation, and the Return of rural Toils. To this Figure the 
 Egyptians gave the Name oi Fegafus (21), exprelTive of its 
 true Meaning. All thefe Images tranfplanted to Greece^ be- 
 came the Source of endlefs Confufion and Fable. 
 
 By the Latin and Greek Poets, the Graces are reprefented 
 as beautiful young Virgins, naked, or but very flightly 
 cloath'd (22), and having Wings on their Feet. They are 
 alfo joind Hand in Hand, to denote their Unity. 
 
 The Syrens were the Daughters of Achelous. Their lower 
 Parts were like Fifhes, and their upper like Women ; but 
 they were fo (kill'd in Mufickj that they infnar'd all who 
 heard them to Deftrudtion. Prefuming to contend with the 
 Mufes they were vanquifh'd, and ftripp'd at once of their 
 Feathers and Voices, as a Punifhment for their Folly. 
 
 The Egyptians fometimes reprefented the three Months of 
 Inundation by JJifes^ or Figures half Female and half Fifh, 
 
 (20) Strabo Geograph. Lib. II. p. 99. Edit. Reg. Paris. 
 
 (21) From P<2|^ to ceafe, and Sui a Ship, Pegafus, or the Ceffation of 
 Navigation. 
 
 (22) Solutis Gratiae Zonis. Ode xxx. 5. 
 JunBaque Nyniphis Gratia decentes 
 
 Alterno terram quatiunt Pede. Horace, Lib. I. Ode iv. 5. 
 
 N to 
 
90 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 to denote to the Inhabitants their living in the Midft of th^ 
 Waters. One of thefe Images bore in her Hand the Sijirum^ 
 or Egyptian Lyre, to (hew the general Joy at the Floods ar- 
 riving to its due Height, v^^hich vi^as the Aflurance of a fuc- 
 ceeding Year of Plenty. To thefe Symbols they gave the 
 Name o^ Syrens (23), expreffive of their real Meaning. The 
 Phcentcians, who carried them into Greece^ rcprefented them 
 as real Perfons, and the Greeks and Romans had too ftrong a 
 Tafte for the Fabulous, not to embellifh the Story (24). 
 
 (23) From Skur a Hymn j and ranan to fing. 
 
 (24) Hence our imaginary Form of the Mermaid. 
 
 CHAP. XXXII: 
 
 Of Diana, Luna, or Hecate. 
 
 HAVING treated of the God of Wit and Harmony, 
 with his Offspring and Train, let us now come to 
 his Twin Sifter Diana^ the Goddefs of Chaftity, and the 
 Daughter of Jupiter and Latona. Her Father, at her Requeft, 
 granted her perpetual Virginity, beftow'd on her a Bow and 
 Arrows, appointed her Queen of the Woods and Forrefts 
 ( i), and allign'd her a Guard of Nymphs to attend her {2). 
 She became the Patronnefs of Hunting thus; Britomartis 2. 
 Huntrefs-Nymph, being one Day entangled in her own 
 Nets, while the wild Boar was approaching her, vowM a 
 Temple to Diana, and fo was preferv'd. Hence Diana had 
 the Name of Diaynna. Others relate the Story differently, 
 and fay that Britomartis, whom Diana favour'd on account of 
 her PafTion for the Chafe, flying from Minos her Lover, fell 
 into the Sea, and was by her made a Goddefs. 
 
 The Adventures of Z)/««^ make a pretty confiderable Figure 
 in poetical Hiftory, and ferve to fhew that the Virtue of this 
 
 (1) Movtium Cujios neir.oruwque Virgo. Horat. Lib. III. 
 
 (2) Sixty Nymphs, call'd Octanina, and twenty of the Jfiee. 
 
 Goddefs, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 91 
 
 Goddefs, if inviolable, was alfo very fevere. AB^on experi- 
 enc'd this Truth to his Coft. He vi'as a young Prince, the 
 Son oi Arijiaus and Auiome^ the Daughter of Ca^/«aj, King of 
 Jhebes, As he was paffionately fond of the Sport, he had the 
 Misfortune one Day to dilcover Diana bathing with her 
 Nymphs. The Goddefs, incens'd at the Intrufion, chang'd 
 him into a Stag; fo that his own Dogs, miftaking him for 
 their Game, purfued and tore him in Pieces. O^id has 
 wrought up this Scene with great Art and Imagination f 3^. 
 
 The Truth of this Fable is faid to be as follows : Aa^on 
 was a Man of Arcadia^ a great Lover of Dogs and Hunting, 
 and by keeping many Dogs, and fpending his Time in 
 Hunting on the Mountains, he entirely neglected his dome- 
 tic Affairs, and being brought to Ruin, was generally call'd 
 the wretched ASl^on, who was devour'd by his own Dogs, 
 
 Meleager was another unhappy Vidim of her Refentment, 
 and the more fo as his Punifhment was owing to no Crime 
 of his own. Oeneus^ his Father, King of JEtolia^ in offer- 
 ing Sacrifices to the rural Deities, had forgot Diana. The 
 Goddefs was not of a Character to put up fuch a Negledl:, 
 She fent a huge wild Boar into the Fields of CaUdon^ who 
 laid every Thing wafte before him. Meleager^ with Thefeus 
 and the Virgin Atalanta^ undertook to encounter it. The 
 Virgin gave the Monfter the firft Wound, and Meleager who 
 kill'd it, prefented her the Skin, which his Uncles took from 
 her, for which he flew them. Althaa his Mother, hearing 
 her two Brothers had perifh'd in this Quarrel, took an un- 
 common Revenge. She remember'd at the Birth of her Son 
 the Fates had thrown a Billet into the Chamber, with an 
 Affurance the Boy would live, as thatremain'd unconfumed. 
 The Mother had till now carefully fav'd a Pledge on which 
 fo much depended ; but infpir'd by her prefent Fury fhe 
 threw it in the Flame-, and Meleager inflantly feiz'd with a 
 confuming Difeafe expir'd, as foon as it was burnt. Hii 
 
 (3) O'vidy Lib. III. 131. 
 
 N 3 Sifters, 
 
^^ Fabuhus HISTORY 
 
 Sifters, who exceflively mourn'd his Death, were turn'd into 
 Hen-Turkies. Ovid has not forgot to embellifh his Collection 
 with this Story (4). 
 
 Others relate the Story of MeUager thus : T>iana had, to 
 avenge herfelf of Oeneusy rais'd a War between the Curetes 
 and JEtolians, Mdeagtry who fought at the Head of his 
 Father's Troops, had always the Advantage, 'till killing 
 two of his Mother's Brothers, his Mother Althaa loaded 
 him with fuch Imprecations, that he retir'd from the Field, 
 The Curetes upon this advanc'd, and attack'd the Capital of 
 Mtolia. In vain Oeneus prefles his Son to arm and repel the 
 Foe; in vain his Mother forgives and intreats him. He is 
 inflexible till Cleopatra his Wife falls at his Feet, and repre- 
 fents their mutual Danger. Touch'd at this, he calls for his 
 Armour, iffues to the Fight, and repels the Enemy. 
 
 Nor was Diana Icfs rigorous to her own Sex. Chione the 
 Daughter of Dadalion^ being carefs'd both by Apollo and 
 Mercury y bore two Twins, Philammon the Son of Apollo, a 
 famous Mufician, and Autolycus the Son of Mercury^ a fkill- 
 fill Juggler or Cheat. The Mother was fo imprudent to 
 boaft of her Shame, and prefer the Honour of being Miftrefs 
 to two Deities, to the Modefty of Dianay which fhe afcrib'd 
 to her Want of Beauty : For this the Goddefs pierc'd her 
 Tongue with an Arrow, and depriv'd her of the Power of 
 future Boafting or Calumny. 
 
 The River Alpheus fell violently enamour'd of Diana^ and 
 having no Hopes of Succefs, had recourfe to Force. The 
 Goddefs fled to the Letriniy where fhe amus'd herfelf with 
 Dancing, and with fome Art fo difguis'd herfelf and her 
 Nymphs, that Alpheus no longer knew them. For this, 
 thefe People erected a Temple to her. 
 
 During the Chafe one Day, Diana accidentally fhot 
 Chenchrius, Son of the Nymph Pryene, who bewaii'd him fo 
 much that ihe was turn'd into a Fountain. 
 
 (4) Ovid, Lib. VIII. 261. 
 
 Diana 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 93 
 
 "Diana had a great Variety of Names, (he was callM Cynthia 
 and Delia ^ from the Place of her Birth j Jrtemis^ on account 
 of her Honour and Modefty. By the Arcadians {he was 
 nam'd Orrhofia ; and by the Spartans, Orthia, Her Temples 
 were many, both in Greece and Italy \ but the moft confide- 
 rable was at Ephefus^ where fhe was held in the higheft Ve- 
 neration. The Plan of this magnificent Edifice was laid 
 by Ctejiphony and the Structure of it employ'd for 220 Years, 
 the ableft Architects and Statuaries in the World. It 
 was fet on Fire by Erojiratus on the Day that Alexander the 
 Great came into the World ; but was foon rebuilt with 
 equal Splendor under Dimcratcsy who alfo built the City of 
 Alexandria. 
 
 The Sacrifices ofFer'd to Diana were the firft Fruits of the 
 Earth, Oxen, Rams, and white Hinds ; human Victims 
 were fometimes devoted to her in Greece, as we find in the 
 Cafe of Iphigenia, Her Feftival was on the Ides of Auguji^ 
 after which Time all Hunting was prohibited. 
 
 Diana was reprefented of a Stature beyond the common, 
 her Hair diflievell'd, a Bow in her Hand, and a Quiver at 
 her Back, a Deer-Skin fafien'd to her Breaft, and her Purple 
 Robe tuck'd up at the Knees with Gold Buckles or Clafps, 
 and attended by Nymphs in a Hunting-Drefs with Nets 
 and Hounds. 
 
 Diana was alfo call'd Dea Triformisy or Tergeminay on ac- 
 count of her Triple Chara6ler of Luna in Heaven, Diana 
 on Earth, and Hecate in the infernal Regions, though the 
 A6lions of the firft and laft, are afcrib'd to her under the 
 fecond Name (5), 
 
 Luna was thought the Daughter of Hyperion and Theia, 
 The Egyptians worflilpp'd this Deity both as Male and Fe- 
 male, the Men facrificing to it as Luna, the Women a^ 
 Lunuf^ and each Sex on thefe Occafions afTuming the Drcis 
 of the other. Indeed this Goddefs was no other than the 
 Venus Uraniay or deleftis of the JJfyrians^ whofe Worfhip. 
 
 (5) Hefiod makes Luna^ Diana ^ and UecoiU three dUlinft Gpddefles. 
 
94 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 and Rites the Phanicians introduced into Greece. Under this 
 Character Diana was alfo call'd Luciua^ (a Name (he held in 
 common with Juno) and had the Protection of Women in 
 Labour (6), though fome make Lucina a diftin£l Goddefs 
 from either (7). By this Name Ihe was ador'd by the JEgi- 
 nenfes and Eleans. 
 
 If Diana was fo rigid in Point of Chaflity on Earth, her 
 Virtue grew a Httle more relax'd when fhe got to the Skies. 
 She bore Jupiter a Daughter here, call'd Er/a^ or the De-w, 
 and Pahy who was not the moft pleafing of the Gods, de- 
 ceiv'd her in the Shape of a white Ram. But her moft ce- 
 lebrated Amour was with Endymion ( 8 ) the Son of Athliusy 
 and Grandfon of Jupiter^ who took him up into Heaven, 
 where he had the Infolence to follicit Juno^ for which he 
 was call into a profound Sleep. Luna had the Kindnefs to 
 conceal him in a Cave of Mount Latmos in Caria, where fhe 
 had Fifty Daughters by him, and a Son call'd jEfo/us, after 
 which he was again exalted to the Skies. 
 
 The Fable of Endymion had its Origin in Eg-^pt, Thefe 
 People in the Neomenia or Feaft, in which they celebrated 
 the antient State of Mankind, chofe a Grove, or fome re- 
 tired fhady Grotto, where they plac'd an IJis with her Cref- 
 cent or Moon, and by her Side an Horus afleep, to denote 
 the Security and Repofe which Mankind then enjoy 'd. This 
 Figure they call'd Endymion (9), and thefe Symbolical Fi- 
 gures, like the reft, degenerated into Idolatry, and became 
 the Materials for fabulous Hiftory. 
 
 As the Moon, Diana, was reprefented in a Silver Chariot 
 drawn by white Hinds with Gold Harnefs, which fome 
 
 (6) It is faid Hie aflifted Latotia her Mother at the Birth of ^pollo j but 
 ■was lb terrify'd at the Pains, that ftie vow'd perpetual Virginity. 
 
 (7) Sonie make Lucina the Daughter 0/ Jupiter and Juno^ and born in 
 Crete. 
 
 (8) Others affirm, that Endymion was a King of EVn, much given to 
 Aftronomy and Lunar Obfervaticns, for which he was faid to be in Love 
 with the iMoon, and carefs'd by her. 
 
 (9) From £;;, a Grotto or Fountain ; and Dimion, Refemblance, is 
 made Etidimion, or the Grotto of tbe Reprcjintation. 
 
 change 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 95 
 
 Chano-e to Mules, becaufe that Animal is barren (lo). Some 
 make her Condudors a white and black Horfe ( 1 1) ^ others 
 Oxen, on account of the lunar Horns. 
 
 Hecate was the Daughter of Jupiter and Ceres. As to the 
 Origin of the Name there is fome Variation (12). She was 
 the Goddefs of the infernal Regions, and on that Account 
 is often confounded WiXhProferpive. She prefided over Streets 
 and Highways; for which caufe flie was call'd Tri'via^ as 
 alfo Propylaa^ becaufe the Doors of Houfes were under her 
 Proteftion (13). The Apellation of -ffrm^ was given her, 
 on account of her dreadful Shrieks, when Mars, Apollo and 
 Mercury^ meeting her in the Woods attempted to ravifh her. 
 She was alfo famous for Botany, efpecially in difcovering 
 baneful and poifonous Herbs and Roots ; as alfo for her Skill 
 in Enchantments and magical Arts, in the Prailice of which 
 her Name was conftantly invok'd (i^^)- Hejiod h2iS given 
 a very pompous Defcription of the Extent of her Power 
 (i^)* She was flyrd in Egypt, Bubaftis. 
 
 As Hecate, Diana was reprefented of an exceflive Height, 
 her Head coverM with frightful Snakes, and her Feet of a 
 Serpentine Form, and furrounded with Dogs, an Animal 
 facred to her, and under whofe Form fbe was fometimes 
 reprefented. She was alfo efteem'd the Goddefs of inevi- 
 table Fate. 
 
 If we have recourfe to the Egyptian Key, we {hall find this 
 threefold Goddefs only Ifs under different Forms and Names, 
 and the fame Symbol with the Juno and Cybele we have al- 
 
 (10) To exprefs that the Moon had no Light of her own, but what flie 
 borrow'd from the Sun. 
 
 (11) To exprefs the Wane and Full of the Moon. 
 
 (iz) Either from 'i)ia.6iv at a Diftance, becaufe the Moon darts her 
 Rays afar off J or from iKectov a Hundred, becaufe a Hecatomb was the 
 ufual Vidim. 
 
 (i-^) At every New Moon the Atkemam made a Supper for her in the 
 open Street, which in the Night was eaten by the poor People. 
 ( i/^) So Dido in Virgil, calls on 
 
 Tergeml nam Hecnten, :ria Firginii ora Dian«, ^neid IV. 
 (i^) Thetogony, 1. 411. 
 
 ready 
 
96 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 ready treated of. The Greek Sculptors had too good a Tafte 
 to endure the Heads of the Bull or Goat on their Deitiesj 
 which they borrow'd from that Country. They therefore 
 alter'd thefe hieroglyph ical Figures to their own Mode; 
 but took Care to preferve the Attributes, by difpofing them 
 in a more elegant Manner^ The Lunar Ifis amongft the 
 Egyptians was call'd Hecate^ oi {l6) Achete^ and by the Syrians 
 Jchot. The latter alfo flyl'd her Deio or Deione (ij)y and 
 Demeter, Ifis at the firll Inftitution had a Relation to the 
 Earth, and mark'd out its Produ6tions. The Crefcent and 
 Full Moon over her Head at the Neomoniie, made her mif- 
 taken for that Planet, and the Time of the Interlunia, dur- 
 ing which fhe remain'd invifible, {he was fupposM to take a 
 Turn to the invifible World, and fo got the Name of Hecate, 
 Thus the tripartite Goddefs arofe. The Meaning of the 
 antient Symbols was confounded and forgot, and a fcnfelels 
 Jargon of Fable and Superftition introduced in its Place, 
 a Point which can never be too exad:ly attended to on this 
 Occafion. 
 
 (id) Achate, the only or excellent, ot Ac hot ^in the .Syr/flCy? the Sifter. 
 (lyj Veto or Detoncy from Dei, Sufficiency j or Demeter, froni Dei 
 and Ma tar, Rain, i.e. Plenty of Rain. 
 
 CHAP. XXXIII. 
 Of MERCURY. 
 
 PA S S we now to a Deity neither famous for his Truth 
 or Honefty, though he makes no inconfiderable Figure 
 in the celeftial Catalogue. Mercury was the Son of Jupiter 
 and Maia, Daughter of At/as, and born on Mount CylUne in 
 Arcadia, He was fuckled by Juno^ fome of whofe Milk 
 falling paft his Mouth on the Heavens produced the Galaxy^ 
 He began to difplay early his Talent for Theft, as we have 
 obferv'd under the Article of Apollo. Being carefs'd, when 
 an Infant in Vulcan\ Arms, he ftole away his Tools. The 
 
 fame 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 97 
 
 feme Day he defeated Cupid at Wreftling, and while Venut 
 prais'd him after his Viftory, he found Means to convey 
 away her Cejius, He pilfer'd Jupiter's Sceptre, and had done 
 the fame Thing by his Thunderbolts, but they were too hot 
 for his Fingers. He ferv'd Battus a very flippery Trick. 
 This Man faw him dealing King Admetus\ Cows from 
 j^pollo his Herdfman. To bribe him to filence he gave him 
 a fine Gow, and the Clown promis'd to keep it Secret. 
 Mercury to try him, afTum'd another Shape, and offering a 
 higher Reward, the Fellow told all he knew, on which (i) 
 the God turn'd him into a Touch-Stone. 
 
 Mercury had feveral Appellations. He was call'd Hermes 
 (t) and Cyllemus. Nor were his Employments lefs various. 
 He was the Cupbearer of Jupiter 'till Ganymede took his 
 Place. He was the Meflenger of the Gods, and the tute- 
 lar God of Roads and Crofs-Ways (^3^ the Inventor of 
 Weights and Meafurcs, and the Guardian of all Merchan- 
 dize and Commerce* though this Office feems but ill to agree 
 with the Adlions afcrib'd to him. He was in a peculiar 
 Manner the Protedlor of Learning, being the firft Difco- 
 verer of Letters, and the God of Rhetorick and Oratory. 
 He was alfo famous for his Skill in Mufick, and fo eloquent, 
 that he was not only the Arbitrator in all Quarrels amongft 
 the Gods, and in all Leagues and Negotiations particular 
 Regard was paid (^) to him. 
 
 Together with Tellus and PlatOt Mercury was invok'd 
 amongft the terreftrial Gods. In Conjunction with Hercules 
 he prefided over Wreftling and the Gymnaftick Exercifes, 
 
 (\) O^id has given a fine Defcription of this Incident. Met am. Lib. 
 11.680.^ 
 
 (%) ' Ef/x>j?j the Interpreter, becaufe he imparted the Mind of the 
 Geds to Men. 
 
 (l) Where the Greeks and Romans plac'd certain Figures, call'd Herrr.oe, 
 from him, being of Marble or Brafs, with the Head of a Merfury, but 
 downwards of a Square Figure. 
 
 (4.) As the Fecialesy or Priefls oi Mars proclaim'd ^<2r ; fo the C<z- 
 duceatores, or Priefls of Mercury, were employ'd in all Embaflies and 
 Treaties of Peace. 
 
 O to 
 
98 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 to fhew that Addrefs on thefe Occafions fhould always be 
 join'd to Force. He was alfo believed to prefide over 
 Dreams though Morpheus claims a Share with him in this 
 Department. 
 
 Annually in the Middle of May a Fcftival was celebrated 
 to his Honour at Romcy by the Merchants and Traders who 
 facrificed a Sow to him, intreating he would profper their 
 Bufmefs, and forgive their Frauds. In all Sacrifices offer'd 
 to him the Tongues of the Vidims were burnt, which Cuf- 
 tom was borrow'd from the Megarenfes, Perfons who ef- 
 cap'd imminent Danger facirificed to him a Calf with Milk 
 and Honey. 
 
 The moft remarkable Office of Mercury^ was to attend dy- 
 ing Men, to unloofe their Souls from their Bodies, and con- 
 duct them to the infernal Realms, and when they had com- 
 pleated their Time in the Elyfian Fields, to re-condudl them 
 to Life, and reinftatethem in new Bodies (^), 
 
 His moft magnificent Temple was on Mount CylUne in 
 Arcadia y the Place of his Birth. A Purfe was ufually hung 
 at his Statue, to fhow he was the God of Profit or Gain. In 
 antient Medals and Gems he bears the fame Emblem in his 
 Hand. The Animals facred to him were the Dog, the Goat 
 and the Cock. 
 
 By his Sifter Venus he had a Son call'd Hermaphroditusy a 
 great Hunter ; a Wood Nymph call'd Salmacis^ fell in Love 
 with him, but had the Mortification to be repuls'd. Upon 
 this, inflamed by her Paffion, fhe watch'd near a Fountain 
 where he us'd to bathe, and when (he faw him naked in the 
 Water, rufh'd to embrace him, but the Youth ftill avoiding 
 her, (he pray'd the Gods their Bodies might become one, 
 which was immediately granted j and what was yet more 
 wonderful, the Fountain retain'd the Virtue of making ail 
 thofe Hermaphrodites who us'd its Waters (6). 
 
 A late Author gives this Story another Turn. He fays 
 
 (5) Virgil, JEn. IV. 238. 
 
 (6) See Ovid"^ Defcription of this Adventure. Met am* Book IV, 
 
 the 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 99 
 
 the Fountain Salmacis (7) being inclosM with high Walls, 
 very indecent Scenes pafs'd there ; but that a certain Greek of 
 that Colony building an Inn there for the Entertainment of 
 Strangers, the Barbarians, who reforted to it, by their Inter- 
 courfe with the Greeks, became foften'd and civiliz'dj 
 which gave Rife to the Fable of their changing their Sex. 
 
 Mercury had Other Children, particularly Fan^ Dolops^ 
 Ecbiotty Caicus, Erix, BunuSy P/jares, and the Lares, with fe- 
 veral others. 
 
 If we have Recourfe to the Egyptian Mythology, we (hall 
 prefently fee that the Mercury of the Greeks and Romans had 
 his Original in this Country. The Jnuiis or Tayaut^ the 
 Symbol of the Dog- Star, which ufher'd in their annual In- 
 undation, was depi6lur*d with a full Purfe in his Hand. 
 This Horus or Symbol they termM Marcokt (8). In the other 
 Hand they plac'd the Pole crofled, which denoted the rifmg 
 of the Waters, the Serpent entwin'd round it, which figni- 
 fy'd Security. This Staff was terminated with little Wings, 
 the Token or Hieroglyphic of the £//?/ftf« Winds, which 
 regulated the Waters. All the myftick Truths concealed 
 under this Figure were foon forgot, Anubis^ like the other 
 Horus, became realiz'd into a God, and took the Name of 
 Hannobeach {9), or the Orator, His Wand and Gefture help'd 
 on the Metamorphojis, and he was at once the Deity of Elo- 
 quence and Arts, and the Meffenger of the Gods. His 
 Caduceus afTum'd the Name (10) from the Sanctity and Vir- 
 tues afcrib'd to it. The Rifmg of the Dog-Star, or Sirius 
 before Dawn, being an Obfervation of the laft Importance 
 in Egypt, to denote it they plac'd a Cock by the Side of 
 Anubis, and the Purfe in his Hand, and the Goat at his Feet, 
 
 (7) InCan'a, neat the City o( HalicartiaJJus. 
 
 (Z) Trom Racai, to trade or defraud, comes Marcoletj Merchandize. 
 The Re-union of thefe Senfes, gives Mercury the Right of Cheating as 
 well as Dealing. 
 
 Calhdum quicquid placuit jocofa 
 Condire Furto. Book I. Ode lo. 
 (^) Hannobeach. See Ifatab Ivi. lo. 
 ( loj From Cadojb, holy or feparated. 
 
 O 2 which 
 
100 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 which {hew'd the Sale of their Summer and Autumn Produc- 
 tions, 'till the Sun enter'd the Sign of Capricorn, 
 
 Mercury is defcrib'd by the Greek and Latin Poets, as a fair 
 beardlefs Youth, with flaxen Hair, lively blue Eyes, and a 
 fmlling Countenance, having Wings affix'd to his Hat and 
 Shoes (i I J, and his Caducms extended in his Hand, 
 
 The Hermes T^rifmegijim of the Egyptians, who was King 
 of T^hehes^ and one of their firft Philofophers and Legiflators, 
 fhould be by no Means confounded with an imaginary Di- 
 vinity, to whom he bears noi the leaft Relation. 
 
 (x\) Thefe had peculiar Names amongft the Romant\ his Shoes were 
 call'd Talaria, and his Cap, Petajus. 
 
 CHAP. XXXIV. 
 0/ V E N U S, 
 
 TH E next Deity that offers, is that powerful Goddeis 
 whofe Influence is acknowedg'd by Gods and Men. 
 Cicero mentions four of this Name (i) -, but the Venus gene- 
 rally known is fhe who is fabled to have fprung from the 
 Froth or Fermentation rais'd by the Genitals of Saturn, when 
 cut off by his Son Jupiter^ and thrown into the Sea. Hence 
 fhe gain'd the Name of Aphrodite (2), As foon as born fhe 
 was laid in a beautiful Coach or Shell, embellifh'd with 
 Pearl, and by gentle Zephyrs wafted to the Ifle of Cythera in 
 the JLgean Sea, from whence fhe fail'd to Cyprus^ which fhe 
 reach'd in ApriL Here, as foon as fhe landed. Flowers rofe 
 beneath her Feet, the Hours receiv'd h^r, ^nd braided her 
 Hair with golden Fillets, after which fhe wa^ by them 
 wafted to Heaven. Her Charms appear'd fo attra(3:ive in 
 
 (i) The \Q\.\.\\t Daughter of Calum, the 2d the Venus Aphrodita, t^ie 
 third born of Jupiter and Diojiey and the Wife of Vulcan j and the 4th 
 jifiarte, or the Syrian Venus, tlie Miltrefs of Adonis. 
 
 (2) From 'A^po?, Froth, though fome derive it from ccf^aixnv to run 
 rr,a<;J, becauf^ all Love is Infatuation or Frenzy, 
 
 the 
 
pa^. 
 
 e^2D0. 
 
 J^. ^^^n /4t.7 : f/- af'// 1 
 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. joi 
 
 the Aflembly of the Gods, that fcarce one of them but 
 what defir'd her in Marriage. Vulcan^ by the Advice of 
 Jupiter^ put ?oppy in her Ne^ar, and, by intoxicating her, 
 gain'd PoflelTion. 
 
 Few of the Deities have been fo extenfively worfliipp'd, 
 or under a greater Variety of Names. She was callM Cythe- 
 rea^ Paphia^ Cyprta^ Erycina, Idalia^ Acidalia^ from the Places 
 where ihe was in a particular Manner adored . Other Apel- 
 lations were given her from her principal Attributes. She 
 was ftyl'd ViBrix f^), to denote her refiftlefs Sway over the 
 Mind J Jmica^ from her being propitious to Lovers ; Apa- 
 turia^ from the Deceit and Inconftancy of her Votaries^ 
 Ridens, from her Love of Mirth and Laughter (^)^ HortenJiSy 
 from her influencing the Vegetation of Plants and Flowers : 
 Marina^ from her being born of the Sea ; Melanis, from her 
 delighting in nodurnal (^) Amours; Meretrix^ from the 
 Proftitution of her Votaries ; and Genetrixy from her prefid- 
 ing over the Propagation of Mankind. The Epithet of 
 Migonitis, was given her from her Power in the Manage- 
 ment of Love (6), and that of Murcia and Myrtaa^ on ac- 
 count of the Myrtle confecrated to her. She was nam'd 
 Verticordia^ from her Power of changing the Heart; for 
 which Reafon the Greeks ^^\^ her Eri^r ^o(p'U, The Spartans 
 caird her Venus Armata^ becaufe when befieg'd by the Mejfe^ 
 titans, their Wives unknown to their Hufbands, rais'd the 
 Siege. The Romans alfo term'd her Barhata^ becaufe when 
 a Difeafe had feiz'd the Women, in which they loft all their 
 Hair, on their Prayers to Venus it grew again. A Temple 
 was dedicated to her by the Appellation of Caha\ becaufe, 
 
 (3) Under this Charaaer (he is reprefented leaning on a Shield, and 
 carrying Vi<fiory in her Right Hand, and a Sceptre in her Left. At other 
 Times with a Helmet, and the Apple of Faris in her Hand. 
 
 (4) Horace, Lib. I. Ode 2. Sive tu mavis Erycina ridens, fo llotrer caKs 
 her ^iAo^5<«»j?, or the Laughter- loving ^een. 
 
 (5) From f*t^«?, black, becaufe Lovers chufe the Night, 
 
 (6) From f^'Vi-^'fA*, to mix or mingle j io Virgtly 
 
 Mixta Deo Mulien 
 
 when 
 
102 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 when the Gauls invefted the Capitol the Women ofFer'd their 
 Hair to make Ropes for the Engines. She had alfo the Epi- 
 thet of Cluacina (y)^ from her Image being erected in the 
 Place where the Peace was concluded between the Romans 
 2nd Sabines. 
 
 Let us now enquire a little into the Actions afcrib'd to 
 this Goddefs. Her conjugal Behaviour we fliall fee under 
 the Article of Vulcan^ and find it was none of the moft edi- 
 fying. Her Amours were numerous. Not to mention 
 Jpolloy Neptune f Mars and Mercury, who all boafted of her Fa- 
 vours (8). She had Mneas (()) by Anchifes, but her princi- 
 pal Favourite was Adonis the Son of Cynaras^ King of Cyprus 
 and Myrrha, and a Youth of incomparable Beauty, unfortu- 
 nately in hunting he was kill'd by a wild Boar. Venus^ who 
 flew to his Afliftance, received a Prick in her Foot with a 
 Thorn, and the Blood which dropp'd from it produced the 
 Damafk Rofe (loj 'y but coming too late to fave him, fhe 
 changed him into the Flower Anemone^ which ftill retains a 
 Crimfon Colour (^i ij. After this fhe obtain'd of Proferpine 
 that Adonis {hould continue fix Months with her on Earth, 
 and fix Months remain in the lower Regions. 
 
 The moft remarkable Adventure of Fenus was her famous 
 Conteft with Juno and Miner^va for Beauty. At the Mar- 
 riage of ?eleus and Thetis^ the Goddefs Di/cord refenting her 
 not being invited, threw a Golden Apple amongft the Com- 
 pany with this Infcription, Let it be ginjen to the fair eji (12)^ 
 The Competitors for this Prize, were the three Deities 
 
 (7) From Cluo to fight. 
 
 (8) By Apollo (he had Elefiryonand five Sons; by Neptune , Eryx, and 
 Meligums a Daughter j by Marsy Timor and Pallor-, and by Mercury, 
 Hermafbroditui. 
 
 (9) Sheimmortaliz'd^we^i, by purifying and anointing his Body with 
 Ambrofial Eflence, and the Romans deify'd him by the Name of Indtga. 
 "We have feveral antient Infcriptions, i)eo hdigeti. 
 
 (10) O'vid, Lib. X. 505. 
 
 (11) Some mythologize this Story, to fignify by Monis the Sun, who, 
 during the Summer Signs, refides with Verus on the Earth, and during the 
 "Winter with Proferpine, ThQ wild Boar which kill'd him is the Cold. 
 
 (12) Detut PnUbriorit 
 
 above- 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 103 
 
 atove-mentioned. Jupiter referr'd them to Paris, youngeft 
 Son to Priamus, King of Troy^ who then kept his Father*s 
 Flocks on Mount Ida, Before him the GoddefTes appear'd, 
 as moft fayt naked. Juno ofFer'd him Empire or Power ; 
 Minerva, Wifdom ; and Venus endeavoured to bribe him with 
 the Promife of the Faireft Woman in the World. Fatally for 
 himfelf and Family, the Shepherd was more fufceptible of 
 Love, than of Ambition or Virtue, and decided the Point in 
 Favour of Venus, The Goddefs rewarded him with Helen 
 (I'i), whom he carry'd off from her Hufband Menelaus^ 
 King of Sparta, and the Rape gave Rife to that formidable 
 Affociation of the Greek Princes, which ended in the Deitruc- 
 tion of his Family, and the Ruin of Troy, 
 
 Venus, however propitious (he was to Lovers, was very 
 fevere to fuch as offended her. She changed the Women of 
 Amathus in Cyprus, into Oxen for their Cruelty. The Pro- 
 patides, who deny'd her Divinity, grew fo fhamelefsly im- 
 pudent, that they were faid to be harden'd into Stones (i^), 
 Hippomenes and Atalanta, were another Inftance of her Re- 
 fentment ; for after fhe had alTifted him to gain the Virgin, 
 on their Neglect to pay her the due Offerings, fne infatuated 
 them fo, that they lay together in the Temple of Cybele, 
 who, for that Profanation, turn'd them into Lions (i^)* 
 
 Nor was (he lefs favourable to her Votaries. Pygmalion, 
 a famous Statuary, from a Notion of the Inconveniencies of 
 Marriage, refolv'd to live fmgle. He had however form'd a 
 beautiful Image of a Virgin in Ivory, with which he fell fo 
 deeply enamour'd, that he treated it as a real Miftrefs, and 
 continually follicited Venus, by Prayers and Sacrifices, to ani- 
 mate his beloved Statue. His Wifhes were granted, and by 
 this enliven'd Beauty he had a Son caird Paphos, who gave 
 his Name to the City of Paphos in Cyprus (i6J, 
 
 (13) Sucb Helen ivas, andnvha can blame the Boy, 
 
 Who in fo bright a Flame confuni'd his Troy ? Waller. 
 (14.) See O'vidy Lib. X. 1. 23?. 
 
 (15) See the Article of Cybele, and Ovid Lib, X. 560. 
 
 (16) Ovid, Lib. X. 245, 
 
 A Goddefs 
 
104 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 A Goddefs fo univerfally own'd and ador'd could nof fail 
 of Temples. That of Paphos in Cyprus was the Principal. 
 In that of Rome dedicated to her by the Title of Venus Libitinay 
 were fold all Things neceffary for Funerals. She had alfo a 
 magnificent Shrine built for her by her Son jEneas^ on 
 Mount Eryx in Sicily, The Sacrifices ufually ofFer'd to her 
 were white Goats and Swine, with Libations of Wine^ Milk 
 and Honey. The Victims were crownM with Flowers or 
 Wreaths of Myrtle. The Birds facred to her were the 
 Sivattf the Dove, and the Sparrow. 
 
 So far for the Fenus Pandemos, or Popularis the Goddefs of 
 wanton and eflfeminate Love j but the Antients had another 
 Venus ^ whom they ftyPd Urania and Celejiis^ (who was indeed 
 no other than the Syrian Aftarte) and to whom they afcrib'd 
 no Attributes, but fuch as were ftri6tly chafte and virtuous* 
 Of this Deity they admitted no corporeal Refemblance, but 
 fhe was reprefented by the Form of a Globe ending coni- 
 cally ('i'])i and only pureFire was burnt on her Altars. Her 
 Sacrifices were call'd Nephalia, on account of their Sobriety, 
 only Honey and Wine being ofl^er'd ; but no Animal Vic- 
 tims except the Heifer, nor was the Wood of Figs^ Vines or 
 Mulberries {\xWqi'' 6. to be us'd in them; 
 
 This Diftindion of two Venufes^ the Chafte and the Im- 
 pure one, leads us to the true Explication of the Fable. In 
 the different Attributes of the Egyptian Jfis, we fee thefe con- 
 tradidlory Charadters explain'd. The Jjts crown'd with the 
 Crefcent Star of fome of the Zodiacal Signs, is the celeftiai 
 Venus, The IJis with the Terreftrial Symbols, fuch as the 
 Heads of Animals, a Multitude ofBreafts, or a Child in her 
 Lap, became the Goddefs of Fruitfulnefs and Generation, 
 and confequently the Venus Pandemos. As the latter was re- 
 garded as a Divinity propitious to Luxury and Pleafure, it i$ 
 no Wonder if ihe foon gained the Afcendant over her 
 
 (17) This Manner of Reprefentation was borrow'd from tire Arabians 
 and Syrians, who thought the Deity was not to be exprefs'd by any corpo- 
 real Forlii» 
 
 Rival. 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 105 
 
 Rival, in Phoenicia and Egypt^ the young Girls (i^) confe- 
 crated to the Service of the Terreftrial IJis^ ufually refided in 
 a Tent or Grove near her Temple, and w^ere common Prof- 
 titutesj whereas thofe devoted to the Caeleftial IJisy or Venn^ 
 Urania^ were ftridlily chafte. Thefe Tabernacles were call'd 
 the Pa'villion x>f the Girls (ig)t and gave Rife to the Name 
 of Venus, afcrib'd to the Goddefs of Love. The Syrians alfo 
 call'd the terreftrial IJis^ Melitta^ or llythye (zo)^ and the 
 Greeks and Romans adopted the fame Name. Thus the Sym- 
 bolical Ifis of Egypt^ after producing the different Deities of 
 Cybelc-^ Rhea^ Vefla^ Juno^ Diana, Luna, Hecate and Proferpinet 
 form'd alfo the different Charadlers of the common and ce- 
 leftial Venus ', fo eafily does Superftition and Invention mul- 
 tiply the Obje£b of Idolatry. 
 
 As Venus was the Goddefs of Love and Pleafure, it Is no 
 Wonder if the Poets have been lavifti in the Defcription of 
 hep Beauties. Both Homer and Virgil have (21 J given us 
 fine Pidures of this Kind. Nor were the antient Sculptors 
 and Painters negligent on fo interefting a Subject. Phidias 
 form'd her Statue of Ivory and Gold, with one Foot on a 
 Tortoife f 22 j. Scopas reprefented her riding on a He-Goat, 
 and Praxiteles wrought her Statue at Cnidos of white Marble, 
 half opening her Lips and fmiiing. Jpelles drew her as juft 
 
 (18) They were call'd Ki<iro<po^o]^ or Bafket-Bearers, becaufe they 
 carried the Offerings. 
 
 (19) Succotb Fenotbf the Tabernacle of the Girls. The Greeks and 
 Romans, who could not pronounce the Word Fenotb, call'd it Fenos, or 
 Fenus, and hearing the Tents of Fenus fo often mentioned, took it for the 
 Name of the Goddefs herftlf. 
 
 (20) From jeled^ to beget ; comes Jlittay Generation ; which the 
 Latins well exprefs'd by Diva Genitrix, or Genitalis, See Horace, Car-. 
 men Seculare, 1. 14. 
 
 (21) She f aid i and turning round, her Neck ^e Jhoiv^d, 
 That nvith celejiial Charms divinely glow'' d\ 
 
 Her nuaving Locks immortal Fragrance ped. 
 And breathed ambroftal Sweets around her Head : 
 
 * In flowing Pomp her radiant Robe was feen,. 
 
 * And all the Goddefs fparkled in her Mein.' 
 
 P/>f's Firgil, i^neid I. 402. 
 
 (22) This Statue was at ^ lis, and the Tortoife was defign'd to (hew, 
 that Women Ibould not go much abroad, but attend their j^omeflick 
 Affairs, 
 
 P emerged 
 
io6 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 emerged from the Sea, and prelTing the Water out of her 
 Hair, a Piece that was reckon'd ineftimable. It were endlefs 
 to mention the Variety of Attitudes in which fhe is repre- 
 fented in Antique Gems and Medals f 23J j fometimes fhe is 
 cloath'd in Purple, glittering with Gems, her Head crown'd 
 with Rofes, and drawn in her Ivory Car, by Swans, Doves, 
 or Sparrows. At others fhe is reprefented Handing with the 
 Graces attending her; but in all Pofitions Cupid htr Son is her 
 infeparable Companion. I fhall only add, that the Statue 
 call'd the Medicean Venus^ is the beft Figure of her which 
 Time has preferv'd. • 
 
 (23) See a great Number of thefe in Mr. OgW^ Antiquities, illuftrated by 
 antient Gems, a Work which it is a great Lofs to the Publick, that inge- 
 nious and worthy Gentleman did not Jive tofinifti. 
 
 CHAP. XXXV. 
 
 Of the Attendants c/ V E N U S, viz, Cupfd, 
 Hymen, and the Hor^, or Hours, 
 
 BEFORE we clofe the Article of Venus^ it is necef- 
 fary to give fome Account of the Deities, who were 
 ufually reprefented in her Train, and formed a Part of that 
 State with which fhe ufually appear'd. 
 
 The firft of thefe is Cupid. Some make him one of the 
 moft antient of the Deities, and fay he had no Parents; but 
 fucceeded immediately after Chaos. Others report, that Nox^ 
 or ^ight^ produced an Egg, which having hatch'd under 
 her fable Wings, brought forth Cupid^ or io'z;^, who with 
 golden Pinions immediately flew through the whole World. 
 (\). But the common Opinion is, that Cupid was the Son 
 of Mars and Venusy and the Favourite Child of his Mother, 
 who without his Aid, as fhe confelTes in Virgil, could do 
 
 (i) Others make him the Son of For us, the God of Counfel, who be- 
 ing drunk begot him on Peria the Goddefs of Poverty j others the Soaof 
 Calus nn^l'eira, and fome of Zephyui and Flora, 
 
 little 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 107 
 
 little Execution Indeed the Poets, when they invoke the 
 Mother, feldom fail to make their joint AddreiFes to the Son 
 (z). Perhaps this Conrcioufnefs ofliis own Importance, 
 render'd this little Divinity fo arrogant, that on many Occa- 
 iions he forgets his filial Duty. This Cupid belong'd to the 
 Venus Pandemos^ or Popularis^ and was call'd Jnteros, or Luft. 
 But the Antients mention another Cupid Son of Jupiter and 
 Venus of a nobler Character, whofe Delight it was to raife 
 refin'd Sentiments of Love and Virtue, whereas the other 
 infpir'd bafe and impure Defires. His Name was Eros^ or 
 true Love, Eros bore a Golden Dart, which caufed real Joy 
 and AfFedl:ion, Jnteros a Leaden Arrow, which raisM a fleet- 
 ing Paifion, ending in Satiety and Difguft. 
 
 Cupid was reprefented ufually naked, to {how that Love 
 has nothing of its own. He is arm'd with a Bow and Qui- 
 ver full of Darts, to fhew his Power of the Mind; and 
 crown'd with Rofes, to (hew the delightful but tranfitory 
 Pleafures he beflows. Sometimes he is depidur'd blind^ to 
 denote that Love fees no Faults in the Object belov'd; at 
 others he appears with a Rofe in one Hand and a Dolphin in 
 the other; fometimes he is feen {landing between -f/ierca/f/ 
 and Mercury^ to fignify the Prevalence of Eloquence and 
 Valour in Love ; at others he is plac'd near Fortune, to ex- 
 prefs how much the Succefs of Lovers depends on that in- 
 conflant Goddefs. He is always drawn with Wings, to ty- 
 pify, that nothing is more fleeting than the Paflion he 
 excites. 
 
 The Egyptian Horus, which attended the terreftrial IJts, or 
 the Venus Popularisy or Pandemos, was, according to the Cuf- 
 tom of the Neomeni^y reprefented with different Attributes, 
 fometimes with the Wings of the Etefian Wind, at others 
 with the Club of Hercules (t,)^ the Arrows of Apollo ^ fitting 
 on a Lyon, driving a Bull, tying -a Ram, or having a large 
 
 (2) See Horace^ Lib. I, Ode xxx. et PafTim. 
 
 (3) There is a Gem in Mr. Ogle anfwering this Defcription, 
 
 P z Fiih 
 
io8 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Fifh in his Nets. Thefe Signs of the different Seafons of 
 the Year, gave Rife to as many Fables. The Empire of 
 Eros^ or Love, was made to extend to Heaven and Earth, 
 and even to the Depths of the Ocean j and this little, but 
 pov/erful Child, had difarmed Gods and Men. 
 
 Hymen the fecond Attendant of P'enus^ was the God of 
 Marriage, and the Son of Bacchus and that Goddefs (^)* 
 He is faid to be born in Attica^ where he made it his Bufmefs 
 to refcue Virgins carried off by Robbers, and to reftore them 
 to their Parents. On this Account all Maids newly married 
 offer'd Sacrifices to him ; as alfo to the Goddefs of Concord, 
 He was invoked in the nuptial Ceremony (r^) in a particu- 
 lar Manner. 
 
 This God was reprefented of a fair Complexion, crown'd 
 with Amaricus^ or the Herb Sweet Marjoram, and rob'd in a 
 Veil of Saffron Colour (reprefentative of the Bridal Blulhes) 
 with a Torch lighted in his Hand, becaufe the Bride was 
 carried always Home by Torch-Light. 
 
 Every one knows it was a conffant Cuftom of the orien-» 
 tal Nations, on the Wedding-Day, to attend the Bride-r 
 groom and Bride with Torches and Lamps. The Chorus 
 on thefe Occafions was Hu! Humeneh^ Here he comes / T^his is 
 the Feftival (6) ! The Horus exhibited on this Occafion in 
 Egyptf was a young Man bearing a Lamp or Torch, plac'd 
 near the IJis^ which denoted the Day of the Month fix'd for 
 the Ceremony. 
 
 The Graces, who always attended Venus^ have been already 
 defcribed with the Mufes under the Article of Apollo. 
 
 The Hor^e^ or Hours, were the Daughters of Sol and 
 Ghronis, (or Time) and the Harbingers of their Father. They 
 were alfo the Nurfes of Fenus, as well as her Dreflers, and 
 made a neceffary Part of her Train, 
 
 (4.) Hymen is thought to be ^the Son of the Goddefs ^^nus Urania, or 
 the celeltial Venus. 
 
 (5) They repeated often the Words, O Hymen, O Hymemse ! 
 
 (6) From Hu, lo ! or here he is, and Mcneb the Feaft or Sacrifice, comes 
 Bymenaui, 
 
 CHAP, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 109 
 
 CHAR XXXVI; 
 Of VULCAN, 
 
 TH O U G H the Hulband fhould ufually precede the 
 Wife, yet Vulcan was too unhappy in Wedlock to 
 obtain this Diftindion. There were feveral of the Name 
 (\)^ but the Principal, who arriv'd at the Honour of being 
 deify'd, was the Son of Jupiter and Juno^ or as others fay, of 
 Juno alone ; However this be, he was fo remarkably de- 
 form'd, that his Father threw him down from Heaven to the 
 Ifle of Lemnos, and in the Fall he broke his Leg (2). Others 
 report, that Juno herfelf, difgufted at his Sight, hurl'd him 
 into the Sea, where he was nurfed by Thetis (^J, 
 
 The firft Refidence of Fulcan on Earth, was the Ifle of 
 Lemnos ^4^, where he fet up his Forge, and taught Men 
 how to foften and polifti Brafs and Iron. From thence he 
 removed to the Liparean Ifles near Sicily^ where, with the Af- 
 fiftance of the Cyclops, he made Jupiter frefh Thunderbolts^ 
 as the Old grew decay'd, He alfo wrought an Helmet for 
 Pluto, which render'd him invifible, a Trident for Neptune 
 that fhakes both Land and Sea, and a Dog of Brafs for 
 Jupiter^ which he animated fo, as to perform (^) all the 
 natural Fundions of the Animal. Nor is this a Wonder, 
 when we confider, that at the Defire of the fame God, he 
 formed Pandora, who was fent with the fatal Box to Prome^ 
 theus, as has been related in its Place. In fhort, Vulcan was 
 
 (i) The jft, faid to be the Son of Calus-, the 2d, the Son of Nilus, 
 call'd Opas ; the 3d, the Vulcan Son of Jupiter and Juno, mentioned 
 above ; and the 4th, the Son of Manalius, who refided in the Fulcanian. 
 or Liparean Ifles. 
 
 (2) He was caught by the Lemniam, or he had broke his Neck. It i% 
 added, he was a whole Day in falling. 
 
 (3) Others report he fell on the Land, and was nurs'd by yipes ; and 
 that Jupiter expelPd him the Skies for atten^pting to refcue Juno, when ftia 
 confpirM againft him. 
 
 (4) Becaufe Lemnos abounds in Minerals and hot Springs* 
 
 . (5) J"ptter gave this Dpg to Europa, flie to Procris, and by her it was 
 given to Cepbalus her Hufband, and by Jupiter after turn'd to a Stone. 
 
J 10 Fah/lous HISTORY 
 
 the general Armourer of the Gods. He made Bacchus a 
 golden Crown to' prefent Ariadne^ a Chariot for the Sun^ and 
 another for Man. At the Requeft of Thetis he fabricated 
 the divine Armour of Achilles^ whofe Shield is fo beautifully 
 defcrib'd by Ho7ner (6) ; as alfo the invincible Armour of 
 jEneas at the Intreaty of Venuu To conclude, with an 
 Inftance of his Skill this Way, in Revenge for his Mother 
 Juno's Unkindnefs he prefented her a golden Chair, managed 
 by fuch unfeen Springs, that when fhe fat down in it, (he 
 was not able to move 'till fhe was forc'd to beg her Delive- 
 rance from him. 
 
 Vulcan^ like the reft of the Gods, had feveral Names or 
 Appellations. He was call'd Lemnius^ from the Ifle of Lem- 
 nos confecrated to him; MuUiber, or Mulcifer, from his 
 Art of foftening Steel and Iron. By the Greeks Hephaijius^ 
 from his delighting in Flames or Fire ; and jEtneus and Lipa- 
 reus^ from the Places fuppos'd to be his Forges (j). As to 
 his Worfliip, he had an Altar in common with Prometheus 
 (SJ, and was one of the Gods who prefided over Marriage, 
 becaufe he iirft introduced the Ufe of Torches at the Nup- 
 tial Rites. It was cuftomary with many Nations, after Vic- 
 tory, to gather the Enemy's Arms in a Heap, and offer them 
 to Vulcan, His principal Temple was in a confecrated Grove 
 at the Foot of Mount JEtna^ guarded by Dogs, who had the 
 Difcernment to diftinguifh his Votaries, to tear the vicious 
 and fawn upon the Virtuous. 
 
 The proper Sacrifice to this Deity was a Lyon, to denote 
 the refiftlefs Fury of Fire. His Feftivals were different : At 
 thofe call'd Proter^'ia^ (amongft the Romans) they ran about 
 with lighted Torches. The Vulcania were celebrated by 
 throwing living Animals into the Fire. The Lampadophoriu 
 were Races perform'd to his Honour, where the Contention 
 was to carry lighted Torches to the Gaol \ but whoever 
 
 (6) See Iliad, Lib. i8. 
 
 (7) On Account of the Volcanoi and fiery Eruptions there. 
 
 (8) Protr.etbeui firft invenied Fire, Fukan theHJfe of it in making Arms 
 and Utenfiis. 
 
 overtook 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. hi 
 
 overtook the Perfon before him, had the Privilege of deliver- 
 ing him his Torch to carry, and to retire with Honour. 
 
 Vulcan^ however difagreeable his Perfon was, was fenfible 
 of Love : His firft Pallion was for Miner^jay and he had Ju- 
 piter s> Confent to make his Addreffes to her ; but his Court- 
 fhip was too ill placM to be fuccefsful. He was more fortu- 
 nate in his Suit to Venus^ though he had no great Reafon to 
 boaft his Lot. The Goddefs was too great a Beauty to be 
 conftant, and Vulcan too difagreeable to be happy. She chofe 
 Mars for her Gallant, and the Intrigue for fome Time went 
 on fwimmingly. As Apollo^ or the Sun^ had a Friendfhip for 
 the Hufband, Mars was particularly fearful of his difcover- 
 ing the Affair, and therefore fet a Boy call'd Aharyon^ or 
 Gallus^ to warn him and his fair Miftrefs of the Sun's Ap- 
 proach. The Centinel unluckily fell aHeep, and fo the Sun 
 faw them together, and let Vulcan prefent'y into the Secret. 
 The Blackfmith God to revenge the Injury, againft their 
 next Meeting, contriv'd fo fine and imperceptible a Net- 
 work, that they were taken in their Guilt and expofed to 
 the Ridicule of the Gods, 'till releas'd at the InterceHion of 
 Neptune. Mars, to punifh Alcdryon for his Neglect, chang'd 
 him into a Cock, who to attone his Fault, by his crowing 
 gives conftant Notice of the Sun-Rife (9). 
 
 This Deity, as the God of Fire, was reprefented vari- 
 oufly in different Nations. The Egyptians depidled him pro- 
 ceeding but of an Egg plac'd in the Mouth of Jupiter^ to 
 denote the radical or natural Heat diffus'd through all created 
 Beings. Some Hiftorians make him one of the firft Egyp. 
 tian Kings, who for his Goodnefs was deify'd ; and add, that 
 King Menes ere6led a noble Temple to him at Thehesy with a 
 •Coloffal Statue Seventy-five Feet high. The Phanicians 
 ador'd him by the Name of Cry/or^ and thought him the Au- 
 thor and Gaufe of Lightning, and all fiery Exhalations. Some 
 Writers confound him with the Tubal Cain of Scripture. la 
 
 (9) See Owd, Lib. IV. 167. 
 
 antlent 
 
112 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 antient Gems and Medals of the Greeks and Romans^ he is 
 figur'd as a lame, deform'd, and fquallid Man working at 
 the Anvil, and ufually attended by his Men the Cyclops^ or 
 by feme God or Goddefs who come to afk his Alliftance. 
 
 To examine into the Ground of this Fable, we muft have 
 once more Recourfe to the Egyptian Antiquities. The Horut 
 of the Egyptians was the moft mutable Figure on Earth ; for 
 he aflum'd Shapes fuitable to all Seafons of Time, and 
 Ranks of People: To dire£l the Hufbandmen he wore a 
 rural Drefs. By a Change of Attributes he became the In- 
 ftru(5tor of the Smiths and other Artificers, whofe Inftru- 
 ments he appear'd adorn'd with. This Horus of the Smiths 
 had a ftiort or lame Leg, to fignify that Agriculture or Huf-" 
 bandry halts without the AlTiftance of the Handicraft or me- 
 chanic Arts. In this Apparatus he was caird MuUiher (z). 
 Hephaijios {3), and Vulcan (4), all which Names the Greeks 
 and Romans adopted with the Figure^ which as ufual they con* 
 verted from a Symbol to a God. Now as this Horus was re* 
 mov'd from the Side of the beautiful IJis (or the Venus Pan^ 
 demos) to make Room for the martial Horusy expofed in 
 Time of War, it occafion'd the Jeft of the Ailiftants, and 
 gave Rife to the Fable of Vulcan s being fupplanted in his 
 Wife's AfFedions by the Godoi War. 
 
 (a) From Malac, to direft and manage ; and Ber or Beer a Cave or 
 Mine, comes Mukiber, the King of the Mines or Forges. 
 
 (3) From Apb, Father j and EJio Fire, is form'd Efbaijlo, or Hepbef^ 
 tion the Father of Fire. 
 
 (4.) From IVall, to work, and Canan, to haften, comes Wolcatiy or 
 "Workfiniflied. 
 
 CHAR XXXVIL 
 
 Of the Offspring ^/VULCAN. 
 
 THOUGH Vulcan had no Iffue by Venus, yet he had 
 a pretty numerous Offspring. We have already men- 
 tion'd his Pallion for Minewa, This Goddefs coming one 
 
 Day 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 113 
 
 Day to befpeak fome Armour of him, he attempted to ravifh 
 her, and in the Struggle, his Seed fell on the Ground and 
 produc'd the Monfter Erichthonius (5). Minewa nourifli'd 
 him in her Thigh, and afterwards gave him to be nurfed by 
 Aglauros^ Pandro/us, and Herje^ but with a ftri6t Caution not 
 to look in the Cradle or Coffer which held him. The firft 
 and lall negledting this Advice ran mad. Ericthonius being 
 born with deform'd, or as fome fay, Serpentine Leg-, was 
 the firft Inventor of Chariots to ride in. He was the 4th 
 King of Athens, and a Prince of great Juftice and Equity. 
 
 Cacus^ another Son of Vulcan^ was of a different Character, 
 He was a notorious Robber, and receiv'd his Name from his 
 confummate Villany (6). He fix'd himfelf on Mount Anjen- 
 t'tne^ and from thence infefted all Italy w'v^ his Depredations; 
 but having ftolen fome Oxen from Hercules^ he dragg'd him 
 backwards to his Cave (7), that the Robbery might not be 
 difcover'd by the Track. Hercules, however, palling that 
 Way, heard the lowing of his Cattle, broke open the 
 Doors, and feizing the Wretch put him to Death. 
 
 A Third Son of Vulcan^ Caculus (SJ, (o call'd from his 
 little Eyes, refembled his Brother Cacus^ and liv'd by Prey. It 
 is faid his Mother fitting by the Fire, a Spark flew into her 
 Lap, upon which fhe conceiv'd. Others fay fome Shep- 
 herds found him in the Fire as foon as born. He founded the 
 City Vnenejle. 
 
 By his Wife Jglaia^ one of the Graces^ Vulcan had feveral 
 Sons, as Ardalusy the Inventor of the Pipe call'd T^ibia. Bro- 
 theusy who being deform'd like his Father, deftroy'd himfelf 
 in the Fire, to avoid the Reproaches he met with, ^thiopsj 
 who gave his Name to the ^thiopans, before call'd ^the- 
 
 (5) Deriv'd from Ef*^-:^ and %^o^■(^, or Earth and Contention. 
 
 (6) From «a«©-, bad or wicked. 
 
 (7) Virgil\\z% given a fine Defcription of this Cave, but he makes him 
 but half a Man. See^^neid VIII. 194. 
 
 (2) It is thought the noble iJ&wan Family of C^pn/;/' derive their Name 
 from him. See Virgil, i^neid X. 544, and ^neid VII. 6S0, 
 
 Q reans^ 
 
1 14 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 reansy Oknus the Founder of a City of his own Name iil 
 Baotia, jEgyptus from whom Egypt was call'd, Albion ^ Peri^ 
 phenuSf Morgion, Jcus^ and feveral others. 
 
 CHAP. XXXVIII. 
 
 Of the Cyclops and Polyphemus. 
 
 TH E Cyclop were the Sons of 'Neptune and Jmphitrite. 
 The Principal were Brontes^ Steropes and Pyracmon^ 
 though their whole Number was above a Hundred. They 
 were the Journey-Men of Vulcan. It is faid, as foon as they 
 were born Jupiter threw them into Tartarus^ but that they 
 were deliver'd at the InterceiHon of 7ellus, and fb became 
 the AiTiftants of our God. They had each but one Eye ( i) 
 plac'd in the Middle of their Foreheads, and liv'd on fuch 
 Fruits and Herbs as the Earth brought forth without Cultiva- 
 tion. They are reported to have built the Walls oi Mycenae 
 2ind Tyrinthe with fuch mafl'y Stones, that the fmalleft requir'd 
 two Yoke of Oxen to draw it. The Dealers in Mythology 
 fay, that the Cyclops fignify the Vapours rais'd in the Air; 
 which occafion Thunder and Lightning. 
 
 With thefe we may clafs Poljphemusy though he was the 
 Son of Neptuney having like the Cyclops but one Eye ; but of 
 f(r gigantic a Stature, that his very AfpeCl was terrible. His 
 Abode was in Sicily , where he furpriz'd Ulyjfes and his Com- 
 panions, of whom he devour'd three ; but Ulyjfes making 
 him drunk blinded him with a Firebrand, and fo efcap'd 
 with the reft. Vi>gil has given us a 't^no, Defcription of this 
 Scene (2)^ 
 
 (9) From yi'JK>^ Circulus, and w-l' Oculus, that is the Otie-Ey''J Men. 
 
 (10) See Firgii JEne\6, Lib. 111. 620, but the whole Defcription, 
 though admirable, is too Ions to be copied. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
^a^ii^. 
 
 <f?.-Z .'JfniMv>£i//^^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods, T15 
 
 CHAP. XXXIX. 
 Of MINERVA or PALLAS. 
 
 WE come next to VAnernja or Pallas^ one of the moft 
 diftinguifh'd of the Dii Majores, as being the God- 
 defs of •Sr/Vwr^/ and Wifdom. Cicero mentions five (i) of 
 tliis Name ; but the moft confiderable was the Daughter of 
 Jupitery not by any infamous Amour, nor even by the conju- 
 gal Bed, but the Child of his Brain. It is faid her Father 
 feeing Juno barren, through Grief ftruck his Forehead, and 
 three Months after came forth Minerva (i). On the Day of 
 her Nativity it rain'd Gold at Rhodes ('^). Her firft Appear- 
 ance on Earth was in Libya ^ where beholding her own Beau- 
 ty in the Lake Triton^ fhe from thence gained the N^me of 
 Tritonis f/\.J, 
 
 She had befide feveral other Apellations amongft the 
 Greeks and Romans, She was call'd Pa//as from the brandifti- 
 ing her Spear in War. Athena^ becaufe fhe was born full 
 grown and never fuckled; whence alfo fhe obtain'd the 
 Name oiAmetroJs, or Motherlefs. The Epitliet of Partkenis', 
 or the Virgin, was given her on account of her perpetual 
 
 (i) The ift the Mother of Apdh or Latova ; the iA produced from the 
 I<!ile and worftiipp'd at Saii in Egypt j the 3d the Child of Jupiter's Brain ; 
 the 4th the Daughter of Jupiter and Corypba, who invented Chariots 
 with four Wheels ; and the 5th the Child of Palias v/hom (he kiU'd, be- 
 qaufe be atternpted his. Chaftity. 
 
 (2) It is faid, Vulcan was the Midwife, by cleaving his 5kull with a 
 Hatchet ; but that feeing an arm*d Virago come out inftead of a Child he 
 run away. Others report, that when Jupiter fwallow'd Metis, one of his 
 Wives, he fell with Child oi Pallas. 
 
 (3) Hence the Rbodians were the firft who worfliipp'd her, as Claudian 
 remarks. 
 
 Aiiratos Rhodiis imhres nafcente Minerva 
 Induxijfe Jovem ferunt. 
 Some fay it was becaufe (he taught them the Art of making ColoJ/a I Statues. 
 
 (4) An annual Ceremony was perform'd at this Lake by the F/V^/wi, 
 who in diftind Bodies attacked each other with various Weapons. The 
 firft that fell was efteem'd not a Maid, and thrown into the Lake j but ftie 
 who receiv'd moft Wounds was cvried off in Triumph. 
 
 (^2 Chaftityj . 
 
lie Fabulous H I STORY 
 
 Chaftity ; that of Ergatis, or the Workwoman, for her Ex- 
 cellency in Spinning and Weaving ; Mufica^ from her in- 
 venting the Pipe ; Pylotis^ becaufe her Image was fet up in 
 the Gates j and Glaucopis or Green-Ey'd, becaufe her Eyes 
 were of that Caft f 5 j, like thofe of the Owl. 
 
 Mimrnja was the Goddefs of War, Wifdom and Arts* 
 fuch as Weaving, the making Oil, Mufick, efpeciaDy the 
 Pipe (6) ; of building Caftles, over which fhe prefided ; and, 
 in Ihort, was the Patronefs of all thofe Sciences, which ren- 
 der Men ufeful to Society and themfelves, and intitle them 
 to the Efteem of Pofterity. 
 
 We have already had occafion to obferve how this God- 
 defs vow'd a perpetual Virginity, and in what Manner fhe 
 reje61:ed the Addrefles of Vulcan, She was indeed very deli- 
 cate on this Point, for fhe depriv'd T^irefias of his Sight, be- 
 caufe he accidentally faw her bathing in the Fountain of 
 helicon ; but at the Interceflion of his Mother C/jaricle, fhe 
 relented fo far, that to compenfate his Lois, fhe endued him 
 with the Gift of Prophecy fjj. Nor was fhe lefs fevere to 
 Meduja^ who being ravifh'd by Neptune in her Temple, fhe 
 reveng'd the Sacrilege, by turning her Locks into Snakes, 
 and caufing all who beheld her after to be chang'd into Stones. 
 She was equally jealous of her Superiority in the Arts fhe 
 invented. Jrachne a L>'^/^« Princefs, the Daughter of Idmony 
 bad the Prefumption to challenge her at Spinning. The 
 Folly cofl her dear ; for Miner^va flruck her with the Spindle 
 on the Forehead, and attempting to hang herfelf through 
 Defpair, the Goddefs turn'd her into a Spider^ in which 
 Shape fhe flill exercifes the Profeffion fhe fo much boafted 
 
 ( s) Yet Hcmer and all the Poets call her the Blue-Ey^d Maid. See Pcpe, 
 
 (6) It is faid, feeing hex Cheeks reflefled in the Water as flie play "d, 
 fhci threw away the Pipe with this Exprelfion } That Mufick ixaz tco dear, 
 if furcha^'' d at the Exbencc of Beauty. 
 
 (7) Ovid relates the Story of Tirefas very differently j for which fee 
 Me:amor^h, Lib. III. 316. and quote the Story. 
 
 it' The 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 117 
 
 (7). The Reader may confult O'vid^ if he would fee thig 
 Story fet in a beautitul Light. 
 
 As condu£t is oppofite, in military Affairs, to brutal Va- 
 lour, (o Minerva is always by the Poets plac'd in contraft to 
 Mars. Thus we fee Homer makes her fide with the Greeks ii\ 
 the Trojan War, while the other Deity takes the Part of the 
 Enemy. The Succefs is anfwerable to this Difpofition (S), 
 and we fee Prudence and Difcipline viftorious over Valour 
 without Counfel, and Force under no Direction. 
 
 One of the moft remarkable of Mher^va^s Adventures, was 
 her Conteft with Neptune , of which Notice has been taken 
 under the Article of that Deity. When Cecrops founded 
 Athens^ it was agreed, that whoever of thefe two Deities 
 fhould produce the moft beneficial Gift to Mankind, fhould 
 give Name to the New City. Neptune with a Stroke of his 
 Trident form'd a Hor/e j Pallas caus'd an Olioje to fpring from 
 the Ground, and carried the Prize. The Meaning of this 
 Fable was to point out, that Agriculture was to a rifing Co- 
 lony of more Importance than Navigation. 
 
 Miner'va was highly honour'd, and had feveral Temples 
 both in Greece and Italy. The Jthenians^ who always had a 
 particular Devotion to her, as the Patronefs of their City, 
 in the flourifhing State of their Republick, ere£led a mag- 
 nificent Temple to her by the Name of Parthenis^ or the 
 Virgin-Goddefs^ in which they plac'd her Statue of Gold and 
 Ivory Thirty-nine Feet high, wrought by the Hands of 
 Phidias, She had a Stately Temple at Rome on Mount ^ven' 
 tine, where her Feftival cali'd Miner^alia or ^inguatria^ was 
 celebrated for five Days fucceffively in the Month of March, 
 She had fometimes her Altars in common with Vulcan^ fome- 
 times with Mercury. The ufual Vi6lim ofFer'd her was a 
 White Heifer never yoked. The Animals facred to her were 
 the Cofi, the Ow/, and the Bafilijk, 
 
 (7) SeeO't/W, Lib. VI. r. 
 
 (8) See the Preface to Mr. Po/e's ilomtrt 
 
 We 
 
ii8 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 We muft not here omit the Palladium (g)^ or thtxt facred 
 Statue of her which fell down from Heaven, and was pre- 
 iervM in Troy, as a Treafure on whofe Safety that of the 
 Kingdom depended. Diomedes and Ulyjfes found Means to 
 fleal it, and the City was foon after taken and deftroy'd (lo) 
 However, it is certain that JElneas brought either this or ano- 
 ther of the fame Kind with him into Italy ^ and depofited it 
 at Lanjinium, from whence it was remov'd to Rome^ and plac'd 
 in the Temple of Vejia, When this Edifice was confum'd 
 by Fire, Metellus^ z noble Roman, rufh'd in and brought it 
 ofF, though with the Lofs of his Eyes, in Recompenfe for 
 which heroic A6lion, he had the Privilege of coming to the 
 Senate in a Chariot, that the Honour might in fome Degree 
 allay the Senfe of his Misfortune. The Romans indeed, vain 
 of their Trojan Defcent, regarded the Palladium in the fame 
 Light with their Anceftors, and thought the Security and 
 Duration of their Empire annex'd to the PofTellion of this 
 Guardian Image. 
 
 Come we next to enquire Into the mythological Birth and 
 Origin of this fabled Goddefs, who is no other than the Egyp- 
 tian IJts under a new Drefs or Form, and the fame with the^ 
 Pales, or rural Goddefs of the Sabine s (ll). The Athenian s^ 
 who were an Egyptian Colony from Sais^ follow'd the Cuf- 
 toms of their Anceftors, by particularly applying themfelves 
 to raifmg Flax for Linnen Cloth, and the Cultivation of the 
 Oli've (12). Now the 7/?^ worfhipp'd at Sais, as prefiding 
 over thefe Arts, was a female Figure in compleat Armour. 
 This, as Diodorus tells us, was becaufe the Inhabitants of 
 this Dynafy, were both the beft Hufbandmen ajid Soldiers in 
 
 <9) Authors differ as to this Palladium, fome making it of Wood, and 
 addmg, it could move its Eyes and fhake its Spear. Others fay, it was 
 compos'd of the Bones of Pelops, and fold by the Scythians to the Trojans. 
 
 (10) Some aflert it was a Co\inttrit\t Palladium the Greek Generals ftoJe 
 away, and that Mntas fav'd the true One. Others make two Palladiums, 
 
 (11) To whofe Honour the Feafts c^WAPalilia were celebrated Now 
 this Word is manifeftly of Egyptian Derivation, being taken from Pelil^ to 
 govern the City j whence comes Pelilahy the Publick Order. 
 
 (12) The City of Sais deriv'd its Name from this Tree, Zaitb or Saii 
 fignifying the Oiive, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 119 
 
 Egypt, In the Hand of this Image they placed a Shield with 
 a Full Moon depicted on it, furrounded by Serpents, the 
 Emblems of Life and Happinefs. And at the Feet of this 
 JJts they plac'd an Ow/, to fhew it was a nodurnal Sacrifice. 
 To this Ifis they gave the Name of Medufa (13), expreffive 
 of what (he was defign'd to reprefent. The Greeks who were 
 ignorant of the true Meaning of all this, did not think fit ta 
 put fuch a favourable Senfe on the Head of Medufa, which 
 feem'd to them an Objeft of Horror, and open'd a fine Field 
 for poetical Imagination. The prelUng of the Olives did 
 indeed turn Fruit into Stones, in a litteral Senfe j hence they 
 made the JEgis or Shield of Minern)a petrify all who beheld it. 
 To remind the People of the Importance of their Linnen 
 Manufactory, the Egyptians expos'd in their Feftivals ano- 
 ther Ifis, bearing in her right Hand the Beam or Inflrumenc 
 round which the Weavers roU'd the Warp of their Cloth- 
 This Image they call'd Miner'ua (14). Now there are antient 
 Figures of Pallas extant, which correfpond with this Idea 
 (15). What ftill heightens the Probability of this is, that 
 the Name of Atbanee given to this Goddefs, is the very Word 
 in Eg^pt for the flaxen Thread (16) ufed in their Looms. 
 Near this Ifis^ which was to warn the Inhabitants of the Ap- 
 proach of the Weaving or V/inter-Seafon, they plac'd the 
 Figure of 2n Infed, whofe Induftry feems to have given Rife 
 to this Art, and to which they gave the Name oi Arachne (17), 
 to denote its Application. All thefe Emblems tranfplanted 
 to Greece, by the Genius of that People, fond of the mar- 
 vellous, were converted into real Objedts, and indeed afford- 
 ed Room enough for the Imagination of their Poets to in- 
 vent the Fable of the Transformation of Aracbne into a 
 Spider. 
 
 (13) From Dupy to prefs, comes Medvjha or Medufa the Preffing. See 
 IJaiali) XXV. 10. 
 
 (14) Tram Mane-vrah, a Weaver's Loom. 
 
 (15) In the Collection of Prints made byM. De Croxat. 
 
 (16) Atona, Linnen Thiead. See Pru-verbi vii. iG. 
 
 (17) ^lom Ar^ih^ 10 make Linnen Cloth, 
 
 Minerrja, 
 
120 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Minerofa, by the Poets and Sculptors, is ufually reprefented 
 in a ftanding Attitude compleacly arm'd, with a compofed 
 but fmiling Countenance, bearing a golden Breaft-Plate, a 
 Spear in her Right-Hand, and her terrible ^gis in her Left, 
 having on it the Head o'iMeduJa entwin'd with Snakes. Hei: 
 Helmet was ufually entwin'd with Olinjes^ to denote Peace is 
 the End of War, or rather becaufe that Tree was facred to 
 her. See her Picture in Camhray\ Telemaque, At her Feet 
 is generally plac'd the O^u/, or the Cock ; the former being 
 the Emblem of Wifdomj the latter of War, 
 
 CHAP. XL. 
 Of MARS and BELL ON A. 
 
 MARS was the Son of Juno alone, who being cha** 
 grin'd that Jupiter fhould bear Minerva without her 
 Help, to be even with him confulted Flora^ who fliew'd her 
 a Flower in the Olenian Fields, on touching which (he con- 
 ceivM, and became the Mother of this dreadful Deity ( i ). 
 Thero^ or Fiercenefs, was his Nurfe, and he received his Edu- 
 cation amongft the Scythians^ the moft barbarous Nation in 
 the World, amongft whom he was adorM in a particular 
 Manner, though they acknowledg'd no other God. 
 
 This Deity had different Appellations. The Greeks call'd 
 \i\m Jres {2)^ either from the Deftrudion he caufes, or the 
 Silence and Vigilance obferv'd in War. He had the Name 
 oiGradi'vus from his Majeftick Part, and the brandifhing his 
 Spear : This Epithet was peculiar to him in Ailion, or on 
 the OfFenfive. That of i^/r/;;aj was applied to him when 
 on the Defenfive, or at Reft. By the antient Latins he was 
 Ityl'd Salifubfulust or the Dancer, from the Uncertainty that 
 attends all martial Enterprizes. 
 
 (i) Others make him the Son oi Jupiter and Juno, or of Jupiter and 
 Erys, 
 
 (2) Either from agsf, to kill 3 or from ccsiu to keep Silence. 
 
 Mars 
 
Of the Heathen GcdsJ 12 r 
 
 Mars was the God of War^ and in high Veneration with 
 the Romans^ both on account of his being the Father of Ro- 
 mulus their Founder, and alfo becaafe of their own Genius^ 
 which was always inclinM to Conqueft. Numot one of 
 their earlieft Kings, though otherwife a pacifick Prince, 
 having implor'd the Gods, during a great Peftilence, receiv'd 
 a fmali Brafs Buckler, call'd /Incilet from Heaven, which the 
 Nymph Egeria advis'd hi m to keep with the utmoft Care, 
 the Fate of the Roman People and Empire depending on its 
 Confervation. To fecure fo valuable a Pledge, Numa caus'd 
 eleven more Shields of the fame Form to be made ; and in- 
 trufted the Care of thefe to an Order of Priefts he inftituted> 
 call'd Saliiy or the Priefts of Mars, in whofe Temple the 
 Twelve Ancilia were repofited. The Number of thefe 
 Priefts were alfo twelve chofen out of the nobleft Families, 
 who on the ift of M^rr^ annually, the Feftival of A/iJzrj car- 
 ried the Ancilia with great Ceremony round the City, clafti- 
 ing their Bucklers, and fmging Hymns to the Gods, in 
 which they were join'd by a Chorus of Virgins chofen to 
 aflift on this Occafion, and drefled like themfelves. This 
 Feftival was concluded with a grand Supper ( 3 ). 
 
 Auguftus erefted a magnificent Temple to Mars at Rome^ 
 by the Title of C///or, which he vow'd to him, when he 
 implor'd his AfHftance againft the Murderers of Julius Cafar' 
 The Victims facrificed to him were the Wolf for its Fierce- 
 nefs, the Horfe on account of its Ufefulnefs in War, the 
 Wood-pecker and Vulture for their Ravenoufhefs, the Cock for 
 his Vigilance. He was crown'd with Grafs^ becaufe it 
 grows in Cities depopulated by War, and thickeft in Places 
 moiften'd with human Blood. 
 
 The Hiftory of Mars furnifties few Adventures. We 
 have already related his Amour with Venus^ by whom he had 
 Hermione^ contradted to Orejfesy and afterwards married to 
 Pyrrhus King of Epirus, 
 
 (3) Call'd Cana Saliaris, 
 
 R By 
 
122 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 By the Nymph Bijionis Mars had Tereus^ who re^gn'd in 
 Thrace, and married Progne the Daughter of Pandion^ King of 
 Jthens. This Princefs had a Sifter call'd Philomela, a great 
 Beauty. Being defirous to fee her, (lie rcquefted her Huf- 
 band to go to Athens and bring her Sifter, with her Father's 
 Permiffion to her. Tereus by the Way fell in Love with his- 
 Charge, and on her rejefting his Sollicitations, ravifh'd her, 
 cut out her Tongue, and enclos'd her in a ftrong Tower^ 
 pretending to his Wife fhe died in the Journey. In this- 
 Condition the unhappy Princefs found Means to embroider 
 her Story and fend it to her Sifter, who tranfported with 
 Rage, contriv'd how to revenge the Injury. Firft fhe 
 brought her Sifter Home privately ; next fhe kilPd her Son 
 Itys^ and ferv'd up his Flefh to his Father for Supper : After 
 he had eat it, fhe expofed the Head, and told him what fhe 
 had done ; Tereus mad with Fury purfued the Sifters, who in 
 their Flight became transformed, Progne to a S'wallo^Wy and 
 Philomela to a Nightingale. Iiys was by the Gods chang'd to 
 a Pheafant, and Tereus himfelf into a Lapnjoing. O'vid has 
 {a) given this Story with his ufual Embellifhments. 
 
 Mars married a Wife cali'd Nerio^ or Nerione, f^J which in 
 the Sahifie Tongue fignifies Valour or Strength. He had fe- 
 veral Children, the Principal of whom were Bythis, who gave 
 his Name to Bythinia ; Thrax from whom Thrace was fo 
 call'd ; jEnomauSf J/calaphus^ Bijiotif Chalybs, Strymon, Parthe- 
 nopteusy TmoluSy ^^^«-S Euenus, Calydon^ ^c. 
 
 This Deity having killd Halirothius the Son of Neptuney 
 was indided before the Affembly of the Gods for the Mur- 
 ther, as well as for the Crime of Debauching Alcippe^ Sifter 
 to the Deceas'd. Twelve Gods were prefent, of whom fix 
 were for acquitting him ; fo that by the Cuftom of the Court, 
 when the Voices were equal, the favourable Side carrying it, 
 he came ofF. Some fay this Trial was in the famous Areopagus ^ 
 
 (4) See O-vid, Lib. VI. 413. 
 
 (5) Hence the Claudian Family at 'Romty are faid to derive the Sir-Name 
 ©f i^iro* 
 
 or 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 123 
 
 or Hill of Mars at Athem^ a Court which in fucceeding Time 
 gaiiiM the higheft Reputation, for the Juftice and Impartia- 
 lity (d) of its Proceedings. 
 
 NIars was neither invulnerable nor invincible ; for we find 
 him in Homer both wounded and purfued by Diomedes^ but 
 then it muft be confider'd that Homer v^zs fo good a Patriot, 
 that he always afFeds to difgrace the Gods, who took the 
 I'rojan^S Part. 
 
 Marst whatever his Appearance be, was of Egyptian Ori- 
 ginal. This Nation was divided into three ClafTes, the 
 Priefts, the Husbandmen, and the Arti ficers ; of thefe, the 
 firfl were by their Profeflion exempted from War, and the 
 laft reckoned too mean to be employed in Defence of the 
 State; fo that their Militia was wholly taken from the fecond 
 Body. We have already obferv'd, that in the Sacrifices 
 which preceded their Military Expeditions, their IJis appeared 
 in a warlike Drefs, and gave Rife to the Greek Pallas, or 
 Minerva. The Horus which accompany'd this Figure, was 
 alfo equipped with his Helmet and Buckler, and call'd by 
 the Name of Harits (j), or the formidable. The Syrians 
 foften'd this Word to Hazis (Sj ; the Greeks chang'd it to 
 Ares ; the Gau/s pronounc'd it He/us ; and the Romans and 
 Sabines Warets or Mars. Thus the military Horus of the 
 Egyptians became perfonify'd and made the God of Combats 
 or War. 
 
 Mars is ufually defcrib'd in a Chariot drawn by furious 
 Horfes, compleatly arm'd, and extending his Spear with the 
 one Hand, while with the other Hand he grafps a Sword 
 embrued in Blood. His Afpe£t is fierce and favage. Some- 
 times Difcord is reprefented as preceding his Car, while Cla- 
 
 (6) Thefe Judges were chofen out of Perfons of the moft blamelefs Cha- 
 racters. They fufFer'd no verbal Pleadings before them, leaft a falfe Elo- 
 quence might varnifh a bad Caufe ; and all their Sentences were given in 
 "Writing, and deliver'd in the Dark. 
 
 (7) From Hants, violent or enraged. See Job xv. 20. 
 
 (8) i/flz/i, (Syr) the terrible in War, PJalm xxiv. 8. The Syriam alfo 
 calPd him M Guerorh, or the Father of Combats j whence the Romans 
 borrow 'd their Gradivui Pater. 
 
 R 2 mour^ 
 
124 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 mour^ Fear and T^error appear in his Train- Virgil has given 
 
 a Defcription of this God pretty much agreeable to this 
 
 Idea ((^). 
 
 Bellona is ufualiy reckon'd the Sifter of Mars^ though fome 
 
 call her both his Sifter and Wife. As her Inclinations were 
 equally cruel and favage, ftie took a Pleafure in Iharing his 
 Dangers, and is commonly depi(Slur'd as driving his Chariot 
 with a Bloody Whip in her Hand. Jppius Claudius built h^ 
 a Temple at Rome^ where in her Sacrifices call'd Bellonaria^ 
 her Priefts us'd to flafti themfelves with Knives. Juft oppo- 
 fite ftood the Columna Bellica^ a Pillar from whence the He- 
 rald threw a Spear, when War was proclaim' d againft any 
 Nation. She is faid to be the Inventrefs of the Needle f loj, 
 from which (he took her Name. 
 
 This G.oddefs is reprefented fometimes holding a lighted 
 Torch^Dr Brand, at others with a Trumpet, her Hair com- 
 posed of Snakes clotted with Gore, and her Garments ftain*d 
 with Blood, in a furious and diftra(5ted Attitude. 
 
 (9) Virgil, iEneid VIII. 700. 
 
 (10) From Bi^^^jj, a Needle. 
 
 CHAP, XLI, 
 Of CERES, 
 
 IT may not be improper now to pafs to fofter Pictures, 
 whofe agreeablenefs may ferve as a Contraft to the ftrong- 
 er Images juft difplay'd. As Plenty and Abundance repair 
 the Wafte and Havock of War, we (hall next to Mars intro- 
 duce Ceres^ a Divinity friendly and beneficent to Mankind. 
 
 This Goddefs was the Daughter of Saturn and Kbea^ Sicily, 
 Attica^ Crete^ and Egypt claim the Honour of her Birth, each 
 Country producing its Reafons, though the firft has the ge- 
 neral Suffrage, In her Youth fhe was fo beautiful, that her 
 JBrother Jupiter idl in Love with her, by whom fhe had 
 
 ^rojerpine* 
 
Of the Heathen Cods. 125 
 
 Proferpine. Neptune next enjoy'd her, but the Fruit of this 
 Amour is controverted, fome making it a Daughter, caird 
 Hiray others a Horfe callM Arion. Indeed as this laft Deity 
 carefs'd her in that Form» the latter Opinion feems heft 
 founded. However this be, fhe was fo afham'd of this lalt 
 Affair, that (he put on mourning Garmetits, and retir'd to a 
 Cave, where ihe continued fo long, that the World was in 
 Danger of periftiing for Want (i). At laft P^» difcover'd 
 her Retreat, and inform'd Jupiter^ who by the Interceffiou 
 of the ParctSy or Fates, appeasM her, and prevailed on her 
 to return to the World. 
 
 For fome Time fhe took up her Abode in Corcyra, from 
 whence fhe removed to Sicily, where the Misfortune befell 
 her of the Rape of Proferpine her Daughter, by Pluto, The 
 difconfolate Mother immediately carried her Complaints to 
 Jupiter^ upbraiding him with his permitting fuch an Injuf- 
 tice to be committed, efpecially on the Perfon of his own 
 Daughter, But obtaining little Satisfa6lion, fhe lighted 
 her Torches at Mount Mtna^ and mounting her Car drawn 
 by winged Dragons, fet out in Search of her beloved Daugh- 
 ter. As her Adventures in this Journey were pretty remar- 
 kable, we fhall mention them in their Order, 
 
 Her firft Stop was at Athens^ where being hofpitably re- 
 ceiv'd by Celeus, fhe in Return taught him tofow Corn, and 
 hourifh'd his Son friptokmus with celeflial Milk by Day, at 
 Night covering him with Fire to render him immortal. Celeus 
 out of Curiofity difcovering this laft Particular, was fo af- 
 frighted, that he cry'd out and reveal'd himfelf, on which 
 the Goddefs kill'd him. As to his Son, Ceres lent him her 
 Chariot, and fent him through the World to inftru6t Man- 
 kind in the Benefits of Tillage. 
 
 She was next entertain'd by Hypothoon and Meganira (2) his 
 Wife, who fet Wine before her, which fhe refus'd, as un- 
 fuitable to her mournful Condition ; but fhe prepared herfelf 
 
 (i) Becaufe during her Abfencethe Earth produced no Corn or Fruits. 
 (^) HypotboQti was the Son of Neptune and Ajo^c, 
 
 a Drink 
 
126 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 a Drink from an Infufion of Meal or Corn, which fhe after- 
 wards ufed. lambe (3), an Attendant of Meganirasj us'd to 
 divert the Goddefs with Stories and Jefts, which (he repeated 
 in a certain Kind of Verfe. It happened, during a Sacrifice 
 made her here, that Ahas^ Son to Meganira, derided the Ce- 
 remony, and ufed the Goddefs with opprobrious Language, 
 whereupon fprinkling him with a certain Mixture fhe held in 
 her Cup, he became a Newt or Water- Lizard. Erifuhton 
 alfo for/cutting down a Grove confecrated to her, was pu- 
 nifh'd with fuch an infatiable Hunger, that nothing could 
 fatisfy him, but he was forced to gnaw his own Flelh. 
 
 From thence Ceres pafs'd into L)cia, where being thirfty, 
 and defiring to drink at a Spring, the Clowns not only hin- 
 der'd her, but fully'd and dillurb'd the Water, reviling her 
 for her Misfortunes, upon which {he turn'd them into Frogs. 
 Thefe Frogs, though already puniih'd for affronting his 
 Sifler, had the Folly to afk Jupiter to grant them a King. 
 He fent them a Frog, whom they rejected, and defired ano- 
 ther, upon which the God fent them a Water-Serpent, who 
 devoured them, and efFedually convinced them of their 
 Weaknefs. 
 
 It is difputed, who firfl informed Ceres where her Daugh- 
 ter was \ fome afcribe the Intelligence to Triptolemus^ and his 
 Brother Euhuleus ; but the mofl Part agree in giving the Ho- 
 nour of it to the Nymph Jrethu/a (a Fountain in Sicily) f^J, 
 who flying the Purfuit of the River Alpheus^ faw this God- 
 dels in the infernal Regions. 
 
 We have but one Amour of Ceres recorded. Finding 
 Jafan the Son of Jupiter and EleSira afleep in a Field newly 
 plough'd up, fhe acquainted him with her Paffion, and bore 
 him Plutus the God of Riches ; but Jonje incens'd to fee his 
 Son become his Rival, kill'd him with a Thunderbolt. 
 
 Ceres had feveral Names ; fhe was call'd Magna Dea^ or the 
 Great Goddefs, from her Bounty in fupporting Mankind j 
 
 (3) The Daughter of Par: and Frhr>, and the Inventrefs of Jawt^/c Verfe. 
 (4.) The Daughter of Nereus and Doris, and a Companion of Diana. 
 
 Melainay 
 
Of the Heathem Gods. 127 
 
 Melaina, from her black Cloathing ; EucM^ea from her Ver- 
 dure • J/ma Jltrix. and Mammoja^ from her nourifhing and 
 impregnating all Seeds and Vegetables, and being as it were 
 the common Mother of the World. The Arcadiavi^ by 
 Way of Excellence, llyl'd her Defpoina^ or the Lady. She 
 was alfo honour'd with the peculiar Epithet of The/mophorisy 
 or the Legiflatrefs, becaufe Hufbandry firft taught the Ufe of 
 Land-Marks, ancl the Value of Ground, the Source of all 
 Property and Law. 
 
 It muft be owned this Goddefs was not undeferving the 
 higheft Titles given her, confidered as the Deity who firft 
 taught Men to plow and fow, to reap and houfe their Corn, 
 to yoke Oxen, to make Bread, to cultivate all Sorts of Pulfe 
 and Garden-StufF (except Beans) {5), though fome make 
 Bacchus the firft Inventor of Agriculture. She alfo inftruded 
 Mankind to fix Limits or Boundaries, to afcertain their Pof- 
 felTions. 
 
 There was none of the celeftial Aflembly, to whom more 
 folemn Sacrifices were inftituted than to Ceres, The Place 
 where fhe was principally worfhipp'd, was at EJeuJis, where 
 her Rites were perform'd in the moft folemn and myfterious 
 Manner. They were celebrated only once in five Years; 
 all the Matrons initiated, were to vow a perpetual Chaftity. 
 At the Commencement of the Fefi:ival, a Feaft was kept for 
 feveral Days, during which Wine was banifti'd the Altars. 
 After this the Proceffi?)n began, which confifted in the Car- 
 riage of the facred Balkets or Canifters, in one of which was 
 inclosM aChild with a golden Serpent, a Van, Grains, Cakes, 
 i^c. The Reprefentation of the Myfteries, during which a 
 profound Silence (6) was to be obferv'd, concluded thus; 
 After a horrid Darknefs, Thunder, Lightening, and what- 
 ever is moft awful in Nature, fucceeded a calm and bright 
 Illumination, which difcover'd four Perfons fplendidJy ha- 
 
 (5) There are feveral Reafons aflign'd, for the Pythagorean Precept of 
 abftaining from Beam. [Abjiine a ¥abii.'\ 
 
 (6) It was Death to fpeak, or to reveal what pafs'd in thefe religious 
 Rites. 
 
 bited. 
 
128 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 bited. The ilrft was call'd the Hierophant, or the Expounder 
 cf /acred Thhigs^ and reprefented the Demiurgus ; or Supreme 
 Being : The Second bore a Torch, and fignify'd OJtris^ or 
 the Sun ; the Third flood near the Altar and fignify'd IJisy 
 or the Moon 3 and the Fourth, whom they call'd the Holy 
 Mejenger, perfonated Anuhis^ or Mercury (y). To thefe 
 Rites none were admitted but Perfons of the firft Chara6ter, 
 for Probity or Eminence. Only the Priefts were fufFer'd to 
 fee the Statue of the Goddefs. All the Aflembly ufed lighted 
 Torches, and the Solemnity concluded with Games, in which 
 the Victors were crown'd with Ears of Barley. 
 
 According to Herodotus^ ^efe Rites were brought from 
 Egyp to Greece^ by the Daughters of Danaus: Others fay 
 that Eumolpui the Son of Triptolemiis and Driope^ transferr*d 
 them from Eleufis to Athens, 
 
 The Thefmophoria, or leffer Feftivals of Ceres, were cele- 
 brated annually at Argos^ and in many Points refembled the 
 Eleuftnian Myfteries, though they fell ihort of them very 
 much in the Dignity and Grandeur of the Celebration. 
 
 ^ Memmius the i^dile firft introduced thefe Rites into 
 'Rome by the Title of Cerealia (8). None were admitted to 
 the Sacrifices, guilty of any Crime ; fo that when Nero at- 
 tempted it the Roman Matrons exprefs'd their Refentment by 
 going into Mourning. This Feftival was clos'd by a Ban- 
 quet and publick Horfe-Races. 
 
 The Amharnjalia were Feafts celebrated by the Roman Huf- 
 bandmen in Spring, to render Ceres propitious, by luftrating 
 their Fields. Each Matter of a Family furnifh'd a Vidim 
 with an Oaken Wreath round its Neck, which he led thrice 
 round his Ground, followed by his Family fmglng Hymns, 
 and dancing in Honour of the Goddefs. The Offerings 
 
 (7) The whole Purport of this Reprefentation, wasdefign'd to allego- 
 rize the defolate State of Mankind alter the Flood, and (hew the Benefits 
 of Agriculture and Induftry. 
 
 (8) This appears from a Medal of this Magiftrate, on which is the Effi- 
 gies of Cera holding in one Hand three Ears of Corn j in the other a 
 Torch, and with her Left-Foot treading on a Serpent. 
 
 ufed 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 129 
 
 ufed In the Luftration were Milk and New Wine. At the 
 Clofe of the Harveft there was a fecond Feftival, in which 
 the Goddefs was prefented with the firft Fruits of the Seafon, ' 
 and an Entertainment provided for the Relations and Neigh- 
 bours- 
 
 The Beginning o^ April the Gardeners facrificed to Cera, 
 to obtain a plentiful Produce of their Grounds, which were 
 under her Protection. Cicero mentions an antient Temple 
 of hers at Catanea in Sicily^ in which the Offices were per- 
 form'd by Matrons and Virgins only, no Man being ad- 
 mitted. The ufual Sacrifices to this Goddefs were a Sow 
 with Pig, or a Ram. The Garlands us'd by her in her Sacrifices 
 were of Myrtle or Rapeweed ; but Flowers were prohibited, 
 h^Q2i\i(QProferpine was loft as fhe gathered them. The Poppy 
 alone was facred to her, not only becaufe it grows amongft 
 Corn, but becaufe in her Diftrefs Jupiter gave it her to eat, 
 that fhe might fleep and forget her Troubles. 
 
 Let us now endeavour to find fome Explanation of this 
 Hifi:ory of Ceres. If we have Recourfe to our former Key, 
 we fhall find the Ceres of Sicily and Eleujis, or of Rome and 
 Greece, is no other than the Egyptian IJis^ brought by the 
 Phcenicians into thofe Countries. The very Name of Myftery 
 (9) given to the Eleufinian Rites, (hews they are of Egyptian 
 Origin. The Ifis which appear'd at the Feaft appointed for 
 the Commemoration of the State of Mankind after the 
 Flood, reprefented the Earth, and bore the Name of Ceres 
 (loj, fuitable to her Intention. She was figur'd in Mourn- 
 ing, and with a Torch, to denote the Grief fhe felt for the 
 Lofs oiFerfephone (\ \) her favourite Daughter, and the Pains 
 fne was at to recover her. The Torch alfo fhew'd the Pains 
 Men were at to invent in that Time of Diftrefs Torches and 
 Fire to warm and light them during the cold Winter Nights, 
 which followed that great Change of Nature, and were be- 
 
 (9) From Mljlory a Veil or Covering. 
 
 (10) From CtrtYj, Diflblution or Overthrow, Jeremiah xhn 10. 
 
 (11) From Pt'r/, Fruit or Corn, and ^^jf^^an loft, comes PerJep/:one, or 
 the Corn loft. 
 
 S fore 
 
136 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 fore unknown. The Poppies with which this IJts was 
 Crown'd, fignifyM the Joy Men receivM at the firft abun- 
 dantCrop'fiz^. Triptokmui^2i^ only the AttendantHor«j(^i3^, 
 bearing in his Hand the Handle of a Plough, and Celem his 
 Father was no more than (\\) the Name of the Tools ufed 
 in forming this ufeful Inftrument of Agriculture. Eumelpos 
 exprefs'd f 15^ the Regulation or Formation of the People 
 to Induftry and Tillage ; and Proferfina or Perjephonah found 
 again, was a lively Symbol of the Recovery of Corn almoft 
 loft in the Deluge, and its Cultivation with Succefs. Thus 
 the Emblems almoft quite fimple of the moft important 
 Event which ever happened in the World, became, when 
 tranfplanted to Greece and Rome^ the Sources of the moft ri- 
 diculous Fable and grofleft Idolatry. 
 
 Ceres was ufually reprefented of a tall majeftick Stature, 
 fair Complexion, languiihing Eyes, and yellow or flaxen 
 Hair 5 her Head crown'd with Poppies, or Ears of Corn, her 
 Breafts full and fwelling, holding in her Right-Hand a Bunch 
 of the fame Materials with her Garland, and in her Left a 
 lighted Torch. When in a Car or Chariot, fhe is drawn by 
 winged Dragons. 
 
 (12) Bobo fignifies a double Crop, and is alfo the Name for the Poppy. 
 
 (13) From T^r^/> to break, and Tekm a Furrow, comes Triptokniy or 
 the A<ft of Ploughing. 
 
 (14) Ohu% } from Cell, a Tool or Veflel. 
 
 Virgea pr^tcrea Celei •vilifqtie fupellex Virgil Geo. 
 
 (15) From Warn People, and Alap to lesrn ; is deri'V^d En mo lep or 
 Eumo/pui, i. e. the People regulated or inftrudted. 
 
 CHAP. XLII. 
 Of BACCHUS. 
 
 AS Corn and Wine are the nobleft Gifts of Nature, fo it 
 is no Wonder in the Progrefs of Idolatry, if they be- 
 came deify'd, and had their Altars. It is therefore no unna- 
 tural Tranfition, if from Ceres we pafs to Bacchus, 
 
 This 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. I31 
 
 This Deity was the Son of Jupiter and ^emele (as has been 
 obferved in the Article of Jupiter) and was born at Thebes^ 
 Cicero mentions five ( i ) of the Name. It is faid the Nymphs 
 took Care of his Education, though fome afcribe this Office 
 to the Hora or Hours ; others to the Naiades. Mercury after 
 this carried him into Euhaa^ to Macris the Daughter of Ari/^ 
 teuSf (2) who anointed his Lips with Honey; but Juno in- 
 censed at his finding Protection in a Place facred to her, ba- 
 nifh'd him thence ; fo that Macris fled with him into the 
 Country of the Phanicians, and nourifli'd him in a Cave, 
 Others fay, that Cadmus Father to Semele difcovering her 
 Crime, put her and the Child into a wooden Ark, which by 
 the Tides was carried to Oreata a Town of Laconia^ where 
 Semele being found dead, was bury'd with great Pomp, and 
 the Infant nurs'd by ho in a Cave. During this Perfecution, 
 being tir'd in his Flight, he fell afleep, and an Jmphifiena^ or 
 two-headed Serpent of the moft poifonous Kind, bit his 
 Leg ; but awaking he ftruck it with a Vine Twig, and that 
 Jcill'd it. 
 
 In his Infancy fome Tyrhenian Merchants found him afleep 
 on the Shore, and attempted to carry him away ; but fud- 
 denly their Mafts were encompafs'd with Vines^ and their 
 Oars with I'vy^ and ftruck with Madnefs, they jump'd into 
 the Sea, where the God changed them into Dolphins, 
 
 Bacchus^ during the Giants War, diftinguiih'd himfelf 
 greatly by his Valour in the Form of a Lion, while Jupiter 
 to encourage his Son ufed the Word Euhoe, which became 
 afterward, frequently us'd in his Sacrifices. Others fay, that 
 in this Rebellion the Titans cut our Deity to Pieces ; but that 
 Pallas took his Heart, while yet panting, and carried it to 
 
 (i) The I ft the Son of Jupiter and Projerpine j the 2d the Egyptian 
 Bacchus, the Son of Nile, who kill'd Nyfa ; the 3d the Son of Captius, 
 who reign'd in Af^a ; the 4th the Son of Jupiter and Luna j and the 5th 
 born of Nifus and Thione. 
 
 (2) Others fay Mercury carried him to Nyfa, a City of ^rj^/^ near 
 £gypt» 
 
 S 2 her 
 
132 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 her Father, who collected the Limbs and re- animated the 
 Body, after it had flept three Nights with Proferpine f 3 j. 
 
 The moft memorable Exploit of Bacchus was his Expedi- 
 tion to India^ which employ'd him three Years. He fet out 
 from Egypt^ where he icft Mercurius Tri/megijius to aflift his 
 Wife in Quality of Co-Regent, and appointed Hercules his 
 Viceroy. Bujiris he conftituted Prefident of Phtenida^ and 
 Jntaus of Libya, after which he march'd with a prodigious 
 Army, carrying with him Triptolemus and Maro^ to teach 
 Mankind the Arts of Tillage and planting the Vine. His 
 firft Progrefs was weft ward (^) and during his Courfe he 
 was join'd by Pan ^nd Ltf/us, who gave their Names to diffe- 
 rent Parts of Iberia. Altering his Views he returned through 
 Ethiopia, where the Satyrs and Mu/es increas'd his Army, and 
 from thence croiung the Red Sea, he penetrated through 
 JJia to the remoteft Parts of hJia, in the Mountains of which 
 Country, near the Source of the Ganges he eredted two Pil- 
 lars, to fhew that he had vifited the utmoft Limits of the ha- 
 bitable World f^)* After this returning Home with Glory> 
 he made a triumphant Entry into Thebes, ofFer'd Part of his 
 Spoils to Jupiter, and facrificed to him the richeft Spices of 
 the Eaft. He then apply'd himfelf folely to Affairs of Go- 
 vernment, to reform Abufes, enail: good Laws, and confult 
 the Happinefs of his People, for which he not only obtained 
 the Title of the Laiv-gi^er, by Way of Excellence, but 
 was deify 'd after Death. 
 
 Juno having Itruck him with Madnefs, he had before this 
 wander'd through Part of the World. Proteus, King of 
 Egypt, was the firft who receiv'd him kindly. He next went 
 to Cybella in Phrygia, where being expeded by Rhea, he was 
 
 (3) The Mythologifts fay, that this is to denote the Cuttings of Vines 
 will grow, but that they will be three Years before they come to bear. 
 
 (4) Pan gave his Name to Spain or Hijpama, or Lus to Lufitania or 
 Portugal. 
 
 (5) In his Return he huWt Nyja, and other Cities, and pafllng the Hellef.- 
 font came into Thrace, where he \&hMaro, who founded the City Maronaa, 
 To Macedo he gave the Country from him call'd Macedonia^ and left Trip- 
 tcletnui in Attica to inftf uft the People. 
 
 initiated 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 133 
 
 initiated in the Myfteries of Cybele, Lycurgus, King of the 
 Edeni^ near the River Stryman^ affronted him in this Journey* 
 for which Bacchus deprivM him of his Reafon ; fo that when 
 he thought to prune his Vines, he cut off the Legs of his 
 Son Dryas and his own. By Command of the Oracle, his 
 Subjects imprifon'd him, and he was torn in Pieces by wild 
 Horfes. It is eafy to fee how inconfilient thefe Accounts of 
 the fame Perfon are, and that the Actions of different Bac- 
 chufes are afcrib'd to one. 
 
 We have two other Inftances recorded of the Refentment 
 of this Deity. AUithoe a T^hehan Lady derided his Priefteffes 
 and was transform'd into a Bat ; Pentheus the Son of Echion 
 and Jgave^ for ridiculing his Solemnities, (call'd Orgia) was 
 torn in Pieces by his own Mother and Sifters (6) who in 
 their Madnefs took him for a wild Boar. 
 
 The Favourii:e Wife of Bacchus was Ariadne^ whom h6 
 found in the Ifle of Naxos, abandon'd by The/eus^ and lov'd f6 
 palHonately, that he plac'd the Crown fhe wore as a Conflel- 
 lation in the Skies. By her he had Staphilus^ ihyon^us^ Hj-. 
 meneusy l^c, 
 
 Cijfus^ a Youth whom he greatly efteem'd, fporting with 
 the Satyrs^ was accidentally kill'd. Bacchus chang'd him into 
 the Plant /w, which became in a peculiar Manner confe- 
 crated to his Worfhip. Silenus^ another of his Favourites, 
 wandering from his Mafter, came to Mldas^ King of Phrygia^ 
 at whofe Court he was well receiv'd. To requite this Favour 
 Bacchus promis'd to grant whatever he requefted. The Mo- 
 narch, whofe ruling Paflion was Avarice, defir'd all he 
 touch'd might be turn'd to Gold ; but he foon felt the In- 
 conveniency of having his Wilh granted, when he found 
 his Meat and Drink converted into Metal. He therefore 
 pray'd the God to recall his Bounty, and releafe him horn 
 his Mifery. He was commanded to wafh in the River \ a^. 
 to/us, which from that Time had golden Sands (7), 
 
 (6) Ovid, Lib. II. 630. 
 
 (7) Qwd, Lib. XI. 86, 
 
 (SJ Sac- 
 
134 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 (%) Bacchus had a great Variety of Names j he was call'd 
 Dionyjius fg) from his Father's Lamenefs, while he carry'd 
 him in his Thigh : The Apellation of Biformis was given 
 him, becaufe he fometimes was reprefented as old, fomecimes 
 as young ; that oiBriJaus from his inventing the Wine-Prefs 
 (\o) ; that of Bromius from the crackling of Fire heard 
 when Semele perifliM by the Lightening of Jupiter ; that of 
 Bimater, from his having two Mothers, or being twice born. 
 The Greeks ftyl'd him Bugenes, or born of an Ox, becaufe 
 he was drawn with Horns ; and for the fame Reafon the 
 Latins call'd him Tauriformis. He was named Daemon bonus ^ 
 becaufe in all Feafts the lafl Glafs was drunk to his Honour. 
 E<vius^ E-vous and E'van, were Names us'd by the Bacchanals 
 in their wild Proceflions, as were thofe of Eleus and Eleleus* 
 He was flyl'd lacchus from the Noife (\i) made by his Vo- 
 taries in their drunken Frolicks ; Lenaus, becaufe Wine af- 
 fwages the Sorrows and Troubles of Life ^12^5 Liber and 
 Liber Pater^ becaufe he fets Men free from conftraint, and 
 puts them on an Equality ; and on the fame Account he was 
 firnam'd Lyaus and Lycaus (i^) ', NyBilius was an Apellation 
 given him, becaufe his Sacrifices were often celebrated in the 
 Night ; from his Education on Mount Ny/a^ he gain'd the 
 Epithet of Nijaus, as alfo that of T^hyonaus from 'Thyo his 
 Nurfe 'y and that of Triumfhus from his being the firft who 
 jnftituted Triumphs, 
 
 The principal Feflivals of Bacchus were the Ofcophoria^ in- 
 
 (8) From B5«>t%£:?J', to run mad, becaufe Wine inflames, and deprives 
 Men of their Reafon. 
 
 (9) From At^, God, and vfco? lame or crippled. 
 
 (10) Some derive it from Brifa his Nurfe j others from the Promontory 
 B-'fa in the Ifle of Lejbos, where he was chiefly worfhipp'd. 
 
 : -om ''<«x;^6vfc.', to exclaim or roar. See Claudian's Rape of Pro- 
 
 '. «;_; . jm Lenio to foften j but Scr-vius gives the Epithet a Greek Ety. 
 >" >-^~«gy from 7,ivo-, a Wine-Prefs. The firfl: Conjedure is beft fup- 
 ^rted by the Poets. 
 
 Cura fugit, multo dUuiturque riero. Ovid, 
 
 (13) From 7\Vijf to unloofe or fet lice. 
 
 llituted 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 135 
 
 llituted by the Phoenicians, T\\q Trieterica (\/\.) celebrated 
 in Remembrance of his three Years Expedition to India* 
 The EpiUnea were Games appointed at the Time of Vin-;^ 
 tao-e in which they contended who fliould tread out moft 
 I/luJi or Wine, and fung Hymns to the Deity. The Jthe- 
 nians obferv'd a certain Feaft call'd Apaturia 5 as alfo others 
 caird Jfcolia and Jmbrofta, Thefe latter were celebrated in 
 January^ the Month facred to Bacchus: the Romans call'd- 
 them Brumalia, and kept them in February and Auguji (l$) \ 
 but the moft confiderable of the Romans with Regard to this 
 God, were the Bacchanalia, Dionyfia or Orgia foJemniz'd at 
 Mid-Day in February by Women only at firft; but after- 
 wards by both Sexes. Thefe Rites were attended v/ith fuch 
 abominable Excelles and Wickednefs, that the Senate were 
 oblig'd to abolilh them by a publick Decree (16), 
 
 The Victims agreeable to Bacchus were the Goat and S^ine^ 
 becaufe thefe Animals are deftrudive to the Vines ; the Dra- 
 gon^ and the Pye on account of its chattering. The Trees 
 and Plants ufed in his Garlands were the I'vy^ the i^r>, the 
 Oak, and the Herb Rapeweed -, as alfo the Flower Daffodil 
 or Narciffus. 
 
 Bacchus was the God of Mirth, Wine, and good Cheer, 
 and as fuch the Poets have not been fparing in their Praifes 
 on all Occafions of Pleafure and focial Joy they never 
 fail'd to invoke his Prefence, and to thank him for the Blef- 
 fings he beftow'd. To him they afcrib'd the Forgetfulnefs of 
 their Cares, and the foft Tranfports of mutual Friendfhip 
 and chearful Converfation. It would be endlefs to repeat 
 the Compliments paid him by the Greek and Latin Poets, who 
 for the moft Part were hearty Devotees to his Worftiip. 
 
 Some by a forced Parallel compare Bacchus to Nimmd^ and 
 others will have him to be the fame with Mojes j but thefe 
 
 (14) Virgil, y^neid IV. 303. 
 
 (15) SeeC^/. Rhcdog. Lib. XVII. cap. 5; 
 
 (16) See //crjcf, Book II. Od* XIX, wholly confecrated to his Praife. 
 
 ^ Conje6turcs, 
 
13$ Fahuhus HISTORY 
 
 Conje<£tures, however ingenious or plaufible, are deftitute 
 of any folid Foundation. 
 
 Bacchus^ by the Poets and Painters, is reprefented as a cor- 
 pulent Youth (17) naked, with a ruddy Face, wanton look, 
 and efFeminate Air. He is crown'd with Ivy and Vine- 
 Leaves, and bears in his Hand a Thyrfus (18) encircled with 
 the fame. His Car is drawn fometimes by Lyons, at others 
 by Tygers, Leopards, or Panthers, and furrounded by 
 a Band of Satyrs and M^enades, or Wood-Nymphs in fran- 
 tick Poilures ; and, to clofe the mad Proceflion, appears old 
 Siknus riding on' an Afs, which was fcarcely able to carry fo 
 fat and jovial a Companion. 
 
 To arrive at the true Original of this fabled Deity we 
 muft once more revifit Egypt the Mother- Country of the 
 Gods. We have already had fufficient occafion to remark 
 how their Horus changed his Name and Attributes according 
 to the Seafons, and the Circumftances or Operations he was 
 intended to direct. To commemorate the antient State of 
 Mankind, Horus appeared under the Symbol of a Child with 
 a Serpent by its Side, and afTumed the Name of Ben-Semele 
 (19). This was an Image of the Weaknefs and Imperfec- 
 tion of Huibandry after the Deluge. The Greeks who knew 
 nothing of the true Meaning of the Figure, call'd it the Son 
 of Semele, and to heighten its Honour made Jupiter his Fa- 
 ther, or according to the Eaftern Style (20), produc'd him 
 out of his Thigh. They even embellifh'd the Story with 
 all the marvellous Circumftances of his Mother's Death, and 
 fo efFedually compleated the Fable. 
 
 Let us add to this, that in all the antient Forms of Invo- 
 cation to the fupreme Being, they ufed the ExprefTions af- 
 
 (17) Bacchus was fometimes depidlur'd as an old Man with a Beard, as 
 at Elis in Greece^ and it was only then he had Horns given him j fome- 
 times he was cloath'd with a Tiger's Skin. 
 
 (18) The thyrfus was a wooden Javelin with an Iron Head. 
 
 (19) Ben-Semele, or the Child of the Reprefentation. 
 
 (20) See Ger.efti xlvi, 26, fpeaking of Jaccb'i Children, or who came 
 out of his Thigh. 
 
 terwards- 
 
pa^ei^-j 
 
 T. {fTt^^m mt/. g/-e/-eli^n . 
 
 {^.JL . %/w/vJ^ %Jui^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 1^,7 
 
 tel'wards appropriated to Bacchus^ fuch as io Terombe ^23^/ 
 io Bacche (2^J ! or io Bacoth ! Jchova ! Henjaji, Be^voe^ and 
 Eloah (25) f and Hu EJh ! Atta EJh (26), Thefe Exclama- 
 tions were repeated in After- Ages by the People, who had 
 no longer any Senfe of their true Signification, but applied 
 them to the Obje6ts of their Idolatry. In their Huntings 
 they ufed the Outcries of io Saboi (t-j)^ io NiJ/i, which with 
 a little Alteration became the Titles of the Deity we are 
 fpeaklng of. The Romans or Latins of all thefe preferred the 
 Name of Baccoth^ out of which they compos'd Bacchus, The 
 more delicate Ear of the Greehs chofe the Word Io NiJ/j, out 
 of which they form'd Dionyfius Hence it is plain that no 
 real Bacchus ever exifted, but that he was only a Mafque or 
 Figure of fo '- conceal'd Truth. In fhort, whoever atten- 
 tively reads Horaces inimitable Ode to Bacchus fzSj, will 
 fee that Bacchus meant no more than the Improvement of the 
 World, by the Cultivation of Agriculture, and the planting 
 of the Vine. 
 
 (23) Io Terotiilc ! Let us cry to the Lord ! Hence Dithyrambu:. 
 
 (24) Jo Baccotb ! God fee our Tears ! whence Bacchus. 
 
 (25) Jeho'uah ! Thou art the Life , IJe^an or Hcvoef the Author of Ex- 
 iftence ; Elocb, the mighty God ! Hence E'voe, E-vous, Qfc. 
 
 (26) Hu Ejh I Thou art the Fire ! Atta EJJj! Thou art the Life ! Hence 
 Attes and Vcs. 
 
 (27) Io Sahdi ! Lord thou art an Hoft to me ! 2o Nijfi ! Lord be my 
 Guide! Hence Sabajius and DionyJIus, the Names of Bacchus. 
 
 (28) Horace, Lib. IL Ode XIX. 
 
 CHAP. XLIII. 
 
 Of the Attendants of Bacchus ; Silenus, Sylvanus, 
 and the M^enades or Bacchas, the Satyrs, Fauni 
 and Sileni. 
 
 AS Bacchus was the God of good Humour and Fellow- 
 fhip, fo none of the Deities appear with a more nu- 
 merous or fplendid Retinue. 
 
 T SiUnus 
 
138 Fakihus HISTORY 
 
 Silef?us the principal Perfon in his Train, had been hk 
 Preceptor, and a very fuitable one for fuch a Deity ; for the 
 old Man had a very hearty AfFeclion for his Bottle, yet 
 Silenus diftinguifh'd himfelf in the Gmw/jWar, by appearing on 
 his Afs, whole braying put thofe daring Rebels into Confulion 
 ( I ). Some fay he v^as born at Malea a City of Sparta^ others 
 at.Ny/a in Arabia ; but the moft probable Conjeclure is, that 
 he was a Prince of Caria, noted for his Equity and Wi{<lom 
 fzj. However this be, he was a conftant Attendant and 
 Companion of his Pupil in all his Expeditions. Silenus was 
 a notable good Moralifl in his Cups, as we find in Virgil, 
 who has given us a beautiful Oration of his on the nobleft 
 Subjedts (3), in the fine Eclogue which bears his Name. 
 
 Silenus is depidur'd as a fhort corpulent old Man, bald- 
 headed, with a flat Nofe, prominent Forehead, and big 
 Ears. He is ufually defcrib'd as over-loaden with Wine, and 
 feated on a Saddle-back'd Afs, upon which he fupports him- 
 felf with a long Staff; and in the other Hand carries a Can- 
 tharus or Jug, with the Handle worn out almoft by fre- 
 quent Ufe, 
 
 Syhanus was a rural Deity, who often appears in the 
 Train of Bacchus; fome fuppofe him the Son of Saturn, 
 others of Faunus. He was unknown to the Greeks^ but the 
 Latins received the Worlhip of him from the Pelafgi^ who 
 upon their Migration into Italy, confecrated Groves to his 
 Honour, and appointed folemn Feilivals in which Milk was 
 offer'd to him. 
 
 The M^nad^s were the PrirJieJJes and Nymphs who attend- 
 ed Bacchus^ and were alfo calTd T^hyades from their FuryS 
 Baccha from their Intemperance ; and Mimalloms from their 
 Difpofition to ape and mimic others, which is one of ths 
 
 (1) For which it was rais\i to the Skies and made a ConftelJation. 
 
 (2) On this Account arofe the Fable of Midas lending him his Ears. It 
 rs faid, that being once taken Prlfoner, he p-.jrchafed his Liberty with this 
 remarkable Sentence, < That it was beft not to be bofn, and next to that 
 * moft eligible to die quickly.' 
 
 (3) Virgily Eclogue VI. 14. 
 
 Qualities 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. I'jg 
 
 Qualities of drunken People. Thefe bore Thyrfujes bound 
 with Ivy, and in their ProceiTions (hoclc'd the Ear and Eye 
 with their extravagant Cries and ridiculous and indecent 
 Contorfions. 
 
 Ths Life Guards or TrainM-Bands of Bacchus^ were the 
 Satyrs. It is uncertain w/hence thefe half Creatures fprung; 
 but their ufual Refidence was in the Woods and Forefts, and 
 they were of a very wanton and luftful Difpofition ; fo that 
 it was very dangerous for a ftray Nymph to fall into their 
 Hands. Indeed it was natural for them to ufe Compulfion, 
 for their Form was none of the molt inviting, having de- 
 form'd Heads arm'd with fhort Horns, crooked Hands, rough 
 and hairy Bodies, Goats Feet and Legs, and Tails as long 
 as Horfes. 
 
 We are now to feek fome Explanation of this Groupe of 
 Figures, and to do this we mull have recourfe to the Egyp- 
 tian Key. As. Idolatry improved, the Fealts or Reprefenta- 
 tions of thofe People grew more pompous and folemn, Show 
 degenerated into Mafquerade, and Religion into Farce or 
 Frenzy. The Ben Semele or Child oi Repreftntation mentioned 
 in the Explanation of Bacchus became a jolly rofy Youth, 
 who to adorn the Pomp was plac'd in a Chariot, drawn by 
 A6lors in Tygers or Leopards Skins, while others drefs'd ia 
 thofe of Bucks or Goats furrounded him ; and to fliew the 
 Dangers they had gone through in Hunting, they fmeer'd 
 their Faces with the Dregs of Wine or Juice of Mulberries, 
 to imitate the Blood of the Beafts they kill'd. Thefe AlHf- 
 tants were call'd Satyrs (\)^ Fa-w7is (^), and Thyades (6)y and 
 Mcenades (yj^ and Bajjarides (Sj. To clofe the Procellion, 
 appear'd an old Man on an Afs, offering Wine to the tir'd 
 Youth, who had return'd from a profperous Chafe, and in- 
 
 (4) ¥rom Satur, hidden or difguifcd. 
 
 (5) From Phanitn, a Mafque or falfe Face. 
 
 (6) From Tbouab, to wander, or run about wildly. 
 
 (7) From Mx^vo^u , to intoxicate or drive mad, 
 
 (8) From Barjur, to gather the Grapes, 
 
 T i viting 
 
I40 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 vitlng them to take fome Reft. This Perfon they call'd SiUn 
 (g), or Sjhat7, and his Drefs was defign'd to fhew, that old 
 Men were exempt from thofe Toils of Youth, which by 
 extirpating Beafts of Prey, fecur'd the approaching Harvefl. 
 
 All thefe Symbols were by the Greeks and Romans adopted 
 in their Way, and the Aclors or Mafks of Egypt became the 
 real Divinities of Nations, whofe Inclination to the marve- 
 lous, made them greedily embrace whatever flatter' d that 
 PrepofleiTion. 
 
 (9) From Sela'Vy Safety or Repofe, 
 
 CHAP, XLIV; 
 Of HERCULES, and his Labours, 
 
 HAVING gone through the DH Major es, or celeftial 
 Deities of the firft Rank; we fnall proceed to the Demi. 
 Godsj who were either thofe Heroes whofe eminent Actions 
 and fuperior Virtues rais'd them to the Skies, or thofe terre- 
 ftrial Di-jinities^ who for their Bounty and Goodnefs to Man- 
 kind, were clafs'd with the Gods. 
 
 To begin with the former, Hercules undoubtedly claims the 
 foremoft Place. There were feveral of this Name ( ij ; but 
 he to whom the greateft Glory is attributed, was the Son of 
 Jupiter and Akmena^ Wife of Amphitryon King of 'Thebes. 
 This Monarch being gone on an Expedition againft the 
 JEtolians^ Jo^e afTum'd his Form, and under that fafe Dif- 
 guife eafily enjoy'd his Defires. It is faid he was fo ena- 
 mour'd, that he prolonged the Darknefs for three Days and 
 three Nights fuc'ceiiively. Hercules was the Fruit of this ex- 
 traordinary Amour, and at the fame Time Alcjnena bore 
 
 (i) The Egyptian Hercules is reckon'd the eldeft of tliefe, who fjgna- 
 liz'd himfelf in the Grants War, and was one of the principal Divinities 
 of that Country. Tli'vie was alfo a Tyrian llcicuUi precedent :n Time to 
 him of Greece, 
 
 Twins 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 141 
 
 Twins to her Hufband, Laodamia^ and Jphidus, who was re- 
 markable for his extraordinary Swiftnefs (2). 
 
 This Intrigue of Jupiter, as ufual, foon came to the Ears 
 of his jealous Wife, who from that Moment meditated the 
 Deftru6tion of Hercules. A favourable Occafion ofFer'(f 
 to her Refentment. Jrchippe the V/ife of Sthenelusy King of 
 Mycene, being pregnant at the fame Time with Jlcmena, 
 Jupiter had ordain'd (3), that the Child firft bornfhould have 
 the Superiority or Command over the other. Juno caus'd 
 Archippe to be deliver'd at the End of itMtii Months of a Son, 
 call'd Euryjiheus, and to retard the Labour of Jlcmena^ in the 
 Form of an old Woman Ihe fat at the Gate of Jntphytryon'% 
 Palace with her Legs acrofs, and her Fingers interwoven. 
 By this fecret Inchantment that Princefs was feven Days and 
 Nights in the extreameft Pain?, 'till Galanthis one of her 
 Attendants, feeir.g Juno in this fuipicious Pofture, and con- 
 je61:uring the Caufe, ran haftily out with the News that her 
 Miftrefs was deliver'd. The Goddefs llarting up at the 
 News, Jlcmena was that Moment freed of her Burthen ; but 
 Ju>2o was fo incens'd at Galanthis, that ihe chang'd her into a 
 Weefel. 
 
 During his Infancy, Juno fent tv70 Serpents to deftroy 
 him in his Cradle, but the undaunted Child Itrangled them 
 both with his Hands (4). After this, as he grew up he 
 difcover'd an uncommon Stature and Strength of Body C5), 
 as well as heroic Ardour of Mind. Thefe great Qualities 
 of Nature were improved by fuitable Care, his Education 
 
 (a) Nam Juper extremas fegetum currebat arijiai 
 
 Nee ftcco% frucius ladebant pondera Plantte. OrpheUS Hymn, 
 
 O'er the unbending Corn lb light he flew, 
 The cheated Sight no Sign of Faflfage knew. 
 
 (3) Some fay at Juno's Perfuafion. 
 
 (4) Hcneferunt gcn:inc% prejfijfe tenaciter argues 
 
 Cum tener in cutfu'sjam Jove digntts eras. Ovid Epifi, 
 
 Worthy of Jo'ue, thy Infancy began. 
 
 And cru/h'd the Snakes which round thy Cradle ran. 
 
 (5) Some fay when aniv'd at Manhood he was four Cubits high, and 
 had three R,o\vs of Teefh. 
 
 being 
 
143 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 being intrufled to the greateft Mafters (6); fo that it is no 
 Wonder if with fuch corihderable Advantages he made fuch 
 a fliining Figure in the World. 
 
 His extraordinary Virtues were early put to the Trial, and 
 the Tallcs impofed on him by Eury(lheus^ on account of the 
 Danger and DiiEculty which attended their Execution, re- 
 ceiv'd the Name of the Labours of HtrcuUs^ and are com- 
 monly reckon'd to be tixjehe in Number. 
 
 I. The firil Labour, or Triumph of Hercules^ was the 
 Death of the Nemaan Lion. It is faid this furious Animal? 
 by Juno's Direction fell from the Orb of the Moon and was 
 invulnerable. It infefted the Nemaan Woods between ?hliui 
 and CUone^ and did infinite Mifchief. The Hero attack'd it 
 both with his Arrows and Club, but in vain, 'till perceiving 
 his Error, he firft flrangled and then tore it in Pieces with 
 his Hands. The Skin he preferv'd, and conftantly wore as 
 a Token of his Vidlory. 
 
 II. His next Enterprife was againft a formidable Serpent 
 or Monfler, which harboured in the Fens of tema^ and in- 
 feded the Region of Argos with his poifonous Exhalations. 
 The Number of Heads allign'd this Creature is various (7) ; 
 but all Authors agree, that when one was cut off another fuc- 
 ceeded in its Place, unlefs the Wound was immediately cau- 
 teris'd. Hercules not difcourag'd attack'd this Dragon, and 
 having caus'd lolaus to cut down Wood fuiEcient for flaming 
 Brands, as he cut ofF the Heads, applied them to the 
 Wounds, and by that Means obtain'd the Conqueft, and 
 deftroy'd the Hydra, Some explain this Fable, by fuppofmg 
 Lerna a Marfh much troubled with Snakes and other poifon- 
 
 (6) Linus the Son of j^poUo inflrudled him in Philofophy ; Eurynts 
 taught him Archery ; Eumolpui,Mu(\<.ky particularly the Art of touching 
 the Lyre 5 from Harpalycus the Son of Mercury he learnt Wreftling and 
 the Gymnaftick Exercifes i Cufli>r fhew'd him the Art of managing his 
 Weapons ; and to compleat all, Cbiron initiated liim in the Pnnciples of 
 Agronomy and Medicine. 
 
 (7) Some make the Heads oT the Lerr.jejin Iljclra to be fevcn, others 
 i«ine, oti.cfi fifty. 
 
 0U8 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 143 
 
 ous Animals, which Hercules and his Companions deftroy'd, 
 by fetting Fire to the Reeds. Others imagine he only drain'd 
 this Fen, which was before both unpaflable, and incapable 
 of Improvement. Others make Lerna a Fort or Caftle of 
 Robbers under a Leader calFd Hydra^ whom Hercules extir- 
 pated. However this be, in Confideration of the Service of 
 lolaus on this Occafion, w^hen he grew decriped with old Age, 
 his Mafter by his Prayers obtained him a Renewal of his 
 
 Youth. 
 
 III. The next Ta(k impos'd on him by Euryjlheus^ was to 
 
 bring him alive a huge Wild-Boar, which ravaged the Foreft 
 of Eurymajithusy and had been fent to PLocis by Diana to pu- 
 nifli Oeneus for negleding her Sacrifices (%)n In his Way 
 he defeated the Centaurs^ who had provoked him by infulting 
 Pholus his Hoft. After this he feiz'd the fierce Animal in a 
 Thicket furrounded with Snow, and purfuant to his Injunc- 
 tion, carried him bound to Euryjiheus, v/ho had like to have 
 fainted at the Sight. 
 
 IV. This Monarch, after fuch Experience of the Force 
 and Valour of Hercules^ was rcfolv'd to try his Agility. For 
 this End he was commanded to take a Hind w^hich fre- 
 quented Mount Mtenalust and had brazen Feet and golden 
 Horns. As fhe was facred to Dianay Hercules durfl not" 
 wound her, and it was not very cafy to run her down : This " 
 Chafe coft him a whole Year's Foot-Speed. At lad beino' 
 tir'd out, the Hind took to theRecelies of M.o\xnt ArteTr^rJlus^ 
 but was in her Way overtaken as fhe crofs'd the River Ladan^ 
 and brought to Myce?ie. 
 
 V. Near the Lake Stympbalus in Arcadia [g] harboured cer- 
 tain Birds of Prey with Wings, Beaks and Talons of Iron, 
 who prey'd on human Flefh, and devour'd all who palled that 
 V/ay. Thefe Euryftheus fent Hercules to deftroy. Some fay 
 he kiirdthem with his Arrows (lo); others, that Pallas lent 
 
 (8) This Story has a near Refemb!ance witli the Boar of Calydon, men- 
 tion'd in the Article of Diana. 
 
 (9) Where Juno, it is faid, was educated. 
 
 (10) There is an anti«ntGemexprdrivt of this. See Ogle'i Antiquities. 
 
 him 
 
14+ Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 him fome brazen Rattles made by Vulcan, the found of wliich 
 frighten'd them to the Ifland of Aretia. Some fuppofe the 
 Birds call'd Stymphalides, a Gang of defperate Banditti who 
 had their Haunts near that Lake. 
 
 VI. His next Expedition was againft the Cretan Bull. 
 Minos t King of that Ifland, being formidable at Sea, had 
 forgot to pay Neptune the Worfhip due to him, the Deity to 
 punifh his Negledt fent a furious Bull, whofe Noftrils breath'd 
 Fire, to deftroy the Country. Hercules brought this terrible 
 Animal bound to Euryjiheus, who on account of his being 
 iacred let him loofe in the Territory of Marathon, where he 
 was afterwards flain by Ihefeus, Some reduce the Story to 
 this, that Hercules only was fent to Crete^ to procure Euryf- 
 theus a Bull for breeding out of. 
 
 VII. Diomede King of Thrace^ the Son of Mars and Cyrene^ 
 was a Tyrant poflefs'd of a Stud of Horfes, fo wild and fierce 
 that they breath'd Fire, and were conflantly fed with human 
 Flefh, their Mafter killing all Strangers he could meet with 
 for Provender for his Cattle. Hercules having vanquifli'd him 
 gave him as a Prey to them, and killing fome, brought the 
 rell to Euryjlheus. 
 
 VIII. The next Employment of Hercules feems a little too 
 mean for a Flero, but he was oblig'd to obey a fevere TafiC- 
 mafter, who was fo fenfible of his own Injuftice in thefe In- 
 jundions, that he did not care to truft himfelf in the Power 
 of the Perfon he commanded ( 1 1 ) . Augeas^ King of Elis, 
 had a Stable intolerable, from the Stench arifmg from the 
 Dung and Filth it contained, which is not very furprifing if 
 it be true, that it (helter'd three Thoufand Oxen, and had 
 not been cleanM for thirty Years. This Place Euryjiheus or- 
 dered Hercules to clear in one Day j and Augeas promis'd if he 
 perform'd it, to give him a Tenth Part of thefe Cattle. 
 Hercules by turning the Courfe of the River Alpheus through 
 it, executed his Defign, which Augeas feeing refufed to fland 
 
 (ii) It is faid Euryjlheui never would fufFer Hercules to enter Mycene, 
 but notify 'd his Commands to him over the Walls, by Capreas a Herald. 
 
 by 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 14^ 
 
 by his Engagements. The Hero to reward his Perfidy, flew 
 him with his Arrows, and gave his Kingdom to Phykus his 
 Son, who had fhew'd his Abhorrence of his Father's Trea- 
 chery. Some add that from the Spoils taken at Elis^ Hercules 
 inflituted the Olympic Games to Jupiter celebrated every fifth 
 Year, and which afterwards gave Rife to the Grecian JEra. 
 
 IX. Euryjlheus defirous to prefent his Daughter Admeta 
 with the Belt or Girdle worn by HippoUta Queen of the 
 Jmaxons^ Hercules was fent on this Expedition ; he was but 
 flenderly provided having but one Ship ; but Valour like his 
 was never deftitute of Refources in Diftrefs. In his Way he 
 defeated and kill'd Mygdon and Amycus^ two Brothers who 
 oppos'd his Pafiage, and fubduing Bebrycia gave it to Lycus 
 one of his Companions, who changM its Name to Heracka 
 in Memory of his Benefadtor. On his Approach to ThemiJ- 
 cyra, he learnt that the Amaz.ons had colleded all their Forces 
 to meet him. The firft Engagement was warm on both 
 Sides, feveral of the braved of thefe Viragos were kill'd (12), 
 and others made Prifoners (13). The Victory was follow'd 
 by the total Extermination of that female Nation, and 
 Hippolite their Qiieen was by the Conqueror given to Thefeus 
 as a Reward for his Valour. Her Belt he brought to 
 Euryjlheus, 
 
 X. His fucceeding Exploit was againft Geryon King of 
 ^pain^ who had three Bodies, and was the Son of Chryfaoris 
 and Calirrhoe, This Monarch had a Breed of Oxen of a 
 purple Colour, v/hq devour'd all Strangers caft to them, and 
 were guarded by a Dog with two Heads, a Dragon with 
 feven, befides a very watchful and fevere Keeper. Hercules 
 kill'd both the Monarch and his Guards, and carried the 
 Oxen to Gadira (i^Jt OT Cadiz, from whence he brought 
 them to Euryfiheus, Others relate the Story with fome Ad- 
 
 (la) As Procelljy Philippisy Prothoe, Eur ilea, Cakno, Pbceboy all Com- 
 panions of Diana. 
 
 (13) As Deianira, Afieria, Marpe, TecmefiOy Alcippe, and Mai^alippe, 
 (i^) Then a celebrated Mart or Fort frequented by the Pbaniciam, 
 
 U ditions 
 
146 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 clitions (i^)» It was during this Expedition, that our Hero, 
 as eternal Monuments of his Glory, ere6led two Pillars ( i6), 
 or Mountains, the one call'd Calpe the other Abyle, upor; the 
 utmoft Limits of Africa and Europe. Some give a more fim- 
 ple Turn to the Whole, by faying Geryon was a King of 
 Spain, who govern'd by Means of three Sons famous for 
 Valour and Prudence, and that Hercules having rais'd an 
 Army of mercenary Troops in Crete, firft overcame them, 
 and fubdued that Country. 
 
 XL The next Tafk enjoined him by Euryjlheus, was to 
 fetch him the golden Apples of the Hefperides (ij)y which 
 were guarded by a Dragon with a hundred Heads. The Li- 
 jun61:ion was not eafy, fmce Hercules was even ignorant of 
 the Place where they grew. The Nymphs of Eridanus whom 
 he confulted, advis'd him to go to Prometheus (iSJ, who gave 
 him the Information and Diredion he wanted, after which 
 he vanquifh'd the Dragon, and brought the precious Fruit 
 to his Mafter. 
 
 Xn. The laft Command of Euryftheus was for him to go 
 down to Hell and bring away Cerberus, Pluto's MaftifF. Her^ 
 culcs having facrificed to the Gods, enter'd the Infernal Re- 
 gions by a Cavity of Mount Tamrus, and on the Banks of 
 Acheron found a white Poplar-Tree, of which he made him a 
 Wreath, and the Tree was ever after confecrated to him ; 
 palling that River he difcover'd Thefeus and Pirithous chain'd 
 to a Stone. The former he released, but left the latter con- 
 fin'd. Manetius, Pluto's Cowherd, endeavouring to fave his 
 Matter's Dog was crufh'd to Death. Cerberus^ for Refuge 
 fled beneath Pluto\ Throne, from whence the Hero dragg'd 
 
 (15) It is faid that Dercyhn and AMiort, Sons of Neptune, drove thefe 
 Oxen into Hetruria j but Hercules reooverM them, and brought theni 
 acrofs the Ionian Sea to Euryfiheui. 
 
 (16) Now the Cape of Gibraltar, and Mount oi Andalujia near Tetuan. 
 
 (17) J"""^) on her Marriage with Jupiter, gave him thefe Trees which 
 bore golden Fruit, and were kept by the Nymphs Mgle, Arethuja, and 
 Hcfperethiifa, Daughters of Hefpcrus, who were call'd the Hefperides. 
 
 (18) Or as others fay, to Nereus, who eluded his Enquiry by afluming 
 various Shapes, 
 
 him 
 
< Of the Heathen Gods. 147 
 
 him out, and brought him unto Earth by Way o^Trazene. At 
 fight of the Day, the Monfter vomited a poifonous Matter, 
 from whence fprung the Herb Aconite^ or Wolf's Bane ; but 
 being prefented to Euryjlheus^ he order'd him to be difmifs'd, 
 and lufFer'd to. return to Hell. 
 
 It would be almoft endlefs to enumerate all the A<Slions of 
 this celebrated Hero of Antiquity, and therefore we (hall only 
 touch on the Principal. He deliver'd Creon^ King of Thebes, 
 from an unjuft Tribute imposM on him by Erginus and the 
 Mynits^ for which Service, that Prince gave him his Daughter 
 Megara^ by whom he had feveral Sons ; but Juno ftriking 
 him with Frenzy, he flew thefe Children, and on recover- 
 ing his Senfes became fo fhock'd at his Cruelty, that he ab- 
 ftain'd from all human Society for fome Time. In his Re- 
 turn from the Expedition againft the Amazons^ Laomedoht 
 King of Troy^ by the Promife of fome fine Horjes^ engaged 
 him to deliver his Daughter Hejione expofed to a vail Sea 
 Monfter fent by Nepcune-, but when he had freed the Prin- 
 cefs, the deceitful Monarch retraced his Word. Upon this 
 Hercules took the City, kill'd Laomedon^ and gave Hejione to 
 Telamon who fii-ft fcal'd the Walls (ig)> After this he flew 
 Tmolus and Teleganos the Sons of Proccus^ two celebrated 
 Wreftlers, who put to Death all whom they overcame. He 
 alio kill'd Sarpedon Son of Neptune^ a notorious Pyrate. 
 
 During his African Expedition, he vanquifh'd Cycnus, 
 King of The/Jal)-^ the Son of Mars and Cleobulina^ a favage 
 Prince, who had vow'd to ere6l his Father a Temple of the 
 Heads or Skulls of the Strangers he deftroy'd. In Libya he 
 encounter'd the famous Antceus^ the Son of Earthy a Giant 
 of immenfe Stature (20), who forc'd all whom he met to 
 wreftle with him, and fo ftrangled them. He challenged . 
 Hercules, who f^ung him thrice, and thought each Time he 
 had kill'd him j but on his touching the Ground he renew'd 
 
 (19) This Princefs from the Captives redeemed her Brother Pr;>w»i, 
 who was afterward' King of Troy, 
 
 (20) Sixty-tour Cubits high. 
 
 U z his 
 
148 
 
 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 his Strength. His Antagonift appriz'd of this, held him up 
 in the Air, and fqueezM him in fuch a Manner that he foon 
 expir'd. In his Progrefs from Libya to Egypt ^ Bufir'n (2\) z. 
 cruel Prince laid an Ambufcade to furprize him, but was 
 himfelf, and his %oxvAmphiadamas^ facrificedbythe Vi6loron 
 the Altars he had prophan'd. In Arabia he beheaded Ema- 
 ihion the Son of T^ithonm for his Want of Hofpitality, after 
 which, crofling mount Caucafus^ he deliver'd Prometheus, In 
 Calydon he wreftled with Achehus^ for no lefs a Prize than 
 Deianira^ Daughter to King Oeneus. The Conteft was 
 long dubious, for his Antagonift had the Faculty of alTuming 
 all Shapes ; but as he took that of a Bull, Hercules tore ofF 
 one of his Horns, fo that he was forc'd to fubmit, and to re- 
 (deem it by giving the Conqueror the Horn oi Amalthaa (22) 
 the Daughter of Harmodius ; which Hercules fiU'd with a Va- 
 riety of Fruits, and confecrated to Jupiter, Some explain 
 the Fable thus : Achelous is a winding River of Greece^ whofe 
 Stream was fo rapid, that it overllcw'd the Banks, roaring 
 like a Bull. Hercules forc'd it into two Channels, that is, he 
 broke off one of the Horns, and fo reftor'd Plenty to the 
 Country. 
 
 This Hero reduced the Ifle of Coosy and put to Death £«- 
 rylus the Tyrant (23), or King of it, with his Sons, on ac- 
 count of their Injuftice and Cruelty ; but the Princefs Chalchi- 
 ope his Daughter, he married, by whom he had a Son nam'd 
 T^hejfalus^ who gave his Name to fhejaly. He fubdued 
 Pyracmost King of Eub^ea^ who had caufelefsly made War on 
 the Boeotians. In his Way to the He/peridesj he was opposed 
 by Albion and Borgio, two Giants, who put him in great 
 Hazard, his Arrows being fperrt. Jupiter^ on his Prayer, 
 ovefwhelm'd them with a Shower of Stones, whence the 
 Place was call'd the Stony Field. It lies in the Gallia Nar- 
 
 (ii) The Son of Neptune and Lyhis, who had ereded Altars to his Fa- 
 ther, on which lie facrificed ail Strangers. 
 
 (22) This is the fame with the Comucofia^ or Horn of Plenty. 
 
 (23) Tyrant was in thofe Days a fynonymoua Term with King. 
 
 lomnjis 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 149 
 
 lonenjli {2j\.). Hercules did great Service in Gaul^ by de- 
 ftroying Robbers, fuppreffing Tyrants and Oppreflbrs, and 
 other Actions truly worthy the true Charader of a Hero ; 
 after which it is faid he built the City Alejia (z^), and made 
 it the Capital of the Celta:^ or Gouls, He alfo open'd his 
 Way through the Mps into Jtaly, and by the Coafts of 
 Liguria and Tufcany, arriv'd on the Banks of the Tyber (^26^* 
 and he flew the furious Robber Cacus^ who from his Den on 
 Mount A'uentine infefted that Country. Being denied the 
 Rites of Hofpitality, he kill'd Theodamas the Father of Hy/as^ 
 but took the latter with hini and treated him kindly. 
 
 Hercules, however intent on P ame or Glory, was like other 
 Heroes, but too fufceptible of Love. We find an Inftance of 
 this in OmphaUy Queen of Lydia, who gain'd fuch an Afcen- 
 dant oyer him, that he was not afham'd to afllime a female 
 Drefs, to fpin amongft her Women, and fubmit to be cor- 
 recSled by her according to her Caprice. 
 
 His favourite Wife was Deianira, before-mention'd, and 
 whofe Jealoufy v/as the fatal Occafion of his Death. Tra- 
 velling with this Prineefs through uEtoiia, they had Occa- 
 fion to pafs a River, fwell'd by the ludden Plains, Ncjfus the 
 Centaur oiFer'd Hercules his Service to carrry over his Con- 
 fort, who accepting it crofTed over before them. The Mon- 
 fler feeing the. Opportunity favourable, ofFer'd Violence to 
 Deianira^ upon which her Hufband from the oppofite Bank, 
 pierc'd him with one of thofe dreadful Arrows, which being 
 dipp'd in the Blood of the Lem^an Hydra, gave a Wound 
 incurable by Art. NeJJus expiring, gave the Prineefs his 
 Garment all bloody, as a fure Remedy to recover her Huf- 
 band, if ever he fbould pro ve unfaithful. Some Years after 
 Hercules having fubdued Occhalia, fell in Love with lok, a fair 
 
 (24) This Place lies at the Mouth of the Rkojne, and ftill preferves the 
 Name of Gallia Naiocrninjis. 
 
 (25) Aix in Frcvence, or Alex in Languedoc. 
 
 {26) Pallatium, where, as it is faid, being kindly entertain 'd by Por/- 
 tius and P-narius, two of the Citizens, he picdidted to them the future 
 Grandeur of Rome, 
 
 Captive, 
 
T^o Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Captive, whom he brought to Euhcea^ where having erected 
 an Altar to facrifice to Jo^je for his Victory, he difpatch'd 
 hycas to Deianirat to carry her the News, and inform her of 
 his Approach. This Princefs, from the Report of the Mef- 
 fenger, fufpecting her Hufband's Fidelity, fent him as a Pre- 
 fent the Coat of Nefus, which he no fooner put on, but he 
 fell into a delirious Fever, attended with the moft excruciat- 
 ing Torments. Unable to fupport his Pains, he retir'd to 
 Mount Oeta, and erecting a Pile of Wood, to which he fet 
 Fire, threw himfelf into the Flames, and was confumed. 
 Lycas his unhappy Friend and Companion, in his Tranfport, 
 he hurl'd into the River Hhermo-poUs^ where he became a 
 Rock, his Arrows he bequeath'd to Philodetes^ who buried 
 his Remains in the River Dyra (27). 
 
 So perifh'd this great Bero of Antiquity, the Terror of Op- 
 prcfTors, and the Friend of Liberty and Mankind, for whofe 
 Happinefs fas T^ully obferves) hebrav'd the greateft Dangers, 
 and furmounted the molt arduous Toils, going through the 
 whole Earth, with no other View than the eftablifhing ?eace^ 
 Jupce^ Concord Tin^ Freedom. Nothing can be added to heigh- 
 ten a Chara6ter fo glorious as this. 
 
 Hercules left feveral Children ; by Deianira he had an only 
 Daughter cal d Macaria ; by Melita^ who gave her Name to the 
 IHe of Malta^ he had Hylus : Jfar, Lydus and Scythes were his 
 Sons, who are faid to have left their Apellation to Jfrlca, 
 lydia and Scythia. In fhort, his Offspring were fo nume- 
 rous, that above thirty of his Defcendants bore his Name, 
 whofe A6tions being all attributed to him, produce the Con- 
 fufion v/e find in his Hiftory. 
 
 Euryjiheus, after his Death, was fo afraid of thefe HeracUd^^ 
 that by his ill Ufage he forc'd them to fly to Athens, and then 
 fent an Embafly to that City to deliver them up, with Me- 
 naces of a War in Cafe of Rcfufal. lolaus the Friend of H(r~ 
 fulest who was then in the Shades, was fo concern'd for his 
 Mafter's Pofterity, that he got Leave from Pluto to return 
 
 (27) fbikSIetes carried thefe Arrows to the Siege of Troy. 
 
 to 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 151 
 
 to Earth, and kill the Tyrant, after which he willingly re- 
 turn'd to Hell. 
 
 Hercules (zSj, who was alfo callM JlcUes (zg) was, after 
 his Death, by his Father Jupiter deify'd and with great So- 
 lemnity married to He6e his half Sifter, the Goddefs of Youth. 
 At firft Sacrifices were only offer'd to him as a Hero ; but 
 Phaftiui coming into Sycionia alter'd that Method. Both the 
 Greeks and Romans honouf d him as a God, and creeled Tem- 
 ples to him in that Quality. His Vidt'ms were Bulls or 
 Lambs, on account of his preferving the Flock from Wohes9 
 i. e. delivering Men from Tyrants and Robbers. He was 
 C2ird alfo Melius^ from his taking the Hefperian Fruit, for 
 which Reafon Apples were ufed f 30J in his Sacrifices. Meher- 
 cule^ or by Hercules^ was amongft the Romans^ an Oath us'd 
 only by the Men. 
 
 The Tyrian Hercules feems to have been a Perfon diftiri^b 
 from, and more antient than the Grecian. Hiram, King of 
 Tyre^ it is faid, built him a Temple, and he was worfhipp'd 
 with the ?ha:ni:io.n Rites at ^artejfos, a flourifhing City in 
 ^pain. He had a Dog, who running along the Sea Shore 
 and biting a Fifii, firft difcover'd the Purple Dye fo highly 
 valued in the Eaft, and afterwards in fuch Efteem aniongit 
 the Greeks and Romans. 
 
 Hercules is ufuall^ depifted in a ftanding Attitude, having 
 the Skin of the Nemtean Lion thrown over his Shoulders, and 
 leaning on his Cluh^ which Is his infeparable Attribute. The 
 Judgment of this Hero, or his Preference oi Firtue to Vicfy 
 who both foliicit him to embrace their Party, makes one of 
 the fineft Pictures of Antiquity f 3 1^, The Choice he made 
 does no Difhonour to his Memory. 
 
 (28) From HmK.X^flt Glory. 
 
 (29) From «>«>:, Strength. 
 
 (30) From fAsX'j; an Apple. In Eaofiay when no living Viftim couM 
 be procured, they fet an Apple on four fmall Sticks or Straws, with two 
 more by Way of Horns, and one for a Tail, and this they ofifer'd to 
 Hercules. 
 
 ("Si) See 5o<2//ni«rj's Tablatureof IiVrfa/«. CbaraaenllckSf Vol. III. 
 at the End. 
 
 Let 
 
152 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Let us now fee what Lights Antiquity affords us to judge 
 of the Hiftory of Hercules. With regard to the Egyptian 
 Hero, who bore this Name, he is entirely a fabulous Perfon : 
 We find that when mifchievous Animals multiply 'd toofaft, 
 or fome notorious Robber difturb'd the Country, the Cuftom 
 was to Arm the moft valiant of their Youth, v/ho offer'd 
 themfelves as Volunteers for the Expedition. The Horus 
 exposM on this Occafion was arm'd with a Club, and eall'd 
 Heracli or Hercule (^32^, which fignifies the eminent in War^ 
 or the Men of Arms, The Tyrians call'd their Hercules^ Ben- 
 Alcum^ ovitiQ invincible Son, from whence probably the Greeh 
 borrow'd the Story of his being the Son of Jupiter and Jlc- 
 menu (33). The Grecian Hercules^ who was a real Perfon, 
 liv'd juft before the Siege of Troy. 
 
 To this it may not be amifs to add the Explanation of the 
 Fable of the Hefperides^ as given by a late ingenious Author 
 /'34^, and which fuiHciently fhews how the moft important 
 and ufeful Truths, reprefented under the plaineft Symbols* 
 became difguis'd or disfigur'd by Error and Fi(!:l:ion. The 
 Fhanicians were the firft Navigators in the World, and their 
 Trade to Hefperia and Spain^ was one of the nobleft Branches 
 of their Commerce. From hence they brought back exqui- 
 fite Wines, rich Ore of Gold and Silver, and that fine 
 Wool to which they gave fo precious a purple Dye. From 
 the Coaft of Mauritania they drew the beft Corn, and by the 
 Way of the red Sea, they exchang'd Iron Ware and Tools of 
 fmall Value for Ivory, Ebony, and Gold Duft. This was 
 their moft profitable Trade, and happy were they who could 
 ihare in it. But as the Voyage was long, the Adventurers 
 were obliged to aftbciate and get their Cargoes ready in 
 Winter, fo as to fet out early in Spring. The publick Sign, 
 or Horus expos'd on thefe Occafions, was a Tree with golden 
 
 (3z) From Horim, the illuftrious Children, (whence our Word Heroa). 
 See Ecclef. x. 17, and Nehemtah vi. 17, and Kelt, Armour, comes Heracli 
 or Herecli, the Men of Prowefs or War. 
 
 (33) Melec-AUum fjgnifies the invincible King. See Proverbs xxx. 31. 
 
 (3^) La Plucbe'% Hiftory of the Heavens, Vol. II. 150. 
 
 Fruit, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 153 
 
 Fruit, to denote the Riches arifing from this Commerce. 
 The Dragon which guarded the Tree, fignify'd the Danger 
 and Difficulty of the Voyage. The Capricorn, or fome- 
 times one Horn plac'd at the Root, exprefs'd the Month or 
 Seafon j and the three Months of Winter, during which 
 they prepar'd for the Expedition, were reprefented by three 
 Nymphs, who were fuppofed to be Proprietors of the Tree, 
 and had the Name of Hefperides (7,^) j which fully fhew'd the 
 Meaning of this emblematical Groupe, from whence the 
 Greeks miftaking its Defign and Ufe, composed the Romance 
 of the Hefperian Gardens. 
 
 J.} 
 -5(35) YtomEfpery the good Share or beft Lot. See z Samuel^ vi. ig. 
 
 CHAP. XLV. 
 Of HEBE and GANYMEDE. 
 
 HE B E, the Goddefs of Touth^ was, according tp 
 Homer, the Daughter of Jupiter and Juno. But the 
 Generality of Writers relate her Birth thus : Juno being in- 
 vited to an Entertainment by Apollo^ eat very eagerly fome 
 wild Lettuces, upon which fhe conceiv'd, and inftantly 
 brought forth this Goddefs. Jo've was fo pleas'd with her 
 Beauty, that he made her his Cup-bearer, in theDifcharg^ 
 of which Office, fhe always appear'd crown'd with Flowers. 
 Unluckily at a Feftival of the Gods in Ethiopia^ Hebe being 
 in waiting, flipp'd her Foot, and got fo indecent a Fall, that 
 Jupiter was oblig'd to remove her from her ufual Attendance. 
 To repair this Difgrace, as weil as the Lofs of her Poft, Ja- 
 piter^ upon Hercules being adx anced to the Skies, married 
 him to Hebe^ and their Nuptials were celebrated with all the 
 Pomp becoming a celeftial Wedding. By this Union fhe 
 had a Son nam'd Anicetus^ and a Daughter call'd Alexiare, 
 Hebe was held in high Veneration amongft the Sicyoniansy 
 X who 
 
1^4 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 who ere£ted her a Temple by the Name of Dia, She had 
 another at Corinth^ which was a Sanctuary for Fugitives ; and 
 the Athenians confecrated an Altar in commmon to her and 
 Hercules, 
 
 Ganymede^ who fucceeded her in her Office, was the Son of 
 'Tros^ King of Phrygia or Troy^ and a Prince of fuch mental 
 Wifdom and perfonal Beauty, that Jupiter^ by the Advice of 
 the Gods, refolv'd to remove him from Earth to the Skies. 
 The Eagle difpatch'd on this Commiffion, found him juft 
 leaving his Flock of Sheep, to hunt on M.o\xnt Ida^ and feiz- 
 ing him in his Talons, brought him unhurt to the Heavens, 
 where he enterM on his new Office of filling Nectar to 
 Jupiter^ though others fay he was turn'd into that Conftella- 
 tion, or Sign of the Zodiacy which goes by the Name of 
 
 j^quarius (\). 
 
 The Mythologifts, by an Allegory, which feems a little 
 conftrained, make Hebe fignify that mild Temperature of 
 the Air, which awakens to Life the Trees, Plants and 
 Flowers, and cloaths the Earth in vegetable Beauty; for 
 which Caufe fhe is call'd the Goddefs of perpetual Youth. But 
 when fhe flips or Falls, that is, when the Flowers fade, and 
 the autumnal Leaves drop, Ganymede ^ or the Winter, takes 
 "her Place. If we believe the more rational Conje(5tures of a 
 late Author, (to whofe Obfervations the learned World is 
 greatly indebted), Ganytnede (2) was the Name of the Horus 
 or Image expos'd by the antient Egyptians^ to warn the People 
 before their annual Inundations, to raife their Terraces to a 
 juft or proper Height. 
 
 (1) The Winter being attended with frequent Rains, it is not improper 
 that Ganymede (hould be the Sign Aquarius. 
 
 (2) From Gantm, the Inclofures cr Gardens, and mad a Meafure, comes 
 Ganimad, or Ganitr.ede, the Terraces or Banks fufRciently high. As the 
 Plain of Egypt is naturally fmooth and level, the Retreats of the Inhabi- 
 Mnts are fecur'd by Cau^iways or Banks^ during the Flood. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
/'^^-d^- 
 
Of the Heathen Gods, 155 
 
 CHAP. XLVI. 
 Of CASTOR and POLLUX. 
 
 WE have already, under the Article of Jupiter^ men- 
 tioned his Amours with Leda the Wife of Tyndarus^ 
 King of Sparta^ in the Form of a Swan, on which account he 
 plac'd that Figure amongft the Conftellaoons. Leda brought 
 forth two Eggs, each containing Twins. From that im- 
 ,pregnated by Jupiter proceeded Pollux and Helena^ both im- 
 mortal ; from the other Cajior and Clytemnefira^ who being be- 
 got by TyndaruSf were both mortal. They went however all 
 by the common Name of Tyyidaridce^ and were born and edu- 
 cated in Paphnus^ an Ifland belonging to Lac^demon^ though 
 the Mejpniam difputed this Honour with the Spartans, The 
 two Brothers, however, differing in their Nature and Tem- 
 per (\)y had enter'd into an inviolab(e Friendftiip, which 
 lafted for Life. Jonje foon after fent Mercury to remove them 
 to Pellene^ for their further Improvement. As Jajon was 
 then preparing for his Expedition to Colchis in fearch of the 
 -golden Fleece, and the nobleft Youth of Greece cvowAtd to 
 become Adventurers with him, our two Brothers offer'd 
 their Services, and behav'd, during the Voyage, with a Cou- 
 rage worthy of their Birth. Being obliged to water on the 
 -Coaft of Babrycia^ Jmycus Son to Neptune^ King of that 
 Country, challeng'd all the Jrgonauts to box with him; 
 Pollux accepted the Bravado, and kill'd him. After their 
 Return from Colchis^ the two Brothers were very active in 
 clearing the Seas of Greece from Pirates. The/eus in the mean 
 Time had ftolen their Sifter Helena, to recover whom, they 
 took Athens by Storm, but fpar'd all the Inhabitants, except 
 Jlthra Mother to Thefeus^ whom they carried away Captive* 
 
 (1) This Particular we learn from Horace j 
 
 Carter gaudet Eqiiii : Ovo prognjtus eodem 
 Fugnis : £^ot capitum <vjvu/Jt totidem Studiorum 
 mllia. Horat, 
 
 X 2 For 
 
1 5<$ Fabulous HISTORY. 
 
 For this Clemency they obtaln'd the Title of Diofiuri (2) • 
 yet Love foon plunged them in the fame Error they had 
 fought to punifti in the Perfon. of Thefeus. Leucip^os and Jr- 
 finoe ha3 two beautiful Daughters call'd Fhabe and Talayra, 
 Thefe Virgins were contraded to Lynceus and Ida the Sons of 
 jiphareus. The two Brothers, without Regard to thefe En- 
 gagements carried them oiF by Force, Their Lovers flew 
 to their JRelief, and met the Ravifhers with their Prize near 
 Mount Taygeus, A fmart Conflict enfued, in which Cafior 
 was kill'd by Lynceus^ who in return fell by the Hands of 
 Pollux^ This immortal Brother had been wounded by Ida% 
 if Jupiter had not ftruck him with his Thunder. PoIIuxt 
 however, was fo touch'd with his Lofs, that he earneftly 
 begM of this Deity to make Capr immortal ; but that Re- 
 queft being impoflJlble to grant, he obtain'd Leave to (hare 
 his own Immortality with his Brother, fo that they are faid 
 to live and die alternately every Day ^3^. They were bu- 
 ried in the Country of Laced^mon^ and forty Years after their 
 Deceafe tranflated to the Skies, where they form a Conftel- 
 lation call'd Gemini (one of the Signs of the Zodiac) one of 
 which Stars rifes as the other fets. A Dance of the martial 
 Kind was invented to their Honour, call'd the Pyrbic or Ca- 
 ftorean Dance. 
 
 Cajior and Pollux were efl:eem'd as Deities propitious to 
 Navigation ; the Reafon was this : When the Argonauts 
 weigh'd from Siga^um (^)y they were overtaken with a Tem- 
 peft, during which, Orpheus ofFer'd Vows for the Safety of the 
 Ship; immediately two lambent Flames were difcover'd over 
 the Heads of Cajior and Pollux ^ which Appearance was fuc- 
 ceeded with fo great a Calm, as gave the Crew a Notion of 
 their Divinity. In fucceeding Times thefe Fires often {ten 
 by the Mariners, were always taken as a good or favourable 
 
 (2) The Sons of Jupiter. 
 
 (3) ^/''^?'/ alludes to this ; 
 
 Si fratrem Pollux alterna Morte redemit 
 Itque reditque 'uiam ^irg . /Eneid VI, 
 
 (4/ This Cape lies near Troy. 
 
 Omen. 
 
Of the Heathen Gods* i^j 
 
 Omen. When one was feen alone it was reckon'd to fore-^ 
 bode feme Evil, and was call'd Helena f^J. 
 
 The Cephelenfes (or Inhabitants of Cephelonia) placM thefc 
 two Deities amongft the Dii Magni, The Vi6tims ofFer'd 
 them were 'white Lambs, The Romans paid them particular 
 Honours for their Afliftance in an Engagement with the 
 Latins^ in which they appeared on their Side, mounted oh 
 white Horfes, and turn'd the Scale of Viiaory in their Fa- 
 vour. For this a Temple was eredled to them in the Forum. 
 Amongft the Romans, jEcafor was an Oath peculiar to the 
 Women, but jE depot was us'd indifcriminately by both Sexes. 
 
 Cafior and Pollux were reprefented as two beautiful Youths, 
 compleatly arm'd and riding on white Horfes, with Star^ over 
 their Helmets. Thefe Deities were unknown to the i"^};^ 
 tians or Ph^nicians. 
 
 (5) The fir ft Helena carried off by Tbefeusi 
 
 CHAP. XLVII. 
 0/ PERSEUS and BELLEROPHON, 
 
 THIS Hero was the Son of Jupiter and Danae, whofe 
 Amour has been already mention'd, and is inimitably 
 defcrib'd by Horace (i). Acrifius her Father, on hearing 
 of his Daughter's Difgrace, caus'd her and the Infant to be 
 Ihut up in a Cheft, and call into the Sea, which threw them 
 on the Ifle of Seriphus^ governed by King PolydeSIes^ whofe 
 Brother Di^ys being a Fifliing took them up, and us'd them 
 kindly. When Perfeus^ for fo he was call'd, was grown up, 
 Foljdedesy who was enamour'd of his Mother, finding he 
 would be an Obftacle to their Courtfliip, contriv'd to fend 
 him on an Exploit, he judged would be fatal to him j this was 
 to bring him the Head of Medufa, one of the Gorgons, This 
 Inchantrefs liv'd near the Tritonian Lake, and turned all who 
 beheld her into Stone. Perfeus in this Expedition was fa- 
 (i) Horat, Lib. III. Ode'XV(. 
 
 vour'd 
 
158 
 
 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 vour'd by the Gods ; Mercury equipM him with a Scymctcr 
 and the Wings from his Heels; Pallas lent him a Shield, 
 v/hich reflected Obje£b like a Mirror ; and Pluto granted him 
 his Helmet, which gave him the Privilege of being invifible. 
 In this Manner he flew to ^artejjus in Spain^ where direded by 
 his Mirror, he cut off Medufa's Head, and putting it in a Bag 
 lent him by the Nymphs, brought it to Pallas. From the 
 Blood arofe the winged Horfe Pegajus, and all Sorts of Ser- 
 pents. After this the Hero pafs'd into Mauritania, where his 
 Interview with Atlas has been already fpoken of under its 
 proper Article (2). 
 
 , In his Return to Greece (others fay, at his firft fetting out) 
 he vifited Ethiopia, and mounted on Pegafus^ deliver'd Andro- 
 meda Daughter o^ Cepheus^ King of that Country, who was 
 expofed to a Sea Monfter (^), After his Death, this Prin- 
 cefs, and her Mother CaJJiope or Caffiopeia, were plac'd 
 amongft the celepal Conjiellations f^J. 
 
 Per/eus was not only famous for Arms, but Litterature, if 
 it be true that he founded an Academy on Mount Helicon, 
 Yet he had the Misfortune inadvertently to commit the 
 Crime of Parricide, for being reconcil'd to his Grandfather 
 Jcrijius, and playing with him at the Di/cus or ^oitsy a Game 
 he had invented, his Quoit bruis'd the old King in the Foot, 
 which turn'd to a Mortification and carried him off. Per/eus 
 interred him with great Solerrnity at the Gates of ^r^oj. Per- 
 feus himfelf was buried in the Way between Argos and My. 
 cen^e, had divine Honours decreed him, and was plac'd 
 
 amongft the Stars f 5 j. 
 
 Bellerophon (6) the Son of Glaucusy King of Ephyra^ and 
 
 (a) See the Article of Atlas. 
 
 J3) Pliny relates, that during the ^dilefhlp of Emilius Scaurus, the 
 Bones of this Sea Monfter were brought from Joppa to Rome, and exposM 
 to the View of the People. The Skeleton was forty Feet long, and its 
 Ribs larger than thofeof the Elephant. 
 
 (4.) Ovid Lib. IV. 662. 
 
 ^5) Perfeui and Andromeda, in our celeftial Globe, iorm but one Con- 
 ftellation. 
 
 C6) His firft Name was Hipponous, becaufe he firfl invented the Bridle 
 for Horfes, but killing Bellerus, King of Corinth , he alTumM the Name of 
 
 Grandfon 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. \\i^ 
 
 Grandfon of Syjiphus, was bom at Corinth, Happening ac- 
 cidentally to kill his Brother, he fled to Pratus^ King of 
 Jrgos^ who gave him a hofpitable Reception ; but Sthenobtea 
 his Queen, falling enamour' d with the beautiful Stranger 
 whom no Intreaties could prevail on'to injure his Benefador, 
 accus'd him to her Hufband, who unwilling to take violent 
 Meafures, fent him into Lycia^ with Letters to J abates^ his 
 Father-in-Law (7), defiring him to punifh the Crime. 
 This Prince, at the Receipt of the Order, was celebrating a 
 Feftival of nine Days, which prevented Bellerophon's Fate. 
 In the mean Time he fent him to fubdue the Solymi and Ama- 
 zons^ which he perform'd with Succtfs. Johatei next em- 
 ploy'd him to deftroy the C/^/w^r« (8), a very uncommon 
 Monfter. Miner'va^ or as others fay, Neptune, compaffionat- 
 ing his Innocence exposM to fuch repeated Dangers, fur- 
 nifh'd him with the Horfe Pegafus, by whofe Help he came 
 ofF victorious. Jobates on his Return, convinced of his 
 Truth and Integrity, and charm'd with his Virtues, gave 
 him his Daughter Philonoe^ and aflbciated him in his Throne. 
 Sthenobaa hearing how her Malice was difappointed, put an 
 End to her Life. But like other Princes, Belkrophon grew 
 foolifh with too much Profperity, and by the Alliftance of 
 Pegafus refolved to afcend the Skies, Jupiter to check his 
 Prefumption ftruck him blind in the Flight, and he fell back 
 to the Earth, where he wander'd 'till his Death, in Mifery 
 and Contempt. Pegafus, however, made a Shift to get into 
 Heaven, where Jupiter plac'd him amongft the Conftel- 
 lations. 
 
 Let us once more try to give fome Explanation of thefe 
 
 (7) King in his Hiftory makes Jobatei his Son in-Law. 
 
 (8) The CA/w^r<z was a Moniter with the fore Part like a Lyon, th« 
 Middle like a Goat, and the Tail like a Serpent. Some fay it was a Moun- 
 tain in C/nV/d;, whofe lower Parts were infefted with Lyons, the Middle 
 over run with Goats, and the Summit pefter'd with Serpents ; and that 
 Bellcrophon render'd it habitable. Others make the Chimara a Pyrate 
 Ship, whofe Stern bore the Figure of a Lyon, her Prow that of a Serpent, 
 and her Middle that of a Goat, and add, that Billenpbon Cook her in a 
 long Boat call'd Pr^iifui, 
 
 two 
 
l6o Fahuhin tt T S T O Rt 
 
 3WO Fabks. As for the Story of Perfeus and Anckomsdk, li 
 probably took its Rife thus : It was common in the Hebreko 
 and Phoenician Languages, to denominate a Country froin 
 its Temperature (9; or Situation. Now Palejline was only a 
 long maritime Coaft, bounded with Rocks and a flat Sandy 
 Shore. This in the Phoenician Tongue they exprefs'd by the 
 Word Adrormad^ or Jndrofneda (lo), and call'd it, in the ori- 
 ental Style, the Daughter oi Cepheus {11) ^nd CaJ/iol/e (^12), 
 As this Country was naturally barren, and could procure 
 little or no Subfiftence from Arabia or Idumaa^ both defert 
 Regions, it depended chiefly on Egypt for Subfiftence, We 
 have taken Notice under the Article of Pegafus (i$Jt that in 
 the Phoenician Tongue a Bark was call'd a Horfe, and on the 
 lame Account a Pilot was call'd Pereth^ or a Horfeman (i\)- 
 Now this Emblem of a Horfeman was, as ^traho informs 
 us (\^)t painted on all the Barks, which carried Provifions 
 from Sais to Paleftiney with the additional Emblem of that 
 City, which was a Medufa's Head, to fignify the Plenty of 
 Olives, that Territory yielded. From this lUuftration the 
 Story becomes quite natural and agreeable to Truth. 
 
 As to the Fable of the Chim<era deftroy'd by Bellerophonj 
 the Original is much the fame. The Lycians were an Egyp- 
 tian Colony, whom the Unfruitfulnefs of their own Soil ob- 
 liged to have recourfe to their Mother Country, for the Pro- 
 vifions necelTary to their Support. The Months favourable 
 for this Tranfportation, were from the Sun's Entrance into 
 teo to his leaving Capricorn, Seller ophon (16) and his winged 
 
 (9) So Jerusalem is call'd the Daughter of Zion, or Drouth or Banennefs. 
 
 (10) From Adatf great' and madt Meafure, comes Adromad, or the 
 long Coaft. 
 
 (11) From Cepbay a Stone. 
 
 (12) TromCaJfi, a Boundary or Limit, and 0^ the Innundation, comes 
 CaJJiobe , or Cajfiope, the Boundary of the Flood, becaufe the Fgyptian In- 
 nundation was loft in the ::,anc!s of Paleftine. 
 
 (13) See the Article of Apollo and the Mufes. 
 
 (14) From Parajh, a Cavalier or 'frooper. 
 
 (15) iiQC Strai>o. [^(os naves E<^uos apellant a prora iftjignibus.'} 
 
 (16) From Belli, Food ; and repoab, Reftoration or Renewal, comes 
 Belleropbon. the Food ot Recovery, 
 
 Horfe 
 
Of the Heathen Gcds. i6r. 
 
 Horfe are therefore no more than the Bark annually employ'd 
 for this Purpofe, and the Story being thus ftripM of the mar- 
 vellous, becomes a fimple and plain Hiftorical Truth. 
 
 CHAP. XLVIII; 
 Of JASON and the Golden Fleece. 
 
 THIS antient Greek Hero was the Son of ^>», King 
 of j^fon^ King of Thejfaly^ and Jlcimede, and by the 
 Father's Side allied to JEolus. Pelias his Uncle, who was 
 left his Guardian, fought to deftroy him -, but he was con- 
 vey'd by his Father's Friends to a Cave, where Chiron in- 
 truded him in Phyfick j whence he took the Name of Jafon 
 (\). Arriving at Years of Maturity, he return'd to his 
 Uncle, who probably with no favourable Intention to him, 
 firft infpir'd him with the Notion of the Colchian Expedition, 
 and agreeably flatter'd his Ambition with the View of fo 
 tempting a Prize as the Golden Fleece, 
 
 Athamas^ King of Thebes^ by his firll Wife had Helle and 
 Phrixus, ho his Second, fell in Love with Phrixus her Son-in- 
 Law, but being rejected in her Advances, flie took the Op- 
 portunity of a great Famine to indulge her Revenge, by 
 perfuading her Hufband, that the Gods could not be ap- 
 peafed till he facrificed his Son aad Daughter. But as they 
 Hood at the Altar, Ncphele their Mother (2) invifibly carried 
 them ofF, giving them a Golden Ram {he had got from Mer- 
 cury^ to bear them through the Air. However, in paffing 
 the Streights, between Jfia and Europe^ Helle fell into the 
 Sea, and gave her Name to the Hellejpont. Phryxus continued 
 his Courfe to Colchis, where ^ta. King of the Country, en- 
 tertain'd him hofpitably j after which he offer'd up his Ram 
 
 (i) Or Healer, his former Name being i):cwft/?, 
 (2) Ncphele, in Greek fij^nihe? a Cloud. 
 
 Y to 
 
i62 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 to Jupiter (i)^ and confecrated the Skin or Hide in the 
 Grove of Mars, It was call'd the Golden Fleece from its Co- 
 lour (4), and guarded by Bulls breathing Fire, and a watch- 
 ful Dragon that never flept, as a Pledge of the utmoft Im- 
 portance. 
 
 Ja/on being determined on the Voyage, built a Veffel at 
 lolchos in T^heJJcily^ for the Expedition (^). The Fame of 
 his Defign foon drew the braveft and moft diftinguifh'd 
 Youth of Greece to become Adventurers with him, though 
 Authors are not agreed as to the Names or Number of the 
 Argonauts^ for fo they were called (6). The firft Place 
 which Jafon touch'd at was the We of Lemnos, where he con* 
 tinued fome Time with Eipfipile the Queen, who bore him 
 Twins* He next vifited Phhieus^ King of Pamphlagonia, from 
 whom, as he had the Gift of Prophecy* he receiv'd fome In- 
 formations of Service to him in his Enterprize. After this, 
 fafely paffing the Cyaneati Rocks (7), he enter'd the Euxine, and 
 landing on the Banks of the Thajis^ repaired to the Court of 
 King Mta^ and demanded the Golden Fleece. The Monarch 
 granted his Requeft provided he could overcome the Diffi- 
 culties, which lay in his Way (8), and which appear'd not 
 eafily furmountable. Jafon was more obliged to Love than 
 Valour, for his Conquefl. Medea Daughter to ALta^ by her 
 Inchantments laid the Dragon alleep, taught him to fubduc 
 
 (3) Who plac'd it amongft the Conflellations. 
 
 (4.) Some make the Fleece of a purpJe Colour, others white. 
 
 (5) ^'g'^^ ^ famous Shipwright was the Builder, whence flie was call'd 
 ArgOf and being made of the Oaks of yupiter''s oracular Grove at Dodona, 
 tiie Planks were vocal, and had the Gift of Prophecy. 
 
 (6) Some make the Number Fortynine, otliers more. The Principal 
 were Ar.caui, Jdmoriy OrpheiiSy Augias, Calais, Zetbus, Cafior, Pollux 5 7i- 
 fhys was their Pilot, and Lyvccus remarkable for his quick Sight, their 
 Look-out in Cafe of Danger. It is faid Hercules was v/ith them, but if ha 
 went (a<i is dubious) it is certain he left them before they reach'd Cholchis. 
 
 (7) Cyanean Recks, calTd t\\Q Symplegadei, were fo call'd, becaufe they 
 floated and often crufh'd Ships together. The Argonauts efcap'd this 
 Danger by fending out a Pidgeon, and lying by 'till they faw her fly thro'. 
 
 (8) Such as killing the brazen-footed Bulls and the Dragon, and then 
 fovs^ing the Teeth cf the latter, and deitroying the arra'd Men they pro- 
 duced. 
 
 the 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 163 
 
 the Bulls, and fo by Night he carried off the Prize, taking 
 with him the Princefs, to whofe Aid he was chiefly indebted 
 for his Succefs (9). 
 
 j^ta enraged at the Trick put upon him> purfued the Fu- 
 gitives, and it is faid, that to elude his Fury, h'hdea x.ox^\v\. 
 Pieces her young Brother Abfyrtes^ and fcatter'd the Limbs 
 in his Way, to ftop his Progrefs (10). After this, Jafon re- 
 turn'd fafely to Greece ^ and foon heard that Velias had de- 
 ftroy'd all his Friends, and made himfelf Mafter of the King- 
 dom. To revenge this Action, Medea fails home before 
 him, and introducing herfelf to the Daughters of Fellas^ un- 
 der the Character of a Prieftefs of Diana^ fhew'd them feve- 
 ral furprizing Inftances of her magical Power. She proposed 
 making their Father young again, and to convince them of 
 the poffibility of it, fhe cut an old Ram in Pieces, and feeth- 
 ing it in a Cauldron, produced a young Lamb, The Daugh- 
 ters ferving Pelias in the fame Manner kill'd him (^i i j, and 
 fled the Country, Jafon having Notice of this, arriv'd in 
 Thejfaly^ and took Poffeffion of the Kingdom ; but after- 
 wards he generoufly reftor'd it to Acajlus Son of Pelias^ who 
 had accompanied him in the Colchian Expedition, and with 
 Medea went and fettled at Corinth* 
 
 Here Jafon finding himfelf cenfured for cohabiting with a 
 Sorcerefs, and a Stranger, quitted her and married Creufa 
 Daughter to Creon^ King of the Country. Medea feemingly 
 approved the Match, but meditated a fevere Revenge. She 
 firft privately kill'd the two Children fhe had by him, and 
 then fent the Bride a Prefent of a Robe and gold Crown 
 ting'd in Naptha^ which fet Fire to her and the whole Palace. 
 The Enchantrefs then afcending her Car f 12J drawn by 
 
 (9) Owi, Lib. VII. 159. 
 
 (10) Others fay that jEta, to obftru<Sl: their Return, flation'd a Fleet at 
 the Mouth of the Euxine Seas, and fo obliged Jafon t6 rennount the Da- 
 nube, and come Home by the Weft of Europe. 
 
 (11) Some Authors relate the Story differently, and fay that this Expe- 
 riment was try'd by Medta on JEf on j Jafon's Father, See Oi/;^ in the 
 Place cited. 
 
 (12) Given her by Bhabus, or the Sun. 
 
 Y z Dragons 
 
i64 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Dragons, efcaped through the Air to Athens^ where fhe mar- 
 ried King ^^gfus^ by whom fhe had a Son nam'd Medm, 
 But attempting to poilbn Tkefeus his eldeft Son, and the De- 
 fign being revealed, fhe with her Son Medus fled to AJiay 
 where he left his Name to Media (i-t,). 
 
 Jafon had feveral Temples eredted to him, particularly one 
 at JtherjSy by Parjnenioy of polifhed Marble. The Place 
 where he was chiefly worfhipp'd was at Abdera in Thrace, 
 
 If wefcek for the real Truth of the Argonautic Expedition, 
 we Oiall find it to be this: Colchis was one of the mofl anti- 
 ent Colonies of Egypt, whofe Manners and Ceremonies they 
 long retained (i^), like their Mother Country, the Inha- 
 bitants applied themfelves to the Linnen Manufacture, for 
 which they became very famous. On the other Hand, as 
 the River Phofa was rich in Gold Dufl, the People to colle6t 
 this valuable Metal ufed the Method, flill practis'd in fome 
 Parts of America^ of laying Sheep-Skins or other Hairy Stufl^s 
 in the Stream, by which the Particles of Gold were entang- 
 led, and fo eafdy got. Now as the Cokhians retained the 
 Egyptian Cuilom of expofmg an Horm or publick Sign, be- 
 fore any particular Seafon or Work ; fo the Time for feek- 
 ing Gold Duft after the Land Floods, was notify'd by an 
 Image or Standard of a Golden Fleece^ attended with a Ser- 
 pent, to exprcfs that the Wealth arifing from hence, was 
 the Life of the Colony. When this gathering was over, 
 and it became necefl^ary for the Inhabitants to return to the 
 Linnen Manufacture, a new Sign was expofed. This was 
 the Ijis^ .'mentioned before under the Article of P«///7/^ which 
 bore in her Hand a Weaver's Beam, or Shuttle, and was 
 call'd Argonioth (i^). This Image the Greeks who traded to 
 Colchis^ caird in their Tongue Argonaut ^ or the Ship Argo {i6}, 
 
 (13) A Region oi Prrja. 
 
 (14) They ufed Circumcifion, and were of the fame Complexion and 
 fpoke tli2 fame Language. 
 
 (15) From ^/-^T, a Work; and orti a Shuttle; comt% A r go niothj or 
 Argor.auty the Work of the Shuttles, or making of Cloth. 
 
 ^iS; from A' go and N«:?, Aa^;i j the Ship Argo, 
 
 Hence 
 
OJ the Heathen Gods. 1^5 
 
 ttence the Notion of this Ship being oracular, and that of 
 the Golden fleece guarded by a Serpent or Dragon. I'hefe 
 the Poets embellifh'd with Ornaments 'till the Truth became 
 quite loft. 
 
 0/THESEUS and ACHILLES. 
 
 WITH thefe two great Men, we Ihall clofe the Lift 
 of the Demi-Gods, or Heroes, though neither of 
 them were properly deify'd after Death, nor does their 
 Hiftory come properly under the Head of the fabulous 
 Theology. 
 
 Thefeus was Son to jEgeus, King of Athens and ^thra. In 
 his Youth he had an early Pallion for Glory, and propos'd 
 Hercules for his Model. Scirotiy a notorious Robber, who 
 infefted the Roads between Megara and Corinth^ was by him 
 thrown down a Precipice, as he was accuftomed to treat 
 fuch as fell into his Hands. Procrujfes a famous Tyrant of 
 Attica, he faftened to a bended Pine, which being loofed 
 tore him afunder (i). 
 
 His firft diftingufhing Adventure, was the Deftru6lion of 
 the Cretan Minotaur, Minos^ King of tliat Ifland had made 
 War on j^geus^ becaufe the Athenians had bafely kill'd his 
 Son, for carrying away the Prize from them. Being vido- 
 rious, he impos'd this fevcre Condition on the vanquiih'd, 
 that they fhould annually fend feven of their noblerl: Youths. 
 chofen by Lot into Crete ^ to be devour'd by the Minotaur (2), 
 7'he fourth Year of this Tribute, the Choice fell on Thejcus 
 
 (i) He was a Tyrant of Attica ^ who feiz'd all Strangers, and meafur'd 
 them by his Bed ; if they were too long for it he cut them (horter j if too 
 fhort he ftretched them 'till thsy died. 
 
 (2) Pafifhae, Wife to M<;;^i King of Crete, and Daughter of the Sun, 
 inftigated by Venus, conceiv'd a brutal l^ifTion for a Bull. To gratify her, 
 Dadalui contriv'd an artificial Cow, in which placing her, flie had her 
 Defire. The Fruit of this beaftial Amour was the Minotaur, who was kept 
 in a Labyrinth made by the fame Duda!u:, and fed with human FlvOi, 
 
 Son 
 
i66 FaMous HISTORY 
 
 Son to j€geus, or as others fay, he intreated to be fent him- 
 felf. However this be, on the Arrival of Thefeus at the 
 Court of Mir.os^ Ariadne his Daughter fell deeply in Love 
 with him, and gave him a Clue, by which he got out of the 
 Labyrinth. 7 hi^ done, he fail'd with his fair Deliverer for 
 the Ifle of "Naxos^ where he ungratefully left her (3), and 
 where Bacchus found her and took her for his Miftrefs- 
 
 The P.eturn of Thefeus^ through his own Negle6l, became 
 fatal to his Father. The good King at his Departure had 
 charg'd him, as he fail'd out with black Sails, to return with 
 the fame in cafe he mifcarried, otherwife to change them to 
 White. Impatiently he every Day went to the Top of a 
 Rock, that overlook'd the Ocean, to fee what Ships appear'd 
 in View. At laft his Son's VefTel is difcover'd, but with the 
 fable Omens he dreaded ; fo that through Defpair he threw 
 himfelf into the Sea, which flill retains his Name (4) The 
 Athenians decreed ^geus divine Honours, and facrificed to 
 him as a marine Deity, the adopted Son of Neptune. 
 
 Thejeus perform 'd after this feveral confiderable Anions; 
 he killed the Minotaur ; he overcame the Centaurs ; fubdued 
 the Thcbans^ and defeated the Amazons. He aiTifted his 
 Friend Piriihous in his Expedition to the infernal World, to 
 carry off Projerpine ; but in this Enterprize he fail'd, being 
 imprifon'd or fetter'd by Piuto^ 'till releas'd by Hercules. No 
 doubt were the Story of The/eus diverted of the Marvellous, 
 it would make a confiderable Figure (5). 
 
 Thejcus had feveral Wives; his firft was Helena Daughter of 
 Tyndarus^ whom he carried off; the fecond Hippolita Queen of 
 the Amaxon'y given him by Hercules j the lait was Ph^dra^ 
 Sifter to Ariadne, whofe Lewdnefs fufficiently punifh'd him 
 for his Infidelity to her Sifter. This Princefs felt an inceftu- 
 ous Flame for her Son-in-Law HippoUtus (6), a Youth of 
 
 (3) For this Stor.y fee ths Article of Bacchus. 
 (4.) The JEgtan Sea. 
 
 (5) He firft walJed Atkensy and inftituted Laws; together with that 
 rtmocratic Form of Government which lafted 'tiJl the Time oi Pijijiratus, 
 ;6; Son of Hipi^c^ita, Queen of the Afrazons. 
 
 uncommon 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 167 
 
 uncommon Virtue and Chaftity. On his repulfing her Sol- 
 licitations, her Love turn'd to Hatred, and fhe accused him 
 to his Father for an Attempt to ravifh her. Thefeus now 
 grown old and uxorious, too eafily gave Ear to the Accufa- 
 tion. The Prince inform'd of his Danger fled in his Cha- 
 riot; but his Horfes being frighted by the ?hoca^ or Sea- 
 Calves, threw him out of his Seat, and his Feet being in- 
 tangledlhe was dragg'd through the Woods and torn in Pieces 
 (^). Tbadra tormented with Remorfe laid violent Hands 
 on herfelf, and foon after Ihefeus being exil'd from Athens^ 
 ended an illuftrious Life in Obfcurity. 
 
 Jchilles was the Offspring of a Goddefs. Tihetis bore him 
 to Peleus (Sj, and was fo fond of him, that fhe took her- 
 felf the Charge of his Education. By Day {he fed him with 
 Amhrofia, and by Night cover'd him with celeftial Fire to 
 render him immortal (9). She alfo dipp'd him in the Wa- 
 ters of -Sow, by which liis whole Body became invulnerable,, 
 except that Part of his Heel by which fhe held him. She 
 afterwards intrufted him to the Care of the Centaur Onrony 
 {^the Mafter of {q many Heroes j who fed him with Honey, 
 and the Marrow of Lions and wild Boars, to give him thaO 
 Strength and Force neceffary for martial Toil. 
 
 When the Greeks undertook the Siege of Troy, Chalcas the. 
 Priefl of Apollo ^ foretold the City could never be taken, unlefs 
 Achilles was prefent. Ihetis his Mother, who knew his 
 Death threaten'd if he went there, had conceal'd him in fe- 
 male Difguife in the Palace of Lycomedes^ King of the lile of 
 ^cyros, Uly/fes who had engaged to bring him to the Greek 
 Camp, having difcover'd the Place of his Retreat, ufed the 
 following Artifice : Under the Appearance of a Merchant, 
 he is introduced to the Daughters of Lycomedes, and while 
 they were fludioufiy intent on viewing his Toys, A/^///>x 
 
 (7) Some hy j^fculapius reftor'd him to Life, and that he came into 
 Italy, where he chang'd his Name to Virbius, i. e. tivice a Man. 
 
 (S) King of T/A^d/y. 
 
 (9) See the Story of Triptohmus, under the Article of Ceres. Upon 
 TiUus diftovering this, Tbm: parted from him. 
 
 employ'd 
 
i68 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 employ'd himfelf in examining a Helmet and fome other 
 Armour, which the cunning Pohtician had purpofely thrown 
 in his Way. Thus was Achilles prevail'd on to go to Troy^ 
 after T^hetis had furnifli'd him with a Suit of impenetrable 
 Armour made by VuUan (lo). His Actions before T/tt)', as 
 well as his Charader, are fo finely defcrib'd by Homer ^ that 
 it would be doing them Injuilice to repeat them here. It is 
 fufficient to fay he could not efcape his P^ate, being treache- 
 roufly kill'd by Parii ( 1 1 ), who with an Arrow wounded him 
 in the only fart that was vulnerable. The Greeks after the 
 Capture of ^m, endeavour'd to appeafe his Manes, by facri- 
 ficing Polyxena, The Oracle at Dodona decreed him divine 
 Honours, and order'd annual Vi6l:ims to be ofFer'd at his 
 Tomb. In purfuance of this the TheJ/alians brought thither 
 yearly two Bulls^ one Black, the other White, crown'd 
 with' Wreaths of Flowers, and Water from the River 
 Speccheus. 
 
 ( lo) The Defcription of his Shield in //:;;;^> is one of that Poet's Mafter- 
 Pieces. 
 
 (ii) The Cafe was thus ; y?ci;7/^ienamour'd with Polyxena, defir'd her 
 of Friatn, wfio confented to the Match. The Nuptials were to be folem- 
 riz'd in the Temple oi Jpollo, where Paris had privately conceal'd him- 
 felf, and took the Opportunity to kill Acinila. 
 
 CHAP. XLIX. 
 
 Of Cadmus, Europa, Amphion, and Arion. 
 
 AG EN O R, King oiVh^nicia^ by the Nymph ¥elia 
 had a Daughter call'd Europa^ one of the mofir beauti- 
 ful PrincefTes of her Age. She could hardly then be fuppos'd 
 toefc*"pe the Notice of Jupiter^ whofe Gallantries were ex- 
 tended to all Parts of the World. To feduce her he aillim'd 
 the Form of a white Bull, and appeared in the Meadows, 
 where fhe was walking, with her Attendants. Pleas'd with 
 the Beauty and Gentlenefs of the Animal, fhe ventur'd oni 
 
 his 
 
^^^^& 
 
 . £eii,m ttvi .' c/'f:^e/cn 
 
 (/ ^ ^^m*//i tJc*t/^t 
 
Of the Heathen Gods, 169 
 
 his Back, and immediately the God triumphant bore her ofF 
 to Crete fij, where laying afide his Difguife, he made the 
 Bull a Conftellation in the Zodiac^ and to honour his new 
 Miftrefs gave her Name to the fourth Part of the World. 
 
 In the mean Time Jgenor, difconfolate.for his Daughter's 
 Lofs, fent his Sons Cadmus and Thdfus with different Fleets in 
 Search of her (2), Thafus fettled in an Ifland of the ^gr.an^ 
 Sea to which he gave his Name (i). Cadmus enquiring of 
 the Delphic Oracle for a Settlement, was anfwer'd. That he 
 (hould follow the Diredion of a Cow, and build a City 
 where (he laid down. Arriving amongft the Phocenfes, here 
 one of Pe /agon's Cows met him, and conducted him through 
 B^otia, to the Place where Thdes was afterwards built. As 
 he was about to facrifice his Guide to Pallas^ he fent two of 
 his Company to the Fountain Dirce for Water, who were 
 kill'd by a Dragon (^). Their Leader reveng'd their Death 
 by flaying the Monfter; but fowing his Teeth, according 
 to Pallas's Advice, there fprung up a Number cf Men arm'd, 
 who affaulted him to revenge their Father's Death. It feems 
 the Goddefs of Wifdom had only a Mind to frighten him ; 
 for on his cafting a Stone amongil them, thefe upftart War- 
 riors turn'd their Weapons on each other with fuch Animo- 
 fity, that only five furviv'd the Combat, who prov'd very 
 ufeful to Cadmus in founding his new City. After this, to 
 recompenfe his Toils, the Gods gave Cadmus, Harmonia^ or 
 Hermione^ the Daughter of Mars and Venus^ and honour'd his 
 Nuptials with peculiar Prefents and Marks of Favour f5>>. 
 But their Pofterity proving unfortunate f 6^, they quitted 
 
 (i) O-vid, Lib. II. 835. 
 
 (2) With an Injundion not to return without her under Pain of Ba- 
 nifnmenc. 
 
 (3) It was before call'd Plaie. 
 
 (4) This Monfter was the Son of Mars and Fckus. 
 
 (5) Ceres brought Corn. Pal/as, Bracelets, a Robe and Pipe, Mercury 
 a Lyre, EUBra jjerform'd the Office ofCybek, or the Magna Meter ^ ard 
 gave Drums and Trumpets. Apdlo fun? to his Lute, and the Mujcs com . 
 pleated the Concert with their Inftruments. 
 
 (6) The Fate of Ino, Semclr, and A^a-vc, Children of this Marriage, 
 has been mention'd already in the preceding Part of this Work. 
 
 Z Thebes 
 
lyo Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Thebes to Pentheus^ and went to govern the Eclellenfes, where 
 in an advanc'd Age, they were turn'd to Serpents (7), or as 
 others fay, fent to the Elyjtan Fields in a Chariot drawn by 
 Serpents. The Sidonians decreed divine Honours to Europa^ 
 and coin'd Money in Memory of her, with the Figuie of a 
 Woman crolliiig the Sea on a Bull. 
 
 Cadmus^ it is certain, brought from Ph^nicia into Greece 
 feveral Arts before unknown. He was the firil who confe- 
 crated Statues to the Gods, and invented, or introduced fix" 
 teen Letters into the Greek Alphabet f 8jj as alfo taught the 
 Manner of writing Profe (g). 
 
 AmphioTiy the Son of Jupiter and Antiope fio), was in- 
 ftru6ted in the Lyre by A'ercury^ and became fo great a Pro- 
 ficient, that he is reported to have rais'd the Walls oi Thebes 
 by the Power of his Harmony. He married N^obe^ whofe 
 Infult to Diana occafion'd the Lofs of their Children. The 
 unhappy Father in Defpair attempted to deftroy the Temple 
 of Apollo^ but was punifh'd with the Lofs of his Sight and 
 Skill, and thrown into the infernal Regions. 
 
 Arion was a Native o'i Mtthymna (11), and both a fkilful 
 Mufician and a good Dithryambic Poet. He liv'd in the 
 Time of Periandery King of Corinth. After pafling fome 
 Time in Italy and Sicily^ and acquiring an eafy Fortune by 
 his Profellion, he fail'd from Tarentum in a Corinthian Veflel 
 homeward-bound. When they were got to Sea, the avari- 
 tious Crew agreed to throw Arion over-board, in order to 
 fhare his Money. Having ia vain ufed all his Eloquence to 
 
 (7) OwV, Lib. IV. 562. 
 
 (3) Thefc were the -.', ^, V. ^^ S % ">, X, ft, v, a, 9r, ^, ?, t, t». two 
 Hundred and fitty Years after (about the Time of the Siege of Troy) Pa- 
 lamedet added four more I, K ^^ 7^1 and fix Hundred and fifty Years later 
 ^;w7o«/Jr'j invented fcur more f/.«. >J, o:, c, *4'. 
 (9) Tiie noble Art from Cadir.us took its Rife, 
 
 Of painting Words, and fpeaking to the Eyes ! 
 The various Fignrea by his Pencil wrought, 
 Gave Colour and a Body to the Tliought. Lucan, 
 (\o) Daugliter ol Z>jv\-.v:, King of T/6f^*i. 
 fii) A Town in ihc Ilk ciLe/hos, 
 
 foften 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 171 
 
 foften them, he play'd a farwel Air (callM Lex Orthlo) and 
 crown'd with a Garland, with his Harp in his Hand, plung'd 
 into the Sea, where a Dolphin charm'd with his Melody, 
 receiv'd him and bore him fafe to Tavarm, near Corinth' 
 Having inform'd Periander of his Story, the King was incre- 
 dulous, 'till the Ship arriv'd, when the Mariners being feiz'd 
 and confronted with Arion^ own'd the Faft, and fuffer'd the 
 Punifhment due to their Perfidy. For this A6tion the Dol- 
 phin was made a Conftellation. 
 
 . C H A P. L, 
 Of iEOLUS and BOREAS. 
 
 IN the Multiplication of fabulous Deities, the Antients 
 not only afligned each Element, and Part of Nature its 
 tutelar God, But even idoliz'd the pafTions. No Vv^onder 
 then if we fee a Guardian fet over the Winds, as one feem'd 
 neceffary to moderate their Violence, and keep under due 
 Command thofe furious Blafts, which often do fo much 
 Mifchief to Mankind. jEqIus was the Son of Jupiter ( i ), by 
 Acafia or Sigejia the Daughter of Hippotus. Hereign'd in the 
 Liparaan Ifles near ^icily^ from whence perhaps the Fable 
 took its Original (2) j but his Refidence was at Strongyk now 
 call'd Strombolo (3). Here beheld thefe unruly Powers en- 
 chain'd in a vaft Cave, to prevent their committing the 
 Devaftation they had been guilty of before they were put 
 under his Direction (4). 
 
 (i) Others make ^ohis the Son of ////'/ori/i by A/e«ff/d Daughter of 
 Hylltit, King of Lipara. 
 
 (2) Thefe Iflands being greatly fuhjed to Winds and Storm?. 
 
 (3) Famous for its /^o/fa«o, though fome p'ace his Refidence at i?(?^^/» 
 in Calabria. 
 
 (4) They had disjoined Italy from Sicily, and by difuniting Europe from 
 Africa J open'd aPaflage for the Ocean to form the Mediterranean Sea. 
 
 Z 2 According 
 
172 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 According to fome Authors, the jEoJian or Liparean Ifles 
 were uninhabited, 'till Liparus the Son of Aufonis fettled a 
 Colony here, and gave one of them his Name. jEoIus the 
 Son of Hippotus, who married his Daughter, peopled the refl, 
 and fucceeded him in the Throne. He rul'd his Subjects 
 with Equity and Mildnefs, was a hofpitable good Prince, 
 and being fkill'd in Aftronomy, by Means of the Reflux of the 
 Tides, which is remarkable near thofe Iflands, as well as by 
 obferving the Nature of the Volcanos with which they abound* 
 he was able to foretell the Winds that fliould blow from 
 fuch a Quarter (5:. 
 
 We are indebted to Virgil (6) for a fine poetical Defcrip- 
 ticn of this God, when Juno vifits his Cave to defire his AU 
 fiflance to deftroy Mneai in his Voyage to Italy, 
 
 Boreas was of uncertain Parentage ; but his ufual Refi- 
 clence was in Thrace (j). When Xerxes ^ King of Pcrjioy 
 crofs'd the Hellefpont with his numerous Armada^ to invade 
 Greece, the Athenians invok'd his Alliftance, and he fcatter'd 
 
 (5) It is faid that before a foutherly Wind blows, Lipara is cover'd 
 with a thick Cloud, but when it changes to North, the Volcano emits 
 clear Flames, with a remarkable Noife. 
 
 (6) So rag* d the Goddejs, and ivitb Fury fraught y 
 Toe rejilcji Regions of the Storms Jhe fought j 
 JVhere, in a fpacious Ca've cf living Stone, 
 The Tyrant ^o!us, from his airy Throne 
 Ji'itb Ponv''r imperial curbs the ftrugling PVinds, 
 ^nd founding Tempefis in dark Prifons binds : 
 This JVay and that, th' impatient Captives tend, 
 j^nd prejfing for Relcafey the Mountains rend j 
 High in his Rally the dauntlefs Monarch fiandSf 
 Andfhakes his Sceptre, and their Rage commands j 
 U^hicb did he not, their unrejijllefs Sivay 
 
 Would ficeep the World before them in their Way: 
 Earth, Air , and Seas^ thro'' empty Space ivould rotv', 
 yind Heaven ivould fy before the dri-^jing Soul I 
 Thro'' Fear of this, the Father of the Gods 
 Confin"" d their Fury to thefe dark Abodes, 
 Ar.d lock'' d them fafe, opprefs''d ivith Mountain -Loads : 
 hnpGs^d a King, ivith arbitrary Stvay, 
 To ioofe their Fetters, or their Force allay ! 
 
 Dryden, ^n. I. Line 50. 
 ' (7) Probably becaufe this Country is mucli fubjscl to cold Northerly 
 Winds. 
 
 and 
 
0/ /^^ Heathen Gods. 173 
 
 and deftroyM the greateft Part of their Fleet. This Deity 
 notwithftanding his Rage, was not inflexible to Love. He 
 debauch'd Chloris the Daughter of Araurus, by whom he had 
 Hyrpace^ and carried her to yiowrizlSliphatesy (call'd the Bed of 
 Boreas) but fince known by the Name of Caucajus : But his 
 Favourite Miftrefs was Orithyia the 'Ddai^iQY o( Ericlheus, 
 King of /Athens. By this Princefs he had two Sons, Zetes and 
 Calais^ who attended Jafon in the Colchic Expedition, deli- 
 vered Phineus from the Harpies (Sj, and were afterwards killM 
 by Hercules ; as alfo four Daughters, Upis, Laxo^ Hecaerge^ and 
 Cleopatra. Perhaps the 'North Wind^ or Boreas alone was de- 
 ify'd, becaufe it is the moll tempeiluous and raging Wind 
 that blows. 
 
 (8) Some fay out of £'«t7 for their Swiftnefs ; others, becaufe their Fa- 
 ther had by a Tempert deftroy'd the Ifle of Co%, 
 
 CHAP. LI. 
 Of MOMUS and MORPHEUS. 
 
 MO M U S was the God of Pleafantry and Wit, or 
 rather the Jefter of the celeftial Aflembly ; for like 
 other great Monarchs, it was but reafonable Jupter fhould 
 have his Fool. We have an Inftance of his farcaflic Hu- 
 mour in the Conteft between Neptune, Miner^a^ and Vulcan 
 for Skill. The Firft had made a Bull\ the Second a Houfe . 
 and the Third a Man j Momus found fault with them all : He 
 diilik'd the Bull, becaufe his Horns were not plac'd before his 
 Eyes, that he might give a furer Blow ; he condcmn'd Mi- 
 ner'vas Houfe., becaufe it was immoveable, and fo could not 
 be quitted if plac'd in a bad Neighbourhood., With regard 
 to Vulcan\ Man, he faid he ought to have made a Window 
 in his Breaft, ^^/o^ makes Momus (i) the Son oi Somnus 
 and Nox. 
 
 (1) From M^fA^j cavilling or finding Fault. 
 
 Morpheus 
 
174 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Morfheus (z) was the God of Sleep, or as fome fay Ser- 
 vant to Somnus. The beft Defcription we have of him is 
 from OxvV, who calls hhn (7,) the kindelt of the Deities. 
 He is ufually reprefented in a recumbent Pofture^ and 
 crown'd with Poppies. The fame Poet has given an elegant 
 Fixture of his Abode. 
 
 (2) From Mcp<?>j, a Form or Vifion. 
 
 (3) Croid, Lib. XI. 634. 
 
 CHAP. LIT. 
 Of ORION. 
 
 TH E Original, or Birth of Orion, borders a little on 
 the Marvellous. Hyricus, a Citizen of T^anagra in B^e- 
 otia^ was fo hofpitable to Strangers, that Jupiter, Neptune, and 
 Mercury, were refolved, under theCharacSter of benighted Tra- 
 vellers, to know the Truth. Their Entertainment was fo 
 agreeable, that difcovering their Quality, they otFer'd the 
 old Man whatever he fhould afk ; his Requefl: was a Son (\). 
 The Gods to .gratify his Wifli cali'd for an Ox Hide, in 
 which having depofited their Urine, they bid him keep it 
 under Ground for ten Months, at the Expiration of which 
 Time, he found it produc'd a Boy, who was at firft cali'd 
 Urion to exprefs his Origine ; but after for Decency's fake, 
 his Name was changed to Orion, 
 
 He was a remarkable Hunter, and kept a fleet Pack of 
 Hounds- Neptune gave him the Power of v/alking on the 
 Surface of the Waters, with the fame Speed that Iphiclus did 
 (2) over the Ears of Ck)rn. This Faculty feem'd needlcfs, 
 if it be true that Orion was fo tall, that the deepeft Seas 
 could not cover his Shoulders. As a Proof of this he crof>'d 
 from the Continent of Greece to the Ifie of Chios, where ai- 
 
 (i) His Wife having left him childlefs, whom on her Death-Bed he pro- 
 mis'd never to marry again. 
 
 [z] Erorher to Ecrcuia, See the Article cf that God. 
 
 tempting 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 175 
 
 tempting to vitiate J^rope the Wife of King Oemplon^ that 
 Monarch deprivM him of his Eye-Sight {3). From C^/m 
 he proceeded and found his Way to Lejbos^ where Vulcan re- 
 ceivM him kindly, and gave him a Guide to the Palace of 
 the Sun, who reftorM him to Sight. He then made War on 
 Oenopiony who conceal'd himfelf under Ground to efcape his 
 Vengeance ; fo that fruftrated of his Defign he went to 
 Crete^ where he purfued his Favourite Exercife of Hunting. 
 But having by fome Means ofFended Diana (4), that Goddefs 
 put him to Death (5)5 hut afterwards relenting her Severity, 
 fhe prevail'd on Jupiter to raife him to the Skies, where he 
 forms a Conftellation (6) remarkable for its predi6ting Rain 
 and tempeftuous Weather. 
 
 (3) His Purfuit of the Pleiades has been mentlon'd under the Article 
 of Atlai. 
 
 (4) Either for attempting her Chaflity, or for boafting his fuperior Skill 
 in the Chace j others fay, for endeavouring to debauch Ofis, one of her 
 Nymphs. 
 
 (5) Either by her Arrows, or as others fay, raifing a fcorpion, which 
 gave him a mortal Wound. 
 
 (6) Virgil calls it Ni-inbofus Orion, on account of the fhowers which at- 
 tend his Rifmg. Mneid I. 535. Lib. IV. 52. 
 
 CHAP. LIII. 
 
 Of the Marine Deities^ Oceanus, Nereus, Triton, 
 Ino, Palasmon, and Glaucus. 
 
 AS the antient Theogony took Care to people the Heavens 
 and Air with Deities, fo the Sea naturally came in for 
 its Share, nor was it juft to leave the extended Realms of 
 Water without Protection and Guardianjhip. Neptune^ though 
 Monarch of the Deeps, could not be prefent every where, 
 and it was proper to alfign him Deputies, who might re- 
 lieve him of fome Part of the Weight of Government. 
 
 Nereus Son to Oceanusy fettled himfelf in the jEgean Sea, 
 and was regarded as a Prophet. He had the Faculty of aiTum- 
 ing what Form he pleafed. By his Wife Dorii he had fifty 
 
 Nymphs 
 
176 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Nymphs call'd Nereids (i), who conftantly attended on Nep-^ 
 tune, and when he went abroad furrounded his Chariot, 
 
 Triton was the Son of Neptune and Amphitrite (2), and was 
 his Father's Herald. He fometimes delighted in Mifchief, 
 for he carried off the Cattle from the Tanagrian Fields, and 
 deftroy'd the fmall coafting Veflels ; fo that to appeafe his 
 Refentment thofe People offer'd him Libations of new Wine. 
 Of this he drank fo freely that he fell afleep, and tumbling 
 from an Eminence, one of the Natives cut off his Head. 
 He left a Daughter call'd Trijlia^ by whom Mars had a Son 
 nam'd Menalippus, 
 
 This God is reprefented of a human Form from the Waift 
 upwards, with blue Eyes, a large Mouth, and Hair matted 
 like w^ild Parfley. His Shoulders were covered with a Purple 
 Skin, variegated with fmall Scales, his Feet refembling the 
 fore Feet of a Horfe, and his lower Parts turn'd like a Dol- 
 phin with a forked Tail. Sometimes he is drawn in a Car 
 with Horfes of a Sky Colour. His Trumpet is a large Conch 
 or Sea Shell. 0^jid('^)y has given two very beautiful De- 
 fcriptions of him. There were indeed many Tritons, who 
 compofed the numerous Equipage of Neptune, and were 
 reckoned as Deities propitious to Navigation. 
 
 Ino was the Daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, and married 
 to Athamas^ King of Thebes. This Prince having the Mis- 
 fortune to loofe his Senfes, kill'd his Son Learchus in one of his 
 mad Fits, upon which his Queen to fave Melicerte, her re- 
 maining Boy, leap'd with him from the Rock Molyris into 
 the Sea. Neptune receiv'd them with open Arms, and gave 
 them a Place amongft the marine Gods, only changing their 
 Names, Ino being call'd Leucothea^ and Melicerte Palamon (4) ; 
 
 (1) By which are meant the Rivers whicli empty themfelves in the Occar. 
 
 (2) Some fay of Neptune and Caknoy others of Nereus or Oceanm. 
 
 (3) O-vid Met. Lib. I. 
 
 (4.) The Romans called him Portunus ; and painted him with a Key in 
 his Hand, to denote him the Guardian of Harbours. To Ino they gave 
 the Name of Matuta, being reputed the Goddefs that ujken in the Morning. 
 
 (s) Si/>- 
 
^a^e ^77. 
 
 7 (to. t*n. i*t.f. ''f/-^t-/u 
 
 I 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 177 
 
 Sffipbus, King of Corinth, Brother to Athamas, in Memo- 
 ry of his Nephew increas'd the Solemnities of the Jfihmian 
 Gam^ celebrated to Neptune. He was particularly honoured 
 at 7enedosy where the VicS^im ofFer'd him was a young Infanr, 
 Glaucus was a Fifherman, whofe Deification happened in 
 a comical Manner. His Parentage and Country ( 5 ) are very 
 varioufly reporte'd^ but he was an excellent Swimmer and a 
 fkilful Fifherman. Having one Day taken a large Draught 
 in his Nets, he obferved with Surprize, that the Fifties on 
 tafting a certain Herbjump'd into the Sea again. Upon 
 trying the Experiment, he follow'd his Guides and became a 
 Sea God. Some afcribe to Glaucus the Gift of Prophecy, 
 O^oid has not forgot his Transformation amongft his Meta» 
 mofphofes (6). Firgilhzs given an elegant Lilt ot the Sea 
 Deities in his fifth jEneid [j], 
 
 (5) Some make him the {on oi Mercury, others of Neptune, others of 
 Anthadon j on account of his Ikill in fwiniming he was caji'd Fontius, 
 ■ (6) O'vid, Lib. XIII. 899. 
 
 (yj jEncid, Lib. v. 822. 
 
 CHAP. LIV. 
 
 Of Proteus and Phorcys, witb the Gr^ese and Gor- 
 gons, Scylla a7id Charybdis. 
 
 PROTEUS was the Son of Rptunr, by the Nymph 
 Phtvnice, and w-s by iiis Father appointed Keeper of 
 the Phoebe, or Sea Calves. His Refidence was at Alexandria. 
 in Egypt, from whence in a Journey he made to Pllegra (i) 
 he married the Nymph Torone^ who bore him Tmolus and Te^ 
 legonusy both klU'd oy Hercules for their Cruelty to Strangers. 
 Their Fa'her Proteus, who left them on account of their in- 
 hofpitablc Temper, it is faid, was not much concern'd at 
 
 (») A Town in Cafnpan la i 
 
 A a their 
 
17S 
 
 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 their Death. By Torone he had alfo three Daughters, Cahera^ 
 Retia^ and Idothea. Proteus had the Art of afluming all 
 Forms (zj-i as alfo ths Gift of Prophecy or Divination* 
 Orpheus calls him the uninjerfal Principle of Nature. 
 
 Hiftorians make Proteus King of Carpathus (^3 j, who on 
 account of his great Chara6ler for Wifdom and Equity was 
 chofen King of Egypt^ and deify'd after his Death. Ac- 
 cording to Herodotus f Paris and Helena in their Flight from 
 Sparta^ were receiv'd at his Court, where Helen continued 
 all the Time of the Trojan Siege, after which he rellorM her 
 honourably to Menelaus. 
 
 Proteus is ufually reprefented in a Chariot drawn by Horfes, 
 in the Form of Tritons. 
 
 His half Brother Phorcys or Phorcus^ was the Son of Nep- 
 tune, by the Nymph Thejea f^J. He marry'd his Sifter Cetoy 
 by whom he had the Phorcydes and Gorgons, Thoofa ( 5), Scylla^ 
 and the Serpent which guarded the Hefperian Fruit. He was 
 vanquifh'd by Atlas^ who threw him into the Sea, where his 
 Father rais'd him to the Rank of a Sea God. 
 
 The Go'gons were in all four Sifters, of whom Medufa was 
 the Chief. They had Hair like Snakes, Tu(ks like wild 
 Boars, brazen Hands and golden Wings, On the Death of 
 their Sifter they purfued Perfeus, who fav'd himfelf by put- 
 ting on the Helmet lent him by Plutot and which rendered 
 him invifible. 
 
 The Graa were their Sifters, and are reprefented as three 
 old Women who liv'd in Scythia, and had but one Eye 
 and Tooth in common amongft them, which they ufed as 
 they had Occafton, and afterwards laid it up in a Coffer. 
 For the Prefervation of this valuable Legend we are indebted 
 to Pal^phatus. 
 
 (i) See O-v'id, Lib. VIII. 730. 
 
 (3) An Ifland in the JEgcan^ between Rhodet and Crttti now call'd Scar- 
 panto. 
 
 ^4; Others call him the Son of Portus and Terra. 
 (SJ By who.n Neptune had the Cyclops Polyphemus, 
 
 Scylla 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 179 
 
 Scylla (6)^ another Daughter of Phorcys, by her Familiarity 
 with Glaucus, excited the Jealoufy of Circe Daughter of the 
 Sun, who by magick Spells or Poifon, fo infeded the Foun- 
 tain in which fhe bathed, that (lie became a Monlter (j)t 
 upon which, through Defpair at the Lofs of her Beauty, fhe 
 threw herfelf into the Sea, and was changed into a Rock 
 {8j which became infamous for the Multitude of Shipwrecks 
 it occafion'd. Thofe who would fee a beautiful Defcrip- 
 tion of Scylla will find it in Firgil fgj. 
 
 Care muft be taken not to confound this Scyl/a with ano- 
 ther of the fame Name, and Daughter of Ny/us, King of 
 Megara. Minos had befieg'd this Monarch in his Capital, 
 but the Oracle had pronounced Nyjui invincible, while he 
 preferv'd a purple Lock of Hair which grew on his Head, 
 Scylla, who was fecretly in Love with Minos, betray'd both her 
 Father and Country into his Hands by cutting off the Lock; 
 but the Conqueror deteiling her Treachery, banifli'd her his 
 Sight. Unable to bear the Treatment fne fo juftly merited* 
 ihe caft herfelf into the Sea, and was chang'd into a Lark ( lo). 
 Her Father transforn^'d into an Hawk ftill purfues her for 
 her Ingratitude and Perfidy. 
 
 Charyhdis was a female Robber, who it is faid ftole Hercules^ 
 Oxen, and was by Jupiter on that account changed into a 
 Whirlpool (ii)i Vk^hich is very dangerous to Sailors, and Jy- 
 
 ((i) Some make her the Daughter of Phoronii and Hecate, and fay that 
 her Misfortune was owing to the Jealoufy of Ampbitnte, for her cohabit- 
 ing with Ntptune. 
 
 (I) Authors difagree as to her Form, feme fay (he retain'd her Beauty 
 from the Neck downwards, but had fix Dogs Heads ; others maintain, 
 that her upper Parts continued entire, but that llie had below, the Body of 
 a Wolf, and the Tail of a Serpent. 
 
 (8) It lies between Sicily and Jt.ily, and the Noife of the Waves beating 
 on it, gave rife to the Fable of the Barking of Dogs and howling of Wolves, 
 atcrib'd to the MonlUr. 
 
 (9) J^irgii makes her chang'd to a Rock, which confounds her with fhe 
 other Scylla. i^neid Lib. Ill, 424. 
 
 (10) 0-vid, Lib. VIII. 142. 
 
 (II) An Eddy, or Whirlpool, on the Coaft of -S/V//)? as you enter the 
 Fare of Me£ina. See Virgil, i^neid III. 420. 
 
 A a 2 ing 
 
1 8o Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 ing oppofite to the Rock ScyUa^ occafion'd the Proverb of 
 running into one Danger to avoid another (iz)- 
 
 (12) Ircidit in Scyllam qui ■vult 'vitare Charybdim, 
 
 CHAP. LV. 
 
 Of Pan and Faunus. Of the Nymphs and the 
 Goddeffes Feronia and Pales. 
 
 IT is novi' Time to rev i fit the Earth again, and fee the nu- 
 merous Train of the inferior Peities, appropriated to the 
 Forefts, Woods, and thofe Recefles of Nature whofe Prof- 
 .pe<St fills the Imagination with a Kind of a religious Av^^e or 
 Dread. 
 
 Pan the principal of thefe, is faid to be the Son of Mercury 
 and Penelope (i) the Wife of Ulyfes^ whom, while fhe kept 
 her Fathers Flocks on Mount Taygetus, he deflower'd in the 
 Form of a White Goat. As foon as born, his Father car- 
 ried him in a Goat Skin to Heaven, where he charm'd all 
 the Gods with his Pipe; fo that they aflbciated him with 
 Mercury in the Poft of their MefTenger. After this he was 
 educated on Mount Manalm in Arcadia by Sinoe and the 
 other Nymphs, who attra6l:ed by his Mufic, followed him 
 as their Condudor. 
 
 Part, though devoted to the Pleafures of a rural Life, dif- 
 tinguiflied himfelf by his Valour. In the Giants War he 
 entangled Typhon in his Nets, as we have already obferved ; 
 he attended Bacchus in his Indian Expedition with a Body of 
 Satyrs, who did good Service. When the Gauls invaded 
 Greece, and were about to pillage the Temple of Delphosy he 
 ftruck them with fuch a fudden Confternation by Night, 
 that they fled without any Body to purfue them (2). He alfo 
 
 (i) Some fay of Perelope and a]I her Lovers, whence he Vv^as call'd -«•'. 
 (^) Hence the Expreflion of a Pannick^ for a fucldtn fear and Terror. 
 
 gided 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. j8i 
 
 aided the Athenians in a Sea Fight gain'd by Mihiades over 
 the Perjtan Fleet, for which they dedicated a Grotto to his 
 Honour under the Ci:adel. 
 
 This Deity was of a very amorous Conftitution. In a 
 Conteft with CupU^ being overcome, that little God puniih- 
 ed him with a Paffion for the Nymph Syrinx^ who treated 
 him with Difdain. But being clofely purfued by him, and 
 {topped in her Flight by the River Ladon, Ihe invoked the 
 Naiades, who chang'd her into a tuft of Reeds, which the 
 difappointed Lover grafp'd in his Arms. Contemplating a 
 Transformation fo unfavourable to his Defircs, he obferv'd 
 the Reeds tremble with the Wind, and emit a murmuring 
 Sound. Improving this Hint, he afTembled then?, and 
 formed the Pipe for which he became fo famous. His other 
 Amours were more fuccefbful. He charm'd Luna^ or the 
 Moon, in the Shape of a beautiful Ram. In the Difguife of 
 a Shepherd, he becameServant to the Father of Dryo/)^ (3) in 
 order to gain accefs to his Miflrefs. By the Nymph Echo 
 (4) he had a Daughter call'd Irynge^ 3. famous Sorcerefsr 
 who fupply'd Medea with her Philtres 5 but Pan afterwards 
 {lighting her {he retir'd to the RecefTes of the Hills, where 
 file pin'd with Grief, 'till fhe dwindled to a Shadow, and 
 had nothing left but a Voice (5) ; others afcribe the Change 
 of Echo to another Caufe. 
 
 According to Orpheus, Pan fignifies univerfal Nature, of 
 which the Elements make a Part. Pan was properly the 
 God of Shepherds and Hunters, and as he was a Mountain 
 Deity, the Flocks and Herds were under his immediate 
 Protection and Care. He was likewifehonour'd by the Fifh- 
 ermen, efpecially thofe who inhabited the Promontaries 
 wa{h'd by the Sea. 
 
 (3) Dryope rejefted his Suit; but was afterwards chang'd into the Lotus 
 Tree. See O'vid Met. Lib. IX. 325. 
 
 (4) Some fay that Echo fell in Love with Narcijfus, and was flighted by 
 him. 
 
 (5) It is reported, that Juno punifli'd Echo in this Manner for her Lo- 
 quacity, bccaufe when Jupiter was engag'd in any new Amour^ he fent 
 this Nymph toamufe his jealous Spoufe with her Chat. 
 
 He 
 
i82 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 He was chiefly efteem'd in Arcadia his native Countiy, 
 where the Shepherds ofFer'd him Mijk and Honey in wooden 
 Bowls, If fuccefsful in Hunting, they allotted him Part of 
 the Spoil; but if otherwife, they whipp'd his Image hear- 
 tily. At Molpeus^ a Town near the City Lyco/ura he had 
 a Temple by the Title of Nomius^ becaufe he perfected 
 the Harmony of his Pipe on the Nomian Mountains. 
 
 The Romans adopted him amongft: their Deities by the 
 Names of Lupercus and Lycaus, His Feftivals call'd Luper- 
 calia^ and celebrated in February^ were inftituted by 
 E'vander^ who being exird Arcadia fled for Refuge to f annus 
 King of the Latins^ and was by him allow'd to fettle near 
 Mount Palatine (6). Romulus made fome Addition to thefe 
 Ceremonies, in which the Luperci or Priefts of Pan, ran naked 
 through the City, ftriking thofe they met with Things made 
 of Goat Skins, particularly the Women, who fancy'd that 
 it helped their eafy Conception, or fpeedy Delivery. 
 
 Pan is reprefented with a fmiling ruddy Face, and thick 
 Beard covering his Breafts, two Horns on his Head 
 with the Nofe, Feet, and Tail of a Goat. He is cloath'd in 
 a fpotted Skin, having a Shepherd's Crook in one Hand, and 
 his Pipe of unequal Reeds in the other, and is crown'd with 
 Pine, that Tree being confecrated to his Service. The My.- 
 thologifts have taken Care to explain all thefe Attributes ac- 
 cording to their own Fancy fyj. 
 
 Faunus (Sj was the Son of Picus, I^i"g of the Latins, who 
 was cotemporary with Orpheus. He reigned in Jtafy at the 
 Time that Pandion rul'd Athens, and introduced both 
 Religion and Hufbandry into Latiufn. He deify'd his Fa- 
 
 (d) Where he had a Temple built afterwards. 
 
 (-j) His upper Part was human, to fhow the Splendor and Majefty of 
 the Heavens : His fpotted Skin denot^-d the ftarry Firmament ; the ihaggi- 
 nefs ot his Thighs and Legs, fignify'd the Trees and Shrubs that diverfify 
 the Earth j and his Goats Feet its fol;dity ; his Pipe of feven Reeds, fig- 
 nify'd the feven Pianets ; and his crooked Sheep-Hook the Revolution of 
 the Year. A wonderful Explanation ! 
 
 (%) The Name is took from Fando, fpeaking or foretelling. 
 
 ther, 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. i%x 
 
 ther, and his Wife Fauna or Fatua fg). He had the Gift of 
 Prophecy. His Son Stercutius was alfo honoured on account 
 of his fhewing how to improve Land by dunging or ma- 
 nuring it. The Faunalia were kept in December with feafting 
 and much Mirth, and the Victims offered were Goats. 
 
 The Fauni^ or Children of Faunm^ were vifionary Beings 
 much Hke the Satyrs, and were' ufually crown'd with Pine. 
 Both Faunus and they were Deities only regarded in Italy^ 
 and wholly unknown to the Greeks. 
 
 According to fome the Fauni were the Hufbandmen, 
 the Satyrs the Vine dreflers and the Syhani thofe who 
 cut Wood in the Forells, who, as was ufual in thofe early 
 7'imes, being drefs'd in the Skins of Beafts, gave Rife to 
 thofe fabulous Deities. 
 
 The Terreftrial Nymphs were divided into fcveral 
 ClafTes. The Heathen Theology took Care that no Part of 
 Nature fhould remain uninformed or unprote6led. The 
 Oreades or Orejieades prefided over the Mountains (\o)» Of 
 thefe, Diana had a Thoufand ready to attend her at her Plea- 
 fure. It is faid they firft reclaim'd Men from eating or de- 
 vouring each other, and taught the Ufe of vegetable Food. 
 MeliJJa^ onQ of thefe, was the Inventrefs of Honey fii^. 
 The Nape^eyNQie. the tutelar Guardians of Vallies and flowry 
 Meads. The Dryades inhabited the Forefts and Woods, 
 refiding in their particular Trees, with which they were 
 thought to be coeval, as feveral Inftances prove (12). The 
 Oak was generally their Choice, either from its Strength or 
 Duration. Some were call'd Hamadryades, whofe Exillence 
 
 (()) Some add (he was his fjfter and a Prieftefs. Ke whipped her to 
 Death with Myrtle Rods for being drunk, and then made her a Goddtfs j 
 for which Reafon no Myrtle was us'd in her Teniples j the VelTcls were 
 cover'd, and the Wine ofFcr'd was call'd Milk. 
 
 (10) Some make them five only, and eall them the Daughters of Heca- 
 taus ; but Homer ftyles them the Offspring of Jupiter. 
 
 (11) Whence the Bees are call'd MeliJJ'a. 
 
 (12) ^rf^5 preferving a decay'd Oak, by watering the Roots, v/ai re- 
 wardtd by marrying the Nymph who refided m it, 
 
 was 
 
184 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 was infeparably united to that of the Tree they animated. 
 The Naiades were the Nymphs of the Brooks and Rivers ; 
 the Limniades frequented the Lakes, and the Ephydriades de- 
 lighted in Springs and Fountains. Thus all the Face of Na- 
 ture became enliven'd by the Force of Imagination, and the 
 Poets did not fail to improve fo ample a Field for Defcrip- 
 tion. The Mythologifts deftroy all this fine Landfcape, by 
 making the Nymphs only fignify the univerfal Moifture 
 which is diffas'd through all Sorts of Nature. 
 
 There were alfo celeflial Nymphs of a higher Rank, who 
 attended the Dii Majorcs. Jupiter boafts of his in O'vid f 1 3 j • 
 The Mufes were the Nymphs or Attendants oi Apollo, as the 
 BaJJarides or Mcenades belong'd to Bacchus. Juno had four- 
 teen who waited on her ^14^ Perfon; and Neptune had no 
 lefs than fifty Nereides at his Beck, on which account he was 
 Caird Ny?nphagater^ or the Captain of the Nymphs (l^)- 
 
 The ufual Sacrifices to thefe Deities were Goats ; but 
 more commonly Milk^ Oil, Honey and Wine, The Nymphs 
 were always reprefented as young and beautiful Virgins, and 
 drefsM in fuch Manner as was fuitable to the Character af- 
 crib'd to them. 
 
 To the Train of Pan we may join two rural GoddefTes, 
 of v/hom the firft is Feronia, or the Goddefs of Woods and 
 Orchards ( 1 6). It is id^xA ^q Lacedemonians firft introduced 
 her Worlhip into Italy under Blander ^ and built her a Tern- 
 * pie in a Grove near Mount SoraSle. This Edifice being fet 
 on Fire, and extinguifhed, the Neighbours refolv'd to re- 
 move her Statue, when the Grove became green again of a 
 fudi'en ( 1 7). Strabo tells us that her Pried or Votaries could 
 walk barefoot over burning Coals unhurt. Slaves receiv'd 
 the Cap of Liberty in her Temple, on which account they 
 regarded her as their Patronefs. 
 
 (13) O'vid Metam, Lib. I. 
 
 ( 14.J yirgily ^neid I. 75. 
 
 (t^) See Heft sd and Pindar, 
 
 (16) From Fero, to bear or produce. 
 
 (ijj This Miracle is afcrib'd to oiher Deities, 
 
 Pales 
 
Of the Heathen God-* iSj; 
 
 Vales was the proteding Deity of Shepherds and Pafturage. 
 Her Feftival was obferved by the Country People in 71/^^, in 
 the open Fields, and the Offerings were yUk^ and Cakes of 
 Millet, in order to engage her to defend their Floclcs from 
 wild Beads, and infectious Difeafes. Thefe Feafts were 
 call'd Palilia. Some make Pales the fame with Vejla or 
 Cybele. This.Goddefs is reprefented as an old Woman. 
 
 Both thefe Deities were peculiar to the Romans, and wholly 
 unknown in Greece, 
 
 CHAP. LVI. 
 Of PRIAPUS and TERMINUS. 
 
 PRIA PUS was, as the Generality of Authors agree, 
 the Son of Bacchus and Fenus ii). This Goddefs meet- 
 ing him in his Return from his hdian Expedition, their amo- 
 rous Congrefs produced this Child, who was born at Lamp/a- 
 CMS (t), but fo deformed, that his Mother, afham'd of him, 
 abandon'd him ('},), Being grown up, the Inhabitants cf 
 that Place baniHi'd him their Territory, on account of his 
 Vices ; but being vifited with an epidemical Difeafe, upon 
 confulting the Oracle of Dodona, he was recall'd (^). And 
 l^mples were ere6led to him as the tutelarDeity of Vineyards 
 and Gardens, to defend them from Thieves and Birds, de- 
 ilruflive to the Fruit. 
 
 Priapus had feveral Names. He was call'd A^iftupor for 
 the Reafon juft mentioned. 7'he Title of Hellcfpontiacus was 
 given him, becaufe Lampfacus was feated on that Streight or 
 Arm of the Sea. It is uncertain how he came by the Epi- 
 thet of bonus Deus afcrib'd to him by Phurmttius. Thofe of 
 
 (i) Some make him the Son of Bacchus and Nais ; others fay Chior.c 
 was his Mother. 
 
 (2) A City of Myf.a at the Mouth of the Helhfpor.t. 
 
 (3) Some fay that Juro being callrl to affift at the Labour, out of Ha- 
 tred to Bacchus the Son of her Rival Semde, fpoilt the Infant in the Birth. 
 
 (a) Others fiy. that the Women of Lampfacus prevail d on their Huf- 
 bands to recall him. 
 
 B b Phallus 
 
i86 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Phallus and Vafcinum were aiTign'd him on a very obfcene 
 Account, and indeed his whole Figure convey'd fuch an 
 Idea of Uglinefs and Lewdnefs, that the Poets generally treat 
 him with great Contempt (^). The Sacrifice ofFer'd him 
 was the Afsy either becaufe of the natural uncomlinefs of 
 that Animal and its flrong Propcnfity to Venery, or becaufe 
 as fome fay, Pnapus attempting the Chaftity of Vefta when 
 afleep, fhe was awakened by the Braying of old Silenus his 
 J/s^ and fo efcaped the Injury defign'd her. 
 
 This Deity is ufually rcprefented naked, with a flern 
 Countenance, matted Hair, and carrying a wooden Sword 
 (6), or Sickle in his Hand, and with a monftrous Privity, from 
 whence downward his Body ended in a fhapelefs Trunk or 
 Block of Timber. 
 
 Some of the Mphologijii make his Birth allude to that radi- 
 cal Moifture, which fupports all vegetable Productions, and 
 which is produced by Bacchus and Venus^ that is the Solar 
 Heat, and the Water, or liquid Matter whence Fcjws is faid 
 to fpring. But the Truth is, that Priapus is no more than 
 the Baaloi the Phcsnidans mentioned in Scripture, who was 
 depiCtur'd in the fame rude and obfcene Manner. 
 
 With Priapus we may aflbciate Terminus y a very antient 
 Deity amongft the Romans^ whofe Worfhip was tirft infti- 
 tuted by ISluina Pompilius, who ereded him a Temple on the 
 Tarpeian Hill (7). This Deity was thought to prefide over 
 the Stones or Landmarks, cali'd Termini^ which were heldfo 
 facred, that it was Sacrilege to move them, and the Crimi- 
 nal becoming devoted to the Gods, it was lawful for any 
 Man to kill him. 
 
 The Feaiis cali'd -TcrmincJia^ were celebrated annually 
 about the End of February^ when the antient Termini, or 
 Landmarks, were carefully vifited and crown'd with Gar- 
 lands. At hriT: the Sacrifices to thefe rural Deities were very 
 
 (5) /7-rc7/. Safyr Vlir. 
 
 (6) /^//-^//Gcors'. IV. 
 
 (7) Which wao oj-cn at Top. 
 
 fimplc 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 187 
 
 fimple, fuch as Wheat Cakes and the firft Fruits of the Field, 
 with Milk (8); but in later Times the Victims were Lambs* 
 and Sows that gave fuck, whofe Blood was fprinkled upon 
 the Stones. 
 
 The Roman Termini were fquare Stones, or Pofts, much 
 refembling our Mile-Stones (9). 
 
 (8) To fhew that no Force or Violence fhould be ufed in fettling mutual 
 Boundaries. 
 f 9; O'vid Fajii, Lib. II. 
 
 CHAP. LVII; 
 Of FLORA. 
 
 TH E Poets make this Goddefs the fame with Chkris 
 the Wife of Zephyrm (i\ mention'd by Ory/Vj but the 
 Hiftorians agree that ihe was a celebrated Roman Courtefan> 
 who having amafs'd a confiderable Fortune by her Profeflion, 
 made the Roman People her Heirs, on Condition that certain 
 Games call'd Fhralia might be annually celebrated on her 
 Birth Day. The Senate to give a Glofs to fo infamous a 
 Proftitution of Religion, pretended this Feftival was defign'd 
 in Honour of Flora, a certain Sabifie Goddefs who prefided 
 over Flowers. Thefe Sports were held in the Campus Mar- 
 tius, and proclaim'd by Sound of Trumpet. But no Women 
 appeared at them, but the moft immodeft Part of the Sex 
 (2)^ fo that when Cato, during his Cenfor/J-Ap^ came to be- 
 hold them, they fufpended the Ceremonies through Shame, 
 till he thought fit to withdraw ; fuch an Influence had the 
 Virtue of one Man over a corrupt and diilolute Multitude. 
 
 According to Flutarch\ Defcription, Florae Image In the 
 Temple of Cajior and Pollux^ was drefs'd in a clofe Habit> 
 holding in her Hands the Flowers of Peas and Beans ; for at 
 the Celebration of her Rites the i^diles fcatter'd thefe and 
 
 (i) O'vid Fajli. 
 
 (2) Ju-venal, Sat. VI. 
 
 B b 2 other 
 
i88 Fah'ous U I S T O RY 
 
 Other Pulfe amongfl: the People f^). The modern Pceti' 
 and Painters have fet ofF her Charms in a more lavifh Man- 
 ner, and not without Reafon, fmce no Part of Nature 
 affords fuch innocent and exquifite Entertainment to the 
 Sight and Smell, as the Variety which adorns, and the 
 Odours which embalm the foral World. 
 
 (3) See Vakriui Maximtn, Lib. II. 
 
 C H A P. LVIir. 
 Of PO M O N A and V E R T U M N U S. 
 
 TH E Goddefs Fomona was a Lattan Nymph, whom 
 that Nation honour'd as the tutelar Deity of Or- 
 chards and Fruit Trees (i), Fertufnnus (the Proteus of 
 the Romati Pvitual) (2) was the God of Tradejmen^ and from 
 the Power he had of afTuming any Shape, was believed to 
 prefide over the Thoughts of Mankind. His Feflivals cail'd 
 Vcrtumnalia^ were celebrated in Odober, 
 
 Vertumnus his Courtfnip makes one of the moft elegant 
 and entertaining Stories in O'vid f 3 j. Under the Difguife of 
 an old Woman he vifited the Gardens of Pomona^ whom he 
 found employ'd in looking after her Plantations. He artfully 
 praifes the Beauty of her Fruit, and commends the Care 
 which produced it. Thence from the View of the Vine 
 fupported by the Elm, he infmuates to her the Necellity and 
 Pleafure of a married Life. The Goddefs heard all his Elo- 
 quence with an indifferent Ear. Her Heart remained un- 
 touch'd, till throwing off his Difguife, the God affum'd his 
 youthful Beauty, and by his Form foon gain'd the Goddefs's 
 Confent to make him happy. 
 
 ( 1 ) So call'd from Tomm an Apple, which was the Fruit firft cultivated 
 in Italy. 
 
 (2) Becaufe of the Turns or Fluftuations to which Trade is fubjed:. 
 
 (3) Owd, Lib, XIV. 622. 
 
 Some 
 
^a^e^ i8d- 
 
 I ^u--i/m. i^TViy. %tr{£e/4^ 
 
 ^Z^ tjbruM. t''r<^ 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 189 
 
 Some imagine Vcrtuvinus an Emblem of the Year, which 
 though it afiumes different Drefles, according to the different 
 Seuibns, is at no Time fo agreeable as in Autumn, when the 
 Harvefl is crown'd, and the richeft Fruits appear in their 
 full Perfcdlion and Luftre. The Hiftorians fay, that this 
 God was an antient Tufcan Prince, who firft taught his Sub- 
 jedls to plant Orchards, and to graft and prune Fruit Trees ; 
 from whence he is faid to have married Pomona, 
 
 Both thefe Deities were unknown to the Greeksy and only 
 honoui'd by the Romans, 
 
 CHAP. LIX. 
 
 Of the Lares aid Penates, and Genii; 
 
 THE Lares were the Offspring of Mercury. The 
 Nymph Lara having offended Jupiter^ by difdofing 
 fome of his Intrigues to Juno, that Deity ordered her Tongue 
 to be cut out, and banifhed her to the infernal Manfions. 
 Nercury who was appointed to condutft her into Exile, ra- 
 vilh'd her by the Way, and fhe brought forth the Lares (i). 
 
 Thefe Deities not only prefided over the Highways, and 
 the Confervation of the publiclc Safety, but ahb over private 
 Houfes, in moft of which the Remans had a particular Place 
 call'd Lararium, where were depofited the Images of their 
 domeftic Gods, the Statutes of their Ancefbrs, and the 
 Lares. 
 
 Their Feftival call'd Co-%///^?//« was celebrated in January, 
 in the open Streets and Roads. At firft Boys were facrificed 
 to them, but that Sa\-age Cuftom was foon difufed, and 
 Images of Wool and Straw (2), with the firft Fruits of the 
 Earth, Wine, Incenfe, and Garlands of Flowers were the 
 
 (i) O'vidYad. Lib. II. 
 
 (2) They bung up as many Images as there were Perfons of all Sexes 
 3nd Ages in the Family, gnd a woollen Ball for every Servant. 
 
 Offerings. 
 
190 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Offerings. When the Roman Youth laid afide the Bulla, (an 
 Ornament they conftantly wore (3) till fourteen Years of 
 Age) they confecrated or hung it up to \\\t-LareSf who 
 were regarded as infernal as well as domeftic Deities. 
 
 The Antients fuppofed, f according to fome Authors) that 
 the Souls of Men after Death became a Kind of Demons, 
 call'd Lemur es (^). Thefe they fubdivided into two Clafies, 
 the one benevolent and friendly to Mankind, which they 
 term'd Lares, the other who being wicked during Life, re- 
 tain'd a malicious Difpofition in their difembodied State. 
 Thefe they flyl'd Larija. 
 
 The Lares were reprefented as young Boys with Dogs 
 Skins about their Bodies (^), and with their Heads cover'd, 
 which was a Sign of that Freedom and Liberty, which Men 
 ought to enjoy in their own Houfes. They had always the 
 Image of a Dog near them, to denote their Fidelity in pre- 
 ferving the Places allotted to their Charge, on which Ac- 
 count this Animal was peculiarly confecrated to them. Some 
 confound thefe with the Penates and Genii, 
 
 (3) The Bulla was a golden Ornament fliap'd like a Heart, but hollow. 
 
 (4) So call'd from Rtmui Brother of Romulus, whofe Ghoft haunted his 
 Brother. The Lemuralia were celebrated the Middle of May, during 
 which it was unlawful to marry, 
 
 (5) Some fay the Images were like Dogs. 
 
 CHAP. LX. 
 Of the PENATES. 
 
 THE Penates fi) v/ere the Deities who prcfided over 
 new born Infants, and were domeftic Deities. 7'he 
 antient Hetrufci call'd them Confentes or Complices, though 
 others reduce them to four of the DH Majores (2). There 
 
 (i) So call'd from P^-waj, within, cither becaufe they prefide over our 
 J,:ves, or were placed in the inncrmort Parts of the Houfe. 
 (a) Viz. jiifiury Juno, ]\Luirn:a and Vtfia. 
 
 were 
 
Of the Heathen GoDf?» 191 
 
 were three Clafles or Ranks of them. FirJ}^ Thofe who pre- 
 fided over Empires and States (3). 5'^f««</, Thofe who had 
 the Protedlon of Cities. T>6/W, Thofe who took the Care or 
 Guardianfhip of private Families, and were call'd the leiTer 
 Penates (4), 
 
 Thefe Domeftick Gods were plac'd in the iitmoft Recefs 
 of the Houfe, thence call'd Penetrah (5). We find Bar- 
 danus brought them from Samothra(;ia to Troy, from whence 
 on the Deftrudtion of that City, jEneas tranfported them to 
 Italy. They were reckoned fo facred, that the Expreilioa 
 of driving a Man from his Penates (6) was us'd to fignify 
 his being profcrib'd, or expell'd his Country. 
 
 Some fay that the Penates v/ere Iron or brazen Rods, of a 
 conic Form towards the End. Others, that they were the 
 minute Figures of young Men carrying Spears in their 
 Hands. 
 
 (3) 'Virgil, iEneid III. 14.8. 
 
 (4) i^neid VIII. 543. 
 
 (5) See Horace, Lib. IV. Ode 4. 26. 
 
 (6) Virgil, i^neid IV. 21. 
 
 CHAP. LXI. 
 Of the G E N I I. 
 
 SO M E do not diftinguifh between thefe, and the Penates 
 or Lares ; but they were very different. The Antients 
 who multiply'd their Divinities, in Proportion to the Pro- 
 grefs of Superftition, aflign'd to every Thing its Guardian 
 or peculiar Genius, Cities, Groves, Fountains, Hills, were 
 all provided with Keepers of this Kind, and to each Man 
 (i) they allotted no lefs than two, one Good, the other 5^^ 
 (z)^ who attended them from the Cradle to the Grave. The 
 
 (i) One of whom prompted them to ill, the other excited them to 
 good Anions. 
 
 (2} Horace, Lib. II. Epifl. 2* 
 
 Greeh 
 
1^2 Fabtilciis HISTORY. 
 
 Gr<?^^/ caird them Dawons f^). They were named Pr^Jfitet^ 
 from their Superintendance over human Affairs (/^). 
 
 The Sacrifices ofrcr'd thefe Divinities vv^ere Wine ($) 
 and Flovi^ers (6)^ to which they join'd Incenfe, parch'd 
 Wheat and Salt. Sometimes the Vidim was a Swine ('])i 
 though Animal Offerings were not ufual to them. The 
 Genii were reprefented under various Figuresj fuch as thofe of 
 Boys^ Gir/sy old Men, and even Serpents. Thefe Images 
 were crowii'd with Plane Tree Leaves, which was a Tree 
 confecrated to the Genii. 
 
 By GeniUs is meant the adive Power or Force of Nature^ 
 from whence the Nuptial Bed is ftiled Genial, and the fame 
 Epithet given to all Occafions wherein focial Joys and Plea* 
 fures are felt. Hence alfo the ExprefTions of indulging our 
 Gcniusy that is) living happily, or according to our Inclina-' 
 tions, confulting our Genius, for examining how far our Ca" 
 pacity extends, and the Term of a great Genius for an exalted 
 or comprehenfive Mind. The later Ramans in the degene- 
 rate Days of the State, introduced the fervile Flattery of 
 fwearing by the Genii of their Emperors, and the Tyrant 
 Caligula putfeveral to Death for refufmg to take the Oath. 
 
 (3) From hui/-ccivoj to frighten or terrify. Of this kind was that Ap- 
 parition, which it is faid appeared to the great Brutus the Night before the 
 Battle of Phil/if^pi, and being afked who he was, reply'd flernly, lam rhy 
 E-jil Genius, Brutus, thou fhalt fee me at Fhillippi, to which the Philo- 
 
 fophic Roman anfwer'd with a composed Dignity worthy of himfelf, / 
 
 will meet thee there. 
 
 (4) Or becaufe they carried the Prayers of Men to Heaven, and inter- 
 ceded for them there. 
 
 (5) Perfius, Sat. VI. 
 
 (6) Horat. Epift. II. Lib. I. 
 
 (7) Some afr^i t no Blood was fufFer'd to be fpilt in their Sacrifices. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 193 
 
 CHAP. LXII. 
 
 Of Ifis, Ofiris, or Serapis: Of the Cabirij ani 
 Apis or Mnevis. 
 
 TO Clofe the Catalogue there remain three Egyptian 
 Deities, whofe Worihip was very late introduced into 
 Rome^ I mean JJisy Ofiris or Serapis, We have already fhewii 
 the Antiquity of thefe fabulous Gods, and how they gave 
 Original to almoft all the different Divinities adored in 
 Greece and Rome j JunOy Minernja, Cybele^ Vejia^ Rhea^ Diana, 
 Luna^ Hecate^ Projerpine^ Ceres and VenuSy were all no other 
 than Ifis reprefented under various Figures, and attended 
 with different Attributes. On the other Hand, Ofiris of 
 Serapisj gave Rife to Saturn^ Jupiter^ Neptune^ Pluto^ Jpollo, 
 Bacchus and jEfculapius, from the Diverfity of Characters he 
 affumed. 
 
 Ifis an(l Serapis had a joint Temple at Rofne. Their Prieds 
 were called Ifiaci. They abftain'd from Mutton and Por^^ 
 wore a Linnen Veil ( i ), and Paper Shoes, and ufed no Salt 
 to their Viduals, leaft they fhould violate their Chaftity. Some 
 make Ifis the Goddefs of Wifdom, from an Infcription in 
 her Temple (2).* She was worfhipped in Crete^ where OnjiJ 
 gives a remarkable Story of her Power, which however po- 
 etical, is too long to be inferted in a Work of this nature (3). 
 
 Before we conclude this Article, it may not be improper 
 to mention the Cabin', and the Jpis, or Ox, adored in Egypt. 
 
 The Cahiri (4), were three great Deities introduced from 
 Egypt into Samothracia, and the j^geanldes, by Way of P>^^- 
 nicia. Thefe were Ofiris, Ifis and Horus, who affumed the 
 
 (1) Becaufe Ifts was faid firft to have taught the Ufe of FJax. See the 
 Article of Pa/las. 
 
 (2) Recorded hy Plutarch in his //?; ; I am every Tbirgthat has been, 
 that iiy and p3 all be, nor has arty Mortal opened my ydl, 
 
 {^) Ofid, Lib. IX. 667. 
 
 (^) From Cabbirim, the Powerful or Mighty. 
 
 C c Name? 
 
194 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Names of ^Ar/Vr<7j, Axiocherfuy and Jxiocherfos (^). To thefe 
 fome add a Fourth, call'd Cafmillus or Camillus (6), who was 
 the Egyptian Anubti. This Groupe we have fhewn in the Ex- 
 planations of the preceding Articles, to be the Source and 
 Foundation of all the Heathen Theology. 
 
 The Apis was the miraculous Ox worfhipp'd in Egypt, par- 
 ticularly at Memphis (7). He had certain Marks (8), which 
 betokened his Divinity, and when duly recognized, was 
 lodged in a fplendid Temple, and treated with divine Ho- 
 nours. The Inhabitants of Heliopolisy who made a fepa- 
 rate Dynafty or Province, had their particular Apis^ which 
 they call'd Afenes^ or Mnenjis (9). When the facred Ox died, 
 or (as fometimes happened) {10) was deftroy'd, he was in 
 terr'd with great Ceremony and Lamentation, and was call'd 
 Serapis (11), a Name which became appropriated afterwards 
 to Pluto^ or the infernal OJiris, A new SucceiTor was foon 
 founcTto fill his Place, and the Priefts took care to keep up 
 a Superftition, which they found the Sweets of. When 
 Cambyfes conquer'd Egypt he treated /^pis a little rudely, and 
 fufficiently fhew'd the God was mortal (12). A Proteftant 
 Divine very gravely obferves, that his Sacrilege did 
 not pafs unpunifhed, as if the Ox had been really endued 
 with the Chara6ler of Divinity afcrib'd to him. 
 
 (i) Bochart mikes y^xieroif Cerei', Axiocherfos, Pluto t zn6. Prefer pine 
 Axiocberfa. Others Tuppofe they mean y«/)z><:r, Ceres and Bacchus i out 
 all agree in fuppofing Camilla, Mercury and Anuhis to he the fame. 
 
 (6) The antient Etrurians zn^ Sabtatis, by the Word Camillus^ fignify'd 
 a Meflenger, which is the very Charaderirtick of Mercury. 
 
 (7) The reprefenting Ofins with a Bull's Head, gave Rife to the Deifi- 
 cation of the Ox. 
 
 (8) Herodotus has given us a Defcription of thefe Marks } his Body was 
 black, his Forehead had a white fquare Ihining Mark, his Back the Figure 
 or Impreffion of an Eagle 5 he had under his Tongue a Node call'd a Can' 
 tharus, and Hair of two Sorts on his Tail. 
 
 (9) Mer.es or Mncjis, the Legiflator iromManab, to govern or rule, 
 At^is fignifies the mofi Migbty. 
 
 (10) When they found a Calf vv'ith the proper Marks, they often drown'd 
 privately the old Apis. 
 
 (11) From 5ar, to difappear or retire, comes Surapis or Serapis. See 
 Judges xvi, 20. 
 
 (12) He Itabb'd the Apis in the Thigh with his Dagger. 
 
 The 
 
I 
 
 Of the Heathen Gods. 195 
 
 The Wolf, Dog (13), and Ram had alfo divine Honours 
 paid them in Egyp, the People of which Country at laft de- 
 generated into fuch grofs Superftition, that they allow'd 
 even their Garden-ftufF a Share in their Devotion (14). 
 
 (13) As the Wolves in their Marches, or crofling a River, follow one 
 another in a Line, fo the ££y/'/.'a«i corredled" this Symbol to denote the 
 Twelve Months of the Year, fucceeding each other without Interruption. 
 Hence the Greeks borrow'd their Lyceum^ and call'd the Year Lycabaif i, e, 
 the March of the Wol'ves. 
 
 (14) JwvenalS^t. XV. 
 
 CHAP. LXIII. 
 
 Of the inferior Deities attending Mankind from their 
 Birth to their Beceafe, 
 
 IT would be a Tafk almofi: endlefs to enter into a minute 
 Detail of the inferior Deities acknowledg'd by the Greeks 
 and Romans^ and indeed as the Pagan Religion is now en- 
 tirely abolifh'd, the Names of thefe vifionary Beings, only 
 regarded by the Vulgar, occur fo feldom in the Clailic Au- 
 thors, that it is fufficient barely to mark their Denomina- 
 tions, fmce we know little more relating to them. 
 
 During Pregnancy^ the tutelar Powers were the God P/- 
 lumnui ( I ), and the GoddelTes Intercidona (2) and Deverra 
 (l). The Signification of thefe Names feems to point out 
 the NecefTity of Warmth and Cleanlinefs to Perfons in this 
 Condition. 
 
 Befides the fuperior Goddefles Jum-Luchia^ Diana-Ilythia^ 
 and Latona, who all prefidcd at the Birth, there were the 
 Goddefles Egeria f^J, Pro/a f^J, and Manageneta (6), who 
 
 (i) Either from Pilum a Peftle j or from PeHo, to drive away, becaufe 
 he procur'd a fafe Delivery. 
 
 (z) She taught the Art of cutting Wood with a Hatchet to make Fires. 
 (%) The Inventrefs of Brooms. 
 (^) From carting out the Birth. 
 (^) Aulas GelliuSf cap, xix. 
 (6) Mlian» 
 
 C c 2 with 
 
jg6 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 with the Dii Nixii (y), had all the Care of Women in 
 Labour. 
 
 To Children, Janus performed the Office of Door-keeper 
 or Midwife, and in this Qiiality was affifted by the 
 Goddefs Opis or Ops (S) ; Cuma rock'd the Cradle while 
 Carmenta fung their Deftiny ; Le'vana lifted them from the 
 Ground (g)^ and Vegitanm took care of them when they 
 cried; Rumina fio) watch'd them while they fuckled i 
 Pptina furnifh'd them with Drink ; and Educa with Food or 
 |>fourifhment; O[ftlago knit their Bones; and Cama { 1 1 ) ftreng- 
 thened their Conftitution ; Nundina (\z) was the Goddefs of 
 Children's Purification ; Statilinus or Statanus infl:ru£ted them 
 to walk, and kept them from falling ; FabuUnus learnt them 
 to prattle ; the Goddefs Pa^ventia prefervM them from 
 Frights (^l) i and Camana learnt them to fmg. 
 
 Nor was the Infant, when grown to riper Years, left with^ 
 out his Prote6tors ; Juventas was the God of Youth ; Jge- 
 noria excited Men to Action; and the Goddefles Stimula 
 and Strema infpir'd Courage and Vivacity ; Horta (i^) in- 
 fpir'd the love of Fame or Glory ; and Sentia gave them 
 Sentiments of Probity and Juftice ; ^ies was the Goddefs of 
 RepofeorEafe (i^)', and Indohna ox Lazinefs, was dei y'd 
 by the Name of Murcia (\6)', Vacuna prote6ted the Idle; 
 Adeona and Aheona fecured People in going abroad and re- 
 turning (^i7y); and Vibilia, if they wander*d, was fo kind to 
 
 ff) From Eritor to ftruggle, See Ayfonius, Idyll. 12. 
 
 (8) Some make her the fame with Rfej or FeJIa. 
 
 (gj Amongft tlic Romans the Midwife always laid the Child on the 
 Oround, and the Father, or fome Body he ap, "tinted, lifted it up j hence 
 the Exprefiion of toilere Liber os, to educate Children. 
 
 (10) This Goddefs had a Temple at Rome^ and her Offerings were Milk. 
 
 (11) On the Kalends of June Sacrifices were offer'd to Carna of Bacon 
 end lean-Flour Cakes j whence they were call'd Fahana. 
 
 (12) Boys were named always on the 9th Day after the Birth, Girls oi> 
 the 8th. 
 
 (i'^) froxn Pavorem avertendq. 
 
 (14) She had a Temple at Rome, which always ftood open. 
 
 (15) She had a Temple without the Walls. 
 
 (16) Murcia had her Ten>ple on Mount Avenlinel 
 
 (17) From Abio to go away, and Aaco to conic, 
 
 put 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 197 
 
 put them in the right Way again ; FeJJhnia refrefh'd the 
 Weary and fatigued j and Meditrina heal'd the Sickly (i8)j 
 Vitula was the Patronefs of Mirth and Frolick f 19J ; and 
 Volupia the Goddefs who bellow'd Pleafure (20) ; Orbona 
 was addrefs'd, that Parents might not lofe their Offspring j 
 Pellonia averted Mifchiefs and Dangers; and Numeria taught 
 People to caft and keep Accounts; Angerona (21) cur'd the 
 Anguilh or Sorrows of the Mind ; Hares-Martia fecur'd 
 Heirs the Eftates they expeded ; and Stata^ or Statua-Mater, 
 fecur'd the Forum, or Market-Place, from Fire; even the 
 Thieves had a Prote6lrefs in La^vema (22) j A'verruncus 
 prevented fudden Misfortunes ; and Confm was always dif- 
 pofe J to give good Advice to fuch as wanted it ; Volumnut 
 infpir'd Men with a Difpofition to do well; ^nd Honorius 
 rais'd them to Preferment and Honours. 
 
 Nor was the Marriage State without its peculiar Defen- 
 ders. Five Deities were efteemed fo neceflary, that no 
 Marriages were folemniz'd without afking their Favours ; 
 thefe were Jupiter ferfeftus^ or the Adult^Junot VenufySuadelap 
 (23), and Diana. 
 
 Jugatinus ty'd the Nuptial Knot, Domiducui ufher'd the 
 Bride Home, Domitius took care to keep her there, and pre- 
 vent her gadding abroad ; Mantuma preferved the conjugal 
 Union entire ; Virginenjls fz^J loofed the Bridal Zone or 
 Girdle ; Viriplaca was a propitious Goddefs ready to recon* 
 cilethe married Couple in cafe of any accidental Difference; 
 Matuta was the Patronefs of Matrons, no Maid Servant be- 
 
 (18) The Feftival of this Goddefs was in 5tf/>/^w^fr, when th« 2lff«rfit| 
 drank new Wine mix'd with old by Way of Phyfick. 
 
 ( 19) From Vitulo, to leap or dance. 
 
 (20) Fronn Voluptas. 
 
 (21) In a great Murrian which deftroyed their Cattle, the Uootjhj in- 
 voked this Goddefs, and flie removed the Plague. 
 
 (22) The Image was a Head without a Body. Horace mentions her. 
 Lib. I. Epift XVI. 60. nie had a Temple without the Walls, which gave 
 Name to the Porta Lavernalis. 
 
 (23) The Goddefs of Eloquence, or Perfuafion, who had always a great 
 Hand in the Succefs of Courtlhip. 
 
 (24.} She was alfo wU'd Cinxia Juno. 
 
IgS 
 
 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 ing fufFered to enter her Temple; Mena ^nd Felfrua/ 2$ J 
 were the GoddefTes who regulated the female Katawenia j 
 the Goddefs Vacuna (2(i) is mentioned hy H'^race (27) as hav- 
 ing her Temple ztRome^ the Rufticks celebrated herFeftival 
 in December f after the Harveft was got in (2^^). 
 
 The Antients aflign'd the particular Parts of the Body to 
 peculiar Deities ; the Head was facred to Jupiter, the Bread 
 to t^eptune, the Waift to Mars^ the Forehead to Genius^ the 
 Eyebrows to Juno, the Eyes to C«/?W, the Ears to Memory 'i 
 the Right Hand to Fides cr Veritas, the Back to Pluto^ the 
 Reins to Venus, the Knees to Mifericordia, or Mercy, the 
 Legs to Mercury f the Feet to T^hetis, and the Fingers to 
 Minernja (2(^). 
 
 The Goddefs who prefided over Funerals was Lihitina 
 (30) in v/hofe Temple at Rome, the Undertakers furnifh'd all 
 the NecefTaries for the Interment of the Poor or Rich ; all 
 dead Bodies were carried through iht Porta Lihitina, and the 
 Rationes Libit in^e, meniion'd by Suetonius, very nearly anfwer 
 GUr Bills of Mortality, 
 
 (25) From Februoy to purge. 
 
 (26) She was an o\A Sabine Deity. Some make her the fame with Cerei j 
 feut Farro imagines her to be the Goddefs of ViBory^ the Fruits of which 
 are Eafe and Repofe, 
 
 (27) Horace, Lib. I. Epift. X.49. 
 
 (28) O-vid Faft. Lib. VI. 
 
 (29) From this Diftribution arofe^ perhaps, the Scheme of our modern Af- 
 trologers, who aflign the different Farts of the Body to the celeftial Conftella- 
 tionSjOr Signs of the Zodiac ; as the Head ioAries^ the Neck to T«»rwi, the 
 Shoulders to Gemini^ the Heart to Cancer j the Breaft to Leo, the Belly tq 
 Virgo, the Reins 10 Libra, the Secrets to Scorpio, the Thighs to Sagita- 
 riui, the Knees to Capricorn, the Legs to Aquarim, and the Feet to Pifcei, 
 
 . (3P) Some confound this Goddefs with Projerpint, others with Venui, 
 
 CHAP. 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 199 
 
 CHAP. LXIV. 
 
 Of the inferior rural Deities, 
 
 TH E Romans were not content with the great Variety 
 of Gods, which fiU'd their Ritual, hke the modern 
 Papifts, they were daily inventing new Deities of an infe- 
 rior Order, to anfwer the Demands of Superflition, and 
 increafe their Kalendar. Rufina thus became the Name for 
 a Goddefs, who prefided over the Country in general. Col- 
 Una had the Charge of the Hills, and Vallona the Infpec- 
 tion of the Vallies ; Hippona was the Guardian of Stables and 
 Horfes ; and Bubona took Care of Oxen ; ^eia^ or Segetia^ 
 watch'd the Seed till it fprouted ; and Runcina weeded the 
 young Corn ; Sarritor was the God of Sowing, and Occator 
 of Harrowing ; Robigus kept the Blights or Mildew away 
 ( I ) ; Stercutius manur'd or dunged the Ground ; Nodotus^ or 
 Nodofusy took Care to llrengthen and knit the Stalks of the 
 Corn; Volufia watch'd the Blade; Patelina unfolded the 
 Ear; Laducina filled it ; and Matura brought it to due 
 Ripenefs ; Hojlilina produced a plentiful Crop ; and Tutelina 
 took care to reap and get it fafe in ; Pilumnus kneaded the 
 Bread ; and Fornax (2) baked it ; Mellona was the Goddefs 
 of Honey; but the Truth is, thefe fanciful Deities are fo 
 little mentioned in Authors, that we may call them the 
 Refufe or Scum of ths Gods. 
 
 (i) His Feflival, call'd Rcbignlij, was celebrated in the Beginniirg 
 ©f M/jy. 
 
 (2) Ovid¥&i\'i, Lib. VI. 
 
 CHAP. 
 
20O Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 CHAP. LXV. 
 
 0/ Themis, Aftraea^^^^i Nemefis. 
 
 THEMIS was the Daughter of C^lum and Terra^ 
 and the Goddefs of Laws, Ceremonies, and Oracles- 
 Jupiter confuhed her in the Giants War, and afterwards 
 cfpoufed her; fhe inftru6led Deucalion how to re- people the 
 World after the Deluge, and was rather indeed a moral 
 than an hiftorical Deity, as (he fignifies that Power which 
 rewards Virtue and punifties Vice. 
 
 To Jupiter , Themis bore the Seajons (i)^ and the Goddefs 
 JJiraa^ who refided on Earth during the golden Age, and 
 infpir'd Mankind with the Principles of Juftice and Equity ; 
 but as the World became corrupted fhe returned to Heaven 
 (2^, and became that Conftellation in the Zodiac ^ which is 
 call'd Virgo, This Goddefs is reprefented with her Eyes 
 bound, or blinded, having a Sword in one Hand, and in 
 the other a Pair of Ballances equally poifed. 
 
 Nemefis was the Daughter o^ Jupiter and NeceJJity (i). She 
 had the Title of Jdraftea^ becaufe Adroftus^ King of Argos^ 
 firft rais'd an Altar to her. She had a magnificent Temple 
 at Rhamnus in Attica^ with a Statue. She is reprefented 
 with a ftern Afpe£l, having in one Hand a Whip, in the 
 ©ther a Pair of Scales. 
 
 (i) Orpheui and Hejiod reckon but three Seafons, viz. Spring , Summer , 
 »nd Autumn, reprefented by a Rofe, an Ear of Corn, and a Bunch oiCrapLi, 
 
 (2) 'Terras Al\rea reltqutt. 
 
 (3) Others fay of Oceanus and Nox* 
 
 CHAP, 
 
^a^i 
 
 -Z" {y u-t/^n //n^tj. <'^,i.'/un 
 
 JL tf*niM Jc**^' 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 201 
 
 CHAP. LXVI. 
 
 0/" the Goddefs Fortuna, or Fortune, and the other 
 Virtues and Vices deify^d by the Antients. 
 
 FORTUNE or Chance has fo great a Share in the 
 Conduct and Succefs of human Aftairs, that it is no 
 Wonder the Romans made her a Goddefs. Junjenal^ however, 
 is not a Uttle fevere upon his Countrymen ( i ) for this Choice, 
 and Horace on many Occafions exprefl'es, if not an abfolute 
 Contempt for (2)^ yet at beft a very mean Opinion of this 
 Deity. But whatever Sentiments the Philofophers or Poets 
 might entertain of her, they did not leiTen her in the Sight 
 of the Vulgar, who paid her a very great Devotion. 
 
 This Goddefs had a Variety of Epithets; fhe was term'd 
 Regia and Aurea^ from an Image of her ufually kept in the 
 Apartment of the Cajars. In the Capital fhe was worfhipp'd 
 by the Title of Bona^ but her Temple at the Efquilia was 
 confecrated by the Name of Mala. She was called Confer- 
 'vatrixy Manens, and Felix^ in antient Infcriptions, to denote 
 the Happinefs fhe beftows. Domitian confecrated her a Cha- 
 pel by the Style of Redux, and ni fome antient Monuments 
 fhe is caii'd Siata. The Names of Barbata and Pan were 
 given her by Ser-vius Tulliusy who dedicated a Shrine to her 
 ('3J: She was alfo termed Ceeca, not unjuftly, on account of 
 the injudicious Diftribution of her Favours. She was ho- 
 nour'd at Rome by the Title ol Fortuna Equeflris (\). In a 
 Temple fhe had near that of Venus, fhe bore the Apellations 
 of Mafcula and Virilis, At other Times fne was named 
 
 (i) Satyr X. 
 
 (1.) Lib. I. Ocie XXXIV. T4.. 
 
 i'l) He alfo caii'd her Cbj.queTHy from her favouring his "Winies. 
 horace calls her Safa on a quire contrary Account*. 
 
 (4.J This Temple was ercfted in Pun'uance of a Vow of the Pr.vtcr 
 <^., Fuh-ius flacsus, for a Victory he obtam'd in Spair-> by Means of 
 his Cavalry. 
 
 D d Mammoja 
 
202 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 Mammoja (^)f Primcgetiia (6)^ and Fri'vata^ or Propria (j) 
 In the Quality of Fortuna-Virgo^ Coats of young Children 
 were offered to her before they put them on ; and ihe was 
 ftylM Vifcata^ or Vifcofa fSj^ on account of her alluring or 
 attracting People by her deceitful Kindnefs. 
 
 The principal Temple of this Goddefs was at Pranejle 
 whence (he was call'd Pr^eneftina. This Goddefs is ufually 
 reprefented blind, {landing on a Wheel in a moving Atti- 
 tude, and holding a Cornucopia, from whence fhe pours 
 Wealth, and all the Emblems of Profperity. Horace has 
 given a very Mafterly Pi6lure of her in an Ode to Ma- 
 cenas (g). 
 
 Fame is fo much fought after by great and exalted Minds, 
 that we may eafily account for the Temples erected to her, 
 and the divine Honours decreed her. We may call her the 
 Mother or Nurfe of Heroes^ fince all the glorious A6i:ions 
 they atchiev'd, were done in order to purchafe a Share in her 
 Favour. 
 
 This Goddefs is depiftur'd in a flying Attitude, with 
 broad Wings, founding a Trumpet, and her flying Robe 
 wrought all over with Eyes, Ears and 7'ongues, to denote 
 the Surprize, Attention and Difcourfe fhe excites. Virgil 
 (loj has given an inimitable Defcription of her, nor does 
 O^idhW much fhort of him in (\i) his very mafterly Pic- 
 ture of the Palace or Dome in which fhe refides. 
 
 Peace is a Blefling fo univerfally efteem'd, that it is no 
 Wonder if fhe was deify'd. The Athenians ('according to 
 Plutarch) ereded her an Altar with her Statue, attended by 
 
 ( K,) Either from her having large Breafts, or the Plenty fhe fupplies. 
 
 (h) From her giving Birth to the City and Empire. 
 
 (']) From her favouring particular Perfons. Thefe two laft Apella- 
 tions were given her by Servius Tulhis^ a very great Admirer of her 
 Divinity. 
 
 (%) From Vifcui Birdlime, hence Seneca fays, Bencfcia Junt vifcofa, 
 Obligations are catching. 
 
 (9; Horace, Uh. 111. Ode XXIX. .39. 
 
 (ig) Virgil, ^'neid J. 
 
 (11) Ovid, Metam. XII. 42, 63. 
 
 that 
 
Of the Heathen Gods 203 
 
 that of Tliitus the God of Riches, to {how that fhe was the 
 Source of Plenty and Commerce. At Rome fhe had a mag- 
 nificent Temple in the Forutn (iz)^ which was confum'd by 
 Fire in the Reign of Commodus. 
 
 On Medals, this Goddefs is reprefented before an Altar, 
 fetting Fire with a Torch in her left Hand to a Pile of Arms, 
 and with the other holding an Olive Branch. Behind her, 
 on a Column, appears the Image of a naked Boy or Man 
 extending his Arms in a rejoicing Pofture (^13). The Poets 
 generally introduce her in Company with the moft fhining 
 Virtues (^^)- And Virgil reprefents her as the common 
 Wifh of Mankind (^15^. And Claudian has composed her 
 Panegyrick in a very diflinguifh'd Manner. Some- 
 times fhe appears like a Matron holding a Bunch of Ears of 
 Corn, and crown'd with Olive, or Rofes. Her Symbol was 
 the CaduceuSf or Mercurf% Rod. 
 
 The Goddefs Concordia, or Concord^ was another Divinity 
 of the Romans. At the Requefl of his Mother Linjioy Wi- 
 dow of Augujlusy a Temple was dedicated to her by Tiberius 
 at Rojne, She had feveral other magnificent Temples, in 
 one of thefe were depofited the rich Spoils of the Temple of 
 'Jerufalem, 
 
 Virtue and Honour had their Temples at Rome, That to 
 Virtue was eredted by M. Marcellus f 16), and was the only 
 PafTage to the Temple oi Honour., to (how that worthy Ac- 
 tions were the true Foundation of lafting Fame. The Sa- 
 crifices to Honour were performed by the Priefts bare- 
 headed. 
 
 Virtue was reprefented like an elderly Matron fitting on a 
 
 (12) Begun by Claudius., and finifli'd by Vcjt.ifian. 
 
 (13) The Legend of this Medal, which was ftruck by Vefpafian on the 
 Conqueft of Judaa, is Pad Orbis Terrarum. On a Medal of his Son 
 Tituiy (he is feen with a Palm in one Hand and a Sceptre in the other, the 
 Infcription Pax JEterr.a. 
 
 (14) Horace Carmen Sec. 57. 
 
 (15) ^neidXI. 362. 
 
 (16) Son to Auguftus, 
 
 D d 2 fquare 
 
204 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 fquare Stone, in antient Medals they appear jointly. 
 However, upon fome Medals of Gordian and NumemaHf (he is 
 found in the Figure of an old Man with a Beard. Plautm 
 (ly) alfo mentions Virtue among the Number of the Gods. 
 
 Fides^ or Faith, had a Temple near the Capitol^ founded 
 by Numa Ponipilius. No Animals were oft'er'd, or Blood 
 fpilt in her Sacrifices ; during the Performance of her Rites 
 her Priefts were cloathed in white Veftments, and their 
 Heads and Hands cover'd with Linnen Cloth, to fhew that 
 Fidehty ought to be fecret. The Symbol of this Goddefb 
 was a white Dog. and Firgil glvts her the Epithet of Canay 
 or Spotlefs (iSj. By the Poets fhe is generally an Atten- 
 dant of the Golden Jge, ** The Antiquaries are of Opi- 
 *' nion, fays the Abbe Banier, that a Figure where two 
 *' Women are joining Hands, reprefents this Goddefs. 
 *' which he adds, is not improbable, fmce in this Manner 
 *' mutual Faith is ufually plighted (ig), 
 
 Hope is another of the Paffions deify'd by the Romans. She 
 had a Temple in the Herb-Market, which w^as confumM by 
 Lightning On Medals fhe appears in a llanding Attitude, 
 "with her left Hand holding up lightly her loofe Robes, and 
 leaning on her Elbow; in her right fhe has a Plate, on v/hich 
 is placed a Ciborium (ox CupJ fafnion'd like a Flower, with 
 this Infcription, Spes, P. R. [The Hope of the Roman People] 
 ^20^. In the modern Statues and Paintings, her Charadle- 
 riftick is a Golden Anchor. 
 
 Piety [or filial Affection] had a Chapel at Rome^ confe- 
 crated by the Duumnjir Attilius on a remarkable Occafion : 
 *' A Man being fentenc'd to hard Imprifonmeiit, his Daugh- 
 ** ter, who was then a Nurfe, daily vifited him, and was 
 *' ftri6tly fearch'd by the Sailor to fee {he brought no Food 
 *' to the Prifoner, At laft a Difcovery wa^ made, that fhe 
 
 (17) Prologue to y^/K/^Ur/ow. 
 
 (18) iEneid I. 292. 
 
 (19) Barier''s Mythology, vol. III. p. 131, 
 
 (20) The Revei fe is a Head of Adrian. 
 
 fupported 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 205 
 
 ^* fupported him with her Milk. This Inflance of Viety 
 •? gain'd her Father's Freedom. They were both afterwards 
 ?* fupported at the publick Expence, and the Place was 
 *• confecrated to this Goddefs (iz)" This Deity is repre- 
 fented on Medals. 
 
 Pudicitiuy or Chaftity, was honour'd at Rome under two 
 Names. In the Temple of Pudicitia Patricia^ none were 
 admitted but Ladies of-noble Birth. Virginia the Daughter 
 of Julus having married a Plebeian^ fo offended thefe, that 
 they excluded her their Aflemblies : Upon which Virginia 
 calling a Meeting of the Plebeian Matrons, dedicated a Cha- 
 pel to this Goddefs by the Name of Pudicitia Pkbeia (z'^)* 
 Her Speech on this Occafion was truly great. " I dedicate 
 *' (hys fhej this Altar to Pudicitia Pkbeia y and defire you will 
 ** adore Chajlity, as much as the Men do Honour -, and I wifh 
 '• that this Temple may be frequented by purer Votaries (if 
 ** poffible) than that of Pudicitia Patricia. In botli thefe 
 " Temples no Matron was permitted to Sacrifice unlefs 
 " fhe had an unblemifh'd Chara6kr, and was but once 
 '* married." In Medals this Deity is reprefented under the 
 Figure of a Woman veil'd, pointing with the fore Finger 
 of her Right-Hand to her Face, to fignify that fhe had no 
 Reafon to blufli. 
 
 Mercy or Clemency had an Altar at Athens^ erecled by the 
 Kindred of Hercules (z^). At Rome was a Temple dedi- 
 cated to the Clemency of Cafar (2^ J. Both the Romans and 
 Greeks gave the Name of Afylum to the Temples each had 
 erected to this Goddefs (z6). 
 
 'Truth (^according to Plutarch) was the Daughter oi Saturn 
 and Time^ and the Mother of Virtue, and was reprefented 
 
 {^^) Plirty'5 Nat. Hift. Lib. VII, cap. 36. 
 
 (23) All Matrons who married but once, were honoured with the 
 Corsna Pudicitia, or Crown of Chaflify. 
 
 (24) Becaufe they dreaded the Refentment of Euryfikcus whom Her- 
 cuhi had aflifted in his Life. 
 
 (25) This Temple was built by a Decree of the Senate after the Death 
 of Juliui Cafar. 
 
 (26) Serv. itiZJEa, 
 
 as 
 
2c6 Fabulous HISTORY 
 
 as a beautiful young Virgin of a proper Stature modeftly 
 clad in a Robe, whofe whitenefs refembled that of the Snow. 
 Democritus, to give an Idea of the Difficulty of her being 
 found, fays that fhe is conceai'd in the Bottom of a Well. 
 
 Liberty, was fo much the Delight of the Romans^ that it 
 was but natural for them to imagine her a Goddefs, and to 
 confecrate to her Temples and Altars. She was reprefented 
 in the Form of a Virgin cloathed in White, holding a Scep- 
 tre in her Right-hand, and a Cap in her Left. 
 
 Good Senfe, or Underflanding [ Vieni] was honour'd with 
 an Altar in the Capital^ by M, Jimiliusy and Atiliui the Praetor 
 erected her Chapel. 
 
 Faufitas^ or the publick Felicity and Welfare, had many 
 Altars, and was ador'd both by the Greeks and Romam ; the 
 former honour'd this Goddefs under the Names of Endaimo- 
 monia and Mackiria, The Atheniam confulting an Oracle on 
 the Succefs of a Battle, were informed, that they fhould win 
 the Vidory, if one of the Children of Hercules would fub- 
 mit to a voluntary Death ; on this Macaria^ one of his 
 Daughters, kill'd herfelf, and the Athenians becoming vidlo- 
 rious, paid her Adoration under the Name of Felicity. She 
 was reprefented in Painting, as a Lady cloath'd in a Purple 
 Veftment trimm'd with Silver, fitting on an Imperial 
 Throne, and holding in one Hand a Caduceus, and in the 
 other a Cornucopia. 
 
 Viaory^ was honour'd by feveral Nations as a Goddefsj 
 according to Heficd^ fhe was the Daughter of Styx and Pal/as-, 
 fhe was painted by the Ancients in the Form of a Woman 
 clad in Cloth of Gold, and is reprefented on fome Medals 
 with Wings, flying through the Air, holding a Palm in one 
 Kand, and a Lawrel Crown in the other ; in others fhe is to 
 be feen ftanding upon a Globe, with the fame Crown and 
 Branch of Palm. 
 
 The Goddefs Sa/us, or Health, had a Temple at Rome 
 near the Gate, from thence call'd Porta Salutaris, and as the 
 BlefTings fhe bellows are known to all, fo no doubt but fhe 
 
 had 
 
Of the Heathen Gods. 207 
 
 had a great Number of Votaries. She was reprefented by 
 a Woman fitting on a Throne, and holding a Globe in her 
 Hand. Near her flood an Altar, with a Snake entwin'd 
 round it. In this Temple v/as pcrform'd the Auxurium Salutisy 
 a Ceremony which Augujiui reviv'd from Defuetude. It 
 was a Day fet apart annually, for enquiring of the Gods by 
 Divination, whether they would allow the People to pray for 
 Peace? On this Day the Roman Armies were forbid to 
 march or engage. It is worthy of Remark, that the Prietls 
 of this Temple had arrogated to themfelves the fole Privi- 
 lege of offering Supplications for the Health of every indi- 
 vidual, as well as for the State. 
 
 The Good Genius was ador'd by the Greeks^ and, according 
 to Pau/anias^ had a Temple in the Road leading to Mount 
 M^nalm. At the Clofe of Supper a Cup was always offer'd 
 him of Wine and Water, and call'd the Gr ace-Cup. 
 
 Wealth has fuch an Influence on the Affairs of Life, that 
 it has in all Ages been the Objedl:, if not of publick Wor- 
 fhlp, yet of fecret Idolatry. Thus the Romans erected Pe*- 
 cunia^ or Money, a Goddefs. Menander wittily obferves on 
 this Subject ; " That if you can pofTefs this Deity, you may 
 " afK and have what you pleafe : Even the Gods themfelves 
 *' fhall be at your Devotion.'* 
 
 Sile7ice, was amongff the Romans both a Male and Female 
 Deity, by the Names of Harpocrates and Angerona. The 
 former was reprefented by the Figure of a Youth crown'd 
 v/ith an Egyptian Mitre, having in one Hand a Cornucopia^ 
 and the Finger of his Right-hand touching his Lip, as com- 
 manding Silence. The R^omans borrow'd thefe Images from 
 Egypt^ but quite miftook their real Meaning. The firil: was 
 the Horus^ or emblematical Statue, which denoted the Peace 
 or Repofe of Winter. The C;r«afff//a fi^nify'd Plenty, and 
 the Pofture of the Finger denoted the Moderation and Tem- 
 perance neceffary to enjoy the Blefiings of Providence in a 
 right Manner. This Figure they cali'd, agreeably to its 
 
 Defign, 
 
^o8 FdbulorM HISTORY 
 
 Defign, Hat-pocrates (27), or the Elhblifhment of civil I^o- 
 lity, The Feftival which accompanied its Expofition, was 
 eali'd Pammilla ^28^, which leaves no Doubt of its true 
 Signification. 
 
 The Ifn which appear'd at the "Neomenia in December, the 
 Egyptians call'd Angerona figj^ expreflive of its Intention. 
 But the Greeks and Romans, who took all thefe Emblems in 
 the literal Senfe, adapted them to their own Tafte, and fo 
 made thefe two Figures, the God and Goddefs oi Silence. 
 
 Nor were thefe the only vifionary Deities eredted by the 
 Heathens. Fear bad its fhare in making new Divinities (10) 
 as well as Hope^ and Difeafes, Calamities, and even Vices 
 were honoured, with a View of averting their Vifitation, or 
 allaying their noxious Influences. Thus Febris^ or the Fe- 
 ver, had her Altars at Rome f^i) Hoftilius Tullus vow'd a 
 Temple to the Goddefles Terror and Palenefs (^2). M- 
 MarcelUnus after efcaping a Storm near Sicily built a Chapel 
 to the God Tcmpejlas, without the Gate of Capena, And 
 Pcverty and Art were both deify'd by the People of Godara, 
 becaufe Neceflity is the Mother of Invention. En^jy was a 
 Goddefs whofe Perfon and Abode are inimitably defcrib'd 
 hyO'vid (2,1). 
 
 Calumny had an Altar erected to her by the Athenians. We 
 have a very remarkable Picture of this mifchievous Goddefs, 
 as drawn by the Hand of the great Apelles. Credulity, repre- 
 fented by a Man with large open Ears, invites this Deity to 
 him extending his Hand to receive her. Ignorance and Suf- 
 picion Hand ju ft behind him. Calumny (the principal Figure 
 
 (27) From Creto, Care, or Carta^ a City 5 and Repa, comes Harpc 
 crate:, the civil Conftitution or Polity. 
 
 (28) from Pa, the Mouih ; 2iX)d Mul, to circumcife, is form'd P^w- 
 wUab, or the due Government of the Tongue. 
 
 (29) From Hargorer.y the Barn -floor, is detiv'd Hanger ona, or the 
 Harveft got in. 
 
 (30) Prima in or be Deos fecit Timor. 
 
 (31) Cicero de Nat. Deor, Lib. III. de Legib, Lib. IL 
 
 (32) In a Battle between the Romani and Feienta, in which the Vic- 
 tory was long doubtful. 
 
 (33) Metam. Lib. II, 762; 
 
 of 
 
Of the Heathen Gods, ^c. 209 
 
 of the Piece) appears advancing, her Countenance ruffled 
 with Paffion, holding in her Left hand a Hghted Torch, and 
 with her Right dragging along a Youth, who lifts up his 
 Hands as fupplicating the Gods. Juft before her goes En^-vy 
 pale and fquinting. On her Right Side are Fraud and Con- 
 /piracy. Behind her follows Repentance with her Cloaths 
 torn and looking backwards on T^ruthy who flowly clofes up 
 the Rear (34). Contumely and Impudence were alfo honour'd 
 by the Athenians under the Figure of Partridges^ which is 
 efteem'd a very bold Bird. Difcord is reprefented as a God- 
 defs by Petronius Arbiter, whofe Defcription of her is 
 worthy fo mafterly a Pencil. Firgil has given us a Picture 
 of Fury, a Deity much of the fame Stamp. 
 
 (1^) Lucian, 
 
 Ee A DIS- 
 

 ^I^^^x^Rm ^^G^^i^fea^iii^^' 
 
 DISSERTATION 
 
 O N T H E 
 
 Theology of the Heathens. 
 
 HERE is perhaps no one Subjeft, which has 
 cccafion'd a greater Variety of Opinions than 
 the Original of Idolatry j or in other Words, the 
 Foundation on which the Pagans ere6led their 
 Syftem of Theology, and rais'd that Multiplicity of fabu- 
 lous Divinities which overfpread the Earth. The general 
 Notion which has prevail'd on this Head is, that Mankind 
 by Degrees deviating from the Worfhip of the true God, di- 
 rected their Adoration to the great Luminaries of Heaven, 
 and becoming in Procefs of Time more grefsly corrupted, 
 degenerated into the Veneration of Idols and Deities of their 
 own Creation. But the true Source of Idolatry feems rather 
 to be the Abufc of the Language of Aftronomy, and of thofe 
 Memorials left to preferve the antient Purity of Religion, 
 which were by Avarice and Ambition perverted to Ends 
 quite contrary to the Defign of their Inftitution. 
 
 Nothing has more puzzled the Learned than the Confor- 
 mity found in feveral Particulars, between the Rites of the 
 BtbrenvSf (the chofen People of God) and thofe of the 
 Neighbouring Nations plunged in the grofTeft Idolatry. 
 This P-efemblance manifeftly appeared in their aflembling 
 in fome eminent or diiiinguifhetl Place, to praife God, to 
 offer him Bread, Salt, and the firft Fruits of the Earthi 
 with Thanks for his Bounty ; to facrifice Vidims, and eat 
 in common of the Fiefhi and to join Songs and Inltruments 
 
 of 
 
Theology of the Heathens. 2ti 
 
 of Mufic to heighten the Solemnity. It was alfo cuftomary, 
 both with the Hebre^js and the Fleathens, to bury their Dead 
 with Refpeil, and to meet on certain Days near their Tombs 
 to praife God and commemorate their Virtues. 
 
 To foh^e this Difficulty the generality of Writers fuppofei 
 that in thefe Cafes the Pagan Religion only copied the true. 
 But how improbable this Conjedure is, will appear, from a 
 due Confideration, how feparated as it were from, and how 
 contemptible the Hebrews were, to all other Nations ; and 
 confequently how unlikely it is, they would borrow any 
 Part of their ceremonial from them. Add to this, that it 
 appears from a Multitude of Proofs, that thefe Cuftoms o^ 
 Idolatry were prior to Mofcs^ and the Inititution of the 
 Je-wijh Theocracy. This laft Point has led fome learned 
 Men (i) into the other Extreme of afferting, that the He- 
 hreivs took thofe religious Ceremonies from the Egyptiansy 
 only changing their ObjedT: by adapting them to the Wor- 
 fhip of the true God. But this Opinion is equally deflitute 
 of Foundation, fmce we find nothing more exprefsly pro_ 
 hibited by the Mofaic Law, than the Jcnvs having any Cor- 
 refpondence in religious Matters with the Nations round 
 them. Befides, this great Legiflator feems to grant it as a 
 Thing generally known, that the Worfhip of one God fubr 
 fifted long before his Time amongftthe antient Patriarchs. 
 
 This Conformity therefore, if duly examined, will lead 
 us to the Truth. When the antient World perifhed by the 
 general Deluge, Noah preferv'd with his Family, re-eflab- 
 lifh'd the Worihip of the true God. On his coming out of 
 the Ark we find him offering a Sacrifice of Thankfgiving, a 
 Ceremony he had undoubtedly receiv'd from his pious An- 
 ceilors, and which appears fo early as in the Sacrifice of 
 JbeL The Patriarchs long before Mo/es bury'd their Dead 
 with peculiar Honour; and we find Jacobs in Gratitude for 
 a divine Revelation, ereding a Stone and pouring Oil on it, 
 
 (i) Sir "John Marjham in his Canon. Chronic, or Rule of Time. 
 
 E e 2 a Pra^Slice 
 
212 DISSERTATION o« ^^^ 
 
 a Practice he took from the Heathen Nations. This ftiows 
 evidently, that thefe Cuftoms proceeded from the common 
 Fathers of Mankind. 
 
 Amongft the Inflitutions which Noah left his Pofterityf 
 was the Neomenia, Or Aflembhes appointed to praife God at 
 the Return of the New Moon (2). Now this Rite he had 
 receivM from his Anceftors. In the Conflitution of the 
 antediluvian World, the Earth -prefentcd its Equator con- 
 flantly to the Sun, whence the Days and Nights were always 
 equal, the Air free from any violent Agitation, was always 
 unclouded and ferene, and the Earth by Means of conftant 
 Dews enjoy'd a perpetual Spring. Now as the Sun never 
 varied in his Place of Rifing or Setting, Men were obliged 
 to regulate their religious Meetings, as well as civil Affairs, 
 by the Phafes or Changes of the Moon. This Cuftom 
 I^oah conveyed to his Defcendants ; fo that it is no Wonder 
 if it became common to the Hebreixs, and the other Heathen 
 Nations round them. 
 
 To the fame Origin we may afcribe the Invention of the 
 Zodiac^ which became in procefs of Time an additional 
 Caufs of Idolatry. The vertical Signs of Cancer and Capri- 
 corn^ according to MacrMus (3), were denominated from 
 hence. The Crah being an Animal who walks backwards 
 or obliquely, feem'd a proper Emblem of the Sun, who ar- 
 riving at this Sign begins his Retrogradation : The Wild- 
 Goat on the contrary, whofe Cuftom is to feed as he climbs? 
 or afcends the Hills, wa's.cViofen to denote the Sun, who on 
 coming to this Point of the Heaf ens, quits the loweft Part 
 of his Courfe to regain the higUeft. ' The Ram, the Bulh 
 and the Tnuo Kids (4), gave theVr Names to the three celeftial 
 Houfes, through which the Sun paffes in Spring. This dif- 
 
 (2) After the lafl Crefcenr, and when the Moon In Conjunction ceas'd 
 to appear, the People went^ up to fome high Place, the better to perceive 
 her new Phafes, after ^A'^.ich'f hey facrificed. 
 
 (3) Saturnalia, Lib. I. cap. xy. 
 
 (4) The Orictit^h call'd the Sign Gemini, by the Name of the Tiuo Kids j 
 but the Greeks ^ave it the Name of Diojcutij from Cpflor and PqHux. 
 
 tinguifh'd 
 
neology of the Heathens. 213 
 
 tingul/h'd the different Kinds of young Cattle which increab'd 
 their Flocks during that Seafon, as they fucceeded each other* 
 the Lambs appearing firft, the Calves next, and the Kids 
 laft. They chofe two of thefe latter on account of the pe- 
 culiar Fruitfulnefs of the Goat, which generally bears 
 Twins. With regard to the Summer, the Fury of the Lion 
 juftly exprefs'd the Heat of the Sun on his leaving Cancer, 
 The Virgin crown'd with Ears of Corn was an Emblem of 
 the Harveft (5), ufualiy ended about that Time. Nothing 
 could better denote the Equality of Days or Nights under 
 the autumnal Equinox, than the Ballance [^Libra]. The 
 Difeafes confequent upon the Fall of the Leaf, were chara6te- 
 ris'd by the Scorpion. The Chafe of wild Beafts, which was 
 annually obferv'd about that Time, was not improperly dif- 
 tinguiihed by [Sagitarius]^ or a Man on Horfeback, arm'd 
 with a Bow and Arrow. Aquarius typify 'd the Rains of 
 Winter; and the two Fifhes \?ifces\ bound together, or 
 inclosM in a Net, indicated the Seafon for Fifliing, which is 
 always beft at the Approach of Spring. 
 
 Nothing could be at once more fimple and ufeful than this 
 Divifion of the Sun's annual Circuit into twelve equal Por- 
 tions, exprefs'd by fo many vifible Signs or Symbols, which 
 ferv'd to regulate the Seed-time, Mowing, Harveft, Hunt- 
 ing, Fifhing, and other important Employments of the 
 Year, Thefe rude Delineations of the celeftial Houfes pro- 
 bably gave Birth to Painting. But then thefe Images pre- 
 fented to the Mind a Meaning very different from the Idea 
 they convey'd to the Eye. 
 
 it is probable that Chatn^ and fuch of his Children who 
 firil: fettled in 'Egypt, brought with them the aftronomical 
 Invention or Divifion of the Zodiac, and attempted to carry 
 on their Tillage and rural Huihandry according to the Sea. 
 fons and Methods ufed in the Countries from whence they 
 
 (5) They nam'd this Figure Ergone, or Erigone, which fignifies the red 
 Colour. See Daniel, ch. v. ver. 7. 
 
 Ru^icunda Ceres medio fuccid.tur afiu, 
 
 had 
 
214 DISSERTATION o« //j? 
 
 had removed. The Land being Tandy and dry, they fow'd 
 in Spring, and foon faw, with Pleafure, a verdant Crop rife 
 and give Hopes of a plentiful Harveft- But in April or May 
 a peftilential South Wind blafted their Expeftations. Not 
 difcouraged they tried to repair their Lofles by a fecond 
 Ploughing and Sovi^ing, and as the fucceeding northerly 
 Winds temper'd the Air, every Thing feem'd again promif- 
 ing. But as the Harveft was juft ready to be got in, the 
 Weather dry, and no Appearance of Rain, they beheld with 
 Aftonifhment the Nile overflow its Banks, and lay all their 
 Fields under Water. The Obfervation of this annual Flood 
 foon taught the new Comers Experience. They carefully 
 marked the celeftial Signs, which were the Fore-runners of 
 the Rivers Increafe, in order to take the proper Meafures 
 for their own perfonal Security, and for fowing as foon as 
 the Waters fhould abate, 
 
 They remarked, in Confequenee of this, that the Etefian 
 Winds always blew regularly from the North, juft about 
 the Sun's Entry into the Sign of Cancer (6), and that the 
 Flood foon fucceeded. This Wind therefore became an in- 
 fallible Sign with them, and they exprefs'd it by the Image 
 of the Hawk with her Wings expanded, not only becaufe 
 of the Refemblance in general between the Swiftnefs of 
 Birds, and the Rapidity of the Winds (7) ; but alfo becaufe 
 this Bird in particular was feen to accompany thefe Nor- 
 therly Etefian Breezes (8). 
 
 But as the annual Inundation varied- each Year a few 
 Days, either fooner or later, and as it was neceflary to ob- 
 ferve as exadlly as poflible the Moment of its Approach, in 
 
 (6) Thefe annual Winds driving the Vapours and Clouris fouthward fo 
 Ethicpta, where they are condonfed by the high Mountains, and defcend 
 in Rams, arc the rea! Caufe of the Nile's overflowing, though probably 
 the antient Fg;-pt:ars were ignorant of this. 
 
 (7) The Scripture in more Places than one reprefents the Almighty as 
 riding on the Wings of the Wind. See Pfahm xviii. jo, (^e. &r. 
 
 (S) Does the Hawk (fays Joh) by thy Wifdom Hiake off her old Fea- 
 thers, to gtt rid of thtm and ftrctch her Wings tow.uds the South ? 
 xxxix. i6, 
 
 ordei; 
 
Theology of the Heathens. j^i^ 
 
 Order to makie the neceflary Preparations for fecuring them- 
 felves with their Cattle and Effe6ts on the higher Grounds^ 
 they took Notice of a particular luminous Star (9), which at 
 this critical Juncture appeared on the Horizon a little before 
 Sun-rife, and was not only thefure Mark of that great Lumi- 
 nary's pafling under the ConfteKation of Leo^ but alfo the 
 precife Token of the Commencement of the Inundation* 
 This Star from its great Ufefulnefs they call'd Thaaut or Thot^ 
 (the Dog) and Anubis or Hannobeach, (the Barker or Moni- 
 tor) as alfo fimply S'ihcr ( 10) which is the Name of the River 
 Nile. The Southerly Winds which preceded the Decreafe 
 of the Waters, were reprefented by the Whoop, which at 
 that Seafon reforts from Nubia and Numidla into Egypt^ to 
 feed on the Worms and Infedls left in the Mud or Slime 
 which covers the Plains, and impregnates them with that 
 Fertility, which renders their Country the Garden of the 
 World. This figurative Symbol expofed to the Eyes of the 
 People, was the Indication for getting ready their Corn, 
 furveying their Grounds, and beginning the Seed-time or 
 Sowing. 
 
 The Conveniency of thefe Emblems occafionM their be- 
 ing multiplied ; and as this Hieroglyphick Kind of Writing 
 by Birds and Animals ftruck the Eye, and was in its firft 
 Inftitution readily underitood, fo in orJer to preferve and 
 improve it for the publick Ufe, a certain Society, or Com- 
 pany of Men, were appointed to ftudy the Heavens, and 
 obferve the Motions of the celeftial Bodies. Thefe were 
 lodged in a Tower, call'd the Labyrinth (11), and had com- 
 mitted to their Care the Confe^vation of the Chara£i:ers and 
 Symbols ufed to point out to the People the general Regu» 
 lations, or particular Duties proper to each Seafon. 
 
 (9) It was feen juft before the Dawn of Day, which foon obfcur'd its 
 Lulire. 
 
 (10) From hence the Grff,Ji took their Name 'ZiUt<^ and the Latins 
 S:r!U5, by which ApeUation we now call the Doj-Star. 
 
 (11) From jK.'r/7»;c?, with the Article aomci Lahyranta, the Tower or 
 Palace. Ste Cbnnnlts xvii la. 
 
 Thus 
 
Si6 DISSE RTATION o« /;.^ 
 
 7^hus we fee that In its primitive Formation, nothing 
 could be more fimple than the Egyptian ReHgion. It was in 
 effect the fame with that of Job and Jethro in Arabia^ that of 
 Melchifedeck and Let in Canaan j and that of Abimelech in P«- 
 leftine. It was the Faith of l^oab and his Sons, who firft re- 
 peopled the Earth- It confifted in adoring the Supreme 
 Creator of all Things, in Works of Juftice and Mercy, in 
 Induftry and Temperance, in treating the Dead honourably, 
 and the Hopes of a future Reward. The Figures expofed 
 to the Sight of the People, were fo far from being myfterious, 
 that they were meant only to remind them of thefe impor- 
 tant Duties, and by that Means inculcate their Pradlice, and 
 fecure the Peace and Happinefs of Society, 
 
 But as foon as the Vulgar began to miftake thefe expref- 
 five Emblems for real Objeds and Perfons, they began to 
 change both their Language and Practice. No longer un- 
 derftanding their true Meaning, they exchanged their Moral 
 for an Hiftorical Senfe. The Ofiris^ the Emblem of the firft 
 Enlightner and Mover ; the IJls^ the Mark of that bountiful 
 Nature which is the Mother or common Parent of all Crea- 
 tures j the Horus (12)5 or beloved Child expreffive of Agri- 
 culture and Hufbandry ; and the Anubis^ or celeftlal Mellen- 
 ger, from Signs^ became fo many real Divinities, who de- 
 lighted to prote6t Egypt ^ and honour it with their Refidence. 
 Thus the facred Writings or Hieroglyphics, though ftill 
 preferv'd by the Priefts, were explain'd in a new and mo- 
 dern Senfe, fuitable to the prevailing Tafte of the People* 
 for Fable. 
 
 A late ingenious x^uthor, to whom we are Indebted for 
 thefe juft RelkiSlions (13), thinks it probable, that the Egyp- 
 tian Priefts, who kept the Key of thefe facred Writings, or 
 Hieroglyphlcks, at ftrft endeavoured to ftem the Torrent of 
 
 (i2 From Eorei, Kufbandry, comes Uoroiy the Hufbandman. Hence 
 
 alfo the «/"« of the Greeh, and the Aratio, Aratrum, and Ars of the 
 Latins. 
 
 (13) La FJuche Hlftoiredc Cieux, vol. I. 
 
 Superftition 
 
theology of the Heathens. 217 
 
 {Superftltlon, by reminding the People of their Error, and 
 recalling them to the Worfhip of the true God ; but find- 
 ing all Attempts of this Kind vain and inefTecKial, they 
 gave Way to the popular Notions, and, in procefs of Time, 
 became zealous Defenders of what they fecretly could not 
 but condemn. It is natural to think this great Change was 
 fefFedled by Degrees, and that the Eftabliihment of Idolatry 
 was the Work of fome Time. In this Manner, while they 
 complied with the popular Language, they privately ftudied 
 all they could colledl: of the antient and real Signification of 
 the Symbolical Figures, taking Care to require a profound 
 Secrecy of all whom they initiated or inftrudled in this Kind 
 of Knowledge, By fuch a Method their religious Learning 
 bore a folemn and myfterious Afpec^, without altering any 
 Thing of the common Worfhip or Belief. Idolatry reign'd 
 abroad, while Truth was kept confin'd in the RecefTes of 
 their Temples. Thus Things daily degenerated and grew 
 worfe. In all Syftems of Religion, the ceremonial Part is 
 what is the moft eafily fupported, as it is of no Confequence 
 to the PalTions, which it feldom afFe6ls, and too often in- 
 dulges. It was quite otherwife with Truth, which grew 
 ftill more and more disfigured, in Proportion as Superflition 
 gain'd Ground, In Procefs of Time, Ambition and Jnjarice 
 led the Priefts themfelves to approve an Error, which turn'd 
 greatly to their Advantage, and equally tended to flatter the 
 great Views of Intereft and Power. ^ 
 
 Thus have we feen that the antient Religion of Egypt ia 
 its firft Inftitution, was only copied from that of Noahy and 
 the firft poO:- Dilu^jian Patriarchs. That the plain and'fimple 
 Do£l:rines it inculcated were the Worfhip of one fupreme 
 Being infinitely wife, and powerful, and good ; the Obfer- 
 vation of ftricl Juftice between Man and Man, the great 
 Foundation of the Peace of Society ; the Exercife of mutual 
 Charity and Kindnefs ; the Cultivation oif the Earth, by a 
 juft Regulation of Tillage and Induftry ; the interring the 
 Dead with Decency and Refpe^l ; and the Belief of a future 
 
 F f State : 
 
2i8 DISSERTATION on the 
 
 State : All thefe Principles were fiiadowed out to the Eye 
 by fuitable Figures or Reprefentations, and to thefe were 
 added Emblems exprellive of the great Change introduced in 
 the Earth by the Deluge, which render'd the Exercife of 
 Agriculture both more painful and neceflary to Mankind 
 than it was before, when the Ground, by the mild Tempe- 
 rature of the Air, and conftant Prefence of the Sun, was as it 
 were fpontaneoufly fertile, and the Mother of a genial 
 Abundance. 
 
 Nor was it in ^gypt alone, that thefe Veftigies of the pri. 
 maeval Faith, and the Worfliip of the true God were pre- 
 fcrv'd. " The Magi^ or aiitient Perfian Philofophers, ac- 
 '' cording to the Teftimony of the beft Hiftorians (14), had 
 *• neither Statues nor Altars. They facrificed on the higheft 
 *' Mountains (15), and ufed neither Libations nor Mufic> 
 '' nor hallow'd Bread. They offef d the Vidims crown'd ; 
 " after which the Prieft dividing it in fmall Portions, they 
 '* ihared it in common, leaving no Part, for (as they faid) 
 *' God defired only the Soul of the VicSlim (16)." Indeed 
 they worfhipped the Fire, which they regarded as the moft 
 perfect Emblem of the Divinity ; and we find this magni- 
 ficent Symbol was in great Veneration through all the Eaft, 
 On the fame Account they honour'd the Sun, Moon, and 
 Stars ; but this was only, as they confiderM them the Images 
 or Symbols of the fupreme Being or original Caufe of all 
 Things, whom they call'd Oromazes^ and of whom Zcroajler 
 (as quoted by Eujebius (17), has given a fublime Defcription : 
 ♦' God, fays he, the firll of all incorruptible Beings, eternal 
 *' and unbegotten i he is not compounded of Parts; there 
 " is nothing equal to him or lik.e him : He is the Author of 
 
 (14) Herodotus. Clio, Uh. I. St€t. 131, Strabo, Lib. XV. 
 
 (15) It was probably to prevent the Abufe of this Cuftom, in itfelf in- 
 rocent, that Mofes fo feverely interdidls even the worfhipping the true 
 God upon high Places. 
 
 (16) The Orienfals, fond of the Doftrine of Tranfmigration, believed 
 the Vidini animated by a criminal Soul, whofe expiatory Pains were com- 
 pleted by the Sacrifice. 
 
 (17J Prc^arat. E-vangelica, Lib. I, 
 
 «* all 
 
theology of the Heathens. 219 
 
 •^^ all Good, and entirely uninfluenc'd by PaiTions; themoft 
 ** excellent of Beings 3 the wifefl: of all intelligent Natures > 
 •' the Father of Equity, the Parent of good Laws; felf-in- 
 •' ftru(5led, felf-fufficient j and the firft Forrper of Nature.'* 
 If we believe the ^r^^'fi« Writers (18), the Perfian Magi 
 were very far from being Manicheans^ or believing two dif- 
 tincl and coeternal Principles of G^?^^ and EnjH, as has been 
 afTerted by an eminent modern Philofopher (19), The an- 
 tient Perjians^ indeed, admitted two inferior Divinities, 'viz 
 the Goddefs Mythra, and the God Mythrasy who, according 
 to them, were the firft Emanations of the divine Being, or 
 the firft Produ6fions of his Power (20). They alfo afl'erted 
 a wicked Spirit, call'd Arimanius (21 ), whom they regarded as 
 the Author or Principle of all Moral Evil, and who for his 
 Pride and Ambition was hud'd from the celeftial Manfions 
 (22). This Idea was agreeable to the Python 01 Typhon oi 
 the Egyptians^ and the War of the Giants againft Jupiter 
 celebrated by the Greek and Latin Poets. In fliort, the three 
 principal Attributes, or Views under which the eternal or 
 jTupreme EfTence prefents itfelf tpthe Mind, are Pcwer^ Wif^ 
 dom and Goodnefs^ without the two A?/?, the firft would be in- 
 finite Tyranny ; without the firji and laji ih^fecond would be 
 limited and fail of its End, and without the /<?/, the two 
 former would, inftead of being beneficial, become deftruc- 
 tive. Thus we find the Egyptian, and Chaldeans agreeing 
 exactly in their Reprefentations of the fupreme Being, fha- 
 aowed under the Characters of Ofiris or Oro7Kaz.es^ the firft 
 Principle or Source of all Exiltence 5 the Goddefs Ifis or 
 Mythra the Emblem of the fupreme V/iJdom or Vnderjlanding^ 
 
 (iS) See PococX^ Greg. Jbiilpb. and Hyde'% Shahriftuii. 
 
 (ig) BayW^ Didionary. See the Article Zoroaflcr. 
 
 (ao) They fay Ororr.cizes produced the Godded Mythra y the original 
 Mother, the living Image of his Beauty, who prefented him with the Ideas 
 pi all Things, which he gave to the God Mythras, to form the World by. 
 
 (21) The chief of the Syngas, or rebellious Spirits, whom he feduc'd to 
 diflurb the univprfal Harmony, and invoIvM in the juft PuniHsmentof his 
 Crime. 
 
 (22) See Ramfafs Cyrus, Book II. 
 
 F f 2 and 
 
220 DISSERTATION o» ?^^ 
 
 and the God Orm or Wl^thras^ their beloved Son, the Symbd 
 oi\\\2XGoodncfs^ which vifibly appears imprefs'd on Nature, 
 and dlfFufes itfelf through all the Creation. The Jupitert 
 Miner<va^ and Apollo of the Greehi znd^Romans^ were only copied 
 from thefe Originals (23), 
 
 This is evidejit from the Teftimony of their Poets and Phi- 
 lofophers. We find Orpheus the Founder of the Greek The- 
 <>gony^ fo exactly agreeing with Zoroojler in his Definition of 
 the fupreme Being, that it is evident they drew their 
 Notions from the fame Source, and that under the firft Ob- 
 je6ls of Idolatry, the true Religion, or the Worfhip of one 
 fovereign Exiftence, was plainly fhadowed out. Oo'/V, to 
 put his Chaos in Motion, is forced to ufe the Interpofition of 
 a God (24). But here it is proper to obferve, that the 
 Greek and Roman Theology, though borrow'd from the Ori- 
 ent aU was much more imperfv.d, and feem'd to lean more to 
 the Mankhaan Scheme. This was owing to the Licenfe of 
 their Poets, who, in order to give Scope to their Imagination, 
 dlfguis'd the Eajiem Traditions with new Embellifhments, 
 till they peopled the Realms of Fidion with innumerable 
 Deities of all Ranks, iVges, Sexes, and Orders. 
 
 However, if we read Homer and Virgil^ (the two Princes of 
 the ClaJJlc Writers) we fhall find them confonant in thefc 
 three great Principles, i. " That there is a fupreme Being, 
 *' the Father of Gods and Men, and the Architedl: of the 
 ** Univerfe. 2. That all Nature is full of fubordinate Spi- 
 *' rits, who are his Servants or Minifters. And, 3. That 
 
 (23) Out of this tripartite Symbol, or Groupe, the Heathens compos' d 
 that multiplicity of Gcds and Goddefles which crowded their Mythology. 
 Thus Ofiris, Scrapis, Oro*^azes, "Jy.pter Olynipitn, Saturn, Calm, Neptune, 
 Pluto, are only different Names for the fupreme, or felf-exiflent Being. 
 The GoddelTes Ifis, Mythra, Juno, Cybele, Vefta, Rhea, Venus Urania, 
 Minet-va, Diana, Luna, and Prefer pine all fienify, that divine "N^iJdom, 
 which IS as it were the Emanation of infinite Power, and which plann'd 
 the univerfal Syflem. Laftiy, Anubis, Orus, Mercury, Apollo, Mfculapius, 
 Pan, Hercules; and "Jupiter the Condudlor, are but different Names expref- 
 Tive of that Goodnejs, which carried this wonderful Scheme into Execution, 
 and ftamp'd the vifible Marks of Grace and Kappinefs on the Whole. 
 (24.) (?wi Metam. Lib, I. in Jh<:///o, 
 
 •' the 
 
Tloeohgy of the Heathens, 221 
 
 '^ the Good and Evil Genii^ who dwell in the Elements, are 
 ** the Caufes of the Good or 111, Virtue or Vice, Knowledge 
 *' or Ignorance, which prevail in the World.'' JEfchylus 
 (2^) and Sophccles (26) confirm the frji Point by two very 
 remarkable Parages, and are corroborated by the Tefti- 
 monies of Plauius (2'j) and Horace (2S). Cato, in Lucan^ 
 fpeaks (2()) the fame Language ; and thefe Inftances leave 
 no Room to doubt, that the Voice of Nature agreed with 
 antient Tradition in pointing out Truth to the Heathens? 
 though furrounded with the Mifts of Error. 
 
 If we proceed next to an Examination of the Greek and 
 Roman Philofophers, Thales the Founder of the Ionic School 
 (lo)t according to the Fragments of him tranfmitted to us 
 by the moft authentic Writers, entertain'd not only very 
 
 (25) " There is one unknown Being, exalted beyond, and prior to all 
 ** others. He is the Author of all Things above and below. He is the 
 " Life, the Light and the W^jdom, \jvhich three Names exprefs only one 
 " and the fame Power, who drew all Beings vifible and invifible out of 
 *' nothing." 
 
 (26) *< O Father and King of Gods and Men, why do we miferabJe 
 ** Mortals fancy we either know or can do any Thing ? Our Fate depends 
 *^ on thy &c. Euripides fupp. Aft. III. 
 
 " It is not to any mortal Nature, that Laws owe their Origin ; 
 ** they derive their Birth from Heaven, and receive their Sandion from 
 ** thence j Jupiter Olympius is their Father. Sophocles ^dipus. 
 
 (27) P/a«r«j introduces an inferior God talking thus : *' I am a Denizen 
 *' of the celeftial City, governed by Jupiter the Father of Gods and 
 ** Men. He commands the Univerfe, and fends us over the World to 
 ** examine the Conduft and Adions of the Piety and Virtues of Mankind* 
 ** In vain do Mortals endeavour to bribe him with Oblations and Sacrifices, 
 <« They lofe their Pains, for he abhors the Worlhip of the Impious, 
 
 (28) ^id prius dicam folitis Parentis 
 Laudibus } ^«/ res bomitjum ac Deorum 
 ^i ware & Terras, t-artifque Mundum 
 
 Temperat Horis f , 
 
 TJnde nil ma'jus generatur ipfof 
 Nee njiget quicquam Jimileaut fecundum, Horat. Lib. I. OdeXIL 13. 
 
 (29) See Lucan, Lib. VI. 
 
 (30) " God is the moft antient of all Beings, the Author of the Uni- 
 *' verfe, without Beginning or End; from whofe fight nothing can be 
 *' conceal'd. Fate is nothing but the immutable Reafon and eternal 
 f' Power of his Providence," The fame Phiiofopher calls the foul " A 
 " felf-mo-ving Principle^ a Definition that jmplys both its being Immortal 
 ♦' and Immaterial," 
 
 fublimc 
 
22a DISSERTATION o« ?/j^ 
 
 fublime Notions of the fupreme Being ; but had a right Idea 
 of the Nature of the human Soul. Pythagoras talks on this 
 important Subject in the rnoft noble and philofophical 
 Manner: " God (fays he) is neither the Object of Senfe 
 *' nor fubje6l to Paflion ; but invifible, purely intelligible, 
 ** and fupremely intelligent. His Body is like the Light^ 
 ** and his Soul refembles Truth, There is but one God 
 •' only, who is not, as fome conceive, feated beyond the 
 '^ Orb of the Univerfe, but being every where prefent, he 
 " fees all the Beings that inhabit his Immenfity. He is the 
 *' fole Principle, the Light of Heaven, and the Father of 
 *' all : He produces, orders, and difpofes every Thing. 
 " He is the Reafon, the Life, and the Motion of all 
 •• [created] Beings." Secrates f^ij and P/ato (^i) feem to 
 have conceived the firm and well grounded Belief of one 
 Almighty, Omnifcient, and infinitely good Being, who 
 rules, dire£i:s, and difpofes all Things for the beft zn^ wifeft 
 Ends ; and in this they were followed by AriJiotUy Difciple 
 to the latter f 33^/. Amongft the Romans we find Cicero, (the 
 
 (3O " If (fays this divine Philofopher) the Spirit which refides ip the. 
 '* Body moves and difpofes it at pleafure, why fhould not that fovereigo 
 ** Wifdom which prefides in the Univerfe, be able to regulate and order 
 *' every Thing as it pleafes ? If your Eye can fee Objedls at the Diftance 
 *' of feveral Furlongs, why (hould not the Sight of God pervade aU 
 ** Things at once ? If your foul can at the fame Time refled upon what 
 ** paffes zXAthemy in Egypt and Sicily, why (hould not the Omnifcient 
 ** MirJ be able to take Care of every Thing, and fuperintend his own 
 ** "Works ?'* Xenopbon Mem.orab, Socratis. 
 
 (32) *' That which prefents "Truth to the Mind, and which indues us 
 *' with Reafon, is the fupreme Good : He is the Caule and fource oi Truth, 
 *' and has begotten it like himself. As the Light is not the fun, but flows 
 ** from it, fo Truth is not the firft Principle, but his Em.anation, Flato 
 de Republica, Lib. VI. 
 
 (33) jirijiotle^ the Prince of the Ferifatetic School, defines God thus: 
 " The eternal and living Being, the moft noble of all Exiftences, a Sub- 
 *' ftance entirely diftindl from Matter, without Extenfion, Divifion, Suc- 
 " cefTion, or Parts, who underftands every Thing by one fingle Aft, an^ 
 *' continuing himfelf immoveable, gives Motion to all Things, and enjoys 
 '•' himfelf in a perfe<S Blifs, as knowing and contemplating himfelf with 
 " infinite Pltalure. As the fupreme Intelligence, he a<5ts always with 
 " Order, Proportion, arvd Defign ; and is the Source of all that is goo(^J 
 *' excellent, and juft. jinflot, Metaphyf. Lib, XIV. cap. 7, and 10, ' 
 
 greatefi 
 
Theology of the Heathens. 223 
 
 j^rcatell of their Philofophers, who livM in an Age, in which 
 Sceptifin was prevalent) though he leans to the Academic Side, 
 yet drops feveral plain Confeffions of the Exiftence of one 
 fuprenie Being (z^)y a Truth which feems engrav'd by the 
 divine Creator on the Hearts of all Men. Nor does Seneca 
 f$sJ negle£t to guard us againft miftaken Notions of the 
 divine Being, by informing us what he truly is. And that 
 the wifefl of the Pagan Philofophers were unanimous in this 
 Belief of One fupreme and neceflarily exiftcnt Being, is cor- 
 roborated by the Teftimony of St. ^«//» (36), one of the 
 moft learned and venerable Fathers of the Chrijlian Church. 
 
 We have already obferv'd, that the Greeh and Romans 
 receivM from Egypt ^ and the oriental Nations, the Know- 
 ledge of one fupreme and true God, though fhadowed un- 
 
 (34) Tullj defcrlbes the Unlverfe as a Republick, of which 'Jupiter \t 
 the Prince and common Father. ** The great Law (fays he) imprinted in 
 '• the Hearts of all Men, is to love the pubiickGood, and regard the 
 ** Members of Society as themfe!ves. This Love of Order is fupreme 
 ** Juftice, and this Juftice is amiable for its own fake. To love it only 
 * ' for the Advantages we may reap from it, may be politic, but never 
 *' honcft. It is the highefl Injuftice to love Juftice only for the fake of a 
 ** Reward. In fhbrt, the univerfal, immutable, and eternal Law of all 
 <' intelligent Beings is to promote the Happinefs of one another, like Chil- 
 <* dren of the fame Father. This immortal Law is a Rule to all Nations, 
 ** becaufe it has no Author, but the one only God, by whom it was 
 ** form'd and promulgated." 
 
 (35) " The Antients (fays Seneca) did not t\\\r\kJoi^e(uQh a Being as we 
 '* reprefent him in the Capitol, and our other Buildings j but by Jove 
 " they meant the Guardian and Governor of the Univerfe, the Mafter and 
 " Architeft of this great Machine. All Names belong to him. You are 
 *' not in the Wrong if you call him Fate, for he is the Caufe ot all Caufes, 
 ** and every Thin^ depends on him. If you term him Frci/idence^ you 
 ** fall into no Miftake, for his Wifdom governs the World. If you ftile him 
 ** Nature, you err not, for from him all Beings derive their Origin, and 
 *' in him they live and breathe." Seneca, Qu:eft. Nat. Lib. II. 
 
 (36) This Fatherreduces the polytheifm ot the Heathens to one fole prin- 
 ciple. " Jupiter (fays he) according to the philofophers, is the Soul of 
 •' the World, who takes different Names, according to the EfFedls he pro. 
 '' duces. In the a^thereal Spaces he is called Jove, in the Air Juno^ in the 
 •' Sea Neptune, in the Earth Pltuc, in Hell Projerpine, in the Element of 
 " Fire Fukan, in the Sun Fhahus, in Divination Apollo, in War Mars, in 
 * * the Vintage Bacchus, in the Harveft Ceres, in the Forefts Diana, and in 
 *' the Sciences M/«.^rz'rt ; AH the Crowd of Gods and Coddeffei are only 
 ** the fame Jw/fZ/^r, whofe difftrent powejs and Attributes are exprefs'd 
 ** by different Names." 
 
 der 
 
2H DISSERTATION on the 
 
 der figurative Names and Images. But about the 50th 
 Olympiad, the Philofophers of Greece having loft much of this 
 traditional Learning, began to lay afide the antient Doc- 
 trine for fpeculative Refinements. The various Sentiments 
 they entertained produced four different Sects or Schools. 
 1. Jnaximandcr (zj), who liv'd about 600 Years before the 
 Chriftian jEra^ W2s the firft who attempted to oppofe the 
 Belief of a fupreme Intelligence, and to account for the 
 Structure of the Univerfe by a fortuitous Concourfe of Matter. 
 In this Syftem he was followed and fupported by Leucippus^ 
 Democritus^ Epicurus, Lucretius, and the other Mafters of the 
 Atomic School. 2. Pythagoras {^Sj, Anaxagoras, Socrates, 
 Tlato, AriJlotUy the greateft Geniufes that Greece ever pro- 
 duced, all joined to oppofe this impious Doftrine, and to re- 
 eflablifh the antient Theology. By obferving the Motion, 
 Thoughtj and DeGgn which appeared in Nature, they con- 
 cluded, that there was a Subftance diilinct from Matter, 
 fince it was endued with none of thefe Properties. Thefe 
 two SeSs divided Grf^r^ a long Time, till about the izoth 
 Olympiad, Pyrrho formed a third Party, whofe Principles 
 was to doubt every Thing, without ever determining. This 
 new Se6l was foon reinforced by the Atomijls, who faw hov^ 
 convenient it was for their Purpofe, nor indeed could Errors 
 like theirs even find a better Screen than univerfal Scepticifm, 
 In ftiort, they carried this fo far, as to difpute the clearefl and 
 
 (37) He was born at Miletus^ and ftudied under Thales, about 550 
 Years before the Chripian JErs.. He firft invented the Globe. He taught 
 that the Gods were mortal, but liv'd long ; and that Men were made of 
 Earth and Water. See Cicero Quaeft. Academ. IV. 37. and Ramjay's 
 Cyrus, p. 170, and following. Bruno, Vanini and Spinoja only reviv'd the 
 Doftrine of this School with the Addition of fome new Improvements, 
 and Diftindions form'd to amufe weak Minds. 
 
 . (38) This great Philofopher was by Birth a Samian, but leaving that 
 Idand, he travelled to Egypt, from whence he removed to that Fart of 
 Italy, caU'd Magna Gracia^ and became the Founder of the School which 
 bore his Name. He taught the Metempfychofn or Tranfmigration of Souls, 
 and was a rtrenuous Oppofer of the Materialifts or Atomic Philofophers. 
 Defcartes, Malbranche, Poiret, Neivto/i, Bently, Clarke, and Cheyne have in 
 our Days renew 'd the Platonic School/ by refuting with great Force the 
 Abfurdities of dtheijm, 
 
 moil 
 
"Theology of the Heathens. 225 
 
 hioft felf-evident Truths, and to treat all the Objecls we fee». 
 and even Life itfelf, as one Series of Illufioii. In fine, 
 about the 130th Olympiad^ Zeno ere£led the Stoic (^39 J School, 
 and endeavour'd to reconcile the Atheifts or Difciples of 
 Democritui^ with the T^heip or Followers of ?lato : This he 
 did by afferting, that the firft Principle was indeed an ia/i/jiie 
 Wifdom, but that his EfTence was only a pure JEther^ or 
 fubtil Light, diiFus'd through all Space, and enlivening all 
 Beings. 
 
 It may not be improper to conclude this Part with taking 
 ia fhort View of the Rife and Progrefs of Idolatry, We have 
 had Occafion in the Beginning of this EiTay to obferve, that 
 the true Source of this Evil lay in the Abufe of the antient 
 Symbolical Writing. The Splendor of the^«« ^as an inge- 
 nious Writer juftly remarks^) never drew the Attention of 
 Man from his Creator. The Wonders or Beauties of Na- 
 ture never corrupted the Heart. Nor did Aftronomy intro- 
 duce the Worfhip of the Heavenly Hoft ; but the Cafe really 
 was, that NeceiTity having obliged Men to form Symbols or 
 figurative Reprefentations, to remind them of certain Events, 
 or to dire6lthem in their annual Policy and Labours, theVul- 
 gar by admitting thefe Hieroglyphic Charadiers, without re- 
 ceiving their Scnfe, fwallowed the Poifon of Error, and 
 forged the Chains of Superftition, which were to fetter both 
 themfelves and their Pofterity. 
 
 But though the Ufe ol this Emblematical Writing, firuck 
 the Eye, and from the Practice of it in their publick Cere- 
 monies, becanie daily more extenfive, it was neverthelefs 
 
 (39) Zeno was born at Cittm in Cyprus, and the Father of the Stoic 
 Seft. He taught at Athcm with fuch Reputation, that the Citizens prc- 
 fented him a golden Crown, and ereded his Statue in Brafs. He died at 
 90 Years old. 
 
 Of late Years llohhes, Bchmen, and fome others, have endeavoured to 
 revive the Stoic Syftem, by prctendins; that Extenllon is the Bafis of all 
 Subftance, that the Soul differs from ths Body only as it is more refin'di 
 that the Spirit is but a rarify'd Bony, and a Body a condens'd Spirit, and 
 that the fupreme infinite Being, though invifible, is extended by local 
 Diffufion, 
 
 G S fubjecl 
 
226 DISSERTATION e« //j^ 
 
 fubjedt to a manifefl Inconvenieiicy, namely, that in Spltel 
 of all their Precaution (40J the Figures or Charaders mul- 
 tiply'd fo faft, in Proportion to the Objeds they were in- 
 vented to reprefent, that it was eafy to forefee this Method 
 of exprefling the Senfe would foon become impracticable. 
 This gave Room to a mafterly Genius, (whofe Name has 
 unhappily been loft by Time) (41) to corre6l this Evil, by 
 reprefenting with twenty or twenty-four Letters, the prin- 
 cipal Articulations of the Voice neceflary to form Words, 
 or the Signs of Obje£ls, fo as to enable Men by a few Cha- 
 racters to raife to the Thought a Variety of Obje6ls ex- 
 prefs'd by fuitable Sounds. 
 
 It is no Wonder if an In^vention at once, fo fimple and ufe- 
 ful, made a quick Progrefs, and became fubftituted in the 
 Place of the former Method ; which it render'd in fome 
 Meafure ufelefs. It foon fpread itfelf to the Arabians ^ He- 
 Irews, and Pb^nicians (42), which laft People, by Means of 
 their extenfive Commerce, communicated it to the Greek 
 and other Weftern Nations, who readily adopted it, as eafy 
 to learn and expeditious to pradice. Thus the Symbolical 
 Writing being excluded from common Ufe, became appro- 
 priated to the Priefts and the Learned. It flill, however, 
 maintain'd its Authority, being ufed at all religious Fefti- 
 vals, and on publick Monuments and Tombs, on which 
 Account it afTum'd the Name of Hiercglyphic (^43^, or facred, 
 to diftinguifli it from the common Writing. 
 
 This Change, by Degrees, render'd the Difficulties of 
 underftanding the Emblematick Charadcrs or Writing, at 
 
 (40) This Inconvenience is vifibly feen in the Chincfe Language, which 
 refembles the antient Egyptian with only this Difference, that jts Charac- 
 ters are of arbitrary Infticution, whereas the latter were conneded to the 
 Objedts reprefented by fome Analogy of Name or Likenels •. For Inftance, 
 the Serpent lignify'd Life by an Analogy of Name j the Word Hiva figni- 
 fying both an Eel and L^fe. 
 
 (4.1) Whoever this Eenefa£tor to Mankind was, it is certain he liv'd 
 long before Cadnm:^ fince this Way of Writing was in Ufe before the Time 
 of Jcb and Mofcs. 
 
 (42) Caihnis, v/holer.rn'd it in Phanicia, firfl brought it into Greece. 
 
 (43) Hiercglypbica fi^nifii:s tba facrai Letters, or facred Sculptures. 
 
 beft 
 
Theology of the Heathens. 227 
 
 beft obfcure in themfelves, much greater; and made the 
 
 Study of it ftill more uncommon. Thus the Egyptians 
 
 loft Sight of the real Intention of the Symbols repre- 
 
 fented in their publick Afiemblies, The Ceremonial of 
 
 Religion ftill fubfifted, but the Spirit of Devotion itfelf 
 
 was fled. The true Worfhip of God, which confifts in 
 
 Gratitude and Purity of Heart, degenerated into Form an4 
 
 Show, and as they grew attached to thefe external Repre- 
 
 fentations, they forgot their Defign, and infenfibly loft Sight 
 
 of their Creator. As they grew corrupted in their Morals, 
 
 this Indifference increafed j till at laft Senfe prevail'd, and 
 
 they ftupidly miftook the Figures they faw for the true Ob- 
 
 je6ls of Adoration. It is not difficult to fee the fatal Confe- 
 
 quences of an Error of this Kind, and how fertile a Source 
 
 of Idolatry and Polytheifm, it was likely to become, as all 
 
 Kinds of Animals and Plants had their Place in this Hierogly- 
 
 fhic Writing, fo when its Intention was thus perverted, the 
 
 fame Animals and Plants afTum'd a Charader of Divinity, 
 
 and put in for their Share of the publick Worfhip. 
 
 It may be obje6ted, that allowing this, it will yet be diffi- 
 cult to account how the Idolatry of the Egyptians could ex- 
 tend itfelf to the Syrians, much lefs to the Greeks and the 
 other remoter Nations of Europe^ fince it is known that the 
 l^gyptians travell'd little, and confequently had few Oppor- 
 tunities of communicating their Opinions to Strangers. 
 ^ut in Anfwer to this, it is only neceflary to confider, that 
 Egypt was in the earlieft Times regarded as the Granary of 
 the World. In barren Years this Country was the Refource 
 of the Neighbouring Nations, particularly the Phoenicians^ 
 whofe narrow Territory was not fufficient to produce the 
 necefTary Support for its Inhabitants. The People ofGreece 
 alfo in Seafons of Scarcity fought their Supplies from Egypt, 
 All Foreigners who reforted hither, were equally ftruck with 
 Surprize at the Polity of its Government, the focial and 
 mild Temper of the People, the Pomp of their religious 
 F^ftivals, and the Plenty of a Country in which it never 
 Gg 2 rained* 
 
228 DISSERTATION OT f;6? 
 
 rained. The annual Overflowing of the I<lile^ (the Source 
 of this Fertility, and the Caufe of which was then unknown) 
 was fo contrary to the common Courfe of Nature, that they 
 thought it miraculous (^\)' The Natives took Care to im^ 
 prove Sentiments fo favourable to their Intereft, by afcribing 
 thefe fmgular Advantages which diftinguilh'd them, to the 
 Proteftion of their Guardian Deities, and their Approba- 
 tion of the Worfhip paid them. All this gave Strangers an 
 high Idea of the Egyptian Religion, and led them to trans- 
 port into their own Countries, the Symbols or Images of 
 fuch benevolent and powerful Gods. Thus we fee it was 
 here the Cup of Idolatry was mingled, which the Phanician 
 Navigation prefented to the remoteft Nations ^45^. The 
 Names of the Deities, which are all borrowed from their 
 Language, leave no Doubt of this -, but then the Senfe of 
 thefe Words (/^^)t which has not the leaft Relation to real 
 Perfons or Divinities j but is ever expreffive of fome ufeful 
 Regulation or important Truth, fhews plainly, that thefe 
 Figures were only Shadows defign'd to exprefs, and conti- 
 nue the trueWorfhip o^ one God, dcliver'd down by Noah and 
 his Defendants to their Pofterity. Thus it was that the 
 fupreme Being, on Account of the Depravity of their Man^ 
 ners, gave Mankind over to their own Inventions. Men 
 forgot the Heavenly Light to wander in the Mifts of Dark- 
 nefs, and blind Superftition ; or, in other Words, (as the 
 Prophet Ifaiah finely exprefles it) T^hey forjook the Fountain of 
 li<ving Waters, to henx) out to themfel'ves broken Cijierns that could 
 hold no Water. 
 
 (44.) The Egyptians reprefenfed the Nile by a Figure of OJIris, or th^ 
 Sun, with a River flowing from his Mouth. Hence Homer calls i( 
 A«/7r£ri{5 noTtffx,(^, or the Rit-er fent frotn God. See Odyfl". IV. v. 581; 
 
 (45) The Egyptian Tongue, no Doubt, differed from the Phancian, 
 or tliat fpoken in the Land of Canaan, though the Grounds of both Lan- 
 guages was the fame } fo that they probably differ'd no more than the 
 Spanijhy Trench, and Italian, which are all deriv'd from the Latin. See a 
 Proof of this in the Article of Mercury, under the Note Anubii. 
 
 (46) See frequent Inftances of this in the Hiftory, particularly at the Ar- 
 ffci'es of Pallai, Baccktn, Ores, and Venni, 
 
 The 
 
Hheology of the Heathens. 229 
 
 The greateft Part of Mankind were now involved in the 
 groiTeft Superftition, which was even carried by fome Na- 
 tions to fuch a Length, as to lead them to think of pleafing 
 their Gods by Sacrificing their beft and moft laudable Affec- 
 tions : For when it was once believed, that Grace and Na- 
 ture wereoppofite, or in other Words, that their Deity took 
 Delight in the Torture of his Creatures, they endeavour'd 
 to Tooth this malevolent Difpofition by human Vidims. 
 Thus the Carthagevians^ the Gauls^ the Allemans,^ &C. werc 
 contented with the Cruelty of facrificing Prifoners, or Stran- 
 gers, while others, as the Amorites and Moahifes, by a double 
 Effort, thought to recommend themfelves by conquering not 
 only Humanity, but natural Affection ; and therefore to 
 pleafe their God, moft barbaroufly murdered their Children. 
 
 OF 
 
O F T H E 
 
 Mythology of the Heathens, 
 
 A V I N G explain M the Theology of the Hea- 
 thens, from the Opinions of their moft ancient 
 Philolbphers and Poets, and accompanied that 
 Explanation with an Account of the Rife and 
 Progrefs of Idolatry, we fhall next give fome Account of 
 their Mythology, by an Explanation of the fabulous Hiftory 
 of their Deities : A Subject that we have already touched 
 upon in the Hiftory of the Deities themfelves. We fhall 
 now enter into the Nature of the Pagan Fables, their religi* 
 ous Sentiments, and the Manner of their Worfhip. Here 
 we fhall find Truth blended with Error, and obfcur'd by 
 Fidion, which has wrapt in Cteuds the moft important 
 Doftrines, fuch as the Creation of the World, the Fall of 
 Man, the Deftrudlion of the human Race by a univerfaj 
 Deluge, the Change produced in Nature by that great 
 Event, the origin of natural and. moral Evil, and the final 
 Reflitution of all Things to 'their primitive Glory and Splen- 
 dor. We fhall afterwards enter into their moral as well as 
 their religious Sentiments, the Nature of their Worfhip, 
 and the Manner in which it was perform'd. 
 
 Notwithftanding the great Corruption which had crept 
 into the Worfhip of all Nations, the Men of Learning and 
 Reflection generally maintained honourable Notions of the 
 Deity, and the mofl juft and rational Ideas of the Obliga- 
 tions of moral Virtue. Philofophers frequently arofe, and 
 by their Inftruclions difperfed the Clouds of Darknefs, if not 
 from the Minds of the Poor and Vulgar, at leafl from thofe 
 who had Leifu;*; and Opportunity to attend their Le6tures or 
 to read their Works. By thefe Morality was made a Sci- 
 ence, 
 
Of the H E A 1' H E N s* 231 
 
 ence, and Ethics became the moft valuable Branch of Phi- 
 Jofophy. As the Greeks and Romans had received their Di- 
 vinities from Egypt^ and by miftaking the Manners, the 
 Cuftoms and Language of that Nation, had made Gods of 
 the common Symbols which they employ'd to teach the 
 People to honour one God, the Author of all good, to live 
 in Peace, to exprefs the Times and Seafbns for the Perfor- 
 mance of the common Occurrences of Life, and to expert 
 a better State to come ; fo their Religion became obfcured 
 by Fables, and a Variety of Fictions, which, while the Vul- 
 gar underftood in a literal Senfe, their Sages endeavour'd to 
 explain and reduce to ingenious Allegories, and thereby to 
 render the Heathen Worftiip confiftent with all the natural 
 Notions of a fupreme Deity, the wife Governor of the 
 World, and by accounting for the Introduction of moral 
 Evil, to vindicate the Rules of his Providence, and tojuftify 
 the Ways of God to Man. 
 
 Fables are indeed a very ancient Method of conveying 
 Truth, and are therefore to be confidered as Veils of fo fine 
 a Texture, as not wholly to conceal the Beauties that lie 
 beneath them. Thus, hys OH gen (i), "The Egyptian 
 *' Philofophers have fublime Notions v/ith regard to the di- 
 *' vine Nature, which they keep fccret, and never difcover 
 •' to the People, but under the Veil of Fables and Allego- 
 *' ries. All the Eajlem Nations, the Perfianst the Indians^ 
 •* the Syrians, conceal fecret Myfteries under their religious 
 '* Fables. The wife Men of all Nations (2) fee into the 
 *• true Senfe and Meaning of them, whilft the Vulgar go 
 «* no farther than the exterior Symbol, and fee only the Bark 
 *' that covers them." 
 
 (1) Or/^,?« contra Celfum, Lib. 1, p. 11. 
 
 (2) ** Thofewho are acquainted with thefe Myfleries, fays Ifocrates, 
 " infure to themfelves very pleafing Hopes again fl the Hour of Death, and 
 ** which extend to a whole Eternity. Thefe Mylleries, fays EpiBetus^ 
 *' were eftabliflied by the Ancients, to regulate the Lives of Men, and to 
 ** banifli Diforders from the World." 
 
 This 
 
432 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 This was frequently the Cafe when foreign and diftant 
 Nations adopted what they but imperfedly underitood* 
 Cufton^s became the Subject of Opinions, and mere Alle- 
 gories Objects of f^aith. Thus could any Thing give a 
 more lively Idea of the State of Retribution, and the Re* 
 wards or Punifhments which follow upon a Life of Virtue 
 or Vice, than the Ceremonies with which the Egyptians 
 buried their Dead. The Greeks and Romans ftruck with the 
 Ideas that were fo ftrongly conveyM, took the Type for the 
 Reality : The Boat which was to convey the Body to the 
 Place of Burial, which was with the Egyptians an Emblem of 
 Death, and was call'd Tranquility, becaufe it carried over 
 none but the Juft, was reprefented by the Greeks and Rotnans 
 as a Boat to carry Souls. Cerberus^ an Hieroglyphic, carved 
 out of Wood or Stone, to exprefs the Lamentations beftow'd 
 on the Virtuous, became an animated Monfter. The Lake 
 of Acherufia became a vifionary River of Tartarus, and was 
 called Acheron, The Judges that decided the Merit of the 
 Deceafed, were reprefented as configning the Spirit to final 
 Happinefs or Mifery, and the flowery Field where the Righ- 
 teous alone were buried, into that Place of Joy of which the 
 Elt%out of the Egyptians was only defign'd as a faint Repre- 
 fentation (3). Yet notwithftanding the Fables into which 
 thefe Myfteries were turn'd, this very important Truth was 
 ftill convey'd, that there would be a State of Judgment in 
 which the Virtuous would be rewarded, and the vicious pu- 
 nifh'd, according to their Deferts. The very Prayer, or 
 Form of Abfolutlon, which was given by the Egyptian 
 Priefts to the Relations of the Deceafed, contained a ufeful 
 LefTon to the Living, as it exhibited a concife Syftem of 
 thofe Morals which were to entitle them to the divine Fa- 
 vour, and to a decent Burial in the Plains, on the Confines 
 of the Lake Acherufia, This Prayer was preferv'd by For- 
 fhyry^ who copied it from Euphantes^ whofe Works are 
 now loft, and is as follows : ** O Sun, thou firft Divinity ! 
 
 (3) Sec Ai/hPIuchc, Vol I. p. 71. 
 
 « And 
 
Of the Heathens. 233 
 
 ^^ And ye celeftial Gods, who gave Life to Man ! Vouch- 
 " fafe to receive rrie this Day into your holy Tabernacles* 
 ** I have endeavour'd, to the beft of my Pouter, to render 
 '* my Life agreeable to youj I have behaved with the 
 *' higheft Veneration towards the Gods, with whom I was 
 ** acquainted in my Infancy ; I have never failed in my 
 *' Duty to thofewho brought me into Being, nor in natural 
 ** AfFection to the Womb that bore me- My Hands are 
 ** pure from my Neighbour's Blood ; I have maintain'd an 
 •' inviolable Regard to Truth and Fidelity ; and may I not 
 ** appeal to the Silence of Mankind, who have nothing to 
 " lay to my Charge, as a fure and certain Teftimony of my 
 " Integrity ? If, however, any peffonal and fecret Fault 
 ** has efcaped me, and I have offended in Eating or in 
 *' Drinking, let thefe Entrails bear all the Blame." Here 
 the Entrails of the Deceafed were produced by the Rela- 
 tions, and immediately thrown into the Lake. 
 
 But however ufeful thefe Ceremonies might be, as prac- 
 tifed amongll the Egyptiatts^ yet being confidered as Realities 
 by the Greeks^ and render'd more ridiculous by the Abfur- 
 dity of their Fables, it is no Wonder that they loft their 
 Efficacy, and became, as Jwvenal informs us, difbelieved 
 even by their Children. 
 
 But it is not at all ftrange, that this fhould be the Cafe 
 with the Greeks^ when the Egyptia?is themfelves were fallen 
 into Idolatry, and thofe fimple Emblems, once fo well known 
 to this People, were become the Medium of their Prayers 
 and Adorations. Every Thing had an Air of Myftery, and 
 thefe Myfteries were underftood by none but the Priefts, or 
 thofe to whom they were pleafed to explain them, which 
 was always done under the Seal of Secrecy. The Vulgar 
 were fuffered to continue in their Errors, fmce it might have 
 been dangerous even for their Priefts to attempt to open their 
 Eyes, and to reduce their Worftiip to the Simplicity of the 
 ancient Practice. 
 
 But here I cannot help obferving, that notwithftanding 
 Hh all 
 
234 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 all that has been faid to the contrary, there is far from being 
 fufficient Reafon for our believing, that they were fo loft to 
 Reafon and common Senfe, as to pay Adoration to the Ox, 
 the Goat, the Crocodile, or the Produce of their Gardens, 
 the PafTages brought from Scripture to prove it, are far from 
 being fatisfac^tory, fince they are capable of a very different 
 Interpretation. Would the Children of IJrael^ while in the 
 Wildernefs, have hanker'd after the Onions of Egypt, if 
 they had been there an Object of Worfhip. It is as abfurd 
 to fuppofe it, as to imagine that the Egyptians could be guilty 
 of fo fenfelefs a Kind of Adoration. The Charader that is 
 given of this People in Holy Writ, feems ftrongly to contra- 
 dict it, when it is mention'd to the Praife of Mofcs, that he 
 was learned in all the Wifdom of the Egyptians, They were 
 indeed univerfally allow'd to be the wifeft Nation on Earth, 
 which they could not have been, were they fo ftupid as to 
 worfhip Beafts, Birds, Fifhes, Reptiles, Infeds, and Plants. 
 However, their having thefe on their Symbols, added to 
 their drelTing up a Ram with Flowers, and having a Feftival 
 on the Sun's Entrance into Aries^ and the fame Ceremony of 
 drefTing up a Bull at his entering Taurus, and fo of the other 
 Signs, might give Room to Strangers to entertain this Opi- 
 nion ; efpecially as thefe might be pracStis'd after the original 
 Meaning was forgot : But Vv^ho, that has ever (&Qn. a Com- 
 pany of young Men and Women in the Country of England, 
 dancing round a Maypole, 'adorn'd with green Boughs and 
 Garlands, could be fo abfurd as to imagine that this Diver- 
 fion was perform'd in Honour of the Goddefs Flora. The 
 Ablurdity of the Suppofition is not iefs in the former Cafe 
 than in the latter, fmce the Beaft drefs'd up in Honour of the 
 Sign into which the Sun was fuppofed to enter, was not re- 
 garded as an Object of Worfhip, though the Sun or the 
 Stars might be ador'd as the Emblems, or as the Refidence 
 of the Deity. 
 
 Nothing has ever contributed more to difguife the Truth, 
 and to corrupt the Worfhip of the Greeks and Romanst than 
 
 the 
 
of the Heathens. 235* 
 
 the Multitude of Fidlons introduced by their Poets. It is 
 this that has principally occafion'd that jumble of Images* 
 that Indecorum in Charaders, and that Abfurdity in their 
 pillions, which are fojuflly condemn'd by their wifefl Phi- 
 lofophers. 
 
 It is the Province of Poetry to change the Face of Nature, 
 to give Life and Activity to inanimate Beings, Subftance 
 and Form to Thought ; to deify the PafTions, and to create 
 a World of its own. The Poet is not bound by the fame 
 Laws as other Men ; he has a Power that enables him to 
 create and deftroy at Pleafure, and with the fame Eafe he 
 forms Gods (^)y Heroes, Men, and Monllers. He makes 
 quick Tranfitions from Reality to Fidlion ; from Fi6tion to 
 Reality, and from thofe Gods which he believes to thofe of 
 his own creating; and from hence arifes a principal Source 
 of that Confufion which has given fuch different Interpreta- 
 tions to, and which renders it fo difficult to explain, the an* 
 cient Mythology. The Greek and Roman Poets have carried 
 this Licenfe to the moll extravagant Length, as they have 
 almoft always preferr'd the Marvelous, the Gaudy, and 
 the Sparkling, to the Simplicity of naked Truth. If a 
 Princefs died of Grief for the Lofs of her Hufband, or her 
 Child, fhe was changed into a Rock or Fountain j inftead 
 of faying that Cephalus rofe with the Sun, Aurora muft be in 
 Love with the Youth, and force him abroad. To reprefent 
 the long Life of lolauf (the Companion of Hercules) the 
 Goddefs of Health muft renew his Age. Inftead of faying 
 that their imaginary £«rt^'w/o» ftudied on the Mountains of 
 Caria the Courfe of the Moon, they tell us, that he had 
 there an Interview with Diana ; and that her ftaying with her 
 Gallant was the Caufe of Eclipfes : But as thefe Amours 
 could not laft for ever, they were obliged to invent a new 
 Fable, to account for them another Way, and therefore 
 
 (4) The ancient Heroes were fuppofed to be a middle Kind of Beings, 
 that partook both of the Nature of Gods and Men. 
 
 Hh 2 they 
 
236 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 they feignM that fome (5) Sorcerefs oiT^heJfaly, by her En- 
 chantments, drew down the Moon to the Earth. To ac- 
 count for the perpetual Verdure of the Laurel, they talk'd of 
 the Amours of J^oJlo and (6) Daphne. To exprefs the Agi- 
 lity and Swiftnefs of Periclymenus^ they affirm'd that he was 
 able to afTume all Shapes, and at laft turn'd himfelf into an 
 Eagle. Jmphion^ by his Oratory, prevailed on a barbarous 
 People to build a City, and to dwell in Society j he is there- 
 fore faid to raife up the Walls of Thehei by th? Sound of his 
 Lyre, and Orpheus to charm the Lions and Tigers, and to 
 move the Rocks and Trees by his Harmony \ becaufe no- 
 thing could withftand his Perfuafion, or refift the Force of 
 his Eloquence. 
 
 Who would imagine that by the Wings of Dedalus and 
 Icarusy were fignify'd a Ship under Sail? That all the Changes 
 of Achelous were only frequent Inundations ? That by the 
 Combat of Hercules with the God of that River, was only 
 meant a Bank that was raifed to prevent its Overflowing ? 
 That Hercules encountering the Hydra of Lema^ fignified no 
 more than a Man's draining a marfhy Country ; or, that Her- 
 cules feparating with bis Hands the two Mountains Calpe and 
 Abyla^ when the Ocean rufh'd in with Violence, and found 
 a Paflage into the Mediterranean, meant no more, perhaps? 
 than that in the Time of one Hercules.^ the Ocean, by the 
 Afliflance of an Earthquake, broke a Neck of Land, and 
 form'd the Straits oi Gibraltar ? Or that the Fable of Pajtphae 
 
 (5) This Fable is faid to take its Rife from the following Circumftance : 
 Aglaonke^ a TheJj'aUari, being acquainted with the Caufe and Time of Ec- 
 lipfes, gave out, upon their Approach, that (he was going by her Enchant- 
 ments to draw down the Moon to the Earth ; at the fame Time dire£^ing 
 the TkeJJalian Women to join with her in making a hideous Noife, to caufe 
 her to re-afcend. Taking the Hint from this, they no fcorer perceived 
 the Beginning of an Eclipfe, than they made a clattering Noife with Pans 
 and Kettles, and fuch like InAruments, to prevant her hearing the Incan- 
 tations of the ThfJJ'aHan Sorcerefs. It is flill believed, by many of the 
 Chinefe and Indians, thatEclipfes are occafion'd by a Dragon who attempts 
 to fwallow up the Moon j and on this Account fome make the moft 
 hideous Noife to make him let go his Hold, while others plunge into the 
 Water up to the Chin, to befeech him not to devour him intirely. 
 (6) The Laurel was call'd by the Creeki Daphne. 
 
 contains 
 
Of the Heathens. 237 
 
 contains nothing but an Intrigue of the Queen of Crete with 
 a Captain nam'd Taurus ? 
 
 Who could believe that Scylla and Charyhdis^ thofe dreadful 
 Monfters that devour'd all PafTengers, were only two dange- 
 rous Rocks near the 111 and of Sicily ^ render'd famous by 
 their being frequently fatal to Mariners ? That the frightful 
 Monfter which ravaged the Plains of Troy^ was the Inunda- 
 tions of the Sea ; or that Heftone\ being expos'd to this Mon- 
 fter, meant no more than that fhe was to be given to him, 
 who put a Stop to thefe Inundations ? 
 
 Thus, fays the ^^^^ 5fl«zVr, ifwe would diftinguifli Truth 
 from Fi6^ion, whenever a Poet brings a God upon the 
 Stage, he ought to be fet afide : What Homer and Virgil af- 
 cribe to Miner^va^ is to be attributed to Prudence and good 
 Condu61:. It is no longer the Exhalations that produce 
 Thunder, but Jupiter armed to affright Mortals. U a Ma- 
 riner perceives a rifing Storm, it is angry Neptune fwelling 
 the Waves. Echo ceafes to be a mere Sound^and becomes a 
 Nymph bewailing the Lofs of her Narciffus. 
 
 Thus by the Cloud with which Minernja conceal'd UlyJJes^ 
 is meant the Darknefs of the Night, which fufFef d him to en- 
 ter the Town of the Phaaceam without being difcover'd ; and 
 when Priam is condudled by Mercury into the Tent of Achilles^ 
 we are only to underftand, that he fet out to obtain HeBor^ 
 Body, in the Dark, with a Prefent to appeafe his Anger. 
 If the Delights of the Country of the Lotcphagi detain the 
 Companions of Ulyffesy we are told by Homer, that the Fruits 
 of that Ifland made thofe who tailed them lofe all Remem- 
 brance of their Families, or their native Conntry. This is 
 an ingenious Fiction, intended to convey this important 
 Truth, that the Love of Pleafure debauches the Mind, and 
 banifhes from the Heart every laudable Affeilion. If they 
 loiter at the Court of Circe^ and abandon themfelves to Riot 
 and Debauchery, this pretended Sorcerefs, with great Ele- 
 gance and Strength of Expreffion is faid to turn them into 
 Swine. Thus he elegantly conveys this moral Sentiment, 
 
 tha^ 
 
238 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 that as the principal Diftindion between a Brute and a rea- 
 fonable Creature confifts in a Power to exercife his Reafon, 
 when this is lofl he is rather a Brute than a Man, and there- 
 fore inftead of fimply faying, that the Defires and AfFedions 
 are become brutal, he mentions the Body as afluming that 
 Form, which heft fuits with the Difpofition of the Mind, 
 The Narration would be thought too fimple and unadorned, 
 was he to fay, that Vlyjfes was expofed to feveral Storms, he 
 muft have Neptune's Refentment, who takes this Method of 
 Revenging the Death of his Son Polyphemus, What an Ap- 
 paratus of Fiction is introduced before Achilles can be kill'd ! 
 His Armour is made by Vulcan ; his Mother to render him 
 invulnerable, had dipp'd him in the River Styx; Minerva 
 afllimes the Form of Deiphobusy that He^or may be deceived 
 by imagining that he had the AfTiftance of his Brother 5 
 Jupiter takes the Scales, weighs the Deftinies of the two He- 
 roes, and feeing lienor's fmk, abandons him to his Fate, and 
 then Achilles takes away his Life. Homer^ inftead of inform- 
 ing us, that after the Bloody Battle fought on the Banks of 
 the Xantbus, that River being choak'd up with dead Bodies* 
 overflowed the Plain, till taking them out of the Water, they 
 kindled a Funeral Pile, and confumed them to Afhes : In- 
 ftead of this, what a Variety of Machinery is employ'd ! 
 The River feeling himfeif opprefs'd, utters his Complaints 
 to Achilles^ but receiving no Satisfa6lion, fwells againft him, 
 and purfues him with fuch Rapidity, that he would certainly 
 have been drown'd, if Nepttme and Minernja had not been 
 commiffion'd by Jupiter to moderate his Wrath, by pror 
 mifmg him a fpeedy Satisfadion, When this great Poet 
 would let us know, that after the Retreat of the Greeks an 
 Inundation from the Sea deftroyed the famous Wall they had 
 built during the Siege of Troy^ to proted them from the Ene- 
 my ; he fays, that Neptune enraged at the Greeks, begs of 
 Jupiter to fufFer him to beat it down with his Trident; and 
 having prevailed on Apdh to give him his Afliftance, they 
 labour in Concert to perform the arduous Tafk. So when 
 
 lurnus. 
 
Of the Heathen s. 239 
 
 furnus caufed the Fleet oi jEneas to be fet on Fire, Virgil in- 
 troduces Cybehy who inftantly transforms the Veflels into 
 
 Nymphs. 
 
 If the Poet, fays Laaantius^ found it for his Interefl to 
 flatter or confole a Prince for the Lofs of his Son, it was 
 but giving him a Place amongft the Stars. Shepherds were 
 all Satyrs or Fauns; Shepherdeffes, Nymphs or Naiads; 
 Ships, flying Horfes ; Men on Horfeback, Centaurs ; every 
 lewd Woman was a Syren or a Harpy ; Oranges were Ap- 
 ples of Gold; and Arrows and Darts, Lightning and Bolts 
 of Thunder. 
 
 The Rivers and Fountains had their tutelary Deities, and 
 fometimes were reprefented as being Deities themfelves; the 
 uniting their Streams was called Marriage, and Brooks and 
 Canals were ftil'd their Children. If they would fpeak of 
 the Rainbow, that too muft be a Goddefs drefs'd in the 
 richefl: Colours ; and as they were at a Lofs how to account 
 for the Produdlion of this feeming Phenomenon, it was 
 call'd the Daughter of Thaumas^ a poetical Perfonage, whofe 
 Name fignifies Wonderful. 
 
 Sometimes a Concern for the Honour of the Ladies be- 
 came the Source of Fables. If a Princefs prov'd too frail to 
 withftand the Attempts of her Lover, her Flatterer, to (kreen 
 her Reputation, immediately called in the Alliilance of fome 
 enamour'd God ; this was eafdy believed by the ignorant 
 Vulgar ; for they could fuppofe none but a divine Perfon 
 could prefume to attempt one of her Rank, or could be able 
 to thaw the Coldiicfs of the infenfible Fair. Thus her Re- 
 putation was unfullied, and inftead of becoming infamous, 
 Ihe was highly honoured, and the Huiband himfelf, inflead of 
 being offended, partook of her Glory. A great Number of 
 Fables were derived from this Source. Nor is the Story of 
 Rhea Sylvia (7), the Mother of Rhemus and Romulus ^ and of 
 
 (7) Her Uncle Amulltn having found Means to get into her Apartment, 
 Numitor, her Father, fpread a Report, that the Twins of which ihe was 
 delivered, proceeded from the Embraces of the God of War. Dion, da 
 Halic. Ant. Rom. Lib, 1. Tit. Liv. Lib. I. 
 
 Paulina 
 
640 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 Paulina (8), the Only Inftances to be found In Hiftory of the 
 Credulity of Hufbands and Parents. From this Source, and 
 the Lewdnefs or Corruption of the Priefts, were doubtlefs 
 derived many of the Fables relating to the Amours of the 
 Gods. 
 
 At otherTimes, the ftrangeft Transformations fprung only 
 from a Similitude of Names, and confifted in a Play of 
 Words ; thus Cygttus was transform'd into a Swan ; Picus^ 
 into a Wood-pecker j Hierafe^ into a Spar-Hawk 3 the C^r- 
 copes, into Monkies ; and Jlopis^ into a Fox. 
 
 Thus the ancient Poets gave Rife to innumerable Errcrs, 
 and indeed the Painters and Statuaries, have employed all 
 their Skill to confirm and ftrengthen the Delufion. The 
 Poets have fpread an Air of Fiction over ferious Hiftories, 
 difguifed and altered Fadts (9), and render'd the divined 
 Truths fabulous. This in nothing appears more evident, 
 than in the Account they have left us of the Origin of the 
 World, which feems partly compofed of Traditions handed 
 down from the Sons of Noahy partly of the Fidtions and 
 
 (8) A young Roman Knight, called Mundus, falling in Love with 
 Paulinay and finding all his Endeavours to conquer her Virtue prove fruit- 
 kfs, corrupted the Priefts of yimtbis, who perfuaded her to believe, rhat 
 the God was ftruck with her Beauty, on which flie was that very Night 
 led by her Hufband to the Temple. A few Days after feeing Mundus, 
 whom (he happened accidentally to meet, he let her into the Secret, Pau- 
 lina, enrag'd and fill'd with Indignation, carried her Complaint before 
 1'iberiuiy who ordered the Statue of Anubis to be thrown into the Tiber, 
 his Priefts to be burnt alive, and Muvdus to be fent into Exile. 
 
 (9) The Abbe Banier, from whom we have borrowed many of thefe 
 Remarks, fays, " That Hovier, of a faithlefs Proftitute, has made his 
 *• chafte Penelope, and Virgil, of a Traitor to his Country, has given us 
 ** the pious Hero } of a Renegado, who loft his Life in a Battle againft 
 ** Mexentius, he has made a Conqueror and a Demi-God. The fame 
 *• Poet has not even fcrupied to refledt Diftionour on Dido, a Princefs Of 
 *< ftrift Virtue, and diverting her of the Reputation (he had acquired for 
 *• Chaftity and Courage, has reprefented her as indulging an infamous 
 «* Paflion, and a Cowardice capable of Defpair. Almoft all of them 
 •* have confpired to make Tantalus pafs for a Mifer, and have fet him in 
 ** the Front of the Avaricious, in the Center of Hell ; where he is repre- 
 «' (ented as fuffering a Puniihuient proportionable to his Guilt. Thus 
 «' have tht-y treated a Man, who, according to Pindar, was a religious 
 «' and a generous Prince. Bauu-r, vol. 1. Book I. ch, 4. 
 
 Orna- 
 
Of /^^ H E A T H E N S. 241 
 
 Ornaments introduced by the Poets, and partly from their 
 endeavouring to leconcile confufed and imperfect Tradi- 
 tions with popular Opinions, and the Corruptions intro- 
 duced into religious Worfhip. This, it is proper for us 
 particularly to examine, as it is an Enquiry abfolutely ne- 
 ceflary to explain many of the Pagan Fables, and to give us 
 juft Ideas of their religious Sentiments, which will be found 
 much plainer exprefs'd by their Philofophers than their Poets. 
 
 The ancient Opinion, that the World was form'd from 
 that Chaos, or a confufed Concourfe of Matter, which He- 
 Jtod calls the Father of the Gods, probably, had its Rife from 
 a literal Interpretation of the Beginning of that fublime De- 
 fcriptionj which Mofes gives us of the Creation (10) ; where, 
 before the Formation of any Part of the Univerfe, it is faid, 
 ^he Earth icas <withoiit Form^ and 'void^ and Darknefs nvas upon 
 the Face of the Deep^ as the latter Part of the Verfe, where the 
 Spirit of God is reprefented as mo-jing or hoovering o'ver the 
 Waters, might give the Egyptians^ the Phaniciam, the ChaU 
 deans^ the Perfians^ and the Indians the Idea, which they 
 mean to exprefs when they talk of the Egg of the World. 
 
 But it was not fufficient for Hefiod to make a God of Chaos^ 
 to defcribe the Order that fprang from this Confufion ; Chaos 
 muft have an Offspring, and therefore inftead of faying like 
 Mofes^ that Darknefs was upon the Face of the Deep, he 
 fays Chaos brought forth Gloominejs and Night, and to continue 
 the Genealogy, inftead of faying with the infpired Writer, 
 God di'vided the Light from the Darknefs^ he expreffes fome. 
 thing like the fame Idea, by adding, that from ISIight fprang 
 Air and Day, Mofes fays, that God ordered the dry Land to ap- 
 pear, and created the Fir7nament <^hich he caWd Hea<ven ; Hefiod 
 fays, that the Earth begat Heanjen, the high Mountains and 
 the Calves, He then informs us of the Origin of the Ocean, 
 who was the Father of Springs and Rivers, of the Birth of 
 the Sun and Mccn, and feveral other Gods of the like Kind, 
 
 (10) Gen. i, 2. 
 
 li It 
 
242 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 It is very evident, that this whole Account is nothin;' 
 more than an allegorical Hiftory of the Formation of al^ 
 Things, in which the various Parts of Nature are perfonated; 
 but the Hand of the great Architedl: is wanting. OwV treats 
 this Subject in a more intelligible Manner, and with great 
 Beauty introduces the Creator, whom he calls God, or 
 Nature, forming the various Parts, with the utmoft Regu- 
 larity and Order. But in nothing does he come fo near to 
 Uofes^ as in the Account he gives of the Formation of Man, 
 which, as well as Mojes, he makes the jaft Work of the 
 Creation, and introduces Prometheus^ or Council, forming 
 him of Clay. 
 
 A Creature oj a more exalted Kind 
 Was ivanting yet^ and then n^jas Man defigTid 
 Confcious of T bought f of more capacious Breajiy 
 For Empire form' dy and ft to rule the reji (\\), 
 
 From this Introduction it will not admit of a Doubt, but 
 that O'vid underftood the Story of Promethcui in the literal 
 Senfe. And as to the Circumflance which he omits, of his 
 taking Fire from Heaven to animate the lumpifh Form 
 what is this, fays a modern Author, but God's breathing into 
 his Nojlrils the Breath of Life? 
 
 Father Liffiteau (12) gives us an Account of a very whim- 
 fical Opinion maintain'd by the Iroquois, one of the mofl con- 
 fiderable of all the Savage Nations. They believe, that in 
 the Beginning there were fix Men (13); but as yet there 
 being no Earth, thefe Men were carried about in the Air a^ 
 the Mercy of the Winds. As they had no Women they 
 forefaw that their Race muft foon come to an End ; at laft 
 they learnt that there was one in Heaven, on which it was 
 agreed, that one whom they fix'd upon fhould go and fetch 
 her from thence; the Attempt was dangerous, but it was 
 accomplifh'd by the Afliftance of the Birds, who wafted 
 
 (11) O'z.nd, Lib. I. 
 
 (12) Manners of the Savages, Vol.1. 
 
 (13) The People ot Fcru and Brafil agree upon the fame Number. 
 
 him 
 
0/ the Heathens. 243 
 
 him thither on their Wings. Upon his Arrival he waited 
 for the Woman's coming out to draw Water, and as foon 
 as fhe appeared, he feduced her by offering her a Prefent. 
 The Lord of Heaven knowing what had pafled baniftied 
 this Woman, and a Tortoife receiv'd her on its Back; 
 when the Otter and the Fifties drawing up Mud from the 
 Bottom of the Water, form'd of the Body of the Tortoife a 
 fmall lilandj and this increafmg by Degrees was the Original 
 pf the Earth. The Woman had at firft tv/o Sons, one of 
 whom arming himfelf with ofFenfive Weapons, flew his 
 Brother ; and that after this flie had feveral Children, from 
 whom fprang the reft of Mankind. 
 
 Wild and extravagant as this Tradition is, yet it feems at 
 leaft to be founded on a Remnant of the primitive Hiftory 
 of the World, the Baniftiment of Enje from the terreftrial 
 Paradife, and the Murder of Abel by Cain his Brother : Thus 
 they alter'd the Tradition, though Part of it was ftill re- 
 tained. 
 
 Arid here it cannot be improper to mention a Fable, which 
 Plato puts into the Mouth of Arijiophanes fi^J; " The 
 *' Gods, fays he, form'd Man at firft of a round Figuret 
 ** with two Bodies, two Faces, four Legs, four Feet, and 
 *' both Sexes. Thefe Men were of fuch extraordinary 
 •' Strength, that they refolv'd to make War upon the Gods ; 
 ** Jupiter incens'd at this Enterprize, would have deftroyed 
 *' them as he had done the Giants; but feeing that by this 
 *' Means he muft have deftroyed the whole human Race, he 
 *' contented himfelf with dividing them afunder ; and at the 
 " fame Time ordered Apollo to ft retch over the Breaft, and 
 *' other Parts of the Body, the Skin, as it is at prefent. 
 " Thefe two Parts of one Body thus disjoin'd, want to be 
 ** reunited ; and this is the Origin of Love." 
 
 Oi;/Vmentions only the Formation of Man without taking 
 the leaft Notice of E've, in which he evidently copies the 
 Account given us by Mojes, who omits mentioning this in 
 
 (14.) Fie to in his Banquet. 
 
 I i 2 his 
 
244 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 his general Hiftory of the Creation. And the Hint of this 
 Fable was probably taken from this Circumftance, where 
 the Scripture fays (i^)» God created 'Man, and then adds, 
 Male and Female created he them\ and the Circumftance of 
 their being cut afunder, the clofing up the Flefh, and the 
 Reafon given for conjugal Love, from Enjei being made of a 
 Rib taken out of Jdams Side, and his faying upon this. 
 She is Bone of my Bone^ and flejh of my Tlejh \ therefor^ 
 Jhall a Man leai-e his Father and Mother and cleave unto his 
 PVife(i6). 
 
 From hence it feems at leaft probable, that the Writings of 
 Mofes were not unknown to the Greeks^ which makes it the 
 more likely, that thefe Writings or a more antient Tra- 
 dition gave Rife to the different Reprefentations the Pagars 
 ' have given us of an original State of Innocence, which was 
 an Objecl: of Faith amongft all civiliz'd Nations. This has 
 been painted in the moft beautiful Colours by the Heathen 
 Poets, under the Diftindion of the golden Age, or the 
 Reign of Saturn. This was the pre-exiftent State of Pytha- 
 goras, and of all the Eaftern Nations ; from whence it is eafy 
 to fee that the Jhh Banier muft be greatly miftaken, when 
 he fays (17), that the golden Age had only a Relation to the 
 antient Inhabitants of Latium, after the Arrival o^Janus^ 
 who, according to him, foften'd the Ferocity of their Man- 
 ners, gave them Laws, and brought them to live together 
 in Cities and Villages. Plato, fpeaking of the Creator of 
 the World, fays (i^) " This Archited had a Model, by 
 '* which he produced every Thing, and this Model is him-. 
 *' felf. The World was perfedtin its Conflitution, perfect 
 *' in the various Parts that compofe it, and was fubje6l nei- 
 •' ther to the Difeafes nor to the Decay of Age. God was 
 *' then the Prince, the common Parent of all ; he govern'd 
 ** the World by himfelf, as he governs it now by inferior 
 
 (15) Gen. i. 27. 
 
 (16) Gen. ii. 21, 22, 23, 24. 
 
 (17) Earner Yo\. II. p. 271. 
 (iS) Plato in Tima;us, p. 1047. 
 
 ** Deities 
 
of the Heathens. 245 
 
 ** Deities : Rage and Cruelty did not then prevail upon 
 " Earth, War and Sedition were entirely unknown, God 
 *' himfelf took Care of the Suftenance of Mankind, and 
 *' was their Guardian and Shepherd; There were no 
 *' Magiftrates, no civil Polity as there are now. In thofe 
 ** happy Days Men fprung from the Bofom of the Earth, 
 " which produced them of itfelf as it produces Flowers and 
 " Trees. The fertile Fields yielded Corn and Fruit, with- 
 " out the Labour of Tillage. Mankind being troubled with 
 ♦* no Inclemency of the Seafons, had no need of Raiment 
 *' to cover their Bodies ; they took their Reft on Beds of 
 " ever verdant Turf ^19^ ; every Thing was beautiful, har- 
 ^' monious, and tranfparent ; Fruits of an exquifite Tafte 
 ** grew fpontaneoufly; and it was water'd with Rivers 
 ^' of Neclar ; they there breath'd the Light as we breathe the 
 ^^ Air, and drank Waters which were purer than Air itfelf." 
 Thefe were the Sentiments not only of the Greeks and 
 Romans, but of all the f 20J Eaji, The ancient Chinefe Au- 
 ^' thors diftinguifh the two States of Man before and after 
 the Fall, by the two Heavens, and defcribing the firft; 
 ** All Things, fay they, were then in an happy State, every 
 ** Thing was beautiful, every Thing was good, all Beings 
 •' were perfect in their Kind. In this happy Age, Heaven 
 *' and Earth employed all their Virtues jointly to embellifh 
 '* Nature. There was no jarring in the Elements, nolncle- 
 " mency in the Air; all Things grew without Labour; 
 *' an univerfal Fertility reign'd every where. The active 
 ** and pailive V irtues confpired together, without any Ef- 
 ^' fort or Oppofition, to produce and perfe£l the Univerfe.'* 
 And again, " Whilft the firft State of Heaven lafted, a pure 
 " Pleafure, and perfect Tranquility, reign'd over all Nature. 
 
 (19) Vlato in Timaeus, p. 537, 538. 
 
 (20) T\\^Braminioi India teach, that *' Souls were originally created 
 *' in a State of Purity j but having finned, were thrown down into the 
 *' Bodies of Men or of Beafts ; according to their refpcftive Demerits j 
 *' fo that the Body where the Soul reftdes, is a Sort of Dungeon or Prifon4 
 Vide A, Rogers, on th« Religion of the Bramim. 
 
 '* There 
 
246 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 *• There were neither Labour, nor Pain, nor Sorrow, nor 
 " Crimes fzijr 
 
 But as the Heathens could not believe that it was confiftent 
 with the Goodnefs of a wife and infinitely benevolent Being, 
 to create a World in the difordered State in which this 
 Earth is at prefent, fo nothing perplexM them more 
 than the DifEculty of accounting for the Introdudion of 
 natural and moral Evil. The Story of Pandora and her Box, 
 though it feems to have fome Relation to that of Eve, as fhe 
 was created by the fame Prometheus, was the firft Woman, 
 and the firft who introduced Mifery and Death into the 
 World, yet could iiot give Satisfaction to any reafonable 
 Mind. Hejiod hzd given it too much the Air of a Fidion, 
 and indeed, it feems only a fine Allegory, to fhew the Con- 
 fequences of Difobedience in Things, to Appearance, the 
 moft indifferent, that from hence fpring innumerable Evils, 
 while Hope, which only can alleviate them, flays bejiind, 
 and is our only Remedy, It was doubtlefs in this Light 
 that this Fable was confidered by the Men of Senfe and Un- 
 derftanding. It could give no Satisfadion to the penetrating 
 Genius of the Philofophers, and therefore Pythagoras adopted 
 the Notion of Tranfmigration, and of a pre-exiftent State, 
 which he learnt from the Egyptians^ Opinions which Platg 
 fometimes feems firnily to believp, and at others mentions 
 only as an ingenious Allegory : However, with thefe Senti- 
 ments, each of thefe great Men attack'd the Opinions of 
 thofe who, on Account of the Introduction of Evil, deny'd 
 a Providence, by proving that the Diforder of the World, 
 and the Mifery and Death to which Man is fubjecl, are only 
 the Confequences which Men have brought upon themfelves 
 by their Crimes. •* Our Alienation from God, fays Pytha- 
 ** goras (22) J and the lofsof the Wings which ufed to raife 
 '* us up to heavenly Things, have thrown us down into the 
 
 fai) Dubald'% Hift. of China, in his Abrtradlof tire CbimfeQUmc^. 
 (Z2j Hierocl. Coaini. in aurea Qrm. p. 187. 
 
 Region 
 
Of the Heathens. 247 
 
 ** Region of Death, which is over-run with all Manner of 
 *' Evils; fo the ftripping ourfelves of earthly Affections 
 *' and the Revival of our Virtues, make our Wings grow 
 " again, and raife us up to the Manfions of Life, where 
 ** true Good is to be found without any Mixture of Evil.** 
 This is more fully explain'd by Flato^ who fays, " That the 
 ** etherial Earth, the ancient Abode of Souls, is placed 
 " amongft the Stars, in the pure Regions of Heaven ; but 
 " that, as in the Sea, every Thing is altered and disfigur'd 
 *' by the Salts that abound in it j fo, in our prefent Earthy 
 *' every Thing is deform'd, corrupted, and in a ruinous 
 *' Condition, if compared with the primitive Earth." In 
 other Places he endeavours to account for this imaginary 
 Change in the Refidence of Man ; he reprefents the Uni- 
 verfe, as fill'd with innumerable Worlds inhabited by free 
 Spirits, qualified to enjoy the double Felicity of contem- 
 plating the divine Prefence, or of admiring him in his 
 Works. But as the Sight of the fupreme Good muft ne- 
 ceflarily engage all the Love of his Creatures, the Will could 
 never ofFend while the Soul had an immediate View of the 
 divine EfTence; he therefore fuppofes, that at fome certain 
 Intervals, thefe Souls quitted the divine Prefence, to furvey 
 the Beauties of Nature, and to feed on the more proper Food 
 of finite Beings, and that then it became pollible for them 
 to adhere to thefe, and to fufFer themfelves to be alienated 
 from the Love of the Supreme, when they were thrown 
 into fome Planet fitted for their Reception, there to expiate 
 their Guilt in human Bodies, till they are cured and reco- 
 vered to Virtue by their Sufferings ; that Souls lefs degraded 
 than others dwell in the Bodies of Philofophers ; and the 
 moft defpicable of all animate the Bodies of Tyrants ; and 
 that after Death they will be more or lefs happy, according 
 as they have in this Life loved Virtue or Vice. 
 
 Though thefe Sentiments are not conformable to the 
 Mofaic Account of the Fall, yet they are neverthelefs very 
 fublime, and have a natural Tendency to promote that Love 
 
 of 
 
248 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 of God, that Refignation to the divine Will, and that Rec- 
 titude of Life, which are fo ftrongly inculcated in the Old 
 and New Teftament. In feveral Things, however, both. 
 Mofes and the Heathen Philofophers agree ; they equally afTert, 
 that Man was created in a State of Innocence, and confe- 
 quently in a State of Happinefs, but that debafing his Na- 
 ture, and alienating himfelf from God, he became guilty, 
 fubjecS to Painj Difeafes, and Death, and to all tbofe Af-r 
 flidtions which are neceflary to awaken his Mind, and to 
 call him to his Duty : That we are Strangers here, that this 
 is a State of Trial, and that it is as hiuch our Intereft as 
 Duty, to fit ourfelves, by a Courfe of Virtue and Piety, for 
 a nobler and more exalted State of Exiflence. The (23) 
 Egyptians and (2/^) Perfians had other Schemes wherein the 
 fame important Truths were convey'd, though according to 
 the Genius of thofe Countries, they were wrapp'd up in Al- 
 legories. Plutarch has given us his Sentiments on the fame 
 Subje6t, and they are too juft and rational to be omitted. 
 ** The Worlds at its Birth, fays he f 25 j, received from its 
 " Creator all that is good : Whatever it has at prefent, that 
 *' can be called wicked or unhappy, is an Indifpofition fo- 
 " reign to its Nature. God cannot be the Caufe of Evil, 
 " becaufe he is fovereignly good : Matter cannot be the 
 ** Caufeof Evil, becaufe it has no a6five Force; but Evi] 
 *' comes from a third Principle, neither fo perfedl as God, 
 '* nor fo imperfect as Matter*" 
 
 (23) The Egyptians derive the Source of natural ahd moi-al Evilj from a 
 wicked Spirit whom they call Typhon. 
 
 (24.) The Perjians deduce the Origin of all the Diforder and Wickednefs 
 in the World from evil Spirits, the chief of whom they call Ahrim or Ari- 
 maniui. Light, fay they, can produce nothing but Light, and can never 
 be the Origin of Evil : It produced feveral Beings, all of them fpiritual, 
 luminous, and powerful j but Arimaniui their Chief, had an evil Thought 
 contrary to the Light ; He doubted, and by that doubting became dark j 
 and from lience proceeded whatever is contrary to the Light. They alfo 
 tell us, that there will come a Time when Arimanius fliall be compleatly 
 deftroy'd, when the Earth will change its Form, and when all Mankind 
 Ihall enjoy the fame Life, Language, and Government, SeeDr. //j^c's 
 ancient Religion of the Pcrfiam. 
 
 (25) Flat arch de Anim. form. p. 1015. 
 
 The 
 
Of the Heathens. 249 
 
 The M'an and C^he/e Authors are ftill more explicit in 
 their Account of the Fall of Man, than the Philofophers 
 we have mentioned, and fpeak of this great Event in fuch 
 Terms, as mull raife the Admiration of every Reader. One 
 of their Authors (26) fpeaking of the latter Heaven, or the 
 World after the Fall, fays, '* The Pillars of Heaven were 
 ** broken, the Earth was fliaken to its Foundations ; the 
 *' Heavens funk lower towards the North ; the Sun, the 
 ** Moon, and the Stars changed their Motions ; the Earth 
 *' fell to Pieces ; the Waters enclofed within its Bofom, 
 ** burft forth with Violence, and overflowed it. Man re- 
 ** belling againft Heaven, the Syftem of the Univerfe was 
 " quite diforder'd." Other Authors (27) ftill more ancient 
 exprefs themfelves thus: *' Theuniverfal Fertility of Nature 
 ** degenerated into an ugly Barrennefs, the Plants faded, 
 ** the Trees withered away, difconfolate Nature refufed to 
 *' diftribute her ufual Bounty. All Creatures declared War 
 *' againft one another 5 Miferies and Crimes overflowed the 
 *' Facie of the Earth. All thefe Evils arofe from Man's de- 
 ** fpifmg the fupreme Monarch of the Univerfe : He would 
 '* needs difpute about Truth and Falfhood, and thefe 
 " Difputes banifli'd the eternal Reafon. He then fix'd his 
 ** Looks on terreftrial Objeds, and loved them to excefs ; 
 *' hence arofe the Pafllons; he became gradually tranf- 
 *' form'd into the Obje6ls he loved, and the celeftiai Reafon 
 *' entirely abandon'd him-" 
 
 It was the Opinion of Socrates and P/afo, that the Soul 
 only was the Man, and the Body nothing more than a Pri- 
 fon, a Dwelling-Place, or a Garment j and confequently, 
 that they had noneceflTary Connection with each other, fmce 
 the Soul being entirely diftind from Matter, might live, 
 and think, and ad, without the Alliftance of fuch grofs 
 
 (26) The Philofopher Hoinantefe. See an Account of his Works in 
 Duhald's Hift. of China. 
 
 (27) IVentfe znd Lieiitfe, See Duhald, 
 
 K k Organs, 
 
25© MYTHOLOGY 
 
 Organs, and would only begin to exert itfelf with its native 
 Freedom, when the Clog of the Body was fhaken ofF and 
 deftroyed. The Mind then, in his Efteem, was the only 
 Part worthy of our Care ; and that our principal Study 
 Ihould therefore be to raife and exalt its Faculties, to im- 
 prove in Virtue and in Piety, and in all thofe Difpofitions, 
 which will bring us to a nearer Refemblance to the fupreme 
 and only perfect Mind. 
 
 And here it cannot be amifs to obferve, that the Notion 
 of good, or bad Daemons, which was almoft univerfally 
 believed, had a very near Relation to our Ideas of Angels 
 and Devils, as they were a middle Clafs of Beings, fuperior 
 to Men and inferior to the Gods, the one Species endea- 
 vouring to infpire Motives to Virtue, and to fhield from 
 Danger, the other leading to Sin and Ruin. Plato and 
 JamblicuSf who, as Well as Socrates, believed the Exiftence 
 of thefe tutelary Deities, denied that wicked Spirits had any 
 Influence on human Affairs. Thefe Philofophers maintained 
 the Liberty of the Will, and at the fame Time endeavoured 
 to prove the Neceflity Man frequently flood in of being fa- 
 vour'd with the divine Afliftance, which they imagined they 
 partook of by the Intervention of thefe Beings. They be- 
 liev'd that (zSj " Every Man had one of thefe Genii, or 
 *' Daemons for his Guardian, who was to be the Witnefs, 
 *' not only of his Adions, but of his very Thoughts ; that 
 *• at Death the Genius delivered up to Judgment the Perfon 
 •* who had been committed to his Charge -, that he is to be 
 " a Witnefs for or agalnft him, and according to his De- 
 *' cifion his Doom is to be pronounced." 
 
 The Notion of Guardian Angels has been contended for 
 by many Chriftians, who alledge feveral Paflages of Scrip- 
 ture, that feem to favour this Do6trine, while others have 
 turn'd all that has been faid of thefe Genii into Allegory 5 
 and alTert, that by the two Daemons, the one Good, and 
 
 (28) j^^uleiui on the Daemon of Socrates, 
 
 the 
 
0/ /& H E A T H E N S. 251 
 
 .the other bad, are meant the Influences of Confcience, and 
 the Strength of Appetite. 
 
 It is very evident, however, that the Greeks had an Idea 
 of thefe Beings, and that their Exigence v^^as generally be- 
 lieved. Hence, according to Plutarch^ came their Fables 
 of the Titans and Giants, and the Engagements of Python 
 againft Jpollo ; which have fo near a Refemblance to the 
 Fictions of OJiris and Typhon. Thefe were Beings fuperior 
 to Men, and yet compofed of a fpiritual and corporeal Na- 
 ture; and confequently capable of animal Pleafures and 
 Pains. The Fictions relating to the Giants, in Mr. Banier^ 
 Opinion (^29^, took their Rife from a Faflage in Genejts\ 
 where it is faid, that the ('j^o) Sons of God, whom the 
 Ancients fuppofed to be the Guardian Angels, became ena- 
 mour'd with the Daughters of Men, and that their Children 
 were mighty Men, or Giants, the Word in the Original 
 fignifying either Giants, or Men become monftrous by 
 their Crimes ; their Heads, inftead of their Guilt, were faid 
 to reach to the Clouds, while the Wickednefs of their Lives, 
 might not improperly be termed fighting againft God, and 
 daring the Thunder of Heaven. But however this be, it 
 will hardly be doubted, but that this PafTage might give 
 Rife to the Amours of the Gods and Goddefles, and their 
 various Intrigues with Mortals. As the frequent Appearance 
 of real Angels to the Patriarchs, and the hofpitable Recep- 
 tion they met with under the Difguife of Travellers, might 
 give Room for the Poets to form, upon the fame Plan, the 
 Tales of Bauds and Philemon ^ and to contraft that beautiful 
 Pidure of humble Content, and of the Peace thatblefles the 
 homely Cabbins of the innocent and good, with the Story 
 of Lycaon^ who wanting Humanity, and being of a favage 
 
 (29) Baniery Vol. I. jai, 122. 
 
 (30) Gen. vi. 2. By the Sons of God, is here undoubtedly meant the 
 Defcendants of Setb, who had probably this Title given them, to diftin- 
 gui(h them from the Defcendants oi Cain, who were called the Sons of 
 Men. 
 
 K k 2 unhof- 
 
2^2 M Y T H O L O G V 
 
 unhofpltable Temper, is, with great Propriety, faid to 
 change his Form into one more fuitable to the Difpofition of 
 his Mind. The Moral of this Fable is, that Humanity is 
 the Charaderiftick of Man ; and that a cruel Soul in a hu- 
 man Body, is only a Wolf in Difguife. 
 
 It is certain, that the Traditions relating to the univerfal 
 Deluge, have been found in almoft all Nations ; and though 
 the Deluge of Deucalion fhould not appear to be the fame as 
 that of Noah^ it cannot be doubted, but that fome Circum- 
 ftances have been borrowed from Noah's Hiftory, and that 
 thefe are the moft ftriking Parts of the Defcription. Lucian^ 
 fpeaking of the ancient People of Syria^ the Country where 
 the Deluge of Deucalion is fuppofed to have happened, fays, 
 ('31) that " The Greeks affert in their Fables, that the firft 
 *' Men being of an infolent and cruel Difpofition, inhuman, 
 *' inhofpitable, and regardlefs of their Faith, were all de- 
 *' flroyed by a Deluge j the Earth (32) pouring forth vaft 
 ^' Streams of Water, fweli'd the Rivers, which, together 
 *' with the Rains, made the Sea rife above its Banks and 
 ^' overflow the Land, fo that all was laid under Water, 
 '' that Deucalion alone faved himfelf and Family in an Ark, 
 *' and two of each Kind of wild and tame Animals, who 
 '' lofmg their Animofity, enter'd into it of their own accord. 
 *' That thus Deucalion floated on the Waters till they became 
 " afTuaged, and then repair'd the human Race." 
 
 We are alfo inform'd, that this VefTel refled on a high 
 Mountain ; and Plutarch even mentions the Dove, and My- 
 denus fpeaks of certain Fowl being let out of the Ark, which 
 finding no Place of Reft, returned twice into the VefTel. 
 We are told too that Deucalion^ a Perfon of ftricSt Piety and 
 Virtue, oflFer'd Sacrifice to Jupiter the Saviour. Thus the 
 facred Writings inform us, that Noah offer'd Sacrifices of 
 
 (31) De Dea Syria. 
 
 (32) The fame Thought is exprefs'd by Mojezy who fays The Fountaitii 
 0/ the great Deep ivere broken up, 
 
 clean 
 
Of the Heathens. 253 
 
 clean Beafts in. Token of Gratitude to God, for having 
 gracioufly preferved both him and his Family. 
 
 The Chaldean Authors have alfo related a Tradition, which 
 undoubtedly can only refer to this celebrated Event ; and 
 which, for its fmgularity, deferves to be mentioned (33). 
 Chronus (or Saturn, {2.^ they) appearing to Xifuthrus in a 
 Dream, informed him, that on the Fifteenth of the Month 
 Dafius^ a Deluge would deftroy Mankind, at the fame Time 
 enjoining him to write down the Origin of the Hiftory, and 
 End of all Things, and then to conceal the Writing in the 
 Earth, in the City of the Sun, called Sippara. He was next 
 enjoin'd to build a Ship, to provide neceflary Provifions, 
 and to enter into it himfelf, with his Friends and Relations, 
 and to fliut in with them the Birds and four-footed Beafts, 
 Xifuthrus obey'd the Orders that had been given him, and 
 made a Ship two Furlongs in Breadth, and five in Length j 
 which he had no fooner enter'd, than the Earth was over- 
 flowed. 
 
 Some Time after, perceiving that the Waters were abated, 
 he let out fome Fowls, but finding neither Food nor Refting- 
 Place, they return'd into the Vellel. In a few Days more 
 he fent out others, who return'd with Mud in their Claws ; 
 but the third Time he let them go they return'd no more : 
 from whence he concluded, that the Earth began to appear. 
 He then made a Window in the VefTel, and finding that it 
 had refted on a Mountain, came forth with his Wife, his 
 Daughter, and the Pilot, and having paid Adoration to the 
 Earth, raifed an Altar, and offered a Sacrifice to the Gods; 
 when he, and they who were with him, inftantly difap- 
 peared. The Perfons in the Ship finding they did not re- 
 turn, came out and fought for them in vain: Atlaftthey 
 heard a Voice, faying Xifuthrus^ on Account of his Piety is, 
 with thofe who accompanied him, tranflated into Heaven, 
 and number'd among the Gods. They were then, by the 
 
 (33) See Syncell, Chronolg. p. 38. 
 
 fame 
 
254 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 fame Voice, exhorted to be f eligious, to dig up the Writing 
 that had been buried at Sippara^ and then to repair to 
 Babylon, 
 
 Thus it appears, that Idolatry and Fables being once fet 
 on Foot, the People, who ftill retained confufed Ideas of 
 fome ancient Truths, or the moft remarkable Particulars of 
 fome paft Tranfadions, adapted them to the prefent Mode 
 of Thinking, or applied them to fuch Fables as feem'd to 
 have any Relation thereto. By this Means Truth and 
 Falftiood were blended together ; and thus it happens that 
 we frequently find fome Traces of Hiftory intermingled 
 with the moft ridiculous Fidions, and remarkable Tranf- 
 adtions fometimes pretty exadly related, though at the fame 
 Time confounded with the grofleft Abfurdities. 
 
 It is very evident, that the Divifion of Time into {t\tn 
 Days, could only be derived from the Ifraelites, or a Tra- 
 dition conftantly preferved and handed down from the moft 
 early Ages. This appears to be the moft ancient Method 
 of reckoning Time amongft the Heathens, fince it was very 
 early obferved by the Egyptians, Hejiod ft lies the feventh 
 Day of the Week an Holy-Day ; and Lucan informs us, 
 that the feventh Day was a Feftival, and a Play-Day for 
 School Boys, The Emperor Sewrus was accuftomed to go 
 to the Capitol, and to frequent the Temples on this Day* 
 Nor was the Word Sabbath unknown j for Suetonius informs 
 us, that Diogenes the Grammarian held Difputations at 
 Rhodes on the Sabbaths. 
 
 We might here add a Number of other Circumftances in 
 which there feems to be fome Refemblance between the fa- 
 creri Hiftory, and the Fictions of the Pagans ; this indeed 
 hasopen'd fo wide a Field for the Conjedlures of Men, that 
 there is hardly a Perfon in the Old Teftament, but on Ac- 
 count of fome Incident in his Life, has been thought to be 
 the Model of a Correfpondent Charader in the Heathen 
 Poets, There are indeed feveral Particulars in the Life of 
 Sampfon^ that have a Refemblance to others faid to be per- 
 formed 
 
Of the Heathens. 255 
 
 formed by Hercules^ and fome Refemblance between the 
 Feats of Hercules and the A6tions of Mofes ; but it requires a 
 confiderable Degree of Penetration to find out the leaft 
 Degree of Similitude (however plain it may be to others 
 who have made the important Difcovery) between Hercules*^ 
 fetting Prometheus loofe from Mount Cauca/us^ and Mofes^s 
 praying upon the Mount while Jojhua was defeating the 
 Amalakites (34). There is a Refemblance alfo between the 
 Actions of Lot and Mofes^ and thofe of Bacchus ; and it is 
 poflible that fome Traditions relating to the firft might ferve 
 to embellifh the Hiftory of the latter \ but thefe are fo trifling^ 
 as, upon the whole, to create but a fmall Degree of Simili- 
 tude between Characters directly oppofite; and therefore it 
 muft be abfurd to fay with fome, that Bacchus means Lot^ 
 and with others, that the Hiftory of Mofes was the Model of 
 
 that of Bacchus, 
 
 But notwithftanding the Difficulty of difcovering the Ori- 
 gin of Fables, when fome are founded on Tradition, others 
 on Hiftory, others on the Strength of a warm and lively 
 Imagination ; and others, perhaps, on a Mixture of all thefe 
 together : Yet it muft be confeiTed, that they are generally 
 fijrd with the nobleft Sentiments, and the Morals which the 
 Poets intended to be convey'd, are frequently obvious to the 
 meaneft Capacities. Virtue is painted in the moft beautiful 
 
 (34) Huet. Demonft. Evangel, a fiarned Author, has endeavoured to 
 prove, that the Works oi Homer are founded on Scripture Hiftories, dif*. 
 guifed under borrowed Names. It is very certain, that fcarcely any Ac- 
 tion can be performed, but it will have a Refemblance to fome other done 
 before ; there is generally fomething extremely Trifling in thefe Compari- 
 fons, which, as they depend entirely on the Imagination, are as various as 
 the Difpofitions of the Authors who make them. Let King fVilliam^s 
 Paflage over the Boyne be drefs'd up with ever fo many fiditious Circum'' 
 ftances, fo as to give it an Air of Fable, would the Refemblance of fomtf 
 remarkable Incidents be fufficient to prove, that this Piece of Hiftory was 
 copied from the PafTage of Alexander over the Granicus, A modern Au- 
 thor ridicules the Puerility of many of thefe Comparifons. " If one was 
 ** to refine upon every minute Refemblance, fays he, 1 too might fay, 
 <' that the Dog which knew UlyJ/'es, upon his Return to Jtbaca, is the 
 *' fame with that of Tobity which carcfs'd his young Mafter upon his 
 ** Return to /Jtf^we/." 
 
 Colours, 
 
256 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 Colours, and Vice in its native Deformity. All Methods 
 are taken to render Villainy hateful, and undiflembled Good- 
 nefs amiable in the Eyes of Men. Who can read the Pic- 
 ture Oi;zV gives of Envy (35), vi^ithoutdetefting that hateful 
 Perverfion of the Paflions? The very Defcription of the 
 Fiend muft have a greater Force than all the Arguments of 
 a long and laboured Difcourfe. 
 
 Li'vid and meagre nvere her Looks ^ her Eye 
 
 In foul dijlorted Glances turn'd anvry ; 
 
 ji Hoard of Gall her innvard Parts p''Jfefs''d, 
 
 Andfpread a Greennefs o'^er her canker d Breajl ; 
 
 Her Teeth were hroivn nutth Ruji, and from her Tongue^ 
 
 In dangling Drops ^ the Jiringy Poifon hung. 
 
 She ne'ver miles^ hut nvhen the Wretched ^weepy 
 
 Nor lulls her Malice <with a Moment'' s Sieep, 
 
 Rejlle/s in Spite, ivhile ^watchful to defroy. 
 
 She pines and fickens at another'' s foyy 
 
 Foe to herfelf, - AddISON. 
 
 It Is eafy to fee the Advantage of fuch Portraits as thefcj 
 •where the Virtues and Vices are colour'd vi^ith fuch Juftice 
 and Strength of Fancy. 
 
 The Story of Deucalion and Pyrrha teaches, that Piety and 
 Innocence vi^ill alvi^ays infure the divine Protection. 
 
 That of Phaeton, that a too excelTive Fondnefs in the Pa- 
 rent is Cruelty to the Child. 
 
 That of NarciJ/us, that an inordinate Self- Love, which 
 renders us cruel to others, is fure to be its own Tormentor. 
 
 That of Pentheus, that Enthufiafm is frequently more 
 cruel than Atheifm, and that an inordinate Zeal deftroys the 
 EfFe6ls it would produce. 
 
 That of Minos and Scyl/a, the Infamy of felling our Coun- 
 try ; and that even they v/ho reap Advantage from the 
 Crime, deleft the Criminal. 
 
 (35) Ovid Metam. 1. 2. 
 
 The 
 
0/ the Heathens. 257 
 
 The Story of Cippus, is adapted to infpire that noble Mag- 
 nanimity, and true Greatnefs of Soul, which made him 
 prefer the Publick Welfare to his own private Grandeur, 
 while with an exemplary Generofity, he chofe rather to live 
 a private Freeman than to command Nflmbers of Slaves. 
 
 From the Story of Tereus we learn, that he who is guilty 
 of one Crime lays the Foundation of another, and that he 
 who begins with Luft, may poffibly end with Murder. 
 
 From the Avarice of Midas we le^rn, that Covetoufnefs is 
 its own Puniuiment, and that nothing would prove more 
 fatal to us than the Completion of our Wifhes, and the 
 Gratification of our fondell Dcfires. 
 
 As the Morals of the Greeks and Romans were generally 
 founded on the Conftitution of the human Frame, and our 
 various Relations as animal, as rational, and accountable 
 Beings, they came very near to the Morals of Chriftianity. 
 They fprang from the Seeds of eternal Truth originally 
 fown in the Mind by the great Creator himfelf . They were 
 founded in Nature, and confequently muft, fo far as they 
 were uncorrupted, be agreeable to every Revelation that 
 could poffibly proceed from the God of Nature : For the 
 Dictates of unbiafs'd and unprejudiced Reafon can never de- 
 viate far from the Truth. The Laws of Juftice and Huma- 
 nity are fo level to the Underftanding, and fo conformable 
 to thelmpulfec; of the moral Senfe, that a ferious Enquirer 
 can never be much mifbken unlefs his Heart be corrupt. 
 •' According to the Opinions of the greateft and wifeft Phi- 
 " lofophers, fays Cicero (^6), the Law is not an Invention 
 '* of the human Mind, or the arbitrary Conftitution of 
 ** Men ; but flows from the eternal Reafon that governs the 
 *' Univerfe, 7'he Rape which Tarquin committed upon 
 " Lucretia, was not lefs criminal from there being at that 
 " Time no written Law at Rome againft fuch A6ls of Vi- 
 " olence; the Tyrant was guilty of a Breach of the eter- 
 " nal Law, whofe Origin is as ancient as the divine Intel - 
 
 (36) C;'ffro de leg. 1. z, p. 1194. 
 
 L 1 le6t 
 
^58 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 " lecl; for the true, the primitive, and the fupreme Law, 
 *' is nothing eKe but the fovereign Reafon of the great 
 *' Jo've.''^ Can any Thing be morejuft and more rational 
 than this Sentiment ! 
 
 The Philofophers, the Hiftorians, and the Poets, fome 
 fewlnftances excepted, were unanimous in the Caufe of 
 Virtue. The Philofophers laid down the niceft Rules for the 
 Regulation of the moral Condu6i:, for thetxercife of Hu- 
 manity, and the Manner in which Benefits ought to be con- 
 ferr'd; they employed themfelves in making good Laws, 
 they inculcated a Love of the Gods, a Love of their Coun- 
 try, a Contempt for Luxury, and for the mean Gratifica- 
 tions of Senfe. And thefe were inforced by the brighteft 
 Conjedtures relating to a happy Immortality. The Hifto- 
 rians generally wrote of Virtue as tf they felt it, and ex- 
 prefs'd a Love and Admiration of it by their Manner of de- 
 fcribing great, generous, and good A6tions \ and thofe that 
 were impious, cruel, and defpicable. The Honours of the 
 firft, and the Infamy of the lair, they tranfmitted down to 
 future Ages. The Poet, have drefs'd up Piety and Virtue iri' 
 all the Inftances of Life, in the brighteft and moft lovely 
 Colours, here their Numbers flow with the fofteft, mildeft, 
 and moft melodious Harmony, while all the Thunder of 
 Poetry was employ 'd to blaft the falfe Joy of the Wicked. 
 
 Pindar writes in a Strain of exalted Piety, and endeavours 
 to wipe off" the Afperfions which ancient Fables had thrown 
 on their Deities. Virtue and Religion are the Subjects of 
 his Praifes, and he fpeaks of the Rewards of the Juft with' a 
 warm and lively Aflurance. 
 
 Junjenal eftablifties the Diftindions of Good and Evil, 
 and builds his Dodrines on the unmoveable Foundations of 
 a fupreme God, and an over-ruling Providence : His Mo- 
 rals are fuited to the Nature and Dignity of an immortal 
 Soul, and like it derive their Original from Heaven. 
 
 He afierts, (z']), that the Indulgence of a fecret Inclina- 
 
 (37) >--^at. 13. Y. 208. 
 
 tion 
 
Of the Heathens. 259 
 
 tion to Vice, though never ripened into A6lion, ftains the 
 Mind with Guilt, and juftly expofes the Offender to the 
 " Punilhment of Heaven. What a Scene of Horror does he 
 Jay open (l'^)i when he expofes to our View the Wounds 
 and Anguifh of a guilty Confcience ! With what Earneft- 
 nefs does he exhort his Reader ^^39^ to prefer Confcience 
 and Principle to Life itfelf, and not to be reftrained from the 
 Exercife of his Duty by the Threats of a Tyrant, or the 
 Profped of Death, in all the Circumfeices of Cruelty and 
 Terror. How juftly does he expofe the fatal Paffion of 
 Revenge (\o)^ from the Ignorance and Littlenefs of the 
 Mind that is carried away by it 3 from the Honour and Ge- 
 ncrofity of paffing by Affronts, and forgiving Injuries ; and 
 from the Example of thofe who had been remarkable for 
 their Wifdom and their Meeknefs, and efpecially from that 
 of SocrateSi who was fo great a Proficient in the beft Phi- 
 lofophy, that being fenfible that his Perfecutors could do him 
 no Hurt, had not the leaft rifing Wilh to do them any. 
 Who juft before he was going to die, talk'd with that eafy 
 and chearful Compofure, as if he had been going to take 
 Poffeflion of a Crown (^^)i and drank off the poifonous 
 JBow), as a Potion that was to help him forward to a happy 
 Immortality. 
 
 Thus did the Teftimony of a good Confcience fupport 
 the wife and virtuous of the Heathens in their laft Moments, 
 while Guilt was fure to dwell upon the Mind, and deprive 
 it of all Confidence in God. What Plato fays to this Pur- 
 pofe is admirably good (^2), " Know, Socrates, fays he, 
 " that when any one is at the Point of Death, he is fill'd 
 
 (38) lb, V. 192, 210, 
 
 (39) Sat. 8.V. 79, 85. 
 
 (40) Sat. 13. V. 181. 
 
 (41) Socratei being afk'd by his Friends (o give them the Reafon of this 
 fcrene Joy and noble Intrepidity ; ** I hope, he replied, to be re-united 
 ** to the good and pertefi Gods, and to be aflTociated with better Men 
 <' than thofe I leave upon Earth." P/<zro's Dialogues, p. 48, 51, 
 
 (42) De Rep, i. 5.* 
 
 L I 2 with . 
 
26o MYTHOLOGY 
 
 '* with anxious Doubts and Fears, from a Refle£tion on the 
 *' Errors of his paft Life ; then it is that the Pains and Tor- 
 " ments referved in the other World for the Guilty, which 
 '' he had before ridiculed as fo many idle Fables, begin to 
 ** afFect his Soul, and to fill him with dreadful Apprehen- 
 '* fions left they (hould prove real. Thus, whether it be 
 '* that the Mind is enfeebled with Age, or that having 
 *' Death nearer at Hand, he examines Things with greater 
 '^ Attention, his Soul is feiz'd with Fear and Terror, and, 
 '* if he has injured any one, finks into Defpair; while he, 
 *' who has nothing to reproach himfelf with, feels that 
 " fweet Hope fpringing up in his Soul, v/hich Pindar calls 
 « ne Nurfe of old Jger 
 
 Socrates traces all the principal Duties to God and Man 
 (^l)i in fuch a Manner, as is moft likely to engage and 
 prevail upon the Mind. He made as many Improvements 
 in true Morality, as was pollible to be made by the utmoft 
 Strength of human Reafon, and in fome Places he feems as 
 if enlightened by a Ray from Heaven. In one of Plato's 
 Dialogues he prophecy's, that a Divine Person, a true 
 Friend and Lover of Mankind, would come into the World, 
 to inftrucl them in the moit acceptable Way of addrcfling 
 their Prayers to the Majefty of Heaven. 
 
 Thefe were the Sentiments of fome of the moft celebrated 
 of the Pagan Philofophers, from whence Chriftianity re- 
 ceives this Teftimony of its Truth, that the Purity of its 
 moral Precepts, is confirmed by the Dictates of the unpre- 
 judiced Reafon, and the unbiafs'd Judgments of the wifeft 
 and belt Men in all Ages. Can any I'hing be a greater 
 Confirmation of its Divinity, than its bearing thofe Signa- 
 tures of eternal Reafon, which are ftamp'd on ail Hearts ? 
 And that while the Works of the Fleathens, however ex- 
 cellent, are mingled with Uncertainty and Mif^ake, this 
 alone has the moil remarkable Credentials of that eternal 
 
 (43) Xtnofbon % memorable Things of Socrate:, 
 
 Truth, 
 
.Of //j^ H E A T H E N S. 261 
 
 Truth, which is always confident with itfelf, and which is 
 at the greateft Diftance from Error. 
 
 But here it may be afked, how are thefe fublime Concep- 
 tions confident with Idolatry ; with the Blindnefs of Men, 
 who paid Adoration to fenfelefs Statues, who were conti- 
 nually adding to the Number of their Gods, and who were 
 fo ftupid, as not only to build a Temple to Puhlick Faith^ to 
 Virtue, and other Deities of the like Kind; but even to 
 worfhip the fe'ver^ and to build an Altar to Fear ? 
 
 To reconcile thefe feemingContradivSlions, it is neceflary, 
 in a few Words, to throw what has already been faid upon 
 this Subje61:, into one Point of View. 
 
 It appears from the Account we have given of the The- 
 ology of the Ancients, that the Egyptians, Perjlansy Greeks^ 
 and Romans, worfhipp'd only one Almighty, independent 
 Being, the Father of Gods and Men, with a fupreme Ado- 
 ration, and that the feveral fuperior Deities publickly wor- 
 (hipped, were only different Names, or Attributes of the 
 fame God. This is afferted not only by feveral of the Pa- 
 gans, but even by St- Aufiin. Whether this Diftin6i:ion was 
 maintained by the Bulk of the People amongft the Greeks 
 and Romans, is not fo eafy to determine; it is probable, that 
 they might imagine them diftindi Beings fubordinate to the 
 Supreme. However, there were others univerfally allowed 
 to be of an inferior Clafs, and thcfe were the national and 
 tutelary Deities, among which laft Number we may reckon 
 the good Daemons, or houfhold Gods, which the Romans^ 
 upon conquering any Nation or City, invited to take up 
 their Refidence amongft them. Thefe were undoubtedly 
 worfhipp'd with an inferior Kind of Adoration. Since the 
 Stoic and Epicurean Philofophers, who allowed their Exifl- 
 ence, believed them to be mortal, and that they were to perifh 
 in the general Conflagration, in which they imagined the 
 World was to be deitroy'd by Fire. To this Pliny alludes, 
 when defcrlbing the Darknefs and Horror that attended the 
 Eruption oiVeJwvius^ he fays, that fome were lifting up their 
 
 Hands 
 
262 MYTHOLOGY 
 
 Hands to the Gods ; but that the greater Part Imagined, 
 that the laft and eternal Night was come, which was to de- 
 ftroy both the Gods and the World together. 
 
 This Diftindlion may be juftified by the united Tefti- 
 mony of the Ancients, and indeed it in a great Meafure, re- 
 moves the Abfurdity of their continually introducing what 
 were called new Gods j that is, new Mediators, and new 
 Methods or Ceremonials, to be added, on particular Occa- 
 fions, to the ancient Worfliip. 
 
 The Idolatry of the Pagans, did not confift in paying a 
 direct Adoration to the Statues, but in making them the 
 (^^J Medium of Worfhip ; and therefore, whether the fe- 
 veral Deities were reckoned to be inferior Beings, or only 
 different Names or Attributes of one Supreme, yet their 
 Symbols, the Sun, Moon, and Stars, or the Scatues ere6led 
 to the Honour of their Gods, were never (except amongft 
 the loweft and mofl ignorant of People) acknowledged as 
 the ultimate Objedls of Worfhip. In thefe Statues, how- 
 ever, the Deity was fuppofed to refide in a peculiar Manner. 
 
 But even this was not always the Cafe ; it is very evident, 
 that the Statues ereded to the Paffions, the Virtues, and the 
 Vices, were not of this Clafs. The Romans had particular 
 
 (44.) The Folly of reprefenfir.g the Infinite and omniprefent Spirit, by a 
 fenfible Image, is obvious from a very fmall Degree of Refiedtion j and 
 from hence arifes the Crim'^ of Idolatry, or reprefenting him by the Works 
 of Nature, or thofe of Mens Hands, as it is a Degradation of the Deity, 
 and an Affront to the Being, v^hofe glorious ElTence is unlimited and uncon- 
 fined ; from hence proceeds that Exclamation of the Prophet, Whcreunto 
 fkafl ye liken me, faith the Lord, &c. 
 
 When the Ifraelstes m?.de the Golden Calf, and cried out, This is the 
 Gcd that brought us out of the Land of Egypt, they mufl be fuppofed to 
 jnean This reprefents the God that ircught us out of the Land of 'Z^ypt. 
 They had lately left a Country fond of Symbols, where they had b^cn ufcd 
 to fee one Thing reprefented by ar.other, and the Sun, the mort glorious 
 Image of the Deity, when he enters into Taurus, reprefented by a Bull. 
 Had they boen fo ftupid as fo imagine this Calf, which they had juft made 
 to be the God of their Fathers, the God that had wrought fo many Mira- 
 cles for them even before they had given him Exiflence ; their Foliy would 
 be entirely inconfiftent with the rational Nature of Man, and they muft 
 have been abfolutely incapable both of moral and civil Government, and 
 iould only be accounted Idiots, or Madmen. 
 
 Places 
 
of the Heathens. 263 
 
 Places for ofFerIng up particular Petitions; they offered up 
 their Prayers for Health in the Temple of Sa/us ; they pray'd 
 for the Prefer vation of their Liberties before the Statue o^ 
 Liberty^ and offered their Sacrifices to the Supreme before a 
 Figure expreiTive of their Wants. Fever^ in the Opinion of 
 the moft ftupid of the Vulgar, could never be confidered as 
 a God, yet at the Altar of Fe^ver^ they befought the Su- 
 preme, to preferve them from being infe<£led with this Dif- 
 order, or to cure their Friends who were already infected 
 by it : And at the Altar of Fear^ they put up their Suppli- 
 cations, that they might be preferved from the Influence of a 
 ftiameful Panic in the Day of Battle. 
 
 As this appears evidently to be the Cafe, it is no Wonder, 
 that the Number of thefe Kind of Gods became very great. 
 Some of thefe, by the Parade of Ceremonies that at- 
 tended this Method of Devotion, were found to have a 
 mighty EffetSt on the Minds of the Vulgar : So that when 
 any Virtue began to lofe Ground, a Temple, or at leait an 
 Altar ere£ted to its Honour, was fure to raife it from its de- 
 clining State, and to re-inftate its Influence on the Heart of 
 Man. 
 
 This appears to be a true Reprefentation of the Cafe, 
 from the Account which Dionyfius oi Halicamajfus gives (45) 
 of the Reafons, which induced l^ujna Pompilius to introduce 
 Faith into the Number of the Rcnian Divinities, and which, 
 doubtlefs, gave Rife to all the other Deities of the fame 
 Kind, that were afterwards introduced. " To engage his 
 '• People to mutual Faith and Fidelity, fays he, Nu?na had 
 '' Recourfe to a Method hitherto unknown to the moll ce- 
 " lebrated Legiflators; publick Gontradts, he obferved, 
 *' were feldom violated, from the Regard paid to thofe who 
 " were WitnefTes to any Engagement, while thofe made in 
 '' Private, though in their own Nature no lefs indifpenfible 
 " than the other, were not fo flridly obferved j whence he 
 
 (45) Dion, Halit, I, 2, c. 75. 
 
264 MYTHOLOGY, ^c. 
 
 *' concluded, that by deifying Fait^, thefe Contracls would 
 «* be ftillmore binding: Befides, he thought it unreafonable, 
 •* that while divine Honours were paid to Jufticc, Nemefo 
 " and T/jemis ; Faiib, the moft facred and venerable Thing 
 •' in the World, fbould receive neither publick nor private 
 *' Honour ; he therefore built a Temple to publick Faith, 
 ** and inrtituted Sacrifices, the Charge of which was to be 
 *• defrayed by the Publick. This he did with the Hope, 
 ** that a Veneration for this Virtue being propagated 
 *' through the City, would infenfibly be communicated to 
 *' each Individual, His Conjectures proved true, and Faitb 
 •* became fo revered, that (he had more Force than even 
 •' Witnefles and Oaths ; fo that it was the common Method. 
 ** in Cafes of Intricacy, for Magiftratcs to refer the Deci- 
 " fionto the Faith of the contending Parties." 
 
 Thus it appears evident, that thefe Kind of Gods, and 
 the Temples ere6led to their Honour, were founded not only 
 on political, but on virtuous Principles This was un- 
 doubtedly the Cafe, with refped to the Greeh as well as the 
 Homam : For a Propofal being made at Athens, to introduce 
 the Combats of the Gladiators ; Jirji thro^w do^n^ cried out 
 an Athenian Philofopher from the midfl of the AfTembly, 
 throijo dcnvn the Altar^ ereded by our Ahcejiors above a thoujand 
 Tears ago to Mercy. Was not this to fay, that they had no 
 Need of an Altar to infpire a Regard to Mercy and Com- 
 paffion, when they wanted publick Spectacles to teach a Sa- 
 vage Cruelty and Hardnefs of Heart? 
 
 APPEN- 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 An Account of the various Methods of Divi- 
 nation by Afirology, Prodigies, MagiCy Au* 
 gury^ the Arufpices and Oracles ; with a 
 JJjort Account of Altar s^ facred Groves^ and 
 Sacrifices^ Priejls and Te^nples. 
 
 I. Of Astrology. 
 
 WE fhall now unfold the Methods, by which the 
 Names of the Heathen Gods laid the Foundation of 
 feveral pretended Sciences j and this we think the more ne- 
 ceflary in this Place, as it is a Subject which has a clofe Con- 
 nexion with the Origin of Idolatry. And here we muft 
 again turn our Eyes to the ancient Egyptians^ who were not 
 only the Inventors of Arts, but the Authors of the groffeft 
 Superftitions. We have already, in the foregoing DifTer- 
 tation on the Theology of the Ancients, accounted for the 
 Names given to the Signs of the Zodiac, which, in their 
 firft Inftitution, had an expreflive Meaning, and which one 
 would hardly imagine capable of producing the Multitude 
 of fuperftitious Ceremonies, and extravagant Opinions 
 which refulted from them ; Ceremonies and Opinions dif- 
 fufed over the whole Earth, and propagated with Succefs in 
 almoft every Nation. 
 
 Aftrology was doubtlefs the firft Method of Divination, 
 and probably prepared the Mind of Man for the other no 
 icfs abfurd Ways of fearching into Futurity : And therefore 
 
 Mm a fhort 
 
266 APPENDIX. 
 
 a (hort View of the Rife of this pretended Science cannot 
 be improper in this Place, efpecially as the Hiftory of thefe 
 Abfurdities is the beft Method of confuting them. And in- 
 deed as this Treatife is chiefly defigned for the Improvement 
 of Youth, nothing can be of greater Service to them than 
 to render them able to trace the Origin of thofe pretended 
 Sciences, fome of which have even flill an Influence on 
 many weak and ignorant Minds. But to proceed. 
 
 The Egyptians becoming ignorant of the facred and Aftro- 
 nomical Hieroglyphics, by Degrees look'd upon the Names 
 of the Signs, as exprefling certain Powers with which they 
 were invefted, and as Indications of their feveral Offices. 
 The Sun on Account of its Splendor and enlivening Influ- 
 ence, was imagined to be the great Mover of Nature , the 
 Moon had the fecond Rank of Powers, and each Sign and 
 Conftellation a certain Share in the Government of the 
 World ; the Ram had a ftrong Influence over the Young of 
 the Flocks and Herds ; the Ballance could infpire nothing 
 but Inclinations to good Order and Juflice j and the Scor- 
 pion excite only evil Difpofitions: And, in (hort, that 
 each Sign produced the Good or Evil intimated by its 
 Name. Thus, if the Child happened to be born at the In- 
 ftant when the firft Star of the Ram rofe above the Horizon, 
 (when in order to give this Nonfenfe the Air of a Science, 
 the Star was fuppofed to have its greateft Influence) he 
 would be rich in Cattle ; and that he who fhould enter the 
 World under the Crab, fhould meet with nothing but Dif- 
 appointment, and all his Affairs fhould go backwards and 
 downwards. The People were to be happy whofe King 
 entered the World under the Sign Libra j but compleatly 
 wretched if he {hould light under the horrid Sign Scorpio ; 
 the Perfons born under Capricorn, efpecially if the Sun at 
 the fame Time afcended the Horizon, were fure to meet 
 with Succefs, and to rife upwards like the wild Goat, and 
 the Sun which then afcends for fix Months together j the 
 Lion was to produce Heroes 3 and the Virgin with her Ear 
 
 of 
 
APPENDIX. 267 
 
 of Corn, to infplre Chaftity, and to unite Virtue and Abun- 
 dance. Could any Thing be more extravagant and ridicu- 
 lous ! " This way of arguing, fays an ingenious modern 
 " Author, is nearly like that of a Man, who fhould ima- 
 " gine, that in order to have g,ood Wine in his Cellar, he 
 '' need do no more than hang a good Cork at the Door." 
 
 The Cafe was exa6lly the fame with refpe6t to the Pla- 
 nets, whofe Influence is only founded on the wild Suppo- 
 fition of their being the Habitation of the pretended Deities, 
 whofe Names they bear, and the fabulous Charadlers the 
 Poets have given them. 
 
 Thus to Saturn they^gave languid, and even deflru£live 
 Influences, for no other Reafon, but becaufe they had been 
 pleas'd to make this Planet the Refidence of Saturn, who 
 was painted with grey Hairs and a Scythe. 
 
 To Jupiter they gave the Power of beftowing Crowns, 
 and diftributing long Life, Wealth and Grandeur, meerly 
 becaufe it bears the Name of the Father of Life. 
 
 Mars was fuppofed to infpireaftrong Inclination for War; 
 for no other Reafon, but becaufe it was believed to be the 
 Refidence of the God of War. 
 
 Venus had the Power of rendering Men voluptuous and 
 fond of Pleafure, for no other Reafon, but becaufe Men 
 had been pleafed to give it the Name of one, who, by fome, 
 was thought to be the Mother of Pleafure. 
 
 Mercury, though almoft always invifible, as being con- 
 cealed by the Rays of the Sun, would never have been 
 thought to fuperintend the Profperity of States, and the Af- 
 fairs of Wit and Commerce,"had not Men, Without the leafl 
 Reafon, given it the Name oi one who was fuppofed to be 
 the Inventor of civil Polity. 
 
 According to the Aflrologers, the Power of the afcending 
 Planet is greatly increafed by that of an afcending Sign ; then 
 the benign Influences are all united, and fall together on the 
 Head of all the happy Infants which at that Moment enter 
 
 M m 2 the 
 
268 APPENDIX. 
 
 the World f^6J ; yet can any Thing be more contrary to 
 Experience; which fhews us, that the Characters and Events 
 produced by Perfons born under the fame Afpecl of the 
 Stars, are fo far from being ahke, that they are diredly op- 
 pofite. 
 
 Thus it is evident, that Aftrology is built upon no Prin- 
 ciples, that it is founded on Fables, and on Influences void 
 of Reality. Yet abfurd as it is, and ever was, it obtained 
 Credit, and the more it fpread, the greater Injury was done 
 to the Caufe of Virtue. Inftead of the Exercife of Prudence, 
 and wife Precaution, it fubftituted fuperftitious Forms and 
 childilh Pradices, it enervated the Courage of the Brave by 
 Apprehenfions grounded on Puns and Quibbles, and encou- 
 raged the Wicked, by making them lay to the Charge of a 
 Planet, thofe Evils which only proceeded from their own 
 Depravity. 
 
 But not content with thefe Abfurdities, which deftroyed 
 the very Idea of Liberty, they afierted that thefe Stars, 
 which had not the leaft Connection with Mankind, governed 
 all the Parts of the human Body (47), and ridiculoufly af- 
 firmed 
 
 (46) ** What compleats the Ridicule^ fays the y^hhe k Phcbe, to whom 
 " we are oblig'd for thefe judicious Obfervations is, that what Aftro- 
 ** nomers call the firft Degree of the Ram, the Ballance, or of Sagitarius, 
 ** is no longer the firft Sign, which gives fruitfulnefs to the Flocks, infpires 
 ** Men with a Love of Juftice, or forms the Hero. It has been found 
 *• that all the celeftial Signs have, by little and little, receded from the 
 ** vernal Equinox, and drawn back to the Eaft : Notwithftanding this, 
 *' the Point of the Zodiack that cuts the Equator, is ftill cali'd the firll 
 ** Degree of the Ram, though the firft Star of the Ram be thirty Degrees 
 ** beyond it, and all the other Signs in the fame Proportion. When 
 •* therefore any one is faid to be born under the firft Degree of the Ram, 
 ** it was in Reality one of the Degrees of Pifces that then came above the 
 ** Horizon ; and when another is faid to be born with a royal Soul, and 
 *• heroic Difpofitions, becaufe at his Birth the Planet Jupiter afcended the 
 *' Horizon, in Conjunction with the firft Star of Sagitary ; Jupiter was 
 ** indeed at that Time in Conjund^ion with a Star thirty De'^rees eaft ward 
 *' of Sagitary, and in good Truth it was the pernicious Scorpion that prc- 
 ** fided at the Birth of this happy, this incomparable Child. Le Plucbe^s 
 Hift. of the Heavens, Vol. I. p. 255. 
 
 (47) Each Hour of the Day had alfoone ; the Number feven, as being 
 that of the Planets, became of mighty Confequence. The feven Days in 
 the Week, a Period of Time handed down by Tradition, happened to 
 
 corref- 
 
APPENDIX. 269 
 
 firm'd, that the Ram prefided over the Head, the Bull over 
 the Gullet; the Twins over the Breaft ; the Scorpion over 
 the Entrails; the Fifties over the Feet, ^f , By this Means 
 they pretended to account for the various Diforders of the 
 Body ; which was fuppoled to be in a good or bad Difpo- 
 Ikion, according to the different Afpe6ls of thefe Signs. To 
 mention only one Inftance ; they pretended that great Cau- 
 tion ought to be ufed in taking a Medicine under Taurus, 
 or the Bull, becaufe as this Animal chews his Cud, the 
 Perfon would not be able to keep it in his Stomach. 
 
 Nay, the Influence of the Planets were extended to the 
 Bowels of the Earth, where they were fuppofed to produce 
 Metals. From hence it appears, that when Superflition and 
 Folly are once on Foot, there is no fetting Bounds to their 
 Progrefs. Gold, to be fure, muft be the Production of the 
 Sun, and the Coilformity in Point of Colour, Brightnefs, 
 and Value, was a fenfible Proof of it By the fame Way of 
 Reafoning the Moon produced all the Silver, to which it 
 was related by Colour; Mars all the Iron, which ought to 
 be the favourite Metal of the God of War; Venus pre- 
 fided over Copper, which (he might well be fuppofed to pro- 
 duce, fince it was found in Plenty in the Ifle of Cyprus, which 
 was fuppofed to be the Favourite Refidence of this Goddefs. 
 By the fame fine Way of Reafoning, the other Planets pre- 
 fided over the other Metals. The languid Saturn was fet 
 over Mines of Lead ; and Mercury, on Account of his A6li- 
 vity, had the Superintend ency of Quickfilver; while it was 
 the Province of Jupiter to prefide over Tin, as this was the 
 only Metal that was left him. 
 
 correfpond with the Number of the Planets ; and therefore they gave the 
 Name of a Planet to each Day, and from thence fome Days in the Week 
 were confidered as more fortunate or unlucky than the rell : And hence 
 feven Times feven, called the climaf^erical Period of Hours, Days, or 
 Years, were thought extremely dangerous, and to have a furprifing Effe£l 
 on private Perfons, the Fortune of Princes, and the Government of States. 
 Thus the Mind of Man became diftrefled by imaginary Evils, and the Ap- 
 proach of thefe Moments, in themfeives, as harmlefs as the refl of their 
 Lives, has, by the Strength of Imagination, brought on the moft fatal 
 Effefts. 
 
 From 
 
=70 APPENDIX. 
 
 From hence the Metals obtained the Names of the Pla- 
 nets; and from this Opinion, that each Planet engender'd 
 its own peculiar Metal, they at length conceived an Opi- 
 nion, that as one Planet was more powerful than another, 
 the Metal produced by the Weakeft, was converted into 
 another by the Influence of a ftronger Planet. Lead , though 
 a real Metal, and as perfect in its Kind as any of the reft, 
 was confidered as only a Half Metal, which through the 
 languid Influences of old Saturn, was left imperfe6l ; and 
 therefore under the Afpedl of Jupiter it was converted into 
 Tin ; under that of Venus, into Copper j and at laft into 
 Gold, under fome particular Afpe^ts of the Sun. And 
 from hence, at laft arofe the extravagant Opinions of the 
 Alchymifts, who with wonderful Sagacity endeavour'd to 
 find out Means for haftening thefe Changes or Tranfmuta- 
 tions, which, as they conceived, the Planets perform'd too 
 flowly: But, at laft, the World was convinced, that the 
 Art of the Alchymift was as inefFedl:ual as the Influences of 
 the Planets, which, in a long SuccelTion of Ages, had never 
 been known to change a Mine of Lead to that of Tin, or 
 any other Metal. 
 
 II. Of Prodigies. 
 
 WHOEVER reads the Roman Hiftorians (i), muft 
 be furpris'd at the Number of Prodigies, which are 
 conftantly recorded, and which frequently fill'd the People 
 with the moft dreadful Apprehenfions. It muft be confefs'd> 
 that fome of thefe are altogether fupernatural, and are only 
 to be accounted for by the Ignorance of the Vulgar, cor- 
 rupting and altering what had been only handed down by 
 Tradition, or by their being confidered as the Inventions of 
 corrupt Priefts j while the greater Part only confift of fome 
 of the uncommon Produdions of Nature, which Superfti- 
 
 (i) Particularly hivy^ Dioryfiui of llalicarvajfui, Plir.y, and Valerius 
 MaxitKus. 
 
 tion 
 
APPENDIX. 271 
 
 tlon always attributed to a fuperior Caufe, and reprefented 
 as the PrognolHcations of fome impending Misfortunes. 
 
 Of this Clafs may be reckoned the Appearance of two 
 Suns, the Nights illuminated by Rays of Light, the Views 
 of fighting Armies, Swords and Spears darting through the 
 Air ; Showers of Milk, of Blood, of Stones, of Afhes, or 
 of Fire ; and the Birth of Monfters, of Children, or of 
 Beafts who had two Heads, or of Infants who. had fome 
 Feature refembling thofe of the brute Creation. Thefe were 
 all dreadful Prodigies, which fill'd the People with inexpref- 
 fible Aftonifliment, and the whole Roman Empire with aa 
 extreme Perplexity ; and whatever unhappy Event follow'a 
 upon thefe, was fure to be either caufed or predided by 
 them. 
 
 Yet nothing is more eafy than to account for thefe Pro- 
 dudlions, which have no Relation to any Events that may 
 happen to follow them. The Appearance of two Suns has 
 frequently happened in England^ as well as in other Places, 
 and is only caufed by the Clouds being placed in fuch a Situ- 
 ation, as to refledt the Image of that Luminary ; No6lurnal 
 Fires, inflamed Spears, fighting Armies, were no more than 
 what we call the Aurora Borealis, northern Lights, or in- 
 flam'd Vapours floating in the Air; Showers of Stones, of 
 Afties, or of Fire, were no other than the Effeds of the 
 Eruptions of fome Volcano at a confiderable Diftance; 
 Showers of Milk were only caufed by fome Qj^iality in the 
 Air condenfing, and giving a whitifh Colour to the Water; 
 and thofe of Blood are now well known to be only the red 
 Spots left upon the Earth on Stones and the Leaves of Trees, 
 by the Butterflies who hatch in hot or ftormy V^eather (2). 
 
 (2) This lias been fu!ly proved by M, Reamur, in his Hiftory of Infedls; 
 
 m. 0/ 
 
272 APPENDIX. 
 
 III. Of Magi c. 
 
 MAGIC, or the pretended Art of producing, by the 
 Afliftance of Words and Ceremonies, fuch Events as 
 are above the natural Power of Man, was of feveral Kinds, 
 and chiefly confifted in invoking the Good and Benevolent, 
 or the Wicked and'Mlfchievous Spirits. The firft, which 
 was called Theurgiay was adopted by the wifeft of the Pagan 
 World, who efteemed this, as much as they defpifed the 
 latter, which they call'd Goetia, T^heurgia, was by the Phi- 
 lofophers accounted a divine Art, which only ferved to raife 
 the Mind to higher Perfection, and to exalt the Soul to a 
 greater Degree of Purity ; and they, who by Means of this 
 Kind of Magic, v/cre imagined to arrive at what was called 
 Intuition, wherein tliey enjoyed an intimate Intercourfe 
 with the Deit}^, were believed to be invefted with their 
 Powers : So that it was imagined, that nothing was impof- 
 fible for them to perform. 
 
 All who made ProfeiTion of this Kind of Magic afpired 
 to this State of Perfection- The Prieft, who was of this 
 Order, v/as to be a Man of unblemifh'd Morals, and all who 
 join'd with him were bound to a ftrict Purity of Life ; they 
 were to abftain from Women, and from animal Food j and 
 were forbid to defile themfelves by the Touch of a dead 
 Body. Nothing was to be forgot in their Rites and Cere- 
 monies; the leail Omiffion , or the leaft Miftake, rendered 
 all their Art ineffectual : So that this was a conftant Excufe, 
 for their not performing all that was required of them ; 
 though as their fole Employment, (ah:er having arrived to a 
 certain Degree of Perfection, by Fafting, Prayer, and the 
 other Methods of Purification) was the Study of univerfal 
 Nature; they might gain fuch an Infigbt into phyfical Caufes, 
 as might enable them to perform Adions, that might very 
 well fill the ignorant Vulgar with Amazement. And it is 
 hardly to be doubted, but that this was all the Knowledge 
 
 that 
 
APPENDIX. 273 
 
 t^iat fnany of them ever afpired after. In this Sort of 
 Magic, Hermes Trifmegijlus and Zoroajier excell'd : And in- 
 deed it gain'd great Reputation amongft the Egyptians^ Chal- 
 deans'^ Perjians, and Indians. In Times of Ignorance, a 
 Piece of Clock-work, or fome curious Machine, was fuffi- 
 cient to entitle the Inventor to the Works of Magick : 
 And fome have even aflerted, that the Egyptian Magic, that 
 has been render'd fo famous by the Writings of the Ancients, 
 confifted only in Difcoveries drawn from the Mathematicks 
 and natural Philofophy, fince thofe Greek Philofophers, who 
 travell'd into Egypt in order to obtain a Knowledge of their 
 Sciences, return'd with only a Knowledge of Nature, and 
 Religion and fome rational Ideas of their ancient Symbols. 
 
 But it can hardly be doubted, but that Magic in its grof- 
 feft and moft ridiculous Senfe was pradtifed in Egypt, at 
 Jeaft amongft fome of the Vulgar, long before Pythagoras or 
 Empedocks travell'd into that Country. 
 
 The Egyptians had been very early accuftom'd to vary the 
 Signification of their Symbols^ by adding to them feveral 
 Plants, Ears of Corn, or Blades of Grafs, to exprefs the 
 different Employments of Hufbandry ; but underftanding no 
 longer their Meaning, nor the Words that had been made 
 ufe of on thefe Occafions, which were equally unintelligible, 
 the Vulgar might miftake thefe for fo many myfterious 
 Pra6tices obferved by their Fathers ; and from hence they 
 might conceive the Idea, that a Conjunction of Plants, even 
 without being made ufe of as a Remedy, might be of Effi- 
 cacy to preferve or procure Health. " Of thefe, fays the 
 " Abhe le Pluche, they made a Collection, and an Art by 
 ** which they pretended to procure the Bleflings, and pro- 
 *' vide aginft the Evils of Life." By the Affiftance of thefe. 
 Men even attempted to hurt their Enemies, and indeed the 
 Knowledge of poifonous or ufeful Simples, might, on par- 
 ticular Occafions, give fufficient Weight to their empty 
 Curfcs or Invocations. But thefe magic Incantations, fo 
 
 N a ^ojit'-ary 
 
274 APPENDIX. 
 
 contrary to Humanity, were detefted and punlfhed by almofi: 
 all Nations, nor could they be tolerated in any. 
 
 Pliny, after mentioning an Herb, the throwing of which 
 into an Army, it was faid, was fufficient to put it to the 
 Rout, afks, where was this Herb when Rome was fo diftrefs'd 
 by the Cimbri and Teutones ? Why did not the Perjians make 
 ufe of it when Lucullus cut their Troops in Pieces ? 
 
 But amongft all the Incantations of Magic, the moft fo- 
 lemn as well as the moft frequent, v/as that of calling up the 
 Spirits of the Dead ; this indeed was the Quinteflence of 
 their Art ; and the Reader cannot be difpleafed to find this 
 Myftery unravel'd. 
 
 An AfFedion for the Body of a Perfon, who in his Life- 
 time was beloved, induced the firft Nations to inter, the Dead 
 in a decent Manner ; and to add to this melancholly Inftance 
 of their Eftcem, thofe Wifhes which had a particular Re- 
 gard to their new State of Exillence ; and the Place of Bu- 
 rial, conformable to the Cuftom of Characterizing all be- 
 loved Places, or thofe diftinguifh'd by a memorable Event, 
 was pointed out by a large Stone, or a Pillar raifed upon it. 
 To this Place Families, and when the Concern was gene- 
 ral, Multitudes repaired every Year, where, upon this Stone, 
 were made Libations of Wine, Oil, Honey and Flour ; and 
 here they facrificed and eat in common, having firft made a 
 Trench in which they burnt the Intrails of the Victim, and 
 into which the Libation and the Blood was made to flow. 
 They began with thanking God for having given them Life, 
 and providing their neceffary Food ; and then praifed him 
 for the good Examples they had been favour'd with. From 
 thefe melancholly Rites were banifli'd all Licentioufnefs and 
 Levity, and while other Cuftoms chang'd, thefe continued 
 the fame. They roaftcd the Flefh of the Vi6lim they had 
 offer'd, and eat it in common, difcourfmg on the Virtues of 
 him they came to lament. 
 
 All other Fcafts were diftingulflied by Names fuitable to 
 the Ceremonies that attended them. Thefe Funeral Meet- 
 ings 
 
APPENDIX. 275 
 
 ings were fimply call'd the Manes ^ that is, the Aflembly. 
 Thus the Manes and the T>ead were Words that became fyno- 
 nymous. In thefe Meetings, they imagined that they re- 
 newed their Alliance with the decealed, who, they fuppos'd 
 had ftill a Regard for the Concerns of their Country and 
 Family, and who, as aiTedionate Spirits, could do no lefs 
 than inform them of whatever was neceflary for them to 
 know. Thus the Funerals of the Dead were at laft con- 
 verted into Methods of Divination, and an innocent Infti- 
 tution, into one of the groffell: Pieces of Folly and Super- 
 ftition. 
 
 But they did not ftop here \ they grew fo extravagantly 
 credulous, as to believe that the Phantom drank the Liba- 
 tions that had been poured forth, while the Relations were 
 feafting on the reft of the Sacrifice round the Pit . And from 
 hence became apprehenfive left the reft of the Dead fhould 
 promifcuoufly throng about this Spot to get a Share in the 
 Repaft they were fuppofed to be fo fond of, and leave no- 
 thing for the dear Spirit for whom the Feaft was intended. 
 They then made two Pits or Ditches, into one of which 
 they put Wine, Honey, Water and Flour, to employ the 
 generality of the Dead 3 and in the other they poured the 
 Blood of the Vidim ; when fitting down on the Brink, they 
 kept off", by the Sight of their Swords, the Crowd of Dead 
 who had no Concern in their Affairs, while they called him 
 by Name, whom they had a Mind to chear and confult, and 
 defired him to draw near ( i ). 
 
 The Queftions made by the Living were very intelligible; 
 but the Anfwers of the Dead, as they confifted of Silence, 
 were not fo eafily underftood, and therefore the Priefts and 
 Magicians made it their Bufinefs to explain them. They 
 retired into deep Caves, where the Darknefs and Silence 
 
 (i) Hi5w?r gives the fame Account of thefe Ceremonies, when C//v^x 
 raifes the Soul of Tireftas ; and the fame Ufages are found in the Poem of 
 Siliui Italicus. And to thefe Ceremonies the Scriptures frequently allude, 
 when the IJraclita are forbid to aflemble upon high Places. 
 
 N n 2 refembled 
 
276 APPENDIX. 
 
 refembled the State of Death, and there fafted and lay upon 
 the Skins of the Beafts they had facrificed, and then gave 
 for Anfwer the Dream which moft affected them ; or open'd 
 certain Books appointed for this Purpofe, and gave for 
 Anfwer the firll Sentence that offer'd. At other Times the 
 Prieft, or any Perfon who came to confult, took Care at 
 his going out of the Cave, to liften to the firft Words he 
 fhould hear, and thefe were to be his Anfwer. And though 
 they had no relation to the Bufmefs in Hand, thc) were 
 turn'd fo many Ways, and their Senfe fo violently wrefted, 
 that they made them fjgnify almoft any Thing they pleafed. 
 At other Times they had rccourfe to a Number of Tickets, 
 on which were fome Words or Verfes, and thefe being' 
 thrown into an Urn, the firit that was taken out was deliver'd 
 to the Family. 
 
 IV. Of Au GV RY, 
 
 TH E fuperftitious Fondnefs of Mankind, for fearch- 
 ing into Futurity, has given Rife to a vaft Variety of 
 Follies, all equally weak and extravagant. The Rofnans^ in 
 particular, found out almoft innumerable Ways of Divina- 
 tion J all Nature had a Voice, and the moft fenfelels Beings 
 and moft trifling Accidents, became Prefages of future 
 Events, and foretold Things to come. This introduced 
 Ceremonies, founded on a miftaken Knowledge of Anti- 
 quity, that were the moft childifli and ridiculous, and which 
 yet were performed with an Air of Solemnity. The Per^ 
 fons appointed to unravel the Decrees of Heaven, were thofe 
 of the moft refpe61:able Charaders, and the higheft Stations, 
 who received great Honour U'om the Privilege of exercifing 
 this Office. 
 
 Ciceroy who w^as perfedly fenfible of the P'olly of thefe 
 practices, relates a Saying of Cato^ who declared, that one 
 of the moft furprillng Things to him was, how one Sooth- 
 jfayer could look another in the Face without laughing ; and 
 indeed that Prieft muft have a furprifing Command of him- 
 
 felf 
 
APPENDIX. 277 
 
 fdf who could avoid fmiling whenever he (aw his Colleagues 
 walking with a grave and {lately Air, and holding up the 
 augural Staff, to determine the Limits beyond which every 
 Thing ceafed to be prophetical. 
 
 It has already been obferved, that Birds, on account of 
 their Swiftnefs in flying, were confidered by the Egyptians as 
 the Symbols of the Winds; and that Figures of particular 
 Species of Fowl, were fet up to denote the Time when the 
 near Approach of a periodical Wind was expefted. From 
 hence, before they undertook any Thing of Confequence, 
 as Sowing, Planting, or putting out to Sea, it was ufual for 
 them to fay (2), Let us conjult the Birds^ meaning the Signs 
 fix'd up to give them the necefTary Informations they then 
 ftood in Need of. By doing this they knew how to regulate 
 their Condud ; and it frequently happened, that when this 
 Precaution was omitted, they had Reafon to reproach theni- 
 felves for their Neglect. From hence Mankind miflaking 
 their Meaning, and retaining the Phrafe, Let us confult the 
 Birdst and perhaps hearing old Stories repeated of the Ad- 
 vantages fuch and fuch Perfons had received, by confulting 
 them in a critical Moment, when the Periodical Wind 
 would have ruin'd their Affairs, they began to conceive an 
 Opinion, that the Fowl which fkim through the Air, were 
 fo many Meffengers fent from the Gods, to inform them of 
 future Events, and to warn them againft any Difafterous 
 Undertaking. From hence they took Notice of their Flight, 
 and from their different Manner of Flying prognofticated 
 good or bad Omens. The Birds were inftantly grown 
 Wonderous wife, and an Owl who hates the Light, could 
 not pafs by the Window of a Tick Perfon in the Night, 
 where he was offended by the Light of a Lamp or a Candle, 
 but his hooting ipuft he confidered as prophecying, that 
 the Life of the poor Man was nearly at an End. 
 
 The Place where, thefe Auguries were taken amongfl the 
 'Remans^ was commonly upon an Eminence ; they were pro- 
 
 (2) Li?luQbt'%lX\Si, of the Heavens, Vol. I. p. 241, 
 
 hibited 
 
278 APPENDIX. 
 
 hibited after the Month of Auguji^ becaufe that was the 
 Time for the moulting of Birds, nor were they permitted on 
 the Wane of the Moon, nor at any Time in the Afternoon, 
 or when the Air was the leaft difturb'd by Winds or Clouds. 
 
 When all the previous Ceremonies were performed, the 
 Augur cloath'd in his Robe, and holding his augural Staff in 
 his Right-Hand, fat down at the Door of his Tent, look'd 
 round him, then marked out the Divifions of the Heavens 
 with his Staff, drew a Line from Eafl to Weft, and another 
 from North to South, and then ofFer'd up his Sacrifice. A 
 fiiort Prayer, the Form of which may be fufficiently feen, in 
 that ofFer'd to Jupiter^ at the Eledion of t^uma Vompilius^ 
 which was as follows : *' O Father Jupiter, if it be thy Will, 
 '* that this Numa Pompiliusy on whofe Head I have laid my 
 '* Hand, fhould be King of Rome^ grant that there be clear 
 '^ and unerring Signs, within the Bounds I have defcribed." 
 The Prayer being thus ended, the Priefl turn'd to the Right 
 and Left, and to whatever Point the Birds direded their 
 Flight, in order to determine from thence, whether the God 
 approved or rejected the Choice. 
 
 The Veneration which the Romans entertained for this 
 Ceremonial of their Religion, made them attend the Refult 
 of the Augury with the mofl profound Silence, and the Af- 
 fair was no fooner determined, than the Augur reported his 
 Decifion by faying, 7he Birds approve^ or The Birds difappro<ve 
 it. However, notwithftandingthe Augury might be favou- 
 rable, the Enterprize was fometimes deferred, till they fan- 
 cied it confirm'd by a new Sign, 
 
 But of all the Signs which happened in the Air, the mofl 
 infallible was that of Thunder and Lightening, efpecially if 
 it happened to be fair Weather. If it came on the Right- 
 Hand it was a bad Omen, but if on the Left a good one, 
 becaufe, according to Donatus^ all Appearances on that Side 
 were fuppofed to proceed from the Right-Hand of the Gods. 
 
 Let us now take a View of the facred Chickens ; for an 
 Examination into the Maimer of their taking the Corn that 
 
 was 
 
APPENDIX. 279 
 
 was offerM them, was the moft common Method of taking 
 the Augury. And indeed the Romans had fuch Faith in the 
 Myfteries contain'd in their Manner of Feeding, that they 
 hardly ever undertook any important Affair without firft ad- 
 vifmg with them. Generals fent for them to the Field, and 
 confulted them before they ventured to engage the Enemy, 
 and if the Omen was unfavourable, they immediately de- 
 fifted from their Enterprize. The facred Chickens were 
 kept in a Coop or Penn, and entrufted to the Care of a 
 Perfon who, on Account of his Office, was called Pullarius, 
 The Augur, after having commanded Silence, order'd the 
 Penn to be open'd, and threw upon the Ground a handful 
 of Corn. If the Chickens inflantly leap'd out of the Penn, 
 and peck'd up the Corn with fuch Eagernefs as to let fome 
 of it fall from their Beaks, the Augury was called Tripudium^ 
 or, Tripudium SoliJii7num, from its ftriking the Earth, and 
 was efleem'd a mofl aufpicious Omen ; but if they did not 
 immediately run to the Corn, if they flew away, if they 
 walked by it without minding it, or if they fcatter'd it abroad 
 with their Wings, it portended Danger and ill Succefs. 
 Thus the Fate of the greateft Undertakings, and even the 
 Fall of Cities and Kingdoms, was thought to depend on the 
 Appetite of a few Chickens. 
 
 Obfervations were alfo taken from the Chattering, Sing- 
 ing, or Hooting of Crows, Pies, Owls, ^c. and from the 
 Running of Beafls, as Heifers, AfTes, Rams, Hares, Wolves, 
 Foxes, Weefels, and Mice, when thefe appeared in uncom- 
 mon Places, crofs'd the Way, or run to the Right or Left, 
 l^c. They alfo pretended to draw a good or bad Omen 
 from the moft common and trifling Aftions or Occurrences 
 of Life, as Sneezing, Stumbling, Starting, the Numbnefs 
 of the little Finger, the Tingling of the Ear, the Spilling 
 of Salt upon the Table, or Wine upon one's Cloaths, the 
 accidental Meeting of a Bitch with Whelp, ^c» It was alfo 
 the Bufinefs of the Augurs to interpret Dreams, Oracles, 
 and Prodigies. 
 
 The 
 
2?o APPENDIX. 
 
 The College of Augurs, as firft inftituted at Roihe by 
 Romulus, was only corapofed of three Perfons, taken front 
 the three Tribes, into which all the Inhabitants of the City 
 were divided ; but feveral others were afterwards added, and 
 at laft, according to a Regulation of Scylla, this College con- 
 filled of fifteen Perfons, all of the firft Diftinction, the el- 
 deft of whom was called the Mafter of the College ; *' It 
 *' was a Priefthood for Life, of a Charader indelible, which 
 ** no Crime or Forfeiture could efface ; it was neceflfary that 
 *' every Candidate foould be nominated to the People by 
 " two Augurs, who gave a folemn Teftimony upon Oath, 
 " ofhisDignityandfitnefs for that Office (3)." Thegreateft 
 Precautions were indeed taken in this Ele61:ion ; for as they 
 were invefled with fuch extraordinary Privileges, none were 
 qualified but Perfons of a blamelefs Life, and free from all 
 perfonal Defecis. The Senate could alTemble in no Place 
 but what they had confecrated. They frequently occafion'd 
 the difplacing of Magiftrates, and the deferring of publick 
 AiTemblies ; " But the Senate, at lafi:, confidering that fuch 
 •' an unlimited Power was capable of authorifing a Number 
 '^ of Abufes, decreed that they ihould not have it in their 
 ** PowcF to adjourn any AlTembly that had been legally con- 
 " vened (4)." 
 
 Nothing can be more aflonifhing, than to find {o wife a 
 People as the Romans addided to fuch Childifh Fooleries. 
 Sdpioy Augujiusy and many others, have, without any fatal 
 Confequence. defpifed the Chickens and the other Arts of 
 Divination : But when the Generals mifcarried in any En- 
 terprize, the People hid the whole Blame on the HeedlefTnefs 
 with which they had been confulted, and if he had entirely 
 negleded confulting them, all the Blame was thrown upon 
 him who had preferred his own Forecaft to that of the Fowls^ 
 while thofe who made thefe Kinds of Predidions a Subject 
 of Railery, were accounted impious and prophane. Thus 
 
 (3) Middkton*^ Life of Cicero, 
 
 (4) Banier^% Mythology, Vol, I. p, ^^cc. 
 
 they 
 
APPENDIX. 28r 
 
 they conrtrued as a Punifhment from the Gods the Defeat of 
 Claudius Pulcher^ who when the facred Chickens refufed to 
 eat what was fet before them, ordered them to be thrown 
 into the Sea; If they ^wont eat^ faid he, they Jhall drink, 
 
 II. Of the A R u s p 1 c E s. 
 
 IN the moft early Ages of the World a Senfe of Piety, 
 and a Regard to Decency, had introduced a Cullom o^ 
 never facrificing to him, who gave them all their Bleflings, 
 any but the foundeft, the moft fat and beautiful Vidims. 
 They were examined with the clofeft and moft exaii Atten- 
 tion, that none might be offered but the moft perfecSt. This 
 Ceremonial, which doubtlefs fprang at firft from Gratitude, 
 and fome natural Ideas of Fitnefs and Propriety, at laft de- 
 generated into trifling Niceties and fuperftitious Ceremonies, 
 which they conceived to be of the utmoft Importance, and 
 even commanded by the Deity. And it having been once 
 imagined, that nothing Was to be expedled from the Gods, 
 when the Vi(3:im was imperfeil, the Idea of Perfedlion was 
 united with Abundance of trivial Circumftances ; fuch a 
 Deity was fond of white Victims, others of black, and 
 others of red. The Intrails were examined with peculiar 
 Care, and the whole Ceremony was imagined to be entirely 
 ufelefs, if the leaft Defedt u^as difcovered ; but, on the other 
 Hand, if the Whole was without Blemifh, their Duties 
 were fullill'd, and under an AlTurance that they had engaged 
 the Gods to be on their Side, they engaged in War, and in 
 the moft hazardous Undertakings, with fuch a Confidence 
 of Succefs, as had the greateft Tendency to procure it. 
 
 The Idea of the Neccflity of this Perfedion naturally 
 increafed, as foon as it was believed to be an infallible 
 Means of fatisfying ^he Gods, and procuring their Alfiftance 
 and Protedion ; and this introduced their calling in the Af- 
 fiftance of thofe who fliould aid the Prieft in his Office, and 
 make it their Bufmefs to ftudy all the Rules neceflary to be 
 obferved, to avoid the ill Confequences tliat might attend 
 
 Oo the 
 
282 APPENDIX. 
 
 the flighteft Miftake. Thefe introduced all the Obfervances 
 that followed ; the Rules were obferved merely for the fake 
 of thePredi6lion they were to draw from them, they had no 
 longer any Connection with the pious Motives that had firft 
 inftituted them ; and it became their grand Principle, that 
 the Perfedion, or Defeats of the outward and inward Parts* 
 was a Mark of the Confent or Difapprobation of the Gods. 
 All the Motions of the Vidim that was led to the Altar 
 became fo many Prophecies. If he advanced with an eafy 
 Air in a ftrait Line, and without offering Refiftance, if he 
 made no extraordinary Bellowing when he received the 
 Blow, if he did not get loofe from the Pcrfon that lead him 
 to the Slaughter, it was a Prognoflick of an eafy and flow- 
 ing Succefs. 
 
 The Victim was knock'd down, but before its Belly was 
 rippM open, one of the Lobes of the Liver was allotted to 
 thofe who ofFerM the Sacrifice, and the other to the Enemies 
 of the State. That which was neither blemifli'd nor wi- 
 ther'd, of a bright red, and neither larger nor fmaller than 
 it ought to be, prognofticated great Profperity to thofe for 
 whom it was fet apart j that which was livid, fmall, or cor- 
 rupted, prefaged the moft fatal Mifchiefs. 
 
 The next Thing to be confidered was the Heart, which 
 was alfo examined with the utmoft Care, as was the Spleen, 
 the Gall, and the Lungs ; and if any of thefe were let fall, 
 if they fmelt rank, or were bloated, livid, or withered, it 
 prefaged nothing but Misfortunes. Lucan has elegantly de- 
 fcribed almoft all thefe Imperfections, as meeting in one 
 Victim. 
 
 ^he Liver tcet ivith putrid Streams he Jpyd, 
 Jnd Veins that threaten d on the hojiile Side ; 
 Part of the hea'ving Lungs is no nvhere found, 
 j^nd thinner Films the fenjerd Entrails hound t 
 No ufual Motion Jiirs the panting Hearty 
 Ihe (hinky Vejfels ouze in eijry Fart : 
 
 The 
 
APPENDIX. 283 
 
 7he Ca<wiy 'where nvrapt the clofe Intejlinei lie^ 
 Betrays its dark ReceJ/es to the Eye, 
 One Prodigy fuperior threaten'* djiill. 
 The ne-ver failing Harbinger oj 111: 
 Lo ! By the fibrous Liver s rifing Head^ 
 A fecond Ri'val Prominence is /pread, 
 
 Rowe's Lucan. 
 
 After they had finlfti'd their Examination of the Entrails, 
 the Fire was kindled, and from this alfo they drew feveral 
 Prcfages. If the Flame was clear, if it mounted up without 
 dividmg, and went not out till the Vidlim was entirely con- 
 fumed, this was a Proof that the Sacrifice was accepted j but 
 if they found it difficult to kindle the Fire, if the Flame di- 
 vided, if it play'd around inftead of taking hold of the Vic- 
 tim, if it burnt ill, or went out, it was a bad Omen. 
 
 At Rome the Arufpices were always chofen from the beft 
 Families, and as their Employment was of the fame Nature 
 as the Augurs, they were as much honour'd. It was a very 
 common Thing indeed to fee their Predidlions verified by 
 the Event, efpecially in their Wars ; Nor is this at all won- 
 derful, the Prediction never lull'd them into Security, or 
 prevented their taking every neceffary Precaution 5 but on the 
 contrary, the AfTurance of Victory infpired that Intrepidity 
 and high Courage, which in the common Soldiers was the 
 principal Thing neceflfary to the Attainment of it. But if 
 after the Appearance of a complete Flavour from the Gods, 
 whom they had addrefs'd, their Affairs happened to mif- 
 carry, the Blame was laid on fome other Deity. Juno or 
 Miner-va had been neglected. They facrificed to them, re- 
 covered their Spirits, and behaved vvith greater Precaution. 
 
 However, the Bufinefs of the Arufpices was not reftrained 
 to the Altars and Sacrifices, they had an equal Right to ex- 
 plain all other Portents. The Senate frequently confulted 
 them on the moft extraordinary Prodigies. 
 
 O o 2 " The 
 
284 APPENDIX. 
 
 " The College of the Arufpices (5), as well as thofe of 
 ^' the other religious Orders, had their particular Regiilers 
 •' and Records, fuch as the Memorials of Thunder ^nd 
 *J Lightnings, the (6) Tufca» Hi&iones, ^f/' 
 
 VI. Of Oracles. 
 
 IT Is very evident, that whatever were the politic Rea- 
 fons that induced the wifeft Nations to continue and en- 
 courage the above Superftit ions, which were but little regar- 
 ded by fomeof the moft learned andfenfibleMen amongthcm^ 
 yet they all originally arofe from the Imperfection of human 
 Nature, the Diflatisfaction which a Man frequently finds 
 in the Enjoyment of the prefent Moment, the Eagernefs 
 with which his Hopes and Fears ftretch forwards into Futu- 
 rity, a Poflibility of regulating his Condudl:, by knowing 
 what would be the Refult of particular Aitions, added to 
 that Curiofity and inquifitive Difpofition, which adheres to 
 the Minds of the greateft Part of Mankind. Thefe pre- 
 pared the Way for all the various Methods, which Super- 
 ftition has pointed out for difcovering future Events. This 
 Weaknefs paved the Way for the ridiculous Extravagancies 
 of Aftrology, Magic, the innumerable little Obfcrvances 
 rank'd under the Ideas of Prodigies, good and ill Omens, 
 all the Whimfies of the Augurs and Arufpices, and all the 
 Delufions of the Oracles. 
 
 (5) Kennett's Rom. Anriq. Lib. II. c. 4. 
 
 (6) Romulus, who founded the Inftitution of the Arufpices, borrowM 
 it from the Tufcans, to whom the Senate afterwards fent twelve of the 
 Sons of the principal Nobility to be inftru(5>ed in thefe Myfleries, and the 
 other Ceremonies of their Religion. The Origin of this Art amonglt the 
 People of Tufcany, is related by Cicero in the following Manner : " A 
 ** Peafant, fays he, ploughing in the Field, his Plowlhare running pretty 
 ** deep in the Earth turn'd up a Clod, from whence fprung a Child, who 
 ** taught him and the other Tufcar.s the Art of Divination." See Cicero 
 de Div. L. 2. This Fable undoubtedly means no more, than that this 
 Child faid to fpring from a Clod of Earth, was a Youth of a very mean 
 and obfcure Birth, and that from him the T'l^fcatn learnt this Method of 
 Divination. But it is not known whether he was the Author of it, or 
 whether he learnt it ot the Creeks, or other Nations. 
 
 Thus 
 
APPENDIX. 285 
 
 Thus Mankind, by endeavouring to become fomething 
 more than Man, have in all Ages render'd themfelves un- 
 happy, fubje£t to groundlefs Fears, and endlefs Inquietudes, 
 The Know^ledge of Futurity was vi'ifely concealed from 
 Mortals : This is a Truth that the Heathens themfelves 
 could not but confefs; and Cicero though a Romav^ though an 
 Augur gives us his Sentiments on this Subject, with that 
 affecting Elegance of Expreffion, which (hews that he fpoke 
 the naked Sentiments of his Heart. " In what a deep Me- 
 *■ lancholy, fays he, had Priam fpent the Remainder of 
 " his Days, had he been fenfibie of the unhappy Fate that 
 ^' awaited him ? Would the three Confulfhips, the three 
 *' Triumphs of Potnpey^ have given him the fmalleft Beam 
 " of Joy, had he been able to forefee, what even we cannot 
 *^ mention without Tears, that on a fatal Day, after the 
 ** Lofs of a Battle, and the total Defeat of his Army, he 
 " fhould fall in the Defarts oi Egypt r And oh! What 
 " would Cafar have thought, if he too had been fenfibie, 
 ** that in the midft of that very Senate, which he had com- 
 " pofed of his Friends and his Creatures, he fhould be 
 *' ftabb'd near the Statue of Pompey, in the Sight of his 
 *' Guards, and cover'd with Wounds by his beft Friends 5 
 *' that his Body would be abandoned, and not a Man dare 
 •* to allill him. It is furely then much better to be ignorant 
 *' of the Evils of Futurity than to know them." 
 
 The Egyptians^ one of the moft inquifitive Nations on 
 Earth, were probably verfed in moft of the above Me. 
 thods of Divination, at the Time when Mofes led the Ifrae- 
 Hies into the Wildernefs. They had frequently heard him 
 talk of confulting his God ; they had feen him go out for 
 this Purpofe, and at his Return, had heard him predi6t 
 Things that were fpeedily to come to pafs, and the Event al- 
 ways anfwer'd to what he had foretold. They were terrified 
 by miraculous Events, which as they were above the Power 
 of Man to perform, they probably confidered them only 
 as fome Pha;nomena in Nature, or in Providence, which he 
 
 by 
 
2P6 APPENDIX. 
 
 by his Knowledge in Aftrology. or fome of the other Arts 
 of Divination was enabled to forefee, and which he was 
 willing to impofe upon them, as a Proof of his adting under 
 the Authority and Influence of Heaven. Filled with thefe 
 Ideas, no fooner was the Effect of one Prediction over, than 
 they relapfed into Scepticifm and a fond Security ; but at 4afl-, 
 wearied out by their Sufferings, and in fome meafure con- 
 vinced in Spite of therafelves, they relinquifh'd the Ad- 
 vantage they reap'd from the Slavery of the Ifraelites, and 
 gave them PermifTion to retire out of the Country ; but 
 finding that they had efcaped the Power of a formidable 
 Army, and had mijaculouily crofs'd the Red Sea in Safety, 
 while the King and all his Forces v/ere drown'd, they were 
 probably conquer'd by the Strength of the Convidtion, and 
 convinced that the whole was miraculous, and that God re- 
 ally condefcended to foretel Things to come ; and that had 
 their Priefts confulted him in the fame Manner Mofes had 
 done, all the Evils that had fallen upon them might have 
 been prevented. The Priefts were then doubtlefs reproach'd 
 for their Negligence, when to fatisfy the Defires of the Peo- 
 ple, they might be oblig'd to confult their Gods upon the 
 Mountains, their ufual Places of Worfhip, and to fupport 
 their Credit with the People by pretended Revelations. 
 
 It is not improbable but that this might be the firft JRiife of 
 Oracles, as the moving Temple or Tabernacle of the Ifrae- 
 lites^ in which God was confulted, might fpread the Opi- 
 nion of Oracles amongft the Neighbouring Nations, and 
 give the firll Intimation of building a Temple. The Priefts 
 and Magi, who were utterly unacquainted with the Methods 
 and Ceremonials neceflary to obtain an Anfwer to their Pe- 
 titions, had recourfe to feveral Methods, which ferved at 
 once to amufe the People, to infpire them with the Idea of 
 their extraordinary Penetration, and to give the Air of Sci- 
 ence to the Art of interpreting the Will of the Gods; 
 which they almoft always took Care to exprefs in fuch am- 
 biguous Terms, as to prevent any Difhonour falling upon 
 
 their 
 
APPENDIX. 287 
 
 their Order, by a Contrariety between the Event and the 
 Predi6lion. 
 
 Of all the Nations upon Earth, Greece was the moft fa- 
 mous for Oracles, and fome of their wifeft Men have endea- 
 voured to vindicate them upon folid Principles, and refin'd 
 Reafonings. Xenophon expatiates on the NecefTity of confult- 
 \i}g the Gods by Augurs and Oracles. He reprefents Man 
 as naturally ignorant of what is advantageous or deftrudive 
 to himfelf ; that he is fo far from being able to penetrate into 
 the future, that the prefent itfelf efcapes him ; that his De- 
 figns may be fruftrated by the flighteft Obje6ts; that the 
 Deity alone, to whom all Ages are prefent, can impart to 
 him the infallible Knowledge of Futurity; that no other 
 Being can give Succefs to his Enterprizes, and that it is 
 highly reafonable to believe that he will guide and protect 
 thofe who adore him with a pure Affection, who call upon 
 him, and confult him with a fmcere and humble Refigna- 
 tion. How furprifing is it that fuch refined and noble Prin- 
 ciples fhould be brought to defend the moft puerile and ab- 
 furd Opinions ! For what Arguments can vindicate their 
 prefuming to interrogate the moft high, and oblige him to 
 give Anfwers concerning every idle Imagination and unjuft 
 Enterprize. 
 
 Oracles were thought by the Greeks to proceed in a 
 more immediate Manner from God than the other Arts of 
 Divination, and on this Account fcarce any Peace was con- 
 cluded, any War engaged in, any new Laws enacted, or 
 any new Form of Government inftituted without confulting 
 Oracles. And therefore Mimsy to give his Laws a proper 
 Weight with the People, gave them the Veneration of a 
 divine Sanction, and pretended to receive from Jupiter In- 
 ftrudions how to new Model his Government. And 
 Lycurgus made frequent Vifits to the Delphian Oracle, that 
 the People might entertain a Belief, that he received from 
 Jpollo the Platform which he afterwards communicated to 
 the Spartans. Thefe pious Frauds were an eiFe^Siual Means 
 
 of 
 
288 APPENDIX. 
 
 of eftablifhing the Authority of Laws, and engaging the 
 People to a Compliance with the Will of the Law-giver. 
 Perfons thus infpired were frequently thought worthy of the 
 higheft Truft, fo that they were fometimes advanced to regal 
 Power, from a Perfuafion *' That as they were admitted to 
 *' the Counfels of the Gods, they were beft able to provide 
 « for the Safety and Welfare of Man (i).'* 
 
 This high Veneration for the Priefts of the Oracles, being 
 the ftrongeft Confirmation, that their Credit was thoroughly 
 eftablifhed, they fufFered none to confult the Gods, but thofe 
 who brought Sacrifices and rich Prefents to them ; by this 
 Means few, befides the great, were ever admitted. This 
 Proceeding ferved at once to enrich the Priefts, and to raife 
 the Charadter of the Oracles amongil: the Populace, who are 
 always apt to defpife what they are too familiarly acquainted 
 with : Nor were the Rich, or even the greateft Prince ad- 
 mitted, except at thofe particular Times when the God 
 was in a Difpofition to be confulted. 
 
 One of the moft antient Oracles of which we have re- 
 ceived any particular Account was, that of Jupiter at Dodona, 
 a City faid to be built by Deucalion after that famous Deluge 
 which bears his Name, and which deftroy'd the greateft 
 Part of Greece. It was fituated in Epirus, and here was built 
 the firft Temple that ever was feen in Greece. According to 
 HerodotuSf both this and the Oracle of Jupiter H amnion had 
 the fame Original, and both owed their Inftitution to the 
 Egyptians, The Rife of this Oracle is indeed wrapped up 
 in Fable. Two Pigeons, fay they, flying from Thebes in 
 Egypt t one of them fettled in Lybia^ and the other flew as 
 far as the Foreft of "Dodana^ a Province in Epirus^ where fit- 
 ting in an Oak ftie inform'd the Inhabitants of the Country, 
 that it was the Will of Jupiter that an Oracle ftiould be 
 founded in that Place. Herodotus gives two Accounts of the 
 Rife of this Oracle, one of which clears up the Myftery of 
 
 (i) Potter's Antiquities of Greece, Vol. I. p. 263. 
 
 this 
 
APPENDIX. 289 
 
 this Fable. He tells us, that he Was informed by the Pricfts 
 of Jupiter^ at T^hebes in Egypt^ that fome Ph^nician Mer- 
 chants carried off two PrieftefTes of 'Thebes^ that one was 
 carried into Greece, and the other into Lybia, She who was 
 carried info Greece^ took up her Refidence in the Foreft of 
 Dodona^ and there, at the .Foot of an Oak, ereded a fmall 
 Chapel in Honour of Jupiter^ whofe Prieftefs fhe had been 
 at Thebes (2). 
 
 We learn from 5*^^^;//^; {3), that the Will of Heaven was 
 here explained by an old Woman, who pretended to find 
 out a Meaning to explain the Murmurs of a Brook that 
 flowed from the Foot of the Oak. After this, another Me^ 
 thod was taken, attended with more Formalities j Brazen 
 Kettles were fufpended in the Air, with a Statue of the fame 
 Metal, with a Whip in his Hand (4) ; this Figure, when 
 moved by the Wind, ftruck againft the Kettle that was next 
 it, which alfo caufing all the other Kettles to ftrike againft 
 each other, raifed a clattering Din, which continued fof 
 fome Time, and from ihefe Sounds fhe formed her Predic- 
 tions. 
 
 Both thefe Ways were equally abfurdj for as in each the 
 Anfwer depended folely on the Invention of the Prieftefs, 
 fhe alone was the Oracle. Suidas informs us, that the An- 
 fwer was given by an Oak in this Foreft (5)^ and as it was 
 generally believed to proceed from the Trunk, it is eafy to 
 conceive how this was perform'd ; for the Prieftefs had no- 
 thing more to do than to hide herfelf in the hollow of an old 
 
 (2) The Abbe Saltier takes this Fabie to be built upon the double Mean- 
 ing of the Word 'sriXua.i^ which in Attica and feveral other Parts of 
 Greece fignifies Pigeons, while in the Dialedl of Epirus it meant old Wo- 
 men. See Mem. Acad. Belles Lett res, Vol. 5. p. 35. 
 
 (5) Scrvjus m 3. /En, V. 466. 
 
 (4.) As this was evidently a Figure df O^ri?, which was on particular 
 Occafions reprefented with a Whip in his Hand, it is an additional Proof 
 that this Oracle was derived from Egypt. 
 
 ( 5) From hence carne the Origin of the Fable, that the Mart of the Ship 
 Jliz,°) which was cut in this Foreft, gave Oracles to the Argor.auti, Bar.icr, 
 Vol. 2. p. 332. 
 
 P p Oak, 
 
290 APPENDIX. 
 
 Oak, and from thence to give the pretended Senfe of the 
 Oracle, which fhe might the more eafily do, as the Diftance 
 the Suppliant was obliged to keep, was an effectual Means 
 to prevent the Cheat from being difcovered. 
 
 'There is one remarkable Circumftance relating to this 
 Oracle yet remaining, and that is, that while all the other 
 Nations received their Anfwer from a Woman, the Baotians 
 alone received it from a Man, and the Reafon given for it 
 is as follows : During the War between the Thracians and 
 B^eotiansy the latter fent Deputies to confult this Oracle of 
 Dodonay v/hen the Prieftefs gave them this Anfwer, of which 
 fhc doubtlefs did not forefee the Confequence, If you iJcould 
 meet <vjith Succefs^ you muji be guilty of fame impious Allien, The 
 Deputies no Doubt furpriz'd, and perhaps exafperated, by 
 imagining that the Prieftefs prevaricated with them in order 
 to pleafe the Pelafgi, from whom fhe was defcended, and 
 who were in a ftrict Alliance with the Thraciansy refolved to 
 fulfil the Decree of the Oracle ; and therefore feizing the 
 Prieftefs burnt her alive; alledging, that this A6Lion was juf- 
 tifiable in whatever Light it was confider'd, that if fhe in- 
 tended to deceive them it was fit (he fliould be puniftied for 
 the Deceit; or, if fhe was fmcere, they had only literally 
 fulfilled the Senfe of the Oracle. The two remaining Prie- 
 fteftes (for, according to Straho^ the Oracle at that Time had 
 ufually Three) highly exafperated at this Cruelty, caufed 
 them to be feized, and as they were to be their Judges, the 
 Deputies pleaded the Illegality of their being tried by Wo- 
 men. The Juftice of this Plea was admitted by the People, 
 who allowed two Priefts to try them in Conjunction with 
 the Priefteiles, on which being acquitted by the former, and 
 condemned by the latter, the Votes being equal they were 
 releaf^d. For this Reafon the 5^o//«»j for the future, re- 
 ceived their Anfwers from the Priefts. 
 
 The Oracle di Jupiter Hammon in Lybia^ we have already 
 faid, was derived from Egypt^ and is of the fame Antiquity 
 as the former of Dodona^ and though furrounded by a large 
 
 Traa 
 
APPENDIX. 291 
 
 Tract of burning Sands, was extremely famous. This 
 Oracle gave his Anfvvers not by Words, but by a Sign. 
 His Statue was carried about in a gilded Barge on the Shoul- 
 ders of his Priefts, who moved v/hitherfoever they pretended 
 the Impuife of the God direded them. The Statue was 
 adorned with precious Stones, and the Barge with many 
 filver Goblets hanging on either Side; and thefe Procefiions 
 were accompanied with a Troop of Matrons and Virgins 
 fmging Hymns in Honour of Jupiter. Thefe Priefts re- 
 fufed the Bribes offered them by Lyfander, who wanted their 
 Ailiftance to help him to change the Succeflion to the Throne 
 of Sparta. However, they were not fc fcrupulous when 
 Alexander^ either to gratify his Vanity, or to fcreen the Re- 
 putation of his Mother, took that painful March through 
 the Defarts of Lybia, in order to obtain the Honour of being 
 called the Son of Jupiter^ a Prieft ftood ready to receive 
 him, and faluted him with the Title of Son of the King of 
 Gods. 
 
 The Oracle of Jpollo at Delphos was one of the moft fa- 
 mous in all Antiquity, This City ftood upon a Declivity 
 about the Middle of Mount Pamaffus ; it was built on a fmall 
 Extent of even Ground, and furrounded with Precipices, 
 that fortified it without the Help of Art f6j. Diodorm Siculus 
 relates (7) a Tradition of a very whimfical Nature, which 
 was faid to give Rife to this Oracle. Theie was a Hole in 
 one of the Valleys at the Foot of Pamajfus^ the Mouth of 
 which was very ftrait; the Goats that were feeding at no 
 great Diftance coming hear it, began to fkip and friflc about 
 in fuch a Manner, that the Goat-herd being ftruck with 
 Surprize, came up to the Place, and leaning over it was 
 feiz'd with fuch an Enthufiaftic Im.pulfe, or temporary Mad- 
 nefs, as prompted him to utter fome extravagant Exprefnons 
 which pafs'd for Prophecies. The Report of this extraordi- 
 
 (6) Strab. p. 177. 
 
 (7) Lib. 14. pr 427, 428. 
 
 (8) Diod. 4, I. 
 
 P p 2 nary 
 
292. APPENDIX. 
 
 nary Event drew thither the Neighbouring People, who on 
 approaching the Hole were feiz'd with the fame IVanfports. 
 Surprized at i'o aftoniftiing a Prodigy, the Cavity was no 
 longer approach'd without Reverence. The Exhalation 
 v;as concluded to have fomething divine in it, they imagined 
 it proceeded from fome friendly Deity, and from that Time 
 beftowed a particular Worlhip on the Divinity of the Place, 
 ^nd regarded what was delivered in thefe Fits of Madnefs as 
 Predictions, and here they afterwards built the City and 
 Temple of Delphos. 
 
 This Oracle it was pretended had been pofTcfs'd by feveral 
 fucceflive Deities, and at lafb by Jpollo, who rais'd its Repu- 
 tation to the greateft Height. It was reforted to by Perfons 
 pf all Stations, by which it obtained immenfe Riches, which 
 expofed it to be frequently plunder'd. At firft it is faid the 
 God infpired all indifferently who approach'd the Cavern ^ 
 but fome having in this fit of Madnefs thrown themfelves 
 into the Gulf, they thought fit to choofe a Prieftefs, and to 
 fet over the Hole a Tripos, or three-legged Stool, whence 
 ihe might without Danger catch the Exhalations ; and this 
 Prieftcfs was call'd Pythian from the Serpent Python, (lain 
 by Apollo. For a long Time none but Virgins poflefled this 
 Honour, ti!l a young ^hejjfaliany called Echccrates^ falling in 
 Love with the Priertefs, who was at that Time very beauti- 
 ful, ravifti'd her; when to prevent any Abufes of the like 
 Kind for the future, the Citizens made a law to prohibit any 
 Woman being chofen under fifty Years old. At firft they 
 h^d only one Prieftefs, but afterwards they had two or three. 
 
 The Oracles were not delivered every Day ; but the Sa- 
 crifices were repeated till the God was pleafed to deliver 
 them, which frequently happened only one Day in the Year, 
 at all other Times the Prieftefs was forbid to confult the 
 God under Pairi of Death. Alexander coming here in one of 
 thefe Intervals, after many Entreaties to engage the Prieftefs 
 to mount the Tripod, which were all to no Purpofe, ihe 
 mentioning the Law which deterr'd her, the Prince growing 
 
 impatient 
 
APPENDIX. 293 
 
 impatient at her Refufal, drew her by Force from her Cell, 
 and was leading her to the San(Sluary, when faying My Sony 
 thou art in-vincible, he cry'd out that he was fatiilicd, and 
 needed no other Anfwer. 
 
 Nothing was wanting to keep up the Air of Myftcry, in 
 order to preferve its Reputation, and to procure it Venera- 
 tion. The neglecting the fmalleft Punctilio was fufHcient 
 to make them renew the Sacrifices that were to precede the 
 Refponfe of Jpollo. The Prieftefs herfelf was obliged to 
 prepare for th(? Difcharge of her Duty, by fafting three Days, 
 bathing in the Fountain of CaJIalia^ drinking a certain Quan- 
 tity of the- Water, and chev/ing fome Leaves of Laurel ga- 
 thered near the Fountain. After thefe Preparations the 
 Temple was made to fliake, which pafs'd for the Signal 
 given by J polio to inform them of his Arrival, and then the 
 Priefts led her into the Sandfuary and placed her on the Tri- 
 pod, when beginning to be agitated by the divine Vapour, 
 her Hair flood an End, her Looks became wild, her Mouth 
 began to foam, and a Fit of Trembling feiz'd her whole 
 Body. In this Condition flie feemed to ftruggle to get loofe 
 from the Priefts, who pretended to hold her by Force, while 
 her Shrieks and Howlings, which refounded through the 
 Temple, hlled the deluded By-ftanders with a Kind of fa- 
 cred Horror. At lafl being no .longer able to refift the Im- 
 pulfes of the God, (he fubmitted, and at certain Intervals 
 uttered fome unconnected Words, which were carefully 
 picked up by the Priefts, who put them in Connection, and 
 gave them to the Poets, who were alfo prefent to put them 
 into a Kind of Verfe, which was frequently ftiiF, unharmo- 
 niou?, and always obfcure ; this occafion'd that Piece of 
 Raillery, that Jpollo the Prince of the Mufes was the worfl^ 
 of the Poets. One of the Prieftefles who was called Phe- 
 monoe^ is faid to have pronounced her Oracles in Verfe ; 
 in latter Times they were contented with delivering them in 
 Profe, and this, in the Opinion of P/a/^rc/^, was one of the 
 Reafons of the Declenfion of this Oracle. 
 
 TropboniuSy 
 
294 APPENDIX. 
 
 T*'ophomuSf who according to' fome Authors, was no more 
 than a Robber, or at moft a Hero, had an Oracle in Bgeotiat 
 which acquired great Reputation. Paufanias^ who had con- 
 fulted it, and gone through all its Formalities, has given a 
 very particular Defcription of it, and from him we ihall ex- 
 trad a fhort Hiilory of this Oracle. 
 
 The facred Grove of Trophonius, fays this Author (9), is 
 at a fmall Diftance from Lebadea, one of the fineft Cities in 
 Greece ; and in this Grove is the Temple of Trophoniust with 
 his Statue, the Workmanfhip of Praxiteles. Thofe who 
 apply to this Oracle muft perform certain Ceremonies before 
 they are permitted to go down into the Cave where the Re- 
 fponfe is given. Some Days rnufl be fpent in a Chapel dedi- 
 cated to Fortune and the good Genii, where the Purification 
 confifts in Abftinence from all Things unlawful, and in 
 making ufe of the cold Bath. He mufl facrifice to frophonius 
 and all his Family, to Jupiter^ to Saturnj and to Ceres^ fur- 
 nam'd Europa^ who was believed to have been the Nurfe of 
 Trcphomm. The Diviners confulted the Entrails of every 
 Viiiiim, to difcover if it was agreeable to Trophonius that the 
 Perfon (hould defcend into the Cave. If the Omens were 
 favourable, he was led that Night to the River Hercyna, 
 where two Boys anointed his Body with Oil. Then he was 
 conducted as far as the Source of the River, where he was 
 obliged to drink two Sorts of Water, that of Lethe^ to efface 
 from his Mind ail profane Thoughts, and that of Mnemofyne, 
 to enable him to retain whatever he was to fee in the facred 
 Cave ; he v/as then prefented to the Statue of Trophonius ^ to 
 which he was to addrefs a (hort Prayer ; he then was cloathed 
 in a Linnen Tunic adorned with facred Fillets ; and at iall 
 "^as conducfed in a folemn Manner to the Oracle, which 
 was inclofed within a Stone Wall on the Top of a Moun- 
 tain. 
 
 In this Inclofure was a Cave form'd like an Oven, the 
 Mcuth of which was narrow, and the Defcent to it not by 
 
 (9) Paufaa. Lib. 9. p. 6oa, 604. 
 
 Steps 
 
APPENDIX. 295 
 
 Steps but by a fhort Ladder; on going down there appeared 
 another Cave, the Entrance to which was very ftrait. The 
 Suppliant, who was obliged to take a certain Compofition of 
 Honey in each Hand, without which he could not be ad- 
 mitted, proftrated himfelf" on the Ground, and then putting 
 his Feet into the IVlouth of the Cave, his whole Body was 
 forcibly drawn in* 
 
 Here fome had the Knowledge of Futurity by ViHon ; 
 and others by an audible Voice. They then got out of the 
 Cave in the fame Manner as they went in, with their Feet 
 foremoil, and proftrate on the Earth. The Suppliant going 
 up the Ladder was conducted to the Chair of Mnemofyne^ the 
 Goddefs of Memory, in which being feated, he was quef- 
 tioned on what he had heard and feen j and from thence was 
 brought into the Chapel of tlie good Genii, where having 
 ftayd till he had recovered from his Affright and Terror, he 
 was obliged to write in a Book all that he had {t^n or heard, 
 which the Priefts took upon them to interpret. There never 
 was but one Man, fays Paujanias, who loft his Life in this 
 Cave, and that was a Spy who had been (Qnthy Demefrius, to fee 
 whether in that holy Place there was any Thing worth plun- 
 dering. The Body of this Man was afterwards found at a 
 great Diftance, and indeed it is not unlikely, that his Defiga 
 being difcovered, he was afiallinated by the Priefts, who 
 might carry out his Body by fome fecret Pafiage, at which 
 they went in and out, without being perceived. 
 
 The Oracle of the Bravchida^ in the Neighbourhood of 
 Kiletui^ was very ancient, and in great Efteem. Xerxes re- 
 turning from Greece^ prevail'd on its Priefts to deliver up its 
 Treafures to him, and then burnt the Temple, when to 
 fecure them againft the Vengeance of the Greeks^ he granted 
 them an Eftabliftiment in the moft diftant Part of Afia. 
 After the Defeat of Darius by Alexander^ this Conqueror 
 deftroy'd the City where thefe Priefts had fettled, of which 
 their Defcendants were then in actual Pofleflion, and thus 
 
 punifh'd 
 
296 APPENDIX. 
 
 punifh'd the Children for the Sacrilege and Perfidy of their 
 Fathers. 
 
 The Oracle oi Apollo at Claroi^ a Town of Ionia in Afia 
 Minor, was very famous and frequently confulted. Claros 
 was faid to be founded by ( 10) Majito the Daughter of Tire- 
 JiaSf fome Years before the taking of Troy. The Anfwers of 
 this Oracle, fays Tacitus (11), were not given by a Woman 
 but by a Man, chofe out of certain Families. It was fuffi- 
 cientto let him know the Number and Names of thofe who 
 came to confult him ; after which he retired into a Cave, 
 and having drank of the Waters of a Spring that ran within 
 it, delivered Anfwers in Verfc upon what the People had in 
 their Thoughts, though he was frequently ignorant, and 
 unacquainted with the Nature and Rules of Poetry. *' It 
 *' is faid our Author adds, that he foretold the fudden Death 
 of GermanicuSf but in dark and ambiguous Terms." 
 
 Paujanias mentions an Oracle of Mercury in Achaia^ of a 
 very fmgular Kind, after a Variety of Ceremonies which it 
 is needlefs here to repeat, they whifpered in the Ear of the 
 God, and told him what they were defirous of knowing, 
 then flopping their Ears with their Hands, they left the 
 Temple, and the firfl Words they heard after they were out 
 of it, was the Anfwer of the God. 
 
 But it would be an endlefs Tafk to pretend to enumerate 
 all the Oracles, which were fo numerous, that Van Dak 
 gives a Lift of near three Hundred, moft of which were in 
 Greece. Not that all thefe ever fubfifted at the fame T'ime, 
 the ancient Ones were frequently negleded, either from a 
 Difcovery of the Impoftures of their Priefts, or by the Coun- 
 tries in which they were placed being laid Wafte by War^ 
 
 (10) Martto has been greatly extolled for her prophetic Spirit; and fabu- 
 lous Hiftory informs us, that lamenting the Miferies of her Country, (he 
 diflblved away in Tears, and that thefe formed a Fountain, the Water of 
 which communicated the Gift of Prophecy to thofe who drank it ; but 
 being at the fame Time unwholefome, it brought on Difeafes and Ihor"^ 
 tened Life. 
 ' (11) Tacit. Annal. J, 2. c. 54, 
 
 Earthquakes, 
 
A P 1> E N D I X. 297 
 
 Earthquakes, or the other Accidents to which Cities and 
 Kingdoms are expofed. 
 
 But no Part of Greece had (o many Oracles as B^otia, 
 which were there numerous, from its abounding in Moun- 
 tains and Caverns; for as Mr. FontenelU obferves, nothing 
 was more convenient for the Priefts than thefe Caves, which 
 not only infpired the People with a Sort of religious Horror, 
 but afforded the Priefts an Opportunity of forming fecret 
 Paflages, of concealing themfelves in hollow Statues, and of 
 making ufe of all the Machines, and all the Arts neceflary 
 to keep up the Delufion of the People, and to encreafe the 
 Reputation of the Oracles. 
 
 Nothing is more remarkable than the different Manners 
 by which the Senfe of the Oracles were convey'd ; befides 
 the Methods already mentioned, in fome the Oracle was 
 given from the Bottom of the Statue, to which one of the 
 Priefts might convey himfelf by a fubterranean PafTage, 
 In others by Dreams ; in ethers again by Lots, in the Man- 
 ner of Dice, containing certain Characters or Words, 
 which were to be explained by Tables made for that Pur- 
 pofe. In fome Temples the Enquirer threw them himfelf, 
 and in others they were dropp'd from a Box \ and from 
 hence arofe the proverbial Phrafe, The Lot is J alien. Childifh 
 as this Method of deciding the Succefs of Events by a Throw 
 of Dice may appear, yet it was always preceded by Sacri- 
 fices and other Ceremonies. 
 
 In others the QiJcdion was propofed by a Letter, fealed 
 up and given to the Prieft, or left upon the Altar, while the 
 Perfon fent with it was obliged to lie ail Night in the Temple, 
 and thefe Letters were to be fent back unopen'd with the An- 
 fwer. Here this wonderful Art confifted in the Priefts know> 
 ing how to open a Letter without Injuring the Seal, an Art 
 ft ill prad^iced, on particular Occafions, in all the General 
 Poft-Offices in Europe. A Governor of Cilicia^ whom the 
 Epicureans endeavour'd to infpire with a Contempt for the 
 Oracles, fent a Spy to that of Mopfus at Mallos, with a Letter 
 Q_q well 
 
298 APPENDIX. 
 
 well fealed up ; as this Man was lying in the Temple^ a 
 Perfon appeared to him and utter'd the Word Black, This 
 Anfwer he carried to the Governor, which fill'd him with 
 Aftonifhment, though it appeared ridiculous to the Epicu- 
 reans^ to whom he communicated it, when to convince 
 them of the Injuftice of their Raillery on the Oracle, he 
 broke open the Letter, and fhew*d them that he had Wrote 
 thefe Words, Shall I facrtfice to thee a nvhtte Ox or a black ? 
 The Emperor Trajan made a like Experiment on the God at 
 Beliopolisy by fending hirh a Letter fealed up, to which he 
 requefted an Anfwer. The Oracle commanded a blank 
 Paper, well folded and fealed, to be given to the Emperor, 
 who, upon his receiving it, was ftruck with Admiration at 
 feeing an Anfwer fo correfpondent to his own Letter, in 
 which he had wrote nothing. 
 
 The general Chara6teriftic of Oracles, fays the juftly ad- 
 mired Rollin(iz)y were Ambiguity, Obfcurity, and Conver- 
 tibility } fo that one Anfwer would agree with feveral diffe- 
 rent and even oppofite Events ; and this was generally the 
 Cafe when the Event was in the leaft dubious. Trajan con- 
 vinced of the Divinity of the Oracle, by the blank Letter 
 above mentioned, fent a fecond Note, wherein he defired 
 to know, whether he fhould return to Rome after the Conclu- 
 fion of the War which he had then in View; the Oracle 
 anfwer'd this Letter by fending to him a Vine broke in 
 Pieces. The Predi£tion of the Oracle was certainly ful- 
 filled ; for the Emperor dying in the War, his Body, or if 
 you pleafe his Bonesj repfefented by the broken Vine, were 
 carried to Rome, But it would have been equally accom- 
 plifhed had the Romans conquered the Parthians^ or the Par- 
 ihians the Romans-, and whatever had been the Event, it 
 might have been conftrued into the Meaning of the Oracle. 
 Before Crafus invaded the Medes, he confulted the Oracle of 
 Velphos on the Succefs of the War, and received for Anfwef, 
 that by croffing the River Halys^ he would overthrow a great 
 
 (is) Ancient Hift. Vol. 5, p. 25. 
 
 Empire. 
 
APPENDIX. 299 
 
 Empire. What Empire, his own, or that of his Enemies ? 
 If he conquerM Cyrusy he would overthrow the JJjrian Em- 
 pire, if he himfelf was routed he overthrew his ov/n. Un- 
 der fuch Ambiguities they eluded all Difficulties, and were 
 hardly ever in the Wrong. In this all their Art and all their 
 fuperior Knowledge confifled i for \vhen the Queftion was 
 plain, the Anfwer was commonly fo too, A Man requeft- 
 ing a Cure for the Gout, was anfwered by the Oracle, that 
 he fhould drink nothing but cold Water- Another defiring 
 to know by what Means he might become richj was an- 
 fwer'd by the God, that he had no more to do but to make 
 himfelf Mafter of all between Sicyon and Cormh (13). 
 
 VII. Of Altars, /acred Groves, and 
 Sacrifices. 
 
 IN the moft early Ages, Sacrifices were made without an 
 Altar. As a Teflimony of their Gratitude they ofFer'd 
 a fmall Quantity of Corn or Herbs, or the choiceft of their 
 Flocks. This was conGder'd as an Acknowledgment, that 
 they had received all they enjoy 'd from the Hands of God, 
 By this they teftified their Dependance, and by making this 
 publick Profeflion of it, engaged themfelves in the Face of 
 the World, to be faithful to him. And indeed nothing 
 could be more capable of enobling the Mind, and of culti- 
 vating Sentiments of the moft fublime Gratitude and Re- 
 fpeft, than the appearing at thefe Feftivals. But as Super- 
 ftition gaiiiM Ground in the World, the Purity of thefe 
 S ntiments became fullied. Inflead of fitting upon the Grafs 
 they fat upon Skins and Carpets- Altars were er^6ied, and 
 the Idolaters at firfl imitated the fimple Manner in which 
 they had i een raifed by Noah y for the firfl Altars confifled 
 only of Heaps of Earth or Turf, or a rough unhewn Stone* 
 But the Form and Materials infenfibly chang'd, there were 
 fome fquare, others long, round, or triangular. Each Feaft 
 pbtained a peculiar Ceremonial, and an Altar of a particur 
 
 (13) Banietf Vol, i. 
 
 Q^q 2 lar 
 
3CO APPENDIX. 
 
 lar Form. Sometimes they were of common Stone, fome- 
 times of Marble, Wood, or Brafs. The Altar was fur- 
 rounded with Carvings in Bas-relief, and the Corners or- 
 namented with Heads of various Animals. Some reach'd 
 no higher than to the Knee, others were rear'd as high as 
 the Waift, while others were much higher. Some again 
 were folid, others hollow, to receive the Libations and the 
 Blood of the V i6^ims. Others were portable, refembling a 
 Trevit, of a magnificent Form, to hold the Offering from 
 the Fire, into which they threw Frankincenfe, to over- 
 power the difagreeable Smell of the Blood and burning Fat. 
 In (hort, what had been approved on fome important Occa- 
 iion pafs'd into a Cuftom, and became a Law. 
 
 As it was cuftom ary with the Egypt iavs^ to go upon a 
 Mountain to make thofe aftronomical Obfervations that 
 were necefl'ary to regulate their Affairs, they there rais'd Al- 
 tars, and fact ificed before they came down. Here too they 
 planted Groves to fhelter them from the Inclemency of the 
 Weather. They at lafl became Idolaters, and worfhipp*d 
 the Sun, Moon, and Stars, as the peculiar Refidence, or as 
 the Emblems of the Deity. This Worfhip foon fpread 
 amongft the Neighbouring Nations, and from them was 
 conveyed to the moft diftant, and the Groves were confider'd 
 as necefTary to the Worfhip. 
 
 Almoft every Nation after their Example, worfhipp'd on 
 the high Places, where they chofe out the thickeft Woods 
 or planted Groves ; for Groves were foon confidered as ^ 
 necefTary Part of their Worfhip, and as the Places mofl ac- 
 ceptable to the Deity. They confidered the Gloomy Shade 
 of thick Trees, impervious to the Rays of the Sun, as hav- 
 ing a Tendency to infpire a Kind of religious Melancholy, 
 and they were fo link'd to Idolatry, that it became highly 
 neceffary for Mofis to forbid the Hebretus planting Groves 
 about their Altars, to prevent their falling into the idola- 
 trous Pradices of the Nations around them. Thefe lafted 
 for a long Time, and in fome Countries even till Chrifti- 
 
 anity 
 
APPENDIX. 301 
 
 anity banifli'd Paganifm. They were hung with Garlands 
 and Chaplets of Flov/ers, and with a Variety of Offerings 
 in fo lavifli a Manner, as almoft entirely to exclude the 
 Light of the Sun. Here were celebrated all the Myfteries 
 of Paganifm, and here our ancient Druids aflembled. They 
 were every where efteemed as facred, and it was the higheft 
 Sacrilege to cut them down ( i ). 
 
 In the early Ages of Paganifm, the Worfhip paid to the 
 Gods was exceeding fimple. The Egyptians ofFer'd neither 
 Incenfe nor Perfumes, but only the green Herbs which were 
 gathered and prefented as the ftrft Produdtions of Nature, . 
 together with Libations of Water (2). This Simplicity 
 lalled very long, and there are Places in which it always 
 fubfifted. Paujanias mentioning an Altar confecrated to 
 Jupiter the moft high, informs us, that no living Thing 
 was ever offered upon it, and that they ufed no Wine in 
 their Libations (3). When Bread came to be introduced 
 inftead of Herbs and parched Corn, they then offered Flour 
 and Cakes baked with Salt (4', to which they added Oil, 
 Wine, and Honey, while thofe Nations who afterwards 
 fed on the Flefh of Animals, offer'd Flefh alfo in their Sa- 
 crifices. For as Part of the Sacrifice was to be eaten by the 
 Prieffs or the People, there naturally arofe a very particular 
 Connexion between the Food of Man and the Matter of 
 the Sacrifice. However, the ancient Form was fiill pre- 
 ferved on particular Occafions. 
 
 At lafl the Superflition of Mankind, and unjuft SentiM 
 ments of the Deity, entirely corrupted the Nature of reli- 
 
 (i) Lucan mentioning the Trees which Cajar ordered to be felled, to 
 make his warklike Engines, defcribes the Confternation of the Soldiers, 
 v/ho refused to obey his Orders, till taking an Ax he rut down one of 
 them himfeif. Struck with a religious Reverence for the Snndity of the 
 Grove, they imagined that if they prefumptuoufly attempted to cut down 
 any of its Trees, the Ax would have recoiled upon themfelves. Tiiey 
 however believed it lawful to prune and clear them, and to fell thofe Trees 
 which they imagined attradted the Thunder. 
 
 (2) Vojjiui de Orig. & Progr. Idol. 
 
 (3) In Att. 
 
 (-}.) ThisCuftomis alluded to by Ihvaxej Lib. 3. Od, 23. 
 
 glous 
 
302 APPENDIX. 
 
 gious Worfhip, and fubverted the End for which Sacrifice? 
 were originally inftituted, They entertained a Belief, that 
 the Deity was cruel, rigorous, and inflexible, and delighted 
 in the Miferies of his Creatures. Opinions like thefe intro- 
 duced the Offering of human Vidlims, thofe horrid Kind 
 of Sacrifices which were a Difgrace to human Nature. 
 Thefe barbarous Sacrifices were known even in the Days of 
 Mofes (5), who thought itneceflary to ref1:rain the Ifraelitesy 
 on Pain of Death, from falling into a Crime, which before 
 it was poflible for them to commit, they mufl offer the 
 utmoft Violence to Nature ; and indeed it is furprizing to 
 fee, that almofl all Nations, who have offered bloody Sa- 
 crifices, have in one Age or other offered human Vi6lims : 
 Amongft fome of whom it was fufficient to banifh Huma- 
 nity (6), while amongft others it was thought neceffary to 
 banifh both Humanity and parental Affe6lion. Some have 
 imagined, that this horrid Practice arofe from an imperfe6^ 
 Tradition of Abraham's Sacrificing his Son ; but fuppofmg 
 this the Cafe, it could never have gained Ground, had not 
 the Mind been prepared by fuch injurious Sentiments of the 
 Deity. However, it was a Pra£lice that gave a Shock to 
 the Humanity of the befl and wifefl Heathens : And for this 
 Reafon it was of fhorter Duration amongfl civiliz'd, than 
 amongfl Savage Nations : And therefore if this Pra6lice was 
 a Difgrace to the Pagans, it is alfo an Honour to thofe Pa- 
 gans, who by the feverefl Laws fought to abolifh it. This 
 cruel Cuftom amongfl the Carthaginians of offering Children 
 
 (5) Levit. XX. 2, 3, 4. Deut, xvli. 10. The Children were put into 
 the brazen Statue of Molocby which being firft made extremely hot, they 
 were there burnt, or rather fried to Death. 
 
 (C) This is remarkably true of many Nations, but more particularly of 
 the Gauh, who, according to Caj'ar^ when any Man was fick, were per- 
 fuaded that there was no Way to induce the Gods to fpare his Life, but to 
 facrifice another in his Place. Their publick Sacrifices were very fingular. 
 With Ofier T\vigs they formed a Figure refembling that of the human 
 Form, but of a monftrous Size, the Cavity of which was filled with Jiv- 
 ing Men, whom they burnt together. When they could not fill it with. 
 Criminals, they made up the Deficiency with innocent Perfons. Cajar de 
 beil. Call. Lib. 6. 
 
 to 
 
APPENDIX. 303 
 
 to Saturn (7}, occafioned an Embafl'y being fent to them 
 from the Romans, in order to perfuade them to abolifh it : 
 And in the Reign of "Tiberius^ the Priefts of Saturn were 
 crucified for prefuming to facrifice Children to him ; and 
 Amafts^ King of Egypt made a Law, that only the Figures 
 of Men fhould be facrificed inftead of themfelves. Plutarch 
 informs us, that at the Time of a Plague the Spartans were 
 ordered by an Oracle to facrifice a Virgin, but the Lot hav- 
 ing fallen upon a young Maid whofe Name was Helena^ an 
 Eagle carried away the facrlficing Knife, and laying it on 
 the Head of an Heifer it was facrificed in her ftead. The 
 fame Author informs us, that Pelopidas the Athenian General 
 dreaming the Night before an Engagement, that he fhauld 
 facrifice a Virgin to the Manes of the Daughters of Scedafus, 
 who had been ravifh'd and murder'd, he was fill'd with Hor- 
 ror at the Inhumanity of fuch a Sacrifice, which he could not 
 help thinking odious to the Gods ; but feeing a Mare, by 
 the Advice of Theocritus the Soothfayer, he facrificed it, and 
 gained the Vidtory. 
 
 The Ceremonies ufed at Sacrifices were extremely diffe- 
 rent, and to every Deity a diftin6t Vi61:im was allotted (8) : 
 But whatever Vidims were offered, the greateft Care was 
 to be taken in the Choice of them ; for the very fame Ble- 
 mifhes that excluded them being offered by the Jenvs^ ren- 
 dered them alfo imperfe6l among the Pagans. 
 
 The Prieft having prepared himfelf by Continence, during 
 the preceding Night, and by Ablution, before the Procef- 
 fion went a Herald crying Hoc age, to give the People Notice 
 that they were to give their fole Attention to what they were 
 
 (7) Thefe Sacrifices were praftifed annually by the Carthaginians, who 
 firft offered the Sons of the principal Citizens ; but afterwards privately 
 brought up Children for that Purpofe. 
 
 (i5) Lucian informs us, that " The Vidtims were a!fo different accord- 
 '* ing to the Quality and Circumftances of the Perfons who offered them. 
 *' The Hufbandman, fays he, facrificcs an Ox, the Shepherd, a Lamb 9 
 *' the Goat_herd, a Goat. There are fome who offer only Cakes, or 
 ** Incenfe, and he that has nothing, facrifices by kiffirg his Right-Hand. 
 •' DeSacr,'' 
 
 about i 
 
304 APPENDIX. 
 
 about; then followed the Players on feveral Inflruiiienbj 
 who between the Intervals of Playing, exhorted the People 
 in the fame Manner. The Prieft, and fometimes the Sacri- 
 ficers, went before cloathed in white, and the Prieft befides 
 being drefs'd in the Veftments belonging to his Office, was 
 fure to be crown'd with a Chaplet of the Leaves of the Tree 
 facred to the God for whom the Sacrifice was appointed ; the 
 Vi(Stim had his Horns gilt, and was alfo crowned with a 
 Chaplet of the fame Leaves, and adorned with Ribbons and 
 Fillets. In Greece^ when the Prieft approached the Altar, 
 he cry'd, Who is here ? To which the Spectators anfwered, 
 Many good People (g). The Prieft then faid Be gone all yt 
 frofane^ which the Romans expiefted by faying Procul ejle 
 Profani. The Vi6lim arriving at the Altar, the Prieft laid 
 one Hand upon the Altar^ and began with a Prayer to all 
 the Gods, beginning with Janus and ending with Vejia, dur^ 
 ing which the ftrideft Silence was obferved. Then the Sa- 
 crifice began by throwing upon the Head of the Vidim, 
 Corn, Frankincenfe, Flower and Salt, laying upon it Cakes 
 and Fruit (lo), and this they called ImtnoUtio, or the Immo- 
 lition. Then the Prieft took the Wine, which having firft 
 tafted, he gave it to the By-ftanders to do fo too (i i), and 
 then poured it out, or fprinkled the Beaft with it between 
 the Horns. After this, the Prieft plucked off^ fome of the 
 rough Hairs from the Forehead of the Vidlim, threw them 
 into the Fire, and then turning to the Eaft drew a crooked 
 Line with his Knife along the Back, from the Forehead to 
 the Tail, and then ordered the Servants (12) to flay the 
 Viftim, which they had no fooner done than he was open'd, 
 and the Duty of the Arufpex began, which was no fooner 
 over than the Carcafs was cut in Quarters, and then into 
 
 (o) nr)>>o» ;K;'ay«6&u 
 
 (10) All thefe were not ufed for every Sacrifice. 
 
 (11) This was called Libatio. 
 
 (12) Thefe inferior Officers, whofe Bufmcfs it was to kill, to imbowel, 
 to flay and walh ths Vi«^im, were called ViEliviariij Poposy Agonezy 
 Cultrarii. 
 
 fmaller 
 
APPENDIX. 305 
 
 Tmaller Pieces, and according to Paufanias ( 1 3I and Jpollonius 
 Ahcdius (i4)5the Thighs were covered with Fat, and facri- 
 ficed as the Part allotted to the God (15); after which they - 
 regaled themfelves upon the reft, and celebrated this religi- 
 ous Feaft with Dancing, Mufick, and Hymns fung in Ho- 
 nour of the Gods. 
 
 Upon fignal Victories, or in the midft of fome publick 
 Calamity, they fometimes offered in one Sacrifice a hundred 
 Bulls, which was called an Hecatomb : But fometimes the 
 fame Name was given to the Sacrifice of an hundred Sheep, 
 Hogs, or other Animals. 'Tis faid, that Pythagoras offered 
 up an Hecatomb for having found out the Demonftration of 
 the forty- feventh Propofition in the firft Book of Euclid, 
 
 VIII. Of the Priests, Priestesses, &c. of 
 the Greeks and Romans. 
 
 IN the early Ages of the World every Man was Prieft 
 in his own Family, and afterwards when publick Priefb 
 were appointed. Kings, as Fathers and Mailers of that 
 large Family which compofed the Body politick, frequently 
 offered Sacrifices; and not only Kings, but Princes and 
 Captains of Armies. Inftances of this Kind are frequently 
 CO be met with in Homer, 
 
 When the Ancients chofe a Prieft, the ftridleft Enquiry 
 was made into the Life, the Manners, and even the bodily 
 external Perfections of the Perfon to be chofen. They 
 were generally allowed to marry once, but were not always 
 forbid fecond Marriages. 
 
 The Greels and Romans had feveral Orders of Priefts -, but 
 as Greece was divided into many independent States, there 
 naturally arofe different Hierarchies. In feveral Cities of 
 Greece the Government of Religion was intrufi.ed to Wo' 
 
 (13) Lib, 5. p. 193. 
 
 (14) In Att. p. 42. 
 
 ,'15) In the Holocaufts, the whole Viflirn was burnt, and nothing left 
 for thi; Feaft, 
 
 R r men. 
 
3o6 APPENDIX. 
 
 men, in others it was conferred on the Men ; while agairt 
 in others, both in Concert had a Share in the Management 
 of it. The Prieftefles of Jrgos were very famous. At 
 Athens 2l Prieflefs prefided over the Worfhip of Miner'va j 
 there was alfo a Prieftefs for Pallas at Clazomena 5 for Ceres^ 
 at Catanay &c. The Hierophanta^ were very famous Priefts 
 of Athens^ and both they and their Wives, who were called 
 Bierophantida^ were fet apart for the Worfhip of Ceres and 
 Hecate^ as were the Orgwphantce, and the Women ftiled 
 Orgiaji^t appointed to prefide over the Orgies of Bacchus, 
 &c. Befides, the Prieftefs of Jpollo at Delphos^ who was by 
 Way of Eminence called Pythia (i), there belonged to this 
 Oracle five Princes of the Priefts, and feveral Prophets who 
 pronounced the Senfe of the Oracle. There were alfo chief 
 Priefts, one of whom prefided over a City, and fometimes 
 over a whole Province j fometimes he was invefted with this 
 Dignity for Life, and at other Times only for five Years. 
 Befides thefe, there were chief Prieftefies, who were the 
 Superintendants of the Priefteft'es, and were chofen from 
 the Nobleft Families j but the moft celebrated of thefe was 
 the Pythia. 
 
 The Priefts of Rome enjoyed feveral very confiderable Pri- 
 vileges, they were exempted from going to War, and ex- 
 cufed from all burthenfome Oftices in the State. They had 
 commonly a Branch of Laurel and a Torch carried before 
 them, and were allowed to ride in a Chariot to the Capitol. 
 Romulus inftituted fixty Priefts, who were to be at leaft fifty 
 Years of Age, free from all perfonal Defects, and diftin- 
 
 (i) Thus the Prieftefs of Pallas at Clazomena was called Hefychia, and 
 that of Bacchus, "Thy as j and in Crete, that of Cybele, MeliJJa. Among 
 the Athenians, the inferior Minifters were ftiled Parajiti, a Word that 
 did not at that Time carry with it any Mark of Reproach j for it is men- 
 tioned in an Infcription at Athens, that of two Bulls offered in Sacrifices 
 the one ft^.ould be referved for the Games, and the other diftributed 
 among the Priefts and Parafites. Thefe Parafites had a Place among the 
 chief Magiftrates, and the principal Part of their Employment was to 
 choofe the Wheat appointed for their Sacrifices, JBanier's Mythology, Vol. 
 J. p. 283. 
 
 guifhed 
 
APPENDIX. 307 
 
 gulflied both by their Birth and the Rectitude of their 
 Morals. 
 
 The Ponttfex yiaxitnus^ or the High-Prieft, was efteemed 
 the Judge and Arbitrator of all divine and human Affairs, 
 and his Authority was fo great , and his Office fo much re- 
 vered, '* That all the Emperors, after the Example of Julius 
 *' Cafar and Augujius^ either adhially took upon them the 
 '' Office, or at leaft ufed the Name (2).'* He was not al- 
 lowed to go out of Italy^ though this was difpenced with in 
 Favour of Julim C<efar ; whenever he attended a Funeral, a 
 Veil was put between him and the Funeral-Bed ; for it was 
 thought a Kind of Profanation for him to fee a dead Body. 
 
 The Rex Sacrorum{\)t according toDionyJius oi HalicarnaJ/tiS 
 (4), was inftituted after the Expulfion of the Roman Kings, to 
 perpetuate the Memory of the great Services fome of them 
 had done the State. On this Account the Augurs and Pon- 
 tifices were dire61:ed to choofe out a fit Perfon, who fhould 
 devote himfelf to the Care of religious Worfhip, and the 
 Ceremonies of Religion, without ever interfering in civil 
 Affairs j but leaft the Name of King, which was become 
 odious to the People, fhould raife their Jealoufy, it was at 
 the fame Time appointed, that he fhould be fubjedt to the 
 High-Priefts. His Wife had the Title of Regina Sacrorum, 
 
 Th^ Flamines, according to Z^oy (5), were appointed by 
 Numa Pompilius^ to difcharge thofe religious Offices, which 
 he imagined properly belong'd to the Kings. At firft there 
 were but three (6), which were chofen by the People, and 
 their Election confirmed by the High-Priefl. They were 
 
 (a) Kenn£t''s Rom. Antlq. 
 
 (3) He was alfo ftiled Rex Sacn'f cuius, 
 
 (4) Lib. I. 
 
 (5) Liv. Lib. I. 
 
 (6) The F/amen Dialis, of Jupiter, the Martialis of Mars, and the 
 Sluirinalis of S^uirinus. The firlt facred to Jupiter, was a Perfon of very 
 high Diftindtion, though he was obliged to fubmit to fome burthenfoma 
 Regulations and fuperftitious Obfervances: His Wife was a Prieflefs, and 
 had the Title of Flaminica ; and alfo enjoy 'd the fame Privileges, and 
 was under the fame Reftri<5tlons as her Hulband, Aului Gellius, Noft, 
 Att. 1. 10. c, 15. 
 
 R r 2 afterwards 
 
3o8 APPENDIX. 
 
 afterwards increafed to fifteen, three of whom were chofen 
 from amongll the Senators, and were called Flamines Ma- 
 jores; and the other Twelve chofen from the Plebeians, 
 were ftiled Flamines Minores. 
 
 The Ficiales were alfo inflltuted by Numa, and confifted 
 of twenty Perfons, chofen out of the moft diftinguifhed 
 Families. Thefe were properly the Heralds of the Repub- 
 lick ; who, whenever it was injured, were fent to demand 
 Satisfadlion, which if they could not obtain, they called the 
 Gods to witnefs between them and the Enemy, and de- 
 nounced War. They had the Power of ratifying and con- 
 firming Alliances, and were the Arbitrators of all the Dif- 
 ferences between the Republick and other Nations; fo that 
 the Romans could not lawfully take up Arms till the Feciaies 
 had declared that War was mofl expedient, 
 
 The Pater Patratus derived his Name from a Circum- 
 flance necefTary to his enjoying the Title, in order that he 
 might be moft ftrongly interefted in the Fate of his Coun- 
 try, he was to have both a Father and a Son living at the 
 fame Time- He was chofe by the College of Feciaies out 
 of their own Body, to treat with the Enemy on the Sub- 
 ject of War and Peace. 
 
 The Epulones were Minifters appointed to prepare the 
 facred Banquets at the folemn Games, and had the privi- 
 lege of wearing a Robe like the Pontiffs, bordered with 
 Purple. Thefe Minifters were originally three in Number, 
 to which two were afterwards added, and then two more, 
 till in the Pontificate of Julius C^far they were encreafed to 
 ten. The moft confiderable of the Privileges granted to the 
 Epulones, was one which they enjoyed in common with the 
 other Minifters, their not being obliged to make th.eir Daugh- 
 ters Veftals (7). 
 
 Befides thefe were the Salii, or Priefts oiMars: The 
 Phsebades of Apollo^ the Bafl'arides of Bacchus^ the Luperci 
 
 (7) Aulus CdUviy Lib. I. c. la, 
 
 of 
 
APPENDIX. 309 
 
 of Pan, and feveral others who prefided over the Worftiip 
 of particular Deities, each of which had a particular Col- 
 lege, and conftituted a diftinct Community. 
 
 Of the Temples of the Pagans. 
 
 WE have already obferved, that Sacrifices and Altars 
 were of a much more ancient Date than the erect- 
 ing of Temples. The firft Worfhipers had no other Tem- 
 ple than the wide Canopy of Heaven, and afterwards the 
 Covert of thick and (hady Groves ; and thefe lall in all Pro- 
 bability were the only Places of Worfliip, till Mo/es gave a 
 Hint to the World by erecting the Tabernacle, which might 
 give the Egyptians the firft Thought of Building alfo a Houfe 
 for God. Had Temples been built in Egypt at the Time 
 when Mo/es refided there, it can hardly be conceived but 
 that he would have mentioned them; and that this moving 
 Temple might ferve as a Model for the reft is the more pro- 
 bable, as there is a near Refemblance between the Sanaum 
 SanclGrum^ and the holy Places in the Pagan Temples. Li 
 that oi Mo/es God was confulted, and none fuffered to enter 
 but the Priefts ; this exactly agrees with the holy Places in 
 the Heathen Temples where the Oracle was delivered. 
 
 It was the Opinion of Liuian^ that the firft Temples 
 were built by the Egyptians^ and that from them this Cuftom 
 was conveyM to the Affyrians^ and the People of the neigh- 
 bouring Countries, Phenicia (i), Syria^ and others; and 
 from Egypt and Phauida it palled into Greece, and from 
 Greece to Rome, 
 
 They all began with little Chapels, which were generally 
 erected by private Perfons, a; d thefe were foon fucceeded by 
 regular Buildings, and the moft magnificent StruClures, 
 when even the Grandeur and Beauty of the Buildings neigh- 
 tened the Veneration that was entertained for them. They 
 
 (t) The firft Temple mentioned in Scripture, is that oi D.rgcn among 
 
 '• - Pbi/i/iincs. 
 
 had 
 
3ro APPENDIX. 
 
 had often Porticos, and always an Afcent of Steps, while 
 fome of them were furrounded by Galleries fupported by- 
 Rows of Pillars. The firft Part in entering thefe Temples 
 was the Porch, in which was placed the holy Water for the 
 Expiation of thofe that entered into the Temple. The next 
 was the Nave (2) or Body of the Temple, and then the 
 holy Place (3), into which none but the Priefts were al- 
 lowed to enter. Sometimes there was behind the Building 
 another Part, called the Back-Temple. 
 
 The Infide was frequently adorned with Paintings, Gild^ 
 ings, and the richeft Offerings, among which were the 
 Trophies and Spoils of War. But the principal Ornaments 
 were the Statues of the Gods, and thofe of Perfons diftin- 
 guifhed by great and noble Actions, which were fometimes 
 of Gold, Silver, Ivory, Ebony, and other precious Mate- 
 rials . 
 
 The Veneration for thefe Buildings, was carried by the 
 Romans and other Nations to the moft fuperftitious Excefs. 
 Before the erefting one of thefe noble Edifices, the Arufpices 
 chofe the Place, and fix'd the Time for beginning the Workj 
 for here every Thing was of Importance. They began 
 when the Air was ferene, and the Sky clear and unclouded j 
 on the Limits of the Building were placed Fillets and Gar- 
 lands, and the Soldiers whofe Names were thought aufpicious, 
 entered the Enclofure with Boughs in their Hands : Then 
 followed the Veftal Virgins, attended by fuch Boys and 
 Girls who had the Happinefs to have their Fathers 
 and Mothers living, and thefe afliftcd the Veftals in 
 fprinkling all the Ground with clear Water ; then followed 
 a folemn Sacrifice, and Prayers to the Gods to profper the 
 Building they were going to ere6l for their Habitation : And 
 this being over, the Prieft touched the Stone that was to be 
 firft laid, and bound it with a Fillet, after which the Magi- 
 ftrates, and Perfons of the greateft Diftindion, alTifted by 
 
 (3) Called Penet rails, Sacrariurn, Adytumt 
 
 the 
 
APPENDIX. 311 
 
 the People with the utmoft Joy and Alacrity in removing 
 this Stone, which was extremely large, fixed it for a 
 Foundation, throwing in with it feveral fmall Gold Coins^ 
 and other Pieces of Money. 
 
 When thefe Buildings were finifti'd they were confecrated 
 with abundance of Ceremony, and fo great was the Vene- 
 ration felt by the People for the Temples, that they fre- 
 quently, as a Mark of Humiliation, clamber'd up to them 
 on their Knees j and fo holy was the Place, that it was 
 thought criminal for a Man to fpit or blow his Nofe in them. 
 The Women proftrated themfelves in them, and fwept the 
 Pavements with their Hair. They became Sanctuaries for 
 Debtors and Criminals; and on all Holidays were con- 
 ftantly deck'd with Branches of Laurel, Olive and Ivy. 
 
 One of the firft Temples built in Egypt ^ was that of Vulcan 
 at Memphis ere6led by Menes: At firft it had the primitive 
 Simplicity of all other ancient Buildings, and without Sta- 
 tues {4) ; but the Succeflbrs of this Prince ftrove to excell 
 each other in embellifliing this Work with ftately Porches 
 and Statues of a monftrous Size. There were indeed a great 
 Number of Temples in Egypt^ but the moft extraordinary 
 Thing of this Kind was a Chapel hewn out of a fingle Stone, 
 which by Order of Amafis was cut out of the Quarries in 
 upper Egypty and with incredible Difficulty carried as far as 
 5tf/j, where it was dcfigned to have been fet up in the Tem- 
 ple of Miner^a^ but was left at the Gate. Herodotus men- 
 tions this Work with Marks of Aftonifhment " What I ad- 
 mire more, fays he, than at the other Works of Jmajis, is 
 •• his caufing a Houfe to be brought from EHphantina, a 
 '' Houfe hewn out of a fingle Stone ; which two thoufand 
 ** Men were unable to remove thither in lefs than three 
 
 (4) According to the beft Hiftorians, there were no Statues in the an- 
 cient Temples of Egypt. But this is not at all ftrange, fince Plutarck, 
 who has his Authority from Farro, lays. That the Roma?i5Werc a hund- 
 red and feventy Years without Statues, Numa prohibited them by a Law ; 
 and Tertullian lets us know, that even in his Time there were feveral 
 Teoiples that had no Statues. 
 
 , " Years. 
 
312 APPENDIX. 
 
 •* Years. This Houfe was thirty-one Feet in Front, twenty- 
 *' one Feet in Breadth, and twelve in Height ; and on the 
 •* Infide twenty-feven Feet in Length, and feven Feet and a 
 « Half high.'* 
 
 The Temple of Diana at Ephejus f^J, has been always 
 admired as one of the nobleft Pieces of Architecture that 
 the World has ever produced. It was four Hundred and 
 twenty-five Feet long, two hundred Feet broad, and fup- 
 ported by a Hundred and twenty-feven Columns of Marble 
 Hxty Feet high, twenty feven of which were beautifully 
 carved. This Temple, vvhich was two Hundred Years in 
 Building, was burnt by Erojlratus with no other View than 
 to perpetuate his Memory : However* it was rebuilt, and the 
 laft Temple was not inferior either in Riches or Beauty, to 
 the former, being adorned with the Works of the moft 
 famous Statuaries of Greece. 
 
 The Temple oi Ceres and Proferpine was built in the Doric 
 Order, and was of fo wide an Extent as to be aible to contain 
 thirty Thoufand Men ; for there were frequently that Num- 
 ber at the Celebration of the Myfleries of the two God- 
 defTes. At firft this Temple had no Columns on the Out- 
 fide ', but Philo afterwards added to it a magnificent Portico. 
 
 The Temple o^ Jupiter Olympius^ as well as the admirable 
 Statue of Jupiter placed in it, were raifed from the Spoils 
 which the EUans took at the Sacking of Pi/a (6). This 
 Temple was of the Doric Order, the moft ancient, as well 
 as the moft fuitable to grand Undertakings, and on the Out- 
 fide was furrounded with Columns, which formed a noble 
 Periftyie. The Length of the Temple was two Hundred 
 and thirty Feet, its Breadth ninety-five, and its Height from 
 the Area to the Roof two Hundred and Thirty. From the 
 Middle of the Roof hung a gilded Vidory, under which 
 was a golden Shield, on which was reprefented l\^e(iufas 
 Head J and round the Temple, above the Columns, hung 
 
 (5) This Temple was accounted one of the Wonders of the World. 
 
 (6) Faufar.ias in Iliac, p. 3P3. &feq. 
 
 twenty- 
 
APPENDIX. SI3 
 
 twenty-one gilt Bucklers, which Mummius confecrated to 
 Jupiter after the facking of Corinth, Upon the Pediment in 
 the Front was reprefented WMth exquifite Art the Chariot 
 Race between Telops and Oenomaus : And on the back Pedi- 
 ment, the Battle of the Centaurs with the Lapitha at the 
 Marriage of Pirithous ; and the Brafs Gates were adorned 
 with the Labours of Hercules. In the Infide two Ranges of 
 tall and {lately Columns fupported two Galleries, under 
 which was the Way that led to the Throne of Jupiter, 
 
 The Statue of the God and this Throne were the Mafter^ 
 pieces of the great Phidias^ and the moft magnificent and 
 higheft finifh'd in all Antiquity* The Statue, which was of 
 a prodigious Size, was of Gold and Ivory fo artfully blended 
 as to fill all Beholders with Aftonifhment. The God wore 
 upon his Head an Olive Crown, in which the Leaf of the 
 Olive was imitated in the niceft Perfection. In his Right- 
 Hand he held the Figure of Victory, form'd likewife of Gold 
 and Ivory, and in his Left a golden Scepter, on the Top of 
 which was an Eagle. The Shoes and Mantle of the God 
 were of Gold, and on the Mantle were engraved a Variety 
 of Flowers and Animals. The Throne fparkled with Gold 
 and precious Stones, while the different Materials, and the 
 Aflemblage of Animals and other Ornaments formed a 
 delightful Variety. At the four Corners of the Throne, 
 were four Victories that feemed joining Hands for a Dance; 
 and at the Feet of Jupiter were two others. On the Fore- 
 fide, the Feet of the Throne were adorned with Sphinxes 
 plucking the tender Infants from the Bofoms of the 'Chelan 
 Mothers, and underneath were Jpollo and Diana flaying the 
 Children of l^iobe with their Arrows, ^c. At the Top of 
 the Throne, above the Head of Jupiter^ were the Graces 
 and Hours. The Pedeftal which fupported the Pile, was 
 equally adorned with the reft : It was covered with Gold, 
 on the one Side Phidias had engraved Phoebus guiding his 
 Chariot; on the other, Jupiter and Juno^ Mercury ^ Vefia^ 
 and the Graces ; Here Venus appeared as rifing from the 
 
 S f Sea, 
 
314 APPENDIX. 
 
 Sea, and Cupid receiving her, while Pithoy or the Goddefs 
 of Perfuafion, feemed prefenting her with a Crown: There 
 appeared JpoUo and Diana^ Minerva and Hercules, At the 
 Foot of the Pedeftal was Neptune and Amphitrite^ with Diana 
 who appeared mounted on Horfeback. In fhort, a woollen 
 Veil died in Purple, and curioufly embroidered, hung down 
 from the Top to the Bottom. A large Balluftrade painted 
 and adorned with Figures encompafled the whole Work ; 
 there with inimitable Art was painted the Atlas bearing the 
 Heavens upon his Shoulders, and Hercules ftooping to eafe 
 him of his Load. The Combat of Hercules with the Nemean 
 Lion, Ajax offering Violence to CaJ/andra^ Prometheus in 
 Chains ; and a Variety of other Pieces of fabulous Hiftory. 
 
 In fhort, this Temple was paved with the fineft Marble, 
 adorned with a prodigious Number of Statues, and with the 
 Prefents which feveral Princes had confecrated to the God, 
 
 Though the Temple of Apollo at Delphosy was greatly infe- 
 rior in Point of Magnificence to the former, yet the im- 
 menfe Prefents fent to it from every Quarter rendered it 
 infinitely more rich. The principal Value of the former 
 arofe from its containing the Works of Phidias, and his 
 Mafter piece was really invalluable ; but what this Temple 
 wanted, in not containir>g the Productions of fo curious an 
 Artifl-, was amply made up by a Profufion of Treafure, 
 which arofe from the Offerings of thofe who went to confult 
 the Oracle. The firfl Temple which was built being burnt, 
 the Amphi6lyones, or general Council of Greece, took upon 
 themfelves the Care of Rebuilding it, and for that Purpofe 
 agreed with an ArchitecSt for three flundred Talents, which 
 amounts to forty-five Thoufand Pounds, and this Sum was 
 to be raifed by the Cities of Greece-, Colledtions were alfo 
 made in foreign Countries. Amajis King of Egypt^ and the 
 Gr^f/«« Inhabitants of that Country, contributed confiderable 
 Sums for that Service. The Akmceomdes, one of the moft 
 powerful Families in Athens, had the Charge of condu6ling 
 the Building, which they rendered more magnificent, by 
 
 adding 
 
APPENDIX, 315 
 
 adding at their own Expence confiderable Additions that 
 had not been propofed in the Model. 
 
 After the Temple of Delphos was finifh'd, Gyges King of 
 Lydia, and Crcefus one of his Succeflbrs, enriched it with an 
 incredible Number of the moft valuable Prefents, and after 
 their Example, many other Princes, Cities, and private Per- 
 fons, beftowed upon it a vaft Number of Tripods, Tables, 
 VefTels, Shields, Crowns, and Statues of Gold and Silver 
 of inconceivable Value. Herodotus informs us {7), that the 
 Prefents of Gold made by Cr^fus alone to this Ternple, 
 amounted to more than two Hundred and fifty Talents, or 
 33,5001. Sterling, and it is probable that thofe of Silver were 
 not of lefs Value. And Diodorus Siculus (8) adding thefe to 
 thofe of the other Princes, computes them at ten Thoufand 
 Talents, or about 1,300,0001. (9). 
 
 Plutarch informs us (10), that amongft the Statues of 
 Gold, which Crafus placed in the Temple of Delphos, was 
 one of a Female Baker, of which :his"was the Occafion : 
 Jiyattusy the Father of Crafus, having married a fecond 
 VsfiiQ, by whom he had Children ; (he formed the Defign of 
 fecuring the Crown to her own IfTue, by putting a Period to 
 the Life of her Son-in-law ; and with this View engaged a 
 Female Baker to p^t Poifon into a Loaf, that was to be 
 ferved up at the Table of the young Prince. The Woman 
 ftruck with Horror at the Thought of her bearing fo great a 
 Share in the Guilt of the Queen, let Cr^efus into the Secret; 
 on which the Loaf was ferved to the Queen's own Children, 
 and their Death fecured his Succeflion to the Throne, which 
 when he afcended, from a Senfe of Gratitude to his Bene- 
 fadrefs, he eredted this Statue to her Memory in the Tem-f 
 
 (7) Her. Lib. i. c. 50, 51. 
 
 (8) Diod. Lib. 16. p. 4.53. 
 
 (9) It is impoffible to form any tolerable Idea of thefe Sums without 
 bringing alfo into the Account the comparative Scarcity of Gold at th^t 
 Time, which render'd its real Value vaftly greater than what it bears at 
 prefent. The Mines of Mexico and Peru have deilroy'd all Comparifon. 
 
 (10) Plut, de Pyth, orac. p. 401. 
 
 S f 2 pie 
 
3i6 APPENDIX. 
 
 pie of Tidphou An Honour that our Author fays fiie had a 
 better Title to, than many of the boafted Conquerors or 
 Heroes, who rofe to Fame only by Murder and Devaftation. 
 
 haly was no lefs famous for a Multiplicity of Temples 
 than Greece -, but none of them were more noble, or more 
 remarkable for the Singularity of their Form, than the 
 PanthecTiy commonly called the Rotunda^ originally confe- 
 crated to all the Gods, as it is now to all the Saints. It is 
 generally believed to have been built at the Expence of 
 Jgrippa, Son-in-law to Augujluu This noble Fabric is 
 entirely round and without Windows, receiving a fufficient 
 Degree of Light from an Opening admirably contrived in. 
 the Centre of the Dome. It was richly adorned with the 
 Statues of all the Gods and GoddefTes fet in Nitches. But 
 the Portico, compofed of fixteen Columns of granate Mar- 
 ble, each of one fmgle Stone, is more beautiful and more 
 furprifmg than the Temple itfelf, fmce thefe Columns are 
 five Feet in Diameter, and thirty-feven Feet high, without 
 mentioning the Bafes and Chapiters. The Emperor Con- 
 ftantius the Third ftripp'd it of the Plates of gilt Brafs that 
 covered the Roof, and of the Beams, which were of the 
 fame Metal. Pope Urban the Eighth afterwards form'd the 
 Canopy of St Peter^ and the great Pieces of Artillery, which 
 are in the Caftle of St. Angela. 
 
 The Magnificence of thefe Structures doubtlefs arofe from 
 a Zeal for the Caufe of Religion, and an ardent Defire to 
 do honour to God : For we find the Pagan World, how- 
 ever diftinguiihed by an Oppofition in Manners, Inclina- 
 tions and Characters, have always been unanimous in ac- 
 knowledging a Reverence and Awe of the Deity, and in 
 paying him that Homage which became reafonable and de* 
 pendent Creatures. Unaflifted by any other Revelation 
 than that internal Ray of Truth, the Light of Reafon, 
 which bearn'd but faintly on weak Minds, they were ex- 
 pofed to frequent Errors both in the Offices and Rites of 
 Religion, and in the common Duties of Life. At firfl the 
 
 Religion 
 
APPENDIX. 317 
 
 Religion of the Pagans, being that handed down from the 
 moft early Ages, was fimple, pure, and unmix'd with any 
 capital Errors, when 
 
 Ihe Voice of Nature ^was the Voice of God. 
 
 Pope. 
 
 And in this Simplicity it continued, till miflaken Notions 
 of the Egyptian Symbols fpread Idolatry through the World, 
 and involved all the Nations in Mifts of Superftition, till 
 all became clouded and obfcured by a Multiplicity of Forms, 
 Ceremonies, and the moft childifh Obfervances. Yet ftilJ, 
 notwithftanding all tliis Degeneracy, a Regard for the eflen- 
 tial Branches of Morality was generally kept up in all 
 Ages and Countries. Wherever we turn our Eyes we find 
 a Reverence for the Deity, we fee Altars, Sacrifices, Priefts, 
 Temples, or other Places devoted to religious Worfhip* 
 by thefe they made a publick Profeffion of an entire Depen- 
 dance on him in all their Undertakings and Neceflities, in 
 all their Adverfities and Dangers the Publick hoped only for 
 Succefs, as they had his Approbation : His fupreme Autho- 
 rity rendered Oaths facred, and Treaties inviolable; no 
 War was declared, no Battle fought, no Enterprize en- 
 gaged in, without his being previoufly invoked; to him 
 they afcribed the Glory of Succefs by publick Thankfgiv-. 
 ings, and by fetting apart the moft valuable of the Spoils* as 
 his indifpenfible Right. In their private Affairs, in their 
 Voyages, Journeys, Marriages, Difeafes, the Aid of the 
 Deity was ftill implored, and with him they began and 
 ended every Repaft. Whenever any one attempted by the? 
 Subtilties of falfe Philofophy to root out thefe Difpofitions, 
 others by fuperior Strength of Argument vindicated the 
 Caufe of Truth, of Virtue, and Religion. And though 
 the former gained a few Profelites, the latter were fure to 
 be countenanced and fupported by publick Authority, by 
 the Voice of the People, and the Friendfhip of all the Wife 
 and Good, But alas ! Superftition was as facred as Truth, 
 
 and 
 
3i8 APPENDIX. 
 
 and it was as dangerous to attack this as to attack Religion 
 itfelf: They were here in Love with Darknefs, and capti- 
 vated by their vain Imaginations, till the Light of Chrifti- 
 anity broke through the Shades, and with convincing Evi^ 
 dence (hew'd them the Way to Life and Immortality. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 «^t&/ 
 
 INDEX 
 
INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 yf B A Sy turned by Ceres into a Newt, or Water-Lizard 
 Jj. Page 12S 
 
 Achelous, who aflumed all Shapes, conquered by Hercules i+g 
 An Explication of this Fable ibid. 
 
 Acheron, one of the infernal Rivers 55 
 
 Achilles y his Birth and Education, 167. Is concealed to prevent 
 his going to Troy, and is difcovered by Ulyjes, 167, 168. Di- 
 vine Honours paid him ibid 
 Acrijius caufes Danae and her Son Perjius to be put into a Cheft, 
 and caft into the Sea, 157. Receives an accidental Hurt, 
 which caufes his Death 158 
 Adaon turned into a Stag, and devoured by his own Dogs, 9 1 . 
 The literal Senfe of the Fable ^ ^ ibid 
 Adonis beloved by Venus, 102. Killed by a wild Boar, turned 
 by that Goddefs into the Flower Anemone ibid 
 ^acus, who, his Hiftory 60 
 ^geus throws himfelf from a Rock, and is drowned in the Sea ; 
 which afterwards was called the Mgean Sea 166 
 Mgis, Jupiter''s Shield, why called by this Name 34. 
 jEgina, corrupted by Jupiter under the Appearance of Fire 37 
 jEolus, God of the Winds, his Hiftory 174 
 jEfculapius, the God of Phyfick, his Birth and Skill, 77. His 
 coming to Italy in the Form of a Serpent, 78. The Origin 
 of the Fable, 78, 79. The Manner in which he was repre- 
 fented 79 
 Alchymy, or the Tranfmutation of Metals, &c. founded only 
 on the Names given to the Planets 27a 
 Alcides, one of the Names of Hercules 151 
 Alcithoe, for deriding the PriefteiTes of Bacchus, transformed into 
 a Bat 133 
 AleSio, one of the Furies 62 
 Alcmena , deceived by "Jupiter under the Form of her Husband 
 Amphytrion 3 7 
 Altars, facred Groves, and Sacrifices, 299. Of the Simpli- 
 city of the moft eaily Ages, and the Introduftions of Altars, 
 299, 300. The Original of facred Groves, 300. Of the an- 
 cieut Sacrifices, 301. Of hum-^n Vi<5lims, 302, 303. The 
 . Ceremo- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Ceremonies ufed at Sacrifices, and the Manner in which they 
 
 were performed 303, 305 
 
 Amaltheea, the Nurfe of Jupiter 34. 
 
 Amazons, defeated by Hercules 14.5 
 
 Ambarvalia, Feftivals in Honour of CVr^/, how performed 128, 
 
 129 
 Amphiont faid to raife the Walls of Tbebes by the Harmony of his 
 Lyre 170 
 
 Amphitritey Neptune's Wife 4.7 
 
 Amycus, Son of Neptune, killed by Pollux 155 
 
 Ancile, a Brafs Buckler, faid to be fent from Heaven 121 
 
 Anteusy a Giant fqueezed to Death by Hercules, 147, 148 
 
 Antiope, debauched by Jupiter in the Form of a Satyr 36 
 
 Apis, the miraculous Ox 194 
 
 Apollo, his Birth, 67, 68. His Adventures, 68, 72. The Prin- 
 cipal Places where he was worihipped, 72, 73, 74. The Ori- 
 gin of the Fable of Apollo, 75. In what Manner he was repre- 
 fented, 76. His Offspring, 77. His Oracle at Delphos de- 
 fcribed, 291, 293. That Temple, and the Riches it contained, 
 
 314* 315 
 Arachne pretending to excell Miner^va in Weaving, is turned into 
 a Spider, 116. The Origin of this Fable 119 
 
 Ariadne gives Thefeus a Clew, by which he gets out of the La- 
 byrinth J but he ungratefully leaves her j fhe is found by Bac- 
 chus, who loves her, 166. Her Crown turned into a Conftel- 
 lation 133 
 
 Argonauts, Jafon''s Companions, who attended him in his Expe- 
 dition to fetch the golden Fleece, 162. The Origin of the 
 Fable of the Argonauts Expedition 1 64 
 
 Argus, who had an hundred Eyes, ordered to watch lo, but is 
 killed by Mercury, when Juno turns him into a Peacock, 38. 
 This Fable explained 38 
 
 Arion, a skilful Mufician, being robbed and thrown into the Sea, 
 is carried to Land on the Back of a Dolphin 170, 171 
 
 Arifieus, his Hiftory 83, 84 
 
 AJieria, carried away by Jupiter in the Shape of an Eagle 36 
 AJirea, returns to Heaven, and is changed into the Conftellation 
 Virgo 200 
 
 Aflrplogy, its Origin ; the Names of the Signs of the Zodiac, 
 and thofe of the Planets, imagined to be Indications of their 
 feveral OfHces, and to produce Good and Evil, according to 
 their Names, 265, 267. The Signs fuppofed to prefide over all 
 the Parts of the human Body 268, 269 
 
 Atalanta and Hippomenes turned into Lions 103 
 
 .^//^j, his Defcent and Offspring, 8> 9- His Exploits, 10. Per- 
 feus, by fhewing him Medufa'% Head turns him into a Moun- 
 tain, ibid. The Origin of the Fable of Atlas 10, 11 
 Atys, beloved by Cybele, is murdered by her Father's Order, 29. 
 Turned into a Pine-Tree 30 
 
 Augeus^s 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Augtas^s Stable, containing three Thoufand Oxen, cleaned by 
 Hercules in a Day, and himfelf flain for his Perfidy 144, 14.5 
 
 Augury f or forming a Judgment of Futurity by the Flight of 
 Birds, 276. From whence it arofe, 276, 277. The Manner 
 in which the Ceremony was performed, and what were the 
 Rules of Judging, 278. Of the facred Chickens, and the 
 other Methods of Divination, 279. Of the College oi Augurs i, 
 and the Qualifications neceflary to render a Perfon capable of 
 being chole into the Office 280 
 
 Aurora J her Defcent, 6. Carries Cephalus ^nd Tithonus into Hea- 
 ven, 7. Her Defcription 8 
 
 ArufpiceSi or foretelling future Events, by infpe61:ing the Intrails 
 of Vi61ims, 281. From whence thefe fuperftitious Obfervances 
 were derived, ibid. The Manner in which the Intrails were 
 examined, arid what were the Rules of Judging, 282, 2S3 
 
 B. 
 
 TyAcchanatia Feftivals, In Honour of Bacchus 135 
 
 X3 Bacchusy his Education and Exploits, 131, 132, 133. His 
 
 Names, 134. His principal Feftivals, 134, 135. How 
 
 reprefented by the Poets and Painters, 136. The true Origin 
 
 of this fabulous Deity 136, 137,' 139, 140 
 
 Belidesy their Crime and Punifhment in Tartarus 6 5 
 
 Seller ophonf his Hiftory, 158, 159. The Origin of this Fable 
 
 160, 161 
 Bellonay the Goddefs of War, defcribed 124 
 
 Boar of Erimanthus taken by Hercules 143 
 
 Bona Deay one of the Titles of Cyhele 29 
 
 Boreasy the North Wind, his Offspring 175 
 
 Bully one that breathed Fire, taken by Hercules 144 
 
 Bufirisy a cruel Tyrant taken by Hercules, and facrificed to 
 Neptune 148 
 
 f^Ahiriy three great Deities introduced from Egypt into Sa-^ 
 
 w/ mothracia 193, 194 
 
 Cacusy the Son of Vulcan^ a notorious Robber, killed by 
 
 Hercides 113 
 
 Cadmus y his Hiftory, 169. He and his Wife Herminne turned to 
 
 Serpents 170 
 
 Calusy the Son of vE^^^r and DieSy 3. Caftrated by 5«?«r« 4. 
 CaliftOy turned into a Fountain 72. 
 
 Califtoy debauched by Jupiter under the Form of Dianay 36, 
 
 Turned into a Bear and made a Conftellation ibid, 
 
 Calujnny, an Altar erefted to her, 208 • A Pi(5hire of this God* 
 
 defs drawn by ^/>f//^j, defcribed ao8, 209 
 
 Cajialiat turned into a Fountain 7 a 
 
 T t Cajlor 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Cajior and Pollux, their Birth and Aftions, 155. Their jfharing; 
 
 Immortality between them, and being made the Conftellation 
 
 Gemini, 156. A Temple erected to them 157 
 
 CecropSy tmiied into Apes 17 
 
 Celeus, killed by Ceres 125 
 
 Cephalusy beloved by Aurora y 7. Kills his Wife Procris without 
 
 Defign 8 
 
 Cerberus defcribed, 58. Dragged out of Hell by Hercules, 146, 
 
 14.7. The Origin of the Fables related of this Monfter, Sj, 
 
 23a 
 Ceres, her Birth, 124. Her Adventures while in Search of her 
 Daughter Proferpine, 125, 17.6. Her feveral Names, and a 
 » Defcription of the Manner in which Sacrifices were offered to 
 her, iz6, 129. The Origin of thefe Fables, and of the mif- 
 terious Rites of Ceres, 129, 130. The Manner in which (lie 
 was reprefented by the Poets and Painters, 130. The Tem- 
 ple of Ceres a.nd Proferpi/ie 31a 
 Ckaos, according to He/ioJ the Father of the Gods, 1 . Defcrib'd 
 by Milton 3 
 Charon, his Office and Charafler, 58. The Origin of this fabu- 
 lous Character 67, a 3a 
 Charjbdis, turned into a Whirlpool 179 
 Chimara, deflroyed by Bellerophon 159 
 Chione, deprived of Speech by Diana 215 
 Circe, a famous Sorcerefs, baniflied for killing her Hufband, 
 84. Falls in Love with Glaucus, and turns "Scylla her Rival 
 into a Sea Monfter, ibid. Turns the Companions of Ulyjfes 
 into Swine, ibid. The Origin of this Fable 84, 85 
 CiJJ'us, transformed by Bacchus into the Plant Ivy 133 
 Clemency, Altars and Temples erefted to this Virtue 205 
 Cljtie, changed into a Sun Flower 7 a 
 Clytoris, deflowered by Jupiter in the Shape of an Ant 37 
 Cocytus, one of the infernal Rivers 55 
 Concordia, or Concord, a Goddefs 203 
 Cupid, two of this Name mentioned by the Poets, 106. The 
 Manner in which Cupid is reprefented by the Poets and Pain- 
 ters, 107. The Origin of this little God derived from the 
 Egyptian Horus ibid. 
 Cybele, or Fejla the Elder, her Hidory, and tlie Defcription of 
 her Image, 28, 29. Her Priefts, Sacrifices, tf<r. 30 
 Cyclops, defcribed, 114. Their Employment, ibid. Killed by 
 Apollo 68 
 Cycnus, turned into a Swan 80 
 Cyparijj'us, turned into a Cyprefs-Tree 69 
 Cypria and Cytherea, Names given to Fetiu^ 10 1 
 
 Danae, 
 
INDEX, 
 
 D. 
 
 "r^Anae, feduced by Jupiter in the Form of a golden Shower 
 
 Daphne J turned into a Laurel -ji 
 
 Deianira, the Wife of Hercules, the innocent Caufe of his 
 Death 149 
 
 Death, tlie Daughter of Nox, or Night 59 
 
 Deities, inferior, attending Mankind trom their Birth to their 
 Deceafe 195, 19S 
 
 Delphos, the Temple, and Oracle of Apollo there 7 3 
 
 Dejiinies, or Fates, their Names and Offices, 56. The Mytho- 
 logy of thefe Charafters ibid, 
 Deucaleon, reilores the Race of Mankind deftroyed by a Deluge 
 
 Diana, her Adventures 90, 91, 92. Her feveral Names, and 
 the different Charafters under which fhe was worfhipped, 93, 
 
 94, 95. The Origin of the Fables relating to this Goddefs, 
 
 95, 96. Her Temple at Ephcfus defcribed 31a 
 Diomede, the Tyrant of Thrace vanquifhed by Hercules, and given 
 
 as a Prey to his own Horfes, who breathed Fire, and were i^di 
 
 with human Flefh 144 
 
 Diflertation on the Theology of the Heathens 210 
 
 Dryades, the Nymphs of the Forefts and Woods 183 
 
 E. 
 
 TT^Choe, has a Daughter by P/^;^, but he flighting her, fhe pined 
 J2j away till fhe had nothing left but her Voice i S i 
 
 Egyptians, their ancient Religion compared with that of the 
 Perfians, 217, 219. The Symbols ufed by the Egyptians gave 
 Rife to Idolatiy, 216, 217, 220. Some Remarks on the Cere- 
 monies ufed at their Funerals, 232. The Improbability of 
 their worfhipping Beafts, Reptiles, and Vegetables, 234, 
 Temples firil built by the Egyptians 309 
 
 Elyfian Fields, defcribed, 65. The Origin of the Fables relating 
 
 to them, 66, 67, 232. 
 Endymion, beloved by Diana, 94. The Origin of this Fable, 
 
 ibid. 
 Epimetheus, opens Pandora's Bo-x. 13 
 
 Epulones, their Office 30S 
 
 EriSlhonius, the Son of Vulcan, the firfl: Inventor of Chariots 1 1 
 Erimanthian Boar, feized by Hercules 143 
 
 Erifichton, puniflied by Ceres with perpetual Hunger 126 
 
 Eumenedes, or the Furies defcribed, 62. The Fable of the Fu- 
 ries explained ibid, 
 Eiiropaf debauched by Jupiter in the Shape of a white Bull, 36, 
 
 j6g, 169 
 T t z F, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Tp^Ame, how reprefented aot 
 
 JO Fauns, or Satyrs y rural Gods 183 
 
 Faunusy a rural God, from whence fprang the Faum 183 
 Faufiitas, or publick Felicity, many Temples confecrated to her, 
 206. How reprefented ibid, 
 
 Feciales, their Office 308 
 
 Feronia, the Goddefs of Woods and Orchards 184. 
 
 Fidesy or Faith, the Mamier in which her Sacrifices were per- 
 formed 204. 
 Flaminesj their Office 307 
 Floray Goddefs of Flowers, her Image defcribed 187, 188 
 Floralia, Feafts in Honour of /7<?r/2 187 
 Fortima, or Fortune , worfbipped as a Goddefs, 201. Her various 
 Names, ibid. How reprefented ibid. 
 Furies, their Office, Chara6lers, and Perfons defcribed, 61, 62. 
 The Fable of the Furies explained 63 
 
 G. 
 
 GAlanthis, changed into a Weafel 14.I 
 
 Ganymede, carrried by Jupiter into Heaven, and made his 
 Cup-bearer, 36, 154. Different Interpretations of this 
 Fable 154 
 
 Genii, or Daemons, attendant Spirits, 191. The Sacrifices and 
 Offerings made them 192 
 
 Ceryon, King of Spain, who had three Bodies killed by Her- 
 cules 145 
 Giants, their War with Jupiter, and Defeat, 22, An Explica- 
 tion of this Fable 24, 25 
 Glaucus, a Fiffierman, made a Sea God 177 
 Golden- Age, defcribed 21 
 Golden-Fleece, an Account of the Ram that bore it. Its being 
 guarded by a Dragon, and Bulls breathing Fire, i6t, 162. 
 And of its being carried away by Jafon 162, 163 
 Good Genius, a Temple ereded to him 207 
 Gorgons, defcribed 178 
 Graces, Three Attendants on the Mufes, 88. Their Origin, 88 
 89. How reprefented 89 
 Graa, Sifters to the Gorg-o;/^, defcribed 178 
 Cro'ves, from whence they vvcre confidered as facred 300 
 
 H. 
 
 Y y A?nadryades, Nymphs who animated fome Tree 1 84 
 
 Jrj[ Harpies, their Names, and a Defcription of them, with the 
 
 Mythology of their Charafters 57 
 
 Harpocrates, tlie God of Silence, liis Origin 207, 208 
 
 Health, her Temple ao6, 207 
 
 Uebey 
 
INDEX. 
 
 fiehe, her^Irth and Hiftory, 153. Is married to Hercules^ ibid* 
 Her Temples, 1 54. Different Interpretations of the Fable 
 
 ibid, 
 Eebrenvsj the Conformity between feveral of their religious 
 ' Rights, and thoie of the neighbouring Pagan Nations ac- 
 counted for ^ ^ 210, 2 la 
 Hecate, one of the Names given to Dianay 95. Her Figure as 
 Goddefs of the infernal Regions, ibid. The Origin of this 
 Goddefs,. and of her different Names and Charadters 95, 96 
 Jielenaj cz.nit& 2iV^?iy hy TheJ^eus 155 
 Helle, when on the Point of being facrificed, is carried through 
 the Air on the Ram that bore the golden Fleece j but falling, 
 is drowned in that Sea, which from her is called tlie Hellefpont 
 
 161 
 Herculesy his Birth, 140, 141. His Labours, 142, 149. His 
 Death, 149, 150. The Origin of thefe Fables 152. 
 
 Hermaphrcditus and Salmacis formed into one Perfon called an 
 Hermaphrodite 9 8 
 
 Hermes, one of Mercury's Names . ^ 97 
 
 He/per ides, their Garden guarded by a Dragon with a hundred 
 Heads } Hercides kills the Dragon, and takes away the gol- 
 den Fruit, 146. An Explication of the Fable of the Hefpe^ 
 rides 152, 153 
 
 Hind, with brazen Feet, and golden Horns, taken by Hercules 143 
 Hippolitus, rejects the Solli citations of Phadra, files to efcape the 
 Effects of her Revenge, and is killed by a Fall from his Cha- 
 riot ^ 166, 167 
 Hippomenes and Atalanta turned into Lions 105 
 Honour, her Temple 203 
 Hope, worlhiped, 204. How prefented ibid. 
 Hora, or the Hours, their Defcent, and how employed loS 
 Hyacinthus, killed by Apollo, and changed into a Flower 69 
 Hjades, lamenting the Lofs of their Brother Hjas, are turned' 
 into Stars la 
 Hydra, a monftrous Serpent killed by Hercules 298 
 Hymen, his Birth, and the Manner in which he was reprefented, 
 108. His Origin an Egyptian Horus ibid, 
 Hyperion, the Son of Calus and Jerra affaffmated 4, ^ 
 
 J. 
 
 yAI^US, his Hiftory, 26. His Image defcribed, 28. The- 
 Meaning of the Fable of janus ibid. 
 
 Japetus, the Father of Epimetheus and Prometheus 1 1 
 
 Jafo?t, his Birth and Education, 161. Undertakes a Voyage to 
 fetch the golden Fleece, which he gains by the Affiftance of 
 Medea, 162. The A6lions of this Sorcerels, who follows him. 
 to Greece. ^^/o«'s leaving her, and her Revenge 163, 164 
 Idolatry, fome Conjedures concerning its Original, 210. >A 
 Ihort View of its Rife and Pi-ogrefs 225 to 229 
 
 Ufirnal 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Infernal Regions^ defcribed 5^ 
 
 Inferior Deities attending Mankind from their Birth to their 
 Deceafe ^ 195 to 198 
 
 Inferior rural Deities 199 
 
 Ino and Palemon turned into Marine Deities 176, 177 
 
 Jo, her Story 38 
 
 lolaus, at the IntercefTion of Hercules reflored to Youth, 143. Af- 
 ter his Death returns to Earth to revenge the Infults offered to 
 t)\t Jieraclida 150 
 
 IriSf the MefTenger of Juno 44. 
 
 Iroquois^ a whimllcal Opinion of theirs 442 
 
 Ifis, Ofiris and Serapis, three Egyptian Gods, whofe Worlhip was 
 introduced at Rome 193 
 
 Itys, murdered by Progne, and turned into a Pheafant laa 
 
 JtinOy her Birth and Names, 43, 44. The Manner in which 
 flie was reprefented 44, 45, 46 
 
 Jupiter, his Birth and Education, 16, 33, 34. His War with 
 the Giants, 17,23. His other Exploits, 34,35,36. His In- 
 trigues, 36, 37, 38. An Explication of the Fables related of 
 Jupiter, 39, 239, 240. The Manner in which he was repre- 
 fented, 41. His Oracle at Dodona defcribed, 288, 289. And 
 that of Jupiter Hammon in Lyhia, 290, 291. The Temple of 
 Jupiter Olympus, fefr. 312, 314. 
 
 IxioKj his Crime and Punifhment in Tartarus 64 
 
 L. 
 
 Y AOMEDON, King of Troy, cheats Apollo ^nd Neptune, who 
 . / ^ puniih him by fending a Peftilence 69 
 
 Lares, domeftick Gods, their Defcent, 189. The Manner 
 in which they were reprefented ^ 1 90 
 
 Latona, the Mother of Apollo and Diana, turns the Clowns of 
 Lycia into Frogs, for refufmg to let her Drink ^ 68 
 
 Leda, debauched by Jupiter in the Shape of a Swan, 36. Brings 
 forth two Eggs 15s 
 
 Lethe, the River of Forgetfulnefs (>S 
 
 Leucippus, ftabbed ^ 71 
 
 Leucothoe, turned into the Tree that bears Frankincenfe 72 
 
 Liberty, Altars and Temples confecrated to her 206 
 
 Linceus, kills Cajior, and is himfelf killed by Pollux 156 
 
 Linus, punifhed with Death for prefuming to imitate Apollo 70 
 Linus, Son of Apollo, his Story, 83. The Origin of the Fa- 
 ble ii^i^' 
 Lucina, one of the Names of Juno and of Diana 94 
 Luna, or the Moon, one of Diana?, Names 94 
 Lupercalia, a Feaft celebrated in Honour of Pan 182 
 Lycaon, for his Impiety and Inhumanity turned into a Wolf 35 
 Ly^as, being hurled into the Air by Hercules, falls into the River 
 Thermopolis, where he is transformed into a Rock 1 50 
 
 Lycian, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Ijciafty Clowns turned into Frogs for muddying the Water 
 when Ceres wanted to drink 12^ 
 
 M. 
 
 Ti/r^NADES, the Priefteffes and Nymphs of P<«ff;faj 138 
 yk/ Magick, of two Kinds, 272. Its Origin, 273. Of call- 
 ing up the Spirits of the Dead 274, to 276 
 Marsy how produced, 120. His different Names, ibid. His In- 
 trigue with r^vz^/, III. His Offspring, 122. The Origin of 
 the Fables relating to this God, 123. The Manner in which 
 he has been reprefented by Poets, Painters, and Statuaries 124. 
 Marfyas, pretending to equal Apollo in Mufick is liea'd alive, and 
 afterwards changed into a River 70 
 Medea^ a Sorcerefs, affifts Jafon in obtaining the golden Fleece, 
 162. Her Exploits 163 
 Medufa, her Hair turned to Snakes by Minewaf and why, 116. 
 All that looked at her turned to Stones ibid, 
 Meg^ra, one of the Furies 6z 
 Meiantko, furprized by Neptuney as (he was riding on a Dolphin, 48 
 Mcleager, his Story, 91. His Sillers turned into Hen Turkies 9z 
 Mentha, changed into Mint • 51 
 Mercwy, his Birth, Thefts, and other Exploits, 6^y 96. His 
 various Offices, 97, 98. The real Origin of this fabulous 
 Deity 99, 100 
 Mercy, Altars and Temples erefled to this Virtue 205 
 Midas y for giving an unjuil Sentence againft Apollo ^ is rewarded 
 with AfTe's Ears, 70. Bacchus grants his Wifli, that whatever 
 he touclied might be changed into Gold 133 
 Mlnerojaj her feveral Names, 115,116. Her Chara<51:er and Ex- 
 ploits, 116,117. Her Temples, Statues, <s'<:. 117,118. The 
 Origin of this Goddefs, and of the Fables related of her, i iS, 
 119. How re'prefented by the Poets and Sculptors 120 
 Mi7ios, one of the Judges of Hell, his Hiftory 60 
 Minotaury a Monller who lived on human Flelh, killed by 
 T:'hefeus 166 
 Mnevis or Apis, the Ox adored in Egypt 1 ^4. 
 Moz««^, ceniures the Aftions of the Gods 173 
 Morpheus y the God of Sleep defcribed 174, 
 Mufesy their Birth and dilliu6l Provinces, 85, 86. Their Ori- 
 giii 87 
 Mythology of the Heathens, 230. Of Fiction in general, 231. 
 By what Means Allegories became Objeas of Faith, illuftrated 
 by fome Obfervations on the Ceremonies with which the Egjp- 
 tia/is burled their Dead, 232. A Prayer uled by the Ee)p- 
 tians at their Funerals, 252, 233. The Improbability of tlieir 
 worfhiping Bealls, Reptils and Vegetables, 234. Many of. 
 the Heathen Fabks derived from the Fictions of the Poets, a 
 Concern for the Honour of the Ladies, and a Similitude of 
 
 Names, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Karnes, 135, 240. The Sentiments of the Pagans in Rek* 
 lation to the Origin of the World, compared with thofe given 
 us by Mofesy 441, 244. Of the golden Age, as defcribed by 
 the Philofophers and Poets, 244, 246. Of the Fall of Man, 
 as defcribed by Pythagorasy PlatOy and feveral Indian and Cki- 
 »<?/^ Authors, 246, 250. Of good or bad Daemons, 250. Of 
 the Fables of the Tiians and Giants, &c, 251. Traditions re- 
 lating to the Univerfal Deluge, 252, 253. The Seventh Day 
 the Sabbath of the Heathens, 254. The Heathen Fables filled 
 with noble Gentiments, 255, 256. Of the Morals of the 
 Creek and Roman Philofophers, 257, 260. In what Pagan 
 Idolatry coniifted a6i, 264 
 
 N. 
 
 "KTAtD ESy Nymphs of Brooks and Rivers 184 
 
 JL\ Napceay the tutelar Guardians of Valleys and flowry Meads 
 
 l^emaean Lion, killed by Hercules 142 
 
 liemefisy one of the Goddelles of Juflice, how reprefented 200 
 ^eftuney his Defcent, 46. His remarkable Adlions, 47. The 
 mythological Senfe of this Fable, 49. The Manner in which 
 he was painted 50 
 
 Uereus, a Sea God » 175, 176 
 
 Nereids f Sea Nymphs, the fifty Daughters of Nereas 176 
 
 Nejfusy the Centaur, killed by Hercules with a poifoned Arrow 149 
 Niley its periodical Overflowing renders figurative Symbols, and 
 the Study of the Heavens, necefTary in Egypt 213, 215 
 
 Niobe's, Children flain by Apollo ^ and herfelf^llupified with Grief 
 for the Lofs of her Children, is turned into a Stone, 70. The 
 Origin of this Fable 71 
 
 Nox, and her Progeny . 59 
 
 Nyfusj after having loll his Purple Lock of Hair, and his King- 
 dom, is transformed into a Hawk 179 
 
 o. 
 
 OCEANUSy the Son of Caeliis and Terra 5 
 
 Omphale, Queen of Lydiay gains fuch an Afcendant over 
 Herculesy as to make him fit among her Women and ipin 
 
 149 
 
 OpSy one of the Names of Cybele 28 
 
 Qrcadcs, Nyrnphs who prefided over the Mountains 183 
 
 OrioHy his furprifing Birth, 174. Killed by Z>/^/7^, and made a 
 
 Conllellation 175 
 
 Orpheus y his Story, 81. The Origin of this Fable 81 
 
 Of Oracles, 284. That much of the Happinefs of Life is owing ' 
 
 to our Ignorance' of Futurity, 285. On the firft Rife of 
 
 OraQles, and the Ufe made of them by the greatefl; Legifia- 
 
 tors, 
 
i N D E x; 
 
 tors, 485, 288. Of the Oracle of Jupiter at Dodona^ i%%i 
 289. A remarkable Circumftance relating to this Oracle, 
 890. Of the Oracle of Jupiter Hammon in Lybia, 290, 291. 
 Of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphos ; a Tradition concerning 
 the Rife of it, and the Manner in which its Anfwers were 
 delivered, 291, 293. Of the Oracle of Tro/)/;o;;/«j, 294.. 295. 
 Of the Oracles of the Brarichida: Of Apollo at Clarosy and 
 that of Mercurj in Achaia^ 295, 296. Some Obfervations on 
 the different Ways by which the Senfe of the Oracles were 
 conveyed 297, 299. 
 
 Palamon and /«o changed into Marine Deities 176, 177 
 
 Pales the Goddefs of Shepherds 185 
 
 P.aliliay Feafts in Honour of Pales 1 8 5 
 
 Palladium, a Statue of Minerija faid to fall down from Hea- 
 ven 1 1 8 
 Pallas y one of the Names of Miner<va 1 1 5 
 Pan, the Chief of the rural Gods, 180; His Amours, 181. 
 His Feftiyals, and the Manner in which he is defcribed by 
 Poets and Painters i8i 
 Pater Patratusy his Office 3o5? 
 Pandora, the firft Woman, 12. Her Box, ibid. The Evils that 
 fpread from thence amongft Mankind, 13. This Fable ex- 
 plained 24.6 
 Parca, or Deftinies, their Office, and the Mythology of their 
 Charafters 56 
 Paris, defides the Difpute between the three GoddefTes, and 
 gives the golden Apple to Venus 103 
 Peace, an Altar erefted to her, 202. How reprefented 207 
 Pecunia, or Money, a Goddefs 207 
 Pegafus, a flying Horfe, how produced, 88. The Origin of 
 the Fable 88, 89 
 Panates, domeftick Deities, 19a. Three Ranks of them 191 
 Perfeus, his Defcent, 157. The Gifts he received from the 
 Gods, 158. Cuts off Medufas Head, ibid. Tnvns Atlas into 
 a Mountain, 10. Delivers Andromeda, founds an Academy^ 
 dies, and is placed among the Stars> 158. An Explanation of 
 X.\\Q'£3h\e o^ Perfeus 2iiiA Andromeda 160 
 Phabe and Tahjra carried away by Cajlor and Pollux 156 
 Phoebus, one ot the Names oi Apollo 7a 
 Phadra, attempts to debaiich her Son Hippolitus, her Suit is re- 
 jefted, and ihe lays violent Hands on herfelf 166, 167 
 Phaeton, obtains Leave of his Y^\\\tx Apollo, to drive the Chariot 
 of the Sun for one Day ; but loling the Reins, is ftruck down 
 hy .Jupiter, -/(), %o. His Sifters turned into poplar Trees, 80. 
 The Origin of this Fable 80, 81 
 P/'/7o///^//2, her difmal Story i2z 
 Phineus, tormented by the Harpies, for revealing tl>e Myfteries 
 of Jupiter 57 
 Phlegethon, one of the infernal Rivers 55 
 U u Phlegjae, 
 
index; 
 
 Phlegyas, bums the Temple of Apollo, is punifhed in Tartarus 64 
 Phorcusy or Phorcys, one of the Sons of Neptune, being van- 
 quilh'd by Atlas, who threw him into the Sea, is changed 
 into a Sea God 178 
 
 Phryxus, rejefts the Advances of Ino, and efcapes the Effefts of 
 her Revenge, by being carried through the Air on the Ram 
 that bore the golden Fleece 161, i6a 
 
 Picas, turned into a Wood-pecker 84 
 
 Piety, or filial AfFe6lion, what it was that occafioned a Chapel 
 being erefted to this Virtue 204, 205 
 
 Planets, the Names given them, became Indications of their 
 feveral Offices, 265, 267. Why they were fuppofed to pro- 
 duce Metals, 269 
 Pleiades, the Daughters of Atlas, taken up into Heaven, where 
 they form the Conftellation that bears their Name 9 
 Pluto, his Defcent, 50. Stea.h 2i-w3.y Proferpine, 51. His feveral 
 Names, 52. The Manner in which he is reprefented by the 
 Painters and Poets, ibid. The Mythology of the Fable, 52, 53 
 Pollux and CaJIor, their Birth and Exploits, 155. Share Im- 
 mortality between them, and are made the Conftellation 
 Gemini, 156. A Temple erefted to them 157 
 Polyphemus, a monftrous Giant with but one Eye 114 
 Pomona, the Goddefs of Fruit Trees, courted and married by 
 Vertmnnus 188 
 Pontifex Maximus, or the High Prieft, his Office 307 
 Priapus, the tutelar Deity of Vineyards and Gardens, 185. The 
 feveral Names given him, and his Image defcribed 186 
 Priejis and PrieJleJJes of the Greeks and Romans, 305, 306. Of 
 the Pontifex Maximus, or the High Prieft, 307. Of the Rex 
 Sacrorum, ibtd. Of the Flamines, ibid. Of the Feciales, 308. 
 Of the Pater Patratus, ibid. Of the Epulones ibid, 
 Procrujies, killed by Thefeus 165 
 Prodigies, the Superftition of the Romans, in Relation to them, 
 and hov^ they may be accounted for 270, 271 
 Progne and Philomela, their difmal Story 122 
 Prometheus makes a Man of Clay, and animates him with Fire 
 ftol en from Heaven, 12. His Punilhment, 13. Delivered by 
 Hercules, 148. This Fable explained 13, 246 
 PropcBtides, turned into Stones 103 
 Proferpine, carried av/ay by P/m/(?, 51. Her various Names, 54. 
 The mythological S'enfe of the Fable, ibid. Her Mother 
 Ceres, goes in fearch of her, and the Adventures fhe meets 
 with 125, 126 
 Proteus, the Son of Neptune, one that could transform himfelf 
 into any Shape 177, 178 
 Pryene turned into a Fountain 92 
 Fudicitia, or Chaftity, honoured at Rome under two Names 205 
 Pyg?nalion, falls in Love with a Statue of his own making, 
 which Venus, at his Requeft, turns into a Woman 103 
 
 Pyrrha, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Pjrrha, the Wife of Deucalion 14. 
 
 Python, a monftrous Serpent flain by Apollo \ and the Origin of 
 
 the Fable 75 
 
 R. 
 
 j^Hadamanthusy one of the Judges of Hell 60 
 
 jLV Rex Sacrorum, his Office 307 
 
 Rheaf one of the Names of Cybele a 8 
 
 s. 
 
 SACRIFICES, originally extremely fimple, 301. Of human 
 O Viftims, 302, 303. The Ceremonies ufed at Sacrifices, 
 and the Manner in which they were performed 303, 305 
 Salmoneus punifhed in Tartarus for imitating Thunder, &c. 65 
 Salusj or Health, her Temple, 206,207. How reprefented ibid 
 Saturn caftrates his Father Ceelus, 4. Devours his Male Chil- 
 dren, 16. Taken Prifoner by Titan, but fet at Liberty by 
 Jupiter, who afterwards dethrones him, 17. The Fable of 
 -J^/arw explained, 17, 18, 20. Feftivals in Honour of Saturn, 
 19. His Amours ibid, 
 
 Satyrsy the Attendants of Bacchus defcribed, 139. Their Ori- 
 gin 139, 14.0 
 Sciron, killed by Thefeus 165 
 Scylla, the Daughter of Phorcus, turned by Circe into a Mon- 
 fter, 84. Throws herfelf into the Sea and is changed i^to a 
 Rock 179 
 Scylla, the Daughter of Nyfus, betrays her Father, by cutting 
 off a Purple Lock of Hair, and is turned into a Lark 179 
 Semele deftroy'd by Jupiter"^ Embraces 3 8 
 Serapis, an Egyptian God worlhipped at Rome 195 
 Silence, worfhipped by the Romans, 207. The Origin of this 
 fuppofed Deity 207, 208 
 Silenus, the Companion of J?/«fC/&?<.r, defcribed, 138. The Origin 
 of this fabulous Charadler 139 
 Silnjer Age, defcribed 4.* 
 Sijiphus, his Punifliment in Tartarus 64. 
 Stable of Augeas cleaned by Hercules 144 
 Stymphalides, monftrous Birds deftroyed by Hercules 143 
 Styx, a River of Hell 55 
 Syl'vanus, a rural Deity 138 
 Syrens, defcribed, 89. The Origin of the Fable 89, 90 
 Syrinx flies from Pan, and is changed into a Tuft of Reeds 181 
 
 T, 
 
 CrAUTA LUS his Crime and Punifhment in Tartarus 64, 65 
 
 JL Tartarus defcribed, 61. The fabulous Perfons punifhed 
 
 there, 63, 64, 65. The Origin of thefe Fables 66,67 
 
 temples firft built by the Egyptia7is, 309. The Ceremonies ufed 
 
 by the Romans before they began to build a Temple, 310. Of 
 
 U u a the 
 
INDEX. 
 
 the Temple of Vulcan at Memphis, and an extraordinary Chapel 
 hewn out of one Stone, 311. Of the Temple of D'tana^ at 
 Ephefusy 31a. Of the Temple of Ceres and Proferpiney ibid. 
 A particular Defcription of the Temple of Jupiter Olympus, 
 of his Statue and his Throne, 312, 314.. Of the Temple of 
 4pollo at DelphoSy and the immenfe Treafures it contained, 
 314,315. Of the Temples in /z'^x/y, 316. The P<2^«« World 
 unanimous in exprefllng a Reverence and Awe of the Deity, 
 
 316, 318 
 Theology of the Heathens , a Diflertation upon it, a 10. Some Con- 
 je6lures concerning the Original of Idolatry, ibid. The Con- 
 formity between feveral religious Rites of the Hehrenvs, and 
 thofe of the neighbouring Pagan Nations accounted for, 210, 
 a 1 2. The Reaibn of the Names given to the Signs of the 
 Zodiack, 212, 213. The Overflowing of the Nile renders fi- 
 gurative Symbols, and the Study of the Heavens, neceflaiy in 
 Egypty 213, 215. Thefe Symbols miftaken by the Vulgar for 
 real Objefts, 216, 217. The ancient Religion of the Egyptians 
 and Perfians compared, 217, 219. The Greeks and Romans 
 derive their numerous Deities from the Egyptian Symbols, 220. 
 The Sentiments of the Greek and Ro?nan Philofophers and 
 Poets, on the grand Principles of Religion, the Being and 
 Perfections of one infinitely good and Almighty Being, 220, 
 223. Some Obfervations oh four Grecian Seels or Schools, 224, 
 225. A (hort View of the Rife and Progrefs of Idolatry, 
 225, 229. 
 Tereusy after marrying PrognCy falls in Love with her Hfter Philo- 
 meluy 122. Her barbarous Treatment, and Pro^-';^'s Revenge j 
 Tereus\ being turned into a Lapwing, Progne into a Swallow, 
 their Son //>.r into a Pheafant, and Philomela xnXo a Night- 
 ingale. ibicL 
 Terminus y the God who prefided over Landniarks 186 
 Terra y the Mother and Wife of Calus 3 
 Tethysy the Wife and Sifter of Oceanus . 5 
 Theia, the Daughter of Ccelus and Terra, marries Hyperion, 4 
 Difappears in a Storm of Thunder and Lightening 5 
 Themisy her Birth and Aftions ' aoo 
 Theology of the Heathens 210 
 Theophaney changed into an Ewe by Meptuney who debauches her 
 under the Form of a Ram* 48 
 Thefeus, his Birth and Exploits 165, 167 
 TirefiaSy deprived of Sight b^ Miner'va, but receives the Gift of 
 Prophecy ' 116 
 Tifipho7iey one of the Furies, being rejefted by Cytharon, kills hini 
 by throwing one of her Snakes at him 61 
 Titans, make War on y^/zV^r, and are fubdued 16 
 Tithonus marries Aurora, and obtains Immortality 5 but growing 
 decripid with Age is turned into a Graihopper 7 
 T^tyusy Jiis Punifhment in Tartarus ' 63 
 
 Triptolemus^ 
 
INDEX. 
 
 TriptolemuSy fed by Ceres, and fent by her in a Cliariot to inftruft 
 Mankind in the Benefit of Tillage 12 jj 
 
 Triton, the Son of Neptune defcribed 176 
 
 Trophoniusy his Oracle defcribed 494, 295 
 
 Truth, how reprefented 205, 206 
 
 Tyndarida, who ^ 155 
 
 "Typhon, or Typhaus, one of the Giants who made War againft 
 Jupiter, 23. His Figure defcribed 24. 
 
 TyrhenianyiQicYiZ.nt^ changed by Bacchus into Dolphins 131 
 
 V. 
 
 T/'E N U S, how produced, 100. Her various Names, loi, 
 A^ Her Actions, 102, 103. An Explanation of thefe Fables, 
 104, 105. How reprefented, 105, 106. Her Atten- 
 dants, 106, 107, 108 
 Vertumnalia, Feafts in Honour of Vertumnus 188 
 Vertumnus and flora, their ftory, 188. Vertumnus thought by 
 fome to be an Emblem of the Year 189 
 Vepa the Elder, her Hiftory, 28. The Manner in which flie is 
 reprefented 29 
 Vejiaxht younger, theGoddefs of Fire, 31, 32. Her Chaftity, 3a 
 Veftal Virgins yv 
 Victory, a Goddefs, how reprefented 206 
 Virginia the Daughter of Aulus dedicates a Chapel to Pudicitia 
 Plebeia ^ 205 
 Virtue and Honour, Temples erected to them 205 
 Vulcan, his Imployment, and the curious Works he performed, 
 109, no. His various Names, 110. Difcovers Mars with 
 his Wife Venus, by Means of a Net, and expofes them to the 
 Ridicule of the Gods. m. The Manner in which he was 
 reprefented, ibid. The Origin of thefe Fables, 112. His 
 Offspring, 112. 114. His Temple at M^w//6// defcribed 311 
 
 u. 
 
 J rlY S S E S difcovers Achilles, notwithftanding his being dif- 
 C/ guifed, and takes him with him to the Siege of Troy x6j 
 
 i6g 
 Uranus the Son of ^ther and Dies j 
 
 X. 
 
 yiSUTHR us, faved from the Deluge, a Chaldean Tr^, 
 •^ dition 25J 
 
 Z- 
 
 yEPHYR US blows Apollo's Quoit againft Hyacinfhus^s Head, 
 
 ^ and kills him , 69 
 
 Zodiac, its Invention, and the Reafon of the Names given to 
 
 the^ Signs, 212, 213. Thefe Names became Indications of 
 
 their feveral Influences or Offices, 265, 267. Each of the 
 
 Signs fuppofed to govern fome Part of the human Body 268 
 
it^ t?i^ <^iS» =?iPP <^ C7if5» c?(f§) ^f§) ^ rafs) < 
 
 Thg READER is defir'd to eorreSi the following Errors of the 
 Prefsy viz. 
 
 PAGE 16 the laft Word, 'viz.. being, read Delinjerance. Page 
 92 Line'18, dele the Word t^wo. Page 113 Line 15, for him 
 read the^n. Page 204. Line laft but one, for Sailor read Coaler, 
 Page 212 Line 17 dele the Word other. 
 
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