rPLE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

A39002008571466B

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

THE

Antient Religion

OF THE

GENTILES, A -N D ; '^ \- ,
"Si ) '
C-a uses of their E r r o r $
CONSIDER 'D:
The Miftalces and Failures of the Heathen
Priefts 'and Wife- Men, in their Notions of the
Deity y and Matters of Divine Worfoip, are
EXAMIN'D;
With regard to their being altogether deftitute of
DIVINE REVELATION.
W3r& * Compkat INDEX.

By the Learned and Judicious
EdmrdL*HEG(JBEQ(To{Cherbury, &c

L 0 $ D 0 bJ:
Printed, for John Nutt, neat Stationers-Hall, 170 5.

To the Right Honourable
JOHN
EARL of CARBERY,
LORD
VAUGHAN O F
MOLINGAR
In the Kingdom of Ireland 5
liaron of Emmylin
In SOVTH WALES, Sea
The Noble PoflelTor and Patron of
Polite Learning:
This prefent Tranflatiori with all due Submiffi-
on, is Dedicated by
His Honours
Moft devoted humble Servant,
William Lewis,

THE
L I F E
OF THE
AUTH O R *
With an Account of his WORKS.
THE Noble and Learned Author
of the enfuing Sheets, was de
fcended of the Antient and Ho
nourable Family of the Herberts, in the
bounty of Monmouth. The Son oi Richard
Herbert Efquire , and Magdalen his Wife 5
Daughter of Sir (Richard Newport of High-
Jrcall, in the County of Salop, and after
wards created Lord Newport $ of whom that
Noble Peer and Patriot the prefent Earl of
Bradford is lineally defcended. He was
Born in the Caftle of yiontvpmery, and
there Educated under a Don^ftick Tutor,
till lie arriv'd at fourteen Years of Age.
A 3 His

yi The Life of the Author.
i !'; " m .ji.ii 11 ¦ ¦ i  n  i~i - - . . j j in l
His tender Years Exhibiting fuch en- .
^puragin^ Specimens, of what his more
Adult ..and Mature would produce 5 His
Parents judg'd it convenient to fepd him to
Oxford, ^where he was enter d Gent. Com
moner of Uniyerftty College, that no op
portunities might be wanting, to culti-
yate and improve his tranfcendent Geni
us,' which in its very dawning appear'd
fo bright and refulgent.
During his being there, he was neither
deficient in Induftry nor Indoly to lay a
true and folid Foundation of Univerfal
Knowledge and good Literature 3 with
which afterwards he became fo eminent
ly accomplifli'd.Having fpent fome considerable time
in Academical Studies, he Travels, and
applies himfelf to Study the Art of War,
and Military Exercifes : Nor did that in
the leaft obstruct or retard his making Juft
and Curious Obfervations on the Genius
and Polity of the Courts where he refi-
ded 5 but being Mafter of a profound Pe
netration, the compleat Soldier and States man

77>e Li/e of the Author.

man centred in him; both of whic
mod eminently appear in his incomparaft
Hijlory of Henry the Eighth,, Not lortg-
after his return Home? his Sovereign, King
James the Firft, as a particular inftance of
the lingular Value and Efteem he had for
fuch extraordinary Merit j made him
J^night of the Bath, and his Counfellour in
Civil and Military Affairs 5 and foon after
wards fent him AmbalTadour to the Court
of France, to procure terms of Accommo
dation and Relief for the poor Perfecuted
and DiftrelTed Proteftant Subjects of that
Kingdom, who groan'd under moft in
tolerable Cruelties and Oppreflions from
the then ' predominant Miniftry. This
difficult Employment for five Years toge
ther he difcharged with undaunted Cou
rage and Refolution, and admirable E)ex-
terity and Addrefs, worthy of the great
Character he bare, Maugre all the violent
Obftru&ions and Oppofitions he met with
front Perfons of the greateft Figure and
Intereft at that Court. At laft in the vi
gorous Profecution of his Commiffipn, he
A 4 coa^

The Life of the Author.

>nfronted De Luyens, then Conftable -of
France, ( a moft Arrogant, Haughty, and
'Uncontroulable Perfon ) he refented it fo
highly, that applying himfelf to his Mafter
Lewis the XIII. he at laft, by his repeated
Solicitations, proctir'd him to be recall'd.
This rather increas'd than diminifh'd
his Intereft with his own Prince 5 for King
James in the Twenty fecond Year of his
Reign, created him a (peer of Ireland, by
the Title of Baron of Caftle-lfland.
After his Deceafe, King Charles his Son,.
not only entertain'd him in the fame ca
pacity of Counfellour, but in the Fifth
Year of bis Reign, advancd him to the.
Dignity of a Peer of this Realm, by the
Title of Baron of Cherbury in the County
of Salop. >
He was excellently Qualified with the;
knowledge of Languages and Arts, and
was no lefs vers d in the Study of Mankind
and Books. He cultivated an intimate
friendfliip, and kept a conftant Corre-
fpondence with moft of the Learned Men
in his Time ; and was an induftrious Col
lector,

The Life of the Author. jx
lector, as well as curious Judge of trM
moft Valuable and Critical Books ff as ip
manifeft by the Complaints lie makes to
the Famous Arehbifhop Ufher, of the
Difficulties and Obstructions he met with,
in procuring the Learned Mr. Camden's
Books. He hath oblig'd the World with feveral
Excellent tracts in the Latin Tongue.
As, De Veritate, Of Truth, Printed at
(par is, in the Year 1624. and Reprinted
in 1633. afterwards at London, in 164J.
Which, for the Sublimity of the Subject,
and Delicacy of the Management, hath
met with a moft welcome Reception a-
mongft the Learned in all Parts. In the
Year 1 639. it was Tranflated and Prin
ted in French ; a Copy whereof was re
ported in the Tope's Library in the Va
tican. De Caujts Errorum, una cum Tra&atu de
(Religione Laid, <£r Appendice ad Sacer dotes.
Of the Caufes of Errors, with a Tract, Of
the Layman's Religion, and an Appen
dix to the Clergy. Several

K The Life of the Author.
_;"-^ in'.
Several excellent Pieces of Poetry ; as,
Wxpeditio Buckinghamii Ducis in (Rbeam In-
julam ; The Expedition of the Duke of
Buckingham to the Ifle of (Rhea, in 1630.
Occafional Verfes and Poems, Printed
at London, in 166^, *
Lachrym& Lachrymarum, The Spring of
Tears, on the jmoft lamented Death of
Prince Henry.
And this Subfequent Treatife of the
(Religion of tie Gentiles, and the Caufes of their
Errors, &c. Publifh'd firft by the Learn
ed Jfaac Volfius, Son. to the Celebrated
Gerrard John Vojfius, at Amfterdam, \66%.
When the late Civil and Inteftine Wars
Diftracted and Imbroil'd , this wretch
ed and unhappy Kingdom j the jRebelli-
ous Party growing Predominant in thofe
Parts, entirely Demolifh'd his Seat, the
Caftle of Montgomery.
His Son Richard, and afterwards Lord
Herbert, Rais'd a (Regiment of Foot and a
Troop of Horfe, for the Service of his
Royal Mafter, maintaining them at his
own Charge, and it is very credibly re
ported.

T\ie Life of the Author. xi
 ' • ' '-.j*
ported, that by their often Recruiting, thej
amounted to no lefs than Two thoufanal
Eight hundred Men. Thefe he conftantly
kept up, until his Majefty had entirely loft
South Wales $ at which time there were but
Thirty of both remaining Alive.
Upon the Twentieth of Augufr in the
Year 1 648. This Glory of his Country,
and Ornament of Learning, Departed this
Life, at his Houfe in Great Queen Street 5
and was Interr'd near the Chancel of the
Parifh Church of St. Giles in the Fields :
On his Tomb- Stone, according to his own
direction, is this Infcription,
Hie Inhumatur
Corpus Edwardi Herbert,
Equitis Balnei,
Baronis de Cherbury
&C Cajlle IJland;
Auctoris Libri cui eft Titulus,
De Veritate.
Red dor ut Herb a,
Viceflimo die Juguft<e, Anno Dom. 1 6*48.

Th

us

xii The Life of the Author.
Thus Englifli'd.
Here lies Intend, the Body of Edward
Herbert, JQiight of the Bach, Baron of
Cherbury, and Caftle-Ifland ; Author of
the Book, Intituled, Of Truth. I became as
the Grafs, On the Twentieth Day of Auguft,
1648. •He left a moft Ingenious Defign of a
Curious and Stately Monument, which he
once intended fhould be Erected for him,
Vi% On the Ground, an Hath-Pace of Fourteen
Foot Square ; , on the midfl a Dorick. Column,
with all 'its (Rights, of (pedefial and Capital,
Fifteen Foot in Height. On the Capital of
this Column is an Urn, Mounted with an Heart
Flambeul, Supported by two Angels. The
Foot of the Column is attended by four Angels,
at each Corner of the faid Hath-Pace 5 two
having Torches Refers d, extingui filing the
Motto .of Mortality j the other two holding
Palms, the Emblems of Yi^ory. The

The Life of the Author.

The following Pages, containing; a
Celebrated Piece of this moft defervedljl
Renown'd Perfon, and having gain'd fuch
Univerfal Approbation amongft the Learn
ed ; having been Printed twice at Amfter*
dam, and yet is fo very fcarce here, that it
is feldom met with, and rarely known,
but only by the Curious Enquirers into, and
Diligent Searchers after Polite Learning 5
encourag'd the prefenting it to our own
Country in an Englijh Drefs 5 not questi
oning but the Intnnfick Value and extra
ordinary Merit of the Subject will fuffici*
ently atone for any Imbecility in the
Translation, and fufficiently recommend
it to the Intelligent and Judicious ; who
Will find in it fuch an ample and com-
pleat Repofitory of Antient Learning and
Mythology, as can fcarce be Collected
from many Bulky and Voluminous Au
thors 5 the whole fo well, adapted, and
pertinently applied, that in a moftEm-
phatical manner ic proclaims the profound
Judgment, and indefatigable Induftry of
the Compiler. THE

-T H E
CONTENTS Of the Several
CHAPTERS

T

CHAP. I.
HE Qccafion of the whole Work. Pag. r.
CHAP. IL

The Religions Worfhip of the Heathens; what
they antiently meant by God j what was the firft
and chief Objetl of their Worfhip. p. 7.
CHAP. III.
Why fo many various Appellations were formerly
given to God, and what they were. p. z%.
CHAP. IV.
0/ the Various Worfhip of the Sun, and his fever al
Names. p. 3 a.
CHAR

" ' »'
The Contents.

CHAP. V.
Of the Names of the Planets, and their heingrt-
duc d to tbe §xm. p. 49.
CHAP. VI.
Of the Worfhip of the Moon, and its different
Names. p. $z.
CHAP. vir.
Concerning the Adoration of the five Planets, p. 64.
CHAP. VIII.
Of the Adoration of the Fixed Stars. p.^ 79?
CHAP. IX.
Of the Worfhip of Heaven. p. 87?
CHAP. X.
Concerning the Adoration of the Four Elements^
and their fever al Nantes. p. 104.
CHAP. XI.
Concerning the Worfhip of Heroes, either Propet
fir Symbolical j what Gods were called In-
digetes;

The Contents

digetes, W w/fo Dii Minorum Gentium. p. i6i<
CHAP. XII.
Of the Worfhip of the Gods called Conlentes &
Dii Majorum Gentium. p. 184.
CHAP. XIII,
Of tbe Sapream God. p. 1 5$'
CHAP. XIV.
An Effay, concerning the fir (I Caufes of Religion
amongft the Heathens. p. xyo.
CHAP. XV.
*
Of the moft Sound parts of the Religion of the
Heathens. p. 19 7*
CHAP. XVI.
A Cenfure of the Religion of the Heathens, and
the Qccapon of it. P« 366\

THE

¦—m

THE
RELIGION

O F T H E

GENTILES WITH THE
C AU S E S of their Errors.

chap. i.
The Occafion of the whole Work.
'HEN, for a long time I had erri-
ploy'd my moft ferious Thoughts,
in confidering whether a-ny com
mon Means for the obtaining Eter-
were fo propofed to all Mankind t
that from N thence we might neceffarily conclude
ahd infer the Certainty of an Univerfal Divine ~Pro-
vidence, I met with many Doubts and Difficulties j
not eafie to be folv'd. I found , that very ma
ny Fathers of the Church had not only a mean
and contemptible Opinion of the antient divulged
Religion of the Heathens , but alfo abfolutely
ahd entirely conderan'd it. The Divines of this
laft Age alfo pronounce as fevere a Sentence a-
gainft all thofe that are without their Tale ,• fo that,
B accor-

The RELIGION of

'"according to their Opinions , the far greateft part
of Mankind muft be inevitably fentenced to Eter
nal Punimment. . Hju^
* This appearing to me too rigid and fevere to
be confiftent with the Attributes, of the Moft Great
and Good GOD, I began to confuk the Writings
of the Heathens themfelves.^ But when, by their
own Hiftories, I found their Gods were often not
only meer Men, but alfo fome of the moft vile ,•
and when I had ©bferv'd that their Religious Wor
fhip, Rites and Ceremonies, were ridiculous and
extravagant, I was very much inclin'd to be of
the common Opinion againft them. But then a-
gain; wheal confider'd that this was altogether
incompatible with the Dignity of an Universal Di-
iilae .Providence, T' began to make a diligent En
quiry, whether they meant the fame by G O D
as we now do..
Now by GOD we underftand a Perfect , Im-
menfe, and Eternal Being ; and I found , that
with them it fometimes fignified Nature, or a cer
tain Imperfedr., Finite, and Tranfitory Power ; fo
that not only Heaven, the Planets, Stars, Etherial
and Aerial Spirits ; but thofe Men alfo who had de-
ferved well of Mankind in general , or their own
Country in particular, were unanimoufly tranf-
lated into the Number of their Deities. Their Em-
fgroars- alfo ( fome of whom were the worft of
Men ) were deified in their lifetime j and even
the Fever, Fear, and Palenefl were efteem'd Gods
and Goddeffes by them ,• fo that they afcribed
Divine Honour to whatfoever was above the com
mon Rank of Mankind, or exceeded the Appre-
henfion of the Vulgar : But ftill it is very evi
dent , that where-ever we find the Attributes of
Str/rmws, Opimm, Maximm ,• Moft Supreme, Moft
.4 Good,

Chap. I. the GENTILES. 3
Good , and Moft Great , they meant the fam#
GOD and common Father with us. So that
the Homonomy of the Word being explained ,
the Doubts that arife by comparing our GOD
with theirs , will foon be cleared.
But yet neither their Religious Worfliip or
Rites, could ever make me have an ill Opinion of
the Common People , they being the Invention
of the Priefts only ,• wherefore this Crime ought
folely tote imputed to their Great Men , and not
to the Populace , who were only paffive in the
matter. I fuppofe none will deny but that Priefts
have introduced Superftition and Idolatry, as well
as fown Quarrels and DifTentions where- ever they
came : This inclin'd me not w make fo rafh and
peremptory a Determination, concerning the Fu
ture State of the Laity, as fome Divines have done j
they being only culpable, for totally devoting and
fubjedting themfelves to the Authority of their
Priefts. Their great Defection from the Pure Wor
fhip of the Supreme God being juftly to be attributed
to the Sacerdotal Order, put me upon the Enqui
ry, whether amongft thofe Heaps of Ethnical Su-
perftitions , a Thread of Truth might be found,
by the affift ance of which it was poffible for them
to extricate themfelves out of that Labyrinth of Er
ror, in which they were involv'd.
yUpon this, Five undeniable Propofitions pre
sently occur'd ,• which not only we , but all Man
kind in general, muft needs acknowledge :
I. that there is one Supreme God.
II. That he ought to be worjhipped.
III. That Vertue and Piety are the chief Parts <f DU
vine Worfhip. - ^vvpJk a-, ^--.¦¦<l.n
B 4 IV. That

4 -~ The RELIGION of
IV. That we ought to' be forry for our Sins, and re
peat of them.
V. That Divine Goodnef doth difpenfe Rewards and
Punijhments both in this Lifef and after it. s
All thefe I will explain at large, at the End of
my Book ,-. after I have treated of the following
Parts of their Religion ,• as alfo fhewn where that
Thread my be found, by the help whereof ( as we
conceive) the moft perfpicacious amongft the Hea
thens got out of this Labyrinth.
Let not my Reader think I have made ufe of the
word Labyrinth here inconfiderately ,• for as there
were formerly four Labyrinths, very artificially con
trived ,• 'viz,. The Cretick, Egyptian, Lemnian and
Italian^, fo thefe Places more especially have furnilh-
ed the reft of the World with almoft all their Su-
perftitious Worlhip. I could heartily wiih the
Modern Divines were more confiderate in their
Determinations concerning the Souls of the Hea
thens or Pagans. The moft rigid, fuch generally
as are leaft acquainted with Learning in general,
but efpecially Humane Learnning, exprels them
felves much after this manner. " After the Fall
of Adam, all Mankind was formed and produced
out of a degenerate Mafs ,• fome of them, out
of the mere good pleafure of God and the in
tervention of the Death of Chrifi , were ele
cted to Eternal Glory ,- but the far greater part,
nay even thofe that never heard of the Name of
Chrifr, were ieprobated and determin'd to Eter
nal Perdition,- and that the moft innocent and
commendable Lives the Heathens could lead ,
would avail them nothing , in regard their Works
were meerly Moral ,• and upon that account al
together infigniheant.
Now

Chap.I. ^GENTILES. ,5 -.3
Now when I perceived that they refolved the.
Caufes of Eternal Salvation or Damnation only in
to the Good Pleafure of God, and the Death , of
Chrift ,• I found that their Opinion was ground^
ed not on Reafon, but fome peremptory Decrees/
which no body did pretend to know, and I could
not think that they were fo privy to the fecret
Counfels of God, as to be able to eftablifli any thing
for certain ,¦ wherefore I left them , as entertain
ing mean, bafe , and unwoi thy Thoughts of the
Moft Good' and Great GOD, and Mankind in ge-
neral.-'llow could I believe, that a Juft God could
take Pleafure in the Eternal Reprobation of thofe
to whom he never afforded any Means of Salva
tion, or endued with Souls made after his own
Image ,• and whom he forefaw muft be damned
of abfolute neceffity ,.. without the leaft hopes
or poffibility of efcaping it ? I could not under-
ftand how they could call that God Moft Good 'and
Great, who created Men only to damn them, with
out their knowledge, and againft their wilLV
Then I met with fome other Divines , who
afferted, That Chrift was revealed to fuch Hea
thens as led pious and honeft Lives , at the very
moment of their Death, and fo they were convey^
ed to Paradife. But their Opinion being neither
founded oh Hiftory, Tradition, or Rational Con
jecture, it appeared to me very improbable',- but
I muft needs confefs, thefe Divines fhew much more
Tendernefs towards Humane Kind , though they
have nothing folid to fupport their Affertiom
At laft , I confulted thofe* who a're called the
School-Men, to fee if their Sentiments concerning
the Heathens were more juft and regular; but they
skipping from Faith to Reafon ,. and then imme
diately again from Reafon to Fa^th , with wonder-
B % ful

The RELIGION of

ful agility,- and .finding them fo very nice and fub-
til; in their Diftin&ions as to fplit an Hair, I could
not receive the leaft Satisfaction from them. A-
mongft other Axioms, I found this an eftabliflied one
amongft them : Facientibas quod in fe, eft, non deeffe
Gratiam Salutarem : Saving Grace is never wanting , to
thofe that do all that is in their power.
Then I had recourfe to other Authors , but
especially CreUim, a very Learned Man , who has
written concerning the Souls of the Heathens ,• he
quotes feveral very excellent PafTages upon this fub-
jedl out of the moft Antient Fathers; by which
I found they were of Opinion, thaffome of the
beft amongft the Heathens, through the infinite
Mercy of God, might be capable of Eternal Salva
tion. I foon embraced their Opinion, not fee
ing how the Dodtrine of an Univerfal Divine Pro
vidence could be folved otherwife., than that fome
Means fhould be afforded unto all Men , by which
they might come to God. And feeing that Nature
or Common Providence, did fupply us here with
all things that were neceffary and convenient for
Food and Raiment ,- I could not conceive how the
fame God , either could or would, leave any Man
quite deftitute ( either by Nature or Grace ) of the
Means of obtaining a more Happy State ; and thb
the Heathens did not make fo good ufe of them
as they might have done, yet the Moft Good and
Great GOD, was not in the leaft to be charged with
their Mifcarriage.
I know it is a generally receiv'd' Opinion, That
Common Providence doth not afford fufficient
Means , without the Concurrence of Grace and
Pirticular Providence : But my Defign is to make
it evident , Thac an Univerfal Providence is extended
to all Mankind,/- -'Now forafmuch as the Heathens (as

Chap. I. fifGENTILES. f
( as the Holy Scriptures teftifie, and Learned Di
vines acknowledge) worfhipped the fame- God as
we do; had the fame abhorrence of Sin,- 'belie
ved Rewards and Punifhment after this Life ,- 1 can
not but think, that after they had led a Good
Life, they were made Partakers of the Fulnefs of
that Divine Grace ,- efpecially in regard they knew
the moft rational and perfpicuous Parts of the True
Divine Worfhip.
I pretend not to defend the Grofs of the Hea
then Religion , which I always efteemed foolifh,
incongruous, and abfurd; but only propofe thofe
Truths which fhined in the midft of their greateft
Obfcurity. Now when they mixt Superftitionsand
Ficftions with them , and had polluted their Souls
with fuch Crimes as no Repentance could fuffi-
ciently purge and expiate , their Deftrucrion was
juftly owing to themfelves ,- bjjtTet Glory be to
the Great GOD for ever. Whether thefe Means
for attaining a Better State,, are fo fufficiently
effectual, that Eternal Happinefs will be the necef-
fary Confequehcey^all be difcourfed of hereafter
in its place.

CHAP. II.
The Original of the Religious Worfhip of the
Heathens, what they antiently meant hy GOD;
what was the firft and chief Obj eft of Worfhip.
TH E Mind of Man having exceeded its known
Limits, that in all Ages Men were endeavour?
ing after a more Happy State than what they at pre
fent enjoy; as not only the indigent and poor
Condition of Man, but Religious Worfhip and
B 4 Sound

The RELIGION of

Sound Philofophy do every where declare. There
has been fcarce any Perfon that ever found fo much
Delight, Satisfaction and Enjoyment in this Life,'
' as to perfuadv? himfelf that he was only defign 'd for
that Ehd ; or who after a juft Difcharge of his
Confidence , had not fome hopes of , and from
a ftrong impulfe of Mind did not earneft'y defire
after fomething more excellent than what this World
can afford. For our Mind is fo noble in its own
nature , that it dire&ly defires Eternal Things, and
at laft can only be fatisfied With, and acquiefce in
them; the frail and flippery State of Mortals de
clines, even in the very height of the Enjoyment
pf thofe PJeafures which only pleafe the External
Senfes : Wherefore the Antients thought they
ought not to reft fatisfied with them ; fo that
not only the miferable an4 diftreifed , but alfo
all pious and good Men, as if they were tired and
Satiated with every thing here , endeavour'd
after fomething beyond them, though they knew
riot what it was. From hence firft proceeded the
Notion of an Unknown Deity. For God infpiring
all Men with a defire of an Eternal and more Hap-.
py State; he tacitly difcovered himfelf, who is E-
ternal Life, and perfectly Happy.
Now, in regard God cannot be worfhipped ac
cording, to the Excellency of his Dignity, which
the moft fagacious Reafon can never penetrate
into : He therefore manifefted Himfelf by the moft
Excellent Fabrick of this World • the Parts where
of when the Antients view'd and contemplated, it
put them upon an anxious and ftrid Enquiry ,
whether there was any thing here , or any where
elfe , that w'as Eternal ; knowing very well, that
fading ahd tranfitory things could produce nothing
but what was fading -arjd tranfitory. ;
In

Chap. II. fkGENTlLES. 9
In which Scrutiny, finding that all things in this
Sublunary World, as they had a Beginning, fo they(
were fubjed-fc to Corruption ; they began to obferve
the Heaven and Stars , and found that thefe was
a certain eternal and happy ftate in them only.
Then obferving the Stars more accurately, they
thought their Motion, Heat, Light and Influence
to he at leaft the next Caufes of the Production of
all Things which are feen here. So that the moft
Learned amongft the Antients took the Rule and
Reafon of thofe things which are always in the
fame ftate, from the Fixed Stars ; of thofe things
which are fubjedt to change, from the Planets ; and
of thofe that are obnoxious to viciffitude , from
both together- This nice Opinion of theirs was
the occafion that they paid them no fmall Adoration
and Worfhip, though not fuch as belong'd to the
Supreme Deity • but fuch only as appertained to his
chief Minifters who were vifible to them. From
hence the appellation of && or GOD was given
to a Star, but net under the fame acceptation we
now take it : For the Name GO D, formerly was
nof only given to the Stars, but alfo to all things
that were very beneficial to Mankind ; nay fome-
times to thofe things that were hurtful ; as is very
well known to the Learned. Amongft the Stars,
thofe that were of the firft Magnitude , greateft
Splendour and Virtue, as the Sun and Moon; and at
Lift the reft of the Planets in general, were deified
before the Fixed Stars. Amongft the Planets,, after
the two great Luminaries , the Star Phofphows or
,Venm was moft celebrated, which, as the other Pla
nets afterwards were, was worfhippped fa/ and near
under various Names. Mercury was the next, being
like the Phojfihorm, either the Servant orCompanioii
of the 5w;,and moving round him; being fotnerimes above

io The RELIGION of
above him, and fometimes below him. Mars, Jupi
ter and Saturn were not known to the Antients;,
though all the Erraticks, befides thofe difcovered by
Galileus's Telefcope , were very well known a long
time ago , and were diftinguifh'd from each other
by their colours; Venus being always white, Mercury
blue , Jupiter red and yellow, Mars of a fanguirie
colour, near purple or black, Saturn lead-colour
and pale. They alfo obferv'd that they did not
fparkle, as the Fix'd Stars do ; unlefs Mars, who
fometimes brandifhes his Rays after a threatning
manner. In following Age>, fome very admirable Philofo-
phers attributed Fancy or internal Senfe to them ;
and others Feeling , Sight , and Hearing alfo ,
( which Senfes Hippocrates allows Fire ; ) others a-
gain were of opinion that they were Animated, In
telligent, and Rational ; left a noble Body mould
want a noble Form. So that it is not much
to be admir'd , if Mankind was prone to pay them
a fort of Adoration or Worfhip, (though of an
inferiour degree ) in regard Nature has implanted
it in Man, to render a due Veneration to all thole,
from whom he has received any Benefits. Befides,
every one prefers thofe things that move of them
felves , before thofe that are motionlefs ; what is
fplendid and fhines, to the obfcure and dark; the
good, to the hurtful; and eternal things to thofe
that fade and perifh. Upon this account they were
of opinion, that greater Worfhip and Reverence
was due to the Stars, efpecially the Sun and Moon,
than to any Mortal whatfoever, though arrived to
the utmoft pitch of Honour and Dignity. Accor
ding to Jofephus Acojla and others, the Indians are
of the fame Opinion to this very day ; they wor
fhip all thofe things whofe Influence they obferve to

Chap. II. ^GENTILES. n
to be moft prevalent in Natural Productions. Reli
gion being progreflivse , they began to enquire ,
Whether there was any GOD or Deity that prefieL.
ed over the Stars themfelves ? which Opinion foon
obtained. For when the Antients obferved not
only different , but quite contrary EfFedts in the
Stars, they foon acknowledg'd one Supreme GOD,
who governed all things ; to whom they thought
the moft profound Worlhip and Adoration was
due : Yet ftill they retain'd a particular Venera
tion for the Stars; becaufe by their Immortal Na
ture , they were firft led to the Knowledge of the
Supreme GOD.
Now, although the Worfhip of the Supreme GODt
is more antient in itfelf, being written in the Heart,
yet in regard our Anceftors received the firft In
dications of Him from thofe fplendid incorrupti
ble Bodies, the Sun and Moon, if not the moft an
tient, yet certainly the moft univerfal Worfhip
( fuch as it was ) was paid to the Stars ; as is evi
dent from many Authors; till at laft by degrees ,
they came to adore the Supreme Deity. For the Po
wer, Wifdom, and Goodnefs of God fhining in
his Works, and he being beft manifefted to us by
them, they could not come to the knowledge of
Him any other way. Men in the Firft Ages (by the
Dictates of Confcience ) in hopes of a better Life-,
as the Effect of Divine Worfhip and Love ; were
carried from thence to the Stars, the moft illuftri-
ous Work of the Supreme God , and fo worfhip
ped GOD himfelf in his Works. Neither was
there any other Form of Religion at that time.
; From hence arifes a Queftion , Whether any other
Worjbip ofGOD could be jufily inffiituted, befides a Pure
Mind and Holy Life ? For the Heathens hitherto
had nothing to direct them, but common Notions
imprinted

in The RELIGION of
imprinted in their, Hearts. Afterwards a certain
•"Sect of Men fprang up, who perfuaded them to
entertain Rites and Ceretnonies. This is evident
from Religion's being formerly called JbmJtufwU,
and the fame word mm with the Jews fignifies both
GOD and Demons, as the Learned Voffius -obferves,
Sanhedrin,-C.*]. §. 10. For (fay they) if any thing
of Grandeur deferves external Honour, and if even
Majefty itfelf is chiefly fupported by Rites and Ce
remonies, ought not the greateft Adoration to be
paid to that GOD from whom are all things?
Ought not his Chief Minifters alfo to be adored ;
in regard the Supream God cannot be worfhipped
fuitable to the Dignity of his Majefty, when they
qre neglected, who precede him in a certain Or
der , though not in Dignity : for Sacred Rites
ought to be performed to the Stars, which through
the Stars center in God himfelf ; this is the only
way we have to approach to the Supreme God.
Thefe , and fome fuch-like fpecious Reafons,
prevailed with the Vulgar ; yet they ftiil continued
ignorant what Adoration was to be paid, and what
Rites and Ceremonies were to be performed to the
Supreme God. '
In procefs of time, as the Rabbies inform us,
tfn'-e arofe falfe Prophets, who told the People that
they were commanded by GOD, to worfhip this
aid thar Star ; and fo at laft. all the Stars : And
that they muft Sacrifice, and make certain Oblations
to them, build Temples for them, fet up their Ima
ges, which m ere worfhipped by the Women and
Children, and the reft of the ignorant part of Man
kind. For this end, they told them of Reprefen-
tations of their own Invention; faying, it was the
Image of the Star, revealed to them by Prophecy.
Then Men began to fet up Images in Temples un der

Chap. II. rfo GENT.ILES. 13*
der Trees, and on the tops of Mountains and HillsF
Afterwards they affembled together, and worfhip
ped them publickly; alferting, That all Good and
Evil did proceed from them, and therefore they
ought to be devoutly worfhipped and revered:
From this Worlhip their Priefts promis'd them Pro-
fperity, and Increafe of all things commanding
them what to do, and what to abftain from.
Then there arofe Impoftors, (as may be gather
ed from the fame Rabbi and others ) who pretend
ed that" the very Star, Sphere, or Angel itfejf fpoke
to them, told . them how they would be worfhip
ped , and deliver'd them a Form , directing them
what to perfprm , and what to avoid. Thus it was
diffufed all ' over the World, That Images were to
be worfhipped , and the chief Way was , by Sacri
fice, and Adoration: thus far the Rabbi. But how
they came by this Information from the GOD
( for fo they called the Star ) they publickly de
clare ; faying , that they lay all night in the Tem
ple of that Star or GOD, ahd that hi-. Com
mand's were deliver'd or revealed to them in a
Dream; for there was no greater Certainty of the
Truth of Oracles at that time.
This Cuftom was originally derived from the
Egyptians , who had the firft knowledge of the
GODS or Stars, built Temples, „ and order'd
folemn AfTemblies to meet in Groves. From
thence it came to the Syrians , and neighbouring
Nations, and then to the Greeks and Romans, (for
almoft all Religion and Superftition came from
the Eaft; ) and was not abolifhed till Confiatine's
time,- who being fenfible of the Villanies that were
perpetrated in Temples under that pretext, quite
abolifhed that Cuftom. By this means, fo many
monftrous Fictions arid Abufes were fpread amongft * the

14 The RELIGION of
the ignorant and credulous Vulgar, upon whom they
obtruded their Precepts of what fort foever ( for it
was efteemed impious to contradict them) although
they were fupported by no better Authority than a
Dream. But the Prieft had not fo eafily impofed upon
the People , if they had not intermixt them with
Prophecies of things to come; which were al
ways deliver'd in ambiguous and doubtful Terms,
which if they happen'd but in the leaft to prove
true, it ganed them vaft Credit and Authority; but
if on the contrary they prov'd falfe , yet ftill the
Priefts gained their Ends by them; for if any thing
111 or Unfortunate happen'd, inftead of fome Good
they had predicted fhould come to pafs , they pre-
fently faid it was occafion'd by the People's Sins,
which diverted the G O D from his intended Kind-
nefs ; and therefore they ought to offer Sacrifices,
(a great part whereof always came to their fliare)
perfuading them that was the only way to appeafe
the incenfed Deity . But if fomething happen'd that
was profperous , inftead of fome evil they had fore
told ; they then faid it was the Effect of their own
Prayers , and other Acts of Devotions, by which
they had diverted the impending Evil : So that they
never ran any Rifque on the account of the Event
of their Prophecies; for however things fell out,
they were always lecure, and loft not the leaft
Reputation or Efteem with the People.
The Obfervation alfo of the Courfe of the Stars,
their Riling and Setting, and various Conjuncti
ons , and at what Time , was then made ; but
more efpecially in Egypt, where the Priefts lay in
the open Air all Night, the Weather there being
always very ferene ; promifing much to themfelves
by predicting the Fertility of the Seafon , and
many

Chap. II. the G E N T I L E S. 15-
many fuch-like things , which took extremely
with the common People; but this being not
to be to be carried on without Charge, they pro
cured Stipends to be fettled on them;
By this means, the moft abject Perfons foon grew
very rich, and at laft were of fuch great repute and
efteem , that the greateft Men of their Country
were elected into their College ; nothing condu
cing more to keep the People in abfolute fubje-
ction, than to make them believe, that k was they
only that knew the Mind and Will of GOD, and
could deliver Oracles ; fo that at laft the very Ca-
fars themfelves were chofen into the Sacerdotal Or
der. Cicero alfo was made an Augur.
Afterwards Divine Honour was paid to the Seven
Planets, but efpecially to the Sun, and Moon, and
] Phofphorus (which is called Lucifer, Hefperus, Vefper,
Venus, &cj and then to Mercury, who is called Mar-
cola, Margamah , 'Ejmnj and 2ri*Cw ; and the reft
of the Planets. Then to all the Stars of Heaven,
but more efpecially the Great Dog, who is called
" Syrius. Next Pifces, who were called Syrian Dei
ties, and fignified Cupid and Venus, were worfhip
¬ped ; firft by the Eafiern People, and afterwards by
- others. But obferving that Storms arofe from Ori-
* on, Winds from the Goat and Kids, Rain from the
' Hyades and Pleiades, Heat from the Caniculi, and the
-Fore- parts of the Lion ; they honour'd thefe in par
ticular with Divine Worfhip.
Then they proceed to enquire, Whether the Hea
ven itfelf ought not to be worshipped, as well as the Stars;
in regard it only of all things, feemed to be immenfe and
¦ infinite ? The moft Famous Philofophers, as well as
\ the Priefts, agreed that Divine Honour ought to be
paid to the Heaven ; and not only the Stagyrite, but
his Mafter alfo was of this Opinion ; for he givef this

1(5 The RELIGION of
this Reafon: Every thing from which any thing pro
ceeds, is the Caufeof it ; but the Operation of GOD is
Immortality , and that is a Perpetual Life ; wherefore Per
petual Motion is necejfary ifi GO D : In regard therefore
the Heaven is fuch, (for it is a fort of a Divine Body) it
hat a Spherical Body , which naturally moves round.
Thus both Priefts and Philofophers not only made
the Stars Gods, and acknowledged another Supreme
DEITT,' that governed them all ; but alfo made
the Heaven itielf a GOD. The Seven Planets had
Seven Intelligences prefiding over them, in fuch an
order, that they believed the Intelligence of the
Lunar Orb to be lefs than the Solar ; and thofe of
the Seven Planets, lefs than that of the Primum Mo
bile. Thus they conftituted Intelligences, or Mo
vers of the Planets, with deference to the Snpreme
Mover. Then the Queftion was, Whether this Heaven we
fee was a Body, or not, and had Right and Left, Supe-
riour and Inferiour, Thin and Thick Parts ? Whether it
moved by an Appetite* they being ofOpinion,thatMo-
tion would not exift in any thing, that was endued
with Life, without Appetition;and many fuch like
things.which were difcuffedby the Learned, but did
not in the leaft affect the Vulgar, to whom it was
fufficient to know, that the Heaven which the Stars
were, ought to be worfhipped for a GO D.
This Plurality of Gods, occafion'd Variety of
Worfhip ; as the natural Confequence of their Di-
verfity ; which the crafty Priefts managed to their
own Advantage , inventing feveral Modes and
Forms, often declaring what Adoration was to be
paid, and with what Sacrifices each GOD was to
be pleafed, appeafed, and made propitious. Hence
arofe fo many monftrous forts of Worfhip, which
were fpread all the World over ; the Priefts every
where

- - .1. Ill 1 1 J  -1  — - — """if'
Chap. II. rkGENTILES, if
where impofing their Imaginary Dreams on the
People. But what is yet ftill worfe, whereas Men oughe
to expedt folid Peace of Mind, only as the genuine
Effect of true Piety,- or wbenfoever they happen-
to deviate from it,by fincere Repentance afterwards;
they made the whole matter toconfift only in Rites
and Ceremonies, which they themfelves performed ;
as if their GODS would hear none but them, or
that there was no other Mediator betwixt the
GOD Sand Men, but the Priefts.
When the Worfhip of the Superiour Orbs was
eitablifh'd in the World, then they began to en
quire, Whether the Earth ought not to be adored ? and
this alfo obtain'd. For when they obferv'd, that
next after the Sun and Stars, the Earth afforded the
greateft Afliftance for the Production and Nutri
tion of Man, and all kind of Animals ; our An-
ceftors paid a very great Veneratiqn^to it, and the
mo u Learned Philofophers gave it the Preheminence
amongft the Elements, calling it the moft Antient
of the Deities : for, according to their Opinion ,
Nature firft formed the Earth, and then all other
things for its fake. At laft, the Priefts alfo called
her Antiqus Mater, the Old Mother ; who, they faid,
married Caelum or the Heaven ; making the Hea
ven Male, and the Earth Female; upon which ac
count , the Greeks and Romans called them Dii
yapi\ift 3 or Nuptial-Gods. They brought a great
many Arguments for , the Adoration of the -Earth t
For, fay they, if we ought to reverence our Pa
rents , much more the Earth , from which not
only our Parents themfelves , but all things that
are neceffary and convenient for us, have their ori
ginal; and into whofe Bofom, after we pafs out of
rhis Life, we are received. The Heavens indeed
C . , arcs

ssss

18 The RELIGION of
—«—————— —W«l I — ¦IWHI 111 ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦I ¦ .HI—. II1I..H .11. ¦ I I...I
are far more excellent than all Inferiour Beings,
but they are fo remote from us, that they are the
Objects of our Sight only ; but the Earth has per
mitted us to inhabit her. All our Right and Au
thority is limited within its Dimenfions , and ex-
ifts only by its Courtefie : therefore there is very
great reafon why we fhould adore it. Thus the cre
dulous andeafie People were foon perfuaded to this
Veneration of the Earth. Ceelum and Terra, Heaven
and Earth being made the Principal Deities, according
to Varro ; they were called Serapis and Ifis in Egypt ;
Daantes and Afiarte by the Phoenicians ; and in fome
places , Saturn and Ops.
Then the Queftion was ftarted , Whether Fire
fhould not be adored, as well as the Earth ? Now,in re
gard all Terrene things act by Heat , fo that Fire
refembles Form more than Matter ; like the Stars,
emitting its Light beyond the extent of its Heat, and
likewifc not being fubject to Corruption, and ne
ver ceafing to be, as long as, it is fupplied with Fu
el ; therefore it was accounted amongft the Num
ber of the G ODS. Its Worfhip was very antient,
as we fhall fhew in its place , but fuch as tended
only to the Glory of the Supreme GOD ; he be
ing called by the Jews, Deut. 4. a confuming Fire ;
but for the Expofition of that Place, I refer you to
the Divines.
The Priefts, being not in the leaft overburthened
with thefe Loads of Worfhip, proceed to adore the
Water. Heat, fay they, cannot perfect the Adt of
Generation, but would rather deftroy all things j
and that its Coolnefs kept the violent Heat of the
Fire within due bounds ; its Moifture foftens the
Drynefs and Hardnefsof the Earth, and reduces all
things to a juft Temperament; its Situation alfo
was above the Enrth,and fupplies Mankind with the
moft

Chap. IF. ?£<?GFNTILFS. 19
moft neceffary and convenient Nourifhment ; for
men can live longer without Me at than Drink : that
all things, more directly proceeded from it ; an Ex
ample of which a very ingenious Philofopher long
fince propofed. Suppofe, fays he, a great Veff el capa
ble of containing fome Acres of Earth, which being exaclly
weighed, Sow Corn or Herbs there , which (liall be
water d by the Rain only ; weigh the fir^ jears Crop, and
io on for feveral years weigh the whole produce. Laft-
ly plant Oak, Beach, Fir, Elm, or other Trees there,
and let them grow to their full Height and Bignefs ; then
cut them down and weigh them all ; add all their Weight
together, and it will be found at leaft equal to the Earth
that was at ftp put intothe Vejj'el , which neverthelefs
will not be diminifie'd. Which Experiment plainly
proves that all this new Acceflion of Matter pro
ceeded only from theWater which fell upon thsEarth.
For this Reafon Divine Worfhip was paid to the
Water ; which the Perfians efteem'd fo facred, that
they thought it impious to wafti sheir hands, fpit, or
blow their nofe into running Streams, or indeed, to
throw any thing that was in the leaft fordid into
them. No other Eleinentbefides the^zV only remained,to
which Divine Adoration was not paid; which,for its
vaft Extention, feem'dfo lay a fufficient Claim to it ;
being divided intothree Regions, and reaching from
the Earth to thi Moon, muft needs be near an hun
dred thoufand times larger than this our Globe of
Earth and Water. So alfo the abfolute neceflity
Man has for it, for without it he would be Blind,
Deaf and Dumb. There is no other. Elements can
be attracted in by the Lungs ; and tho a Man, in
a found ftate of Health, may live four days without
either meat or drink(for I do not now fpeak of fome
Afthmatical peifons of whom we have ftrange ac-
C z count

io The RELIGION of ',
1 ¦- -r -i ¦--  ¦ - -
counts in hiftory) yet he cannot live one moment
without Air. Some Philofophers have .endeavour
ed to prove the Divinity of the Air by many reafons,
but particularly Anaximenes and Diogc-*
V.V&m^.L. nes Apollionates and Ennius amongft the
1, 4- Poets. It is Jupiter Ifpeakef, whom the
Greeks call the Air, and is the Wtnd and
Clouds, and afterwards the Rain; from Rain proceeds Cold
and the Wind becomes Air again ; which is confirmed by
this common expreffion, Sub dio vel fub Divo, and fub
Jove, in the open Air ; Jupiter being fome times ta
ken figuratively by the Antients for the Air ; of
which more at large in its proper place. Thus A-
nima the Soul is derived from */<sV, to blow or breath.
LaBantius quotes Varro faying, that the Soul is Air re
ceived in at the Mouth , made lukewarm in the Lungs ,
heated in the Heart, and d'jfufed in the Body.
The Antients did not only worfhip the moft
noble and excellent Parts of the World, but were of
opinion they ought to adore the Univerfe it lelf, as
the moft beautiful Image of GOD; of which I {hall
fpeak more at large.
In prccefs cf time this Adoration grew fo exten-
five, that they worshipped Men. For Man being >
compofed of the four Elements, to whom Divine
Worfhip was already paid, and deriving the moft
noble part of his Original from Heaven ; Man alfo
excelling the Elements themfelves , and having
many things in him which cannot be produced out
of the fourQualities of the Elements, however mixr.
Man alf >, not only excelling all other Animals,
but one Man being more excellent than another,
they worfhipped thofe Men, whofe meritorious A-
chievments , and noble and brave Actions had ad
vancer) .nti.i above others ; under that Notion de
fining only to adore Virtue her felf, who is worthy
of the utmoft Veneration, What

Chap. II the G £ N T i L E S. it
-.  .| .. „ ... r niju..j  .._..._  " ¦ i ¦ "'--Vn 
What now remains, is to fhew how -\ particular'
fort of Worfhip was paid to certain AmwJs ; but
this not being Univeffal, but only limited to a few
Nations , and more efpecially the Egyptians , I
I fhall omit it. For tho a general Superftition
may be called- a fort of Religion, that which is of a
very fmall extent only, cannot lay claim to it. I
have call'd nothing Religion but what has been
generally entertaih'd in moft Parts of the World.
I have alfo fhewn the moft Antient and Univerfal
forts of Religious Worlhip, which I have collected
from the beft Authors extant ; fo that if the Jews
only are excepted , who, according to facred
Writ , were the moft antient People ( but were
efteemed to worfhip a particular GOD unknown to
other Nations) there was no other' Religion diffufed
over the whole World, nor any ether almoft to be
found now in the Weft-Indies, unlefs where Christiani
ty is planted, or in the Eafi- Indies, but where Ma-
hometanifm has fpread it felf, and the Chrifiian Religi
on of late" in fome parrs. I do not deny but fome
particular Rites were intermixt with this general.
Worfhip ; but fo, that the Indians, ftill to this very
day, agree about them, excepting the Adoration of
Men only, as is teftified by very credible Authors.
From which it is evident, that they firft worfhip
ped the Supreme God and Moderator of all things ;
then the Sun and Moon, Phofphorus and Mercury ;
afterwards the reft of the Planets and the fixed Stars,
but more efpecially Canis and Pi/ces, then Arions
ArBurus and Corona, the Goat and Kids, Hyades and
Pleiades, Caniculi, and the fore-part of the Lyon;
then the four Elements. And in fhort all the moft
eminent Parts of the World, and at laft the Univer fe
it felf,as the moft perfect Image of the Supreme God;
yet each of thefe was worfhipped after a different
C 3 manner,

2.2, ' ' The RELIGION of

manner, as is evident from their different Rites and
Ceremonies. sFor, as was faid before, they all
efteemed that to be a GOD ; which had an extraor
dinary Influence upon inferiour Beings, but more
efpecially Man : all thefe in their feveral degrees
were the'Objects of Ethnic Adoration ; but in re
ference to thofe things that had a direct refpedt to
Virtue and Piety,they had not only recourfe to their/
Religion, but Philofophy ; their Laws and thofe in
ternal Principles written upon their Hearts.
Thefe then were thofe GODS or Deities to whom
the Antients paid their Adoration ; who alfo
thought Worfhip due to thofe Men who had defer*
ved well of their own Country or Mankind in ge
neral. What now remains, is, to prove and corrobe-
rate thefe things (at leaft the chiefeft of them) by
the Teftimonics of antient Authors ; fo that it
may evidently appear what the Religion of the Hea
thens really was ; of which we {hall give our Opi
nion at the end of the Book.

CHAP. III.
Why fo many various Appellations were formerly
given to God, and what they were.
THE Names by which the Antients called their
GODS were many and copious, every one fti-
ling them according to his own Country Language
and Pleafure, and thofe different Epithets that were
given them were at laft added into the Number,
This vvas approved of by a very grave and judicious
sen. Lf.de, Author, who fays, that GOD may
$tn.c. 17. have 3S many Names as he difpenfe§
Benefits j

Chap. III. ^GENTILES. I 2,3.
Benefits; fo that if there were thirty thoufand Names
of GOD, as Oenomaus and Hefiod exhibit; his Bene
fits muft befuppofed to be as numerous. Indeed, in
regard the Bleffings of the Mop. Good and Great God
are innumerable, it cannot feem ftrange that
he fhould be worfhipped under innumerable
Denominations. ' But although the Attributes of
the moft Supreme God are infinite, his Virtues ex
tending themfelves beyond our Comprehenfion
and Expreffion ; yet 'tis my Opinion that he cannot
be reprefented to us by any better or more juft Epi
thets than thofe which the Indians have, in all ages,
and at this very time ftill continue to give him ;
viz. Moft Good and Great ; for he cannot be faid to
be Moft Good, without an infinite Power and Will of
doing Good ; nor Moft Great, unlefs he difpenfes his
Benefits univerfally.
And here we undertake a very difficult Task to
grope in the dark Mifts of Antiquity, and Shades of
our Anceftors.
I fliall begin with the Jews, although the incom
parable Jof.Scaliger raifes an Objection here, feem-
ing to favour the opinion of the Dynaftz mention
ed by Manethon, That there were Ages long before A"
dam. And tho Diodorus Siculus and the Chinefe Chro
nology, mention things done many thoufand years
before the Creation of the World, as it is delivered
by Mofes ; yet in regard the firft Authority is deri
ved from the antient Books of the Jews, I fhall col
lect the Original of the Names given to GOD by
them. Nor will it be much material, if, according to
antient Writers, they had many of their religious
Rites from the Egyptians ; for the antient Egyptian
Language being grown quite obfolete,and their Re
ligion totally abolifhed (only fome Footfteps, which
remain in the fragments of Authors, and a few Hi-
C 4 erq?

%4 The RELIGION of
eroglyphicks, which are preferved at Rome and fome
other places ) we do not think it worth the infill
ing on. It muft be own'd, that after Deucalion's
Deluge, and fome others, by reafon of the conftant
Serenity of their Air, the Egyptian Monuments did,
for a long time, remain entire ; but there being no
thing now left, to which credit can be given; we
fhall proceed by obferving, out oFSancboniathon, that
EL amongft the Hc£rc;2i\r,admitting it to be a Phenici
an Word (as fome would hare it, for although they
were great Enemies their Language was only di-
ftinguifhed by a Dialect) fignified GOD,and was the
Saturn of the Phenicians,\[wQ may give credit to that
place of Porphyry, mentioned by Eufebius, which I
-fhall here infert, together with the opinion of the
Learned Gerard Vojfius. Saturn therefore ,whom the Pheni-
cians call Iftael , and whom, after his Death, they tranj-
lated into an Altar of that name,whilft he reigned amongft
them, had an only Son by a Nymph of that Country, whefe
name was Anobret 0whom he therefore call V/Jeoud; which
at this time fignifies an only Child, in the Phenician Lan
guage ; when his Country was engaged in a moft dangerous
and bloody War, being attired in his Royal Robes, he Sa~
crificed this Son upon an Altar built for that very purpofe.
Three things may be cbferv'd here : firft that If-
rael, the moft antient King of the Phenicians,v/as the
fame withSatum.S>cco-nd\y}thatIfrael hadanonlySon,
whom the Phenicians therefore call'd Jeoud. Third
ly, that he was facrificed by his Father. Now, from
whence can this feem to have derived its original ra
ther than, that Ifrael the Grandfon is confounded
with Abraham the Grandfather, who was comman^
ded to facrifice his only Son. Thus Gen. 22. 1.
Take thine only Son ; where only in the Hebrew is Je-
hid which comes very near to the Phenician Jehoud.
&0 ajfo in the Qrphaics or Qnomacriucs, Ahraham is
call'd

Chap. III. /^GENTILES. a|
call-d /Mvoya/nt,\ only begotten, where Abraham and
Ifaac are confounded, as Abraham andjacob were be-i
fore. This in my opinion feems to approach very
near Truth, though I {hall not enter into a difpute
with any one about it.
I eafily fee what Objections may be raifed; particu
larly, that it ,,is not credible that the Phoenicians
fhould take Ifrael for the Supreme God, that is, Mo
loch or Saturn, who was the Father of a neighbour
ing Nation, for which they had fuch a mortal Aver-
fion as Sacred Hiftory teftifies. Therefore that place
cf Eufebius feems to be corrupt, which was the occa-
fion, of the Error, and for 'i^x, we ought to read
'lA.,for thofe that ufe abbreviations often write 'u.with
a fmall line drawn over it for Uo-^mk. But here was
no fuch thing, becaufe IL in the Phenecian Lan
guage, fignifiesthe fame as EL does in the Hebrew,
which is one of the Ten names of GOD. But San-
choniathon, in the fame book of Eufebius, tells us,
that they call'd him Saturn not Ifrael; the words are
thefe ; When Cffil us (Heaven) took poffejfion of his Fa
thers Kingdom, he married Tellus (the Earth) andhad
thefe Children by her ; This who is called Saturn, Bety-
Jus and.Da.gon, who otherwife are called Sito and At
lanta. Another place of Sanchoniathon there is yet
rnore plain ; The Companions of This, who is the fame
as Saturn, are called Elohim,tfj much as to fay Saturni-
ans; for '£abh> there, is nothing elfebut the Hebrew
Elohim. Afterwards how Angels, Judges, and falfe
Gods alfo, nay the Supreme and only GOD, came to
be fo called in the beginning of the books of Mofes,
and every where elfe in Scripture^every Boy knows.
I remember I had this hint in converfation with the
moft incomparable Hugo Grotius, now Ambaffadour
from the moft illuftrious King of Sweden to his Moft
Chriftjan Majefty; thus far Voffius. It is moft
certain

%6 The RELIGION of
certain that the Heathens, formerly facrificed only
Sons untO Saturn but more particularly the Phenicians,
as antient Authors affure us. Thus Sanchoniathon.
The Phenicians facrificed their moft beloved and only Sons
every year fo Saturn : which Porphyrius confirms, lib. 2.
de Abftin. ab efu Animal. See more in Voffius, page
364. Damafcius alfo teftifies that Saturn was called
EL, BEL and BOLATHEN by the Phenicians and
Syrians. Servius alfo fhews that 'ha., wastheSww. In
thofe parts, fays he, they alfcworihip the Sun, which
in their language is called HEL,from whence comes
"hm®-, but of this more at large when we come to
treat of the names of the Sun and his Worfhip. Let
this fuffice to have been hinted concerning the name
EL, whofe plural is ELIM, which fignifies Angels
alfo, Exod. 1 j. 13. and ELOHIM, whofe lingular
isELOAH. I mail only add that ELOHIM, by
which name God is called, who in the beginning
created tbe Heaven and the Earth, hath diverfe ac
ceptations you may fee many very different Inter
pretations of that text in Gordonius Scotus.
Let us now proceed to another name, Jehovah or
Jah, for which I fhall quote another entire place
out of VoJJiuss Jacchus comes from K1* Jah one of
the names of GOD from whence b Halelu-ja, that
is, Praife the Lord. The Heathens, in their Dances,
ufed to pronounce the holy name Jah or Jach very
loud^ It feems alfo they ufed the Tetragrammaton,
or word of four Letters fTP1, whether they founded
it Jave or Jehave, as the Samaritans did, or not ;
from whence I conjecture that 'id6t, in Epiphanius
fignifies the fame. But whether it ought to be pro
nounced Jeheve, as Mercerus and Drufius think, or
JehovahfiCCorcMng to the PunBa Maforitica,\s not my
prefent bufinefs to difpute : Give me leave only to
fay, that there feems ,to be no great Abfurdity in
their

BTHmimwiHiw

Chap. III. rfoGENTILES. 2.7
ILJ . I. I l-ll-J 1  ' 'JI-"-".*"l>L>  I 1.1 ii-i. -nil..- ¦¦¦  ¦Ill.l-I-I- 1 ¦¦ ¦ ,!.,
their Opinion, who derived the Greek word £**;#,
from their pronouncing the word win* aloud ; for,
with refpedt to the latter part of it, ttis well known,
that Vau is often changed into B ; fo Varro in Greek
is Bappae, Virgilius b<pj<m©-. But if you will not ad
mit of Bacchus ;'itta, certainly comes either from the
Tetragammaton, or Jah which we have in Exod. 28.
and often in the Pfalms. I could wiih we had that
book of Labeo, out of which Macrebius lib. 1. Satur-
nal. cites this paffage ; Apollo Clarius being confulted
which of the Gods was called Jao fpoke thus, Jao
is the Supreme God above all, Jupiter at the beginning of
the Spring, and the Sun- in Summer, but Jao is foft and
delicate in the Autumn. Then Macrobius fubjoins
the Power of the Deity of this Oracle, and the In
terpretation of the Name, by which Liber Pater and
the Sun is fignified by 'i**, from Cornelius Labeo in his
book intituled, De Oraculo Apollonis Clarii. Thus
Voffius lib. II. cap. XIV. How the Expurgation of
Grimes by certain Rites, efpecially the Vannus, of
which mention is made in the Holy Scripture, was
attributed by the Heathens to'Ia'a ihall be faid in its
place. Now that the GOD of Sabaoth, that is, of
.Hoy?* (which is one of the names of GOD in Sacred
Writ) was the Liber or Bacchus of the Heathens, who
was worfhipped for the Sun, may be gather'd from
many places, but particularly Ariftophanes, who calls
Bacchus or Liber always s.aCSdinw. So Didorus Siculus
lib. 3. and Lucian in Dear. Ccnf. Harpocration on
the word 2*t?,7) and Euftachius in the] tfcttfwnt of
Dionyfius. It is alfo confirm'd by this Antient In-
fcription, J2>_. Nunnius Alexander dono dedit Jovi Sab-
bazio , JO*. Nunnius Alexander prefented it to Jupiter
Sabbazius ; which in the antient Parchment MSS. of
Apuleius is called Sabadius. In the Holy Rites of
Sabazius, a Snake was put into the bofom of thofe that

2,8 The RELIGION of
that were initiated, of which Amobius lib. f . fays,
The f acred Rites and Ceremonies of Initation belonging to
him that is called Saebadius, may ferve for a trial of the
Truth, i where a yellow Snake is put into the Bofom of thofe
•that are, conjecrated, and taken out again at their lower
farts. Where Sabadius is the fame with Sabazius, as
the learned Voffius thinks. So Julius Firmicus Mater-
nus. Thojt that worfhip Jupiter Serpens when they are
initiated draw a Snake through their bofom., That Snake
to fome was the Symbol of a Deity, to others of the
World, and of Touth or Renovation cafting its Skin ;
when it drew up its Tail and hid it under
its Throat it fignified Time, and, according to Pieri-
»j,was put into Saturn's hand, and fo it denoted the
Earth moving about the Sunt The Greeks and Ro
mans were Strangers to the name of Sabazius, which
other Nations took from the Egyptians or Syrians.
Thus Cicero, They are new Gods and to be worfhipped by
watching whole nights. So Ariftophanes, the moft face
tious of the Antient Comick Poets, is troubled that
Sabazius and fome other Gods,he'mg efteemed Stan-
gers muft be turned out of the City. Sabazius comes
from the Hebrew word n2F> which fignifies War
fare ot an Army. Therefore i Sam. y, Pfal. 24.
59. and elfewhere the GOD of Sabbath, that is, of
Hofis or Armies, which is quite different from the
Jewifli Sabaoth, which fignifies Reft; againft the Opi
nion ot Plutarch, who derives 2«Cfttw or Sabbathum
from Sabbazius.
There is another celebrated name of GQD, ufed
in Sacred Scripture, viz. Adonai. Pfal. 24. Efa. 19. 4.
it is derived from Adon which is Lord or Mafter; in
which fenfe it is found in Plautus , where by Donni
or Adoni, he underftands my Lord or Mafter. Macro-
bius fays that the Heathens meant the Sun by Adonis,
If you Ipok intp the Religion of the Aflyrians you will

Chap. III. rk GENTILES. 29
will find that Adonis was the Sun ; amongft whom
Venus Atergatis and Adoms were in high eftefteem.
Which is theOpinion oithePhenicians now. For Natura-
lifts worfhipped the upper Hemifphere of the Earth which we
inhabit, under the name e/^Venus, and call'd the lower Pro-
ferpina.U}w» which account the Affyrians or Phenicians
introduced her as a mournfulGoddefs ,becaufe theSuns annu
al Motion being through the twelve Signs of the Zodiack,
of which fix are accounted Superiour and fix Inferiour ;
and when he is in the Inferiour and makes the Days fhort,
they imagine the Goddefs mourns for having loft him, who
is detained by Proferpina, who, as we faid before, is God
defs of the Lower Hemifphere and the Antipodes ; and they
call it the\returni?ig of Kdonis,when the Sun hath paft the
fix inferiour Signs and begins to adorn our Hemifphere with
increafe of Light and Length of Days. They alfo fay
that x\donis was killed by a Boar, becaufe they make this
Animal to be the Emblem of Winter, the Boar being rough
and hairy, delights in moft dirty places , and fuch as are co
vered with Hoar Froft. Therefore the Winter is, as it
were-, a Wound to the Sun, which diminifhes both its Heat
and Light to us, which upon both accounts is the occafion of
the Death of Animals. Thus Macrobius. Adonis was
called Gingras in the Phenician Language, which was
the Name of a Pipe, becaufe his Worfhippers fung
mournful Songs, of which mention is made Ifa. 28.
Ier. 8. where the Hebrew -jUff doth not fignifie a
Reed or Pipe, but a Crane or Goofe ; that Pipe being
made of a Goofe pipe, whence Gingrire is the proper Ex-
preffion for the Noife of a Goofe. Hifpanus Aldrete
derives the Word Gingras from the Syriack Root Ghe-
nag which fignifies to hunt, but this feems to be very
much ftrained. In the Sacred Rites of Adonis the
People were to whip themfelves very feverely, as if
they were celebrating the Funerals of Adonis ; they
alfo fhav'd their Heads as the Egyptians did to deadA- fis ;

3o The RELIGION of
1 i i 11 I-
pis; but if any of the Women would preferve their
Hair, they were obliged to proftitute themfelves to
Strangers for one day, and what proceeded from it
was dedicated to Venus. After this day of Mourning
was over they made a Bed for Venus and Adonis; and
the next was a day of Rejoicing for Adonis's being
reftored to Life. See Lucian de Ded Syria, and Plu
tarch in the Life of Alcibiades and Nicia. Thefe Ho
ly Rites were called Adonia, of which it is very pro
bable mention, is made Ezech. 8. And he led me to the
door of the Gate of the Houfe of the Lord, which is
to the North and there fat Women Lamenting for Tha-
mur. Where by Thamur. St. Jerom underftands Ado
nis ; and Procopius alfo in J of. 18. where he alfo fays
that Mars changes himfelf into Adonis ; but Plutarch
lib. 4. Symp. chap. j. fays Adonis was Bacchus.
Now, becaufe Stars where worfhipped under the
names of Men, and Men under the names of Stars;
Authors haved deliver'd themfelves fo very confu
sedly upon this point, that it will be difficult to deter
mine what belong'd to the Stars and what to Men ;
which is of great importance to be obferv'd, in re
ference to thofe things that are related concerning
the Antient GODS, for the illucidating" obfcure
Texts of of Scripture. For fometimes Hiftory paf-
fes from the GODS and their facred Rites, to Meno£
the fame name, and foon the contrary.
It is alfo a queftion, whether not only the Sun but
Grain alfo may be meant by Adonisx for fo much may
be gather'd from his Sacred Rites, as is evident from
Ammianus Marcellinus ; The Women, according to the
cuftom of their Country, ufed to lament when their expeBa-
tion was fnijircted in the firft fruits, in a very doleful man-
tm\as the Worfiippers of Venus did in the Sacred Rites of
Adonis, which wyfkically reprefents ripe Fruits. There
were Gardens Sacred to Adonis, concerning which the

Chap. III. the GENTILES. 3 1
1 ' i.i I ' | M
the Scholiaft on tbe 15;. Idyl, of Theocritus fays, They
ufed to fow Bread Corn and Barley in fome Gardens near
the City, and called them the Gardens of Adonis. , We
could bring other inftances of thefe Gardens; but
let this fuffice concerning the name Adonai, and its
Acceptation by the Phenicians, who worfhipped the
Sun under it.
There are other Names of GOD deliver'd to us
in the holy Scriptures, and recorded by St. Jerom,
as Schaddas, &c. for which confult the Commenta
tors. Thefe were the moft folemn Names by which the
Hebrews called the Supreme God ; which yet the
Heathens applied to the Sun, except Sabazius, as is
#vident from what has been faid before. Thus al
though the Hebrews worfhipped a Deity fuperiour to
the Sun under thefe very words, the Heathens did not
mean the Sun nor any other Deity ( unlefs they e-
fteemed theSun as the moft eximious Reprefentation
of the Supreme Gvdsand,asPlato calls it,hismoftfenfible
Image ) but only worfhipped the Supreme God him
felf ; which I am the more inclined to believe,in re
gard almoft all the Antient Religion was Symboli
cal, and they do not only worfhip this thing, in
that, but one thing out of another. The Priefts
being always very careful and induftrious , to
the People totally at their Devoire , were ex-
quifitely ingenious both to load the People with fu-
perftitious. Forms and Ceremonies, and to Inrich
themfelves. What fome do affert, That the Hebrews had the
abovementioned Names of GOD from the Heathens,
feems to me very improbable, in regard almoft all
the Religious Worfhip of the Greeks and Romans came
out of the Eaft ; though I do not deny but that fome
particular Rites were invented by their Priefis. But
how-

32 The RELIGION of
, — -  i  i
however the matter was, it is very apparent that
the facred Rites of the Hebrews and Gentiles, in molt
things differ'd very little, as will be very manifeft
from what follows.
And thus much concerning the Names oftheS»-
preme God as EL, ELOHIM, JAH, JEHOVAH,
SABAOTH and ADONAI ; I proceed to the dif
ferent Appellations of the S«w,ufed by the Heathens.

C H A P. IV.
Of the Worfhip of the Sun, and his feveral Names.
NOT only Holy Scripture, but alfo Homer ,
Heftod, and the Antient Hiftorians inform us,
that the Adoration of the Sun was both very Antient
and Univerfal ; for it being the general Opinion,
that the Supreme God had made the Heavens the place ¦
of his Refidence, (immortal things being moft fuita-
ble to Immortality ) the Heathens could not obferve
any thing there fo confpicio'us, or which feem'd to
them more worthy of Worfhip and Adoration.
Thus, not only in.great Dangers and Difficulties,
but in their Profperity alfo, they devoutly lifted up
their Eyes and Hands towards the Heavens; thither
they directed their Prayers, not knowing from
whence elfe any good thing could proceed.
Then they began to think it very incongruous
that GOD. who required religious Worfhip to be
paid him by all, fhould conceal himfelf from them.
For this reafon moft of the Heathens efteem'd the
Sun to be a GOD, and though not the Supreme, yet
the very next to him, and his moft noble and ex
cellent Reprefentative ; although others were of o-
pinion, That the whole World, being full of GOD, was

Chap. IV. the G E NT I L E S. 33
1 . ii' 1 . 1 - - ¦
was the moft exact Image of him. Thofe who. wor-
ftSpp'd the Sun inftead of the Supreme God himfelf
did like thofe, who, when they come to the Court
of fome great Monarch, take the firft perfon they
fee in a rich Habit, for the King, and pay him that
Refpedt that is due only to Majefty it felft
The Inea of Peru was much more in the right,
who being askt, whether he acknowledg'd any other
Deity, Superiour to the Sun ? anfwer'd,, I do not e-
fteem the Sun to be the Supreme GOD, but his Minifter
anly., who being carried round the Earth, doth perform his
Will and Pleafure. A very ingenious ifehfwer. For
how could that be efteemed Supreme by which all
Sublunary things would be confumed and reduced to
allies, if it were permitted to act without any rC-
-ftraint. The Sun was only a kind of fenfible Repre
sentation of the Supreme God under which confedera
tion only the moft Wife amongft the Heathens wor
fhipped him ; knowing very well that GOD himfelf
could not be difcerned in any one thing ; Univef-
fal Nature it felf being inefficient to reprefent him
according to his excellent Dignity. It is not agreed
what the Figure of the Sun is, whether it be a
Tetragon, Polygon^ or (according to the common o-
pinion) round ; for if ic be Angular, the Angles may
not be difcernable by reafon of the weaknefs of our
Sight, occafion'd by the remotertefs of the Object; as
happens in fquare Towers, which at a diftance will
feem to be round ; but if (according to Anaximan-
der) it fhould be an hollow Furnace full of Fire, i£*
would yet feem to.be protuberant, as Qpticks plain
ly demonftrate.
But to pafs by its Figure as uncertain, it may bfe
proved by Mathematical Demonftration, that it is an
(hundred fixty tix times, " or according to fome an
•hundred and forty times, larger than this Globe of
D Earth |

34 The RELIGION of
 .  •_.#- j • i '  ¦ — —
Earth; and of fuch' prodigious Swiftnefs that it
moves ioooooo miles in an hour ; which is yet fo
rnuch exceeded by the Velocity of the Firmament ,
that in the Space of 24 hours, which is its diurnal
motion, itgoes 42. 308. 437. thoufand paces: which,
fays Wan. Patriciusfifa. bird could perform, it would
fly 1884 ti*1163 round the whole Earth in an hour ;
3 1 . y in a minute. Laftly, it is So bright and Splen -
did when it, makes the Day, that not all the other
Stars and all Sublunary Fires amaffed together in
one body, would be any thing comparable to it for
Light and Heat. For thefe Reafons, and alSo be
caufe Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter were
occafioned by its Motion , froni whence proceeded
the Original and Decay of all Animals and Plants ;
the Heathens efteemed it a Deity ; but more efpeci
ally the Egyptians, in whofe Theology he is called,
The Sole God of Heaven , yet ftill they honoured the
reft of the Stars with Divine Worfhip, though they
paid the greateft to the Sun. The Egyptians called
him Ofiris ; though , according to Plutarch, Ofiris
fignifies many other Heathenifli Deities befides, yet
moft properly it is taken for him. See Maerob.
lib. 1. Sat. c.21. which is explained by Diodorus S /cu
ius, faying Helios, that is, Ofiris or the Sun firft ruled
over the Egyptians, by the name of that Star in the
Heavens. Thus Statius.
Whether with th' Athemonians we do -call,
Thee Ro^.Titan ; or the fruitful all
Producing Ofiris. *  « 
Ofiris, in the Egyptian Language fignifies Many eyes ;
So he enlightens the World with many Rays , ac
cording to Diodorus Siculus' lib. 1. The Egyptians alfo
called the Sun Orm, who was worfhipped at Hetiopo* Ii,

Chap. IV. the GEN TILES.- 3 5
lis, under the form of a B«# confecrated to him, cal
led Mnevis. Games were inftituted here in honour
of him, where the Images of the GODS were car
ried in facred Horfe-litters. Sirv'm fays thefe Fi
gures were Small Images carried about by their Motion
and they were infpired with Phrophecy :to this that
Of Amos y.25:. feems to hint Thou haft carried the
Tabernacle of Moloch, which Tabernacles or Chariots
were drawn by Oxen, Horfes or Affes, and fome-
, times by Men themfelves,and Served inftead of Tem
ples. The Antient Ceremony ufed at the Adorati-
tion of the Sm was to extend the Thumb upright
and lay it upon the mouth, (this was alfo uSed in the
Worfhip of other GODS ) then they turn'd their Bo
dies roundabout, Authors tell us, the Romans to
wards the Right,aod the Gauls to wards the Left. The
Heathens antiently adored towards the Rifing Sun ;
the Ifraelltn on the contrary, turn'd themfelves to
wards the Weft, at their Devotion ; and the Chri-
ftiains have reviv'd the former, turning to the Eaftl
The Egyptians alfp, call'd the SwTypkpn; Of which
in its'place.
The Phenicians alfo ador'd ihe Sm ; where ob-
ferve, that Phenicia is a part 0$ Syria, fituate on the
Sea-fide, and call'd Canaan" in Scripture. Canaan
begat Sidon, according to St. Jerem, from whom
the City at Sidon had its Name; it was alfo the
Bound of the Cmaanites. From Sidm, 'till you
come into Gerar, even to Gaza, 'till you enter in
to Sidon; yet I cannot but own, with Arius Monta
na, that it was a Name common to 12 other Na
tions : whofe Inhabitants, according to' Herodotus,
pafs'dover the Red-Sea, afcd dwelt on the Sea-cOafis
ofSyti*; but according to the latter Defcription
of Pliny, the Phmmans were difpers'd over Syria :
which I am the more curious in, becaufe it is very
D 2 pro-

'""- I ¦ *--- - ------ "J  — — - — - —
36 The RELIGION of
probable, that religious Worfhip, after the Egyptians,
came from the Phenicians into the Weft ; they alfo
being efteem'd the Inventers of Letters, and Navi
gation into remote Parts. So Critias in Aiheneus,'
Says, Letters Were the Invention of the Phenicians. Al
fo Dionyfius Alexan Itinas :
In tb' Inland Country dwell the Syrians ;
- Next the Sea- (hone are the Phenicians,
Defcended from the Erythean Blood, •
They firft built Ships, Sail'd on the hoift'rous Flood:
Traded with Nations Foreign and Remote,
By Obfervation of tbe Stars being taught ;
And to have'Settlements near to the Seas,
Joppa and Gaza were their Colonies :
Th' Elaian Towers in their Pofj-ffion were,
Fledfant Berytis, and the antient Tyre ; '
The Shores o/Biblus, and tbe fertile Ground
Of Sidon, for fine' Rivers much Renown d ;
Rich Tripolis, Orthofia the Fair, '
Marathus plentiful beyond compare.
Whom Feftus Avienus, imitating, Says,
AW thofe Coafts wafiid by the fait flowing Sea,
Is tall'd the Country oj^Phenicia ;
From the Red-Sea Mm thither did remove,
Shipping and Navigation to improve ;
They Pft'Difcovery made of the Pole-Star,
And Commerce had with Nations diftant far.
Nor will what Strabo relates Seems ft range in re
gard their Mariners more particularly obferv'd the
Worfhip of the Stars, and carried their Religion in
to far diftant Regions; and trading all over the
Meditefranean,a'nd fohietimes into the Ocean, they
almoft

Char* IV. the GENTILES. 37
almoft totally fubdu'd the Carthaginians and Iberians.
Strab-j fays, The Phenicians, before Homers time, had'
the beft part of Spain and Africa, which they kept
'till the Ramans quite extirpated them. They us'd
to £etPataici, whom they efteem'd Deities, on the
Stem of their Ships ; but in what Form they were
carv'd or painted, does not appear from Hefychius.
But Cartarius de Imag. Deor. fays, The Phenicians
have Reprefentations of their GODS, without the
Figure of any Man or Animal. The Sun was alfo
worihipp'd by the Phenicians, under the-Name of
Baal, or Bal; call'd Bel by the Adrians: Thus
Servius ; It is evident, that the Affyrians worfliipp'd
Saturn (which is the fame as the Sun) and Juno ; which
Deities the Africans worfhipped afterwards.. So that in
their Language, GOD is call'd Bal; and by the Affyri
ans Bel ; which is Saturn and the Sun. Other places
alfo might be quoted to this purpofe. The Sun was alfo
worfhip'p'd by the Pbeniciitns and Arabians, and
Call'd Adun, Adonis, i^Adoneus or Gingras.
This Adoration of the S»»-obtain'd. in Judeaiot
fome time, "till Jofiah reign'd, who deftroy'd the
Horfes that the Kings oijuda had dedicated to the
Sun, and birnt his Chariot with Fire. We come
now to the Mediterranean Syria ; where, befides;
Judea, is Comagene -which contains Seleucia, Antioch,
Apamea, and Laodicea, (whence it is call'd Tetrapolis)
Cotlo-Syria , or Cava-Syria. Here the Ammonites
worfhipp'd the Sun. under the Name of Moloch; f hat-
is, Lord of the Univerfe,. or Milcom ; which is the
GOD of tbe Ammonites, Kings n. f , 7,, and in.
Levit. and the %d of Kings ; from which places if
appears, that Parents made their Children pafs
thro* the Fire, in Honour oiMolech, yet not So as to
be burnt alive, but, as Some will have it, that they
might be cleans'd and purg'd; being led, or carry 'd
x> 3 by

38 The RELIGION of
M,l JlllllJMMM»^piWfW«WWWI..I»WfU>M|I.ML.IIIfll ¦¦'»" '"  > .1 1 l'« » ¦¦'"<"' if" ¦-" ' " ',
by the Priefts, or even by their Command, by their
own Parents,between two great Fires ; where,^*®-
Ezra is of Opinion they were burnt: which is
grounded on % Kings 17. 51. Thofe, of Sepharvaim.
burnt their Children' in the Firt to Adammeiech and'
Anammelech. Nor will* it fignifie any thing, that Some take?
Molech fbt Priapus ; for Priapus fignifies the gene
rative Power of the Sun ; or that others will have
Molech to be Mercury ; for it h'Melecb, and not Mo
lech that fignifies a Meffenger ; which is Mercury's,
Character. Moloch had an Image confuting of Se
ven apartments. In the firft, they offer'd a little
Ape | in the next, a Turtle; in the third, a Sheep;
in the fourth^ a Ram; in the fifth, a Calf ; in the
SiXth, an Ox; and hi the Seventh, a Male Child,
according to R. Simeon in Jalkut ; and P aulus Fagiat ,
notes an the Caldee Paraphrafe of Leviticus, Meri.
were Sacrific'd in Honour of the Sm, tho'leffer
Victims ferv'd other Deities 1 ¦* their cruel bloody
Prieftg making them believe, that the Supreme GOL}
expected fuch noble Sacrifices. To this end, they
perfvvaded Parents to deftroy their own Children,
in imitation of Saturn or Time, which deftroys all
things that come' into the World $ Minutim Felix,
Says , this Cuftom obtain'd in lome places of
Afrita. : ;
In Syria, tAEpamea and Emiffa, the Sun. was wOr-
fhipp'd, with Mercury and Mars ; as may be col
lected from j?»//V?»VHymn to the Sun .- They call'd
Him Elagabalus, or Alagabalus ; which Word com?
i.ng amongft the Romans, became Heliogabalm, the
latter part being composed of the old Arabick Word
Gabal, which fignifies an Inventor "Or Builder ; or
Gebel, which fignifies a Mountain : Priefts were
cqnfecrated to him, as is evident ;from an antient
Infcrip-

Chap. IV. the G E.N T I L is. 3 9
^—W" Jimm|LUJ«1w^wwli|i '.'ii J . ¦ " '
Inferiptiqn : Saeerdos Solis Dei Elagabali. The Prieft
of the Sm, the GOD Elagabaks. Of which,
Fefttu. Avimttt ;
»,:, -j* - TfeV Lives they fpend
StricJly devout to tb* fiery Deity ;
Tho' lofty Libanus doth touch the Sky,
Tet ftill their Temple with his Cedars vie:
The Sun was alfo worfliipp'd in Syria- Palmyrena,
So call'd from Palmyra, Which the Hebrews call Tba-
mur ; This City was built by King Solomon, in
which Vopifcus, in the Life of Aurelian, mentions,
That there was a Temple of the Sun.
Having thus paSs'd thro' Judea, Ccelo-Syria, Coma-
gem and Seleitcia, the Learn'd Voffius goes into Me- '
fapotamia, Babylonia and Syria, where he obServes
that Syria was taken in So extenfive a Senfe by the
Antients, that it comprehended all thefe Territo
ries. Thus Says Mela, Syria ts call'd Code, Meso
potamia, DarnaScene, Adiabefce, Babylonia,. Judea
and Sophene ; Pliny writing of Syria, fays, That
formerly it was a very great TraB of Land .•_ for it was
called Paleftine, where: if joins to Arabia, Judea and
Coele ; then Phenicia, and more inward, Damafcene ;
btit at this time, rather South-Babylon, and between
Euphrates and Tygris, Mefopotamia, where it paffes
Taurus Sophene, on this fide Comagene, beyond Ar
menia Adiabehe, formerly call'd Affyria.-
- It is very plain, out of Herodotus, Tragus, and Or
thers, what part of Syria was antiently call'd Affyria^
Cicero fays, There were Caldeans iti Judea. The
Sun was cail-'d Belus, by the Affyrians, or Syrians and
Caldeans, or Babylonians, not in an Hiftorical Senfe,
for So Nimrod was called Belus; but in a Natural
^Acceptation, and So it fignifies Universal Nature, j
D 4 butj

4o : The RELIGION of
but the Celeftial more efpecially, and particularly
that -'of the Sun. There is a fort of a precious
Stone, Which fhining like the Sun, is call'd Oculus
Beli, Pliny (ays; The Oculus Beli being white, has a
black Pupil or Apple in it, whofe Middle jhihes like Gold.
This Stone was moft Sacred to the GOD of the
Affyrians. They alfo called the Sun Adad, as the
Earth Atergatis.. Macnbius fays,. The Affyrians call the
Supreme and greateft Deity they worfhip, Adad, which
fignifies One. . Him they adore as the mo(l Potent ; but
they alfo have a Goddefi, whom they name Atergatis,
and they afcribe all Power to thefe Two, meaning the
Sun and the Earth. . He adds : There' is a moft Noble
Image of Adad, darting down Rays, by which is (hown,
that the Celeftial foflqences are contain' d in the Sun- beams
which arefent down upon, the Earth. Then another very.
ff>lendid Image of Atergatis^ emitting Rays from every
part upwards ; to intimate, that whatever the Earth pro
duces, is by the Power of the Rays She emits upwards.
But whether this Adad be the. GOD of whom men
tion is made, Jofh. 66. 17. is a Queftion amongft
the Learn'd ; for which, confult Voffius.
Strabo tells us, that in Arabia they fet an Altar up
on the tog of the Houfe, and burnt there Frankih-
cenfe to the, Sun every day. In the fame place,
fays Theopbraftus., the Sabeans carry Myrrh and
Brankincenfe to the Shrine of the Sun, which was
efteem'd the moft Sacred of all thofe that were a-
bout them, and was guarded by armed At^ians.
Baalpeor was alfo worshipped in Arabia, of whom
mention is made in Sacred Writ : St. Jerom is of o-
pinion, that he was Priapus ; which if it be true,
Priapus was myfticaily put for the Srf#, according to
Qjrphetts in his Qnomacrjiics. Carrying

Chap. IV. fkGENTILE S. 4t

Carrying a bright thinlng Light thro' the World,*"'
Wherefore I call thee Phaneta and King Priapus.
Macrobius, Says Phaneta, was the Suti ; and if
Priapm was the fame as the Egyptian Horus, the Sun"
was fignified by it ; thus Suidas, The Image ofVA-
aphswhom the Egyptians call Orus, is made of an hu
mane Shape , holding a Sceptre in his Right-hand, to de
note that all that is dry (that is, the Earth) and the Sea,
are fhown by him : Alfo his Pudenda extended in his
Left, becaufe he caufes hidden Seeds to appear publickly.
His Wings intimate the Celerity of his Motion ; and the
roundnefs of his Difh, his circular Form, for they efteem
him the fame as* the- Sun.
There was 'another Priapus at Lampfacus, from
whofe corrupt Hiftory, fome fabulous Relations
^have proceeded, Which I have thought fit to orriit?
It is fufficienc to my purpofe, to prove that Priapus
ahtiently, myftically fignified, either the Sun, or the
Univerfaj Generative Power of Nature, into whdfe
Embraces thofe Women that were about marrying,
were to be put for Some time, that the God might
free them from their Scrupulous Modefty.
The Inventions of the antient Priefts, were not
only impious and fooliih, but very obfcene, fetid
and fordid ; the Worihippers of the Idol Belphegor,.
amongft the Moabites, a ppear'd very 'nafty, amaffing
great Heaps of Mud, and offer'd Dhhg inftead of
Frankincenfe. The Moabites and Midianites had yet
fome Rites that were worfe ; for their Belphegor,
like Priapus, being made with his Penis erect, they
us'd the fame' Ceremonies as were in the Sacred
Myfteries of Venus, and openly indulg'd and per
mitted all forts of Luft and Licentioufnefg*: Thus in
Numb. 2 j. 12, 13. The Ifraelites being invited to
the

ji H ¦ ' ¦ ' ir ' a < ; i ' - ,' ' ' ¦
42, The RELIGION of
the Sacrifices of Belphegor, were initiated ; into the
Rites of this God, and committed' Fornication
with the Daughters of Moab.. From the 2 Kings
¦z$. 2. and 2 Cbron. 15. 16. we may -gather, that
fytaacha, the Mother of Afc, prefided over chefe
Rites ; and St. ferom on the. 4th Chap, of Hofia,
ftews, that Women formerly were very prone to
this Worfhip. Nor is it any Objection, that in the
Firft Book of Athmzm, Priapus is often called
Bacchus ; for it is very evident, that Bacchus or Lu-
her, was myitically the Sm. As for Cbamos, which
St. Jerom Says, on Jofh. ijv 2. was another Name*
for Belphegor, we need not infift upon him, becaufe
|ds Rites were very obfcene, and relate little
or nothing to our „purpofe. But we cannot o-
mit remarking, that in Baifampfa, a City of Arabia,
the Sun was univerfally worlhipp'd,;. which befides
What Steph. in Urb. fays, the very Signification of the
Name, which is the Houfe of the Sun, intimates.
' The Sun was* alfo efteem'd a Deity amongft the
Perfians, who call'd him Mithras, This is plain from
Hefychius .(and many others) who fays, Mithras figni-
fied the Sun with *£s Perfi ins ; which is confirmed
by Suidds,ou. the word Mithras,and fome antient In
scriptions, DEQ.SOLI INVIGTO MITHRjE : To
¦the Omnipotent. God Mithras. And Herodotus gives
"Us an account of their way of Worfhip. Amongft
all the Gods, they worfhip the Sun only, and Sacrifice
-Horfes. And iTrogus, The Perfians believed the Sun
to be the only God, and Horfes were Sacred to him : So
Qvid. Faft.
Radiant Flyperion, Perfians to appeafe
Think the fleet Horfe the only Sacrifice ;
No dull ViBim with their fwiftGod agrees. But

lj|*K-J. u.'.",-""".1 •'.•}'<: ¦<¦. \. . 'i-wmmitmmfurtf

Chap. IV. r^O'EN TILES. .. 4}
mau. — ^ ji,u.ilw'ul..»i,iu ¦uin-^nnym!. - ¦I'.'i-.wawa.t^ij.jw.'ji'wiiiuiiw" ¦»
; But whatjs here Said of the only God ought rather
to be underftood of the Supreme God ; Thus Hefydtiw,
Mithras was tbe firft Deity amongft the Perfians ; for the
Perfians worlhippd the Moon, Venus and the Ele-
mentsa as fhall be Ihewn thereafter. Now in regard
the Sm was efteem d, moft eminently to reprefent
the Power and Majefiy of the Supreme God, almoft all
the . Heathens therefore worfhipp'd him.'
¦ The Perfians eftablifh'd two Principles of all
things, Oromazen, the Original of all Good; and
Arimanius of Evil ; one like Jupiter, and the other
Vejupiter : they worfhipp'd the one, that he might
beftow his Benefits upon them ; and the other, that
he might not hurt them :. between thefe two they
plac'd the Sun like an Arbitrator. That place in
Plutarch is very remarkable ; Zoroafteri, the moft an
tient Philofopher, call'd one Oronjafen, or Oromafden :
andthe ether, Arimanius ; and tbe middle One between
both, Mithras; which Mithras, the Perfians call a Me
diator. He is alfo called Triple, either from Power,
Wifdom and Goodnefi, or from Heat,. Light, and Influ
ence ; for the Reafon is equally agreeable in both.
The Perfians kept a perpetual Fire in honour of
Mithras ; as was alfo done by the VeQals at Rome,
Tlie Sun being efteem'd the Image of GOD ; fo
was Fire the Image of the Sun ; Thefe Priefts were
¦ call'd Pyrcthi, who for an hour together, Sung their
Verfes or Epddes before the Fire, holding Ver
vain in their Hands, and covCr'd with Veils
lunging down to their Cheeks and Lips; which
Strflbo fays, was done in the Temples of Anaitidos and
Amnion ; the laft' Signifying Fire, and fp.the Sun,
andthe former the Moon. ' . .
t The Perfians, as was faid before, Sacrific'd a
white Horfe to him ; which Herodotus," Lib. 1. Says,
the Mafiageta .did ; and .%enophon, £& 4. that* the
Arm*-

44 The RELIGION of
II ' ] . nil . n). i .in i 11 ¦"'«" ¦  ¦'
Armenians- did alfo;1 which certainly was a much
lefs barbarous Sacrifice than, an Humane one. A
precious Stone, call'd Mitrax, was dedicated to the
Sun, which feems to rival Him in the Splendour of
its Colour; and is found in- Perfia. St. Auguftine, in
his 20 1 Book, f Gap. contra Fauft. inveighs againft
Patriarchs of the Manicbees, who, fays he, worfhipp'd"
the Sun, as a middle Principle betwixt Good and
Evil. Tour Prayers -(fays he) whirl about with tbe
Suns Motion. And Chap. 8. You are fo vain as to place
the Power of our Saviour in the Sun, and Infinite Wifdom
in Light; which very much illuftrates what was faid
before concerning the Sun. But whether this Wor
fhip were Divine or Symbolical, only, is the Que-
ftion. lam of Opinion with the Learn'd Vofiius, that
the Manicbees as well.,as the Heathens, intended no->
thingbut a Symbolical Worfhip, which terminated
in the Supreme God. Neither do they feem to ter
minate their Worfhip in any of the moft eminent
Parts of Nature ; but acknowledging one Supreme
Operator in the whole Frame of Things, Him they-
more efpecially wocihipp'd and ador'd. Thus wor-
fliipping that* Noble Emblem of the Supreme God,
the Sun, they ftill pay fome. more profound Vene
ration to an unknown Deity, which they ador'd in
his Works. .
Hereafter we will fhew how extehfive the Wor
fhip of the Principles of Good and Evil grew,
and make fome Enquiry, whether the Fall of A-
dam were , the Original Source and Ganfe of all
this Evil ; or whether it were the Serpent which
Symbolically is the Devil.
AUChriftian Divines unanimoufly have Recourfe
thither for the Redemption of Mankind : I will al
io there examine what ¦Evil really is ; for that can not

Chap. IV. /^GENTILES. v: 4$
'•"ir iriiinii ir- --  - -i , - ¦ 1 " 1 -lfe''- — -
not be 'juftly call'd Evil, which is made; ufe. of by
the juft, tho' fepret Judgment of God, for the
Punilhment of Sin ; nor can the Will of Manx tho'
never fo propenfe to Sin, be call'd Simply Evil ;
for tho' the moft vile Actions may be the ConSe-
quence, and proceed from thence, yet the Princi
ple was not ill in it Self ; becaufe by God's Af-
fiftance, it may be determin'd to either fide.
The Ethiopians worfhipp'd the' Sun alfo under the
Name of AJJabinus, whom the Greeks and Romans
call'd the Ethiopian Jupiter ; and Voffim fays very a-
greeably, becaufe in the Eaft, and the People of
the Neighbouring Countries to Africa, they did not
1 call Jupiter, Uranius, or Coslius only, but Sol cum Ccelo,
Sun and Heaven. Cinnamon, by the Cuftom of
the Country, was Sacred to him ; the manner of
Gathering which, together with the Tricks and
Cheats, the Priefts, according to their ufual Cu-
ftom,us'd in the fame, may be Seen in Theop&r. L. 9.
C. <r. Plin; L. 12. C. 9. Solinus, C. 51. •
In Cyrenaica alSo, but efpecially in Marmarks,
which is call'd the Holy. Country of God, by Diodorus
Siculus, Lib. 17. And amongft the Ammonites it
is Said thefe was a Temple of Ammen, in which
they worfhipped the Lyhian Jove ; by which they
meant the Setting Sun, Macrob. Sat. 1. Ch. 21. The
Lybiaris eHeem'ed the God Ammon to be the Setting Sun.
There was alfo another Temple of . Hammon in
Meroe/an Ifland in the Nile, but much inferiom?
to the former. This Deity was fuppofed to have
Rams Horns, from which that Animal (lays Macrobius)
has all its Strength and> Power, as the Sun from its
Beams, others by the twiflirtg of the Rams Horns,
feems to intimate the Ambiguity of.Hhmmons An
swers, which, as uncertain as they were, they were
anciently in very great Credit.
The

46 The RELIGION of
-•mmmmm^mmmmm*. iii i i iiw^^^.^.^wi^^^wuiii. mi. i n i i i nh tmmm^m wmm^mu^^. .1—
The Ethiopians alfo kept a Table for the £**»
concerning which, fee Herodotus his Thalia. Philo-
slratm, in the Life of Apollsnm, Ch. 3. gives an
Account of wfiat Sacred Rites were Performed to
the Sun and Memnon Eons, whofe Statue Spake as
foon as the Sun Beam approached to his Mouth.
The Carthaginians, that were a Colony of the Pbe- ,
nidans, worfhipped the Sun, as is manifeft from that
Place of Servim^ before recited, of which Ennius
Jays, He ufed to Sacrifice young Children to his Gods.
Pifcennitts Feflus tells us, That the Carthaginians of
fer d up Human Sacrifices, and when they were overcome
by Agathocles King of Sicily, they thought their God
was angry , and that they might be fare to render bins pra-
pitiom to them, they Sacrificed two Hundred cfthe Sens
tf their Nobility. We have before proved that Sat-
tum was the Sun. This is alfo confirmed by many
other Authors, whence it appears, that this Impi
ous and Barbarous Cuftom, obtained almoft over
the whole World ; which Tiberius abrogated in Gal
lia and Africa.
Thus much concerning the Names and Worfhip
of the Sun amongft the Weslern an6 Enflern Nati
ons. But fome amongft them were of another Opi
nion, if we can credit M.la, who fays, The Atlantes,
a People i» Africa, Cftrfed the Sum; both Rifing and Set'-
tiwg, . as being moil; Incommodious to their Perfms and
Land. But this is nothing ft range, "for there was not
any thing fo ridiculous and abford, bus the Super-
ftitious Villainy of the Priefts could introduce.
When the Sun enters into the Sign Aries, it ex
hales very contagious Vapours, which are Evapora
ted when he enters into Leo, fo that after a dif-
mal Plague has raged all over Africa, and fwept .a-
way Some ThouSands,. it entirely ceaSes, and they
become Healthy agairs.
the

Chap. IV. the G E N T I L E S. 47
The Greeks and Romans alSo worfhipped the Sun,
under different Names, but more efpecially that of
Apollo, of which more hereafter ; upon which Ac
count Macrobius had reafon to fay, That the different
Virtues of tbe Sun gave Names to the Gods ; who had
very various Appellations in feveral Countries, yet
So that they all, had Some certain and occult Refe
rence to the Sun jas the fame Author fays,He is call'd
Phoebus, from his Splendor, and Apollo, which Plato
in Cratylns proves to be the Sun. Cicero alfo Says,
that the Sun and Mom were both Deities, and the
Greeks called the one Apollo, and the other Diana;
likewiSe Julian in his Hymn to Apollo.
The Emperor HeUognbalus Built a Temple to the
Sun in the Mens Palaiinus at Rome, he being formerly
one of his Priefts ia Syria* He brought hither the
Type of the Great Mather, the Vefial Fire, the Pal
ladium, Ancilia, and all the miraculous things in
Rome, and endeavoured to transfer the Religion of
the Jews and Samaritans and the Chriftian Worlhip
to that Place ; that his Prieft might underftand the
Secret Myfteries of all forts of Religious Worfhip.
Antonius Varius alfo built a Temple for the Sun
in Rome. His Sacred Rites were called Apollonaria,
as thofe of the Moan Delia, fome of which may be
Seen in ProcJus's Chrefiomathia in Pbetius. The fenfe is
thus ; They Crown a piece of Wood with Lawrel, and
Adorn it with various Flowers, upon the Top is put a
Brafs Sphere, at which fmall ones hang ; the Middle of
it is Adorned with Purple Crowns, lefs than thofe which
are on the very Top, the Lower part » Cloatbed with Pur
ple. ' By tbe Upper Sphere they Reprefent the Sun by
which they mean Apollo, that under the Moon ; the
fmall Globes that hang about are the Stars, the Crowns
fignifie his Annual Courfe, having three Hundred and Six
ty parts. There were alfo Solemn GameSjCallid Apolli- narei,

48 ; The RELIGION of
nares, inftitifted in Honour of him ; of which Cicero
Speaks in his Philippicks, Who never was Prefent at,
or made any Ludi Apollinares, for the Welfare of him
felf and the People of Rome.
Many other things might be faid concerning trie
Myftical Worfhip of the Sun • which will be TreaV
ted of more Naturally when we come to fpeak off
Apollo's being the fame as the Sun; 4et it here fuffice
to have fhewn (as much as could be Collected from
Authors) that the Worlhip of the Sun was very An
tient and Untverfal, and continues amongft the In1-
dians to this very day.
I mall add nothing now concerning the Books of
ApoUo that were kept in the Capitol, which the
Priefts either did, or pretended . to confult in all
difficult Affairs, Predicting what was to come from
thence ; intending to Treat particularly of the Sa
cred Books of the Antients.

Chap. V. //^GENTILES. 49

CHAP. V.
Of the Names of the Planets, and* their leing R4*
duced to the SUN.
IN regard the knowledge of the Planets Was either;
not very Antient orUniverfal amongft the Hea
thens, we have fhewn that fome of their Names
were reducible to the Sun ; and firft Saturn, the
Name of which Planet agrees with the Sun, as we"
formerly made appear out of Servius, Damafcius, and
others, the flow Motion of that Planet being then un*
known. Macrobius out of Homer and Cornificius prove?
Jupiter to be the Sun, fo does Philo Biblius out of San-
-cboniathon in Eufebius ; They thought this God to be the on
ly Gofernour of Heaven, and called him Beel-famen^
which, in the Phenician Language, fignifies Lord of
Heaven, but in the Greek Jupiter. Notwithftanding,
they did not immediately worfhip the Sun as thc|
Supream God only, but as his Reprefentative ; fo
that the Sun was worfhipped only Symbolically un
der thefe Names ; tho', as we faid before, his diver
sity of Virtues gave occafion to the feveral Names
that were given him in different Times and
Places. Mars alfo was one of the Names of the Sun, a-
rnongft the more Antient Heathen Theologifts $
more efpecially Mars SylVanus, fo Cato Ch. 83. de
R. R. calls him, whether it be from Syli/'a a Wood,
Matter, or jforf, which is the dregs of all the Ele
ments, viz. the moft grofs Fire, Air, Earth and
Water ; which is much Explained by this Place in
Macrobius, This Very Pan, whom they call Janus, in the
Mahtt ym noli) fee hint} gives the more Difcreet and lit*
E telligeni

£o The RELIGION of
> . ...
telligent to underftand that he is the Sun. The Arcadi
ans worfhip him, calling him the Lord of «*¦», not tbe
Lord of the Wood, but meaning the Ruler over Univer fal,
fubBantial Matter. Alfo the Gloffes of Philoxenus
and Papias, make Sylvanus the fame as Pani but more
of this in Voffius, who in my Opinion feems to ftrain
more to reduce Mars Sylvanus to Pan, than Pan to
the Sun. For what Similitude is there between Mars,
the GOD of War, and the common Suftainer of
the fubftantial Matter of all things ? My Opinion
therefore is, that Sylvanus ( which is the Epithet gi
ven to Mars by Cato ) hath refpedt only to a Wood
full of Trees.; for when that Deity was not very
Propitious, they were afraid that their Flocks fhould
be Devour'd by the Martial Wolves, which always
lay ready to catch them. Thus Horace, Lupos Mar-
tiales, &c. upon which Account Cato, in the fame
Place, advifes each of them to Sacrifice an Ox to
Mars Sylvanus. For this moft pious Perfon was of
Opinion, that Mars the God of War, had Com
mand over the very Wild Beafts themfelves in the
Woods ; he alfo perfwades them to offer up Sacri
fices and Prayers to Mars, under this diftinction, and
gives a Form of them in his 41 Book.
From all which we have good Reafon to con
clude, that the Learned Voffius has not fufficiently
proved Mars to have been formerly one of the
Names of the Sun.
Voffius is alfo bf opinion, that Mercury, who is cal
led Stilbon by Cicero ; Cyllenius Ignts, by Virgil and
Communis Stella, or the common Star by Apuleius, was
the Sun alfo : But this does not at all appear evident
to me. What is alleged for Proof, either agrees
with the Star {o called, or to Some Men that had
the Same Name ; tho' I Shall not deny but that Mer
cury had Some Sort of Reference to the Sun by a kind
of Symbolical Virtue. The

Chap. V. /fo GENTILES. si
The Curious Searchers into the Secrets of Nature,
had a great Efteem for the Power of this Star, and
thought that he very readily inclined to Mens Pray
ers j that he was not only in League and Amity
with other Stars, but with Men alfo ; efpecially
with refpedt to thofe things that relate to Study and
Civil Affairs ; according to whofe influence, the
Antients believ'd one Man to be more Sagacious
than another.
The Emperour Julian was the greateft Adorer of
Mercury of any that I read of amongft the Antient
Philofophers ; for as he efteemed the Sun the Supream
God, fo he was of opinion, that Mercury was his
chief Minifter and Companion, and Difpenfer of
his Virtues. Animian. Lib. 16. Julian always rofe at
Midnight, and fecretly put up his Supplication to Mercu
ry, whom Theology has difcover'd to be the moft fwift
Senfe of the World. After which he fet himfelf clofe to
Study, and it is incredible with what Sagacity he invefti-
gated the knowledge of the moB principal things, and ac
quiring as it were fome more than ordinary Ajfiftance, he
afcended to the mofl fublime, and fuccefsfully run through
the moft Nice Parts of Pbilofopby. This is Reported
by Ammianus, one of Julian's Soldiers and Com
panions. Some were of opinion, that Mercury had the
charge of Souls after this Life ; but becaufe thofe
things that are related Myftically concerning this
Star, are confounded by the Antients, with thofe that
are reported Hiftorically, or Fabuloufly of fome
other Mercuries, we cannot Determine any thing
certain concerning their fecret Obfervations about
it. The Magicians had an extraordinary opinion
of its Power, that it could eafily produce Good or
Evil, and redouble its influence ; of which Star one
very wittily faid, What may not a bad Companion do, if
E 2 a Malig-

"  ''¦» HWliU

52 The RELIGION of

a Malignant Star, can make a Man Wicked ? But this
by the way.
Let me only obferve, that Saturn and Jupiter
did fignifie the Sm and the UniverSal Nature ; but
I cannot think that Mars and Mercury did So, unlefs
I fee more convincing Arguments than I have hi
therto done. And So much for the Names and Wor
fhip of the Sun amongft the Antients ; I will hereaf
ter fhew what Names it had common with Men that
were Tranflated into Gods.

CHAP. VI.
Of the Worffrip of the Moon, and its different
Names.
NExt after the Sun Succeeded the Adoration of
the Moon, as being SuppoSed to prefide over
the Moift Principle of Generation, as the Sun doe?
over the Warm. Pliny calls her, The Earths moft
Familiar STAR, defigned by Nature to prevent Darh-
nefs. Its influence was efteemed the moft Efficaci
ous, becaufe, by reaSon of its vicinity, it Seems to
act more forcibly upon the Earth and Water than a-
ny other Star. I fhall not fay any thing concerning
the Magnitude, Diftance and Phafis of this Planet,
it being to be found elfewhere ; I will only remark,
that the moft Learned Philofophers efteemed it a
fort of Earth as well as a Planet. Thus Orpheus, He
contrived another infinite Earth which the Immortals call
Selene, but Mortals Meene ; which hath many Moun
tains, Cities and Houfes.
Of which Opinion were Tholes, Pythagoras, Anax-
agoras, Heraclides and Ocellus, and alfo HeracUtus. It is

Chap. VI. the GENTILES. 53
is very obVioiisthat its Superficies is rough arid un*
equal, to any that look intently on it without a Te-
lefcope : which the great Author of all things con
trived that it might difperfe more Light evety
where upon this inferiour Orb, for if it were fmOOth
and altogether plain, it Would Only reflect the Suh
Beams from one Point or Part, which the moft In
genious Galileus has demonstrated , by Hanging a
Lookihg-Glafs againft. a fmooth Wall, on which the
Sun fhines : and if it were round it would not eaft
fo great a Light, for flat Looking- Gloffes exhibit the
Sun to us much lefs than any others. The Super
ficies of the Moon and Earth, therefore were made
rough and unequal, that they might Diffufe the
more Light, and fo be mutually fubfervient to each
other. For the Moon and Earth enlighten each c-
ther reciprocally, in the Suns abfence. The Influ
ences of this Star are very great upon the Sea, and
all thingg tnat are Humid ; and its effects are very
ftrange upon the Brain it Self, the Citadel of the
Soul, fo that thofe Diftemper'd in Mind, are called
Lunatick, as Matth. 4. 24. and he who in Matth. 17,
14. is called Lunatick, in Luke 9. 39. is called De*
motiiack : and Mark 9. 17. 2 j. Dumb and Deaf.
As in the EaB ( from whence all Religious Wor
lhip came ) the Sun was called Baal, or Molech ; that
is, Lord or King ; So the Moon, Baaltis or Queen
of Heaven. The Poets, efpecially Efcbylus and
Euripides, made her the Daughter of Jupiter. In the
Eaft, and in Africa, fhe was called Celeftial. There
is CELESTIAL GODDESS upon an antient
Jvledal of Julia Symiamira, who was a Syrian, and
Mother to Helibgabalus. The Affyrians firft worfhip
ped her, under the Name of the Celeftial Venus, as
Paafatiias afferts in his Atticks ; where he alfo fays,
the Phenicians and Greeks received it from them . -
E 3 The

54 The RELIGION of
The Learned Voffius . fufficiently proves, that the
Moon was that Celeftial Venus, whom I refer you to.
Aftarte was alfo the Name of the Moon amongft. the
Affyrians; whofe Image, as tbat oflfis, was, a Woman
with Cows Horns ; which fignifies the Horns of the
Moon. Aftarte was A/laroth with the Jews, 2 Kings
22. 13. where Solomon is faid to have Built anHoufe
for Aftaroth, the Idol of the Sidonians. The Sep-
tuagint Tranflate it Aftarte. The Figure was either
all Fifh, or part Human, part Fifh ; If Baaltis be
the Moon in Dio, as it . feems out of Sanchoniathon
\n Philo Biblius, Baaltis, being contracted into Beltis,
fignifies Lord- So alfo the Prophet Jeremy, accor
ding to the interpretation of Jerome, calls her £>ueen
of Heaven, Chap. 7. 16. and Chap. 44. 17, 18,
19, 2 f. There was a Syrian Venus called Aftarte,
Married to Adonis, according to Cicero; which it is
yery probable is£lius Lampridius in the word Helio-
gabalus calls Salambo ; Salaizein in Anacreon, fignifies
to Mourn, which was the greateft part of the Sacred
Rites of Adonis.
I cannot readily believe that this Aftarte was the
Moon, but rather fome Woman of that Name, whom
Cicero, in the place before-mentioned, calls the
Fourth Venus, and here I muft beg leave to Diffent
from t.he Learned Vcffius. The Syrian Goddefs, or
Juno Aflyria, which was at Hieropolis, may be ftiled
the Moon alfo, and So may Atergatis and Derceto, in
a Natural confideration ; of which more when we
come to treat of the Worlhip of the Earth. The
fame Name, if not always, yet very pften Signifies '
the Moon and Earth.
There was Mylitta amongft the Babylonians and
Affyrians ( whom Herodotus in his firft Book makes a
Goddefs) and the Learned Voffius takes her to be Ve
nus Urania, and afterwards the Moon. But that God defs

Chap. V. the G E N T I L E S. 55;
defs was not Venus Urania, but another, called Aphro
dite, according to Herodotus. Cicero de Nat. Peor. lib. 3 ,
fays, there were four Venus' s, of whom this fprang
from the Froth of the Sea, ahd fo was called Aphro
dite, fhe had Cupid her Second Son by Mercury ; but
in my opinion fhe was not the Moon, but rather a
laScivious Woman deified by the Greeks; as Flora
was amongft the Romans. Her Religious Rites men
tioned there, and in the 2. Book, 6. Chap, of Valerius
Maximus, are fufficient demonftrations of her Lewd-
nefs ; fo that Mylitta was no Celeftial but a meer Ani
mal Deity ; whoSe Temple was called Succoth Benoth,
that is, The Tabernacle of the Daughters, where the
Women went to meet their Lovers; which the Ba
bylonians, driving the Ifraelites out of Samaria, built,
4 Kings 17, 30. Where Benoth is derived from Venus,
or Venus from Benoth, as the Learned Selden will have
it. Nor is Nebo one of the Narhes of the Moon, but
of the Sun, if we may rely on the Authority of St,
Jerome ; who is of opinion that Nebo is the fame Dei
ty as Chamos and Belphegor, of whem before.
It is moft certain that the Sun and Moon were the
two Chief Deities amongft the Babylonians and Affy
rians ; tho' they were worfhipped under other
Names, amongft which Venus Urania was the moft
remarkable ; who had a very antient Temple, which
(according to Herodotus) the Scythians deftroy'd. It
is very uncertain whether Anitis or Anaitidos, were
a Name of the Moon ; tho' Plutarch in Artaxerxes, and
Paufanias in Lacon. feem to favour this opinion ; but
Strabo fays there was a Law amongft the Armenians,
as well as the Medes and Perfians, that their Virgins,
for fome considerable time, mould proftitute them
felves before the Goddefs Anaitidos ; and no Perfon
afterwards refufed to marry them ; which obfcene
Invention of the Priefts or Priefteffes obtained elSe-
E 4 where;

•m*

56 The RELIGION of
I "i u I 11 I . 11 11 i . . i .—*m^m i.a.....^,...
where ; for Herodotus fays, that Such deformed Crea
tures fometimes would So unfortunately devote
themfelves to this Worfhip, as continued as good
Virgins as they came thither, for two or three years
afterwards. Agathias brings feveral teftimonies to
to prOve that Anaitidos was the Aphrodite, who, as we
fay, was not Venus Urania,but with the Learned Vof
fius are of Opinion, that Venus Urania Myftically Sig
nified the Star Luna. Strabo lib. i 2. amongft others
tells us, that this fort of Worfhip was in fuch great
requeft amongft the Perfians, Babylonians, Medes,
Partbians and Armenians, that in Zeli'tica, a Province
of Armenia, which takes its Name from the City
Zela, the Kings did n°t keep their Courts in Pala
ces, but in the Temples of the Perfian Gods : fo that
their Kings were Priefts, and who in all probability
deliver'd the Virgins, that were dedicated to Venus,
unto the Men; which fort of Cuftom, according to
Garcilaffo de Vega, in the Hiftory of the Incds, Seems
ftill to obtain in Peru. You may See more concern
ing the Rites that were inftituted in honour of A-
naitidos, and of their Agreement with the Saturnalia in
Voffius de Idololatria-l':b. z. cap. 22.
The Arabians alfo worfhipped the Moon, in imita
tion of the Eafterri People; for tho' Religious Wor
lhip went under divers Names in the Eaft, yet it had
very little effential difference ; for the Sun, Moon,
and other Stars were univerfally adored. But I que
stion Very much whether the Arabians worfhipped
the. Moon by the Name of Alitat, as the Learned
Voffius thinks | for Venus Urania, which he takes to be
the Moon, feems to me to be the Morning and Even
ing Star ; which I Shall prove by a Citation of his
own out of Herod, who Says of the Perfians, that
They offer Sacrifice to the Sun, Moon, Earth, Fire, Wa
ter and Wind ; thefe were the firft object's of their Adop tion t

Chap. V. the GENTILES. 57
¦ " I I I 11 III HI III! f -~ -— ——~.™—~y—— <**-*--— ~-~^———
t'wn : afterwards they learned frrorn the Affyrians and
Arabians, to facrifice to Urania ; The Affyriahs call
Venus Mylitta, the Arabians Alitta, and the Perfian*
Mithras. There is nothing more evident, than that
the word Selene fignifies the Moon, and that the My
litta of the Affyrians, and the Alitta of the Arabians
fignified Venus Urania. Therefore they efteemed
Venus and the Moon to be different Deities; altho'
Voffius will have Urania to be the Moon only, tho' it
is taken for both ; but perhaps he thought this Star
was not fo well known, to have Adoration paid to
it ; but by his good leave, what Star is more bright
and fplendid than Venus in her oppofition to the Sun?
wherefore I am of opinion that the Arabians wor
fhipped the Moon under this Denomination, tho'
they did not every where elfe ; becaufe Urania is
Venus alfo ; and perhaps likewife may fignifie For
tune, which Conjecture is grounded upon a place in
Philaflrius, There arofe another Herefy in Judea ; the wor-
fhipping a Queen, which they call the Fortune of Hea
ven, whom in Africa they call Celeftial; of whofe
Worlhip I Shall treat in its place.
What Voffius alfo offers concerning the Arabian
Deity C IU N, feems to me to agree equally with
Hefperus and the Moon. The Egyptians alfo worfhip
ped the Moon, calling her Ifis, according to Diodorus
Skulus and Plutarch: which, fuppofing it were true,
yet Ifis fometimes fignifies that Moifture which is
the Principle of Generation.- Her Statue was horn
ed, to reprefent the Horns of the Moon; her Shoes
were made of Palm-leaves, in the fame manner fhe
is defcribed by the Greeks alfo ; the Sacrifices offer
ed to her were Calves, for it was efteem'd impious
to facrifice a Cow. Apis, called Epaphus by the
Greeks y was firft confecrated to her. So Ammian.
Mar cell, lib. zz. AtnongB thofe Animals that ^.vere an-
tiently

58 The RELIGION of
tiently confecrated, Mnevis and Apis are the moB cele
brated ; Mnevis to the Sun, Apis to the Moon, &c.
Apis is not any Ox, but fuch only as hath twenty-nine
particular Marks. They report he was ingendred
by Lightning, or the bright Rays of the Moon, and
did deliver Oracles. When he -was dead, they cal
led him Serapis ; but whether this is the fame as the
Hebrew Seraphim, is undetermined by Gefner. Eu
febius out of Diodorus fays, That Ifis may be render'd
Prifca, in Latin ; the Moon being called fo, as if fhe
were always old, painting her with four Horns.
'Her Sacred Rites are much the fame as thofe of
Bacchus, their Images being alfo alike, excepting the
Forehead only. Wherefore Ovid fays :
Adding but Horns a Bacchus thou wilt make.
According to Diodorus Siculus, Bacchus had Horns.
Apuleius concerning thefe Rites fays, As the Priefis of
Bacchus , in the Celebration of his Sacred Myfleries, ran
up and down the Streets and Town like Mad-men, making
a difmal noife with Cymbals and Infiruments of Brafi ;
fo in the Feaft of Ifis or the Syrian Goddefi, they cut
their Arms and tear their Mufcles with their Teeth, and
received Prefents of Brafi and Silver, from many that
brought them, (Iriving to out-do each other in Libera
lity. Paufanias fays, the Inhabitants of Mount Cithe-
ron alfo worfhipped Ifis, in honour of whom they
kept two Fairs every year. It is very probable that
the Ifraelites worfhipped the Golden Calf in imitation
of the Egyptians. For when the Children of Ifrael
entreated Aaron to make them GO D S that fhduld
go before them , becaufe they knew not what was
become of Mofcs who brought them out of the Land
of Egypt ; Aaron hid, Which of you hath any Gold I
and

Chap. V. fkGENTILES. 59
and when they gave him it, he eaft it into the fire,
and made a Calf
I fhall not here difcourfe of what fort of Adora
tion was paid the Ox in the feveral parts of the Eaft
Indies ; it being more Methodical when I come to
fpeak of their Religion in particular. The Africans
likewife worlhippedthe Moon, for Herod, fays, The
Africans, in general facrifice to the Sun^w^Moon only.
The Greeks alfo worfhipped her, calling her Artemis
The Author of the Acts to the Apoftles, Chap. 19.
fays, Great is the Artemis of the Ephefians. She was
adored by the Romans, under the Name of Diana,
which by Syncope feems compounded of Dea, or Diva
Jana. For Voffius fays, As Janus was the Sun, fo was
Jana the Moon; but Janus is not always the fame
as the Sun, nor Diana the Moon ,- for there was a
Janus who reigned in Italy before Saturn, and taught
them Agriculture ; upon which account he was
afterwards Deified, and Divine Honours decreed
him. That Diana and the Moon are not the fame, is e-
vident from thefe words of Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus:
Tatius had Tables Sacred to the Sun, Moon, Saturn,
Rhea,. Vefta, Vulcan, Diana, Quirinus and other
Deities; and put thofe Sacred to Juno Quiritis into all
the Courts, which remain there to this very day. Whence
it appears, that the Moon and Diana were two feve
ral Goddeffes ; and likewife Diana and Juno, both
of which Voffius would have to fignifie the Moon.
But tho' each of thefe Goddeffes,by a kind of Symbo
lical virtue, may feem to Quadrate with the Moon ;
yet I believe them originally to be as diftinct, as
thofe that were Animal Deities, and afterwards tranf-
Uted into the number of the Gods or Stars.
I readily acknowledge that Diana and the Moon
were antiently worfhipped for each other; but fo
was

60 The RELIGION of
was not Juno every where ; tho' Voffius brings feve
ral very plaufible Reafons for his opinion. He fays
that llytbiia was the Moon ; but Homer Says there
were many Ilythiia's, which prefided over Women
in Childbirth ; wherefore it is more probable that
it fignified Juno Lucina, that took care of Women in
Travel,and noi Diana ; tho' I do not deny but that,
according to its various ways of Interpretation, it
may in fome meafure feem to agree with Diana her
Self. The Names of the Antient Gods were Very much
confounded, being the fame as thofe given to the
Stars and Moon ; alfo wheh the Hiftorians, Poets
and Philofophers mentioned them, every one en-
deavour'd as much as they could to ftrain the diffe
rent words of feveral Countries to their own fenfe :
from whence it is, that their Writings, which are
handed down to us (fome being to be underftoqd
in a Genuine, and others in a Myftical or Sytnbo*
lical fenfe,- and others full of Poetical Licence) have
fo perplex'd and involv'd things, that it is very
difficult for us in this Age, to make a nice and. accu
rate difquilition into Truth. That Ceres was a Name
,for the Moon we may learn from Servius, upon the
firft of Virgil's Georgicks :
Bacchus and Ceres, you the World's bright Eye,
Who trace the gliding Tear upon the Skie.
The Stoicks fay there is only one God, and one and the
fame Power, to which we give different Names, according
to the diverfity of its Offices ;fo that they call the fame Sol,
Bacchus and Apollo ; and Luna, Ceres, Juno and
Proferpina. But Servius is fingular here in his opinion, that
Juno was a Name for the Moon, befides 4p»le'w*.,
Who very improperly makes Diana, Juno, Venus and
who

Chap. VI. the G E N T I L E S. 6"i
Bellona the Same ; in regard the Antients efteemed
them different, both Genealogically and Hiftorical-
ly, and alfo their Ornaments, Age, Habits, Images,
Temples, feveral different ways of Worfhip, fuffici-
ently prove it, which is unneceffary to infift further
on. Now tho' thefe two Goddeffes may in Some
Sort Seem to agree, fo that it was believ'd that they
were both of equal Power, in averting Some Evils,
that infefted Mankind ; yet Antiquity Shews us that
their Religious Rites, &c. vary So vaftly different,
that I cannot See the leaft pretext for her being ac
counted the fame with the Moon.
This willbe more evident, when we confider that
the Virtues of moft of the Deities of the Antients
were mixt ; fo that Ifis fometimes fignifies the Moon,
fometimes the Paffive Nature of things : Rhea and
Ops, fometimes Diana, Sometimes the Earth.
Concerning Rhea or Ops, who alSo is called the
Mother of the Gods. See Ovid, de Ponto Eleg. 2.
At tb' Mother Goddefi crooked Cornets Sound,
The puplick Contributions do abound ;
Diana'* Priefts no fuch Supplies do crave,
And yet they plentiful Subfiftance have.
We find Suada to be a Name for Diana in Paufa-
nias ; Venus alfo is fometimes taken for the Moon, on
ly on account of foja&e Symbolical Virtue ; but it
was impoffible for heir to be called Juno, in regard
Venus ( as fhe is an Animal Deity ) was efteemed
propitious to Harlots, and Juno their declared Ene
my ; thus in Numa's Law, Let not an Harlot approach
the Temple of Juno ; but if fhe doth, let her Sacrifice a
Female Lamb, with her Hair hanging about her Shoulders.
Macrobius fays, that the word Venus was but very
late in ufe amongft the Romans ; with which Var-
ro agrees, affirming that it was neither Greek nor
Latin,

6% The RELIGION of .
Latin, even in the time of the Roman Kings, which
the Famous Mr. Selden confirms, deriving Venus from
the Hebrew word Benet ; the Hiftory of that Cele
brated Harlot, together with the moft obfcene Rites,
coming out of the Eaft.
Neither did the antient Romans, under Romulus
and Numa, admit of the Animal Gods of the Greeks,
or any of their fabulous Stories, concerning Immor
tal Beings converfing with Mortals ; as may be
Seen in Dion. Hal. Lib. 2. Proferpina alSo or Perfephone
doth Myftically fignifie the Moon, but properly then,
when She is under our Hemifphere : Thus Orpheus,
in the beginning of his Hymns or Onomacritics, in
vokes this Goddefs thus ; Thou ProtraBer of time, fore
runner of Light, of moft excellent Beauty, moft fflendid
and Horned. And afterwards, The moft Honourable
Wife o/Pluto ; the moft Celebrated Demon of Life : But
this alfo is to be underftood Myftically or Historical
ly. Other Authors fay, She was P/«fo's Wife, upon
which account they Act ambiguoufly, fometimes
worshipping a Man, under the Name of a Star, and
fometimes a Star, under the Name of a Man.
Perfephone and Ceres were efteemed to prefide over
the Manes or Ghofts, that is, Souls when they were
departed out of their Bodies. Theocritus and Porphy
rins both fay that Proferpina was alfo called Melitode;
Souls being very often called Mgliffi, or Bees by their
Theologifts, upon the accounf of that fweet Plea
fure they enjoy when they are freed from the Body.
See Porphyrins, Lib. de Nym. Ant. where, amongft o-
ther things, he fays, the Moon is the Queen of Generati
on, and was antiently called Apis ; Bees that were pro
created from Oxen, were called Bugeni, which Name
is alfo given to Souls going to Generation; but all
Souls which were about. the Act of Generation were
not called Bees, but thofe only who had led a juft
Life

Chap. V. the GENTILES. 63

-*-

Life here, and where to return again after they had
performed the Pleafure of the Gods : for the little
Bee is an Animal that ufually returns to its former
place , and an Example of Juftice and Tempe
rance ; therefore Sober Sacrifices were performed
with Hony.
The Moon alfo, when fhe enlightens thofe under
us, is called Libera, as the Sun Liber, fee Liv. Lib. 2.
Tacit? 2. Annal. Macrob. Saturn. Chap. 14. Hecate
was likewife the Moon ; properly called Tetdfit or
Three Ways. Hence in Varro Diana is called Trivia,
becaufe in Grecian Towns, She was fet in a way
where three Ways met?. The Scholiaft on Ariflopha-
nes fays, They Antiently worfhipped Hecate, in Places
where three Ways met, being called the Moon, Plana
and Hecate. They provided a fumptuous Feaft in
Honour of her, and fet it in a place where three
Ways met, on purpofe for the Poor to carry away.
The Sacred Rites were Performed without Howling,
as others were, but with Hymns and Songs, for
which purpofe they chofe Matrons, as Servius fays
in the Fourth lAlneid.
As Hecate had three Faces, fo her Dog Cerberus
had three Heads, Tib. Lib. 3. Who has three Tongues
and as many Heads. That on the Right being an
Horfe's, the Middle that of a Savage Man, and the
Left a Dog's. Hefiod makes him to have Fifty ; and
in the fecond Ode of Horace, he is called, The Beaft
with a hundred Heads.
Let this fuffice concerning the various Appella
tions of the Sun and Moon amongft the Heathens.
From whence it is evident, that vaft Variety of
Names proceeded partly from the great Diverfity
of Virtues which were found in the two great Lumi
naries beyond what was obfervable in the other
Stars, and partly from Men that were TranflatedS! into

rTTT—sBffflttewws**"

64 The RELIGION of

into Stars, whilft Stars were worfhipped under the
notion of Men, and Men under the notion of Stars;
fo that ail thofe Antient Heroes and Heroins, who
either by reaSon of their own Merit, or the Flatte
ry of the People, had fome particular Heaven or
Star aScribed to them, was the occafion that the
Sm, Mfion, and the other Stars had fo many feveral
Names ; hut the Sun and Moon more efpecially/ :
Thus Dioi. Sicul. lib.. 1. The firft Men contemplating,
apd wikh Aftoniftnmgn* admiring tbe World above them,
ana\ Univerfal Natur-e, were of opinion that the Gods were
Eternal, bat particularly the Sun and Moon, calling tbe
firft Ofiris, the ether Ifis, &c.

CHAP. VII.
Concerning the Adoration of the five Planets.
NO T Only the Sun and Moon, but the other Stars
alfo, were antiently Honoured and Worfhip-
ed, Some having the Preheminence before others.
That the Scars in general were worfhipped, we
learn from Plato in his Cratylus ; where Shewing
What was the moft Antient and Univerfal Religion,
he fays, Thofe who firft Inhabited Greece, in my opinion,
feem to have accounted thofe Gods only, whom moft of the
Barbarians efteem Gods now, to wit, the Sun, Mooni
Earth, Stars, Heaven, &c. and in his Timaus and
d§ Ltgihtss, The World is a Deity, and fo are thi Hea->
ven,, Stars, Earth and Souls, &c. Xenocrates alfo will
have the Planets, fixed Stars, Sun and Moon to be Gods.
Cleanthes, the World and Stars, of which Opinion
were many Excellent Philofophers ( as may, be Seers
in Antient Authors ) more eSpeciajly, the ' Stoichst wher

Chap. VII. the GENTILE S. <%
who faid, that Star was a Divine Bodv, compoSed
ofEtherial Matter, by which is to re underftood
Jupiter. Thus Ennius, Behold this fublime Brightnefs,
tbe Jupiter which all invoke. St. A-.guftinc in his firft
Book, de Civ. Dei, fays, That the Stoicks aht<-;it-y
efteemed the Stars, to be parts of Jupiter ; wb .-••>
fore they not only attributed Life, but Intel ii ence
and WiSdom to them. Philo calls them, mo J. pure
Minds, and Divine, and moft beautiful Images. ; '
ftotle goes Somewhat further, the istars (fays hv, ^-f«
«w Etheriol place, which being very Tenuious^ always mo
ving and growing, muft neceffarily have a Soul, ,«/-/»!,.•/
quick Senfe, and very fwift Motion. For he thou?, 'it
it very abfurd, That that which was the moft ac -.
quate caufe of the Generation of Animals, fhoniri
have no Soul it Self; which opinion, feveral Philo
fophers hold to this day.
Many approved Chriftian Authors have been of
opinion, that the Stars were endued with Life : par
ticularly Thomas' Acquinas and others, of whom Voffius,
in his Book de IdclaLtr. gives us a Catalogue ; tho'
fome mentioned there, were of the contrary opini
on. The Learned Jefuit, in his Differtation on Ari-
ftotle de Cdo, fays, That if they have Life, they may
be Worfhipped with fuch an Adoration as may be
paid to Saints : for thofe things that are above,. de-
ferve greater Adoration than thoSe below ; alfci E-
ternal things, more than thoSe that are Tranfitory ;
efpecially amongft thofe, who after this Life, placed
everlafting happinefs in Heaven and the Stars.
The Antient Heathen Philofophers and Priefts,
thought it very fordid and indecorous, not toi wor
fhip thoSe things from whence they thought they de
rived their Original, and whither (by Divine Per-
miffion) they believed their Souls were to return.
Thus after the Sun and Moon, the other five Planets
F were

rmrrr'iririTnmrTT'Tn

66 The RELIGION of
were Honour'd and Adored ; the chief reafon for
which that the Learned gave, is in TuUy, lib. 2. de
Nat. Deor. The Motion of thofe five Stars which are
falfely called Erratick, is very admirable ; for there is no
thing Erratick, which eternally keeps the fame Progrejfion
and Regreffion, and other conffiant and eftablijhed Motions.
But what is more admirable in thefe Stars, is, that fome
times they are hid, and t hep appear again ; fometimes they
prtceed, and fometimes follow ; fometimes they move flow,
fometimes fwift , and at fometimes motionlefs ; from whofe
unequal Motions come the great Mathematical Years,
which happen when the Sun, Moon, andthe five Erra-
ticks, having performed their feveral Periodical Courfes,
come to their refpeBive Situations. Thus Cicero.
After the Sun and Moon, the bright Morning and
Evening Star had the next greateft Adoration paid
unto it, being the moft confpicuous amongft the five
LiBprs to the Sun (as they are called ; ) Thus Homer.
, Hejperus the nioft glorious in the Etherial Orb.
The .Greeks called-.Jt PAo^or us, andthe Latin, Lucifer, as
the Moon is alfo called from the great Light She gives
in the Night. Afterwards it was called Venus, being
the Daughter of Cdum and Dies, who had a Tem
ple in Elis, according to Cicero, lib. 3. de Natur. Deor.
For this Celeftial Venus is neither Aphrodite, fhe that
proceeded from the Froth of the Sea, on whom
Mercury begat Cupid ; nor me that was the Daughter
of Jupiter and Dione, and afterwards Married to
Vulcan ;, by whom Mars had Anteros ; nor her Born
in' Syria and Tyre, who is called Aftarte, and is faid
to Marry Adonis : who had a Statue in Mount Liba-
nm, at Macrobius Says, her Head veiled, a Sorrowful
Countenance, holding her Cloaths with her Left
Hand,, looking as if She wept. Nothing could be
more agreeably invented, than that She Should pro
ceed frOm Cdum and Dies, fometimes proceeding,
Sometimes following the Day. The

Chap. VII. the GENTILr.S. 67
The other Names of Venus have nothing fcarce
that Symbolically agrees with our Phoffhorus ; tho'
it muft be acknowledged that Aphrodite is very of
ten ufed by the Antients to fignifie this Star.
There was alfo Venus Lubeniina, of which Cicero),
lib. 2. de Nat. Bear, fpeaks : and anoiher Venus'LibeH-
tina, mentioned by Plutarch, who alfo calls her
Epitfmbia, who had a Small Statue at Delphos ; td
Whom, when they Sacrifice, as the fame Author
Says, They call the Ghofts of the Departed out of
Hell, if we may believe him.
It was the General opiniofi, that as Venus prefided
Over the generation of Man, So fhe did at his Deatfi
HkewiSe : but I take that Venus te be the Same that:
Paufanias reckofts amongft the Parea, to whom the
Athenians Dedicated a Statue. , Venus CdeBis or Ura
nia the Daughter of this Venus or Parca ; which;
according to Plato, myftically fignifies Divine Loves
There Was alfo Venus ViBrix , VeHus" Barbata ;
and Venus Caha, of which you'll find more amongft
the Antients. Dion. Halicarn. and others mention
Temples of Venus in Thrace, Zacynthits, Paphos, Rome;
amongft the Leucadians and People of ABium. The
fame Author fpeaks of the TreaSureS of Venus Libi-
Una ; cf which more when I come to Jltno Lucinak
I have formally Spoke of that obfcene Rite of Venus;
which is called Mylitta ; Fir'miciis has added Several
others, but they are fo very fordid and filthy; thai
f-arn afhamed to repeat his Words. ' ,
Lucifer was alfo Sacred to Venus amongft the He->
brews ; as may be gathered front the Targums bfi
Jofh. 14; 12; and others^ as the Learned Vofiitii
Shews. ,  a: ¦ \ • - ¦ n
The Ijhmaelitei anciently worfhipped Vehm ; from
whohvthe Saracens ha'd it, aS Euthymiui Zigabenui
Sijs, wMien fhey continued fill the time, or Cefar
F z Heraclvis \

68 , the RELIGION of
Heraclius ; calling that Star in their own Language,
Chabaf 6r Great; and the Mahometans imitate them,
calling t\he Star Venus Cubar, which comes from Cabir
in the Hebrew, and fignifies great and ftrong, fo Voffius
adds the Saracen Prayer, out of Cedrenus. Alia, Alia,
oua, Kubar, which he Expounds, God, God, greater
Egg, great Cubar, viz. Luna and Venus : but the great
Selden withVofftus, fays, Cedrenus is miftaken about oua,
it being only a Copula, andthe fenfe according to
them is, God, God, and that great Goddefs. But Euthymi-
us, in my opinion, has given a better Interpretation
than any of them, God, God the greater, and that
great Goddefs ; the word greater which is omitted
by them, being, inferted by him, which makes the
Senfe much clearer ; that tho' the Saracens invoked
the Star Cubar by the Title of Great ; yet they ac
knowledged a. greater Alia, or God. St. jerom al
So, in the Life of St. Hilarion, fays, That the Saracens
worfhipped Venus or Lucifer, who, as the Mahome
tans now do, ended their Week at Friday, which
they call Giume, i. e. Sunaxa, they alfo Swear by Venus,
which they call the running Bright Star ; by which
they believe every Soul will find all his Actions
written down. I Shall not determine whether that
place of Amos Ch. j. 26. But you have born the
Tabernacle, of your Moloch and Chiun, your Images,
-the Star of your God, refers to this ,- tho' Cocbiab
here, according to St. Jerom, is Venus, Lucifer or Be-
netb; but it is a queftion whether Siccuth be the Sajne
with Succoth ; I fhali conclude, nothing but leave it
to thoSe that are more accurately skilful in the Hebrew
Tongue. The Writer of the Indian Hiftory, tells
us, that the Worfhip of Lucifer came at laft to the
Inhabitants of Peru\
I might add many other things concerning the
Star Venus ; as that fhe Increafes and DecfeaSes like the

Chap. VII. the GENTILE S. 69
the Moon, and fhe is in her Fur; when fhe is moft
remote from the Earth ; .-.r.d Horned, when fhe is
retrograde and next the Earth ; that fhe Suffers an
an Eciipfe as the Moon does ; tho' this is not the
Sole property of either of them, and is corhmon to
Mercury, and the latter *.o Jupiter alfo, as the Learn
ed Merfennius in Gen. c. 1. ver. 19. fays, he cbfer-
ved by a Telefcope. So Varro in St. AuguBine, de
Civit. Dei 1. 2. c. 8. Says, Caftor wrote, That there
was Such a Prodigy in Heaven, as that the Star Venus
changed its Colour, Magnitude, Figure and CourSe,
which never happen'd before, nor Since.
But theSe things being little to our purpofe, which
is only to> fhew what was the moft Antient and
UniverSal Religion, I proceed to Treat of Mercury
and his Worfhip.
Mercury, next after Venus, being the moft confpi-
cuous Star. For (as Voffius ,has juftly obferved )
Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, being above the Sun, have
neither Evening Emerfion, nor Morning Occupati
on ; and on the contrary the Moon, that is under
the Sun, has neither Morning Emerfion, nor Even
ing Occultation ; Mercury and Venus who move
round the Sun, are half their time above, and half
below him, and fo have both Emerfion and Occul
tation ; therefore they began with thefe Compani
ons of the Sun, and tfien proceeded to the Worfhip
of the reft of the Planets.
We have formerly faid, what an high efteem the
Emperor Julian had for it ; nor did Porphyry pay a-
ny lefs Veneration to it. Mercury is called the Ex
hibitor, and Reprefenter of Reafon and Difcourfe. ,
That Logos ( fays Porphyry ) in the Sun is properly
Mercury ; the other in the Moon, is called Hecate.
And adds, That the Compound word, is Ermo-Pan,
which confifts of a Grecian and Egyptian Deity.
F 3 Apukius

"*W»

70 The RELIGION of
Apuleim fpeaking of the Egyptians, fays, There wa$
Anubis, whom they called Mercury j and feigned to
have a Dogs-Head, to denote to m, that we derive.
our Sagacity from him. But Diod. Siculus is of ano
ther opinion, whoim if you pleafe conSult.
This Star Seems to be the firft worfhipped in the
Eaft, eSpecially by the Babylonians, who called it
Secher, as fifejyektys informs us ; Mfrtholis, and after-
Wards Margenab, were other Names for it amongft
the Eaftprn People, The Egyptians called him Thoit
pr Theut, as we find in Cicero, 1. ;. de N. D. By
the Greeks, Hermes and Stilbon, as we Said before ?
and by the Romans, Mercurius : what a great Vene
ration they had for him, may be feen yi Seneca de
Benef. c, 7. where he fay§, That Mercury was tbe Dif-
pofer of Reafons, Numbers, Order^ and Knowledge. His
Magnitude is but Small in Proportion to the Earth,
jjeing as 19 to 1, as Venus is .6 to 1, but his Inr
fluence is very Powerful.
The Antient Heathens, attributed very great Vir
tues and natural Myfterjes to theSe two inseparable
Companions of the Sun. It is my opinion that the
Mercury which Cefar fays was had in fo much Vene
ration amongft the Gauls, was an Animal Deity, al-
tho' what is related of him, may fymbqlically a-
gree with the Star Mercury ; and the rather becaufe.
their WprShip was not much different from other
Nations, as Cefar Shews. It was certainly he that
invented Traffick, and Commerce, and prefided,
over the High-ways ; it being cuftomary to lay a
great heap of Stones before bis Statue ; which was
placed where three Ways met, and to put fhe firft
Fruits there, for the benefit of Travellers. '-' To this
Solomom alludes, Prov. 26. 8. .-•-..¦
But this Invention of the Priefts, proved very
beneficial ; for by this mean§ t$e ways were clear ed

.iL - L-jj.ju.m,4u.j n

Chap. VII, /^GENTILES. 7 1
ed from Stones : and if all their other Rites and
Ceremonies, had been equally ufeful, they would
not have abufed the ignorant Multitude as they did.
This Cuftom of heaping Stones, obtained amongft
the Indians, Arabians, and $aracens, and is ftill pra-
ctifed by the Mahometans, as Voffius obferves, unlefs
perhaps they paid this Honour, or Somewhat like it
to Venus, as Vincentius, in Hift. de Bell. Spec, tells US,
of Mercury 's Rod ; with which, as Virgil Says,
— — Pale Souls from Hell he calls,
And others fends within Tartarian Walls.
Macrobius, ljb. 1. Sat. Says, by Mercury was un-
derftood the Sun, upon the account of Some Sym
bolical Virtue : For the Same reaSon Cartarius proves
that Hercules was the Same Deity as Mercury, tho' he
were an Animal one. Dion. Hal lib. 1. moft Excel
lently explains the opinion of the Antient Philofo-
phers concerning Heroes being Translated into Gods ;
There is a certain middle Nature between the Gods and
Mortals, which conftitute a kind of Damons ; feme-
times converfing with Men, fometimes with the Gods.
But Cicero, lib. 3. de N. D. very ingenioufly expoSes
theSe Fictions ; What ? do you allow Apollo, Vulcan,
Mercury, and the reft to be Gods ; and difpute it with
Hercules,. JEfculapius, Bacchus, Caftor and Pollux,
thefe have as great Adoration paid unto them as tbe others,
and fome pay them a great deal more. Are thefe therefor^
to be efteemed Gods, Born of Mortal Mothers ? What h
Ariftaeus, the Son of Apollo, the Inventor of tbe Culture
cfthe Olive ; TheSeus the Son of Neptune, and many
more, whofe Fathers were not Gods ; Why are they rank
ed amongft that" number ? Why not they, whofe Mothers
were Goddeffes ? the Reafon is the Bronger, in my Opinion ;
For as in the Civil Law, he whofe Mother is tret, is
F 4 Born

7i The RELIGION of
h,n Free ; fo by the Law of Nature, he whofe Mother
is a Goddefi, muB be a God. Therefore in the Ifiand of
Aftjpalea, Achilles is moft religioufiy Adored ;' and if
he be a God, fo are Orpheus and Rhefus, their Mo
thers being Mufes ; unleft perhaps Maritime Marriages
have tbe Preference to Inland. Mercury was called
Wodam by the Germans, ahd according to fome Teu-
tates and Irmenfal.
Divine Worfhip was alfo paid to the Star Mars,
but long after the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury, for
Mars was not known very foon ; for tho' by a
kind of Divarication of his Light, and by his trem
bling Motion,he Exhibited fomelndications of him
felf to the World, yet in the firft Ages, there were
no fuch accurate Obfervations of the Stars, that the
courfe of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn were generally
known. Therefore Names formerly given to Men,
were applied to the Stars, when they were difco-
ver'd and known ; fo that the whole Story of An
tient Saturn, Jove and Mars, is nothing Religious
or Myftical, but meerly Human and Fabulous ; or
if there were any thing in it Religious, or Myfteri-
ous, it certainly had refpedt to the Sun, and not to
thefe Planets, as is generally thought. For the Re
ligion or Flattery of the Antients was fo prevalent,
that they beftowed the Names of Stars on their
Heroes ; and fometimes confer'd the Names of their
Heroes on the Stars. I do not deny but that thefe
Stars were 'known and worfhipped before the time
of Saturn,, Jupiter and Mars ; but it was under other
Names, nor is it probable that the Star that was firft
observed after the Death of any Hero, took his
Name.
This Star was called Thorras by fhe Babylonians,
which was the Name of the King that fucceeded
Ninm; but I Shall not undertake todetermine, whe ther

Chap. VII. /kGENTlLES. 73
ther the Star was called from the Man, or the Man
from the Star. The Greeks called him Ares, and ac
cording to fome Purois. By the Romans he was called
Mars, ^ttodmagna Vortat ; the Poets called him Ma-
vors ; amongft the Sabins, Mamers, and Hefus by the
Germans : Thus Lucan, Terrible Hefus with Cruel Al
tars ; for the Antient Germans facrificed their Pri
soners of War to him. So Procopius ; Their greateft
Sacrifice, is the firfi Man they take in Battel : whom
they Sacrifice to Mars, eBeeming him the greateft God.
This moft Cruel and abfurd Opinion, extreamly
prevailing amongft the Antient Heathens, that' none
but Human Sacrifices could be acceptable to the
Supream God.
There were many different Mars's • but he faid
to be Born in Thrace, was the Principal : of whofe
Original, this merry Story is told ; Juno envying
Jupiter, becaufe he had a Daughter without her Af-
liftance, which was Minerva : She alfo was refolved
to have a Son without him, who was Mars : They
had an Oracle of his amongft them, according to
,Herod} lib. 7. as had the Egyptians alfo, lib. 2. where
Divinations were fo deliver'd , that they could
not be difcover'd to be the Contrivances of Men,
but the Pleafure of the Gods. This was manag
ed by the crafty Contrivance of the Priefts ; for
when they would Predict any thing from Natural
Caufes that were unknown to the common People,
or when they had any private Intelligence from their
Spies abroad, when they divulged it to them, they
pretended that it was a thing not of their own Know
ledge, but Communicated to them by the Gods,
that they were Familiar and Converfant with ; by
which they acqilir'd Reputation an$ Riches, as be
ing the only Perfons that were Privy to thofe Secret
Myfteries. So likewife, if they Cured any Perfon of

74 The RELIGION of

«H»-

ofa Diftemper, they attributed it wholly to the
Propitioufnefs of their God, reckoning it greater
Honour to be thought to have Recover'd People
by their Prayers, than by the moft regular Adminir
ftration of Medicines.
To this end alfo ( as Herod, fays ) the Oracles of
Apollo, Minerva, Diana, Mars. and Jupiter, but efpe
cially Latona, were fet up ; but thefe Pjj fraudes did
fo much abound in all Ages, that it would be end-
lefs to infift on them, Herod, lib. 4. fays, that the
Scythians called Begij, worfhipped Mars more par
ticularly, tho' Vefta was their chief Deity ; who in
their Language is called Tahiti, Jupiter Papeus, the;
Earth Apia, Apollo Erafyrus, Venus Cdeftis Artempafa,
Neptune Thamimafades, yet they did not think they
ought to Erect Statues, and Build Altars and Tem
ples, but to Mars only.
The Lacedemonians, . according to Paufanias, had
another Cuftom, to Bind his Statue very fall, fup-
ppfing thereby to keep the God of War Secure a-
tnongft themfelves ; which the Romans alfo are Re
ported to have done to fome of their Gods, efpeci
ally the Tutelar, the Priefts ftanding conceal'd be
hind, and making them feem to threaten to go out
of fuch a City, whither a Voice Unknown Seemed
to call them.
They formerly Sacrificed the Horfe that won the
Race to him ; amongft Animals, the Wolf and Dog
were Sacred to him ; of Birds, the Vulture and Pe
lican, from thence called Martial ; and according to
fome the Cock, into which the Soldier AleBrio was
changed, becaufe he did not carefully Perform his
Duty on his Watch, when Mars and Venus lay to
gether. Thofe that are defirous to know more
of his Sacred Rites, may confult Herodotus, con
cerning the Solemn Festivals that were Celebra- ' te<\

Chap. VII. rkGENTILES. 75
" ¦ '- ¦- - - J-  u-t-ium  ii-i — i i .,
ted in Honour of him at Paprimides, a Town in
Egypt. jupiter is alfo called Martial, or Areios by forae,
delighting in the fame attribute as that which Sig
nifies the Lord of Hofts. The Proportion of Mars
to the Earth, is 1 3 to i ; he is efteemed Hot and
Dry, either on account of his own proper Nature ;
or becaufe he goes or paffes through the very Orb
of the Sun ; for he is 1176 Semi- diameters of the
Earth diftant from us when he is neareft, and 8232
when moft remote ; fo that in a fmall time, that
Star that is Superior to the Sun, is feen under him,
as the moft accurate Aftronomers obferve ; which
could not be, if Mars did not pafs through, and
Emerge out of the vaft Orb of the Sun very quick
ly ; fee Kepler and Schemer, concerning the Star
Mars. Jupiter alfo was much Honour'd and Ador'd
by the Antients, perfuming it confuted of fuch a
mixt Temperament, as that it was as a mean between
the raging Heat of Mars and Saturn's Cold, and -So
thought its Influence very benign : Its Proportion
co the Globe of the Earth, is 14 to 1, its greateft
.fiiftant from the Centre of the Earth, according to
Aftronomers 13171, and the leaft 8232. But the
Antient Philofophers meant fome thing far more
Excellent than this Star, or any Animal Deity by
Jupiter. '
Orpheus calls Jupiter the firft and laft of all things,
that exifted before all Time, and will remain after
all things -that are to come ; that he Inhabits the
higheft part of the World, and extends to the low-
eft, and that his whole is every where. But Seneca
give us the beft Defcrjptiph of Jupiter; Wife Men
(fays he) took him not for Jupiter , that is to be feen in
the Capitol, or any other Temples armd with Thunder,
but rather efteemed him a Mind and Soul, that Preferves and

76 The RELIGION of
and Adminifters aU things ; who made this Univerfe, and
governs it by his Nod ; and therefore many Divine Names
are given him. He mayjuftly be called Fate, from whom
the. Order of all things, in an apt Series of Caufes depends.
Likewife Providence, who Provides aud takes Care that
they tend to the end' for which they were defigned, in a
perpetual uninterrupted Courfe. Alfo Nature for all things
fprung from him , and by him everything that bos Life,
Lives. He may alp: be called the World: He is whatfo-
ever is to be feen ; felf-exiftent, encompaffes aU things,
and fills the Univerfe with his Divinity. This alfo Ex
plains the opinion of the Stoicks, that the World is
God. The word Jupiter feems to be derived from Jao,
or Jah, as was faid before ; for the latter part figni
fies- only Father, as Dieffiter in Varro for the Sun, be
caufe he is the Father of the Day. So Horace, i Car..
Od. 3 4. Dieffiter igne corufco nubila dividens. The Fa
ther of the Day, feparating the Clouds with bright fhining
Fire. Not only Strabo, whom I mentioned before^
but a place in Origen, according to Sandford's Emen
dation, fays, Jao is called Jah by the Hebrews ; which
beirtg joyned together, compofe the word Jehovah,.
as Ifidorus will have it, lib. 7. cap. 1. Philo Biblius
makes mention of Jevo, a God amongft the Pheni
cians. But for the various Pronunciations of this
word, according to the different power of Letters
and Languages^, and how the Tetragrammaton is
derived from it ; and in what it agrees with, Jacchus,
Bacchus and Evius, fee the Learned Sandford, De
defcenfu Dei ad inferos. I Shall enlarge upon this here
after, it not being my intent here to Treat of thofe
Men that were called Jupiter and Deified, but only
of the Adoration of the Planet of that Name.
It was the Opinion of the Antients, that this Be
nign Star, in Conjunction with Venus, did make the
Air

Chap. VII. the GENTILES. , 77
Air Calm and Temeprate, and laid Storms and
Tempefts. In Short he was not only efteem'd Uni-
verfally Salutiferous, but of fuch Efficacy, that if the
Moon ahd he were in Conjunction in the Dragons
Head, we might obtain what whatfoever we ask'd
of God ; and Petrus Aponenfis writes, he himfelf found
this true.
Amongft the Planets that were antiently* Adored,
Saturn only remains to be difeourfed of; for I Shall
not meddle with the Stars of the Medici ( as Galileus
calls them ) or Bourbon , or any other difcover'd
by theaffiftance of the Telefcope. The Proportion of
this Star to this Globe of Earth is as 22 to 1, his near-
eft diftahce from the Earth, is 13 171 Semi-diame
ters, and greateft 1 7 57 1. The Chaldeans and Egyp
tians knew that this was the moft remote of all the
Planets, and that though his Motion in appearance
feem'd to be the floweft, finifhing his Periodical
courfe in little lefs than thirty Year; ; yet in reality
it was the moft Swift, by reafon of its vaft diftance
from the Earth. You muft confult the moft. Anti
ent Authors about that Saturn, who Reigned in
Italy, in whofe time the Golden Age was, and whp
afterwards was Tranflatedin.o the number of the
Gods; for before his time there is no Hiftory which
is perfpicuous and intelligible, ahd can be depended
on. The reafon why in his time and fome Ages af
ter, there remained no Footfteps of Truth that we
may Safely truft to, is, becaufe then, not only the
Priefts, but PhiloSophers alSo wrapp'd their Learn
ing ( Such as it was ) in fabulous Myfteries. Tho'
their opinions were very fecre.t and obfcure : I do
not from thence conclude that they were true, but
rather think they drefs'd them after that Extravagant
manner, to make them relifh fhe better ; yet I muft
own that many of thsm will admit of a found and
Solid Explanation. Thus

78 The RELIGION of
Thusj when the Poets relate that Saturn was
bound by Jtipiter, and eaft Head-long in Tartarus or
Hell; Mythologifts underftand, that the Malignant
influence of Saturn is reftrained and corrected by the
Benignity of Jupiter • and that the vaft expanded
height of Air where thefe Operations are Original
ly Perform'd, is this Tartarus or £M Saturn was
by the Plantonifts efteem'd the Author of Contem
plation, becaufe being next Heaven, he infus'd that
power into the Soul, and alfo by this means he re
called them to their firft Original, therefore Seden
tary Perfons were antiently accounted the wiSeft.
Thus Varro, lib. 2. de R. R. cap. 2. Says, A Roman
Conquers Sitting. ' Therefore Pythagoras and Numa
both commanded; That Men fyould Worfhip Sitting.
2 Sam. c. 7. v. 8. King David went in and fat before
the Lord.
Saturn being Dry and Cold, was efteemed to
Predominate over thofe that are afflicted with Me
lancholy and Black Choler, and when he is Supe-
riour to the reft of the Planets in a Nativity, that
he influenced and governed them. That he pre
sided over Autumn, and the Seventh Day of the
Week ; upon which account our Roger Bacon writes,
that we ought to forbear Work then, according to
the Cuftom of the Jews, becaufe the dull and flow
Star Saturn was unfortunate, and by his influence,
render'd Men unfit for bufiriefs ; and alfo being the
caufe of the Eighth Month Birth, he was not efteem'd
Lively and 'Healthful ; tho' others attribute the
caUfe of thoSe Births to the Moon. For theHarrno-
nical proportion of the Planets, after Pythagoras, con
sult Kepler.
I rhight here treat of thofe Plariets that ate Small
Satellites of the greater, efpecially in regard Pavori-
nus wonders why any fhould. pofitively .determine ,
iha£

Chap. VII. *fo GENTILES. 79
that thofe Stars that are generally called Erratick,
and Nigiditts calls Errones, are no more than they
are commonly accounted to be ; for he was of Opi
nion that it was poffible, that there might be other
Planets tho' we could not difcern them, either
by reafon of their extraordinary Splendor or Height.
But I Shall proceed in the Profecution of my pro
per Argument, and according to the order of Na*
cure, pafs to the fixed Stars.

CHAP. VIII
Of the Adoration of the fixed STARS-
ANtiquity Sufficiently affures us, that all tht
Stars in general, fixed or wandering, known
or unknown, were efteem'd Gods by the Heathens.
For lifting up their Eyes to thofe things above them,
tlrey obServ'd that Conftancy and Order in the Mo
tion and Pofitions of the Stars, that oblig'd them to
attribute a Divine Nature them, which feem*d to
be United to each other in a perpetual League and
Covenant. Now when they obServ'd that this was
moft exactly and conftantly kept by the Motion of
the fixed Stars, they paid Adoration unto them, as
being the Caufes of all things that are conftant and
regular in this Sublunary World. The Heathens had
many Gods, who tho' they were not Supream them
felves, yet were his Militia. Thus all the Stars are
called by the Hebrews the Hoft of Heaven, which, in
a Metaphorical SenSe, they Said fought. And in
deed, nothing could be more natural and agreeable,
than for an Heathen, when he had accurately con
templated the Nature of the Stars. To conclude, that

The RELIGION of

that the fixed. Stars were the Eternal Law and Book
of God ; and the Planets his Book of Prophecy. For
the Supream God by a Natural Decree, hath written
Some unalterable Principles of his Law, both in the
Stars and the Hearts of Men, in regard it is very
mahifeft, that Some things UniverSally obtain in all.
And why may not the Same God have exhibited to
us the reaSons of things preSent and future, by the
Planets, in- regard, all Sublunary Motion derives
its Original from theirs.
The Stars -therefore are the Univerfal Law and
-Prophets of God, which although they are Dumb,
yet, like the true Indexes of a Clock, they point_
at things with the greateft exactnefs and certitude.
Wife Men do obferve and confult them, not ac
cording to the vain ridiculous and fuperftitious
Form and Maxims of common, ignorant and foolifh
Aftrologers ; but by the observation of Events,
when their Motion, Conjunctions, Oppofitions and
various Afpects are compar'd together.
It is very certain that the Stars act upon inferiour
Bodies, but whether they are free Agents or not,
I fhall not determine, tho' a great many Arguments
may be brought to this purpofe. Arifiotle Seems to
be of this Opinion, lib. 2. de Cdo. cap. 12. The Ope
ration of the Stars is to be e(leemed the fame as that of
Animals and Planets'-. The Heathens were of Opinion
that the Signs were God's twelve Gounfellours, fo
that if Aftronomers underftood their Nature well,
they 1 would not be fo liable to miftakes.
What induc'd the Heathens to the Adoration of
the Stars, we have in fome manner already Shewn,
and fhall add fome things here, being its proper
pkce. The firft thing the Heathens confider'd, was their
Height, which is fo vaft, that according to Tycho
Brake,

Him frpftiiimii

,¥

Chap. VIII. thi GENTILES. 81
""", "V-  _r. — !  t . - ¦ ¦- '
Brahe, "the Orb of the fixed Stars is 19000 Semi-dia
meters of the Earth diftant from it; according to
Merfen. 20000, which fpace contains J2961647
Leagues, or 3 Miles. From whence may be com
puted, that if a Stone let fallfrom that Orb, fhould
move a League in each Minute, it would be Very
near 102 Years before it wot&d reach the Earth*
The. Height of that Orb may alfo be inferf'd from
this, that the fixed Stars' have no fenfible.Parallax $
whereas the Sun has three Minutes Parallax from the
Earth, and the Moon fometimes a whole Degree.
Then their Magnitude, the leaft amongft therri,
being equal to the Moon and Mercury, and the'lgreat-
eft to Venus and Mars.- Their Proportion to this
Globe of Earth, is, a Star of the Sixth Magnitude,
as 11 to I;- and of the firft, as 70 to 1 * the reft
being mean Proportionals. The Antients account*
ed the number of the fixed Stars that were confpi-
euous, to be 1002, the reft they esteemed obfcure^
and no ways obfervable, thefe at laft (for what
reafon I cannot divine, ) were divided into 48 Fi
gures or Conftellations.
.The Heathens did not draw Arguments for the
Divinity of the fixed Stars, from the variety of their
Motions, they being always at the fame diftance
one frorh the other, as much at leaft as our Senfes
Are capable of obferving ; but the Motion and Lan
guage of the Planets Was efteemed fo wonderful^
that without any other caufe they have attributed
Divine Honours to them. But it was very eafie for
them to be miftaken in this particular. For if the
fixed Stars did not alter their Situation, with re*
Spect to one another ( which the vacancies and di
stances in the Shapes that were formerly aferibed to
them by the Shepherds and Mariners doth Seem to
intimate ) it is moft certain that the Signs are mo*
G vedj

¦ ¦- '¦".— . D-, i mi1. ' :.miwiiiiiii ni.iinn mi i i. i ¦
ga The RELIGION of
' -¦ " ,.W>.m' , /»-V '- . * ¦"- 
ved ; from whence proceeds the Progeffion of the
Equinox. The Conftellation of Aries being now in
tjje place of ^Taurus, Taurus in that of Gemini,
and fo of the reft ; yet So that after Some Excefi, they
Seem to return to their former places, which fome
call the Motion of Accefs and ReceSs, and others
the Motion of Trepidation. See the Famous difpute
between Jpf. Scaliger and Maginus.
The Celerity aKo of the Orb of- the fixed Stars
was another Reafon, why they afcribed Divinity to
them. Its Motions So rapid, that the Stars which are
in. the Equinox move 3 767 5; o Leagues in a Minute, or
60th part of an Hour. Now a Bullet Shot out t>f the
largeft Cannon, if it were carried with an equal and
continued force, would Scarce fly round this Globe
of Earth in one hundred Hours. Nay (Says Voffius)
what is the Swiftnefs of the Motion of the Sun to it,
whole Globe is Forty times left, fo that the Stars
that are next the Equinoctial muft be Forty times
Swifter than the Sun ; unlefs according to the Ce-
pernican Syftem you will have the- Earth move ;
which feems improbable,' in regard this fluggifb.
Terreftial weight, fo unfit for Motion, would dou
bly exceed the velocity of the Cannon-Bali before
me^oned. Tycho Brahe proves, that the fixed Stars
do hot only move in Longitude from the Vernal
divifion of the Zodiack, \s\xt in Latitude alfo : But this
is nothing to. our purpofe.
Laftly tlie Heathens confider'd the Power and Effi
cacy of the Stars, for they obferv'd that fome railed
Tempefts, others brought Rain, others Heat. But
I Shall riot here enquire, whether in producing thefe
effects, the fixed Stars were impregnated by the
Planets, or on the contrary.
Amongft the fixed Stars, the Dog-Star called Sy-
r'm, was more efpecially Worshipped, particularly by

*i*iimim*4m<L*!.iv

Chap. VIII. the GENTILES. 83

<f-v..nBi 1 .,.,. -, ,,-, - '  'i -'i niiiii^iafTiiiTii

by the'Eg^tfwwj, fo that according to Some, they
tranflated their -jjts into it; tho', according to others,
the Moon is Ifis. When the Romans paid Religious
Worfhip to the Stars, they Sacrificed Red Dogs (ac
cording to FeBm) that the> Yellow Fruits of the
Earth might be brought to Maturity ,• which, he
elfewhere proves out of Affim Capito, where it is
called a Dog-SacrijUk; This moft fplendid Stafr is
fometimes feen for a long rime together ; which as
it made the Egyptians efteem it to be a Deity, fo the
Malign effects that it produc'd, both on the Earth,
and in the Air, were the Reafons why they endea-
Vour'd to render him propitious, by facrificing Red
•Dogs. So Statins,-*, k . ¦
Fierce Syrius bums the breatbleft 'Field. ' '
It being ufual formerly to Sacrifice to the Gods, thai
that they might not be hurtful, as well as to obtain
favour from them. The influence of this Star here
would be much more pernicious to Mankind, did
not the Etefian Winds blow from the Snow that
is melted on the tops of the Mountains in the Heat
of the Dog-days. Pifces was alfo Worfhipped by the
Eaft ern People, but rnore efpecially, the Affyrians ;
who they fay, had Sons and GrandSons, according
to the Interpreter of Germanicus and Hyginus. I am
of Opinion that it was the Sign which the Greeks
called Evgonafi, and faid, had Divine Honours paid
unto it ; if you will believe that Hercules was tran
flated into this Star, as fome are of opinion. So
much for the Signs out of the Zodiack/*
Ifidorus fays, that Jupiter Hamman was efteemed
the Ram in the Zodiack, but Servius Says It was, Mt-
nerva>. Mmiliw Say's thus of it,
O 2 Which

84 The RELIGION of

Aries confults ' bimfdf, a Dignity
.^Wtrthy a Prince, and Libra then doth fee.
Which alludes to » what we faid before concerning
the Confiliary Deities. Gemini, according to fome,
were the Tyndarides, Caftor an4 Pollux, the Sons of
Leda, who were very propitious 'to Sailors; Some
thought them Hercules. and Apollo, others Tuptolentus
and jafin, others Tetbus and Ampbion, and others
Some Samothracian Deities : But this is not Strange,
in regard every Country at that time Advanced
their own Heroes into the number of their Gods ;
for the Heathens, believing that the Souls, of III uftrious •
Men were Immortal, called Some particular Stars
by their Name;
The Sign Virgo, by fome was called Aftrea. From
whence it's Said Aftrea has left the Earth, by Some
She, was called Ceres, by others Atergatis, others For
tune, and by others Ifis, unleSs you will have the
Egyptian Ifis to be the Same as the Roman Ceres ; o-
thers alfo calhgd hetXoncord, but it is not certain
whether She was the Goddefs Panda.
Opinions concerning the two Fifhes which the
Antients called the Syrian Deities ; for thus fays
German, in Arat. — ¦ And Pifces the f wo Syrian Deities;
were not fo various : but the<reaSon why they were
called Pifces, to me is not very evident. Whether
it was that the Affyrians thought theSe two Stars
feem'd to Swim like Fifhes in the Heaven above ,
the Firmament ? or whether, according to Hyginus,
any thing was to be understood Myfticallyjjgy it ;
I will recite his Words, as they are in Voffius, Thofe
Deities were Venus and Cupid, as this Paffage of
HygHus Shews. Diogenetes Erythraus fays, That
on a certain time Venus came with Cupid to the River
Euphrates,

Chap. VIII. the GENTILES. 85
Euphrates, where on a fudden they Jaw the Giant Ty»-
^phon ; Upon this, Venus threw her felf and Son into
. tbe River, and were both changed into Fifhes, by which
means they efeaped the danger they were in. After this
the Syrians who dwelt next to this place, forbore to eat
any Fifh for the future, being afraid, leaft if they fhould
catch them, they might, upon a like occafion, tybftruS
tbe fafety of the Gods, or take fome of them : But M-
gidius, the Interpreter of Germanieus, is of another
opinion, ahd fays, thefe were thofe great Fifhes
that rolled that great Egg out of Euphrates* out of
which, when a Dove had fat upon it for Some days,
wasprodue'd the Syrian Goddefs, who is called Venus ;
and therefore the Syrian s abStain from eating either
Fifh or Doves, as was Shewn before out of Hyginus*
So a certain Poet in the Sixth Anthology, fays,
Heliodorus, Dedicated his Net; to the Syrian GoddeSs, •
but One that had never taken any Fifh. For nothing
could be more diSpleafing to this GoddeSs, than a
Net that had been uSed in Fifhing. They were of
opinion that the Syrian GoddeSs afflicted thofe with
Tumors that eat Fifh. So Martial, lib. 6. Epigr. 44.
7 fwear to thee by the Syrian Tumors
and Perfius, Sat. c.
The Gods deftrpfd them, inflaming their Bodies.
That is the Syrian Goddefi (which is Venus ) and her
Son Cupid. See Scaliger on Manilius, and Salmafhti
on Solinus Polihiftor. whatSoever was Said concern
ing the Worlhip of Atergatis, lib. 1. cap. 23. there
we confider'd the Syrian Goddefi as an Animal Deity,
but here as a Natural one, as fhe is worshipped un
der the Notion of the Moon, as we Shewed before,
G 3 or

1 ¦ UHH W—»^—  —W unj'm mill.liMii'i in
86 The RELIGION of
or the Sign Pifefs, as we have here Explain'd. Thus
far Vojfias.
Give me leave to quote" another place . out of
him, to prove that other ^Nations, even at this ve
ry Day, do WorShip the fixed Stars, 5«», Moon ahd
other Planets j for I would not rob that great Man
of the Honour that is juftly due to his incompara
ble Mirit : His wprds are thefe. ft Not only the
fi Eafiem People, and from them the Greeks and
" Romans, efteem'd all the Stars to be Gods ; but
f- other Natibns alfo : which as I have already Shewn
of the Planets, So it is evident likewife concerning
the fixed Stars, from many Authors. Jofephus Acofta
tells uSj that in the laft^ and this prefent Age, the
Peruvians paid them the fame Honour ; for befides,
God the Creator ( who in their own Language is
called Viracbocan, and after their Acquaintance with
the Spaniards, Dios ) they alfo Worfhipped the Sun,
Moon, the other five Planets, and the reft of the
Stars. This Spanijh Author writes to this effect,
They particularly Ador'd that Gonftellation which
we call Cabnias, or the Goat, and they Colca : and
commanded that fucft Offerings fhould be made to
Some Stars, and fuch to others, thofe being particu
larly worfhipped according as every ones neceflity '
required. The Opifons Adored the Star Urcbu-
chillay, feigning it to be * a Ram of divers Colours,
who only took pare of the preferyation of Cattel ;
and it is thought to be the fame Conftellatioh which
the Aftrologers call Lyra. Befides thefe two, they
worfhipped two other? that are near them, called Ca- .
chuchiliay and UrruchiSay,. and fay, that one of them
is a Sheep, and the other a Lamb. There are fome
who Adore another Star, called Machaachuay, that
Ruled over the Serpents and Adders, from which
^ey pionaifed Safety to themfelves; others' alfo
¦¦':', Wor-

Chap. IX. the GENTILES. 87
worfhipped the Star Chuqukhinchay, called the Tyger,
who they believed to prefide over Tygers, Lyon. i and
Bears. They were of opinion that there was not
any Beaft or Bird Upon the Earth, whoSe Shape or
image did not Shine in the Heavens, by whofe in
fluence its Similitude was generated on the Earth,
and its Species increaSed. Thus they worfhipped
divers Stars, which they called Char ana, Topatalea,
Mamana, Mirco, Mequiquiray, &c. agreeing With
Plato in his Notion of Idea's.
Now that thefe Stars were Worfhipped in
Honour of the Suprfam God, is very evident from
what was faid before, and alfo to all who will
pleafe to confult the Indian Hiftory ; and from
hence we may certainly conclude, that they nei
ther formerly were, or now are worfhipped, upon
any other account.

CHAP. IX.
Of the Worfhip of*HE A FEN,
FRom the Worfhip of the Stars, the antient Hea
thens proceeded to the Adoration of Heaven.
Their Philofophers were of opinion, that it was a
Corporeal Subftance ; and that the Stars did not
move in a Vacuum, but fomething that was fixed.
This was the opinion of Ariftotle : They believ'd
the Stars did act upon inferior Bodies, by the inter
vention of the Corporeal Nature of Heaven, nor
can we by their influences fufficiently know what
their Powers and Operations are ; concerning
which, much may be Said on both fides, but it not
being to our purpofe, we Shall pafs it by.
G4 WM

85* The RELIGION of
What the Romans called Ceelum, the Greeks called
p&tber, to which that Verfe of Eytnius, So often re
peated by Cicero, hath relation. Behold this fublime
brightnefs, the -.Jupiter which all invoke ; Heaven \alfo
was called Ca?W or Cdus. There was this Inscrip
tion dug Out of Mons Cdius ; Optumus Maximus Co>-
ftfs tAStemus ; the moft Good and Great Eternal Hea
ven ; where the Attribute of moft Good and Griat,
ij/fhich Cicero, lib. i. de N, D. affirms by the moft
uhiverSal Opinion, was due only to Jupiter, is here
given to Heaven. According to Some, Pythago
ras Seem'd to favour this Opinion, Saying, that God
was Corporeal^ that Heaven Was his Eyes, and the
Sun and Moon other parts as in a Man, that the
Elements were his inferiour Members. +. See Epiphap.
lib. i. de Hferef. Gent. But if is not very probable,
that this was his Opinion ; for we find elfewhere,
that Pythagoras held but one Deity, the Maker of
this Univerfe,; and fays, that ijeaven was ani
mated by the Spirit of the World, which in reality
Was God himfelf. Thus Hierocles, on his Golden
Verfes ; There is only one God maker of all things, who
¦(nay be properly- filled the God of Gods, andthe Supreem
and mop Good God. And Zoroafter, Publifhed by Fr.
Pqfr. The Workman, who by his own Power only made the
World; and a little before Speaking of us our Selves,
The Father of Men and Gods, endued our Souls with a
Mind, and our fluggifli Bodies wit^t a Soul. Therefore,
whenfpeyer fhe Heaven, or all the Celeftial Bodies,
are called by the. Name -of Jupiter, we are not to"
understand that .Eternal Deity that gpverns all
things, but only Some Senfible Representation of
him, as will appear both out of Herodotus and
Strabo. Upon this account it was, that the Heathens paid
jj this Adoration, and alfo for its immenfe Sublimity ana

¦rtjUM-

Chap. IX. the GENTILES. 89
sm • . 1 ii
and Magnitude ; its Circular Form, the moft perfect
Form being agreeable- to the moft perfect Body ,-
and its Brightnefi, being every where refplehderit,
Adorn'd with glittering Stars. And laStly-, its
Duration and Utility, when they cOnfidered what
an Univerfal influence it had over inferiour things.
Thefe were the Reafons that induced them to be
lieve, that the Heaven was 'Something more than
Humane, and So they attributed a Divine Nature
to it. .-^ ^-
It was a Queftion amongft the moft Learned, whe
ther tho' the Heaven was very .Permanent, it was alfo
Eternal ? Yet they generally agreed, that it was
Eternal by a kind of Emanation from the Supream
God, tho' pofterior to him in order of Nature, as
Light to the Sun. Indeed if the Heaven were a Sim
ple Being. I fhould very readily be of their Opinion,
that itwasthe Senfible Image of God; but being com-
pos'd of Matter and Form, and that in a Miraculous
Order, we muft have recourfe here to more than a
meer Emanation; and therefore it neceffarily fol
lows, that fomething more great and excellent is
required for the making the Heaven and this Sublu
nary Orb, which muft be its Original and Maker.
Ariftotle fays, thefe things do neceffarily Exift, Every
Entity neceffarily Exifts, and as neceffarily it is good, and
fo is, a Principle ; by which he means fome Entity
that is moft Excellent, and by which all others do
Exifl. ; and therefore adds , Therefore Heaven and
Nature depend on fuch a Principle.- And according to
the moft Learned PhilpSopners, for their Producti
on, as vvell as Confervation ; amongit others, Her
mes has very fublime thoughts concerning God, cal
ling hjm, .The Preferver of Beings. Ariftotle fpeaking
of his Life, fays, The length of Life is according to the
excellency of the Sub je£t ; ours Short, his Eternal, To
¦ ' *' the

•W#t**»m

9b The RELIGION of,
.1 .¦  i ¦"»« 11 1 fr 
the Same effect is that of Hermes, in the Speech of
the Mind, Goodnefi,- Beauty, Happinefi and1 Wifdom,
are the Effence of God.
But if all Beings did Exift by a fatal neceffity (as
we hinted before) nay, even the very Original of
all Beings of it felf : how could he be Good and
Wife ? How could we be Said to have a Liberty
and free Will ? For how Could there be any Divine
Goodnefs, when all things muft be as they are, and
no otherwife i Where Divige Wifdom, when Fate
was abfolute and determinate ? And*h6w could we
pretend to any Liberty or freedom of Acting,
when the very Original of all Beings himfelf, the
moft Great and Godd God, was limited and confin'd
under a fatal neceflity.
Thefe Opinions ought to be exploded, being
grounded on no Solid reaSon ; for Fate, that is, the
order of things, proceeds only from the moft Wife
Maker of the World , who difpofes of the moft
Minute things ; being Prior to it, as the Caufe to
the Effect ; the Supream Deity did exift in time be
fore Fate ; who acted freely accoording to his own
good Pleafiire ; did unite and difpofe of the Series
of all things that exift ; which Cicero, amongft o-
thers, lib. i. de N.D~ and lib. de Divin. acknowledges.
But more of Fate hereafter.
We now proceed to our Argument ; it is very
evident, that many things were unknown to the
Antients , which the Telefcope has difcover'd ; by
which thofe are confuted, who held the Heavens
to be folid ; it is plain, that they are of an Airy
Nature, and Pervious ; becaufe" Comets are either
Generated, or Afcend above the Orb of the Moon,
and Mercury and Venus move always round the Sun,
that two Planets move about Saturn, and four o-
thers about Jupiter ; that there art? many fpots that- rife

Chap. IX. rifc GENTILE'S. 91

—  m i.i-riir

rife and fet in the, Sun ; for which eonfult the moft
excellent Galikm, and Since him, Schemer ; that
Mars penetrates the Suns Orb, being fometiihes Seen
above him, and Soon after below him. -Voffius
brings another reafon, which is the Roughnefs and
Inequality of the Moon, from thence conclud
ing, that She could not move, if the Heavens Were
hard, unlefs" y©U allow a Vacuum, or Penetration
of Bodies.
The Antients being ignorant of thefe things,
made them have fo extraordinary an Opinion of
the Heavens ; and had fome fort of Reafons to attri
bute Divinity to them ( in Such a SenSe as they un
derstood it, but it is quite rejected^y us ) as Subli
mity, Perennity, Magnitude and Utility ; for the com
mon notion of the Incorruptibility of the Heavens,
becaufe none of the Antients in any Age did ever
obferve any Generation or Corruption in them,
feems to me as ridiculous, as to fuppofe, that if a
Man were in the Moon, he fhould conclude that
nothing onEarth were liable to Corruption, becaufe
nothing can.be difcerned at fo great adiftance; or
becaufe he fees, the Earth always of the fame Form
and Magnitude, fhould therefore conclude, that its
whole Mafs Suffers no Alteration. But the Anti
ents might have cbferved Something in the Heavens
Very like ohr Sublunary Generation and Corrupti
on, and thoSe very considerable ; for Pliny, lib. 2.
cap. 26. from Hipparchus tells us, that a new Star
appear'd in the time of Ptolemy Evcrgetes , and
the two Antiochm's. Another in the time of
the Emperor Adrian, Another in Cajffiopea in the
Reign ofOtho. Another near the fame, in 1264.
Another in Caffiopea, in 1 572. which difappear'd af
ter two Years, leaving a Chafm in its room ; &hd
no Body did ever difpqte, whether it was composed of

<>2 The RELIGION of
«f™*-»-i^ ««^ ^ *
of Celeftial Matter or not, becaufe by Observation,
it was near three Hundred times larger than this
Globe of Earth. Another in 1 577, , which appear d
for Seven Weeks. Another 1600. in the Swans
Breaft ; another in 1504. in the Eighteenth De
gree of Sagittary. Ahd another, moft Prodigious one,
whether it were a Star or Comet, appear'd in 15-08.
which the. moft accurate Aftronomers were of opi
nion was Situate in the Heavens, vide Schein. in
rpfa Urfina.
It is very much to be queftion'd, whether the Sm
it Self is compos'd of fuch Matter, as is Eternally
durable ; efpecially, if according to fome of the
Antients, he is fed by Vapours, which is the opini
on of Some Moderns alfo. To this purpofe may be
brought what Petrus Mexias relates, that in the time,
oftheEmperorjT«/i»i«»,fOr moft part of the Year, tho'
the Seafon was very ferene and clear, yet the Sun
Shin'd .fo very dimly, that the Moon gave almoft as
much Light ; from whence as is reported, it came to
pafs, that there was an Univerfal Famine over the
whole World : and F. Patrkius is of opinion, that
the Sun was Ratified at that time,.- and fo had lefs
Light and Heat. Paulus Diaconus alfo fays, that in
790. the Sun was Dirk, and did not emit his Rays
for Seventeen Days. What the Mexicans report of
t.the Sun's being four times Extinct, and as often
Renewed, feems to me very improbable: lean,
with Patrkius, indeed allow^a Diminution or Rare
faction, but cannot admit him to be quite Extindt.
Let this fuffice to confute them that are of opinion
that the Heavens are not fubject to Mutation.
But the Antients had other Reafons alfo for the
Adoration of Heaven, they. were of opinion that it
had a Soul ; for Ariftotle, C. 2. de Cdo, fays, The
^Heaven is animated, and ha! tbe Principle of Motion.
<.-*. Now

Chap. IX, the GENTILES. 9 1.
¦ ill 1 .1 ' W 1 ' ' 1 . 11
Now in regard this Principle, according to
them, is Self-conBitutivc \ they thought it fo much
more noble, than the Soul that rules in our Bodies,
as the firft and independent cauSe exceeds the Se
cond and dependent. Thus imagining a two-fold
Nature in the Heavens ; a Form, or Animal Nature,
and a Corporeal or Material; they distinguished
right or left, thick or thin Parts, and other Organs
in it, as we faid before. In the corporeal Nature of
Heaven, they Worfhipped its Soul, and God him Self
in it, which agrees with Ariftotle, who calls the
Supream Soul the Chief God, and inferiour Souls leffcr
Deities. This Opinion obtaining every where, it will not
feem fo very Strange, if the Heathens So univerfally
worshipped Men, endow'd with extraordinary Ex
cellencies as Gods : So that nothing was formerly
more common than the Tbeanthropos, pv God Man,;
thus Paul and Barnabas were taken for Gods.
But it remains Still in doubt, what the Soul of
the Heaven amongft the Antients was. Ariftotle
allows it, an Intellectual, Appetitive, and Motive
Faculty, but not a Senfitive ; tho' it be one oS his
own Axioms, that the more Excellent Faculties do
preSuppoSe the leSs, yet he Says, that is to be under
stood of Mortals only ; fo; that according to the moft
Subtil PhiloSophers, the Soul of Heaven doth not ap
ply it felf to particular Objects by any External
Senfe, but by its intellect only, which js the fame
way, Say they, as Souls Separate'd from their Bodies,
do apprehend. I am much of their Opinion, that
every perfect Being doth not want the External
Senfes, for they are not capable of having cogni
zance of any befides Tranfitory and Periffiing Ob
jects ; and Animals are endued with them, for the
providing of fit Food for their Preservation, and the

04 The RELIG 10 Nkif
the avoiding whatfoever is injurous and hurtful :
but the Soul of Heaven has no need of any fuch ^
requiring very little Nutriment, and being very
Secure from dangers.
There is alfo another way of exerting the Intel
lectual Faculty by a Communion' of Forms ; by
which means the Celeftial Intelligencies mutually
know each other, and whatever elfe proceeds from
thofe Forms, and paffes into all things, either here,
or in the Heavens themfelves. Alexandr. Apbrodif.
feems to Embrace both Opjriions. ' Which Termon i-
nus in , his Book, de Nat. Ceeli; explains thus ; Tbe
Heaven, under (lands by Receiving the thing that it ought to
Ufiderftand, and not its Specks ; becaufe it is intelligible in
its own Nature, and a Species * is only required where a
thing is to be under Bbod4 by the Senfe f and is Material.
I Shall not enlarge upon the Degrees of comparifoff
between the Intelligencies ; as the Sun's being more
intelligent than the Moon ; fo of the Planets, accor
ding to fome, in regard this Doctrine depends up
on nothing. but meet conjectures.
I cannot but take notice here, of the Opinion of
S'mplkius, which Some of the Latins have followed j
he lays, that the firft Mover, according to Ariftotle,
was not the Supream Ged ; -but the chief Intelligence
both in Place and Dignity after him ; where he
endeavours to reconcile Plato and Ariftotle, who
gives God, that is, the Summum Bonum, the Dignity of
Precedence ; next the Mind, which is the Off-fpring
of God, and Architect of Nature ; ¦ then Nature,- the
Work of Mind ; but Some are of Opinion, that Sim-
plicius hath not fairly deliver'd Ariftotle's Opinion
here, and brings thefe Places, 8. Phyf. Context. 48,
49, 52. and 12. Metaph. Context. 43. to prove their
alfertion. But they muft needs own, that Ariftotle,
befides the Mover of the Supream Orb, the caufe of
diurnal

mjjii. i ¦¦ ¦ ¦in in .,H<J ¦¦'- ' ' ' ' '*"*" i »¦ — — . i r.
Chap. IX. the J3 E N T I L E S. 9j
diurnal Motion, did eftabiifh leffer Go<&,. that were
Movers of the inferior : When he fays, That tbe firft
Mfwer has neither Parts or Magnitude ; it feems very
difficult to me to be /understood, yet I SuppoSe he
means, that God, is infinite, and therefore incorpo
real. He alSo, in another Place, Says, that which is
infinite has no Parts ; which is moft undeniably
true ; for otherwife, the half of Infinity being tre
bled, would exceed it Self, which- is moft abSurd.
It muft alSo follow, that if the firft Mover is without
Magnitude, he muft confequently be incorporeal ; So
that the PhiloSopher's words here, do feem to agree
with our notion of God, but if any Perfon think
otherwiSe, h^.is at his liberty. ¦
I proceed! to the Names of Heaven, that were
ufed by the Antients ; here I muft premife that
common distinction. Tfrat all things are done, either
by Reafon and Counfel, Fortune and Chance, or Fate and
Neeeffity. Upon this account, Heaven had three
Names; the firft Minerva, theA Second Fortune £ and
the third Parca (one of the Deftinies ). Minerva
theGreeks call Athenaa or Athena ; She prefided over
Study and Learning ; the Egyptians call'd her Neith.
Cicero mentions five of them, but they were all
Mortals, and afterwards Translated into the num
ber of the Gods : So Tzetzes in Lycophron ; There
were many Minerva'-i md Venuw ; but by Minerva,
is Myftically understood Heaven, or rather its high-
eft Part: So Macrob. lib. 3. Sat. cap. 4. The moft
diligent Enquirers into truth, fay, that the middle jEther
is Ju pker ; the 'loweft part of the Air, and the Earth,
Juno ; and the uimoB height of Heaven, Minerva ;
wherefore Pharnutus fays, fhe is called jEtheronia.
And Sti Auguft. lib. 4. de C. D. cap. 10. They fay that
Minerva poffeffes the higheft part of Heaven, upon which
account tbe Poets feigned, that fhe was Born out of Ju
piter's

9f> The RELIGION of
piters Head. Martknus Capella, calls her, She -that
u higher than Jupiter. Some by her, mean Divine
Providence, of this opinion isfPhamutus, who fays,
there were Temples Built in Honour of the Mi
nerva of Providence. The Heaven alfo was anti-
ently called' Fortune, but efpecially by the Chaldeans
and Genethliacks, who predicted the Event of things
from the difpofition of the Stars ; they alfo under-
Stood fomething more than Chance or Accident
by the word Fortune ; upon this account, they had
a particular regard to the Moon, efteeming her the
continual caufe of her own Change , and of all
things Sublunary : For they we're of Opinion, that
the Beginning and Generation of all things, and
their End and Corruption depended on Humidity,
over which the Moon ruled and prefided, and that
the Myftery of things pa$Gng into other Forms,
was perform'd this way. Some, efpecially the Po-
jets, thought Fortune a GoddeSs Sent down from
Heaven, Juven. Sat. 10, Fortune, it's we make thee a
Deity, and place thee in Heaven. Tho' She were
blind, yet they efteemed her a great Enemy to
Reafon and Constancy^.
But the Philofophers had quite other Sentiments,
concerning Fortune, Cicero lib. i. de Divin. Says very
excellently, Fortune is, when any thing falls out, or
happens fo, 'that it might either not fall out, or happen at
all, or might fall out or happen otherwife. Neverthe
less, Fortune was held in great veneration by the
Antients ; and they were of Opinion, that their
Prayers might prevail for thofe things that were
fortuitous in their own Nature only, and not where
things were oblig'd by the Law of Nature, or the
Univerfal Decree of Fate. Therefore Cicero, lib. 3.
de N. D. fays, that Fortune® ought to be defired of
God, and Wifdom was to be acquired by our felves. The

Chap. IX. ffeGENTlLES. 97
• ' "I "!¦¦  ¦¦ >¦¦¦¦¦  — — !¦!¦¦— |,,ll IW— M^-^
The Effigies of this^-Fomwze is on a Medal of Ncr"
-u/s, reprefenting her like a Matron, with a Crowri
of Glory, Seated oh a Throne, holding a Sceptre in
her Left- Hand, and a pair of Shears in her Right, with
this Infcription, Fortuna P.R. By others She is de-
Scribed with a Cornucopia, and Rudder of a Ship, hold
ing the, firft in her Left, andthe other in her Right-
Hand. At Prenefle, where there was a very famous
Temple erected to Fortune : She was Worfhipped
under the reprefentation of two Sifters ; one 'being
very Fair, was called, Good fortune^ the other Black,
Bad Fortune, who was alfo Worfhipped. Cicero, lib.
1. de Leg. fays, there was formerly an Altar Erected
to Bad Fortune, in the Efquilia.' Cebes, in his Table^
defcribes her Blind and Mad, fitting with her Feet
on a round Stone, which is'the moif received Way
of defcribing her to this very time. Paufanias is of
another Opinion, and quoting Pindar, makes For
tune one of the Pare*, tho' they feem rather to be
the Same with Fate. Spartianus tells us, that two of
the beft of the Roman Emperors had fo great a Ve
neration, not only for Fortune, but her Image alfo,
that 'Sevjerus, when-he was on' his 'Death-Bed, com
manded that her Image Should be fet every other
Day interchangeably, in the Chambers of the two
Sons he left, to intimate to them the equal, distri
bution of the Empire. And Antoninus Pius ( ac
cording to the fame Author) being at the point Pf
Death, order'd the Statue of Fortune to, be carried in
to Marcus Antoninus 's Chamber, which was efteeft-
ed, a transferring of the Government upon him.
They did not only keep Golden Statues of Fortune
in their Private Appartments, but Shewed them
Publickly. I might fay much more concerning the feveral
Temples of Fortune, that were among the Annates,
H Pre-

93 the RELIGION of
n m»  i 11 in mil 11 i i I i i , iiijiiii i i il
Preneftines, Greeks and Romans; but more parti
cularly that at'.E/«r, of which Paufanias gives an ac
count ; alfo of her being the fame with Ifis, accor
ding to Apuleius, in regard (as we faid before ) Ifis
was certainly the fame with the Moon ; but I Shall
wave this at prefent, tho' I cannot omit obferving,
that Good Event was Worfhipped after the Deity
Fortune ( a Defcription of whofe Statue that was in
the Capitol, we have in the 3 jth. Book of Pliny. )
And*Favour was a Deity alfo amongft the Romans,
befides Felicity, qpe of Hercules Daughters that was
Deified, as appears by a Medal of Julia Mammea
Augufta, where there is a representation of Felicity ;
tho' different from that of Cebes.
This is fufficient to prove, that Fortune antiently
figmfied only the Celeftial influences on inferiour
things, and more efpecially, that of the Moon ;
and that fhe was Worfhipped under that conside
ration. ':-?
The Parca alfo, may be eafily proved to be 'the
Same as the Heaven. They were SuppoSed to be
three ; the firft prefided over Man's Generation,
the Second over his Life, the third his Death.
Cktho carried the Diftaff ; Lachefis Spun, and Atropos
or Death, cut or broke the Threads, for which Rea
fon they were called the Wool-managing SiBers ; for
they were thought to Spin out Man's Life, of whom
Martial fays,
** The cruel Goddefs broke the fatal Thread.
Some were of Opinion, that they were the Off
spring of Chaos. Cicero in his third Book, de N. D.
fays, they were the Daughters of Erebus and Nox.
. Plato, lib. 10. de Rep. will have them to be the
Daughters of Neceffity, plac'd on a Throne, equi
distant

Chap. I X. the ' G E N 1 1 L E S. 99
-¦ ¦ m  ¦ "I I ... II . I II 1 ¦¦¦»¦ .—¦¦¦ I IMM.^— i^l ¦¦¦ill IMI^JMIIMI-
diftant from each other, Clothed in Whitey with
Crowns on their Heads, Singing to the Mufick of
the Sirens : Lachejls declaring things paft, Clotho the
prefent, and Atropos thofe to come ; each of them
with their Mother Neceffity, managing the Diftaff j
Clotho with her Right, Atropos with her Left, and
Lacbefis with both Hands. An Antient Epigram in
Paufanias, tells us, that the firft of thefe, which pre-"
fided over Generation, was the CeleBiai Venus, as
we hinted before. She was not the Venus Libitina,
in whofe Temples Funeral Ewfigns were Repofi-
ted, as Plutarch fays. Clem. Alex. obServes, that the
Pare* were Allegorically called the Parts of the
Moon, viz. the Thirtieth, the Fifteenth, and the
New Moon ; but this is incoherent with what was
faid before.
I fhall not infift upon the Adoration of the Pare*,
for it is very ftrangt to "think that they Should be
Worfhipped, who would be no ways made propiti
ous. Upon which account it was," that the Tem
ple of Neceffity, their Mother, and of Violence, which
according to Paufanias, was at Corinth, were kept
Shut, it being unlawful for any to enter them.( The
Pare* Myftically fignified that Celeftial influence,
from whence Fate, or the Permanent Order of
things, which have a Beginning and Ending in
this Sublunary World, proceed, and pafs through
feveral certain Stated Changes, Viciffitudes ahd
Periods. , 1
Let me here obServe, that the Antients did not
reprefent Death, as we do, with a meagre Counte
nance, thin Jaw'd, and deep Forehead, but plea-
iant and compos'd, as the Image of Sleep ; and
they generally faid, Such an one is gone from amongft
us, that the Fear of Death might not Strike Terror,
and the Minds of Men be poffefs'd, that nothing
H 2 but

ioo The RELIGION of
--•¦'•' - - ¦ ' ¦
but their Bones remained after this Life. For which
reafon, they were the more' Valiant, and inclin'd to
the Practice of Virtile,rbecauSe Death was efteem'd
by them only as a Paffage, for the Good, to abetter
Life ; thinking it very Bafe and Mean, that nothing
of thofe, that had lead exemplary Lives here, Should
remain after Death, but the Carcafs only, Which
they threw off. t
There was another part of Fate or DeBiny Recor
ded, not only by ,the antient Poets, but by fome
Philofophers alfo, efpecially, the Siokks, to which
they made even Jupiter himfelf Subject. To this
they Attributed all thofe things that they faid, were
beyond the Power of God himfelf. As that God
could , not procure his own Death, nor caufe, that
after a Perfon had actually Lived, he fhould not
have Lived ; that he had no right, but that of Ob
livion, over things paft, afid many fuch like ;
which feem to 'imply nothing more, than that it
is beyond our Comprehension to conceive, that
God, being Eternal and Immortal, fhould be any
way liable to Death ; or that which has been once
actually done, fhould be undone again ,: for fuch
Prppofitjpns as theSe, imply Contradictions ; but
what they Say upon this Subject, is of very little
Import, in regard it iseontfary to the Dictates of
common Reason, that things fhould be, and not
be. Therefore Men ought not to exprefs them
felves So irreverently concerning the Mofi Good and
Great God ; neither can their Vain and Ridiculous
Conceits derogate any thing from his Omnipo
tence; but do only difcover the Ignorance and
Weaknefs of Humane Nature. Alex. Aphred. lib. i.
de Fato, entirely deftroys the Doctrine of Fate, ac
knowledging nothing but a conftant courfe of Na
ture, and many others are of his Opinion. Ariftotle places

.,— . — ¦ '." """" I . '
¦CrF.oTX- ^GENTILES. »oi
 "' ' v -'^V  ' ' ' ' ¦ "
piace> Fates iu Natural Caufes, and owns a Divine
fi evidence, with refpedt to them:; but that it was
not extended beyond the Moon, efteeming the Stars
capable of performing all the reft, unlefs, where
Man's free Will did obtain. He denied that God
did take care of Singulars and Individuals, other-
wife, than as they were contained in their Genus
and Species; faying, It was beneath him to mind
Particulars ; but the Stagyrite. was guilty here of
great abfurdity, being ignorant of what the Mind,
or true Nature of God was, or in what he took
Pleafure and Delight. This was more arrogant
than became a modeft Philofopher, and exceeded
the Bounds of right Reafon ; but what is Still worfe,
this Opinion Struck at the Foundation of all Religi
on ; for if God did not regard Individuals, for what
end Should daily Prayers be Sent up to him ? And
what would all Religion fignifie ? Which would be
impious to imagine. But perhaps the Philofopher
is to be understood, that it was abfurd to think,
that the Bleffed God did take care of each Particu
lar every Moment, who had given Orders con
cerning them from tlie Beginning ; of which more
at large when I come to Treat of Heroes being tran
slated into Heaven, who, according to his Opinion,
had the management of thofe Affairs, immediately;
under God.
His Mafter Plato acknowledged Fate alfo, but fo as
neither to deftroy Divine Providence, nor exclude
free Will in Man. • But he makes foch a fit Con
nection of all thefe things amongft themfelves, and
alfo with thofe which are called Continentia, that
each may have its proper part ; efpecially, if the
juft order of things, or Fate, proceed from Divine
frovidence.
H a Now,

102- The RELIGION of
Now, if the WiU of Man doth determine of that
fie order of things, in thofe only that are within
the compafs of his Power, by this we may Extricate
our Selves out of that Labyrinth of Controverfies,
which has fo much difturb'd this prefent Age. Cbal-
cidius fays moft excellently, that It is in- a Man's own
Tower, to lead a very Wkked Life, but he was under a
fatal vecejfity of being punifhed.
There Was a kind of Mathematical Fate, faid by
Sexh Empir. to be Invented by the Chaldeans ; but
according to Herodotus by the Egyptians, who alfo
had Sacred Oracles, and Religious Rites, and made
Altars, Images, and Temples for their Gods, that
is, the Stars ; the Same Authors tells us, that they
firft foUnd out the Years. Lucretius fays, the Chalm
deans and Babylonians, could not agree about this
fat $4 '¦ . ¦ '
Babel, Chaldean doBrines to difprove,
AH Aftrologick Arts front them remove;
'*'\* ,
It is not very evident what that Doctrine was ; the
Babylonian Numbers, of which Horace fpeaks, lib. i.
Ode. 2. has: no relation to the Stars, and fo to Fate,
but to a certain kind of Divination by Numbers.
But I need not enlarge here, for the whole
Doctrine of The fate of Nativities is meerly conjectu
ral. Aftrologers never Predidt any thing of par
ticular Events that is certain,' tho' they may of the
more general ; therefore it is very infignificant,
to Predict the Happinefs or Misfortanesof a Man's
Life, from the Horofcope of his Nativity ; for Ptolomy
himfelf fays, That a Perfon that is skilful in this Art ,
may prevent the Operations of the Stars, for they on-;
lv incline, and do not conftrain. Albumazars Ob-
Csrvation is worfh the taking notice of, if it be true,
' that

WBWJ"iaj»HiMI.WiJ»^«L-H

Chap. IX. /fo? GENTILES, J03
i ¦ i i. i ' '¦'" ¦ i .mm, 1. 11., 1 1
that feveral Religions began in feveral Ages of the
World, at that time when Jupiter was in Conjuncti
on with Saturn; or any other Planet ; tho" I cannot
deny but that he hath related feveral fabulous Sto
ries concerningthe duration offorne Religions.
The next is^fthe Stoick Fate, which hath its Ori
ginal from Heaven alfo, tho' more rigid and fevere
than the former. Fate and Providence, according to
them, are different ; they fay, that Fate, after a
certain manner, proceeds from Providence ; fo that
their Fate is not Blind, but Wife and clear Sighted.
Thus, if any one fay, that he was under a fatal
neceffity of Sinning, they anfwer, that he is under
a fatal neceffity alfo of being Punifhed ; and fo by
this fatal Decree, they do not deftroy the Juft and
Equitable Syftem of things, but fettle and confirm
it; eftabliShing Virtue above all things : thus they
do not deftroy the Caufes of things, but will have
Effects to be the confequence of their due difpofiti-
ons : See more of this in Ck. de N.D.
I Shall not here difpute the truth of this Opinion
of the Stekks ; for I think the Platonifts have far
out-done the other Philofophers on this Subject.
' I will conclude with the Words of Seneca here Speak
ing of God, he fays, If you call him Fate, you are not
miftaken, it is he that determines all things ; the Caufe
of Caufes. If you caU him Providence, you are right alfo,
it is from his Pleafure that the World is Provided for,
that it remains entire, and exerts its Powers. If you call
him Nature, you are guilty of no Crime, it is he, from
whom aU things had their Original, by whofe Spirit we
Live. If you call him the World, he is whatfoever is
feen ; the whole endued with its Parts, andfuftains Him
felf and His.
So much for Celeftial Fate, according to the Opi
nions of the Antient Philofophers. I Shall fay no-
H 4 thing

I04 The RELIGION of
thing here concerning Chriftian Fate, as the Learn
ed Voffius calls it ; the very Name being exploded
amongft Christians j altho' in my Opinion, it rather
differs from the Platonkk in Words than Reality ;
but 'tis my defign to treat only of thofe things that
have refpedt to the Religion of the^Heathens.

CHAP. X.
Concerning the Adoration of the Four Element stand
their feveral Names.
WE have treated of the Stars and Heaven, which,
to ufe the Words of Cicero lib. i. Academ. is
what the Philofophers called the Principle or Be
ginning in mixt Bodies. Of the Four Elements
Fire is moft fubtil, moft acute and moft adapted for
Motion. Air is fubtil, acute, and next to Fire fitteft
for Motion. ' Water is thick, obtufe and moveable.
Earth is moft thick, moft obtufe, and permanent or
motionlefs. Ariftotle in his Mctaphyficks fays, The
Elements are called the laft Bodies into which others are
divided, but they cannot be divided into other Bodies of dif
ferent Species. According to Cicero and fome others,
Fire and Air have a Motive and Active Power, Wa
ter and Earth are only Paffive. Ariftotle will have
the Air to be Paffive, by reafon of its Humidity; and
that the Water is more Active than Paffive, from its
Coldnefs ; but this Argument will prove invalid, if
the Air be naturally moft Cold, as moft Learned
Men are of opinion : for when it doth not receive
the heat of the Sun, it makes every thing very cold,
fuming even Water it felf into Ice. But the Quality
pi 4k and Water are fa mix? and combined, that itis

Chap. X. ^GENTILES. ioj
" - Ji.1 . . - H, tW  m-mm ""i ' m-m, ' i i im IU
is difficult to determine what is proper and genuine
to each ; for coridenfed Air and rarified Water dif
fer very little.
The Chinefe will not admit the Air to be any Elo
merit :Tor what we call Air, they fay is nothing but
the Breath of our Mother Earth ; which nourishes and
feeds us as long as we live here, and weans us at our
death ; the Soul then being fet at liberty to act ac
cording to its own pleafure (if it be natural) fo that
fhe doth not take away Breath from Man, but the
Man from Breath. For what occafion could our
Souls have for Air, when taking their flight into
more pure Regions, they want no inferior Elements?
Whether this Chinefe Philofophy will bear the teft
or not, it is known for certain truth, that when Men
go up to the top of the higheft Mountains, fuch as
the Andes in the Weft Indies, they are net only
Short-breathed, but the Lungs not being able to per
form their office by reafon of the tenuity of the Air,
they will fall down fenfelefs, and foon expire, un
lefs thofe that follow them do carry them fpeedily
to the lower parts of the Mountain. Which is an
argument that the Air we breath in, and which is
near the Earth , ought to be fomething thicker.
ThisT thought fit to hint, that the Learned may
hence take occafion to make fome Enquiries into this
Opinion of the Chinefe. For if what we call Air, is.
nothing but a thin Smoak or Exhalation, that arifes
from that Humid Matter, which is rarified and ex
haled by that Heat, which is in the Bowels of the
Earth ; there are but three Elements.
But to purfue our Subject, we Shall- here admit
them to be Four ; which the Pythagoreans call a Qua
ternary, Swearing by that Number, as the moft Holy
Deity. Hierocles will have all things to proceed from
this Number, as from their Root and Foundation. Thus.

1 06 The RELIG ION, of
Thus the Addition of all the Numbers from One to
Four, makes Ten beyond which no Country or Lan
guage ever accounted without adding Unity to it.
Again, this Number alfo contains all kind of Num
bers ; Even and Odd, Square and Cube, Long and
Broad, Tubal, Pyramidical, Prime and Compound ;
as Georg. Ven. has obferved, lib. 3 . de Harmonia Mundi.
The Number Four alfo contains all Mufical Con
cords, having Double, Treble, Quadruple, Sefqui-
altera, Sefquitertia ; from whence are Diapafon, Dif-
diapafon, Diapente; and Diateffaren and Diapafon is
the fame as Diapente'. Hence it was that Agreement
or Harmony in the Symbolical Qualities of the
Elements was found ; to which this of Boethius
alludes :
V ' Thou bindeft the Elements with Numbers.
But the Antients found Geometrical Proportion, as
well as Harmonical and Arithmetical, in the Four
Elements. Timeus Locrus a Pythagorean, and Plato
after hira, gave the Elements thefe fort of Figures.
Firft, they faid, the Earth was a Cube of eight An
gles and fix Sides, like a Die, by reafon of its Sta
bility, Gravity and Unfitnefs for Motion. Fire, a
Pyramid of four Bafes and four Angles, being the
Sitteft Figure to Afcend. Air an OBoedron, cori-
fifting of eight Bafes, fix Solid Angles, and Twenty
four Planes ; being, next Fire, that which moft
naturally Afcends. Water an Eicofaedron, having
twenty BaSes, and twelve Angles, being, by its flexi
ble Nature, fit - for Motion, and very eafily divisi
ble ; all which Figures proceed from a Quaternary.
The Earth from the two firft Squares. The Pire out
of four Bafes, and as many Angles. The Air out
of twice four Bafes, being double, to make it more
capable

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 107
a pable of penetrating on each fide, and fitter for
Motion ; and the plain Angles are fix times four.
The Water of twenty Bafes, and twelve Angles,
which together make Thirty two, which is a Num
ber compos'd of two Squares, whofe Root is four ;
the Bafes alfo are five Quaternaries, and the Angles
three, and all thefe conftitute the Univerfe in a
Duodecaedren ; which confifts of twelve Pentagon
'Bafes, and twenty Solids, and fixty Planes,
which all arife from Quaternaries, twelve from
Three, twenty irom Five, and Sixty from Fif
teen. Tbe moft exact agreement of all thofe
Elements, is to be found out of their Bafes ahd
Angles. The proportion of the Bafes of Air to thofe of Fire,
is double, in Angles one and an half, and double .
in Planes ; whence arifes the Harmony of a double
Diapafon and Diapente. The proportion of the
Bafes of Fire, with refpedt to the Earth, is one
and an half, and double in Angles, which make a
Diapafon and Diapente again. The proportion of the
Balis of the Earth with refpedt to Water, is a triple
one and a third, in Angles one and an half;
whence arifes a Diapafon, Diapente and Diatefferon in
the Bafes, and a Diapente in the Angles. Water to
Air in Bafes, is a double and one and an half, whence
arifes a Diapafon and Diapente, in Angles double,
which make a Diapafon. But the proportion be
tween Fire and Water, Air and Earth, is not fo ex
act ,- they having a direct Contrariety in their qua
lities from that proportion which the Elements have
to each other, when they are plac d in order, and
where two always agree by a Medium, which par
takes of each ; as the ingenious may obferve. See
Fr. Ge. Vev. Tom. 3. de Harmonia Mundi. But Jof.
Gramma-

108 The RELIGION of
¦ -il i ml, i I | j U . i i i
Grammatkus de Mundi Ef emit, makes Some Objections
again ft the OBaedron and Ekofaedron- ; to which Car-
pentar. in Alcin. cap. 2. anSwers, That it is moft cer
tain, that Elements receive all Figures in their mix
tures ; wherefore I think the Controverfie may be
Soon ended, for the Pythagoreans Spoke of the pro
per Figure of the Elements, andjfaofe of the, other
Opinion of the adventitious or accidental. Theo.,
lib. de Igne tells us, that Fire is of a Pyramidal Form,
which the higher it is, the more diftant it is from
Fuel,, and fo rifes to a point. But Geo. Venet. is of
Opinion, that all thefe things in the four Elements,
have fome fecret relation to the Tetragammaton of
the Hebrews ; the Truth of which, I fhall leave to
others to determine.
That Fire only amongft all the Elements, was
applied to God, may be gathered from Deut. and St.-
Paul, or Clement, or who ever was the Writer to
the Hebrews, where it is exprefly faid, GW is a Fire,;
which was the Opinion of the antient Perfians. ; but
this is to be underftood cautioufly.
The Elements being fo abftruSe and myfterious,
and the reaSons and proportions of their various
mixtures, exceeding Man's comprehenfion, and all
Corporeal things^ deriving their Original from
them, and being diffolved into them again, at laft;
this made the Heathens pay them Adoration, as well
as the Stars and Heaven. They thought it very
incongruous, that, in regard the whole World
was the fenfible Image of God, the moft remote
Parts Should be Worfhipped, and the neareft con
temned. The Heathens being inclin'd by thefe Reafons and
Several others, which, we mentioned in the begin
ning, were very zealous to pay a particular Worfhip
to the Elements. To this purpofe their Priefts in
vented

Chap. X. /^GENTILES. 1 09
¦"¦¦¦¦'¦"¦  ¦"¦*¦¦ P—1 ¦¦¦ — 1 in » ¦  wm.->m..m,m.  ..ii ,, JHH.IJI.1I, |« ¦ nfrlHii.— 1
vented divers Rites arid Ceremonies, to engage the
Minds of the People, and obliged them to a Religi
ous obferyance of them. In the very firft Ages, they
delivered ' fome Very fecret Myfteries to the com
mon People ; but they were of their Own Inventi
on, and they open'd, or explain'd them to the
People as they pleafed, or fometimes, if they
thought fit, conceal'd them ; which was done in
the facred Rites of Proferpina, and others; for it was
absolutely neceffary, that the rude Multitude fhould
be kept in ignorance, of fome things ; efpecially,
Such as neither the Priefts themSelves, nor any other
Mortals could Sufficiently understand, and affert
to be of Divine Original.
Of F I R E.
I Begin with Fire, the moft pure Element ; the
Heathens thought it to be next the eAzther or
Heaven. Ocellus Lucanus, an Hearer of Pythagoras,
was the firft, I know of, that placed this Elementary
Fire under the Moon,, and above the Air : Then
Empedocles fell in with this Opinion, and after him,
Harpocrates. Ariftotle alfo was of the fame Senti
ment,' though he conceal'd its being Ocellm'% be
fore him. But as this notion concerning the Ele-*
ment of Fire, was not. very well entertain'd by ma
ny of the moft Learned amongft the Antients, So
the Moderns have quite exploded and rejected it ;
for whether this Elementary Fire, be either a Burn
ing Coal, a Flame, or only Light, and is no way
the Object of the exterior Senfes, though it is of
Such, a vaft Magnitude, that it is Eight hundred
times greater than the Sun, and a ThouSand times
than the Earth ; yet it doth not conSume or de
vour, but in its own Nature, is mild and gentle. But

no The RELIGION^ of
 ¦ ¦¦<¦¦¦ -:¦¦." . ¦ ¦ ¦
But how then does this differ from the k^Ether ? And
how can it defcend here, to be mix'd with the Ele
ments of Air, Water and Earth ?
Now, an igneous Power may be obferved to be
difperfed through all things^ here and there from
the Sun, and in fome fort from the Stars, and even
in the very bowels of the Earth; and this fort of
Eke, the Moderns prove by a great mapy Argu
ments. Therefore it is abfurd, to fuppofe this Ele
ment of Fire, and its vaft thicknefs, which Some
Aftronomers Say, is 115J67 thouSand Paces, and is
neither to be Seen, nor does any other way diScover
it felf by its Effects ; nor can it be c^tlceiv'd, how
fo great and bright an Element, Should remain un-
difcover'd by the Senfes, when Stars that are fo far
above it, which are only enlightmed by the Sun, do
appear fo bright and Sparkling.
'Wherefore I have rhade the Sun to be the Foun
tain of Light, to which the Terreftial an(j Subter
raneous in fome meafure is fubfervient, and exer-
cifes its Function every where, being inftead of a
Vicegerent to the Sun upon Earth, performing its
principal Offices. Thus the Antients Worfhipped
the Sun Symbolically by the Fire, as they did the
Supream God in the Sun ; thinking it very abSurd,
not to pay Some external Adoration to thofe things
that had Such manifeft appearances of Divinity.
But befides, they did not efteem Fire a meer Ele
ment only, but the Form, Life and Motion of the
reft. Hippocrates goes farther, calling it the Senfe
alfo; for he was of Opinion, that Heat could See
and hear, that it was not Subject to Corruption,' and
that Fire was So fertile, that it did generate it felf
in a more particular manner, by a hidden Renova
tion, Shining out of the confinement it was in, by
the other Elements ; for tho' Elements feems to
have

Chap. X. ffo GENTILES. m
have fome analogy to Male and Female, yet Fire
hath Something more Superior in it Self. So Seneca,
The Egyptians made two of each Elements, the Male
and Female. In the Air- they faid, the Wind was Male,
and that which feem'd to be Motionlefs and Mifiy, Fe
male. The Salt-water they accounted Male, and Frefh,
Female. What was hard in the Earth, as Stones, &c.
was alfo Male, and that which was foft and fit for Cul
ture, Female.
And indeed, if what Some" Botanifts Say, be true,
that both Sexes may be Sound in the very Trees
and Plants : The Egyptians were, in the right, to
think that there might be Some kind of imperfect
diftinction of the Sexes in the Elements themfelves.
And becaufe Fire gathers together Homogeneous
things, and feparates Heterogeneous, it was efteem'd
the chief Artificer in the Coriftitution and Fabrick
of this World. If we our felves were riot daily
preferved by internal ,Heat, the Frame of our Hu
mane Nature would be foon diffolved, and the E-
lements would return to their priftine State; fo
that the greateft part of the Fabrick of Humane Bo
dy is to be attributed to natural Heat. Parmenides,
amongft the Philofophers, held Fire to be the Prin
cipal of the Univerfe : Heraclitus Ephefius, a Fiery
Power ; and Hippocrates, according to Galen, fays, an
Animated Heat, is the Author of all the, Works of
Nature : Hippafus Metapontinus worfhipped the Fire,
Julius Firmicus tells us, that the Perfians and all the
Magi that lived there, did highly efteem Fire, and
preferr'd it before all the other Elements ; which is
not Strange, in regard they worfhipped it as a God,
as will appear hereafter.
But in regard Authors have been very copious up
on this fubject, I fhall leave the Reader to confult
them, and fhall only add, that the Jews ( as much as

in The RELIGION of
as can be collected from their own words ) have al
ways given their God, or the God of Ifrael this Title,
Exod. 3. 27. 19, 18. 24, 17/ Deut. 4. 12, if. and
24. where, and Deut. 9. 3. He is plainly called a
Confuming or Devouring Fire, and He£. 13. 29. as we
noted before. Thus it was commanded, I.evit. 6.
6. to keep a perpetual Fire upon the Altar • which Cu
ftom alio obtained amongft the Perfians, Greeks and
Romans, of which hereafter; but confult Commen-.
tators upon this Subject.
In regard, Fire was a Symbol of Divinity amongft
the Gentiles ( as Voffius makes appear ) many Ho-.
nours were Decreed to be paid it, and it was Wor
shipped under different Names. The firft that wor
fhipped Fire, was Nimrod, called Ninus alfo, for in
the Chron. Alex, it is faid, He taught the Affyrians to
Worfhip Fire ; from whence, fays the Learned Voffius,
it is probable, that the City of Babylon was called
Ur, which otherwife is Urie and Camarina ; the
Chaldean Priefis, being antienly called Cumerim. Vof
fius is alfo of Opinion, that the whole Country of
Chaldea, was called Orchoa, from Ur : The Latin
word Uro, to burn, and the Greek word Pyr, Fire,
derived from Ur. ; He likewife fays, it is very pro
bable that Abraham was Born in this City, who is
faid to have found out the Chaldean Philofophy, and,
according to Gen. ix. 31. departed out of it, and
his Brother died there; but it is ftilf uncertain,
what Progrefs this Worlhip made amongft the Chal
deans and Affyrians. .
It's beyond all doubt, that the Perfians ador'd Fire,
Herod, lib. 3. gives the Reafon why they did not
burn their Dead, elteeming it impious to feed the
God Fire with a Carcafs. Hence, I am of Opinion,
arofe the Cuftom of facrificing Men alive; nay,
even their moft beloved Children ; the Priefts per-
fwading

Chap. X. ffcGENTlLES, 113
fwading them, that they were not So much burnt
and devour'd by the Fire and Flames as given to,
and incorporated with God himfelf ; the Impiety or
Grielty of the Priefts was fo prevalent. Lucian
fays, the Perfians Sacrificed to the Fire ; which many
Greek and Latin Fathers alfo teftifie. Voffius quotes
a moft remarkable place out of Maximus Tyrius
differtat. 38. All Barbarians have a like Notion of God,
tho' they make feveral reprefentations of him amongft
themfelves : The Perfians by Fire, which is infatiable and
devouring, and continues one Day. Fire was carried
befor : the Perfian Kings in Holy Veffels, which the
Greek called Pyria or Pyranthia, for Pomp, or perhaps
rather on a Religious account. Am. Marcel. I. 23. fays,
It is reported, if we may give Credit to it, That Fire fell
down from Heaven, which they keep continually Burning
ftill ; a fmall part of it being formerly carried before the
Afiatick Kings, in hopes of good Succefs. But if the
Fire of the Perfians were of Celeftial Original ; I
cannot fee how it could, or why it fhould be put
out ; which, according to Diodorus Siculus, lib. 17.
was done at the Death of their Kings. To pafs by
this as Fabulous, it is very certain that the Perfian
Priefts, or Magi, kept a perpetual Fire in imitation
of the Hebrews ; and from thence were called Py-
ranthi. From them it went to the Medes and other Afia-
tkk Nations, and the Sauromata and others, of
which more hereafter. Glyeas Annd. 2. mentions
this fort of Worfhip; faying, that the Affyrians were
called Perfians, from Perfeus, the next King after
Sardanapalus, and that in his time Fire fell down
from Heaveny for which he Built a Temple, and
order'd Divine Adoration to be paid to it. Voffius
Says, that a Friend of his gives an account of fome
places in Perfia, that worfhip Fire to this very day.
I Firi

114 The RELIGION of
Fire was antiently Adored in Egypt, by the Name of
Vulcan, who according to Cbron. Alex, was the Fa
ther to King Sol ; but I Shall not determine any
thing concerning this, in regard, the Names of
Stars were formerly given to Kings, and thofe of
Kings to Stars. See Manetbo, Diod. Siculus, lib. i.
and Eufebius, de Prtep. Evang. cap. i. Cicero lib. 3. de
N. D. tells us, that antiently there were very ma
ny Vulcans, and he of Egypt was called Opas, efleem-
ing him " their Protector. But, according to Varro,
Vulcan myftically fignifies, the moft grofs and fierce
Fire, fuch as is ufed for Forging and in Furnaces.
Vefta, and according to fome, Pallas, the moft light
and pure. The Egyptians had a very gre?* venerati
on for Vulcan, who is called Heph*fius by the Greeks ;
they built him a very large Temple in Memphis, and
Erected a Coloffus to him of 75; Feet long. His
Priefts were in fuch great eftimation, that Setho,
one of their College, was made King ; it was a
Cuftom to burn whatfoever was offer'd in Sacrifice
to him. So Tarquinius Prifcus, having vanquilhed
the Sabines, burnt all their Arms in Honour of
Vulcan. Amongft Animals, Lions were facred to
him, for their prodigious Heat, being reported to
be generally in a Fever. Dogs alfo were kept for
the prefervation of his Temple.
The Romans had many Temples Built for him,
the moft Antient was that of Romulus without Rome,
in the Efquilia, for a particular fecret Reafon, that
the God who was the Symbol of devouring Fire,
might not have a Place in the City. The Sacrifices
that were antiently offer'd to Fire, were called Ho-
hcaufta, which being perform'd, every thing was
reduc'd into Allies. There was another way of
Sacrifice, that what fell from the Altar, or remain'd
after the Sacrifice was over, was distributed by the
Priefts

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 115-
— ' • - —" - Ml- HI II. "I' ¦ " '¦¦  | I I I 1 I I
Priefts to the People, fo that it ended in a Feaft.
There was another alfo called Protervia, beginning
with Feafting, where Macrobius fays, the Cuftorri
Was, to confume what remained with Fire, fo that
the Feaft ended in a kind of Sacrifice. To this
Cato alludes, when he ingenioufly expofes Albidiusi
who having confumed moft part of his Eftate iri
Riot and Gluttony, arid lofing the remainder by
Fire, Says, that He had Celebrated the Protervia. Dion*
Hal. lib. 2. 6, 7, n. tells us, in how great efteem
Vulcan was amongft the Antient Romans ; the Pub-
lick Affemblies meeting in his Temples, Debating
Publick Affairs there ; for they invoked Vulcan, that
is, Fire, to. revenge it upon them, if they did nor.
keep their words, fo that what was Tranfacted
here, was efteemed to have a more facred Sancti
on than what was done any where elfe. And in
deed, if Fear had any prevalency in Religion •
Fire was the God that ftruck the Heathens with the
greateft terror ; nor, on the other hand, could they
expect greater Bleffings in this Life from any o-
ther ; Fire being capable ' of doing fo much good
and harm.
Vefta, was another Name for Fire amongft the
Antient, tho' with fome it fignifies the Earth. Firi
as it is a fymbolical Name, was called Vefta, He-
ftia, by the Greeks, as Vulcan Hephaftus. So Ovid. 6i
Faft. Vefta is nothing but a Living Flame.-
The fame Poet alfo, fpeaking of Vefta, as She figm>
fies the Earth, Says,
Tbe Earth ftands by its own Power, and /landing
by that Power, is called Vefta.
I z Dion,

H 6 The RELIGION of
Dion. Hal. lib. 22. endeavours to reconcile both O-
pinions, and fays, that Fire was Dedicated to Vefta
becaufe fhe was the Goddefs Tellus, and poffeffed
the middle part of the World. She her felf kindles
thofe fublime, fhining Fires.
I muft here bee leave to diffent from two very
Learned Men, Lipfius and Voffius, who would infer
from hence, that the Earth affords Fuel for the Ce
leftial Fires, but I cannot fee how this can be in-
ferr'd from thefe words : for how is it poffible, that
the Earth, kindling Fires her felf, being fo very
fmall, with refpedt to fo many immenfe Celeftial
Bodies, fhould be able to fupply them with Fuel ?
It would be but very flender, efpecially, in regard
fuch vaft quantities of Vapours, that Afcend into the
middle Region of the Air, are there condenfed
into Water, Snow, Hail, Winds, Clouds and Mifts,
or Fogs,' and fo either fall down upon the Earth
again, or elfe are diffipated in the Air. I muft ra
ther here agree with the Learned Cartanus, that
Vefta is that more pure Fire, which gives Life to all
things that are on the Earth ; and therefore, to be
diftinguifhed from that more grofs, which was meant
by Vulcan. Some of the Moderns declare in favour
of Voffius here, but I cannot be of their Opinion ;
for altho' I know very well, that Vapours afcend to
a prodigious Height ; yet I cannot allow, that they
afford Nutriment to the Sun.
The Worfhip of both Vulcan and Vefia, was very
Antient in Italy ; but the Romans had it from the
Albans, and they from Eneas, and the Trojans, Ovid.
lib. 2. Faft.
We fee the Pledges of the Trojan Vefta carried
away.
This

Chap. X. /^GENTILES. 117
This is alfo evident from fome Antient Medals, on
which is a round Temple of Vefta, and Eneas car
rying his Father Anchifes on his Shoulders, having
the Palladium ( which if you'll believe them, fell
from Heaven) in one Hand, and leading his Son
lulus in the other, who alfo carries fome facred Re-
licks, which agrees with what Dion. Hal. lib. 2. ahd
others affert. Numa was the firft that Built a Tem
ple for Vefta, at Rome, and it is generally thought
that Romulus forbore to do it, becaufe he was the
Son of a Veftal Virgin, by Mars, that is, one of his
Priefts ; or, as Voffius would have it ( which is as pro
bable ) by a Soldier ; therefore he durft not either
Build her a Temple, or Punifh any of the Veffal
Virgins that had violated their Vows, as Dion. Hali-
cam. fays, left he fhould put Men in mind of his ig*-
nominious Original, tho' Plutarch, in the Life of Po-
mulus, Propertius, lib.\. El.4. and Cic. de Aruff. fays, That
the Veftals were introduc'd by Romulus, and there
fore he orderd Publick Fires be kept throughout
the whole City.
Numa brought them all together to a common
place, between the Capitol and Palace, which
was committed to the Cuftody of the Veftal Vir
gins; they were at firft Four, then Six, which
Number Dion. Hal. fays, continued to his time.
Plutarch gives an account of the- Building of this
Temple. It is reported (fays he) that Numa built
a round Temple, for keeping the perpetual Fire of
VeBa, not to Reprefent the Earth, as if fhe was Vefta,
but the Nature of the Univerfe, in whofe Centre, ac
cording to the Pythagoreans, Fire is"Situate, calling it
Vefta and Unity ,- where may be obferv'd how much
the Pythagoreans attributed to Fire. I am of Opini
on, that the Adoration of Fire was much more An
tient and Univerfal than is generally believ'd $ for,
I 3 tho'

118 The RELIGION of
I ¦ i .¦¦ . i . . " ' i. '
tho' the Heathens Worfhipped many other Deities in
different places, and had much greater Veneration
for them, yet they thought none fo quick, prefent
and indifferently undetermin'd as Fire ; being always
ready to Affift or Hurt, according as it was difpos'd.
Upon this account, Paufanias fays, concerning the
Sacrifices which were perform'd in the Olympicks ;
They Sacrifice firB to Vefta, then to Jupiter Olympius;
And Servius tell us, that no Sacrifice was without
Fire, and that Vefta was invoked in all of them ; to
Which, this of Ovid has relation,
Then Praying,

We fay, O Vefta, whom we firft Adore.
Cicero lib. 2. de N. D. fays, The Power of Vefta apper
tains to the . Altars and Fire-Places, therefore all Prayer
and Sacrifice' terminates in that Goddefs, who keeps the
moft fecret things. \n Greece, and the adjacent Coun
tries, this perpetual Fire was kept by certain Wi
dows, which were called Prytannitid*. In Italy by
Virgins, who were oblig'd by the Law to continue
Unmarried for thirty Years, and conftantly facrifi
ced and performed other Ceremonies to the Goddefs,-
in the firft ten Years they were to be inftructed in
her Religious Rites ; in the next ten, they were to
pfficiate temfelves, and in the laft, they were to in-
ftrudt others. After this time, if they would lay
down thejr Sacerdotal Habit, or Ornaments, it was
permitted them to Marry; which our Author fays,
yery few did, and thofe lived very unhappily ever
after. The Laws prdain'd very great Refpedt and Ho
nour to them ; but alfo inflicted moft Severe Punifh-
ment upon thofe that were Deflowered : But for the
generality, they did preferve their Virginity, and
v'rf-: ;.' '-.. .'..',: ..¦;'. ; >,. ¦ , %h&

Chap. X. /£e GENTILES. 119
the eafier, becaufe it was unlawful for any Man t°
go into their Temple in the Night. Dion. Hal. tells
us, that Emilia and Tatia, two of them, wrought
Miracles. There were feveral fecret Sacred things
deposited in her Temple, which only her Dome-
Sticks and the Virgins knew of ; amongft which was
the Palladium mention'd before, and the God Faci-
nus, whofe beaftly Image the Veftals WorShipped,
that they might cure Children of a Diftemper of
that Name, when it was hung about their Neck.
They had Power to detain Fugitive Slaves that
were not got out of the City, by a certain Prayer,
or Charm, whofe Efficacy had been appro v'd by
830 Years Experience, according to Pliny. In the
609th Year of the City, Tatia, a Veftal, accufed of
Inceft, carried water in a Sieve, as Pliny fays, and
many fuch like Stories. Q^ Cecilius Martellus, had a
Statue Erected for him in the Capitol, with an
Elogy, for faving thofe Sacred things out of the
Flames. Paufanias in Corinth, and Ovid, in FaB. fay, that
antiently there was no Image of VeBa.
Vefta, or Fire, then no Image had.
But the Image of Vefta is upon Antient Medals,
and a Fire-Place in her Temple, where the Virgins
attended, cloth'd in long and fquare Suffibulums,
holding a Incenfe-pot in one Hand, and a Chalice in
the other. M. Choul exhibits to us a very Antient
one of this fort. Agellius and Alexander ah Alexandro
c. 18. informs us, that the number of the Veftals was
at laft increaSed to Twenty ; whereas Ambrofius
mentions only Seven, as we haVe it from J. Lip-
pus, who questions whether they were that num
ber. 1 4 She

ixo The RELIGION of
She that was firft taken, or chofen by the Ponti
fex, was called Amata, and the chief, Maxima ; as
appears by an Antient Infcription of Fl. Monilia.
Their Hair was carried to the Lote-Tree, according
to Plhty ; perhaps, becaufe. this Tree was Sacred to
Juno, who was called Lucina, from a Grove of Lote-
Trees. Becaufe the Veftals did renounce Marriage,
therefore they offer'd up thefe Spoils to Juno Provuba,
before the Pontifex admitted them into the College,
Fefius gives an account of their being Shaved ; The
Veftals were Shaved when the Pontifex received them
into that Sacred College,^ and Confer ated them by a cer
tain Verfe, or Charm, and they were Devoted to the
Gods. The Publick defray 'd the Charge of the Publick
Fire they kept ; whenever that Fire went out,
they put fomething, that was eafie to kindle,
in a fmall hollow Veffel, which took Fire by the
Sun-Beams, that United in its Centre, as Plutarch
teftifies. If this Fire accidentally went out,
it Prognofticated Some publick Calamity ; and
whenever that happen'd, they forbore to tranfact
any Civil Affairs, and to difpenfe Juftice, till a
Solemn Ac°nement was inftituted. But if it did
not go out, it was new kindled every Year, on the
Calends of March.
The Vefial Rites were almoft abolifh'd, with the
Vefials themfelves, in the time of Theodofius Junior ;
notwithstanding the great Interceffion made by
Symmachus, on their behalf; who Prognofticated
that an Univerfal Famine, and great Dearth in all
the Provinces would enfue ; faying, it was impoffi-
ble but they muft all Perifh, becaufe all Religion
was in contempt amongft them. To whom Prtt-
dentius, defcribing, the Veftals pf that Age, Replies: Drown'd

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 121

Drown d in deep Grief we are, who live to fee,
Veftals Chaft Rites, thus in contempt to be,
Palladium's naked, th' Virgins fhrink with Cold;
Their Fire's extinguifh'd now, deny'd of Gold.

Afterwards defcribing what courfe of Life they led,
he fays :
The Veftals Chafiity, I here will Sing,
Devoted Virgins in their Blooming Spring,
And fever e Laws prefcrib'd to keep them fo,
Forbidden what their Wifhes prompt them to.
E'er yet their Minds thro' tender Age can cbufe,
What's for their good, or for their harm refufe.
Before their Natures, and their Wills are Strong,
Juftly to think, or judge of Right and Wrong ;
Or how th' AffeBions with the Body grow,
The Self-denying doom they undergo.
In Blooming Youth and Innocence betray' d,
To Curfed Altars, thus are ViBims made.
With falfe Ideas of true Virtue fill'd,
To Loath the Marriage-Bed, in them's inftill'd j
And honeftly to gratifie their Senfe,
Is to be guilty of Incontinence. ¦
Inffird with Chafiity s bright Specious Name,
They Starve themfelves, to Feed a Lifelef Flame.
Supprefi their tender Natural Defires,
T attend with Zeal, the Superftitious Fires ;
And, thro' the notion of a Rite Divine,
To Barren Age, they watch th' enlightn'd Shrine. But

122 The RELIGION of

But ah ! How curB is the ftale Virgins State,
When 'tis unwillingly their wretched Fate ;
They no Reftraint, whilfi Immature, can grieve,
Nor want of Bliffes which they cant conceive.
But Paffions Ripen d once to fierce Defire,
Then Prohibitions but increafe the Fire :
Debarr'd of Joys they feemingly deffife,
What don't they fuffcr thro' this fore d difguife ?
What ConfliBs feel compel! d to aB the Saint ?
The Flefh like Surges, rifing by confiraint:
What Thoughts impure, tho' Bodies truly Chaft,
On reftlefi Beds their Teeming time they wafte ;
Nor e'er deffair cfthe dear long d for Blifi,
Quench hot Defire, and make their Torments left.
In vain they wifh, like Tantalus in vain,
The beauteous ProfyeB but augments their Pain.
Frustrate their Hopes t' attend the Sacred Fires,
And grow decrepit e'er their Charge Expires.
Worn out at length with Irkfome Virgin Pains,
Our Veftal feeks Relief in Hymen's Chains ;
Would fain, tho' Old, the Marriage Pleafure prove ;
Joys, which jhefeem'd tofcorn whilfi fit for Love.
The Saplefs Wretch, not longer much to live,
'Gainft Nature, would her, mijpent Time relieve.
Loathing the odious Name of a Stale Maid,
She Weds, when for her Office too Decay d ;
Then Doating, firivesfor Blifs with faded Charms,
And Hugs her frightned Spoufe with Mummy Arms.
In vain fhe claps her Wither d Cheeks to his,
With Beldam Looks, and many a Taftlefs Kifs ;
All Joys are with her Youthful Beauty fled,
Who fcarce is Luke-warm in her Bridal-Bed.

When

Chap. X. *fo GENTILES. 123

When facred Mitre binds her fcatferd Hair,
And for thefe facred Rites, they her prepare ;
In Publick State, thro the adjniring Croud
The Glorious Virgin s carried, who aloud
Proclaims the Crimes of the amazed Throng,
Then (he retires both Innocent and Young,
Unto her Cell, to glut her Holy Eyes
With Blood and Slaughter, hear the difmal Crys
Of mangled and expiring Combatants
Attir'd with all her facred Ornaments.
This tender Wretch '. rcjoyces at the found
Of Clafhing Weapons, when the fatal Wound
Is given, then fhe crys, how charming is't ?
Bidding them thump his Breaft with clenched Fift,
Until he quite expire, and cannot find
The leaft remains of Life are left behind.
But here's their Merit ; they do Watch and Pray,
For Rome's Profperity both Night and Day ;
Preferve the Lives of the mean vulgar Sort,
Procure Profperity for thofe at Court ;
Their Heads in ftrange myfterious ways attire,
And Sacrifice in Subterraneous Fire,
Wah difmal tones, for to fuch Rites as thefe ;
Ghofts only are admitted Witneffes.
Then Subjoins.
Auguft Aufonian General we Pray ;
Thefi Wretched Rites, with th others take away.

I have

124 The RELIGION of
I have quoted this, to fhew my Reader how
much the Veftals in that Age had Degenerated from
the former. For further information, fee Jufius
Lipfius, Syntag. de Vefk and Veftal. where he fhews
how extenfive the Worfhip of Vefta, or the moft
pure Fire, or, as I rather believe, of God in the Fire ;
grew, that it was carried into the very Indies. Leo
Africanus, fays, that Fire was Worfhipp'd in Africa to
this very day ; and perpetual Fire kept, according
to the Cuftom of the Veftals. Many Authors
affert, the fame is alfo obServed in the Eaft and
Weft Indies.
So much for Fire, under the Names of Vulcan
and Vefta, for I cannot fpare time to difcourfe of
their Temples and facred Rites ; or whether TubaU
Cain was Vulcan, or infert the various Opinions of
Grammarians concerning the Etymology of the
word. I have infilled long enough on the Adora
tion of Fire, and thofe things that have a relation
unto it. I ccme now to the Air, intending elfe-
wheie to treat of the manner of Purgation by Fire,
ufed amongft the Heathens.
Of the AIR.
Fter the occult Operations of Heaven, and
the apparent of Fire, nothing hath fuch an
unive:fa! Influence over all Sublunary things, as Air.
Its Parts being fo Tenuious and Adapted for Moti
on, that it touches, encompalfes and penetrates all
things about us ; wherefore it is impoffible but it
Should differently affect us, according to the Di-
verfity of its Temperature and Qualities.
In this Element therefore, as in a' large Field,
Heaven having ftor'd up the Seminal Caufes of
things, and they being received by the Winds and
Rain,

Chap. X. /fo GENTILES. 125
Rain, generated in its middle Region, defcend up
on the Earth, where being clothed with a more
folid Body, by its Power and Afliftance, produce
fomething Viable ; which, for certain Celeftial Ro
tations, continue to perform their proper and par
ticular Functions amongft us. This time being e-
lapfed, and the Contexture of their Bodies diffol-
ved, they return to their Original place ( which, ac
cording to the Antient Philofophers, is called Hades,
or Onus) to perform new Periods there, or in fome
other place, after a limited time. For being en
dued with- a plaftick Power, they do not Operate
on one Element only, but, like Statuaries, Form
any Matter into what Figure they pleafe. Where-
ever they are, they are active, conftant and affidu-
ous, in performing their natural Functions. Both
Heaven .and Earth are conftantly Trafficking in
thefe Airy Regions, as at a Publick Fail or Mart,
fome things being received up, and others Sent
down, by way of Exchange. But in regard this
Myfterious Phiiofophy will meet with very little
credit amongft the Vulgar ; I fhall proceed no fur
ther in it, and obferve Quintilians Advice, never
to infift long upon things not Subftantial or Benefi
cial. This notwithstanding, is undeniable ; that
without Air, Men would be Deaf, Blind and Dumb,
and could not fubfift one Moment ; nor even Fire
it felf The World, according to Varro, fays, ( S.
Aug. de Civ. Dei, Cap. 8. is divided into two Parts,
Heaven and Earth, and the Heaven is tAzther and
Air, the Nourilher of all things. From this Air, it
is we draw the Breath that Preferves and RefreShes
us, and likewife Contagious Diftempers, when it is
infected. Here it muft be obferved, that, according to the
Opinion of the Antients, there was very little diffe
rence

126" The RELIGION of
rence between zAlther and Air ; and in their Myfti-
cal Philofophy, Jupiter and Minerva were promifcu-
oufly ufed for both. So Ocellus, Nature and Genera
tion govern aU things ; which, according to their com
mon opinion, is to be underftood, that the zAither
was more noble than the Air'; but the Air, with
refpedt to us, was nearer and more beneficial : Yet
it muft not be denied, that many New things are
generated in the zAEthtr, as we have proved before*;
and the Chronicles of Ferrara tell us, that betwixt
Sevfcn and eight at Night, a Star of fuch Splendour
and Magnitude appeared, that the Heaven feem'd
in a Conflagration ; from whence fome conclude,
that the es£ther and Air are very near of the fame
Nature, and both of them the Subjects of Generati
on and Corruption, but thofe in the Air more
frequent. The <is£tber, t in its own Nature, is
moft Energetical ; but the Air is naturally more
Cognate aud Agreeable, continually Drawing it in,
and Breathing it out ; and fo familiar an Element
to us, that it approaches our very Heart. Neither
Aftronomers, nor the Learned in Optkks, have de
termined any thing certain concerning the Magni
tude or Extenfion of this Element : For having re
courfe to Mathematical Inftruments, to obferve the
Magnitude and Diftance of the <u£ther and Air, and
the Celeftial Bodies, they run into many Errors,
as I fhall fhew.
And here Aftronomers firft fuppofe, that their
Centres coincide with that of the World, tho' they
are diftant an intire Semidiameter of the Earth, which
is the true caufe of this miftake, for Fr.Patric. proves
the Earth is not a Point, in refpedt of the Heaven,
but a proportional Quantity.
Another Error proceeds from fuppofing, that by
their Inftruments, they obferve half the Heaven above

Chap. X. fkGENTlLES. 127
above the Horizon, which is impoffible, considering
both the Sights thro' which they obferve, and the
various pofition of the Eye. The Denfity alfo of
the lower Air, and the purity of the Superiour, the
multitude of Mifts and Clouds, every were difper-
fed, muft caufe various Refractions; and thus the
thickneSs and inequality of the Medium, occafions
as great Error, as the uncertainty of the diftance.
• Thefe things I have treated of more largely in
my Book de Veritate, and alfo in another not yet
Publifh'd, de Errorum Caufis. 1 could alfo here con
fute Aftronomers, by the Doctrine ofOpticks, but Shall
only Explain the common Notions, concerning the
Denfity of the Air. ViteUio's Opinion is, that the
Earth is diftant near yi M. P. from the Clouds, and
that the Air doth not extend above 200 M. P. from
thence he computes the <ss£ther. Ariftotle fays, that
the Air is an hundred times larger than the Earth;
to which if we Should add the imaginary Extent of
the is£ther ( as fome defcribe it ) according to Tycho
Brabe's computation, they will be 52 Semidiameters
of the Earth, which he makes the Diftance between
the Superficies of the Earth and the Moon, and then it
will be an hundred Thoufand times larger than this
Globe of Earth and Water.
Air was not only accounted a Deity by the
Priefts, and the ignorant part of Mankind, but by
many of the Philofophers, particularly Anaximenes,
Mlefius and Diogenes ApoUoniates. The Affyrians an
tiently Worfhipp'd it, and fome amongft the Africans*
Firmicus, lib. Prof. Rel. fays, The Affyrians and part
.of the Inhabitants of Africa efteem'd the Air an Ele
ment, and pay it an imaginary Veneration, and attribute
both the Names of Juno and Venus the Virgin to it.
The Egyptians, by Minerva, meant the Air. The
Greeks and Romans ( according to many Writers?) Some-

128 The RELIGION of
fometimes reprefented it by Jupiter, fometimes by
Juno ; for, believing that there was Male and Fe
male in the Air, as in all things that have Life,
they called the Superiour Jupiter, and the Inferiour
Juno. So Seneca, They efieem'd that the Male Air,
in which the Wind was ; That Female, which was flow
and cloudy. Thus much concerning the Air,' and its
Adoration under the Name of Juno. *
Of W AT E R.
THE Heathens Ador'd Water alfo, believing all
things had their Original from it, becaufe it
was more capable of Condenfation and Rarefaction
than any other Element, and by reafon of this Vi-
ciffitude, things fometimes appearing, and at other
times disappearing, they paid Divine Honour to it,
as a certain Deity, or Principle, tho' not to its Exter
nal Body or Matter, but to an Internal Divine Ppw-
er or Virtue, Operating in it. Thus Cicero, lib. i.de N.
D.- fays, Thales, who firft made a Difquifition into
things of this nature, made Water the Original Mat
ter of all things, and Goethe Soul or Mind, that for
med them out of it. How much Water conduces
to the production of Vegetables, is very evident
from an Eminent Inftahce in the beginning of this
Book. The Antients were of Opinion, that the
feminal Caufes of things were in the Sea, Rivers,
Fountains and Lakes, as well as in the Air, and the
Rain-Water contain'd in it.
Some were of opinion that not only Brutes, as
Horfes, Cows, Hogs and Dogs, but Mankind, both
Male and Female, did proceed from the Sea, in re
gard fome Sea-Fifh feem to reprefent their Form and
Figure ; which Paradox they endeavour to main
tain, by alferting, When thofe fort of Animals creep out

Chap. X. *fo GENTILES. 129

luiiFij-UiHuiwi.

out of the Sea, and get on Shore, Nature, by de
grees, furnifhes them with proper . Organs to Live
here, like Amphibious Animals, removed from one
Element to another, by the affiftance of Nature ;
at laft thefe Off- Springs of the Sea had Speech, and
fuch Members as we have, and by degrees, changed
their Priftine Shape, which alfo happen'd in other
Animals ; and that this might not feem new, or
Strange, they allege, that it Supplies NeceSSaries to
all that live on this Globe of Earth. I 'Should not
have mentioned this unaccountable and monftrous
Opinion, but that Antient Philofophy hath given
us no tolerable account of the Original Production
of Man ; and it is moft certain, that Water does
contribute very much to the Generation pf Man,
and all other things. The Humidum Radicale is re-
quir'd as much, and perhaps more than Heat, to
compofe a compleat Man ; and we oftner Die for
want of Natural Moifture, than by the extinguifh-
ihg our Hea.t. This Humidity confifts in an Oily
orBalfamick Subftance, not in a Watry ; for that
oppugns and deftroys the Heat, whereas the Oily
feeds and fupports it ; tho' Worfhip was paid tp all
kind of Moifture, under the notion of Water only.
When we crinfider the Parts of this Element
more particularly, the Sea firft occurs ; which Danf-
quius proves, by'lnariy folid Arguments, to encom-
pafs the whole Earth, to whom I refer my Rea
der. Upon this Hypothefis, I cannot conceive that
there can be fo great a quantity of Subterranean
Fire, as is generally believed. It muft alfo be fup-
pofed, that the Earth is full of Caverns, thro' which
the Water paffes and repaffes, according to what
Voffius fays was the Opinion of Mariners, that the
Sea was rarely above half an Italian Mile deep,
excepting fome few Whirlpools only, which are a
K full

130 The RELIGION of
full Mile, and others not to be Sounded, as about
the Ifles of Flanders, and Others in the Pacifick Sea.
The Length and Breadth of the Sea, doth equal,
if not exceed that of the Earth, feparate from the
Sea ; if we compute it by what is known of the
World here, confult Alex. Piccollominaus, who hath
wrote particularly on this Subject. Authors give
two particular Reafons for the Saltnefs of the Sea.
i. That the Sun exhales all the frefh Parts of the
Water. 2. When thefe freih Parts are feparated,
the others become Aduft. But then great Rivers
and Lakes alfo fhould be fo ; the Tenuity of River
Water being no obftruction, for the Sun's Influence
will be more powerful on them ; nor that it is not
fo deep, for the nearer any Water is to the Earth,
the fopner its thicker Parts become Aduft. If this
were true, then it would follow alfo, that the Sea
was not Salt from the beginning, but became fo in
tract of Time, which I cannot fee how it can be
proved. The only caufe that I conceive, is, the
wonderful Univerfal Providence, which gave1 it a
Saline quality, and endued it with Motion by its
Ebbing and Flowing, to adapt it to the Nature of
thofe Animals that live in it ; for if that vaft quan
tity of Sea-Water were frefh and motionlefs, as Lakes
are, I queftion not but the ,whole Air would be
Contagious and Infected. He therefore that re
quires any other Reafon hereof, may as well ask,
why Fire is Hot, Earth Solid and Dry, and things
of the like nature ; for they are the immediate pro
duction of Nature it felf, and not other wife to be
known, but in their own Principles ; tho' the Eb
bing and Flowing of the Sea, do fo exactly cor
respond with the various Motions of the Moon, as
to give Philofophers good Grounds to conjecture
its Original proceeded from thence. There is no
thing

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 131
thing feems more Strange, than that the Sea fhould
neither grow freSher nor fuller, notwithstanding the
vaft confluence of Rivers that have emptied them
felves into it for fo many Ages ; for if, according to
Ariftotle, all Rivers tend to the Sea, as their common
Receptacle ; yet, why fhould they neither change
its Tafte,nor increafe its Magnitude; and how comes
it to pafs, that Fountains and Rivers are frefh ? Nor
will it be a Sufficient Ani'wer, that Rivers and
Springs difperfed every where about, do pafs thro'
the Subterraneous Caverns of the Earth, and are
Dulcified by degrees ; their Motion being uncer
tain, curv'd and flow, whereas Rivers hafte to the'
Sea by a rapid impetuofity ; fo that there can be no
proportion betwixt thofe difficult paffages that the
Water has thro' the oeclufe Pores of the Earth, by
which it becomes frefh, and the Precipitous Vio
lence of Rivers. But the inquifitive Sciolift, to fheW
how accurately he pries into Nature, will endeavour
to find out Second Caufes for thofe things which pro
ceed directly and folsly from the moft wife Couniel
of God, which eftablifh'd them for the firft and
Original Perfection of things.
There is fomething worthy our Observation con
cerning this impetuous Motion of the Sea, which
tallies its Shores on all fides, riling and falling, and;
according to Pliny, Purging its felf every Full Moon.
Moderns are of Opinion, that this Reciprocal Mo
tion of the Sea, is caufed by the Diurnal Motion of
the Earth,, but this meets with many Objections.
For allowing the Earth's Diurnal Motion, how Will
it folve the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea, SeVen
times in 24 Hours ; there are alfo exotick and
unaccountable Tides in many Seas, in different
Parts of the World. Our Water here, muft feem to
Stagnate to fome, efpecially at Aufferum in Libur-
K 2. nia,

131 The RELIGION of
jiia, where the Sea Ebbs and Flows above 20 times
a Day. This will not in the leaft folve the Diur
nal, Weekly, Monthly, every three Months, half
Year, and Annual Motions of the Sea, for fuch great
Variety is found in it by obfervation. There are yet
more and greater Difficulties occur, if we endea
vour to folve this Reciprocal Motion of the Sea
by the Moon, efpecially, what AuguBus Cafareus
Reports, that the Moon being South- We ft or South,
then it was High-water ; when it was in the
Eaft or North Weft, then it was Low- Water ;
and on the contrary, the Moon being in the
latter, it was High-Tide in the Mediterrean, and
Low-water at the former. The Reafon whereof
no Perfon ever yet pretended to Deduce, either
from the Diurnal Motion of the Earth or the Moon.
Neither, according to < AriBotle, will the Sun's Ex
haling and Agitating great quantities of Winds an-
Swer theSe objections, or the Situation and Figure
of the Shores and Bottom ; the Decurfion and Re
gurgitation of the Ocean, or its Imitation of
the Heavens in its circulat Motion, the great Rocks
and Sands that are call up in it, the Moon's afcen-
ding to the Meridian, or its defcending to the Weft,
or any other of her Positions or Motions, can afford
us nothing Satisfactory. I proceed to the Salt-
neSs of the Sea ; Salt boyl'd, is more Hot than o-
ther Water ; from whence it is probable, that the
Cajpian Sea is very Calm, having Eighty Rivers, and
five Lakes running into it, which dulcifie its Water; an
other Caufe may be its Rarefaction in Flowing, and
Cpndenfation in Ebbing. I have proved by many
Inftances, that the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea,
pannot proceed Solely from the Moon, for then
all Waters Would Suffer the Same Mutation ( as Fire
burns all Combuftible Matter ) how comes it to
pafs,

Chap. X." the G E N f 1 L E?. 133
paSs alSo, that it is not at the Same time every
where, and that it fhould happen to our Antipodes,
when the Moon doth not appear to them ; that
the greateft Tides Should be at the New as well as
Full, and not in any of the* intermediate Times ;
her Appeararice being always greater than at the
New, it might rationally be fuppos'd, She fhould
have the greater influence. Thefe amongft other
Arguments are fufficient to evince, that the Moon
is not the Sole Caufe of the Ebbing and plowing
of the Sea, but my Defign will not permit me to
infift longer on this Subject- This Reciprocation
of the Sea, is alfo two-fold, one of which was un
known to the Antients, who generally Cpafted on
the Shore, aqd very rarely put to Sea. The firft is
fromthe-Nw-rito the Sout,b,for: they Sail fooner from
this Point to the Oppofite, than on the contrary ;
therefore, tho" each have as fair Winds, Danes and
Norwegians will make a quicker Voyage to England,
than the Englifli can thither. So we Sail Sooner
by much to Spain, than they can hither ; this' Ex
perience proves : But whether It proceeds from the
Bottom pfthe narrow North Seas, or which is more
probable, from the Rapid Torrents of Snow and
Rain, which make Inundations in that Frigid arid
Moift Zone, I fhall not determine.
There is another Motion obfervable from the Eaft
to the Weft ,- Sailors will tell you, that they can
make a Voyage from Spain to America in a Month,
and are Three or Four coming Home; which
tho' it may be occafion'd by the Winds, in the Weft-
Indies , Blowing conftantly ,( for fome Stated
time ) from the Eaft, yet the Sea is certainly up
on the Declivity, from the Eaft to the Weft. This
is very Obfervable alfo in the Mediterrenean, Adria-
apck Gulph, and %he Euxine, for the Paffage is much
K 3 quicke?

134 The RELIGION of
.I., . n i ¦ . . hi . 1 1
quicker from any Ports near Egypt, or Phoenicia to
¦Spain, than back again. Alfo they Sail much foon
er from the Philippine or Molucca Iflands, to the
Cape of Good Hope, than from thence -to either of
the other Places ; but whether this proceeds from,
the Declivity of the Sea, its Flowing and Ebbing
pn thofe Coafts, or by the Impetuofity of the Rivers
that corne frpm the Eaft and South, I fhall leave my
Reader to judge. To conclude this Difcourfe of
the different Motions of the Sea ; as foon as the
Antients knew any of them, they immediately
paid Adoration unto it, and the rather (as Pliny
faith) becaufe the Wonders of Nature are no where
So conspicuous. I proceed now to its Inhabitants,
who far exceed all other Animals in Magnitude.
Of this fort are all the Ceteaceous kind ,- amongft
Whom the Whale, Grampus, Phyfiter, Orca, Priftes,
and Scplopendra Marina, '.were known to the Anti
ents ; but there have been many more kinds, lately
cjifcpver'd about Ifland, and other Pairs of the North
Sea, and the Indies. j\s tar as' I can find, the great
Leviathan was known to the Jews only, tho' I que
stion whether the Rabbins have left us any Defcriptir
pn of it. ' ,
There are feveral Reafons may be given, why
Fifh fhould exceed all other Animals in Magnitude.
y. They are cornpos'd of a moifter Subffance,' 2.
They have their Food always about them. "3. They
live to a very great A;:e, riever any Perfon yet
found a Fifh" Dead with Age. Gallikus gives us a
very good Reafon, why the Sea produces Ani-
hials of Such vaft Dlmenfions, beyond Terreftial;-
becaufe in the Terreftial, the Bones fuftain the
Flelh, in the' others the' contrary. For if the Flefli
of Whales did not' (like Cork) fupport their Ribs
arid Bones, them own Weight would Sink them •
"¦ ;: •- '•'"•, • "¦ '• * • v- where^

Chap. X //* GENTILES. 135
¦  " ' ¦ — ——————
Wheiefore, when by "any Tempeft they are driven
on the Sands, or by chance come intoa fhallow
Sea, not being able to fpring up and get off for their
vaft Balk, are left there a Prey.
There formerly were, and now are, many Te
staceous and Cruftaceous Animals in this Element,
which feem the Luxuriant Sport of the Works of
Nature, and defervedly attract the Admiration of the
moft Speculative Part of Mankind ; feeming to pro
ceed from an informing Power, naturally belong
ing to the Sea it felf, upon which account the Hea
thens thought it deServ'd to be Honpur'd with no
Small Adoration.
The miraculous Works of Nature, are no lefs con
spicuous in freSh Water; fome Common Water wets
and mollifies, and other not only hardens Chalk, but
petrifies Wood, there being a Theatre Built of fuch
Stones. Some Waters appear of all Colours, ou
tliers are of all Taftes, fome quench Fire, others,
particularly, thofe that are betwixt Bononia and
Frenzvolam, fhine like Fire againft Rain. Some
Bath-Waters are very Hot, and others are fo Cold,
that they extinguish the natural Heat. Some again
quench Thrift ; but others, particularly thefe near
the Sea, increafe it. Some are altogether Infipid,
others are Impregnated, not only with the Tafte,
but Virtue of all Foffils or Minerals, Some
provoke Urine, and expel Gravel and Stones from
the Bladder, others generate them. Some are en
dued with a Purgative faculty, others Stop the
Flux. Some are gOod for the Eyes, others are as
much Prejudicial. Some cleanfe and whiten Wool,
others give it a new Tincture. Near fome Waters,
particular Trees will thrive and flourifh, which
decay and wither near others ; only Fifh that are
mute will live in fome Water, and others breed nothing
' * % 4 but

x$6 The RELIGION of
but Croaking Frogs. Some Waters make Men So
ber and Abstemious, whilft others intoxicate them.
Some make Men run Mad, and others reduce them
to their right Senfes, by removing one of the great
eft SymptOmS, Exorbitant, LaScivious defines ; if we
may credit what is related of the Fountain of Gy-
rifcus. Some whet the Wit ahd improve the Me-
riiory, others make Men Stupid and forgetful, an
account of all which may be Seen in Pliny, Strabo,
Vitruvius, and others. .
To conclude, Nature cannot furnifh us with ano
ther Recipe, So Beneficial or Destructive, but Water
it Self may be found to perform the fame.
Much might here be faid of Snow and Rain-Wa-
ier, but it is not to my prefent purpofe : Tho' I
cannot omit the Reafon which the Learned Voffius
gives, why Some Springs IncreaSe. and DecreaSe
With the Sea. The 'Water ( Says he ) which is near
to the Sea, and-proCeeds from it in direB Veins and Paf
fage s, is'AffeBedas the Sea it felf is ; but on the contra
ry, thatwhkh runs thro' various Meanders, and a long
way ; for before it can come into the , Well, if it were
High-Water at Sea, it then is Ebb, and if it were the
'loweft Ebb, it may be High- Water. Here many Dif
ficulties arife; for in fome Parts of the World, par
ticularly in this Ifland, there are Springs and Wells
-that correfpond with the Motion of the Sea, Some
Rifing, and others Falling at the fame time with it ;
as Voffius 'hinted. But if the Sea Should have imme
diate Communication with thefe Springs or Wells,
by Subterraneous Paffages, I fee no reafon that they
fhould continue frefh ; and likewife, if fome Springs
and Wells had this fecret Correspondence, why not
>all,;br when fortie -Rife, others fhould Fall. With
deference therefore to So great a Man, it is my O-
$>inion, • that the Air is Agitated by Some Secret Pores ' at

Chap. X. f^GENTlLES, 137
at the beginning of Flood, and afterwards the Wa
ter, till it Swell up and RiSe, and then Falls down and
fubfides by the Same, degrees, as the Sea retires.
But, I Suppofe it quite otherwife, in thofe Springs
and Wells, whofe Motion is oppofite to that of the
Sea ; for in that Cafe, I conceive fome very narrow
Pores or Paffages between them and the Sea, but
clofed up at that end next the Sea, and fo full of
Air, that it will caufe the Water in the Spring or
Well to Rife, for there may be in a Sir eight Tube,
fuch a proportion of Air to Water, that may move
and expel it ; hut when the Sea Rifes upon a Sandy
Bank, and fit to give it Reception, being jiigh the
fide of one of thefe Subterraneous Pores, begins gra
dually to infinuate it Self into thefe Pores, and to
poffefs it Self of the place of the inclofed Air, and
expels it thro' the Pores of the Earth, into another
more remote fide, and fo the Water that before was
Supported by the Air, falls by degrees ; but as the Sea
Falls, the Air returns into its former Station, and
.Raifesthe W-ater up again by the fame degrees.
The probability of this is evident fromfeveralP»f«-
matkk Experiments; but I fhall not prefume to deter
mine any thing in fo abftrufe a Matter, my Defign
being to fhew, that theret were many thiags fo mi
raculous in Water, that occafioned the Heathens to
pay it divine Adoration, efpecially, being fo ufe-
iul an.Element, and always at Hand.
The Egyptians -were the firft, as Athanafius, who
was one of that Country, teftifies ; faying, Some
Ador'd Rivers and Fountains, but the Egyptians efpe
cially Worfhipped Water, and called it a God\. The
River Nile, was in greateft efteem amongft them,
'Jul. Firm, fays, The Inhabitants of Egypt perceiving tbe
great Advantages they received from Water, Worfhipp'd,
and put up Prayers and Petitions unto it. Many Wa ter-

138 The RELIGION of

ter- Animals were held sacred amongft them, and a
fort of Fifh, which was Scaly, and the Eel, Herodot.
lib. 2. The myftical Name of Water, amongft the
Egyptians, was Ofiris or Siris, efpecially the Nile, as
Plutarch Says : For Ofiris, which fignifies the firft
Principle of all good, was the Sun in Heaven, and Wa
ter upon Earth, particularly the Nile ; which ought
not to feem Strange, for ( as Cartarius obferves ) the
fame God, Signifies often different things, and on
the Contrary, different Names are often applied to
the fame thing; which I conceive, proceeds from
the Priefts Explaining their Myfteries in different
Countries, according to their own Intereft and Hu
mour, or to make them Intelligible to the People ;
this ought to be conftantly confider'd, or elfe it
would be impoffible to underftand Ethnical Theology.
Canopus, one of Menelaus's Mariners, but after
wards Transfornl'd into a Star, fignified Water, a-
mongft the Egyptians; whofe Priefts, by an ingenious
Trick, not only excell'd, but totally extinguifh'd
the God of the Perfians and Chaldeans, as we have it
in Rufin. Eccl. Hi ft. and Suidas ; for they and the
Neighbouring Nations, Proclaiming Fire the Great
God, becmfe it confumed all forts of Materials, and
Exercis'd'a Deffotkk Power over them : The Prieft
of Canopus, being not well pleas'd with it, contriv'd
this Stratagem ; He gets Hydria, which wasthe Fi
gure representing Canopus, made Hollow, and full
of fmall Floles in the Bottom ; this he fills with Wa
ter, and ftops the Holes up with Wax, and So brings:
forth his Watry D.eity : His AdverSaries, Secure of
Victory, makev a Fire under Hydria, but the Wax
Soon melted, and the Water ran out, and prefently
extinguish 'd the Fire; but whether the Event ended
in a Jeft, or had a Religious Succefs, is not fo evi
dent, tho* it is very nunifeft, that the Priefts of the
Magi,

Chap. X. r£e GENTILES. 139
Magi, held that Fire and Water were the Principles
of all things, Vitruvius Proem, lib. 8. where he alfo
Says, The Priefts, according to the Cuftonis of the
Egyptians, Shew that all things proceed from Li
quids. When they cover Hydria, which is carried to
the Temple, with the moft profound Devotion ima
ginable, they proftrate themfelves on the Ground,
and lifting their Hands up to Heaven, render thanks
for the productions of Divine Benignity. Thus
much of the Adoration of Frefh Waters, efpecially,
the Nile. They had fuch an awful Veneration for
the Sea, by the Name of Typho, that they would
admit of no Salt upon their Tables, becaufe it was
his Froth, nor offer to Salt any Fifh, becaufe they
were his Inhabitants, and Should incur his fevere
Difpleafure by it ; nay, they even abominated Sai
lors, becaufe they ufed the Seas ; but whether this
were on account of their terrible apprehenfion of
the Deluge, or for any other reafon, I fhall not here
enquire into.
The Egyptians took this Deity for the: Neptune of
the Greeks, whom their Neighbours the Lybians Wor
fhipped by the Name of Pelafgus. But they didlnot
pay any Divine Honours to Neptune, concluding,
both bf; the mercilefs Sea, and "inexorable neceffity
of Fate, tho' they were Deities, yet that^no Suppli
cations ought to be made unto them.
Her. lib. i. Strabo lib. iy. Cl. Alex. Admon. ad Gent.
Arnob. lib. 6. and others, tell us, that the Perfians
paid Divine Worfhip to Water alfo, and held it im
pious to make Urine, Spit, or eaft any nafty thing,
or, fo much as wafh their Hands in any Running
Stream, as I faid before. Corn. Tacitus fays, it was
efteem'd very irreligious, to Spit into the Sea, or to
contaminate it with any thing, ; tho' never fo fub-
fervient to Hi^mane Neceffity. If this Cuftom was
v, obfer-

140 The RELIGION of i -
mmm^mmmmmmmmmmmmm. i ^mmmmmm n i mmmwmmm ¦— •«! mi ¦ ¦ im i I'wmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I
obferved by thofe that make long Voyages, it would
occafion a great mortality amongft the Sailors, for
nothing doth , more contribute to preferve them in
Health, than CleanlineSs. The Perfians Sacrificed
HorSes, but more eSpecially, White to Water,
which I conceive was done, in Honour of Neptune,
of which, I fhall give an account hereafter.
The Atergatis of the Affyrians, according to Voffius,
had a reference to Water. But this feems very much
ftrain'd, for not long before, he tells us, we are to
urtderftand whatfoever is fub j eel to the Power of
the Sun by it ; and from thence collects, in regard
the Sun hath an influential Power over the Moon,
and the Moon over ' the Water, therefore Atergatis
might have reference to Water, but this is a very
weak way of Arguing, for by the fame Reafon, it
may be extended to the Air and Earth, and very
many other things under the Solar influence, as well
as Water. He adds, this is evident by the Figure,
which was a Woman upwards, and a Fifh below,
and the Name Atergatis fignifies a great and excel
lent Fifh. The Priefts eat broil'd and boil'd Fifh
in the PreSence of their Goddefs, in Honour of her.
But tho' herFigure wasa Woman above, and a Fifh
Beneath, there is no confequence, that fhe muft
therefore fignifie Water, or have any relation to the
Adoration of it. If he had told us, that tho' the
Woman was not Worfhipped, yet the Fifh was, he
had not fo much impos'd on us, as, that Atergatis
fignifies a great and excellent Fifh. Alfo if
Atergatis were a Fifh,, it is Strange, that her Priefts
fhould eat Fifh in her Pretence, for it will be hard
to find any of the Antients, that ever boil'd and eat
their Gods, and pretended it was done in Honour of
them. I rather incline to depend on the Authority of
Macrobius, and -that Atergatis fignifies, neither Water, nor

Chap. X.\ ^ GENTILES. i4I
 2>  ;
nor an excellent Fifh, but the Earth, as its Effigies, ac
cording to his Defcription, oonfirms ; and I am the
rather of this Opinion, becaufe the Affyrians were fo
far from eating of Fifh, that they refufed to catch
them, as Voffius himfelf fays, lib. 2. cap. 36. The
moft probable Conjecture is ; Atergatis, a Queen of
Syria, put out an EdiB, that no Perfons fhould eat
Fifh, becaufe She loved them fo intirely her felf, up
on which account her Priefts only, afterwards, in
imitation of her, eat broil'd and boil'd Fifh before
her Statue, whilft the Spectators gazed on with
Hungry Bellies. However it was, I cannot eafily
See, how theSe Contradictions in Voffius can be re
conciled. But enough of this.
I make not the leaft doubt, that the Affyrians
Worfhipped Water, as well as other Elements, tho'
not by the Name of Atergatis. Nor is Voffius any
more SucceSsful in his Proofs, that Water was intend
ed by the Dagon of the Inhabitants of Pale Bine ; tho'
this Image was fuppofed to be half Man and half
Fifh, yet there is no confequence, that Water was
worfhipp'd. My Opinion is, that thefe Rites had
their Original from a certain Fable ; Atergatis, or,
according to fome, Derceto, calling her lelf into a
Lake near Afcalon, abounding with Fifh, was pre
ferved by the Fifh, and at laft Metamorphiz'd into
one ; nor is it in the leaft improbable, that the Vil-
lanous Priefts impofed fome fuch Story as this, con
cerning their Dagon, upon the Populace, fee Seld. de
Dif. Syris.
But whether Euronyme, who was efteem'd the
Daughter of Oceanus, and had the fame Statue as
Atergatis, or Derceto ; as alfo the Sirens, may con
tribute any thing to Elucidate this Matter ; I fhall
leave to the enquiry of others. Some were of Opi
nion, that fhe was Diana, vid. Poufan. that Deity was
Worfhip-

142, The RELIGION of
Worfhipped by the Pitigalenfes, that Inhabited Arca
dia, her Temple was open every Day, and Publick
and Private Adoration paid unto her.
Water had antiently, both Mafculine and Feminine '
Names ; which for the better underftanding of their
Hiltory, it will be neceffary to obferve, as ufual in
she Names of moft of the Gods ; fo in Sacred Scri
pture, Jofli. 46. 8. the Female Sex, feems to be gi
ven to the God of the Hebrews ; for which, amongft
others, confult' the Learned Lketus, lib.de quafitis
per Epiftolas * amongft the Names of Waters, the
Ocean obtains the Principal Place : The Antients
efteem'd him the Father of the Gods, fo Homer, The
Ocean Father of Gods, Tethys the Mother. Mofes alfo
fays, that Water was created the firft Day ; to this,
fomething that has been hinted before, may be re
ferred. The Images of Oceanus and Neptune, were
not much unlike, but Oceanus was efteemed the El
der, and Neptune's Grand-Father ; Voffius fays, that
Oceanus fignified the exterior, and Neptune the inte
rior Sea, or all Watry Humours in general. The
Worfhipping of the Ocean, is deliver'd in JuBin. lib.
12. When Alexander had fubdu'd the City, he returned
to his Ships, and offer d Sacrifice to the Ocean. The
Greeks called the Sea-Pofeidon, and the Romans, Nep
tune. Herod, lib. 7. fays, Sacrifices were offer'd to
Neptune the Deliverer. The fame Author mentions
a Temple of his amongft the Patidaata and Carians.
Plin. 31. tells us, the Romans celebrated the Neptuna-
lia, on the tenth of the Calends of Auguft, and in
the Calendar is, D. Nept. lud. The whole Month
of February, alfo was facred to him, either to make
him Propitious to the Sea-men in the Spring and
Summer, or becaufe Expiatory Purgations perform
ed ^hat Month, were not done without Water.
The Sooth-fayers dedicated Galls to Neptune, think
ing, Bitter very agreeable to Bitter. Nep-

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 143
 -  _,  — — ¦
Neptune was the firft that broke HorSes, and taught
Horfemanfhip ; and at laft, is reported robe chang'd
into an Horie himfelf. He had a moft wonderful
prodigious Temple amongft the Atlantides, where
he was Seated in a large Chariot, with a Bridle in
his Hand, and his Head touching the very Roof of
that vaft Temple ; tho' Herodotus fays, his Statue was
of BraSs, and but feven Cubits. From hence it was
that the Circenfian Games, which were performed with
Horfes, were lacred to Ncptunus Hyppius ; but accor
ding to Livy, inftituted in commemoration of the
Rape of the Sabine Virgins. Thefe Games were called
Confualia, by the Romans, and Hippocratia, by the Ar
cadians ; ('during which time, both Horfes and Mules
were exempt from Labour and and Crown'd with
Flowers ) from fome Subterranean and fecret Altar,
either Erected, or found hear the Circus Maximus.
Whether Confilia from the God- Confus, eonfult
Dion. Hal. lib1. & Plutarch. Some are of Opinion,
that from hence was intimated, that great Counfels
ought to be kept fecret, wherefore the Paffage to
his Altar, was never open but at thefe times ; which
feems to imply, that Neptune and Confus were the
fame. And becaufe People, at thofe Games, were
Struck with Terror by the Horfes ; Paufanias fays,
he was called Ncptunus Taraxippus, and Supplicati
ons were made to him, to avert it. This Matter is
differently related, See Dion. Halicam. lib. 2. at your
leifure ; concerning his Trident, and the vaft Shell
in which he Rode, like a Chariot ; his Noble Re
tinue and Triumphs, you muft have recourfe to the
Poets. Nereus alio, is the Male Name of a Sea-God,
who had Fifty beautiful Daughters by Dorida, who
were called Nereids.
The Feminine Names belong to the Sea, are Tbetys,
the Daughter of Oceanus and Dorida, and the Nymph "fethys,

i44 The RELIGION of
Teibys, one of the Nereids. To thefe we may add
the Nap*a, or Naiades, the Nymphs of Fountains,
and the Hydriades, and Ephydriades ; the word
Nymph, belongs peculiarly to thofe that prefide over
the Frefii Waters, and not to the Nereids : One of
whom, Theodorm Gaza affirms, he faw when he was
¦in the Peloponr.fus, fhe had a beautiful Face.
There wen alfo the Sirens, Daughters of Achelous,
and the Mufe Calliope,; one of whom Sang, the o-
ther Play'd o a Pipe, and the third on an Harp,
making fuch r. 'lodious Harmony, that they Charm'd
the poor adn ing Sailors, till they fell upon the
Sicilian Rocks, jlfnd there fuffer'd Shipwrack. Ulyf-
fes Sailing this v ay, ty'd himfelf faft to the Maftof.
the Ship, and h- Ships-Crew filled their Ears with
Wax; and fo th °i Sirens being fruftrated of their
expectation, thre w themfelves Head- long into the
Sea, and their lower- part was changed to Fifh.
But Servius is of Opinion, that they were part Birds,
and not Fifh, which is favour'd, both by Ovid and
Claudian. de Rapt. Proferp. Boccace fays, the Sirens
were reported, to Inhabit pleafant Fields, with
Dead Mens Bones fcatter'd about them. Xenophon
foys, the Sirens Sing the Praifes of Perfons of tranf-
cendent Merit; whofe Virtues have gain'd them
Univerfal applaufe. Ariftotle in his Book, de Admi-
rabilibus, fays, that there were fome Iflands on the
fartheft Coafts of Italy, called the Iflands of the Sirens,
where the Inhabitants Worfhipped them, and built
Temples and Altars to them. Their Names were
Parthenope, Leucofia and Ligia, but enough of them.
Not only the Sea, Rivers and Fountains in gene
ral were Worfhipped, but fome alfo beyond others.
The Meffenians Ador'd the River Pamirus. The
Phrygians, Meander and Marfyas. Clitummts in Um-
bria }the Inhabitants calling it Jovts Clitummts ,and pre
fixed

Chap. X. /^GENTILES. 14?
;,—¦¦— .mi  ,.n 1. . I, .., 'in . I,,.-, ¦ ¦¦¦¦¦ 1 1 i.iMi,;., !¦ h 1 ¦¦«
fixed that Title on the Porch of his Temple, per
haps, becaufe the Cat+el drinking out of it, be<*
came White, fee Claud. Paneg.
There were alfo- Female Names, as trie Nymphs,
that prefided over Fountains, and the Goddeffes, oi-
thofe that prefided over Rivers artd Lakes; of the firft
fort, was Hypocrene and Salmacis in Halicarnaffus ,
whofe Waters are reported to Effeminate thofe that
drink of them. Arethufa the Fugitive, the Pons Ca-
meenarum at Rome • whence the Veftals every Day
fetch'd the Water they purifi'd themfelves with, whofe
Office it was, to keep Water as well as "Fire. The
Fountain Blandufia , amongft the Sabins , whofe
Names are recited more at larg", by Voffius. Ari
ftotle in his Book, de Admirab. fpeaks of a Fountain
in Cappadocia,the Water whereof Was extream Cold,
but always feem'd to be Hot. If, any Perfon fu^
fpected of Perjury, was brought thither; if he were
Innocent, the Water could glide on very fmoothly j
but if Guilty, it would rage, fwell, and foam, at
that Prodigious rate, that it would not only dafh
on his Feet and Hands, but in his very Face, as if
it were the Executioner of Juftice Ph'him, and fo
continued till he hrd difcover'd the Truth, ahd askt
Pardon for his Offence ; but if he perfifted obdu*
rate in his Villainy, he either was prefently taken.
ill of a Dropfie, or elfe Vomited a vaft quantity of
corrupt Blood ; wherefore it was called the Font
Jovis Perjiiri, and we need not doubt, but this Foun
tain had Divine Adoration paid it
I fhall leave you to cortfulr others, concerning
the River Nymphs, as the Ifinenides, Ionides, PaBoli-
des, Amigrides, and Tiberiades, and Anna Perehna;
amongft the Romans, whofe Sacred Rites were Per^
formed in March ; Jitturm and Nais, called the Glo*
j-y of the Rivers. But I muft not omit, that Styx,
L Acheron^ .

146 The RELIGION of
Acheron, Pyripblegeton, and Cocytus, were excluded this
Superiour Region by the Antients, as infamous, and
thruft down into the Inferiour. Lycophron in Caffan.
Places the Rivers Acheron, Pyripblegeton and Styx, in
that part of Italy called Aufonia. Authors tells us,
there is one Cocytus in Italy, and another in Epirus.
Paufan. Attic, alio another Styx in Arcadia, an ex-
cefliveCold Spring, by the mixture of Quick-Silver
and Nitre, of Such aCorrofive Quality, that nothing
could endure it but the Hoof of an Indian Horfe,
Mule, or Afs ; it is commonly reported, that Alex
ander the Great was Poifon'd with it. Styx is deri
ved from Stygus, which fignifies Sorrow ; which is
more probable than fome, who deriv'd it from
Setika, Silence : It was a Fountain, Lake or River,
in Arcadia and Italy, deteftable for its Sulphureous
Smell, or Poifonous Quality; fo that it is very Incon
gruous, to derive its Name from the Oriental Lan
guages. By this Infernal Lake, it is faid, the Gods
always fwore,for they enjoying an Eternal affluence
of all that was good in Heaven, it was imagin'd, that
they fwore by what they did not know. This Lake
encompafs'd Hell, a Place of the moft exquifite Hor
ror and Woe.-
I know the Platonifts expound it another way ;
for, fay they, this World is the Infernum, or HeUs
into which the Soul Defcends, when it is joyn'd to
this Mortal Body. The firft thing it meets with,
is the River Lethe ( a River in Africa, near Bernices,
but faid to be in Hell as the former ) which Drink
ing of, it forgets all that was pall ; then other Rivers,
which bring Grief and Sorrow ; fo that they will
have this Fable Myftically to repreSent the ftate of
the Soul in this World.
But to pafs by thefe delirious Dreams, and pro
ceed to the Oaths of the Gods, and the Puuifhments that

Chap. X. //^GENTILES. 147
that attended their violation. They were to be with
out Life and Motion for a whole Year. Servius
from Orpheus enlarges the time, and fays, that the
Gods that fwear by the Stygian Lake, and are Per-
jur'd, are punifh'd in Hell for nine thoufand Years.
Thefe Fables were invented by the Poets, that
Oaths might be facred and inviolable, in regard
the Gods themfelves were not exempt from Punish
ments upon this account. Indeed, all parts of Reli
gion amongft the Heathens, tended to confirm the
Validity of an Oath ; they therefore Swore in Such
a Temple, clad in fuch an Habit, before the Altars,
with the Sacrifices Burning on them, holding a
Sword or a Knife, upright ; and a multitude of o-
ther Religious Ceremonies, that might Strike Terror
to thofe that durft Perjure themfelves. To this pur*
pofe, Jupiter Horcius, who prefided over Oaths a-
mongft the Greeks, was reprefented with a Thunder-
Bolt in his Hand ; and De us Pidius, or Jupiter amongft
the Romans, who call'd him Holy, whofe Image in
the Roman Antiquities, is reprefented with the Maf-
culine Image of Honour on his Right, and the Female
of Truth on his Left, according to Dion. Hal. lib. 9.
fie had a Temple dedicated to him, and that not
without the greateft reafon ; nothing being more
Villainous than Perjury, nothing more Treacherous,
and unlefs God Revenge, it always efcapes unpu-
nilned, no Man being able to fecure himfelf againft
it. The Lake Avernus alfo, for its Fetid and Sulphu
reous Smell, was tranflated from hence to the low
er Regions, and was of fuch a Quality, that it kill'd
all the Birds that attempted to flie over it ; but by
an Edict made by Auguftus Cafar, the Woods being
Cut down where they grew thickeft, it was made
both Salubrious and Pleafant. Servius sAEneid. 3.
L 2 The

140 The RELIGION of
The aforemention'd Rivers, and the Lake Aver
nus, were not only thruft down into the Infernal
Manfions by fhe Heathens, but Gehenna it felf, by
the Htbnws ; it was formerly a Valley near Jeru-
fakm, where the Jews offer'd up their Children to
Moloch; King Jofiah, that he might defile this Place
to the greateft degree, order'd Dead Carcaffes, and
all fort of Filthinefs to be brought and laid there ;
from whence its Name was made ufe of, and Signi
fied a place of Torment for the Wicked. St. Jerom.
in 10. Cap. Mat. The Greeks and Romans wprShipped
Water ?.s well as the Eafiern People, tho' under o-
ther Names, and not only the Scythians, Celt*, and
other People, but the Inhabitants of America to this
Day. The Scythians, called Vefia, Tabiti; Jupiter, Pa-
p*us ; the Earth, Apia; Apollo, Oetofyrus ; Venus theCe-
leBial, Artempafa ; Neptune, Thamimafides. Willibald,
the firft Biinop of Eifieten, in Germany, fays, that
before his time, the People there facrificed to Water.
Jofiph Acofta, lib. y. cap. 2, 4. affirms, that in Ame
rica, the Sea ( by the Name of Mammococha ) and
the Springs, and Fountains, are accounted Deities ;
and 1 do not in the leaft queftion, but that thofe
Nations, according to the antient and vulgar Ac
ceptation of Gc.-l amongft them ( under which No
tion, they alfo Worfhipped the Stars and other Ele
ments ) Deified W.iter in general, as the moft ufe-
ful Element, tho' in fome places hurtful alfo. For
all Religious Worfliip antiently proceeded either
from Love or Fear. So much for Water.
Of the EARTH.
THere were many Reafons which perfwaded
^ the Heathens to Worfhip the Earth, which
tho' it be the moft grofs, yet was a Deity always
prefent

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 149
prefent with them. The Antients Worlhipped U-
niverfal Nature in it. For Heaven difpenfing the
Seminal Virtue of things thro' the Air to the infe
riour Elements. The Earth was efteem'd the Store-
Houfe that received them, and then distributed
them as a Steward ; upon which account, it appearr
ed to them the moft Confpicuous and Pleafant The
atre of Divinity. Without" whofe afliftance, neither
thofe fecret Principles of things would be furnifhed
with an external Drefs, nor become the Objects of
our Sight. 'Tis true, that the Great God hath Cre
ated many things, but they would have been only
fubfervient to himfelf, and ufelefs, and unknown
to us. Wherefore the Antients feign'd a fort of
Marriage between Heaven and Earth, making Hea
ven the Husband, and Earth" the Wife, from
whence proceeded this vaft Progeny on the Earth.
But it was not only becaufe things were thus pro-
duc'd by her, but that fhe poifed and fupported her
felf in the Air, alter a miraculous manner, they
attributed Divinity to her. To this, add her Diur
nal Motion, which was not the Opinion of Some
Modern Philofophers only.
Upon thefe, and many other Reafons, whether
probable or fuperftitious, the Antients paid profound
Veneration to the Earth ; more efpecially, becaufe
no other Element befides it, received Man, and .
other Animals into its Bofom after their alotted
time here : This Element being efteem'd the com
mon Mother, would not fuffer Mortals to be defti-
tute after this Life : To teftifie their grateful De-
pendance on her, as foon as a Child was Born,
they laid it down on the Eatnh, commending it to
her Care ; but afterwards, lifting it up, they put
it under the Tutelage of the Goddefs Levana ; then
to the Goddefs Cunina, who protected it in the
L 3 Cradle,,

jyo The RELIGION of
, un.i  *.  . . I " J - " . , . ' ""
Cradle, and prevented Fafcination ; afterwards to*
the God Vagitanus, to ftill its crying ; next to the
Goddefs Paventia, to expel all Childifh Fears from
ft ; laftly to Edufa and Pot'ma, to take care of its
Meat and Drink.
The Earth was not called the Mother of Men and
Children only, but of Gods, and of thofe who by their
tranfcendent Merit, had advanced themfelves into
that number ; therefore fhe is called the Great Mother.
But whether fhe was called Cybele from a Cube, which
Figure Pythagoras, that was inftructed by the Egypti
ans, attributed to the Earth, as I fhall difcourSe of
hereafter ; and of her other Names, as Ifis, Ops,
Rhea, Vefta, Ceres, Proferpina, Bona Dea, Flora, and
Tales, and many more Deities are reduc'd to the
Earth, denoting fome Power or Qualification be
longing to itl '
Firft Ifis, tho' ( as I Shewed before ) fhe proper
ly Signifies the Moon, yet has Some reference to the
Earth. For, as Ofiris being the active Principle of
Good, was called, the Sun in Heaven, and the Nile
on Earth ; So Ifis} as the paffive Principle, by the
Egyptians^ was Luna in Heaven, and Terra here, as
Will be evident from what follows. Servius in
Eneid. 8. fays, Ifis in the Egyptian Language, is the
Earth, and Macreb. 2. Saturn. C. 20. Ifis was Wor
fhipped in a double Capacity, as the Earth ' or the Nature
cf all Sublunary things, it is by tbe continuance of the
Breafis of this Goddefs, that all things increafe; all things
being nourijhed by the Earth or Univerfal Nature; So
fays Jul. Firmicus de Err. Prof. Relig.
Cere/ alfo may be included here. So Herod. Ifis in
the Egyptian Tongue, is Ceres, and Apollod. in Bibli-
oth. lib. 2. which is not only confirm'd by the Rites
that are in common to them both, of which rhore
hereafter; but becaufe the very Rites of Ceres
"i came

Chap. X. /£* GENTILES. 151
1 , ' .hi  ¦'!. — ^— i. .)' V
came from Egypt into Greece, as Clemens Alexandria
fays, The Syrian or Hierapolitan GoddeSs amongft the
Phankians and Syrians, fignified Rhea, or the Earth,
which Lucian Says, he was informed of by a very
judicious Perfon. There were the fame Rites in
the Worlhip of Rhea, and the Hierapolitan Goddefs,
and proceeded to a Strange Severity, unheard of in
our Times, that their Priefts fhould be Caftrated ;
which was done in imitation of Attys : And I really
believe thefe facred Rites to be the invention of the
Rex Sacrorum, rather than the Priefts. A Tower
Crown was fet upon the Head of each of thefe
Goddeffes, their Chariots drawn by Lions, and
Drums Beating before them, as we learn from
Lucian. Macrobius ingeniously proves the Atergatis of the
Affyrians, fignified the Earth alfo, tho' She does the
Moon, and all Nature fubject to the influence of the
•Sun. From the Egyptians, Phoenicians and Syrians ;
I proceed to the Phrygians, who Worfhipped the
Earth, by the Names of Rhea, Cybele and many others.
In all accounts of the Religion of the Heathens ;
fome things Historically relate to the Actions of the
Antients, and others muft be Myftically applied to
the Nature of things. According to the former, Vof
fius de Orig. and Prog. Idolo. Ch. 5-2. Rhea falls under
a threefold confideration ; Firft, as Rhea, who is
called the common Mother of all things , or
Evah, the Mother of all things living> and Wife
of Adam, who was the moft Antient Saturn, if
we underftand a Man by the Word, and not Na
ture. Secondly, that She was the Wife of Noah, who
alfo is called Saturn. Thirdly, that fhe was a Queen
of the Antient Phrygians, who was Enamoured with
a Peafant, called Attys ; who, after her Death, was
L 4 Galled

15* The RELIGION of
n.— ¦— ¦ * * ' ' ' * ¦ -
palled the common Mother of all things, that She
might have the fame Adoration and Honours paid
|ier as were given to the Earth.
The G,reat Mother , or Rhea, had variety of
Names according to the Diverfity of Places. The
Romans, who received tfie WorShip of her from
the Phrygians, called her, Mater Phrygia Cybele, from
£he Mountain Cybelus, according to Some, in Phrygia,
Others Bithynia. Dyndamena, from Mountains in
Phrygia, of that Name. Id*d, from Mount Idus in
- "Phrygia, and Peffinuntia, from Pefinus in Galatia, where
.it Border^ on Phrygia • and Mygdonia, from a part of
Phrygia ; Agdiftuj from a Mountain in Phrygia, fo
called ; alfo Pylene. Even the Cimmerians Worship
ped her, by the Name of the Great Mother.
Hefychius Says, the Mother of the Gods was called
Cybebe, by the Cimmerians, infpiring Men with Mad-
nefs, which the Greeks call Cybtbein} and therefore
they were called Cibici, who were infpir'd and pof-
feffed by the Mather of the Gods, as the Priefts of C)r
bele were.
St. Auguftine out of Varra fays, Mother Earth had
many Names, 4nd Appellations, by which Deities
were generally underftood. The Earth was called
Ops, becaufe it was meliorated by induftry,- Mother,
becaufe of its plentiful production, G,reat ; producing
all forts of Food ,* Profirpina, all Vegetables proceed
ing from her ; Veft.-f, becaufe clothed with Herbs
\ and Flowers ; and other Goddeffes, without any
abfurdity, may be reduc'd hfther. Tellumo, among ft
the Heathens, was the Male Seminal Power ; Tellus,
the Female, tho' in the common acceptation of the
Word, Tellus fignified both. Amongft other Romans,
Tullus made Vows unto Ops, or the Earth'; Dion,
Halicar. * Tullus lifting up his Hands to Heaven,
made a Vow' to the Gods, that if they did overcome the
Sabines,

Chap. X. rkGENTlLES. 153
Sabines that Day, he would inftitute folemn Feftivals to
Saturn and Ops, which the Romans afterwards pub
lickly Celebrated every Year after HarveB, and doubled
the Number of Salii ; where I queftion not, but that
by Saturn and Ops, the Heaven and Earth are under
stood, to whom Tatius built a Temple, and Gon-
Secrated Altars, by the Names of Saturn and Rhea.
Pliny lib. 24. Speaks of a Temple built for the Earth,
or Tellus, in Sp. Caffiuss Court- Yard ; and Varro fays,
She had a fmall Chapel in the Palace, into which,
none but the VeBals and the Publick Priefts were
permitted to enter.
Let us now enquire by what Image the Great
Mother was teprefented, and then what fort of
WorShip was paid to the Earth. As to the firft, St.
Aug. cites out of Varro, that The Great Mother has
Drums, to fignifie, that fhe is the Globe of the Earth.
Towers on her Hetid, reprefent Towns • there were Seats
about her, becaufe all things moved but her felf only, Ca
pons were Sacred to her, to imitate, thit fuch as had no
Seminal faculty of their own, fhould attend on the Earth,
all things being to be found in her. Thofe that Worfhipped ,
her, were forbidden to fit ; there being always fomething
for them to do. The noife of Cymbais, and clajhing of
"iVt.ipons, reprefevt what Jbe is ; the Weapons were made
of Brais, becaufe fhe was antiently Worfhipped, before Iron
j" a i found out. The Lions about her, were Loofe and
T.ime, to imitate, that no part of the World was fo Re
mote and Savage, but might be Civiliz'd and Cultivated.
Ovid, de Faft. gives another Reafon, to, which I re
fer my Reader; alfo concerning a certain Sacred
Stone, which the Phrygians called the Great Mother,
and how it came to be conveyed to Rome, into the
Temple ofViBory, and Funeral Banquets appointed
it, and Games instituted in Honour of it, called the
Megakfia ; 'cbnfult Liy. Cic. and Quint, thus much
for her Reprefentations. "" " " ' Her

i$4 The RELIGION of
•" - • ¦  ^ - - * i i - mr ' '  i
Her Worfhip follows, which I am in SuSpenSe
whether to call it Myftical or Lunatick. Here it
were to be wifh'd, that we had that Book of Proclus
Licius, mentioned by Suidas. Proclus, fays he, Wrote
a Book concerning the Great Mother of the Gods, which
if any Perfon perufe, he will find, that by infpiration, he
difcoverd all the Theology of that Goddefs : But this
Book is Perifh'd in the Ruins of Times. The moft
Eminent amongft her Priefts, were the Curetes, and
thofe efpecially, Etolian, Creticks, and Phrygians.
They were called Curetes from Cura, Shaving, and
on the contrary, the Acamanes from being unftiaved;
of which Voffius gives a reafon, lib. $%. but fuch an
one as I cannot acquiefce with, for 1 conceive the
Cuftorris of that Order of the Priefts of the Great
Mother, proceeded from certain Religious Rites,
and not from any Military reafon or accident ; and
the rather becaufe of that agreement, that was be
tween the Rites of Ifis, and the Great Mother, men
tioned before. For the Priefts of Ifis, amongft o-
ther Ceremonies in common, Shaved their Heads,
made a doleful NoiSe, beating their Breafts, and
tearing their Arms. I alfo am of Opinion, that
there were other Orders of Priefts belonging to this
Goddefs, mentioned by Strabo, lib. 10. called Cory-
bantes, Cabiri, Id*i, DaByli, Telchines. The Cory-
bantes, becaufe they went Dancing at the facred
Rites of the Great Mother. The Cabiri, from a
Mountain in Berecynthia, of that Name, whofe Foot
they Inhabit ; DaByli, becaufe they were only Five
in Number, and had fo many Sifters, Reprefenting
the Figures on the Hand. Telchines, being Nine ;
they accompany d Rhea, from Rhodes to Crete, which,
from them afterwards was called Telchinia. Strabo
Will furnifh you with many more of the Opinions
pf the Antients on this fubject. Her

Chap. X. the GENTILES. 155
Her Priefts, who were all Caftrated, were cal
led Galli, not in reproach to the Gauls, who fet Fire
to Rome, as St. Jerome thought; but from Gallus, a
River in Phrygia, according to Herodian. The Phry
gians antiently celebrated the Orgyia, near the Rir
ver Gallus, from which the GoddefSes Eunuch Priefts
had their Names. It was credibly reported, that
thoSe that Drank of this Water, run Mad, which
if true, it is no wonder, that thofe who affifted at
the Celebration of her Rites, Should run up and
down like Lunaticks. To which relates that of
Ovid. Gallus, with his DiftraB'vng Waters Glides,
On Green Cybele W Cy lene's Sides.
Thofe who imitated this Madnefs of the Galli,
were faid, Gallare. Thus Varro in Eumenid. What
agreeablenefs can there be in them that Gallare thus.
They toft their Heads, and turn'd their Arms
round about, with their Weapons before them. So
Lucretius. With Arms before them, fign of difmal Rage.
They beat their Drums alfo, not in my Opinion,
to render them more formidable, for their Gait ( if
not their whole Body) denoted them Soft and ten
der, their Hair fcented, with the richeft Perfumes
and Ointments, their Face cover'd with a Veil of
White Silk. The chief amongft them are called,
Archigalli, of whom Tertullian. Apolog. Cap. 24. Says,
The mofi Holy Archigallus, offers up his moB impure
Blood. They made Such howling and diSmal Noife,
that; the fabulous Story which the Priefts invented
of their Great Mothers Darling, called Attys, can not

156 The RELIGION of
not be better reprefented. Then they beg Alms ;
Sor which they are called the Great Mothers Sharpers,
which was done in many Places, particularly in
Carthage, in St. Auguftine's time. They were not
permitted to gather it at Rome, but very Seldom,
and that on certain prefix 'd Days ; left as Tully
Says, their Minds Should be filled with Super-
ftitions. Here give me leave to quote a moft Excellent
paffage out of Dion. Hal. lib. 2. which will evident
ly Shew the Sentiments of the Romans about Exo-
tick Religions. Altho' People of all Nations Inhabit this
City, and it be convenient, that every one (hould Wor
fhip after the manner of his own Country ; yet no Religious
Rites of Foreign Countries are publickly fuffer'd, which is
in many other Cities ; but if any are introduced from other
Places, at the command of theOracle, yet the Citizens fiill
perform the facred Rites after their own manner, rejeB-
ing all their ridiculous and monftrous Fables, as is done in
the Worffoip of the Ida3 an Mother, to whom the Emperours
facrifice and appoint Games every Year after the Roman
manner ; but the Phrygians perform the Prieftly Office,
carrying her thro' the City, gathering Money for the Mo
ther, beating their Breaft s, and others following with an
Hymn in Praife of her, Playing on Pipes, and Beating
cf Drums; but no Native Roman ever gather d Money
with them in the Streets ; and by a Decree of the Senate,
are forbidden to celebrate the Phrygian Orgyia to the
Mother ; they have fuch an averfion to all Foreign -Qere-
monies, and fuch kind of indecorous Madnefs . Tho' none
I fuppofe, will imagine that I am ignorant, how benefi
cial, fome fabulous Grecian Stories are to Mankind ;
which, either inftruB them, in the Works of "Nature Al-
hgorically, or were Invented to comfort andfupport them,
Under Cafualties that attend Humane Life, and free the
Soul of Terrors and Perturbations, and extravagant Qpini-.

Chap.X. the GENTILES. 157
ons, or were contrived to conduce to fome other fuch profi
table end ; all this I know as well as any other, but I
pafs them by with a Religious Caution, and only approve
the Roman Theology, knowing very little good can accrue
from thefe Grecian Fables, nor are they adva.ntagious but to
few, and to thofe only, who fhall accurately examine and
dive into their Scope and Defign, which Judgment and
Wifiomftw are Mafter s of ; but the Vulgar, and thofe ig
norant of Pbilofophy, make ill ufe of theje Difcourfes ; for,
they either raife in them a Contempt of God, as fubjeB to
many Misfortunes, or elfe they give themfelves up to all
Licentioufnefs , feeing the Deity himfelf is obnoxious to
the fame. But I jhaH leave thefe things to their confidera-
tion, who Study Speculative Philofophy only. Thus far
Dion. Thefe facred Rites were called Megalenjia, and
afterwards the letter N was left out, and called
Megalefia ; the Megalenfian Games, were inftituted by
M. Jun. Brutus ; who Dedicated a Temple to the
Great Mother in the Palace, as Livy tells us ; but I
much queftion, whether her facred Rites were cal
led Materoa ; I know Dion. Halicarn. makes mention
of ' Matroamela, which I conceive to be a Poem com-
pos'd in Honour of the Goddefs ; but I fee no Au
thority fufficient to convince me, that her Sacred
Myfteries were called Materoa , as Voffius does.-
Thefe Games were celebrated in April, to which
Servants were forbid to come, fays Alex, ab Alex
andra. There were Feafts afterwards in Honour of her,
where they were, very exact and cautious about the
Expences, and that no Foreign Wine was brought
in; at laft, thefe Feafts were kept in the Prefence of
the Great Goddefs, where the Nobles of the City only
were prefent. Thefe facred Rites were firft infti
tuted by Dardanus. The Sacrifices were a Ram and a
Bull,

158 The RELIGION of
,„-„-.. . .; •,J.._^.i_,-,^ _,.-. - .. . : [|f| ^
Bull, a Pz'we alfo was cut down then, in a Vine Grove,
facred to CyMe ; for they report, that Attys was
changed into a Pine; to which alludes that of Virgil,
A Wood of Pines has been my long delight,
fays the Mother of tbe Gods ; and Ovid. lib. 10, Met am.
 Cyberian Attys didrefign
His Human Form, and changd it for a Pine.
And Martial on the Pine- Nut.
• ' • We are Cybele'^ Fruit.
The Oak was alfo Dedicated to ldaa the Mother,
fays Apollod. lib. 3. «/« DUs, being the firft that afford"
ed Animals Food and Shelter. The Mufical Inftru
ments ufed in the Rites of the Great Goddeft, were
Brafs Cymbals, Box Pipes, Drums, little Bells, and
the Horn. Dempfter, from Hadrianus Junius makes
mention of Bells, and Nol* or little Bells, ufed at
the facred Rites of Cybele ; but my Opinion is, that
they were rather Brafs Cymbals and Crotala, for
Bells and the Nol* were invented long after, as the
Learned well know. At the Feaft, after the Rites
were perfomed, the Gueft pour'd the Wine out of a
Drum, and Drunk out of a Cymbal, and by that
means were infpir'd with the Myfteries of their
Religion. Says Jul. Firmicus, In thofe Rites were
reprefented Spears, Torches, Platters, Sheep-Hooks,
which I know not what they fignified.
I Shall now conclude this Difcourfe ; Fables being
all along interwoven with thofe Myfteries ; and
Somethings being tobe underftood Morally, and fome
Myftically ; I cannot fee that much can be gathered from

Chap. X. the GENTILES. iy9
from them ; tho' many very fpecious Arguments
might then be brought for the Adoration of thp
Earth ; yet I cannot conceive how Proclus could
palliate thofe ridiculous Rites invented by the
Priefts, tho' I could wifh his Book had come to
our Hands.
Thus it is evident, that not only the Sun and
Moon, with the other Planets, and fixed Stars, the
Heaven, and Superior Elements were Ador'd with
Divine Honour ; but the Earth alfo, which, tho*
it feems the moft abject and fordid part of the
World, yet fuftains it felf as well as the other E/e-
ments, or Heaven it felf ; and the Stars, the Superiour
Bodies alfo, in a more efpecial manner, do perfect
their Operations on it, their Powers and Efficacy
terminate here. Of what great value this Globe
of Earth is, will appear from this, that if it could
be Pav'd all over with the moft valuable Jewels in
Checquer-Work, we Should rather throw them all into
the bottom of the Sea, than be without Land,
whereon to Plant a Garden ; for three Acres of
Ground is more ufeful to Mankind, than thirty of
Diamonds. To conclude, I will only add fome
few things to what has been already faid, defigning
to treat more largely of them in my Book, Concern
ing the Caufes of Error in Matter in Religion.
The Heathens antiently did not only WorShip the
World in its Univerfal Extenfion and Magnitude
taken entirely together, but in its Parts and Parti
cles, efteeming it very Indecorous, to WorShip only
the moft Eximious Parts of their Deity, and pals by
the others with neglect ; for if we fhould pretend
to Reverence the Breaft of a great Monarch, and
neglect his more worthy Members ; or any parts of
the Body ; without any regard to the whole ; or
feem to admire his Eyes and Nofe, and flight the
other

160 The RELIGION of
other Members, or commend his whole Body, and
except his Nofe and Eyes, would not he think
himfelf egregioufly affronted ? Thus the Heathens
efteemed it bafe and impious to vouchfafe Divine
Honour to this or that Star, or Element, and to
defpife and reject the other Parts of the World, as
vile and abject. Wherefore, as they believed, that
they Wofhipped the whole World, in the Stars, Hea
ven, and four Elements, which are its integral Parts ;
So the World being compos'd of thefe Parts, and
being the beft Reprefentation of the Deity, they
were of Opinion, that they Worfhipped the Su-
pream God, paying External Adoration to an Extern
nal, and Internal to an Internal Deity.
But I fhall handle this Subject with more free-i
dom (God willing) ; and others, whofe pleafure it
is, may do the like. I have not quite loft time, in
Shewing, that thofe Names which the ignorant
Vulgar thought belonged only to Men, by the
Writings and Actions of the more cultivated Hea
thens, feem Myftically to appertain to the Stars, Hea
ven and the Elements ; for if there were nothing more
to be underftood by Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Apollo^
Diana, Venus, Saturn, Rhea, and the reft of their Gods,
but what is fabuloufly reported of them by the Po
ets ; we muft conclude the Heathens to be the moft
ridiculous and abfurd of Mortals. But whether it
were from the Inventions of the Priefts, or from
the Tyranny of Princes, who boafted their Proge
nitors, were equal to Gods, or the fervile and bafe
Flattery of the Populace, that the Adoration of
Men obtain'd and crept into the VVorld, I intend
now to Shew.

CH A P.

Chap. XI. /^GENTILE S. 161

CHAP. XL
Concerning the Worfhip of Heroes, either Proper
or Symbolical ; what Gods were called Indigetes*
and who Dii Minorum Gentium.
AFter the Worlhip of the Supream Deity, the
World and its moft excellent Parts which I
have treated of before ; that more inferiour Adora
tion of Heroes amongft the Heathens, offers it Self to
our enquiry. This would not itl the leaft have
Seem'd So ftrange and abSurd, if thofe to whom the
Care of Religious and Sacred Rites were com
mitted had kept themfelves within their due Limits ;
or Humane Authority had not formerly been fo
powerful and prevalent, that it could make Innova
tions in the moft pure Religion.
But what turned to the Profanation of Religion
at that time, was, that even Divine WorShip it
felf, was either Decreed or Performed to fome
Men who had deferv'd well in this Life ; for the
Heathens did not only Mount their Heroes to Hea*
ven, and beftow Immortality upon them, but en-
ter'd their Names amongft their Gods ; Sor the moft
part Worfhipping their Heroes under the Names of
Stars, and the Stars by the Names of Heroes, fo
that their Names Served interchangeably Sor each
other ; nor will it be eafie to determine, whether
thoSe old fabulous Stories are to be applied MyftU
cally to the Stars, or Morally to Men.
The Mufes Favourites have here made fo great
ufe of their Lkentia Poetica, that it is difficult to de
termine, to which they refer ; fo that I make no
queftion but their fcurrilous Ribbaldry may be the
M effe&

162 The RELIGION of
effect of Ignorance and Petulancy. There was no
thing fo obfcene and bafe, or even impious, that
firft the Greek Poets, and • after them the Roman,
would not invent ahd relate, concerning thofe
Men, that not only deferv'd well of their own
Country, but of Mankind in general. I can call
thefe nothing but meer Fictions, which the Poets
have firft handed to us, for there is not one Writer
in Profe as I know of, that ever acknowledg'd any
of them for truth. In the Study of the Ethnick
Theology, we muft therefore difeard the Poets, not
only becaufe by intermixing their fabulous Fictions
with the true Hiftory of the Antient Heroes, they
have render'd the whole Sufpicious, if not alto
gether Improbable, to the moft credulous part of
Mankind, but alfo intermixing their Romantick
Stories with the Myftical Doctrines of the Heaven,
Stars and Elements ( which way of Writing the
Heathens antiently ufed, either to explain or con
ceal their Opinion ,) they have left nothing entire
or perfect, either in Hiftory or Religion it felf.
The Original of thefe Fables, was thus ; There
being many Jupiter s, Mars's, Venus' s, and Bacchus' s,
in feveral Ages, and different Parts of the World ;
and at that time, fome Men advanc'd amongft the
Number of the Gods : Some in favour of their own
Country Deities Ridicule thofe of other, and
they in requital were as free with theirs. Upon
this they fell together by the Ears, the fecret Me
morials of their Gods were compose! of nothing but
Adulteries, and fuch abominable Crimes ; upon
which Building feveral fabulous Relations , the
more Modern Greek and Roman Poets have mahag'd
it fo, that it is impoflible to difcover true Hiftory
from falfe. , To rectifie this, and that Men might
have a more juft Notion of the Gods. Romulus or-

Chap. XI. the GENTILES. 163
der'd a moft Glorious Reformation of Religion to
be made in his time ; according to Dion. Halkarn.
lib. 2. He was of Opinion, that the Fables 'delivered
down to us from our Anciftors, which contained things
Scandalous and Criminal, were ufelefs and indecent, and
fo far from being fit to be fuppofed of the Superiour Deities,
that they were unworthy good Men. He commanded thefe
things to be laid afide, and engaged his Citizens both to
think and fpeak with an awful Reverence concerning the
Gods, fuffering nothing to be Attributed to them unwor
thy of their Bleffed Natures. There are no Romans
that relate the Story of Ccdus'-f being depofed by his
Children ; nor Saturn Fearing and Deftroying his own
Off-fpring, left they jhould draw him into an Ambufcade.
There is nothing of Jupiter's turning his Father Saturn
out of his Kingdom, and fimtting him tip in Hell, nof
any thing cf the of Wars the Gods, their Wounds, being
Captives and Serving- Men. No Cruel or Doleful Fefii-
vals, where the Women are put to Death, to render the'
Gods Propitious by their Cries, and Groans, as the Greeks
Perform in the Rape of Proferpine, and downfal of
Bacchus, and many more of the like nature. Not*
withftanding, the Grecian Fables did obtain amongft
the Romans ; fome of which dame from the Eaft,
nay, even Superftition it felf, which had been
Supportable , had fabulous Greece Attributed no
more to their Heroes that were Deified, than it
did to its Amadifius ; whofe Actions were Virtuous
and Modeft, favouring nothing of the fordid De
baucheries of the Heathen Heroes,.
The manner of this Adoration of Heroes, was"
to fet up their Statues, Adorn'd for the moft part
with Military Ornaments, Wax- Candles^ Lighted
about them, burning Frankincenfe and Cinamon $
then thofe Statues were carried in great State,
and their Noble Achievements Sung in SaUarkn
M z Hjmnif

164 The RELIGION of
¦ » n i i i
Hymns ; Mamurius, Verrarius and Lucia Volumnia, a-
mongft others, were advanced to this Honour, ac
cording to Varro, lib. $* and 8. de L. L. and I do
not find that Worfhip paid to Heroes extended any
faither. Plato, 4. de Leg. fays, that Heroes ought not
to be worfhipped after their Death ; but only to
have their Statues Adorn'd and Honour'd. For
Temples, Altars, and Sacrifices, properly belonged
to Divine Worfhip. Plutarch tells us, the difference
of thefe ways of WorShip ; The Inhabitants ofLamp-
Sacus firfi paid only Honours unto Heroes ; but after
wards Sacrificed to them as Gods. Upon which it
was Decreed, that Bloody Sacrifices Should be of
fer'd to the Gods only.
But if Heroes had not Temples and Altars dedi
cated to them, yet at leaft they had Chapels;
according to Dion. Halicarn. who with Plato dedu
ces them from a middle Nature, betwixt the Gods
and Men, who fometimes Affociated with the Gods,
and fometimes with Men, from whom Sprung a
mixt Race of Heroes. Amongft the Romans, Fabric
cius, Coruncanm, Duilliusi Metellus, LuBatius, Maxi-
mus, Marcellus, Africanus, Paulus, Gracchus, Cato,
Scipio, Lxlius, and many others, were fuch Heroes
as thefe ; tho' without Divine Affiftance, there
had never been any fuch Perfons as they were,
as Cicero fays, lib. 2. de Nat. Deorum. Amongft the
Grecians were Ulyffes, Diomedes, Agamemnon, Achilles,
whom, according to Homer, the Gods accompanied in
their greateft danger, which, implies their Notion
of Divine Grace, accompanying and affifting their
Heroes. Cicero in his 2. lib. de Leg. mentions three
Claffes of Gods, to whom Divine Honour and A-
doration was paid. Firft, thofe that always Inha
bit the Heavens. Secondly, thofe whofe Merit hath
advanc'd them to Heaven. And Thirdly, fuch Di
vinities

Chap. XI. the GENTILES. 165-
vinities by the affiftance of whom Heaven is ac
quired ; which he calls, the Mind, Virtue, Piety
and Faith. But I referve this for another place,
in regard it will very much Illuftrate the Reli
gion of the Antients.
Having already treated of thofe who always In
habit the Heavens, I proceed to the fecond Clafs,
and of thefe alfo, after Death. They were called,
Dii Indigetes, as if they prevail'd upon the Gods, fays
Servius, they were called, Dii Minorum Gentium, by
others ; and Scaligar tells us, that in an old Gkffary,
they were called, Hemitheoi Curetes ; fuch as Hercu
les, Faunus, Carmento, Evander, Caftor, Pollux, tAZ-
fculapius, Acca Laurentia, Quirinus, and others. Fefius
fays, it was impious to invoke, or call upon theSe,
left their certain Number fhould not be fixed, or
Some, out of temerity, fhould be Worfhipped before
others. Thefe and the Lares, and alfo the Deities cal
led Novenfeles, had the Power of us, and our Ene
mies committed to them.
The Indigetes were Regiftred in a Book, which
Voffius calls, Hieratica Biblia, and the Romans, Indi-
gitamenta ; it contain'd the Names of thefe Deities,
and the reafon of thofe Names. Thefe Indigit amenta,
were in the nature of our Calendar or Rubrick ;
and it is very probable, that from thefe Indigita-
menta, the Heroes we formerly mentioned, when
they were Deified, were called Indigetes, rather
than becaufe, being nearer related to Mortal Men,
they had a more efpecial and tender care for
them. The Antient Heathens exempted the Snpream God
from all Care, being infinitely and perfectly hap
py. Cicero de Divin. Quotes a Paffage out of Sopho
cles to this purpofe ; When a very Noble GJd Cup was
fiole out 0/ Hercules'* Temple, he appear d to him in his
M 3 Slap,

j66 The RELIGION of

Sleep, and defcrib'd the Perfon that committed the FaB,
which he did feveral times ; yet Sophocles negleBed it,
but being often admonifhed, he goes up into the Areopa
gus, and relates the Matter ; and the Queftion being put,
the Perfon nominated by Sophocles, confefs'd the FaB,
and re ftor'd the Cup ; from which time it was called the
Temple of Hercules Indicis. There are more fuch
Examples as thefe related there by Cicero. Lucretius
and others, give the Etymologies,, of tbe Indigetes,
concerning which, every one is free to ufe his own
Judgment. I come now to Difcourfe of Hercules, and others,
where it will appear, that the Heathens did not only
attribute Immortality to their Heroes, (for then they
did not in the leaft queftion the Immortality of the
Soul) but Happinefs alfo ; conferring Divinity it
felf on their Famous Men.
HERCULES.
THere were many Hercules's amongft the Anti
ents ; Varro enumerates Forty four. The moft
famous were, Hercules Margufanus , Hercules Ogmius,
who was the Symbol of Eloquence amongft the
Gauls ; Hercules Pollens, Hercules Thebanus, firft cal
led Alcides, Hercules Tyrius, or Egyptian ; and there
were two of them ; the Elder called Melkarthus, or
Efau, the Founder of the City of Tyre ; and the
Younger, who Subdu'd Gcryon, and was Worfhip
ped in Sidon in Spain. The Phoenicians relate the
Same things of their Hercules, as Joflma did in the
Land of Canaan. And I Strongly fufpect from the
killing of the Lion, and other circumftances, that
Sampfon and Hercules were the fame ; but for this,
coniult Voffius de Idololatria, lib. i. who hath Col
lected very much upon this Subject, In

Chap. XI. /fo GENTILES. 167
In Short all Valiant Men went by the Name of
Hetcules ; the moft celebrated was he, that Con
quer 'd So many Tyrants; but the Hercules menti-
on'd by Dion. Hal. lib. 1. was no leSs Remarkable for
his Piety. For whereas the Heathens ufed to offer
up Humane Sacrifices to Saturn, to abolifh this Sa
vage Cuftom, Hercules Founded an Altar on the
Hill of Saturn at Rome, and order'd the Sacrifices
to be burnt with pure Fire ; and whereas they ufed
to tye Men Hand and Foot, and throw them into
the Tiber, to appeafe the Anger of that Deity ; he
made it fuffice, that a Puppet made like them, and
drefs'd in their Cloths, Should be thrown into that
River; which Cuftom, Dion, fays, continued to his
time. Diod Siculus fays, the Tenths were dedicated
to Hercules, and thofe that did fo, were the moft
Fortunate ; Hercules Promising fo before he was
made a God, See Plutarch, Q. Ro. Aurel. ViBor. Ma
crobius, Servius, and others. Flis Sir-names were
Cubam, Defenfor, Magnus, Triumphalis, Silvanus, Vector
Mufarum or Mufagetes. The Titles of Pacificus, In-
viBus, Olivarius, are to be feen on his Medals ;
and under thefe Denominations, many Temples
and Images were Erected to him at Rome, and elfe
where ; for none amongft the Heroes was fo Uni-
verfally Honoured as fome Hercules or other.
F A U N U S.
TFIere were two Kings of the Aborigines, whofe
Names were Faunm ; the firft by fome Chro-
nologers, is faid to live A. M. 15-20. The other,
the Son of Pkus, who firft dedicated Buildings and
Groves to certain Deities ; from whence, according
to Probus, they are called Fana; and from him fome
deduce the Original of the Fauns and Satyrcs : He
M 4 was

168 The RELIGION of
was contemporary with Hercules, who gave him his
Wife ; and after his Death, he ufed to foare Men
with a terrible Voice, and excite Panick Fears in
them, and Fright them with Apparitions, Dion.
Hal. lib. y. So he was tranflated into the Number
of the Indigetes, and facred Honours paid to him,
and his Praife celebrated in Verfe. Here I muft
beg leave to diffent from Voffius ; who fays, that
Faunus was not a King of the Aborigines, for Dion.
Hal: lib. i. is pofitive, that Faunus held the King
dom of the Aborigines, which he received from the
Anceftors ; I fhall not infift on the other Faunus,
who, fome Writers tell us, was King of the Abori
gines, A. M. 2724. in regard the Authority is very
much to be fufpedied. "Faunus and Picus, Deities of
Mount Avfintine, aie reported to have brought Ju
piter down from Heaven by their Charms, to An-
Swer what Queftions they askt him. Ovid. lib. 3,-
Faftorum. Greatjove, their Charms make thee defcend from Heaven,
Hence is the Name Elicius thee given.
Apuleius being Guilty of this Deteftable Art, had
like to have Suffer'd the moft Condign Punifh-
snent.
C A R M E N T A.
CI Armenta was the Daughter of Mercury, and tne
j Mother of Evander ; her Name was Nicofirata,
but fhe was called Carmenta from Carmen, in which
fhe Predicted things to come ; others rather derive
Carmen from Carmenta ; fhe was efteemed a Prophe-
tefs, and Plutarch calls her Carmenta, carens mens, not
appearing like one fo her right Mind, but in a Rage, when

Chap. XL risGfiNTlLES. 169
 1  _  .  t
when She deliver'd her Predictions. She was Reli-
gioufly Worshipped by the Romans, eSpecially the
Matrons, and had Altars dedicated to her at the
Carmental-Gate, under the Capitol, where they Sa
crificed to her. She had alSo a Temple in the
Eighth Quarter of the City, and Heroick Honours
Decreed her,
E V A N D E R.
EVander Was the Son of Carmenta and Mercury, a-
bout the time when Hercules came into Italy ;
he exceeded Areas the King of the Aborigines, for
Power and Authority ; befides many ingenious In
ventions found out by him, as Mufical Inftruments,
the Harp, the Triangle, Sports, he alfo Invented the
Greek Letters, and eftablifhed Laws ; and for his in
comparable Learning, and excellent Wifdom ; had
not only the Honour due to Heroes paid him, but
Sacrifices were offered to him every Year, Dion.
Hal. lib. 11.
CASTOR and ? OLLU X.
CABor and Pollux, were called Diofcuri, or the^
Sons or Children of Jupiter, and Brothers of
Helen ; it is reported, that they were often feen
Affifting the Romans in their Battels, Fighting, on
Horfe-back ; being of the Number of the Semi-
Deities ( as Dion. Hal. lib. 7. fays ) and defcended
from a Parent God, they were fuppos'd to be transla
ted into Gods, Temples built, and facred Rites per-
fbrm'd to them, a Fountain dedicated, and Annual
Sports decreed to their Honour, and a moft Noble
and Pompous Horfe-Parade on the Ides of July,
being the Day whereon the Romans are faid to
have

170 The RELIGION of
„ 1  ¦¦"-'¦ U'WI ¦ ¦¦¦¦¦¦¦¦ I ¦ I II 'I— — ¦ ¦ MM  mi m — ¦—.¦¦¦..
have obtain'd a Victory by their afliftance, X>«».
Hal. lib. 6.
M S C U L AV I U S.
Cicero, de Natu. Deor. mentions three tAZfculapius's,
the firft Son of Apollo, the fecond the Father of
Mercury ; the third Son of Archippus and Arfinoe.
The were all Eminent Phyfitians, but efpecially
the Son of Apollo. The Romans brought him, or
rather a Serpent that the Greeks worfhipped for
him, from his Temple in Epidaurus, and put him
into a Temple Built for him in the ISland ofTyber ;
where the Difeafed ufed to lie all Night, expecting
to recover their Health by it. He being firft re
ceived at Epidaurus amongft the Gods, called Indigetes,
was afterwards WoJfhipped in Greece, Carthage and
Rome, and had all the Honours due to Heroes paid
him.
ACCA LAURENT I A.
ACca Laurentia, or Larentia, the Wife of Fau-
ftulus , who being very Beautiful , grew
vaftly Rich, by Proftituting her Body ; She was
Nurfe to Romulus and Remus, who were faid to have
fuck'd aWolf, becauSe they Suck'd Lupa, or a Whore ;
Srom whence their places of Refort are called, Lupa-
naria. Leaving the People of Rome all her Wealth,
they thought She deferv'd Pubiick Sacrifices Should-
be offer'd unto her, and a Day kept in Honour of
her ; her Feftivals called Laurentalia , were efta-
blifhed by Romulus himSelf, not only becaufe She
was his Nurfe, but after he had Kill'd his Brother
Remus, and was going to lay violent Hands up-
pn himfelf, by her Prudent Advice, fhe preven ted

Chap. XI. the GENTILES. 171
ted it, and raifed up his drooping Spirits, Dion.
Hal. lib. 1.
(IU I R I N U S.
I Shall conclude with Quirinus ( tho' according to
Dion. Halicam. the Heroes were almoft innumer
able ) fome derive Quirinus from the Sabine word
Cuis, which fignifies a Spear ; or from the Genius
of the Place, fo called, who, in the time of the
Aborigines, when a young Girl Dancing in the
Temple of Engolus, Seeming to be in a facred Rap
ture, threw himfelf into the Chancel of the God, he
enjoyed her, and had a Heroe by her, Dion. Halicam.
lib. 1.
When Romulus by his Genius was introduc'd into
the Society of the Gods, he commanded the Romans
to call him Quirinus, uttering thofe words, I am
Quirinus ; COhfult Plutarch. But Quirinus without
all doubt, was Rdmulus, tho' it is fometimes the
Name of Mars alfo, and fignifies Brave and Valiant
Men, in general ; yet the Romans were from thence
called Quirites, more efpecially the Soldiers. Varro
fays, a Shrine was appointed for Romulus, or Quiri
nus, in the Quirinal Tomb. Dion. Hal. writes, that
Tatius Confecrated a Temple and Altar to Quiri
nus. So much concerning the Indigetes, whom Ci
cero hath particularly named, according to the or
der of Time.
Now tho' fome few of them had Adoration paid,
them beyond the Honours that were generally ac
knowledged to be due to Heroes, yet, that was ei
ther the effect of Flattery, or the Superftition of
the Times; for the Worfhip properly belonging to
Heroes, was not of fo large an extent ; for both of
thefe confult Juftin. lib. 12. and Plutarch in Alexand, For

172 The RELIGION of
For when Alexander for a long time had Lamen
ted the Death of his Dear Epheftion, and erected a
Tomb for him that coft 12000 Talents, and com
manded him to be Worfhipped as a God, info-
much, that it was held moft facred to fwear by
his Name at that time ; but becaufe he would not
depend upon his own Authority, he fent to the
Oracle of Ammon to know whether it were lawful
to place him amongft -the Number of the Gods.
The Oracle commanded that Epheftion Should be Ho
noured, and Reverenced, and Sacrificed to, as an
Heroe ; where it is evident, that the Oracle did
clearly diftinguifh, tho' in Procefs of time, as Su
perftition made Encroachments, the Heathens increa
sed the Adorations they paid to their Heroes. The
Solemnity of the ceremonial Rites, the Antiquity
of the Story, and the Craftinefs of the Priefts, whofe
whole defign it was to bring the People to be en
tirely at their Devoir ; in all Religions hath a migh
ty influence on Men prone to Crudelity. Thus as
their Authority increafed ; the Honours that were
paid to Heroes at firft, fprung up into a Religi
ous Worfhip, as I hinted concerning Lampfacus be
fore, out of Plutarch.
Another occafion of this Error may be, that
the Heathens believing the Supream God, commit
ted the Care of particulars to thefe Heroes, and
being always inclin'd to Superftition, paid them
Honours, to render them propitious the fooner.
There were many more Indigetes in the time of the
Commonwealth of Rome ; but I proceed to their
Cafars.

Toe

Chap. XI. the GENTILES. 173

The C J£ S A R S.
JUlius Cafar, after his Death, was Confecrated
by Auguftus, of whom Manilius.
He s now a God, and does Adorn the Skie ;
With Radiant Beams, of Princely Majefty.
He had the Title of Divus given him, Strabo lib. 4,
Diod. Siculus. lib. I. Tzetz. lib. 1. Hift. 68. Pliny in
his Panegyricks, fays of Auguftus, Tiberius Placd him
in Heaven, but it was to introduce the Deity of Ma
jefty ; and Tacitus Annal. 1. The ceremonies of the
Funeral being over, Temples and Honours were ,Decre'e$
him. Numerius Atticus affirm'd, that he Saw Au
guftus entering into Heaven ; for which Livia gave
him ten Seftertii, as Dio has it.
Pliny fay, Claudius was Peified by Nero,, but that
was in Derifion ; Veffafian by Titus, and Titus by
Domitian ; and this was done, that the one might
have a God for his Father, and the other for his
Brother ; and afterwards fays, Thou haft exalted thy
Father Nerva amongft the Stars. Thefe Honours
were not only paid to Emperours, by their Succef-
fors, but fometimes by the fuffrage of the Senate.
Jul. Capitolinus fays of Antoninus Pius, He was Voted
Divus with Univerfal approbation, every one being for
his admiffion of M. Antoninus Philofophus. Then
the. Senate thank'dhimfor Confecrating his Brother. So
of ns£lius Helvius Pertinax. Pertinax was placed a-
mongft the Gods, by the Senate and People. 'Herodian
gives an account of the Apotheofis of the Roman Em
perours, and how the Romans Deified them. Where,
after the Celebration of the facred ceremonies, ac
cording to Cuftom, an Image of Wax, reprefenting the

174 The RELIGION of
the Emperour, made in a pofture of Repofe, is put
on an Ivory Bed, fet in the Porch of the Royal Pa
lace, Cover'd and Adorn'd with Furniture of Cloth
of Gold. The Senate alfo Clothed in Black, and
the Matrons in White , vifit it for feven Days
Succefively ; the Phyfitian Standing by the Bed-fide,
and looking on it, as it were a Sick Perfon, faying
every now and then, he grows worfe and worfe.
Then upon the Day on which he is fuppofed to
Die, the Young Men of the Scnatorian and Equeftri-
an Order, take the Bed upon their Shoulders, and
carry it thro' the Via Sacra to the Old Market, where
the Roman Magistrates ufed to lay down their Go
vernment. Hymns and Paans are Sung in Praife of
the Deceafed, by a Chorus of the Patrician Boys, and
Women of the beft Quality ; then he is carried into
the Field of Mars, where a Quadrangular Stage was
Built of Wood, being erected, and filled withCOm-
buftible Matter, riling very High to a Point ; he is
Difrob'd of all thofe Rich VeStments : Ivory Images
and Pictures ; and whilft a great quantity of Per
fumes and Odours are putting together, the Men
of the Equeftrian Order, Dance round in Armour ;
Chariots being driven round the Pile. After this,
the next Succeffor to the Empire takes a Lighted
Torch in his Hand, and fets Fire to the Palace in
which the Bed was put ; the Spectators at the fame
time eaft Fire on it, till the whole Machine is in
a Flame, and confirmed with a moft fragrant O-
dour. After that the Eagle is let loofe, which as
it is believed, carries the Emperour s Soul to Hea
ven ; and then he is Worfhipped with the other
Deities, for the Heathens thought they had a right
to Vote in Heaven it felf ( being Fellow-Citi
zens of the fame World ) and that the Gods would
not deny thofe Admiffion amongft them, whom they

Chap. XI. the G E N T I L E S. 17 j
they had unanimoufly judged worthy of that Ho
nour. Nor will this in the leaft feem ftrange, when
we confider, that thoSe Gods whom they general
ly efteem'd moft Benign, and ready to anSwer
their Prayers, were Men that they themSelves had
formerly Deified ; yet ftill they paid the utmoft
Adoration to the Supream God, as the Author of all
happinefs ; whom they efteem'd happy, becaufe
tho' all things were Govern 'd by him, with fo much
Juftice and Prudence, before there was any establi
shed Order, now he had exempted himfelf from the
care of particulars, unlefs as far as they are contain'd
in the general Syltem of the World, and the Eternal
Laws. But more of this afterwards.
This Cuftom of Confecrating Emperour s, was not
quite abolifhed in the time of Conftantine the Great;
as may be feen by an Antient Medal ; on which,
his Soul Cover'd with Linen, and all the reft Na
ked, is carried to Heaven in a Chariot, and his
Arm being ftretch'd out, is receiv'd by another
from Heaven, and under it CONS, that is Confecra-
tion : Perhaps his Succeffors thought it very incon
gruous, that thofe Honours or Rewards fhould not
be paid to a Chrifiian Emperour ; which were con-
ferr'd on the Heathens , and fome of the worft of
Empenurs. The difference only was, that it was
believ'd, that the Eagle carried the Heathen Emperour s
to Heaven ; and Conftantine was carried in a Chariot,
but could not have admittance into Heaven, but by
the affiftance of an extended Arm, which Signifies
the Grace of God.
Famous Women alfo, had Divine Honours paid
them. Livia, the Wife of Auguftus Cafar was at
laft Confecrated , by her Grand Son Claudius ,
tho' not by her Son Tiberius ; with an additional Honour,

176 The RELIGION of
Honour, that the Women fhould fwear by her.
She was Confecrated in the Habit of Juno ; that
Juno might be Worfhipped in her, and whatfoever
was myftically underftood by Juno amongft them.
Thus Prudent ius,
New Rites come in, and Livia Juno made.
This Infcription is in the Capitol, concerning Fauft.U
na, the Wife of Antoninus the Philofopher, We,
Congratulate Fauftina Deified by the Senate. Cajus
Caligula commanded, that his Sifter Drufilla Should
have Divine Honours paid her in all the Cities ;
and there was one Livius Geminius of the Senatorian
Order, who Swore that he Saw her AScending into
Heaven, and Converfing with the Gods, and impre
cated Destruction on him and his Family, if what
he faid was falfe, calling the Gods to witnefs, and
amongft the reft, Drufilla her felf. So, that befides
Numerius Atticus, whom I mention'd before ; arid
Julius Proculus, who affim'd he Saw Romulus moun
ting up to Heaven : Here was a third, who durft
aver things very improbable, with moft direful Im
precations ,- but for this, he deferv'd or receiv'd ten
Seftertii. Dion, fays, that Drufilla, in the Habit of
Venus, was Confecrated by the Name of Panthea ;
for this JuB. Lipfius brings an Antient Infcription.
Veneri Cclefi* Auguft* Sac. Mummia C. P. Dorcas, S.
P.F.C.Mafa the Wife of Severus C*far, and Grand
mother of two Emperours was alfo Deified.
Some Men likewife were Ranked amongft the
Gods, that were of an Auguft Family, tho' they ne
ver po'ffeffed the Title. Thus Geta, Severus's Son,
of whom his Brother Boffianus faid, Divus fit dum-
modo not fit Vivus. Antinous, the Darling of the
Emperour, Adrian, had Divine Honours paid him
after

Chap. XT. the GENTI.LF :v 177
¦ n 1 ¦¦-¦.-¦— — .11 ¦j^.n^i i.imiw — mmmm mm 1 . mmmmmmmmmmmmmm  ¦
after his Death, and an Oracle let up, 01 which
Spartianm relates wonderful things. Let this fuffice
for the Worihip paid to the feveral Roman Heroes
and Emperours.
Of the Worfhip paid ly the Greeks to their
Heroes.
THo' the Greeks advanced their Heroes into the
number of the Go ds, yet they acknowledged a
moft Good and .Great God, far Superiour to them, who
is unanimoufly Worfhipped by all Nations ; and
to whom they were only fubfervient. They called
thofe DU, or Numina (Gods or Deities) whom they
thought the Supream God had plac'd to prefide over
the World ; or that after this Life, were admitted
into the Celeftial Society. Of this laft fort were the
Heroes, who had deferved well of their own Coun
try, or Mankind in peneral, whom they efteemed
wPrthy- of Immortality, and a more Bleffed Life.
Whenever therefore, fuch Troops of Deities oc
cur in Greek Authors, it is to be underftood, that
the Stars, Heaven, and Elements are Myftically un
derftood by them ; or that they were Men, that the
general Suffrage of Mankind had advanced to Hea
ven. ' Tho' it were a very prefiimptious and daring
thing to pretend to dive into the Occult Secrets of
the Supream God, yet it contributed very much,
both to excite and eftablifli Virtue. I know the
Fathers of the Church bitterly inveigh againft the
Heathens, for Worfhipping Deified Men ; but here
they impofe upon their Readers, becaufe they took
the Word God in another fenfe than the Heathens
meant it, as I fhewed before ; and I am of Opini
on, that a Deified Man, Signified no more amongft
the Heathens, than Macarites, or a Saint doth with
N the

178 The RELIGION of
the Fathers of the Church ; unlefs they are faid to
enjoy a more apftracted and Spiritual Felicity ( as
they call it ) and the other a more GroSs and Cor
poreal ; which, tho' it is a Stupid opinion, and
much unworthy a Pious Soul ; yet it doth not
only obtain amongft the Mahometans, and moft
of the Indians at this time, but was a more An
tient and Univerfal Doctrine, than is generally
fuppofed. The Opinions of the Antient Pythagoreans about
the Transmigration of Souls into new Bodies, al
lude to this ; So doth the Myftical Divinity of the
Antient Poets , and that of the Brachmans and
Bongi in the EaB-Indies, concerning the future
State of Souls ; and according to their Opinion,
thofe that have behaved themfelves well in this
Life, are Clothed with more Glorious Bodies,
enjoy Pleafures and Delights, far Superiour to
ours ,- but on the contrary, their Souls are Tranf-
migrated intoBeafts. There is a place of the Learn
ed Heinfius, in his Annotations on Abraham and
Lazarus in the New Teftament, where he Learnedly
difcuffes many things on this Subject.
What I have already faid, will be fufficient to
prove it was the Opinion of the Antients, that the
Gods had Bodies ; left the Humane Soul feparated
from this Body, Should lofe its Plaftick Power, and.
being destitute of its moft dear Aflbciate; be idle and
fpend Ages in meer Contemplations ; being totally
incapable of performing its former Operations ;
and could not now, even fo much as attempt a
great many very good and ufeful things, which it
ufed to do, by the afliftance of the Body : for it
was a queftion amongft them, whether the Soul
was4 more perfect: in its own Nature, or by the
Ministration of Corporeity, which made them attri bute

Chap. XI. the GENTILES. 179
bute Bodies to their Gods, becaufe neither the Soul
without the Body, nor the Body without the SouL
were able to perform their proper Functions* I
own, that moft abominable things are related of
the Heathen Gods ; but they were either Poetical
Fictions/ invented to expofe the Gods of Some other
Country, or elfe Were fuppofed to be committed
by them whilft they lived here; and, if after theV
had obtain'd Immortality, they were amorous, ana
exceeded the bounds of Chafiity ; they not
only held, that all things were lawful for the Gods$
but by that means they got Heroes, who far exceed
ed our weak and frail Natures, and came into th0
World for fome good and great end ; and being
made Men at firft, at laft became Gods themSelves*
Such Arguments as theSe, the Priefts at that time"
offer'd in Vindication of their LaScivious Deitiei $
fome whereof may pafs as pleafant Excufes, yet
others are fo abfurd and ridiculous, that not only
difcover the Frailties of the Gods, but feern defign^
ed to cover and conceal the Libidinous WickedneSs
of Mem
I fhall add fome few things more that may PoiK
duce to the better underftanding of the Theology of
the Antients, Cicero lib. 3. de N. D. fays, They have
now in Greece, mapyGods that were Men; Alabandas
of Alabandus, Tenes of Tenedos, Leucothoe, whd
was formerly Ino, and her Son Palamion ; all Greece
has an Hercules, jEfculapius and the Tyndarides*
Whence it is evident, that thofe Heroes or Gods were
Worfhipped in fome Cities or Provinces which the'
Neighbouring Nations were Strangers tOi There5
were alSo others Deified. by the UniverSal content
of the People, Cicero lib. j.i de N. D. tells us whd
thofe were ; Perfeus, a Difeiple of Zeno, faid, tbofi
Were accounted Gods, who had invented things that were
N a- #W£'

180 The RELIGION of
very advantagious and beneficial to Humane Life ; and
Maximus Tyrius Differ. 38.
The Greeks alfo Sacrificed to good Men, the Me
mory of whofe Virtues they Celebrated. TheGreeks
were Prior to the Romans in this fort of Worfhip,
and the Egyptians to them, in whofe Shop this Re
ligious' Adoration of Men was firft Forged : Their
Ifis and Ofiris were nothing better, before they Dei
fied them, and called the Stars by their Names ;
for which Reafon I muft diffent from Saluft, who
fays, The Inhabitants of Crete firft invented Religion ;
for Religion neither Sprung Srom the Jupiter of Crete,
or from any other Ifland in the whole World ;
for if by the word Religion is meant the Internal
Adoration of the Supream God, by Virtue and Pie
ty, that could not have its Original from Crete, for
it is Written in the Hearts of Men : And again, if
by it is underftood External Rites and Ceremonies,
and the manner of Worshipping thefe Factitious
Deities, and the Sacerdotal Inventions, which in
deed is the genuine SenSe of the Word, neither
did that come from Crete ; for I have Sufficiently
proved, that theSe Parts of Religion came from
Egypt and Greece. I fhall now proceed after Voffius,
who hath taken great pains in collecting them, and
.fays Something briefly concerning Some other Dei
fied Men, Such as were the Balacides in Sicily, and
perhaps M.-rcellus, for mention is made of the
Marcelleis, in Honour of him. Caftor and Pullux,
called the Tyndarides, were in the Pelopomiefias, and af
terwards over all Greece and other Nations, but not
they only, as in Cicero lib. 3. de N. D. likewife Ana-
kes, but whether Anac, sALnac, or the Anakim of
the Hebrews have any relation to them ( in regard
the Original of the Word is entirely Greek ) I Shall
not determine. The

Chap. XL ^GENTILES. 181
.1 -l.iH -1— II - »¦  .—  '  ... 'f. -Hi MM' ¦ HI— . . mmf HI. id -TJJ.i-p— —I ,., „
The Lacedemonians had an Heroe called Hyacinthus*
whofe Rites were celebrated at the Feftivals o*
Apollo, or rather ^/>o//o was Worfhipped under his
Name ; at which time they went in Proceffion
with Ivy Garlands, after the Cuftom of Bacchus.
Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Helena were Worfhipped,
and She and her Husband had Divine Honours paid
them. Ifocrates, Encom. Helen ; Not as unto Heroes, but
unto Gods ; which alfo makes the distinction between
the Worlhip of Heroes and Gods, very evident. The
Spartans Dedicated a Temple to Lycurgus, as we
have it in Plutarch, Leonidas and Barfidas, had the
fame Honours paid them. The Meffcnians paid Di
vine WorShip to Polycaon the Son of Leleges, and to
Glaucus and others ; yet the Parent alia were only
perform'd to Euritus ; which in my Opinion is the
third and laft Degree of Honour paid to Men after
this Life ; yet Cicero fays, they were often mixt
with Supplications. The Arcadians accounted Areas
and Califto amongft the Stars, and decreed Anfteus
Divine Honours, becaufe he taught them how to
manage and preferve Bees, as Servius fays. The
Citizens of Mantinea in Arcadia, instituted Annual
Rites and Quinquennial Sports, to be perform'd in
Honour of Antinous before-mentioned ; Divine Ho
nours were paid to Anius or Elius, Founder of the
City ofElis. Per feus was made aConftellation by the
Argives, andAdor'dfor a Deity. Lynceus and Hyper-
mneftra had a. Shrine built them, and a Temple was
erected at Epidaurus, for s£fculapius, but without the
City, as in Ambracia and Rome'; perhaps judging it
ominous, to bring a Phyfitian God into the Cjty it
felf, left he Should increafe the Number of the
Sick, to have more frequent opportunities of in-.
creafing his Glory. Thefe are the molt remarkable
&hat had Divine Honours paid them in «hofe CounT
tries, N 3 I Shalf

rf% The RELIGION of
jj.ijiiiii i, , { ., 11 j j, ,' - ii.ii»". ii j . , i"." i' M, ~i
I Shall add fome few more, that obtain'd, either
piyine Honours, or thofe paid to Heroes, or Wor-
fjjip ; for I diftinguifh between them and thofe to
wjjpm the Qulfus or Worfhip Divine was paid by the
Heathens. Amfhilocbus, a Prophet of Acarnania,
Whofe Oracle was Celebrated in sAStolia, according
So Ar*ffi^es in his Afetyuides, in the Attick or Boe'tick.
Qrepus, and in Athens it felf; where alfo Cecrops,
Who is faid to be changed into the Sign Aquarius,
and his Daughters were Worfhipped. Ceneus, and
Tpptolemus the Inventor of the Plough : AmphiBy-
pn, who was made a Conftellation, and called,
Heniochus, or Auriga, from the Invention of the Cha
riot ; Icarius being inftructed in the Art of making
Wjnej by Bacchus ; and Erigone tranflated into the
f«gn Virgo, for her extraordinary Piety to her Fa
ther, tho* others fay, it was in Honour pf another
Erigone. EryBheus, and his Daughters, for their Loy
alty to their Country. P'erdix, zAzacus, Alcmena, An-
ffrogeus, and- Thefeus, who had many Shrines in A-
fbens, alfo Connidas his School-Mafter, and Hercules
who was his Companion, and Hebe who was given
{urn in Marriage ; lolaus, Meneftheus, and Codrus,.
who devoting himfelf to the Service of his Country,
defervedly acquir'd a place amongft the Heroes ; Po-
ly*nus, lib. i. St. Aug. lib. 18. de Civ. Dei, fays, that
Sacrifices were offer'd unto him. Some Achieved
pjvine, or the Honour due to Heroes under the Ar-
cbontes, Toxaris the Scythian, and Penops the Attick
Hem, who had a Shrine Statue and Fountain, as
Hefychius Says. There is a Shrine of Amphiaraus, whom
pie Inhabitants of Oropius in Baotia, firft Deified.
Neoptolemm was Worfhipped by the Adelphians : The
jfeatotians had other Deities ; as Ino, and Melicerta, and
gentiles the Theban, Tbefeus's Friend, whom Homer de-
fcribes, in whofe, Honour a Feftival and Sports wer§

Chap. XI. the G E N T I L E S. 183
inftituted. Here alfo Trephonius, famous for a Cave,
Democrates, Cyclaus, and Leucus, were Worfhipped.
Peleus and Chiron, in Theffalp u£neas in Macedonial
AriBotle amongft the Stagyrkes, whofe festival, Am-
monius in his Life mentions, unlefs it fhould be Phi*-
hponus. Voffius is of Opinion, that Divine Honours
were paid to Ariftotle. Philip and Alexander the
Great, were Worfhipped in Macedonia : Jufiin. lib.
24. writes doubtfully concerning this Matter. Mil-
tiades was Worfhipped by the Inhabitants of Cherfo,
and Achilles in Leuce, where he has a Temple, fa-
. mous for its Anathema s. The Thafians Ador'd Thea-
ginas the Wreftler : It is not determined, whether
the Lesbians Worfhipped the Nine Mufes, or My fa,
that was Educated according to their direction.-
AriBaus was Honoured at Chios, and Drimacus the
Commander of Fugitives. The Samians had Lyfan-
der in Veneration ; the People of Tenedos, Calliftago-
ras ; the Naxians, Ariadne ; the Inhabitants of Sala-
mine, paid Divine Honours to their Fellow-Citizen
Ajax, the Son of Telamon j iAiacus had the fame in.
Eginum ; Homer was Worfhipped in one of the Cy-
clades called Ios, which makes Varro of Opinion,
that it was his Country ; In ABypalaa, they Wor-
fhip'd Cleomedes the WreBler ; the Cretans, Europa
her Brother Cadmus, alfo idomeneus and Molone, Mi-
nos's Grand-Children, paying them Divine-Honours
by Sacrifices, and invoking them in time of War ;
alfo Epimenides and Tbeognetes the Champion, AU
whoSe Lives and Actions I could wiih were delive
red down to us ; for they cannot be judg'd unwor
thy of Hiftory, whom the Antients thought worthy
of Divine orHeroical Honours. ¦Voffius hath col
lected fomewhat in this nature, but not fufficient to
difplay their Virtues, which are conceal'd by the
injury of Time. So much for the Indigetes and. o-
N, 4 ther?,

i&4 The RELIGION of
thers, whom the Heathens generally call'd, Dii Mi-
norum Gentium.

CHAP. XII.
'Cpnterniffg the Worfhip of the Gods, called
Confentes & Dii Majorum Gentium".
THE Gods were fo numerous amongft the Hea
thens, that not only every Region and Pror
vince, but every Ifland and almoft little River, had
their own Country Deities, left they fhould feem to
be out-done by their Neighbours ; So that at laft they
Began to dispute about Priority of WorShip.
To end this difpute, it was concluded by the Ro
mans and others, that fome fhould be eftabliSh'd, as
Dii Majorum Gentium, much Superiour in Power arid
Dignity to the Dii Minorum Gentium, who were
called, Heroes, Semidei, and Semones. Planciades fays,
There were fome that the Antients did not judge worthy of
Heaven, on account of their flender merit, nor would they
determine them to the Earth, in Veneration to their Vir
tues ; therefore they called them Semones, Semi- homi
nes, Half-Men, fomething different from the Semi
dei. Varro divides them into two Claffes ; fome he
Calls Dii Certi, others Incerti : He accounts thofe
Certi to whom the Romans had erected Publick Edi
fices, or Temples, and had Adorn'd them with a
great many Images. The Incerti, were thofe of
whom no juft Reafon can be rendered who they
were : Cicero ( as we mention'd before ) divided
them otherwife ; thofe who always Inhabited Hea-
¦ven, were called, Dii Majorum Gentium ; fuch whofe
merits had advanced them thither, who WW called,
Semh

Chap.XH. *k GENTILES. i8y
Semi-dei, and Indigetes ; and a third, of thofe by whofe
affifiance, Men have admittance into Heaven ; as
the Mind, Virtue, Piety, Faith, Hope, of each of
which in their Place ; in regard it will tend very
much to elucidate the Ethnick Theology, who thofe
Dii Majorum Gentium were, who more particularly
were called Confentes, being allowed by common
confent ; we have in JLnnius,
Juno, Vefia, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus, Mars,
' Mercury, Jupiter, Neptune, Vulcan, Apollo.
To thefe twelve (fix Males, and as many Females)
fome add eight more, ( Janus, Saturn, Onus, Bacchus,
were the Principal amongft them) and fo made the
Number twenty ; their Names afe, Janus, Jupiter,
Saturn, Genius, Mercury, Appollo, Mars, Vulcan, Nep
tune, the Sun, Orcus, Bacchus the Father, the Earth,
Ceres, Juno, the Moon, Diana, Minerva, Venus, VeBa $
twelve Males, and eight Females.
The Dii Confentes, were accounted of Jupiter's
Privy Council, when any Grand Affairs were De
bated ; they alfo had Golden Statues fet up in the
Forum. The reft of the Dii Majorum Gentium, were
the Nobility of the Celeftial Kingdom. Thofe called
Minorum Gentium, were inferiour to thefe ; amongft
whom were the Indigetes. There was alfo a Plebs,
or Commonalty amongft the Gods; fo the Poet, Vos
quoque Plebs Superum, &c. of which in its Place.
I have Spoken of moft of thefe Gods before, yet I
Shall add fomething here, the better to explain their
Myftical Theology ; but So that their Hiftory, or ra
ther Fables feem drefs'd up by the Poets or Priefts ;
nay, perhaps by their old Women, and told to
their young Grand-Children ; tho' there is fome
Truth intermixt with thefe Fictions ; but it is al
moft

186 The RELIGION of
_l.ii iii — ii.ii. IPWiliunni  bil. in. !¦ lli. i  II m^m^^m wmmmmmmm i urn
moft imy-thbie to difcover it, amongft So many
dark and inconfiftent Stories. I hope therefore my
Reader will befatisfied, if I endeavour to collect
what Remains there are, in the beft of Authors con
cerning the Gods before-mention'd.
The Dii Confentes, or SeleBi, were fuch as the
Heathens, for their great Merits, had advanc'd in
to the Number of the Gods, and had feveral Degrees
of Adoration paid them, fo that they put up Prayers,
and made Vows unto them. The Heathens did not
only believe, that Men in this Life ( as Kings and
Magistrates ) prefide over others, by the appoint
ment 6f the Supream God ; but that Heroes, when
they obtain'd Heaven, had the Charge committed to
them, to Manage and Direct all Humane Affairs ;
the Supream God permitting it to be fo, to free him
felf from Care and Trouble ; and that it was fuffici-
ent for him to have eftablifh'd Laws, and a certain
Order of things from the Beginning, by which they
Ihould be Govern'd in all Ages, and to leave the
Adminift ration and Management of them to thefe
Heroes, who were Punifh'd and Rewarded by thofe
Laws ( as we Mortals are ) as occafion requires.
This was neceffary, left they Should be Idle and
Lazy in Heaven it -Self, and regardleSs of Humane
Affairs; ftill the Management of all, was ultimately
refolv'd into the Supream God ; tho' from the Princi
ples of this Theology, the Heathens might transfer the
Worfhip of the Supream God, that Was fo Univerfal-
ly acknowledg'd, to Inferiour Deities ; their Priefts
Studying only to amufe the Minds of the People
with Strange and uncertain Stories, which accor
ding to their Explication were full of Myfteries,
and contain'd many things above the apprehenfion
of the Vulgar ; all which they boaftingly pretended
were confirm'd by the Oracle of that Hod, whofe
Priefts

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 187
¦— ¦ ¦ . t "¦¦ "  '¦' '  l-  »¦'¦«¦! 1 IM< 1 mi II. Ill ¦> I ,„
Priefts they were ; but more of this in its proper
Place.
SATURN.
SAturn was the moft Antient * of all the Hea
then Gods ; for, tho Janus is efteem'd the God of
Gods; it is to be underftood Myftically, Signify
ing all Time, both Pall and PreSent. That plen
tiful Race of Gods, which TertuUian calls the Sow of
Divinity, is faid to proceed from Saturn and Ops : It
is not evident from the Antients, whether his Name
or Sir-name was Saturn ; but it is very probable, as
Jupiter by the Name of Pater Juvans, was a com
mon Name to very many ; fo Saturn, whofe Name,
according to Jofeph Scaliger, fignifies Abfconding, may
be applicable to feveral Men ; for thofe Deities,
who were Converfant on Earth, proceeded from
fome God that lay conceal'd.
This feems to be confirmed by the great number
of Jupiters and Saturns amongft them. Th? Book
De zAEquivocis , of whom Xenophon is fuppos'd the Au
thor, Says, that The Saturns were the firft cf the Fami
lies of Kings and Noblemen who built Cities. Voffius is of
opinion Saturn was Adam ; another Noah, and that
Abraham was worshipped under that Name. Cbri-
ftophorus d Caftro Says, Moloch was the Same with Sa
turn; thence Sanchoniathon in Eufeb. reprefents him.
with two Faces'; and if Saturn was Noah, then he
muft alSo by Some be - efteemed Janus; and from
hence it is moft probable that he had two Faces!
Virgil gives us a very excellent account who Saturn
Was, from the Opinion of the Antients.
Saturn defeendsfrom his Olympian Throne,
T' avoid the Fury of his enrag'd Son.
1 Man^

The RELIGION of

Mankind till then differs 'd on Mountains high,
i By Laws he brought to love Society ;
Calling tbe Country Latium, 'caufe He,
Abfconded there in great Security ;
The Golden Age was in his Government,
When Men enjoy d Peace, Plenty and Content.
Saturn Was reprefented holding a Scyckle in his hand ;
either to reap with, or becaufe he was the Inventor
of Agriculture and the ufeof Dung; or elfe from his
Myftical Name Chronus, (Time) which like a Scyckle
cuts down all things living. Scarce aGrammarian but
hath ingeniously expounded the Fable of Saturn de
vouring his Children. Of thefe Jupiter, Juno, Neptune
and Pluto ftill remained, to whom (as lfhewed before)
Mythologifts give the Superintendency over the Four
Elements. For the Antient Poets (and that not ab-
furdly ) held that Saturn had Power and Jurifdidtion
over things compounded of the Four Elements; but
could not abolilh or deftroy the Elements them
felves. The Antients paid a very profound Adoration to
Saturn, particularly the Carthaginians and Gauls, and
many other Weftern Nations, and thought to ren
der him propitious by Humane Sacrifices; as we
have it in Dion, Hal. lib. a who farther fays, Hercules
abolifhed this Cuftom, and built an Altar on the Hill
of Saturn, where holy Saprifioes were burnt by pure
Fires. Thofe Sacrifices by the Greeks called Thymata
Hdgia and Thymata, as the Scholiaft on Thucydides has
it, were things made by Bakers in the Shape of Ani
mals, which were offered up to the Gods. Dion. Ha-
licarnajfeus calls thefe things Images like Men. Ovid, de
Fafti lib. 5. tells us of fuch things made of Straw and
Ruihes; They

Chap. XII. the G E N T I LE S. 1 89
They Strawy Nobles in the Water throw.
And a little after :
A Rufhy Image Tyber does receive.
This was performed off the Bridge by a Virgin (faith
the fame Author) perhaps in the ftead of Men above
Sixty, who were called Depontani. Ofcilla, were fmall
Images offered to Saturn. Italy abounded every
where with his Shrines, and Some Cities, Rocks, and
Tombs were called by his Name, as appears by Dion.
Hal. lib. 1. Tatius built a Temple to Saturn ; he alfo,
Says A. Sempronius Atratinus and M. Minutius, dedi
cated a Temple to Saturn,and instituted publick Feafts
and Sacrifices every Year, in honour of him. Ma
crobius tells us, Tullus Hoftilius in purfuance of a Vow
Confecrated a Shrine to Saturn, and then the Satur
nalia were firft instituted in Rome. Saturns Temple
was on the Capitoline Hill ; and P. Valerius Publkola
made either that or another the Publick TreaSury,b&-
cauSe there were ho Thefts committed in his time.'
All Ambaffadors that came to Rome from any place,
went thither ; all Records of Contracts, and what
ever Parents promifed when they took up A Cu*m gm
their Children; and the Names of all the mongfttbe'Ro-
Citizens of Rome were written down, ™ans.
and preferved here in the Elephantine Books. Sueto
nius mentions Two Temples built by Munacius Plan-
cus. They facrificed to Saturn bare-headed, and to all
other Deities cover'd. I might give many reafons
for this Cuftom, but Shall proceed. The Statues of
Saturn were always bound faft with Cords, and un
tied on his Feftivals, in commemoration of that Se
curity and HappineSs Men enjoy'd under him. Ar-
t nobius

 ~~*mmmm-^.  ,.  __T__ __. >|ClT1 ajlj _ ^ .._-
190 ___ The REL IG 10 N of
nobius cfintr. Gent, fays, That Saturn was bound for his
Parricide, and only let loofe on days devoted to him.
I fhall not rehearfe all the Fabulous Stories that are
extant concerning Saturn and his Children, as the
moft antient Deities ; for the more antient the God,
the more Fictions are reported of him ; and it was
neither eaSy nor Safe, to convince the common Peo
ple of the contrary. Cicero fays, It's very difficult not
to believe thofe things that claim a Divine Original, though
there be neither Argument nor Reafon to confirm them :
and adds, they were produced from the Ocean and
the Salacious Power of Heaven, generated by the
Conception of the Earth. Amongft thefe were Phor-
cys, Saturn and Ops ; but who this Phorcys was, I am
altogether ignorant, unlefs he was the Father of Me-
dufa, and thereby the Power of Petrification Poetfc
cally meant. I now proceed to Ops.
OPS.
OPS, was both Sifter and Wife to Saturn ; and
called the Great Mother, the Mother of the Gods
and Berecynthia. Virgil. iEneid. 6.
With Towers croWn'd Great Berecynthia
Thro' Phrygian Towns her Glory does dijplay ;
An hundred Grandfon Gods her Off-Jfir'mg are.
Ops, Cybele, Vefta, Rhea, Ceres, and others, were e*
fteemed Goddeffes in the fame Myltical SenSe ; as
they either Signified the Earth,, or things that were
were produced out, of it. Homer calls her Zodovon,
the Beftower of Life; and Hefiod -Eyryfternon, having
a broad Breaft. She rode in a Chariot drawn by
Lioneffes (as was faid before) which formerly were
Hippomamt and Ataknta ; but according to the Poets, meta-

Chap. XII. theGENTlLES. 191
metamorphos'd into Lioneffes, for their contempt of
this Deity. The Chariot was cover'd with Cloth,
and it was efteemed the greateft Impiety for any
Perfon but the Prieft to touch it ; he alone know
ing that the Goddefs was there : She had a Key in "
her hand, to intimate her Power of obstructing or
furthering all the Fruits of the Earth. They facri
ficed Swine to her,becauSe they were the moft fruit
ful Animals. Tacitus Says, The Germans paid Divine
Honours to her; but having neitherTemples nor Sta
tues, they worfhipped her in Groves. Her. lib. y.
mentions the burning of a Temple of the Goddefs
Cybele, a native : And Dion. Hal. lib. 8. tells us of the
Temple of the Earth. Pliny reports that the Summer
in which the Mother of the Gods was brought to
Rome, they had a much more plentiful Harvefi than
in former Years. I fhall omit what is reported of
Claudia drawing her with a Rope, as too trivial.
The fame Author mentions a wonderful Cave Sa
cred to her, into which none but her Prieft du rft en
ter. I have difcourfed onjier Sirnames before.
J U P I T E R.
THe Poets fay, We fhould begin with Jupiter : for
tho' Saturn was prior with refpedt to time, yet
Jupiter tranScended all the other Gods in Dignity ^
tho' they alSo repreSent him an Infant fucking, and
he and his Sifter Juno fitting in Fortune's Lap, greedy
after the Breaft; yet the Matrons of Rome had then
a moft profound Veneration for him, as Ciasro fays.
But I am of opinion he was the firft God that the'
Antients ever adored bawling in a Cradle, before
he had performed any noble Exploit ; for thi ;y could
not be very fond of fuch a Snivelling. Deity, Some

i9*' The RELIGION of
Some things are related Historically, others Mo-
rally,and others Myftically concerning him ; neither
would the Priefts diftinguifh betwixt them, judging
it more to their purpofe, that the People Should con
ftantly have recourfe to them for their Explication.
It was alfo the Policy of thofe in Authority, that the
Common People fhould be in a kind of fufpenfe,
and not overburdened with Superftitious Ceremo
nies, which might divert their Minds from the Ob
servation of the Civil Laws. They were not in the
leaft averfe that fomething doubtful and uncertain,
others that had an appearance of Truth, and fome
notorious Faifhoods Ihould be mixed in matters of
Religion, as knowing how great a Veneration the
ignorant Vulgar had for what was oracularly pro
nounced by the Prieft ; unlefs there was fome allay
in it rhat might abate its Credit, and put a Stop to
that luxuriant Progrefs of Religion,, which, as ab-
furd and falfe as it was, had gained a mighty Influ
ence and Authority over the Minds of Men. Per
haps they thought that as 7ro« was neceffary as well
as Steel to fnake a ufeful Sword ; fo a juft mixture
would produce the beft Temperature in matters of
Religion, and make it bear the better edge : Thus
many things were foifted in that were very incon
gruous, to imply fomething that was Dark and My
sterious; for thofe things that were moft perfect
would require none of their Affiftance. But how
much thofe Fleterodox Notions obstructed true Re
ligion, I fhall difcourfe hereafter.
There were many Jupiters amongft the Antients.
Varro fays, he found Three hundred who were wor
fhipped in fome place or other. Some Say there was
not an Age before the Trojan War, but had its Jupi
ter. Jupiter Cretenfis, was the moft remarkable, tho'
younger than Jupiter Argivus ; of whom Diodorus Si-
culus

Chap. XII. the GENT IL E S. '"'", 193
cuius fays ; This God exceeded all others in Fortitude and
other Virtues. ; for poffeffing tbe Throne after Saturn, he in
troduced many things very beneficial to human Life : He ex
horted Men to maintain Juftice amongft each other ; td
forbear Injuries andOppreffion, preventing Strife and Con
tentions by his judicious Determinations , and promoted
whatfoever might conduce to their living quietly arid hap
pily ; incouraging the Good to Virtue, and reftraining thd
Wicked by Threats and Punifhments. He went over al
moft the whole World, and declared War againft impious
Robbers ; he entroduced Laws and Juftice. This Jupiter ±
who, according to fome, was preferved by the Curetei
whilft he was an Infant, flourilhed about the time of
Ifaac and Jacob.
There was another Jupiter Cretenfis, called Afie-
Irius alfo, who ftole Europa, and had Minos, Rhada-
manthus and Sarpedon by her. Minos the Eldeft, re
tiring into a Cave in Mount Ida, reported that Ju
piter communicated his Laws to him there; as Numa
Pompilius afterwards boafted that he had his com
municated to him by the Nymph ^Algeria : for it was
not fufficient to enact juft and good Laws, unlefs
they produced the Authority of fome God to pro
cure their Sanction. This Way pf introducing LaWs
Was cuftomary amongft the Indians likewife, as the
Writers of thofe Countries teftify, to pafs by the Ga
briel of Mahomet. There were two jupiters called Ar-
givi, for which I refer you to the Learned Voffius i
who hath recorded all the Jupiters that can be col
lected out of the principal Authors extant amongft
Us. I proceed to his Sirnames, Temples and Altars.
Hercules erected an Altar to Jupiter the Inventor, af
ter he had found Cacus his Oxen, and made Expia
tion for the Slaughter with the River-Water. Herod.
Hal. lib. 1. he alfo mentions a Temple of Jupiter Fs-
retrius, built by Romulus iy foot long. Livy fays^
© This

194 The RELIGION of
This was the Firft Temple that was confecrated at
Rome ; Auguftus repair'd it when it was almoft ruin'd
by Time. The Romans formerly took his Scepter
by which they fwore, and the Flint with which they
ftruck and confirmed Leagues. Dion, gives us this
Hiftorical and Moral Senfe of the word Feretrius,
Romulus dedicated the Arms of the Cafenians, whom
he conquer'd to Jupiter Feretrius (as if deriv'd from
the Greek Hyperpheretren) becaufe encompaffing every
where both the Nature and Motion of all things, he
had the pre-eminence over all things.
Romulus built a Temple to Jupiter Stator, upon this
occafion : The Sabines having put the Romans to
flight and Romulus with them, he lifting up his hands
to Heaven, implor'd this Gods Affiftance, and made
a Vow to build him aTemple_, frying; Jupiter, it was
by the command of thy Birds that I firft laid the Founda
tion of this City here in the Palatine ; the Sabines are in
poffejfion off the Tower, which they have pur chafed with "
villainy ; inffire the Romans with Courage,that they may
ft and and rally ; I vow to build thee a Temple here by the '
Name of Stator. His Prayers being ended, the Ro
mans flood their ground, and behaved themfelves
very bravely, Dion. lib. 2. So much for the Hiftorical
meaning of the Word. Seneca gives us a Myftical
Senfe ; faying, He was called Stator, becaufe by his
Power all things flood. Cicero tells us, That the Se
nate met fometimes in this Temple, and made Laws
there. There was another Temple built to Jupiter
Stator. Jupiter Elicius, of whom I fpoke before, had
a Temple; he was fo called, becaufe by the Affi
ftance of the Priefts he gave Anfwers there. Ar-
nobius recites a very pleafant Dialogue betwixt Ju
piter and Numa, upon this account ; which Plutarch
hath alfo in his Life. Livy fays, That Tullus Hofti-
lius and his whole Family were burnt with Light ning,
1

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. i9S
ning, for neglecting the Performance of his Sacred
Rites. Jupiter Capitolinus, was had in greateft Veneration °
having the Appellation of Moft Good and Great .- he
was called MoB Good before he had the Title of Moft
Great ; the one the refult of his Munificence, the;
other of his Power. He was named Capitolinus from
the Capitoline Hill formerly abounding With Trees,
Where a Temple was built him, and Divine Worfhip
inftituted. Tarquinius PrifcUs voWed this Temple iri
the Sabine War, but Servius Tullius and TarquiniUs SU-
perbus after him, finiiht it with the Enemies plunder j
but after the Expulfion of the Kings, Horatius PuU
villus dedicated it with fuch Magnificence, that the"
People of Rome afterwards beftowed iinmehfe Trea
sure in adorning rather than augmenting it. After
the Space of 41 $¦ Years this Temple was burnt down^
and J. Scipio and C. Norbanus being Confuls, it Was
rebuilt by the fame Methods. This remained till Vl±
tellius his Time, and Was intirely deniolifhed in thofe
Rebellions and Seditions. Veffaftan built it up from
the Ground again, but at his death it was fired and
burnt down. Domitian rebuilt it a fourth time; its
Pillars and Gilding coft 12 thoufands Talents. The;
Compafs of this Temple was Eight Acres. There
were two Crowhs of Gold kept in it ; one the Gauls,
the other the Carthaginians, confecrated to Jupitef
O. M. But the Sybils Books were preferved therp
with the utmoft Veneration, being efteemed of the
greateft Authority amongft the Romans, who always
confulted them in dubious matters ; from whence
they either guefs'd or difcover'd future Events. When
the EmperoUrs went to War, they made their Vows
in this Temple, and if they returned Conquerotlis,
they were carried in Triumph thither again, to per
form their Vows and Sacrifice to Jupiter, Whence
0 a U

196 The RELIGION of

*t was that the Statue of Jupiter Imperatbr flood there ;
and the Senate was convened there fometimes. Per
fons Slept there all night upon a Religious- account,
and to prognosticate things to come by their Dreams ;
of which Cuftom I have fpoken before. Jupiter was
reprefented holding a Thunderbolt in his hand,
which he was believed to throw.
I might add more concerning Jupiter O, M. efpe
cially of his Myilical Worfhip,but I have only fhew-
ed fomething here, to prepare my way to handle this
Argument more at large in a Chapter pf the Supream
God. Let me obferve by the way, That Jupiter was
never ufed by the Heathens for a Name, but a Cog
nomen only : they meaning only Juvans Pater ( an
affifting Father) by it, from whence it came to pafs
there were fo many Jupiters : others derive it from
Jao, but this I have treated of before, and Shall add
Somewhat hereafter. .
There was a Temple facred to Jupiter Latialis,
built by Tarquinius Superbus, being for thofe times a
moft ;Magnificent Structure, and for a moft wife
-and prudent Defign. Dion. Halkar. lib. 4. for Nations
otherwife different having fome Vicinity, with ref
pedt to their Religious Rites, efpecially the Latines,
Volfci and Hernici.. Tarquin, being King of the La-
tines, font Ambaffadors to the Volfci and Hernici, de-
firing their Acquaintance and Friendfhip ; propofing,
amongft other things, that a Temple might be erect
ed in common to them all, where they might meet
every Year in a Solemn manner, feaft together, and
perform the facred Myfteries ; which being accept
ed, there was a Temple built to Jupiter Latialis, al
moft in the Heart of thofe Nations ; over which the
Romans prefided, and Feafts. were inftituted by the
fame Name. Dion. Hal. lib. 8. fays, The fame Tarquin
began to build a Temple in the City to &fa mn®-, but

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 197
but Sp. Pofthumius dedicated it afterwards to Jupiter
Fidei, or Sponfor. 1
To this the Jupiter Horcius of the G?-ee^j,mentioned
by Cartarius, has reference ; Jupiter Lapis has fome
relation to it alfo; becaufe in ratifying Leagues,they
held a Flint in their hands,pronouncing thefe words,
If 1 knowingly deceive, may Deifpiter, (the Father of
the Gods) caB me out of this place, and from the Society
of good Men, as I do this Stone. A Temple was built
to Jupiter ViBor, on the Palatine Hill. There was
alfo Jupiter Lucetius, called fo from the Light he af
fords Mortals, by which without queftion the Sun
was fignified. Dieffiiter alfo is the fame, according to
Agellius and Servius, whofe Temple was placed in the
tenthQuarter of theCity by P. ViBor. Jupiter in all pro
bability may be the fame as the Sun, or SolHeliogabalus ;
for which fee Salmafius his Annotations on the Empe
rour Heliogabalus ; and our Countryman Fuller, who
following Porphyrius, makes Elagabalus or Heliogabalus,
the fame as Sol Opifex, or Maker of the Univerfe; the
Syriack word Gabal, and the Arabick Gabil, fignifies a
Builder ; to which agrees that the Same Sun is called
H-mdef oirvtutmt, in the greateft ObeliSque which Co»-
ftantine the Great commanded to be carried to Rome';
Some are of opinion that Elagabalus is only a God of
tbe Mountain, or a God-mountain ; from the Arabick,
word Gebel a Mountain, but this gains little credit
with me.
OBavius Auguftus built a Temple to Jupiter the Thun
derer in the Capitol, for which Suetonius gives the rea*
fon. There was alfo another to Jupiter Genetius from
a Mountain or River of that Name hard-by, which
the Scholiaft on Apohnius Rhodius, and Strabo lib. 6.
f»oth mention. © I There

?98 The RELIGION of
There was a Temple to Jupiter the ^wwger,which
\s called the Pantheon, or .of aU Gods ; it was confe
crated by Agrippa-< it is now called A-U-Saints ; and
from its Circular Form SanBa Maria Rotunda. It was
built firft for Cybele ; I faw it when I was at Rome,
the Pillars that were before the Porch being funk
jery deep into the Ground by Earthquakes. For
Whereas formerly there were twelve Steps to afcend
Into this Temple, now (fays Marcellinus) you defcend
by as many. Fabrkius gives us a very elegant De
fcription of it, and fays, Agrippa would haveput Augu
ftus 's Statue there, and attributed the Honour of the
Work to him; but he refufing both>he placed the for
mer Cafar's Statue in the Pantheon it felf, and AugU-
Jltts's in the Porch-
Domitian at firft built a fmall Chapel in the Ca
pito] to Jupiter Cufios, and afterwards a vaft Temple
to Jupiter Gonfervator, where he confecrated himfelf
in the Bofom of the God, as it is in Tacitus. On
fome of Dioclefian's Medals there js Jupiter holding
put Victory with his Right-hand,and a Spear upright
jn his Left, with this jnfcriptjon, Jovi Confervatori
Qrbis, to Jupiter the Preferver of the World. Jupl-
¦tev the Arbitiktor had a Temple in the Tenth Quar
ter of the City; and Jupiter Propugnator in the Pa
lace, as appears by an antient Inscription : Jupiter
Pugnans alfo ; we read of an Altar of Jupiter Faunus
£n Dion. Hal. lib. 6. Suidas mentions Jupiter Hercaus,
which Budaus renders Septitius : He had an Altar
built him within the Court or Hall of fome Private
Houfes ; and who ever had Jupiter Hercaus, bad the
jRjght of Citizens; Cdius Rhodiginus fays, he was re
prefented with three Eyes, and fubjoins the Expli
cation of this Myltery. Plutarch tells us, that many
great Honours were paid to Jupiter Hofpitalis. Ju-
fit'er Terminalis had Divine Honours paid him. Numa
' %.. made

Chap. XII d* GENTILES. 199
made and eftabiifhed a Law called- Lex Termi
nal, that the Romans fhould be content with their
own Laws, and not be defirous of thpfe of other Na
tions : Dion. Hal. lib. 2. gives an Account of the Pu-
niflirnents that were inflicted on the Violaters of this
Law. Jupiter Pradator alfo had a Temple,and Some
things w.:s due to him out of all Plunders, There
was the Temple of Jupiter Olympius, to which was
great refort out of Greece, every one contending to
make the nobieft Prefent. For Jupiter Ammon, fee
Voffius de Idol. lib. I.
Jupiter had many more Sirnames, all which,as St.
Auguftin lib. 7. de Civit. Dei Says, were attributed to
One God, for different Powers and Caufes , &c.
for this alfo confult Lud. Vives. The Eagle was fa
cred to Jupiter on a double account ; Myftically,be-
caufe he can look full into the Sun ; Poetically, be
ing reported to have brought Jupiter Arms in his
Fight with the Titans. The Oak and Olive Tree
were facred to him; but the Oak is dedicated to Bac
chus, Rhea and Ceres alfo. The Sacrifices were a
She-goat, two Lambs, a white BuU with gilt Horns ;
the Romans fometimes facrificed nothing but Bread-
Corn, Salt and Frankincenfe to him. The Athenians
Sacrificed an Ox only, but with moft ridiculous Ce
remonies, as you may See in Paufanias.
It is impoffible to enumerate all things that are fa-
buloufly reported, Hiftorically written, or Myfti
cally compos'd concerning Jupiter. It may Suffice
to have fhewn, that Some of the Heathens efteem'd
him, the Original and Father of Gods and Men, as
far as relates to the Sun : tho' by Jupiter fome under
stand the zither only ; but the generality neither of
them, but efteem Jupiter the Supream Deity, Supe
rior to the Sun, adminiftring and governing all things
^ere^ and difpenfing all good to Mortals, by which
Q 4 he

200 The RELIGION of
he is diftinguijh'd from Vejupiter (whom Martian calls
Vedios alfo) called fo as Agellius fays, becaufe he had
only Power to hurt: Sor as they worfhipp'd Some
Gods, that they might beftow Bleffings on them; So
they endeayour'd to appeafe and pacify others, that
they might not hurt them. This Deity was called
Vejupiter, becaufe he had no Power to affift; the Par
ticle Ve fignifying Privation. The Temple of this
God was between the Tower and the Capitol, where
his Image was,holding Arrows ready todo'Mifchief;
juft by Stood the Figure of a Goat, which they us'd
to Sacrifice to him, Ag^Hius Says, Some thought he
was Apollo : Martian will have him to be Pluto; who
ever he was, it was generally believed that he hurt
none but. the Villainous and Perjur'd.
I fhall treat more at large on this Subject, when I
come to diScourSe of the Principle of Good and Evil
amongft the Heathens; where I fhall alfo Shew what
they thought of the Supream God, for the moft part
Myftically Shadowed under the Name of Jupiter.
J UNO.
JUpiter's Wife is next, tho' tbe Antient Heathen:
have reprefented Jupiter himfelf with his Head
bound, and groaning like a Woman amongft the God-
deffes who came to be affiftants at his Labour,when
he brought forth Liber Pater or 'Bacchus. Pliny lib. 3 5;.
Juno is only called Jupiters, Wife, tho' She was his
Sifter alfo. It is no Strange thing that Jupiter Should
bear a Child,, for the Eaft em and Weftern People at
tributed both Sexes to their Gods. Juno, as well as
Jupiter, is fo called a juvandofrom Affifting. She being
his Sifter, Myftically reprefents to us the near Rela-
tiojvand Conjunction between thezAzther and the Air;
fiz. Jupiter and Jmo, according to the Opinion of the

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 201

Stoicks, Cic. lib. 2. de N. D. In the Comment of Theo
critus, we have the Story, how Jupiter under the form
of a Cuckow flew into Junos Lap, and returning to
his proper Shape, promis'd her Marriage. This
Paffage in Virgil is to be underftood Myftically,
With joy defends into his Spoufe s Lap.
Her Statue did not reprefent one Goddefs only, but
many ( as Cartarius has it. ) for there is manifeftly
obfervable fomething of Pallas, Venus, Diana, Nemefis,
and the Pare*, and Several others in it. She Sat up
on two Lions, holding a Scepter in one hand, and
a Shuttle in the pther,with Rays of Glory about her
Head,and many other things that properly belonged
to other Deities. Lucian from hence Shews that She
was worfhip'd and honour'd under different Names.
Others defcribe her Statue with a Rainbow about her
Head. Iris was the Daughter ofThcumantia, and by
the Antients efteem'd the'Meffenger of Juno or the
Air; being the Sign of fair Weather, after Clouds
and Rain. The Peacock was held facred to her. Pau
fanias fays, The Emperour Adrian offer'd a Peacock
to her made of Gold, adorn'd wirh moft fplendid
Jewels. There was a fort of Hawk and Vultur efteem'd
facred to her by the Egyptians, according to es£lian ;
they crowned their Ifis with the Feathers of thii
Bird, in whom many Deities were included, whom
the Greeks and Romans worfhip'd Separately. Geefe top
were Sacred to Juno; the Romans to Shew their Gra
titude for the Prefervation of the Capitol, kept Some
at the publick Charge, and carried one every Year
in pomp, fitting on a Couch richly adorh'd, and at
the fame time they ran a Dog through with an El-
der-fiake, to fhew their punifhment for the ill guard
ing the Towen-
The

ao2 The RELIGION of
r 11 11 -- i— i  1— -- i 
The Greeks called Juno Era, which is Aer by
tranSpofing the Letters, as Athenagoras cbServes. It's
probable that from thence She was called Sojfita, be
caufe different Effects, proceed from the different
Temperature of the Air, and very often Diftempers,
as Experience tells us, without confulting Hippocra
tes or Galen.
Juno had many Sirnames. Juno the Queen, her
Statue was brought from the Vejentes, when Camillus
was DiBator, and dedicated on the Aventine Hill by
the Matrons. Livy and Plutarch tell a very pleasant
Story concerning this, and her Anfwer, in a very fe-
rious manner ; who alfo affirm, that this Statue or
Image was in Such Veneration, that no PerSon durft
touch it befides the Prieft of a particular Nation. Ca
millus afterwards dedicated a Temple to her on the
Aventine Hill, as Flaminius did another in the Capitol
Jn the War with the Ligures. Juno is alfo called Ca-
protina, from the Wild-fig Tree ; from whence fome
Servant Maids formerly gave the Romans a Signal by
which they overcame their Enemies, for which read
Macrobius. She is called Juno Moneta, d monendo, from
Advifihg, fays Cicero de Divinatione ; and Livy, whom
I take to be of better Authority than Suidas. The
Books called Lintei, which were faid to contain the
Fate of the Roman Empire, were preferved in her
Temple. She was alfo called Juno Soffit a; fhe had .
three Temples, one built at Lanuvium, and two at
Rome : her Statue had a Goat's Skin on it, a Spear,
a fmall Shield, and Slip-Shoes.
The Confuls at their entrance into their Office did
facrifice to Juno Sojfita, Cicero pro Mur^sna. She had
the Name of Juno Lucina, from giving Light to New
born Children, according to fome | and others de
rive it from Lucus a Grove, where her Temple was
built. Lucius Pifo Annal i. Says, Servius Tullius the
King,

Chap. XII. the G E N T I L E S. 203
King,that he might know the number of Inhabitants
in the City, the Births, Burials, and thofe that put
on the Toga Virilis, order'd how much Money every
one Should bring in for Births, into the Treafury
of Ilithya, whom, according to Dion. Hal. the Romans
called Lucina: into that of Venus, who is called Libi-
tina, for Burials : and the Treafury of Juventus or
Youth, for thofe that affumed the Toga Virilis. She
was called Juno Juga (according to fome) becaufe
by the Cuftom of the Antients, thofe that married
were tied together : from whence comes the word
Conjux, a Wife ; fhe had an Altar in a Street called
Jugarius for that reafon. She was called Sororia Ju-
'Ua and Martialis; and had Altars and Temples dedi
cated to her by thofe Names.
The Bridegroom and Bride ufed to facrifice to
Juno Pronuba, taking out the Gall, and throwing it
behind the Altar. Her Sacrifice were a fmall Hog,
or a Lamb : the Queen performed thefe Rites, that
is, the Wife of the Prieft of the Sacrifices, who was
called King ; becaufe at the time when Kings go
vern'd Rome, they performed thefe Geremonies them
felves; but when they were expell'd, it was given
to the Prieft that officiated, who was fubject to the
Pontifex or High prieft ; leaft the Name fhould feem
to found too much of Abfolute Power. Juno had
feveral Names, upon account of her prefixing over
Marriages, and punifhing Strumpets ; fuch as Domi-
duca, Unxia, Cinxia, and Gamelia, and Zugia by the
Greeks, and invoked in Marriages by them.
The Antients called her Calendaris, becaufe fhe was
worfhip'd and invok'd in all the Calends. Juno No
vella was worfhip'd by the Pontlfices in the Calends of
February; alfo Februat a, becaufe her Sacred Rites were
celebrated in that Month. Dion. Hal. lib. 2. gives us
an account of Juno Quiritia, and the Tables fet for
her

04 The RELIGION of
her in all Courts.- For the Temple of Juno Ardia,
fo renowned for Pictures ; and the Altar of Juno La-
cinia, where the Afhes were never moved tho the
Itrongeft Wind blows on them, fee Pliny. Authors
give us an account of other Temples dedicated to
her. She was called Pepulonia Juno, from the fre
quent Addreffes the People made unto her : Opigenia
and Fluonia, by Women over whom fhe prefided, but
efpecially Women in Travail, before and after they
were deliver'd.
APOLLO,
Cicero de Naturd Deorum, tells us, there were four
Apollo's : The moft Antient, according to Voffius,
was Jubal, the Father of the Canaanites, a Kinf-
man of Tubal-Cain's; unlefs ( as I rather incline to
believe ) he liv'd before him. He was a moft ex
cellent Songfter, and had an incomparable Voice.
Timogenes fays, that Mufick was the moft Antient of
all Studies.
The other Apollo's had relation to fome Deities,
efpecially, the Sun; but whether Jubal acquird this
Honour, is uncertain. He that was the Brother of
Ofiris, and accompanied him in his Wars, is very
Antient amongft the Apollo's, and Recorded by
Diod. Siculus. Alfo Apollo Delius the Brother of
Diana, Son of Jupiter and Latona, who was Wor
fhipped with Jupiter, as Macrobius has it ; and had Sa
cred Rites performed to him in Deks, every fifth
Yea, from whence he was called Deliacus, becaufe
he delivered Oracles there all the Summer Seafon ;
his Priefts giving out, that he was elfewhere in the
Winter; but the reafon of that was, becaufe they
would have Sound it very difficult to Forge their
Fictions So warily for a whole Year together, that

Chap. XII. /kGENTILE S. aoc
thofe that came to defire AnSwers, fhould not dis
cover the Cheat, and thought it Safe to vent their
Lies only for one half Year together. He was cal
led Apollo Delphicus, from Delphes, where he had a
Temple celebrated for the Oracles deliver'd there.
Livy calls this Place, the common Oracle of Man
kind, and Navel of the whole World. The Scythi
ans alfo had their Apollo Hyperboreus, fo called from
them ; for the intricate Altar of Apollo Genitor ,
which was efteem'd one of the feven Wonders of the
World, confult Plutarch de Solertia Animat. Callima-
chus, Ovid, and others. .. The Greeks and Romans had
Apollo Delius in particular Veneration, as the God
of Mufick, the Inventer of Phyfick, and called Jacu-
lator, Sagittarius, Pythius arid Vatesi or the God of Pro*
phecy. His Sirnames amongft the Greeks were,
Agyieus, Akerfocomes, Kryfocomes, Loxias, Lykius, No-
mius, Thyraius. Amongft the Romans, Cceli/pex, Me-
dicus, Capitolinus, ( which was brought from the
Thracian Bojfhorus to Rome) and Palatinus, who is al
fo called ABiacus, Novalis and Parcetonius.
Auguftus built a Temple for this Apollo, pn Mount
Palatine, after he had vanquilh'd Anthony and Cleopa
tra, Adorn'd it with Statues of Silver and Gold ;
its Structure was moft Magnificent, furnifht with
an Excellent Greek and Latin Library ; and Authors
tell us, that its Treafure grew immenfe with the
Gifts and Prefents that were made him. The
Lawyers met there to determine nice and doubtful
Controverfies ; you have a Defcription of this Tem
ple in Propertius. This Apollo Delphicus was moft
Eminently Celebrated, Pliny lib. 34. p.
He is alfo called, Choragus, and Captain of the
Mufes ; according to the Diverfity of Reprefenting
him by his Images and Statues, whereof the Sparti-
ans had one with four Ears, and as many Hands ;
he

206 The RELIGION of

he came to have feveral Sirnames ; as Sandalarius,
Sofianus, Tortor, Thufcanius and Diadematus. There
are a great; many more in Antient InScriptions, as
alfo many Temples built for him. Porphyrius hath
collected many of the Myltical Sirnames of Apollo,
and their fabulous Interpretations, in his Book enti-
tuled the Sun, out of which Servius hath borrowed
fomething. Amongft four Footed Beafts, the Wolf being like
Time moft voracious ; amongft Infects, the Grafs-
hopper ; amongft Birds, the Swan, Crow, Cock and
Hawk, were facred to him. But the Egyptians by
the Hawk, underftood Ofiris, who is the Sun with
them ; they likewife paid Divine Honours to the
Hawk, becaufe in Antient times he brought their
Priefts at Thebes ( which is the chief City in Egypt )
a Book written in Red Letters, from fome unknown
and remote Regions of the World, which contain
all their facred Rites ; and therefore, thofe amongft
thera that write of Religious Matters wear a Red
Cap, with an Hawk's Wing on it. But all that are
converfant with Hiftory, know thefe Fictions were
ufher'd into the World by their Priefts, to gain the
greater Credit and Authority to their Laws, Rites,
and Ceremonies.
The Laurel amongft Trees, was facred to Apollo
and People Predicted things to come by it ; for if^
when it was thrown on the Coals, it made a great
noife ; the Antients efteem'd it an happy Prefage,
but if very little, or none at all, that portended
Evil. He that bound Laurel about his Temples when
he went to Sleep, fhould fee the thing in his Dream;
he defir'd to know the Truth of. Hefiod fays, The
Laurel promotes Enthufiafiick Notions. The Laurel was
not only the Poets, but the Triumphers Enfign alSo,
which the Roman Emperours depofited in Jupiter 0,M

Chap. XII. the G E N T I L E S. 207,
0. M. his Lap, acknowledging they received their
Victory from him. ^
The Emperour Julian fays, the Palm was facred
to the Sun, or Apollo, tho' Libanius will have it
proceed from- him ; but after an unaccountable
manner.
DIANA.
Cicero alfo, lib. 3. de N. D. fays, there were thre«
Diana's formerly ; the moil: Renown'd, was
the Mother of the winged Cupid, the Daughter of
Jupiter and Latona, and Sifter of Apollo, as the Moon
was Sifter to the Sun. We have handled the Ety
mology before, and can by no means approve of
her being called Diana from Deviana, wandring in
the Woods, or in Heaven it felf.
She is Reprefented as the moft Severe and Chaff.
amongft all the Gods and Goddeffes, out of an aversi
on to Pleafure, rather than Mankind ; fhe would
not be Aton'd, but by Humane Victims, tho' fhe
did admit of an Hind in the room of Iphigenia, -but
on condition that fhe Should be her Prieftefs for the
future. Men were generally Sacrificed to Diana,
efpecially in Tauris, whofe Inhabitants Sacrificed all
Strangers to her, but Grecians more particularly.
Paufanias in his Achaka, fays,that the Patr* Sacrificed
the moft beautiful Boy, and a young Virgin every
Year to Diana. Iphigenia,who would not Sacrifice her
Brother OreBes, when he was taken a Stranger there ;
hid the Image of this Goddefi in a bundle of Sticks,
and carried it to Aritia, a Town not far diftant from
Rome, where they continued that Cuftom of Sacri
ficing Strangers for fome time ; but in a little while,
this Barbarity became very difpleafing to the Romans,
altho' Servants only were offer'd up, that they font her

208 The RELIGION of ¦
her to the Lacedemonians, where the Youth only
were Whipt, and her Altars fprinkled with their
Blood. Afterwards, Harts and Hinds only were facrificed
to Diana, and in all her Temples their Horns were
hung up. Hence the Poets feign her Chariot to be
drawn by Yok'd Deer, more particularly Claudian:!
have infilled the longerjipon this, to fhew what Cru
el and Impious Sacrifices the Priefts Invented, under
the fpecious Name of Religion ; whofe great Endea
vour was to perfwade Mortals, that fome Deities
would not be render'd propitious, but by Humane
Blood only ; and that thofe who were offer'd up,
were fufficiently Honour'd, having the Care of
their whole Species committed to their Charge.
Plana alfo prefided over Women in Travel, and
they Confecrated their Cloths to her, and from
thence fhe is called Chitone. Not only Deer, but
Barren Cows were offer'd in Sacrifice to Diana ; her
Statue being carried at that time on a Barren
Cow, fometimes on a White one, fometimes on a
Black. Her Statue was Tall and Large, and Cloths down
to her Ankles; her Afpect Juvenile, and Virgin
like, carrying a Lighted Torch in her Right Hand,
a Bow in her Left, and a Quiver of Arrows hanging
over her Shoulder., Some defcribe it otherwife ;
fhe was called the Pleafant Virgin and DyBinna ; and
by Orpheus, Cynegetis, and Callimachus, Tberetira, pre
fixing over Hunting ; fhe was . efteem'd a great
Huntrefs her felf, and therefore all Groves and Fo-
refts were facred to her.
She was called Bubaftis by the Egyptians, from a
Famous City of that Name ; and her facred Rites
were called Bubafta, fhe had a Temple in Crete,
and another built on Mount Aventine at Rome, as
alfo

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 209
alfo at Casliola and Subura. Her moft Antient Tem
ples were in Spain and Aulis ; but the moft Famous
was that at Ephefus, much mentiond by Authors,
and in the ABs of the Apo files. ¦ I might here fpeak
Something of the Sun and Moon, who are faid to be
the Children of Rhea, or the Great Mother, and Hy
perion, according to Diod. Sicuks lib. 4. but I Shall
leave it to others.
M E R C U R T.
THere were five Mercuries, according to Cicero^
N. D. lib. 3. The moft Famous was the Son of
Jupiter and Maja. The Antients joyn'd him and,
Minerva together, not in Wedlock, but by a Com
munity of Studies : He was efteem'd the Meffenger
of the Gods, and is reported to be the Inventer of
Letters, Mufick, Wr eft ling, and Geometry, and that he?
taught Eloquente, efpecially to the Egyptians, who
Worfhipped him by the Name of Anitbis, as we faici
before : He was held in great Veneration amongft
the Antient Germans, who efteem'd it lawful to
offer Humane Sacrifices to hirri on certain Days |
he was called Dens Communis, the common God; where
fore it was Cuftomary when they found any thing
on the way, to fay fomething tothe Common God, ast
Privy to what was found, heheirig thought to pre
side over the Ways ; they erected him Statues in the
Crofs Ways of the Cities, and where three Ways met,
which the Antients called Herm*; I pafs by his Re-
prefentation as Univerfally known. Pliny mentions
the Statues of MercUry in Ethiopia. He had twb
Temples, as many Chapels, fome Altars, and a
Temple at Rome ; he is Called Cyllenius and Camillus,
being the Servant of the Gods, and Subterraneous,
Or Trophoniust P Minerva

2io The RELIGION of

MINER VA.
Cicero lib. 3. de Natur. Deorum, mentions five Mi
nerva's ; but the moft Remarkable is, fhe that
-is reported to proceed out of Jupiter's Head : She
was the Goddefs of Prudence and War ; and accor
ding to fome Invented Armed Dances, fhe difcover'd
the Making of Cloth, and Dying of Wool, and many
other things ; all Atificers made their Supplications
unto her, from whence She was called the Goddefi
of Arts, but in Conjunction with Mercury ; fo that
their Altars and Statues were in common to both,
and therefore called Hermathena.
Her moft Antient Temple was built in the Tow
er of Orvinius ; he mentions the Temple of Minerva
Affeffia, but it was Burnt down, as alfo that of Mi
nerva at Palleni, amongft the Tageates, and in Sigaum,
and her Oracles in Egypt, and fpeaks of many other
Temples Dedicated to her in a great many places ;
fhe had one in Landum, an Ifland belonging to the
Rhodians ; another in Elis, and had a Shrine in the
Capitol. At Rome there were Temples to Minerva,
Medica, Flaviana, Chalcidina, and Catuliana. In the
Temple of Minerva, Dedicated by Pompey the Great;
were kept the Abftradts of all that was done by him
in the Eaft.
• She was alfo called Pallas, her Image was that
Famous Palladium which was not only faid to fall
down from Heaven, but to Brandifh its Lance, and
Move its Eyes, but none were admitted to fee it,
befides the Veftal Virgins, to whoSeCare the Cuftody
of it was committed : She had a very Antient Tem
ple on Mount Aventine. Cicero Worfhipped Miner
va Cuftos, privately in his own Houfe, but when
he went into Exile, he brought it to the Capitol, and

Chap. XII. /£* GENTILES. 211.
" " " " ' ' — — — ...
and Dedicated it. Her Sacrifices were all very
clean, as White Lambs, White Bulls, and a Wild
Heifer, with Gilded Horns. Amongft the Birds, the
Owl Was facred to her ; So that you Shall rarely fee
her Image on any Medal, but there Is an Owl fitting
on her Helmet, and an Infcription Athene, which
is the Name the Poets' called her by ; She carried a
Medufa's Head on her Shield, or Breaft^Plate, to
fignifie Victory. So Paufanias in his Atticks, Writes,
that the Athenians Engrav'd Victory on their Breafts,
with Medufa's Head. Every Bpy knows who Medufa
' was. The Olive-Tree was facred , to Minerva, of
which fhe is Said to be the Inventrefs ; whence
Herod, in Terpfich, Writes ; .that, For a long tirrie^
none had any Olives but the Athenians.-
MAR S:
AS Minerva is reported to be Born Without*
a Mother, So Mars without a Father ; for.;
Juno envying Jupiter, that he had a Daughter with
out her, had a great defire to have a Son without his
affiftance ; to which purpofe, fhe made ufe of fome
Flowers which Flora had Shewn her, as we have it
in Ovid. Juno was Deliver'd of him in Thrace,
Whereupon the Inhabitants have him, in great Vene
ration. Some mention another Mars by Jupiter
and Enyo.
Acinacis was the true Representation of Mars,
both with the.Thraciens and Scythians ; Herod, lib. 7.
The Northern People fwore by him. The Inhabi
tants of Arabia Pietyda, who had an equal Venera-i
tion for him, Reprefented him thus ; they fquar'd
a Black Stone four Foot high, and two Foot broad,
and no Figure exprefs'd on it; others defcribe
him, (that ne may appear Arm'd andTerrible) hold-
V * ihg;

xiz The RELIGION of

ng a Spear and Flail in his Hand, and his Chariot
drawn by two Horfes, whereof one is called Ter
ror , and the other Fear, and Fame goes every
where before them founding her Trumpet. The
Romans believed that Romulus was begot by Mars
( but more probably by his Prieft ) and therefore
they paid great Veneration to him.
The moft Antient of all his Temples, was in the
Campus Martius, or Mars his Field, from whence the
Place had its Name I there alfo the Comitia Cen-
turiata met, and the Army was Muttered, as Dion.
Hal. Says, who alSo Speaks of a very Antient Tem
ple of Mars in the City Suna, and of an Oracle of
his in Tiora ; I have fpoken before of Mars' s Oracle
in Egypt. There was a Temple of Mars in the Cir
cus Flaminius, and another in the Capitol. The
largeft Temple was Built by Auguftus, and Dedica
ted to Mars Ultor, the Magnificence whereof is ce
lebrated by Ovid in his Fafii. The fecond Temple
to Mars Ultor (or rather) Bifi Ultor ; Auguftus ere
cted in the Capitol, for a Victory he obtained over
the Parthians, where their Enfigns were hung up.
A very large and pompous Temple was erected >
to Mars Gradivus without the City, in the Appian
way, who P. ViBor calls Mars Extramuraneus, or
without the Walls.
B E L L 0 N A.
AFter Mars, Bellona his Sifter, Wife, or both,
Succeeds very properly ; She had a Temple
in the Circus Flaminius, in which the Senate gave
Audience to the Ambaffadours of thofe Foreign
Nations, that the Romans would not admit into the
City. Her Priefts were called Belknarii as TertuUian
has it; They flafh'd and cut themSelves with Knives, that

Chap. XII. /^GENTILE S. ir ?~
•I i ' .1 * "'','' ' *
that they might make their Deity Propitious, by no
other Blood but their own, upon which they fell
into a ftrange fort of Rage and Fury, and then Pre?
phefied. Statius fays, fhe drove Mars's Chariot,
¦ And direful Bellona drives..

With bloody Hands his Steeds-
Cafar writes, that the Cappadocians had her in Such
Veneration, that her Priefts were next in Honour
to the King. Some Say, fhe is the Same as Minerva,
which is a more probable Opinion than that of Apule^
ius, who makes Diana, Juno, Venus, and Bellona
all one, or of a certain Learned Man, who enr-
deavours to make the Moon and Bellona to be the
Same. There were ,fome Pillars before Bellona s Shrine,
not very Large, which the Romans called, Bellka
Columna ; for when they made War with any Peo
ple, after they had opened the Gates of the Tem
ple of Janus, one of the Confuls went and threw a
Lance towards that Part where the Enemy was ;
and from that time they efteem'd War Declar'd $
and at the fame time, they Sent a Herald to the
Frontiers of the Enemy, who declaring the Rear
Sons for the War, threw his Lance towards their
.Camp, in a ceremonious Form. The Heathens of
thefe latter Ages, efteem'd Paufus a Deity, quite op-
pofite to Bellona, and ufed to implore his Aid and
Affiftance when they had fuffer'd by War. The
Antients no where mention Paufus, as I know of;
Bellona was reprefented with her Hair Spread abroad,
Arm'd with a Torch, carrying a Sckkle in one
Hand, and a Shield in the other.
P 2 V$wi*I

214 The RELIGION of
tni— ^— — — — — — m m-mm <m-r i i. i — — »— ^—
VICTOR I A.
Victory Was brought Up with Minerva, and made
a Goddefs at the Same time with her. The
Romans paid great Devotion to her, and Reprefen
ted her thus ; a Virgin With Wings Flying, Offering
a Crown or Palm ; her Image was carried in Pomp
in the Circus, She Had an Altar always in the Senate-
Houfe, Such as was capable of being removed into
anyplace where the Senate Was, as Dempfter fays.
She had three Temples at %ome, two Chapels and a
GrPVe" (as almoft all the other Gods) and an Altar.
The' moft Antienr of her Temples, was in Mount
'Aventine, (being moft convenient to pitch Tents
in ) fhe had other Temples and Chapels in Rome
alfo ; Cicero lib. i. deDivin. tells us, that ViBory at
Capua, would' fweat, as Apollo did at Cutua, as the
$>refage of fome impending Evil./
2* E M E S I S.
""f fL THen the Romans went to War, they Sacrificed
V\ to Nemefis, who was the Daughter of Ju
ftice, and Publifh'd a reward for Gladiators, as Pom-
ponius L*tus tells Us, ¦• There was another Nemefis,
the Power of Fortune • fhe was Worshipped in the
Capitol, P. ViBor fays, She had a Tem pie in the City.
So much for the Gods that were efteem'd to pre-
fide over War With Mart, or were Auxiliary tq
turn* ''!..'•'" • ;

Ven-.u.

Chap. XII. /^GENTILES. xi$

VENUS.
Cicero Lib. 3. de N. D. fays, there were formerly
four Venus 's ; but her Name is Modern ; for
Varro in Macrobius fays, that in the time of the Kings
of Rome, it neither was a Greek nor Latin word. 1
have given you the thoughts of the Learned Selden,
concerning it before.
The Antients efteem'd her the Goddefi of Generation,
Pleafure, and external Beauty, fo that She could either
beftow, or take it away according as She thought fit.
To this purpofe Plutarch in his Sympof. gives you her
Hiftory, or rather Fable, and therefore deduces her
from the Sea, that he might Shew the Generative
Power of Salt, and many other things, for which con-
fult that Author. The Platonifts had two Venus' s, the
one Urania or Celeftial, to Reprefent Divine I^ove,
the other Terreftial, and afterwards made a Goddefi.
Some Mythologifis will have Venus, Juno, the Moon,
Proferpine, Diana, and fome other Goddeffes to be the
Same, and that the diverfity of Names, doth only
exhibit to us their different Virtues ; but I have
treated of thefe Myftical Interpretations before, as
far as we have any Light from Authors. Venus had
a Statue in Paphos, which did not Reprefent any
Humany Figure, but was a Conoide; the Bafe, Broad,
and Round, and gradually decreasing till it termina
ted in a Point at the Top; many of the Antient
Statues were after the fame manner, as well as this
of Venus, for they were not always, or everywhere
Reprefented by a Humane Forrm In other Places
Ihe is difcrib'd by the Figure of a Beautiful young
Virgin, Naked, ftanding in a Shell, as if fhe had
juft rofe out of the Sea. Auguftus dedicated Venus
nfing out of the Sea ; ( as ApeUes had Painted her )
P 4 in

ai6 The RELIGION of
in the Temple of Julius Cafar, which was called
Rifing out again. Venus was alfo called the Marine, to
whom a certain Ifland was Confecrated, and had
tier Temple inrit.
'¦ The moft- Antient Temple, according to Herodo-
fsts, was that of Venus Urania, built in Af colon a
City of Paleftine, which the Scythians Demolifh'd,
as wasfaid before : -He alfo fays, that the Venus Cy-
fria was made put of this, and the Phenicians that
<£ame frorn -;that Part of Syria, built her a Tem
ple at Gythera-; The Goddefi being enrag'd at the De-
xnolifhirig her Temple, font a Diftemper amongft
their Women, but he doth not 'tell us what it was,
iior indeed is it very material to know. I have formerly
mention' d her being called Mylitta by the Affyrians,
Alitta by the Arabians, and" Metra by the Perfians.
The fame Author fpeaks of a Temple of Venus a-
mongft the Aterbechi, and a Chapel of Venus Hoffes,
jn the Temple of Proteus ; alfo Venus Urania, whom
the ScythL^s Worfhip'd by the Name" of Artempafa.
The firft things tineas and his Trojans fet about
When they Arriv'd in Italy, was building a Temple
£0 Venus, Dion. Hal. lib. 4. She had a Temple amongft
the Zacynthi, and near Anchifes-Bridge as it was then
called. The Leucadians and ABienfks had Temples
facred to her. ¦
. It is certain that the worfhipping of Venus Urania,
was the moft Antient ; but whether ihe denoted
Celefiial Love, or the Power of Celeftial Fortune, the
•Queen of Heaven, or the Star called by her Name,
remains yet undecided. This Venus was not Wor
shipped by Lew'd Women only, but by the moft
Chaft Virgins, that She might beftow Gracefulnefs
and Beauty upon them, -and render them agreeable
and acceptable' to- all. Widows alfo made their SupplL-
cationj to her, that their Second Marriage might be
t> . . . , '•* ;> I>f0'?

Chap. XII. ^GENTILES. 217
Prosperous ; So that the Feftivals of Venus were
moft Reljgioufly obferv'd by all forts of Wo-?
men. Her Sir- names were Acidalia ( Servius zs£neid. 1. )
either becaufe She creates Cares, or from a Foun
tain of that Name, in which the Graces bath them
felves, who are facred to her; She is called Cluacina,
d Cluere, which Antiently Signified to Fight. Titus
Tatius the King, built her a Temple, and Onuphrius
makes mention of her Temples and Chapels.
She was called Libitina ( as we faid beSore ) be-,
cauSe the Heathens believed the fame Goddefi prefided
over our Births and Deaths. All neceffaries for a
Funeral were Sold in her Temples ; young Girls,
when they come to Womens Eftates, Dedicated
Babies, the Indications of their Age, to Venus Libi
tina. She is called Alma Venus, that is Holy and Fair;
alfo Verticorclia, turning Womens Hearts to Chafii
ty, Ovid. lib. 4. Harmonia the Wife of Cadmus cal
led her Antifirophia, becaufe She diverts Men from
wicked actions, ill thoughts, and bafe defires. E-
rycma was another of her Names, from the Moun-?
tain Eryce, in Sicily, where ts£neas built a Temple
for his Mother, and Q. Fabius Maximus, dedicated
one to her in his Didtatorfhip. Venus Erycina, had
another at the Hill-Gate ; there was a Temple in the
Via Sacra, or Holy Way of Venus Romana's or Vfnus
Rome's Confort, on which occafion Prudmtius fays,
Incenfe is burnt to ConjunB Deities.
Marcellinus mentions this Temple as particularly de-
ferving Admiration. The Elians Worfhipped Vpius
Popularis. There was alSo Venus Calva or Bald ; be-
paufe, when the Gauls Befieged Rome, the Women
put off their Hair to make Ropes to manage their^
Machines

218 The RELIGION of
Machines with ; and from thenceforward a Temple
was dedicated to Venus the Bald. The Cyprians had
a Statue of Venus Barbata, or Bearded, as Alex. Neapolit.
informs us. Suidas fays, Venus was fometimes Repre
sented with a Beard and Co/w^, becaufe formerly a
moft contagious Itch raged amongft the Roman Wo
men, which made all their Hair fall off, fo that
they had no need of a Comb; wherefore the Women
made Vows unto her, and fhe was prevail'd upon,
and their Hair grew again ; upon which they fet up
an Image of her, with a Comb and Beard, that the
Goddefi, who prefided over all acts of Generation,
ihould be Reprefented, both Male and Female ;
and therefore the upper part of her Body to her Gir
dle feem'd Male, and the lower Female ; almoft all
other Deities participated of both Sexes, that they
might not feem to be deficient or ufelefs in any par
ticular ; which, according to the Doctrine of the
Egyptians, was appropriated to the Elements. The
Lacedemonians had a Temple dedicated to Venus Ar-
ynata, the Original of which Name you'll find in
'LaBantius, of whom Anfonius fays,
Pallas did once in Armour Venus fee,
Let Paris judge whofe ViBor now, fays fhe,
Rafh Wretch (fays Venus ) to Attack me now,
When I Stark-Naked vanquifh'dyou, you know,
Tompey dedicated a Temple to Venus ViBrix, or the
Conquerour, in his fecond Confulihip ; the Greeks
called her Nicophora, fee Paufan. On fome of the
Coins of Fauftina, Venus is Reprefented holding out
ViBory with her Right Hand, and this Infcription,
Veneri ViBrici. Pofthumus Tubertus, the firft that Tri
umphed, becaufe he had gain'd the Victory eafily_
and without Blood-fhed, enter'd the City, Crown'd
' •' ¦ with

,

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 219
 1 , ¦ ¦ in u ¦ n - nn 1 1 ,
with the Myrtle of Venus ViBrix. Pliny lib. 1 j. cap,
29. Julius Cafar built a Temple to Venus Genetrile,
after the Fight of Pharfalia, and dedicated the Plun
der to her ; and amongft other things, a Breaft-
Piece of Britifh Pearls. Auguftus fet up a Brafs Sta
tue in this Temple to Cafar Divus, and a Blazing-
Star fhining over his Head, like that which appear d
after his Death; See Dionyfius, lib. 43. Appianus de
Bello Civili, lib. 2. Venus Placida had a Chapel, and
Suetonius fpeaks of Venus Capitolina. The Antients
Confecrated the Myrtle and Rofe-Tree to Venus Virg.
Eclog. 7.

The Myrtle to Fair Venus. ¦

Some held that the Myrtle had a Virtue to procure
and continue Love.- From the EleBra of Euripides;,
it appears the Greeks put fmall Branches of Myrtle on
their Funeral Piles. Some Marble Monuments alfo
inform us, that it was ufual to place CroWfts of
Myrtle on the Heads of the Deceas'd, perhaps be
caufe Venus Libitina took Care of the Dead. Venus
was Antiently called Myrtia, or Myrtea, from thp
Myrtle. The Po/e, which was dedicated to Venus,
hath a great Analogy to External Beauty ; for as
nothing is more grateful and fragrant, fo nothing
lefs permanent. Poets tell us of a White Rofe Dy'4
Purple with Venus's Blood. After Venus follows Cupif,
ihe Graces and Adonis* ;'
C U P I p.
Icero lib. 3. de N. D. enumerates three Cupids.
^j The firft was Son of Mercury and Diana. The
Second and Principal, of Mercury and Venusi And
the third ( called Antms) of Mars and Venus. It is

5.20 The RELIGION of
*¦— — ^ m*mm  UN '¦' ¦ I II MM || 1^1 I »l II fl
5s not to my purpofe to mention what the Poets fay
3n Praife of their Cupid; nor fhall I enlarge upon
that Divine or Celeftial Love which the Platonkk Phi
lofophers have in fuch Veneration,, in regard Marf.
]Ficinus hath faid very much on this Argument ;
ibme amongft the Antients were of Opinion, that
as Cupid did favour and affift Love, fo Anteros crofs'd
and oppos'd it. But others, of which Number is
ferphyrius, held Anteros to be mutual Love, and fays,
When Cupid was an Infant, and did not grow at all,
Venus confulted the Goddefs Themis ; who anfwerd
her, that Anteros was necejfary for Cupid, that they
plight take their turns, and be mutually affifting to each
ytber : Upon this Anteros was got, and when he was
juft Born, Cupid began to grow, and open his Wings ;
^nd when Anteros was with him, always grew in
Stature and Beauty, but in bis abfence, pined and wafted
away, the meaning of this is very evident.
Pbiloftratus mentions a great many Cupids or Loves;
the Sons of the Nymphs, Apfleius Reprefents them
as very fair Boys, defqending from Heaven, or rifing
put oftheSe*: Orpheus Says, there are two Gates
to Heaven, one thro' which Souls Defcend here be
low, and the other thro* which they Afcend. I
omit «to fpeak of the ways of reprefenting him,
as commonly known ; tho' the Antients had feveral
kinds of Images for him as well as his Mother Venus;
They mention no other Temples pf his but wha,C
were Founded in Hearts.
TheG R A C E S.
According to fome, they were the Daughters
of Bacchus and Venus, others of Jupiter and
and Erymone, others of jr"#»o, and there are others
who give another fabufous account pf their Pedi gree

 il " 11 i *iw iTFiTi..- i-' B — j .
Chap. XII. the GENTILES. X2i
gree Chryfippus faid, the Graces were fomewhat
younger and more beautiful than the Hours ; and
therefore efteem'd them the Companions of Venus.
Their Office was to preferve mutual Friendship a-
mongft Men, and make them grateful for Benefits
receiv'd. Paufanias fays, the Lacedemonians had but
two Graces, but the Athenians three. Hefiod gives
us their Names ; Eupbrojyne, which fignifies Cheer-
fulnefs ; Aglaia, Majefty and Gracefulnefs ; Thalia,
Gay and Flourishing ; to thefe Homer adds a fourth^
called Pafithea, and that one of the Graces was Wife
to Vulcan. Seneca lib. i. Benef. mentions but three
Graces, and gives a Defcription of their Images.
Athenaus tells us of a Temple dedicated to the Hours,
in which was an Altar to Bacchus. Alex. Neapol.
from Ariftotle fays, the Temple of the Graces was
built in the middle of the Street, to make Men eve
ry where mindful of Benefits receiv'd. The Greekt
Called them Charites. Servius fays, of them they
were reprefented Naked, that they might not ap
pear to have any deceit, joyn'd together, becaufe
they were infeparable in their own Nature. The
Reafon why they are Painted, one looking from
us, and the other two towards us ; is, becaufe
the Favours we beftow, generally return double
to us.
ADONIS.
SErvius fays, Adonis was Venus's Servant, and that
the Antients gave all the Gods afliftants of an
inferiour Power and Authority ; as Adonis to Venus,
Virbia to Diana, &c, and fo much for Venus and her
attendants. Bacchus

222 The RELIGION of

BACCHUS.
Cicero lib. 3. de N. D. enumerates five Bacchus 's,
or Dionyfii. The firft was Son of Jupiter by
Proferpine ; the fecond of Nilus, who is faid to have
killed 'Nifm ; the third Begot by a Goat, who was
King of Afia, and had the Sabbazia inftituted to
him; the fourth of Jupiter and the Moon, to whom
the facred Rites of Orpheus were paid ; the fifth of
Nifus and Thione, from Whence came the Trieterides.
The Poets report him the Son of Jupiter and Semele^
and So. do Diod. Skul. and Eufebius. The word Dio-
nyfius is faid f. be Compounded of Jupiter and Nyfa $
but who thai Nyfa was, is very uncertain, for there
were leveral of that Name ; but Diod. Skul. lib. 4.
places this between Phoenicia and Egypt, in whofe
Cave the Mttfes brought up Bacchus. He was not
Only the Inventer of Wine and Vineyards, but of a
drink made of Barley, which fome call Zithum. In
his Travels over the World ; he had not only an
Army of Men, but of Women alfo, along with
him, inflicting Punifhments on Criminals.
Voffius is of Opinion, that the moft Antient Bacchus
was Noah, but fometimes he is Ofiris, fometimes"
Bacchus, or the Liber, who undertook the Expediti
on into the Indies; or to fpeak more juftly, Arabia,
which is no wonder it was called India ; for the An
tients called all the Country beyond the Mediterra
nean, India; whether it were within or beyond
Ganges. This Arabian Bacchus was the fame as Mofes,
as our Countryman Sandford and Voffius after him
affert. I will cite a few things out of both the faid Au
thors, to clear this Point. We call that Famous
•Law*giver by the Name of Mofes ; Orpheus calls Li ber.

*

Chap. XII. fkGENTILES. 2-2,3
ber or Mifen, nordoth it fignifie any thing, that Mifent
Signifies a Proclaim'd Queen ; for Dionyfius, or Liber^
had both Sexes. Alex. Polyhifl. Says, there was a
Woman whofe Name was Mofa, that gave the Jews
their Laws. The Antients fometimes put Female
Habit on Bacchus, as may be feen in Philoftratus, on
the Image of Ariadne; but Eufebius out of Porphyrius>
is of Opinion that Bacchus was Habited like a Wo
man, and Horn'd ; to exprefs the two-fold Virtue,'
Male and Female, that is in Plants, for producing of
their Fruits ; Bacchus is called Bimater, having two
Mothers ; and Pharaoh's Daughter was efteem'd an
other Mother to Mofes, Exod. 2. 10. AB. 7. where
it is Said, that Mofes was inftructed in all the Learn
ing and Wifdom of the Egyptians. Diod. Sic. lib. y.
Praifes the wonderful Beauty of Bacchus, and Jofephus-,
lib. 4. cap. 5. fays the fame of Mofes. Liber was
brought up in Nyfa, a Mountain in Arabia ; and
Nyffus in the Alexandrian Chronicle, is Sinah in A-
rabia , where Mofes received his Law ; and to
which, after forty Years exile in Egypt, he returricL
Plutarch de Ifid. and Ofir. Speaks of Libers Ex
ile, and fo does Theodoret. Mofes brings the Ifrael
ites out of Egypt after forty Years Captivity : Non-*
nius 20. Dionyfiac. fays, that Liber tied into the Red-
Sea, in thefe words,
With Weary fieps, this glorious God doth flee,
Unto the yellow Banks of tbe Red-Sea.
When Mofes had pafs'd this Sea, he fought many Bat
tels with the Arabians and the Neighbouring Princes.
Liber too (as Diodorus cites out of Antimirus) cam£
with his Army into Arabia, which as we faid be
fore, confuted not only of Men, but Women alfo*
Mofes had all the People of Ifrael with him, which eon-

1 '"

224 The RELIGION of
confuted of Men; Women and Children. Orpheus
calls Dionyfius or Liber, Tbefinopboron : Mofes was the
Jewifh Legiflator, to whom Orpheus attributes Diplaca
Thefmon, becaufe of the two Tables of theDecalogue.
Ljber or Dionyfius in his Hymns, is called Taurometopus,
with a Bulls Fore-head, Horned Bull-like, and Corniger.
Now the Rays thatfhin'd from the Face of Mofes,
^prefenting the Sun-Beams, the vulgar Tranflati-
on of the Bible, renders that place, Exod. 34. 29.;
The Face of Mofes was Hornid ; the Painters have al
ways Drawn him with two Horns. Mofes in the
Wildernefj, Stroke the Rock with his Rod, and Wa
ter gufh'd out, this was Reprefented in the Orgii of
Liber; fo Euripides in Bacch. Taking a Rod, he ftroke
a Rock, and a dewy moifiure of Water iffued out. God
font fiery Serpents amongft the Ifraelites, which de
stroyed many of them ; but upon their Repentance,
. Mofes, by the Command God, erected a Brazen Ser
pent, and whofoever look'd upon it was Healed.
The WorShipperS of Bacchus, ty'd Serpents about
their Heads, as may be feen in Euripides his Bacchus,
Catullus, Clemens Alexandr. Adm. ad Gentes, and Ar-
nobius, lib. 5-. Mofes had a moft faithful^ Compani
on, called Caleb, in Sacred Writ. Keleb in Hebrew
is a Dog, and Liber had a Dog for his Affociate,
who was afterwards advanc'd to Heaven^ Nonnius
16. Dionyf. introduces him, fpeaking thus to his
Dog, I will gratefully reward thee for all thy pains and
toil ; I will make thee a Citizen of Heaven, next to Sy-
rius ; glorious, with many fhining Stars, near tbe former
Dog, that thou may ft ripen the Grape, the Branches re
ceiving Plenty and Splendour from thee. Mofes brought
the People to a Land, flowing with Milk and Ho
ney : So in the Bacch. of Euripides, The Earth flows
with Milk, and Wine, andthe NeBar of Bees (or Ho
ney) andthefmoke like that of Libanus. I have faid
enough?

Chap. XII. /^GENTILES. 225
enough on this Subject, for the Fictions of the Greeks
are but a Weak Authority, Or what elfe is alluded
to ,by others, whoSe Veracity We have Reafon to
fuSpect : For the difference between the Egyptian Bac
chus, whom Sotne call Ofiris ; and the Theban, whoSe
facred Rites were much like thoSe in Egypt, See
Voffius de Idolol. Bacchus comes from a Greek word,
fignifying to Howl. His Sir-names were Jacchut
Lycaus, Lenaus, Licnotes, of thefe Anfon. Epig. 29*
fays, Ogygia does me Bacchus call ;
In Egypt J Ofiris am;
And with tbe Myftae Phahaces,
Tbe Indians Dionyfius ;
Liber in Holy Rome'* my Name ;
Adonis in Arabia ;
Pantheus by th' Lucanians.
See alfo Ovid. Metam. lib. 4. tho' there is no rnehtiori
made of Bacchus Eleutberius, who fome fay, was called
fo, becaufe he made the Citizens of Bceotia free*
Bacchus has other Sir-names, but I pafs them by;
Scaliger obferves that Bacchus and Proferpine had an
Altar in Common, and he is reckon'd amongft thP
infernal Gods by Artemidorus. The Antient Histo
rians, St. Auguftine de Gii>. Dei, and the Poets, efpe-*
daily Catullus, have given a large account of thoSe
Bedlam Rites that were perform'd in Honour of
"him, called the Bacchanalia; amongft other things
he Says, The Otgia which tbe Wicked hear in vain.
The Scythians would not admit the Bacchanalia a-
tttongft them, as Heted. Says, lib. 4. thinking it very
Q ridisu-

226 The RELIGION of
 . ; . .1 - ir i -- -   *  — — —
ridiculous, that there Should be any Gad that would
make Men run Mad. /They were in fomemeaiure
abolifh'd in Italy alfo, and in fome meafure retain 'd..
for Dion. Hal. Says, there were fome things generous
at the Feftivals of Bacchus, of which I Ihould fpeak,
but the Extravagance and Obfcenity of the Matter
will not permit me ; upon which account they an
tiently were celebrated without the City. Herod.
lib. i. he alfo Speaks of a Shrine ¦of Bacchus, full of
Affyrlan Characters, and a Temple of his at Samos,
Pl'm. Nat. Hift. lib. 8. cap. 26. the Temple of Bacchus
at Rome, was in the fecond Divifion. A Chapel of
Liber Pater in the Sixth.' He is RepreSented like a
Boy, at Man's Eftate, and in old Age. The Panther
was always placed near, as a Beaft Sacred to him, as
alSo the Aft and Tyger, Pliny lib. 24. fays, He was
efteem'd the Commander of the Mufes as well as
Apollo, and the Poets were Crown'd with Ivy as
well as Bays. The Ivy, which in Greek is Kiffos from
Kiffan, which Signifies to Luft after any thing, was
facred to Bacchus.
The Antients Say, that Bacchus was the firft that
rode in Triumph on an Elephant. Cartarius fays,
amongft the Birds, the Magpye was Sacred to him,
becaufe it was lawful for any Perfon to aSperSe him
that Triumphed with whatever he could object
againft him, which I much doubt of j for the Chat
tering of that Bird is as applicable to prating Drun
kards, as to thofe that rail'd againft him that Tri
umphed. S u id as fays, Bacchus and Priapus were the
fame, and others, that Bacchus was his Father. I
Shall Speak of the Fan of Bacchus when I treat of the
Expiation, of the Antients ; his Companions were
the Sileni, Bacch*, Lena, Thyia, Mimellones, Naides,
Satyr*, Bajfarides$ Nympha, Ceres.

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 227

CERES.
CEres, the Daughter of Saturn and Ops, was wor
fhipped both by the Greeks and Romans, of
whom Virgil, Georg. i* lays,
Ceres firft taught us Mortals how to plow }
"Plenty of Fruit did on the Earth beftow :
And Ovid:
To her Benevolente all this we ow.
Ceres, according to lome, was called Libera} but
this is contradicted by Herod, who Says PofthUmiui
' Vowed a Temple to Ceres, Liber and Core, which is
translated here Libera, but according to Cicero ,Libera
was Proferpine ; but certain it is She was not Ceresi
He alfo /**. 2. de N. D. fays, Our Anceftors confecra
ted Ceres with Liber and Li&era,very Sacredly and fo*
lemnly* Some are of opinion that this Libera Was
Venus, but 1 fhall adhere to the former, till I fee bet
ter reafon.
Her Sirnames Were, Panda, becaufe She gave us
Bread; and Nonnius out of Varro, thofe who fly fori
refuge to Ceres had Bread given them. Others will
have Panda the GoddeSs of Peace. She is called Alma,
becaufe Ihe feeds us. She was accounted the fame as
Ifis, as in Diod. Skul. lib. y. The Egyptians fay Ceres
and Ifis are the fame, and that fhe taught them firft to
fow. The Sacred Rites of Ceres uled by the Athe*
nians are much the fame with thofe of Ifis. And Her.
lib. 2. affirms that he and Liber had Dominion
over the Infernal Regions ; froto whence the Fan of
the Purgation of the Soul, or Expiation was attribu*
ted to Bacchus,
Q 2 The

xzS The RELIGION of "
¦ '¦¦ ¦¦¦ ¦ ¦¦M-^»^W^>W-*--«W'l 'I' ¦ II——- *¦—« — ¦ — »
The fame Author Speaks of the Temple and
Shrines of Ceres, and me had Temples built in Pla-
t*a and Eleufa. He alfo mentions Cera Atherea, and
her Oc?w. Cera Legifera was worfhipp'd by the Wo*
men, 7;^. 6. and 8. that the Solerhnities of €«*« and
Pr offer pine, wete obferved by the Athenians every year.
Servius upon the 4th. of the tAEneids, informs us why
She was called Legifera. It's faid that Ceres invented
the Laws ; for her Sacred Rites are called Thefmopho-
ria, that is, tbe introducing of Laws. This is only a Fi
ction, becaufe before Ceres invented Sowing Corn,'
Men ranged up and down the World fubject to no
Laws, which Barbarity ceas'd after the Distinction
of the Propriety of Land, for from thence arofe
Laws. The Syracufians facrificed to Ceres and Proferpine
her Daughter ; tho' after a more modeft manner
than thofe of Eleufa, concerning which Athenaus lib.
14. fays, Heraclides writes of antient and efiablifht Cu
ff oms, and relates that the Syracufians at their Thef--
mophoria made the reprefentation of Womens Privities
'with Indian Wheat and Honey, which were called Mulli
throughout all Sicily, and carried about in honour of thefe
Goddeffes. Of which Voffius fays, It was an impious Cu
ftom, tho' fymbolical : for as tbe Man's Pudenda is carried
about at the facred Rites of Ofiris and Bacchus, to fig-
nify the Power of 'Gener. .tion; fo in the Syracufian TheS-
mophorii a Female Reprefentation was carried about, to
to fignify its Paffive Principle. Dion Halicarnaff. lib. i.
mentions a Temple of Ceres, where abftemious Rites
were performed to her by Priefteffes,after the Grecian
manner, which remain'd the Sime to his time; but
it was provided by Law, That Women only fhould affift
at thi Grecian Sacred Rites of Ceres. The Eftates of
thofe that did Strike or kill a Tribune, or opposed
their Authority, were confiscated to Ceres > Dion. Hal. lib.

Chap. XII. the GENTIL E S. 429
'¦i» ¦ 1 11 mm — — » ¦»»— , L .li_'".'j
Z& 6. There is a Temple of Ceres in the Circus M'axi-
mus, and above the Prifons. She had others alfo, of
whom P. ViBor fays, That in the Eleufinian Rites, the
Priefts (who were Women ) ran in the night with
Torches, and She that was foremoft, continually
cry'd out, Stand off, ft and off, you Impious.
None could be admitted to her, Without being ini*
; dated , who muft make Expiation for whatever
Crimes he had commited. We read of Nero, that he
never was prefent at thefe Ceremonies, being con
scious of his own Villainy : but the Emperour Anto
ninus, as an argument of his Probity, was initiated
into the facred Rites of Cere* Eleufina. Her Anniver-
faries were called Initia Majora, the Greater Initia
tions; at which timeitwaspublicklydeclared,outof
fome myfterious Letters, what was to be obferv'd and
done at this Sacred Pomp and Ceremony. Thefe
Letters were preferv'd in a certain heap of Stones ;
and Paufanias fays, when thiPhenseat* took an Oath
concerning a matter of great importance, they re
paired thither. He alfo Says, That the Image' of
Ceres Cidonia was kept, there, and the Prieft pn cer-_
tain days in the Same Reprefentation did chaftiSe the
People with Rods in a paternal manner.
There were many other Rjtes and Cuftonis be
longing to her; as that thofe who were initiated fhould
put on a new clean Shirt, and never put it off till
it was quite worn out; and then they preferved the
pieces with great care, to make Swathes for their
Children. As none knew what was Carried about
in thefe pompous Parades of Ceres Eleufina, So it was
held impious to enquire. TheSe Sacred things were
parried in a Cheft Shut clofe, and a profound Silence
Q 3 ' kePl>

*io The RELIGION of
*mfm00mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmimmmmimmmMmmmmmmmmmmm-m--»
kept, from whence the young Virgins that carried
them, were called Camphor*. Thofe that revealed
thefe Myfteries, were admonimt in their Dreams (if
Sou can credit it) that their Licentioufnefs was very
ifpleafing to the Goddeffes Ceres and Proferpine.
Paufanias fays, that intending to treat at large of thefe
(acred Rites, he was deterr'd from it by a Spectre;
wherefore he mentions nothing but the Statue of
Triptolemus, whom Ceres taught Agriculture; and
Brazen Cows adorn 'd with Flowers, and their Horns
gilt, fuch as were Sacrificed to her. The Arcadians
J>aid the utmoft Adoration to Ceres and Proferpine, re-
igioufly preferving a Fire conftantly burning in
their Temples.
Ceres had a very great Statue all of Marble : Vro-
ferpine her Daughter was reprefented cloathed ; be
caufe the Seeds of all things were covered with Some
Rind or Bark, nor were they vifible as in their Mo
ther Ceres. Hercules was placed before her Feet :
there Was no Wine ufed at her Sacrifices, as was at
thofe of the other Gods. Thefe Sacrifices were cal
led her Nuptials. The Sow was her more peculiar
Sacrifice, becaufe it deftroy'd the Corn. The An
tient Heathens were fo Strictly religious, that they
did not believe they had any Power to Slay Animals ;
but the Sow being a hurtful Creature,and did devour
or deftroy the Harveft they had Sown, they did e-
fteem it lawful to facrifice her to the Gods. Ceres
Was alfo called Demetrus, Erinnys, Lyfia and Melaina j
for which Paufanias gives a Reafon.
She is reprefented fitting on a Stone, like a Wo
man, all but her Head, which is like a Mare with a
Mane, Serpents and other wild Beafts playing about
fier Head, all the reft of her Body covered with a
jpng Garment to the Soles of her Feet ; in one
IJand She has a Dolphin, and With the other holds out

Chap. XII. the Q EN T I L E S. 231
out a Dove, to exprefs the Animals of the Elements
about her. I Shall not trouble my Reader with the
Fable of Ceres being metamorphoz'd into a Mare,
and Neftune afterwards into an Horfe. There are
fome who reprefent her after a more agreeable man
ner, but fo much at prefent.
V U L CAN.
THere were many Vukans: Cicero mentions four,
amongft whom is he that is faid to be Jupiter
and Juno's Son, and was held in fuch Veneration by
the Antients. Both Hefidd and Lucian write, or fa
bulously report that he proceeded from Juno, with
out the affiftance of any God or Man ; but this is
only to Signify, that Fire is fometimes generated by
Air alone: that Jupiter threw him headlong into the
Ifle of Lemnos, and made him lame, has, according
to fome,a reference to the Thunderbolts.
The Egyptians efteemed him the Inventer of Fire;
on which account 'tis my opinion he was Deified,
and amongft the Antients fignified Fire myftically.
For as nothing has been difcover'd Since the begin-
ing of the World, that is fo quick and miracu
lous in its effect as Fire, fo nothing is more bene
ficial or advantageous. He was therefore by the An
tients accounted fome internal Deity, making him
felf vifible to us, and an Emblem of the Sun, as was
faid before. His moft celebrated Temple was at
Memphis : we have given an account of his Colofs
lying on its back before the Temple, being 75 foot
long; as alfo of the Priefts fet apart for the cele
brating his Myfteries, amongft whom Herod, lib. 2.
mentions a King who had a Stone-Statue in Vulcan's
Temple, holding a Moufe (in commemoration of a
Victory obtain'd by the affiftance of this little Ani-
Q. 4 mal,

z*% The RELIGION of
» i . , .j i , .1
rnal, againft Senacbarib King of the Arabs and Affy
rians, with this InScription, Let thofe that behold me
he pious. Dfion. H^lkar. lib. 2. tells us of a Temple of
Vulcan built by Tatius ; and fays, that Romulus dedi
cated four brazen Horfes to him ; and that Orations
were made both before and in his Temple. Pliny
lib. 18. Says, that the Romans inftituted Feftivals for
him ; it is not material to my purpofe whether he
made the Arms of the Gods, or was Venus's Husband.
VESTA.
VEfta is a Greek Word, and Cicero derives it from
Heftia, which in Herod, is Hiftia ; but it may
as well be derived from Efchia in the Hebrew, which
fignifies the Fire of God. Some are of opinion that
the Cuftom of worfhipping Fire came from the Jews
and remain'd amongft the Gentiles, intermix'd with
fome other of their New-invented Rites. The Vefta
that was efteem'd a Goddefs, was the Daughter of
Saturn ( according to Diod. Sic. and ApoUodorus ) and
the Wife of Janus, as Q. Fabricius PiBor has it
It is probable, as Cafiorius obferves,the antient Ro
mans began the Sacrifices of other Gods by invoking
the Name of Janus and Vefia. Janus firft, becaufe he
firft built a Temple in Italy, and inftituted facred
Rites, according to Macrobius. Vefta, becauSe no Sa
crifice could be without Fire; therefore the Hearth
Was dedicated to Vefta, and called Lar, and the La
res were worfhipped there. Veftibuhm comes frorri
Vefta, the Entrance into the HouSe being Sacred to
her. She was represented on Some antient Coins
l|ke a Woman fitting, and carrying a Drum.
It's Said that Vefia, in as much as She fignified Fire,
was worfhipped by the Scythians by the Name of Ta-
btfis.. Fire was generally worfhipped by the Name

Chap. XII. the G E N T I L E S. 23 $
of Vulcan, both in the Eaft and Weft; Jr^/y only ex
cepted, who held PW?<* in great Veneration, as was
faid before. Livy lays , that the Romans had the
Worfhip of Vefta from the Albany Sacred Rites were
alfo perform'd to her at Athens, Delphos and other
Places in Greece. L)ion, Hal. often mentions a Temple
of Vefta built by Numa Pompilius ; and fays, that
fhe Priefts were chofen out of the moft Noble Fa
milies. Concerning the Sacred Things kept Secret here,
eSpecially the P*/W«M»,confult Dion.Hal. and Plutarch;
but eSpecially Lud. Vives, on Chap. 2. Aug. de Civit.
Dei. Pliny tells us of its being burnt down, which is
not ftrange, in regard (as Plutarch fays) it was en-
compaSs'd with a continual Fire. Some write, that
Vefta fignifies only the Earth, or rather an internal
Power acting in it. Thus much for Vefta and Vulcan,
who were Deities that reprefented both Pure,Cele-»
ftjal Fire, and the Grofs and Elementary.
NEPTUNE.
NEptune by the Antients was the Son of Saturn
and Ops or Rhea, and prefided over the Sea,
becaufe he invented the Art of Navigation. Cicero
lib. 3. de N. D. fays, Neptune was an intelligent Mind
moiling over the Sea. Sailors always Sacrificed to him.
Pliny lib. Nat. Hifi. Speaks of a Temple facred to him
in Caria. Some tell us antient Coins mention Ne
ptune Redux. He had a Temple in Rome in the <ytb.
Divifion of the City ; another of which P. ViBor
fpeaks. Neptune alfo taught the Art of Horfmanfhip : there
fore he was called by the Greeks Hippios, Seifichthor,
and Pcfeidon ; becaufe he fhook the Earth with his
Feet, or the Hoof of his Horfes, Virg. tAZneid. 8. The

134 The RELIGION of

Tbe Sound of*$ Hoofs the yielding Fields doth (bake.
And in the Georgickt .*
Like j "olid Horn hit Hoofs Jo found-
Wherefore thofe concern'd in Horfe-races, always
fwore by Neptune, that they would ufe no Tricks.
Paufanias fays, Hippies was the moft known of all
Neptune's Names, being receiv'd in all Countries.
The Circenfes were Sports on Horfeback, and facred
to Neptune. He was call'd Taxaripput, as Paufanias
lays, becaufe Horfes fometimes Seem in a consterna
tion, and are taken with a Sudden trembling, espe
cially about the round Altar fet at each fide of the
Chariot. Feftus reports, that four Horfes were con
ftantly facrificed to this Equeftrian Neptune every f)th
Year. There are two Coins, one Vejbafeans and
the other Adrians, which exquifitely exhibite Neptune
in both his Capacities : He is reprefented ftanding
naked, a Mantle hanging down his left Shoulder,
holding a Whip with three Larties in his Right, and
a Trident erect in his Left.
Servius fays, Amongft the Antients the Gates were
facred to Juno, the Towers to Minerva, and Walls and
Foundations to Neptune. The Statue of Neptune and
Oceanus were made often fo alike, that they could
hardly be diftinguifh'd. The Antients call'd Oceanus
the Father of the Gods ; but only myftically meant,
that original Humidity from which all things receive
their Increafe.
POR-

Chap. XII. */* GENTILES. 23c

TORTUMNUS.
I Muft not here omit Portumnm or Portunus : He was a
Deity that prefided oyer the Gates; but I Shall not
Spend time in enquiring, Whether he were the fame
with PaUmon and Melkerta, He formerly had two
Temples in Rome,both in the nth Divifion of the City,
GENIUS.
THe Antients do not agree what Genius is, or
how it came to be reckon'd amongft Animal
Deities. Servius in my opinion determines it beft,
Genius is the Natural God of every Place, Thing and
Man. In antient Inscriptions we have, To tbe Ge
nius of this Place; and lib. 1. Arnob. Tpe Genius of Ci
ties. There is an Infcription at Pateoli, To fhe God tb*
great Genius of the People o/PuteoIi, and bis own Coun
try. Claud. Ep. to Severus, makes Genius alfo the Pre
ferver of the Realm: And Symmachus to Vol. Th. and
Arcad. As Souls are allotted to thofe born, fo are the fatal
Genii to the People. We find theSe Words amongft
fome of Adrians InScriptions, Genio P. R. To the Ge
nius of the Romans. There is alSo the Figure of a
Military Man , his Cloaths wrapp'd about him to
the middle of his Leg ; in his Right Hand a Difh like
a Sacrificing Prieft, and Cornucopia in his Left. To
thefe may be referr'd Nemeftinus the God of Groves;
CoUina and Vallina, GoddeSTes of Hills and Vallies.
St. Auguftin quotes Varro, Saying, Every rational Ani
mal had its Genius, and therefore every one had
one. In this SenSe the Antients took the Word Genius,
when they reckon it amongft the the Animal Deities.
Genforinus fays, Genius is fuch an affiduom Obfervator of

236* The RELIG ION of
—^-1—.—^.————^—^—— '¦ ¦ m^wm— ^— — ,,
us, that it doth not leave us the leaft moment, but attends
us from our Birth to our laft Breath. The Antients al-
low'd every one two; one like our Good Angels,
was Man's Guard and Protector; the other like the
Devil, endeavoured to enfnare him : fee Servitfs on
this place of Virgil:

Quifquefuos fatitur manes.

The Afferters of this Opinion fay, that Man re
ceives his Genius from the Stars, at the fame time with
his Soul; who preServing or obferving him here,
brings him after this Life to a State of Happinefs, or
refigns him over to PuniShment. So Horace :
Genius DireBor cf our Native Star,
The God of Humane Nature -
And afterwards he Says, His Countenance was va
riable, white and black, that they might make Ge
nius to be a Monitor as well as an Obferver of Hu
mane Actions.
That which inclin'd the Antient Philofophers to
this Opinion, was their Suppofing God did not inter-
meddlewith the particular Government of the World,
therefore thought it neceffary that a particular Ge
nius Should prefide over every Man ; that Tbe Moft
Great and Good God could not have a certain account
of their Inclinations and Actions, and fo determine
of their future State, unlefs every Individual Perfon
had a Genius from his Nativity. Others (as we faid
before) are of another Opinion. Thofe that are So
licitous about the Welfare of the Female Sex, allow
them a Juno inftead of a Genius to the Men.
There were many antient Reprefentations of G*-
n'ws: Some like a Serpent ; but that was myftically,
s to

Chap. XII. ^GENTILE S. 23 7
". " " "^—^——¦i iii" - ~ ,, , -,-"-
to exprefs a Renovation of Life ; others,in his right
Hand a Dilh adorn'd With Nofegays, which he Sets
on an Altar, his left holding a Small Flail hanging
down, of Some fuch thing : Some exhibit him like a
Boy, others a Youth, and others an Old Man. Con
cerning Genius firft under the Sorm of a Boy, and
then of a Serpent, fee Paufanias, Eliae. in Pofter. The
Elians erected an Altar to him, for a Victory obtain'd
by his Affiftance. The Same Author fpeaks of an Evil
Genius that encounter'd Eutbymus, and overcame him.
There was a great affinity between the Genii and
Lares ; wherefore the Romans Set up and worfhipp'd
the moft Eminent of both of them in the Crofs-ways,
and where three Roads met. Every one worfhipp'd
his own Genius Separately ; but eSpecially when he
kept his Birth-day. At which time, PerSons being
devoted to all Sorts of Mirth and Jollity, were Said
Indulgere Genio : or on the contrary, Genium defraudare,
Ovid calls it,Feftum Geniale, and Epula Geniales, in Clau-
dianus de Rapt. Proferp. and LeBus Genialis, VirgA/Eneid.
and Thorns Genialis ; that which was made for a Wed
ding, a day of Mirth and Pleafure was called Genialis,
in honour of the Genii ; fo JuvenalfThat day fhall pa ft for
Genial. That the Genius (efpecially that of Princes)
was had in great Veneration, is evident from this,
that whofoever had Sworn by his Genius, and violated
his Oath, Should Suffer the fame Punifliment as the
moft notorious perjur'd PerSon. Suetonius Says, that
Caligula us'd to punifh thoSe that never Swore by his
Genius ; concluding thence that he was deSpiSed by
them. They offer'd Wine and Flowers to their Ge
nius on their Birth-day ; they abftain'd from Bloody
Sacrifices, thinking it unreasonable to take away the
Life of any thing on the Day they receiv'd their own.
Cenforinus adds, that when thefe facred Rites were
perform'd to the Genius, no one might tafte before him

*3 8 The PL ELI G ION of
... . .  . — , , - ., ... 
him that was Mafter of the Feaft. Authors lay, The
flane-tree was facred to the Genius, and that he was
crown'd with it ; perhaps becaufe astAElian fays, An
Owl would not come where a Plane-teaf was: but
fometimes he was crown'd with Flowers, according
to TMlus :
At his own Honours Genius does attend,
Andfiowry Garlands round bis Temples bendi
Plutarch lays a great deal more of the Genii in his
Book of the Ceafing rf Oracles, where he endeavours
to prove, that one Genius exceeded another in Vir
tue, Wifdom and Power. In the Defcription of the
XIV Districts of Rome, mention is made of Temples
to the Genii of Children, and others to the Genii of the
Lares ; and a little Chapel to Genii Sangi in the jth
Diftrict : and I do not meet with any more publick
Temples or Chapels erected to the Genii, their pri
vate Adoration being fo extensive.
PENATES.
I Now proceed to the Penates and Laresfas Deities
of neareft Affinity,as Dion. Hal. informs us. They
are call'd Penates or Penites, being neareft at hand,
and moft appropriated. He calls them alfo Myehioi,
from My chins, which fignifies Pmetrale, and guaftua-
rii or Fortunatores, as fottit Call Jupitef and Mercury.
Others Calls them Penates, from Patrous or Patrki ;
others Genet bin or Natalitii, others Herchii, becauSp
Obey confine themfelves within the limits of&Very ones houfe,
He alSo mentions Temples where their Images were,
and is of opinion that D, was the firft Letter of the
Word before P. Gktfe

Chap, XII. the G E N T I L E S. *39
1_— ^— W— — ¦— W— ¦! ' ¦ ———»¦—¦—«¦¦¦—— —————— ^»l II I I I
Cicero £&. i. <fe N. D. is of opinion they were call'd
Penates, from Perns, which is every thing that is Food
for Man : or becauSe penitus infident, upon which ac
count the Poets calls them PtnetraUs. They did not
only prefide over and preferve the Mafter of the Fa
mily, but his Guefts alfo. And Cicero and Ovid both
tell us, it was accounted a moft Notorious Crime,
to Murder a Stranger in the Prefence of the DU
Penatii. They were Reprefented like young Men
in a War-like Habit, with Spears in their Hands ;
fome fey they are Apollo and Neptune, others Caftor
and Pollux, others fay, the Penates are Deities them
felves, in their own proper Form.
They were Worfhipped in the moft inward part
of the HouSe, before the Mafter of the Family went
about any Bufinefs. So Demipbo in Terence fays, He
was going Home to Worfhip his Penates, and then return
to the Forum to difpatch Bujinefi. When they were
anger'd, they facrificed Unto them to make them
propitious. Horace 3. Carm. fpeaks of appeafing the
Penates by Sacrifices. The Dictators and other
Magistrates of Rome, facrificed to the Penates and
Vefta that Day on which they enter'd upon their
Office.
LARES.
SOme are of Opinion, that Lares and Genii are the
fame, andthe Penates are not much different
from both. Apuleius in his Book de Deo Socratis,
fays, that the Lares were formerly called Lemures,
or SpeBres ; but certainly Lar has a more tender
meaning ; for the Lemures or Lara, were only Pu-
nifhers of the Wicked, but the Lares were kind, fa
miliar, and Domeftick Deities, and therefore Wor
fhip'd within the Walls of the Houfe. The Fire-
Hearth

240 The RELIGION of
Hearth was facred to the Lares, whence comes the
word Foculare, the Focus Laris. Near the Forum, was
a Lararium, or Repofitory for the Lares. Lampridius
writes, that Alexander Severus had two Lararia s ; in
one he kept the Images of Chrift, Abraham, Orpheus^
and ApoUonius, and the Effigies of Cicero arid Virgil
in the other. They were reputed the Guardians of
the Fields, and the whole City, as well as Private
Houfes. Feftus fays, Balls, and the Effigies of Men
and Women, were hung up at the Grofs-ways, and
thefe Feftivals were kept there, according to fame
Author. Varro affims, that the Compitalia were Days
devoted to the Lares ; but Cicero calls them J^ies
Compitalitii, who alfo makes mention of ' the Sports
ufed at them. There were as many Balls as Heads
of Servants, and as many Effigies'as Children, that
they might fpare the Living, and be content with
Balls and Images. Pliny lib. 26. informs us, that
Servius Tullus was the firft that inftituted theCompita-
lia and Sports to the Lares, and tells the occafion,
that lying down in the Palace, his Head feem'd to
burn, and he believed that he was the Son of the
familiar Lar : But Varro fays that Titus Tatius, King
of the Sabines, was the firft that Vow 'd, and built
Temples to the Lares. Plutarch writes, that the
Lares properly called Praftites, did affift the Dog ;
aad thefe Lares were Clothed with a Dog's Skip, be
caufe (fays he) the Care and Cuftody of the Houfe
being committed to their Charge, they ought to be
a Terrour to all others, and tame, and tender to
wards the Family, as the nature of Dogs is. In the
Aulular. of Plautus, a Lar himfelf tells, what Rites
were perform'd to. them ; He has an only Daughter,
ftie every Day offers up her Supplications to me, either with
Frankincenfe, Wine, or fome other fucb-liks things, and
gives me a Garland ; They had alfo a Woollen HaiV- Lact

Chap. XII. the G E N T I L E S. 441
lace given them, according to Ovid. The Meat
that was offer'd unto them from the Table, was
Confum'd by Fire, for it was held impious for any
Man to tafte it. Propertius lib. 4. gives us an ac
count of the Sacrifices that were offer'd up to the
Lar in the Crofs-Ways*
A fmall Swine, made Lufiration in Cr'ofs-Wayi.
Bell-weathers were likewife facrificed to the Laref.
. Cicero de Leg. alSo Says, the Familiar Lares were trou
bled at his departure. It was the common Opinion,
that Singly they prefided over Private Families ; but?
being join'd together, had the Care' and Safeguard of
whole Cities. Propertius SayS, they put Hanibal to
Flight : And Feftus Says, they Sacrificed to the War
like Lares, becauSe they imagin'd they had Routed
their Enemies. TheSe had a Temple and Chapel
in the Eighth Divifion of the City ,- they had alfo
a Grove and Chapel. L. ^Emilias Regulus made
Vows in the Campus Martius to the Marine Lares, that
they might affift him in his Sea- Fights. Curfius de
dicated an Altar to the Lares Praftites, that preferv'd
the Walls of the City. Cicero lib. 2. de Legibus, fays,
That the Lares were very angry, that a Temple to Li-
centioufnefswas Rebuilt in their JurifdiBion. I Shall not
trouble you with the Fable of the word's being de-
riv'd from Lara or Larunda. The Greeks called them
"Hf»« h#t' •3wsw, or wrnxMiu, from whence it is ve
ry probable, that the Heathens did believe that the
Souls of fome Heroes did become Lares.

R Phte'

24i The RELIGION of

PLUTO.
PLTJTQ the Son of Saturn and Ops, and Bror-
, ther of Jupiter, and Neptme, was efteem'd tp
have the Government of the Infernal Regions.
Diod. Sic. gives the Reafon, faying, he firft Inven
ted Funeral Rites, and Parental Obfequies.
He was called Onus or Horcus, from the Oath
Which the Heathens fwore by ; by which Name alfo,
he is accounted amongft the Select Gods. The Pp-
ets fabulopfly report, that he had the Government
of Hell, as Jupiter has of Heaven, Neptune of the Sea
and Water; fo all things here below, efpecially, the
Subterranean were under the direction of. Pluto. But
the Jurisdictions of thefe Brethren were not So
entire, and diftinct, but they did often interfere
with each other, and Jupiter and Neptune did fome
times Exercife an Authority on Earth : Pluto and
Neptune in the Heavens, Jupiter and Pluto on the
Sea. Pluto was called the God of Riches; for Pluios,
from whence his Name is derived, Signifies Riches ;
and by the Latims alio he is called, Dis, from Di-
tare to Enrich. This is properly to be underftood of
Pluto^ as he had Command over the interior Parts
of the Earth, from whence Metals are dug; for as
he was God of Hell, he did not confer Wealth on
Men, but Rewards and Punifhmehts. For after this
Life, Poets and Philofophers faid, there was a Mea
dow called the Field of Trufh, which had two Paths,
one leading to the Ifles of Happinefs, and the other
to the Place of Puniflment.
They faid there were three Judges. zAZacus,
Minos , and Rhadamanthus , who knew all that
Men had done whilft they lived here on Earth.
Rhadamanthus and zAiacus, had Rods in their Hands, whilft

Chap. XII. /^GENTILE S. 243
whilft they paffed Judgment : Minos fat by himfelf)
and held a Gplden Sceptre in his Hand, Delibera
ting of every ones particular Cafe ; according to
their Opinion, Souls Stood by Naked, being dive
rted of their Bodies, and destitute of all External
coverture ; fo that the Judges could clearly Pene
trate into their moft fecret and intimate Thoughts,
and from thence make a juft Judgment of their Prin
cipal Actions. Plato and his Difciples explain the
Myftical Senfe of thefe Fictions, who unanimoufly
aflert, that there are Rewards and Punifhments
for the Souls of Men after this Life, or elfe the O-
perations and Dictates of Confcience would be to
no purpofe, if there were- not another State, either
of HappineSs or Mifery. Eufebius gives us another
Myftical Interpretation of Plato's, and fays, Porphy
ria Reprefented the Sun, under that Notion, who
being little converfant with us in the Winter, but
more with our Antipodes is faid to Govern the infe
riour Parts of the World, fcarce enlightning our
Hemifphere. By Proferpiene's being detained by
Pluto, is meant, that Pluto or the Sun doth preferve
the Seminal Power ( which, as we faid before, is de
noted by Proferpine) either concealed in himfelf, or
in the Husk that contains the Seed ; this needs no
more Explication. The Poets Reprefented him,
prefiding over the Ghofts, and fitting Kiog in Hell ;
of which Claudian,
Leaning on's Rod, with direful Majefty
Enthron'd he fits ; Naufeous Squallidity
Environs his vafi Sceptres.  —
Martianus Capella, gives him an Ebony Crown and
Sceptre, becaufe he was King of the Infernal Regi-^
ofls. Homer, Plato, and Hyginus write, that he car-
R 3, ried

244 The RELIGION of
ried an Helmet, which if any Perfon put on, he
was invifible to all Men, tho' he faw every Body ;
which may very well be underftood of the Occult
Power of the Sun, when he is not feen by us. By
the affiftance of this Helmet, it was ( as the Poets
tell us ) that Perfeus overcame Medufa, and that Mi
nerva borrowed it from him. Cerberus lies at his
Feet ( as Fulgentius has it ) who, according to the
Opinion of fome, is imagin'd to have three Heads,
to fhew that three^things are neceffary for Seed to be
Productive, That it be fpread on the Ground, That
it be covered with it, and That it Sprout when
covered. Pindar defcribes Pluto with a Rod in his Hand,
with which he drives Souls down to Hell, that he
may either keep them there, or difmifs them as he
judges convenient : The Antients place him hi a
Chariot, drawn by four Black Horfes, blowing Fire
out of their Noftiils. Orcus or Pluto was formerly
called Agefilaus, becaufe, He drives all People; and ac
cording to Cyril, Orcus and Adoneus, who was King
of Moloffus. Orcus alfo fignifies Hell it Self; he is alfo
called Summanus, as Summus Manium, the Superinten
dent of Ghofts ; according to others Summanus, was
only the God of Night. Ovid in his Fafti fpeaks du-
bioufly of him. Allor was another of his Names,
ab Alendo, becaufe all things receive Nourishment
from the Earth ; and Rurfor, to which all things re
turn again ; and Februus, becaufe the Februa and Ex
piations had a refpedt to the future State below, of
which he was God.' Orcus had a Temple in the
Tenth district of Rome ; Summanus had a Chapel in
the Eighth, and in the Sixth, which Titus Tatius
vowed, according to Varro. The

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 24?

The Parcas and Furies.
TH E Pan*, or Deft inks and Furies, were for
merly efteemed, P/«ro's or Onus's Champions.
I Shall fpeak of the Pare* hereafter; and fhall
only hint fome few things concerning the Furies^
which were AleBo, Tyfiphone and Megara ; to whom
fome add Lyffa for a fourth, for the real Furies are
in our Selves, which are inordinate Defire, Anger, and
Luft. Cicero de Leg. fubftitutes Horror of Confidence,.
inftead of the Furies. They were by the Antients
thought to be the Ministers of Pluto, and fome
times made Sallies out of Hell to punifh Mortals ;
they were Worfhipped like the Dii Averrunci, that
they might not hurt Men, and to divert impending
Misfortunes. Therefore Paufanias in his Attkks fays,
the Greeks facrificed to them.
The Furies had facred Rites and Altars belonging
to them, as other Deities had. Cicero lib. 3 . de N. D.
fays, they beheld and punilhed all Villainous Acti
ons. The Scycionians facrificed Eggs juft Hatcht to
them, but it was, as I think, by the Name of the
Eumcnides, which fignifies Benevolent and Mild; they
us'd to offer Wine mixt with Honey, and Garlands
of Flowers. The Eumenides had a Shrine, both in
Achaia and Athens, as Cicero tells us ; they Brandifh-
,ed lighted Torches in their Hands, and had Grey
Hair interwoven with Snakes, fee Ovid. Met. 4,
The Furies were not only at P/«fe's Devoir, but Ju
piter, Juno and Hecate employ 'd them and the reft
of the Infernal Retinue when they fent War, Fa
mine, and Peflilence ; or fuch like Calamities a-
mongft Mankind.
R 3 The

246 Tfo RELIGION of

The HARPIES.
THey were like the Furies, only they had the
Faces of Virgins ; they were font from the In
fernal Regions, to inflict Punilhmeht on the Wick
ed. Ovid, Virgil, and Statius, have feveral Defcri-
ptions of them, which I fhall not infert. The La-
mi* and Stryges, are all of the fame Company, and
fome fay the Sphynges. Cicero lib. 3. de N. D. Speaks
of the Goddefs Furina, and of a Grove at Rome fa
cred to her : But it is not to my purpofe to treat of
all thefe, efpecially, becaufe the Religion of the
Antients was fo intermixt with Fables, that it Wilj
be hard to diftinguifh what the Prieft and what the
Poet invented. I fhall finifh my Lift of Gods With
Janus, for tho' he is efteem'd by fome, the firft of
SeleB Gods; yet the fubfequent Off- Spring ofDe-
ities, incljn'd me rather to begin with Saturn and
Jupiter. JANUS.
JANUS was the moft Antient King of Latium,
the Son of Ccelum and Hecate, whofe extraordi
nary merit procured Divine Honours to be paid
him. Some will have him to be the fame as Ogyges,
pr Noah, others Japhet, Noah's Son, and others Ja-
van. Authprs^ tell us, he entertain'd Saturn very
courteoufly, during his Exile ; but efpecially^ be-
paufe he was the firft that inftructed Men in Agricul
ture, by which means he reduced Mankind to a
more regular way of Living, and Coined Money
for Traffick and Commerce.
Janus is faid to be the firft that erected Altars,
inftituted Religious Rites and Ceremonies, there fore

Chap. XII. //^GENTILES. 247
 . 
fore he is mention'd at the beginning of all Sacrifi
ces, and Bread-Corn and Wine are offer'd up to
him ; he is invoked by the appellation of Father.
He Invented Folding-doors, Locks and Keys, for
the Security of Houfes ; and a Door is called Janua
from Janus, and the firft Month January for the
fame Reafon. He Confecrated the Bounds and
Altars for the Husbandmen ; and to continue thern,
then newly in their Bufihefs, he gave each ef
them a Rod of a White Thorn ( from thence called,
Janales ) ahd Fafces, or Bundles of Twigs.
He is Reprefented with a Rod, Key, and twelve
Altars for the twelve Months, fet under his Feet.
Macrobius and Pliny tell us of an Image of his that
was in the Capitol, contriv'd fo, that With the
Fingers of his Right Hand, he expreffed three Hun
dred, and with his Left fixty Five, to Exhibit the di-
menfion of the Year. See Cozlius Rhodiginus, who
from thence derived the method of Accounting ;
he is faid to be the Inventer of Ships, Bridges and
Crowns. On fome Coins, Janus is Reprefented
with two Faces on one fide, and on the other a Ship,
or the Stem or Stern of one. Thofe that Repre
sent him with tWo Faces Say, he had that in Com
mon With Noah, who had obferved two Worlds.
Some make him with four Faces, as he is in his Tem
ple, but that has Reference to the four Seafons of
the Year. Cicero fays, he is called Janus, frcm
Eanus ; but Voffius derives it from Jain in the Hebrew,
which fignifies Wine; and that Italy, which formerly
Was Oenbtria, was fo called from him alfo- Jamis
then, or Noah, after the Flood came to Italy, but not
in an Ark. Cyril calls Nodh Xyluthius, who adds the
Affyrian word is derived from Ziz or Zus, and figni
fies Polls or Threfholds ; fo that thus alfo Janus,
was Noah. R 4 Tho'

448 The RELIGION of
¦"  *  '—— *  r—
Tho' it is impoffible to Extricate thefe things out
of the dark Mifts of Antiquity, fo that unquestion
able Truth may appear ; yet I Shall endeavour to
handle Some of the moft Principal. He did not on
ly prefide over the Doors here on Earth, but in
Heaven alfo ; for when (according to Homer ) they
were Shut to their Prayers, he did, as it were, hold
out his Hand, and fupport them, that they might
be capable of going, and procur'd them an admit-
lion into Heaven. Janus was efteem'd to have the
Power of Peace and War ; and hence came the
Ceremony of Opening and Shutting the Folding-
doors in his Temple, and the Names of Patuleius
and Clufius, or Clufinus, have reference to it. Vir
gil cASnefd. 7. very elegantly deScribes the manner
' of Opening his Temple when War was Proclaim'd.
fSirftius fays, it was Shut but thrice by the Romans.
In Numa's time, after the firft Punkk War, and after
the Battels of ABium, which Auguftus did, tho' there
were Civil Wars at the fame time; the Romans he-
ing continually at Wars, for fo maay Years toge
ther. The Confuls were inaugurated in his Temple,
from whence they are Said to begin the Year. There
Were two or three Janus's in the Forum at Rome,
where Merchants met together, as a Place Famous
for tranSacting Bufinefs. Here alfo the Ufures ufed
to Refort ; whence Ovid fays of fome Perfon,
Returning Months, the Judge and J anus fears.
Janus Sometimes Myftically fignified the Sun, and
Univerfal Nature it felf. Septimius comprehends
moft of what is faid concerning Janus in thefp
Verfes, Janus,

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 249

Janus, we Parent thee and Patron call, -
The Two-Fac'd God and wife Original,
Of all things here, and the Celeftial.
The Gods themfelves from thee, beginning had ;
Thy Doors oft move, andThrefholds are much trod.
To thee the fecret s of the World are known,
The Aborigines thy Antient Altars own.

\

I mention'd Some of Janus his Names before ; he
was called Jmonius, becaufe the Calends are from
Juno ; Confevius d Conferendo, from Sowing, becaufe
he taught it Mankind ; and Quirinus Potent in War,
and fome call him Portunus, becaufe he preided over
the Gates, and had a Key in his Hand as well as
Janus ; in the Hymns of the Salii, he was called the
God of Gods.
Thefe were his Temples; the firft was Built by
Romulus, or according to fome, by Numa, another
by Duillius, after the firft Punick War, and reftor'd
by Tiberius ; and a third very magnificent, of a Qua
drangular Form, dedicated by Auguftus. There was
a Temple of Janus Curiatius Built by Horatius, in
Commemoration of that Famous Fight, in, which
he Slew Curiatius. Mention alfo is made of Janus
Septimianus, but it is fo obfcure, that I cannot affert
any thing of it for Truth. Procopius lib 1. Bell. Goth.
fays, Janus had a Brazen Chapel in the middle of
the Forum , over againft the Capitol. Varro fays,
there were Caftles Sacred to Janus in all Parts of
the City. See Bred. lib. 2. cap. 19. and Magius lib. 2.
cap. 1 2. concerning Janus Medius.

°f

»5o The RELIGION of
¦¦__»__—¦—_!—  —  — ^— — — _^_— ^i—  — . ¦ --
¦
0/*fo Cwwwow DEITIES.
HAving treated of the Privy Counfellors and
Ndbility in this Celeftial Republick of the
Heathens; I proceed to their Commonalty, that it
may bear fome Analogy with outs. Ovid in Ibin, ha
ving firft in vok'd the Gods of the Superiour Clafs,
fays, Te common Gods, the Lares, Fauns and Satyrs ;
Rivers and Nymphs, and Gods of middle Natures.
Again, either he, or Virgil :
We are poor petty Deities,
Whom only Rufticks ftrive to pleafe.
Virgil makes Faunus the Father of the Faans, Satyr's and
other Country Deities, whom Aurelius ViBor efteerris
the fame as Sylvanus or Pan ; the Faunst Sylvans and
Satyrs, Were Reprefented almoft alike ; with Short
Tails, and their lower part Rough and Hairy. Lu*
dan fays, that the Satyrs had Sharp Eats, were Bald,
and had two Horns on their Forehead. Philoftratus
gives them an Humane Face, and Goats Feet; 'on
Which account Pliny fays, they are very fwift, and
extraordinary falacious, much addicted to Drunken-
nefs, and therefore called the Companions Of Bat-
thus. Paufanias reports, that when they Were old,
they were called Silens. Silenus Rode on an Aft,
and was an Affociate of Bacchus, and fome fay his
School- Mjiftcr ; he had a Temple in Elis.
Pan alfo, as a Rural God, was both Man and Goat,
which makes what I faid before, more probable ;
that he was the Father of the Fauns and Satyrs. I
fhall

Chap. XII. the G E N T I L , E S. 251
fhall leave the Story of his Pipe, and Eccho, a Nymph
that he was Enamour'd With, and many Such-like
Fables toothers. Pan Myftically fignifies Univer
fal Nature ; but this cannot he the Same With him,
whom the Poets tell Us, was only a Rural Deity.
So Virgil, Pan, Keeper of the Sheep; that is, Srorh Sud
den Frights, which are called Panick; therefore cal
led theGod of Shepherds. The terrors that very oft
ten Seize on Men, efpecially in Battel, were not
only called Panick by the Antients, but the word is
in VOgue at this very Day. This Myftical Pan was
RepreSented like Jupiter Lycaus, fome part of his
Body being covered with a Goats-Skin, and the reft
Naked. Juftin lib. 43. gives an account of a Tem
ple that was Built him at "the Foot of Mount Palatine.
Pan was Worfhipped by the Egyptians and Arcadians,
with the fame Ceremonies as thofe called the Dii
Majorum Gentium ; a Fire was kept perpetually in his
Temple, and Oracles delivered there by the Nymph
Erato. The Athenians believed he often appeared
and affifted in Engagements at War, poffeffing
their Enemies with Panick Fears; they founded him a
Temple in the Wood Parihenia ; they efteemed him
the Author of Apparitions and unufual Sounds, fo
called Faunus ( who was Pan alfo ) a Fando ; he had
very many Names, zs£gipan which is Pan the Half-
Goat ; Innus from his Copulating with fome Ani
mals, and Incubus for the fame Reafon, Ephialtes,
Fatuus and Fatuelu.- For their Myftical Interpre
tation, fee Boccace and other Mythologifts, and
Con ft. Geopon. lib. 1. about the Pine that was held fa
cred to him. So much for Pan, who was God of
the Fields ; the Fauns and Satyrs, who were Gods of
the Groves; and the Sylvans, who were Gods of the
Woods. There

xj2 The RELIGION of
1 ' .11 iii i I,. i
There were other Rural or Common Deities, Pales,
to whom the Palilia or Par ilia; and Flora, to whom
the Florilia were dedicated; where the Women,
eSpecially, Whores fought like Gladiators, with Sharp
Weapons, and Run and Danc'd Stark Naked. Po
mona, the GoddeSs of Fruit ; and Vortumnus, who
was reputed to prefide over the turning and
contracting of things, whofe Feftivals were cal
led, Vortumnalia ; fome fay he prefided over Mens
Thoughts, and the Year it Self, and affumed vari
ous Figures, according to the times ; See Propertius.
Vortumnus had a Statue and Temple in the Tufcatf
Street. There were Tutanus and Tutelina, whofe
Office was to Protect things: They that Superintend
ed over Grain, were Seia, GoddeSs of the Sowers ; No-
dotus, Volutina, Patelena, Segefta, Hoftilina, LaBurtia,
LaBens, Matuta and Runtina ; They Worfhipped Fru-
tefca, as a Goddefs that prefided over Fruit. Spinen-
fis, to root out Thorns ; and Robigus, to preServe the
Corn from Mildew, his Feftivals were called Robiga-
lia ; Fulgora, to prevent Lightning ; and Populonia, a-
gainft Depopulations. The Bakers paid great Adorati
on to Pilumnus, as the Inventer of their Trade.
Picumnus and Stercutius, for Teaching the Dunging
of Ground. Bubona, Hippona and M$ona, who pre
fided over the Kine, Horfes and Bees. Amongft
thefe Rural Deities, we may add Jugatinus, who had
Power over the tops of Mountains ; CoUina, over
Hills ; Vallonia, over Vallies ; and Rufina, who had
the management of Country Affairs ; Terminus, was
alfo Worfhipped for preferving the Limits of their
Land , he was either Confecrated by Tatius or
Numa. Tarquinius defigning to build a Temple to
Jupiter O. M. in the Capitol, intended to pull
down the Temple of other Gods, that it might be
very fpacious; fee Dion. Hal. Livy, Ovid, St. Augu ft im

Chap. XII. the GENTILES. 2 $3
ftine and others, where it is pleaSantly reported, that
Terminus and Juventus would not in the leaft con
cede to him.
The GoddeSs Fortune, being not properly reduci
ble to any Clafs, and yet the Antient Romans, pay
ing So gfeat Adoration unto her, I thought fit to
difcourfe of her in this place.
FORTUNE.
FOrtune had many Glorious Appellations given
her, and a fplendid Temple erected for her ;
more particularly by Servius Tullius, who dedicated
one to Fortune Primigtnia, Obfiequious, Private, Vifcous,
Little, Bearded Fortune, of Good Hope, Evil Diverting,
Flattering, Plebeian, Converting, Hoping well, and the
Virgin. Ancus Martius, dedicated a Temple to Virile
Fortune. Female Fortune, alfo had a Temple, where
either her Priefts or the old Women report her to
fay ; Matrons, you have feen me, and dedicated me very
regularly, and exaBly ; none but new Married Perfons
were permitted to Worfhip her. Q. Fulvius Flaccus,
built a moft magnificent Temple for Equeftrian
Fortune. Fors Fortuna, was Worfhip'd by thofe who lived
without doing any bufinefs. Servius Tullius dedica
ted a Temple to her ; the Temple of Fortune, dedi
cated by QK Catulus, is ftill remaining. The Empe
rour Nero built an Houfe to Fortune Seja, of which
Pliny fays, in Nero's time a Stone was found in Cep-
padocia, as hard as Marble, and White, but Trans
parent in that part where there were yellow Veins,
it was called Phengites ; with this he built a Temple
to Fortune, called Seja, Confecrated by King Servi
us, inclos 'd in a Gilded Houfe ; fo that tho' the
Doors were Shut, it was clear Light, after the man ner

*54 'The RELIGION of
I ' ' ' i i - . c
net of Looking-Glaffes, the Light being inclos'd not
tranfmitted in. Fortupa Mammfifa. had a Temple at the
upper-end of the New Way, from which the Street
took its Nam?, as another did from Dubious, Fortune*
Domitian built a Temple to portupa Redux ; fhe had
an Altar erected un.tp her for the return of Auguftus.
Fortuna Regia, had a Temple at Hera and Pranefte,
but they join'd her with Hercules, Projfera and Fides,
which feems to be a -very agreeable Dedication ; for
whofoever Shall violate his Fidelity, cannot reasona
bly expect Fortunje will be, propitious to him. This
Goddefs was efteem'd to have Power and Autho
rity over thofe things, whoSe Caufes were moft
occult and unknown* The Remans were thoSe,
Who chiefly Worfhip'd her ; for Spondanus has well
pbferv'd, Hqw&r ne ver mentions her : She was nei
ther Worfhip'd by the Greeks, npr the Eaftern People,
unlefs Venus TJnatiia. may have Some Analogy with
her ; for both of them were thought to beftow Pro
sperity on Mankind, on Some Singular occasions. So
I conclude with Fortune.
Thofe that are defirous to know more of the
Country, City, and Mifcellaneous Deities ; as Cloacina,
Fugia, Rediculus, or Ridiculus, and Minutius ; thofe
that infeft Mankind, as Pavor, Pallor, Febris, Tem-
peftas, the Voc-al ; not only Ajus Locutus, but many
more Invented by the Priefts : Nuptial, or thofe that
prefided over Women in Travel , and Infants ;
let them confplt our Criticks ; I have infifted fo long
on the Explication of the Gods of the Superiour Clafs,
that I fhall pafs thefe over as lefs confiderable,

CHAP,

Chap. XIII. the GENTILES. 255
CHAP. XIII.
Of the SUp REAM GOD.
HAvifag given an account of the Oeconomkal con
stitution of the Celeftial Body, according to
the Doctrine of the Heathens ; it remains that I ex
plain what Head it was that prefided over them, tbaft
at laft we may come to fpeak of thofe things, for
which, according to their own Principles, we af
cend, and have admittance into Heaven. Now it is
clear beyond all difpute, that this only can be, that
SUPREAM GQD, who is, and will be, to aU Eteh-
fifty* For tho' the Heathens did often difpute, con
cerning fome Attributes or Properties of God, as I
Shall Shew hereafter, yet I am of Opinion, that nei
ther the Learned nor Ignorant did ever queftion, that
there always was, and now is, one Supream God. Buty
whether that God had an Eternal Principle from
himfelf, but fo that the World was Coeternal with
him ; or whether he preceeded it in Order, Dignity
and Power; but not in time, and Fafhion'd and
Fprm'd this Mundane Matter, in the Shape and Fi
gure we behold it in ; or Created the very Matter
it Self at firft, and out of it made the World, is a
thipg much controverted by the'Antients. Thofe
that own God to be an Eternal Principle, and yet
deny his being the Maker of the World, have very je»
June Sentiments concerning him; for no Perfon can
be So abfurd to imagine, that the World was produc'd
without any caufe (be it whatfoever it will) or can
Eretend to find a more excellent than the SupreamGod
imfelf. The fecond Opinion, that the Supream God did
not only form theWorld out of theC^j at the begin ning,

%56 The RELIGION of
ning, but i% continually fo doing ; ridiculoufly im
plying this fluggifh lump of Matter of which the
World is compos'd tobe equally Eternal, confounding
the Caufe with the Effect.
There were many of the Antients of the third
Opinion ( or fomething near it ) that the World
was Created in Time. Fr. Patrkius gives us a large
Catalogue of them ; fo that before Ocellus Lucanus's
time, and Ariftotle after him, there were none that •
afferted the Eternity of the World, if we can credit
Patrkius : Both Opinions, that the World was from
all Eternity ; and that it is ftill a Making and For
ming, had many Champions ; for the Jews and
Chriftians, only had the knowledge of the World's be
ing made in fix Days ; and there are many amongft
them that Strain the whole Hiftory of the Creation
of the World to an Allegorical Senfe. Cicero amongft
the Antients, is clear in the Point of the World's be
ing made, lib. de Univer. he fays, That God did Make
and Form the World ; again, lib. 2. de N. D. The World
was made in the Beginning for the fake of tbe Gods and
Men ; and de Univer. The Eternal God Created this per-
feftly Bleffed Deity ( that is the World ). But we can
not infer from thefe words, whether Matter was
firft made, and then the World. See Proclus and Jo
hannes Grammaticus, on this fubject in his Book de
tAEternitate Mundi ; where all that can be Said on
either fide, is moft exquifitely DiScuSs'd ; but it is
not certain, whether Proclus followed Plato or not,
for as Marfil. Ficinus, in his Compendium on Tim*us,
has it ; If you confult the Interpretations of Severus At-
ticuS and Plutarch, and many more whom Proclus men
tions, you'll colleB from Plato, that tbe World was not
Eternal ; but if you have recourfe to Crantor, Plotinus,
Porphyrius, Jamblichus, and Proclus, and divers others,
you'll think be was of Opinion^ that it was Eternal, but
continually

Chap. XIII. the GENTILES. 257
continually proceeding from God ; whom, ifweconfider,as
beyond all beginning of time, we muft conclude, that tbe
World was not made ; but if it be continually proceeding
from God, it is daily producing, and doth depend as much
on God, and will always do fo, as if it at once received
its Original from him. Plato, or according to fome
Pythagoras, whom, Plato in his Timaus follows, argues
very accurately and clearly ; whatfoever is the Ob
ject of Senfe, had a beginning, but fuch are all
Mundane things ; therefore it is evident by their
own way of arguing, that the World had its Origi
nal from God. Some of the Followers of Epicurus
fay, that the World is not only compos'd of Atoms,
but that all vifible things owe their Original to
the fortuitous Concourfe of them, and that the In
finitely Bleffed God, would not involve himfelf in
thefe Affairs ; thus Lucretius lib. 2. . 'lib.
Tho' Natures Origine may be Divine,
What is't to us, few Beauties in it Shinsl
So others of this Sect attribute all things to Chance
and Fortune, according to which Doctrine I cannot
apprehend, how there could be any Kinds, Species,
or indeed any agreeable Series of things ; for if any
Perfon that hath not forfeited the ufe of Reafon,
fhall obferve a Watch, Shewing the Hours exactly,
, for a Day and Night together, will prefently con-
1 elude it the product of Art and Labour ; how much
rather, who does but contemplate the vaft Machine
of this World, performing its Motions fo regularly,
not for 24 Hours only, but fo many Ages, will pro
nounce it to proceed from an all Wife and Powerful
Author. The Affertersofthis Opinion, Shew a great deal
of Ingenuity and Artifice to fupporfe this abfurdity,
S as

258 The RELIGION of
I ¦»¦ I I ' !¦"»¦ Ml ¦¦¦ I I I . «l"  Ill II ¦¦ ¦¦¦ »' ¦¦¦— ¦ ¦ WW — —I .11 HI ¦j
as if Reafon and Order did not obtain in Things as
as well as Words, or that theyonly fhould be endu'd
with an intellectual Faculty, and Chance Should
direct all others ; this Error is Sufficiently confuted
by Cicero in feveral places.-
But thefe Opinions concerning the Original of
the World, were only Bandied amongft the Philofo
phers, and exceeded the comprehenfion of the Vul
gar ; they were contented to know, that from all
Ages, things had been fo circumstantiated that they
might live comfortably here, if they were but in-
duftrious ; they regarded nothing elfe, unlefs, obser
ving Some Internal Power or Deity, Operating in the
World ; they thought it was in his Power to take
the Bleffings they enjoyed from them, or them
from the Bleffings. This latent Power or Deity, they
readily acknowledged to be the Original of all
things, whofe Caufes they were ignorant of; but
their Searches and farther Endeavours after a more
Clear knowledge of him, generally proved infucceS-
ful, nor could they attain to more than that all
things in all Ages did proceed from that Supream
Principle, at whofe Pleafure it was, whether things
ever had been fuch as they were, or had continued
fo. They prefently judg'd it their Duty and Inte
reft to Supplicate this God, to divert Evil from them,
and beftow his Favours on them, and that they
ought to .pay all refpedt to his chief Ministers.
When they contemplated on thefe things, they ei
ther fram'd a Sort of Religious WorShip from thofe
Notions they had of God, or fome Internal Dictates,
or receiv'd it from the Priefts ; every one acknow
ledging his God to be the Moft Good and Great, and
Go^d before Great, thinking it inconfiftent, that he
Ihould be moft Great, that was not Moft Good, for
the Goodnefs of God muft neceffarily be antecedent
to his Power. GOD

Chap. XIII. the G ENTILES. xS9
- -~i — - _ . . i ¦ 11 11 11 i
GOD being thus acknowledg'd to be Moft Good and
Great, they began to confider whether any other At
tributes belong ;'d to him; this alSo obtain'd, and other
Attributes were given him, but Such as were com
prehended under the former. For if we have but a
right Notion of thefe Attributes, all that the Schools
have added, are either contain'd in them, or they are
only thofe which the Mind of Man can have recourfe
to with confidence ; So that if we call him Juft,
Merciful, Wife, Omnipotent or Infinite ; they found all
of them either in each of the former, or in them
both together. For being Moft Good, he did provide
for all, in doing which he muft be Juft, Merciful and
Liberal : alfo as he is Moft Great, nothing is impo£
fible to him, nor is he inScrib'd within any limits;
as he is Moft Good and Great together, he is repre
sented as the moft wife and prudent Author of all
things, and their Preferver and Governour ; jultly
rewarding the Virtuous, and punifhing the Wicked.
Thefe Attributes of Moft Good and Great have been
afcrib d to God in all Ages, and will continue fo to
all Eternity, containing all that can be known of
the Supream God, by the affiftance of Reafon.
I readily acknowledge, That God's devoting fome
to Eternal Damnation out of his meer good Plea
fure, and for his Glory and Honour, is not confi- •
ftent with thefe Attributes; but it is impious to en
tertain fuch thoughts of the Supream God, tho' his
Counfels are fecret and clos'd to us, fo that it is im-
poffible for Mortals to penetrate into them; yet it
is Sufficient for us that we are Secure that he neither
can, nor will recede Srom his Attributes of Moft Good
and Great.
But to make this a little more evident : Let us
fuppofe a Man of very Extraordinary Natural Abi
lities, but hath receiv'd no external Informations,
S 2 by

x«o The RELIGION of
by Traditions, Revelations, or otherwife; I conceive
he will have the fame Sentiments concerning this
World, when he has made Some considerable Ob
fervations concerning it, as he would have upon
the firft fight of a Mufical Instrument curioufly made,
that is was not jumbled together by blind Chance ;
or that which admits of fuch variety of Parts, could
be Self-productive. But when he hears an excel
lent Mufidan play upon it, he'll prefently admire
both the Ingenuity of the Artificer that made it, and
the great Skill of the Mafter that toucht it fo melo
diously ; and conclude all things were contrived and
concerted for this end. He will not hence in the
leaft conclude, that for that reafon there Should be
two Artificers; but that both the Instrument and
Harmony had their Original from the Principles of
the fame Art.
If it fhould be objected, That fuch diverfity of
things as are in the UniverSe, proceeding from So
many different CauSes, neceffarily implies Plurality
of Gods ; for there would be too much bufineSs for
only one, and it would be impoffible for him to per
form fo many things of fuch quite different Natures;
and that the World could not have been made fo
perfect and coihpleat, but it would have been very
defective. To this I anfwer : The more indifferent the In-
llrument is, the more doth the Mufidan Shew his
Skill to make fuch melodious Harmony with diffo-
nant and different Strings ; but yet the Instrument
that performs thofe things, was not made in a hur
ry, but with deliberate Cohfideration.
In fhort, the more, not only Diverfity, but Con
trariety and Repugnancy there is in the Nature of
things, it Sends us the Sooner to Some one Supream
God ox Deity, that regulates and keeps all things in
fuch

Chap. XIII. the GENTILES. 1.61
 ¦¦ ' 1 1 1 j 1 ¦¦ n 11 ¦ .1,1 11 in
Such an agreeable Decorum. It is more rational to
fuppofe that Some things of lefs moment might be
produc'd by Hap or Chance ; but it is monftrous and
ridiculous to imagine it of this World, that is of fuch
a Superlative Magnitude, So Beautiful and Sublime,
and regularly difpos'd and order'd in all its parts, that
we can neither fee or conceive any thing comparable
to it. For if one of the Elements fhould be remov'd
from its proper Situation but for one day, it is not
to be imagin'd what Commotions and Convulsions
it would put the whole Frame of Nature into; of
which its averfion to a Vacuum is a Sufficient De
monstration. Perhaps it may be Said, That there doth not ap
pear any Such exquifite DiSpOfition in it,for the Stari
are not Situated in any Mathematical order, and the
Elements Seem jumbled and mixt together.
I anSwer, If a Perfon ignorant of Mufick fhould fee
any Books where our Letters are So irregularly plac'd
in pricking Tunes, he would be ready to think they
meant nothing ; but when he hears what excellent
Harmony is made of them, he'll foon change his
Opinion, and conclude that a great deal of Art and
Study went to compleat the Compofure.
This is very applicable to the Stars and Elements;
for tho' the parts of the World feem to be confus*d,
and very diforderly difpos'd, with refpedt to each 0-
ther ; when we come to confider their long Revor
lutions, their Slated Periods and Returns, with the
exact Constancy that accompanies them in all their
Viciffitudes; in fhort, that Harmonious Reafon,
which as Pliny fays, only makes Nature agreeable iri
it Self, that which before Seem'd So confus'd and dif
orderly, will appear to be the Contrivance of In
finite Wifdom and Judgment. All Proportion amongft u&
is either Arithmetical, Geometrical or Hurmonkal, but
''" S j that

262 the RELIGION of

that which GOD makes uSe of far tranfcends theSe,
not only exceeding our SenSes, but our Underftand
ing alSo : what therefore to us may feem to want
Proportion, yet that being compar'd with Some other
things which are not perceptible by our SenSes, that
yet are conSpicuoUs to GO D, will appear to be efta-
pliflYd with moft exquifite Symmetry and Proportion.
But if an Heathen ihould Say, that he cannot con
ceive himfelf under fuch infinite obligations to any
obScure and unknown Deity, that he fhould flight
and neglect thoSe Avfbkious and Eternal Deities the
Heaven and Stars ; and if there is any fuch GOD,
his Goodnefi will not Suffer him to count it criminal
in Man, to return grateful Acknowledgments to
thofe Superiour Powers, who are fo great Benefactors
to him, and pay them fuch Veneration as Seem'd juftly
due to fuch goad and excellent Caufes. Nor would
this in the leaft obftruct the Worfhip and Adoration of
a more tranfcendent and eminent Deity, when-ever he
would pleafe to appear and manifeft himfelf,and Show
er down more plenty of Benefits upon Mankind.
But they that argue thus, do like him that fhculd
attribute the whole Praife of the Melody to the Intlru-
ment, and make large Encomiums on it without any
regard to the Mufidan, who tuned it and made it
found fo harmonioufly. This World may well be
compar'd to this Inftrument, and the Stars fhining in
it to the Strings ; but if there were not one that did
touch thofe Strings, and by making a true Proportion
of Sharps and Flats produce melodious Sounds, Na
ture .would either be dumb, or. elfe her Vqke very
inharmonious. This Inftrument alfo would be ufe
lefs, without a Prior and more Noble Caufe, to make
it perform thofe agreeable and pleafant Sounds. To
him therefore the chief Honour and Veneration is to be
paid ; and it is the higheft Indignity imaginable to
. offer

Chap. XIII. the GENTILES. 263
offer any fort of inferiour Veneration to the Stars or
Heaven, which doth not terminate in the Moft Good
and Great GOD, and directly tend to the advance
ment of his Glory.
Befides GOD cannot be Said to be conceal'd anjjl
abScond, who evidently and openly Shews and dis
covers himfelf continually in all his Works ; and
demonstrates himfelf to be the Greateft Opificer in the
moft minute Animals and InfeBs: But here I Shall be
attack'd not only by the Heathens, but by fome He-
retkks amongft us. If the Moft Good and Great GOD
is the Primary Caufe of all things, how comes it to
pafs that fuch direful Calamities, as Famine, Plague,
War, &c. infeft the World ? fure the Moft Good and
Great GOD cannot be the Author of thofe difmal
Devafiations. Thus without the eftablifhing two Principles Good
and Evil, it is impoffible to conceive how fuch, not
only different, but contrary Effects Should proceed
from the Same Original Caufe: wherefore they judge
both thefe Principles worthy of Adoration, one to
be kind and benign,the other not to hurt them. The
Egyptians call'd this Evil Principle Typbon, Plutarch de
If.&Of. The Perfians, efpecially the Magi, Arima-
nius ; and Authors tell us others call'd him Vejupiter.
Some Indians, particularly the Tapujans, to this day
believe both Principles.
But yet according to their own Notion, this will
admit of a more moderate Explication : For they do
not SuppoSe any Evil Principle that is indued with a
Power equal to the Supream GOD ; but in an infe
riour degree, as we fay, Darknefi is inferiour to Light ;
fo that the Good Principle was properly, and the Evil
improperly God, as Pliny Says in lib. de If.&Of. The
Perfians had a Tradition amongft them, that at a cer
tain time the Good Principle call'd Orqmafdes, fhould
S 4 Subdue

a64 The RELIGION of
fubdueArimanius the Evil,and utterly deftroy him.The
Philofophers feem to incline to this Opinion, allowing
no higheft Degree in Evil. The Heathens thought
this Evil Principle could only be appeas'd with bloo
dy Sacrifices : fee Labio, Porphyrias lib. 8v Aug. de Civ.
Dei, and others ; but pay'd their Adoration to the
Good with PraiSes, Honours, and others Rites and
Ceremonies that incited Mirth and Joy. This Per-
ftan Phantom of a Principle of Evil, was rais'd in the
days of Cbriftianity : St. Aug. Says,, they had it from
Marcus Cerdo and Apelles ; but others, and amongft
them Voffius, fay, St.P*«/ hinted at this 2 Cor. 4. ^..The
God of this World hath blinded the eyes of the Faithful.
Chrifiians themfelves affert, that Adam after his Fall,
was the Principle of all the Evil that happen'd on
Earth ; and that all Sin deriv'd its Original from him,
having infected all Mankind with his guilt. But if
they had made the Devil of this Age himfelf, or all
his Infernal Dependants, who daily tempt and in-
fnare us,; the Caufes of all the Evil that attends us,
they had eftablifh'd as weak a Principle.
Antiently many were of opinion there were two
Principles ; one Beneficent, the other Malignant ;
that the Influence of fome Stars was Good, others
Bad ; that fome Demons were Friends to Mankind,
and others naturally hurtful and Injurious. In an-
Swertothis: There are two forts of Evil; of Crime
and Punifhment ; the Evil of Punilhment, as Famine,
Peftilence and War, are the juft tho' occult Judge
ments of GOD. When any of thefe befal good Men,
the moft Good and Great GOD doth beftow a bet
ter Life on them : but when he fends them a-
mongft the Impious and Wicked, it is to take Ven
geance of them ; Death being a Reward to the one,
and Punifhment to the other. As

. r*  n'~- "ITJ"' ' - --m '
Chap. XIII. the GEN T I L E S. %6$
., -¦¦—. I- II ¦¦¦¦III I I—  ¦¦ ¦¦ — — ^— — . n ¦———__,__,_„_,,, , ,„
As to the Evil of Crime, that only proceeds from
the Free-will that is congenite and implanted in e-
very one ; and which the moft Good and Great GOD
hath beftow'd on us as the greateft Bleffing : by it
we are more diftinguifh'd from the Brutes, than by
our Underftanding it felf: but it being of fo dubious
and unftable a nature, and may be inclin'd to either
fide,it often happens that it is over-fway'd,and fo Slides
into Evil. But Still this Freedom in it Self is a Blef
fing altogether Divine, and of fuch Amplitude and
Excellency ,that without it,'tis impoffible for us to do
any thing that is good ; for it could not be faid that
we did fo, unlefs it were in our Power and Option
to act contrary.- The Source of this Evil is, becaufe
this moft Noble Faculty of the 5o«/doth Spontaneously
Swerve and incline to what is vicious and deprav'd
without any restraint or compulsion.
TheSe things being So manifestly true, there can
be no reafon given either for the Eftablifhing a Prin
ciple of Evil, or the Adoration of it. Evil proceeds
only from our Selves, whether it be that of Crime,
which flows from our own proper voluntary vicious
Inclinations ; or that of Punifhment, which is the con-
fequence of the former, and to worfliip and adore
it, is to act like School- boys that have been guilty of
SomeFault, and kiSs the Rod that whipt them. When
Men Suffer the juft Judgment of GOD, they ought
to fubmit to it with thankfulnefs, as a CorreBion for
their Advantage, and hoping that by it they fhall
efcape more, and more heavy Punifhments ; but
my Defign will not permit me to enlarge on this
Subject. I Shall leave our Divines to treat of that Principle
of Evil, which is deriv'd from the Fall of Adam ; tor
it is not very evident to an ordinary Capacity, how
the Soul of Ad.im can be faid to be made after the
Image

_j.ju*. - u.w- -jm-jj, -uk n«iinijii

266 The RELIGION of
— ¦ 
Image of GOD; if he were altogether ignorant of Good
and Evil before his Fall, or committed fo hainous a
Crime that was fo fatal to himfelf and all his Posteri
ty, by eating the Fruit of the Tree, that indued him
with fuch Knowledge. For if before he had eaten
thereof he was entirely ignorant of Good and Evil,
how could he like the Prohibition of it, and think it
juft and equitable in it felf, that by thefe means he
Ihould perpetrate fo horrid and tremendous a Crime,
for which his innocent Pofterity, that could not be
concern'd in it, fhould be doom'd to eternal Punifh-
ments ; and after fo many Ages nothing could ap-
peafe and reconcile GOD but more than Humane
Sacrifice. Let the Learned Divines explain and con
firm thefe difficult DoBrines, fo that they may be
clearly underftood, and evidently prov'd to the Ca
pacities of the Laity.
I affert nothing here but that this Principle of Evil
cannot be deriv'd from Adam ; for all our Sins and
Tranfgreffions are our own meer Voluntary Acts; and no
Mortal was fo neceffarily determined to do Evil, but
by the Divine Goodnefi, he could both See and avoid
it. As for the Demons, and even the Devil himfelf,
he ought not to be efteem'd fo evil; for if he is only a
publick Hangman and Executioner ,he cannot be blam'd
for executing the juft Judgments of GO D ; fo that
they cannot in their own Nature be efteem'd the
Principles of Evil. The antient Philofophers indeed,
according to the Number and Influences of the Stars
thought the Demons to be more or lefs Beneficent
or Malevolous ; placing the Power of affecting Cor
poreal things in them, upon which Marfi. Ficinus fays,
They love Good Men, and have an averfion for the
Wicked ; and are more near and induftrioufly con
cern'd in matters here below, efpecially humane Af>
fairs. But thefe Demons have Affections,and are gover ned

Chap. XIII. f^GENTILES. 267
ned by their own Free-will, as well as Men, which is
evidently apparent by the Religion of the Heathens,
which inftituted Rites and Sacrifices to render thefe
Demons propitious to them ; now if thefe Demons had
been Simply and effentially evil in themSelves, they
would not have imagin'd that any Worfhip or Adora
tion could have wrought any Change or Altera
tion in them. They did not indeed deny but that
the Demons were of two forts, and that fome did in
cline to do Good, others Evil ; but they were not
So, confider'd Singly, but might determine themfelves
which way they pleas'd. Avkenna endeavours to
prove, that one Demon proceeded from another, as
Man from Man,or Beaft from Beaft : But to pais by
thofe things which are above the Evidence of our
Senfes, of which little that is juft can be Said; I only
affirm, that this Principle of Evil cannot be inferr'd
from Demons. See Epiphan. H*r. 66. and St. Auguft.
againft Fduftus and the Mmicb*i. Thofe that defired
to know more of the Notion the Heathens had of this
Principle of Evil, may confult Voffius de Idololatr.
I come now to prove, that the Supream GOD a-
mongft the Heathens, was the fame as we own and
acknowledge. This is evident by the words of the
Apoftle, Rom. 1. 19. and in many places, in io.Chap.
of the ABs, and the j 7. 28, 29. as Voffius proves by
many Arguments. But the Unknown GOD amongft
the Athenians, feems to quadrate with what St. Paul
fays concerning the GOD of the Jews, and his Will
and Pleafure concerning Chrift, ABs 17. 23. Whom
you ignorantly worfhip, him declare I unto you : fo Lucan ;
The Uncertain GOD cfthe Jews;
Epimenides Speaks of Altars, To the Unknown God; and,
in his time there wexeAltars zt Athens, which they oall'd
Name-

z68 The RELIGION of .
Namelefs Altars ; and in all probability St. Paul Saw
one of them when he preach'd to the Athenians.Con-
cerning thefe Altars to the Unknov/n God, confult Pau
fanias lik I. Philoftra. lib, 6. Agei. lib. 2. cap. 28. The
Altar that was crhBed £7 Epimenides, on account of the
Peftilence, To the Proper Deity ; lam fur e to be quite diffe
rent from the former, and intimated no more than that E-
pimenides not knowing what God to facrifice to, chofie
this Expedient to make them all propitious. But it
feems a little ftrained to make this Unknown God the
fejme as the God of the Jews; that the former places
of Holy Scripture may evince the God of the Hea
thens was the fame as the Common GOD of all. It's
very plain to me that this Unknown God amongft the
the Athenians was quite different, and therefore they
erected him an Altar, leaft any God amongft them
Should be deftitute of WorShip ; tho' the Apoftle very
ingeniously took occafion from it to inftruct them.
I queftion not but the Heathens being instructed
from the Book of Nature, both acknowledg'd and
worfhip'd the Supream GOD: for as he hath mani
fested himfelf in his Works, fo is he alfo worlhip'd
in them ; and I hold it for an eftabliSh'd Truth, That
the Gentiles being instructed by that only, formerly
arriv'd to the Knowledge of the Supream GOD, and
that the Indians,and the reft of the Inhabitants of the
Globe at this time do the fame. I Should Sooner
doubt, Whether the Sun did enlighten the remoteft
parts, than that they were ignorant of the Supream
GOD, he being conSpicuous in all things, and the
Sun Shining only in its own Sphere. I Shall not in
fift longer on this Argument, becauSe the moft
Learned Men have been of this Opinion, and a-
mongft others Bnllin. de Orig. cult. Dei, cap, 8.
Tho'

Chap. XIII. the G E N T I L E S. 269
Tho' the Heathens had but very lame and imper
fect Notions of the Supream GOD, either from the
Villainy or Madnefs of the Pn'e/?j,feducing Men from
the Knowledge or the true Principles,by which they
might arrive at the Knowledge of GO D, grofly im-
pofing on them and impudently boafting, that they
only had the Knowledge of the Myfteries of Reli
gion, and that there was no accefs to GOD but by
them, and without their Affiftance it was impoffible
to pleafe him. This brought a dark. Cloud over the
Minds of the Vulgar, which intercepted thofe bright
Rays of Divinity ; and involved them in fiich pro
found Ignorance, that they durftnot Stir or move
a foot, unlefs led by the hand or directed by the
Mouth of the Prieft. I could be very copious on this
Subject ; but fo many excellent Authors have gone
before, efpecially Plaionifts, that I fhould only repeat
what has been already faid.
I proceed to difcourfe of the Worfhip cfthe Supream
GOD, under the Attributes of moft Good and Great,
the Refult and Conclusion being very Natural ; for
to whom is Reverence and Adoration to be paid rather
than to the Moft Great, and who is more deferving of
Love than the Moft Good ; and what can be a more
Excellent, Reafonable and Genuine Worfhip, than
what proceeds from Reverence and Love ? There is
nothing remains more, when thefe two are but well
explain'd ; for when GO Dis worfhip'd with due Re
verence and in his Fear, which is juftly call'd the Be
ginning of Wifdom ; and that Supream Majefiy ofGOD
which beholds all things here, is not offended by any
Grimes,and Man goes no other ways towards Heaven
but in the paths of Virtue; acknowledging himfelf unfit
for Glory and Eternal Felicity, when he hath contami
nated his Soul with Guilt ; and by that means render'd
himfelf unfit and unworthy to be admitted into the
Com-

270 The RELIGION of
— .  •  -. - •**¦-
Company of the Moft Good and Great GOD. But
where this perfect Love of GOD is eftabliSh'd in the
Mind of Man, it will Subdue all wicked and tumul
tuous Affections, and raiSe a Belief and Hope of a
better Life. Upon thefe things it is that the whole
Frame of Religion turns. But what is ferioufly to be
lamented, Weak-brain'd Superftitions, and profane
Rites and Ceremonies were coin'd in the Priefis Mint,
and mixt amongft the pure Bullion of Religion ; for
had they Stood upon the former Bafis, the Heathens
would not have loft their Labour.

CHAP. XIV.
An ESTay concerning the Firft Caufes-of Religion
amongft the Heathens.
I Shall endeavour to inveftigate the Original Caufes
of Religious Worfhip amongft the Heathens. For
that Religion which obtain'd almoft every where,muft
be inftituted for fome Great and Noble End. I have
therefore traced thefe Caufes from the Schools of the
Philofophers, the Writings of the Lawyers, and the Pra
ctice of the Priefis themfelves, as we have it handed
down to us in Hiftory. When I had compared them
together, digefted and abridged them, I thought fit
rather to publifh my own ConjeBures on this Subject,
than that it fhould not be treated of. If any Perfon
diflike what I offer, let him publifh his own Sen
timents. Tho' I muft lay this down for an Eftablifbt Truth,
That the Religion of the Antient Heathens was not fo
abfurd and Stupid as is generally imagind, being re
ceiv'd for So many Ages by the moft Learned Phi
lofophers.

Chap. XIV. the G E N T I L E S. 27 1
hfophers,the Greateft and Beft Magiftrates and moft Va
liant Heroes. Tho' I fhall notwithstanding difcover
thofe groSs and foul Errors with which it every
where abounds. When the Heathens had receiv'd the
Notion of the Attributes of the Supream GOD men-
tion'd before,there fprung up a Race of Crafty Priefts,
who not thinking it fufficient there Should be but
one GOD in all this Univerfe, judg'd it would con
duce much to their Intereft, to join and affociate
fome others to this Supream Deity ; and that it would
be no obftacle, but that the one Moft Good and Great
GOD fhould have the Pre-eminence over all others.
Their Defign of Introducing other Gods, drove far
ther : they thought they could embarafs the Minds
of the People more with the Notion of Plurality of
Deities, than by the Worfhip of One only, tho' never
fo Great ; efpecially after they had invented and dif-
perSed a different way of Worfhip for each of them.
They alfo expected to reap more Profit, and haare
larger Stipends from the various Rites, Ceremonies* and
Sacred Myfteries which they contriv'd and divulg'd,
than if Men of all Ages fhould continue to perform
the fame Duties of Piety and Virtue. For tho' this were
the true way of Worfhipping the Supream GOD, their
Country was preferv'd againft Enemies, the Citizens
lived in Peace and Amity together; yet there was no
thing in all this that did redound So to their own Pri
vate and Particular Advantage : wherefore with won
derful Artifice they interwove Truths with Probabili
ties, Poffibilitks and Falfities, and made ufe of fuch Ar
guments as thefe to infinuate into , and prevail upon
the Populace.
e As nothing is more true, So it is beyond all con-
' troverSy, That there is only one Supream and Eter-
* nalGO D, and being So he muft be the Firft Caufe
* of all things : but this is no Argument that he is fo-
! litary

%tl The RELIGION of
' litary and alone; did he not from Eternity either
' find or make himfelf Some Companions in Heaven
f or Earth ? and is he capable of no other Happinefi,
* but only a bare Contemplation of Himfelf, in which
' he Spends not only the Ages of Mortals, but his own
f Eternity ? Thefe things are fo unworthy to be
' thought of the Supream GOD, that they are very
1 unbecoming a Woman Sitting at the Looking-glafi.
{ We muft therefore rationally conclude, That he
'hath fome that partake with him in his Bleffednefi,
f and that fome in all Ages are receiv'd up into his
' Celefiial Manfions ; for all that is Meritorious and
* Praife-worthy is not already done, but ftill continues
c to be perform'd daily, and will do fo to all Eternity.
f There were therefore fome Beings Self exift ent, and
£ produc'd by the Eternal Decree of the Supream GOD,
c Co-eternal with him, or Contemporary with the World.
'- Thefe Beings alfo,whoSe conftant Refidence is in Hea-
' ven, may not undeServedly be call'd GODS ; I do
* not mean the Sun, Moon and Stars that move in
s Heaven ; but whatfoever other things exift in the
( infinite Space of things, and enjoy an Eternal and
' Bleffed State amongft the Gods. We ought there-
1 fore to pay. Adoration to thofe as next to the Supream
'GOD. Another fort of WorShip is due to a Conful,
* a Senator, a Tribune cfthe People, a Queftor, a DiBa-
4 tor, and other Magiftrates, none of thefe will Suffer
* thoSe that Slight or affront them to go unpunifh'd ;
c therefore we ought to endeavour to avert the leaft
* Diffleafure of the Gods : which can be done no o-
* therwife than by paying the Veneration that is due
' to them. It is alfo very improbable that he Should
' be difpleas'd with this Adoration paid to inferior
* Deities, in regard it ultimately terminates in the Su-
" pream GOD Himfelf the Author and Maker of all
' things. Therefore thefe Leffer Gods or inferior eDeities,

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. 273
¦ —¦  — — — — — » — — — — — — »^ 0mmmm^mmm*r
c Deifies, tho' they were not from Eternity, but ha4
c a Beginning, ought to be worfhip'd : but how much
' tlie rather if they were Self-exiftent and Co-eternal
f with the Supream GOD, which many Eminent Phi-
e lofophers bring very Solid Arguments to prove. If
c this be true,certainly extraordinary Veneration is due
e to them, tho' lefs than what is paid to the Supream
c Deity it Self. For they muft needs have the fole Ad-
' miniftration of Some Affairs in Heaven and Earth, e-
c Specially thoSe things which are quite alien from the
c Nature of the Moft Good and Great GOD, as many
* things in this World are. But fuppofing the World
e it Self had receiv'd its Original from them, as fome
f are of Opinion ; this Machine Seeming to be a
c Work Unworthy of the Moft Good and Great GOD;
f where the Men are flagitious and indigent of eve-
c ry thing/ other Animals are Brutes and Miferable,
c the Heaven it felf in extreams and immoderate ;
f and the beft of Men value nothing that is abov«p
' but in hopes of Reward, nor below but for Profit
c and Advantage: for what cold Concept^ns would
' they have oftrie Deities, did theyNnot daily Shower
* down their Bleffings upon them, and how contem-
f ptibly would they look on all Animals f\f they were
' not fubfervient to them ? Therefore whether thefe
c inferior Deities are Self-exiftent, and the World re-
f ceiv'd its Original from them. ; and every one of
' them hath his peculiar Province : or whether they
c had their Being from the Supream GOD, and are the
f Ministers of his WiU and Pleafure, or whether they,
c as well as Men, act in this World as they pleafe,it's
* beyond all doubt that they Should have fpme Rites,
e and Devotion paid unto them. How Small a matter
¦ c is it to pay Some Small Veneration to them, to render
' them propitious, upon which they immediately be-
: f ftow their Favours on you ; or from whom when
': ¦¦'¦''' ; T ' ' in.

; ,.,i, ..

sf4 ^ RELIGION of

' jAcenfcd you have juft -reafon to fear, the effect of
f their Difpleafure : for yPu entertain very mean
Thoughts of the Moft Goe^andGr«i** GOD, if you
e Suppoic you can ever worfhip him Sufficiently, ei-
c iher in Himfelf, his Works, or whatfoever exifts iq
f the Univerfe.
When the moft part of Men had imbib'd theSe
enpty Notions and Opinions, they little regarded
what was true, probable, poflible or falSe, but had
an impiicite Faith for what their Guides the Priefts
tpjd them,' and by degrees, gave themfelves entirely
up to them. That Maxim of Eternal Truth, did
not obtain amorigft them, That. aU Deities are Ador'd
in the Supream God ; but enquir'd of their Prieft who
thofe Deities were,1 and how they ought to Worfhip
them ; for, they would not be fo ungrateful to re
ceive Favpurs from them, and not return them due
acknowledgments, if the Priefts would but inform
them how it was to be done. In the whole, it was
Very evident to them, that all Good did proceed from
Heaven} but from what Deity, Star, Power or Influence,
or by the Co-operatiori of what Caufes, they were
entirely ignorant, unlefs they were inform'd : This
gave the "Priefts a fine opportunity, who generally
manag'd them at this rate.
' It is very difficult for us to inforin you what ?
c thofe Denies are, you are fo defirous of knowing; ¦
; for they not only tranfcend our Senfes, but our
*¦ Underftanding affo ; they are not under fuch con-
' ditions of 'Matter, as thofe Objects that are pcr-
¦ ceived by u$>, but are a Subftance of a Nature quits
c different from purs ; nor is it more eafie to deter-
f mine any thing aboiit their Worfhip ; nothing
?, certain, having been yet revealed to Mankind in,
'f general. Jt is Unive'rfally acknowledged , that
1 there is a Supream Qod, and Inferiatr Gods, or D,*-
* |',i> \, ',.-¦ .^ . V -. ¦ '', „ :¦ ¦-, ¦ t : > J r
1 , ' ,' - . . :. -vt-t/i-M f

Chap. XIV- the GENTILES. 27 5-
mons alfo. How ridiculous would it be, to ima
gine that the Earth only was Inhabited, and the
vaft compals of the Air, sAEther, CeleftialOrbs, and
thofe imfnenfe Spaces above' them fhould be desti
tute of Inhabitants. The moft Learned amongft
the Philofophers , divided thefe into three forts ;
Super celeftial, Celeftial, and $ubceleftial ; the Supercele-
ftial were thofe moft remote from us, Who were
Solicitous about nothing but what was requisite
and convenient for their Nature, and fo enjoy 'd
an happy State with the Supream God; nor had they
any Such regard for Humane Affairs, to fpare the
leaft Moment from their Celeftial Solace, to concern
themfelves about them ; nor was there any occafi
on they Should intermeddle in Humane Affairs, *
becaufe the Supream God, from all Eternity, had
eftablifh'd Orders and Laws concerning all things
in the Heaven, Stars ± Elements, and the whole Na
ture of things. Some of thefe Laws were, That
all things here Should Lf Subject to a perpetual Vi-
piffitude.That whatever receiv'd its beginning here,
after a ftated Time, Should have an end alfo : But
that notwithstanding, all things fhould endeavour
after their own prefervation.„That theGoo^j of this
Life fhould be the effect of Labour and Induftry;'
That Confcience it felf Should tell us, fome Acti
ons were good, others bad. That amongft good
Actions, the Strict WorShip of God, -and Moral
Virtues were the Principal ; amongft Evil, that Ir-
religion and Vice were the moft heinous. That
Men might ufe their own free Will, and if they
did apply proper means, they would always attaint
the defired end. That all things Should affect their
own like ; if Men were Good and Virtuous, they
Should be rewarded, both here and hereafter ; if
' Wicked and Vicious, Punifhed. By the Permiffi*
'* '" T * 'on

276 The RELIGION of
' on of the Supream God the Celeftial Deities had the
' chief Power, over thefe Laws, arid many more
' that are eftabliSh'd in the Nature of things, and too
t tedious tb infert ; So' that a kind of Fate, or Order
' Should be obferved in the^World, and manifested in
' therri, left Mortals fhould be ignorant of the next
f Caufes of things from whence they received fo
* many Benefits. That the Supream God kept himfel f
' and the other Superheleftial Deities from the Eyes of
? Mortals, becaufe they .were of fuch fublime Na-
' tuf es, that it was irivpoffible to behold them ; and
in their ftead, had produc'd their Celeftial Deities,
both .for Sight and Fruition, which we call the
Heaven, Sun, Moon, fix'd Stars arid Planets. In
thefe the Supream God Shews us the Country wa
formerly Inhabited, for our mofi Noble part could
proceed only'frorii the Heaven and Stars; CUB
¦ Mind being above all Elementary Compofition,
1 had a more Nqbie Original ; and unlefs our
* Crimes prevent it, muft again return to them.
c Men, who have behaved themfelves well in this
( Life, fhall have Habitations provided for them
c there, and be Supplied wjthall things pleafant and
s convenient for them, as they had in this World;
c but after •' a, far more exquifite and delicious man-
' ner. ' Nor will it be any Argument againft their
c being 'Deities, becaufe they have thick and folid
* Bodies, for they are actuated by a Divine Mind,
' wich moves their irrimenfe Bodies with prodigious
f Velocity, or that their Bodies Seem circular and
* round, as if it were beneath the auguft Majefty of
£ the Gods', to appear fn fo plain a Form ; for the
* more Parts arid Mcnbbers any Body is' compos'd
e of, the more weak arid'debile is it, and obnoxious
' to many Accidents arid Injuries, and requires the
"h'elpapd affiftance of another This is evident from
M.', -' ' ¦" *• ¦•?*..:¦ -: <¦:•.'¦ ;! -'•'•.' the

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. 177
the Fabrick of Man's Body, confifting of many
Languid and Infirm Members.! and would not Be
fit for Civil Society, or able to provide Food and
Raiment for it felf; unlefs the Supredni Godhad fur-
nifh'd it with Hands, and the Organs of Speech to,
that end; Nor will it fignifie any thing, whether the
Motion of thefe Celeftial Deities and theHeaven it felf,
is fpontaneous or neceffary ;' if the former (which
is feaSonable to believe of the Planets) we ought
at leaft to acknowledge them to be inferiour Dei
ties ; if the latter, they are to be reverenc'd as the
chief Minifters of the Supream Deity ; but nothing
can be more certain in fo dubious a Matter, than.
Wthat, hether they are guided by their own free
Will, or are govern'd by the Pleafure of the Su
pream God ; h is evident, . they prefide over, and
manage our Affairs, and are at leaft worthy of Ex
ternal Adoration. < The Subceleftial Deities are in=
feriour to the Celeftial, but nearer to us, and more
agreeable and like us in their Nature ; being
Clothed with Airy and Etherial Bodies, and con-
find almoft within fuch limits as we are ; fome
times good, fometimes bad, ( for to be firfiply bad,
is ¦ repugnant to the Divine Nature, it beirig a, _
Maxim, 4ihat there is no higheft degree in Evil )
and, fo being of a dubious Nature, ought to be,
made propitious to us, for there is no Perfon but
. will endeavour as much to divert an impending
Evil from him, as to procure him a prefent Good;
it's beyond difpute, that thofe Gods or Demons are
more beneficial to Men, than Men are to Animals,,
or the Beafts to Men-,'' for they are pot only en
dued with excellent Intellects, but with Strength,
Agility, and other Noble Qualifications. Thus,'
if like Men they Ufe their free Will, to do Mil-
chief when occafion is^giyeri ;' what Havoke
T 3s s might'

•7£ The RELIGION of

might they make amongft Mankind, and all things
compos'd of the Elements, far beyond what we
are abfe to do amongft the Brutes, efpecially if it
be to punifh the Wicked ; they may punifh Man
kind with as much Reafon as,. Men deftroy nocent
Animals ; nay rather, becaufe Men are capable
of doing morejyiifchief than any Brutes, for they
very often kill and deftroy thofe Animals that de-
Serve beft of them. It's very abfurd for any wick
ed impious Perfon, to think himfelf Secure in the
midft of his Villainies, and not to be continually
under the difinal,, Apprehenfion of fome one or
other, that will fpeedily take Vengeance on him.
There -were fome amongft the Gods or Demons a-
bove-mention'd, (imply and' in their own Nature
good, and others bad ; tho' it was not fo well
eftablifh'd, that they were guided by a Freedom of
Will, and as occafion required, could incline to
either fide. For if any of the Gods were entirely
Evil, it would be in vain to attempt to pleafe
them ; but daily Experience proves the contrary.
From this Clafs of Gods, . it's apparent, that the Su
pream God hath given the Superceleftial Power to
manage all things happily in all Ages. The Cele
ftial Gods to prefide over Humane Affairs, and to
deliyer them Laws and Eternal Covenants, and
that they only are vifible to us, as thoSe that go
vern all things in this Sublunary World, unleSs,
where Man's free Will obtains, and especially
in thoSe things which are undertaken , accor
ding to the Dictates of right Reafon. Laftly,
there were thefe Subceleftial Gods, that were Some
times Propitious and Benign, and Sometimes In
jurious and Hurtfql, that the Authority of Divine
Juftice and Mercy might appear : This will be
more evident, if we confider the Celeftial King-
' dom,

Chap. XIV- /^GENTILES. 279
"~ ""in ' " ., , ' 111 11 ,
* dom, either as an Arifiocracy, Oligarchy, or Democracy.
{ For where is there any Form of Government efta-
c blifh'd, by which all things in Heaven and 'Earth
' are manag'd ? Or who can demonftrate, what is
* the proper Office of each ? Why Some fhould be bet-
' ter and more excellent than '6thers ? The moft
' diSparate and difagreeable parts of Nature may be
f united together, but if there were feveral Deities
' of equal Power, there would beftrange Diforders
c and Convuifiohs in Nature, whilft every one ftudi-
s ed tq advance his own Intereft; and nothing
c exifts to unite and recdncile the contrary repug-
* nant Parts of the World. We do therefore again
c conclude, that there is one Supream God, who wa&
' Bleffed from all Eternity, but he did alfo adopt
' fome other happy Natures to keep him corhpariy;
4 and made them Partakers of his Felicity, and that
c he can advance others into that Supercekftiol Socie-
c ty, and make them participate of all Good things ;
t upon which account it is incongruous arid irratio-
f nal, to fuppofe that God is either Sedentary, Wan-
s dring alone, or Affix'd to'the Celeftial Orb, conti-
f nuaUy turning it about, and therewith Solacing
f himfelf; or that he was the Maker of the World,
* unlefs he had deliver'd fome Laws, by which it
* Was to be Govern'd from its beginning; There is
e none Builds a City, but eftablifhes Laws in it ; for
c no People can be Govern'd without them;
E nor has God any occafion to change his Laws, as
' the Exigency of time requires, becaufe he knew
e the end arid event of all things from the beginning.
c It is ridiculous to imagine God has a recourfe to
' new and frefh Meafures,, or that he eftablifh'd all
' things frorri all Eternity arbitrarily, arid will not
c recede from them upon any account whatfoever.-
f. Therefore wheri Go^had form'd this World out of
T 4 < the5

280 The RELIGION of

the Chaos, he eftablifli'd fome Laws, by which it
Should be Govern'd ; but more efpecially, that his
Felicity might not be interrupted, and he difturb'd
every Day by things Of little moment, and, fo con-
fume Ages in trifles. It would alfo be .very trou-
bleSome to him, to endeavour to reconcile the dif
ferent and oppofite Supplications of Mortals ; par
ticularly fome, Who, tho' they were Good and
Pious, yet might defire fomethihg of the Divine
Majefty, which would be too Injurious and Pre
judicial to others as Pious as themSelves. It will
therefore be more agreeable to SuppoSe, that all
things which are lawful to be requested, were
Decreed from all Eternity ; upon the ufing re
gular Means, as fervent and devout Prayers and
Supplications, Faith,, Virtue, &c and if things
did not Succeed according to their expectation;
they muft conclude, that it was Decreed So from
from all Eternity, as riiuch as if they had obtain'd
their Defire. What more could any one defire of
the Supream God, than that after he had led a good
Life here, he might be made happy hereafter ;
or What doth it fignifie, whether he receives it
from the Eternal Decree of God, or it be the re
ward of his daily Prayers ?The Supream God will be
, equally Worfhip'd and Ador'd, it from all Eter
nity he made a Connexion between the Means
and the End, as if he began now to do fo ; in
Short, without this Or fome Such Order was efta-
bliSh'd amongft things, it is not poflible to con
ceive how the Supream' God fhould be free from
loads of Care arid Moleftations. It was faid very
juftly by the Antients, that was only Eternal and
Blefled that had no Bufinefs to do, nor requir'd any
other to do it for him. I come now to treat of that
Worfhip which is to be paid thofe Gods rri pa.-ti-
• * cular,*

Chap. XIV. ^e GENTILES. 281

cuiar, for I have before Shewn, that the Supream
God was to be WorShipped with a pure Mind, not ,
only free from Vice, but Ador'd with all manner
of Virtue, as Faith, Hope and Love, and with
Prayers and Thainfgiving. The Celeftial Gods are
to be Worfhipped in Honour of the Supream God
only : But, that their Worfhip might not feem
Bare and Naked ; it was judg'd requifite to add
Some Rites and Ceremonies ; as bowing the Bo
dy, killing the Finger or Hand, turning found
Srom Eaft to Weft, or to the contrary, to demon
strate his UniverSality, and Such-like, that we o-
penly declare we WorShip and Adore them next
after the Supream God:' Then forrie grateful Per
fumes, or their own proper, or Symbolical Ani
mals, as an Horfe to the Sun, a Cow to the Moon,'
&c- are to be offer'd up to them. It's very requi
fite to procure the SubceleftialGods to be propitious,
becaufe being uncertain in their Nature ; they in
cline fometimes one way, fometimes another, for
Caufes that we were altogether ignorant of. The
beft way is, to offer up fomething pleafing and
grateful to them. What this was muft be difco-
ver'd from their corporal Natures, which being
fuppos'd to be compos'd of Air and *ALther ; Some,
Good things ought to be prepar'd for them outofjthe
grofs Elements, reduc'd to a more fubtil Sub*
fiance ( for they want Nutriment, and by this
means their Elementary Nature is refrefh'd by cog
nate Elements) and in regard, they are pleafed
With the Smell of Fat ; the Animals pleafant and
agreeable to their Tafte and Smell Should be Sa
crificed to them. For Some fine Spirits that are
made in the Liver, Heart, and Brain, did aScend
upwards , and therefore were the Object's of
Adoration. It is beyond difoute, that every thing
' loves

282 The RELIGION of
loves its, like. They would be always very ready
to inform Men, what .Sacrifices were agreeable to
each God or Demon; and amongft others thing $
which they learn'djrom the .Gods themfelves,. if
the People we deficient on thefr part, and. by this
means they amaffed vaftTreaSure.
Here you may have moft noble Truths, but.mixt
with many Verifimilitudes, and fome Improbabilities
and Faifhoods ( concerning which I Shall declare
my Sentiments hereafter) thefe the Priefts difpers'd
amorigft the Vulgar ( who are always more ready
to believe, than to controvert fuch Matters ) which
they Univerlally receiv'd, and were eafily impofed
on. As there was Some that endf avour'd to con
firm what was repprted of thefe Subceleftial Deities
by occult Magkk; fo there were fome ofthe Learn
ed, who made a doubtful Construction of what was
deliver'd by them; for they durft not deny what the
Prieft deliver'd ( who were continually near the
Gods and their Oracles). They knew that nothing
Was rieceffary here, but the denying of Falfities,
and railing Doubts, concerning Verisimilitudes and
Conjectures. The People at laft, not being Satisfi
ed with theSe things, ask'd their Priefts what their
Opinion was of the Elements, and all things com-
pos'd of Elementary Matter, but efpecially of Fa
mous Men, whether any Adoration ought to be
be paid them? Which fome of the Antient Priefts
did Anfwer after this manner.
e We positively affert, that a particular Worfhip is;
* due to the Elements, tho' they are the loweft and
' and moft obfcure parts of the World ; yet theUni-
* verfe would not be finifh'd and entire without them,
* or that Image oftheS«/>re*wGo^which Shines in all
f his Works, be perfect andcompleat. They there-
' fore that Worlhip the Superiour World, and neg-
e lect

Chap. XIV. the G E N T I L E S. 283

lect the Inferiour, are as equally abSurd, as if they
fhould refpect the Head and Neck of any Perform
and defpife and contemn his other Members, tho*
never fo fine, agreeable, and full of proportion
and Symmetry. Let us here cohfult our Orpheusi
who deScribes the Supream God (by him called Ju
piter ) thus. The Heaven Adorn'd with the glit
tering Stars, was, his Head and Hair ; out of which
came two Golden Horns, one the Faft, the other
the Weft ; the Sun and Moon his Eyes ; his Breaft
the Air^ the Wind his Wings ; his Befiy the Earth;
encompafs'd by the Ocean; his other Members,
were about the Centre of the Earth. It is not
to be fuppos'd that Orpheus would be underftood,
that thefe were the individual Members of the Su*
pream God, but that the reprefenting him by this
external Form, would create a good Idea of him -•
But to keep more clofe, we fay the Elements con-
fider'd in themfelves, are worthy of fome Inferi
our degree of WorShip. All Animals confift of
an Elementary Nature, and there is nothing that
is vifible in their Fabrick, but what is deriy'cf
from thence, and is ultimately refolv'djnto'it again j
wherefore we fhould not pafs it by without fome
Veneration, as being the material Principle and
ultimate End of things ; nor will it be any Ob
jection, that the Soul, which is of a Celeftial Origi
nal,, claims the Precedency ; for , if the Hu
mane Body, that is fo conjundi and near to it, and!
for the Majefty of its Figure, excites a fort of Re
verence in us; how much more will be due to the
Elements, who furnifh all things with Matter and
Magnitude, and according to Some, with the Ve
getative and Senfitive Soul ? If this be true, and
that Vegetation and Motion, which is a Species of
Vegetation and Senfe, and SenSation depends on
•' the

284 The R E LIG 10 N of
f the Temperature of the Elements, why do we
* make fuch nice Enquiries into the Caufes of thofe
* things that are common to us with the pthpr A-
' nimals, and not pay Some Adoration to thofe'
e Elements, from. whom we receive fo many Bene-
¦' fits; efpecially, that they ihould not be Injurious
i to us? Therefore, the .Air which we constantly
* draw in, and breath put in a Reciprocal Motion,
* and Supports and renews our Life, ought to be
' Worihipped ; for if it be Infectious, or too thin,
* or too groSs,; or any otherwife, fo that it cannot
' be attracted by the Lungs, Man would immedi-
' ately expire- Water alfo deferves Adoration as
' well as the Air, becaufe it affords us that Moifture,
* without which our Bodies would Soori crumble
* into dry and ShapeleSs Duft ; for if it be too Cold,
i like the Stygian Waters, or too Hot, as Some Baths,
f. or contract a Poyfonous Tincture, by running1
* thro' Some Metallkk Pores of the Earth, Death is
' the immediate confequence pf it. ,The Earth al-
* So Should be Worfhip'd, becauf© it affords FirmneSs
s and Solidity to Humane Bodies, and without it
* the whole Fabrick would be diffolv'd ; it alSo car-
' ries Man as it were upon its Shoulders, by its in-
' terpbfition, preferving Mankind from that vaft
c Precipice that is between his Feet and the Centre,
* affording all, both Food and Raiment, like a.com-
* mon Mother and Nurfe ; and if its Caverns are
e, open'd by any preternatural Commotions, and it
* fend Sorth any peftiferious Vapours, or emit Wa-
f ter out of its Bowels, which deftroy, whole Cities
* and Provinces, or doth not, make a plentiful
e return of the Seeds fown in it, Peftilence, De-
', luge, Famine and Univerfal Defolation will be
', the confequence; Fire likewife, which is kindled
* cut of the ^ Sulphureous Veins of the Earth, or that
' the

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. 205-
¦m-mmwmmmmm mm mmmmmmmmmmmmmm — n^™»«^ -— — — w*
f the cppcuffion of the Clouds, Striking of Stones
together, rubbing of Wood hard, or proceeding
from fome Oily Substance, ' immediately appear
ing bright and Shining, furprifes, like fome unex
pected Deity ; and by reafon of its Heat, is So
Powerful and Efficacious in all Natural Generati
on, that it feems to be the Form and Soul of the
other Elements. If it grow too predominant,, it
Burns up every thing, threatning Destruction to
the whole World; wherefore it ought to be had in
Veneration beyond all other Sublunary things. If it
fhould be objected, that the Elernent are not Spon
taneous, but neceffary Agents, tho' it is very pro
bable they act both ways ; and Should it be allow
ed, that Fire, by a certain Fate, or an Ingenite
Nature, always afcends upwards ; yet it will turn
Obliquely towards it proper Fuel, and exercifes
the fame Freedom as the Animals that Feed here
do. The Air alfo Blows where it lifteth : The
Water of fome Springs, but efpecially the Ocean,
ebbs and flows with reciprocal Motion, and Swells,
and riSes up to avoid a Vacuum. If the Earth move
round by its own Internal Power, (as Some are of
Opinion ) yet it hath many other Motions, or
elfe it will be impoffible to Solve the Phenomena's.
Thus, tho' one Motion may proceed from a na
tural Neceflity, yet this doth hot in the, leaft hin
der ; but there may be other Motions that are
Spontaneous : For tho' the Motion of the Heart iri
us is natural and neceffary, for when it ceafes, we
at the fame irritant ceafe to Live ; but the Motion
of our Eyes, notwithftanding, is voluntary, being
directed only by the dictates of a free Soul, mo
ving any way, according to its pleafure : I might
alfo here mention the Internal actions of the Soul-
Now 25 both tjhefs Motions are in Animals, why
''• ' :'- <: '• ' " ¦'¦ ' ' '¦ " ' « Should

286 ' The RELIGION of ".¦
— — — » — mmm—* — — — ¦— mm mi *¦¦¦ ¦ .n \ 101 ,10mm— »mmmmmmmmm0mmmmmmmymm—mmmmmmmmmmmmmm,
Should they be denied the Elements, for tho' their
Motion in fome refpedt may feem to be neceffary
and compulfive, yet, in others it is free and volun
tary ; but granting that the Elements move by a
meer natural Neceffity, they are the Ministers of
the Supream God, the parts of which the World
is compos'd, and the Authors of all corporeal Na
ture ; therefore fome Veneration is due unto them.
The whole Mafs of the World is fo contriv'd, that
whoever goes but out of Doors, cannot obfeive
any remarkable Parts of it, without reverent and
awful though© ; therefore let us enter into an en
quiry concerning thofe things that are compos'd
of the Elements, but chiefly Man, and fee whe
ther fome Animals, eSpecially, very Famous Men,
ought not to have Some particular Worfhip paid to
them. For as there are many Ranks and Degrees
of Things, So there muft be of Worfhip, as is moft
Suitable and congruous to each ; So that there is
nothing within the compaSs of this World, but in
fome degree is the object of WorShip, or in Some
meafure or other appertains to the Worfhip of the
Deities ; as Bread-Corn, Wine, Milk, Some Herbs and
Animals that are grateful to them. Man, next af
ter the Elements, is here to-be treated of, being of
a middle Nature, between Eternal and Caducous
things ; for the World could not fubfift without the
Elements, but its poffible it might without Man j
nay, it is moft probable, that the Earth would be
much more Fruitful and Pleafant ; if the multi
tude of Mens Villainies did not bring down Di
vine Vengeance on all Sublunary things. But, be
caufe a Wicked Man is the worft of all Animals,
therefore a Good and Pious Man is far the belt ;
that the Super celeftial Deities are good, proceeds
frorri their own proper Nature, but that Man is fo
from,

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. 2 87
 ¦ — r 1 1 ¦ . — -
' from his own free Will; and tho' they have a pro-
penfity to EVil, yet by Virtue and Piety they ad-
* vance themfelves to the Nature of the Immortal,
f and obtain Eternal Rewards ; and if Man could
f but be exactly conformable to the Rules of Piety
* and Probity ( which never will be ) he would be
' the moft happy amongft the Bleffed,~next tp the
' Supream God ; in regard what others had by chance,
c and Fate would be the juft reward of his Merit.
f Now, forafm'uch as we doom the Wicked to an E-v-
f'ternal ftate of Mifery; fo it is but juft that the
* Good fhould be rewarded with Elernal Happinefs,
* and therefore be Worfhip'd and Ador'd. When they
f are advanc'd into Heaven, the Supream God makes
c themjudges and DifpofersofMensActions,in which
' they are Govern'd, partly by Laws promulgated
s from the beginning of the World, or written in the
s Heart ; partly from the Good or Evil Inclination
s of Man's Will, and his very Thoughts themfelves ;
' for it is ridiculous co imagine, that thofe who
( have obtain'd Heaven, dodepofite any of thefe Fa-
* culties their Soul exercifed whilft they lived here,
( or are depriv'dofthem, or are either fo idle or igno-i
c rant of our Affairs here, or fo ufelefs to thefe Parts
' of the World, that they fhould not manage allHu-J
* mane Affairs. It is very equitable to make pnp
' Man Judge of another, vvho contemplating opr
f Actions from above, may bring them to theTeft of,'
¦ common Reafon and Confcience : For if the Su-?
pream God had committed this Charge to the Cele-
lial Deities, they would have determin'd all things
)y the Eternal Laws* of Heaven, and the Rigour pf
Fate ; they would have been very little folicitous
what influence the Will of Man had in all his Acti
ons. And if God himfelf Should take cognizance
of Humane Affairs* it is not to be imagin'd that
; : % he

' fti.
< bv

288 The RELIGION of ,
he could lead a Bleffed Life, free from all Pertur
bation. This Province therefore, from the be
ginning was given to Men, admitted into Heaven,
who deliberate and judge what is beft and right
in Mens Actions, and what deprav'd andvitious,by
thofe Laws which are written in the Eternal Tables
of the Heaven andStars, and the Univerfal confent
of all Mankind ; allotting them Rewards or Punifh-
ments after this Life, according as they deferv'd ;
and there is no doubt but the Supream God will ra-
tifie and confirm their juft Determinations. But if
the Supream God fhould referve fome for his own,
Judgrnent, ( fd*r he is not fo ftrictly oblig'd by his
own Laws, but that at pleafure he can exempt
himfelf from them )'• Thefe will be Mediators be
tween him and Mortals, and intercede for them ;
apd upon this account, they ought to be made propi
tious, if riot as Judges,.yet as Patrons. Who thofe
are, is beft known by the Piety and Probity of
their Lives ; their Heroick Actions, or fome No
ble Invention, which has been very Beneficial to
Mankind, fuch as thefe, are our Judges or Patrons;
eSpecially, if Mortal Men, being a constitutive part
of this common City of the World, Jiave any Suf
frages in Heaven ; which appears very rational, in
regard , in every well-eftablilh'd Commonwealth ;
the Commonalty have fome Authority as well as
the Grandees, wherefore their Laws are called
f Plebifcita. Thus Mankind Supplies the Place of
f the Pjebeity in this City of the World, when they
* raife their Heroes to Heaven. But as the People
* only, and not the. Patricians, were oblig d by the
* Plebifcita ; fo perhaps it may happen, that if the
f Plebs, or Mankind, fhould ask fomething with re-
' fpedt to the Celeftial Kingdom, which may be un-
( juft, and not fit to be granted, and the Gods reject it,
!as

Chap. XIV. /fo GENTILES. 289

as being more competent Judges, therefore thefe
earneft Petitions of the Plebs, or Mankind, are not
fuch certain demonstrations of Mens being advan
ced into the number of the Godsi unlefs they have
been very exemplary for Piety and Virtue; which
Opinions are no lefs Beneficial and Profitable,
than true and undubitable. For what is it, that
Men will not attempt and perform to be made Par
takers of a Celeftial Life, where there is an Affluence
of whatfoever is defireable ; fo that this Doctrine
doth afford the moft poinant ReaSons for the Pra-i
ctice of Virtue, and the declining Vice. Thefe
Deities being thus eftablifh'd in Heaven, ought both
to be Pray'd and Sacrific'd to ; but yet, fo that no
more than a kind of Worihip belonging to Heroes^
ought to be paid to fome of them. Now thefe
Deities ( by the Permiffion of the Supream God )
having the Management of Humane Affairs ; I
Shall Shew what Order and Degrees there are in
that Celeftial Kingdom, ( for they have not all art
equal Authority ) and who is chief amongft them,
and who are appointed the Judges of things here
below. Under the Supream God, they have the Di
rection and Management of all our Affairs ; but
in regard ( as was faid before) they are obiig'd by
Eternal Laws ; it is impoffible for therri to recede
from them : Proftrate before them, therefore wa
ought to make our folemn Vows, for they not
only know our Good and Evil Actions, but are
Privy to the fecret Thoughts of our Hearts, for if
they were ignorant of thefe, there could be no
Scrutiny made into the Arcana's of Confcience, oi
any exadt Rule to make a juft judgment of Mens
Actions. We Mortals can only judge of Exter
nals, and thofe Deities of Internals ; upon which
account, various and different Worfhip ought td
U 'ha

299 lb* RELIGION of

be paid unto them. We will declare unto you,
all their particular and diftinct Degrees, and pe
culiar Rites, from the in-moft Secrets of Nature,
and their own Oracles ; if you'll but confider feri-
oufly of what we have already delivered, and
affifl us in the carrying on this Pious and Ne
ceffary Work, which is your moft indiSpenfible
Duty. When by fuch fpecious Difcourfes as thefe; which
had neither Solidity nor Truth in thenf; the Priefts
had compiled a Syftem of Theology, and eftablifh'd
it fo from their own Principles, that nothing in
thofe times did appear more with the face of Truth,
or feem'd more Orthodox, and the People durft
not doubt or hefitate concerning any thing which
was told them came from the fecret Counfels of
the Gods themfelves ; fo that by degrees, the Priefts
manag'd all things as they pleas'd, unanimoufly a-
greeing to impoSe on the People, by pretending to
the keeping of Divine Oracles, and an Intercourfe
between them and Jupiter, ( for fo the Heathens cal
led the Supream God in the Celeftial Kingdom ) and
receiving Anfwers from him, by that firmly bind
ing the Populace in their blind Obedience. They
brought Matters to that height, that tho' their Te-
nents were very queftionable, and their Oracular
Anfwers prov'd eventually falfe, yet it was efteem'd
moft notorioufly Impious, fo much as to feem to
doubt of their Truth, or to make any other interpre
tation of them,than what they bad given them : But
the Priefts did not flop here, for having difcarded
the moft Solid Parts of their own Religion, they
debauch'd the Minds of Men with moft tremendous
Rites and Ceremonies, offering up Humane Sacrifi
ces to their Gods • until that Cuftom was at laft
abolifh'd by the Romans and other Nations. Still

Chap. XIV. the G E N T I L E S. 291
Still notwithftanding the pure Worlhip of the Su
pream God Was made to confift of no other Sacrifices, but
fuch as they devour'd ; Prayers, but Such only as were
put up by them ; Sacred Myfteries, but to be per
formed by them alone ; Oracles but of their own,
Invention; Auguries, but they muft expound them;
Rites and Ceremonies, which were contrived by them
alfo ; Feafts and Games, of their own Institution; and
Dreams in their Temples, which none did intepret
but themfelves. Thus the moft Certain and Fun
damental Articles of Divine Religion, as Faith in the
Supream God, a firm and folid Hope in him, and Love
which unites Man with GOD, were either totally
neglected, or at leaft postponed. I fhall therefore
now endeavour to Shew what the Heathens formerly
thought of thofe moft Noble Faculties of the Soul,
Which are fo intimately united to it ; and what their
Notion of Virtue was, and the Purgation of the Soul
when it had erred from it.
The Priefis always ftrenuoufly endeavoUr'd to e-
radicate or Stifle thefe Principles in the Minds of Men,
tho' they themfelves fufficiently knew them, and
were convinc'd of their Truth : It will be therefore
to my prefent purpofe to prove. That thefe Tenents
were not unknown to the antient Heathens; and whe
ther you look into their Religkn,oz Laws, you'll find
extraordinary means contain'd in them, to incite and
encourage Men to Virtue, and deter them from Vice.
The Fathers of the Church, who were the Hea
thens moft inveterate Enemies, reprefent the Matter
quite otherwife than it is ; for they pafs by the more'
certain and Orthodox part of their Religion in filence,
and from their Superftitions and Rites, take an occafion
to utter fevere InveBlves againft them, and reprefent
them after a moft ridiculous manner, by ingeniously
expofing their mad Sacred Rites; for what the Prkfii
U 2 did-

292 The RELIGION of
. didas if they were in a Rapture and infpir'd with a
Divine Spirit, they reprefented it as the effects of
Lunacy t and DiftraBion. They mention nothing of
what the Heathens taught concerning Piety, Faith,
Hope, and Mutual Love ; tho' they knew very well
that thefe were the Gods and Goddeffes ( as they
were call'd ) they had in fuch Veneration : but the
Orators, in thofe Ages, never introduc'd any thing
but what was to the manifeft Detriment of their Ad-
verfaries ;- and might at the fame time level the way
for the eftablifhing Chriftianity.
For this Reafon I have thought fit candidly to ex-
hibite, not only what is evil and abfurd in their Re-
ligion, but What is good alfo, that we may fee how
far and in what it agrees with ours. And here whilft
I am collecting fome of the Sound, moft Antient and
Univerfal Parts of Religion, out of the vaft heap of
their Superftitious Rubbifh ; I Shall act like thofe
who when the Harveft is ripe, reap many Handfuls
of Darnel, Brambles, Weeds, Thiftles and Burs (which
Pliny calls the Difeafes of the Corn ) for one or two
Ears of Wheat : there are fo few things in their Reli
gious Worfliip that appear Juft and Rational.
I fhall not here infert all that may be faid on this
Subject ; for ifi fhould treat of the Worfhip and Ado
ration that was paid to fo many feveral Gods and
Goddeffes, a vaft Volume would fcarce contain it.
I fhall leave this Woik for the Learned, who have
leifure, efpecially in regard no Author (as I know
of) yet hath written entirely on this Subject. Tho*
Guil.Choul a Noble Frenchman hath a Book with fuch a
Title, yet he hardly touch'd upon the thing it felf.
Many have both defignedly andtranfiently treated of
the Genealogy and Hiftory of Heroes, worfhipp'd by the
Heathens ; but none that I know of have reduc'd their
rude Mais -of Religion into Order and Method, or di-
gefted

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. 293
gefted it into a Body. I have formerly made fome Effay
towards it, but being now Sjxty Years old, and in-
volv'd in the Care and Affairs of the World, I defire to
be excufed ifi leave it to fome that have more lei-
Sure ; it will be Sufficient to my purpoSe if I Shew the
deceitful Tricks of the Priefis, and the main Scope
they aim'd at, in forging their Doctrines : for they
did not only abufe and impofe upon the People by
their Rites and Ceremonies, but feduced them from the
true Worfhip of the Ddty, for fear Men ihould foon
difcover there was no fuch great occafion for them.
They did not preach up the ferious Practice pf
Virtue, nor Sorrow or Repentance for Sin to the People ;
but perfwaded them to an entire belief of the 'Oracles,
Dreams and Revelations, which every Day andN«ght
they dreamed and invented to impofe upon Mieir
Credulity. Thefe Oracles, Dreams and Revelatmis,
they ftill made more unintelligible, obfcure and in
tricate, by their abfurd and incoherent Interpreta
tions, that the People might rely altogether on their
Fantaftick Commentaries ; and Common Experience
tells us, That they gave thofe the Charactersjof the
moft profound Theologifts, and intimately acquainted
with the Divine Myfteries, whom they had moft per
verted from the Rules of right Reafon : but whether
this was to be attributed moft to the Stupid Credu
lity of the People, or the Villainy of the Priefts, I
Shall not prefently determine ; tho' at the fame time
it will not appear Strange, that there was fo much
Superftition and Juggling doings of the Priefts, former
ly introduc'd into Religion, when they produc'd the
Authority of aGo^for them. So they that give a
Peafant fome bafe Metal, or perhaps Leather with
the Image of an Emperour ftampt on it, and tell him
he muft take it for what is bought of him, he will
be afraid to refufe it, becaufe of the Emperour s Edict.
U 3 Thus

294 The RELIGION of

Thus when the 'Priefts had invented fome New Rites,
or fet up Oracles, they always pretended they were
inftituted by the Authority and Command of Jupi^
ter, or fome other Deity; and the poor wretched Poi
pulace had neither Courage nor Will to fofpect them
of being adulterate, and Tejett them as fuch.
But the Sober and Judicious part of Mankind e-
fteem'd all things of this nature, meer Humane In
ventions^ and fometimes they defir'd that they might
be admitted into thefe more Holy and Secret Re-
qeffes of their Temples, andb3Ear-witneffes of thofe
things which proceeded from the Mouths of their
Gods; for the Prieft s only being there, was but a
Single Evidence, which would be much corrobo
rated by the Acceffion of another ; and promis'd
that they would be entirely devoted to the Priefts
and their DoBrines, if this Satisfaction were but per
mitted them.
But this was only defign'd to ridicule them ; for
they did not in the leaft luppofe that God fpoke with
an Articulate Voice, or deliver'd his Commands or
InfpirationS" in a foft Whifper. Yet the moft pene
trating and difcerning Men did in fome meafure fub-
mit to the Religious Worfhip perform'd in their time ;
leaft the Lewd and Debauchees following their Ex
ample, and not being able to diftinguifh Truth from
thofe falfe Appearances that were complicated with
it, Should utterly reject and contemn all manner of
Religious Worfhip. Wife and Good Men in former
Ages were content, if they could extract any good
Juice from thofe Saplefs p.rrts of Religion ; it was
this Noble Spirit that they only were defirous of,
thereby worfhipping the Supream GOD; as for what
the Priefts impos d, they enher tacitely rejected, or
left them as dubious and indifferent : but if at any
time the Priefts proceeded further, and requir'd them to

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. z9$
¦t . ¦ " ¦  1  .  ' — ' 
o declare their Affent and Confent to cheir DoBrines
and Precepts, that was done by the Authority of the
whole Priefthood; and then they paid Obedience to
the Pontifex Maximus or Chief Prieft, and all the
College. But to make yet more clear what Notions the An
tients had of Religious Worfliip, I fhall follow Voffius,
and divide all Worfliip into Proper, Symbolical and Mixt.
Proper Worfhip is, the Adoration of the Supream GOD,
the Sun, Moon, Heaven, or the whole World ; parti
cularly and respectively in themfelves : Symbolical, is
the Worjhipping the Supream GOD in the Sun, Heaven
or World; or in the Active Principle of Generation,
as in the Sun or Heaven ; or Paffive, as in the Moon
and Elements. The Mixt, which is Subordinate to
the others, is, when the Supream GOD is worfhipp'd
in the Sun ; the Sun in Fire,or Hercules ; Fire in Flame,
or a Burning-coal ; and Hercules in his Statue or Ef
figies. It is moft evident the Antients held this Proper
Worfhip was only due to the Supream GOD. For no
Wife Man could conceive the Sun it felf, which is
but a part of this World, and naturally would burn
and reduce it to allies, was the Supream GOD : Or
that any Worfhip might be faid to belong to him fo
properly, that it terminated there only, and had not
reference to fomething beyond it. Whoever con
templates the Univerfe, which is compos'd of fuch
contrary and difagreeable Parts, muft conclude that
it was at firft made, and is now govern'd by 0 NE,
and therefore not pay Proper Worfhip to it, but muft
have refpedt to fomething more Superior and Hap
py, and only Self-acting by the internal Power of
his Mind. I do not conceive that they were made
the Primary and Principal Objects of Adoration ; for
as they did exift, and .were no Deities, they flood in
U 4 need

296 The RELIGION of
need of another. The Miferable were always brea
thing after a Superior and more happy State than
they could attain to, either by Fate or Induftry; and
they thought that perfect and compleat Happinefi was
only to be found in the Eternal and Bleffed G OD, and
by being admitted into his Society. They earnestly
endeavour'd to render themfelves like that GOD by
Piety and Virtue, that they might be fit for thofe E-
ternal Fruitions. Therefore whether we judge of
Mankind by our felves, or the common Sentiments
of others, we fhall conclude, that the Heathens paid
Symbolical and Mixt Adoration to many others; but
Proper only to the Supream GOD. Tho' it js true that
the Priefts did excogitate many incongruous Rites and
Ceremonies to eftablifli a Worfliip of the Deity, yet their
mainDefign was to awaken theMindsof Men; that be
ing often accuftomed to thefe Religious Duties, they
knight be animated with fomething Divine. Some
of their Sacrifices indeed were fo horribly tremen
dous and cruel, that for the moft part they rais'd Ter
ror and Deteftation in the Spectators; yet they were
yery ferviceable to poffefs the Criminal with a
dreadful Apprehenfion of Divine Vengeance', when
the enraged Deity was reprefented to them by their
own Priefts not to be appeas'd without Bloody, and
thofe fometimes Humane, Victims.
I intend, if God Almighty afford me Life and
Strength, to treat more at large of this moft antient
Opinion which hath poffeffed the Minds of Men
much longer than thofe Rites and Cuftoms, which for
the moft part are either antiquated or abolifhed. I
now proceed to the more Orthodox DoBrines of the
Heathen, which alfo were defiled and contaminated
with Rites and Ceremonies.
pHAP,

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 297

CHAP. XV.
Of the moft Sound parts of the Religion of the
Heathens.

MAny Reverend and Learned Divines of this
prefent Age do affert that the Heathens wor
shipped the fame Supream GOD as we do. But the
difference was that the Adoration they paid unto him
was Erroneous and Idolatrous ; and they alfo af
firm that it is equally as finful to worfhip the true
God after a falfe Manner as to worfhip a falfe God
after the true Manner. This is not to be under
stood that they were of Opinion the Heathens re
jected the Mind, Virtue, Faith, Piety, and the o-
ther parts of true Religion : But that they inter
mixed Superftitious, Prophane, Barbarous Rites
with them. Nor did they ever deny but that Vir
tue, Faith, Hope and Love were in themfelves the
Rule of worshiping God. I fhall therefore here
Shew what Parts of true Religion obtained amongft
the Heathens, that fo things may appear in their
proper Light.
Cicero, in his fecond Book de kgibus, gives us an Ab
stract of the Religion of the Antients, which is very
well worth^explaining, for in it we have what were
the Sentiments of the Heathens about Matters of Re
ligion ; he there fzys,Men have no other Means to carry
them to Heaven but the Mind, Virtue, Piety .and Faith
For although he efteemed thofe Men deferved to be
Worfhipped, whoSe Merits had advanced them to
Heaven ; amongft whom he names Hercules, Bac-
(bus, tAEfculapm, &c. yet they never imagined that

a98 The RELIGION of
¦ w i^i. m ,mm..,, ¦— mil* — w— — — — — — — — — .n —mi -, _____awftM______.
that they ever obtained Heaven themfelves by Such
afort of WorShip, but by a pure Mind,a\\ Virtues, and
that Piety, which fometimes is tbe Foundation of aU
Virtues ( and fometimes alfo juft and agreeable Senti
ments of the Deity ) and an holy Faith which is Pro
ductive of the aforefaid Virtues.
. Thofe that defire to have a right Notion of the Re
ligion of the Heathens, ought to weigh this Distinction
rightly ; for they did not in the leaft depend on
the external Worlhip of -their Gods, the Prayers
they put up to them, or the the Vows they made
to them ; but meerly on Virtue it felf, to procure
them. Admiffion into Heaven. Cicero Lib. 2. de
N. D. tells us why they were called Diva or De*,
Goddeffes. Whatever thing has any Power in it,
ts more eminently called fo, and that very Power is filled a
Deity ; as Faith, the Mind, &c. which were dedicated
in the Capitol by Emilius Scaurus ; hut Faith was con
fecrated before by Attilius Colatinus ; there is tbe Tem-
pie of Virtue, and the Temple of Honour repaired by
M. Marcellus before the Liguriah Wat which Q. Maxi-
mus dedicated. There were alfo thofe of Riches, Health,
Concord, Liberty, ViBory, The Power of fuch things which
are fo great that they cannot be governed but by God,
the very thing it felf obtained the Name of a Deity. In
Lib. 2. de legibus. It was well that the Mind, Piety,
Virtue and Faith had external Confectation, they all have
publickTemples confecrated to them at Rome, that thofe
who poffefs them ( which all good Men do)might be efleem-
edto have the Deities themfelves inhabiting their Sonls.
Pliny mentioning thefe, Lib. 2. C. 7. adds Chaftity,
Concord and Clemency. Dion. Hal. Lib. 2. adds Juftice,
Themis, Clemency and Nemefis, which his Anceftors
Worfhipped; faying, Numa was the firft that dedicated
a Temple to publick Faith, and affigned Money out of his
Treafury for the Sacrifices, as well as for the other Gods.
Peace^

Chap. XW. skGENTILES. 299
Peace, Reft, Hope and Felicity likewife had publick
Temples. From all which it is moft apparent that by the
Doctrine of the Ancients,all thofe things are reducible
to the Rules of Virtue and Piety, which are neceffary
for living well and happily here, and to all Eternity
hereafter. They Still held that many things more
were neceffary to make their Piety confummate ;
as Sacrifices, Rites and Ceremonies, and abundance
of fuch Stuff; but yet unleSs the aforementioned
Deities ruled and governed their Souls, there was
no Admiffion into Heaven. Thus far therefore
the Antients agree with us, who allow no. Means
of Salvation, can benefit or advantage us without
the Mind, Virtue, Piety and Faith. Thus it appears
that the Heathens did not only agree with us Chri
stians in worfhipping the Supream God, but alfo in
the fame moft principal and effential kind of Wor
fhip, and whoever does confult the Polemick
Writings of the Heathen Theologifts and Philofo
phers, that lived amongft the Christians ( of whom
Some few remained ) will be readily convinced that
they, as well as we, did embrace Pkty and Virtue ;
So that Celfus durft challenge the Learned Origen to
Shew what was in the Christian Religion that ten
ded more to the eftablifhing of Virtue than the Hea
thens had acknowledged before ; nay fome go far
ther, and affert that their Precepts are more Strict
and Severe, and tend more directly to this End. I
Shall fay fomething of each of thefe in particular.
Of the MIND.
N D firft of the Mind by which the Antients
underftood no more than Right Reafon. They
efteemed a found Mind beyond all things ; for with
out it they could not make a juft Choice of Religi on,

300 The RELIGION of
on, or lead an holy Life according to fuch Pre
cepts, and reject falfe and Spurious Doctrines.
The WiSe and Sagacious amongft the Heathen re
ceived the firft Principles of their Religion ( fuch
as, (i.) That there is one Supream God, (2.) That
he ought to be worfhipped, (3.) That Virtue is the
principal Part of his Worfhip, (4.) That we ought
to repent of our Sins, (5-.) That there are Rewards
and Punifhments both in in thisLifeand hereafter )
from the Mind or right Reafon, and the reft derive
its Authority from the Prieftonly -.- To the firft they
gave a firm and entire Affent, the others the^y e-
fteemed at beft but doubtful and probable : Thus
they did not contemn and reject the Revelations,
Traditions and Dreams of their Priefts, but were
Somewhat cautious and not eafily to be impofed on
by them, or run the Hazard of repofing an entire
Faith in them. They did not think any Doctrines
ought to be built on Faith only, though the moft
extenfive, for they eafily difcovered how they
might be impofed on by that Means. For thefe
Reafons the Antients deified the Mind, but efpecial
ly ( as Varro, -LaBantius, St. Auguftine and others
fay ) that they might be endued with a good Mindi
Livy tells us that T. Otacilius Pretor, vowed a Tem
ple to the Mind, which afterwards when he was
Duumvir, he dedicated and that it was built in the
Capitol.
VIRTUE.
Virtue is next in order, being the genuine Of-
fpring of a good Mind, Cicero calls her the '
Perfection of Nature. And lam of Opinion that
Virtue is as much the Perfedlionof the Souhas the Soul
is of theBody.Thofe that have confulted the Writings of

Chap. XV. /fo GENTILES. 30X
of the Antients, will find them abounding with En
comiums on Virtue. They had fuch an high Vene
ration for her that they thought Heaven was be
llowed on them for her fake only : Nor did they
any more doubt but that a virtuous Man fhould ar
rive at the Seat of the Bleffed, tho' he knew not
where it was; than that a Traveller, going on in the
right Path that leads to any magnificent City, mufi
come to the Place he intended.
I need not infift long upon this Argument; only
mention a few amongft the innumerable Places
that are to this Purpofe. Plato fays that we Should
endeavour to be like God by Prudence, Juftice and
SanBity. M. Ficinus, Shews that Happinefi is acquired
by Prudence, Juftice, Fortitude and Temperance, but
that Souls are united to God by Love,
Cicero, Lib. 2. Ojfic.fays that all Virtue cOnfiSted in
three things: Firft, In apprehending what is true
and regular in every thing ; what was moft agree
able to every one, and what was the Caufe of each
thing. Secondly, In Subduing the impetuous Agita
tions of the Mind. Thirdly, In the exercifing of
Temperance and Fortitude, as much as Equity and Hu
manity will permit: This intricate Difcourfe of
Cicero terminates in this. Again, Academ. Queft,
Lib. 2. heafferts, that this Virtue unites us to God.
And Seneca, in the Proem to his natural Questions,
fays, Virtue enlarges the Soul, prepares it for the
Knowledge of Celeftial Things, and renders it fit
and worthy to be admitted into the Society of God.
The Poets as well as the Philofophers and Orators,
have been extream Copious on this Subject.
The Romans paid religious Worfhip to Virtue and
attributed divine Honours to her, as St. Auguftine
De. Civit. Dei cites out of Varro. Scipio Numantius
erected the firft Temple ro Virtue, afterwards Mar- cellut

302 The RELIGION of
i I ,
cellus to Virtue and Honour. Plutarch, de Fort. Romanl
and in the Life of Marcellus, fays, That when he in
tended to dedicate a Temple to Honour and Virtue,
which he had built with the Spoils of the Sicilians ;
the Pontifices obstructed it, faying it was not right
and agreeable to confine Two Deities in the fame
Edifice. He then began to add another to his former,
but was much difpleafed, and lookt Uppn this Im
pediment as an ill Omen. Cicero in his Oration a-
gainft Verres, mentions the Temples of Honour and
Virtue, which were contrived fo that none could go
into the Temple of Honour but thro' that of Virtue :
Cuius Marias built another Temple to Honour and
Virtue when he vanquished the Cimbrians ; which
he built low,leaft if it Should obstruct the publick Au
guries, the Augurs Should compel him to demo
lish it. He being a moft acute and penetrating Per
fon, knew well that the Worfhip of Virtue was not
fo very grateful to the Priefis and Augurs, that for
his fake they would permit their beloved Gain they
reaped from the People by the flying of their Birds
and other ridiculous Fopperies to be any ways lef-
fened, or the Credit of their Divinations impaired*
PIETT.
Piety is the natural Confequence of the Two for
mer, for without a found Mind and Virtue there
can be no rrue Piety ; for where this Mind or right
Reafon doth not obtain, Nature is propenfe to frame
and worfhip a falfe and imaginary Deity. Without
the Conjunction of Virtue all religious Worfhip is to
no Purpofe. The Antients divided Piety, firfi and
chiefly into that which is exercifed towards God ;
fecondly our Country and Parents ; laftly our Neigh*
bours, and thofe that deferved well in the Worlds
Wherefore

Chap. XIV. the GENTILES. 303
Wherefere Cicero, Lib. 2. de Offic. fays. Piety and
SanBity appeafethe Gods. And farther, There is no 0-
ther Piety with RefpeB to the Gods, than an ingenuous
and honourable Opinion of their Deity and Underftanding ;
and to believe that nothing muft be expeBed from them, but
what is mofi Juft and Equitable, and Lib. 1. de Nat.
Deor. he fays Piety, SanBity and pure and chafte Reli
gion, are to be attributed to the Gods. Valerius
Maximus, Pliny, Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus and others
afford us many Examples of Piety towards Parents
and others. Seneca in his 76thEpiftle Says of Scipio
Africanus, I am certainly perfwaded that his Soul
is returned to Heaven, from whence it came ; not becaufe
be was the valiant and prudent Commander of vaft Ar
mies (for Cambyfes the Furious was the fame, and very
fuccefsful ) but for his eminent Moderation and Piety;
It would be needlefs to add any more Examples,
which Pliny fays were Infinite formerly. M. Atti-
lius Glabrio dedicated a Temple to Piety in the Herb-
market ; becaufe of a moft eminent Inftance of
Piety Shewn by A. C. Quintius and M. Acilius to their
Mother, who was fhut up clofe Prifoner in her
Lying-in ; wherefore a Temple was erected to Piety
in the very Place where the Prifon flood.
CONCORD.
C\Oncord is the certain and neceffary Effect of the
j Mind, Virtue 'and Piety. Some diftinguifh it
from Peace ; that Concord hath Reference to the Dis
agreement of many ; Peace but of two only. The
Antients worfhip'd both thefe, that they might obtain
a quiet and fedate Life, free from all Perturbations.
She is defcribed holding a Cup in her right Hand,
and a Cornucopia in her Left. Sometimes fhe had
a Sceptre with Fruit coming out at the End, and at

304 The RELIGION of
at other times fhe had two right Hands join'd toge
ther. Arifiides, in his Oration to the Rhodians, re-
prefents her Decorpus, Compadt and Self-agreeable
in every thing ; and by the Benignity of the Gods,
permitted to defcend from Heaven. She has Pow
er from Jupiter to fix the Hours ; fhe only confirms
all things, adorns the Fields with Flowers, allots
every thing its own Fruit ; and hath the ordering
of the Poffeffions of others ; fhe manages Affairs
in the City as fhe pleafes, bellows Perfons in Mar
riages, and nurfes and educates Children. She had
many Temples in Rome, M. Furius Camillus the
fifth Dictator vowed the firft and built it in the
Capitol. According to Plutarch and Ovid; There
was an entertaining Room adorned with many Ima
ges, where the Senators ufed to meet ; which Pliny
makes great mention of, who alfo Says when P.
Sempronius Longus and L. Sulpitius were Confuls ;
Flavius vowed a Temple to Concord, if be did reconcile
tbe Nobility to the Populace ; and when Money out of tbe
publick Treafury was not appointed for it, he built one of
Brafs with the Money, ar'ifingfrom the Fines of Ufurers ;
and cut in a Brafs Table that it was dedicated 1 04 Tears
after the Capitol. Livy lib. 9. mentions this, and Pli
ny foeaks of the Chapel of Concord, lib. 3J. C. 11.
Cicero alfo fays fomething of the Temple of Concord.
Quintins Martius being Cenfor, made the Image of
Concord arid fet it up publickly ; and C. Cajfius being
CenSor placed it in the Court, and dedicated an Al*
tar to the Same GoddeSs.
There were three other Temples of Concord in
Rome, the laft of which was either built or repaired
by Livia Auguft a. St. Aug. lib. 3. de Civ. Dei, makes
mention of the Temple of Concord. From thefe
Words of Livy it appears who had the Power of de
dicating Temples ; Macer Licinius dedicated a Tem* pu

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 70S
le to Concord in Vulcan'* Field, at which the Nobles
were much enraged ; for according to the Cufiom of their
Ancefiors none but a Conful or Emperour had th e Privi
lege ofDedkating a Temple.
P E ACE and QJJ 1 ET.
THere Was a Shrine and moft magnificent Tem
ple of Peace next the Forum, begun by Claudius
and finifht by Vejfafian. Some, after St. Jerom, fay
that the Veffels and Prefents of the Temple of Je-
rufalem were depofited here by Titus Vejfafian,
Galen fays the Profeffors of all Humane Learning met
hereto difpute, that they might clear all Doubts
and aU Difputes in Concord. It were much to be
wiSb'd that our Polemical Divines would obferve this
Cuftom in the Temple of their Souls. There was
an Altar of Peace at Rome. Peace was reprefented
like a Woman holding an Ear of Corn, and fome
times a Caduceus, crowned with Laurel, Olive, and
Rofes. Ariftophanes makes Venus and the Graces her
Companions. But Quiet, as well as Concord and
Peacehad a Temple at Powe,which was built without
the Hill-gate. But becaufe the Epithet of Quiet, is
given to the Word Orcus or Hell,therefore Lud. Vives
-is of Opinion that the Worfhip of Quiet had only
Reference to the Pead.
CHASTITT.
AFter Concord and Peace follows Chafiity - the
the Reafon of which is, that by a too cafy and
ill grounded Concord, Chafiity is much in Danger.
She was adored as a Goddefs by the Romans • but
only conjugal Chafiity was to be underftood by it;
Therefore Jujto, Venus and Hymen were called covin*
X '" 1

3°

6 The RELIGION of

gal Deities : But Juno was the Preferver of the genial
Bed. So in Seneca's Medea. Tou conjugal Deities, and
thou 0 Lucina ! Preferver of tbe geniaTBed, She had
two Names, Patricia and Plebeia ; a Temple in the
Kine (market, was dedicated to her by the firft
Name, into which it was forbidden for any that had
been twice Married to enter. Plebeia had a fmall
Chapel in the long Street, erected by Virginia, who
who was of a Patrician Family, and afterwards
marrying a Plebeian, her Sifter got her expell'd from
the Rites of the Patricians, fhe refented this very
highly ; and convening all the Plebeian Matrons,
complained of the Injury offered them by the Pa-
.trkians ; and built an Altar in a fmall Chapel, and
made a Speech to them, exhorting them, that as the
Men of that City did emulate one another in Valour,
fo the Women might in Chafiity ; and that this Altar
might be worfhipped'at by the moft Chaft and Holy,
as well as that of' the Patricians : and that none but a
Matron of approved Chafiity, and who had been mar
ried but to one Man,lhould be permitted to Sacrifice
there. See the Story more at Large in Livy. Vol. Max.
lib. 2. fays, Thofe that were contented with one Marriage
were honoured with the Crown of Chafiity. So much for
conjugal CLiftity which had refpedt to the Ma

trons only.

FAITH.

FAith always had Divine Worfhip paid unto it;
but not, as I humbly conceive, in the fame
Acceptation that many Divines now take it.
For the Heathens were very far from being of the
Opinion that any Perfon could attain Heaven,by any
Faith tho' never fo lax ; unlefs Virtue, joined with the
greateft Piety, went before and prepared the Way for
them--

Chap. XV. the G E N T I L E S. 307
them : Whereas Some Theologafters affert, that they
fhall acquire Eternal HappineSs by Faith alone : The
Word then will need Some Explication. H. Stephana?
Says that the Heathens Sormerly meant the Same
thing by Faith as we do now by Confidence; but
I muft diffent from him here,becaufe if we compare
many Places in antient Authors together, we fhall
find that they greatly took Faith in the fame .Senfe
as we do Fidelity : And Fiducia Signified then what
Fides or Faith doth now. This is clear frcm a
Place in Livy, where he declares what Fiducia pr-
Faith may be given to the Virtue, arid Fides pf
one Theodorus.
I know very well that Faith was Sometimes,
tho' very rarely, by them taken for a Perfwafi-
on or firm Opinion of any thing ; in which fenfe
I conceive Cicero ufes it, lib. 2. de Leg. where h§
tells us by Faith ( as we faid before ) but con
joined with the Mind, Virtue and Piety, it is by tha|
we have Admiffion into Heaven : This Faith or PiV
duda being converfant about a future State is entirely
different from that which principally depends upon
the Authority of the Relator. Now in Regard^
there was not the leaft written Word of God, or Pro?
mifes, concerning a future State amongft them?
how could they have fo ftrong a Faith of things
paft ? They never underftood the Word to fignifie
Confcience, or took it for a Theological Virtue, but
Civil and Humane only, whereby Bargains and
Contracts were kept, Societies and Leagues werg
enter'd into, and Trade and Commerce was efta*
blifht. For tho' the Virtues, amongft the Anti
ents, were the fame as ours, yet Faith was a quits
different thing ; tho' I do not in the leaft doubt, thai
if their Minds were endued with Virtue and piety f
they did in a great Meafure partake pf Faith, or a glo-
% $ mm

308 The RELIGION of
rious internal Hope of a more happy State. What
a great Estimation the Antients had for Faith, is e-
vident from Cicero's Oration for Marcellus ; where
he fays, There can be no Faith where Piety towards the
Gods is wanting.
I thought it neceffary to premife thus much con
cerning that Faith which the Heathens worfhipped
as a Deity. Cicero lib. 2. de Offic. fays the Temple of
Faith was in the Capitol, and next to Jupiter's and
lib. 2. de N. D. that Colatinus confecrated it. Fe-
fius from Agathocles tells us, that it was confecrated
in the Palace by Apneas before Romulus's Time.
Dion. Halicam. and Plutarch fay, that Numa Pompilius
was the firft that dedicated a publiekTemple to Faith,
and affigned Money out of the Treafury to defray
the Charge of the Sacrifices, as it was done to the
other Deities ; to which I ratherjincline than to Fe-
fius orAgathocles,bec2uftl have theTeftimonyof Livy
alfo. That the Temple of Jupitef was near that of
Path, is not controverted ; and it is the more proba
ble becaufe it was efteemed the moft facred Oath a-
mongft the Romans to fwear by Faith : And Jupiter
himfelf is called Fidius and holy. Silius Italkus fays
Faith was before Jupiter and calls it, a (dent Deity in
the Breafi. The Flamines that facrificed to Faith were
cloathed in white Cloth, according to Numa's In-
Slitution. C art ar ins fays the right Hand was confe
crated to Faith becaufe that ought to defend it , but
doth not produce his Authority ; tho' perhaps this
may be the Reafon of that antient Effigies of Faith,
where the right Hands of two Images are joined to
gether.

HOP E.

Chap. XV. ^GENTILES.

309

HOPE.
Cicero calls Hope the ExpeBation of Good ; and the
Romans worfhipped her for a Goddefs. The
fame Author Says, that the Heroes, being led by the
Hope of Immortality, delivered themSelves up to death,
and gain'd Immortality : He mentions the Hope of af-
cending into Heaven in other places; fo that a firm
Hope Signified the Same with them ; as Faith or FidJ-
cia doth amongft us ; and accounted by both to be a
Theological Virtue. There is an eminent Paffage in
Plato, which fhews how Hope or Fear affects Men de
parting this Life ; from whence it is plain what
Great Men and Famous Philofophers thought con
cerning a more Bleffed and Happy State : It is moft
certain, O Socrates, that when any Man thinks he full
fhoYtly die, he is poffefs'd with a Fear and Care for thofe
thofe, things, which he hath negleBed in the former part of
bis Life. Then the Stories that were told concerning thofe
who have led ill Lives, and are pUnifhed in the Infernal
Regions, that were the fubjcB of his Contempt and Deri-
fion heretofore, begin now to affeB him, and he is full of
of doubts leaft they fliould prove true. So either thro* the
Debility of old Age, or the near Approach of another Life, he
is full of Fear and Solicitude, and makes a veryftriB Ex
amination and RetroJfeBion into himfelf whether he hath
injured any one. He therefore that finds his Life full of
Iniquity will be full of Fear , like Children fometimes waken
ed out of their Sleep, and live in Deffair. But he that
is confcious to himfelf of no Evil that he hath commmiited,
enjoys delightful Hope, which Pindar calls the beft Nurfe
of old A<re. Thefe were Plato's Sentiments. From
this it'sEvident that a more happy State was theO'o-
jedt of Hope amongft the Heathens; which feems fo
deeplv fixt in Mens Minds that the Fear of Death ic
V} X 3 felf

310 The RELIGION of.
felf cannot eradicate it, till it brings Men to the ut-
frioft Felicity, if the other Faculties in him are not
Deficient on their Parts, to this Purpofe Ovid, de
Ponto. Tho' we can nothing for oUr Merits crave ;
Ifet we gteat Hopes from Divine Goodnefs have>
Therefore as the Heathens worfiiipped the fame
Qodas we do, and had the fame Notion of Virtue *
We both muft certainly have the fame common Hope
of Iriimortality. Cicero lib. 2. de Leg. fays: The
Souls of Men afe Immortal ; but the Virtuous enjoy
Celeftial things. And in his Book, de SeneB. We
bUght not to lament that we muft die ; becaufe Im
mortality is the Confequence of it. Amongft many of
the religious Tenents of the Heathens this folid Ma
xim obtained : That Virtue gave 'Men the Hope of Im
mortality <i Cicero^ lib. 2. de Leg. fpeaks of her Tem
ple, and Livy fays it was in the Herb-market ; and
in ahother Place, that P. ViBor built a Temple to Hope
in the feventh Divifion of tbe City. She had another
built by the Tyber when M. Fuhius was Cenfon
Dio alfo mentions another. She was reprefented fe-
. veral ways upon the antient Coins ; but for that
Coufult Rofinus. LIB ERTT.
AFierH&pe follows Liberty, then Safety and Fe
licity ; the Poet joins the two former together
by a neceffary Confequence.
-What Liberty proceeds,

From tbe laft Hpe of things For

.Chap. XV. ^GENTILES. 311
For this laft Hope terminates in eternal Liberty.
Cicero fays that Liberty properly is to live asyoupleafe :
And,who would not live happily ifthey could ? They
thought therefore that pious Souls,departed this Life,
did indulge themfelves in the Enjoyment of this
Liberty; that this moft noble 'Faculty of the Soul
might not be made in vain. Liberty was worfhipped
by the Romans as a Goddefs, to procure them Li
berty ; for there is nothing more excellent and defi-
rable in a well conftituted Common-wealth ,- but
the Heathens did not think Eternity it felfdivefted of
this Liberty ; they imagined their Heroes, that were
advanced to Heaven, in a State of perfect Liberty ;
and did not only enjoy Celeftial but Corporeal Goods
alfo, according to their Pleafure, and with an un-
controuled Liberty ; which is plain from their Poeti
cal Hiftory, ( not to mention the Philofophers )
who allowed them to do or act any thing that was
not directly contrary or repugnant to a bleffed Na
ture. Ckero lib. 2. de N. D. mentions a Temple of
Liberty. P. ViBor founded a Temple to her on the
Aventine Hill ; alfo there is the Palace of Liberty ;
which is much taken notice of by. Authors, but I do
not underftand what ufe was made of it ,- whether
there Were Auctions there as in others ? Livy fpeaks
ofa Temple of Liberty, with very fine Brafs Statues
and Columns built by T. Gracchus ; whofe Porch
was repaired ard enlarged by zs£liusPatus and Com.
Cethegus, and Suetonius fays it was reftored again by
'Pollio. When Ckero went in to exile, P. Claudius the
Tribune of the People dedicated his Houfe to Liber
ty. Dio tells us that the Romans, in Gratitude to Ju
lius Cefar, by a publick Decree built a Temple to her.
Let this fuffice concerning Liberty, the chiefeft Good
that an upright- Man enjoys both in this Life and
that which is hereafter.
X 4 SAFETT.

312 The RELIGION of

SAFETT.
TH E Goddefs Saks or Safety was worfhipped
by the Antients, that fhe might beftow Safety
on them, not only Corporeal and Particular, but
that which had Relation to the more general and
common State of the Republick ; they had fo great
Veneration for her, that they mentioned her Name
only on Feftivals. Macrob. lib. i.Saturnal 16. Cicero
lib. 2. de N. D. mentions the Temple of Safety, and
Livy fpeaks of one built by Junius Bubulcus Cenfor,
from whence the next Gate was called Salutaris.
The Romans celebrated the Auguries of Health, which
the Antients often mention. Ckero lib. 2. de Leg.
fays, The Priefis enquired by Auguries concerning tbe
Safety of the People. Dio lib. 37. informs us how that
Was performed ; The Romans ( fays he ) had been
free from War for a Tear,fo that after a long Intermiffion of
Time, theyrenewed the Auguries of Safety. It is a fort of
Divination, by which they are inform d whether they may
request Safety for . the People by the Permijfion of the Gods
themfelves, as if it were Impious to ask it witbout their
leave ; and a particular Day, every Tear is fet a part for it,
on which no part of their Army muft be in the Field, nor
no Enemy in View, Therefore they are not celebrated
In imminent Dangers, efpecially inteft'me Broils. Other-
wife it would be impoffible for the Romans to obferve this
Day With this exact StriBnefs : Befides it would be moft
abfurd, when they are defraying each other, and whether
they conquer or are conquered, muft be very Miferable, to
implore Safety from God. This fhews us how arrogant
•the Priefts were ; that publick Petitions for Safety
muft not be put up without their good Leave. They
Strove to bring the Peoples Neck under their Yoak
i& all thirigs, tho' very uhjuftly ; for who, either in
Peace

Chap. XV. /fo GENTILES. 313
Peace or War may not boldly entreat Safety from
God without the Priefts Permiffion,
FELICITT.
FElkity was antiently worfhipped as a Deity ;
that fhe would confer it on Mankind : Some
are of Opinion that there is very little Difference
between it and Beatitude becaufe they are very
often joined together in Authors as Synonymous. But
they differ in this that the Antients efteemed Felicity
. to proceed from an external Caufe, but Beatitude
only from the proper internal Actions of the Soul.
Thus they ( especially PhiloSophers ) were of O-
pinion that Virtue only could make a Man happy ;
for Fortitude would difpel all Fear and Terror, and
Temperance, would quench the Flames of Luft, &c.
Herodotus out of Solon gives us a very accurate Distin
ction between this Felicity, or being Fortunate, and
Beatitude, when anfwering Creefus he Says no Man can
be truly Called Bleffed; before he hath ended his Life
well ; therefore Men may be faid to be Fortunate in
this Life, but not to ejnoy Beatitude till after his
Death : So Ovid,

-We none can happy call

Before his Death and clofing Funeral.
No Man can properly be faid to be Beatus or
Happy in this Life, and the Heathens called them
only fo, who enjoyed Eternity in the Elyfian Fields.
St. Aug. lib. 4. Civ. Dei writes, That Felicity was a
Goddefs amongft the Romans, had a Temple and Alur,.
and very congruous Pjtes were performed unto her. Let this
at prefent-fuffice to Shew what the Sentiments of
the Antients were concerning thofe Goddeffes,which render

314 The RELIGION of
'- —   ¦ i  _  in , I,, .. - ¦ it „
fender us happy here,and advance us to Heaven here
after. I Shall add fomething further in a more op
portune Place.
There was the Temple of the GoddeSs of Help,
that fhe might affift them ; and ViBory, that they
might over come theirEnemies;and others erected in
Favour of the Emperours, as that to Cafar s Clemency,
Aguftus's Juftice, Poppeas's Fecundity. I have been too
prolix in treating of the Heathen Deities already in
regard Some of them were fo far from being Gods,
that they were not fo much as good Men ; from
whence proceeded a total Depravation of Religion;
efpecially when the fole Power of Government re
sided in one Perfon. For by the Infinuation of
Flattery, almoft all Adoration was not only trans
ferred from the Supream God to the Emperours
then living, but from the Heroes too, whom they
themfelves had placed in Heaven : So thit Flattery
Subverted Superftition it felf, as it formerly had fup-
planted true Religion ; but what is moft unfuppor-
table is,that Superftition may get the Afcendency o-
ver the Ignorant and Timerous, but Flattery only
obtains with the moft Bafe and Profligate.
Of Expiations and Luflration ; Sorrow, for Sin and
Repentance.
BEfore I treated of fuch Heatbenijli Rites which
may admit of a very favourable Interpretation ;
I thought fit to declare my Diflike of them, thug;
not of the End for which they were inftitute^;
for they were very instrumental in reclaiming tfie-
Vulgar ; and I would defire any Prieft that now cori-,
dermis them,totell me what fitter Methods he cjrtikh
have found out. I

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 31$
.„ I therefore begin with Expiations, Lufirations and o-
ther Solemn Rites,which were fuppofed to be Effe
ctual for the Purgation of the Soul. For having
difcourfed of thole Virtues by which the Antients
believed they obtained Heaven, it will be very ne
ceffary tofubjoin that which reduces thofe that have
deviated from the true Path, into the right Way, and
cures them of their Errors: and this the Antients
thought was done by Expiations andLuftrations ; with
out which they did not believe they were freed from
either the Crime or Punifhment. They had the fame
Notions of their Sins and Vices as we have; and
they efteemed all Sin and Vice to proceed either
fromAnger,which being Stirred up and enraged,grew
Into Malice and Fury ; from Concupifcence and de
praved Defires, exerting themfelves in various Man
ners; the Society of wicked Perfons; Imprudence
or Ignorance of what was Evil. For which the
Heathens, efpecially the Philofophers, applied thefe
Remedies. 1. To reftrain the Impetuofity of all evil AffeBions.
2. To wafh away thofe Stains of Sin which had
defiled their Confcience, and for which they felt a
penitential Compunction ; and by the Affiftance of
the Prieft made Expiation, and purified their Souls.
3. To refrain from and avoid all evil and debaucht
Company and Gonverfation.
4 To make a Strict and diligent Enquiry into what
Good it was they ought to embrace, and what Evil
was to be fhun'd and avoided.
<;. To correct and curb thofe vitious PropenUons
Vhich proceeded from humane Frailty.
6. To make frequent and fervent Supplicancms,
by devout Forms, according to the Direction of their
Priefts, to render the Gods Propitious to them. . Plate,
lib.<y.deLegibus,advifes thofe who had turbulent andinv
pious Thoughts arifing in theirMWiTjchat they would make

316 The RELIGION of
make their Applications to the DU Averrunci ; one of
whom the Greeks accounted Jupiter, according to Lu
cian ; and Apollo, according to Ariftophanes. And af
terwards he advifes them to keep Company with
good Men ; and in another Place moft earnestly ex
horts them to apply themfelves to the Study of Phi-
lofophy as the beft Way to purifie the Soul. There
was nothing delivered in the Theological, or Phi-
fofophical Schools of the Gentiles by the antient Wri
ters both of Greece and Powe,but what tended to make
Men live well and happy, and to guard and preferve
them from all Evil. For all impious Perfons after
this Life fhould fuffer Eternal Punifhments ; efpeci
ally thofe who had render'd their Vices Habitual
and Natural to them. Cicero, writing to Atticus fays ;
Sorrow for Sin is Great and Eternal ; but the Gods were
fatisfied if Souls were purged and cleanfed, either here, or
elfewhere, fo 4hat they were but purified. For they did
think that Man, confidered fimply and in his own
Nature, was neither Good nor Evil ; but that he was
inclinable both Ways, according to his Education ;
and thatVice and Sin were not fo radicated in Man,
but that they might be totally weeded out and de
stroyed. So that unlefs the Soul was obflinately
bent to Sin, it might be reduced to a good State by
an internal Purification or an external Caftigation ;
where Seneca fays, He that repents of his Sins is almoft
Innocent. And Ovid:
He fcarce has finnd, but reckon d innocent,
Who of thofe Sins doth heartily repent.
The Antients did not believe that fo very many
were condemn'd to Eternal Punifhments: for they
thought Divine Wrath had Bounds and Limits, and
that the Supream GOD would not entirely deftroy his
Workman-

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 317
WorkmanShip, but rather repair and fupport it ; for
no meer Mortal Man here ever built an Houfe only
with a defign to burn it. That this Reparation was
done by Repentance, was the Opinion both of the
Philofophers and Priefts, who continually prefs'd Men
to the Practice of it, that their Souls might be puri
fied ; but yet this could not be done without their
Affiftance. They did well in perfwading the Peo
ple to Repentance ; tho' the Soul of Man is natu-
turally fo prone and inclined to it ; that without
any PerSwafive Motives, but meerly by the Internal
Dictates of Confeience, we find it to be our indif-
penfible Duty. And indeed it is no more than re
turning into the Right Way from which we have
wandered. Periander fays, When you have done amifi,
be forry for it : thus Repentance or Sorrow for Sin
was to the Heathens a Remedy againft all Evil, and
a Plank after Shipwrack ; which they had recourfe
to in the leaft Offences. Cicero lib. Offic. Says, Thefe ,
things which feem fmall Offences, and are not regarded by
many, ought to be the more carefully avoided ; leaft they
fhould become Habitual to us, and we fhould not Suf
ficiently repent of them. Thus latent and occult.
Diftempers prove as fatal as the apparent ; nay, the
lefs they are perceiv'd, ttie more dangerous are they
and incurable : and therefore Repentance is the only
Sure Medicine againft the Difeafes of the Soul. It's
very probable Menander had reference to this, when
he faid, That Repentance was a Crifis to Men. For
the Diftemper of the Mind of Man being rightly
known, he is reftored to his Priftine ftate. The An
tients were not ignorant what power Sin had in the
Mind of Man ; thus Lucretius confcffes,
-Thus a Self ' confcious Mir.df]

j j — 3 '
Anticipates its Termsnt, and can find No

318 The RELIGION of
.No flo/>e 0/ e»^ fc> «# &ar Miferies ;
ExpeBing greater fiill when e'er he dies.
He was afraid that Death might rather be the begin
ning of Mifery than the end, and that Men Should
Suffer more fevere Punifhments after it. From
whence, and from many other places that might be
produc'd, it is evident, That the Heathens efteemed
Repentance the Univerfal Atonement or Sacrament
of Nature. But now the Prieft began to obScure and
involve it in multiplicity of dark Rites and Ceremonies ;
that they might make Men believe they only had
the Power and Authority of Divine Myfteries. If
they would but entirely devote themfelves to their
Priefts, they told them they might reft fecure : for
they affumed unto themfelves to be Mediators be*
tween GOD and Man; and that GOD had com
mitted fuch Power to them, that they could pro*
cure Pardon for the greateft Sinners : but the more
Wife and Judicious amongft the Heathens efteemed
this to be impious and audacious. Ckero lib. 1. de Leg.
There is no Expiation for Sin and Impiety, to be bad from
Men. And Ovid. lib. 2. Fafi.
Too Credulous I who think that Blood and Slaughter,
Is wafht away with Streams of River-water.
So Livy Dec. 1. lib. 2. Cicero 2. lib. de Leg. but he feems
to own that fome leffer Sins may be expiated ; That
Sacred Rite, which is performed,and does not expiate Sin, is
committing Impiety : what may be expiated, let the Pub
lick Priefts do it. But to the great Detriment of Virtue
and Civil Society, the Priefis boafted that they could
expiate the moft notorious Crimes ,- which made
Sinners fecure, and continually perpetrating new
Villainies; depending on the Affiftance of the Prieft, th?y

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 319
they fet the Vengeance of G OD at defiance: But
nothing was ever fo destructive to Virtue, and inju
rious to the true WorShip of the Supream GOD, as
this Religious Cheat of the Priefts. For what is it
that a wicked Wretch will not perpetrate, who can
make; fuch an eaSy Atonement for his Sins ? But
I muft needs acknowledge, that if the Precepts of
true Repentance had been joyn'd with thofe Sacred
Rites, they had not fo much anticipated the Secret
Counfels and juft Judgments of GOD. If the words
Pasnitcntia or Pxnitudo, Repentance, feem to fome to be
Modern, and not ufed amongft the Antients, I Shall
not enter the Lifts againft them, in regard I can
prove that they had a Senfe of Divine Wrath, and
Sorrow for Sin. It is beyond all Controverfy, that
what we call Repentance, amongft them was Sorrow
for their Sins, which had provoked Divine Ven
geance. For had they not been extreamly affected
with an internal Sorrow for Sin, they had never in
vented fo many Sacred Rites to pacify the Gods ;
built and dedicated fo many Temples; put up fo
many Prayers, and made fo many Vows. It would
be tedious to recire all the Publick Teftimonies they
gave of Sorrow and Remorfe for offending the Dei
ties ; it is manifeft from the common Confent of
Writers, that the Heathens were always ready to at
tribute the Caufe of Divine Wrath to themfelves
and their Sins, and to deprecate Divine Vengeance
with humble and penitent Minds. I am well af-
Sur'd, that the Gentiles repented of thofe things that
brought fo many evils upon them, tho' the Word is
rarely found in Authors in the fenfe it is now ufed :
Nor do I in the leaft queftion but that Sorrow for ¦
Sin was a Sign of Divine Grace amongft them, be
caufe it could proceed from nothing but the Supream
GOD Himfelf, and is the beft and moft certain way "i9

320 The RELIGION of
to reduce Sinners into the paths of Virtue. Seneca
fays moft excellently, The knowledge of Sin, is the be
ginning of Salvation. For when once a Sinner comes
to be fufficiently affected with Horror for Sin, he
will foon repent of it, and prefently apply himfelf
to the practice of that Virtue from which he had for-
rrierly fwerved. The Heathens were of opinion that
Repentance, or Sorrow for Sin, was efficacious and
fufficient where the Offence was committed againft
the Majefty of the Supream GOD; but not when
Injuries and Contumelies were done to Men, they
required Satisfaction and Compenfation to be made
here : But if the Priefts Should endeavour at that time
to perfwade Mankind, that Repentance was not a fuf
ficient Atonement for Divine Juftice, but that a
more fevere Punifhment was required than an inter
nal Sorrow and Compunction for Sin ; thefe Argu
ments might be offered againft them, (i.) That the
Supream GOD was the common Father, and there
fore would not be very averfed to a penitent Son.
(2.) That Men were obnoxious and prone to Sin by
Nature. (3.) That Men do generally commit Sin
in purfuance of fome Advantage to themfelves, un
der the falfe Notion of an apparent Good, and not
in Contempt and Defiance of GOD ; and tho' they
are deceiv'd herein, they did not commit it with an
evil and malicious Intention, or in affront to GOD.
(4.) That a fufficient Punifhment for Crimes of
Such a Nature may be inflicted in this Life. ( <;.) If
any further Punifhments ftill remained, that the Su
pream GOD could either punifh them after this Life,
for fome time,either Shorter or longer, according to
their Demerits. Now if GOD can inflict Punifh
ments equivalent to the Crimes committed,- what
occVtfion was there ro have recourfe to fo many
bloody Sacrifices (as the PrUfts invented) to appeaf'e the

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 32*
the Deity ; as if GOD took delight in the Blood of
Oxen or (what is horrible indeed) of Men ; or that
an Ox could make an Atonement for a Man, or one
Man for another, or that it was juft and equitable
they fhould be iacrificed in their Head. Thefe Ar
tifices were made ufe of to ftrike Terror into the
People, at the Performance of thefe difmal Rites j
and alfo that they and their Accomplices might feaft
themfelves with the remainder.
I come now to difcourfe of thofe Rites the An-*
tients ufed in the Purgation of their Souls. Expia
tions were rtot perform'd on one account only, or af
ter one but many different manners. This occafion'd
diverfity of Names, Expiationes, Expiamenta, Piamen-
ta, Piamina, Februa, - Luftrationes , Purgations of Souls
and Purifications. I fhall fay fomething of each of
thefe. Thefe Words differ very little in their Signi
fication ; for, according to the Doctrine of the Hea*
thens, they all tended to a certain Purgatio»,or Puri
fication. But all things could not be purged and. pu
rified by external Rites : for I have fhewn before
from Cicero and others, that ho Expiation could be
made for Crimes committed againft Men : nor did
they think that all Sins were fo atoned for by any
Piacular or Lufiral Sacrifice, that GOD would quite pals
them by. Tho' thefe Sacerdotal Lufirations or Expiations
had power only to pardon and abfolve the Conicience
from fome forts of Sins ; when a publick Luflration
or Expiation was performed for any Crime, the Ma
gistrate had no Authority to inflict any Punifhment
for it. Lufirations and Expiations alfo were perform'd
for the Welfare and Profperity of the City and Ar
my. The greater Concourfe of People there was^
the greater they thought the Luflration or Expiation
ought to be. Dion. Hal. lib., j-. tells us how the pub
lick Expiation of the City was perform'd ; "the Con-
Y Jfira*

322 The RELIGION of
fpiracy being broken, tbe Senate made an Order that a Lu
flration (hould be performed for the whole City ; which the
Author of the Civil Slaughter bad made abfolutely necejfa
ry to be done, : for it was impious to perform the Sacred
Rites and Sacrifices before Expiation was made for that
Crime, and tbe Plague removed by cuftomary Lufirations.
When the Chief amongft the Priefts had performed all tbe
Religious Ceremonies according to the Cuftom of the Country,
the Senate ordered publick Thanks to be returned to GOD,
and Sports to be celebrated. Here it is worth obferv
ing, what great Veneration they had for publick Ex- .
piations, for no one durft perform any Religious Rites
or offer Sacrifice, till that was over. Diow. Halicam.
lib. 10. fpeaks bf another publick Luflration of the Ci
ty. The Roman Army being drawn up, their En-
figns of War were Luftrated, before they undertook
their Expedition : a Bull, Ram, and He-Goat, or (as
Livy has it ) a Sow, a Sheep and a Bull, being led
thrice round the Camp were Sacrificed. Livy Dec.
4. lib. 10. mentions Strange Rites that were obServ'd
by the Macedonians in the Luflration of their Army,
by diffedting a Dog. Dion. Halicam. 4. lib. 1 o. fpeaks
of the Lufirations of an Army after the War. There
were Publick and Private Expiations intimeofPefti-
lence. Murders that were committed involuntarily,
were expiated by Lufirations and Piacular Sacrifices ;
which being perform'd, the Homicide was put under
a Yoke. Dion. lib. 4. gives the Story at large of M.
Horatius Tergiminus, who killed his own Sifter : fo
doth Livy, who adds, that he was expiated at the
publick Charge. Herodotus tells us of Expiation for in
voluntary Murder, and fays, it obtain'd amongft the
Greeks and Lydians. See Diodorus Siculus lib. 1. con
cerning the Expiations ufed by the Ethiopians, Pliny
gives us this Account of the Februa, which were
TOiUGh the fame with Expiation*. There was antiently an

Chap. XV. r£<? GENTILES. 323
an Opinion that the Februae were whatfoever was per
formed to cleanfe the Confidence ofMiilefaBors, and procure"
Pardon for their Sins, or Reft for the Souls of the Departed.
Feftus Says, The Month was called February, becaufe
in it, being the laft Month of the Year, the People
perform'd the Februa, Lufirations and Purgations for
12 Days together ; and all Perfons in general on
thoSe Days were employ 'd in procuring Reft and
Quiet for the Souls of the Dead, with Piacular Sacri
fices, and lighted Torches, and Wax-candles about
their Graves. Ovid. lib. 2. Fafi. tells us what the Fe-
brua formerly meant :
Thofe Expiations which our Fathers ufed.
The Fields and Fruits3aecording to Columella and Ti-
bullus, were Luftrated :
That it may fruitful proVe, and Plenty yield,
Antient Lufirations we perform in th Field.
See Virgil's Buc. and Georgi Sextui Pompeius fays. The
Ambarvale is that Sacrifice that is led about the Plow'd-
Fields, when Divine Rites are performed for the Fruit \
Amburbia were Rites perform'd at the Luflration of the
City and Suburbs; fee Luc an lib. 1. The Romans'
perform'd Expiations for their Houfes and the Ghofts
Pf the Deceafed. Dreams alfo were Expiated, by
Warning the Body, and offering Sacrifices ; as we
may collect from Perfius Satyr, i, JuVen. Sat. 6. Ttbi
lib. 1. Eleg. f. lib. 2; Eleg. 4. The Luftrki Dies of In
fants were the Eighth tor. Girls, and Ninth for Boys;
becaufe they were Luftrated then, and Names were
given them. So Macrobius Saturn, lib. i> The Luftricl
Dies were formerly thofe on which Children iifere Luftra
ted, and had Natftes eiveti them. Thofe that perform'^
y &

324 The RELIGION of

them were call'd Luftratores, and" if Women Lufira-
trices. ' Suetonius, in the Life of the Emperour Clau-
dian, mentions the Dies Luftrki ; and Perfius Sat. 2.
 See bow old Beldams Expiations make,
To attone the Gods the Bantling up they, take,
His Lips wet are with Luftral Spittle ; thus
They think to make the Gods propitious.
I could enlarge here, if I were not oblig'd to Bre
vity. Thefe were moft of the Rites ufed by the Hea
thens for the Purgation or Purification of the Soul.
Purgation was chiefly ufed in the Ceremonies ef Bac
chus, to which that of Virgil alludes :

•And Bacchus'/ Myfiick Fan.

The Fan is an Utenfil made of Ofiers and broad, that
is, a Corn-fieVe, which the Country-men ufe to ga
ther their Firft-fruits in, becaufe it is large, and to
Fan their Corn : Columella lib. 2. Cap. 20. But the
Ears are beft threfht with Clubs, and clear d with Fans.
Servius upon that place of Virgil I juft quoted, fays :
He therefore calls them the Myftka Iacchi, becaufe
the Sacred Rites of Liber Pater appertained to the Pur
gation of the Soul; and Ma: were purged by his Myfte
ries, as Corn is in the Fan. Hence it is faid when Ty-
pho tore Ofiris'/ Member s'in pieces, Ifis put them upon a
Sieve. For Liber Pater » the fame in whofe Myfteries
the Fan is ufed; becaufe, as I faid before, he purged Souls :
and was called Liber, becaufe he makes Souls frees. And a
little further : Some alfo caU Liber, Pater Licnetes, and
. the Fan Licnos ; where it is the Cuftom to lay the Child as
foon as it is born. Licnetes alfo is one of Bacchus' s Name
mention'd by Plutarch de Ifis & Ofir. Harpocration
fays, the Fan is convenient for all Beginnings and
Sacri-

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 325-
Sacrifices. See thofe Learned Expofitors Hugo Gro-
tius, and Dan. Heinfius concerning the Fan ; that is
mention'd Matthew 3.12. and Luke 3. 17. Virgil men
tions a Threefold Rite obferv'd in the Purgation of
Souls amongft the Heavens :
Some Naked are expos d to th' open Sky ;
Steeping in rapid Whirlpool others lye ;
Some from their Crimes Fire does purify.
From hence Vojfius infers the Heathens had a Three
fold manner of Purgation; by Air, Water and Fire:
and Servius in the 6th zAEneid, fays, Thofe three Pur
gations are ufed in aU Sacred Rites : For' they are either
purged with a Torch and Brimfione, or wafht with Water,
orfann'd by the Air, as was perform d at the Sacred Rites
of Bacchus. So Virgil 1. lib. Georg.

•To thee

Small Puppets hang on a lofty Pine-tree.
-Here obferve that Ofidlla were fmall Images with
which they offered Sacrifice to Saturn, for themfelves
and theirs. Macrobius fays, This Ofidlla hung upon a
Pine-tree, and being purged by Air, did fupply the
place of an External Purgation of the Soul ;like thofe
Images that were thrown into Rivers, as I mention'd
before, fupplied the place of the Man that fhould
have been thrown in himfelf. We have fpoken be
fore of 'Purgation by Water or LUfiration, and have faid
fomething of Purgation, or Expiation by Earth, or that
Fiery Power inclos'd in it : I Shall only here obferve,
That Purgations were inftituted to be perform'd by
thofe things of which Man's Body is principally
compos'd, fo that the Elementary Parts of Man be-
ing'purified, his whole Fabrick would be fo too. For
the Heathens fuppos'd them to be the places where
Y 3 Vices

326 The RELIGION of
Vices were firft hatcht, and from thence crept into
the, Soul. I know very well that thofe Rites are very
fooliSh Repreferitatfons; but where Shall we find any
that do exactly quadrate with the thing it felf?
Without fome fort of Rites and Ceremonies the People
would have So great a Latitude , and the Priefts no
opportunity to exercife their Power and Authority :
it is fufficient therefore that theSe things were exco
gitated for the Purification pf the Soul Somehow or
Other, And indeed had the Priefts but poffeSs'd
Mens Minds with true Penitence and Horror for
the Crimes committed by them, it would have fared
much better with Mankind : but what is much to be
lamented, they were always very cautious, left their
impure Flock Should get rid of their Spots and
Stains, without their Affiftance. They pretending
tp be the Only Perfons to whofe Charge the Keep
ing of the Publick Rubbing Brufh (if I may Sp
fay) wai pommitted, I hope I have fufficiently
Shewn, that as the Heathens worfhipped the Same moft
Good and Great GOD, and Common Father with us,
and by the Same Virtues as we now do, So had they
jthe Same Penitence (which we acknowledge to be
the moft certain Sign of Divine Grace ) either ge
nerated in them from an internal Senfe of Sin ; or
jnfufed into their Hearts from GOD himfelf. Their .
bloody Sacrifices, or other the more Severe parts of
their Religion, were introduced to no other end,
thap that the Wrath of GOD being denouncq
againft Men for their Sins and Wickednefs ; they
friight repent of their Sins, and ftarid pure and expia
ted before GOD. Thus much of Penitence, which I
pialj prefume to call The Sacrament cfthe Heathens. -
Rewards

Chap. XV. /£<? GENTILES. 327

REWARDS, or PUNISHMENTS.
HAving treated of that Virtue by which we have
accefs to GOD, and that Penitence by which
we approach Virtue ; it now remains, that I Should
Shew what was the Heathens Opinion concerning
Rewards, or Punifhments, which is the laft part of
their more Solid Religious WorShip. They held,
that there were Rewards for the Good, and Pu
nifhments for the Bad, both in this Life and hereafter,
which they grounded on the Juftice and GoodneSs
of God ; and the Writings of the Antients abound
with Testimonies, that they did acknowledge them
to be the chiefeft Attributes of the moft Good and
Great God. They own'd that the Supream God was
to be Worfhipped for himfelf; the moft excellent
Nature being worthy of the utmoft Veneration ;
But ftill farther, they hop'd for a more happy State
than they could arrive to in this Life, as the effect
of his Gtodnefi, it being an Inbred Notion in their
Souls, that, God both could, and would, beftow a
better Life than this Upon them, if they were not
deficient on their Parts. They did not conceive,
that either God, or Fate, had plac'd them in this
World to no purpofe, and then at laft to return to
nothing ; or that they had attain'd to fuch a de
gree of Perfection in this Life, that they were capa
ble of nothing more Noble and Excellent than what
they en joy 'd here; they had fome fecret dictates of
Nature, that hinted other things to them ; and that
God had no fuch Hatred or Averfion to Humane
Virtue, but that he would make a Distinction be
tween the Juft and Pious, and the Wicked, in an
Eternal ftate of Happinefs. The Antient Heathens,
Theologifts and Philofophers, taught freely in their
Y 4 Sc^odv,

328 The RELIGION of
Schools, that God would beftow good things on the
Good, 'arid inflict Punifhments on the Wicked. But
when* they alfo obferv'd that Good Men here, were
under Calamities and Oppreffions, and on the con
trary trie Wicked flouriSh'd ahd enjoy 'd all the Plea
fure and Plenty of this World ; the Juftice and
Goodnefs of God were certain Arguments, that the
Good receiv'd ample Rewards, and the Wicked fuffer'd
cortdign Puniflnntents, after this Life ; for if it were
otherwife, there would be no manifeft proof of
them ; that Good Men fuffer'd very much in thofe
times, is very evident from many instances in An
tiquity, particularly fron Seneca, who fays, Believe
me, that God doth not beftow the Bleffings of this Life
Upon the Virtuous, but tries and proves them. This af
fords them ample inftances of Exercifing their Vir
tues, for Good Men themfelves, in a Profperous E-
ftate ; feldom are fuch fignal Examples of Virtue ; as
when Fortune frowns on them, then they have great
Opportunities to fhew themfelves in Adverfity. »But
when the Antients obferv'd Tyrants, and the moft
profligate of Mankind , to enjoy the greateft Af
fluence of all things in this Liie ; they concluded,
from their Notions of Divine Juftice, that they were
Punifn'd hereafter. Thus far the Nptions of the
grave Philofophers, nay, even of the very Priefis, were-.
Juft ahd Regular: But when they came to afcertain
the Places, where thofe that had deferved well, re
ceiv'd their Rewards, and the Guilty were Punifhed,
as the Elyfian Fields, the Ifies of the Bleffed, the
Stars and Heaven for the Virtuous; Tartarus, Erebus,
Orcus, and the four Infernal Rivers for the Vicious,
they fell into very grofs and abfurd Errors ; for
they could eafier have convinc'd the People, that
Divine Juftice had alotted Puniflments after this Life,
|n feme Place or other, according to what e^very
Perfon
v ¦ „ ' * - ¦ ',

Chap. XV. /o«GENTILES. 329
Perfon had deferv'd, tho' they were ignorant of the
Place, Manner, and Duration of it ; than rafhly to
determine it to be in obfcure Subterraneous Ca
verns near the Centre of the Earth, or in Apart
ments of the middle Region of the Air, attended
with other Circumftances, equally ridiculous and
uncertain ; tho' their making Heaven and the Stars
the Seat of the Bleffed, was not at all incongruous;
for the Univerfal Opinion of Mankind was, that
an Eternal and Happy State, was to be found only
in God and Heaven.
Here fome perhaps will object, that the Heathens
had not fuch clear Notions of Good and Evil in their
Confciences, nor the juft Rules of Virtue to guide
and govern their Practice as the Chriftians have, and
therefore they could not be poffefs'd of fo ftrong
hopes of abetter Life, and dread of future Punifhments.
To this I anfwer; Firft, as to Confcience, Ckero
fays, It's Power is very great on either fide, fo that the
greateft Solace of Mind ariSes from a good Confci
ence ; and on the contrary, thofe that are Confci-
ous to themfelves of a Vicious Ccurfe of Life, have
the difmal apprehenfions of Punifhment always before
their Eyes, which many of the Antients confefs;
nay, even Lucretius the Epicurean, fays, A Confci-
ous Mind bites very hard. They alio give us the
fign of a Good Confcience, as Fortitude, Faith, Con-
fkancy, and Joy ; and thofe of an Evil, Fear, Terrour,
Sorrow, and Dtjfair. Suetonius, in the Life of Nero,
Speaks of fuch Men, that could not endure the re-
rhorfe of their own Confciences ; and Ckero lib. ir.
de Leg. fays, The Furies themfelves haunt the Impious.
They add alfo External Signs, where the good Con
fcience was, was evident by the Countenance and
Speech, the Body being erect, the Eyes and Mouth
phearjul, pouragious, and yoid pf Fear, and many fuch-

330 The RELIGION of
¦ " ' ' ¦¦» ' - -  '. '.' ' i n m i 11
fuch-like : Where there was Guilt in the Confci
ence, it was attended with Blufhing and Palenefs,
Hefitation in the Speech, talking Abruptly, Trem
bling, and many others, which they accounted true
Indications of the Coofcience. Therefore in regard
Divine Goodnefs did impart the fame Intellect, Free
dom of Will, and other Animal Faculties to them,
as well as to us, as is very apparent from all the
Writings and Adtions of the Antients ; there is no
reafon to queftion, but the fame Goodnefs did alfo
vouchfafe them, the fame Confcience endu'd with
the fame common Principles which direct and actu
ate us now ; nor will any Perfon, tolerably conver
fant in their Works, in the leaft deny it.
From whence I conclude, that if they practifed
the fame Virtues that lead to Eternal Happinefs, as
Well as we, they had alfo the fame Confcience, and
the fame Divine Grace beflow'd upon them. Does
not the Apoftle, ABs 1,0. Say, That the Alms and
Prayers of Cornelius, that was but a meer Gentile,
reached Heaven. The Heathens might gather unde
niable Arguments of Divine Juftice and Goodnefs
from Confcience alone, and thence conclude a fu
ture State. 'Tis a moft excellent paffage in Cicero,
lib. 3. de N. D. The weight of Confcience would be very
heavy, if God had no regard to Virtue and Vice. He
thought that Divine Juftice would not be very con-
fpicUous, if Virtue had no other Reward, befides the
empty Praife of the People, or Vice had no other
Punifhment after this Life ; but only the External Re
proach and Infamy it met with here ? Who would
not indulge himfelf in all Senfual Pleafures, if he
had no other obstruction, but vain popular Ap-
plaufe ? Wherefore Ckero moft wifely infers, that
the reafon of Virtue and Vice, is Divine. His O-
pinion is, that nothing can be more Antient or
agreeable

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 331
i » —
agreeable to the Moft Good and Great God, than that
thoSe who by Virtue had made themfelves like the
Gods, fhould be admitted intp their Society. Nor was
this Cicero's Sentiment only, but of all the Heathens;
who Advanc'd their Heroes into Heaven, calling them
by the Names of Stars, and the Stars by their Names;
as I have fufficiently fhewn before.
The Greeks had Names for Confcience, ffwmswt,
with refpedt to the Judgment, and «W/»cr/j to the
Will. In the Confcience, are not only written fome
Common Principles, deriv'd from Univerfal Wifdom,
by which the World is govern'd ; as, To do as you
would be done by ; In doubtful Matters, chufe the moft
fafe ; and in a word, the moft general Axioms Of
Theological and Moral Virtue, and the Rule and
Pifcipline to correct the Will, and determine it to
What is Juft and Good ; therefore when freed from
all Errors and Imperfections, it afforded Good Men
the greateft Solace and Support ; and on the con
trary, tormented the Wicked with unfpeakable Hor
ror and Anguifh : So Cicero, for Rofcitts fays, Every
Man is tormented by his own Wickednefi, and affiiBed by
his Folly ; evil Thoughts, and a bad Confcience, terrifie the
Mind. Seneca de Morib. adviSes, That we fhould have
a greater regard for Confcience than Fame, for Fame may
deceive us, ConScierice never can. Polybius Says,
There is no Witnefs fo formidable, or fo impartial a Judge
as Confcience, which Inhabits the Mind of every one.
Plutarch alfo writes, An Evil Confidence in Men, is like
a Putrify'd Sore, which Corrodes, and by degrees Con fumes,
and brings the Bo4y intp a Covfumptiop : To this that in
Ovid, de Ponto, is applicable.
'Tis left to fuffer, than deferve our Doom.
But then, How pleafant is it to be Confiious of a good
Life, and the Remembrance of good ABions, ( fays Cicero ¦libs

332 The RELIGION of
lib. de SeneB. ) This every Perfon will find expe
rimentally true, when he grows in Years ; and no
thing elfe will alleviate his great Pains befides it, in
the Hour of Death. It is a common faying, When
you are on your Journey, or in Solitude, have an e/fecial
guard over your felf '^eft Evil Thoughts fhould creep
in at that time, and get footing in your Mind ; fo
that he that is moft remote from an Enemy, ought
to take great care of himfelf. The Supream God in
spects Man's Confcience, and makes a Judgment
from that, of what Good or Evil he hath done, ra
ther than from his External Actions. Seneca's Ad
vice therefore is excellent, Commit nothing to your
Confcience, that you cannot trufi a Friend with ; for whati-
Soever may be thought wich Safety, may be Commu
nicated. God is the Searcher of Hearts and Confcien
ces, and fees our moft private Secrets. Ckero lib, 12.
Tufc. Qu. Confcience is the greateft Theatre of Virtue: For
tho' we may want an External opportunity of ex
ercifing ourVirtue, yet there never wants Evidences
of it in the Theatre of Confcience ; for, when our
Sins are Purg'd and Wafh'd away by Repentance,
God then fees nothing but what is pure and clean ;
the Virtues being difpofed in their proper Places,
and ready upon all < ccafions that offer, to exert
themfelves in External Actions (for Virtue doth not
Perfonate all things promifcuoufly, but what is
adapted to the prefent occafion) and receives the
Praife of doing Well, and the Shame of doing 111 ;
whilft thofe Common Principles fit Judges there, and
the Supream God is Arbitrer. Menander fays, God is
the Confidence of all Mortals ; but this muft be under
stood Poetically, for neither God, nor any Deity is
Confcience, but it is a Faculty constituted in the Soul
itfelf, by the Supream God, to judge of Good and Evil ;
and from thence produces the Hope of a better Life.
Others

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 333
Others fay, That Confcience is not God, but a De
mon, Genius, or Angel, that affifts, and informs the
Soul. Plato, Proclus, -and fome other Platonifts aud
followers of Orpheus, were of this Opinion ; and
when it was pleas'd, was call'd a Grace, when en-
rag'd, a Fury ; as Mar. Ficinus fays, in Rep. Plat.
Thus a good Confcience is the beginning of Eter
nal Salvation, and an evil one, of future Punifh
ments , fo that not only after this Life, but now alfo
there are Rewards and Punifhments in the Theatre of
Confcience, by way of anticipation. But the Hea
thens were of Opinion, Rewards were more glori
ous after this Life ( where the Soul was fufficiently
Purged ) and Punifhments more unfupportable.
Let us enquire fomewhat particularly concerning
the Places of Rewards and Punifhments, according to
the Notions of the Antients. Plato in Phcedo, after
he had. taught, that a Pure Soul did pals to Pure and
and Eternal things, and the Irhpure being infected'
with terrene Matters, was attracted to them, and
that it carried along with it the Affections and Ha
bits, both of the Underftanding and Will, that it had
acquired, whether Good or Evil, which would imme
diately prejudice it or redound to its Advantage ; he
adds, that they are led to Judgment in a certain
Publick Place, by a Demon, Genius, or Angel ; which
being over, they are all difpers'd thro a Place with
three Ways to different Seats ; fome, and thofe the
moft Pure, aScend up into Heaven ; others are eaft
down into Hell, and others wander up and down in
the middle Region of the Air without a Guide : And
the Demon, or Angel, promotes, and improves the
Intelligence of the Good, but raifes Perturbations,
and diftradts the Imagination and Affections of the
Wicked; and fo makes the Reward of Virtue, and
Punifhments of Vice, to belong chiefly to the other
Life. Then

334 ^ RELIGION of
————— '¦ ¦¦!¦¦-  ' '¦ 1, -
Then fpeaking of the Places deftin'd for Punifh
ments, he mentions four Infernal Rivers after an Al
legorical manner ; that Acheron is a Purgative River
under the Earth, and alluded to Care and Sorrow,
and corresponded with the Air, and the Southern
Climates of the World ; Phlegeton to Fire, and the
Eaft, and by reafon of its Heat, had a Power of Pu
nishing, and fo did chaftife for Anger and Libidinous
Deftres ; Styx and Cocytus, to the Earth, and the Weft;
and there Hatred is Punifh'd by Weeping and Mourn
ing : Mar. Fkinus fays, they only differ in this, that
Styx is rifing out^ and Cocytus progreffive ; which
Myflery Fkinus did not rightly apprehend. After
thefe, there was Tartarus, Hell, the loweft place in
the Infernal Region, in which the moft Impious
were Punifh'd, not for their Benefit and Amend
ment, but" only, for Example-fake which he
mentions in his Qorgia, and lib. i. Rep. alfo. For
the Platonift s held two Sorts of Sin, Curable and In
curable. The Curable are fuch as are not yet be
come Habits, but are committed with fomeReludtan-
cy and Repugnancy of Mind, and are always attend
ed with ferious Repentance. The Incurable are
fuch as are contracted into Habits, and admit neither
of Repentance nor Reluctancy; and thefe fort of Sins
C, being beyond Hopes of Remedy ) the Platonift/
call Incurable ; and therefore Plato in Phado, tum
bles fuch wicked Wretches into Tartarus, or Hell,
from whence none return.
Hence it appears, that the Heathens believed that
Reluctancy did alleviate Sin, Repentance did Cure
it and quite remove it ; but if any did ftill remain,
that was Wafh'd away, by a Punifhment ordain'd after
this Life, for that end. Plato fays, that Souls in this
Life are beft Purified by Philofopby ; fo that all com-
pjea-t and perfect Philofophers being rais'd by Con-
tempi**

.«/. JF-

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 335
templation to Heaven and Celeftial things, mount
up to a Superceleftial Place, and there live to all Eter
nity. Porphyrus and Jamblichus, are much of the
fame Opinion, afferting, Souls that are perfectly re
ftored to God, can never fall again.
According to his Gorgia, Tartarus, or Hell, is a
fort of Dungeon ( where are the moft fevere Punifh
ments ), and tells us a very pleafant Fable concern
ing Man's laft Judgment : Not only Plato, and other
approv'd Authors, but the Poets alfo, make menti
on of the four Rivers of Hell, but it would be need-
lefs to infert thofe Fictions here; tho' I cannot
omit, that according to the Fables of the Antient
Poets, the Gods ufed to Swear by the Stygian Lake,
which encompaffes the Infernal Regions ; and if
they were guilty of Perjury, they did divelt them
felves of their Divinity for a Year, and were de-
priv'd of NeBar and Ambrofia, the Reafon whereof
they deduce from another Fable ; but I cannot ap
prehend the Myftical Reafon of it, and have men
tion'd this in my Chapter concerning the Worfhip
of Water.There was another River alfo, called Lethe, Which
made Men forget all that was paft : The Etymology
of its Name, as well as of the reft, may be derived
from the Greek Fountain's, by thofe that pleafe ; my
defign being to Shew, that the Antients did believe
that Some Men had great Grief and Perturbations of
Mind, when they departed this Life; and that others
were only like thofe in a Slumber, tho' that their
Sleep reprefented Eternal Death.
The Furies and Harpies, were PWs Affiftants in
Hell; and Cerberus alfo, whom fome call Triceps, three
Headed ; and Hefiod Centiceps, hundred Headed ;
his Office was to lie at Hell Gates, and Fawn upon
all that came in, but Seize upon, and Tear in pieces sholX

336 The RELIGION of
— — \  : 
thofe that endeavour to get out ; from whence come5
his Name Cerberus.
I am almoft tir'd with the infipid and delirious
Fictions of the Poets, tho' they do contain a true
Myftical Senfe in them. I now come to the Philo
sophers, who held different Opinions concerning
the ftate of Souls. They agree about the Diverfity
of the Manner and Degree of Rewards, whether it
be in Heaven, in the Stars, fome es£tberial, or Airy
Regions where they feed on Airy Fruit, the Ifies of
the Bleffed, or the Elyfian Fields. But the Hea*
thens do not agree about Future Punifhments. Pla->
to lib. 9. de Leg. following the Pythagoreans and
Egyptian Priefts, fays, that Human Souls return a-
?ain into Human Bodies, in which they fuffer
Punifliments, fuitable to the Crimes they committed in
their former Life-time; this was the Opinion of the
Egyptian Priefts, and Magi. They thought there
could be no better Purgatory for Humane Tranfgreff
tors, than that the fame Souls fhould fuffer in Hu
mane Bodies for what they had done ; which P/eri-
nus the Egyptian, thought fo agreeable to Reafop,
that in n*is Book, de Providentia, to folve the Doubts
concerning the Juftice and Goodnefs of God, he o-
penly declares, whatever the Providence of God doth
not retaliate in this Life, it will in the next ; tho'
not according to Flumane Reafon and Juftice only,
but in a Brutal manner; fo that thofe that were for
merly the Souls of Men, will become the Souls of
Brutes ; but he was the only Platonifl of this Opini
on : For tho' Plato himfelf, fpeaks fometimes con
cerning the Migration of Souls into Beafts, yet he
does it after fo Ridiculous a Manner, that fufficient
ly Shews, he is not in earneft, and only meant
it Allegorically ; for which confult Mar. Fkinus.
This Opinion was very Antient amongft the Egyti- ans.

Chap. XV. the GENTILE S. 3^3
ans, and Pythagoreans, and Moderns now in the Eaft-
hdies, whofe Priefts, called Brariir.es, perhaps from
the Antient Brachmans, hold 2. Mettmpfychofis, or
Tranfmigration of Souls into Beafts, at this very
Day : Which Paradox hstii gain'd fuch Authority
over the People, that they will .not Kill or Tafte
any Animals, for fear they fhould fwallow the Soul
of their Father, or Grand-father,
The Opinion of Plato of the ftate of Souls after this
Life, feems ;ar more probable. That the firft Nature
of Senfation, which is the fubftantial Origineof the
other Senfes, and contains the whole Power pf the
fenfitive Faculty after this Life is.clofed up in it felf,
and putting on an Aeri.il Body, ( with it enters
into one Body, and goes out of another ) and that
the Humane Soul Inhabits this Terreflial grofs Body
for a fmall time, but the Airy for many Years, and
the Celeftial or zsEtherial for ever. Then adds, thefe
Souls being clothed with Airy Bodies, do revenge
the Injuries done them, in this Life, or the Bodies
that then belonged to them.
All which, I leave my Rea'der to judge of, as he'
thinks fit, rho' there is nothing which we can find
amongft them, that carries more probibility in it,
llrilefs it be thofe common Principles • That God is Good
and Juft,. and therefore he will Reward and Punijh Men-,
both in this Life, and after it, according to their ABions
and very Thoughts : But the h rent Men amongft the Hea
thens, began to wander beyond thefe known Bounds^
introducing many things that had not the leaft Foun
dation in Humane Reafon, or any other Faculty to
fupport them. , „ y
Thus, the Philofopher adds one thing, the Prieft
another, and the Poet many more, that quite over
turned the Fabrick of Truth, and reduc'd it to a
meer heap of Rubbifh. For what can be fafely efta-
Z blifh i

354 Me RELIGION of
blifh'd concerning the ftate after this Life, befides
thofe Common Principles mention'd before, unlefs we
did partake with the Inspector of Humane Confci
ences and the Divine Counfels.
Some of the Antients, very judicioufly faid,
that the Good, would remain Good, and the Wicked,
Wicked, to all Eternity ; yet: none have fhewn us
where the Place for Rewards and Punifhments is, or
rqade any probable Conjecture of the Nature of the
Punifhment, or its Term of Duration ; nor will the
common Dictates of Reafon inform us, that a light
Punifament fhould be of long continuance, and a
more intenfe fhorter. Here therefore ( as in many
other Articles of Religion ) the Heathens did load
glorious Truth with Probabilities, Poffibilities, and
Falfities, that they almoft ftifled and Smothered it ;
like thofe that buildthe Roof of an Houfe, fo weigh
ty, that it bears down the Solid Walls.
Yet not only the four Articles mention'd before
always remain'd intire, viz,, i. That there is a Su
pream God, 2. That he ought to be Worfhipped, 3. That
Virtue is the Principal of Divine Worfhip, 4. That we
ought to Repent of our Sins, but this laft alfo Stood and
will endure to all Eternity, That there are Rewards
and Ptinifliments both in this Life and after it. For tho'
Thoufands ofErrors fhould be heaped upon theirBafis;
hteReafon of Divine Worfhip is fo fupportedby thefe
five Columns joined together, that no Height what
ever that is built upon them, will be able to da
mage or endanger the Building. Thefe therefore
are thofe Firmaments of Univerfal Divine Provi
dence and pure Religion, which never were or e-
ver can be concealed from any Age or Country;
therefore whatever was Promulgated by the Prieft
formerly in unintelligible Words, my flerious Fables,
fidtious Revelations, and ambiguous Rites and Cere
monies,

Chap. XV. //^GENTILES. 35J
monies, impofed upon the credulous People and had
but a Sindy Foundation.The greateft Men inall Parts
of the World could never add any thing to thefe
five Articles, which could more promote that true
Virtue, ( which makes Men like God and renders
them fit for his Society ) or Piety, Purity and Sancti
ty of Life.
It would be worth the while to examine whether
what Additions have been made to them, have not
rather enervated Religion and made it lefs Strict
and regular by pretending to obtain Divine Grace
Sooner by fome auxiliary Helps and external Affift-
ances. I know very well that Traditions and a co
pious Credulity have fupplied many things in all
Ages and Countries in Favour of Mankind, as if they
had dropt directly from Heaven ; but they either
were felfinconfiftent and of no Value unlefs they
deduced their Genealogy from thefe five Articles.'
Thus, with Grief be it fpoken, they wore Vizards
or were daubed with Paint, and had a Party-
coloured Coat made up of fuch Shred?, which were
unfeemly and difhonourable to pure Religion : When
her reverend Afpect, and feamleis Goat, was fuch
as became a chaft and noble Matron.
But what is ftill worfe, by this Means the Parts of
of true Religion being abdicated or rejected, Men for
the moft part became Atheifis, and Contemners of
Divine Juftice and Providence; or if they did em
brace the whole of Religion with thofe Superftitions
which attended it, they impofed upon themfelves
and that internal Court within them, and deferted
Right Reafon, which is the beft Rule of Life. Thofe
who did neither, but ftrictly adhered to thefe five Ar
ticles, tho' they admitted of fome things that were
enjoined by the Supream Authority of the Prieft-
hood yet they thought there was nothing in
Z 2 them

30 The RELIGION of
them by which they could obtain the Fruiton of God;
and would bring them to Heaven. This was the O-
pinion of the Heathens ; for if you look into thofe
Times you'l find it was a very bold Attempt in all Ages
to reject what the Sacerdotal Order had introduced
into Religion from their Traditions or Revelations.
The People were not inclined, nor did they think it
Safe to opppfe thofe things which if it pleafed God pof-
fibly might be fo. In fhort it was incumbent on the
Perfon affirming to prove the Doctrine he delivered,"
and to permit the People at the fame time a Free*
dom of judging : And it was much better for them
to doubt than to deny. The aforefaid five Articles,
which are written in the Heart, were cordially en
tertained by the Antient Heathens, they were not fo
fohd of the reft, efpecially thofe that were efteemed
Wife amongft them. There was none that could
give fuch entire Credit to the particular Revelation
of any Prieft, or to his Dream, when he hid lain a
whole Night in the Temple ; or tho it were di
ctated to Him by a Demon, Genius, or God himfelf
( as he imagined ) fo as to repofe a Faith in it, when
it Was a doubtful Matter that feemed fo very like a
Lye, and there was only one Witnefs who boreTe*.
ftimoriy of himfelf. It may be anfwered, the Priefts
did draw fome good Confequences from it. If it
were Good it would naturally gain Reception, but if
Evil no wife Man could believe it, tho' pronounced
by the Articulate Voice of one that called himfelf a
God. If again it be faid this was fpoken in the Temple
and from the Tripod. I anfwer who flood by and was
Prefent with the Prieft ; and certainly knew that it
was the Voice of God, and would corroborate his
Teftirrioriy ? Was there ever any Perfon in former
Ages fo familiar with God, that he knew him by hJs
Voice /

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 357
Voice ;or that did ever hear him imitating a Voice,
that did ever pronounce any thing Evil or Unjuft ?
'Tis my eftablifhc Opinion therefore that the Hea
thens accounted thefe five Articles as Common Princi^
pies and feledted and feparated them from all the
reft, and recorded them in their interior Court as
uncontrovertible Truths; and whatever elfe the
Priefts added from their Oracles, Revelations and
Dreams, they either gave them Reception only as
Probabilities ; or plfe totally rejected them as fmel-
ing too Rank of Cheat and Impofture : Now as in
every Proppfition that is advanced, fome new De
gree of Knowledge is excited ; it will follow that
as there were different Degrees of Proofs,fo different
Degrees of Affent or Diffent muft arife in the Audi
tors ; fo that we may juftly conclude that in that
wonderful Hodg-potch of Religion, contriv'd and
patent up by the Priefts, the Heathens did efteem
thefe Propositions as altogether undeniable, others
more or lefs probable, and others abfurd, contradi
ctory, irhpoffible or falfe.
But if it be objected that thefe Truths were not
difcoverable perfect and entire, but involved and
fhrowded in Lyes and Fictions. I anfwer tho'
fome light and trivial Truths, like things which fup
port themfelves in the Air, or float upon the Wafer,
prefently fall down or fink when any heavy Weight
is laid on them and cannot rife again till it either
falls away or is taken off. Yet the five abovemen-
tion'd Truths ever were, and always will be, of that-
Divine Nature, that like the Sun-beams, which no
Weight can deprefs, nor any Wind blow out, they
have darted their glorious Rays into the Minds of
Men in all parts of the Earth, where they did but
exercife their natural Ufe of Reafon. Thefe then
were the parts of the found Religion of the Heathens ;
z 3 the

358 The RELIGION of
the reft were either fadtitious Fables, faint Refem-
blances,or frivolous Ceremonies, amongft whichXto
the great Prejudice of Mankind ) fome favoured of
Diftradtion and others of Impiety.
Now in Regard all thefe things were impofed up
on the People by the Impoflures of the Sacerdotal
Order, the Fault muft lye at their Door ; for the
People very eafily fubmitted to whatever was com
manded by the Pontifical College : Here the Pa-,
trons of the Heathens, may tax me with ma
king too fevere Reflections upon their Religious Wor
fhip ; for befides the true Practice of Virtue ; they
had Faith, gave Alms, and had publick Prayers as
well as we, and their Hierarchy and Priefthood was
very exemplary and eminent ; now why might not
they embrace that Faith and thofe Rites they recei
ved from their Anceftors, as well as we have done ;
and they are not to be blamed for approving thofe
things which have been delivered to them thro' a
long Tract of Time.
It is very manifeft that the Heathens endeavoured
to prepare themfelves for the Worfhip of God by ab
staining from eating Flefh ; and not only the Philo
fophers, amongft whom Potphyrius was very Famous
but their great Men in the State alfo, as Numa,
Pompilius, and the Emperour Julian practiSed Falling
very much. Volaterranus Says that Amphiarus the
High-prieft, commanded thofe Priefts that intended
to receive and deliver plain Anfwers with Sincerity,
to abftain from Meat for an whole Day, and three
Days from Wine. Alex, ab Alex. lib. 6. fays the fame
was commanded thofe that officiated about facred
Things amongft the Trezenii. Thofe that would be
initiated into the facred Rites of Ifis were to faft
ten Days. Apuleiuslib. 2. Which is very probable
was practifed by thofe that were intimated into thofe of

Chap.XV. /£e GENTILES. 359
'"— ¦' ¦' ¦ !¦¦'¦ ¦ 1 ¦¦ 1 ¦ 1 »m— — . 1— — i — 11 ¦ 1 111 m mil. .
of Cybele ; there being fuch an Agreement between
the Rites and Priefts of both Goddefles. To this
TertuUian refers, when fpeaking of the Caftos of Ifis
and Cybele, The Cafios was a Faft for ten Days. Here
is not meant a Total Abftinence from all forts of
Refrefhment,for that,according to Phyficians, would
kill a found Man in four Days. There «was a Faft
appointed every fifth Year in Honour of Ceres, com
manded by the Sybils Books ; Livy lib. 44. Dion. Hal.
fpeaks of Holy Fafts Sacred to Ceres : He alfo fays,
That the Albanians in time of Publick Mourning ab
stained from Flefh. That Alms or Benevolence was
pradlis'd by the Heathens, is evident from Acts the
xoth, and that they were alfo acceptable before
GOD. It was faid of Antonius Cara'calla the Emperour,
That He was not ffiaring in beftowing his Bounty, nor
backward to give Alms. Stobaus, Laertius, and others,
report, That Democritus and Ariftotle amongft the
Philofophers, and Demofihenes the Orator, were very li
beral in giving Alms to the Poor and Indigent. Ho
mer .fays, GOD wiU punifh thofe that do deny Alms to
Beggars at their Doors. This is moft evident, by that
antient Tendernefs that was Shewn towards the Poor,
fo that there were very few Beggars.
It cannot alfo be deny'd but Publick Prayers were
put up when- any thing of Moment or Confequence
was to be done. Cafar lib. 41. fays, The Senate de
creed Twenty day's to be fpent in Prayers. * Ckero,
againft Cataline, fpeaks of Supplications made to the
Immortal Gods by a Decree of the Senate, and that it
was perform'd at the Shrines of all the Gods. There
was nothing more frequent amongft the Antients
than to make Vows to the Gods; when they were in
any Straits and Difficulties,they put up devoutPrayers,
that their Knees were crippl'd. I cannot conceive
any one would doubt that the Supream GOD would
Z 4 lend

36b The RELIGION of l,
lend a gracious Ear to them,wheh he recollects from
the place above quoted, how it fared with Cornelius,
'a meer Heathen. ,"
Tho' there was a Hierarchy amongft the Heathens,
yet' it was not every where according to the fame
Form. The Luperci, Priefts of Pan, were intrcduc'd
into Italy by Evander King of Arcadia, before Rome
was built, and fettled on Mount Palatine. Their
Sacred Rites were perform'd in February, for purifying
the Inhabitants : Dion. Halicam. lib. *• gives an Ac
count of their mad Rites. Ckero pro Cafiio calls them
A Savage Society. There were formerly three Or
ders of ithofe Luperci ; the Fabian, Quintilian and Ju
lian afterwards, in Honour of Julius Cafar. Amongft
the Exotick forts of Prkfibood may be accounted
thofe inftituted in Honour of Ceres, and perform'd
by Priefieffes. The Politii and Pinarii, Priefis of Her
cules,, were. very ancient ; they deriv'd their Names
from two Noble Families, and undertook to. perform
the Rites of Hercules after the Greek Cuftom,for feve-
ial Ages. There were Priefts long before thefe, not
pnly in Greece arid the Eaft, but amongft .the Abori
gines ; and there are many Inftancss amongft the
Antients that Kings themfelves were Priefts; Livy
lib. r. and Dion. Halicarn. lib. 2. tells us of many Or
ders of Priefis inftituted by Numa Pompilius ; others
extinguifh'd by him, whofe Offices were afterwards
fiipply'd by the Flamines Dial.es. • The antjent Wor
lhip of Jupiter Juv.:ns or Pater, was by him trans
ferred to them. I find, accqiding to Fefius, two
fort ol Flamines ; the Superior called Patridi, and the
Inferior Plebeii: So that Choul is mistaken, who men
tions Arch flamines as a Superior Degree, who pre
fided over the reft. ' There were Fifteen Flamines
D.iales,-fays Fefius f who were in great Eftimatiop,
jnd, Mlnjftred. to J;tpi:er. Some pf thefe Flamines.
¦ '..', ' were

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 36?
were called Curiales or Curiones ; as Quirinales and
Martiales the Priefts of Qftirinus and Mars. Romulus
inftituted Twelve Arval Brothers, who perform'd the
Ambarval Sacrifices; fo called, becaufe before they
Sacrificed they went round the plow'd Field. Numa
inftituted Twelve Salii to Mars Gradivus, who car
rying 3ucL;rs fung Hymns called Saliaria, with Leap
ing and Dancing, which being ended they had Sup^
pers called Saliaria.
There were many other forts of Priefts ; for Numa.
alone inftituted Sixty Priefts or Minifters of the Gods.
(befides Common Priefts of the Tribes, and Hundreds
who perform'd Sacred Ripes) who were increas'd in.
fucceeding Ages. He would not admit the Office
of a Prieft to be fold, nor difpos'd of by chance ; but
made a Law, That two ihould be chofen out of each
Ward, that were above Fifty, who excelled others
in Virtue and Birth ; and had fufficient Eftates, and
were of an hail Constitution ; they were to enjoy
that Honour all their Life- time ; free from War, by
reafon of their Age, and from all City Service on
account of their Office. Fie commanded fome Sa
cred Rites to be perform'd by Women, Some by Boys,
that had both Father and Mother, and (as the fame
Author Says) that the Priefts Wives fhould afllft them
in the Performance of their Office.
The Romans borrOw'd their Rites and Cuftoms from
the Greeks, fays Diow. Pfal. and the Virgins amongft
the Romans perform'd what the Canepbori did a-
mor.pft the Grecians; and the Camilli as the Cadoli.
And ss the Romans had their Rites and Cuftoms
from the Greeks, fo jn all probability they had theirs
from the Eaftern People : for it was they that fpread
the firft Fables in the World, and the moft antient
. Superftition was derived from them. Numa Pompi-
lit-is alfb would have a Vates or Prophet out of every Ar'b?

362 The RELIGION of
Tribe, to be prefent at the Sacred Rites; the Greeks
called him Hierofcopos, and the Romans Arujfex. He
alfo made a Law concerning the Priefts and Mini
fters of the Gods; that they Should be appointed by
their Wards, whofe Election was ratified when it
was approv'd by the Augurs; who, with the High
Priefts and two Sacrificers,gave Sanction to the Laws:
at which time the High Priefis Office was not only
to take care that Solemn Prayers were put up, and
and Vows perform'd, but debated and determined
concerning thofe things that had reference to Reli
gion, in the Senate. Cicero lib. 4. ad Atticum, fays,
The High Priefis were Senators. They alfo deter
mined all Differences that arofe about Sacred Mat
ters, as well between Private Perfons as Magiftrates^
and thofe that Officiated in Holy Things. Nor were
they oblig'd to give the Senate or People any Reafon
for what they did. Thofe of this Higheft Order of
Prieftbool or Pontifices, were call'd Teacher s,Adminiftra-
tors, Keepers and Interpreters of Holy Things. When one
of them dy'd, the People did not elect another, but
the College chofe one they judg'd moft fit, out of
all the Citizens ; who enter'd upon his Office when
their Judgment was approv'd by a happy Augury.
For the Augurs were efteem'd moft expert in all forts
of Divinations , and did Prognosticate not only from
the Flying of Birds, but from Signs in the Air, Hea
ven and Earth. Thefe Augurs alfo made their Con
jectures from Curfes (which were things ominous or
offenfive, a Voice proceeding from fomething un
known, or the concourfe of Men or Animals that
were accounted inaufpicious) the Winds, Prodigies,
Oracles and Portentous things. The Augurs were
prefent at the Sanction of Laws and Creation of
Magiftrates ; they were diftinguifh'd from the Order
of Priefthood in this,that thefe only Prefided over Au
guries

Chap. XV. ^GENTILES. 363
gurks and PrediBions, they over Sacred Rites; ye
the good Succefs of Things to be tranfacted was ve
sted in the Augury ; as Cicero lib. de N.D. fays,who was
a Publick Augur himfelf. Frequent mention is made
of their College amongft Authors. Romulus eftablifh'd
four Augurs , who were afterwards increas'd to
Twelve, which was the number of the High Priefts ;
and the Eldeft was Mafter. The High Priefis and
Augurs at laft appointed the Senior amongft them
to fuperintend over Divine Worfhip only ; and he
was call'd Rex Sacrorum ; who tho' he had the Name of
a King, yet his Authority was confined to Religious
Matters, Dion. Hal. lib. 5. The Aruffices infpected
the Sacrifices upon the Altars, from whence ac
cording to fome they were called Haruffkes; others
derive it from Harugo, the place where the Sacrifice
was fhut up. I am of the former Opinion, for they
were called Extiffices alfo, from infpedting the In-
trails ; they were Diviners as well as the Augurs, and
the Women were called Haruffka. But this would
require an entire Volumn.
The Heathens had fome Books which they efteem'd
facred, as the Libri Lintei, kept in the Temple of
Juno Moneta at Rome, which contained the Fate of the
Roman Empire. The Egyptians had a Book written
in Red Letters, which was in great Veneration a-
mongft them, which they report to have receiv'd
from an Hawk, dedicated to the Grand-father of Ofi
ris or the Sun.' The Greeks had fome Books or Let
ters, very Famous for containing the Sacred Rites of
the Eleufinia. There were others called the Books of
Apollo, and the Hetrurian Books, and the Books of the
Sybils, all full of Predictions, which none but the
Prieft of Sybil durft open or pronounce. There were
other Books that contain'd the Myfteries of Auguries
and PrediBions by the Intrails of Beafts. Others cal led

364 The RELIGION of
fed Fulgurales, becaufe they contain'd Ob eryations
about Lightning. Others RJr«a/.r,cornprehending the
moft Principal Sacred Rites ; the moft Famous were
the Eight Books by Numa Pompilius, in which were
all that related to Religion and Sacred Things.
Tho' the Hexthens may bring fuch Argument, and
many more, of their Virtue, Piety and Antiquity of
their Hierarchy, and chat it became very Eminenc and
Confpicuous; tho' they produce their Sacred Booksfiuii
of Prophecies, which proceeded iro:n thofe who
were Infpired with a Divine and Prophetick Spirit,
by which they prove their Communion to have
been very Antient and Common : and altho' they
make it appear that they ufed the lame Means ( ef
pecially as much as the Rule of Right Reafon could
direct) as we now do, and by that Means endea
voured to obtain a Celeftial Life. It will ftill be impof-
fible for them to acquit themfelves of the Sufpicion
of Idolatry, or even from the Practice of it; (for they
gave great occafion tp the People to fall into very
grofs Errors, who had not a right Notion of their
Symbolical Worfhip) and that their Hiftories were
not Fabulous, their Rites ridiculous, and in fhort,
that all Virtue and Piety was not Reftored and Ad
orned by the Chrifiian Church.
But it will require a further Enquiry to difcover
what was Good and Bad in their Religion. Every
one will readily acknowledge that thefe Five Ar
ticles are Orthodox and Catholick ; tho' fome will not
allow them to be fufficient to procure Eternal Hap-
pinefs. Thofe of this Opinion feem to me to pror
nounce a bold, rafh and Severe Sentence, in regard
the Divine Judgments are not to be penetrated into
with meer Reafon; alfo I fhall not prefume to af
fert that they are altogether Sufficient : the Opinion
of thofe who judge more tenderly and reverently con-

Chap. XV. the GENTILES. 365
concerning G O D's Judgments, feems to me the moft
probable, whilft Man does all that is in his Power ;
f orit is not in hirn to, repofe an entire Faith and Af»
furance in the Truth of Traditions, efpecially when
they are controverted, nor can any Man by the Af
fiftance of Con--mon and Right Realon,add another to
our Fivs Articles; which will render Men more
Sincere and P-;us. and more promote the Publick
Peace and Tranquillity. I very well know, That
many Dodtrincs were fpread abroad every where,by
which Shine, s were encourag'd with the Hopes of
Pardon, which afforded great Solace and ConSola-
tion : But it is. much to be feared, that unlefs they
were cauticufly and juftly explain'd, they might
prove very mifchievous ; for confidering that Par-*
don for Sin was obtain'd on fuch eafy terms, they
would foon Relapfe, and fall into greater Abomina
tions: for whilft they could depend eft attaining Hea
ven by Auxiliary Affiftance, they would generally
omit and neglect what Was to be perform'd on their
own Parts. The Priefts will anfwer,that Virtue and
Repentance were both enjoin'd and imply 'd. Tho'
this be granted, common Experience tells us, Men
have been more prone to endeavour to procure Eter
nal Happinefs by External Means, than from Virtue
arid Internal Penitence.
If more be required to compleat the Religious
Worfhip of GO D,than what is contain'd in the afore-
mention'd Five Articles, the Priefts of the former and
prefent Ages will tenaeioufly aSfert it is contain'd in
fome Oracle deliver'd by Divine Inspiration, or com
manded by the Word of GOD. But, with Submif-
fion to Such Great Men, one of the Laity amongft
the Heathens would anfwer, That thefe things are
requifite, to prove the Truth of an Oracle; or what
is the Word of GOD. (r.)That

366 The RELIGION of
(i.) That it may be prov'd, beyond all Contradi
ction, that the Supream GOD, did ufe to fpeak with
an Articulate Voice, and deliver Oracles.
(2.) That the Prieft who heard that Oracle, was
certainly affur'd that it proceeded from the Supream
GOD, and not from a Good or Evil Angel; and
that he was not in a Trance or Delirious, or between
Sleep and Awake at the fame time.
(3.) That it may evidently appear, that Oracle or
Word was faithfully recited and delivered to the
People; or,where occafion requir'd, written and re
corded, and tranfmitted to Pofterity from the Auto
graphy of their Priefis ; fo that if any things Should
happen to be added, diminifh'd or alter'd, it might
be corrected by its Authority.
(4.) That it may be manifeft to all, That the
Doctrine which has its Original from the Oracle, or
the Word of GOD, has fuch an intimate regard to
Pofterity; that it was abfolutely neceffary it fhould
become an Article of Faith, efpecially. feeing moft
things of this Nature were coin d in the Mint of a
Single Evidence. When the Priefts have perform'd
this, the Lay Heathen will readily fubmit to their In
junctions.

CHAP. XVI.
A Cenfure of the Religion of the Heathens, and
the Occafion of it.
WHen I considered, that any Religion whatso
ever, when it had obtain'd in all Ages and
Countries, was only Promulgated, to lay a more
Strict obligation on Men, to do that which they
were

Chap. XVI. the G E N T I L E S. 367
were oblig'd before to do voluntarily, and that Uni
verfal Peace and Concord might be maintained a-
mongft them : I began ftrangely to admire, that the
Priefts, for the moft Part, profeffing the fame Reli
gion, did Animate and Excite the People to Diffen-
tions and bitter Animofities; and make them act
things quite contrary to their known and exprefs
Duty. This put me on the enquiry, whether there
were not feme Destructive and Pernicious, as well
as Vain and Frivilous Opinions, mixt with Matters
of Religion
-"Therefore, ferioufly confidering the various Parts
of that moft Antient and generally divulg'd Religion
of the Heathens, I began to collect thofe that were
abfolutely Neceffary, and grounded on common
Reafon, efteeming them Principally afferted and
freed from the Dirt and Rubbilh in which they lay :
Thus, not without a frequent and accurate Diffecti-
on of, and Infpection into Religions; Jl found thofe
five Articles I have fo often mention'd, and thought
my felf far more happy than Archimedes. '""Nothing
could be more grateful to me, notwithftanding
the many Gods or Deities Worfhipped by the Heathens,
than that they Univerfally acknowledged, as an un
questionable Truth, that there was one Mofi Great and
Good God,and that he was to be Worfhipped before all
others, and that with Virtue and Piety. There
could be no better or furer fign of Divine Grace,
Operating in their Hearts, or Safer expedient found
oat ( notwithftanding all their folemn Expiations
and Luftrations ) to affure them of the Remiffion of
their Sins, than a Sincere Repentance. Nothing
alfo could be more confentaneous to Divine Juftice,
than that God would Reward or Punifh every one,
either here or hereafter, according to his Thoughts,
Words, and Actions.,
When

368 The RELICION of
When I had collected thefe great Truths together,
I made further enquiry, what the Priefts had, of
could add to them, by which we might have a more
Certain Rule of Faith, Eternal HappineSs, Inte
grity, and Sanctity of Life, would be more prO-
rooted, or the common Tranquillity better eftablifh-.
ed. I obferv'd, many things were, and many more/
might be added, but they did rather Debilitate and
Enervate thefe Truths, than Strengthen and Corro
borate them ; and this put me upon a diligent En
quiry after what they were. Thus as I be^an with
the Original Caufes of the Religionof the Heathens, fo I
intend to cldfe my Work with this Cenfure, and
am altogether indifferent what Judgment my. Rea
der paffes concerning me, being Sufficiently pre
paid to encounter the utmoft Contradiction. -
And where indeed, will you find any of the Fa
mous Philofophers affert, that the Supream God, be
ing always happy, lived free from all Care and
Trouble, and Moleftation, and therefore left the
Government and Administration of all Sublunary
things, to the inferiour Deities, but efpecially, the
Heaven and fix'd Stars; and had written the Laws
and Eternal Fate of the World in them Kit would
be very unaccountable, as well improbable, that
the Supream God, out of his Wifdorn and Goodnefs,
fhould leave the City of this World, from the be
ginning, destitute of Laws, by which it Should be
Governed ; in regard, no Man lays the Foundation
of a Republick, or City, without making Laws.
For this Reafon, they held, that in the Heaven, and
fix'd Stars more efpecially, and in fome Meafure,
in. the Elements themSelves, and all UniverSal Na
ture ; there was a certain Divine Law, Faite, or Or
der, eftablifh'd, from which, the Immutable, and
Eternal' Counfel of the Supream God, neither eve'r did^

^Chap. XVI. the G E N T I L E S. 369
did, or would recede. -<Amongft theSe Laws, were
the Periods of the Beginning and End of things ;
they alfo -afforded means, to enable us to live plea-
fantly here, and fo attain- a better Life hereafter ;
that there were Rewards for the Good, and Puniflb*
ments for the Bad, and many other things, which.
may be acquired by the conftant Obfervation of
things. In Short, what things foever have an Ana
logy and Agreement together, riiay conftantly be
reduc'd to thofe Eternal Laws : When the Supream'
God had fettled and eftabliShed theSe, he made the
World, but he made a good Number of other Super-
teleftial Deities before all Ages.
Ail Mundane things, that are fubject tp various"
and irregular Changes, and are comprehended un
der no certain Method, were managed by the Sun;
Moon, and other Planets ; wherefore the Heathens
were of Opinion, that Mortal Men ought to pay
them Adoration beyond the other Stars. The moft
profound Philofophers held, that all compound Be
ings, that were partly Imtriutable, and partly fub
ject to Change, were Govern'd by the various Con
junction of the fix'd Stars and Planets. Here alfo the
'Operations of the Elements, fell under their Specula
tion, So that at laft they Worfhip'd them, and the
whole World. Then Some Heroes, whofe Merits
had Advanc'd them to Heaven, Were by the appoiht-
rnent of the Supream God, made, not only Prelidenrs
anal Judges of all Humane Affairs ( efpecially of
thofe that depended ori Man/s Will ) but Patrons,-
and Mediators, to whom they fhould diredt their
Prayers, being ( by God's Permiffion) able, Suffi
ciently to take Care of Particulars : For the Antients*
thought it very abfurd, that the Bleffed God Should
have any regard to Particulars ( unlefs as they are?
gontairi'd in theif Genus and Species) and efteem'd if
A # xuor©

370 The RELIGION of
more agreeable , to SuppoSe , that the Supream
God committed the Adminiftration of Particulars
to Men that had led exemplary Lives ; whom
therefore the Prieft faid, ought to be made Propiti
ous by Sacrifices. And in fine, the Subceleftial Dei
ties, as Demons, Lares, Lemures, and others, men
tion'd before, being of an Ancipitous Nature, to
be WorShip'd with Sacrifices, and many other Rites,
that they might do no Mifchief ; it being Mans
Intereft, as much to avert Evil, as to procure
Good to himfelf. They thought it a moft unworthy
Affront of the moft Good and Great God, to make
him the Author of the Evil that befel us, unlefs
when his Juftice inflicted it on Sinners.
I fhall fay fomething, in Short, concerning thefe
things ; having before Spoken more at large, tho' I
could wiih, that fome more Judicious Pen were em-
ploy'd on this Subject ; neither my Age not Leifure
permitting me to defcend to all the minute Particu
lars of the Religion of the Heathens : Not that I want
fome to Apologize for what I have already faid, but
that their Errors being diScover'd, the moft excel
lent Parts might appear in their true Light; for
that Religion could not be deftitute of a true folid
Foundation, which flourilhed for fo many Ages,
and grew So very extenfive. \
The Hiftories or Fables of the Heathenilh Gods,
are known to and exploded by the very Boys ; but I
conceive that the moft fagacious Men, do not
throughly apprehend the Principles and Caufes,
from whence the whole Fabrick of their Religion did
at firft procede; give me leave therefore, to attempt
fomething on this difficult Subject. And firft, when
they Say, that the Supream God, from the beginning,
did eftablifli a certain Divine Law, Fate, or con
ftant or natural Order of things, that I think is
mani-

fchap._X.Vl. ihe GENTILES. .« , 37X
— — 11,1 i^^w^a^MMy '
manifeftly apparent, muft be underftood of all thofe
things that Set Neceffarily, and by a Natural lift-
pulfe: There is riot the leaft Semblance of ReaSon,
why all Such' Action's as thofe, fhould Simply depend
on the fix'd Stars, or Elements -themfelves,' in regard
God may implant Something in the form of every
Natural thing; very different from the Celeftial or
Elementary Nature, that is only proper to this or that
Individual Or Species ; and I am the more inclin'df
to be of this Opinion, became that Some particular;
Principles are inferib'd in Mens Confciences, as
Well as Understandings, which no other Animals
enjoy in common with them : So that if thoSe Prin
ciples are immediately deriv'd from the Sispreani
God, rather than by the Mediation of tlfe Hearten
and fixed Stars ; Man being a mo'ft eminent . part of
the Creation ; there will be no occafion' to have re-
fcourSe to the Heaven, or fixed Start, for the firft'
Caufes of Natural things, that ate regular arid;
constant.*- .'— 3. #¦ ,-,.,. . , .,;.-- •.•
Thus much I do acknowledge, that the chief, if
hot the next Caufe of all fuch things does proceed!
from the HeaVen arid fixed Stari. But wfrethe'r. the'
Divine Laws, With refpedt to the Beginning and
Ehd of things, are Written in the Heaven and Stars;
6r whether they have any influence over the means,'
by which Food and Raiment is provided * and con
tain the fecret Decrees concerning Eternal Rewards
andPunifhmenti, to me is altogether a Myfteiy / tho'
it will Still be the fame thing when Means are fitly
connexM with, the End ; whether Rewards for Vir
tue, and Punifhments for Vice, were Decreed by f'rW
Supream Go^,before all Ages,of in fobfequent Times;,
And daily, according to the particular Emergency of
Humane Action's", in regard, the thing it felf wilK
£errairily prove true. -,.- -, ..,
A a 2 Now,1

37i The RELIGION of
Now, as God doth not here regard Neceffary as
Voluntary Actions, but from them only, makes a
Judgment of Men ; therefore tdo infer the Caufes
of Rewards and Punifhments from the Eternal Decrees
of God ( tho' not thofe written in the Heaven and
Stars ) in regard, nothing can be conceived more
worthy of the moft Wife and Great God than that he
Should eftablifli all thofe things from Eternity, that
might be done without violating the Freedom of
Man's Will ( which Character of Divine Infinity is
imprinted in Man); or, which is much at one,
that he Should beftow Rewards and Punifhments on
Men, as if they were Decreed to them from all- E-
ternity. For to what purpofe do Men make de
vout Prayers, if the Laws for Rewarding Virtue, and
Punifhing Vice, were fix'd and confirm'd from all
Eternity ? If devout Prayers are accounted amongft
the Means, by which we attain Eternal Happinefs ;
Virtue will be Rewarded but by the Intervention of
Prayers, left Virtuous Men Should grow Proud and
Arrogant, and over- value themfelves. For the fame
Reafon alfo, God by his Eternal Decree, requires
Repentance or Internal Sorrow for Sin, to make
Men Humble ; and all other things which keep us
within the Bounds of our Duty ; fo that it is the
fame thing, when Mortal Man had made ufe of the
right Means, whether Eternal HappineSs were De
creed him from all Eternity, for his Virtue, Piety,
or Faith, or whether he obtain'd them every Day
by his Prayers ; for Man will equally poffefs the Fru
ition of his Defires, as if he did daily incline God to
new and Sudden Determinations.
'"'This Opinion of God s eftablilhing his Laws from
the beginning of the World, obtained only amongft
,the Learned, becaufe they could not otherwife ap
prehend how God could be free from Care, and So
lace

C hap. XVI. the GENTILES. 375
lace himfelf in his own Bieffed State : It was fuffi
cient to know, that God formerly had afforded them
proper Means, which they ought to embrace, and
make ufe of, in order to live Well and Happy/ They
never debated the queftion, whether, what they ob
tained from the Gods, was Decreed them from the be
ginning, or was the effect of frefh Counfels. It
could neither be pofitively deny'd, nor prov'd, that
the Supream God from all Eternity, had fome Super-
celefiial Deities Affociates with him in his Happinefs;
it Seeming more probable to them that it fhould be
fo, than that in fucceeding Times he fhould Ad
vance miferable Men into that bieffed State. They
alfo called that Tranquillity only, which a Perfon
enjoy'd with refpedt to himfelf : none could be ac
counted Happy, _ or Bieffed, but with reference to
many. It would feem more probable, that the Exotick
Motions of all things, fhould depend on the diffe
rent Afpedis and Motions of the Planets, if it were
Satisfactorily prov'd, that the Caufes of thofe things,
which move conftantly and regularly, did depend
on the fixed Stars ; but more efpecially, if the va
rious Configurations of the fixed Stars and Planets,
did influence thofe things, which are fubject to fome
Mutations. It is very difficult to conclude any thing
in fo abftrufe a Matter, tho' I muft ingenuoufly
confefs, their Opinion feems fo probable to me,
that I do not think any more agreeable Caufe can
be affigned for thofe things, by the Affiftance of
common Reafon only. But, I do here affert, that
to attribute a proper Worfliip ( which muft be Sim
ply Divine) to the fixed Stars or Planets, is a moft
egregious Error ; So rhat unleSs the Worfhip of the
Supream God, were Symbolical ; firft of him in the
Stars, then the Stars in the Heroes, and the Heroes in
A a 3 their

374 The RELIGION of
*heir Statues ; I muft entirely declare againft them.
Nor will jt be any Argument to fay, that both the
Eaft and Weft-Indies, for the mpft part, at this very
|3ay, WorShip the S\tn, Moon, Stars, Heaven and
^Elements, Sor they Strike Veneration into a New
Born Child. Tho' God is vifible in all the. Singular
Parts of the World; yet the Supream God is rrioft par
ticularly evident in them ah join'd together, and
therefore the parts ought not to be Worfhipp'd j
for Adoration can Safely be pajd to the Supream
God alone. It Seems very incongruous to me, that
the Heathens fhould pay Such Religious Wo-rfhip tot he
Planets, rather than the Heaven and fixed Stars, when
'they believ'd that inexorable Fate to be written in
them, but perhaps, they thought by that rneans to
prevail upon them*
: Now, in regard the Heathens perceiv'd, that ma
ny things here neceffarily proceeded, not only from
the Hiaven, the fixed Stars and Planets, and Elements,
i but from fome Inferiour Principles ; therefore they
' concluded the whole World ought to be Worfhip'd ;
and here I muff determine, as I did before, that un
lefs this WorShip was Symbolical, it is grofly Erro-
jnejous,^ There are many Reafons which are menti-
{^tYd before ,to prpve,that this Worfhip is Symbolical;
out I leave my Reader to his own judgment, to de
termine as he pieafes. ' That all things here, do not
Simply depend pn the Heaven, fix'd Stars, Planets,
or Elements ; but fomething on the Free Will, which
God of his Singular GbodrieSs,has been pleas'd to beftow
upon Mankind^ \s npt only consentaneous to right
Reafon, but may be pr'pv'd from Internal Senfe.
T| js from this Will,' iqclin'd either to Good or Eijil,
that th.e Supream God makes his Judgment of Man
kind ; and tho' the Evil of Punifhment proceeds from
the former Principles (by the intervention of Di-
; ¦- ' ' ' ' '¦ " ' • :' ' '-V " ' vine

Chap.XVI. /£<? GENTILES. 375
vine Juftice ; ) Man's Free Will only is the Origi
nal of the Evil of Crimes.
But that the Heroes of the Heathens that were
mounted to Heaven, were conftituted Prefidents,
Patrons, or Mediators of thofe Actions, that Origi
nally Spring Srom Man's Free Will, done in this
Life, and Judges of them hereafter, ( which is an
Opinion, not much unlike what is generally recei
ved now a days; for they in thefe latter Ages, at
tribute the fame Power and Office to the Souls of
the Bieffed in Heaven, as the Heathens did formerly
to their Heroes J is a meer conjecture, being neither
founded on any Solid ReaSon, or credible Experi
ence, What Author is there, tells us, that any of
them were fo prevail'd on, by the Prayers of fome
of the Antients, that they return'd an immediate
Anfwer, to their Petitions ? Now, if devout Suppli
cants did ask thofe things, which according to the
prefcriptions of the Eternal Law, were juft and
equitable, they fucceeded ; but if on the contrary,
their Addreffes prov'd Fruitlefs. It was in vain for
them to pierce Heaven with their Cries, and expect
the moft Artificial Eloquence could be SucceSsful,
and prevail for thofe things which the Supream God
thought unjuftly requested, and not fit to be gran
ted. Wherefore, tho' Prayers were appointed from
all Eternity, for the accomplishing our Defires, yet
they cannot alter the Eternal Counfels of God, or
divert his Judgments.
The Heathens here may Anfwer, that God is al
ways Happy and Free from the Care of Particulars
( unlefs, as they are contain'd in Genus and Species)
and beftow'd this Province from the beginning, on
thofe Heroes that deferv'd well ; who will not flight
the Prayers of Mortals fo much, as not to procure
them a favourable Anfwer from fome Superiour
A a 4 ' Deity.

376 The RELIGION of
 • . — i ¦ " ¦  — ..-I, ',¦."  -,- - '•'-"' • . ,i , ,
Deity. And in fo ambiguous a Matter, there can
not be found a better Expedient, than that the Su
pream God fhould constitute fome Men, the Patrons,
pr Judges of others ; and their Heroes drawing the
Certainty of their Opinions from the Eternal Law,
pould riot be deceiv'd themfelves, or deceive others.
This is but a very weak proof of the Doctrine of the
Heathens, who can have no intimate Knowledge of
the Nature of God, and our narrow Capacity is
altogether uncapable of judging what is agreeable
to his Bieffed Nature and Providence.- But, if their
former Opinions of the Bleffednefs of the Supream
God, and his being quite free from Care, and alfo
concerning the Heaven, Stars, and Elements, had
been firm and valid ; this Opinion alfo, might have
followed by a natural confequence, tho' I determine
nothing, only fay, that the Premifes confider'd,
they thoiight they had good grounds for their Opi
nion. It is very abfurd to imagine, that thofe Heroes,
Antiquity hath Handed down to us, were worthy
of this Employment, ic being notorioufly known,
how- mahy Villainous things were committed by
them ; and yet they did affirm, that the Supream
God, after their Sins were Pardoned, and they
were Deified, had committedthis Judicial Power
to their Heroes, to ufe, as occafion required, as much
as the fix'd and Eternal Laws, to the Heaven and
Stars. ' It 'may here be Anfwered, that rho' their Heroes
did obtain Heaven thro' the Remiffion of their Sins,
yet that did not give them the Character of the beft
of Men. For, Who would not laugh at many things
done by their Jupitef Mercury, Venus, and other Dei
ties ,'" ahd condemn others,-' Here again, it will be
iretorted amongft the many Jupiters, Mercuries, and
Vevu: s*

Chap. XVI. the GENTILES, 377
Venus' s, which antiently were ,had in Veneratipn,
the Priefts endeavour'd to expofe and ridicuje,
thofe of all other- Foreign Countries ; by a Poetical
or Sacerdotal Licenfe, reproaching them with all
thofe things they had done whilft they they were
Men here on Earth, tho' they were exalted amongft
the Gods. This was return'd them again by the Priefts,
and fcurrilous Wits on the other fide ; fo that there
is no diftinct or genuine Hiftory of their Gods extant,
amongft the Heathens ; tho', according to the com
mon Vogue of all Men, Thofe times did not pro
duce any Perfons more celebrated for their Merit,
or more deferving all kind of Inferiour Adoration.
Now, fuppofe this were true, why did they not
fupprefs thofe fabulous Stories, by fome Law, or
Publick Edict, left Mortal Men fhould be encou
rag'd by their Examples, and take the greater Plea-
- fure and Solace in Vice ? Why were not thofe
Hiftories expunged out of the World, which brought
reproach upon the Gods and Men ? Then, fay the,
Heathens, there was fome Allegorical Meaning in
thofe Antient Fables, whofe Expofition was to be
had from the Prieft. Here I fhall not much con
tradict them, for they could not be fo ridiculous,
infatuated, or abfurd, but that they fuppos'd a Ker
nel of Truth under thofe fabulous Shells. But yet,
they will hardly be excus'd from this, that, wfi2t
was worthy being known, ought to be publickly
taught, tho' the Priefts oppos'd it.
The Heathens alfo will fay, That there are many
very Excellent Things in their Religion, and moft
Glorious Things related of their Gods; thefe ought
to be believed, tho' other Things are left as doubtful,
or credited only on the Authority of the High Prieft
and Sacerdotal College. The Priefts endeavour to
prove it thus: ' We ought to believe whatever is de-
! liver'd

378 The RELIGION of

' liver'd to us by Credible Perfons concerning thofe
c Things that have been tranfacted in any former
c Age, tho' they may appear wonderful. The Judgr.
* ment of Man is ignorant and rafh, to reject thofe
* Things as falfe, that probably might be, and re-
? dound to the Glory of the Supream GOD. That
* Credit is due to Prophane HiftOries, but we fhould
* more firmly adhere to Divine.
Thefe Herculean Arguments of theirs had this Efc
feet upon me, that I not only made a diligent Search
in all the Authors I could any where procure, for
all the common Events, as well as Miracles; which
might advance the Glory of the Supream GOD. But
finding the Sacred Hiftories of the Antients juft like
Fables; their Traditions ftill more obfeure and
doubtful ; their Revelation nothing but Fantoms,
and the Vain Imaginations of their Priefts, lying in
the Temple between Sleep and Waking; their
Oracles and all thefe forts of Fictions, deriv'd their
Authority only from the Single Testimony of fome
Prieft ; I could not find any thing fo Solid, on which
one Single Article of Faith could be built, or that
the Heathens need depart from the leaft Particle,.
which was deducible from Common and Right
Reafon. I muft here acknowledge that their Doctrine a-
bout thofe that were Heroes in Reality, is not fo
harfh and Strange, but contains Some Things Noble
and Eximious. For they did not SuppoSe them to
be idle, and wholly engag'd in Self- contemplation,
or ufelefs Parts of the World, and negligent of the
Affairs of Mankind, from whom they originally
Sprang; but were conftantly employ 'd about Such
Things, as were moft agreeable to their own Na
tures, and grateful to the Gods and Men. In fhort,
I could fcarce find a more ufeful Opinion of what
feem'd

Chap. XVI. ^GENTILES. 379
feem'd more probable amongft them, if their Old
Women, Poets, and Priefis had kept themfelves within
any tolerable Bounds in relating their Hiftories. By
this they eftabliSh 'd the Doctrine of the Immortality
of the Soul, and Rewards for Virtue.
Now if all that the Heathens reported of their He
roes were true, they ftill were of opinion that they
ought to pray unto the Supream GOD only. They
did not think it probable, that he had committed the
Care of Particulars to Heroes of others, fo as to rob
himfelf of his juft Honour and Glory, or permit any
other to be invoked befides himfelf. Therefore
tho' the Affairs of Mortals were committed to thofe
Heroes, they were of opinion that Prayers and Thankf-
giving were due to the Supream GOD only. It muft
not be laid to the Priefts Charge, that Heroes after
this Life were called by the Names of Stars, or Stars
after their Names, but to the Sorrow and Flattery of
the People, or the Ambtions of their Succeffors *
tho' it proved a very great Incitement to Virtue. For
what will not a Man attempt that is Excellent thpw
difficult, that believes not only his Head, but his
Name Shall be placed amongft the Stars. The Ho
monymous Names of Heroes and Stars have been the
occafion of great Miftakes amongft thofe that are but
indifferently converfant in the Doctrines of the An
tients ; but I cannot here infift on them. For they
being ignorant that the Stars were worfhip'd under.
the Names of Men, and Men by the Names of the
Stars, and imagining that their WorShip was not
Symbolical, but principally and properly terminated
in themfelves, the Scioliffis impofed upon themfelves
many ways : this prodigious Flattery, tho' very an
tient and common, yet was the Effect of intolerable
Ambition, and very indecorous ; tho' I cannot much
diflike the Antients for paying Heroical Honours, becaufe

380 The RELIGION of
becaufe it afforded Men Such encouraging Argu
ments to Virtue.
That the Heathens endeavour 'd to make Some Dei'
ties, eSpecially the Subceleftial, propitious to them, by
Sacrifices and other Rites, imagining their Corporeal
Nature might want Supplies ; and being of an Amhpi-
bious Nature, fometimes propenSe to Good, Some
times to Evil, according their different inclinations
to Mankind, tho' this were done with all imagina
ble Caution, left they fhould be injurious to them ;
yet it was the higheft Affront to the Majefiy of the
moft Good and Great God ; as if he could not or
would not fufficiently Protect and Defend his own.
How bafe and ignominious is it for him that Fights
under the Banner of the moft Good and Great God,
to defert to another ? And what is there can hurt a
Man, that doth not proceed from himfelf? He that
doth not entertain Wicked and deprav'd Thoughts,
drives the Demons from him ; nothing is, or can be
done by them, but by Divine Permiffion, and the
Fault is entirely owing to our felves.
"This is a very ridiculous Opinion, for who can
demonstrate, that there ever was any fuch Inter-
courfe between thefe forts of Deities, or Demons,
and Mankind ? And fhould it be granted, that fome
of them do affume Bodies of Air ; yet whoever faw
them ? Or when did any of them vifibly Attack
any Man ? I do not deny, but the Air, eASther, and
and Celeftial Orbs, have Inhabitants; but muft freely
own my Ignorance, of what Nature they are, and
how they may be made Propitious; but this lam
fure of, he that leads a Pious and Religious Life,
need not be afraid of any Demon.
The Sacrifices of the Antients, may juftly be ac
counted amongft the fubtle Inventions ofthePriefts;
either, that they might Convert them to their own ufe,

Chap. XVI. the GENTILES. 38x
— '¦ ¦ mi i i ¦ ii- i ¦ ¦¦¦ i ¦  ¦ mm n ..... , ... m ,^
uSe, or to load the People with Religious Forms and
Ceremonies : For they made Feafts of them for the
generality, and according to the number of the Sa
crifices of the High Prieft, order'd a parcel of no
table Trencher-Men to take Care of them, as we have
it in Livy and Cicero, and an Antient Infcription
mention'd by Cboul.
So much for the Diverfity of Worfhip amongft the
Gentiles, and the Caufes of it ; as far as I can gather
from their Writings, which remain: I will con
clude with a Place in Varro, in regard, it will afford
fome light to what was Said before. /There are three
kinds of Theology, Myftical, Natural and Civil. The
Myftical, is that ufed by the Poets; the Natural, by Phi
lofophers ; and the Civil, by the People./ The firft contains
many ficlitious things againft the Dignity and Nature of
Immortal Beings, For they fay, one God was born out
of an Head, another out of a Thigh, and a third out
of drops of Blood. They alfo tell us, that the Gods were ±
Thieves, Adulterers, and Servants to Men ; and make
theni Guilty of what, not only Men in general, but the moft
abjeB and contemptible amongft them are. The fecond kind
Us that which I have demonfirated, of which the Philofo
phers have left many Books ; in which they jhew, who ate
Gods, where they are, of what kind, what time they be
gan to be, or whether they were Eternal. Whether from
Fire, according to Heraclitus, from Numbers, as Py
thagoras, or Atoms, as Epicurus teaches us ; and ma
ny other things, which better became the Schools than the
Court. The third, which is the Civil ; the Citizens,
and Priefts efpecially, ought to Underftand, and Perform ;
this contains what Gods ought to be Worfhipped publick
ly } and what Rites and Sacrifices are to be Perform
ed by every one. The firft is moft accommodated to
the Theatre, the fecond to the whole World, the third to
the City." From

j£i The RELIGION of
From this of Varro, as alfo the Opinion of Plato,
and the Platonifts before recited, it appears that the
Religion of the Heathens was compil'd partly,' frorri
found and folid Reafon, partly from the Myfterious
Fables of the Poets, and partly frofn the Inventions'
of the Priefts ; arid haying already treated of the
two former. I proceed to fay fomething of the laft,"
But in regard it would require a whole Volume
to handle therilat large ; and becaufe the rhoftpriri-
cipal Parts of their Rites have been difeours'd of al
ready, I fhall not infift long upon therfi ; but fny
Opinion is that they are of no greater Validity, thari
their FaitfSor Fables ; for they Seem to promote no
thing leSs than an awful and reverential Fear of Di
vine Juftice, and a grateful Commemoration of
Divine Mercy. Thofe Rites tended more to an ex
ternal Pageantry thari the Honour of the SupreatH
God, they debauch'd the Minds of Men from the in
ternal Worfhip of God, Sometimes to a rhagnificent
Porrip, and at others to meer eiripty Cererrionies, to
the overthrow of True and Sound Religion.
Thus their Feafts, Sports and ShoWs, that were
inftituted by the Pontifex, or "Sacerdotal Order, did
withdraw the People from the pure arid true*WorShip'
of God • tho' 1 cannot attribute that fo much to the
Defign of the Priefts, as the Policy of the Magistrate j
for Ckero lib. 2. de Attic, fays, the Senfe of the People
is beft feen byuhe Theater arid publick Shows. Brit
in regard the Heathens have every where been r£-
proach'd with Idolatry arid Superftition. I fhall fay
fomething concerning it ; for the better understand-*
ing whereof I muft premife, that there is a twofold
Error concerning religious Worfhip, viz,.
(1.) Where the true Go J is wPrftiipped after ifal£e~
Mariner. .- . ' „ ,
(2.) Where true Worfhip is paid to a falfe1 God; ^

Chap. XVI. rkGENTILES. 383
The firft is Superftition, and the fecond Idolatry*
I Shall treat of them both.
Aquinas fays, Superftition is a Vice oppofite to Religion
in the Excefi, Tho' whatSoever vitiates, deftroys,
obScures or Pervers the pure Worlhip of God, is pro
perly Superftition ; in which Acceptation of the Word
not only the Heathens in former Times, but a nu
merous Society of Men nowa-days are guilty of it k
For they contended for and difputed about very .
many things which are not neceffary to Salvation*
The Women, as well as the Priefts, formerly were
very inftrumentalin the in troducing of Superftition •
and Strabo out of Menander, Says, it was Seldom Seen
that any Single Man wasadicted to Superftition ; tho'I
cannot blame the Women So much as the Heathen
Priefts, who Bullinger Says were Wicked Wretches,
Vain, Covetous, nay very Villains; For had not
the Priefts fell in with, encouraged and promoted,
thofe Feminine Superftitions, they had never been
fo Predominant; which grew So common at laft, that
not only the Heathens but the Jews, according to
the Opinion of fome, were corrupted by them :
There being many things commanded and forbidden
by their Ceremonial Law, for Which no rational Ac
count can be rendered. And not only Quintilian
makes mention of the Jewifh Superftition, but many
other antient Authors,as may be Seen in their Writ
ings. Cicero Speaking of Superftition Says, it being
difperfed thro' the Nation,had oppreffed the Minds of
moft Men. Again T. Aquinas fays, Idolatry is the
Divine Worfhip of a Creature, or Latreia ; but efpecially
when it is exhibited to an Idol or the Similitude of
any thing. So that had not their WorShip been ra
ther Proper than Symbolical, and Divine rather
than fuch as was due to Heroes,according to his No
tion the Heathens had not been (imply guilty of Ido
latry j

384 The RELIGION of
latry ; but this is more fit for the Schools.
It is evident from antient Authors, and TertuUian
himfelf confeffes, that Idolatry was not very Old or
Univerfal amongft the Heathens. Varro Says the
Romans worShipped the Gods without Images, for
more than an Hundred and Seventy Years, which
if it had ftill continu'd fays the fame Author, The
Worfhip. of the Gods had been more pure. Then adds,
. They that firft fet, up tbe Images of the Gods for the People
taught them to be fearlefs , and drew them into Error.
The moft antient Temples amongft the Egyptians,
were without Statues or Images ; as I noted be
fore. : Herodotus and Strabo fay, the Perfians had nei-
ther 'Temples nor Images. Eufebius tells us the Af-
furians published an Order againft the Adoration of
Idols; Twas in latter Ages therefore that the Wor
fhip of Images or Idols crept into the World, and
that not every where; but whether it proceeded
from the Excellency and Ingenuity of the Artificers,
which drew Wonder and Admiration, which by
degrees grew into a fort of Religion, efpecially
When any thing very Strange and remarkable was re
ported concerning it : The publick Flonour and
Veneration that Men had for thofe that had deferved
well of their own Country or Mankind in general :
or the private Duty and Refpedt that Children and
Grandchildren had for their Progenitors : Or fome
Fathers, &c for their Off-fpring ; or any other
-Caufe, I fhall not here determine.
There are many other things in the Religion of
the Heathens, which the Moderns tax as Superstitious
and Idolatrous, which I have treated of before *
which if the Learned Reader does not efteem fuffi
cient, I muft leave him to his own Judgment in the
Matter. Tho' I defire him -always tb obferve that
many things which we call Superftitions, were intend
ed by them only to fignifie the myftical and occult
Adoration-

Chap. XVI. the GENTILES. 385
"' ' '' -i 1 ii ii ii ¦ -i-ii --I -i
Adoration of fome unknown Deity ; and others we
efteem Idolatrous, were a Smybolical way of Wofhip-
ihg the Supream God.
It is very Notorious, that the Heathens fell into
many grofs Errors ; efpecially, wheri they Decreed
Divine Honours to their Emperours ; Some of whom
were the worft of Men, and inftituted an Order of
Priefts,who were called by their Names, as was done
in the times of Auguftus, Helvius, Antoninus, Aurelius,
and Fauftina. Nor is it any thing Strange, that they
ihould have Priefts called by their Names ; there
being an Antient Law, that all the Gods Should have
aparticular Order of Priefts appointed for their
Service. Ckero lib. 2. de Leg. Thus ( as I hinted be*-
fore) as Superftition formerly overthrew the true
and pure Religion ; Flattery, undermin'd it ; for the
Credulity of the People was fo great, that they were
far more inclin'd to Embrace arid Imprint on their
Minds, as, indubitable Truths, whatever was deli
ver'd them from the Senate or High Prieft, thari to
examine into, or controvert them ; efteemirtg it*
more fafe, to Err with their Superiour?, than to
adhere to the found and Solid Doctrines of the
fhilafbphers, who were always profeSs'd Eriefhies-
to Superftitious Worfhip : Thus, the rrtoft pure
and chafte Parts of Divine Wormip being neg
lected, all Religion degenerated by degrees into Su
perftition, %
: Nor did' any thing found and folid remain, befides
their Laws, unleSs amongft Soffie of the rrioft perfpi-
cacious, who Still difcerh'd pur five Articles arnidft
that vaft heap of Rubbifh, in Which they Were al-
¦ihoft Buried: The Heathens were riot to bereclaim'd,
for at that rime, they were So propenfe to Sin, and
fpnd of Error* chat all the Law could do, was only
B b Suffice

386 The RELIGION of
fufficent to deter them from the moft flagitious and
notorious Crimes.
Now, as an Univerfal Religion may be compiled
out of our five Articles, fo in their nafty Sink of
Errors, no Religion was to be found, to correct
their Mistakes, and reduce them into the true
Path. Mucins Scoevola, Pont. Max. and Varro, en
deavoured to rectifie fome things in Religion, par
ticularly to explode their Fables. The Emperour*
Julian, attempted to Purge their Religion from its
Drofs ,J and Weed out its moft rank Errors, but
in vain, they had taken too deep Root. Al
moft all the Platonick and Sioick Philofophers in thofe
days, Strove to reduce all Religion to Virtue and
Piety, towards God, and Men ; as it is to be feen
in their Works, where proper Remedies are ap
plied againft the Epidemical Diftempers of the
Times. But the Chriftians in that Age, either extracting
or confirming, better and more facred Doctrines,
than thoSe of the Philofophers ; the reft of the Re
ligion of the Heathens, was left a meer Caput Mor-
tuum, dry and ufelefs, and fo Expir'd. The Chri
ftians enjoyning the Practice of Virtue, and Purity
of Life to their Followers, there could be no other
Parts of the old Religion remaining, but what was
the fubjeet of Raillery to the Fathers of the Church.
By their means, other Articles were Substituted in
the room of the former, which gain'd Belief, but
very Slowly for fome Ages ; but at laft they ob
tain'd, and are very UniverSal at this time ; the
Hierarchy alSo remain'd where the Authority in Sa
cred Matters was : But I Shall handle this Sub
ject more at large, if God afford me Life and
Health, By

Chap. XVI. ' ate GENTILES. 387
By what I have faid, I hope it does appear,
That the Philofophical Opinions of the Heathens;
concerning' fome Eternal Laws that were writ
ten in Heaven and the fix'd Stars, as alfo in the Pla
nets and Elements ; carried fo pinch Verifimilitude
in them, that a more eminently agreeable Doctrine
could hardly be found by the dictate of comrnOri
Reafon ; tho' it was riext to impoffible, to ex
plain, what thofe Laws were : Notwithftanding it
was- impious to pay a Proper Worfhip to the Hea
ven, Stars and Elements. Thofe Heroes, who were
admitted into Heaven, had cognizance of particu
lars ; efpecially, the Actions of Men, that the
Supream God might be freed frofn Care and Trou
ble, may feem very probable from what has been'
premifed ; but it cannot from thence be inferr'd,
that Prayers Should be put up to any befides hirn ;
or that Heroes had the direction of particulars com
mitted to them frorri the beginning.
As to the Adoration of the Subceleftial Gods;
that they might not be Injurious to them, it is st
very great Affrorit to the Divine Majefty ; as if
he wanted either Will or Power, to Defend and:
Protect them ; and Men could not be Secure, uri-
leSs they Were in League with thoSe inferioUr
Deities. Whatfoever Savours of Superftition, and
idolatry, ought to be expunged, rather than to
endeavour to Solve it by a favourable Interpre
tation.^Triofe five Article* which are extracted Put
of the Religion and Laws of the Heathens ; ought
to be accounted the moft proper means for ob
taining a better Life. Their Errors therefore,1
which , Carried fuch Coritentiori, and confifted in
I foi&£ Fable's5 and Fictions, Which their Priefts en-
B'b a deavoured

The RELIGION of, &c.

deavoured to cajole them -into the Belief of, and
certain ridiculous -Rites and Ceremonies, which
were Forged on the fame Anvil, ought to be
rejected .x
To conclude this Volume, I freely Submit my
felf to the Cenfure and Judgment of the Ca-
tholkk and Orthodox Church ; but not to the impe
tuous Enemies of Univerfal Divine Providence,
and the Publick Peace.

F I N I S.

An I N T> E X of the Chief
Matters contained in the fore
going Difcourfe.

AB STINENC E from Eating Flefh us'd among the
Gentiles, Page 378
Acca Laurentia, Nurfe to Romulus and Remus, p. 170
why Sacrifices were performed publickly to her, ibid. Her
Holy-days called Laurentalia, ibid.
Adoiiai, one of the Names of God us'd in Scripture, p. zS from
whence derived, ibid.
Adonis, Worfhipped by the Affyrians, p. 28 called Gingras by
the Phenicians, p. 19 after what what manner the People were
to Worfliip him, p. 19,30 taken for Bacchus by Plutarch,
p. 30 whether the Sun be meant by him, ibid, or Corn, &c. ibid. >
s/Egyttians, firft appointed Temples, Groves, and folemn AfTem-
blies for the Worfhip of the Stars, p. 13 and Oracles, Cere
monies, Shrines, Altars, tfc. paid to them, p. 101 they firft
divided the Year into twelve Months, ibid.
&£fiulapius, his Worfhip, p. 170 advanced among the Vii In'
digtt.es, ibid.
Agamemnon, Worfhip'd by the Grecians. p. 181
Air, what perfuaded to its Worfliip, and the neceflity of
it, p. 19 Amximenes, Diogones, ApeMonatesanA others, endea
vour to defend its Divinity, p. 10 the common Opinion of
its Subftance examin'd, p. ny it was efteem'd a Deity among
the Antient Philofophers, p. 127. alfo among the Affyrians,
Africans, Egyptian, Greeks and Romans, ibid.
Alms, pradtiled by the Heathens, . V>319
Ambarval Sacrifices, why fo called, p. 313
Amburbian Rites, what they were, ibid.
Ammon, his Temple and Image, p. 4y
Ampbitfyon, plac'd among the Stars, and called the Carter, from
his Invention of Cans, p. i8»
Anaitis, a Name of the Moon, p. 56 fhe Worfhipped among the
Peffians, Babylonians, Medes, Parthians, and Armenians, ibid.
facred Rites inftituted in Honour of her, and of their Agree
ment with the Saturnalia, ibid.
Bb 3 Antinom„

An I N D E X.

'Antinous, had Divine Honours paid hirn, p. 176
Aphrodite, fee Venus,
Apollo, Plato, fli.ews to be the Stfn, p. 47 the facred Rites and
; Sports inftituted in IJonour of him, p. 48 was Worfhipped
with ffupher, p. 104 the Velphick Temple and Oracle, ibid.
his feveral Sirnames, p. 20? Auguftus built him a magnificent
Temple in the Palatine, ibid, what Birds, Beafts and Trees,
were facred to him, p. 20S
Arabians, worfhipped the Moon, p. 56 whether by the Name,
' Alilat, ibid.
Areas and Califto, advanced to the Stars by the Arcadians, p. 1 8 1
¦Aries, the fame with tfupiter Hammtn, p. 83 the Peruvians Wor
fliip it, . p. 86
Articles ( five ) which the whole World ought to receive as
' undoubted Truths, p. 3 & 58 5
Aftarte, why her Image had Horns, p. •; 4 Afrareth of the Hebrews,
: ' ibid. Solomm faid to have built a Temple for her, p. s 4 Re
prefented by a Figure, part Humane, part Fifh, ibid, the Sy-_
rians call Venus by this Name, ibid.
Atergatis, after what manner the Priefts Worfhip'd her, p. 140
(he fignifies the Earth, p. 141 fhe was Queen of Syria, ibid'.
fhe Prohibited the Eating of Fifh, ibid.
Atlantis, a People of Africa, curfed the Sun, p. 46
Averrunci Dii, Worfhip'd that they might not hurt, p. 24 $
Augurs, made their Auguries from Winds, Dreams, Prodigies,
Oracles and Wonders, p. 3^2 prefent at the Sanction of all
L,aws, and Creation of Magiftrates, ibid.
Augufta, had DivineHonours paid her, p. 17J
Auguftus, fee Cefar, > B
BAcchus, formerly called Priapus, p irS the Inventer of the
Vine and making Wine, p.212 his various Names, ibid.
Sometimes clothed in Womens Habit, 123 Whether the fame
with Mofes, ibid, his Sirnames, ibid, the Scythians rejected his
Feafts, p. 21 j Worfhip at the fame Altar with Proferpine, ibid.
his Temple and Shrine, ibid, efteemed the Captain of the
Mufes, ibid, the firft that rode in triumph on an Elephant, ibid.
his Companions, ibid.
Baalpm, Worfhip'd in Arabia, p. 40 the fame with Priapus, ibid.
Beafts of feveral forts worfhip'd by the Antients p. 2 %
Bees,1 produc'd from Oxen, p. 6 1 their Induftry, ibid.
Bftlpbegor, his Wdrfhip among the Moabites very obfcene, p. 42;
> the Women fond of it '"'•' ' ibid.
BfUona, her Temple and Priefts, p. 113 how much efteemed by
* the Cappadociant; ibid, her Statue ibid*
Berecynthia, fee Rbe& > <;;¦ :¦'¦•¦¦ Bodies,

An INDEX.

Btdies, of the more Parts and Members compos'd the more weak
and debile p. -176
CEftrs, $ulim Cefar tranflated among the Gods after his
Death, p. 173. Auguftus had a Temple and Divine Ho
nours decreed him **>"•
Carmenta, whence fo called, and its fignification, p. i<58 wor.
fhip'd by the Romans, p. 169. her Altar, Tempkand Sacri
fices ibid.
Carthaginians us'd to offer Humane Sacrifices to Saturn, p. 4*
Caftor and PtUux, their Temple and facred Rites P. 169
Cerberus, reported by fome to have three Heads; Hefod lays he
had fifty, Horace, an hundred P- <>3
Ceremonies of the Gentiles, ridiculous and mad, p. i.&feqq. at
Deifying their Emperours P- 17J
Ceres, Worfhip'd by the Greeks and Romans,. her Names, p.
227 her Temple and Shrine, p. 928 facred Rights were per
formed to her and Proferpine every Year by the Athenians, ibid.
the Goods of all thofe that refilled the Magiftrates, were Con-
fifcated and Dedicated to her, ibid, her abftemious Rites per
form'd by Women only, ibid, her facred Rites obferved among
the Eleufynians, ibid, her Effigies at Ciionia, ibid, the Cere
monies to her, ibid, the Arcadians had her Worfhip in mighty
efteem, p. 230 fhe had a very large Statue of Marble, ibid.
Wine forbidden at he Sacrifices, ibid, her Victims, ibid, ano
ther Statue of her ibid,
Chafiity, a Goddefs among the Romans, 306 known by two
Titles, Patrician and Plebeian, ibid. Temples of both, ibid.
Cinnamon, facred to the Sun among the Ethiopians, p. 4? the
Art of Gathering it ibid,
Ciun, of the Arabians, the fame with the Moon p. J 7
Concord, the diftindtion between her and Peace, p. 303 had Di
vine Honours paid by the Antients, p. 304 her Effigies, ibid,
how Ariftides Reprefented her, ibid, her Power, ibid, feveral
Temples dedicated to her at Rome, ibid, her Image publickly
erected, ibid,
Conjugal Deities, who they <were, p. 30$ Conjugal Chafiity, fee
Chafiity.
Codrus, worlhip'd as a God, for his fervice to his Country p. 181
Compitalia, what they are p. 240
Confcience, the figns of a good and bad one, p. 329 it had two
Names among the Greeks, p. 331 common Principles writ
ten in the Confcience by the Univerfal Wifdom, ibid, fame
may deceive us, Confcience never can, ibid, it is the greateft
comfort to the Good, and greateft torment to the Wicked,
P. 33J» 33* ?M cm*

^

An INDEX.

Conftantine the Great, almoft abolilh'd the Gentile Superftition,
p. 13 the manner how he was Deified P- *7f
Corybantes, priefts of the Great Mother, p. 174. why fo cal
led,' ibid.
Crimes, howejcpiated by the Fannies, of which the Holy Scripture
makes mention ; was attributed to tfao by the Heathens p. 27.
Cupid affifts Love, p. 220 had no Temple but in the Heart, ibid.
¦ Cybele, fee Rhea D
D<&/£mms, what the antient Philofophers thought of them,
p. 267 they were endued with feveral Qualities p. 278
Mana, hardly appeas'd,. but with Humane Sacrifices, p. 207
her Shrine, ibid, her Rites, p. 208 beliey'd to prefide over
Worrien in Travail, ibid, her feveral Names, ibid, her Tem
ple on the Aventine Mount, ibid, but the moft famous, that
at Ephefus j>. 209
' E
EAgle, facred to tfupiter f- 199
Eaft, from whence all Religion proceeded p. 15"
Earth, worfhip'd by the Antients, p. 17 the Philofophers gave
it the firft place among the Elements, ibid, called the Old Mo
ther, ibid. Worfhip'd by the Phrygians, under the Names of
Rhea and Cybele, p. i?o their feveral Names, ibid. &feqq. her
Worfhip arid Image defcrib'd at large by Varro, p. 1 J 3 & feqq.
El, on of the ten Names of God p. 25-
Elements, their Worfhip, p. 104 not only Arithmetical, but Geo
metrical Proportion attributed to them, p. 106 the Egyptians
made twb of each of them "p. in
Elohim, a Name of GOD, with its various fignifications p. \6
Emperors Deified, and who they were p. 173, &e.
Evander, invented the Greeii Letters, and Mufical Inftruments,
the Harp, Triangles and Spirts, and Eftablifh'd Laws, p. 169
had Honours' paid Him and Sacrifices offer'd to him ibid.
Eumenides had Eggs new-hatch'd offer'd to them, p. 247 their
Shrines and Worfhip ibid.
Expiations, for what end inftituted by the Heathens, p. 315- their
various Bites, p. 321 ufed publickly and privately in the time
of Peftilenc?s p. 322, &c.
F'
^V"? Ablet, from whence they took their Original p. 16 1
Jp Faith, had Divine Worfhip paid it, p. 306 how it was anci
ently efteem'd, p. 307 her Temple, Victims, Effigies, &c. ibid.
tana, whence Buildings are fo called p. 167
Tate, Humane Affairs not fubjeet to It, p. roi this acknowledg'd
fo as hot to exclude Divine Providence, ibid. Ma
thematical

by Plato,

An I N D E X.

thematical Fate, p. 102 Genethliacal Fate, ibid. Stoical Fate,
p. 103 Chriftian Fate, _ p. 104
faunus, tranflated among the Dii Indigetes, and had Divine Ho
nours paid him, p. 168 from whence the Fauns, Sylvans, and
Satyrs had their Rife ibid.
Favour, a Deity among the Romans p. 98
Fever, Fear, and Palenefs, were Gods and Goddeffes among the
Heathens p. 2
Februa, what they are, and when celebrated p. 325
Felkity, worfhip'd as a Goddefs, p. '3 13 the Distinction between"'
Felicity and Beatitude ibid.
Fortune, one of the Names of Heaven, p. 9? held in Veneration
by the Antiens, p. 96 her Effigies on Nerva's Coin, ibid, had!
in great efteem by two Roman Emperors, p. 97 Female Fortune
had a Temple dedicated to her, p. 2*3 by whom worfhipped,
ibid, feveral other Temples, and Sirnames, what they were,
ibid the moft magnificent Temple dedicated to Equeftrian
Fortune p. sy<j.
Fountains, why they Increafe when the Sea Decreafes, and De-
creafe upon the Sea's Increafing p. j $g
Furies, Pluto's Champions, p. 245: worfhipt that they might not
hurt, ibid, their Names, Rites, Altars and Offices ibid.
Fire, reckon'd among the number of the Gods, p. 18 Ocellus lu-
canus placed it under the Moon and above the Air, p. 16?
where the Moderns placed it, p. 1 10 not liable to Corruption,
ibid, worfhipt among the Heathens, p. 112 tiimrod its firft
Worfhipper, ibid, how much the Pythagoreans attributed to it,
p. 1 17 continual Fire committed to Widows by the Grecians,
to Virgins by the Italians, p. 118 when the Veftal Fire went
out, it portended fome publick Calamity p. 120
G
GAUi, why the Priefts of the Great Mother were fo cal
led p. iff
Gemini, believed to affift Sailors, p. 84 who they were ibid.
Genius, what it is; and how the Animal Deities were efteemed,
p. 23 f the Antients attributed two Genii to every Man, p. 236
what they meant by Indulging their Genius, p. 237 worfhipt
with Wine and Flowers on their Birth days ibid.
Gentile Laicks, what their future State after this Life, p. 3 their
caftings, Alms, Public^ Supplications, and Hierarchy, p. 3 j 8, feqq. ,
Geta, Deified p. tyg
God, whether the fame was meant among the Gentiles, as we do
' now, p. 1, 2, & 267 this Name given to all things that are be
neficial or hurtful to Mankind, p. 9 the Worfhip of the moft
Good

Au I N D E X.
Good and Great God, is founded in the Heart, p. 10 a necef
fity of a Perpetual Motion in himfelf, p. 16 why there were
feveral Appellations given to him, and what they were, p. 22,
&c. called the Preferver of Beings, by Hermes, &C. p. 89, 90
no doubt but there always was, and always is, and will be, one
Supream God, p. 2 f ? thathewastheM aker of the World, p. 2 { p
bis Religious Worfhip conftituted from internal Dictates, p.2 f 8
what thofe Altars were erected to the Unknown God, p. 267.
how Orpheus reprefented God ¦ p. 283
Grecians, that they worfhipped the Sun under divers Names,
chiefly that of Apollo, p. 47 they advanced their Heroes among
the Gods p. 177
Graces, their Offices, p. 221 two among the Lacedemonians, but
three among the Athenians, ibid, their Names, ibid. Homer adds
a fourth, ibid, their Temple in the middle of the Street, and
why they are painted Naked ibid.
Great Mother, who were her Priefts, p. 152 her Image, p. 153
how her Sacred Rites were perform'd p. 1 J f , & feqq.
H
HEatben Gods, not only meer Men, but fome of the moft vile,
p. 2 not performing an Oath made By Styx* they were
punifhed in Hell Nine thoufand Years, and hoiv, p. 147 which
pf them were called fndigites,- and Dii Minorum Gentium,
p. 16 1 Cicero mentions three Claffes of Gods, to whom Divine
Adoration was paid, p. .164 which of their Gods were called
Cpnfentts, or Dii Majorum Gentium, p. 1 84 the Ruftick Deities
named, p. 2J2 their Gods divided in Superceltftify, Celeftial
zni Subceleftial, p. 17J their feveral Offices ibid, & feqq.
Heaven, had Divine Honours decreed it by tbe Gentiles, p. ry the
Infcription dug up at Rome, viz. To the Moft Good and Great,
afcribed to it, p. S8 Pythagoras fays it is animated by the Soul
of the World,ibid. fome Arguments of the Heathens to prove it a
t)ivine Being from its Height, Greatnefs, Circular Form.Bright-
Btefs, Du'rablenefs, (tfc. p. 89 whether folid or pervious, ibid.
whether given to Corruption or Change, p. ?p its Animal Fa-
culties and Names ibid, 8fC
Harpies, their Office and Defcription p. 246
Hecate, Worfhip'd in ways where three Ways met, p. 63 her
Sacrifices left there for the Poor, ibid, her Reprefentation
with three Heads, ibid.
Helen and her Husband, had Divine Honours p. 181
Hercules, he the moft famous that fubdued the Tyrants, p. 1 €6
his Piety, ibid, none of the Heroes fo univerlally worfhipt, ibid.
Feftjya,ls and Sports confecrated to Hercules- the. Tbeban, p. 1 82
Heroes

An I N D E X.

Heroes, their Worfhip, whether Proper or Symbolical, p. x6i, &
283 thofe Heroes that Deferved well of their Country or of
Mankind in general, were tranflated p. 177
Hefperus, or the Morning and Evening-Star, worfhipped next to the
Sun and Moon, p. 66 called Phosphorus ibid.
Homer, worfhipped in an Ifland of the Cyclades p. 183
Hyacinthus, the Heroe of the Lacedemonians, tranflated among the
Gods p. i%q.
Hypermneftra had a Shrine built p. igi
I
J Ah or Jehovah, one of the Names of GOD p. %6
Janus, the firft that erected Altars, p. 246 his Shrine and
Offerings, p. 247 called Father, ibid, the firft Month of the
Year named from him, ibid, the Etymology of his Name, ibid.
the Inventer of Ships, Bridges and Crowns, ibid, whether the
fame with tioah, ibid, believed to have the Power of Peace,
and War in his Hands, p. 248 whence the Cuftom of opening
and fhutting the Gates of his Temple, ibid, a Brazen Temple
and Caftles dedicated to him p. 249
Inca of Peru, eftablifhed a Supream Deity above the Sun p. 33
Iris, the Meffenger of Juno p. 201
Juno, a Scourge to Harlots, p. 61 her Statue defcribed, p. aor
worfhipt under divers Names, 202 her Temples, ibid, the
Confuls ufed toSacrifice to her by theName of Scfpita, ibid, the
Bridegroom and Bride under that of Pronuba, p. 20 j her Rites
and Sacrifices, ibid. Afhes fo fixt at her Altar, that the ftrongeft
Wind could not move them p. 204
Jupiter held in profound Veneration by the Matrons of Rome»
p. 191 many of that Name, and who they were, p. 192 & feqq.
the feveral Temples dedicated to him, p. 193 &feqq. his Rites
and Sacrifices, ibid, the Name of Jove given to the Sun, p. 4 j-
the Star Jupiter, much Honured by the Antients, p. '77, a fa
mous Defcription of him out of Seneca, p. 77, 76 the moft
Benign of all the Planets p. 7s
I
Abyrinth, anciently four in number, p. 4 how the moft per-
_j fpicacious among the Gentiles freed themfelves from that
Labyrinth of Errors into which they were plunged, ibid.
Lares, Domeftick and Familiar Deities, p. 239 their Worfhip,
Office, and Effigies, p. 240 their Rites and Sacrifices, ibid. & feq.
Laurel, fa?red to Apollo, p. ^o6 the Enfign of Poets and Tn-
umphers ibid.
Lemures, hurtful P« *39
Liberty worfhipt as a Goddefs among the Romans, p. 311 her
Temples ibid. Lucifer

L

An INDEX.

Lucifer worfhipt by the Saracens and Peruvians p. 68
Ltieina, prefided over Women in Child-birth p. 60
Luna, or the Moon, had Divine Honours paid her, p. 9 her Effi
cacy on thefe inferior Regions, p. f 2 the Philofophers belie
ved it an Earth as well as Planet, ibid, why its Superficies
appears rough and uneven, p. 5 3 how much it affects ^ the
Sea and all Humid Bodies, and alfo the Brain", ibid, her Names,
ibid. & feqq.
Lmatickj, why fo called p. f 3
Luftrations, to what end inftituted by the Heathens, p. 3 r f &
feqq. the Roman Army being drawn up, their very Enfigns
Were luftrated before they undertook the 'Expedition, p. 322
the ftrange Rites of the Macedonians, in luftrating their Army,.
ibid. Feilds and Fruits luftrated, p. 223 Luflration Days for
Infants ibid.
Lycurgus, worfhipt by the Spartans p. 1 8 1
Lynceus, Deified, ibid.
M
MArs, one of the Names of the Sun, p. 49. Martial Wolves,
p. fo the Worfhip of his Star introduced, p. 72 his va
rious Names, p. 73 his Sacrifices, ibid, how the Lacedemonians
kept his Statue and worfhipt him, p. 74 his Temples and
Rites p. 74>7f
Megalenfian or Megale fian Rites inA Games, what they were, p. if7
Memnon, whofe Statue fpake when"the Sun-beams approached its
Mouth p. 46
The Mind, for what Reafons the Antients deified it, p. 3 00 of its
Temple in the Capitol ibid.
Mercury, his Star had Divine Honours paid it, p. 9 the great
Power of this Planet, p. s o, 51 Julian the Emperor, the great.
eft Adorer of this Planet, p. 51 the Exhibitor of Reafon and
Difcourfes, p. 69 his feveral N?mes, ibid &feqq. the Inven
tor of Merchandize, and prefided over the High-ways, p. 70
his Rites, ibid, the Inventer of Letters, Mufick, VVreftling,
Geometry, and taught Eloquence, p. 209 his Temples and
Statues, «jrc_ ibid.
Miltiades worfhipped among the Cberfonites p. 183
Minerva, the Goddefs of Arts, p. 210 her Altars and Statues,
the fame with Mercury, ibid, her Image the famous Palladium,
ibid, her Victims all very clean, p. 2.1 1 her Sacrifices, &c. ibid.
Mithras, to whofe Honour the Perfians kept a perpetual Fire,
p. 43 his Rites and Sacrifices ' ibid. 8c 44
Mitrax, a precious Stone found in Perfta, bright like the Sun, p.44
Moloch, by what Rites worfhipped, p. 37 by fome taken for
'Priapus p. j 8 ' MuJ>ck>

An INDEX.

Mufick, the antienteft of all Studies , p. 204
Mylitta, no Celeftial, but an Animal Deity, p. jf her Religious
Rites a ibid.
Myrtle, confecrated to Venus by the Antients, p. 219 it's Vir
tues ibid.
N
NAvigation to Foreign Parts, found out by the Phenicians p.36
Nebo, one of the Names of the Sun p. f o
Neceffity, had a Temple at Corinth, p. 99 Mother of the Parcte, ibid.
Neoptolemus, had Divine Honours paid him p. 181
Neptune, formerly hadSacnfices paid him, p. 141 his Feafts among
the Romans, ibid, he firft taugbt the Art of Horfemanfhip
p. 143 his prodigious Temple and Statue, ibid, he prefided
over the Sea, and invented the Art of Navigation p. 233
Nymphs, the Name of the Goddeffes of Frefh-waters p. 144
O
OCean, of its Worfhip p. 14*
Oculus Beli, a precious Stone fhines like the San p. 40
Olive and Oak, facred to Jupiter, p. 199 Invented by Minsrvay.t it
Ops, by TertuUian, called the Sow of Divinity, p. 187 the Mother
of the Gods, p. 190 what fort of Victims were facrificed to
her _ p, 191
Oracles, how they were at firft impofed on the Heathens, ' p, 1 f
Ofcilla, or fmall Images what they were, p. 32 y why they were
hung on Pine-trees ibid.
Ofiris, the Name of many of the Heathen Gods, p. 34 what it figni
fies in the Egyptian Language ibid.
P
PAles, a Ruftick Goddefs p. if*
Palm, facred to the Sun or Apollo p. 207
Pan, Father of the Fauns and Satyrs, p. 2jo why he is called
Sleeper of Sheep, p. iji Panick Fear, ibid, worfhipt among the
Egyptians, ibid, the Author of Apparitions and unufual Sounds,
ibid, his Names, with their Interpretation ibid.
Parca or Deftinies, Daughters of Neceffity, p. 99 their Names and
Worfhip ibid.
Penates or Houfhold Gods, whence fo called, p. »38t heir Temples,
ibid, others of their Names and Epithets, ibid, where and when
they were worfhipped p, 23 p
Penitence, or Sorrow for Sins pra&is'd by the Antients p, 3 14
Phenicians, Inventers of Letters and Navigation p. ;g
Piety, two forts of ic, p. 302 Examples of it, p. 303 a Temple
erected to her in the Prifon, and why . p, j0j
Pifees,

An INDEX.

Pifces, or the Fifhes efteemed as Deities by the Heathens p. i ? & 8+
called the Syrian Deities, ibid, why the Syriins abftain from
eating Fifh; p. 8 f why Fifh are larger than other Animals p. i 3 4
Planets had Divine Honours paid them, p. 9 & feqq. fome Philo-
¦ fophers allow'd them internal Senfes, (s'c. p. 1 o
Pluto fuppofed to prefide over the Lower Regions, p. 242 Efteem
ed the God of Riches by the Antients, ibid, his Image and
Temple p. 243, 244
PmiJhmentS ; what was the Opinion of the Heathen of Rewards
and Punifhmhnts  here and hereafter p. 327
 Penitence or Sorrow for fins praftis'd by the Antients p. 3 14
Portumnui, had two Temple in Rome p. 23 f
Purgation Vide Expiation
Priefts, the Introducers of all the Superftition arid Idolatry of
the Heathens, p. 2 their Inventions, Foolifh and Obfcene, p. at
thofe of Rhea and the Hierapolitan Goddefs, all caftrated, p. 1 f 1
their Cunning and Religion p. 27 1
Quaternary or Number Fofa, by which Number the Pythage-
rems ufed to fwear, as moft Holy p. iof
^/«*was worfhip'd, and had a Temple at Rome p. 305*
Quirinus, who was, p. 171 he had an Altar and Temple ibid.
J^uirites, whence fo called ibid.
R
RAdical Moifture, does- not confift in a Watery, but Oily Sub-
ftance p. rl9
Religion of the Gentiles, conderhn'dby tne Father's of the Church,
p. 1 almoft all Superftitious, p. 3 the Original of their Wor
fliip, p^ 7 & 270, '(s'c. of the Sounder Parts of it, p. 297 &
feqq. four Articles of their Religion always remain entire^
p. 3f 4 A Cenfure with the Occafion of it p. ^6€
Rhea, fee Earth
Rites, invented by the Priefts, to what end '< p. 294', £9?
Romulus, reform'd Religion in his time p. 163

SAbaotb, one of the Name of God p. 2/
Sabba\ti, thofe who were initiated into thofe Rites, had a:
Snake drawn through their Bofom, p. 28 that Worfhip pradii-,
fed by the Egyptians, unknown to the Greeks and Romans ibid.
Sacrifices; fober ones perform'd with Honey, p. 63 the many and
great Sacrifices of the Heathens, to what end directed'
p. 298 & 32<f
Safety, a Deity worfhip'd by the Antients p. 2 j t
fatten.

An INDEX.

Saturn, called Ifrael by the Phenicians, p. 24 the higheft of all
• the Planets, p. 77 when he reign'd the Golden Ag* was, ibid.
he predominates over the Melancholy and Cholerick, p. 7*
reckon'd an Infortune, ibid, the moft Antient of all the Hea
then Gods, p. 187 the Fable of devouring his Children, p. 188
his Temples and Worfhip _ p. 18?
Sea, its Longitude and Latitude, equal if not exceed that of t;he
Earth, p. no the Caufe of its Saltnefs, ibid, of its Ebbing and
Flowing, ibid, two other Motions of ft, unknown to the Anti
ents, p. 133 the Reafon of the Worfhip paid to it by the
Heathens p. 134
Semones, who they were p. 184
Sirens, their Names, Temples and Altars p. 144
Souls, by the Heathen Theologues, called Bees, from that fweeu
nefs of living, they fuppofed them to enjoy, having left the Body
p. fc»
Syrian Goddefs, who p. ifi
Stars, from their immortal Natures, the Heathens took their firft
Notice of a God, p. 1 1 their Divinity eftablifh'd by general
Confent, p. 6 a, 6 f & feqq. new Stars appear'd at feveral
times p. 91
Sumanus, God of the Night p. 244
Sun, its Worfhip very antient and univerfal, p. 32 worfhipt un
der feveral Names by diftincS Nations, p. 33 & feqq, its Light
obfcur'd in the time of Juftinian, p. 92 it was dark for feven-
teen Days, ibid, the Mexicans fay it has been four times ex
tinct, and as often renew'd ibid.
T
TArquiniut Prifcus, Conquer'd the Sabines and dedicated
their Arms to Vulcan p. 114
Temples, who had Power to dedicate them p. 30?
Theology of the Gentile Priefts explain'd, p. 270 & feqq. by
whom Collected, p. 381, &c. the Opinion of feveral Modern
Divines about the Souls of the Heathens p. 4, j
V
VAn or Fan ufed in all Sacrifices, what it is p. 324
Vejupiter,w hence fo called, p. 200 his Statue and Temple ibid.
Venus worfhipped among the Gods, p. 9 her Rites obfcene, p. 41
& 67 her Names and Qualifications, p. 67 & feqq. Worfhip
ped by Virgins and Widows as well as Harlots, p. 216 her
Temples and Statues p. 2 1 f & feqq.
Vefta, a Name of Fire, p. nf and of the Earth, ibid, her Wor
fhip very antient and univerfal, p. 116 & feqq. her §tatue and
Rites, p. %; 3 Vtfttl

An INDEX.

FtfialJfiigins, had great Honours decreed them, p. 119, 1 20 their
Number and Names, ibid. theirCnftoms and Charge, p. izo,&c.
Vtttory, Religioufly Worfhipped by the Romans, p.214 her Statue
and Temple ibid.
Virtue, the Perfe&ion of Nature, and leads to Happinefs,„p.3oo,
301, &"e. the Romans afcrib'd Divine Worfhip to- her, p. 301
, : , her Worfhip not pleafing to the Heathen Priefts p. 303
Vortumnus, his Image and Temple p. 2fs
Vulcan, held in great efteem by the Heathens, p. 1 14 a very large
Temple arid Colofs, dedicated to him at Memphis, ibid. &231
theKoM«»w erected feveral Temples to him, p. ny his Rites
and Sacrifices, p. 231 the Inventer of Fire p. 231
W
WAter, fome Reafons-fur its~worfhip7p. 18 how folemnly
the Perfians ->erform'd, p. 19 Thales will have it the
Origine of all things, p. 128 how much it conduces to the pro
ducing Vegetables', ibid worfhipt by the Egyptians, p. 137 fome
forts of fifh facred to it, ibid, its myftical Name, p. 138 the
Perfians held it unlawful to fpit in Rivers, p. 139 they Sacri-
ificed white Horfes to it, p. 149 of all its Names, the Ocean is
the chief, p.142 the Scythians, Celti, and other People worfhip'd
it, p. 148 and at this Day, the Inhabitants of the Parts of the
World newly difcovered, worfliip it ibid.
Worfhip, what was chiefly accounted fo at firft, p. n, 12 Diver
fity of Gods, caufed divers kinds of Worfhip, p. 16 the Diffe
rence between Divine and Heroical Honours, p. 182 diftinguifh-
ed by Proper, Symbolical and Mixt, p. 29f how far the Heathens
agreed with the Christians in their kind of Worfhip p. 2^9

FINIS.