Ancient Epic Poem, 121 



a religion, which confers a sacrednesson every 

 basenes and vice. Yet such is the character, 

 and such the influence of the whole pantheon 

 o'i the ancients, the Dli Majores or Minores, 

 in all the exhibition of them. It is with all 

 their follies and with air their crimes upon 

 their heads, as received by^ the popular faith, 

 that they are introduced ii) the poem, and a^ 

 auxiliaries to the heroes of the poem. 



The Pater Hominumque Deumque, the Su- 

 preme Jove, makes his first appearance in the 

 page of heathen mythology, as dethroning his. 

 father and marrying his sister, whom, ac- 

 cording to some authors, he^ had previously 

 debauched. But nor the united relation of 

 sister and wife, nor the divinity, nor perpetuity 

 of youth as the attribute of divinity, nor the 

 majesty of person, nor the lustre of her large 

 blue eyes, in which Juno surpassed all the 

 beauties of the celestial court, could secure 

 the matrimonial fidelity of this Deus optimus 

 maximus. Ungoverned and wide-ranging lust 

 is the first feature of his character, and his 

 history is that of a libertine, w^ho, by fraud, by 

 corruption, by false appearances, or open 

 violence, subjects every woman to his w^ill, 

 whose unfortunate beauty excited his desire. 

 And too often, with all the apathy of a sated 

 libertine, he leaves the hapless victims Oi his 



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