^ 



212 A NATURAL HISTORY 



Revelations of himfelf, under the Appearance of Fire, might give 

 occafion to the Chaldeans and Perfians to enter Jain fuch enormous 

 Veneration for Fire, which is a Symbol of the Deity : ^he Lord 

 thy Godf fays Mofes, is a confuming Fire. At their high Solemni- 

 ties they fet feveral Trees (hung with diverfe Sorts of Beafts for 

 Sacrifice) on firej this they did after they had carried about 

 thefe Fires in Proceflion. 



I Shall add here, a remarkable Conteft that happen'd be- 

 tween the Chaldean and Egyptian Priefts about the Superiority of 

 their Gods., . . In the time oiConjlantine the Chaldean Priejis, to 

 prove that Fire, which was their God, excell'd all other Gods 

 in Power, travell'd over the Earth, carrying Fire with them, 

 which foon confum'd all the Statues and Images of other Godsj. 

 whether of Brafs, Silver, Stone or Wood, fays Suidas *, who 

 gives a large Account of it, under the Word kocvutto^. At length 

 coming into Egypt, and making this Challenge ; the Egyptian 

 Priejls agreed upon a Battle of the Gods, and immediately brought 

 into the Field one of their Idols, which was a large Statue of 

 Ni his, full of Water, and full of little Holes, which they ftopt 

 with Wax not difcernable, and fo artificially, that the Water 

 was kept in. 



The Chaldeans (not aware of this Device) begun the Adion, 

 with much Aflurance, and with Eagernefs put Fire around the 

 Egyptian Statue, which foon melted the invifible Wax, and the 

 Water gufhing forth from all Parts, immediately put out the Fire, 

 and drown'd the hitherto invificible Deity of the Perjians ; the 

 Tragedy ended in a triumphant Shout of Laughter among the 

 Spectators : And I might add -j- how the Arabians and Indians, 

 Peruvians, Lithuanians, and Vandals worfhip'd Vegetables,— 

 the Scythians Iron. Trees and Plants have been made Gods. 

 Leeks and Onions were Deities in Egypt. The ancient Gauls 

 and Britons boTt a particular Devotion to the Oak ; from which 

 their Pr lefts took their Names. Ceres and Proferpina^ worfhip'd 

 by the Ancients, were no other than Wheat, Corn, Seed.— The 

 Syrians and Egyptians ador'd Fifhes. What were Tritons, Ne^ 

 reids, Syrem, but Sea-Gods ? Infeds, as Flies, and Ants, had their 



Priefls 

 « Vol. I. pag. 13^8. 



t R»#«. Hift. Ecclefiaftica, lib. 2, Stanley's Lives of the Pbilofophers, part i5. 

 chap. 8. page 28* 



