OF SERPENTS. 215 



tain Roma?! Soldier, that was like to be torn to pieces hy the Peo- 

 ple, for having kill'd a Cat by Accident ; and that when a Dog 

 happen'd to die, the whole Houfe went into Mourning*: Yea, 

 in cafe of a great Famine, they would eat Man's Flefli, before 

 they would touch their facred Animals j ibid. The Stork, Ra- 

 ven, Eagle, Hawk, Ibis, and other Birds, have had divine Ho- 

 nours paid them in Egypt and other Places. .... 



The City of Mendez in Egypt worfhipped a Goat ; the City 

 of Mira^ the Crocodile, In other Provinces they ereded Altars 

 to Lions, Baboons, Wolves .... The Hog was ador'd in the Ifland 

 of Crete (now Candy) in the Mediterranean. Bats and Mice 

 had Altars confecrated to them in Troas and at Tefiedos, 



Nothing can be fuppofed more ridiculous than the Adora- 

 tion given by the Egyptians to their brutal Deities, which were 

 either within or near their Temples ; had Tables with delicious 

 Meats and Beds prepared for them, and when any of them died, 

 they went into Mourning, prepared fumptuous Funerals and 

 magnificent Tombs for them, as may be (ttn at large in Diodorus 

 Siculiis, Herodotus^ and others -f*. 



Some indeed ridiculed their fenfelefs and ftupid Neighbours> 

 tho' they themfelves were not Mailers of fuperior Senfe in their 

 Devotions. Anaxandrides reproaches the Egyptians for their 

 wretched and foolifh Idolatry ; but after all, this was only one 

 Idolater deriding another. Dionyfiiis was the mofl notorious this 

 way : And mofl knavifh in this kind was the Painter^ who, 

 when he fliould have drawn the Pi(5lure oi fuch a Goddefs for a 

 Grecian City, drew the PiBure oj his own Miftrefs^ and fo made 

 her to be adored by the Citizens. 



What Man could have forbore laughing, faid i\\Q Greek 

 Poet above, to fee an Egyptian on his Marrowbones^ praying to an 

 Ox as to a Godj or howling over ajick Cat ^fearing leji his Jc rate h- 

 i?ig Godfiould die ? 



Upon the whole, 'tis no eafy matter to difcover the real Sen- 

 timents of the Heathens about their Gods : they admitted fo many 

 fuperior and inferior Deities, who Shared the Empire, that all 

 was full of Gods. 



Some of the Antients fay, that a QtxVcim Jubtile Matter that 

 made Stars intelligent^ did refide in their ^facred Animals, Plar^s 



and 



* Diodor. Siculus-, Heroa'of. f Plid. Herodat. ^urieu's Critical Wjlor^. 



