O F SERPENTS. 2-27 



Wii E N Mnca^ facrificed to the M^nes, (the departed Soulj 

 of his Father Anchijhy he faw a Serpent come out of his 

 Grave, which he conchidcd to be either the Tutelar God of his 

 Father, or of that Place, vvliich was counted a good Omen. 



We have an Account of fome Priefts in y^^ that expofe to 

 publick View a Serpent in a brazen VelTel, attended with a great 

 Variety of Mufick. The Serpent appears in an ered Polture, 

 opens its Mouth, and inftead of a forked Tongue, appears the 

 Head of a beautiful Virgin*. 



NICHO LJ S de Lyra makes mention of fuch another idle 

 Conceit, njiz. That the Serpent aflumed the Face of a beautiful 

 Maid, when it tempted Eve. N.B. in the German Bii?ks ipv'mt- 

 ed before Luther, among other Figures may be feen that of a Ser- 

 pent with the Face of a very handfome Maid. 



I N fliort, fo great was the Devotion paid to Serpents, that 

 Pcrfons and Things v/ere denominated from them : Yea, fome 

 would be thought to proceed from Serpents, as the highefl De- 

 gree of Honour. Cadmus s Companion was called a Serpent, fo 

 the Giant in Homer, and a certain Prophet in Faufanias. 



I N the Primitive Church were an heretical Sed, called Ophites^ 

 that is Serpents. In Cyprin^2^\^^ dhouiihtHelleJpont, were a certain 

 People that went by the Name Serpeiit. So a Soothfayer in Mef- 

 fenia, &c. But thefe came Ihort of Alexajtder the Great, and 

 Scipio Afrkanus, who were faid to be born of Serpefits, which they 

 look'd upon to be the brightefl Infigiiia in their Efcutcheon ; but 

 more of this Serpentine Pride in the next Chapter. 



In fuch wonderful Elleem \NtvQ Serpents among them, that 

 all manner of Creatures were called by their Name, as Stars, 

 Animals, Plant?, Trees, Herbs, Rivers, Stones, Iflands, Proverbs. 

 .... Nothing was accounted Divine and Grand, unlefs graced 

 by a Serpent -f. From this Divinity afcrib'd to Serpents, Phe^ 

 recides took occafion to make a Diifertation concerning the Deity 

 called Ophion, from 0;p»> a Serpent %, 



* Thil. Me!ancht07:. f Conradus Gefner. ^ Eufeb. Prxparac. Evang. 



G g 2 CHAP. 



