536 A NATURAL HISTORY 



gan to worfliip them. This points out the Impiety of admitting 

 any fymbolical Reprefentations of Divinity into Places of publick 

 Worfhip. 



Nothing more monftrous than the Divinity of the Pagans 5 

 their Gods were innumerable. Every thing on Earthy in the 

 Sea, in the Heavens, yea, and in Hell, had their peculiar Gods, 

 If Egyptians, who pall for the wifefl of Mortals, paid religious 

 Adoration to meer Animals, not only to Serpents, but Apes, 

 Wolves, yea, Dogs, Cats, .... and to Vegetables, as Onions, 

 Garlick .... what (hall we think of ftupid Nations, who had no 

 Claim to Wifdom ? 



Even in Athens (that celebrated Fountain of Light) were 

 more Idols than in all Greece ; yea, fo numerous were their Idols, 

 that they had almoft as many Gods as Men *. 



STRABO^ Procopius, and Ben Jonas fay, the antient Per- 



Jians kept and worfhipped their perpetual Fire on Mount Albors, 



a Branch of Caucafus. The Japonefe worfhip the Devil, and the 



Head of their Religion is called Dair, whom they worfhip as a 



God. Atlas. 



I Should rather think the Perjians ador'd the fupreme God, 

 under the Image of Fire, by reafon 'tis Fire gives Motion to every 

 thing in Nature, and therefore they made it an Emblem of Dir 

 viniiy. 



The Hebrews kept up the holy Fire in the Temple, and the 

 Vejials were appointed to keep the facred Fire of the Romans. 



VULCAN was worfhipped among the Antients, and parti- 

 cularly the Egyptians, as the Inventor of Fire. 



The People of Egypt exceeded mofl Nations in depreciating 

 Divinity by grofs Superflitions and Idolatry; they did not err in 

 woifliipping Mortals only, but they gave Reverence to Beafls, 

 Birds, Infects, Winds, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Plants, &c. 

 v/hom Rhodius Anaxandrides, one of themfelves, derides in this 

 manner : 



1 facrijice to God the Beef, which you adore -, 



I broil th' Egypmn Eels, which you as God implore. 



You, 

 * Facilius po3is Deum, quam hominem invenire. 



