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Homer were the firfl who affigned names to the Gods, muft 

 neceffarily involve Herodotus in an abfurdity of which no 

 author, even the meaneft, can be fuppofed capable, by making 

 him contradidl what he himfelf has afferted a few lines before, 

 where he tells us that the Pelafgians received the names of the 

 other Gods^ and lajlly that of Bacchus from Egypt, and the Greeks 

 from them. Nothing furely lefs than abfolute neceflity fhould 

 induce us to fuppofe our author capable of fo manifeft a eon- 

 tradidlion, and I hope to fhew that no fuch neceffity exifts. 

 The word E7rum[/,ioig mull be interpreted not nomina but cogno- 

 mina ; fuch is undovibtedly its plain fignification, and indeed 

 our author himfelf, not many lines previous to the paffage in 

 queftion, fpeaking of the Pelafgians, and of their early theology, 

 clearly infers an eflential difference between the Owof/.x and the 

 E7rci!vvfA,ix — ' E7ravvf/-f^vS^ iS'Owof^cc ETToiivvIo cvSiiii aujiuv. We may alfo 

 obferve that OwofM^x is invariably ufed to exprefs the names 

 received by the Pelafgi from Egypt, and by the Greeks from 

 them, while the appellations faid to be given to the Gods 

 by Hefiod and Homer are alone diftinguiflied by the word 

 EiTuvuyAXi. 



As the entire paffage is curious, and may help to elucidate 

 the fabjedl of this eilay, I will give its fenfe at large, tranflating 

 as literally as I am able. 



" Thefe Pelafgi, before this time, as I learned at Dodona, 

 " praying to the Gods, facrificed all things to all in common, 



" but 



