46 



7\gain, V. 126, Hesiod tells us the earth at first produced 

 of itself the starry heaven, mountains, and the barren sea ; 

 and afterwards, with the concurrence of heaven, the ocean, 

 Japetus, Hijperion, Phwbe, &c. Here it is remarkable tliat he 

 states the existence of light to have preceded that of 

 luminaries, as Moses has also. Hyperion was the sun,* 

 though he is also represented as the father of the sun, and 

 Phabe the moon. 



Ovid states the order in which the principal natural objects 

 were brought into existence much more accurately ; for, 

 after giving a florid description of the ancient primitive 

 chaos, to which neither the sun or moon afforded any 

 light, nor was any in the air, v. 6 and 13, he says, v. 17, 

 that God put an end to that strife, and separated the water 

 from the earth, and heaven from the grosser air ; the fiery 

 force of the weightless heaven shone forth. The order of the 

 succeeding events agrees perfectly with the Mosaic account : 

 the stars and planets next appeared, then fish were created, 

 birds, and land animals ; and, last of all, man, v. 78. 



Though Ovid attributes, v. 3'i, the regular arrangement of 

 the component parts of the chaotic mass to God; yet as 

 he acknowledged many Gods, he did not know to which 

 of them he should attribute it. He could not ascribe it to 

 Jupiter, as he believed him to have been preceded by Saturn, 



nor 



* So Ovid in his Fasti : 



Placat equo Perses radiis Hyperiona cinctum, 

 Ne detur celeri victima tarda Deo. 



