286 On the Knowledge of the Ancients 



in what regarded religion and the laws of nations. 

 Among other afts, Livy tells us, that he builc 

 an altar on the Aventine mount to* Jupiter Eli- 

 cius, whom, it was given out, that he had a 

 power of drawing down from heaven, to explain 

 what was portended by prodigies, and parti- 

 cularly by thunder and lightnings, and to advife 

 with him on other important occafions. Arno- 

 bius, copying Plutarch, fays, that Numa not 

 being acquainted with the means of procuring 

 thunder, which knowledge he was defirous to 

 acquire, applied to the goddefs Egeria, who 

 taught him the method of drawing Jupiter down 

 from heaven. Now we know, that in the Jewifh 

 religion, the vifible appearance of the Deity was 

 in the form of a flame of fire; witnefs the manifefta- 

 tion to Mofes, in two inftances, and the Shechi- 

 nah of the temple. The fame idea prevailed in 

 the Pagan mythology j Jupiter, when he was 

 obliged to come to Semelef with the charafte- 



* Quaequc prodigia fulminibus, aliove quo vifo, mifla 

 fufciperentur atqiie curarentur : ad ea elicienda.ex men- 

 tibus divinis, Jovi Elicio aram in Aventino dicavit, deum- 

 que confuluit auguriis, quae fufcipienda efleiU. Livii 

 lib. I. 



EHciunt ccelo te Jupiter, unde minores 

 Nunc quoque te celebrant Eliciumque vocant. 



Ovid. Faftor. lib. III. 327. 



f Immlftaque fulgura ventis 

 Addidit, & tonitrus & inevitable fulmen. 



Ovid. Metamorphos. III. 300. 

 The few lines above are called Injignia Jovis. 



riftic 



