reJpeEling EleSiricity. 2S9 



perfed through the Iky, and to have buried them* 

 in the earth. " What is this, but thedefcription 

 "of theufe of a conduftor, to fecure buildings 

 " from being ftruck by lightning?" 



Let us now fee if any probable conjefture may 

 be formed, concerning the means or inftruments 

 which they employed in thefe operations. We 

 know that the Hetrufcans and Sabines, Numa's 

 countrymen, v/orlhippedf fpears, and were, in- - 

 deed, the inventors of thofe weapons. It is pro- 

 bable that they might not worlhip, or employ 

 one fpear only in fuch folemnities, but a number, 

 perhaps a large cafe, orwhatHomer calls Aov^o^mnU 

 or a kind of foreft of fpears. The firft places of 

 worlhip were in the open air, the word templum% 

 originally fignifying the heaven, or Iky. Befides, 

 ^ they were upon high places. The Law was de- 

 livered to Mofes upon mount Sinai : and high 

 places are mentioned often || in the fcriptures as 



* Arruns difperfos fulminis ignes 

 Colligit, & terra inasfto cum inurmure condit. 



Lucan. Phars. I. 606, 607. 

 f Sive quod hafta quiris prifcis eft difta Sabinis, 

 Bellicus a telo venit in aftra Deus. 



Ovid Faft. II. 477 

 X Odyff. I. 128. 

 § Templum caelum didlam eft quia ipfura primo tue- 

 mur. Stephan. Thefaur. 



II Levit. xxvi. 30. Numbers xxii. 41. — xxxiii. 52. 

 I Kings iii. 2, 3. — xii, 31, 32. — xiii. 2, 32, 33. — xv. 14. 

 & fere paflim. 



Vol. III. U th^ 



