ijS THE HISTORY AND ART 



and pure, and confccrated to power and royalty. Mankind, 

 in fo doing, having ufurped it from the gods, and 

 made the myfteries of religious worlhip fubfervient 

 to human pride and arrogance. In the fyftem of the 

 pagan religion, it is well known, that in various na- 

 tions, a diverfity of animals, as fymbols, were confe- 

 crated to different deities, under a notion, that they 

 either delighted in them, or that they were myftically. 

 fis;urative of their attributes and characSiers. Thus it 

 is faid, that the chariot of Venus was drawn by Doves y 

 that Minerva had her Owl, and Apollo his Lyre, Thus we 

 find too that Jupiter, in the mythology of the Perfians, 

 as fupreme of gods, had his chariot drawn by eight wbits- 

 horfes. By Jupiter was underftood, according to the 

 ancient Perfian religion, the expanfion of the heavens,, 

 or the air, and horfes of a white colour were probably 

 faid to have drawn his chariot, as being of an hue m oil' 

 proper tdexprefs and reprefent the purity and brightnefs- 

 of that element. Thus the horfes of the Sun, to whom a 

 Chariot was given, are faid to have been of a refplendent- 

 rofy colour ; thofe of Pluto to have been black, and 

 the chariot of the moon to be drawn by a black and a 

 white horfe, all being fymbolical of their refpecT:ive at- 

 tributes. 



In procefs of time, ambition and pride, but too in- 

 herent in the breaft of man, cheriflied and inflamed by^ 

 tlie attainment of almoft every human wifli, and above 

 all, by the adulation which dependent fervility always 

 pays to power and fuperiority, began to dilate the 



mindS: 



