2O UNIVERSAL ERUDITION.' 



8. in the foundation of colonies, and the inven- 

 tion of arts , 9, in the defire of having gods for 

 our anceftors , 10. in the imperfect or falfe in- 

 terpretation of the holy fcriptures; u. in the 

 ignorance of ancient hiftory, 12. in a like ig- 

 norance of chronology, 13. in that of foreign 

 languages; 14. in the tranflation of the religion 

 of the Egyptians and Phoenicians into Greece ; 

 15. in the ignorance of geography; and 16. in 

 the belief that the firft people had of the inter- 

 courfe of gods with men. Ic is certain, that all 

 thefe matters taken together are fufficient to 

 produce many thoufands of fables ; are more 

 than fufficient to enable us to deceive ourfelves 

 and others, and to give rife to infinite reveries. 

 But we fhould take care how we draw from 

 thefe fources demonltrations that might be ufed, 

 by infidels, as arguments to overthrow the 

 hiftory of the Jews -, a people the moft ftupid, 

 moft credulous, and oftentutioiis of all others. 

 In the mean time, the pagan philofophers them- 

 felves afTerted, that it was a god who invented 

 the fable : fo much they were convinced of its 

 ingenuity, and of its ftrong tendency to inftrucl: 

 mankind in their duty. 



VII. Mythology therefore, when properly 

 treated, begins with making learned researches 

 into the real origin of fable, of paganifm, and 

 of that idolatry which was its confequence. It 

 recurs for this purpofe even to the beginning 

 of the world ; and after rinding that Laban, the 



father- 



